Steak Fries or Crinkle Cut Fries?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/

That was the question I was just posed after I called my father this afternoon. I got kind of confused about who was bringing my medications -- my father or Charlie. It was getting late in the day and enquiring minds wanted to know. I told my father crinkle cut fries, by the way.

"Give me about another hour and a half and I will be over to give you your medications," my father told me. "We are also having a hot dog supper and I will bring you a plate."

I told my father that hot dogs sounded mighty awesome.

"What do you want on your hot dog?" my father then asked.

"Just some chili, mustard, and ketchup," I replied.

"Your mother just went to the Piggly Wiggly and got some sauer kraut. Do you want any?"

"I am going to pass on the kraut tonight dad," I told him. "Oh, and put an extra couple of franks on my plate for Maggie."

My final question was if the franks were by Hebrew National and dad said of course. Hebrew National franks make for one kickass and tasty hot dog.

Onward Ho!

I will be awakened in the morning by a loud knock on the door. Maggie will fly off the bed to look out the window and see if she recognizes the car. When she realizes it's Charlie, then she will go bonkers with furtive barks of joy. It'll be the same when my fathers arrives in the next few minutes I hope.

Charlie won't dawdle. He has a bag of various breakfast biscuits to deliver. We will say "I love you!" as he departs. Maggie will then go into food procurement mode -- making sure she gets her biscuit.

Gotta Have that Sausage Biscuit...

Charlie was telling me this morning that Horsefly had to have a sausage biscuit every day for breakfast or he will pitch a temper tantrum. I did not know this. Charlie has to be at work at 10am eastern time. I can imagine Charlie scrambling to McDonald's, ordering some sausage biscuits, and returning home to give Horsefly his sausage biscuit torn into tiny pieces so he won't choke. Charlie then has an hour commute to Dadeville and his job.

"They all know me on a first-name basis I go to McDonald's so much," Charlie said with a chuckle.

I also had one last mangled lamp that badly needed a lamp shade (another casualty from my heavy drinking past) and Charlie brought it this morning. I had a penchant for knocking over lamps as I drunkenly stumbled to turn them on or off. It was almost comical in a way.

You know what seems really strange to me? It's how Charlie's wife never takes an active role in the care of Horsefly. The kicker? She is retired from working many years with mentally retarded people.

Madonna - I'll Remember - (The Video)

Katy Perry - Hummingbird Heartbeat (Official Song)

My Sweet Tooth Beckons Unbearably...

http://www.rakinginthesavings.com/

My biggest impediment to losing and maintaining my weight is I have this unquenchable insatiable desire for things sweet.

Last hour, I called my father, who is in Birmingham for a party, and told him there would be a debit from Kroger out of my disability account.

"What are you going to get?" he asked calmly.

"I want a Mrs. Edwards lemon meringue pie like crazy," I replied in anticipation.

"For god sakes, just don't buy any beer," my father told me. "And bring me the receipt. I told you-you needed more sweets last Monday when we were checking out."

Excellent!!! He didn't put up much of a fuss. I've just had one very large piece of lemon meringue pie and it was delicious. I like to eat the meringue first and then the lemon pie filling. I put a little itty bitty slice on a paper plate down on the floor for Mrs. Maggins as well. She thought it was the bee's knees.

https://www.mitoko.com

Owl City - Fireflies

Missing Helen Today...

Heed My Words! Don't Fry Bacon Naked!

http://www.food.com/

If that grease splatters all over your dangly bits then you might get burned. Just kidding! lol I don't cook breakfast in my birthday suit.

I am up at another ungodly hour. It is 6:30am and the magical hour is well underway. I was excited like a kid at Christmas to get online and use my now fully functioning kitchen computer. Yes, I finally got it working right with a simple bios (basic input and output system) update. That computer has been the bane of my existence for some time now. Well, ever since my birthday in April. I need to heed my own advice and remember to try the simplest things first. You should have seen me slump in my chair and let out the biggest sigh of relief when my ram booted up at its rated speed of 2400MHz and was rock solid stable. I was not going to go out without a fight

I also had to get breakfast started for the Magster and I. On the menu of this bountiful breakfast this morning was scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese toast, and cheese grits. I was starving! Maggie was also underfoot the whole time I was cooking.

"You're going to get stepped on," I warned Maggie even though she couldn't understand.

