Failures and Randomness

As a diabetic, I really don't eat too many sweet pastries. The added sugar on top, as well as the sugar already in the cake/pie/whatever, is a little too much. Not that I can't eat it. I can but it has to be a small portion. That small portion can contain a lot of sugar/carbs that I may as well just "save" it and eat a good meal. However, sometimes I try just because I want to scratch that itch. So, I purchased a box of cake mix. Voila! I would like to call it Pink Failure.

Since I rarely bake, I never noticed that my no-stick baking spray had expired. But, years ago, I had purchased these silicone cupcake molds.

No bueno. They were a pain to get out of my mold. A pink murder scene made up of muffin tops and bottoms, some whole though, was what remained. Maybe a bakery called Top of the Muffin a la Elaine? I'll admit it, I ate one and I wasn't thoroughly pleased. They were brittle as well. No spongy goodness that would make a glass of 2% milk go wild. Boo-urns!

The next day, at work, since I rarely have any semblance of soda in my home, I drank an entire can of Diet Dr. Pepper. It was a calming factor in the Great Pink Muffin/Cupcake Disaster of 2010. Notice my finicky work printer. It decides what it wants to print and what it doesn't.

Carbs, it makes things better no? I tested a great deal on how pasta affected my blood glucose. My poor fingers really endured a lot during that time and I am happy to say that the 1/4 Italian in me is happy that I can celebrate that part of my ethnicity. I have to limit my flour tortilla intake though. :(

My little Bitty-Girl seeing me off to work. This was her this morning, waving as I walked away. It breaks my heart and I can only imagine how terrible that pain would be if I have children.

Let's talk 80's, a marvelous time to be a child. The Karate Kid was on last night and while we only caught the last 15 minutes of it, I still shed a tear when Daniel-son is injured badly by the Kobra Kai's Johnny and Mr. Myagi tells Daniel, "Myagi here. Myagi here." The love he had for Daniel, and vice versa, gets me every time. Daniel's lacking of a father figure makes me sad yet relieved that I have the Old Man. So many of my friends either don't have a father or simply just have a really shitty dad. I am happy, and grateful, that I have an amazing father. But, the story of my dad and his awesomeness is saved for another day.

Fun With Links

This is awesome. I knew it, I totally knew it!

How to tell if your cat is trying to kill you.

Edit: I love these. Envirosax! I just ordered some more. Saint Tigerlily had a contest some months ago and I won a bag. After that, I checked out the site and ordered some more. Now that they have smaller bags, it's on.

I'm Singing to Nelson!

I got wind this morning of the passing of Dorothy Kamenshek, the woman that inspired the character of Dottie Hinson in the movie A League of Their Own. That movie can be on TV, having either just started or close to ending, and I will sit and watch it and cry whenever Jimmy Dugan gives Betty Spaghetti the Western Union telegram that her husband was killed in combat. Each and every time.

I will also laugh whenever they reference Marla Hooch....Hooch. I adore her getting drunk at the Suds Bucket and "singing to Nelson."

RIP Dorothy.

*****

My camera must have heard that it may be on the way out so it started to not throw a hissy fit. Yea!

Behold! Randomness!

Co-Catheral of the Sacred Heart

My BIL was confirmed into the church this past Sunday and it was our first visit to the new Co-Cathedral for the Houston-Galveston Archdiocese. It's gorgeous inside but I love how awesome albeit hot the weather was on Sunday.

Can you believe that McDonald's is the only one that makes something sugar-free?

Double Starch!

Clearly I have been on a meat bender lately even I haven't posted the other items I make, or eat. If Mr. Fuji acts right then I will. In the meantime, I found a sauce, called Texas Bodacious, that I was talked into buying simply because the grocery store, one of my favorite of the local chain as well as employer for the BNC, has cooking demos every day. Saturday, the day in which I went, gave us a sample of their grilled steak with the sauce and YUM. Sold. And who doesn't like corn on the cob? It's it just me or is it a Mexican thing to slather some mayo (light) with grated parmesan? Sometimes I miss Mexico because this staple is readily available year-round and easy to find. The BNC had asparagus on his plate along with the top image.

"HAHA! Got him!!"

Lost

6 years later and some answers are left unanswered and I'm ok with that. So, yes, I watched the finale and I was awestruck at how much I felt for this show, the characters, the story, the experience. I cannot say I was disappointed. Instead I feel a range of emotions consisting of relief, happiness, confusion, acceptance and sadness. WTF am I going to watch on Tuesdays now? Glee of course cause I totally cried at last week's episode.

So, I'm good. Thank you Lost for hooking me in 6 years ago. What a mindfuck and I loved it, except for that 1 season where it wasn't that good but no where near what Heroes became. I saw you through. Heroes can sit on it.

