my magnificence is only rivaled by my modesty

Today

2012-02-02T05:33:00.000-05:00

So.

I am still here.

Just mostly quiet in the corner.

Things are busy so some aspects of my life have slowed down or have been put on hold.

Most of what I write are about observations and interactions. I am still observing and I am somewhat still interacting but it's different lately. I feel more removed.

There are two kittens in the house now and how many pictures of kittens have you seen in this space and what is as photogenic as a kitten?

I can tell you how many pictures you have missed; five, maybe six. That is all that exists from any of my lenses.

I just had trouble spelling lenses.

I read a long post from far away. I expected that it was going to take longer to read so I didn't bring other things to do at lunch so here I am drinking a black ice tea and typing.

The black ice tea, unsweetened, was obtained from Starbucks. My order was: grande black ice tea, unsweetened and with no water. I had learned the previous day, that you can order your ice tea without any added water. I had always noticed that they diluted their ice tea. I had assumed that they brew it extra strong so that they can add water to it so they do not have to keep brewing it through out the day.

The previous day a manager handed over my ice tea and said that it was without added water and we talked and I found out that you can get it without added water. It is extra strong but it you sip from it the ice will dilute it somewhat.

Or get it without extra water and then make yourself another cup of ice tea by dividing it with a cup of your own water.

Exciting stuff, huh?

Work has been stressful. I do not like having responsibilities that I do not have any authority over other then the big boss saying in a meeting that this is "your show" when everyone around the table has large titles and larger paychecks. I am not sure that I would listen to me if I were them but I consider them all somewhat friends so they make considerations for me.

It also helps that I usually know what I am doing.

I have decided to lose some weight mostly because some of my pants do not fit but also because I want to lose the weight. I am keeping mind of my calories.

I need new brown shoes. I wear a size ten.

I keep on trying to improve on basic beef stew but I usually fail. My best version adds browned potatoes finely diced which disappear into the broth to flavor and thicken it but it takes a fortune's worth of time to brown potatoes.

Adding bacon ruins both the stew and the bacon.

Stew is usually better the next day, just like chili.

I am trying to read more and it helps when the author has not written a boring story.

The new bartender will look you in the eye as if she is smitten with you. Well she does if you are me, I haven't really notice her do it to other people. It makes me uneasy.

There is no Little Italy in the City of Boston; it's the North End but those from out of town will say Little Italy because the North End has no meaning to them.

Here and there

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

It was cold in the kitchen on Tueday morning so I turned the oven on. It took the chill off.

I finished making my coffee and washing the dishes and then touched the off button on the front of the range. Normally the touch is followed by an electronic click and then the oven shuts off but there was no click and the oven did not shut off.

I believe I said,"Shit."

...

After work, part of the house seemed a little cool which is not uncommon on one of the coldest days of the season in an old and drafty house with tall ceilings. I turned on a fan to circulate the warmer air by the ceiling around to the rest of the room.

Later, when I returned to that part of the house, it was even colder.

I believe I said,"Fuck!"

...

I do not think that I will get my oven repaired; I will have it replaced.

I did get the heat working again.

...

We were warned about the interruption tha was to happen at 11:30AM.

We were not warned about the rant that was to follow the interruption.

The room is mostly full of knuckle daggers and mouth breathers.

They mistake having a big mouth with having courage.

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T18:50:00.000-05:00

I ended up making a stew. I started out helping my mother make stew. I started helping because I was given a knife, an expensive knife, supposedly from Japan. It was a Christmas gift.

It's a very good knife. It is the kind of knife that makes you want to chop vegetables.

Once I found out that I was no longer helping but doing, I changed the recipe. That's the right of the cook. He how cooks gets to chose the ingredients.

More onions was the first change.

Christmas, open gifts, go onto the next day.

The youngest niece placd a clementine in front of me. I peeled it as I thought of someone else that has me peel thier clemtines.

Coffee

2011-12-12T18:14:00.002-05:00

photos

2011-12-10T11:14:00.000-05:00

Slow down

2011-12-05T17:20:00.000-05:00

People are impatenient and stupid for the most part which usually makes me look like a genious because I will often take the time to think about a situation.

Coffee

2011-12-05T17:14:00.000-05:00

So, I think I have finally found a way to make a very good cup of coffee at home. It is a big day.

Can not share

2011-12-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

So, there are all sorts of fundraising activities going on where I work due to Can Share.

I am all for helping out my fellow man in need but I think Can Share is stupid. I am supposed to lug my cans of food to work so that someone else can lug them somewhere else. Other people think that this is stupid too so they raise money to buy food.

Sometimes, people hold bake sales to raise the money.

I think it is a lot to ask a stranger to trust the baking skills of another stranger in a non-professional setting but I guess folks do it.

I like to be a team player so I dropped by the table of baked goods. There were cookies, cakes, cupcakes, quick breads, store bought items and the like.

I asked for two cupcakes. I asked for two because the lowest bill I had in my pocket was a ten and nobody ever has the proper amount of change at these things so I tried to increase the total amount of my purchase.

The cupcake was red velvet in a foil cup liner. I peeled back the foil to find a paper cup liner. I sighed a little because I then doubted the baking skills of the person who baked the cupcakes because those paper cup liners are supposed to be removed before you fill the foil cup liners with cupcake mix. But those paper cup liners are actually that, paper cup liners so there is no harm in using them but they are redundant, it is like using two paper cup liners. One of the things that I like about the foil liners is that they often peel off easier and that gets ruined if you use a paper cup liner inside the foil cup liner.

I remove those paper liners and save them for another day when I don't want to use the foil liners.

If you google whether or not to remove the paper ones from inside the foil ones, you get a bunch of ignorant opinions. It seems to be quite a controversy.

But I just want to say, "Do not bake cakes for bake sales."Just do not do it. Nobody wants to buy a piece of cake at a bake sale. The cakes are always left. Haven't that been noticed yet.

I think bake sales are stupid, too. For the amount of effort and the cost of ingredients is often more than gets paid for your questionable baked items. How about I just hand you a twenty that you can toss into the till? That way I don't have to bake, you don't have to sell it and nobody has to throw it away at the end of the day.

Why don't you just hand my baked goods over to the homeless and cut out a bunch of middle men? I can bring in sandwiches.

The whole process is stupid.

I don't have much

2011-11-28T19:08:00.000-05:00

These pictures are last first.

Pumpkin Pie

Gravy-ed

Not Gravy-ed

Steamy Mashed Potatoes

Biscuits Not Homemade

Turkey

Pictures from a shopping trip to Whole Foods

What a crock.

2011-11-19T08:26:00.000-05:00

After nine hours this is what the pork loin roast looked like. There is BBQ sauce and three diced onions in there as well.

It was steamy

I couldn't pull it out in one piece.

