Friday, January 30, 2009

Sweet and Sour FN Pork!

I'd have taken a picture of this recipe to show you what it looks like, but it didn't last long enough...

D’s Sweet and Sour FN Pork


1 lb Pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Bell Pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces (you pick the color)
1 Onion, yes, cut it into 1 inch pieces
2 Carrots sliced diagonallly
2 Celery stalks sliced diagonally
1 can Pineapple chunks (20 oz I think)
¼ cup Rice Vinegar
¼ cup Water
1 tsp Salt
¼ cup Light Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Minced Gahlic
1 tbsp Minced Ginger (or Mary Ann if you got her)
3 tbsp Corn Starch


In a pot on medium heat, add the pork, bell pepper, onion, carrot, and celery. Drain the juice from the pineapple and put the pineapple in the frig for later.
In a bowl, add the juice from the can of pineapple, vinegar, water, salt, brown sugar, Sriracha, fish sauce, gahlic, ginger, and corn starch. Whisk well.
Add sauce mixture to the pot with the pork and veggies.
Mix well, and turn the heat down to between warm and low.
Cover and let cook, stirring occasionally, for a couple of hours until the meat is tender.
Add the pineapple and continue cooking for at least another half hour. If it’s too juicy, mix another tbsp to a couple tbsp of water, add a little bit at a time to the pot and stir until it’s boiling and thickens to your desire.Serve it over white rice. Or ummm, serve it over brown rice. Heck, serve it over pasta if you want. I really don’t care.



*****



Update on the greenhouse renovation... Before:

After Cleaning:

After cleaning and putting shtuff back in:



*****

Quote for the day:

"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn. " -- Gore Vidal

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

It seems I'm in Poetic Mode

Although I wrote this more than 12 months ago, it still rings true. Perhaps others can find some solace in its essence.


REDEMPTION
12-4-2007


The reality of growing old,
Is one that haunts our thoughts.
We change our age,
Ignore our ailments,
Sit back,
And watch,
As others pass on to grace.
Funerals,
Don’t get so hard to attend.
Distance forms,
Between ourselves,
And the ones we love.
We can blame it on our work,
Or our absentmindedness,
Or some addiction,
And continue the walk of our choosing.
Soon you find yourself,
In that place of dread.
Loneliness abounds,
Fear strikes us,
Reality lands upon our head.
How can I go back?
The answer is simplicity itself.
Me.
I had the mind to follow this path.
I have the mind to turn around,
To follow it back.
It may get ugly on the way,
But Redemption,
Is not for the light of heart.
My mind won’t be haunted for long.


*****

Quote for the Day:

"I'm thirty years old, but I read at the thirty-four-year-old level." -- Dana Carvey

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Practical Joke Time, FN Style


Now is the PERFECT time for a practical joke of this type...
Go to the store and buy yourself one of those little envelopes of Corn seeds.
Go ahead...
Go buy some. I'll wait.
(whistle whistle)
Ok.
Do you have the seeds? Good!
Now, go for a walk, and be sure to take your little packet of seeds and a screw driver.
As you stroll about your neighborhood, look for those lawns that are neglected or not cut very often.
When you find one, stab said lawn with your screwdriver about an inch deep, insert a corn kernel into the hole, then step on it. If you're a ninja, you can do this in one fluid motion and no one will be the wiser. If you're not a ninja, drop a can or a bottle of water and act like you're picking it up or something.
If your neighbor is REALLY annoying, do this along the entire front of his/her lawn, depositing said kernels at a rate of 5 or so per day (about a foot apart) as you go for your leisurely stroll.
In about 60 days, the entire lawn (and house behind it) will be blocked by a nice row of corn stalks about 7 feet tall.
If you keep track of where you have deposited the kernels, you can watch and chuckle as you take your walks, and feed a family all at the same time.
Have fun with this! You could even use differing seeds. Any plant that is tall and hard to miss would be great. Sunflowers spring to mind...
Anyways, spread the laughter, and feel free to do this at my house. I LOVE corn.

