back hurts

my back is really bothering me
got my hep a and b vaccinations today.
since the gyn told me i had c i freaked and was so glad my other Dr said i did not have it. Kaiser fucks up again.
I think i need to swim more. pt is helping me strengthen my core. i roll to sit up and down to bed and a chair i use my legs and arms instead of my back muscles.
it is discouraging putting all these applications and resumes in. i was at the main lib on Mon using their computer to do an AP i needed to print off then made copies for all my stuff and drove it to Fremont.
the personal person had a sad bad look
haven't heard from them either.

food

>
>"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is
>the most requested column I've ever written.
>
>My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
>
>1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
>
>2. When in doubt, just take the next
>small step.
>
>3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
>
>4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents
>will. Stay in touch.
>
>5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
>
>6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
>
>7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
>
>8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
>
>9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
>
>10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
>
>11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
>
>12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
>
>13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey
>is all about.
>
>14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
>
>15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never
>blinks.
>
>16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
>
>17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
>
>18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
>
>19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to
>you and no one else.
>
>20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an
>answer.
>
>21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save
>it for a special occasion. Today is special.
>
>22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
>
>23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
>
>24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
>
>25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
>
>26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this
>matter?'
>
>27. Always choose life.
>
>28. Forgive everyone everything.
>
>29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
>
>30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
>
>31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
>
>32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
>
>33. Believe in miracles.
>
>34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't
>do.
>
>35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
>
>36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
>
>37. Your children get only one childhood.
>
>38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
>
>39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
>
>40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab
>ours back.
>
>41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
>
>42. The best is yet to come...
>
>43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
>
>44. Yield.
>
>45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
>
>Its estimated 93% won't forward this. If you are one of the 7% who will,
>forward this with the title '7%'.
>
>I'm in the 7%. Friends are the family that we choose.





Pasta All'Amatriciana (How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup minced good bacon or pancetta
1 small onion, minced
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, drained
1 pound linguine, spaghetti, fettuccine, or other long pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
Minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Place the oil and bacon or pancetta in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the meat becomes crisp, about 10 minutes.
3. When the meat is done, remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it browns. Turn off the heat for a minute (this will reduce the spattering when you add the tomatoes).
4. Crush the tomatoes with a fork or your hands and add them to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture becomes saucy, about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, salt the boiling water and cook the pasta until it is tender but firm. Drain it, toss it with the sauce, and top with the reserved bacon, the Parmesan, and the parsley. Serve, passing additional Parmesan at the table.

***This is really such a perfectly balanced dish! Salty, sweet and acidic all in one forkful. I did use whole wheat linguine instead of white and 2 can of diced and drained tomatoes.

***I calculated this without the Parmesan and Romano cheese as you can sprinkle this on yourself and it came out to 7 WW points based on 4 servings.

Mediterranean Lentils

DSC_0215

***Soak the lentils overnight

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils (green hold there shape better and are firmer)
2 thin leeks, whites only, washed well and chopped thinly
1 cup cilantro
2 tsp fresh mint, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary (or 1/4 tsp dried)
pinch of fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp fish sauce (called for 3 but I added less)
1 Tbsp best quality extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Soak the lentils in plenty of cold water overnight.

Rinse and drain the lentils. Place in a large saucepan and cover with just enough fresh water to cover them. Bring to a boil. Skim any foam from the water and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the chopped leeks and cilantro to the lentils and stir. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer until tender-about 30 minutes.

Serve hot.

***I thought this was delicious! Sadly though the night that I made it all I had time to make to go with it was hamburgers! LOL. Not the best combo but I can assure you that they were delicious the next day for lunch!!!

the dog is gone

had an interview at an elementary school yesterday

dog is still here

2 neighbors have called to complain it was running in the street. It yaps and chewed through Lancy's leash 2x. he doesn't know how it walk on a leash and Emma visiting for 3 min isn't cutting it. He's up at 5, 7, wining all day out 3x I patched the spot. 3x times it once. cleaver sucker. He climbs a pallet and squeezes thru the 3rd board. I am not happy and neither is Lacy.