Conflict of Interest

I have a huge conflict of interest. It's one that makes me shudder when I read the news and one that makes me shudder when I come to work. It's incredibly hard to detach yourself from what you know to what you know from the news. Last night was particularly difficult. The BNC loves animals, the environment and all that good stuff. To see him so upset about the state of things right now hurt me because there is nothing I can do about that. And that's that.

In other news, I'm trying to make everything look pretty here and I have a fabulous photo I took of some tacos some time ago that I want to use as my header but I'm not finished resizing it, etc. You know what I mean?

Here's the photo:

Compare that to these taken with my iPhone:

Bitty and Apolo

These are of some measuring cups my mom got for me from Anthropologie. They're adorable. I really don't measure but they're so cute that I think I may just take up baking. I won't but still. The only times I measure is when I'm making Jasmine rice, have to bake something, or following a recipe. Regardless, they're cute!

They're like the Russian dolls and fit inside eachother but I like to display them as individuals because I have a complex about that.

Half a cup...

...a pinch. Just cute.

Anyhow, the quality of my pictures could be better but until I resolve it, and it revolves around my USB cord, then I'm left with my iPhone and not much natural light.

The One in Which Bitty-Girl Gives Me The Ojo

First, an explanation on The Ojo, The Eye. In Mexican folklore, The Ojo, pronounced o-HO, is when someone gives you bad luck simply by looking at you with meaness such as envy, hate, just general meaness. The recipient of The Ojo then has bad luck or, in severe cases, comes down with a illness that includes fever and all around bad yuckiness. Usually you have to cure it by having someone of devout faith rub an egg all over you and then cracking the egg into water. If the inside of the egg is red, or just looking like needles in the water, you had The Ojo. Mexicans and their beliefs; Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Anyhow, I believe Bitty-Girl gave me The Ojo last night. But then again, she may have just wanted a taste of dinner.

"I can haz dinner?"

Dinner was steak with mashed potatoes.

I'm on the prowl to get an indoor smokeless grill because getting the outdoor grill ready for just 2 steaks in Houston humidity is crazy. I went to get my mail yesterday (Netflix!) and oy. I hate the humidity of Houston and it's only going to get worse. The thunderstorms we received this past weekend do not help. Back to the steaks, flank steaks, were broiled in the oven causing a bit of heat build-up as well as some smoke coming out of the vents from the stove. You may have noticed the lack of a veggie on my plate and while I did make some asparagus for the BNC, I don't eat many veggies. Yes, I know but hey, I'm in therapy and well, it comes up. Looking at the photo, a demi-glace would have been nice.

So, yea, Lost last night. Yowza! The finale is this Sunday and I'm excited to finally see this show through. No spoilers from me.

A Letter

Dear Therapy,

While I welcome the comfy couch, I'm a little apprenhensive about the road you are leading me down. I know it's for the best and things are going to get much worse before they get better but, woo, the little notes I'm writing down are made of nothing but crazy. I'm keeping them though and pasting them into the little sketchbook I carry. It was first meant to be my doodle book but well, doodles and notes are now what is starting to fill it. Also, I need a break. I need to read the books you think I need to read as well as work on some of the stuff you mentioned. So, give me 3 weeks, ok?

Thank you for understanding.

Lots of love,
Margie

College Station

The BNC is playing in College Station tonight. It's about 1 1/2 hours away but I have so much to do tomorrow. I have to take my mom to the doctor and then I have to come into work for the 4th consecutive weekend.

Back to the gig, is it safe to say that I would much rather sleep considering what a fun-filled weekend I have planned?

Stop! Doodle Time!

I like to doodle. I'm not an artist but I would like to say that I am a Master Doodler. No tracing here. Anyhow, this is a picture of my Grandma. In her home is a portrait of her as a young woman and it's absolutely stunning. Naturally, just like in all photos, she doesn't smile. Come to think of it. I don't think my family likes to smile much. Take for instance, this photo. One taken while we were on a family trip throughout Mexico because it's what Mexicans do; travel throughout their own country.

See? No smile. My Grandma smiles the same. Even in my previous post. From left to right, me, my Grandma, my cousin and my little brother. Tsk, tsk. That's how you smile.

BTW, I totally went against my better judgment and ate a Quarter Pounder from McDonald's. I'm going to have McRegret in a little while. BOO-URNS!

Thoughts

I was watching Parenthood this week and oy, I remembered a comment Ali, at Three Baking Sheets to the Wind, said about Dax Shepherd being so likeable. Yea. He really is. I feel for him so much for missing out on Jabbar and I can sense his immaturity fighting with his maturity, something we all do as we age. But, this upsets me. How dare Dax make me like him. Him, of Punk'd, via Ashton Kutcher, fame. Geez. Parenthood is a really good show for it to make me like Dax Shepherd! A few things though, I wish Jason Ritter would still go out with Sarah, I wish Zeek would grow up, I wish Hattie would stop being such a bitch, I wish Julia would just take some meds already. But, I really like this show. And, let's not talk about Community because I'm still laughing from it.

