I read Da__Vinci’s post earlier, and took his advice in setting up Sitemeter. No sooner had I done this, that I went back to my Xanga home page and noticed this:
That’s right, the ex husband. (That’s not his full screen name, by the way). I don’t know if he signed in this time because he was thoughtless, or whether it was deliberate. I’ve noticed other Footprints from Ohio, most of which I can identify as people other than my ex, but some I was fairly certain were him. It wasn’t until today that I was certain.
And, because I had just installed Sitemeter, I know that he was viewing from the library:
He told me a long time ago, while we were still married, that he shut down his site. I guess he didn’t, he just blocked me at that time, and I didn’t check to see which it was because I really didn’t give fuck.
I still don’t give a fuck. I thought maybe I should go on Friend’s Lock again, but I’m not. He cannot dictate to me what freedoms I have, and he cannot take away my freedom of speech, or make me feel like I have to “watch what I post” anymore. And, if I really want to post something for only a few eyes to see I can always post protected.
I am sure he is still lurking, even though I blocked him from my site, though he’d have to log out to do so. That’s okay. Golden, make sure you don’t miss this post, though I think you’ve already seen it:
Then, just go away. There is nothing here for you to see, and if you continue to stalk me I will get a protection order against you. This is your second warning. You will not get a third. Fuck off.
The girlfriend of the weasel from my last post made some comments about my daughter that were bizarre. Not just bizarre, but blatantly and obviously untrue. Here is what she said to my daughter:
Note the need to call her a stalker. My daughter couldn’t care less about this girl, honestly. Also note that she has to make mention that she has almost 2000 friends on Facebook. There are Facebook whores, just like there are MySpace whores. This comes as no surprise to any of us, right? On Facebook it’s simple to delete friends if you know their name…quick and easy, no searching, just type (or copy and paste) the name into the “search friends” box. It was just mentioned because it was supposed to be “impressive.”
Let’s see if her assessment of my daughter holds water, shall we?
Her next response was initially addressed to me, though she also addresses Marisa toward the end.
I probably wouldn’t have responded to her if I had not known she is an adult. Kids get into drama online all the time, but when there is an adult messing with my 16 year old daughter, that makes it my duty to step in. And, seeing how she is an adult, she’s fair game for me.
Shall we see what this troll…err, woman…looks like?
Seems the remarks come out of her own insecurity. Makes sense. It would take someone a bit off to want to be Brad’s girlfriend, anyway.
Also, she blocked me from her Facebook (no surprise), but this “grandma” knows ways around that. Pretty wily for an old lady. Yep.
I’ll be calling the cops shortly. I’ve been ill and came home from work early. Darned summer URI.
So, what do you think? Does my daughter look like a gross, fat 10 year old boy with no life?
Do you think this woman has any right to say the things she did about my daughter?
The screen caps speak for themselves. This is a 22 year old young man whom I invited into my home on numerous occasions, a supposed friend of my daughter, Marisa, who is 16 now. I fed this young man more than once. Gave him a place to stay when he was too drunk to stand. Loaned him things…and a Wii, which I will never see again.
I was speaking to my co-worker’s boyfriend between orders today at work. It just so happens that he is also a co-worker, though he works in the meat department as a butcher. I had been meaning to ask him something but kept forgetting or was too busy at certain times. Finally today I remembered and had the opportunity.
“Ryan, do you guys ever have any leftover beef fat, or do you use it all in the ground meat and such?”
He looked at me, very puzzled for a moment.
“Uhh…yeah…we have leftover fat. Why?”
“I want some beef fat, to render it into tallow.”
He looked at me again, the look of puzzlement turned into a look of “wow, you’re kinda crazy, aren’t you?”.
“Sure, I can get you some if you want, but not today because it’s all been sitting there too long. How much do you need?”
“How much do you usually have?” I asked.
“One or two bone buckets full, most days.”
“How big is a bone bucket?”
He showed me with his hands, about the size of a large industrial garbage can.
