Fairly Quiet Day

I woke up feeling a lot better than yesterday, but it wasn't long before dizziness and nausea set in again. I think the symptoms may be side effects from the antihistamine I'm taking (to reduce fluid buildup in my ear).

I got so drowsy I couldn't have kept my eyes open with toothpicks and took a 1 1/2 hour snooze. Looking up drug interactions, I think I'll try Claritin instead of Zyrtec because the latter may be interacting adversely with a medication prescribed to me for insomnia.

I purposely skipped church today, waiting until the weather and I are better.

Today's in-front-of-the-TV-project (when I was awake, at least): I unraveled a portion of my knitting, then knitted almost back to where I was to get rid of the big oopsie I made. There's still a minor boo-boo, but I think I can live with that-- I'll add a crochet edging if the mistake proves too glaring; I just can't face any more unravelling.

Besides, I'm hoping to finish the project shortly. That would be great because it's winter wear: a combination hood-scarf entitled Garter-Stitch Balaclava by Mary Jane Mucklestone. (PDF pattern available via Knitting Daily.) Mine is made of Knit Picks Swish Worsted Lawn-- a medium yellow-green 100% wool yarn that is machine-washable (will not felt). Tassels will be omitted, however; they're cheery but a little too Santa's-elfish for my taste.

Mushroom-Flavored Creamy Pasta with Ham and Rosemary

I made a pasta sauce from a cookbook I received at Christmas entitled The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great. (The book was my request-- no one was trying to give me a subtle hint about my weight.) ;-)

I think the recipe is indeed "perfect" for a wintry day-- hearty flavor but not too hefty on the calories.

It's basically a bechamel/veloute sauce made with half milk and half chicken broth thickened with a roux. The mushroom flavor comes from dried wild mushrooms which are reconstituted in the liquids in the microwave previously (then chopped and added to the thickened sauce). I didn't have fresh rosemary, so I heated the dried herb in the liquids too to get the most flavor out of it. In addition to the chopped ham, drained canned tomatoes give a brighter, warm flavor to the sauce, Parmesan cheese adds a luxuriously rich texture, and fresh parsley perks up the color. Served over whole-wheat angel hair pasta. Easy to make using pantry ingredients and quite tasty! I'm adding it to my repertoire.

Finally in a Better Mood This Afternoon...

I was awake until about 2 am I think. I left Will Smith in the hands of the NS-5s when I finally started to get sleepy.

Man, such crazy dreams! I remember weeping with joy upon receiving the news that North and South Korea had finally been reunited. I also remember telling someone off because in my dream the person came into my room and told me it was time to get out of bed.

Then I woke up sometime when it was still dark because I heard a loud noise. In my groggy state, I was sure there was an intruder in the house. I wasn't able to keep my eyes open to watch the bedroom doorway, and I knew that if there really was an intruder in the house, that I wasn't going to be able to get away-- I was still feeling paralyzed from being in a deep sleep phase. Fortunately, I eventually figured out that the noise had been the heater kicking on-- the unit is outside near my bedroom window-- and drifted back to sleep.

When the alarm went off at 7 am, I was understandably tired. I don't know if I turned the alarm off or what, but I didn't wake up for real until 12:15 pm. Geez, the day is gone.

It's midnight but...

I'm awake and still grouchy. I'm watching I, Robot hoping that Will Smith's casual humor and smart aleck one-liners will have a good effect on my mood.

All day long I've been restless and easily put off any "project" if I encountered the slightest obstacle. I can't even read for entertainment because my attention span is atypically short right now.

When I went to bed, I was looking forward to putting this day behind me and starting fresh, but at this rate morning may be a while in arriving.

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CRANKY-- ARGH!!!

At the moment, multiple little things are going wrong, and I am ready to snarl and bite.

WARNING: Rant forthcoming-- read at your own risk.

I'm going to have to unravel 20+ rows of knitting because I made a crucial mistake, AT&T has severely screwed up my billing (AGAIN), and I couldn't find a recipe I need in my overstuffed files-- my arms are worn out after holding half the recipes out of the way. A light bulb in my knitting room has burnt out so I get to play with the light fixture again even though I JUST DID.

So, my conclusion is that it's time for a cup of tea-- a fragrant mug of strawberry-- maybe I'll even regain my perspective and sense of humor.

In the meantime, I'm sorely tempted to tell the world to get lost (but in harsher terms and with corresponding gestures).

Glares and Fangs

 Image sources:http://www.flickr.com/photos/anitacanita/2036798771/http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcde/2607548842/
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Today's Breakfast

Yum! A lasso-- which I've also heard referred to as a lassi. Pakistani & Indian in origin. A smoothie made (in this case) of 1/2 a mango, 1 T. orange juice concentrate, 1/2 c. plain yogurt, 2 t. sugar, 1/4 t. ginger. Modified slightly from a beverage described in 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Gelles. (No, I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't believe meat is necessary at every meal either.) The verdict? Exotic, fresh, and lovely.


Image source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplelily_5706/2420587881/
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Facebook

I resisted joining Facebook for a long time, not wanting to let it absorb what little free time I had. But all of a sudden it seemed to have reached a critical mass. I went into Kroger to do some grocery shopping, and their ads told me to follow them on Twitter and Facebook. I went to see my mom at her house, and she wanted to set up her laptop to show me pictures all of our California friends had posted of their children and grandchildren on Facebook.

I did finally sign up for Twitter because it seemed as though there might be a need for it at work. (Dear Reader had just incorporated some elements of it.)

Well, being temporarily out of a job, I decided the time had come; besides, the iPod apps for Facebook were enticing me too-- they're free.

On my first day of use, a friend assured me there would be days I'd regret my decision. He's probably right.

But today I just had a long direct message in my inbox on Facebook from someone I'd mostly lost contact with. I can't begin to say how glad it made me to hear from her. It's odd that I could miss someone so deeply without even realizing it, but I feel restored now. So, maybe Facebook is worth it.


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