Today 9Jan2023: Monday

The day started a bit better as I slept the whole night until five minutes before my alarm. Then, I got out the iPhone, looked up my meetings, saw I could slide in 30 more minutes, and reset the alarm. Of course, I got up before the alarm, but it felt better. It is Monday and a work-from-home day, so there is no rushing. I got the hot water started and then made breakfast.

I got out one of my dwindling supplies of NYC bagels from the freezer, dropped it in the microwave for twenty seconds, then cut it in half and toasted. I got out the cottage cheese (small curd only) and added pepper (freshly ground) and sea salt (just a pinch). I paired that with peaches from a can in juices, not syrup. Just 1/2 the can. The coffee was the liberal Equal Exchange brand via French Press. An excellent choice for the first day of Republican control of the USA House of Representatives.

Work, being Monday, was just status meetings and reading emails. Slack messages also flowed as we are in the six-month of the corporate year at Nike. Reviews, feedback, and budget estimates season. I followed along.

At 10ish, I had a break and started on my stretches and exercises for my back. I had taken a few days off as I had started to hurt. I made it through the list without issue and later had only a tiny pinch in my lower left back.

I saw a bald eagle flying over the backyard this morning. All the squirrels disappeared for an hour. They reappeared after the all-clear and stole more apples. Quickly moving the apples to their trees (bunkers).

I then cleaned up and dressed. I collected my tax info and agreements for my new CPA in Hillsboro and headed to his office. The trip to Hillsboro was without incident, and I had only to circle around once to find a parking spot near Cornerstone Tax‘s office. I handed them my large envelope with stuff and told them there was more to come. I had printed off the release schedule from my various investment houses for tax documents, the last pay stub, interest paid on the house document, and other useful and requested items, including a signed agreement to do my taxes. The staff remembered me and were happy to see me in 2023!

Next, I crossed over Hillsboro to the cheap gas, cash, or debit-only station. I filled up with $3.45 gas. Next, I headed to the car wash I used this weekend. I asked them for the part of the license plate the car wash broke apart on Saturday. Yes, they have a “2” for me. They provided free license plate holders and installed one for me (also a free service), and we moved the unruined plate to the back, now safe in a metal plate holder. Then, primarily legal again, I headed across Beaverton to see Susie in AIr Volvo.

One car did pull out in front of me. They waved their apology (a funny Oregon thing–like in Soccer, you raise your arm when you make a mistake when driving here–unlike the rest of the country where they pretend to ignore it and get flipped off or get a horn sounded). I saw it before the Air Volvo autobraking started; we were never in danger. Traffic was heavy, the rain blew sideways, and the wind rocked the cars. Folks braked for rain. Construction (slightly flooding) slowed Air Volvo more.

I arrived around 12:30 in Air Volvo at the hummingbird house. Susie, she was up late and was just finishing breakfast. Jennifer, the live-in and weekday nurse aide, was busy with folks. So, I slipped Susie from the breakfast table and moved her to the social room (letting Jennifer know I was stealing Susie). We called her mother there. Susie had slept poorly (she was up all night) and looked a bit out-of-sorts, but she could interact with Leta, her mother, and they talked about each other’s day.

I had to return to work. I was following along with work on my phone. So I soon had to leave. Susie was surprised but not sad–time comes by so fast. I was quickly facing heavy rain and traffic caused by construction–now messy with wet. But I did get to see huge rainbows between insane sideways rain.

I stopped by Wendy’s and got a chili with onions but did not pay 30 cents for cheese (I have some) and a large french fry. On arriving at the Volvo cave, I brought the damaged plate and the food into the house. I used gorilla duck tape, affixed the broken plate parts to the plate holder, and then mounted the plate and plate hold on Air Volvo–legal again. I took the chili (now with shredded local cheese–Mexican style) and poured it over the fries–yes, my Michigan heritage was showing. I had that for a late lunch.

