SuperFood Sunday
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve looked forward to today for a long time. Alright, for maybe a week or so. Superbowl, you may ask? Absolutely. Well, what it stands for anyway. I have to admit, I couldn’t care less about the actual game (if our Panthers ever go again, I’m sure that’ll change). To me, Superbowl Sunday is about everything that goes along ‘with it’.
Commercials. All those funny commercials that when asked about on Monday I can never remember (clears throat). Lazing around my jammies all day long with a nice hot fire blazing. The musical acts – I could take or leave Madonna, but I simply can’t wait for Blake and Miranda’s duet of ‘God Bless America’. Never to be last on the list… my chili.
Oh, chili – let me count the ways I love you. I cherish each and every ingredient that goes into making a love-filled batch. You see, I couldn’t use these ingredients in my old life because it wasn’t permitted. Now that the rules are out the window so to speak, consider it no holds barred. It’s not just meat, beans and a seasoning packet anymore, baby (meh). How ’bout starting out with some kickin’ seasoned ground beef, 2 different kinds of beans, couple cans of seasoned diced tomatoes, diced garlic, onion, habanero and bell pepper, hot Rotel, hot chili powder, and towards the end of it’s cooking life, a nice little half-bottle of cayenne pepper? Hey, if this sounds bland to you I’m always open to suggestions. Being that I’ve had chili-making policies to follow all of my adult life, you could say I’m a ‘chili rookie’ of sorts. Oh, and mustn’t forget the sour cream, grated cheese and jalapenos upon serving time. And the ‘Tostitos with a hint of jalapeno’. And the cornbread. And the Hawaiian rolls. Oh and pay no attention to the wine in the background. It’s, um… just for looks.
Prior to the main course, we’ll have Queso for an appetizer. How I do love that Velveeta and HOT Rotel. Have I mentioned I like it hot?
Happy Game Day to those of you who watch – I hope you enjoy it in your own special and memorable way!
Back for seconds, Di¢# I mean Rick?
It’s one of my very favorite things in life. No beef please, my barbecue must be of pork status, thankyouverymuch. Although I have a few local favorites, my top pick would be The Woodlands located in the Blue Ridge mountains of Blowing Rock, NC.
If you’re ever in the area… hit ’em up. Be sure and tell ’em I sent ya. (Bonnie who?? Oh yeahhh… that girl who drains an entire bottle of sauce and empties a roll of paper towels each time – gotcha.)
Hailing from the Carolinas myself, I simply have to go there. Ya just gotta love that new method of earning votes. Hey, I’m sure there’s a master plan in there somewhere. (choke-snort-snicker)
Don’t listen to him, folks. Our barbecue will absolutely rock your world. As far as roadkill – it’s seems obvious that ole’ ®ick has had a helping or two in his lifetime, since he’s now expert enough to compare it to our pork.
Back for seconds, Rick? Here’s your warm southern welcome.
My Soda Addiction
I love soft drinks. Not just any soft drinks – in particular Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. As bad as I hate to admit, I consume an overwhelming amount of them. I’ll go so far as to say it’s a big part of my daily life. Because I adore both brands equally, I consume each in equal amounts – adding to my list of many quirks.
For many years, it’s been my morning coffee, my ‘get through the morning’ pacifier, my lunch drink, ditto the afternoon pacifier and into the evening. If my stockpile goes below two 6-packs of bottles (I prefer cans though lately bottles have been more economical) I get anxious and start thinking about natural catastrophes and being caught without them. It’s a must to have them cold – if my current one dips above what I consider to be cold enough, it makes a temporary trip to the freezer and out comes a new one. POOF! Cold once again. Life is good.
I’m starting to classify this as one of many addictions I may have in life.
After being told for years that I need to cut back, I believe I’ve been in denial. In my experience, denial often spawns rebellion. I’ve ignored the old ‘put a rusty nail in a glass of coke and watch it eat the rust off’ and ‘pour a glass of coke on battery acid to eat the acid off’ fables. Well, I guess they’re not really fables.