Yes, I went all out this morning and I will probably skip lunch. Dad told me the other day that I looked like I had gained some weight. I affectionately call it my paunch.

Katy Perry - Mannequin (With Lyrics)

Teetering On the Edge of Disaster...

http://www.123rf.com/

Charlie once again stopped by the house on his way home from work today. This time, he was armed with more fluorescent bulbs, a step ladder, and sheer determination.

"Hold the ladder dammit!" Charlie said with a chuckle as he teetered precariously upon the step ladder. "Now hand me the next bulb."

We ended up getting all my overhead ceiling lights changed to fluorescent light bulbs. We also got my closet bulbs changed as well.

Charlie also brought me a big bag of regular Arby's roast beef sandwiches. Arby's is my most favorite fast food restaurant by far and has been for years. Charlie knows this. There must've have been 15 packets of Arby's sauce in the bag as well which I am sure Charlie played a hand in that. I can about drink the stuff.

"Eat your sandwiches before they get cold," Charlie told me as he was leaving. "Love you!"

"Love you too, Charlie, and thank you so very much!"

Sarah McLachlan-Brink Of Destruction

Owl City - Dreams Don't Turn to Dust

A New Lease on Sanity I Hope...

http://drugreporter.com/risperdal/

This morning was my injection of Risperdal Consta. I love how Dee Dee and the gang move me quickly through the process. I have developed a rapport with all the ladies at Kamath Medical. Today, Dr. Kamath was seeing patients and the lobby was a madhouse of sick people waiting and coughing up germs. It was like a mucus convention. Ugh! Double Ugh!

Moments after I sat my tush down, Rebecca called me back to an examining room. A big grin formed on my face and I hurriedly followed her.

"We were here way before him," a middle-aged black lady sitting nearby protested within earshot.

"How are the girls?" I asked my nurse Rebecca of her two children.

"My littlest one is too small for softball, but my oldest just loves it," Rebecca replied. "My littlest one loves Legos."

Sandra, a very long time pharmacy tech. at the pharmacy, asked me why I don't just take the Risperdal tablets. Dad was standing behind the pharmacy counter and I pointed at him as the culprit.

"It is his insurance I always have a steady stream of Risperdal being released into my blood," I told Sandra. "Personally, I would rather take the pills daily and forego this whole rigamarole every two weeks."

I handed my father my next appointment card, grabbed my two customary 20oz Coca-Colas, and got on Hwy 29 to head home.

We've Got Some Rain on the Way...

It's the Little Things that Matter the Most...

http://blightx.com/

Charlie stopped by just a moment ago on his way home from work. He was teetering on my kitchen chair installing new fluorescent light bulbs in the kitchen's ceiling light fixture. Awhile back, he completely changed and converted all of my incandescent bulbs and installed fluorescent bulbs. There were just a few ceiling lights that weren't converted.

Charlie is so selfless and does little things that brighten your day. I love surprises like that. I badly needed bulbs for my bathroom light fixture.

Charlie left me with a whole box of lightbulbs and headed home for supper. He said Janice was cooking cubed steak and gravy, steamed broccoli and Southern style sticky rice. Janice is a wonderful cook of the highest order and I bet tonight's supper will be delicious. Charlie offered to bring me a plate but I had already eaten Mrs. Marie Calendar's lasagna and was about to pop like a tick.

Shine On!

My biggest exertion today was applying tire shine to my tires. It's a predominately African American type thing around here, but I love how it looks. It makes the tires look wet and brand new. Charlie noticed my car and told me how good it looks. Charlie notices things that my father doesn't.

Andrew Bird - Anonanimal

Tosca - Zur Guten Ambience

No Rest For the Weary...

https://www.pinterest.com

I woke up this morning at 6:30am due to very intense pain in my left shoulder and arm. Dr. Martin, my orthopedic surgeon, had warned me of this. He said I was going to develop severe arthritis in that arm as I grew older. I think I slept on it wrong, though, for the most part. I thought I was going to have to go to the emergency room for a moment there. It was an excruciating and throbbing pain to say the least.

The story of my broken arm and shoulder is for a blog post some other day. Needless to say, it involved alcohol and a motorcycle many years ago when I was still drinking heavily. It was my deathwish, but my time to go hadn't arrived yet.

