Andouille Sausage, Bean and Kale Soup

Today looks like this:

So I'm glad I have this for lunch:

Andouille sausage, kale and bean soup that I made yesterday before breakfast. I had already soaked and cooked the dried beans a couple of days ago. I'd saved a good amount of the bean cooking liquid too so all of that was ready to go in the morning.

I just cut up the sausage and cooked it with olive oil in the pot (andouille isn't very greasy so I added extra oil) while that got started I chopped up some carrots, celery, onion and some boiled potatoes I had lying around and put them in the pot too.

When they were soft I added the beans and their liquid, some extra water and a few teaspoons of chicken "Better Than Bouillion." I let it all cook for a bit - 20 or 30 minutes. I wasn't paying attention. I decided it was cooked enough, turned the heat off and stirred in the prepped kale. Easy peasy.

When you make sausage soup the sausage does all the work. Get good sausage. Some barley, rice or other grain would probably be good in there too.

Another Rare Event

  

I can see the moon from my apartment! Another thing that hardly ever happens. I LOVE that! Notice that it's 6-something AM.

Fresh Wind? Hell Yeah!

I got takeout! I never get takeout! Okay, almost never. I got Indian takeout! I'm SO excited! Can you tell? 

I'm also enjoying the hell out of the new, working light switches that a couple of electricians installed today. Happiness is a functional light switch. Bet you didn't know that.

An Eddy of a Day

Yesterday was a normal day, except that I had no commitments after work so I took my time going home. I poked around Harvard Square. I finally found myself a pair of new winter pants. Ate dinner at home, made a stick and watched an "X-Files" and a "Poirot." It was a good day and I was pretty pleased with myself.

This morning I woke up with some kind of stomach bug. It really nailed me. Or something nailed me. Bug plus grief plus just moving to fast and too much lately? I can't explain it. I slept all day. I'm still feeling tired.

There are a bunch of things I need to do around the apartment but I didn't do anything. I just slept and thought. Don't think I settled or resolved anything. It was nice to have time to think.

I managed to eat part of a piece of toast, part of an apple and some buttered noodles and drink some water. Not much fuel for tomorrow, I'm afraid. I'm expecting tomorrow to be normal again and I'll need to function.

I hope I wake up tomorrow with fresh wind in my sails. That happens sometimes. I could use it tomorrow. 

I'd like to be able to think of something good to do with myself after this stick show is over. Maybe I'll just draw a lot.

The Lady Walking Behind Me Is Singing Really Loud

Yesterday I spent quality time in four different social worlds. I was at work, then I went to our firend's wake, then I met my gallery-mate to strategize for our show, then I went to see our friends' country band play.

When I was in college some of my favorite nights were spent on my own, moving from social circle to social circle. It made me feel free. I do well on my own.

Last night it was very helpful to be aware of the different situations in which I can be happy, the different frames of mind I can feel at home in. It was also a little lonely for some reason. Maybe I don't feel integral to any of them. 

Maybe everything is whimsical and nobody's integral to anything or everyone's integral to everything. Maybe none of it matters because it's all a passing fancy.

Of course I'll feel differently about everything ten minutes from now.

People have no sense of continuity. We just think we do.

Socks Can Sometimes Say It All

Or at least what's worth saying.

Here's the pair I'm wearing today:

Yesterday I wore these:

If you want a pair, or thirty, you can get them at Blue Q. I plan to buy more pairs. Because they're all I want to wear.

In Honor

In honor of our friend who passed today, I post (again?) the recipe I use for for Cincinnati Chili, to which he introduced us (my comments in parenthesis) I'll likely be cooking up a big batch tomorrow.

