Done

Cheeks swabbed, labels affixed, mailed.

Do Fun Stuff

Doing my part in support of Ryan over at Pacing the Panic Room.

I've been reading his blog when he was featuring his lovely wife, Cole, in a weekly series to document the pregnancy and subsequent birth of their beautiful daughter Tessa. Ryan is stepfather to the Littlest Buddy who has a rare genetic disorder called Smith-Magenis Syndrome.

Ryan has poured his heart and soul into creating a charity album to not only raise awarenes for SMS but also funds. The album, now available on iTunes, is endearing and awesome and I love it.

Give it a whirl. Do fun stuff. :)

"Everyone get dressed. We are going out to eat!" said the Old Man.

And that is what we did. With meat no where near being completely thawed, we went out, during the week for some chinese. Chef Hunan Bo, a place we frequented many times prior to leaving the hood and ultimately coming back, was our destination. I was in the mood for their chicken lo mein. It was not as good as I remember it to be with slightly overcooked noodles and just underseasoned altogether. Regardless, it was ok and I may return in hopes that it will wow me as I am not a fan of that Panda Express I see so often. You may be cute, Panda, but your food is terrible.

Cleaning & Sorting

While cleaning and organizing my photos I found the following that made me laugh as well as sigh very deeply.

The orange tree outside my parents's home. It's a pain to get the ones at the top. It's where a ladder and the BNC come in handy. My parents share their bounty with the couple across the street who have a peach tree. It's a nice companion to the avocado tree on the opposite side of the front yard. Viva Mexico!

Prior to my brother's diagnosis, I had already decided to grow out my hair to donate to Locks of Love. It was a difficult process since my hair was layered and the donated hair has to be one length and at least 10" long. In September of 2009, I reached my goal. It meant a great deal to me since it took on a more personal meaning earlier in the year. In all honesty, I may never do it again. I loathe long hair on me since I have curly, fine hair and it's a pain in the boom boom to care for. Let's not even get into the humidity.

Bitty Girl chilling on the floor of my car as we await the vet to open for business so Bitty can get her spaying on. She doesn't do well inside the pet taxi.

Oh yea, she is adorable but she singlehandedly brought Christmas down last year. I woke up one morning to find the star that was atop the tree on the floor. I had to bring it down or run the risk of having my beloved Transformers ornaments broken. It took me a year to find one of the lambs that had been missing from the nativity scene.

Boochie rubbing up against Joseph. Sigh. One of the best cats ever.

And I cannot believe that I'll be 34 next week. Already? The only plans I have are dinner. I want dinner, dinner, dinner. And froyo.

Scratch my belly

Out of Memory

Barbecue Inn for Saturday and Red Robin for Sunday before the start of Piranha 3D, which I HIGHLY recommend.

I'm more of a fan of Smashburger but Red Robin was across from the movie theater.

What I need right now....is some good advice, please.

Daddy, daddy, if you could only see,
Just how good he's been treating me.

Sorry, got Madonna playing in the background.

And this is where it ends. My memory card reached its limit. Yes, I even procrastinate in deleting photos. I still have some from Christmas. Whoops. But the tacos last night were yum.

Come on, girls!

Do you believe in love?
Cause I got something to say about it.
And it goes something like this.

City Girl

I'm a city girl. I, for whatever reason, cannot see myself living in a small town. I enjoy visiting my peoples who live in small towns but to live there just doesn't sound like me.

I live near the downtown area of Houston and know this area so well that to leave it, like those 3 years when I moved to the outskirts, is unnatural. But, I'm back in the hood, eating tacos and raspas, hanging with my family, in-laws and my BFF.

Better yet, my one-way commute went from 30 minutes to less than 10. Wut, wut!

And I don't care that the heat is making us into whiny, spoiled children who want nothing more than to swim in a pool of raspas, I still love you. I love going to the sporting events, the festivals (though I seriously miss the Heights Festival) and the food. Keep on truckin' and don't you listen to those Dallas folks. We hate the Cowboys, remember?

Rice, Rice Baby

Rice (Mexican rice, Spanish rice-whatever) used to be my kryptonite. It was constantly coming out either overcooked or undercooked. I eventually got it but not after major trial and error. Burnt rice is one of the worst smells ever and the way it just permeates everything is nothing, absolutely nothing, short of amazing.

For my rice, I use the long grain version and fry it in olive oil.

Once the rice becomes this more opaque color, I add some freshly minced garlic combined with a couple of pinches of ground cumin. I have a molcajete, given to me by my mom, but I prefer to run the garlic in a microplane. If not, I would really have to give it to the garlic and the cumin seeds otherwise I'd run the risk of biting into some chunks and that flavor stays with you for a long while. In other words, no bueno.

I add a little water to the garlic/cumin mix and throw into my fried rice. In addition, a little tomato sauce, or paste, should be added here to add a little flavor and color.

Nicely fried.

I add some water, some Knorr chicken bouillon, in case the stock is not available, cover and boil. Right before the rice is cooked through though, I take it off the burner and leave it covered.