Went to the farmers market today. It makes me happy. They make crepes now. I like the ham and cheese with a sour cream, chive and mustard drizzle, the chicken basil, avocado and cheddar today was not my favorite.

I'm not sure the corn man told me to refrigerate it or not i think like tomatoes it disturbs the sugar, I think he said cold water. I'll let you know.
Finished another book in the series on Samual and pychics.
Now reading Parker's The Professional.

School start's tomorrow.
;-(

a dog

How is it that I have a dog staying with me? Lacy is not happy. "Fuzzy" belongs to Emma, my housekeeper.(seen above) In return for letting him stay in my yard, she will clean. Apparently she moved and can no longer keep him. He's managed to find his way out of the back. I was going to take him for a walk. Apparently he doesn't know how to walk on a leash. He is 4 and a hot dog. I left it on him and was changing and came out to the desk to see he has chewed through Lacy's leash. After 2 days he doesn't run from me any more when Emma is here but not to me either. When she shows up he run to greet her. My neighbor called to say he was out front. I didn't see him our from or in the back at 7 am either. Somehow he gets out, but gets back in too. The walks will be good for me.

Physical therapy has exercises for homework and core strengthening ones for the gym cycle, bike, arm pulls and thighs. Looks and feels like Suzanne Summer's thigh masters, I thought I'd me sore but I'm not so far. I can almost meditate with an ice pack and electrodes on my back. Just turn off the light and cover me up.

tests

I was sad. I went in for a mammogram, followed by an ultrasound then referred to the breast surgery center where I met with a BP to be told the tender nodule I have is a cyst. Benign. If it continues to fill and be more painful they can do a needle aspiration to drain the fluid.
We just seem to have a history of fibrocystic breasts, fibroadonomas in our family. Although with my grandmothers on both sides and paternal aunt dying of breast cancer I've been doing mammograms since 49 or so.

Physical therapy is good. I am learning to barrel roll to get up and put less strain on my back and other things,
I go early and walk the treadmill and bike either the recumbent bike which I will learn today or the regular.

Amusing?
I talked to Jim now he wants to see one another again....yes I missed him, but I told him I'd think about it. It hurt and upset me when he wanted to take a break and said we were becomming routine. Considering we were only to be friends what was that?

I make pickles badly but these were better.

Inspiration: A love for crisp pickles that still have a hint of cucumber, cucumbers from our CSA, and Mark Bittman's recipe.

Ingredients:

•1/3 cup kosher salt
•1 cup boiling water
•2 pounds small (“Kirby”) cucumbers, washed (scrub if spiny) and cut lengthwise into halves or quarters
•At least 5 cloves garlic, smashed
•1 large bunch dill, preferably fresh and with flowers, or substitute 2 tablespoons dried dill and 1 teaspoon dill seeds or 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1. Combine the salt and boiling water in a large bowl; stir to dissolve the salt. Add a handful of ice cubes to cool down the mixture, then add all the remaining ingredients.

2. Add cold water to cover. Use a plate slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl and a small weight to hold the cucumbers under the water. Keep at room temperature.

3. Begin sampling the cucumbers after 4 hours if you’ve quartered them, 8 hours if you’ve cut them in half. In either case, it will probably take from 12 to 24 or even 48 hours for them to taste “pickle-y” enough to suit your taste.

4. When they are ready, refrigerate them, still in the brine. The pickles will continue to ferment as they sit, more quickly at room temperature, more slowly in the refrigerator. They will keep well for up to a week.


Notes: So easy, and a good way to use up those summer cucumbers. They're salty and tasty!

summer

old smoker, nice man Jim, 67,I miss him, which surprises me a bit. When did we get so old? saw him for 5 mo.

