Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

My dad and I were talking about this last night so I decided to do it.  I winged the recipe so I'm posting it here.

 16 oz  baby portabella mushrooms (approx 18)

1  6oz package of cornbread stuffing mix

2  6oz cans lump crab meat drained

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook the stuffing mix as directed and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees  

Wash the mushrooms and remove the stems, do not discard the stems

Separate the parmesan into two bowls, one with 1 cup and one with ½ cup

Chop the stems to desired size and put in medium sized mixing bowl

Once the stuffing is cool, add it to the bowl with the stems

Thoroughly mix crab meat, onions, 1 cup Parmesan, stems, and stuffing

Stuff mushrooms with desired amount of stuffing  (there will be stuffing left over). Place on greased cookie sheet.

Sprinkle remaining ½ cup Parmesan over stuffed mushrooms.

 

Bake for 20 minutes or until liquid forms under the mushrooms.

Let cool and serve.

Over Analyzing Supernatural.

This is what comes from paying way too much attention to detail and from rewatching things over and over and over again.

The fact that Sam Winchester got enough of an education to actually get into any college, let alone Stanford, is really freaking amazing.  Especially with all the moving around that they did.  Transferring of records from school to school, staying at one for at most a year.  He was VERY lucky.  Applying himself could only do so much. And the fact that he took the LSAT after his second year of college is confusing as you usually take that after your third year but we're supposed to ignore that.

This is where my brain came up with this.  We know that Dean has a GED which means he didn't actually graduate from high school, he finished it later.  That's pretty understandable given the situation growing up.

I was born Oct of 78 and Dean was born Jan of 79 which means that we would have been in the same school year.  In the 4th season episode "After School Special", Dean is still in school in November of 97.  This means that he was held back because he should have graduated in May of 97 like I did.  Also the fact that Sam is 4 years younger and they're both in high school proves that Dean was held back.  That's because Dean didn't bother to apply himself.  He knew he was going to be a hunter.  He knew that he didn't really need all that much of an education.  So what's the point, right?

We know from various clues that Dean is actually very intelligent.  He reads a lot.  He read and understood Vonnegut.  I haven't even touched Vonnegut and I have a high IQ.   So it stands to reason that in a different life, under different circumstances, Dean could have gone to college.  He could have had a really great job making lots of money.  But he likes being a hunter.  And he has the education that he needs for being a hunter.  He knows most of the lore by memory, and what he doesn't know he has in books.  While he hates research, he can do it without any problem.

It really irritates me that Sam looks absolutely surprised every time Dean knows something that proves how smart he really is.  It's like Sam is constantly underestimating Dean just because he never graduated high school.  But he didn't need to graduate high school because he knows everything that he needs to know to stay alive.  Even if he has died like 136843546834354 times (remember "The Mystery Spot") .


This is what happens when a reasonably intelligent person over analyzes a fictional TV show when thinking about their favorite character on said show.  Sometimes I hate the way my brain works.

Supernatural Drinking Game

I'm rewatching the entire series because I can and I came up with this.  I'm sure there are plenty of versions of this out there but this is mine.  The series is view instantly on Netflix so enjoy.

Supernatural Drinking Game

Sip

Every time Sam flares his nostrils

Every time someone says “I thought that was just a myth” or something similar

Every time Dean says the word pie

Every time we see random demon black eyes

Every time Sam or Dean say something about their dad  

Every time Bobby says “Idjits” or “Balls”

Every time Sam says “libary” (that is not misspelled, listen when he says it)

Every time they make a pop culture reference

Every time Dean eats or drinks on camera

Every time someone says “hoo doo”

Every time Sam or Dean get thrown across the room

Every time salt is poured

Every time someone/something is burned

Drink

Every time Dean is a pervert

Every time Sam yells “Dean!”

Every time Dean yells “Sammy!” or “Sam!”

Every time you hear a hell hound

Blatant car porn

Every time Castiel doesn’t understand a pop culture reference

Every time Sam or Dean think they’re going to die

Every time Sam and Dean have a fight

Every time they fight a ghost

Every time there’s a flashback

Every time Dean lies to Sam

Every time Sam or Dean get punched

Every time the Supernatural books are mentioned

Shot

Every time Dean mentions porn

Every time Crowley says “Hello, boys.”

