Hard-Boiled Eggs

Holly and Jordan visited last night for swimming. I offered some hard-boiled eggs for a snack before swimming. Jordan was in awe of the very thought of them...looked at them like he'd never seen one before. It turned out that those ones were a bit old (made early last week) and had a funny smell, so we had to throw them away...however, it did bring to mind the need (?) to give Holly the recipe so they can make them at home...

Maybe we'll have these for dinner on Friday when you (Holly and Jordan) come over for trick or treating...hard-boiled eggs, toast, and sausages. Yum.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

Eggs
Water
Pot with tight fitting lid

Place the (whole) eggs in the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot with cool water to cover the eggs (don't need much more than that). Put the pot on high on the stove. Once the eggs come to a boil let them boil for 3 minutes. Then put the lid on, shut off the stove and let them sit for 20-25 minutes.
When they are done, pour as much hot water out as you can without the eggs falling out and add cold water to the pan. Let them sit in the cold water for 3-5 minutes. Then take them out and peel and eat. They can stay in the fridge for about 7 days.

And it was a good thing I went in...

I met with the dermatologist at my clinic a month or so ago. The bump next to my left eye was too big and too close to my eye for her to take off. So she sent me to a plastic surgeon with the instructions to do a biopsy on it. There was a small, very small chance it was cancerous, so she wanted it looked at "just to make sure." Last week I met with the plastic surgeon. He took a sample to send off for a pathology test. He didn't remove it...since it would need to be removed in a special way if it is cancerous. So, he called today...turns out the bump has a bit of cancer in it. Basel Cell Carcinoma. Most common. Most curable. Doesn't spread.

Here's what wikipedia says about it:
"Basal cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer. It is the most common and least lethal form of all cancers. It is a malignant epithelial cell tumor that begins as a papule (a small, circumscribed, solid elevation of the skin) and enlarges peripherally, developing into a crater that erodes, crusts and bleeds. Metastasis is rare, but local invasion destroys underlying and adjacent tissue. In 90 percent of all cases, the lesion is seen between the hairline and the upper lip. It can be destructive and disfiguring. The risk of skin cancer is related to the amount of sun exposure and pigmentation in the skin. The longer the exposure to the sun and the lighter the skin, the greater the risk of skin cancer. There are three types of BCC: The most common type of basal cell carcinoma is nodular basal cell carcinoma, a flesh-colored (cream to pink), round or oval translucent nodule with overlying small blood vessels and a pearly-appearing rolled border."
This is the method/treatment:
Mohs surgery: Mohs surgery (or Mohs micrographic surgery) is an outpatient procedure in which the tumor is surgically excised and then immediately examined under a microscope. The base and edges are microscopically examined to verify sufficient margins before the surgical repair of the site. If the margins are insufficient, more is removed from the patient until the margins are sufficient.

So, no big deal...but freaking me out a bit just the same.
rj

agreements one makes with oneself

So, it was Sunday afternoon and my nap for the day was done. I had sorted all of the coupons and watched the last episode of season 2 of Northern Exposure. I sat on the couch to snuggle up with the big pile of magazines (15 or so of them) that have been collecting for the past couple of months while I read The Belgariad and The Tamuli.

While I was sorting through the magazines, I decided that I would finish reading (or skimming) them all before I start another book. This proved to be a great idea for Sunday afternoon. While I have plenty of books to start, none of them really appeal to me right now. So, I spent a few hours reading magazines. A lovely time learning bits and pieces about culture.

Yesterday (Monday) when I got home from work I stopped by the building office to see if I received any packages. I ordered the new Jonathan Kellerman book last week and it was shipped on Friday. It really shouldn't have arrived until later this week, which would have given me plenty of time to finish up that magazine pile.

Alas, it was there. In the office. Waiting for me to take it home. And so I did.

I even debated with myself for a while before I cracked the book open. "Should I start it? Should I wait? Should I at least finish the Reader's Digest that I'm half way through?" To give myself some credit, I did read one more article in the Reader's Digest before I gave in. But then the book called my name.

And so I have begun the new Kellerman book "Bones."

I'm sure I'll be done by Wednesday and back to that big pile of magazines. Of course the new J.D. Robb book comes out next Tuesday...

rj

The last weekend of fall 2008

Curt, James, Rick and I drove south this past Saturday. We went 30 miles past Winona to the Great River Bluffs. We started out the morning with some homemade breakfast by James...pancakes, sausages, and eggs. Yum, Yum. Also of note, the soup he put in the crockpot for dinner was delicious as well.
On Sunday I stayed home and took several naps. The weather was cold and rainy, and we got our first snowflakes of the season. This is probably because Curt had us listening to Christmas music on our Saturday drive.

Below are some of my favorite pictures from Saturday.

Henry plays ball...

Henry was playing a little kick ball with Al. I caught these great shots of him "on the field."

weekends without friends

The weekend went well. A lot of activity. My mother came to stay for the week (though she jokes that she may stay all winter). Holly, Jordan, and I went to pick her up on Saturday morning. Then we went out to lunch at one of Holly's favorite restaurants - The Big Bowl. Then we went back to my place, sent Holly and Jordan on their way home, got mom settled and took our separate naps.
Yesterday, Holly, Jordan and Shayne came over to swim and visit. Jordan enjoyed the extra visit time with Grandma and took extra joy out of emptying the entire Black Box where he keeps his treasures at my house (mostly my tools and other such things).

Lots of activity for my cats. They keep staring at me like, "why? Why are all of these people here?" I think they have adjusted to "Grandma" though. She walks slow and doesn't move from one spot to another too often. So, they have learned to just leave her alone. Though I did hear Grandma and Cozy arguing in the hall while Grandma was on her way to the bathroom. Cozy was hissing and Grandma was threatening to take drastic measures if she didn't make it to the bathroom on time. I just stayed in my bed and silently chuckled. I figured they'd work it out.

