Halloween! Doggy Day! Exciting!

You have no idea how much I wish I had a picture of our dogs dressed up for Halloween. Unfortunately, no such picture exists. Note to self: take funny Halloween picture of dogs for next year.


Can we have your pizza please?



(J was eating pizza last night, the dogs were VERY interested.)


The many moods of Rosie


I was sitting at the desk eating. Rosie wanted what I was eating. She barked, I took a picture, and got this awesome one.

And then I got this picture. Doesn't she look so sweet?

This one shows the real Rosie, though. She's like, "You people bore me. Except when you have food. Or when you're petting me." :)


Not so scruffy Duffy

Duff got a haircut. Isn't he handsome?


My man Bernie


In this one he had just come in from outside. Can you see the drops of snow melting on his face?






Willow still hates the camera



Still scruffy Duffy rests his chin on Rosie

Stupid Effing Snow

Seriously. It's not even Halloween yet! I should not be starting my Wednesday morning shoveling heavy, wet snow away from the garage door, and then almost getting stuck in the middle of the driveway. I had to pull forward and back up three times before I got out of my driveway. Grrr.

Stupid effing snow. I didn't even want to notice how pretty it was on the side of the roads, coating all the trees on the way in.

Cars were off the road all over the place last night. Part of the main local road was closed down so that they could clear it, because of all the cars that were going off into the ditches. It took me almost half an hour to make the trip home - it usually takes 15 minutes.

I do not like this, Sam I am. I do not like it at all.

Pumpkins should NOT be covered in snow before it's even Halloween. They just shouldn't. Also, please enjoy a bonus image of Duff sniffing where Rosie just peed, and Willow doing her Willowy thing.

Kitty Picture Day! Woo!

Mmmm, Cereal Milk






On weekend mornings I usually have cereal for breakfast. The kitties all like to have the leftover milk - Sable and Gracie will line right up for it. Lucy won't, but this time she was in the kitchen, so she got to have some, too.

Love Me, Please







Gracie is a real love bug in the mornings. I took these pictures this morning, while I was getting ready for work. Gracie was rolling all over the top of the washing machine, wanting me to pet her. She's like, "don't take pictures of me, pet me! Dangit."

Zelda

While Gracie was rolling around the washer looking for loving, Zelda was sleeping on my jeans. She's much less high maintenance in the mornings, but she still wants to just be near me.

I took this picture last night. Zelda likes to share the futon with the dogs and J, and last night McDuff was laying right next to her. They're cute together, I think.

I didn't get any pictures of Kate this week, because she just hides and sleeps most of the time. I wish I had been able to get some last night, though. She is very mistrustful of anyone but me, and usually avoids J, but last night she came out while he was in the dining room with me, and she let him pet her. It was nice. But I didn't want to scare her away by going to get the camera, so there's no photographic evidence.

Alice, Why So Loud?

J and I went to see Alice Cooper in concert last night. This was one of the items on my 101 Things list, so I got to mark it off. Woo! I love marking things off that list. I need to go in and edit it, to make sure that all of the things listed are things that I can do and list off, instead of just general lifestyle change things.

Anyway, so the concert. It was at a venue that as about an hour and a half away, so we had a little ride there and back. It wasn't too long, though - just long enough to be fun, instead of tiring.

We got there early enough to scope the place out, get some good free parking right across the street, and for J to spend money at the souvenir booth. He had quite a collection of Alice Cooper shirts, and was able to add to that last night. Also, they should either hire people who can do math, or give them calculators, because this guy working the booth was very slow at the price thing. I ended up totalling things for him.

Anyway, J got his stuff while there wasn't a line, which was nice, then we went to the doors and waited to be let in.

And let me tell you about this venue. It's an old theater, built in 1926, and it's so ornate! Standing there, surrounded by people wearing black leather, Alice's black face paint and concert t-shirts, I could almost envision the much different crowd of the 1920s, coming to see a play. I tell you one thing, those people never could have guessed at what would be going on in that theater just 82 years later.

Anyway, so it was all gold leaf and art deco and gorgeous, as the picture I stole from their website sort of shows. Once we got inside, there were hanging chandeliers, a balcony (which is where we sat), and those little side booths that hang in mid-air just under balcony level (I have no idea what those are called). It was gorgeous. J said it as a lot like a theater in Syracuse, but I've never been to it, so this was a new experience for me.

There was an Alice Cooper screen hanging on the stage, hiding their set, and they started to play his newest CD over the speakers, setting the mood. That mood was slightly broken by the fire alarms going off, which was kind of disconcerting, but they didn't evacuate, and the alarms were shut off before long, so it was okay. Kind of scary at first, though. I was just picturing the news stories today, telling about this historic theater burning to the ground, and just hoping that I would be around to read it. Yes, I was very nervous. But it was fine.

About 7:40 the concert started, and let me tell you, if you've never seen Alice Cooper in concert, it is quite an experience. Of course he sings all the songs we all know (School's Out, etc.), just like any artist you see in concert, but you also get like this little show. Of course, it's Alice Cooper, so the show is all about blood and gore, but whatever. It was fun.