This weekend, I came down with my very first bladder infection. I can report that it’s debut was not welcomed. The doc prescribed me some kick-butt antibods and after weathering the storm I’m feeling better now. I can only assume that since I’ve never had one, could it possibly have to do with the massive amounts of soda I consume every day? I’ve been almost three days without soft drinks, aside from an unconscious order of one for Mexican dinner out night last night (it really was habit – I didn’t even realize it until the waiter sat it down in front of me). I’m not even missing them that much. But I can still feel residual traces running through my veins – it’s gonna take awhile. When all is said and done, I still want to be able to enjoy one every now and then.
Does anyone else have a soft drink addiction?
Pear Smiling
It usually takes a while to adjust to new living conditions, whether you’ve made the move yourself or someone else has moved in with you. After several months, it’s fair to say Keith and I have established a good little ‘routine’ with daily duties such as dinner, grocery shopping, laundry and other things.
During our grocery trip this Saturday, we lingered in the produce department – everything seemed to look extra-good. We happened upon a batch of pears, which I don’t normally buy.
Keith: ‘You like pears?’
Me: ‘I dunno. Don’t think I’ve ever tried them.’
Keith: ‘Oh, they’re good – if you get the right one.’
Me: ‘Yeah, my dad likes pears (the right ones).’
K fondles picks up the pears and puts each one back, them obviously not being up to his standard. Rounding the corner, he utters ‘aha!’ and walks over to another batch, eyeing them like an old girlfriend. Since I’m a pear newbie, I can’t remember the type – Bartlett or Bosc, I think – they had bits of green and brown. I watched as he gingerly picked a few up, felt them, smelled them.
This flashed me right back to a scene from a favorite movie, City of Angels – of Meg Ryan picking up the pears and smelling them. Of Nicolas Cage learning how to do it by intently watching her. It looked like that exact same type of pear.
Anyone remember the HBO series Dream On from the 90’s? I loved that show. It featured a neurotic New Yorker (Brian Benben) whose real life antics always drummed up scenes of old TV shows. Reminds me of someone I know…
Oil and water really DON’T mix…
When I came into work yesterday, I found out a coworker had an ‘incident’ in the kitchen over the weekend for which he was awarded several severe burns. After a couple days of coworkers hounding him about possible infection, he’s finally making a trip to the doctor today. The large area on his arm appears to be third-degree.
The short story goes something like this. He left a pot heating on the stove filled with oil, no less – and walked upstairs and forgot about it until the smoke alarms started blaring. He ran back down to the kitchen and saw the flames, panicked, and threw a pail of water on the flames. Of course the water reacted much like gasoline when tossed on top of the grease fire, blowing the fire back at him. It severely burned the back of his forearm, his neck, and side of his face. He is extremely lucky to have gotten away with the burns he has, and that it wasn’t more severe.
In hindsight, he said he should have taken an extra second and stepped back to assess the situation. He stressed the importance to us of having a couple of extinguishers available, and checking the working condition of them regularly. It sure got me thinking – even after all the fire training we’ve had here at work, I can see me doing exactly what he did under duress. That is until now! When you come face to face with the results of a poor decision like that, it really packs a punch in the ole’ kisser.
In an emergency situation, it’s all too easy to make that snap decision you’ll regret – something I think we can compare to life itself. I know one thing, I don’t think I’ll be throwing water on a grease fire anytime soon.
The following information gathered via http://www.ehow.com
How to Put Out a Grease Fire
Don’t be caught unprepared when cooking in the kitchen. If you are working with grease or oil, it is critical that you know what to do in the event it catches fire. Should you ever find yourself faced with a grease fire in your kitchen, follow these steps to ensure that it is extinguished quickly and safely.
Instructions
- Place a metal lid over the flame. Do not use glass since the heat from the fire can cause it to break.
- Smother the fire with a liberal amount of baking soda if it is relatively small and contained. Try finding a lid if possible. Because it requires so much baking soda to extinguish a fire, a lid is faster and generally more effective than baking soda.
- Spray the fire with a Class B dry chemical fire extinguisher. Use this method if it is your only option, because it will ruin food and contaminate kitchen dishes and utensils.
- Use a Class K wet chemical fire extinguisher if it is available. Though more effective for extinguishing large grease fires, these are generally found only in commercial settings.
