See How That Works?
18/02/20 06:59
When I'm Starbucks these days I'm ordering up a flat white. When at home, I have my espresso machine running hot. I've been trying to steer clear of dairy products for no particular reason but you can't have a flat white without the white. I suppose without the white it's nothing more than an espresso. I have a sneaky suspicion that the flat white has a bit of sweetener in it as well which I would also prefer to avoid but I tell myself that the sweeter is in the milk so if I'm having the milk the sweeter is unavoidable.
Maybe it's honey instead of refined sugar. More delusion. But the espresso at home business has taken as it were and it seems to be here to stay at least for a while. I don't do the steamed milk thing so it's black as coal and I'm kinda liking it. Like I said, for now.
I prepped a couple of salads at home for lunch yesterday after Nancy and I took a nice walk down on Ocean Boulevard. We haven't done that for a while so I was feeling it in my legs after the first hour. We started at Wallis Sands Beach and ended up on the first leg at the entrance to Odiorne State Park where we turned around.
It was a beautiful sunny day with temperate offshore breezes along the ocean and you could just make out with the squint of an eye the outlines of what appeared to be a colony of seals lounging offshore on the rocky outcroppings up and safely away from predators cruising the shallows.
I often resort to keeping a list of ingredients when it comes to preparing salads. There is nothing worse than making a salad then coming to realize that you forgot one or more key ingredients. Sometimes, it's just a spice. Or, maybe you had a jar of marinated sliced mushrooms that would have been just perfect as an addon but because it was not front and center when you opened your fridge it went unnoticed and unused.
My list is at least ten ingredients long and never seems to get any shorter with the passing of time. Beets, croutons, chic peas, shaved carrots, and red onions are at the top of the list and all bring a necessary color, texture, taste, or flavor to an otherwise bland 4-inch raised bed of shaved lettuce. Red cabbage is a delight as well as is as occasional serving of sliced avocado which we just happened to have on hand yesterday and which we throughly enjoyed.
Lastly, a dash or two of everyday spice and a prolonged drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette laced vertically and horizontally across the top of everything goes a long way toward enhancing the already robust and deliciousness of the salad. Did I mention I like to add green or black olives and blue cheese crumbles to the ensemble as well? You hear a lot about poke salads these days. I'm not sure that my salads are much different in kind or in substance from these newfangled dishes known as pokes (pronounced po-kays.)
Did I mention that while Evan was over we ordered a couple of pizzas from a new pizza joint here in Portsmouth. Knowing what we now about Evan not liking the carbs when eating lots of crust we ordered their cauliflower pizza crust pizza and it was quite good. Evan thought that it was a little less appealing the day after but for the moment at least it filled the bill.
I also ordered a caesar salad for him and he really enjoyed that as we knew he would. Oh, and for a topping I ordered meatballs. It was an all around terrific meal and we're pleased as punch to have yet one more place to add to our go-to list when it comes to eating at or ordering from restaurants hereabouts.
My neighbor asked if I might take care of her driveway when she is away for a week or two in March. I could have made up some kind of nonsense excuse to get out of agreeing to her request but decided against that. Besides, we've had crazy little snow this season so what makes me think that we're going to get slammed the week that she is away on vacation? And what about precedents?
Is this going to turn into a recurring request for years to come but I just don't know it yet? It will certainly be easier for her to ask in years to come if I agree now and it will be harder for me to say "no" given that I'm saying "yes" this year. It's best not to overthink these things and just go with the flow.
It's not the end of the world and I'm doing a favor for someone that I'm pleased to be doing a favor for. I would hasten to add that they clear the area of snow around the mailboxes for the residents on our street and that is helpful to everyone. I guess that task falls to me as well when they're away. So be it.
She asked if Nancy and I might like to attend a meeting with our local congressman on issues related to medicare, social security, etc. I politely declined albeit a day or two beyond the assigned date on the calendar. Nancy mentioned that we had an e-mail from our neighbor but she did not tell me that it was time sensitive. It's just as well.
The congressman in question voted to impeach my president and I would have expressed my unhappiness with that particular decision in no uncertain terms. In fact, I will be actively looking to replace this piece of shit in November. There, I said it.