I was happy that I knew about half of the songs he sang, so I could sing along at least a little bit. I had fun, bouncing around in my seat.

J, however. Well, for him Alice Cooper is like Bob Seger for me - he LOVES him. So it was fun for me, to watch him there, screaming the lyrics at the top of his lungs and dancing in his seat, and playing the air bass (and guitar, and drums - whatever fit the moment). I was so happy to be able to be there with him, watching him enjoy the artist he loves most.

Now I just wish Bob Seger would tour again, so that J could see ME enjoy the artist I love most. It'll probably never happen, though. (But seriously, Bob, if you ever google yourself and find this - just one little show in central New York, and I would be there with bells on. It would make my life, so think about it, okay?)

So we watched Alice sing, and we watched him get hung on stage (a very intersting experience), and we had a lot of fun. When it was over, my ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton, and they're still ringing right now (and I imagine they will be for a couple of days - I need to invest in a set of ear plugs).

Oh, and I made some guys laugh on our way out. J mentioned that he had smelled weed in the room, and I said (a little too loudly, because of my stuffed up ears) that I had never smelled it before. These young guys walking near us cracked right up. And then last night when I went to bed, I realized that I think I DID smell it, I just didn't know what it was. I thought someone was wearing some weird smelling cologne or something. How did I get to the ripe old age of 39 without knowing what marijuana smells like? I've lived a very sheltered life, in some ways.

Anyway. I had a ton of fun. This morning I have ringing ears, I'm tired, I have one more item scratched off my 101 Things list, and most important of all, I have a great memory of a great day with J.

Happy Things, 10/19-10/25

My list of things that made me happy this week.

Sunday: J looking at me while I was visiting him outside, where he was working, and telling me how beautiful I was. I'm so glad he thinks so - it makes me feel really nice inside. Getting almost to the armhole on the back of my sweater! It makes me very happy that I'm figuring this knitting thing out, finally, after years of wanting to.

Monday: Uh - I forgot to update this list on Tuesday, and by Wednesday? I couldn't really remember anything specific that made me happy on Monday. I'm sure there was something, but it's lost in time, now. Sigh.

Tuesday: I had a great night with J, celebrating the anniversary of our first date by just being together. I'm so happy to have him in my life.

Wednesday: I had a nice, albeit quiet (J was at work) night at home, playing the Sims and doing some housework. I got my Sims through a year of college, which was fun.

Thursday: Watching new TV shows (Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy) while downloading custom content for the Sims and knitting. Also, being with J, who I had missed the night before while he was at work.

Friday: Faaaaaaaaaaaart. :) This is a private joke that only J and I will understand and find funny, but it made me laugh for a solid three or four minutes, and numerous times over the weekend whenever I would think about it.

Saturday: I finished the back of my sweater! Woo! I started one of the sleeves to do next. I'm so looking forward to getting this thing done and sewn together, so I can see how it came out. Also, Gracie cuddling with me, plus playing the Sims and doing housework all day, while it poured down rain outside.

Doggy Day

Willow is Camera Shy











Duff is Cute

Duff doesn't like to eat his meals. He very often will just eat one meal a day, not having any interest in the other meal. One night last week, he wasn't wanting to eat his dinner, no matter how much J and I asked him to. Willow's cauldron toy was on the floor next to him, so Duff picked it up and put it in his dish. Then he ate around it. :) He's so cute. And hey, as long as he eats, I don't care how many toys he puts in his dish.



Three Dogs Want To Go In and Eat Dinner, Please


And okay, given Duff's issues with eating, probably only the two on the porch wanted to eat.

We Want Your Waffles, Please

J was making some Eggo waffles for breakfast this morning, and the dogs were all very interested. Bernie wants some waffles!

Rosie has to yawn because it's morning (I caught her just before the yawn, unfortunately - mid-yawn would have been cooler), but she wants waffles too.

Willow and Duff want waffles, too. Duff may not like to eat his dog food, but he loves to eat people food.

My Name in Concrete

On the campus where I work, there is a bunch of writing in the concrete outside of the dining hall. People seem to love writing their names in wet cement. I don't blame them, I'd do it too, if I ever came across wet cement. Or well, I'd want to, but I probably wouldn't, because I wouldn't want to ruin someone's hard work. I'm too nice for my own good, sometimes.

Anyway, if you didn't know any better, you'd think I did write my name in the cement here. Take a look.

Can you see it? It's kind of faint and hard to see, but there in the corner of that cement square, it says "Dede," which is my nickname.

Still can't see it? Okay, I'll point it out for you.

There. Now you can see it, right? The first e is almost too faint to see, but the D and the de are pretty clear.

Now, I realize that I'm not the only person in the world with this nickname. But most people spell it differently - "Deedee" being the most common, I would guess. And I wasn't on campus - as a student or employee - when this cement was poured. So I'm sure this is some other Dede altogether. Maybe she was a hip girl from New York City, or maybe she was a horse loving girl who was here for the equine program. I like that latter version better, because I would have loved to be a horsey girl. I love horses, I just never got to be around them.