“OH! I don’t need that much! Enough to fill a large stock pot would be fine.” I laughed.
He agreed to get me some fresh beef fat as soon as he could (probably tomorrow). It may be something that I can just have without paying anything for it, since they usually just dispose of it, but I am going to ask the boss anyway, because I don’t want anyone getting into trouble (myself included). Still, even if I have to pay for it, it should be very inexpensive.
What, you may ask, do I plan on doing with this tallow? I am going to cook with it, mostly. I may use some to make my own soap, or maybe some candles.
Tallow has a high smoke point, so it is good for frying. It is also loaded with health benefits*:
Enhances the immune system
Builds and strengthens bones and teeth (preventing cavities and osteoporosis)
Provides energy and structural integrity to the cells
Protects the liver
Enhances the body’s use of essential fatty acids
Does not become rancid easily
Does not call upon the body’s reserves of antioxidants
I don’t use vegetable oils to cook with. I think they are bad news for the human body. I won’t go into a long explanation of that here, but I am not the only one who thinks that. There are many resources online…Google the origination of vegetable oils. You may be surprised at what you discover.
I am of the firm opinion that vegetable oils are one of the reasons why there is a rise in cardiovascular problems in our populace. It may also contribute to cancers that are very common today. Check out this video about vegetable oils:
So, I prefer to use saturated fat for cooking and consuming. Coconut oil, butter, and bacon grease are usually my mainstay fats, but I am out of coconut oil, and not everything tastes good cooked in bacon grease. Butter has a low smoke point and burns easily. Tallow seems to be a reasonably inexpensive way for me to go, and since I have a seemingly endless supply of this resource, I am going for it!
I plan on taking photos of my tallow making project to post here. I’ve never rendered my own tallow before, this should be an adventure!
You’d think, me being the Piratess that I am, that Rum would be my adult beverage of choice. While I do enjoy Rum from time to time, occasionally a nice glass of wine is a great accompaniment to a meal, or all by itself, enjoyed in the company of good friends and family (or other pirates).
Typically I like red wines over white, and wines on the dry side.
It was about three years ago that one of my sisters introduced me to Woodbridge Merlot.
It is a relatively inexpensive wine that one can find at the grocery store, not outside the budget of most people, and it is a very sophisticated Merlot for the price. I love the layers of flavor in this Merlot, but not having been a wine connoisseur, I really didn’t have a wide range of other mid range Merlot’s to compare it to. So, for the last two or three years I have been on a search for good mid-priced Merlot wines.
After having tasted quite a number of them, simply by trial and error and not at a wine tasting, I have only found one other Merlot that came close to Woodbridge:
Red Bicyclette doesn’t have the distinctive layers of flavor that Woodbridge Merlot has, and the finish isn’t as smooth, but it’s not as bad as most of the others I’ve tasted. The worst of which is this one:
Barefoot Merlot has the distinct flavor of nail polish remover, but it is readily available at all fine BP gas stations and other convenience stores, not just the grocery store. Just EWW. (Yes, that is the proper technical wine review term).
This afternoon before I headed home from work I was browsing the wine section and was about to pick up a bottle of Woodbridge Merlot, my old stand-by, when one of my managers directed me toward a wine that was marked down significantly from its original price. It wasn’t a Merlot, it was a Chianti, but at $10.00 off on the bottle, I couldn’t pass it up.
This is a photo of the actual bottle of Stellina di Notte Chianti I will be drinking this evening. I am not even sure I like Chianti, but I am giving it a shot. I may have to round up someone’s liver and a side of Fava beans while I’m drinking it. I will post my review later.
I am thinking about doing periodical wine reviews at CynaraJane. May as well. Why not share what I discover? I am a most unselfish Piratess.
Do you like wine?
What is your favorite wine?
UPDATE: The Stellini di Notte Chianti was amazing! I tasted oak undertones, which really brought out the plum/cherry/berry layers. Great bouquet, and extremely smooth.
