Woke around 8 a bit dry, puttered around the FB apps a bit and fell down again before I even got to the point of coffee. By the time I regained consciousness it was past noon. Coffee, vitamins, a muffin, followed not long after by 6 Mrs. T's 4-cheese frozen pierogies pan-fried in a little olive oil. What in the world possessed me to buy frozen pierogies, you ask. Well, they were "buy one get one free" at $2.79 for 16oz boxes: 220kcal per serving, 4 servings per box, or 12-13 pierogies per box, i.e. 6 pi... (...more)

For breakfast we went with yerba maté instead of instant coffee: 3 rounded scoops in the press makes 2 fairly hearty presses. Also I went with (*gasp*) assorted muffins instead of banana-nut last time I shopped, so I had a chocolate-chip muffin with ~2 tbsp peanut butter. 2 presses of yerba maté is a very suitable substitute for antidepressants without the (a)sexual side effects. Between home and teh oroffice I hit the treadmill for 2.5mi: 1mi at 5.1, 1-lap cooldown, repeat and hit the shower. There was ... (...more)

A good grease-cutting dish soap and a plastic dish brush is about the best thing for removing that dark-gray soap scum from sinks, bath and shower without scratching the finish. Hint: it's mostly skin oils.

Castle Age: Patiently waiting for monsters to die, including my Tower of Transcendence II platinum tier Magmos (#6), for summoner achievement, lava flask loot, and monster points. Two other Magmoses (#7 and 8), both for lava flasks and one also for Tower II monster points. Two Thanatoses (#4 and 5), for the "defeat Thanatos 5 times" achievement which awards some favor points. Picked up another 750ml bottle of the Turning Leaf pinot grigio. Of the white wines I tried in my 5-bean recipe, that was the one... (...more)

1.5 cups dry El Sembrador lentils, 1/2 cup each frozen chopped spinach and broccoli crowns 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, 1 cup Liberty Creek merlot, 2 cups water, a couple splashes of olive oil and a couple dashes of lite salt. Simmer medium-low 20 minutes. Not sure whether it was the absence of broccoli or a weakness of the wine or a shortage of salt, but this didn't come out all that flavorful. The mild nutty flavor of lentils dominates. Perfectly edible but not something I'd serve to impress guests. ... (...more)