- Call 911 immediately if the fire is not quickly extinguished or if it grows too large to be controlled. Leave immediately if you feel threatened or endangered in any way!!
Mexican’t
I feel the need to rant today, because… well I don’t really have any other material. So welcome to Life of Bon – Curmudgeon at Large.
My flowers... had to post... ♥
The boyfriend and I went out for Mexican last night at our favorite little local restaurant. We noticed as soon as we walked in that the place was dead – both inside and outside on the deck. Seeing as how the weather was so very balmy, we decided to dine outside on the huge covered deck.
A sweet little guy brings out the chips, K orders his usual stout mug of beer, and I a nice glass of merlot. The sky is a Carolina blue outside, it’s warm, and the company is beyond excellent. Beer is cold, wine is perfectly tempered, salsa is hot…
Life is good.
Enter couple with two screaming kids, who are ushered out onto the deck and promptly seated at the table directly behind us. Not at another end, not a couple of tables down even, but less than a foot behind me at the very table that backed ours. Before I continue, let me clarify that I DO NOT hate small children. NOR was it these people’s fault that they were seated where they were.
What I AM saying is the restaurant staff should know to insert at least a little space between two different sets of people with totally different scenarios…
Setting One: A couple, obviously not married, no wedding rings; in love nonetheless, once again obvious from their holding hands across the alcoholic beverage-adorned table. From the way the two are gazing at each other, they could quite possibly be the only ones existing within their own little world.
Setting Two: A couple, very obviously married from flash of wedding rings, arguing loudly while walking to their table; she with huge diaper bag over shoulder of one arm, toddler in the other, he with larger kid in tow – all proceeding to light up the entire existence with their extra-amplified voices. Birds outside are scurrying to take flight before the earthquake ensues.
Again, not their fault they were seated where they were seated. We proceed to try and continue enjoying our dinner out, when lo and behold – another thunderous approach. This new “group” has four, count ’em four, kids that resemble stair steps. The one being carried by Daddy is already crying and proceeds to whine and cry the entire dinner. So just where do these kind patrons get seated? This time, how about the table directly beside us.
At this point, nothing would have surprised us. Or so I thought.
Within the next ten minutes (our food hadn’t even arrived yet) two more sets of people with kids were ushered in (or should I say out?) and seated – ALL within the only ‘general vicinity’ that was left around us. We were now completely surrounded. At this point, we’re both feeling as out of place as a hunter might feel onstage at a PETA gathering. It was surely hilarious by this point – but the hilarity of it all was cut short due to a little girl seated at the table directly ahead of us falling backwards out of her chair. Everyone froze after hearing the sound of her head hitting the floor. You know that delayed reaction with kids when they have to *inhale gasp* in order to get their breath before the initial screams escape? Hers lasted about 10 whole seconds. She ended up being okay, and even played it up later by grinning at us as she ‘limped’ off the deck when leaving. (Hey kid, I thought you hit your head?)
Where’s the Tylenol. And Tequila.
Tropical Storm Bon (nie)
I love looking at pictures of hotels and condos for rent at the beach. With all the online photo galleries and virtual tours they have now, it’s almost taking a little mini-vacation.
Almost.
K and I spent a good bit of last night checking out different places online. Our one-year anniversary is only a couple of weeks away, and we’ve talked about trying to head down to the coast for a couple of nights. I can hardly believe it’s been a year already…
Last night he took me out to a place called Logan’s not far from his house. They have the second-to-best ribs I’ve ever had in my life. Simply delectable… fall-off-the-bone-waste-not-a-bit-of-meat goodness. I’ve only experienced one place that beats Logan’s on ribs, and that would be TK Tripps at the beach.
For a four-day week, this sure has been a long one – I’m thankful for the Friday. The heat has been immeasurable this whole week, with highs around 98-100º. Thankfully, we’re getting a break starting tomorrow with hopefully some rain and definite lower temps.
