I’m sitting here watching the White Queen on STARZ because I love these T&A filled revisionist history period pieces like the Borgias and the Tudors and what not, and because I am newly smitten with Rebecca Ferguson, who is just this incredibly gorgeous redhead with freckles and blue eyes and a soothing accent. Yes, NSA, I did google Rebecca+Ferguson+topless. Move over Ygritte, there’s a new lass in town.
At any rate, realized I was hungry, and searched the cupboards, and they were mostly bare. Lots of ingredients, but nothing quick. I haven’t done a full grocery recently- I shopped for the meal last night- so no bananas or almonds or basically anything to tide me over until tomorrow. Completely out of fresh fruit except for tomatoes.
So I delved into the deep dark recesses of the freezer, and found a bag of tater tots. I have no idea where they came from. I have not bought or eaten tater tots in two decades plus. I’m thinking one of my dogsitters may have left them a while back.
And I did what anyone of you would have done- I knocked the freezer burn off and threw them into the convection oven, thinking vinegar and ketchup will take care of any issues. But here is where it gets really good.
Proving that I am complete white trash, I didn’t change the aluminum foil from last night’s flank steak I broiled for fajitas. I flipped it over and threw the newly de-iced tater tots onto the other side of the foil, and convinced myself all the grease from last night will just add to the flavor, if any is left after the ketchup nd vinegar.
Long story short, I got the fire in the convection oven out and the smoke detectors are no longer going off, and it looks like there was no real damage to the oven, which is good, because it is a Breville and I love it. I’m now eating a heated up can of green beans and sliced garden tomatoes and calling it quits.
And poor Rosie is in so much pain, hobbling around the house, that it is breaking my heart. Harry, our vet, was here last night and thinks she may have a hot spot, but I think it is arthritis or a tumor, but neither of us know because when we try to investigate, she turns back into Snarls Barkley and growls and gets pissy. I’m taking her in tomorrow to be sedated and investigated (the only way we can do it), and I just hope we can fix her. Her eyes (and JRT owners understand how smart these guys are and how they talk with their eyes) re just so sad, and I had to carry her outside to potty and poop a couple times because walking hurts her. It’s killing me.
Yatsuno
I would laugh, but I’ve done similar things. At least there was no major damage, especially to you.
Does Bethany have an all-night diner?
JordanRules
Best non-weed induced weed story evah!
Redshirt
You’re an insurance salesperson’s dream/nightmare.
RobertDSC-Power Mac G5 Dual
LOL.
Getting back into The Force Unleashed II. I’m actually tired of playing Batman Arkham City.
Hill Dweller
Sorry to be a buzzkill, John, but Rebecca Ferguson is actually a brunette in real life. They dye her hair for the show.
Ygritte is a real ginger.
Redshirt
Watch “Spartacus”, Cole. Action packed T&A fest, on Starz. Like X-rated stuff, and ultra-violence. Quite a show.
cbear
Death by Tator Tot?
That would probably get you a Darwin Award Honorable Mention.
Nice try.
Yatsuno
@cbear: Too lazy or indifferent to research, but I wonder if that’s on the list of 1000 Ways to Die.
cckids
Sadly, you were probably right. Not that I’m speaking from experience,mind you.
John Cole
@Hill Dweller: Fucking hater.
Mark S.
@RobertDSC-Power Mac G5 Dual:
Arkham City is pretty tiresome. Like Portal 2, it shows that a bigger sequel is not always better. Overall, it’s a pretty good game, but some of my pet peeves:
1. I don’t mind respawning enemies, but can I go around the block without the same group of 8 baddies already resurrected?
2. Some of the boss battles are extremely tedious, fuck you very much Clayface.
3. I had fun finding the 100 Riddler trophies in the first game; I didn’t really need 300-400 of them in the next one.
Alison
Life at the Cole household is rarely dull. Hope the aminals weren’t too freaked out by the alarm.
I’m reading a really good book, but my liberal bleeding-heart muscles keep twitching. It’s set in the 1930s so there’s some kinda racist language in it, in order to fit the time period (referring to an Asian as a Chinaman, for example) and I get why it’s there but it still makes me wince a little…
BethanyAnne
@Yatsuno: Not that I’ve seen…
SIA
We’ve used dog acupuncturists and chiropractors. It really can help. Also, oral arnica, brand name Traumeel. No side effects.