The start of the shredding process

More shredding

Shredded or fully pulled. I am good at pulling meat.

Back into the pot, which I should have not done because the BBQ sauce was way too sweet especially after reducing somewhat on the heat for nine hours.

Here!

2011-11-18T09:32:00.000-05:00

I think she displayed a lot of emotion in her expression but I don't know what that emotion was.

Ferries to the Boston Harbor Islands will resume in May 2012

These ladies ruined the shot I had wanted to take

I wanted this shot but I wanted it at a different angle, probably with me standing closer to the fence.

Poor shot of two birds

I had read about this fire in the newspaper about a week prior to taking this photo. I think the cause was construction related.

There are more than just the homeless out there begging. In this shot I made certain to include his bird friend in the background because I am an awesome photographer. This was my third photo of these sparrows.

Shot two; a moderate improvement over the first shot.

Shot one; if you might lose the shot take it as quick as you can and then later try to get the best shot. Some might say that the table adds drama and color and perspective but I think it imposes itself to be the star of the photo.

Patio heaters, I've seen them before at open cafes. The first time I saw them was in San Antonio, it was in February and it was about 68 degrees at night, and folks were eating in the outside seating areas of some of the restaurants and they had these heaters going and they also had these Mexican blankets that people could drape over themselves due to the "cold." I was walking around in a short sleeve shirt wondering what the fuss was about because 68 degrees is rather nice for outside.

These heaters work pretty well.

Bathroom graffiti

Another day

2011-11-10T07:04:00.001-05:00

People in the office seem to be in a bit of a panic mode.

It like a victim of abuse is trying to do everything possible to provide no reason to be abuse again by a returning spouse. People are being too careful and worrying about things that will not happen.

(Although there is some verbal abuse sometimes, to be fair)

I have legitimate concerns today and these worrywarts are consuming all of my energy.

I am being worn down.

There is too much abuse in the world.

...

I sit and sip and watch.

I see Tony outside. He is watching too but the way he is watching is like he is trying to decide on what to do next. He served in World War II. I know him from the bar. The bar neither of us frequent too often anymore.

I know he will talk to me if he sees me. He isn't unpleasant to talk too but I look to my right as I see he walk through the door. He is in his own world at the moment and I am content to keep him there. He walks by me continuing on his way.

I watch him disappear into the crowd. He seems even smaller than the last time I saw him. He's about the size of a fifth grader and I slightly worry about his survival but he has made it this long without me worrying about him.

He showed me a picture once. I was him in his youth. He was standing in front of a war plane. It was from a different life or so it seemed.
...

Vote day

2011-11-08T20:25:00.001-05:00

The days back to work haven't been as horrible as I had thought they would be which makes me worry that I am missing something.

I type this at an outside table overlooking Boston Harbor. It is the eighth of November and it is sixty six degrees out. People are out and about which means that I cannot look up porn. I think the dirty bits of the Internet are blocked at the moment anyway.

I think that there are too many people walking by my table so I move to another. Humans haunt me.

I look out over the harbor. I watch people go by. A gentleman approaches me. His is well dressed. He carries a stack of small newspapers. He stands close to me.
He shows the papers and states that these very papers help the homeless. The papers are copies of the Spare Change newspaper.

I tell him him that I am not interested.

He continues with something about it being difficult as the cold weather approaches.

I shake my head, no.

He doesn't want to give up on me but he spots easier prey, an older heavy set woman who most likely lives in the suburbs, and leaves my table. She states that she doesn't want the paper but will give him a dollar.

She starts to look in her purse and then states that she only has change. I cannot see the change change hands but I can hear it. It was maybe a dollars worth.

Babies and dogs and tourists are what I see.

...

I wonder why it is that when I shave her legs, it is an act of devotion but when she shaves mine, it is an act of ownership.

...

I sip from my Starbucks green ice tea.

I watch a group of three amateur photographers taking photos. I look to where they are shooting. I am not too impressed.

Testing

2011-11-07T13:19:00.006-05:00

This is a test

Rolled pizza wheels

plain parsley

not rolled pizza wheels

oregano

tomato paste with oregano

mushrooms, pancetta, onions, peppers and other stuff

Knife and steel. The steel was my dad's. That knive is the reason I chopped everything by hand as opposed to using a food processor.

Finished wheels

Uncooked wheels

Chopped parsley

Parchment paper folded on the long edge to keep it flat which works better than trying to reverse the curve

Cooked and chopped pancetta

Red pepper

Sweet onion

Also finished pizza wheels

De-stemmed oregano because I care

Chopped oregano

Onions and mushrooms. I diced the stems finer than I did the tops of the mushrooms

Cooked pancetta

Cut pizza wheel roll

Provolone and prosciutto

mushrooms

photos

2011-11-04T18:28:00.001-04:00

Coffee cup for the day

Biga, one mixed, one not mixed. Biga is a type of dough started

Sliced bottom round roast for beef stroganoff

Mushrooms, white

Mushrooms, quartered

Chabatta bread dough

Chabatta dough

Roasted squash, glazed with a maple syrup butter sauce with thyme and cranberries

Chicken Tandori

Beef stroganoff

Chabatta bread

Busy at my desk

2011-10-28T07:28:00.000-04:00

Yes I was rubbing my upper thigh at my desk trying to help a moisture stain dry quicker

Simon

2011-10-27T21:41:00.001-04:00

I have had pretty good luck with blogger. It hasn't eaten too many of my posts but earlier today it killed two. Well actually, it was just one post but I tried to post it twice, each version was a little different. A third version was typed out somewhere else and an attempt was made to post that but the same error message came up.

I would be more upset if I actually had anything to say.

I was a little surprised today to find out that it was Thursday but then that is the day that usually follows Wednesday so I don't know why I was surprised.

We have people coming over for Halloween. The people include my nieces, their parents, and some friends. There will be about fourteen, I think.

We have a large front yard and often one of us will sit on the stone wall at the sidewalk with a bowl of candy so people will not have to make the trek up the lawn or the driveway. It usually gets cold.

I don't know why I am relaying this information other than sometimes I just feel the need to type or maybe write.

I just looked over to my left and noticed a young mother starting to make movements like she was going to breastfeed her infant and more and more her movements seemed to make no doubt about it, the pulling of the shirt, the repositioning of the baby, moving the zipper down. I casually watched wondering how much of herself she was going to expose, wondering if I would be able to get a glance at a nipple. But then I realized that I was acting like a creep even though I wasn't watching for titillation purposes or trying to get aroused, I was just curious about how much care and skill or worry that she would use in the process of breastfeeding her child.

At least I was being discrete, unlike the old guy staring right at her.

She was being careful in not overly exposing herself but she wasn't delaying in feeding her baby. I didn't see any other skin than could be seen with something low cut but then I did not have a very good angle.