Anyhow, here's a picture of me with my mom, age 56, and grandma, age 86. I swear, I better get in on those Aging Gracefully Genes. Anyhow, Happy Mother's Day to all mothers and your mothers and mother figures.

A Wee Little Margie

Even as a kid I knew. I knew I looked different. I knew I was of the paler persuasion. The comments, even if they were meant as compliments, drove a little dagger into my heart. Even the treatment was different than what my brothers got. It was that extra special favorite treatment and while others may welcome it, I loathed it. It just put a spotlight on how different I looked from everyone else. I thought I was adopted until I met my Grandpa and noticed we shared the same colored eyes (brown but just a tad on the light side and let's not even get into the light brown and curly hair) as well as some birthmarks and the dimple on the right cheek. However, those differences with my family are much more noticeable now. For instance, everyone is darker than me and my youngest brother, B, is 6' 3" tall. I'm 5' 1". I know that I am my parent's daughter, that's not the issue. The issue, with me, is that so many people find it hard to believe that my brothers and I are related directly. But, I get it. Look at how much more different I am from my mom when I was a wee little baby.

It got to the point that when my parents would take me to the zoo, or other public places, people would ask how much they charged for babysitting. Get it? My parents are Mexican, as am I. It solicits laughs but ugh, I just wanted to fit it. Being a girl didn't help. It added to the complex I already had. For Easter lunch last month, B and I were reminiscing about our younger days and the year other kids moved onto our block. KIDS! It was awesome. It was the year Transformers the animated movie came out. A 3D movie also premiered on network TV and you could get the glasses at the convenience store. Sleepovers were involved as well. Then, they moved away. There were sleepovers involved afterwards. However, who didn't go? Me. Why? Because I was a girl despite B being younger than me by a whole 3 years and my older brother beging 4 years older than me. At this point, there is nothing I can do about that. But, boy, it hurt bad. Which is why, whenever I could, I did what I wanted and with the boys. Damnit if I was going to be the only left out cause I didn't have a twig and berries between my legs. So back to the Easter lunch, B asks me why I never went with him and our older brother to these excursions with our neighbors. I told him to ask his mom. When he asked her, the reply was, "I didn't know you wanted to go." I almost fell over. It was then when I said to my mom, "Should I ever have children and one of them is a girl, I will tell her she can do whatever she wants. No gender rules holding her back." Bitty Girl is a cat but damnit if I don't get a kick out of her taking Logan or Apolo on. She's tiny compared to them and she will hold her own.

But, I still look different and I cannot describe how much of a sore spot it is for me. Sigh, big sigh. I know I imposed this on myself and I have no one to blame for how I feel about the color issue but, as far as the gender issue, my mom has a little to do with it. But, like I said, not much I can do about the past.

On a semi-related note, and belated, Happy Cinco de Mayo! I, in usual fashion, hung out with the loud Mexicans at my company's industry party for an unrelated issue. Orale, pinches!

Update

I forgot to mention the phone call I got from my doctor last week concerning my test results. Potassium levels are normal. No kidney transplant needed.

Whew. I'm extremely happy that it worked out. It just leads me to believe that my diet was behind it all. So, my Lent plans will be as follows: nothing food related including the whole meat thing on Fridays. Am I happy? I'd be lying if I didn't say I was now that I don't have to participate. But, I also don't want a messed up test result. It makes me think my potassium, or something else, was affected during that time.

I have a year to mull it over but I doubt it will change. In other news, I am starting up my therapy again tomorrow. I am in dire need a visit to the big couch. It took me a while to make that phone call, the number just staring me in the face. But, I finally did it and while the doctor called me while I was with my mom (!), I'm looking forward to talking to her and working through the dark place I find myself in right now.

Doc Brown would be nice right about now, just for shits and giggles though

Chick-Fil-A, Yo!

What up, waffle fries?!!

Finally

Via the magic of Netflix, I am finally getting around to watching movies/shows that I just couldn't watch the first time around. For example, Constantine, The Wire, Arrested Development, Band of Brothers, Dexter and, coming soon, like tomorrow, Hollywoodland with Ben Affleck. I'm a big Affleck fan. I adored him in the entire View Askew universe but, most importantly, his work on one of my most favorite movies ever solidified my love for him. That movie is Gone Baby Gone. (I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it.) Ben didn't act in it, Casey, his younger brother, did, but he did work on the screenplay adaptation as well as direct. I find the movie hauntingly beautiful and, at times, disturbing. It is also thought provoking. I cannot stop talking about this movie whenever I see it. If Ben Affleck, former Fashionable Male employee and lesbian lover and comic book artist, continues on this path, be certain I will follow.

I love this movie.