Amir Khalid
Sorry to read about Rosie’s troubles, the poor baby. Fingers crossed it’s nothing serious, and she’ll be okay soon.
Dead Ernest
@John
Only thing I don’t understand is why you flipped the aluminum foil.
Rosie. Ouch. That would be killing me too.
Hope tomorrow’s assessment provides a simple diagnosis and a quick cure.
Mary G
Poor Rosie. I hope Harry can help her and fast.
Sly
My default response to these series is similar to that of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s response to Titanic. When I saw a preview for DaVinci’s Demons and there was Leonardo cavorting about Florence with young damsels, with his perfect metrosexual hair and blokeish mannerisms and acting totally not like the notorious prude that he was, I pretty much knew it wasn’t going to be for me (and something tells me those two sodomy accusations won’t be featured in the series).
Though I did enjoy HBO’s Rome for some reason.
RobertDSC-Power Mac G5 Dual
@Mark S.:
The trophies in Arkham Asylum were more difficult to nail down, but I liked the variety of ACity’s style. You had to learn how to use just about every tool in Batman’s arsenal to get them all. I’ve done it countless times, on all four difficulty modes. It’s just that the combat system is almost perfect and I love fighting as Catwoman, lol.
Clayface was indeed bad, but the only thing I had a problem with after many playthroughs was Mark Hamill’s voice as Joker. He did a fantastic job, but over many playthroughs, I got sick of it. Now I can’t stand it.
The demo shown at E3 that the folks who are putting together Arkham Origins looks good. I’m anticipating getting it, though probably not at launch. GTA V is the big kahuna on my list right now. I can’t wait for that.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Yatsuno: U got UR TBOGG unit.
TheMightyTrowel
Mr. Trowel nearly set fire to the house last month by leaving the burner on all night under the chicken stock he’d been making the night before. I was totally freaked out but the whole house smelled like roast chicken which is such a great calming odor. I spent the next week being alternately freaked-out-OMG-nearly-died-in-sleep and mmm-chicken-dinner-calm.
ranchandsyrup
Beginning of the school year pics for the puppies
Phil Perspective
@Redshirt: Yes … Lucy Lawless in the buff! That alone makes the show worth it
lamh36
Good lord, but you are very accident-prone aren’t you.
Is this just an adulthood affliction or have you always been so? I’m guessing you gave your mother a bloody heart attack daily if you were like this as a kid…jeez.
you’d just better make sure that whatever woman you end up marrying is not as prone as you are, cause ain’t a bigger recipe for disaster than having two accident-prone people mate…lol.
Just be careful
NotMax
@Redshirt
Can’t spell Starz without T & A.
CTVoter
Probably good that you flipped the foil over.
I would have left it as is, and, well, bonfire of the inanities?
Fingers crossed for Rosie, dear soul.
Redshirt
I must confess I don’t like clumsy people, usually. Y R U clumsy, I ask my inner ninja, and the answer always is “unfocused, Daniel-San”. Pay attention, clumsy people!
Suzanne
Good LORD. And I thought I was having a CF of a weekend. You win, Cole.
I wish I could watch more TV. Like, real TV with real people saying real things as opposed to animated tigers and former rock stars in ridiculous character.
Redshirt
@Phil Perspective: Aw hell yeah. There’s so much nudity in Starz “Spartacus” it’s like everyone should just go nude, full time. Sure, a toga hides the goods, but all it takes is a tug.
NotMax
BTW, a general question (while speaking of finding stuff).
Came across an unopened bottle of aspirin in the back of a drawer.
Sell-by date is sometime in 1998.
I know they won’t kill me, but think they still might have some effectiveness?
Yes, a brand new bottle is cheap. Just hate throwing away anything that is unused.
max
I didn’t change the aluminum foil from last night’s flank steak I broiled for fajitas. I flipped it over and threw the newly de-iced tater tots onto the other side of the foil, and convinced myself all the grease from last night will just add to the flavor, if any is left after the ketchup nd vinegar.
In that particular case you are making an impromptu au jus of sorts. You probably *shouldn’t* have flipped the foil, which would have allowed the tots to soak up the grease. (Although if there was enough oil to spew all over the place, a fire was inevitable.)
I’m now eating a heated up can of green beans and sliced garden tomatoes and calling it quits.
Probably for the best. Might be some pit bull owner trying to walk the dog in the dark to avoid people (so they don’t get freaked out).