That is until she switched the baby to her other side and she slide her left breast out of her grey sweat jacket. She is not very bashful about it and nor should she be.

It is a nice tit, I can tell you that much even though some peach fuzz covered head is blocking most of my view.

How's that? A play by play of some crude guy watching a mother breastfeeding her child and while I was writing this some young guy tried to bum a dollar off of me. He did not look homeless so I was allowed to talk to him but I am not allowed to give money to beggars.

The baby is done feeding now so I can look in that direction once again.

He looked like he got lost from a senior class field trip. He looked well kept but he spoke too softly. I had to ask him to repeat himself and then I said "No."

Now she back to the right breast. I think she is just fucking around with me. If she wants me to look I will look, I have no problem with looking but in polite society looking is rude.

It looks like she is done again.

Her three year old son is named Simon. I don't know what the baby's name is. She answers to Mommy but that is probably only to a select few.

People like their space

2011-10-27T21:37:00.002-04:00

She will come in late everyday and blame mass transit. She comes in late consistently at the same time. She should leave her house earlier.

When she does some in she’ll walk around the office talking to people instead of sitting down and answering the ringing telephones.

Her attitude bothers me most of the time.

But I am not her to complain about her.

I see him during the morning commute, frequently. He sits at the last bench on the platform reading his copy of the free paper.

I stand further down towards the end of the platform.

He will wait until the train is arriving to leave his bench and wait in the same area as me for the train to stop and the doors to open.

Yesterday, the doors opened and the couple that were standing in the doorway slightly gave ground so that other people could enter the train.

The guy entering the train takes a half step into the train, into the very space relinquished by the lady still standing there.

In a perfect world no one would be standing in the doorway but the doorway is premium space for standing in and the doors on this particular side of the train don’t open nearly as frequently as the other side, so people like standing there.

He was in her personal space, so she retreated a little further away from the door, waiting for the guy to move into the train but he didn’t, he set his feet and opened his paper

When the lady realized that the guy was overtaking her space she said, “Dude, are you really taking my space?” His response was to stand there in silence.

I have seen the guy exhibit behavior that could be considered rude but it could also be a social disorder or even just ignorance as to what polite behavior is.

I then realized that he will always stand in that spot. I guess he thinks that that is his spot. He also sits in the same spot on the same bench everyday.

The lady moved over to in front of the guy she was with for a slightly uncomfortable ride into town.

People like their space.

2011-10-27T21:32:00.001-04:00

Test

Buckets

2011-10-24T13:30:00.001-04:00

On the trip to the park I took my digital SLR, my little canon point and shoot, my little HD video camera and my iPod touch which does photos and video and I think that I used them all, mostly just because I couldn't decide on what I wanted to do. There were a couple times when I wasn't using any of it. I will usually take them out of the house to try to keep the peace. I take them out so my mom will stop pestering them.They all had buckets. The park is at the beach. There was three buckets.They used the buckets to collect shells.They used the buckets to collect sand.They used the buckets to collect sea life (periwinkles).They used the buckets to collect water. They used the buckets to make wet sand.They used the buckets to make sand castles.I mostly let them do what they wanted, I let them get close to the water. I let them play in the sand.During the process, the youngest decided that she didn't need the water that was in her bucket so she went to the water's edge, leaned a bit forward and tried to toss the water back into the ocean but she ended up just dumping it on her sneaker.She was trying to be careful. She wasn't goofing around. She had a plan on keeping her sneakers dry but it just didn't work out. She caught me watching her, she would normally be yelled at, I just shrugged my shoulders.She was not stupid and she was not being careless, she just needs more practice with emptying buckets.

2011-10-23T19:34:00.000-04:00

2011-10-23T14:10:00.001-04:00

She was saying something chocolate cake and then would throw sand into the air.

2011-10-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

Of die and dice

2011-10-21T06:21:00.000-04:00

I was sitting on the granite stairs that lead to nowhere, they are form as opposed to function. I was writing by way of typing.

I looked around and across the stairway down there was a little girl playing on the mirror image of the stairs I sat on. Her father was close by.

She had a smoothie whose ingredients made it pink. She slipped and caught herself unharmed but she had lost grip of her cup and it tumbled two stairs down and I saw what I thought was an ice cube skate across the floor.

The father didn't say anything as the little girl escaped to her mother. He was a bit mad.

I looked to the left because the show was over, then someone's foot kicked something across the floor. I thought it was the piece of ice but what I had thought was ice was actually a die. It wasn't a normal die, it had a red large dot with the regular assortment of little black dots.

Smoothies do not come with ice cubes.

She was carrying it when she fell. I imagined that for at least the next six minutes she would be missing it.

If her family wasn't hanging out in the food court, I wouldn't be able to find her but I figured I would give it a try.

I picked up the die and entered the food court. The place was crowded. I couldn't see her on my quick glance around. I started to decide on how hard that I was going to look.

I started my more thorough search by looking at the counters where people stand to eat which was to my immediate left and wondered how I had missed them on my initial look around. I was practically in their space. It made me uncomfortable and I immediately felt that the situation would seem odd from their point of view.

Three minutes after the fact, some guy from a different section of the building shows up with their daughter's toy. Stalk much?

Whatever, I was there. I slide the die about an inch and a half across the counter in her direction. The father was keeping his back to me, the daughter was hiding in her mother's light gray sweat jacket. I choose the set of eyes that were paying any attention at all and asked, "Is this hers?"

The mother said yes.

I left.

Sometimes it is dark in here

2011-10-20T15:01:00.000-04:00

The way I would describe it is that you are on a long journey and you have two courses of action: go forward or stay put, and staying put only just delays having to go forward.

The journey takes you into a forest. You didn't notice when you entered the forest and you don't know how deep into the forest you are.

You are alone. There are no animals. There seems to be no other life than the trees.

The Trees tower over you. Trees so tall and dense that you cannot see the tops of them, you can only see the dark damp trunks, yet you still feel cramped, you always feel like there is a wall of tree trunks just an arm length away yet you can also see for miles, you see miles of emptiness except for the trees.

Sometimes, the forest gets noisy, the noise is both close and far, it is also inescapable.

Most of the time the forest is quiet, the quiet stretches further than the endless and unseeable horizon.

There is no sun.

There is always a hunger no matter how much eating has been done.

There is always tiredness no matter how much sleeping has been done.

There is always coldness no matter how much you do to keep warm.

It is a crowded cold dark emptiness that stretches forever.

You think you can remember a time when you were not in the forest but those memories seem like they belong to someone else.

You forget the destination for your journey. You think there was a destination but you cannot remember if you made that thought up or not.

You forget the purpose of it all but you trudge forward because you think that is what you are supposed to do. You wonder where the thought of trudging forward came from, you think it was taught to you but you cannot remember meeting any teachers.
.
.
.
.
.
But then the canopy opens and light reaches the ground. You can see the sky. You notice that the chill is gone from your bones. But you are still in the forest. The trees are just as thick and endless but they no longer seem to be at arm length. There seems to be more room.