K told me last night that the next-up tropical storm will take the name Bonnie. Well well well. I distinctly remember over a decade ago when Hurricane Bonnie ripped through Myrtle Beach. It’s hard to fathom the name has already made it’s way back around again. I never did score me one of those “I survived Bonnie” t-shirts back in ’98…
Happy weekend, everyone. ♥
My way
It’s beautiful out today – true summertime in every since of the word. Honestly it seems like the first day of summer was over a month ago, never mind the fact it’s still a week away. Back to the days of leaving your windows cracked two inches and placing that anti-seat/steeringwheel-burner-device-thingy in your windshield.
I get a treat today, going to ‘get my hair did’ after work. I consider it a treat because I haven’t been for a haircut since January, and haven’t had it colored since last summer. I ought to just shock the hell out of everybody and go short and red. Being that my stylist knows me personally, I don’t think she’d do it even if I asked her.
Cooked a big old pot of s’ghetti last night. I really enjoy cooking it ‘my way’ (great, now I’ll have Sinatra in my head all day). For 20+ years, all I was ‘allowed’ to have in it was the meat and sauce, and that sauce better not have any visible onions in it or said meal would be ruined. Oh, I could add some garlic salt, forgot about that. Even too many tomatoes in the sauce would constitute a 10-minute period of ‘picking them out’, one by one, until a nice little pile was accumulated beside the now lukewarm/cool plate of spaghetti.
I now put fresh minced garlic in it, and cut up a vidalia onion and green pepper. Add a can of mushrooms to the sauce, throw in a large can of diced & spiced tomatoes, and my little array of spices don’t forget the cayenne pepper. Let that puppy sit in the fridge for a day and have it for dinner that next night… simply delectable. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. 🙂
Pre Summer
Wasn’t this a beautiful weekend? Never mind the rain, it seemed to make things even more beautiful. Yesterday the sun came out for most of the afternoon and K and I partook in some quality time beside of (and in) his pool. I didn’t think we’d be able to get in it this early in the year, but it got really hot outside. You could feel the sun literally burning your skin! So today I sport the sunburn from hell – mainly my face got a bit too much.
Saturday morning, we got up and on a whim decided to drive up to the best BBQ place in the world, Woodlands BBQ in Blowing Rock, NC. This place is simply the bomb… and well worth the drive. I honestly can’t say enough good about it.
Okay, we got a little mountain scenery in as well. We parked and walked around the historic town of Blowing Rock. The azaleas are in full burst there, and there are so many beautiful flowers, everywhere! The shops there are the most unique I’ve ever been in. I so love spontaneous day-trips.
Know something else I’ve evolved into doing? Loving a roadtrip with the windows down and my hair blowing. This is something I used to abhor – my hair simply could not get that messed up. Ever. But now… it just doesn’t matter. In fact, I’m so comfortable with it I just may get a scarf for times like this, like Thelma and Louise. If ya think about it, it might even add a little Hollywood theme to the ride. Hey, it’s all about how it makes you feel, right? And I feel damn good. And it feels good to feel damn good…
A new grind
Back to the grind this morning. A grind I’m very thankful for, mind you – it’s just that I, like most working Americans on a Monday morning, would just rather be doing other things.
Had a busy weekend, even semi-productive. Got my place vacuumed, and I won’t say how long it’d been since I’d done that. My babydoll took me out to a Japanese steakhouse – a local one that’s been around forever but we’d never tried. We now have a new favorite, this place so totally rocked. The food was out of this world, they served us like we were the only people in there, and the prices could even be considered cheap! When we left, we both felt as though we’d been given royal treatment. I can’t wait to go back! Just remind me not to go on my birthday because they pie you. Me no like pie in face.
I also attended a friends 50th birthday party and had an awesome time. The back yard that belonged to the girl that threw the party was nothing short of amazing, and she’d done it all herself. From a little pond with the stacked slender rock, cascading water and lilypads, to a firepit on up, and a workshop with a woman’s touch at the end. I can’t do justice in describing it all – it felt just like being at the mountains with all it’s sereneness. She even had a eucalyptus tree, which in my 42 years of living I’ve never seen. I met some very sweet and interesting people too – one of which is a crime scene supervisor. Yep, just like the show CSI. I’ve definitely come to realize that it must take a very special person to do this ‘job’. Ya must have to be on top of your game 200% of the time. Out of all we talked about, the thing that stuck with me the most was when she said ‘I wanted to have a career helping people. To me, this is the ultimate way of helping people’. Yeah, a special person indeed.
My TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder) gave me a real fit this weekend, so I just basically ate ibuprofen the whole time. I never know when or where it’ll kick in full force, but it sure did this weekend – and moreso than it’s done in a long time. Ugh. Better this morning, though!
Work calls. Everyone have an awesome week, and be blessed! ♥
Lovin Fridays
What a nice Friday night. My weekend started around 3:30pm yesterday, when I tanned, showered and waited on K. We went down to a local mall ( I had a birthday gift card yet to spend) and scored several new spring threads. K even got his self a couple pairs of shorts and a few shirts, JCPenneys was having an awesome sale and we happened upon the store at exactly the right time. Neither one of us are shoppers, so we weren’t in there long at all.
From there we met his Mom at a Mexican restaurant across the street. By this time it was almost 8pm and we had a little wait – but it was worth it. We all had a blast and got a belly full. So full, in fact, that we weren’t up long at all once home. Lights out.
Now the sun is struggling to stream through the trees (that’s okay, I’m not complaining about the leaves, love ’em) and it’s beautiful out. A little chilly compared to waking up in the 60’s with highs of 80’s, but this is only mid-April anyway, right? Better enjoy the midtones while we can. I still may give the ole’ “bagel on the balcony” thing a whirl. 🙂
Olé
Had my guy over to eat last night. I cooked… 
You got it. Full-on course o’ mexican. Ground beef, chicken and steak with all the trimmings along with refried beans, spanish rice, chips and fire-roasted salsa. Pretty much one of those dishes I could eat every day.
The now well-traveled Guadalupé says ‘Hola, Amigos – Bienvenidos!’ Hey, who needs a travelocity gnome when you’ve got a traveling Guadalupé!? I found this little guy yesterday (don’t ask me how). The name Guadalupé immediately came to mind (don’t ask me why). After that, he circulated around in pretty much everything I did. Guadalupé has made appearances in my work, emails, IMs and texts – now he’s found his way into my blog. Who knows where he and his 5 o’clock shadow will end up next. Okay, I think I mentioned yesterday that it actually takes very little to entertain me, and if there’s any one thing I’m good at – it’s entertaining myself.
So I was danger ALERT thinking about a tweet I recently saw. Yeah, twitter really can be educational. It’s always been interesting to me how stoplights operate. Whether or not they’re timed or actually have a sensor has always been a hilariously controversial subject between a certain person and myself. Of course there’s a webpage answer – I would expect nothing less!! Functionality of a traffic light
I think facebook poking is funny as hell. Especially the ‘perpetual’ poke. Have I mentioned the fact that it takes very little to entertain me?
Carnivorous ways
May I present to you… ((drumroll, please))… slimeball no. 6,283,937. 
Monogamous, synonymous, monotonous. RIDICULOUS.
Sex Rehab. Really? This rehab shit is really getting old. The refuge of the politically incorrect. How ’bout scumbag rehab? Is it possible to rehabilitate a scumbag? And if he needs to be in a sex rehab, then so do all the other little skanks of his that continue to surface – because they are the other 50% of the problem.
Fan support for the slimeball? Please spare me. Keep in mind that this person does NOT represent Harleys, or biking in general for that matter. So what that you’ve got biking in common?! Go out and get yourselves a real role model – hey, here’s a clue: maybe someone that has morals? Tell ya what I’m a big fan of – every dog has it’s day. And today, dog, just ain’t yours…
This doesn’t even deserve a spot on my blog, add in the fact I’ve already written about it. So, now that I’ve had another rant I’ll move on to bigger and better things! How about those iPads? Talk about bigger and better. God I want one so bad my mouth is watering. You can actually get a nicely equipped one for about the same cost as a laptop now. Unfortunately, the money isn’t there, and probably won’t be for a while. But if it was….
…I’d have one sitting pretty in my hands by 10:00am this Saturday, which is approximately one hour after it makes it’s official debut at the Apple store. Hey, I can dream can’t I?
A brand new month, wow! As loseusual, I don’t know where the last month went. One thing I do know – I don’t want to be saying that about the summer in a several months. I want this summer to last forever.
