the blue pill

original pic from shutterstock

Jan. 1, Monday

I find myself measuring time nowadays by 'since my mom died' and 'before Bunny was born', like how long I've had a t-shirt. I do this automatically without even thinking, like I don't put on my clothes without literally thinking first how long I've had it in relation to how long it's been since my mom died or Bunny was born. There is a 4 year gap in between those two events, during most of which I was dark and inaccessible to nearly everyone online. Today (1-1-18) is the first day I've consciously thought about that, which is interesting because I've apparently been doing it for several years. It's probably time to let go of a few really old t-shirts.

Jan. 2, Tuesday

Seriously? For the love of God or whatever weird omnipotence your hearts follow, will you guys stop arriving to Pinky blog through searches for "Rick Lagina death"? It's a bit disturbing at 5 a.m. before I've had my coffee. 😟😲😬😥☕ Btw, if you need to catch up or know more, put "Curse of Oak Island season 5" in your search bar, and if you insert IMDb into that search query, you get a bunch of update news articles, too. See what you made me do? I'm looking all this stuff up before 5:30 a.m. to see what I missed. Oh, and apparently he's still alive.

original pic from this forum
I added the words

Between the bitter cold (currently 3 degrees Fahrenheit at my house) and 2 space heaters adding to central heat, we've been flying through 3+  gallons of water a day steaming gently on a back burner keeping the air moist enough to breathe. I'd have more exact measurements if @bonenado would stop adding bits here and there without telling me, but after last night I can conclusively say pretty much at least a gallon around every 5 hours as long as we keep the pot from drying up and never turn the burner off. It's a 7-quart cast iron dutch oven that has seen better days, so since I'm retiring it anyway, it's my winter steamer. I've got my eye on this one next time a sale comes up.

In case you're going back to work today and need some legitimate distraction. This is from a package of valentines back in 2007.

I jaunted off into weirdness yesterday during a much needed braincation and wound up in a whole pile of celebrity death/clone stuff, which was a blast. I mean, Orlando Bloom, right? It's like the Paul McCartney conspiracy all over again. And I wound up sifting through one fan obsession after another, like all our pop stars are regularly cloned for back ups and whatevs. Honestly, if they ever made Benedict clones and auctioned them off, I seriously doubt very many people would protest. Pretty sure he alone could be the pivot launch into a precedent for everyone owning their fave celebrity clone to keep around the house.

And if you're really bored and hating work right now, here you go. Call it research, it's all good.


Now apply that to entertainment. People paying real money to embrace the weird, being brain trained into experience addiction. If part of the protocol is to be transparent, what better way to get everyone to accept it?

And in case that just made you grumpier, quickly divert. Try to enjoy being back at work. Just shut your mind off and coast on the blue pill. You're welcome.

the teflon scare / ban thingy

I keep bumping into how teflon and all things related are going to be squelched out of existence in 2015. Actually, this has been in discussion for at least 9 years, so I've had this plan to grab a new set of cookware at the end of 2014 during Christmas sales just in case. It arrived yesterday.

I'm one of those really picky people who read instructions, so my pans last a long time. My old set is over ten years old. I've never used higher than medium heat on nonstick pans, plus the correct utensils, and I wash them correctly so they don't get scratched up. I grew up with cast iron, aluminum, and stainless steel (and have been doing the dishes since I was 7 years old- seriously), so I really appreciate nonstick pans. I've tried the new Orgreenic and ceramic skillets, and while, yes, they are decent enough cookware, they don't live up to their claims. Haven't tried the titanium yet, but there's a big marketing issue going on around those, and I'm reading that true titanium without the nonstick snuck onto it is a nightmare. Yes, I've also used Pyrex and Corningware, for some reason they both explode around me (this has been witnessed, it's called spontaneous shatter and it's very weird and terrifying and for some reason has been happening around me for decades to the point where I don't dare keep glassware in the house). Silicon is too expensive & flimsy, baking stones are too heavy, I could go on, but basically nonstick cookware has been the easiest thing for a chronic person like me to live with and handle.

In case you have never heard of this ban that supposedly is about to happen, here is a list of links to peruse. They don't all agree on the facts, some are pushing other product, most are undoubtedly scarier than they need to be unless you're one of those people who consistently cranks your nonstick up on higher heat, but it's a start. If you guys love nonstick and will be sad if it goes away, now is the time to jump on acquiring it while you still can.


Teflon Dangers in Nonstick Cookware and a Better Alternative

Toxic Cookware - Beware!

Is Teflon Dead? Ceramic Coatings on the Rise

Is Teflon® Dangerous?

Harmful Teflon Chemical To Be Eliminated by 2015

Teflon being phased out by 2015

I've heard that teflon cookware has been outlawed as of 2015. Is this true ?

EPA Urges Teflon Chemical Ban

Titanium Cookware for the Connoisseur

Cookware Safety Review