Newly acquired art!

My pal Sergio did this:














He also writes stories & poetry.  He also has a Japan Club & he's asked me to join!  He will teach me how to count to 5 in Japanese and  we're going to write letters of support and raise money for those affected by the big tsunami in Japan.  

Fried green tomato po'boys

I've learned some new moves in the kitchen.


You'll need: 
A baguette (preferably from Boulevard, locals)
3 large or 4 medium green tomatoes (the best are at the produce market on McCain Blvd.)
1/2 c buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 c self-rising corn meal
1/2 c all-purpose flour (divided)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Lettuce, to dress sandwiches
Avocado
Frying oil


For remolaude sauce:
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 T Dijon mustard or any whole grain mustard
A few dashes of Louisiana or Crystal hot sauce 
A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp horseradish
1/4 c sliced green onions
3 cloves of garlic, minced


Stir the above together & chill until ready to serve.



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Cut green tomatoes into 1/3-inch-thick slices.



Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375 degrees over medium-high heat.

Whisk together egg and buttermilk. Combine cornmeal mix, salt, pepper, and 1/4 c of the flour in a shallow dish.  Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup of flour; dip in egg/buttermilk mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden.  Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt to taste.



Might as well...



Spread remolaud on both sides of toasted baguette, lay down a bed of lettuce, three piping hot slices of fried green tomato, avocado (we accidentally left our avocado at the grocery store), a few dashes of hot sauce & then TUCK IN!  Lotsa napkins...

Real quick...

I just finished a book about psychopaths.  It was both fascinating and frightening.  A drawback is that I walk around trying to figure out who in my vicinity is a complete psycho; I've only counted one thus far. You pretty much want to stay away from these people.  It's a quick read and I highly recommend it.  

We've made some progress around the house.  Put new summer plants into the bed & pots: sweet potato vine, geraniums,  petunias (which is a very odd choice for me as they aren't my type at all), and lavender.  We moved the sage out of the rosemary's way; need to wait a little bit longer for the basil seedlings to mature before we put them into the ground.  


ATM installed shades in the utility room, which is lovely because before the shades, anyone could see clearly into our home at night.  Frankly, it didn't stop me from being inappropriate at times --  you know, no pants wearing.


Having two jobs is pretty awful and there was one recent shift in particular where I seriously considered quitting, but finding another job would be more work.  I'm just going to stick it out until I've met my goal.  Or, most of it.  It's working with younger people where I struggle.  They are spastics & some are mean.  Also, they listen to terrible music and wear ugly shoes.   And managers.  What is their deal?  Don't ever become a manager, there's nothing noble about it.  I get along with them fine, but they don't really contribute anything.  They just boss people around and aren't helpful, which drives me nuts.  A common thing we all do is make rude gestures at them after they turn their backs to us or walk away.  You'd think that you could just report to work, do what you have to do and leave.  Alas, no.  Some people will front and you have to deal with it.  It's not all bad.  I love working the Tuesday night shift because I have cultivated friendships with that crew, but I NEVER get to work that shift.  I usually have to work with the assholes.  I think I'll just give myself a deadline.  Yeah, some time in September.  I miss my free time.


A planned trip to Memphis with my friends didn't work out, BUT IT DID!  I'll be going with KMHD & Brittany -- can't wait!  It's a dead weekend in Memphis, meaning that there aren't any shows, but I don't think we'll have a shortage of things to eat do.  


Am considering becoming a mentor.  My cousin in Seattle mentors TWENTY kids and she loves it.  She was bragging on one that very recently graduated high school.  She was beside herself when I told her I was merely thinking about doing it.  I'll definitely do some research on it.


I have new kitchen know-how to share.  Coming soonish!

Camping is in tents

I love camping, it's one of my things.  But, for whatever reason, I just wasn't into it when we went this past Thursday.  I went through the motions of setting up the tent, etc., but remained in a foul mood.  It took a long tent nap, some driving around the countryside, and dusk to fall for me to start enjoying myself.  It's so off-putting to not have fun at something that I love to do.  It worries me and makes me wonder things like, "Are you sad about something?"  I don't want to find myself in such a way again.  NO








Ouachita River:

Kilgores know how.

Collins + Lauren got hitched!  They had a seriously bangin' reception @ the Little Rock Country Club -- I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a good while, expats and otherwise.  Lots of free-flowing champagne and dancing, so you know I had the best time.  Too much fun, one might argue.  (Me, actually. The next day.)