You still don't know how far into the forest you are and you still don't know how far it is to go -- and you are still alone but at least there seems to be hope.

And you have found your a familiar spoon.

Whatever

2011-10-12T13:22:00.000-04:00

So.

The three of us were sitting there talking about current events with some other regulars came in. The three of us all came over from a different bar quite some time ago; we followed a bartender. We have known each other for years.

The other regulars know my friends better than they know me and they are accepted as favored regulars. I am not there yet because I haven't put in the time but I am afforded the same curtesy as a favored regular.

I follow the hierarchy some what, there is one guy we all defer to but after that it is pretty much the choosing of the bartender on where you stand.

The guy we defer to is sometimes followed in by friends. I do not defer to his friends but some of them think I should.

One of the guy's friends was there last night, he stood at the end of our group and at first he was just joining the conversation which is fine but then he started interrupting the conversation. At first I thought it may have been on accident because the music was a little loud and the place a little busy but it seemed to happen with greater frequency than it would have if it were on accident. He would interrupt the guy right to his left, the guy closest to him, as he was in the middle of a sentence with something totally different than what was being talked about.

One of my friends said that it may have been a cultural thing because the guy is from Serbia but I think the guy is a pompous ass.

I am three years younger than four times the age of the Scotch I was drinking

2011-10-11T22:53:00.000-04:00

The day had a weird feel to it.

Lunch was a bit of an escape.

I got the steak tip sandwich and after a couple minutes the bartender asked me a question.

"Timmy, are you happy?"

It was an odd question so I laughed a little laugh and then asked my own question.

"Do you mean happy in general? Or in life? Or with this lunch?"

"With the lunch, I guess."

"I like it. It is good."

"What about in general?"

"I could be happier."

"Would more ginger ale make you happy? Because that is about all I can help with?"

"It would be a start."

I then left earlier than usual because I had wanted a coffee. I had told her that I might be back even though I didn't think that I would be. She later sent me a message that I should have told her that it was my birthday and that we should celebrate at least a little bit.

I really didn't care to celebrate but I did go back. I stayed and talked to friends and then we talked about how the guy that had just left was an attention hound and all his other quirks.

"Yeah, and sometimes he will refer to me and Woody as his children. He'll say: See you later my children, and that bothers me because I'm old enough to be his father."

"Bob, you aren't that old."

"Bob was very potent as a child." I said which caused the bartender to laugh and then say: I knew you were drunk.

Because drunk Timmy is funnier than sober Timmy.

Meh

2011-10-07T07:21:00.000-04:00

So I wonder: Maybe it is me.

I change my habits.

I change my methods.

I am still doing most everything.

I attend important meetings with important people

I am spoken highly of.

I am smiled at when recognized.

I am still not happy.

Less ahead equals further behind

2011-10-04T14:40:00.000-04:00

I open up the box to type in some text but I have nothing to say. I have no stories of some clueless coworker or some hapless tourist.

I have complaints about my job.

Things are not going well but they could be worse. I should be happy that I am still keeping pace and not falling further behind. I should be happy that "further behind" actually means being less ahead.

I need a new focus.

I need to be less irritated with the lady talking loudly on her cellphone while on the subway for many minutes.

I'm on the phone

2011-09-30T12:52:00.000-04:00

Dude, maybe when I'm holding my cellphone to my ear and speaking into it, I'm on the fucking phone so you shouldn't just walk into my space and just start talking.

Everything & Anything

2011-09-29T14:40:00.000-04:00

I left for the field because I was a little behind in my field work. I get behind in my field work because it really isn't my job anymore and also I cannot seem to get any chances to get away from my desk. But I made my escape today because someone ratted me out to the boss. The boss will most likely cut me a break but I needed to get those things done.

I received a phone call from a coworker that someone had dropped by to get some paperwork. I told the guy that no paperwork exists because I haven't received any paperwork on it; an hour an a half later I received another phone call from the same coworker saying that the same lady was by again looking for the paperwork.

Dude! I haven't been back to the office yet. How could there be any paperwork?

And stop calling me. Take a damn message. People need to stop thinking that they can just walk in from the street and get everything and anything they want.

It is just a game

2011-09-29T12:02:00.000-04:00

So crazy Barbara asks me to do a sign that says "Thanks for the memories" for the Boston Red Sox because she feels bad for them and their sucky season.

I told her that, "It's just a game".

She later started making her route about the office chatting people up and explaining her sadness instead of answering the phones like she is supposed to do.

She wasn't stirring up any sympathy for the hometown team.

...

I seem to have no patience today. Everybody's voice is annoying.

LOL

2011-09-28T13:55:00.000-04:00

October 10, 2011 is that date that I am nearly caught up to which is about where I like to be so I feel better about my situation.

For clarity and convenience I rearranged my desk but now my typing orientation is slightly off so I need to adjust but I guess that is just a part of life sometimes.

...

The emial had the name of a fundraising event scheduled for October 1st. The email was from the big boss so I got a little frustrated because I was pretty sick and tired of getting things at the last minute, I was not looking forward to rushing all the paperwork through but then I actualy read the email.

He is participating in a fundraiser and he was asking for donations. Asking for donations from your subordinates is not too cool but they guy isn't trying to throw his weight around he is just trying to raise money for a cause; I would ask him if I needed sponsors so I don't hold it against him for asking but I know some people will.

I gave the minimum donation and he thanked me by emial the next morning and I told him that I had first thought that I was going to have to do a bunch of short notice paperwork but that once I read the request and all I had to do was to give a couple bucks that I was relieved.

He said that he LOL.

Ain't that the balls

2011-09-26T13:19:00.005-04:00

Things have not been going well.

Things have not been going well in that a lot of folks do not have their act together or simply they do not give a care.

From the outside things probably look pretty good. A lot of things are getting done and most of it on time. I had the big boss mention all the balls that I have it the air.

I worry about my rhythm. If I miss one I may lose them all.

But that's life, isn't it?

Tote Bags and Such

2011-07-26T06:58:00.000-04:00

I had just missed the shot that I wanted.

It looked like the father had been waiting for his wife and daughters to be done browsing for a long time; he was standing like you see and his little girl was leaning against the cart; there was a separated togetherness that I had wanted to capture but then she moved and ruined it.

I should have asked her to go back and lean on the cart.

Keep Your Friends Close

2011-07-25T07:24:00.003-04:00

I might live in Title Town but this post has no title

2011-07-23T09:18:00.001-04:00

Zakim Bridge

Her mind was everywhere

Love Tattoo

Stanley Cup Champions

It's not the angle I would have chosen

2011-07-21T07:03:00.000-04:00

There was a grandmother, father, mother, two daughters, and a son; these three got to pose.

