Busy
My boss let slip she did ask for me to be promoted. One of the other ladies wasn't happy about that, fault finding and tattling all week. It gets old.
When I work a 9 hour shift, ride the bus each way (90 minutes each way), etc. it adds up. I don't have a lot of juice left.
Also someone at work may have found the blog so I have to be careful how I approach things.
That's it for now!
I was delighted to hear my aunt and uncle were in town, and wanted to see me. They picked me up this morning, we went to church. After church we went out to eat - I had an appetite. We went to my favorite taqueria and the manager asked if I wanted my "usual" a large beef quesadilla with bacon. I wasn't up for that but I had a regular cheese quesadilla. My aunt and uncle had what they normally do and were delighted as usual.
We ran a few errands afterward. They dropped me off at the house, saw Scrappy lounging out back (they all, were), hugs all around, and left.
It was a good day. One feature they bought me a large bag of "the" candy and a box of ziplocks for it. So I am set for a while now.
That's it for now!
Well I made the rice with plantains. I think the usual approach is steam the rice, fry the plantain. Just the word "fry" makes me gag. So I cut up the plantains and put them in with the rice and a little spices.
I did 1 cup rice (basic white rice), 2.5 cups water, 1/2 t ground ginger, 1/2 t ground cinnamon, 1/8 t salt, 1 cut up ripe (going black) plantain.
Photos:
I don't, as a rule, like helping people with disabilities at work. Most of them are very difficult. It is easy to see why no one wanted to go shopping with them.
Very early on in our relationship Ron told me "All blind guys are perverts" which extends to some other guys with physical problems - one man who uses a wheelchair has groped me, and other women, on the crazy train bus route. I guess he figures no one's going to slap him because he's in a wheelchair. He's one of those guys I encounter occasionally who is constantly sizing me up. I've learned to look out for that type.
It's sad, I used to have a "Halo" effect, I thought they could do nothing wrong. But I had one customer in a power wheelchair zipping all over the store making me chase her with a shopping cart. She wasn't in a hurry, she just wanted to run me around. My boss had told her I could only help her until 3 PM. 2:55 she is checking out and I take her stuff to the door. She turns to me and says "I forgot the ranch dressing we have to go back." I told her you do, my boss told me to leave at 3. But this nice lady here will watch your cart for you. She had already told me her ride didn't come for another hour.
Then there is the couple I first encountered on paratransit. They like to shop in the late afternoon on the weekend, and complain there is no one to help. I told them for years, if you want help, if you want the store to yourself, go at 7-9 in the morning. On a weekday. It is great, plenty of employees around ready to help. "I don't want to get up that early". So I see them shopping by themselves in the late afternoon.
Things like that. Then there was the blind guy. My boss told me to go help a customer "over there" "You will know who he is, Heather' with a grin. And sure enough there's a blind guy about my age. I walked up and asked if he needed help shopping. He said yes. Tried to tell me how to guide him. I told him "I was a teacher's aide in a class for blind students for 2 years before I married my husband, who was also blind..." he cut me off and said he found the word "blind" offensive and I had better use the words "Low Vision" from now on. I said. "He was blind".
The guy argues with me, "He had some vision, didn't he?" "No he did not, not even light perception". Then I helped him get what he wanted. For instance he wanted Powerade bottles. We didn't have one of the flavors he wanted. I said we have a Powerade powder you can put in a bottle of water it's a lot easier to get home. If you already have bottled water at home? He said yes and take me to it. I did, he got a couple flavors. I even got him a candy bar from the checkout because he said he was hungry and wanted something quick.
It left a bad taste in my mouth. I guess I sort of figured I would meet a man with a disability but that hasn't happened. That's fine. I don't have to do any caregiving either.
The cats are very low maintenance. Spotty laid down with me for a nap. Well he laid down until I fell asleep and then he left, but it's lovely weather for a human or a cat - they like the same weather we do - so he went out. Good, have fun, be safe baby.
I did my henna touch up on my roots. I basically mush it in at the hairline and my part, the crown of my head, wrap it in plastic, the same henna routine just 1/10 of the hair covered. I wrapped the affected area in plastic. Happily I can wear my glasses. I have about 3 hours to go.
I am cleaning the house - it needed it- and my aunt is coming. She's going to love my hair. It is so long now I have to use 2 clips to put it up during my shower. It's about 3/4 of the way down my back. The henna really helps it grow in fast and strong. Thank you, Indo-Pak import store!
I still have enough to do a couple more months. I like to do a root touchup about halfway through (2 weeks). I need to clean up the kitchen and fix something for my dinner. I did clean out the fridge thank God that was a lot.
That's it for now!
I will see her tomorrow.
I think it's funny, a couple weeks ago I had a tiny space heater next to my chair, running, because it was so cold. It must be 80 (F) out and I have a small fan running instead.
I'm going to do a henna touch up on my roots pretty soon. I need to look around the house and do some picking up too. Clean the litter boxes.
I've seen a lot of Scrappy today. He let me pick him up but he didn't like it and buried his head in my arms, I won't do that again.
Later on I'm going to experiment with some plantains. I have a riper one (sweeter) I plan to cook with some rice, then add coconut milk before serving. I have a more starchy one I plan to make some sort of veggie stew with some carrots, sweet potatoes, red potato, plantain. Those should be nice and bland for my stomach.
I have to be careful how I talk about people - God's working on that. I had a Facebook friend who was a very big proponent of essential oils. She liked one MLM brand a lot. She swore patchouli oil was good for nausea. I have a very cheap Walmart brand patchouli oil. I add a drop or two to my henna treatment to help mask the (grassy) scent of the henna. I dabbed a little on my belly and sure enough I do feel better. I can't do that tomorrow because my aunt is very sensitive to fragrance and that would send her straight into a migraine. I will do ginger root tomorrow.
By the way, both plantain dishes will feature ginger root.
Now I need to go clean out the fridge! Prayers appreciated! I couldn't eat ANY of the food I cooked last weekend and I didn't have room in the freezer.
I slept OK but still queasy. I am going to take my time. I have several regular bananas, some plantains, pounds of rice, a rice cooker, broth, pretzels, etc. I'll be OK.
Spotty likes to sleep by my head which I love. Generally I have found it's the old cat wants to do that. He's only 6.
Speaking of young cats, Scrappy has been in and out but mostly out, the weather has been lovely. If nothing else I want him to have a safe bolt hole.
I don't have much planned today. I have a moderate headache. Biscuit slept with me (he's more a leg man) and is now laying very close to my chair on the floor. I'm thinking of going back to bed for a while.
This morning I was faced with a "Sell by Feb 7", ten pound, bag of chicken in my fridge.
Even now the thought of chicken in any form, even chicken broth, is sickening. I managed to fix it up nicely, I felt, put it on the crock pot timer, and went to work.
By crock pot timer, I mean a $5 wall timer I bought in the hardware department years ago. I set the crock pot on "low", set the timer to go on and off when I want (today I set it to cook for 9 hours), and make sure the food is cold when I put it out. I had also frozen some chicken broth to put on it but I forgot. I think it is still fine.
I did chicken leg quarters, onion (not much), ginger (a lot), lemon (a lot), salt and pepper (modest amounts).
It looks good but it makes me want to gag. Mentally I want to taste it but physically I am nauseous just eating some dry pretzels sticks.
I did manage to feed the cats some wet and dry food (separate bowls). Spotty's an odd little duck he only wants dry food. He has been sleeping by my head at night which I love.
And I'm going to bed.