A few Aleve later and I am feeling much better now. I managed to eek out a decent breakfast for the Magster and I. We had some poached eggs on buttered toast and some cheddar cheese grated on top. I am also drinking this week's allotted amount of sweet milk like crazy. I knew I should have bought four gallons instead of two. It was a cost-cutting measure. Wednesday is my father's grocery shopping day and I have already put in a request for a gallon of milk via The Secretary. She won't let my father forget it. You can rest assured.

I Saw These and Just Burst Out with Laughter!

http://www.freerepublic.com/

Hits and Misses...

http://www.centercutcook.com/

With El Rio Grande's fajitas you never know what you are going to get. Kind of like Forrest Gump's proverbial box of chocolates. Tonight's Mexican meal was exceptionally good. The chicken was tender and the veggies were crisp and fresh. There were ample amounts of tart and tangy fajita sauce as well. Most weeks it is mediocre fare with something wrong and awry with every meal.

Well, mom came pulling up in front of my house. I was on the kitchen computer as I am still wrangling with it -- whipping it into shape. Maggie went apeshit bananas in a good way so I knew somebody good had stopped by. Mom was not about to get out of the car and walk across my yard, though. She handed me my Mexican meal through her rolled down window.

"I am afraid I will fall on your steps," mom said in-between saying, "Hey baby doll! Hey, my baby Maggie!"

Maggie was just on the other side of my screen door joyously barking her fool head off as my mother egged her on. Maggie also got the rice, beans, and cheese so she will soon be emitting noxious, silent, but deadly gasses in a few days.

My Chariot is Clean!

Bookstore or Bust...

http://www.solomonbuilders.com/

I made a beeline for Books-A-Million and Auburn after mom picked me up. It is about a 30-minute drive depending on traffic. Of course, they were doing construction work on the interstate half way there that slowed us down considerably. The traffic crawled at a snail's pace for about 15 minutes until the left lane opened up again. Then we were off to the races like greyhounds out of the gate.

Mom went inside to get her books. I also love to go inside and look at all the gadgets they have like expensive headphones and writable media for DVD players and such. I am still looking for those elusive 24X speed recordable DVDs and have been for years.

"What do you mean you have only one book of my order?" mom said loudly with an alarmed tone to her voice. "We just drove 30 miles to get here."

That was my cue to walk over and get involved.

"It's no problem," I assured my mother. "I will drive us back down here when the other books come in."

Mom was under the assumption that the whole delivery had arrived.

If you don't already know, I hoard computer mice and keyboards. I have a fetish for computer peripherals. I was tempted to drive next door to Best Buy, but I knew my father would flip his lid if I bought any more computer parts. He says I am obsessed and rightly so. I asked mom if she would fund a new mouse and keyboard and her answer was that I was too rich for her blood.

We left there and got a couple of medium chocolate milkshakes at Sonic and then we headed home. It was smooth sailing up the interstate till we got back to the Valley.

Blog Comment Reply...

Summer said...

What does your mother do with all the books that she reads? Does she donate them? Would she like a kindle?

Andrew Replies...

Summer, she donates many of them to the local library. She also has a good friend named Elizabeth about her age that she trades books with. I think she enjoys the visceral experience of a good book in her hands over a Kindle. To my credit, I have tried to get mom interested in dad's computer.  She thinks it will be too complicated.  She could get these books at a steep discount on Amazon.com.

Well Done Old Chap! Well Done!

https://priceswarm.com

I managed to get a ton of food for only $67 dollars tonight. I was elated when I saw the tally after a few apprehensive and worrisome moments. I stuck to my plan of simplicity and it rewarded me immensely. I got lots of frozen meals of all varieties. I also got two 6-packs of Vienna sausages which Maggie and I will savor in the next few days.

Dad still can't believe Maggie and I eat such a large quantity of eggs weekly. He said in a moment of good hearted repartee that Maggie was going to grow feathers and start clucking soon.

My sweets this week were more chocolate puddings in the 60% larger snack pack. I also got some double slice serving Edward's pies -- Georgia pecan and lemon meringue pie respectively. I will relish those as soon as they thaw this evening before bed.

"When I saw all that food," dad told me. "I just knew you had spent $80 or $85 dollars."

"Oh ye of little faith," I replied as I chuckled. "To be honest, I was a tad bit worried as well."

It was raining tonight so I hurried up, loaded my groceries, and headed home only to repeat the process in reverse when I arrived at my house. All in all, I was very pleased about tonight's outcome.