*****

Quote for the day:

"Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh. " -- W. H. Auden

Saturday, January 24, 2009

I know I live in Cowtown USA but C'MON!

Joni and I found this on our long walk today!

A sign for our times...




*****

Quote for the Day:

"To my embarrassment I was born in bed with a lady." -- Wilson Mizner

Friday, January 23, 2009

The Moment May Be Fleeting

I saw her in the bookstore today.
It was if I had stepped back,
A score of years or more.
Those same big blues,
Examining me,
Through my walls,
To the center of my still heart.
I found myself looking,
At a book of Blacksmithing,
How befuddled was my mind.
The urge to call her,
Struck me like a wrecking ball.
Not drinking and smoking,
Are easy in contrast,
To the stark reality,
That I could very well destroy,
What she may already have,
Her Happiness,
If I choose to please myself,
In a moment of weakness,
To upset her life so.
I take comfort in,
Her thoughts of me every day,
I hope the smile that parts her lips,
Lingers there during those moments.
If one day,
When again I've proven to myself my worth,
We should cross our paths,
The moment may be fleeting,
But the memories and Love,
Will last a lifetime.



*****

Quote for the day:

"Wrestling with memories is more exhausting than it really should be." --- D-Bob the Wise

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Do Something Positive

Sometimes I get depressed.
So!
Everyone gets depressed.
I think.
Well, anyways, when I get depressed, I just try to take my mind off of things by doing something positive.
Not necessarily something positive for myself, but something that helps me to feel better about myself or my situation.
It may be something as simple as giving a friend or family member a hug, helping someone to laugh when they're down, cleaning up a room or the yard, well....you get the idea.
I do something to keep me going. At times this can be the most difficult thing to accomplish!
Like, what if no one's around to hug, or everything is clean, or it's raining outside?
What to do?
Since I don't drink or smoke anymore, I can't do those things.
oooh...I know! FOOD!
Wait. If I eat whatever makes me feel comfy, I'll blow up like a sumo wrestler on steroids and then I'll be more depressed cause I'd have to wear one of those sumo underwear thingy's.
(YIKES what a visual!)
But, I CAN have a comfort DRINK! WOOP WOOP!
Yes, I can have tea.
Tea reminds me of several things actually. Things that remind me of good times when I was a teenager and with my friends making sweet tea as we played games. It reminds me of when I was young and used to drink the "spiced tea" we had in our cupboard. (I'll have to find that recipe. I believe it involves instant tea, tang, cinnamon, and sugar...)
Tea reminds me of the Boston Tea Party.
Ok. Not so much that. I mean, what a waste of good tea.
I'm sure the mackerels loved it though.
Speaking of mackerels, I made some HUSHPuppies last night that were superiorally sexcellent.
Yea, those were effin fattening. SO WHAT. I ain't depressed right now, and they went well with my left overs.

Tangent.

Going back to school has so far been an interesting experience.
It was a HUGE reminder that my long arse legs make it sextremely difficult to become comfortable in those tiny itty bitty effin desks. I think they make the backs of those things out of titanium alloy just so they'll make my back become dented.
However, The accounting class is interesting, and I'm sure I'll get an A in it. The professor almost makes it impossible to fail. He gives a 10% extra credit possibility from all the points possible, which, if you have any smarts whatsoever, makes you raise your grade by at the minimum one letter. If you're stupid and you don't do the extra credit, I have no sympathy for you.
*whispers* Sometimes, I see stupid people.

End Tangent.

