Prosciutto, Zucchini, and Corn Pasta

I was in a big-chain home improvement story yesterday and started salivating over the cover of a magazine while waiting in line. I wanted to buy it but the price was 12.99. I refuse to buy a cooking magazine for the cost of what I can buy a whole book. So, I prosciuttowas only able to look at the picture for a minute or so before it was my turn to check-out. I decided to try and make it anyway based upon the picture - and it turned out amazing.

Start boiling one package of your choice of pasta. I used Farfalle because I had it on hand but the recipe picture had penne in it.

One shallot (or onion) chopped, two garlic cloves crushed/chopped, and a package of diced prosciutto (I imagine pancetta would work just as well). Saute shallot in olive oil with a little salt and pepper for a few minutes - add garlic and prosciutto, cook for a couple more minutes. Add 1 C of chopped/sliced mushrooms, one or two thinly sliced zucchini, and 1 C of corn (I cut it straight off the cob). Let saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently. You will need to watch it and ensure that all the water from the zucchini is cooked off otherwise its too sloppy.

In a separate pan, add 1/4 C olive oil and 1/2 C pine nuts to warm. Add in 1 C of chopped basil and stir to coat evenly. Remove from heat.

When zucchini mixture is done cooking and most of the moisture is gone, add the pine nut/basil mixture to it, stir thoroughly.

Drain pasta and in a large bowl combine the pasta, zucchini mixture, and 1/4 C freshly chopped basil and 1 C of parmesan/romano/etc. cheeses and let it melt just a little. Add 1 C fresh chopped tomatoes and stir. Serve with garlic bread.

Delicious!

Late Night Meandering

My first night alone as a parent. And I choose to watch a happily, sad romantic move. Dumb dumb dumb. At least it had a happy ending. Still, a little left over reserve of post-baby hormones left over I think. Or maybe just the soft edges of me coming out. The movie I watched was Letters to Juliet... predictable but sweet.

I found myself a little melancholy about how beautiful the main character was in this movie (again, remember the hormones) and I really wish that I was the type of person that felt comfortable wearing dresses on a regular basis for everyday things, events, outings. Problem is, I've never been that person.

I'd like to be that person sometimes. I liked being that person in Mexico but it was easy there. It was a different me, and I didn't have to justify it or talk about it or explain it because it was vacation and no one said anything. I'd have to explain it if I did it here. Maybe with my recent life changes I can manage it in small stages and won't have to talk about it or explain it or live through the taunting.

Anger Issues. Again. Yes, I know - again.

I always have good intentions to post more often but I refrain from doing so because the only thing that truly inspires me to physically sit down and write a posting is anger. And somehow I feel like perhaps my entire blog shouldn't be about anger. Then again, maybe I'm missing something. Maybe it should be ONLY about anger. I mean look at Ed Anger in the Enquirer - he's made an entire career out of posting about what makes him angry. And Andy Rooney - even though he is usually mild-mannered, his spot on 60 minutes is usually about things that make him angry - and he manages to do it in a politically correct manner. Unfortunately, things that make me angry enough to write about tend to lead to inappropriate outbursts with swear words and wild gesticulating, and getting flustered to the point that I am simply unable to form any argument or coherent thought or have a logical cadence to thought or speech. Which leads beautifully into what actually caused me to post tonight.

The first amendment.

Yep - its a big topic. I could probably write 30+ pages on this topic without even blinking. In fact, I could probably write a 30+ page legal brief on this topic with little effort - and still have more to write. There are very few things that inspire me to have as strong an opinion as the first 6 amendments to our constitution - with the first being the most important, and the 5th and 6th following close behind. Anytime someone takes their own quasi-religio-politico views and uses them to warp the true intentions of the first amendment I get mad mad mad. Its basic - freedom of speech. Really - its that easy.

Yes, I know - there are exceptions and rules that try to corral it in a number of ways but its still really simple - I have the freedom to write and say what I want. (Barring, of course, some legal agreement I may have signed which is voluntary and not imposed).