Simplicity is the Key...

http://environment.utk.edu/

http://www.examiner.com/

Simplicity is my motto for the forthcoming week. I am very glad and appreciative tonight is grocery night. There is not much to eat in this house. Mom keeps me in a supply of beefaroni for days like today. She gets my father to buy some every Wednesday night until we are stocked up.  Dad gave me two microwave beefaroni bowls before I left their house this morning. I've learned to cook it 3 times longer than it says on the label and it will turn out pretty delicious. It is great eaten with some loaf bread or with some stinky cheese (parmesan) added.

I am going to keep my grocery shopping simple this week and just get the bare necessities. Breakfast foods, cereal, milk, and frozen meals will round out this week's menu. We might even give Mrs. Marie Calendar a visit tonight. Her lasagna isn't half bad. I better not forget my two addictive Mountain Dew sodas tonight as well.

Early in the morning, I have to take my mother to Books-A-Million in Auburn to pick up an order of books. Mom said she ordered over two hundred dollars worth. I told her we need to keep things simple. We will just grab a couple of large chocolate milkshakes at Sonic before we get on the interstate and head home. I am shying away from anything as elaborate as eating out.

Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings

This haunting piece of music has followed me through the years.

The Kitchen Computer and I Have Come to a Truce...

Demon Spawn From Hell

That damned computer in the kitchen has about driven me crazy. It kicked my obsessive compulsiveness up to the nth degree trying to troubleshoot and get it to play nice. I consider myself somewhat computer and hardware savvy being A+ certified to repair PCs so this is so disappointing to me. I feel inadequate to say the least.

The DRAM voltage is now stable and recognized as 1.65500 volts. I also managed to get the ram up to 2200Mhz stable even though the two sticks are rated at 2400MHz and should be running faster. Trying to run the RAM at 2400Mhz will result in an endless boot cycle. The loss of that extra 200MHz is bugging the everlasting hell out of me.

***********

I just have gotten back from George's house. I walked over with my old 1st generation iPad to see if George could still get online using my wireless internet connection quite a few feet away. Earlier today, I put all kinds of links on the desktop that I thought George would enjoy like Wikipedia, the forecast, weather radar and such. The final thing to do was give George the iPad and he was extremely appreciative and seemed willing to learn how to use it. He was rather excited in retrospect. I bet an iPad would go good with a six pack of beer. 

Johnny Otis Does Breakfast...

http://fastandcheapandeasy.blogspot.com/

"You're up!" my father exclaimed with a laugh after I called him back.

The phone rang three times so it could only be him.

"Have you had any breakfast?" he asked.

"I've had some chow mein noodles in soy sauce," I replied.

My father laughed.

"Yes, it is grocery day, isn't it, son?"

"Down and out in West Point," I told him solemnly.

"Come over and get you some sausage biscuits and I am going to scramble you a few eggs as well," my father told me. "Do you want to take your medications?"

"Still too early for medications," I replied, wanting to take them so badly, but I fought off the urge.

I was thinking they might put me back in the bed. 3mg of Klonopin has a way of doing that.

"We'll take them tonight before we head to the grocery store," my father told me.

I told my father all about my Maggie and the dew claw experience. I was also wondering why he was being so nice to me.

"Maggie's a high maintenance dog," he said. "It is not your fault. You, of all people, would never want her to hurt."

"I am headed that way," I told my father excitedly. "I am famished for a good breakfast."

I wasn't disappointed. You all know how I love breakfast foods. The sausage biscuits were stupendous and dad put some cheddar cheese in the scrambled eggs. Home cooked and fried sausage patties are like 10X better than McDonald's microwaved sausage patties.

The Trials and Tribulations of Pet Ownership...

I am up very early today for a change. I wearily went to bed around 10pm last night and that must be why. I was sitting here at this computer listening to music in my computer room when Maggie came limping up beside me which instantly alarmed me. She was checking out the Chinese noodles in a soy sauce I was eating for breakfast. She had been licking that paw for several days I had noticed.

Well, I must be a terrible dog owner. It seems something is always wrong with Maggie I know. Maggie is so skittish after being abused as a puppy in my defense. The closest we ever get is when we are in the bed and she is snuggled up against me. She tends to stay in the room I am in, but she is a touch me not.

