I Ain't Afraid of No Daleks

I love french fries. Not the garbage they serve today in their "special" oils that are TOTALLY tasteless, though. You know, there's a whole generation out there now, that has NO CLUE what a really good french fry/chip should taste like, because of the health police and their non-animal fat based oils? For shame!

Used to be, when you were bringing home some food to the family, that one needed to order an extra order of fries from McDonald's because there was NO WAY that one bag of fries was going to make it home intact. They were just that good--now? Tasteless rubbsih. That's what eating "healthy" does to you people: it turns you into cardboard eating robots.

Let's face it: people would eat their own poo, if the healthy nazi's said it would be good for them.

So, to compensate for being forced to eat cardboard fries, I get around it by adding stuff to them. There's Chili-cheese fries....french fries topped with chili con carne and melted cheddar cheese, cheese fries, french fries with gravy, french fries with ketchup, french fries with salt and vinegar and fries with mayonnaise (a habit I picked up in the Netherlands).

And then, there's that wonderful combination, one can ONLY find in the province of Quebec. I've only had it once--a classmate brought some into a club meeting once, at college a few years bac. Oh-my-god. Good doesn't even cover it. I'm talking about: Poutine.

Poutine is a French-Canadian dish. It's served at a few fast-food places in Montreal and Quebec City. Basically, it's thick cut french fries, layered with fresh cheese curds and a lovely rich beef gravy. OHHHH--a piece of heaven, it is. I've often longed to have some again...alas, the nearest poutine place is a good 3 or 4 hours away to the north of me.

Don't let the photo put you off--it really is marvelous!

But, recently I found a recipe for poutine on the web:

QUEBEC POUTINE:

4 large russet potatoes
oil for deep frying
salt
2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups cheese curds

8. Ladle gravy over the fries and cheese curds.

My little cat Flamey has some really weird tastes when it comes to begging for food...she adores things like pork lo mein and hot buttered popcorn...but just now, I was sitting here munching on some cheese and crackers, when she swooped in and sat perched over my shoulder--that's right, just like a vulture--begging for some cheese.

Now, Flame does like her cheese, yes. But...this was Cabot's horseradish cheddar. For those of you unfamiliar with horseradish, it's somewhat hot and has a definite bite to it--well, let's just say that when taken in strong enough quantities, it WILL clear out your sinuses, ha-ha. But, Flamey was insistant so I broke of a tiny piece and held it out to her...she sniffed it, then ate it...afterwards making funny faces and licking her lips a lot...then she came back for more...and now, since I'm done with the cheese, she's sitting on the tall bookcase, looking down at my head as if to say, "I know if I stare at you like this, I can make you feel guilty enough to gimme' some more of that CHEESE!"

It's pouring down rain, and overcast, and hoo-ray, getting slightly cooler, tho' not less humid. Minor thundershowers moved through the area, mostly to our south this time. Glad I opted to stay home today, tho' I still need to do some laundry, I have a window of a couple of days before the situation gets desperate, in regards to clean pants and socks and such. I do miss my clunky old washing machine, at times. It may have liked to eat bras (don't ask), but at least I wasn't dependant on a bus schedule or taxi--or whether or not I could spare the money--to have clean clothing.

At 6pm, I'm feeling better than I was most of the day--both physically and emotionally. Don't know if I'll be bright-eyed and busy-tailed to face another Monday, but at least I'll be reasonably rested, which is a good thing.

...for most on-set farts in a single day of filming. Way to go, David!

Getting tagged these days, by people I don't even know! (Though I like her username).

Okay, this time it's 25 questions--probably have had some of these, but...it's Sunday, it's hot and sticky in here, and ANY excuse to put off the hoovering, ha-ha.

1.) IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE WHERE WOULD IT BE?

Either on a hill overlooking a picturese rural valley, or in the mountains near a lake.

2.) WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING?

My western shirt.

3.) IF YOU COULD HAVE CHOSEN YOUR NAME WHAT WOULD IT HAVE BEEN?

What's wrong with Nancy? Now, my last name....

4. THE LAST CD THAT YOU BOUGHT?
The New Pornographers Electric (something) CD.

5. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE?

In a stable or backstage at a theatre

6. WHERE IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PLACE TO BE?

In a hospital bed or a dentist's chair

7. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE IN THE MORNING?

