Picture Sunday

Hello, end of weekenders, and welcome to a rather short round of Picture Sunday.

This is because, and if you listened to this week's hucklebug podcast you already know this, one week ago today I lost my beloved digital camera. Well, I didn't lose it, I know exactly where it was, I left it at the high school after the Community Band's Spring Concert. I sent a student of Mr M's to check on it the next day, but no. Not that I was expecting to get it back after leaving it in such a public place, but I'm now left with the old camera I dumped but (thank God) didn't throw away when the new one was purchased. Picture taking is not so much fun, and pictures aren't so good.

You know, though, changing the subject, ever since I got my new big computer desk, Mr M calls the dennette of the Poderosa the Nerve Center. He bought me a wall clock for there just like the ones TV newscasters in the 60s used to have behind their desks. In fact, he says I should have about four more, all set with the times of big cities around the world. I personally think I need four more, all set with the times of big cities on the east coast. That would be funnier.




















Right now the Nerve Center is about as messy as it gets. For a desk as big as this one I'm sitting at, there's not an inch of empty space on it. It's filled with the regular stuff, printers, scanners, etc, but also with scraps of paper from past recipe du jours, mail, snacks, wires, cables, headsets, note pads, pictures of Kim Jong Il in various states of dress, clarinet music - well, it's a horrible place to spend as much time as I'm spending lately. And yet, I've not seemed to mind it enough to do anything about it. Maybe the cleanliness of the Nerve Center is dependent upon the condition of my nerves at any given time. Somehow, I could believe that.

Here's a particularly messy corner of The Nerve.




















See? And no matter how bad it may look to you, I promise you it's worse. It's like I'm in this chair looking out upon a vast wasteland. Literally. A land of waste.

Anyway, the reason I'm even taking pictures of the Nerve Center is to show you what I spent the second half of my day doing. I spent the first half sleeping late and loafing, by the way. But I spent the second half grappling - I mean really grappling - with trying to set up a way to record my LPs and save them into the computer as mp3s.




















See? Speaking of beloved. There's my turntable, part of my old, cherished, and beloved stereo system, right there at the nerve center. I got a small album and two sides of a single done. This is because they were mono, and sounded just fine. Stereo stuff, well, it would sound just fine if it wasn't so damn soft. I need to either buy another piece of equipment or lug the amplifier from my old, cherished, and beloved stereo system to the Nerve Center, and I'm not sure I have the werewithal to do that. Not today, anyway.

When I get it going, though - my iTunes library will know no bounds of limitations!

OK, let's get to the recipe du jour. Picture may not be much, but boy, am I proud of this recipe. So proud, in fact, I've yet to chuck it out in the recipe du jour cleanup. It's still sitting there, prettying up my kitchen (The Egg).

Hey, you like carbs? Feel guilty about it? You shouldn't, I say, "Eat what you like!" However, you probably don't listen to me, do you? And for that reason, I've concocted this little dish of delight. From the "All-Inclusive" file at cardland, please say hello to Pink Protein Potato Peafest!





















Put this on your plate (or in a fancy glass, like I did), and your meal will give you all the elements to make your nutrition complete. All you do is take a serving of mashed potatoes, mix some Crapius protein powder into it (I used strawberry kiwi, for the pinkness, but think of the colors you could have!), and then for a little more vitiminimal oomph, I added some peas. Because, well, really. Peas! How can you go wrong with peas?

I didn't have the nerve to taste it, but by damn, it sure smelled nice. And it looks something like a disease. Tropical Crud, or Measles, or something.

Happy Week.

Betland's Olympic Update:
* It is with a heavy heart tonight that I announce the death of Chippie, my sister's terrier, who met a very untimely demise at the end of last week. It was a very sad story. I almost blogged about it, but it was so sad I just couldn't. He was killed by two pit bulls who escaped from their pen and caused an afternoon-long police manhunt. (Or doghunt.) They killed two dogs, two family pets in town, and Chippie was one of them. This was the happy little dog who loved to pee on me. He once peed on me, and then sat on my head. But he was a loveable little fellow, and I'll bet when he got to doggie heaven, he peed on St Peter. Bye, Chippie, you shall be missed.