Harry, our vet, was here last night and thinks she may have a hot spot, but I think it is arthritis or a tumor, but neither of us know because when we try to investigate, she turns back into Snarls Barkley and growls and gets pissy.
Arthritis isn’t going to produce a hot spot. Some kind of skin problem might, but probably not a tumor. Dog just itches.
max
[‘My dog has been chewing on the same spot on his leg for a decade – the spot is completely scarred over. He is otherwise healthy.’]
TheMightyTrowel
@Suzanne: Bedknobs and Broomsticks: best of both worlds.
chromeagnomen
man, please do not try eating pretzels alone at home…like you know who.
Anne Laurie
Cole, your vet probably told you this already, but for some reason dogs get agitated about hot spots out of all proportion to their seriousness. Tumors normally don’t bother them (unless they’re so large they’re pressing on an organ or something) and if it were osteoarthritis she’d probably let you know when you picked her up, right? So the odds are good it’s “just” a skin infection, nasty & unpleasant as that is.
As far as tater tots… Trader Joe’s frozen latkes. They heat up in less than ten minutes in a non-stick frying pan, and go great with ketchup & vinegar if you don’t have
sour creamgreek yogurt on hand.max
@Redshirt: Aw hell yeah. There’s so much nudity in Starz “Spartacus” it’s like everyone should just go nude, full time. Sure, a toga hides the goods, but all it takes is a tug.
Tried watching that but the ham-handed injection of the
pornsex scenes was just annoying.max
[‘Ygritte is cuter. Sorry Cole.’]
Redshirt
@max: Old times were more naked and sexy.
Mark S.
@RobertDSC-Power Mac G5 Dual:
Those are the two games I’m looking forward to.
I’ve been really enjoying Far Cry 3, not terribly far into it. Didn’t really enjoy Bioshock Infinite. Just never been much of a fan of the gameplay in that series. It was also pretty easy until the ridiculously hard final battle.
Dead Ernest
@NotMax:
You’re right, won’t hurt you.
If by ‘unopened’ you mean the seal was still on, and they were in the dark as well, odds are good they’re nearly as effective as new.
[now if it was a bottle of Propoferol, that stuff would be so far gone, it might not even be dangerous anymore, maybe]
NotMax
@Anne Laurie
Ketchup on latkes?
Heresy.
Applesauce or nothing. (Presuming they’re true latkes and not just shredded/grated potato patties.)
FlipYrWhig
@Redshirt: Then again, pretty much no one bathed or had a complete set of teeth or had managed to avoid a skin-ravaging pox. So Ye Olde Beautie Standards may have been lower than Pr0n Valley heights.
Yatsuno
@NotMax: Chuck it. It’s probably degraded to the point that the active ingredient is long since gone.
@Anne Laurie:
Nice idea. Is there a Trader Joe’s in Bethany?
(signs point to no)
@NotMax: Sour cream. Yes I have started family fights over this.
(Done both actually. But more into the sour cream.)
JordanRules
@Anne Laurie: Huge fan of latke’s and though I love to cook, when I get a hankering for them, I want some good ones ASAP without pulling out a grater. Will have to give TJ’s a try.
NotMax
@Dead Ernest
Thanks. Yup, seal unbroken and in the dark all these years (not unlike moi).
CanadaGoose
@NotMax: Open the jar. If there’s an overwhelming “acid” smell…toss em. Otherwise, probably fine.
JordanRules
Rosie should get some tater tots tomorrow after her vet visit.
NotMax
@JordanRules
Got a recipe for making them in a blender (doesn’t work right in a food processor) that gives 99.99995% the same result as grating.
Only the bits of knuckle and blood are missing.
TheMightyTrowel
ARRRGGGGHHHHH. Fucking Australia.
Roger Moore
@NotMax:
Don’t mess around with expired medicine. Aspirin shouldn’t degrade into anything dangerous, but why risk it? You’ve said yourself that a new bottle would be cheap, so just replace the expired one and get on with your life. Maybe buy a smaller one this time if you’re going to leave a bottle around for that long between needing some.