Anyway, back to work today. It's just me in the IT department. I hope there are no crisis I can't handle. I wonder what the plural of crisis is...and how it is spelled. Hmm.

rj

Eddings, David - The Hidden City

Ah, I have finished the last book in the Tamuli series. A very good story. And a happy ending. But that made it all the better.
When I read a well-written book, the characters come alive and I somehow become part of the story. So, it is kind of sad for me to finish the series. I want to know what's next...

Well, back to my list of books to read. The new Kellerman one comes out tomorrow. I have it on order. I did find The Last Jihad in my bedroom, so maybe I'll finish that up while I wait for Bones to arrive.

on thursdays...

Yesterday I got a new work computer. It looks pretty much the same as the old one, but the inside is much faster and bigger. The only downside is re-installing all of my software (done) and setting up all of my short-cuts and other preferences...turns out I have a lot of them. Every time I open a new program or file, I'm finding that something ever-so-small needs to be changed.

I wonder when I became so fussy about such things.

Well, it will keep me out of trouble...and help me avoid the big database project for a little while longer. I mean, really, who wants to look through 3500 records to make sure there are no duplicates. Sounds like a yawner to me.

rj

On Saturday - MN Arboretum

On Saturday, James, Curt, Rick, Karin and I went to the MN Arboretum. It was packed with others also looking for that last bit of fall...here are my favorite pictures from there.

On Friday - Wood-Rill

Curt, Rick and I went to Wood-Rill out in Orono, MN on Friday. It was incredibly beautiful. I took 200+ pictures. Below are some of my favorites. I took them as high-res images, so I'll be able to make some bigger prints and frame them for home.
rj

Catherine Coulter - Double Take

I read this book for my work's book club. We will discuss it next week.

I liked the story...an easy to follow mystery. However, we probably should have started with the first book that introduced the two FBI agents. While they weren't essential to the mystery, I could tell that they had a history that we should have known more about.

A good read though...and maybe someday I'll get back to the beginning of the series and go from there.

Madeleine L'Engle - A Swiftly Tilting Planet

I finished the third book in the series. I must confess that I found it very confusing and difficult to follow. The main character, Charles Wallace, was jumping around in time trying to change some event that shouldn't have happened. It was hard to follow when he was and who was who.
I definitely like the first book in this series the best...and would even recommend the second one as well. This one? I'd pass...

the view from my work

An early morning picture of the Guthrie.

Medication that works

I started Cymbalta last week to help with the Fibromyalgia pain. And happily it is working. However, the side-effects are also at work. It makes me so warm. And nauseous. And a little tired today. I'm still adjusting to the increased dosage. Hopefully after my body gets used to it, the troublesome side-effects will lessen.

Eddings, David - The Shining Ones

I read book two of the Tamuli this weekend. Bought it for $1 at the used bookstore on Friday night and finished it off last night. A lovely read it was.

There's one more book in the series. I ordered it from amazon.com since I haven't been able to find it in a used bookstore here. I paid $.01 for the book and $3.99 for shipping and handling. An interesting bargain. It should be here today or tomorrow...then I will be finished with Eddings and I can get back to all of the other books that have been waiting ever so patiently to be read.

back to Monday it is...

The meatloaf was delicious. I made it yesterday afternoon. It was the perfect weather for making meatloaf. Cloudy and raining and somewhat cold.
I baked some potatoes and made some squash as well. A delicious dinner. And some leftovers for lunch today...dinner tonight...maybe even lunch tomorrow.

On Saturday Holly and I shopped for clothes for Jordan and Henry. We got lots of good deals at the Once Upon a Child in Plymouth. We even used coupons and saved $5 each. Now the boys won't freeze this winter. They grow like weeds. Henry's a 4T now. How did that happen? He's still so tiny in my eyes. But they tell me the sweatpants I bought him in 4T fit, so 4T it is.

Saturday night Rick had several of us over for a pot roast feast. It was so yummy. He's turning out to be quite a good cook...even with a little help from his friends. Kathy made a wonderful salad, and Karen took charge of the gravy. James helped with the dessert...all in all a fabulous gathering of the friends.

rj

My Meat Loaf

It's not an exact science, as I usually just toss in amounts that look right and bake for a while (45 minutes) and then test it...but, here is my meatloaf recipe. I think I'll make it this Sunday. I've been craving it ever since Curt ordered it for his dinner last Saturday.

My Meat Loaf

2# Hamburger
1 egg
8-10 saltine crackers (make crumbs)
1 small onion, minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
sprinkle of garlic powder
pepper
salt
1 TB ketchup

Glaze
1/2 c ketchup 1/4 c brown sugar

Mix the meatloaf ingredients together. Put the mix in a bread pan - push mixture down so that it conforms to the sides and is flat on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Meat should be done through in the middle.)
Mix the glaze together. 5 minutes before the meatloaf is done, put the glaze on top. Bake for 5 more minutes.

i love my job!

Wow! What a busy week.

For the past several months I've been working on a database project at work. We're migrating from one platform to another. Same company, just a newer, different look and feel for the database. So, I've been deleting old records and lists, working with the vendor to transfer stuff to the new database, doing all the admin working in the new database, and then yesterday we trained most of the employees on it. The vendor came out for that and did a wonderful job of it. Today I'll be hosting a make-up session for those who missed it. But, happily, the stress of the project is gone. The migration is over. Now it's just follow-up training and assisting co-workers with list building. Which I can do quite easily.

Hurray for big projects that come to an end!
rj