My wonderful friend Kim and I met for dinner after 3 yrs. We are in touch my phone and email but she is so busy at Cisco and her daughter and husband. We both felt it was too long and we are too valuable to one another to let it continue. We will make time regularly, what ever that is.She is estraigned (sic)unfortunately, over their parents estate from her sister and family now. I know how it feels to be cut off. Very lonely.
We had butter chicken on basmati rice. This is one of the things that is not too hot there. I once got 15.dollars woth of take out and had to feed it to Ricardo, I couldn't eat a bite, but I got walnut prawns.

went to get a breast ultrasound today as a follow up for the mammogram and tomorrow have a consult at the breast surgery center.

I like this gyn better than any other since my woman one married and left several tears ago.

Went to meet Frank at Aqui's tonight. Ass didn't call or show up. He did email 2 min before the meet.

I like this cool summer we are having.

my back has been hurting. I go for my initial pt session in the morning.

I lost 30 lbs. Have been swimming, walking, not eating much, sticking to salads, fruits, doing some yoga, aligning my chakra's and doing meditation and guided imagry every day. The pain and wellness center recommends it.

Have been appling for some sales things one teaching one librarian in sf and on in seattle.


eggplant is here

Toast cumin and sesame seeds together in a dry pan, and when they´re all fragrant and crunchy, spread them out to cool on a cutting board. Mix the aubergine puree with yogurt, salt, pepper and the seeds, and add mint or parsley or both or none.

Great stuff, to start a meal, to serve alongside a dish of lentils, with flatbread, or chips, or anything, really.

Make tacos
love those fish tacos on whole wheat tortillas and coleslaw but rather than spend 9 dollars for 3 at the farmers market
Masa Harina. They had it, but if you can't find it, you can order it online.


Ingredients:

•1 cup Masa Harina (will make approximately 6 6-inch tortillas)

•Eggs
•Shredded Cheddar
•Hot Sauce
•Optional: cooked sausage, vegetables, other taco ingredients

Instructions:

1.Mix Masa Harina with scant 1 cup hot water and a dash of salt. Once combined, cover and set aside for one hour.
2.When dough is ready, roll into 2-inch balls. Press in a tortilla press lined with wax or parchment paper.

3.Heat griddle to hot. Cook tortillas approximately 1 minute on each side. Keep warm in towels until other ingredients are ready.
4.Scramble eggs and season with salt and pepper.

5.Assemble tacos and enjoy!

I had some today at aqui's, a fresh mex place I love had a that taco their chips w black bean dip, humus, roasted tomato salsa, and more eggplant, baba ganoush
I also love the pork, carnitas from the luncheria, lunch truck, open till midnight with roasted green onion, tomatillo salsa, radishes. sour cream, acquante, avocado on freshly made corn tortillas.

This life is exhausting

Keeping up in lunch on Monday, Dinner on Tues, tea on Sunday. I need a calendar and a cell phone. On Sun. I was at Starbucks 3 times. First he was at the wrong one and I didn't have his number so went to get his number and redirect. I should have gone there at least I knew where he was. There are 4 Starbucks close by here.

I've been going some writing as well as reading. I never really tried before but it pours out without effort.
Met 2 physical trainers to put me on a program of walking, the karate instructor with the body of steel says swimming is doing nothing for me bit it helps my back.
Speaking of my back it's been flaring up and I have my first PT apt. at the Pain and Wellness Center on Tues. I've been taking pills 3x a day sometimes. They put me to sleep and I was staying awake for most of the last 5 nights. Last night I picked one of my guys at the SF airport, about 45 min from home at 3. I dropped him at his car and didn't get home till 5 am. Just so u know, on the weekend McDonald's doesn't open till 6.
I like their sm wild berry smoothies. Parade had a free coupon and I mam hooked.
Yesterday and today that was all I ate along yesterday w a bowl of raisin bran and today w a cheese burger. I need to get to the supermarket and the farmers market. I slept thru it today and woke up at 6 and 1 and 6 and 12. weird sleep schedule.