Voila!

So, I went to Target a while ago, and while I managed to buy some of the items on my list, I failed to summon the energy to return to a part of the store I passed up for the peppermill. No bumping and grinding tonight. I also failed to go back for a DVD player cleaner which means that my Batman DVD player (yes, I own one) sits idle and tempermental. If that doesn't work, off to eBay. Wish me luck.

Procrastination

Procrastination is in my DNA. If it is not a huge emergency, then it can wait. And that's when the researching begins. For example, my peppermill died the other day and I am researching and researching for its replacement. I finally decided which Dr. Seuss Converse I want but have I hit the BUY button? No. But, I did make a list of stuff to buy at Target during my lunch time. A start? Not unless I leave with a peppermill cause I need to bump and grind my peppercorns.

BTW, I went to The Olive Garden last night and survived. My in-laws are loud, annoying, crazy, opinionated and a guaranteed good time. I even overtipped my waiter cause he was great and he put up with the BNC, his 3 brothers and his mom.

Edit: This makes me wish I had a dog again. Oh no!

National Marrow Donor Program

My brother has chronic leukemia and since day one I have not been able to not think about it. It took me a while but I no longer look at him and see solely that but I worry constantly about how it has affected him. I fear a change for the worse and I fear a life of darkness since, afterall, he's the light of my life. I gave up the bottle for him when he was born and even at 3 years old I know I wouldn't have done that for just anyone.

So, today, after a friend of mine got the call, after signing up 10 years ago, I registered with the National Marrow Donor Program in order to become a bone marrow donor. My brother doesn't need it, not now and hopefully not ever, but that awful day in February 2009, before the diagnosis went from AML to CML, I was prepared to give anything for him down to my own life (still am). However, I would hope that if I couldn't, perhaps someone else could have. This is why I registered, with the complete blessing of my brother, in the hopes that someone will not lose the light of their own lives.

I adore this picture. While the city was scrambling to prepare for Hurricane Ike, B and I went to the Astros game. It was September 11th and a returning soldier surprised his family and I cried. One of our friends, sitting to my right, caught a foul ball. BOO! It was a good time, a few months before shit got really real.

Barbecue Inn

I found the most amazing chicken fried steak, and fried chicken, I had ever had in my life. Barbecue Inn's chicken fried steak is so amazing that I failed to take a picture of it. The crust actually stays on the steak itself and the gravy, have mercy, Uncle Jesse. I even failed to take a picture of the southern fried chicken I had but, never fear, Underdog went back Saturday afternoon with Chapa and tried again where I found they actually make the most amazing ribs I ever had. Seriously, wtf at this place hoarding all the best stuff?

The ribs were so moist, soft, smokey, so yummy that I cannot wait to go back Saturday afternoon with the BNC.

Their southern fried chicken is so juicy on the inside, so crunchy on the outside that the 20-25 minute wait while they make it for you is forgiveable and you can't really hate on that cause they are making it for you on the spot.

Chapa tried the fried seafood platter that consisted of shrimp, oysters and the biggest crab cake I had ever seen. I'm not a big seafood fan, unless it's Lent season, so I have to rely on Chapa's comments which came back as yum.

I've had my regular barbeque (barbecue, BBQ) places but I can honestly say, that after a visit here, and then Hickory Hollow Sunday, that resulted in dried out chicken and sloppy chicken fried steak, it's safe to say that Barbecue Inn will be it for a long while. I, along with the BNC and Chapa look forward to it.

Zippity Do Dah

I've had some major work computer issues here this week that were finally, it seems, fixed late this morning.

So, I've fallen way behind on what is going on in the outside world other than Kenny 2-Ways getting knocked from Top Chef after him and his team went after Angelo's team, specifically Alex. Whatever, Alex may suck but Kenny's team blew.

Chicken Dinner

Baking in the summer should be avoided at all costs but I'm lucky that my kitchen doesn't turn into a mini-hell so I bake anyhow. One of the things I love to bake is chicken. Crispy skin? Yummy, juicy insides? Yum. The BNC shows up about 2 1/2 hours after I get home so I have plenty of time to get dinner ready.

Everyone has their own method to cook chicken. I have yet to try the famous Keller method but in time I'll get to it. In the meantime, I'll stick to my lemony, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper chicken.

Chicken got a big ol' butt, uh huh.

Squash, tomatoes, shallots, salt and pepper in olive oil for the BNC.

Bowl of fideo while the chicken baked.

I couldn't find my twine to truss my fatty but the breast, luckily, didn't dry out.


Yummity, yum. I made a tower out of the mashed potatoes a la Close Encounters but I eated it. :(

Hot in the City

Brother's Pizza with some friends Friday night.

Saturday I had to clock in some time with my mom. She treated me to Laredo tacos and I can never say no. However, with 3 locations, all in close proximity to one another, with 2 locations about 4 blocks apart, she chose her personal favorite. I favor the Washington location but since it was already about 10a, going there was out of the question. The line would be out the door. The Fulton location had a small line. However, I discovered they don't have an AC unit. It was hotter inside than out. I'm a slower eater but I rushed through it in order to get out. They make their tortillas on site so that hot comal (griddle) was making it miserable.