With my schedules? Whenevr! Used to be between 6:30 and 8am, now it's more like anytime between 7:30 to 10am, depending on what time I have to be to work.

8. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE?

My microwave

9. WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANGRY

Bigots, rude people and neo-cons.

10. IF YOU COULD PLAY ANY INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Piano or fiddle

11. FAVORITE COLORS?

Royal blue, forest green, brown, purple, burgundy.

12. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK?

As best as I recall, one of my favourite early picture books was called, "The Contest Between the Sun and the Wind," based on an Aesop's fable, I think.

13. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
Fall/autumn.

14. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Teleporting would be pretty cool...and I wouldn't have to worry so much about the size of my carbon footprint, ha-ha.

15. TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?

No offense to people who like them, but I personally wouldn't be caught dead with a tattoo.

16. CAN YOU JUGGLE?

The better question is, can I even stand on my own two feet, without falling over?

17. THE ONE PERSON FROM THE PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO.

Tie between Ralph Waldo Emerson or William Shakespeare.

18. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DAY

My day off.

19. LOOK UP A COUPLE OF FEET AND TO YOUR LEFT. WHAT DO YOU SEE?

A cheap oil painting in a carved teak frame, of a bluebird sitting on a branch with blossoms on it.

20. SUSHI OR HAMBURGER?
Hambuger--I'm a meat and potatoes kind of gal, not a blinking dolphin!

21. SOMETHING YOU DID WHILE ON VACATION, THAT YOU NEVER DID BEFORE?

Go sailing on a real wooden sailboat, swim in a hot spring, come face to face with a moose, a bull elk and a buffalo, ride a camel, eat smoked herring and stinging nettle cheese, go inside a newly discovered Egyptian tomb, spend three hours inside Heathrow.

22. HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN LOST?

A couple of times, yeah. But unfortunatly I always got found...darn.

.23. WHAT BOOK HAVE YOU READ MORE THAN ANY OTHER?

Not sure. Either Emerson's Essays, or The Walking Drum

24. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANYTHING FOR DINNER TONIGHT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Grilled seasoned Ribeye steak, zucchini sauteed in garlic butter, fresh mashed potatoes.

25. WHAT DID YOU, OR WILL YOU, ACTUALLY HAVE FOR DINNER?

Tuna salad sandwich and corn chowder.

Your result for The Canadian Test by TwoGuyswithaHat ...

Tim Horton's Addict
Congratulations! You scored ###!

Not only are you Canadian, but you have purchased enough coffee at Tim's that they know your order by heart. You can name all the provinces and have been to most of them. Or at the very least can find them on a map.

You scored 71% on canuckpoints, higher than 33% of your peers.

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/the-canadian-test

When I lived in Lake George in 06, I used to meander down the mile or so from my flat, to the Lakefront boardwalk, and listen to the caliope on board the paddlewheel boat, Minne-ha-ha, and watch them fire the cannon at Fort William Henry, stop and pet the carriage horses (and feed them a carrot if the drivers were agreeable), window shop, sit in the charming little botanical gardens, stand and watch the people para-sailing, and just hang out gawking like some goggle-eyed redneck, at the tourons.

And...unlike everyone else around me, I didn't spend a dime on my enjoyment...even used to bring my own cold drinks.

A steamboat caliope sounds like this:

I did some chores in the kitchen, sat down to cool down--I was wringing wet after just 15 minutes of wiping down the counters and cabinets--and I decided to read a book...only I fell asleep! One minute it's around 1pm, and the next, it's 3pm! Wow, now I know I'm getting old.

Guess I probably should try and eat some lunch. Don't really feel like a meal, tho' I am hungry. Meh--I'll nip into the kitchen for some honey-nut Cheerios and ice cold milk for my "lunch."

At least I remembered to take that little whole young chicken I got for 3 bucks last week, out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge. Not looking forward to running the oven in this heat, tho'. But, it'll take a day or two to thaw out enough to cook, so maybe by then the temperatures will go down.