Every time Dean jumps after praying to Castiel  

Every time you see Dean with black eyes

Every time Sam or Dean kick in a door

Every time Dean says “Son of a bitch”

Every time a demon is exorcised

Every time Sam or Dean actually die

Every time a demon makes a “call”  

Every time Sam is surprised that Dean knows something

Every time someone thinks Sam and Dean are a couple

Every time there’s a shifter

Every time Sam lies to Dean

Every time someone mentions the tablets

Every time a demon is summoned

My delivery area alone is grounds for higher pay

I have been thinking for a while that I would sit down and write out a typical day for me.  The thing is, one day to the next isn't typical.  I have a certain routine but hat routine gets interrupted quite often.  I'm going to be honest, this post is going to be very long, so quit now if you don't want to do some serious reading.

Let's start with my delivery area.  That alone is worth more money.  Why you ask?  Let's see...

River Hills Cir
River Hills Ct
River Hills Dr

Green Oaks Cir
Green Oaks Ct
Green Oaks Blvd

Trinity Oaks Ct
Trinity Oaks Dr

Brown Oaks
Summer Oaks
Sleepy Oaks
Canyon Oaks
River Oaks
Fair Oaks
Southern Oaks

Forest Oaks
Forest Dale
Forest Glade
Forest Brook
Forest Point
Forest Hollow

Here's a map.  Everything inside the red is where I deliver.  

And that's just the ones that I can think of off the top of my head.  There are many more confusing streets.  And then there's the fact that my area has 82 apartment complexes and 19 hotels.  And most of the apartments I go to are either second, third, or even fourth floor walk ups.  So there's that.


Now, let's talk about my day, shall we?

I get to work at 10 am.  I have to organize and take out the trash from the night before which usually involves a lot of breaking down boxes and at least two trips and sometimes four to the dumpster which is about a half a football field per trip.  And that, of course, is if the dumpster that is closest to the store isn't already full from the unbroken down boxes of the convenience store and the dry cleaners.

After that's done, I have to make sauce.  This works out to anywhere from 1 to 4 gallons of sauce.  Each bucket of sauce weighs about  30 pounds and that has to be carried all the way from one side of the store to the other to put it in the walk in.  And that's just the pizza sauce, that doesn't include the bread stick sauce.

All of this is SUPPOSED to get done by the time we open at 1030am.  But it rarely happens because it usually takes me about 20 minutes just to get the trash organized so I can take it out.  Then I have other things that have to be done.  I have to make sure that the cut table is completely stocked.  On Fridays I have to stock the 2 liter and 20 oz coolers so that I can order the Pepsi shipment.  You read that right.  I, a minimum wage, non management worker orders the Pepsi shipment.  On Mondays I have to make sure that the coolers are stocked before the shipment arrives so that the driver will take all the empty cases away.

And all of this has to be done while trying to take deliveries so if it's busy, which means I spend a majority of my time at driver pay rather than in store pay, then I can't really get anything done.  Does it matter that it's busy?  No, of course not.  If I can't get anything done during my scheduled shift than I usually end up having to stay after my shift to get it done because it's MY job and no one else's.

Is there a second day driver?  Why yes there is, when he bothers to show up.  Why do I say he?  Because I am the only female driver.  I am also the only driver that stays past their scheduled off time when needed which has resulted on many an occasion in me staying until close.  The day drivers that I usually have are kind of idiots and intent on doing only specific jobs so guess who gets to try to do all the in store stuff while having to answer the phone because no one else will? That's right, that would be me.

I have to fold literally hundreds of boxes a day.  Sometimes as many as a thousand in one day.  Not an exaggeration.  I have to take deliveries, make sure that the deliveries are correct before going out the door because who gets yelled at by the customer if something is forgotten?  Me.  Who gets yelled at by the customer if the cook made the order wrong?  Me.  I have even gotten yelled at because I have had to take manager calls and deal with angry customers on the phone because the manager couldn't be bothered to do his job.

At the end of the day I am the only driver that actually asks if I am allowed to go home rather than saying that I need to go home.  I actually ask if the manager needs anything else of me because that's how I was trained.  I don't know where these guys get this "I need to go home now because I'm scheduled off" attitude but it is EVERY SINGLE MALE DRIVER in the damn store.

