Bleh

I called in sick today, because I am, in fact, sick. Have been since the Sunday before last. I keep getting almost healthy and then my sickness says "Ha! Ha!" and smites my ass back into bed.

Yesterday, as I was stumbling around school in a daze, one of my co-workers asked me if I had gone to the doctor. Now this sounds like a tremendously good plan, except in order to go to the doctor, I need to take some time off. And if I am going to take some time off, I am going to spend the time in bed sleeping, NOT driving in my car and sitting in a room with a bunch of other sick people!! Doctors should be required by law to make house calls.

I am going back to bed. But first I am going to find my son's DVD player and hook it up to the TV. If I am going to be sick, I want to be sick with season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

About pie...and culture shock

I just cannot get used to the idea of Thanksgiving in October. It is the only Canadian tradition I simply can't embrace. I do enjoy the three day weekend aspect, but then I have to mourn the loss of the four day weekend in November. October is just too early for turkey and creamed onions and stuffing and too much pie! (Okay, no such thing as too much pie, sorry, bettie!)

We don't do the Canadian Thanksgiving in my house. That is because my stepsons were minor league hockey players. There was always a hockey tournament that weekend, so no big dinner plans. We occasionally joined my sister in law's family, but not this year. The last few years I have celebrated Thanksgiving along with the Americans. Tom always asked for "the American Thanksgiving" and although it has to be held on Saturday or Sunday instead of the traditional Thursday, it felt necessary.

Still, I feel some resentment against Canada as my revised holiday approaches. A weekend for Thanksgiving just doesn't cut it. I want that panicked feeling of cooking like mad on Thursday morning, followed by 3 days of lazing around, eating leftovers. And pie for breakfast. In my house, the one requirement I had was that there be at least one pie for each person invited to dinner. That nearly always meant leftover pie for at least one day. And a plethora of pie: the obligatory pumpkin, apple, cherry (my personal favourite), mince, peach,perhaps a meringue of sorts. One day is simply not enough time to deal with all that pie!

Grumble.

Nobody has asked me about Thanksgiving this year. The boys are twenty and eighteen and family tradition, especially a family tradition that only started 5 years ago, when I came into the picture, isn't exactly a priority. But....Thanksgiving!!! Not the turkey. I couldn't care less about the damn bird! It's the stuffing, the gravy, the smashed potatoes, the sweet potatoes made with Gran Marnier, the creamed onions, the broccoli and hollandaise sauce!

I guess I am cooking on Saturday. I just hope somebody cares other than me.

Is anybody out there?

Okay, people, I need you to work with me here. It's report card time, and yet I am making a commitment to posting drivel on a fairly regular basis. Now I know some of you have dissertations to write or NaNoMoSomethingOrOther and harassers who need their asses kicked and young children who demand all of your energy (not to mention those of you with dogs!) and elections to continue to post incessantly about, but give me some loving here.


I am starting to miss the John Kerry guy....

Oh, and you with all the interviews?? Toronto is a nice place to live, too.

This and that

I blame it on bettie. And Iago.

For those of you not in the know, these are the user names of two of my favourite posters on the Watcher's Diary forum, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer forum that I have been known to frequent from time to time. [wink]

bettie also has a terrific blog and has started to post some seriously delectable recipes. Iago recently requested cookbook suggestions for his dad who is having to take over the food preparation in his household. Both got me thinking; I haven't been cooking nearly enough lately. That's not to say I don't cook; I cook every single night (well, except for take-out nights), but lately my efforts have been largely pinned to defrosting some chicken breasts and steaming some frozen veggies. I blame some of it on sheer exhaustion...at the end of the day, cooking needs to be fast and easy. But, I have plenty of recipes that are fast and easy, I just haven't been arsed to pull them out.

This started to change last weekend. Grant and I had some new friends over and I wanted to make a good impression, culinary-wise. I made Chicken Marsala, steamed asparagus and red bell peppers with balsamic vinegar and my famous spinach salad. The feedback was very satisfying, as was the meal!

Last night I made Curry Tomato Beef, instead of just throwing some chicken, vegetables and black bean sauce in the wok. Again, a tasty meal and Grant's comments were most gratifying. I am inspired. Tonight I am making Chicken Pie with Bisquit Topping and tomorrow night it will be Deborah Madison's Potato, Leek and Mushroom Soup.

Fear me.

On another note, I not only cooked, I also managed to mark the rest of the essays I have been putting off for ages: 50 concept maps on early exploration and colonization in Canada and a history quiz. That only leaves a visual collage and written reflection on the themes in a short story, a novel study and research questions and posters about the fur trade left to do. All for 50 students. Before Friday.

