I thought Tuesdays were bad.

 It was hideous.  

Part of it another department kept trying to dump work on me that's not mine.  I didn't take it; so they went to my boss and said I didn't do ANY of my work, when I was busting my ass all day.  Clearly, I need to take more pictures.  Everyone was burned out, toxic, bitter, resentful, and unappreciated.  And they kept playing Christmas carols all day.  Not exactly a good match.  

The ride home was "fine" as those things go, the bus packed with homeless people and gangster wanna bes who didn't pay to ride (I did), some unmedicated dude I've run into before doing monologues about God Knows What.  I had my headphones.  

The driving, itself, left a lot to be desired.  I don't know how to describe it but many drivers utilize a very jerky style.  If I'm not careful getting up they jerk the bus and I lose my balance.  I don't need to fall into some unmedicated, gacked out person who doesn't believe they need their medication any more.  

Buddy does not drive like that, it's very smooth.  If he's approaching a stop I can stand up, he's not going to throw me on the floor.  I've tried to thank him a few times but it's obvious he thinks I'm just "being nice".  I like him; that's separate from this.  He truly is an excellent driver in exactly the right job.  Personal feelings aside I truly hope he comes back in January.  I would love another 6 months with good rides home.  At least a couple days a week.  Wednesday rides home can be brutal - that's the day I was assaulted.  

But I made it and I came home.  

Now let me discuss the neckbones.  I was informed by a family mother my grandmother and her mother both felt beef neckbones were good for making a stock but they disposed of the meat, considering it unsuitable.  And I can see why - there was a lot of gristle and weird little bits in it.  The meat itself was delicious.  The broth was fantastic.  The marinade on point.  So I'm going to share the marinade.  

Overnight marinade for beef: 

1/2 cup red wine 

1.5 cups beef broth 

2 handfuls (or 1 cup) diced onion

3 T tomato paste (I whisked it into the broth)

1/2 t ground black pepper 

1/4 t salt 

1 garlic clove, whole, peeled

I soaked 2 pounds of bony beef in it overnight (it would also work, and I have done, it for chicken leg quarters makes a good chicken in red wine sauce - if you do that for sure add more garlic 2-3 more cloves), anyway 2 pounds meat for that marinade.  

You can always add more garlic if you like, I probably would if I wasn't allergic.  A bay leaf, perhaps.  

It works for dark meat chicken, too.  

For pork I basically did that except I used 2 T apple cider vinegar instead of the wine, and chicken broth instead of beef.  

I let it soak overnight and used the marinade as the cooking liquid in the crock pot (use the cooking bag!).