Cincinnati Empress Chili

For the chili:

2 lbs. ground beef 

1 qt.  water  (4 cups)

1  & 1/2 t. allspice

1 garlic clove (I used more of course)

2 bay leaves

2 diced onions

dash worcestershire

1  can (6oz) tomato paste

1 T. salt

1/2 t. cayenne

1 & 1/2 t.  black pepper

3 T. chili powder (though I used less than 1T because I ran out and it still came out well)

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cumin

1 T. vinegar

spaghetti - make a pretty fair amount 

Toppings:

orange cheddar cheese grated

kidney beans

chopped onions

oyster crackers

Tabasco sauce

Put the water in a large pot or hotpot.  Crumble meat into the water (yes, raw)  and add all the other chili ingredients.  Bring to a boil then simmer at least one hour and for as long as three hours.  Remove garlic and bay leaves.  (or leave in the garlic and mash it if you’re me)  Serve over spaghetti with your choice of toppings.

Serves six or so

Godspeed, dear friend! We'll never forget you!

Not The Worst Thing In The World

People keep telling me I've lost SOOO MUCH weight. I hadn't realized that I was quite SOOO LARGE to begin with. Which just goes to show you that I have NOOO IDEA what I look like. Ever. Guess I don't care that much. I'm good with that.

Marathon-y

My big plans for today were to go downtown and get myself a new fleece from the Patagonia store and to get new pants to wear to work. I've been running enough that my old pants are all too big. Or else their seats are worn out and you can see light through them when you try to put them on. Classy.

HOWEVER, the Red Sox won the World Series (Go Sox!) and today is the big parade. All over town.

I'm keeping track of public transportation via Twitter and things are a mess. It actually sounds worse than the usual marathon crowd. They're closing T stations (and re-opening them) to control crowds. I'm feeling a bit thwarted. I wanted to get an early start and I was foiled. Oh well.

With uncanny luck, I'm supposed to meet Lisa downtown, just like we tend to do on Patriots Day. We're meeting at 1:00 so hopefully things will have wound down by then. Come to think of it, maybe I should leave now so I'm sure to be there on time.

The weather is fantastic for this kind of thing though. Sixty-ish degrees and sunny, not too windy. A lot of people I know are down by the parade route soaking in the jubilation. I'm not feeling jubilant I'm afraid.

Actually, this morning I checked in with my friend - I don't know what to call it! Our friend whose husband (who is also our friend) is dying. What do you call that? Dying Friend Family? Pool of Pain and Misery? Ouchland? @#$%$&*-ville? (And of course it's not all bad - there are levels of beauty and grace and love to it too but it still HURTS LIKE @$^#%*& and is really, really hard - I mean I don't want to oversimplify) She asked me what I was doing today and everything I could think of to say felt so stupid and trivial and like I should just go over there and take her kid out to play.

So I don't know. I guess I'll just go outside and see where the day takes me. I can get a fleece tomorrow if I need to. I could just order one online if it comes to that. Sigh.

Good luck to you today, however your day goes.

I'm Gonna Be Late For Work. Sorry Bob.

What's going to happen today?

It's supposed to be very windy out today. I LOVE wind.

It's also November first, the first day of NaBloPoMo and NaNoWriMo, neither of which I have signed up for. Words! Glorious, luxurious words! I want to cocoon myself in words, sweep them around me like a cape on this blustery day! I want to dive in and swim in a warm sea of words! Everything sounds like a stinkin' overwrought cliche though. Oh well.

So I'll move on to pictures.

All that's left of Mr. Loaf: the scalp. I'll have that for lunch at work today. With a salad, of course.

Halloween party pictures of people you don't know:

Steffi and Yukari being photobombed by Selena and Nate

Vampire Melvis

Random Yukari, Quinner and George

Jill, Jim and Jamie with a sneak Quinner in the background

Standard Halloween party photo

Hijinks with Steffi and Angela

Insufferable Preppy Bastard and crew

Jeff and Melvis being photobombed by vampire Nate

John, Linda and Alma

Aftermathish

The party went pretty well. The Red Sox won the World Series. The meatloaf was tasty, as were the pickled beets. No one had a martini but me though.

Party tip: Cheetos really brighten up a dreary bread plate.

I think I'll wear a dress today (with tights) so it can blow around in the wind.