Yatsuno
@TheMightyTrowel: Jeebus. Has misogyny always been a thing Down Under and I just never noticed?
seaboogie
Hot spots are an agony for a dog (think nasty rash for humans), but not a very big deal beyond the discomfort. My golden – Seamus – used to get them. The hot spots would be driving him crazy, and he would lay down beside me and I would tell him “no licking”, and he would manage the self-discipline to not do that. In fact, in later years he would seek me out when he had a hot spot so that I could remind him not to lick it. Very smart boy. He’s gone now, and how I miss the sound of him “licking”.
Redshirt
I’m inclined to take all the old medicine. Like wine, right?
BethanyAnne
Oh, I played Gone Home this week. It was pretty nifty. I saw really good reviews of it, and I’ll probably play it again this week to check out one of the plot lines I missed. Worth the $17. :)
TheMightyTrowel
@Yatsuno: Seriously. Yes.
Dead Ernest
@NotMax: agree w CanadaGoose re ‘if an overwhelming acid[ic] smell.
Light and air (oxygen) would cause the degradation.
Moisture would be yet another matter but they’ll crumble if that got to em.
…of course if that’s the case, a little ketchup, and get some aluminum foil, pre-heat your oven to…
NotMax
@Roger Moore
Generally speaking, avoid all medications and pills. When the vog here is hanging around and sinuses go to ultraviolet alert, will still wait 2 or 3 days before taking an allergy pill.
Only resort to aspirin when the arthritis is frantically riverdancing in golf shoes on my knees or hands or when a low-grade fever makes an appearance.
Yatsuno
@TheMightyTrowel: Oh dear FSM. I knew Gillard had a tough go of things but wow. Just wow.
TheMightyTrowel
@Yatsuno: It’s so ugly and it crops up in all sorts of little ways. Last semester I was teaching a giant intro course with multiple guest lecturers. I made sure there were equal numbers of women and men lecturing. About 1/3 through the course I noticed that all the male guest lecturers got applauded at the end of lecture. None of the female lecturers (myself included) received any applause. The student body was ca 65% women. I brought it up in the last lecture and they were appalled and actively disbelieved me. I know at least two went back and listened to all the recordings to prove me wrong because they came up to me later and told me how shocked they were that this had happened.
I told them in the context of: women make up the majority of undergrads in archaeology and a tiny minority of senior academics and professionals, there are lots of reasons why, but one of them is bigger than archaeology as has to do with structural inequalities with the sorts of people we deem worthy of respect and leadership.
Redshirt
I had a house in the desert, once.
One burning day I came home and there was a giant pill on the front step.
I took it.
I itched, and burned, but then I always itched and burned in the desert, so, who knows?
Yatsuno
@TheMightyTrowel: It’s the subtle forms that are harder to observe than the overt actions. But you might have just made those students more aware of this, and from there it might just spread out further. Change is slow but it does end up happening, the small nudges matter as well.
grishaxxx
Poor Rosie – I was sad she couldn’t join Steve and Lil in that pic with your [gorgeous] friend Liz – and I’m gay, so that’s totes objective! I hope Harry can find and fix the problem. We had an ozzie shep/dingo mix in Santa Monica/Venice, and she was just fine until she got really allergic to the fucking flea bites, and then it was horrible. It’s the great bane for dogs there by the beach. Bad for houses, worse for pets. Grrrr!
I hope Harry can find it seasonal and do something to carry her over, when the cold will kill the buggers.
Cole, you are a king!
Also, too, I can recommend the Russian movie on Netflix, “Day Watch” – complicated, needs a not-very-coherent prologue, but, man, a reminder of how great and beautiful and dedicated Russian actors can be. Woohoo!
TaMara (BHF)
Monday is now off to a good start. Cole is uninjured and made me laugh. Hoping for the best for Rosie.
Paul in KY
@NotMax: Think youn have to crush them up & snort them when they are that old.
Regnad Kcin
@JordanRules: can we be sure? It would be irresponsible not to speculate.
Also, speaking of finally getting around to finishing games, what the hell was that with the ending if Dishonored?
LanceThruster
Keep Calm and Carry On, Rosie old girl.
All the best,
LT
JustRuss
Am I the only one who thought the Missing Mustard was finally going to surface? Sorry to hear about Rosie, hope the vet can fix her up.
Svensker
Hugs to you and Rosie. All extremities crossed for her and you.
Msskwesq
I love you John Cole. That you love Rosie so much (knowing how close you came to giving her to someone else awhile ago), but you hung in there with her and now you are carrying her outside to poop, worrying about her discomfort, you are a very good man!