When one driver shows up at 10am and one driver shows up at 11am and both are scheduled off at 5pm, the 10am driver should get to go home first.  That's usually me.  I never get to go home first because I don't demand to go home.  The 11am driver will almost always get to go home before me because he has to get off work on time regardless of how busy we are.  I've lost track of the number of times I've been kept late because all the men insist on leaving on time.

Then there's the fact that I spend about $250-$300 a MONTH on gasoline and that's even in my extremely fuel efficient vehicle.  And I have to get oil changes more often than most people.  I already need new tires that I can't afford even though my car only has 30000 miles on it, oh  and that car is only 15 months old by the way.  So yeah, that's about 2000 miles a month.  Most people put about 12000 miles a year on their cars.  Roughly.

So after all that I have to go through.  All that I put up with on a daily basis.  And I do all of that for $7.25 an hour when I'm in the store and $4.25 an hour when I'm on the road.  That averages out to about $5.25 an hour.  I had a 93 hour paycheck that totaled $468 after taxes.  That works out to $5.03 an hour.  INCLUDING OVERTIME.



Now, tell me again why I don't deserve $10 or more an hour?

When crossovers attack

When Adrianne Palicki plays two different characters on two different TV shows that are not even remotely related, and I realize that both characters are played by the same actress, this is what happens.


SHIELD is very aware of demons and shifters and monsters and ghosts and all of that.  This is why they allow the hunters to exist.  Because that way they can concentrate on terrorists and super humans.  SHIELD is also very aware of the various and sundry prophecies in regard to the Winchester brothers.  They know that Sam and Dean are very important and that they need to be hunting together.

SHIELD sends in operative Bobbi Morse undercover as Jessica Moore, the woman who would be the love of Sam Winchester's life.  SHIELD was also responsible for John Winchester's disappearance.  They needed Sam to drop out of school and get on the road hunting with Dean.  This had to happen.  So Dean came to get Sam to go look for their dad.  But Sam wouldn't go.  He wanted to stay and be with his girlfriend.

This is when it was time for Bobbi's undercover assignment to end.  SHIELD knew all about how Mary Winchester died and figured that the best way to get Sam to actually leave and go hunting with Dean is to have Jessica "die".  So they copied the way that Sam's mother died and it worked, Sam hit the road.

Of course Azazel took credit for the death because he's a demon and he wanted to get his way and that was the best way to do it.  And all these years Bobbi had been off on the sidelines, just watching and making sure that Sam and Dean have what they need to save the world because they are very, very important.

Taste the rainbow. Be the rainbow?

For most of my life I have assumed I was a heterosexual cis woman.  I was to be a "girl" and get married to a man and have kids and be happy.  Growing up Southern Baptist in Texas raised by Republicans that was really the only option I thought I had.  I was as devout a Christian as a kid can be.  I told gay jokes and pulled the Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve bullshit.  It was how I was raised and I embraced it because that's what you did. 

As I have gotten older a lot of things have changed.  My eyes have been opened to more than just male and female.  More than just heterosexual and homosexual. There's a big range of things that a person can be.  I never felt like I fit into the binary world that had been presented to me.  The problem is that even with this multichromatic life I have been shown, I'm still not sure where I fit in. 

This is what I know about myself.  I feel more comfortable in men's clothing but I don't feel like I was born in the wrong body.  I've always known I was a woman and I am okay with that.  As a matter of fact, there's only once a month that I would really rather have a penis and I'm sure you can guess the reasons for that.  I used to have a huge problem with people that wanted a sex change or considered themselves to be in the wrong body but that was my upbringing and I have since opened my mind.  But, as I was saying, I don't feel like I was born in the wrong body but I feel like I was made for the wrong clothes.  Men's clothing is more comfortable, and easier for me to work in.  I have a hard time finding women's clothing that fits me properly or that I feel good in.  I also know that whenever I have dreams, I am a man.  That's always the case.  In all the dreams that I actually remember, I've only ever been a woman one time.  The rest I have been a man.  I don't know what that means exactly.  And then there's the fact that I have been told that I am very good at writing gay porn for someone that's never had a penis.

I appreciate beauty and can even identify people as being "hot" but I find that I am not actually physically attracted to any one specific person.  Of the men that I have slept with only one would actually be considered attractive by a large group of people.  When I say "sexy is an attitude" I genuinely mean it.  I've been with men that managed to turn me on even though there was no real physical attraction to them.  And I don't just find men aesthetically pleasing.  I look at women and think "Damn she's hot" but I don't want to sleep with women.  I truly appreciate boobs.  I would play with Kat Dennings' boobs if she'd let me and it would be completely nonsexual.  I do have sexual desires but they're not attached to any one specific person and I honestly can't really think about having actual sex with a person.  The idea turns me off, really.