Anyway, I have no idea who this other Dede was, but I kind of love that she wrote our nickname in the cement.

Ooh, or maybe she didn't write it at all. Maybe some guy (or gal) who had a crush on her wrote it! Aww. I like that. It's sweet.

Every time I walk by this area of cement, I look for my name. And now I'll have to think about that other Dede. And wonder if she wrote the name herself, or if that mystery crush wrote it.

I'm secretly hoping it was the crush. And I hope Dede thought it was very romantic, to see her name in cement, and I hope she and the crush got together and had a long, happy life, with a house and jobs and babies - all of that good stuff. We girls named Dede deserve all the good stuff, I think.

Fried Chicken Recipe Search

J bought a deep fat fryer recently. You know this, because I posted about making donuts in it (mmm, donuts). Well, I took some chicken out for dinner for last night, and I wanted to try out a fried chicken recipe. So I searched online and found one that looked interesting, and that called for using a deep fat fryer, instead of just a pan with oil in it (we have this fryer now, why do I want to use a pan? I don't).

Last night while I was making the chicken, I got my camera out and took some pictures. I don't know, I guess I was feeling like copying Pioneer Woman. Badly copying. She does it WAY better.

So, do you want to see me making fried chicken? If so, read on!

You start by boiling chicken for 20-25 minutes. The recipe called for a fryer, but I did three chicken breasts. Here they are after they got done boiling (I didn't think of taking pictures until they were done, sorry). I don't know that I've ever boiled chicken before, so I was surprised by how much the breasts shrunk up. It turned out to be a good thing that they did, though, because they wouldn't all have fit into the fryer basket if they hadn't.

The recipe was pretty basic - it just called for the chicken, 2 eggs separated (I only used one, because I halved the recipe, since I was only doing three pieces of chicken, and that one egg isn't pictured because I had already separated it), 3/4 cup flat beer, 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons cooking oil, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and of course the fat for frying (we're using canola oil).

Once you have the chicken boiled, you take it out of the water and pat it dry, and then you start mixing up the rest of the ingredients. The first thing you do is beat the egg whites until stiff. Yes, you have to give the egg a stiffy. Ha! I love juvenile humor.

These could have been a bit stiffer, but I was sick of beating them. And anyway, they were close enough.

Once the egg whites are done being beaten (those bad egg whites), you mix the rest of the ingredients together, and then you fold in the egg whites. Folding instead of mixing, because you want it to keep that light texture from the eggs.

Once they're nicely folded in, you coat the chicken completely. It's incredibly hard to take a picture with one hand while holding chicken up with the other hand, by the way. Just so you know.

Here are all three pieces, coated and in the fryer basket, ready to be fried.

Bubbling oil looks so dangerous and scary. But yummy, somehow, in an artery clogging way.

And here is the chicken, all done after 5-7 minutes in the fryer.

It came out really well, although it probably could have used a little less time in the pan when I was boiling it in the beginning. It was pretty much done before I even put it in the fryer, so it ended up just a tad dry. But it was pretty tasty. The coating seemed to be lacking a little bit in flavor, though. It could have used more spice than just the garlic powder. Unfortunately, I'm not a good enough cook to be able to know how to spice it up, so I'll continue the search for a great fried chicken recipe. This one was good, though. J ate a piece cold when he got home, and he liked it, too. I just thought it could use more flavor.

And that's my first foray into the world of making fried chicken! Exciting, huh? If you have any good fried chicken recipes, feel free to send them to me, through the comments or by e-mail (avidreader7 @ gmail.com). I'd love to try your favorite recipe out, too.

And here, in case you want it, is this recipe. I got it from www.cooks.com.

Beer Batter Chicken

3/4 cup flat beer
1 fryer, cut up
2 eggs, separated
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Fat for deep frying

Place chicken in pan and pour in just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remove from broth; drain and pat dry. Heat fat to 375 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat together beer, flour, salt, the 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, garlic powder and egg yolks. Beat until smooth. Fold egg whites into beer batter. Dip chicken pieces, one at a time, into the batter. Fry in hot fat 5-7 minutes.

Kitty Picture Day! Plus Anniversary, Awww

Today is the 2 year anniversary of my first date with J. I have it written on the calendar at home, but not at work, and I almost forgot! But he remembered, and mentioned it in an e-mail. Awww. :) I love you, J. I'm very happy we had that first date 2 years ago, and I'm especially glad for every day that we've had together since then.

And now, on to Cat Picture Day! Woo! This is the best blog idea I've ever had - two easy posts each week, with almost no talking from me. I love it.

Gracie



Kate

I actually mopped the floors on Sunday morning, so I put the dining room chairs in the living room. Kate thought they were an interesting place to hang out while the floor dried. :)

Zelda

Zelda loves sleeping on this pillow on top of Bernie's crate.

Lucy



I took this picture at night. My camera's viewing window only shows blackness if you're taking a picture at night, so I tend to have to take three or four (or more) to get the picture zoomed in the right amount and get the subject centered. This was the third or fourth picture I took - doesn't Lucy look like she's ready to tell me to quit with the freaking pictures already? :D

Sable