So, the moral of todays FN blog entry is this:
When you're feeling down, Give someone a hug. Share your energy and you'd be suprised just how much energy you get back in return. Someone told me if you give of yourself freely, you'll get back 30, 60, or 100 times what you've given. Of course, that's not why you give, it's just your reward for bein FN cool. Go do something positive. It'll make me feel better.

and check this out...I WANT one of these: Clickity Click Clickaroo Right Here

*****
Quotes for the day: (yea there's quite a few today)

"Throw out an alarming alarm clock. If the ring is loud and strident, you're waking up to instant stress. You shouldn't be bullied out of bed, just reminded that it's time to start your day." -- Sharon Gold


"It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him." -- Abraham Lincoln


"Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there." -- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus


"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. " -- Henry David Thoreau

Sunday, January 18, 2009

The Effin Tree

So....
Umm....
The effin tree is finally all cut back!
Only took me 4 months.
Ok, wait. I took a month and a half off cause it was too cold and my digits don't work in the cold.
Before yesterday, here's what it looked like after most of the leaves had finally fallen off of it.




Cut most of it off and took a break...and took a pic. lol




There was a LOT of wood on that effin tree!




And the final product after trimming all the nubs off like we wanted them.


DANG that was a big project.

But, look at all the wood I have for staves, canes, and walking sticks!

WOOP WOOP!

*****

Quote for the Day:

"Don't worry if you're a kleptomaniac, you can always take something for it. " -- Unknown

Thursday, January 15, 2009

There's 3 in line...FN open another one

I consider myself a patient man.
Waiting.
We all hate it.
If you like waiting, you're FN dingy.
I can wait without getting angry most of the time.
That whole thing with the "more than 3 people in line and we'll open another register" thing was a GREAT idea. Whom ever started it was a genius.
It's really too bad every customer service organization doesn't use that simple creed.
Disney has a great philosophy with regards to lines. There's absolutely nothing they can do to speed lines up because their rides and attractions can only move so fast. So what do they do?
They sell you something. But what they sell you isn't really tangible. They sell you "customer service" by keeping you busy with your eyes. They ALWAYS give you something to occupy your thoughts as you stand in line for hours just to ride a 30 second ride. now THAT is FN genius.
Did you know that at Disney land, they control the speed of the music playing while you're walking around the park? If they see the crowds moving along to slowly, they speed up the music and people walk faster. If they notice sales are slow, they slow down the music so you'll slow down and browse the shops more.
NO EFFIN WAY!
Yes way! I learned it indirectly from the Disney Institute when I was working in theaters.
Anyhoot...back to the topic...waiting.
I wrote a poem once about waiting. It was actually a challenge that someone had wrought upon me. A lady had challenged me to write something romantic and she would send me her picture. (Yes, I was on a dating site, and no we weren't talking about nudie pics...Drat.)
Needless to say, I won the challenge.
Didn't matter that the lady fell outta da ugly tree, hittin every limb on the way down.
What mattered was, I wrote a cool poem. Which, is one of my favorites to this day.
Yea, Yea. Here it is:

Waiting


Through the mists of Avalon,
I saw her.
Like an Angel,
Her whisper warmed my soul.
Her eyes pierced my heart,
And broke down the walls protecting it.
I knew she was the one,
For whom I'd been waiting.
A single kiss she bestowed upon me,
Delicate,
Sensual,
Just for me.
And then she was gone,
Like a leaf in the wind.
Leaving behind,
A man,
Waiting,
Again.

So ummm....what else is there to say?
Is that phrase "Good things Effin come to those who wait" a lesson in futility?
According to my poem, it could mean that.
It could also mean, the person you're with may not necessarily be the best person for you.
That kinda diminishes the romance a bit though.
DRAT!
Maybe it means; Quit effin waiting and open your own register!
It's a good thing I'm 1 FN patient man.

*****


Quote for the day:

"Patience is a virtue best left to those that are sedated." --- D.L. Brown

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Chalkboards and Other Things

Goooooood Morrrrrrning EARTH! :)

Yes, my twin has had me working diligently on another lil thing.
I never knew there was actual paint to paint a chalkboard into being, but yes, there is.


Thanks J for learnin me somethin new! I'm so blessed to know her!


Anyhoot, a bit of sanding, a bit of chalkboard paint, a bit of sawing, a bit of painting, and there ya go! A Chalkboard for the Bestest Day care ever!!