ATM, Keiko:

ATM:

Collins, Natalie, Lauren, Hank:

Collins + Lauren:

By KMHD's

NWA

MaaaaaAAAAaaaaaay!

First of May, first of May...

TOP TEN

1.  Coming out on the sunny side of a weeks-long gloomy weather fest.  I had to keep reminding myself that you cannot have good weather without the bad, but, honestly, towards the end there.  Dreadful.

2.  Boulevard Bake House & Market on Main St.  I am officially a regular and Pearl takes extra good care of me.  So, delicious/quality food/drink and a nice friend.  And free wifi.  Little things.

3.  LR Cream ep.  Available here.

 LR Cream, track 2 by fear_ants

4.  ATM.  Again, little things, but they add up!  Changing bed sheets for when I get off work from job #2, DJing while I cook, taking me out to eat when I obvs feel blue, and just general "getting" me.

5.  Future May events include attending a lecture by HH Dalai Lama, CKIII's wedding, and Leigh's birthday!

6.  Tonight, I started a long cooking project, way too late on a Sunday evening.  It'll be 9:00 p.m. before we have our supper.  App: salt & malt vinegar kale chips, Entree/side: korroke drizzled with vegetable/fruit tonkatsu sauce & steamed broccoli with ginger-chili dipping sauce.  Yesss!

7.  Camping soon.  I desperately need this.  This world is crazy.  I need to spend time in the woods, inhale exorbitant amounts of campfire smoke, and sleep in a tent.  Possibly swing by my favorite green thumb and Hot Springs.

***I got interrupted by Pres. Obama's late-night address right about here.  All I gotta say about it is this:  People, don't be so disgusting.  No one won anything.  This world is crazy.***

8.  Izzy's vegetarian  tamales.  Those tamales are so good that we had to keep checking to make sure they were meat-free:

9.  Staying home to work on and putter around the house.

10.  First paycheck from second job.  Straight to the GOOD TIMES savings account.  Cheers.

I don't know too

I've been avoiding FEAR ANTS largely because I'm going through another bout of "Do I actually write about anything?" and "This is boring" and "I haven't been up to much anyway".  I can be pretty harsh on myself, even if this is just a retrospective blog that I share with family/friends.  I think it's this paid writing I've been doing.  That stuff is awful!


It's been so grey, it's green.



The haps:


1.  I am just so sick of storms.  Sleepless nights of terror.  And the distant sounds of a thrashing wind chime or siren is horrifying.


2.  I have a second job now.  I start Tuesday eve.  Pizza slingin'.  It's what you do when you want to travel to New Zealand.  New Windows.  New Kitchen.  New Bathroom.  New Records.  New Camera.  etc.  Inflation.  I don't know if I've ever lived my employed/tax-paying life without it.  "It" "isn't" "supposed" "to" "be" "this" "way".    Thankfully, Job #1 pays the bills/mortgage and most else, but we are only treading water and not saving as much as I'd like.  Job #2 is supposed to help us enjoy life a little more.


3.  New Memphis restaurant crush:  RP Tracks!  We tried the legendary BBQ tofu nachos and BBQ tofu sandwich.  ATM & I, with gratitude, noted how much easier it is to be vegetarian these days.  RP boasts about their "world famous BBQ tofu" above all else on the menu and it isn't even an exclusively meatless restaurant.  Brilliant.  

APRIL 2011 TOP TEN

Here we go.

1.  Fresh vinyl!







2.  I figured out how to make the perfect omelette.  It's easier than I imagined.  Omelettes are currently my favorite food, so I eat them too much.  My ideal kind is topped with pesto, spinach & ripe Arkansas tomatoes.  Heavenly!


3.  I got my Memphis back!  BWAAaaeeeuuuh!





4.  Dreaming of Glasgow New Zealand!  We've been on a steady diet of Surf City, The Clean, Tall Dwarves, et al.  I'm throwing as much money as I can at our savings which essentially means I don't know when we are going, but we are.


5.  Surf City!





6.  Tofu Happening!  A vegetarian dish & a vinyl record gains you entry.  Probably a good idea to bring your own cold drink & chair, too.  








7.  Full-time tea drinking.  My being sick makes ingesting coffee complicated.  Or ingesting coffee make my being sick complicated.  Either way, coffee is just way too heavy right now. Tea Party.  I've turned it into a leisurely pastime at my job.  All work ceases.  I inhale the steam & aromas.  I check out for minutes.  I'm a goner.  Celestial.