I'm glad we're working out the details with Evan when it comes to using our Apple devices to transfer money to him when possible. He was telling me that he was at a gas station recently putting three dollars worth of gas in his car and how that didn't get him very far. Duh! With the Apple Pay feature and with gas stations now accepting Apple Pay we send him money and he can use it to put gas in his car in a pinch.
One of the nicer features these days when it comes to using our hand held devices is having the ability to send and receive money. It's done by simply sending a text to the intended recipient. My initial transfer to him was $10. I wanted to make sure that he felt comfortable using his phone and the Apple Pay feature of the phone to make purchases before sending him more money.
He used it (Apple Pay) first at Starbucks. He informed me after the fact that when he went to use it he was required to put in his passcode before it would allow him to use Apple Pay to pay the vendor. I guess I knew that since that is how Nancy's phone works. They both have older phones so the facial ID feature that just kicks in when I go to use my phone is nonexistent on their phones.
He commented as well that the good folks at Starbuck were pleasant indeed and probably kind enough to offer him guidance when he first presented his phone for his first Apple Pay purchase. He is more likely than not to avoid such interactions these days so I'm delighted his experience was a positive one. Day by day.
And what about that Cusinart Keurig machine I gave to him? You know, the one that I used a handful of times and decided that it didn't make a cup of coffee that was strong enough for my tastes so was promptly sidelined and tucked away. Evan is new to the coffee scene but seems to be keen now to this new world that he's discovered. Most of his beverages have been iced but he can end up with an iced beverage with the Keurig machine with the addition of a few ice cubes and a dash of milk.
I was a it flummoxed when he told me that he couldn't get the machine to work after bringing it over to his apartment. Nancy was almost insistent that we dust it off and give it a whirl beforehand so Evan could see how to work the machine before he just took it away with him. I was thinking that it would be easy peasy so resisted doing a demo.
Besides, you know Evan rarely sits still for demos and seems to have little patience for them if you must know the truth. I urged him to do a little trouble shooting to see if he couldn't get it going and I was a little surprised that he didn't jump on that with a little more gusto. But he sent us a video yesterday of a cup filling up from his new machine and Nancy and I gave each other a fist bump to celebrate. Well done!
Maybe it's honey instead of refined sugar. More delusion. But the espresso at home business has taken as it were and it seems to be here to stay at least for a while. I don't do the steamed milk thing so it's black as coal and I'm kinda liking it. Like I said, for now.
I prepped a couple of salads at home for lunch yesterday after Nancy and I took a nice walk down on Ocean Boulevard. We haven't done that for a while so I was feeling it in my legs after the first hour. We started at Wallis Sands Beach and ended up on the first leg at the entrance to Odiorne State Park where we turned around.
It was a beautiful sunny day with temperate offshore breezes along the ocean and you could just make out with the squint of an eye the outlines of what appeared to be a colony of seals lounging offshore on the rocky outcroppings up and safely away from predators cruising the shallows.
I often resort to keeping a list of ingredients when it comes to preparing salads. There is nothing worse than making a salad then coming to realize that you forgot one or more key ingredients. Sometimes, it's just a spice. Or, maybe you had a jar of marinated sliced mushrooms that would have been just perfect as an addon but because it was not front and center when you opened your fridge it went unnoticed and unused.
My list is at least ten ingredients long and never seems to get any shorter with the passing of time. Beets, croutons, chic peas, shaved carrots, and red onions are at the top of the list and all bring a necessary color, texture, taste, or flavor to an otherwise bland 4-inch raised bed of shaved lettuce. Red cabbage is a delight as well as is as occasional serving of sliced avocado which we just happened to have on hand yesterday and which we throughly enjoyed.
Lastly, a dash or two of everyday spice and a prolonged drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette laced vertically and horizontally across the top of everything goes a long way toward enhancing the already robust and deliciousness of the salad. Did I mention I like to add green or black olives and blue cheese crumbles to the ensemble as well? You hear a lot about poke salads these days. I'm not sure that my salads are much different in kind or in substance from these newfangled dishes known as pokes (pronounced po-kays.)