Lost pictures and Saturday

2011-07-16T19:27:00.000-04:00

Step Your Game Up

2011-07-15T05:52:00.000-04:00

They are talking about the business of tying balloons

How about a post?

2011-07-14T01:10:00.002-04:00

This lady's T-shirt indicates that she is the world's greatest dad; at first I had my doubts but those doubts were based purely her being a woman. She might be the world's greatest dad. Who am I to judge?

This guy was sitting there with his eyes closed even before he was half way through his first glass of beer from that pitcher. He didn't seem drunk, he just seemed odd. I would never order a whole pitcher of beer for myself, mostly because the beer gets warm and little because it looks like you have a drinking problem.

Homemade: mashed potatoes, chicken, gravy.

I do revel in that my youngest niece, who's four years old, has stated that I make better mashed potatoes then her mother does while her mother is standing right next to her.

One of the chickens cooked on the Weber charcoal grill. It was cooked: beer-can style on something I purchased from Williams-Sonoma on sale a couple years ago. No actual beer cans were used and the beer used came from a bottle because in my house I do not drink beer from cans.

I also have some video of two guys on the subway taking about the politics of street performers, particularly between one balloon "artist" (someone who ties balloons into unwanted shapes) and another balloon "artist" but you will have to wait for that because it's being uploaded to my youtube account.

I guess flowers are a big seller in the balloon tying game and one guy was upset with another guy for making flowers too close to where he was making balloon flowers, and the second guy was like: "Then step up your game," and you know what? I don't disagree.

If a certain amount of money can be made by simply twisting a balloon into the rather simple shape of a flower, then I might stand right next to you and twist balloons into those same simple shapes and if you don't like it, then do something that not just anyone can do, twist harder, or faster, or bigger - Step up your game!

A short

2011-07-06T15:38:00.001-04:00

Melissa says I should eat avocados and she wants proof that I eat them. I think filming myself eating half an avocado is kind of funny.

Title

2011-07-01T06:59:00.000-04:00

It’s all paperwork to me. The names and places really don’t have a bearing.

It’s all paperwork until I have to race over to the professional baseball field to change the No Parking signs that my memo had set into motion to have put up.

The signs needed to be changed because there was a conflict between someone making a major motion picture and a motorcade for a member of royalty.

I complained about it in an email to someone that holds my heart.

She replied: “You get drama between princes and movie people!! I get laundry and groceries.”

Still, my life is all just mostly paperwork.

When things go wrong, I extend the same effort to fix the problem whether it’s a crown prince or a single mother trying to run a block party. Titles do not impress me.

I’m not really changing the world.

I’m mostly just changing when you can park.

Lounge

2011-06-25T15:45:00.000-04:00

Lounge

On granite bench in front of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Dear Tim's Blog

2011-06-24T12:34:00.000-04:00

Please boycott Tim until he posts the Lounge photo. It's one of his best ever.

Thank you for your attention,

Melissa

I've been busy

2011-06-19T19:02:00.000-04:00

I've been busy and when I get busy I usually get quiet. I get quiet because I'm a bit from the old school. I get quiet because most likely my communications devolve to complaining. I know I've complained here before and often but that was at my leisure. I will not make time to complain. I will suck it up, Buttercup.

A lot of things have been finding there way to me: a lot of things that aren't really in my job description but those things presently are not in anybody's job description so folks come to me.

Folks come to me because I will usually have an answer.

I always try to be helpful in part because folks are usually helpful to me. I will always try to be helpful even though I sometimes only really have time to get my own things done. There are times when I wish to politely tell people to fuck off because I am super busy but that is contrary to my greater than mere mortal image so I overcome. But all that forced politeness takes it toll, it takes a lot of energy and when there is a lack of energy I get quiet.

So, I've been seeing a bunch of parades.

I'm not much of a parade person but I know someone who is, so I take photos of the parades, some of the shots are standard run of the mill parade shots but some of them are not. I've always been interested in other people's reactions to things, rather than my own reaction, mostly because my own reactions are rather subdued. Similar to when I go to Fenway Park. Fenway Park is great for watching baseball but watching baseball isn't always great. I will often watch the people more than I will watch the game, mostly because a lot of the game is boring and it is very easy to look everywhere but the field of play and still not miss anything important if you just glance back onto the field when folks are throwing, fielding or swinging, there are so very few times in a baseball game when something can actually happen and parades are even more uneventful sometimes, and often have fewer surprises.

2011-06-19T00:31:00.000-04:00

B's Parade

2011-06-18T14:12:00.000-04:00

The Day the Music Died

2011-06-16T16:55:00.002-04:00

Wednesday

2011-06-16T07:01:00.000-04:00

Tuesday

2011-06-15T07:09:00.000-04:00

Bunker Hill Parade (There is pride but not that kind of Pride, that post is below)

2011-06-12T18:30:00.002-04:00

She was flying around on that thing

Photo op

A delay

Slouch

Timing

This was four blocks into the parade. She looks excited.

"Yeah, I can't talk right now; I'm in a parade."

Teddy

Difficulties

You bounce on it to make it go.

Cute

Photo

Raining

Reflection

She was flipping her hair

Line

Boston Pride 2011

2011-06-12T00:15:00.000-04:00

I think this is the ponygirl

I think it was a Wednesday

2011-06-11T22:38:00.000-04:00

Marketplace

2011-06-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

This lady never found anything she was willing to pay the price for but she looked for awhile.

Thanks for the show (I've seen better)

photos finally

2011-06-07T20:49:00.000-04:00

fog

seven trees

hole

blueberry

cherry trees

another hole

another hole as well

blueberry

maple tree

same maple tree

pepper and onions in all-clad

evil corn

teriaki chicken

11.88

mom

Special HP Sign

Here's a post just to prove I'm not dead

2011-05-25T21:17:00.000-04:00

Melissa says that I am absent from my writing.

Melissa also says that my writing is absent.

My posts are kind of like narratives of what I'm seen and heard; lately, I've bee busy so I really haven't seen or heard anything but my own doings. I don't write too much about my own doings because I think they are boring.

Today I cooked Chicken Marsala in my 14" All-Clad Saute Pan. See. Boring.

There is a box at my feet. In the box used to be 500 feet of category 5 network wire. Most of it is still left.

I should be reading a book or something. The one I'm reading most at the moment is written by Steve Earle and is entitled: "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive." Sometimes, I'm unimpressed with the way he describes things but I like reading it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MELISSA!!

2011-05-02T08:20:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Melissa.

I wish that I could give you the appropriate amount of birthday whacks.