So now onto the subject of my blog today. What? You thought it was about Jesse? Nah – truth is, I love meat. I mean, I literally crave it. I could so never be a vegetarian. Besides, those little vegans running around out there look so unhealthy. And unhappy. A big fat steak, roasted chicken or hamburger is all it takes to (temporarily) make ole’ Bon a happy girl. Okay I just had to get that out.
What has been deterring my carnivorously happy ways lately is all the recent news we’re hearing of the manner that many of these animals are raised and slaughtered. I honestly can’t watch shows on the subject. I’ve started buying the organic meats (all-natural, no growth inducers, farm-raised, grain-fed, etc.) whenever possible. It is a little more expensive, but they say if half the population would do that it would force these mass producers to implement stricter measures for raising their livestock.
Last but certainly not least – today is my Daddy’s birthday! Here’s a man who was fortunate enough to have been assigned a birthday on April Fool’s. 😆 He’s always taken the jokes about it rather well and has definitely enjoyed pulling his share of pranks on his birthday. Anyway, I love and respect him very much. Happy Birthday to you, Daddy!
Good Monday
This was a good weekend. Friday night we went out for mexican and ate out on the covered balcony for the first time this year. We had it to ourselves as it was a little nipply nippy out there, especially as the sun went beyond the horizon. It was still nice, though – a little prelude of the good times to come this summer. Saturday, I went to my guys house where he surprised me with a bottle of wine and a homemade salad to top all human salads… I mean this thing was the bomb. Anything and everything you can imagine, a true color wheel. Red onions, black olives, green and red bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, block cheese, green onions, and cubed chicken and turkey. In addition, he had went out and bought the movie New Moon for us to watch that evening. Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I tested out the newest fleamarket in our area, called Trader Marc’s. A totally-indoor fleamarket sized to epic proportions. I really liked this place – the inside was well-organized, a good variety of different items, and well – it was just ‘classy’ compared to any other fleamarket I’ve ever been to. I really was impressed. Even more impressive to me were the vendors theirselves. We spent more time talking to the vendors than we did shopping. A happy bunch, they were – all so talkative in their (mostly) southern drawl. Oh how I do love a good southern drawl…
A severe set of storms ran through last night. With it came tornado warning after tornado warning. Hail, the whole nine yards (minus the tornado, thank God). The greenery is becoming oh so abundant as the sun continues to rise this morning.
A four-day work week this week! Yay… I’m fortunate enough to have Good Friday off. So far the forecast calls for sunny and temps around 80. I think can live with that.
Happiness, definition from Wikipedia… A state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.
The image used for happiness?
Just thought I’d throw that in there. 😉
Raindrops and candlelight
The rain was so heavy and unyielding tonight it almost overpowered my tunes. I certainly didn’t mind it though, it gave me a reason to stay inside and get a good meal cooked. And a relaxing night it was.
I placed the ground beef in the fryer on low and popped open a beer, which I don’t really drink much of anymore but had a few left over, so figured what the hell. Lit a few candles, turned on the Christmas tree lights and some low music in the background. The kitchen was fully lit, the rest of the place illuminated only by the Christmas tree and burning candles.
How I do love to cook. That is, when not under pressure to cook. Preparing a good meal is relaxing to me; it releases my mind from other thoughts and almost provides a certain sense of purpose. I won’t claim to be the best cook out there, for sure – but there are a handful of dishes that I’ve perfected, at least in my own eyes. Who says you have to be an expert at something to enjoy it, anyway? My favorite meal to prepare would be the spaghetti I cooked tonight. Since I now add the ingredients that I like, such as onions, peppers, diced tomatoes, and various spices including my cayenne, the dish is so very tasty. Chopping those onions and peppers seemed almost therapeutic.
As I looked around me, I took a sip of my beer and remembered how very lucky I was to have all this. The very simple things. To come home from work, kick my shoes off in my warm dry place. To have food to cook, beer to drink. Electricity, a nice hot shower after I eat. Relaxing while listening to the rain outside, warm candlelight glowing – I’m feeling blessed. Looking around myself and my surroundings, I remember to be ever so thankful for them.
Life of Bon 
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