Feelin' [Bloggy]

I don't really know why, but I have been feeling bloggy lately. I know you like that I make up words :). Anyway, take a listen to the song I butchered to make my title :). I grew up on that song. Shoot, I grew up on Simon and Garfunkel, if you want to know the truth of it. So before I delve into the way things are, I will tell you about the way things were once upon a time. A memory solicited from Simon and Garfunkel.

We had a two-story (aka upstairs/downstairs) duplex in Panama. There were exactly 14 steps. Twelve went straight up, and the bottom 2 were perpendicular to those. Check out this blog post from yesteryear for a semi-idea of what it looked like, if you're all that curious. Some of you have the unique privilege of having experienced it first-hand at some long-ago time. For those of you who didn't... Well, you can sort of imagine our stairwell from that picture :). So now imagine a couple of kids -- probably 11 and 12 years old. Brad (11) and me (12). My mom had her record of Simon and Garfunkel playing this song in the living room. And for some reason, we thought it was a ridiculously silly song. So one day, we sat on the stairs making fun of it, and Brad started kicking his legs in the air (or maybe it was me), sort of like doing a sitting can-can, whenever they would say "Yes he did!" and "Joy joy joy joy joy joy..." And then we laughed hysterically. More proof we could probably compete in "The World's Dorkiest Kids" competition. And probably place. I'd like to say we grew out of our dorkiness... But that would be lying ;).

And while we're visiting my yesteryears, and since I keep linking cool-awesome songs... How about I link one more, also applicable to my yesteryears in Panama, and which I only just found last night. It seriously brought a smile to my face. Because, if you knew what I know... You would understand. And maybe this will help you see :).

So now that I've told you about yesteryear, how about I tell you about next year? Or at least somebody's idea of what next year will be. I just finished watching 2012. Which I now need to take off my hold list at the library, since I watched it on Netflix while house-sitting. I'm going to go ahead and say I do not know why I keep subjecting myself to intense books and movies about massive natural disasters. It doesn't do good things for my nerves. It stresses me out. And gives me an overwhelming desire to become prepared. Which is where beef jerky comes in. But I'll get to that. Anyway... Right after the Japan earthquake and tsunami (which happened while I was house-sitting for my friend John), my dad called me early that morning to tell me the tsunami warnings were indicating a tsunami hit along the West Coast. Well, we really didn't see much of anything here, which is wonderful. But then I kept hearing about some predictions that we along the West Coast are pretty much due a massive earthquake. (I don't believe I realized I was moving to the Ring of Fire when I moved here... And not the cool one that Johnny Cash was singing about.) Anyway... Freaked me out. For one thing, I don't want to do the whole earthquake experience. I'm cool with missing out on that mortal experience. For another thing, if I have to experience it, I don't want it to happen when I'm all alone. Wimpy? Probably. But I don't care. That's scary! So I filled everything I could in John's house with water. Just in case. (It didn't help I was reading the 3rd book in that series about the moon being closer in orbit to the earth...). Laugh all you want. I don't care. It freaked me out. Thankfully, we didn't have the earthquake that was being predicted for the end of March. But that doesn't mean we won't ever have one. And I want to be prepared! As much as I can, at any rate.

And that's where beef jerky comes in :). See? I told you I would get there. One of my goals this year is to get my 72-hour kit ready. I'm starting to think maybe I'll maybe make two. One to keep in my car, and one to keep in the house. You want to know why I haven't even started on that goal? Because I don't have a convenient place to keep it all. Like the thing I would grab in an emergency, in which all my things would be inside of. What a dumb reason, no? I think I've made a decision, though, and this will help me get on my way with this goal. I'm also going to get a list going for the things I need to get. Lists focus me. I have pretty much decided that beef jerky is going on the list. It's delicious. It's protein. And it's good for a year. And it's pretty easy to pack, since it can squish a bit here and there. I believe I got this idea from reading Jessica's blog, in which she said they were eating their 72-hour kit food during Conference (to make sure it gets eaten -- and then they go out and replenish with fresh supplies). What a genius idea! On all accounts! A consistent way to rotate the food, and a brilliant idea for something healthy, etc. that is practical. Also, not heavy.

So aside from working (same shift as Lea, so mostly a fun time), shopping for ingredients to make arroz con pollo for Monday Meals, listening to the bits and pieces of Conference I could catch when I wasn't at work, watching a freak-me-out movie, and chillin' at Wendy's in blissful peace and solitude... Other than that, it was a regular old Saturday.

Oh, except here's a sad note to self -- and to anyone else who cares. So I was so craving nachos. Junk food, I know. I don't care. I love them. So I went to 2 different grocery stores to look for nacho cheese in a can. I know they make it in the big bulk cans at Costco or something. But I don't need that much cheese. I was hopeful it existed in smaller cans. Well, if it does, I don't know where to look. But I noticed, while I was in Safeway, that the Cheese Whiz jar claimed that it could be used for nachos. I figured, 'Okay... I have some leftover from the gourmet hot dogs Monday Meal back in who-knows-when (and I paid a pretty penny for it, so I don't want it to go to waste), so I might as well give it a shot.' So I went back by the house and got it. Yeah, totally not the same experience. Not even close. Cheese whiz is way too rich. I was pretty much sick halfway into my bowl of nachos. What a total bust. I should write the company that manufactures Cheese Whiz and tell them to remove "nachos" from the lid as being something you can put cheese Whiz on. It's like an insult to real nachos everywhere :).

P.S... I didn't watch the girls tonight. Christina and Nick cancelled :(. I sure miss those babies when I don't see them for a while.