Questions

How come they do not have a spot in your dishwasher where you can wash your chopsticks? I use chopsticks fairly often ... I have 8-10 really good sets ... and I cannot wash them in my dishwasher because they fall through every spot you can put them.

Can I be the only person in the U.S. who uses them?

It is now Sunday evening, I wrote the drivel above on Thursday or Friday I think.

The weekend was far too short, as usual. We went to the club Saturday (day) and then came home and watched movies. Today, we went to Reid Park for the "Tucson Cleaner Air Festival" and then went shopping at Sam's Club and then stuffed ourselves with some Pat's Chili Dogs. You must understand, Pat's is not just a hot dog place, it is and has been a Tucson tradition since about 1948. The chili dogs come 'hot' or 'medium' and the medium ones are fairly hot. They also have fries, chili fries, shrimp, chicken and even a Big Pat's burger ... which is two patties, onions, mustard, pickles and hot chili with beans on a bun. such a great big delicious mess .... they are wonderful.

Any-hoo .. as they say ... I am sated, and sitting at my 'puter. I have a newly acquired (but released in 1995) CD on and am enjoying it to the hilt. It is High Strung Tall Tales by Adrian Legg. For those of you who don't know the name... he is one of the greatest finger pickers extant. He was voted 'Guitarist of the Decade' for the 90's by Guitarist Magazine and won the Guitar Player's Readers Poll as Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitarist for "93, "94, "95 and "96. Pretty fair hand, I'd say.

I should be doing some computer work for my job, but I feel like just kicking back and doing nothing as it were. I am going to open a Shiner Bock and listen to Adrian and to another newly acquired CD James Hand's The Truth Will Set You Free. Hand is a 54 year old from Waco who is releasing his first national CD. It was produced by Lloyd Maines and Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel). He is sort of like Hank Sr, Ernest Tubb, Lefty, and all those Texas musicians of the 50's, only he is here and now. He writes his own music, and sings really well ... nothing like the crop of young Country(??) guys out there now-a-days. On a scale of 1 to 10, he rates at least an 8 1/2 in my book. And I do not give out 10's as you know.

I will make an early night of going to bed, I am half way through William Safire's In Love With Norma Loquendi. I assume you all know that Safire writes about the English language (as spoken in America) and that norma loquendi is a Latin phrase that means (roughly) the standards of grammar as established by a language speaker's actual custom and or usage.

Speaking of language ... I made a Mexican guy at the look up Margarita in the dictionary today. He didn't believe that the word means pearl. Almost a verbis ad verbera (from words to blows). I remembered it from the Latin phrase margarita antes porcos (pearls before swine)

Anyway, as I was saying, I want to get an hour or so of reading done before going to slumber land tonight.

All of you have a good tomorrow and a better day after.

PEACE ... LFTD

Tuesday

Well, here I am again ... or still ... or something. I am as happy as a working man can be I guess. Just paid bills (on the computer, like everything else I do). I have a few bucks left over for Shiner Bock and gasoline, I have fresh ink cartridges in the printer, and some new paper in the feed. Just got my prescriptions in the mail from the V.A., and they just played Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Cross Canadian Ragweed on Radio-i-o. The Shiner is cold and I ate the leftovers from that Trout recipe that I sent you. I don't think that I put it on the BLOG though. Oversight on my part.

Cajun Trout

4 whole trout, 1 pound each, cleaned with heads and tails removed
1 (16-ounce) bottle A-1 Steakhunter Cajun marinade
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green pepper, celery, and onion
1/4 teaspoon Wright's liquid smoke
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's seasoning (or more, if you're like me, you can even some add liquid sauce, like Red Devil or Tapatio)
1/4 cup real crumbled bacon
Butcher twine, 12 pieces, 6 to 8 inches long
8 slices THICK CUT bacon

Set up grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Oil grate when ready to start cooking.
Place trout in large zip-top bag and cover with marinade; reserve 1/4 cup of marinade for sauce. Marinate for 30 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine reserved marinade, tomatoes, liquid smoke, Cajun seasoning, and crumbled bacon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes; set aside.

Lay 3 pieces of butcher twine horizontally on a sheet pan, evenly spaced. Lay 1 slice of bacon vertically on top of butcher twine. Place 1 fish on top of bacon slice. Top fish with another slice of bacon. Tie each piece of twine so that you have 3 knots securely holding the fish in place. Repeat process with all remaining fish.

ON GRILL: Place whole fish on grill. Cook for a total of 15 to 18 minutes, turning every 3 to 4 minutes. Watch for flare-ups from bacon slices. Remove from grill. Untie twine from fish. Top with Cajun tomato sauce and serve warm.

INDOOR: Prepare and marinate trout as directed. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place prepared trout on foil lined baking sheet. Roast fish for 30 minutes.

There ... it's on here.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah .... counting my Tuesday blessings. Hilda just called and she said she loves me ... crazy girl. Now there's a good song on Radio-i-o "Delta Lady by Leon Russell", had almost forgotten that one. Anyway, the weather today was so-so, pretty breezy ... 25-35 mph this afternoon, almost as bad as being in Texas. Will be great sleeping weather tonight ... down in the mid 40's. Cousin Dean would call that sweltering heat... but it suits me fine. It was about 78 here today, fairly nice spring weather for us desert rats.

I hope that everyone out there is having a great week, a great March (almost over) and a fabulous 2007 so far.
PEACE and LFTD

Monday

Finally, ..... a short Monday at work (less than 9 hours). I got home at 1615, pretty early I'd say.

I've been trying to do a little bit of personal writing this past weekend, and will attempt to continue during the week. I write here of course, but most of my east coast friends don't read the BLOG. They want me to write to them, even though they do not often write back.

Oh, the soul of one who needs to write
it is in constant turmoil I know
you wish that your words were read
but that is not the reason they exist
they pour out of your fingers
because you cannot keep them inside
the keyboard is easier than the pen
and so, your few words become many
you write what you know,
or what you suspect
or merely .. what you think
at times you write well
and at times, poorly .. or worse
persons who live alone
seem to write more often
it is like having a conversation
better than talking to yourself
but that's what you're doing
it is not a conversation
it is a monologue
screaming at the walls really
cheaper than a shrink
but not often as rewarding
cleansing is a process
that words never help
or in my case they don't
but still I type
(do people still say type?)
typing class is now 'keyboard skills'
so ... "still I keyboard?"
doesn't have the same ring
but I digress
but, ... don't I always

Everything is nebulous in life. Yesterday's dreams are today's realities and tomorrow's memories. Fantasies are reality to some, and reality is fantasy to others. Belief patterns change with the slightest breeze and nothing is in vogue for long. The least travelled path becomes the interstate and the older highways become the least travelled paths. I stumble about, constantly searching, rarely discovering ... but believing in myself and in others. Others are searching also, but we find different truths and experience different realities.

Oh well, enough philosophy ... the oven is cranking away at my evening repast and I want to look in on the Food Channel.

PEACE

Rain

rain beating down, but not beating me down
I'm hanging out and hanging around
just kicking back, and life I've found
is staying home, not out on the town

white wine and dark bock beer
smiles are glowing, ear to ear
got good restaurants 'round here
great company, all full of cheer

like Rachel Ray, I'm getting by
hello world, I'm the guy
can't top me, don't even try
going like hell, until I die

writin' some verse, hummin' a song
folks like me just get along
we all know right from wrong
and right here is where we belong

this killin' time is not a crime
making up my silly rhyme
spreading lies from time to time
spending a dollar and savin' a dime

things are running though my mind
reality is hard to find
but I'm not in a bind
and life is really being kind