Did I mention that while Evan was over we ordered a couple of pizzas from a new pizza joint here in Portsmouth. Knowing what we now about Evan not liking the carbs when eating lots of crust we ordered their cauliflower pizza crust pizza and it was quite good. Evan thought that it was a little less appealing the day after but for the moment at least it filled the bill.
I also ordered a caesar salad for him and he really enjoyed that as we knew he would. Oh, and for a topping I ordered meatballs. It was an all around terrific meal and we're pleased as punch to have yet one more place to add to our go-to list when it comes to eating at or ordering from restaurants hereabouts.
My neighbor asked if I might take care of her driveway when she is away for a week or two in March. I could have made up some kind of nonsense excuse to get out of agreeing to her request but decided against that. Besides, we've had crazy little snow this season so what makes me think that we're going to get slammed the week that she is away on vacation? And what about precedents?
Is this going to turn into a recurring request for years to come but I just don't know it yet? It will certainly be easier for her to ask in years to come if I agree now and it will be harder for me to say "no" given that I'm saying "yes" this year. It's best not to overthink these things and just go with the flow.
It's not the end of the world and I'm doing a favor for someone that I'm pleased to be doing a favor for. I would hasten to add that they clear the area of snow around the mailboxes for the residents on our street and that is helpful to everyone. I guess that task falls to me as well when they're away. So be it.
She asked if Nancy and I might like to attend a meeting with our local congressman on issues related to medicare, social security, etc. I politely declined albeit a day or two beyond the assigned date on the calendar. Nancy mentioned that we had an e-mail from our neighbor but she did not tell me that it was time sensitive. It's just as well.
The congressman in question voted to impeach my president and I would have expressed my unhappiness with that particular decision in no uncertain terms. In fact, I will be actively looking to replace this piece of shit in November. There, I said it.
I'm glad we're working out the details with Evan when it comes to using our Apple devices to transfer money to him when possible. He was telling me that he was at a gas station recently putting three dollars worth of gas in his car and how that didn't get him very far. Duh! With the Apple Pay feature and with gas stations now accepting Apple Pay we send him money and he can use it to put gas in his car in a pinch.
One of the nicer features these days when it comes to using our hand held devices is having the ability to send and receive money. It's done by simply sending a text to the intended recipient. My initial transfer to him was $10. I wanted to make sure that he felt comfortable using his phone and the Apple Pay feature of the phone to make purchases before sending him more money.
He used it (Apple Pay) first at Starbucks. He informed me after the fact that when he went to use it he was required to put in his passcode before it would allow him to use Apple Pay to pay the vendor. I guess I knew that since that is how Nancy's phone works. They both have older phones so the facial ID feature that just kicks in when I go to use my phone is nonexistent on their phones.
He commented as well that the good folks at Starbuck were pleasant indeed and probably kind enough to offer him guidance when he first presented his phone for his first Apple Pay purchase. He is more likely than not to avoid such interactions these days so I'm delighted his experience was a positive one. Day by day.
And what about that Cusinart Keurig machine I gave to him? You know, the one that I used a handful of times and decided that it didn't make a cup of coffee that was strong enough for my tastes so was promptly sidelined and tucked away. Evan is new to the coffee scene but seems to be keen now to this new world that he's discovered. Most of his beverages have been iced but he can end up with an iced beverage with the Keurig machine with the addition of a few ice cubes and a dash of milk.
I was a it flummoxed when he told me that he couldn't get the machine to work after bringing it over to his apartment. Nancy was almost insistent that we dust it off and give it a whirl beforehand so Evan could see how to work the machine before he just took it away with him. I was thinking that it would be easy peasy so resisted doing a demo.
Besides, you know Evan rarely sits still for demos and seems to have little patience for them if you must know the truth. I urged him to do a little trouble shooting to see if he couldn't get it going and I was a little surprised that he didn't jump on that with a little more gusto. But he sent us a video yesterday of a cup filling up from his new machine and Nancy and I gave each other a fist bump to celebrate. Well done!