There is a farmer's market that my family and I have been visiting since I was single digits. I love when pecans are in season because you can go there and see the machines crack them and sell them to you on the spot. LOVE it. We like to visit the stalls behind the main building and buy directly from the farmers. They're awesome, know you by name and give you great prices on their produce. Anyhow, I took my mom and she got her veggie on while I sweated and eyed the raspa stands nearby.

The BNC got stuck working ALL DAY Sunday and I watched 7 episodes of Dexter Season 4. We broke up with Comcast last week and went to AT&T UVerse. Turns out, rather than wait for Netflix to make Season 4 available, I can watch it On Demand. SCORE!!!

ps....I failed to take pictures of our BWW trip for UFC. Mom dates always wear me out and I was taking long blinks while Anderson Silva let it go 5 rounds. He had me scared for a moment there. Don't do it again.

It's been a long time, shouldn't've left you...

I haven't been to Tacos del Julio in months and I haven't made any tacos in just about the same amount of time. I have no explanation for the latter. However, as for not eating at Julio, I really don't eat out a lot. For realsies.

On Wednesdays at Julio, they have all you can eat tacos for about $10. If you break the record, your tacos are free. (Yea, you save an entire $10!) The record is 34 tacos and you must eat them in an hour. I can guarantee that I will never try this challenge. I barely finished the 5 I ordered. They were so yummy though.

I'll try and not be so neglectful, Julio.

Dear John

Take a memo, Bitty Girl.

Ready?

Dear Heat,

You and I have become well acquainted over the course of 3 decades and some change. We've had fun at the beach, the zoo, in a box with a fox, hand in hand, but every year, without fail, I seem to forget what your true power is; it's true extent. Then August rolls around and I remember, with a sweaty brow, how miserable you make me. The entire city is complaining about you and your 100º this past weekend, the one where I stayed in, sans a little breakfast, on a Sunday, while the BNC was home, and vegged out just like the broccoli in the crisper is doing right now. The slap in the face you give me once I open the front door stays with me all the day. Dude, you're killing me. August surely must stand for HOT AS A MFER. I don't even want to lounge in the pool because something tells me I am going to boil.

Listen, I know you have to make an appearance, enough so people can complain about it and make the Global Warming comment. I get it, you have to uphold your reputation but man, you're killing me, Smalls. I'm just trying to walk to my car without letting my just straightened hair curl up and create this ugly hot mess. I'm also trying not to drown from all the humidity since I don't know how to swim. No bueno.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is, fuck, can you turn it down a notch?

Sorry.

See you in an hour, Heat.

XOXOXO,

Margie

Nickelodeon

I really miss old TV such as Nickelodeon-Salute Your Shorts, Hey, Dude!, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Clarissa Explains it All, Doug, even old Rugrats episodes.

Dead of Dysentry

Oregon Trail! I remember playing this game so much that, now that I think about it, what was the educational value? I suspect the computer teacher was pawning us off. Cleva gurl! Geez, I sure do miss elementary school.

I always chose to be the banker. I don't know why. But, I do remember when I first made it to Oregon. Glorious day! Much like the one time I beat my BNC at NWO Revenge using Chris Jericho where I stood atop my opponent and the referee slowly, I mean seriously, slooooowly counted to 3 and I won. People still talk about it to this day, mainly me. My retirement was swift and immediate after the win while talk of a rematch has continued since but no, I've moved on.

Which leads me to UFC this Saturday night where, once again, with Chapa in tow, we'll be at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Old Favorites

Sometimes you need comfort food. The one that won't let you down. The same one that's made in the same way over and over again that makes you afraid to deviate because it's just that tasty, it's just that comforting.

Take chilaquiles for instance. The BNC's favorite from Spanish Flowers. It's cut tortillas smothered with salsa and cheese with a side of beans. The BNC always asks for a side of their rice. Many people will opt to go to the other Mexican restaurant down the street but I choose this one, always have and always will.

I like their caldo de res (beef stew). It's supposed to be too hot to eat during the summer but since it's a comfort food for me I ordered it anyhow.

The House of Pies usual with eggs over medium, 2 strips of bacon, short stack and a bagel. I tend to get the waffle but this time I threw the waitress for a loop.

A nice chilli dog with sharp cheddar while finally getting to that Netflix movie that's been sitting on top of the TV since, according to the Netflix account, July 10.

There are so many more comfort foods for me. Things such as my grandma's flour tortillas with beans and chorizo, a bowl of Frosted Flakes and my dad's grilled fajitas rank up there. The memories they conjure up, that warm feeling inside, I marvel at how it's wrapped so easily, yet so tightly, into a plate of food that makes me feel safe, happy and sad all at the same time.

Question: Is it chilli, like Chilli from TLC, or chili?