Untitled is the title

2011-04-24T23:49:00.002-04:00

Well, somebody had to fix this post, so I did it. ~Melissa

Pictures - Sunday, April 17, 2011

2011-04-17T23:39:00.000-04:00

Dark Sky

Iron Work

Elite Women Runners

Scared Pigeon

Elite Women Runners Who Scared the Pigeon

Cross Here

She's No Millet

John Hancock Tower

Picture Worthy

Details

Newbury Street

On TV

On TV Too

Newbury Street

Beacon Street at Charles Street

Beacon Street

5K Beacon Street

6:04 into the race

Fast Runners

Wet Tree

Home Depot

2011-04-13T23:21:00.000-04:00

So, I needed a new cordless drill.

Well, I actually didn't need a new drill, I needed new batteries and the thing of it is the batteries cost 80% of the cost of a new drill so it really doesn't make sense to buy two batteries when for a few bucks more you can get two batteries, a case, a charger and a brand new drill.

So I went to Home Depot and settled on a drill I really didn't want but it had all the features and was about $90 less than the one I wanted but it was still about $200. The box looked a little beat up but I had trouble pulling it from the shelf so I figure some other guy must have had the same trouble only he tore the box a little. Normally, I would crack open the box to make certain everything is there, if the box looks like it could have been opened but this box was contained in one of those anti-theft harness type things so I figured it was safe.

I got it home and found out one of the batteries was missing and I got steamed, first of all I had just wasted a trip to Home Depot, second now I had to return the drill, third I had to get another drill, fourth I had to deal with rush hour traffic, fifth there was going to be no one that I could actually be mad at, I could be mad at Home Depot and I was just about livid but there was no one person that I was going to be able to hold accountable.

It wasn't too much of a hassle getting back to Home Depot and I went right to returns and when the lady asked how I was doing I had told her that I had been better and then told her the situation.

I had chosen to go to Home Depot first, even though there is now a Lowe's practically across the street from the Home Depot that I go to because Home Depot was there first and I'm kind of loyal and even though I like Lowe's better I was still at Home Depot. I was trying to show Home Depot some love and I felt that they shit right on that love. It was an expensive item that I was buying, there should have been no hassles.

The returns lady said that I could try to find another of the same make and model or get my money back. I told her that I didn't think there were any left, that I got the last one but that I would check anyway, and as I thought, there were no others but I did notice that a battery for that drill costs $99 which sort of explained why one was missing. And every time a Home Depot associate asked me if I needed any help, I just wanted to tell then to fuck off but I didn't.

She credited my credit card and said that she was sorry that it didn't work out. I told her that I was sorry too.

I still needed a drill but I certainly wasn't going to buy it there. I was still steamed and I still had no one to be angry at, I tried to calm myself and said that being angry at Home Depot was really doing me no good but FUCK Home Depot.

I drove across the street to Lowe's. I like Lowe's better, fuck loyalty. Lowe's is better than Home Depot, always. Lowe's doesn't have a 77% of there inventory miss labeled or just shoved any where on a shelf. Things are neat and if you reach into a box that says half inch 90 elbows chances are that is what you are going to pull out.

I got a couple 'can I help you's' and I wanted to tell them to fuck off too. If I need help I will at the very least look in your direction and if that doesn't work, I am not afraid to ask but I know where shit is and I usually know what I want so just keep sweeping the damn floor and leave me the fuck alone.

I was looking at the cordless hammer drills and had a larger choice and better names and they were a heck of a lot cheaper. I was reading the boxes two or three times because I thought I was missing something but the drills had the same features, had the same 18volt battery, had two batteries, a case and a charger for sixty buck less. And if I do need another battery it is only $60, if I have to buy two then I might as well spend twenty dollars more and get another brand new drill set but still $60 is better than $99.

FUCK Home Depot.

I was still pissed at Home Depot when I got home. I still am a little pissed off at them but they did save me a boat load of money because they suck and they will never be my first choice again so I can't be too too mad at them.

So Home Depot sucks. I have a nice new 18v Cordless Hammer Drill and Home Depot sucks.

So in closing I would like to say that Home Depot sucks.

She Said He Said

2011-04-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

I started taking photos with my point and shoot but I hated the muted colors so I put it away but I did have some photos on it.

Welll??????? Are you going to tell me or not??? I can't take the suspense!!!

I told you one thing.

Thank you very much!! I believe I said I wanted to know ALL the items!

Maybe we can compromise.

I don't compromise!!

Maybe we can come to an understanding, then.

I don't understand!!

She is very very funny

All and nothing.

2011-04-10T01:25:00.001-04:00

Most of these have already been posted. I added some words and the rest of the photos which I think are failures. They run in the order that I took them in.

CHIHULY

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

LIME GREEN ICICLE TOWER

2011

I tend to do things on a large scale because it's exciting, I like to push things in new and different ways - Chihuly

There are 2,342 individual pieces.

This guy looks alone and like he has been through a lot. Or maybe his wife just kicked him out. I don't know.

This painting is rather small and I took a blurry picture. I think it's harder to paint small paintings.

It's a nice piece of furniture but I was just trying to shot an interesting angle.

One of the things I like about this painting is that the artist painted the ropes on the sails. The lines are very very thin. It took great skill.

This is a close up of the lower left hand corner, showing the ropes. He must have painted the ropes with one or two hairs of a brush.

Sunlight on priceless paintings and they won't even let me use a flash. I made sure there was a guy in this photo to show the magnitude of the hall.

I had to wait for the solitude to return to this photo because authorized personnel walked through that black door. It's a great area.

A stone box with stuff carved on the back of it, which can be seen through the window.

I didn't post this before because there was too much glare.

Out of focus and too much glare.

Too much glare and focus is on the wrong thing.

This is better in real life.

A ceramic flounder. I'm pretty certain my grandmother had one of these.

I just like the subject matter. Good job Charles Barque.

I was trying to take a picture of this guy looking at the Van Gogh's but then he turned and I liked the photo even better because he looks like he doesn't give a shit about Van Gogh, Monet or Gauguin.

Van Gogh

Snow at Argenteuil, Claude Monet

Landscape with Two Breton Women, Paul Gauguin

Water Lilies, Claude Monet

Blurry.

Man made bug.

Nature Unveiling Herself before Science, Louise-Ernest Barrias

This piece was uneventful to me until I read the write-up. I would not have guessed at it in a million years.

There is another dog at the foot of the bed. It's an angle thing, I was going for.

Saint Augustine, Joseph Chinard

I thought he got good expression on his face. Too much glare.

They look so life like in their manor.

These guys are in the painting below, in the lower left hand corner.

Church of Saint Odulphus, Assendelft, Pieter Jansz. Saenredam

Good perception.

I thought it would look neat.

Man Turning Over the Soil, Millet

It reminds me of those Russian propaganda posters which I think are artful.

The guy in the jacket with the stripe just would not shut the fuck up. That's a Picasso that his buddy is not getting a chance to look at.