Well, the tourists are coming in by the droves now, and I'm even hearing more private jets coming in to land at the little county airport outside the city. Saratoga race meet starts next week, drawing an international crowd of both the posh and the not-so-posh, by the thousands into the the Saratoga/Adirondack region. What with the thorobred and harness horse racing, the national museums, the polo, ballet, street cafes, and other cultural attractions in Saratoga, combined with the lakes and beaches, "fun" attractions, the rodeos, parasailing, cruises, mountains, amusement parks and such, up here, it's the one time of year when it can be truly hard to find an empty hotel room in a 50 mile radius--which is really saying something because there's literally hundreds of hotels, motels and resorts , within that radius--not to mention condo and apartment rentals, state and private campgrounds, dude ranches and rustic cabins.

Too hot to write. Can't think of anything interesting to say.

Chainsaws buzzing and growling and whineing away, across the street. For some reason, lots of trees are being cut down in the City of Glens Falls--perfectly healthy trees, many of them. What IS it with men and trees? It's as if the men in America are not truly happy unless they're killing or destroying something.

I see where Bush is chomping at the bit to start WWIII. When are people in this country going to wake up and see that the man is just plain insane? And stupid, let's not forget stupid.

People in other countries look at American culture, and I wonder what they see, these days? I know what I see, and it's not very pretty.

Well, I've chores to do. Even tho' it's been raining part of the day, it's still 92 F in my apartment, and actually quite steamy outside. I hate this weather. It saps the life out of you.

I'm in a mildly bad mood today, sorry. I need a life, but I just have to settle for being a vegetable today. Hope you all have a nice Sunday.

"Yeah, I sleep in the nude...everytime I wear pyjamas, something bad always happens--well, that and Russell just wanted the fan girls to get all hot and bothered over my sexy manly physique."

(excerpt from the "Kentucky Fried Movie")

It's HOT! 90 F in my bedroom at ten minutes to 11 at night.

Dull evening, for me, tho' I'm glad I didn't go to Lake George--they had a bad thunderstorm move through, and I would've likely been soaked through, as would have been my lawn chair and other items. It would have been a long wet walk back to the trolley stop at the pier.

The storms have been hitting Glens Falls--but just before they arrive, splitting to the north and south, so we've been dry all day.

Not much going on in my part of the world. According to tonight's paper:

Two people struck by lightning at the Saratoga County Fair. While waiting near an entrance gate for their families during a rain storm, a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree stump, and traveled underground through the root system, striking the pair--and adult woman and a 15 year old boy--neither of them related to the other, and knocking them both unconscious. The boy is in critical condition and he was transported from the local hostpital to a more advanced treatment centre, the woman's condition is still unknown at this time.

A car caught fire from unknown causes, outside the city of Glens Falls. The driver was unhurt, but the car is a total loss. It is said that smoke from the burning vehicle could be seen for a couple of miles.

A young man was bounced out of a South Street bar Friday night, for being rude to staff, and when he kept trying to re-enter the bar, police were called. Upon his arrest, he began kicking the door and window of the patrol car, knocking it off its hinges, and the young man had to be restrained with both pepper spray and a tazer gun. Later, while being handcuffed to a holding cell, the young man lashed out at a passing officer, causing the policeman a minor injury to the head, which didn't require any medical treatment. The man is being held over until a bail hearing is set. He faces numerous charges from a misdemenor to felonies.

Another man was arrested here on Glen Street, for violating an order of protection, when he visited a woman who had a restraining order against him.

An author came to Crandall Public Library here in the city, to discuss his book, which addresses global warming, and our need here in America to change our way of thinking--both on a local and national level.

The town of Whitehall, on the Champlain canal near the Vermont border, issued a boil water notice, due to a leak in a water supply pipe. Residents are being cautioned to either boil water for a minimum of a minute before using, or to buy bottled water, until the problem is fixed.

The local Democratic party held a fund raising picnic in Fort Edward today.

The turn out for the community band concert in Lake George has been higher than expected.

The Adirondack Theater Festival is continuing through the week.

With a hot, steamy summer for much of the season so far, local beaches on various lakes and the Hudson river, as well as public swimming pools in Hudson Falls and Saratoga State Pak, plus several local water parks, are seeing full capacity crowds this year, as more locals are opting to stay home and visit these places, rather than travel to the ocean or other places in America and Canada.

And...that's about it. Dull stuff. Dull night. Have a good Sunday, all.