This FN Handyman is getting quite a repertoir of things under his ummm...Gut.

Pretty FN cool if ya ask me. Go ahead, ask me. I dare ya! :P

Looks like our next project will be a sand box that we can add a roof to later. WOOOP! Gotta love sannnnnd boxes. I can't wait to make a sand hut. (I'm not good enough to make a FN castle so shut it.)



Other notes and shenanigans:



I still haven't cleaned my car out, but I have to today cause I'm takin a buddy to a dentist appointment cause he's gonna get drugged and won't be able to drive. Lucky him.

Went and finished my apps for financial aid and signed up for my classes and two of them were already closed. The nice lady at the admissions counter told me to email the instructor for the online course and to just show up at the other one as there wasn't an instructor's name yet in the schedule. (it said "staff") So, um lady...what if I don't get into that class or the other class? Will I have no class?

The things I ponder are stupendous.

The pool is in it's nasty stage for the winter. It's just not worth it to keep it full of chemicals and clean. Too much wind, cold, and weather to bother with it. It ain't like I'd go swimmin right now anyhoot. This cold is kickin my arse. I have no energy. What's up with that? I take my vitamins and everything! Guess I'm just gettin ol...nope...i'm not gonna say it. I'm still young dammit!

The nectar is exceptionally good this morning! I have no idea why, as I made it as I usually make it. Maybe it was that sneeze when I was filling the nectar pot with water....hmmmm. (harf)

Last night I was so bored that I baked something. AND IT DIDN'T BURN! OMG! We all know me and baking. Heck, I baked a pizza the other day and it came out crispy. FN Pizza. (it was yummy anyways). But back to the UNBURNT baking thing. I made a nectar cake with streusel topping that had pecans and canned pears in it. (YES I said CANNED) It's FN good! Even pop liked it. So what if I didn't make it until like eleven oclock at night. That's probably why I didn't burn it. I wasn't awake enough to pay attention to what I was doing. Needless to say...here it is for your drooling pleasure:


Ok, so it's not THAT yummy lookin. Whateva. It's still FN tasty.

Been working on a few more walking staves. They're coming along nicely.

And for now,

Must...

Have...

NECTAR! (choke)

*****

Quote for the day:

"We turn not older with years, but newer every day." -- Emily Dickinson

Sunday, January 11, 2009

An exerpt from the Life

This being an exerpt from the life of a FN HandyMan.

From the NEW Testament of DBob...1:69-70

And the LORD said unto Darren, you shall take macaroni, and then you shall take cheese.
You shall pair them together in a vessel made for such things, and with them you shall add much goodness. The resulting sustenance shall last for days and feed multitudes.
And, Darren did as he was commanded.



Interesting isn't it?
So I made some FN Mac & Cheese. The Lord commanded me!

First, I cooked one pound of macaroni and let it sit in the sink in a collander to drain.
Then I cut up four slices of Bacon and fried them in the same large pot I cooked the macaroni in(No, I didn't drain the fat but you can if'n ya wanna).
After it was nice and crispy, (over low heat) I added one can of cream of chicken soup, with one half can of water, and one tablespoon of my spice of life. I stirred it up with a whisk til it was nice and creamy, then I added about two cups of shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese, and continued stirring until that was nice and creamy.
Unto this, I did add the cooked macaroni, and stirred yet again, until all was coated with said bacon/cheese mixture.
AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING!

Such is the life of a FN HandyMan when he's cooking. :)


*****

Quote for the day:

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." -- J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 1997

Friday, January 9, 2009

Friend Appreciation

Howdy Ya'll!
I was pondering a lil Friend Appreciation sexion where my pic is to the right there...
Does anyone care if I put their pic up on here?
I'm going to put one up a week I think...
If you don't want me to add your pic, just let me know, otherwise, it's goin up at some point!
Not much goin on today...here's my list not necessarily done in this order:
Pray to God and thank him for my friends and my day.
Wait on my financial aid app to go through for classes.
Gotta paint (prime first then paint) a frame for a chalkboard.
Charge a battery for a car.
Do three loads of laundry.
Drink lotsa nectar.
Possibly go to dinner with my buddy JT in from San Diego.
Drink lotsa Tea. (cause it's better'n me drinkin lotsa alcohol)
ummm...what else?
oh!
Fold said Laundry.
Clean my Car out.
Text a buncha Texts.
Kick my Computer in the Throat.
Maybe go to the 99 cent store.
Eat a Pickle.
ok...that's all I can think of.
oh wait! One more!
Say DRAT at least once today.