You see, here I am, starting on a semi-structured argument about the topic and I just want to start spouting insults and threats and throw my hands up in the air and scream. But, please, someone tell me why a blog written about personal educational experiences in college could possibly be subjected to censorship.

It doesn't matter if someone else is offended by what I write or say - its unfortunate and I sometimes feel bad if I offend someone or hurt their feelings but that is also self-imposed and not justification for a suppression of what I want to write or say. Just because someone is inconvenienced by me doesn't mean I should in turn be inconvenienced by them. You see the offendee also has a choice - to not read or not listen. Basic human rights. And tolerance.

(I'm off on a new tangent now...)

Tolerance is certainly something we could all learn a little bit better. Myself included. I have very little tolerance for incompetence. I also have very little tolerance for ignorance - especially from someone with the full capacity to be educated but is unwilling to do so.

And now I have reached the point I always do - the anger was fueled fiercely for a short period of time and I no longer have the desire to write anything else. This is probably why I don't practice law. hahaha.

Things that Anger Me. Vol. 15

Short post -

I find it totally ridiculous the number of people who talk on their cell phones while working out at the gym. Really?? Put it down and step away from it for 30 whole minutes. Step. Step. Step. Step....

Pre-Winter Happenings

It's been a good fall so far but here we sit with snow threatening for the last few days. Isn't that something about the predicted weather? It's rarely spot-on in Idaho. Its the only real job one can have and keep and be wrong ALL the time.

All of the wood at our house is now cut, chopped, and stacked. Still need to cover the one wood pile but it should be ok for a while. As a result - my back is pretty sore but the workout at the gym last night didn't make my legs as sore as it normally would have. I guess that is one benefit to chopping and stacking all that wood. Aside from the actual wood itself. :)

I think Mark has the swine flu so I'm just hoping at this point that I don't get it. It's been a few painful days for him but he's feeling a bit better. We're hoping to make the 9-hour trip to the Tri-Cities this weekend so we'll see how he feels tomorrow.

I read the news today about a sad sad story of a 15-year-old girl who was raped at her Homecoming dance this last weekend by 5-10 different people while 15-20 others watched. The police are still making arrests and questioning people. I hope they nail every single one of the bastards who did it. Unfortunately, the law is written as such so that none of the bystanders (watchers) can be prosecuted for their inaction. It makes me sick. Physically and emotionally sick because none of the people involved will ever be the same. She will be in my thoughts.

This has been a trying week - to say the least. I have been working hard to accomplish things before leaving for for 4 days but I'm sure having a hard time exercising any patience. I wonder sometimes what it would be like to be able to refuse to accept responsibility for my own actions or how relaxed I would be if I didn't have a built-in sense of obligation. It must be nice.

So, I've decided that a good dose of healthy drinking was in store tonight because, frankly, I can't go through another day like today without a little self-medication tonight. I only have to make it through 9 hours - then I'm off to South Dakota trudging through the snow...awesome awesome snow. I'm hoping there is room in the car for my giant snow boots.

So the trip to So Dak involves a visit to Grand Teton and Yellowstone Parks (yep, in October, in the snow - awesome!) then on to Cody, WY through the white and wonderful snow before heading towards Devil's Tower - can't wait, I've always wanted to see it. From there it is on to Deadwood, Sturgis, and Mt. Rushmore before landing in Sioux Falls, SD to watch the homecoming parade and the little brother's football game before getting back on the road to head home. Only 19 more hours!

In Support Of

Today is my day off. I have every other Friday off which is really nice. I enjoy having a day to myself to get things done that won't take up the weekend or, sometimes, to just do whatever I want: read a book, work in the garden, get a haircut. There are a ton of things I want to get done outside today but because it is still a bit nippy outside this morning I'm checking email and tidying up the house for now. As I was checking my email I noticed a headline on iGoogle that caught my eye. Apparently our president, Barack Obama, has won the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm a little surprised but not, I think, in disagreement.

