January 2023
January 31, 2023 - Tuesday - This morning I woke up to the sound of rain. It was really light hail. The ground was completely covered when I got up. Like every morning we all went straight to the back door. All the pups went out except Pancake, she came right back in. She was not dealing with the cold. When I let them out before lunch she really had to go. Don’t eat yellow snow, folks.
January 30, 2023 - Monday - Today the weather turned cold. Sometime just after lunch I heard it start raining. I looked out the window and saw it wasn’t rain. When I opened the door to go out and take a photo Zak ran out for a sec and realized stuff was falling on him and ran back in. He can be a bit of a dufus. It only sprinkled a little bit of ice on us.
January 29, 2023 - Sunday - I think I spent most of the day watching the playoffs. Towards the end of the day I starting doing some research into my next big roadtrip. If all goes as planned I’ll be on the road in the Fall, and not too much of it will be planned too much. At the end of the evening I realized I didn’t have a photo for today. My camera was on the coffee table and so was my laptop.
January 28, 2023 - Saturday - Today I went out to spend some time with family. It was my nephew’s little girl’s birthday. She’s celebrating her first birthday. When I walked in someone’s little boy walked up to me with his arms up. I don’t know why but we became instant buddies. He came up me several times to sit in my lap. Of course I gave him all the sweets on the table.
January 27, 2023 - Friday - This was this morning's breakfast. The girls were sleeping late with Riley today so it was just Zak and I sharing this. He gets excited about any food but seems to really like avocado toast. I’m sure he likes them even better with a fried egg on top like I’ve made for us in the past. He has pretty good manners for a knucklehead.
January 26, 2023 - Thursday - When I ordered groceries the other day I ordered all the stuff to make the salad in the photo yesterday. For whatever reason the items that are available for delivery from Kroger varies all time. I couldn’t get a pint of strawberries, I had to order a large container that’s way more than what I wanted. So today fresh strawberries were my afternoon snack.
January 25, 2023 - Wednesday - After the stew and cookies this week I needed to get some more fruits and veggies in. I made one of my favorite salads for lunch. It has mixed greens, grape tomatoes, purple onion, fresh strawberries, purple grapes, feta and parmesan. Just a little bit of fresh cracked pepper and a bit of poppyseed dressing and it’s ready to eat. It’s not cold weather food but it sure is good.
January 24, 2023 - Tuesday - Yesterday after work Riley and I needed to go to the T-Mobile store. It took a while and when we were done she wanted to pick up something to eat. We wandered next door to Whole Foods. I went to the cookie display by the hot meals and grabbed a few things more interested in photographing them than eating them. They’re not Sparkle cookies after all.
January 23, 2023 - Monday - Today I was kinda busy with work but at lunch I did all the prep for this so it would be ready for dinner. A quick sear on the meat and then all the chopping of the potatoes, celery and carrots didn’t take too long. I love the way the house smells when this is cooking. It’s going to be really good tomorrow when it gets colder than it is today.
January 22, 2023 - Sunday - I did a bit of work today at my desk, but took some time away to watch the early playoff game. Biscuit came to keep me company. The best is when I lay on the couch and Zak will lay in front of me and Biscuit will snuggle in the crook of my knees. Pancake will ball up on the couch pillow behind me. They do a good job of keeping me warm.
January 21, 2023 - Saturday - Today I got out to meet my two best friends from High School. We met back on the East Side for an early lunch. In spite of the cold and the bit of rain, they went out for a ride today. I don’t remember when the last time I saw them together but it’s been too long. And no, I have no interest in getting one of these. They’re too cool for me.
January 20, 2023 - Friday - I had some tomatoes that needed to be eaten soon so today I made this for lunch. I love that it’s so quick and easy. You can make this in the time it takes to boil a pot of water and cook the pasta. Then it’s just tossing all the stuff with the pasta. A little grated parm and some fresh cracked black pepper.
January 19, 2023 - Thursday - A few weeks or so back I posted a photo of the blanket we keep on the couch that Zak chews on. I was bragging about how he’s so well behaved and that was the only thing he does that he shouldn’t. I was doing laundry and washed my blankets and while putting them back on the bed I noticed this. He’s a knucklehead but I love him.
January 18, 2023 - Wednesday - I guess I’m clearing out what’s left of all my Christmas treats. My friend who made the Ambrosia fruit salad also made me these no-bake cookies. These two are all that’s left of them. I don’t know whether to be sad they’re gone or happy for my nutritionist who always tells me to watch my sweets. I tell her I see them just fine.
January 17, 2023 - Tuesday - Another of my Christmas presents. These chocolates really hit the spot after dinner. It’s a little beat up after being in the package with all the others but it still tastes really good. I think I have about four of these left.