I followed along with work. Finally, WageWorks aligned with common sense, and a ticket I opened with HR, and they decided to reimburse me for Susie’s car now. Apparently, I needed to use “Nursing Care” and not “Long Term Care” as the code for the request (!?). This was a relief as I looked at endless appeals to fix this.

Soon I was resting. Now returned to NYC, Cat Smith received her Christmas present, Lamp Black Comics #1-2. Excellent!

I made a ham and gouda sandwich for dinner with a dill pickle. I watched some YouTube videos while eating. The BattleShip New Jersey had a nice couple of new videos on fact-checking the Internet (folks have the armor thickness wrong as they seem to be basing their information on Soviet (!?) estimates) and another on a photo of a shell exploding (incorrectly) on leaving the barrel of the USS Missouri (sistership of NJ). I also watch a video of a model, in resin, of a sunken Nazi Bismarck and the original on the surface. The sunken model had a mistake and did not keep some of the paint as we see in the real wreck. But still, it was really a cool project–tempting.

I found some inexpensive wooden sailing ship model kits in 1/50 scale (close to 28mm figure size) that I can kitbash for my spacejammer projects. I wanted some sailing ship masts, so I ordered two, but they will take a few weeks to get here. More to come!

I then headed to Wildwood Taphouse with my newest board game and laptop. Here I wrote this blog!

I spoke to Dan and am cooking a pancake breakfast for the church for Easter.

I spoke to Dondrea, and we might do a Southern Dinner and maybe a show for Mardi Gras in February. I would cook Methodist (Bourbon) Chicken, some regular BBQ chicken, cheesy grits, and green beans. Dessert would be provided by folks. We will see if we can make that work.

Methodist Talent Show Bourbon Chicken

For marinade:

1 cup bourbon
(we use cheap Ten High—look near bottom shelf in store)

1 cup soy sauce
(recipe needs salt in soy sauce so do not use low salt soy sauce)

1/2 cup brown sugar
(packed down)

1 teaspoon paprika
(we used just normal off-the-shelf)

pinch hot red pepper flakes
(we used more than a pinch!)

1 tablespoon molasses
(Grandma’s Dark but not bootstrap)

3 cloves garlic, smashed
(used two tablespoons of already prepared smashed garlic in a tube)

2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
(used two tablespoons of already prepared in a tube)

1 1/2 teaspoons each onion and garlic powder
(we used normal off-the-shelf)

The rest:

6 or so split across chicken breasts (frozen, defrosts, salt washed off)

Large zip lock bag.

Non-stick spray

Foil

Broil pan

Brush for marinade that can handle heat

Combine all ingredients for marinade in bowl. Beat it so the sugar is mixed in good. Remember to set aside about 1/2 cup of this marinade in a clean jar (do not use to marinate on raw chicken; this marinade will be brushed on cooking chicken later). Keep the jar refrigerated.

Put marinade into a Ziploc bag with six or so chicken breasts and distribute evenly. Marinate chicken for 4-6 hours. Turn chicken every few hours or so (marinate longer and you will get ham like flavor—yuck!).

Remove chicken from marinade and say good-bye to marinade—down the drain! Allow chicken to sit at room temperature while you get oven on broil. Enjoy the smell of bourbon in the kitchen—something that does not happen often in a Methodist Church. Get out the jar of marinade and brush. Wrap broiling pan in foil and spray with non-stick spray.

Broil not too close or it will dry out. Cook until just about done, five minutes or so a side. Depends on oven! When a side is done, brush on marinade and flip. Do that on finish too.

Move to cutting board while hot. Cut and look—chicken should just be done. Slice into bite size and put in a pan—cover to keep warm. Juices will leak out of chicken and make chicken even happier. Slicing makes chicken go further too.

Dump unused marinade from jar down drain—do not put on cooked chicken! It is too bitter.

Based on a recipe found at Cooks.com “Cajun Bourbon Chicken”

Thanks for reading!