sleepy

I went to the new natural/less toxic home stuff store today and looked at their paint color options. They carry AFM safecoat, which I cannot use, and a type called Chem-Safe, which I might be able to tolerate. Their colorant is no-VOC, which is plus--it can come in very deep colors, too. The guys who run the place are nice. I was a bit woozy in there. The business which previously leased the space used some type of sulfur chemical bath for testing concrete samples. It smells like a photo lab in there. I always get woozy and dizzy and nauseated at F-stop and this place smells similar.

Anyhow, I bought more boxes today. I got about 2/3 of the books boxed up yesterday--18 boxes. I also splurged on olives and cheese and dolmas at Whole Foods. Dammit, I need to eat yummy things sometimes.

So tired. drove around downtown, starbucks, iy, martin's hardware, staples, whole foods, nature neutral, drove around downtown, home. i still need to go to city hall/police to drop off my bills *and* go to CVS to buy more pseudoephedrine. maybe i can just dose myself with caffeine tomorrow, too. i can skip another day of pseudo if i do that, but not much more. my allergies are still bothering me. i bought henna today. need to re-do my hair sometime soon.

We need to walk downtown and drop off the utility bills. I tried to find parking twice today, but it was super busy on that end of town (construction has reduced the amount of parking and *street parking* downtown), so I didn't get to the post office, either.

I'm really tired. I haven't been able to drive much lately--too out of it. Friday night really took its toll. I was only out for two hours today, but I'll probably not be able to drive much anytime soon. Last week, I locked my keys, coat, and wallet in the car at the paint store and had to call boy to see if a neighbor or friend was available. nannar saved my ass, picking up boy's keys and bringing them out ot me. I'd tried calling AAA, but after waiting on the phone for five minutes, I gave up. The paint guys were being quite nice and letting me use their phone, as it was.

Time to go downtown, if I can walk that far. Then we need to go to the house and get electrocuted some more.

I think my vacuum just wants me to feel akin to my dad. It's working as a defibrillator, so I can have jerks and jolts just like he does. Only mine are external, not from an implated device.

quorn skillet stuff

I've been eating a lot of Tinkyada brown rice pasta lately. It's good stuff, unlike de Boles' rice pasta, which sucks goat balls.

Anyhow, I've developed my latest and greatest favoritest meal. ;)

First, put on water to boil for pasta. While the water is coming to a boil, work on the other stuff.

First, I chop up some onions and mushrooms, if I want 'em. I put in a skillet that has a bit of hot oil in it. Sometimes it was crushed red pepper, sometimes not. Sometimes carrots, often not. I add some minced garlic. When the onions are translucent, I toss in some frozen quorn tenders. I pour in a healthy amount of un-chicken broth--the idea is to let it boil away, soaking the quorn thoroughly. I also add some herbs and spices: thyme, oregano, savory, tarragon, mustard, rosemary--whatever floats my boat. Sometimes I toss in some roasted red peppers or dried red peppers, sometimes not. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat slightly, but still letting it boil. Salt and freshly ground pepper are a given in any savory dish, right?

I put two or three sun-dried tomatoes in a small dish.

When the water for the pasta comes to a boil, I put enough to cover the tomatoes in that dish--they need to soak for a couple minutes. Then I add the pasta, stirring as it comes back to a boil. I set the timer for the pasta, then cut the tomatoes into bits. The tomatoes get thrown into the quorn skillet. The liquid gets added to whichever dish needs it--sometimes the pasta, sometimes the quorn.

Tinkyada pastas cook anywhere from 11-12 minutes to 15-16 minutes. I keep an eye on everything--stirring the pasta, sometimes adding more broth to the quorn.

I get out a colander and add a cup or so of frozen peas. When the pasta is done, I pour it over the peas into the colander. I let it drain briefly, then toss it into a dish with butter. I pour the skillet contents over it, mix well.

At this point, I usually dish some into a bowl and eat it. This week, though, I've been cooking it with mustard and it demands something richer.

Put a serving into a bowl, add a forkful of sour cream and a forkful of mayo, stir, adjust salt/pepper to taste. Enjoy!