Several articles in response to this award have quoted a number of people asking, "why?", "for what?", or "what has he done to deserve that?". I have to admit that Barack Obama is no Ghandi or Nelson Mandela or the Dalai Lama but, in my mind, he's a far step ahead of Mikhail Gorbachev or a few others who have been awarded the prize in recent history. I'm not one-hundred percent behind Obama but I am a believer in what he is trying to accomplish and how he is going about doing that.

I suppose living in an area of the U.S. which is fairly conservative (and not being a conservative) helps me have a bit of a different opinion about the state of politics in this country. I am mostly incapable of having a civil conversation about political subjects with conservatives because they are incapable of discussing a subject with someone who disagrees with the rhetoric. It is amazing to me that I can't discuss something as simple as delisting the wolves, or the benefits of church and state separation, or gun ownership, or immigration (legal or otherwise) without it resulting in an out and out personal attack on me. And, before you start to change the page, let me explain that I think the wolves should be delisted and numbers reduced, not eradicated. And I think that church and state should be completely separate and when you start modifying the school year or curriculum to accommodate the dominant religious beliefs that you've lost that separation. And I actually own a number of guns but I'm not opposed to some regulation on them. And I really, really disagree with the way our country handles immigration (oh, and by the way, illegal immigrants don't get social security benefits - you're actually required to have a SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER to receive social security benefits so quit forwarding that email, please?)

I see I've wandered off the subject a little bit. To come back around to the point - Barack Obama represents, to me, the type of political behavior that is sorely missing from our country and others around the world. Its about civil, decent discussions that don't involve name-calling, personal attacks, or tendencies towards violence. Its about being open-minded and trying to find a middle ground on matters instead of being so polarized that nothing is ever accomplished. Its about having a strong sense of beliefs, moral and otherwise, and actually having them because they are yours and not something you have because your political party has defined them for you. Its about being passionate, truly passionate, about an idea and bringing that idea to fruition in a civil, decent manner.

Politics in our country for too long have been about personal attacks, extremist ideas, and polarized parties. Nothing can be accomplished this way that will improve our lives or our country. So, whether or not you agree with awarding our President the Nobel Peace Prize, perhaps consider what Barack Obama represents - its not about him being black, its not about the deficit, its not about healthcare reform. Its about approaching politics in a civil, decent manner with a belief that life can be improved, people can work together, and we can change.

Small Irritations

Little things irritate me - mostly unimportant things but all stupid little things.

1. I am originally from Pocatello - known as Poky for short. Its not Pokey, Pocy, or any other version - just Poky. I know this to be true because I went to the high school of the same name and it is P.O.K.Y.

2. The misuse of the word You're drives me crazy. In fact, the misspelling of basic words drives me nuts - especially when you know damn well the person who misspelled it had access to a spell checker. Its a good thing I'm not in charge of hiring anyone - any application sent in for consideration would be thrown out for misspellings.

3. I've recently started to hate crocs. I mean really, really, really, hate them. Which is a bit unreasonable I realize - I mean they are just a shoe, right? BUt they are hideous and overused and did I mention hideous? Something funny I've discovered though is how many websites, groups, fan clubs, etc. there are dedicated to the hatred of crocs. Apparently there is something there. Yep, its apparent!

4. Incompetent people annoy me. I go through cycles of optimism where I think other people have the ability to rise to the occasion and then I just disappoint myself with the expectations and cycle down into extreme irritation. Any advice on a business I could start that would only entail me dealing with me and still make >75K?

5. Why is it so hard to put two dirty dishes in the dishwasher?

6. Have you ever noticed how some people use a particular saying over and over and over? Often times it is used to the point where it is completely out of context but they keep using it.