8.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY @KMHD.  DIRTY THIRTY! XXX  (But, you are still 10 in my mind.)


9.  Camping!


10.  Dragging out the VCR player and watching 120 Minutes and Cure videos.




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I am actively avoiding writing the vegetarian guide.  Writing for $$$ is horribly boring.  But, I need the money.  I actually applied for more work on Thursday.  A couple nights a week at a restaurant will, perhaps, get us where we need to be to as far as saving funds for traveling goes.  This is my main focus right now.  


The homemade ginger ale is not really ginger ale, but a fizzy ginger drink.  It's good, not great.  Next time I make it, I will juice the ginger instead of grating it.  I only like my orange juice pulpy. It's totally refreshing and not too sweet, although I'd probably make it with scant less sugar next time.  


  




New kitchen gadget:









I need a scheme.

No title today

After reading about it on one of my favorite undisclosed websites, I decided to try my hand at making my own ginger ale.  The directions are straightforward and simple.


You will need a 2-liter bottle.  (Buy 2-liters of anything and either drink it or dump it.)  Rinse well.  Take 1/2 tsp of yeast (Fleishmann's, et al.) and 3/4 c sugar -- funnel it into the bottle.  Grate 2 T of fresh ginger root; add to bottle.  Add the juice of one lemon.  I added a pinch of cayenne pepper for thrills.  Add (not tap) water to 1-2" from the top of bottle.  Cap.  Shake bottle well to mix sugars and yeast.  Let the bottle hang out for a day or so.  Ours is chilling in the living room, underneath the side table, so I can keep an eye on it.


Later this evening, I'll check the sides of the bottle for tautness.  If it's ready, I'll stick it in the fridge to slow the metabolic action of the yeast. And then I'm gonna crack it!


The push to make my own ginger ale came when I realized that most commercial ginger ales are made with high fructose corn syrup.  They put that rubbish in EVERYTHING.   Of course, there are exceptions, like the natural, hand-brewed ones.  They're brilliant!  I just wanted to try my hand at homemade.


I'll probably start making my own BBQ sauce, too.  In a pinch, I'll buy sauce from Whole Hog Cafe, but I had to make a run to the grocery store this weekend.  Every single bottle from the store contains HFCS, which is prompting me to go homemade in this arena, too.  I'm feeling inspired and it's another teeny step in the direction of eating better.  I'm hoping after some experimentation, I will make my ideal sauce: smoky, sweet & spicy.  And then I'll make the best BBQ tofu you've ever had.


In other inane news, I'm trying this new thing where I don't wash my hair on a daily basis.  At most, I can go four days before I start feeling disgusting.  It all started when my hairdresser told me to be bold and wash it once or twice a week at most.  It takes some getting used to, but it does improve hair quality.  You have to 'train' it to get accustomed to not being washed daily or even every other day.  Being a longhair can be tiresome.  I'm hoping to save gallons of water and time from even dealing with it as additional benefits.
















I've got my mind on a woods view.

Nest egg update

Hatched!

I wanted to get a photo of the little buggers while they were being hungry open mouths, but I really need to just leave them be, so their mum or dad won't ditch them.  

Feel good.

Save the date!

click to enlarge. haven't you figured that out yet?

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I envy those who write with reckless abandon.  They pen their stories & musings, seemingly, without worry of judgment or consequence.  Hell, even with judgment and consequence, they continue to write.  

I hold back.  I totally hold back.  I know my audience, they are friends and family.  

I am not always cheerful and positive.  I can get boorish, angry, and mean.  Unpolished.  Uneducated.  I actually disagree with my friends (and family, natch) on a number of big issues and matters of little import.  I usually don't say anything.  I don't want to come off as rude, confrontational, argumentative, contrary, or just plain holy.    No, no, I say nothing and try to be an agreeable good girl.  Tolerate and be tolerated.  Middle ground.  Safe.

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Just one of those days.

Baby pay no rent cuz yuzza yuzza spent!

Friday night, we drove down to Hot Springs to hear Surf City perform @ Valley of the Vapors.  They were SO GOOD that when we returned home that night, I checked to see where they were playing next.  Memphis.  Perfect.  Despite my being completely exhausted and already have spent my paycheck allowance, we convinced ourselves that it would not only be totally bitchin' to go see them play again, but that this is a BRILLIANT idea and "I'm young!" and "What Я consequences?"

We called Zach and Matt to see if they wanted to join us. Yes.  Then the lot of us piled into the Hyundai and we drove to Memphis.  It felt good to be on the road, still tired from the previous night.  I was (am) still dizzy from illness and medication and I didn't care!  Because, man, I need to live, right?!

Surf City are excellent live.  Well, specifically, their sound is really good live.  They aren't showmen and they had nothing to say, which is fine, I appreciate those who don't have to say something always.  I really enjoyed them in Hot Springs, but they came off as real sour grapes in Memphis.  Reasons unknown, but they were not keen on the Memphis crowd [as a Little Rocker, this is understandable], which stings because, hey, we were front and center.  They did bang out another good set and that was that.  We tried chatting up one of the guitarists and he was polite, but a kind of emptiness came over me.  And then I was annoyed.  Because the band after them, Bare Wires, totally spanked them with their California funness.  I just don't know what to do about bands that are great, but are slightly vampiric and have Kiwi accents.

In Hot Springs:

In Memphis:

Is this even the same band?

If you get a chance to see Surf City, do it, it is worth it, just don't expect to be charmed.  If you get a chance to see Bare Wires, do!  They are one helluva three-piece and they caught me off-guard and helped me feel not so crazy for driving to Memphis to watch a band I really like be total babies.

I mean, I can be totally misjudging them.  It was just one of the fellas, too, that was being an ass.  

-----

Looks like we will be traveling to Cortez, Colorado sooner than later to visit an aunt whom we haven't seen in years and would love to reignite the relationship.  She and my uncle have provided me with some of my best teenage memories by letting me work on their ranch during the summers and I am so sorry that we've lost touch over the years.  I really want ATM to know her and to experience Colorado, so we're going to make the trek.  I want to complain about money woes, but what good would that do?  We will get there.  Watch me squeeze even more blood from a sugar cube.

Let England Shake, but I can use a rest.

I feel well enough to sit up and bang out a few words.  I've been down since last Thursday night with a sinus infection.  Thankfully, the vertigo is easing up, but I still get hella dizzy & nauseated, walking into walls when I believe I'm going straight.  So, I'm on antibiotics and something I call 'hell in pill-form'.  This shit (pardon) will not let me sleep!  I've been awake since 2:30 a.m.  In short, it's been a restless, dizzying nightmare with no end in sight.  I figured I'd take a PM pain med this evening, but all of the directions expressly warn not to take it with hell in pill-form, so I'm about to drink ungodly amounts of chamomile tea and hope for the best.

Despite how miserable I feel, it hasn't been all bad.  I finally got out a mirror to check out the nest some birds built on our front porch light.  I figured I'd remove it if there were no eggs, but...

Six of them, hey!  Very spring!  Very cute!  When they are hatched, we will have to keep a very close eye on Lil Wolfman Jack (Hot Dog) and make sure he doesn't killeat them.  




 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 So, if I had to decide the best music of 2011 thus far, then Wild Flag & PJ Harvey's Let England Shake would take top honors.

Last Monday night's show was not only very cherry, but refreshing, too.  The confidence & intelligence the women of Wild Flag exude is something I'm starved for.  It acts as a cornerstone for their extreme ability to rock your face off.  And they did.  They did.  I went to work the next morning partially deaf and upbeat.

They all wore pants!  It's valuable to me in that they weren't trying to come off as sexy sexual sexed up sexxxx kittens.  But, by default, what with their confidence, intelligence & rockin good choons, they came off as very sensual.  What an important band this is!  Check them out, please!

And getting back to Polly Jean Harvey, she has been consistently weird, artistic amazing from the moment I've ever known her -- 50 Ft. Queenie!  Let England Shake is a very worthy album and if you need convincing, check out her Y0utube offerings.  Watch them all.  They're beautifully made, the latest one filmed by Seamus Murphy.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Friday, we are going to Valley of the Vapors in Hot Springs to go see Surf City.  Better grab some ear plugs.  While I was ill, I compiled a list of things I'd like to do if I ever felt better, because, at one point, I wasn't sure I'd ever.  I'd like to go on a walk, eat ice cream, wear earrings and other adornments, and wash my car.   Plan a camping trip.  Shoot my BB gun.  I still feel way off.  I'm dizzy and I don't sleep well.  I'll deal, one thing at a time.



C L I C K A L L P H O T O S T O E N L A R G E