I look at men like Chris Evans and honestly think "I bet he gives great hugs."  While other women look at him and think about tying him down and having their way with him.  The only remotely sexual thing that I even imagine doing to him is licking chocolate sauce from his abs and I don't even know why I want to do that.  Seriously.

I form more emotional attachments to fictional characters and, more correctly, cars than I do to actual people.  Watching Baby get smashed to bits hurt me more than seeing Dean laying dead in Sam's arms.  No lie.  And I feel more sympathy for the Tardis than I ever did for the Doctor.  I look at older cars and see these amazingly beautiful things that are practically art.  I look at a person that is considered to be attractive and I just see someone that's good looking.  There's no real desire to have sex with them.  And I say them because I am talking about both men and women.

There are all kinds of labels out there now.  Lots of things that you can consider yourself.  And I'm still not entirely sure what the hell any of that has to do with me.  How I fit in to any of this.  I guess I'm just looking for a little bit of help in figuring things out.  Because after nearly 37 years of being alive and thinking about who I am as a person, I still have no fucking clue.  

Tallywackers

I feel like Tallywackers needs a decent review rather than just saying "On hey it's good" and leaving it at that.

It was a Wednesday night and there was a half an hour wait for three people.  My mom, daughter, and I went tonight and it was busy.  ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  That says something.  Though our waiter and I agree that part of it was probably the novelty of the place.  It has only been open for about a month.  And that business might die down a little once it's been there longer but we're both hoping it doesn't.

That was our waiter.  His name is Geraldo and he's very nice.  And it's not waiter nice, either.  He's genuinely a nice guy.  We nicknamed him Mackie, though I think he fits Fresh Prince a bit more.  Normally, they take their shirts off for pictures but Kaitlynne asked that they keep their shirts on.  She also got pictures with one guy that we call Captain America.  

And another guy that we called Alcide.  

Kaitlynne kept smelling her shoulder after that picture because some of his cologne rubbed off on her and it smelled nice.  It was kind of adorable.  We gave a few other nicknames out but these were the only ones she actually wanted pictures with.  

The restaurant was a bit noisy but it was full of people talking and have a good time so noise was to be expected.  They had great music and some videos playing on the TVs that were pretty cool.  Sometimes the music matched the videos and sometimes it didn't but it was still cool.  

Now, onto the food.  It was amazing.  I got the rigatoni pasta which had braised beef and mushrooms and spinach and cherry tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.  I asked for no tomatoes and it came with it anyway, but they were easy to pick out so it wasn't a big deal.  Now, you have to understand that I am a ridiculously picky eater.  Not only because of my tastes but also because of certain issues that I have that make it hard for me to find food that I actually CAN eat.  So it's hard for me to find restaurant pasta that's actually edible for me.  Especially since they don't always cook the pasta right.  This was not the case with Tallywackers pasta.  It was the perfect tenderness, and the meat was so soft I almost didn't have to chew it.  The whole meal was very enjoyable and I ate every bite, which is rare for me, especially these days.  

Kaitlynne got the Croque Monsieur which she loved.  She didn't finish it, though, because it had EIGHT LAYERS of ham on it.  And their french fries are pretty amazing.  The sandwich just looked really good.  

My mom got the "Bobby Duke" chicken fried stake.  It came with mashed potatoes and green beans.  The green beans were so covered in garlic that they were actually spicy and they were fresh green beans which is kind of awesome.  The steak was a decent size.  Big enough that my mom couldn't finish it.  It looked really good, though.  

My only real complaint about the place is that the only iced tea they have is mango flavored and I don't really like mango.  And they don't have root beer.  But most of the time I drink water anyway so it was okay.  And the water was good, not typical Dallas tap water.

I definitely look forward to going back to Tallywackers at some point.  They offer free valet parking, but the valets do work for tips.  I gave ours a $9 tip, though most people were giving them one or two, which irritated me.  Doing business with someone that also works for tips has advantages for sure.  

Over all, I highly recommend it.  The waiters are a large variety of guys that cater to pretty much every taste.  And there weren't just women and gay guys there, either.  It was a nice mix of clientele. 