7. I bet that about 90% of the time I get to the bottom of the milk jug and only have enough for 1/2 a bowl of cereal. I guess a 1/2 bowl of cereal is better than none. :)

8. I think I complain a bit too much...hahah.

I haven't exactly been faithful in blogging since law school. It was so much easier to post random comments/thoughts while sitting in constitutional law class. I think I'll try to be more faithful in writing - even if it is just one liner sarcasms.

I got an email the other day with some random funny thoughts - the one that stuck though is that sarcasm needs its own font. I really wish there was a designated sarcasm font so that it was never confused by anyone when you sent them an email or a note saying something like, "oh yeah, seems like a great idea to stick your hand in the blender" (just for instance...)

Heading off to Pocatello this morning for the Homecoming Parade and foot ball game. Nothing like a little alcohol on the public streets on a beautiful fall day!

Trespassing, Conversion, and other Criminal Acts

Some of this might be a repeat for the few people who still check in on me from time to time...

Last week was a bit eventful for Mark and I. It started out just fine until Mark went home for lunch on Tuesday and found some guys cutting down one of our half-dead cottonwoods on the back edge of our property. It seems that these idiots were told by the next door neighbor that they could cut down some of their dead trees but got confused about where the property line was and decided that one of our trees would be easier to cut down than any of the others. By the time Mark caught them the tree was already sawed through half way so there wasn't anything that could be done. I'm talking about a 90+ year old tree that, while it wasn't in the best shape, was certainly far from dead. The trunk alone is about 3-4 feet in diameter so this was no small feat.

To add insult to injury, the old coot who was directing the circus didn't think he had done anything wrong and continued to cut and chop up our tree. Despite the fact that I was seriously irritated about the initial trespass - we figured we couldn't do anything to change it so we were trying to figure out a reasonable solution to the situation. We were thinking it would be fair to let them chop it all up and only take half of the wood. Well this moron didn't see it that way and thought he and his minions should be able to take the whole thing AND leave the mess behind. I think Mark may have blown a blood vessel at that point.

The old guy and one of his helpers had the gall to try and tell us that they had done us a favor because it was eventually going to blow down anyway. After Mark and I weren't buying that load of crap and told him exactly what we thought was fair the guy stopped being any sort of reasonable and Mark threw him off our property and told him to not come back until we sorted this out with the neighbor who was the one who told him he could cut trees in the first place. Lo and behold this guy shows back up on our property the next morning and starts loading wood again. At this point Mark told him to get off our property and stay off or he would call the sheriff. The neighbor left us a note to call him so Mark would call to chat with him and see where we go from here but it turns out he had some kind of surgery the day after and we haven't talked to him yet. It is just so unbelievable that someone would/could do such a thing. Its been interesting to say the least.

I've had to answer the obvious question about 20 times as to why I haven't pulled out the whole "lawyer" card on this guy yet. I'll tell you why - this is the perfect beginning to a case that could end up in a law school book somewhere and I don't want future generations of law students being forced to answer painful questions about the case history in an 8am property class.
Besides, I'm fairly reasonable - I figure the initial trespass and conversion (or theft as it may be) were an honest mistake so in exchange for the labor - I still get half the value of the tree as firewood. Unfortunately, the inbred, bass-ackwards farmer from Shelley didn't see it that way and wanted the whole thing. I'm fair - but I'm not spineless.

I had to laugh though - at one point during the dispute, when the "loggers" were trying to convince us pretty hard that they had done us a favor and how nice it was of them to cut down our tree when it could have fallen over on a power line that is a dead end and doesn't supply power to anywhere Mark asked the guy where he lived. When the guy looked at Mark all confused - Mark said, "Well, I need to know so I can come over and flood your basement. God knows I'd be doing you a favor because your house could have caught on fire and I would be doing you a favor." The logic was a bit off but the timing was perfect.

In the meantime it has snowed at least a foot and the issue has become a non-issue, at least until the snow melts a little more and you can find all that beautifully chopped wood under the snow.