I quickly closed the door to the room so Maggie couldn't escape. She immediately smelled a rat. I had to hold her down with my body weight as I looked at her paw and her dew claw had curved around and grown so long that it was growing back into her foot -- an ingrown dew claw. That must've been terribly painful. I got out the clippers and clipped it and Maggie instantly started to act like she felt better. She did a runner, though, when I opened the door and has been sitting out on the back deck where I can't grab her or do anything else to her. I guess that is what you call tough love, but it is terribly tough on the pet owner as well. She yelped something fierce when I clipped the nail.

Yay! It's Charlie!

Is it just me in that all of these SUVs look the same?

Maggie heard Charlie pull up in front of my house before I even realized he was here. I was surfing the web on my computer at the kitchen table when she put up a fuss.

I walked to the front door and Charlie was in his Caprica and talking to someone on his cellphone. Maggie couldn't understand why he was sitting there and not coming inside. She barked and whined with much protest.

I didn't ask for Wendy's, but I got a double with cheese and ex-large fries and drink. I am sure that was my mother's doings. The burger was actually good tonight. The last double with cheese I got was so salty you couldn't eat it.

"I just can't eat that Kentucky Fried," mom had said earlier on the phone. "That chicken just isn't good to me. It tastes bland."

Charlie was all business tonight. He didn't even come inside. He handed me my food and told me good night. That was the extent of our visit. He had other food to deliver before it all got cold and he was doing it without my father's help.

Just Delightful...

https://adoptingfaithafathersunconditionallove.org

Dad called me at 1:30pm. He let it ring 3 times so I knew it was him and I called him right back. I've kinda taken a few steps back as far as progress on my phone phobias are concerned.

"Come over and get your diet Cokes and we will take your medications," he told me.

I didn't even have to coerce him into giving them to me so early.

"I've got to drive to Alex City and take care of the grandkids," he said as I sat down next to him on the back deck. "Charlie will be bringing you and Maggie's Sunday evening meal."

Well, I was just thrilled to no end. Dad said I was grinning like a Chesire cat as I walk up their back steps to greet him.

My actual favorite part of taking my medications is the hour before they actually soak in. I tend to be very creative and excitable. I always like to write a blog post during this time such as this one.

60% Chance of Joy...

I know some people don't understand my enthusiasm for the weather. It's kind of like I don't understand most people's enthusiasm for college football. I am so excited, though. We have a 60% chance of pop-up thunderstorms today and they are already starting to fire to the north and west of us. As the day and air heats up, they will spread in coverage I hope.

One Month Without Facebook...

Today marks one month since I've signed into Facebook. When I stopped, I was posting what was on my blog via copy and paste. It was entirely inappropriate stuff to share with family, high school chums, and old girlfriends. I decided it was best to let my mostly anonymous blog be my social and creative outlet. Interestingly, I haven't missed it one bit. There were a lot of aggravating things about Facebook that I didn't care to see anymore. Two of the biggest culprits were politics and religiosity -- both things I choose to not write about on my blog as they are too polarizing.

Oh, Delicious Cola...

Yes! Yes! Simple Enjoyment!

Charlie arrived around 10 am to Maggie's and my delight. Maggie and I were both laid up in the bed sound asleep. The loud knock on my door instigated a 0 to 60 mph experience.

"Charlie's here!" I exclaimed to Maggie who began to bark joyously after she jumped off the bed.

Maggie and I both scrambled for the front door and I opened it in a hurry. I didn't want to keep the biscuit man waiting.

"Andrew and Maggie! Here is your breakfast!" Charlie exclaimed as I opened the door.

There were no hair jokes this week. I guess Charlie saw my hair and felt sorry for me. I was sporting some classic bed head.

Charlie had also checked my mail and there was plenty of junk for either Charlie or Janice which is normal.

"I still can't believe they are sending you all this junk mail that is to us," Charlie told me.

My favorite thing Charlie always brings is the giant ice cold cola. I relish that before ever eating my biscuits. i'm lovin' it

"I'll see you and Maggie again tonight with your fried chicken," Charlie told me as he left.

Oh, that is going to be a long eight-hour wait. Maybe I can get into some mischief between now and then.

It was a sausage biscuit themed Sunday this week. There were three sausage biscuits and two hashbrowns in our bag of goodies.

Nightmares on Wax - You Wish