Teachers work too hard. Yes, they do. But in the immortal words of Comden and Green, "I Can Cook, Too!"

I should be used to this by now

I can't decide if it's worse or better that it was so close. It just amazes me that so many people actually think that GWB is a better choice for our country.

I simply don't understand. And that makes me enormously sad. And angry. It is my belief that the people of the United States have given into lies, hatred and fear. I thought we were better than that.

My brilliant sister summed it up in her email to me today:

The new me

I’ve decided to become a Republican.

It all started when my 7-year-old asked me about voting and unearthed the sad fact that I’ve voted in EVERY single election since turning 18 and Clinton is the only presidential candidate I’ve voted for that actually won (well, who won AND actually got to move in to the White House!). He was quite sad about that. So, I’ve decided to join the winners. Since I’ve been a lifelong Democrat, I’m not sure how to be a Republican, but here are some of my ideas….

I will hate all people who aren’t white, rich and, of course, Republican. Oh, unless they are unborn babies. I must love them because we need them to get born and grow up poor so they are forced to join the armed forces and we can then send them to die in our wars.

I will cut down all the trees in my yard, ‘cause who really needs trees? Besides, I will be helping the economy by hiring someone to cut down the trees. As for the rest of my yard, I will heavily coat it all in fertilizer and other chemicals because it helps the chemical companies, and we must support the chemical companies, right?

I will stop thinking for myself and start listening to my government only. Or FOX news (same thing). After all, they know better because they are white and rich. If I see things in the real world that do not match what my government tells me (such as growing poverty, unemployment, toxic waste, unethical big business practices, etc.), I will simply chalk it up to a liberal conspiracy, because that is what they tell me and I must believe them.

I will happily hand over my beautiful two boys to fight for “freedom” because that is my civic duty. If they lose their lives, I will consider it an “acceptable loss.”

I will buy the biggest, gas-guzzling SUV I can find (American made, of course), and drive it a lot. It’s good for the oil business, which of course is good for the economy. Just look at how well Texas is doing. Besides, all the rumors about running out of oil is a liberal conspiracy.

I will vote against every tax and bond, particularly those that help poor people. I will realize that needy people are that way because they are lazy and simply want hand outs. However, I will not hesitate to take any government hand outs that come my way. I deserve them because I am white and live in a middle-class neighborhood. My tax dollars are for me, nobody else. Oh, unless it’s for my white, rich president and his friends.

I will do everything I can to restrict civil liberties, because I realize that civil liberties in the wrong hands can be a dangerous thing.

I will realize that the grand United States of America is destined by God to be the dictator of the world, and any country who defies the might of our great land is a threat to our freedom and must be squashed. I will do whatever it takes (as long as is does not require me to actually get up off the couch during the final episode of American Idol) to protect our way of life.

I will always buy American products, ignoring liberals who claim that “American-made” products are actually created in another country by children or an outsourced, underpaid person in another country.

Well, that’s it for now…..If you have any other suggestions for me, let me know!

On a somewhat more optimistic note, check out ampersand at Alas, a blog:

The big mistake the Democrats, and most of the left, made was to believe that by winning elections we will change the country.

Just the opposite is true. It is only by changing the country that we will win elections.

Yeah. I am not used to this. I will never be used to this. And I will continue to try to fight the good fight...one opinion at a time.

I may have to rename this blog

to Allison Petland.

Anyway, the cat is doing much better. She is finally eating on a more consistent basis and is complaining with her usual snarky energy instead of the pathetic "mrow" she put forth a week ago. I am genuinely hopeful she may stick around a bit longer.

We have also gotten a new bird. We think it's a male, but since "he" is only 3 months old, it will be a bit before we know for sure. When we got him home, he sat frozen in the cage for at least two days. Grant kept pushing me for a name, but how in hell do you name an creature who won't even move? "Statue" didn't seem like an option, although I found myself briefly considering calling him "David". But considering that is the name of my late brother, I reconsidered. Finally, I settled on "Pippin". Not just for the hobbit, although there is no question that Billy Boyd is by far the cutest thing. I reached back into my musical comedy days for this one. The bird is regularly treated to me singing

Think about the sun, Pippin

Think about her golden glance

How she lights the world up

Well, now it's your chance

With the guardian of splendor

Inviting you to dance

Pippin

Think about the sun

He has now evolved from his frozen state to maniacally flitting from one side of the cage to the other. Of course, that may be related to his owner regularly suggesting he emolate himself. His current obsession is trying to nibble his way through the top of the cage. Nothing like a crazy bird to make a house a home!