What's on your list?

*****

Quote for the day:

"Whatever you are by nature, keep to it; never desert your line of talent. Be what nature intended you for and you will succeed. " -- Sydney Smith

and OMG this one was good too:

"We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves. " -- Eric Hoffer

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Yet Another Fun Project

Yes, another project has been etched in the annals of history.
I had help with this one though! (Thanks Joni!)
We started off with some wood...and cut and sanded and cut and routed and cut and and...ok I can't think of any more ands, so here's the effin pics...





So we got those shapes and them thar shelves...
Then we FN painted em!




Theeeeeeeeeeeeeen, we put em together on the wall...and VOILA!




A FN TREE BOOKSHELF!


ok...so all I did was the shelves...Joni did all the rest, so she's been demoted to the FN handy Aprincess position. Ha! (she didn't wanna be called an apprentice)
Yet another job well done by yours truly (with a lotta help).
We Rock.
and the kids in the day care love it.
So there.
Anybody got any projects for me?


*****

Quote for the day:

"We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done." -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow












Tuesday, January 6, 2009

ALIENS ARE COMING!

ok.
I woke up but didn't wake up and was out making some NECTAR of the GODS this morning when allofasudden (yes that's one word) this strange effin humming noise began in my ear.
and it got louder.....and Louder....and LOUder....and LOUDER!
I freaked and was still wakin up and thought aliens were landing in the back yard!
Turns out it was just a fn loud arse street sweeper going really fn slow past the house.
Of course it went around my car and didn't clean the leaves all around it.
Duh.
Technology sucks sometimes....
Specially when street sweepers masquerade as an Alien invasion.

Thus this sexcellent Haiku:

Coffee made this morn,
And alien invasion,
Woke me FN UP!


Keep smilin today...it breaks up the monotony of your face. (thanks Mike lol)


*****
Quote for the day:

"I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. " -- Noel Coward

Sunday, January 4, 2009

A New Year, An Old Life

The new year has begun.
Ode to joy.
Did you make a NY's Resolution?
I've decided this year not to even bother.
I'll take what life throws at me and still kick and scream.
I mean, why wait til a new year begins to change your life?
I did that 53 days ago, so HA! (stopped smoking AND drinking)
Goin back to school this semester at the local JC too.
Guess I should get on that. It's only been 16 years.
I stopped going when my son was born....time to get back there and finish a degree or something!
I only have 4 classes to go to get my AA in English, but I think I'll begin classes for an AA in Small Business Management and then see what goes on from there. Can't hurt!

Oh, I got the staves done, and I'm happy to say that everyone thought they turned out awesome! I thought so too...they were a lot of work. I still have more to make, but now I can do them at my own speed instead of being rushed.
Here's a lil video of them:


If you're interested, shoot me an email and we can discuss price now that my prototypes are out of the way...They'll only get better from here!

Speaking of prices, I still have some of my Spice of Life if anyones interested. Just made a new batch actually! WOOP!
Here's what you get for $7 plus shipping costs:

That's about 7 ounces of deeeeeelicious spices that go great on ANYthing! (Even your finger lol)
Again, shoot me an email if interested in my Spice of Life!

That's about it for the new year update. I hope all is going well in your neck of the woods! :)

*****

Quote for the day:

"All of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today." -- Dale Carnegie

And another one on similiar lines:

"You cannot run away from a weakness; you must sometimes fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now, and where you stand? " -- Robert Louis Stevenson