Since I Met you Baby, My Whole Life has Changed

Slowpoke Rodriguez

September is Hispanic Heritage Month and I decided to honor one of my favorite cartoon characters, Slow poke Rodriguez.  Yes, he was a stereotype but with a twist.  He came to visit his cousin Speedy Gonzalez on occasion.  He was the opposite of Speedy, not running around but deemed the slowest mouse in all of Mexico. They hailed from Guadalajara. He had the lazy drawl accent, yet he always outsmarted the gringos in the end.  In Looney Tunes world, that meant the cats.   When I say always, apparently even though I have such a fond memory of this character, he only appeared in two episodes.  Thank goodness for reruns and poor memory.  However, I do recall watching the episode with my dad and him laughing so hard when Slowpoke pulled out a gun.  A hilarious unexpected ending, however we were far less triggered back then and realized this was a cartoon.  In honor of him, I bought a shirt that so far, no one seems to appreciate as much as me.  But in reality, these depictions were so very comforting to see in popular culture, especially way back in the 60's, when diversity was limited to say the least. 

Deer in my sister's yard now on the regular. Gorgeous!

Still riding solo in Brooklyn while my husband cats around on the road somewhere.  I'm nothing if not predictable, so I had to make myself a nice tomatoey pot of spaghetti.  

In Me You See a (Wo)man Alone

Hey Girl!

P left to visit his family for the holidays and to beat a once in a generation storm that he might intercept with if he didn't leave early.  Blizzard like white-out conditions in only 1 or 2 inches of snow, whipping through the Midwest, set to slam right into him just as he was pulling in around St Louis.   My weather nerd mapping would put him out of danger but it would depend on Mother Nature's shifting moods. It has been an odd coincidence that he leaves town during almost all of our major weather events. This time it was to get colder than the devil's nutsack here in Brooklyn and I wondered what kind of mayhem might ensue in the bitter frigidness.  I was sent this very soothing tea which is a step above and the packaging gave me giggles.  My sister always hooks me up with the best products and this would provide calming warmth during this glacial celestial marvel. 

Working through the holidays has it's small rewards though, especially if you like to observe the world.  Like in the puzzle above, alone time gave me perspective that I hadn't considered before.  Being alone allows you to hear your own thoughts and then finally to not hear anything and just listen.  That is my favorite place to be, alone with everything together all at once. 

I'll Give Ya Shelter From the Storm

A well cooked Steak

I felt illness coming on the day after my birthday so I treated myself to a steak thinking real beef would give me strength to fight off what was coming.  It didn't, but it did buy me a few days.

Nobody Gets Too Much Heaven No More

Patrick went on another road trip and in traditional fashion mother nature got all sassy and gave us a snow storm.  So also right on cue my fantasies of having a whooping good time quickly turned south and by mid afternoon I was knee deep in familiar anxiety and dread.

I was able to make a spicy ground turkey putanesca over linguine and ate enough to push all the self revulsion far enough down where I could easily ignore it.  Out of sight out of mind they say.  At least until the 2 hour coma nap took hold.

The great thing about a long nap is that you really get to go somewhere and get our of your head. Whether you wake up the same miserable schlep or not it's still worth it.  Once in awhile, and it takes time to become fully coherent again but you can grab some fresh perspective and energy. 

But if you're like me and you still can't find awesomeness in your own reflection, you just get yourself a little pan and heat up some of those amazing leftovers.  At least your belly will be happy.

I Promised Myself to Treat Myself

Home alone.  A Sunday without P.  Of course I was right onto everything forbidden.  French fries, burgers with the bun, ....ketchup! And that was only for starters.  I wasn't sure if I would make it out of the house or off the couch so I also ordered a loaded quesadilla, chips and salsa and large guacamole.  I had four days but pretty much squandered three with nervous restlessness and self contempt. Only this one glorious period was I able to fully take advantage of the full solo casa experience, food wise anyway.

I turned the remaining fries into a chili cheese nacho fry fest.  No photos were taken of my shameful formation but for a mental visual, the fries were put into a single layer into a low oven with some thick chili beans and lots of shredded mild cheddar, onions. And afterwards, topped with cool quac and pickled jalapenos.  The potatoes got all crispy and were so happy with a dousing of Frank's hot sauce.