If you find yourself in Dallas, stop by Tallywackers.  As far as the good goes, you definitely get what you pay for, and the ambiance is very enjoyable.  

And no, I did not get paid to write this review.       

Grammar Sucks Sometimes Part 2

I've been doing more thinking about how hard the English language is and have come up with a few more examples, though this time the list isn't quite as long as the first one.

I took it as a compliment that he said we complement each other. 

They decided to have tea before time to tee off.

He told a lie about the lye and I had to lie down. 

I watched her sink down in the chair after putting the dishes in the sink.

The bird flew up the flue while I had the flu. 

I had to use my shoe to shoo the dog away. 

The waist of the skirt could not be fixed.  What a waste. 

The principle reason for the new principal was a lack of principles. 

My aunt is allergic to ants.  (This is only a problem in the south lol)

I shall bear witness to the fact that the bear was bare. 

The hair of the heir seemed lighter than air. 

Words that I couldn't fit into sentences.  

bred/bread

LLAP

I've actually been thinking about whether or not I was going to do this and I decided that I would.

There have been a lot of celebrity deaths in the first two months of 2015.  Though I don't think there have been any more this year than in previous years.  The thing is, I'm starting to recognize more and more of the names.  They're starting to be people that I grew up watching on TV, or in movies.  People that I have admired for most of my life.  Names that make me a little sad.  The same can be said for 2014, in all honesty.  I recognized a LOT of those names as well.  I haven't really done posts for any of them because I didn't feel like I had all that much to say.  Even Harold Ramis who played one of my favorite movie characters of all time.  Egon Spengler will forever live in my heart.  But that's not why I'm posting today.

I'm posting because of Leonard Nimoy.

I grew up watching reruns of Star Trek with my family.  It was the first science fiction that I was really engrossed in.  The original Star Trek series was something that I would actually hunt for in the TV guide.  I actually sat down and created a list of the things that happened in every single episode with just a few exceptions.  There's a part of me that always connected with Spock because he didn't always get the joke.  While he managed to say "That's illogical" in some form or another in every episode, he was not illogical to me.  And the fact that McCoy kept making fun of him on a regular basis and he didn't let it bother him spoke to me.  I was reading a lot of things into the character that probably weren't even there, but that's how I interpreted it.  Spock was highly intelligent and could make a joke every now and then even if he didn't always get the funny.  The character just spoke to me.  I'll be honest that I haven't watched the show in a while and I'm probably not remembering things as clearly as I would have a few years ago, but that's what I do remember about the show and the movies.  Spock was my favorite character and I felt like I could connect to him.  Like if I could pick anyone of the cast to just hang out with, it would be him.  And that is because of the wonderful acting talents of Mr. Nimoy.  The writing only goes so far in creating a character.  They're just words on a page that could be put in front of anyone.  But the actor is who brings the character to life.  Who makes them a real person, in a way.  And Leonard Nimoy was brilliant.  

Star Trek has been a part of my life longer than even Doctor Who and definitely longer than Star Wars.  Spock has been a member of the family for all this time.  My dad watches the western channel on a regular basis and Leonard pops up there every now and then as well.  He had a pretty extensive career, though Spock was his most famous.  He was on Dragnet and Mission: Impossible both of which I watched as reruns.  And he was also the voice of King Kashekim Nedakh.  His career goes all the way back to 1951 and has been full and varied.  

There was a twitter post that said that every geek just lost their favorite grandfather and that's not wrong.  I realize that this isn't as eloquent or heart felt as some of the other posts about Mr. Nimoy, but that's just because I have a hard time putting my feelings into words when it comes to someone I actually admired and cared about.  At least as much as you can care about someone you've never actually met.  He will always be remembered as one of my favorite actors and Spock will always be one of my favorite fictional characters.  

@edwardnorton and the jar of hotness

So today's Jar of Hotness name is Edward Norton.  Not only is he a talented actor but he's also very good looking.  Though I have to admit, I prefer him in his comedic roles like the various Wes Anderson movies that he's done.  He's got an over all talent, though.

He doesn't always have such a nice body but everyone is allowed a break from the gym.  

There also aren't many men that can pull off that kind of mustache, but Edward definitely can.  

And he looks good in a "boyscout" uniform.  That's a rare quality for an adult as well.  

So you have your eye candy for today.  Mr. Edward Norton.  Enjoy.