January 16, 2023 - Monday - Nobody knows if this was his last game or not, but what an amazing, long career. I’ll admit I hated him and the Patriots the whole time he was there beginning with the Tuck Rule Game. That was and still is a huge load of steaming crap in the snow. When he left I realized it was just the Pats I hated.
January 15, 2023 - Sunday - Today is a sad day. This is my last Dark Chocolate Cherry Walnut cookie from Sparkle All Over. Like most of her cookies I put this in the microwave for 8 seconds before this. It’s so soft and warm and the dark chocolate is melty. The cherries are chewy and the walnuts are crunchy. It’s the most perfect cookie! Until next time…
January 14, 2023 - Saturday - More avocados. Today was a full day. I got up early and drove out to see dad and take him to lunch. We also looked at some new cars. It’s getting close to time to get back in debt. Later in the afternoon I went over to a friend’s house for a big get together. When I walked in one of them said, “There’s the guac guy.” This was a pretty good batch.
January 13, 2023 - Friday - I ordered groceries the other day and today my avocado was ready to be eaten. I made a bit of avocado toast for Zak and I. All the girls were still asleep so we shared it amongst ourselves. It still amazes me how food aggressive he was when I got him and how well mannered he is with food and being gentle when getting snacks.
January 12, 2023 - Thursday - Today it feels cold in the house. The thermostat is set at the normal temperature but it feels cooler than usual. After lunch i got the idea to make a cup of hot tea with a bit of honey. It reminded me of when we still worked in the office we’d have a hot tea from time to time in the afternoon.
January 11, 2023 - Wednesday - Zak doesn’t always sleep in the bed but when he does he’ll come lay on me in the morning when he sees I’m awake. He’ll start out like this but within a few minutes he’ll roll over so he can get some belly rubs and chest scratches. Things like this are one of the reasons I like big dogs. Even if it’s a little hard to breath sometimes.
January 10, 2023 - Tuesday - Today Riley and I got out to run some errands and pick up some lunch. This blue car was parked outside the place we picked up lunch. This big guy was being a good boy in the back seat with the window rolled down all the way. If I tried this with Zak I would have him any more or I’d be chasing him down the street.
January 9, 2023 - Monday - I had to do a little rearranging on my desk after my laptop was delivered. That and I have a few more new toys as well. This is one of my favorite cigars I’ve ever had. I bought it for a special occasion over two decades ago. It had quite a nice band too. I’ve always liked Arturo Fuente cigars. This was one of their best.
January 8, 2023 - Sunday - We shot a bunch of cookies yesterday. We also did a bit of taste-testing to establish the final flavors for the Valentine’s collection. One of the flavors up for consideration was my all-time favorite, the Dark Chocolate Cherry Walnut cookie. Unfortunately this one didn’t make it. As a consolation prize I was able to bring a few of these home with me.
January 7, 2023 - Saturday - Today we had another shoot for Sparkle All Over. We shot quite a bit and by the end of the shoot my feet were aching. Fortunately it’s a short drive to my friend’s where we took a little bit of time to have bit of Jack on the back patio. Not a bad way to celebrate another successful shoot.
January 6, 2023 - Friday - I met a friend for dinner after work. We went to one of our favorite places for dinner. One of my favorite drinks that’s not a Jack and Coke. This is called an Attitude Adjustment. The Tajín on the rim really is he extra something that makes this. They also serve this in a giant martini glass. I have no idea how much it costs but I can’t drive after sharing one of them.
January 5, 2023 - Thursday - I got my new laptop delivered today. I have a Mac Mini that I bought this past Spring and it worked great for everything except Video Animation. My laptop is pretty loaded so I think it will suit me for quite a long time. I was really busy working today so I didn’t get started setting it up until this evening. Anybody looking for a Mac Mini? I have one slightly used.
January 4, 2023 - Wednesday - One of my other gifts from yesterday was a big bowl of Ambrosia Fruit Salad. When I’m around Eatzi’s I’ll stop by to see if they have any. This is one of my favorite things. My friend said this is so easy to make and she was surprised I hadn’t made it before. It’s always better when someone makes it for you. I had some for lunch today.
January 3, 2023 - Tuesday - I met a friend for lunch today. She brought me a few Christmas gifts, one of which is this notepad and pen. I don’t take notes too often. So this should stay on my desk quite a long while. She also got me a bottle of Jack and a one of those silicone ice cube trays that makes round whiskey balls. I don’t drink at home much so that should last a while too.
January 2, 2023 - Monday - I really need to do some grocery shopping. Today I cut some chicken breasts in half and seasoned them with some blackening seasoning. I cooked those and made myself a sandwich with some sourdough I had. My cupboards are getting bare.
January 1, 2023 - