I'm sitting here on the couch shivering and whining because I STILL have cramps and debating about whether or not I should go into the office to deal with the little surprise I just got on the proposal that is due tomorrow. On the plus side, I'd probably get more work done in the office than I will here, on the minus, it is colder in the office than it is here. On the plus side, I wouldn't feel compelled to watch the guys from Nova Scotia rapping in Cajun French that are currently on the PBS station here, on the minus side, my cramps are worse when I'm sitting up than when I'm lying down. On the minus side, I really, really don't want to go anwhere - I just want to take a nap. Minus wins - I'm staying home.

Remind me not to let seven months go by with something not happening that should happen every month. That's a really, really bad idea.

I've turned of the Cajun Canadian rappers and I'm now watching a slightly creepy guy trying to sell a knock-off Bowflex machine. Did you know that lifting weights apparently makes your face skinny? According to this guy it does.

Oh, and I've determined that I will never be skinny. And that's OK. Being a size 0 or smaller is overrated. Though I do envy the metabolism those women must have.

OK. I'm going to switch back to the Cajun rappers and take a brief nap. Adeiu, all.

So here is the soup recipe. It came from Whole Foods, and is called Sopa a la Minuta, or Minute Soup. Again, I've given their ingredients and my modifications (and suggested modifications.

1 lb ground beef

Don't get beef that is too lean - you want a little bit of grease for this.

1 Onion
1 Red Pepper
2 cloves Garlic

Again, I just used the creole mix here.

3.5 cups of Beef Broth

You are going to want at least 4. I would say even 5.

1 cup Water

Again, I used more, because I didn't have enough broth.

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces.

The recipe said Yukon Gold, but I don't think it matters.

1 TB Cumin
1 Bay Leaf

I didn't use either of these because I didn't have them and I didn't see the point in buying them if I don't use them on a regular basis. Instead, I just used a bit of Tony's. More on that later.

1/4 lb Capellini pasta

I used angel hair. Feel free to use the pasta of your choice.

The directions say to brown the meat in a large sauce pan, remove it, then soften the onion, bell pepper and garlic in a little bit of the beef fat. I cooked that stuff, along with some mushrooms, in a skillet with the beef because it was easier. The beef I bought was a little too lean, and I almost didn't have any fat in it. Then the directions say to out the beef broth, water and potatoes in the saucepan, bring it to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. I did that, but remember my meat and other stuff is in the skillet.

After the 10 minutes are up, add the pasta and simmer until al dente. I also added some corn and broccoli mix, because I like it. Then add the meat back in and cook until it is warm. If you use a bay leaf, don't forget to take it out.

This is a good, quick soup. Basically, a beef vegetable soup without having to go through the hassle of making broth, and technically with fewer vegetables unless you add them. Total cooking time, not counting peeling and dicing potatoes, was about 20 minutes. The recipe suggests that you can add some chiles too, if you want, but I don't like chiles, so I didn't

I've extolled the virtues of Tony's before, but let me give you a word of warning if you try it - a little goes a long way, and you can go from nicely seasoned to unpleasantly spicy very fast, especially if you aren't used to Louisiana cooking.

On a totally unrelated note, does anyone else think that CBS's new show, "Armed and Famous" is a really, really bad idea?

You know, one of my guilty TV pleasures has been The Apprentice. In the past, I have really enjoyed watching supposedly intelligent and successful people make really stupid decisions. It makes me feel better about myself, sadly.

Well, I was killing time today, and surfed over to the NBC site to get a preview of this season. I think this season can be summed up by "pretty, priviledged people doing silly stuff in a pretty place." Seriously, no fewer than four of the female contestants and two of the males have been models at some point in their lives. They all seem to come from well-to-do backgrounds, and they all strike me as slightly frivolous.

I'll watch on Sunday, but I have a feeling it may not be must-see TV like it was in the past.

Plus, Donald Trump has pretty much lost any respect I might have had for him, which was miniscule at best. I'm not a fan of Rosie O'Donnell, but I don't think he has any room to name call.

Commercialism

Before you start wondering, I haven't forgotten my promised campaign post. It will just be delayed a couple of days. I figure I owe it to President Ford, the first president I can remember (I'm a little too young to actually remember Nixon's time in office). The 1976 campaign was the first where I more or less understood what was going on. I clearly remember my dad reading editorial cartoons to me about the campaign and explaining them. Yes, we were a somewhat weird family.

But, my friend, this post is about commercials. Specifically, bad commercials. This article in Slate doesn't mention the series of commercials that drive me up a wall. Those would be the air freshener commercials (can't remember if it is Glade or Airwick) with the cartoon animals talking about how much better their lives are with this air freshener. Now, the octopus mother annoys me because she and her offspring don't seem to be living under water. The new one with the skunk husband annoys me because why would his wife care if he smells if she is a skunk too? But then again, she may not be.

The commercial I hate most of all is the one with the elephant married to a centipede. WTF? How would that even work? Think about the scale here, people. Even if you are talking about one of those crazy, huge, jungle centipedes, The elephant is still about 4000 times bigger. And what would the offspring be like. And why are animals suddenly concerned about smelling bad anyway? And where would an elephant and a centipede meet and fall in love. It absolutely drives me nuts!

The new ones for the cough medicine with the mother animals and their babies make me nuts, too. The one where the baby wolf almost gets shot by the farmer because he coughs when he was out trying to count sheep was bad enough, but the one with the anteater not being able to eat ants because his nose is stuffed up is horrible. Especially as we watch the ants race toward his mouth after he takes the cough medicine. These commercials try to be cute but end up being creepy and violent.

OK. I am done ranting now. Except for this article. People who treat their pets like they are people, and in fact treat them better than they would treat some people, should have their heads examined, and should be forced to pay a fee equal to the amount they waste on pet massage and nail polish to a charity that supports the homeless or the working poor. When I am president, I shall issue an executive order to that effect.

Where Was I?

Sorry I never made it back. That pesky thing called work got in the way. Plus I had a headache. I hate it when I wake up with a headache.

I'm going to save the rest of the story of Sheryl for tomorrow. Instead, I have a few other things to write about.

First, an online literary journal has published a previously unknown poem by Sylvia Plath. She wrote it in the margin of a copy of The Great Gatsby she used during her senior year at Smith. The article I read said that the poem showed the characteristic combination of humor and darkness that is present in her later poetry. I think that is really cool, and it makes me happy that some of her very early work is being discovered. Take that, Ted Hughes (who said that Plath essentially became a poet when she met him...arrogant jerk).

Oh, and the poem was a Petrachian sonnet. Just in case you wanted to know.

Second, the whole mess with the evangelical minister and the allegations he had sex with a male prostitute. The bleeding heart liberal part of me wants to cheer that further hypocracy has been revealed in that whole religious/political movement.

But the Christian part of me worries for that very reason. It seems that the vast majority of what most people hear and read about prominent Christians in this country are all stories out of the evangelical right. And most people, I think, even some conservatives, can tell that there is something...extreme about that whole movement (yes, I am trying to be kind). And you know, there are a lot of people out there who's sole impression of Christianity is one of hellfire and brimstone preachers condemning homosexuality, premarital sex, extramarital sex, masturbation, alcohol use, drug use, abortion, euthanasia, , stem cell research, and tons of other things I can't even think of. Then they see these same preachers getting caught by the media in soliciting prostitutes, being drunk, using drugs, etc. It's no wonder that a lot of atheists, agnostics, and others see Christians in an unfavorable light.

I was thinking about that today as we discussed this mess at lunch. I know that my boss really has no love for Christianity (he grew up in Catholic schools, which is not a great place for a gay person to grow up - especially when he was young), and one of my coworkers looks at me with a little less respect whenever I mention something having to do with church. That makes me sad. Not every Christian thinks less of people who are gay, or believes that America needs to be run on Christian principles. Not everyone opposes researching what stem cells may be able to do.

But as long as things like this happen, as long as this is the only image of Christianity the media chooses to share, that is the impression that people will have.

I don't know what to do about it. I'm not suggestion that I have any...suggestions. Part of it is the fault of mainstream churches for remaining silent when we see our Evangelical brothers and sisters loudly preaching less than wonderful messages. Part of it is the fault of the media for only focusing on the sensational and the outrageous.

I don't know. I just know it makes me sad.

Finally, on a semi-related note, apparently Neil Patrick Harris has announced that he is gay. Part of me says, "Duh!" but part of me doesn't want to give up my Doogie Howser fantasies. Yes, I just admitted that I have had fantasies about Doogie Howser. Of course, he was always of an appropriate age in them, except of course when I was in high school.

I'm going to stop putting my foot in my mouth now. Have a lovely night.

OK. I have lots to say, but I don't feel like typing it all tonight, especially since it looks like I won't have anything to do tomorrow at work.

But I do want to say that I'm corresponding with someone new on eHarmony. He is a plain-looking computer geek from the midwest who's hobbies include cross stich and fly fishing. In short, he's my kind of guy.

I'm not getting my hopes up, but yeah.

Oh, and I bought a gallon of iced tea tonight (Community, which is really the best on earth), and when I set it dow on the table when I got home, the jug just split along the bottom. That made me sad.

And Studio 60 actually had some plot this week. what a novelty!

Oh, and I'm loving The Amazing Race this season as well. Especially the couple from Kentucky, even if they are a characature of Appalachian folks.

I have my car! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is that enough exclamation points?

I think I've been having transmission problems for the past several months, and didn't realize it. All the weird noises, the seemingly bad alignment, and all that other stuff are all gone. I've never had a car with a computer thingy before, so I guess I didn't recognize the transmission problems for what they were.

I'm a little frustrated at work right now. Kind of a long story as to why, but I am. I'm still the happiest I've been in any job, though.

I have a really weird rash. At first I thought it was bug bites, but now the skin around the little bumps is bruising. never had that with bug bites. If it isn't better tomorrow, I guess I'll call the dermatologist. Blah.

Finally, Studio 60 suffers from the same problem as my writing - great characters, no plot. But Matthew Perry is kind of like Rob Morrow for me - I'd watch him in pretty much anything.