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Paul Gauguin

This is a famous painting that I could shoot better with my DSLR than my little point and shoot camera.

I liked the rows of pedestals.

It's a depth of field thing.

This guy looks evil.

I like how you can see the length of the room.

I moved the camera too soon.

Too much glare.

Too close to the nose.

Better.

This looks just like the monument in D.C. and this is one of the only things that the Museum of Fine arts actually encourages you to touch. I tried to line up the shot so Lincoln is looking right at you.

They have these mirror tables so that you can see the ceiling and the top of my head at the bottom of the frame.

The mirror table.

It's a squeezebox in the museum.

Depth of field thing.

This is a harp

Great inlay work

Little ancient stone things for embossing paper.

Ancient Reindeer. I didn't see any ancient Santa's.

This is a tiny money, or at least very small. I thought it had pretty good detail.

See it's small.

This is next to the monkey. It is also small with good detail.

This is the loin that the little girl was taking a photo of when I was taking a photo of her.

I would love to know this guy's story. I guess I should have read the write-up.

I just love the look of this guy. I think he's a stoner.

It's a leg cup.

Just me goofing around with the camera.

I like the guy's expression, although I'm not certain what it is. They have a whole lot of bust and most of them are entitled like: Portrait of an old man. This was some emperor or something but I guess the old man was kind of important in his day.

I love the lines.

Here too.

I liked how the light was shining through. You can see the John Hancock Tower through the window.

Too much light shining off of the Prudential Tower.

Floor to ceiling. It's impressive just not in a photo.

Who ever sits in that chair?

Still Life - Fish, William Merritt Chase

I bet those fish stunk by the time Chase was finished painting them.

I didn't like how the people were.

I moved the camera too soon. I was afraid of getting caught.

37 Items

2011-04-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

It's big (63 photos from last to first)

2011-04-08T00:24:00.001-04:00

copyright infringement

2011-04-06T23:23:00.000-04:00

LET US FLOAT iNTO The FUTURE.

I AM RiGHT BEHiNd YOU.

Another Visit to MFA

2011-04-06T20:17:00.000-04:00

The subject in the email simply said: Hole.

2011-04-04T22:11:00.003-04:00

Missing stitches towards the end.

I was about at the bottom step to the train platform when I felt something traveling down my right leg. I was confused as to what it could have been until I gave my leg a shake and out flew my pen.

Me finding the hole big enough for a pen to fall out of

I almost always carry a pen and almost always that pen is carried in my back pocket where it can be reached by my right hand. I also carry my thumb drive in the same pocket. I felt in my back pocket for the hole and couldn't find it but I moved both items to my front pocket anyway. Later in work I gave the back pocket another try with the pen and awhile later, I kicked the pen from my pant leg again. I felt for the hole again and again could not find it. I sent myself an email that there was a hole in my pocket because other wise, I would toss my pants into the dirty pile, wash them the next time that I washed the dark colors and forget that there was a hole. With the email, at least there was a chance of me being reminded and actually doing something about it.

Threaded No 7

I sew with a number seven needle. It was the way I was taught in the fourth grade.

Tiny stitches, mostly all in time

I don't mind the extra thread so much before and after the stitches. I fell that in time they will fray making the knots and closing stitches that much more secure. And nobody can see them so I don't care.

I started my stitches well back from where the stitches were missing and then stitched to the end. My stitches are actually smaller than the machine stitching because I kick ass at sewing.

After this mending, I mended a hole in the crotch of a brand new pair of pants and then changed to black thread and mended another hole in another crotch of another brand new pair of pants. There must have been a design flaw or just poor ass stitching because the pants were the same brand and make, just different colors, both were just worn one before I noticed the holes.

So, Fish Sauce also

2011-04-03T18:28:00.000-04:00

The Chile Dipping Sauce is the recipe that has fish sauce as an ingredient. I added more carrot, jalapeño and garlic than called for. I could still smell the fish sauce after everything was mixed and worried that it would be a too prominent flavor but after a night in the refrigerator the flavors blended. I was still doubted whether or not to bring it to poker night or not.

Chile Dipping Sauce (modified)

I doubted people would like it but I figured that bringing it would do no harm because there was going to be four sauces in total.

Buffalo Wing Sauce

One of the sauces, the whole reason chicken strips and the other sauces were made, was the Buffalo Wing Sauce. I have a recipe that I got from the newspaper from one of the bars around Fenway Park that I like; it's good as is but I have modified it. My modifications include beer and garlic and a reduction stage on the stove top. This sauce causes heat to sit at the back of your tongue and the top of your throat. It doesn't make you cry but you think that it might.

Honey Mustard Sauce

Honey Mustard Sauce was one of the sauces. It is simply: mustard, honey, red wine vinegar in a ratio of 3:2:1. I have modified this recipe also to include garlic. I usually just eyeball the measurements for this and for this amount, (about a cup), there were two small cloves of garlic.

Recipe of Blue Cheese Dressing

I made Blue Cheese Dressing because I had some blue cheese in the refrigerator. I also had sour cream and garlic, which is all one needs for blue cheese dressing.

Grocery list for items that were forgotten on the first trip to the grocery store. The paper bags are what I put my fresh baked bread items in.

I use the stand mixer the most of all of these appliances. The blender is the oldest. The blender is the first cooking appliance that I ever purchase because I don't consider toasters, toaster ovens or coffee makers to be cooking appliances even though they are.

Knives

The first quality knife that I ever bought was the middle one, the Chef's Knife, then I bought the top knife and then the carving knife at the bottom.

Cast Iron Pans

These are the two cast iron pans that I use the most, the 12" skillet is far more used than any other pan in the kitchen. The 10" griddle pan is great for frying eggs.

Two Burner Grill/Griddle Pan

I use this rarely but I like it. The difference between a grill and a griddle is that a grill has lines and a griddle does not.

This is not a flattering picture of Paul.

Paul is not known for winning hands at poker. He said this is the first hand that he won in three years but I think he was lying but I really couldn't dispute it. He won $10 bucks on that hand.

I brought homemade bread, homemade rolls, not breaded chicken fingers with four types of dipping sauce. The Chile Dipping Sauce was the favorite of the group, followed by the Buffalo Sauce, the Honey Mustard Sauce was the least favorite. I also brought some cold cuts, for the homemade rolls, a case of bottled beer and cut celery & carrots.

Joe made chili, chicken wings and bought some calzones.

Ralph also made chili because originally Joe said that he was going to make sausages with pepper and onions. I think Joe's chili was better even though Joe doesn't eat chili. Ralph's chili tasted more like taco filling, which wasn't bad but it wasn't better then Joe's. He also brought Miller High Life.

