Easy, Yet Totally Unsafe February 4, 2009

Tennessee annoys me. The entire state is at least 10 years behind in every single trend and technology improvement. Not a week goes by that I am not irritated by the fact that doctors here won’t work past 5 (noon on Fridays), the goddamn local utilities don’t have a budget billing program, etc.

As it turns out, Tennessee has one ridiculous convenience I’ve never seen in another state: you can update your driver’s license with a new address ONLINE. No need to bother proving who you are at the DMV! All you need is the driver’s license number, the last 4 digits of the associated SSN, and a credit card to charge the measly $8 fee. Ta da, in a couple of weeks, you receive your shiny new license in the mail.

No one wants to hit the DMV less than me, but I have to say, how dumb is this state? Are they blissfully unaware of the security loophole this provides for identity thieves and illegals alike? Fucking hicks.

Oh, I See February 4, 2009

For the past week, I have been making homemade sourdough bread. It has become glaringly apparent why people no longer take the time to make bread from scratch: it’s a colossal pain in the ass. Why do it, then? Well, I’m not working now, and I’ve always la-la-loved homemade bread. I’ve also always been very intimidated by the thought of making it. All of those little quirks: the humidity messes with it, the rising is a big deal, you can totally over-knead the dough if you don’t know what you’re doing, blah blah blah.

I’ve had a recipe for homemade sourdough bread for probably 10 years, so I thought, what the hell. My mom used to make it when I was a kid, and the most vivid memory (aside from the crippling yumminess) I have of that time was that she finally stopped jacking with it because she would spend an ENTIRE day every weekend baking the shit. See, the sourdough is a unique animal: you begin with a “starter,” then feed it every so many days. Very mad scientist, right? Just kind of annoying, really.

Several days ago, I made the starter.  It has to sit out for 8-12 hours (not in an airtight container, apparently; around midday, I found the lid had been blown off of the bowl and into the floor) , then you refrigerate it for 3-5 days, at which point you feed it, let it sit out for 8-12 hours, remove some of it to make a batch of bread, put it back in the fridge for another 3-5 days, and the whole shebang begins again. You can see where this could be taxing after a round or two.

Yesterday, I finally bake the first batch of this high-maintenance bitch. And let me say this: it was worth every second. That’s all we had for dinner, actually: homemade bread. I can’t wait to make some more this weekend.

The Transformation Is Almost Complete February 4, 2009

A few weeks ago, I flew to Kansas City to visit a friend of mine. In an attempt to wile away the flight time, I stopped by one of those airport convenience store places to purchase some reading material. After scanning shelf after shelf of crappy magazines, I bought a word search book and a crossword puzzle book. My mother, it should be noted, is a big fan of the word search, as is evidenced by finding one in every bathroom in her house.

When I told the hubby what I bought, he remarked, “The transformation into your mother is almost complete.”

Editor’s Note: That may not be the exact quote, but you get the idea.