It started with these meal kit delivery services: first Blue Apron, then Hello Fresh. We've been using these for almost a year now. We used Blue Apron for about three months, then switched to Hello Fresh, largely due to more separation of the meal components. Michelle won't eat most vegetables, and the vast majority of Blue Apron's meals consisted of a lightly-seasoned meat on a pile of "stuff." Hello Fresh's meals tend to be more separated, so I can eat the vegetables, while Michelle gorges on the starch side. Last night's was an exception, though....mainly because we hadn't cased the weekly menu....a sort of chicken sausage casserole that she even liked. I'm off-target....
After a few months of preparing these out-of-the-box things, I made my first spaghetti from scratch. No pre-made sauce. It turned out fine, and I realized I was starting to get a small feel for what spice will effect what flavor. Now, I'm not going to start tooting the old horn yet; I still have a long way to go.....just amazed that I'm even trying to do this stuff. It's like the old adage (old, because I saw it first in "Oh, God!") that shaving can make you feel normal again. Cooking is doing that for me. I can turn on music or a podcast, and I'm in my own world. Dig it. Not sure what my next from-scratch endeavor will be....maybe pizza. Or some sort of casserole. Not tuna.
I got out the food processor that we got as a wedding present in 2003 and had never used. It was even missing a part that I picked up cheaply on eBay. And it still had the plastic protector on the wall plug. I've now used that to make hummus, chocolate-banana ice cream, and an Oreo-crust pie. Onward and upward. I'll have to ride the bike more to make up for this (and I am), or maybe making things freshly will mean less crap going into the old body. We'll see. Incidentally, I have lost a few pounds since beginning the work/riding the bike combination. Plenty more to go, but it's a start.
I'm currently awaiting some drum wrap material to cover my Sonor kit in a corn kernel pattern. Should look pretty cool, and I'm expecting the wraps tomorrow or Tuesday. It was a pain getting these, as the drum wrap company I used had an apparently abandoned order system still up on their website, and they had no idea I had ordered for a couple of weeks. They were not good at communication in general; my emails went unanswered. I still have one concern about the bass drum, but we'll see what I get in the mail. If I need to reorder the bass drum wrap, I will, but they also should have answered my email question. I think I can make it all work regardless. I spent a night and a half stripping the shells down to get ready for this, and they're all sitting in the living room now, asking me for their new fancy clothes. X-acto knife and clamps are at the ready.
Tuesday, the Hickoids will be shooting a promo video for the upcoming tour, entitled Rode Hard. More accurately, yours truly will be doing most of the work. I'll post it in this blog when it's done. I think it'll be pretty damn funny. The initial idea is great, and I think everybody will pitch in with good ideas. So, all in all, next week should be a busy one. It wraps with a gig at the Empire Control Room in Austin on Saturday, with Pinata Protest and Cunto.
Pocket FishRmen had a band (and wives', sans Jason's) dinner last Thursday, rather than rehearsing. I think it was a good thing we got together and just hung out a bit at a neutral place. We don't do that enough, and these things are always good for band morale. There was a little band business to discuss, but it was mostly laughing and eating.
I still want to start another band at some point, if only for some laughs and whatnot. It's just tough finding people who want to do at least a similar thing to what you want. At this stage of my musical life, I know enough people but maybe not enough of the right people for what I have in mind. It's a tough one. If it happens, it happens. I'm not going to force it. Two bands are fine for right now, even if I don't really have much creative involvement in them.
On the watching front, let's see...."I, Madman," "Who Can Kill a Child?" (fancy new Blu-ray edition), "Manhandled," "Cry Terror!," and the first episode of "Sharp Objects" (HBO series). (Speaking of HBO series, I've been going through "The Wire" for the seventh time. Don't ask. I'll write about it when I'm done.) "I, Madman" is a horror flick from 1989, a bit blah but okay. Jenny Wright is in it, so that alone makes it okay by me. (Look her up.) "Who Can Kill a Child?" I wrote about back on September 4, 2014. "Manhandled" is a Gloria Swanson comedy from 1924, or what's left of it, anyway. The movie seemed pretty complete, although a couple of scenes seemed to come out of nowhere. The packaging kept talking about how this was the most complete version of the film available, but I haven't found details on what exactly is missing. Still entertaining. "Cry Terror!" was a sort of hostage drama with Rod Steiger as the master criminal. A tense one - very well made, although it had a couple of needless voice-overs. And "Sharp Objects" seems promising, although I do think this current Golden Age of Television has become a Golden Age of Television, Although You've Seen It By Now. There's a definite "True Detective" vibe to this show. I'll keep watching it, though.
Oh wait, one more thing. I finished "Sunshine Cleaning." It wasn't completely predictable but pretty close. Not something I'd rewatch or even recommend, really.
Let's close out this week's writing on a high note....
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