Mediocre Day Draws to a Close...

The highlight of my day? I installed Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise Edition and LOVE IT! I only installed Word and Outlook, but I really like the way the new Word is programmed. It is pleasing to the eye. I just had to write a post to put it to good use tonight.

Dinnertime found me standing in the kitchen boiling spaghetti noodles. I had heard once on Food Network to never add oil to your pasta water. I added a little olive oil tonight and the pasta turned out fine. It certainly helps to keep it from sticking together when you pour it out to drain in the colander in the sink.

I have a weird mish mash oddball spaghetti sauce recipe I perfected in college by trial and error cooking with a hot plate. I came up with the recipe on my own and it works for me. I sauté finely chopped celery, onion, and garlic in butter until translucent and sweating. I then brown 2 pounds ground beef and add one large can of store bought pasta sauce such as Prego or Ragu. To that, I add a small can of sliced button mushrooms, one can of Italian style tomato paste, one can of tomato sauce, and two cans of diced tomatoes with oregano and basil. I let that simmer for about two hours on low heat until the sauce thickens and then serve over spaghetti with a liberal sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese accompanied by buttery garlic bread. Tonight, I even cut up a little side salad and enjoyed it with buttermilk ranch dressing. I think my butt just gained a few pounds tonight.

Maggie was being a total spazz tonight. We have a nightly ritual where I let her out in the evening for one last romp around the yard. The rain had ended, but there was standing water on my back deck. Maggie saw that water and would not go outside no matter how much I encouraged her. Maggie will burst before she will use the bathroom inside so I knew she was uncomfortable. I finally picked her up and carried her out the backyard into the fence. She did her business, chased a few errant squirrels, dug three holes in the yard, and then called it a night. She is curled up on the bed with her stuffed pound puppy waiting for me to retire. I have had entirely too much coffee tonight to be able to sleep at a decent hour. At least, she doesn’t constantly nag me to come to bed like my ex-wife always did. I would take Maggie over Rachel any day as far as having a woman in my life these days.

I have been trying to incorporate more fruit into my diet. I bought a huge bag of granny smith apples on sale and put them in the fridge (They will last me for weeks). I love bananas, but had read they have too many sugars in them. Eating apples is a pain though. I have gotten in the habit of taking a sharp knife and cutting them up in slices and find that easier to eat. My favorite fruit is kiwis, but they are so expensive and I only purchase them sparingly.

Most evenings about this time (11 PM) I listen to the USA radio network via the internet while drinking coffee, smoking cigars, and browsing blogs. I rarely, if ever, agree with these conservative idiots that are talk show hosts and find their narrow and closed minded view of government, politics, and life in general to be alarming. Still, I listen to hear what they are shoveling down the throats of the poor, misguided, and deluded souls that actually believe all that crap. I tend to be very moderate in my political leanings and yearn for a talk show with 100% less crap from either side to listen to. There are a thousand other things I can think of that would be more interesting to hear than what that Pinocchio in the White House is doing.

Well, let me go start another pot of coffee. It looks like I am going to be burning the proverbial midnight oil tonight. I knew I shouldn’t have taken that two hour nap this afternoon, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open and those cool covers and pillows were so inviting. Till we speak again this is Andrew signing off for another broadcasting blog day. Good night.