Brian brought beer for himself and two packs of large numbered cards. We only play with large numbered cards because some of us have old man eyes. We play: cards talk. Brian came in with homemade crab Rangoon but he had his mother make them. They are very good but all he has to do is carry them in so he does not get full credit for bringing them.

Paul brought beer and pistachios. Paul comes for the company and usually leave $60 lighter. Paul doesn't cook and it has been agreed that he only has to bring himself and his cash because usually there is close to a ridiculous amount of food anyway.

I cashed in $52 dollars in chips, so minus the $20 dollar buy in, I won $32, which sure beats losing.

Some folks were dipping the bread, celery and carrots into the Chile Dipping Sauce and into the hot sauce which isn't something I would have done but it's important to see how people eat, if you want make things that people like to eat.

The Chile Dipping Sauce, the sauce with the fish sauce, was the biggest hit of the night other than the bread but it's very hard to beat good fresh homemade bread.

So, Fish Sauce

2011-04-02T00:50:00.000-04:00

So, fish sauce is, according to the label, anchovies, water, salt, sugar.

Fish sauce is about a fifth in volume of the ingredients in Chile Dipping Sauce. Some of the other ingredients are: lime juice, garlic, finely shredded carrots, sugar (that I replaced with honey) and jalapenos.

I am not familiar with fish sauce or at least I wasn't and I was asked what it is and how it tastes and whatnot. I told the inquirer that I would let her know.

Tim's take on fish sauce:

Salty and smells like a cross between old feet and dead mouse but other than that it's pretty tasty.

Rain

2011-03-31T21:33:00.003-04:00

Another fish story

2011-03-31T18:05:00.000-04:00

So for luck I went to the Museum of Fine Art. I went there because she likes it there and I would get to use my membership card for the very first time.

For further luck the went to the New American Cafe. I was rather unimpressed with the menu.

The fish entree said that the fish was simply seared and that you should ask your server what fish they were serving because it changes from day to day; so I asked.

I don't eat fish or seafood but Melissa wants me to eat better and specifically eat salmon. The fish of the day was salmon.

I ordered the salmon.

I haven't actually eaten fish in about twenty years and I know that my tastes have changed over the years. I hoped for something good.

My server sold me on the potato soup as a starter and that was good. I checked my emails as I briefly waited for my fish. It was simply seared and was served over wilted greens. Greens are another thing that she wants me eating more of too. There was also a side of roasted beets.

I thought, "So, here we go," as I flakes off a piece from beneath the skin. It tasted like fish. I ate the whole plate of it as sophicately as possible, mostly mixing each bite of fish with some of the greens.

I don't think that I will be ordering that again.

I did get a discount because I am a member.

At five o'clock, my time, I made certain to cross my fingers and now I am lounging in on a leather sofa in MFA overlooking Museum Road making this post and hoping everything went splendly for Melissa.

The museum must coat their windows with something because each rain drop rolls down separately.

Well, that's it for now.

Purple Snowman

2011-03-30T23:40:00.001-04:00

My niece's artwork is being displayed at City Hall; hers is the purple snowman.

This is just fruit by the garbage can.

Dear Timmy

2011-03-28T08:28:00.000-04:00

This is a surprise love note.

I love you very much.

You do not have to publish this; I just wanted to leave you a love note where you wouldn't expect to find it.

~Your Melissa

Pizza for Dinner

2011-03-26T23:07:00.002-04:00

Roasted Garlic - Two Heads Worth

Red Bell Pepper - Green Bell Pepper - Jalapeno Pepper

Red Onion

Home Made Pizza Dough

Tomatoes - Sliced & Diced

Basil, Chopped

Genoa Salami, Pepperoni

Cheese Pizza

Pepper & Onion Pizza

Pepperoni & Salami Pizza

Spinach & Feta Pizza

Jalapeño, Sliced Tomato, Red Onion, Roasted Garlic, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Blue Cheese Pizza

There was another pizza that had cheddar cheese and roasted garlic, that I added the diced tomatoes and basil to after it came out of the oven but I neglected to take a photo of it. It was inspired by bruschetta.

The pizza dough is prepared at least one day in advance and left in the refrigerator overnight. It is taken out about 45 minutes prior to needing it. The oven is cranked up as high as it will go. My oven tops out at 500 degree. I have two baking stones so I can bake two pizzas at a time, but I prefer to do just one at a time, if there is no reason to rush. Each pizza is baked for about 12 minutes.

Quality home made pizzas are a lot of work so I don't mind paying some pizzeria ten to twelve bucks to do it for me but reaching in with a peel and pulling out a browning and bubbling pizza from your own oven is pretty damn cool.

(Melissa made me post this)

"Who are you?"

2011-03-23T20:24:00.000-04:00

I sometimes get paid to sit and watch. I used to get paid to sit and watch more often but mostly we have people we can hire to sit and watch but I had a hunch that there wasn't going to be much to watch so I figured that I would give it forty five minutes.

I counted cars for three fifteen minute intervals and wasn't asked anything from anybody in the neighborhood except for the last two minutes. Normally, in a quiet neighborhood, the residents tend to ask you what you are doing which sometimes throws off your counting.

I don't count in my head, I write down hash marks, the kind were every fifth one is diagonal. I didn't have too many diagonal lines.

I was parked outside a house where an elderly lady fussed with her recycling bin when she wasn't looking out the front door.

I figured she was wondering what I was doing outside of her house but could not muster the courage to ask but then a car pulled up behind me and a guy in his forties got out and entered the house.

I then figured that the old lady had been just waiting for her son. A couple minutes later a little girl walked down the stairs and peered into my passenger side window. I smiled and waved. She seemed rather indifferent and went back up the stairs.

She had dark hair the just passed her shoulder and dark brown eyes and a serious look.

A moment later she looked in my window again as she was walking passed with whom I assumed to be her father.

I waved again.

"Who are you?" she asked with a sense of protection, at me through my closed window. I turned the car on so I could lower the power window. "I work for the city and I'm doing a traffic count," I replied but she seemed skeptical. Her father said, "Well, now we know."

I still don't think she believed me though, but she wanted information, so she asked. I could imagine her overhearing the conversation between her father and her grandmother about what I was doing, seemingly just sitting there doing nothing at all because one car would pass about every three minutes. She took it upon herself to ask, she went to the source and to her family's credit, they let her ask. I was seated in a car and she was on the sidewalk and they were not more than eight feet away, so the little girl was in no danger (because I know somebody is probably thinking of saying something about not talking to strangers). I was slightly surprised that one of the adults hadn't asked.

Editor's Note: I was in front of the beige house on the right.

Locked up bookcase outside of Brattle Book Shop (It was raining)

Three Pictures

2011-03-21T21:56:00.000-04:00

Snow

Wet Floor

Shoeless

Because Somebody Likes Snow

2011-03-21T18:09:00.002-04:00

more parade

2011-03-21T00:01:00.001-04:00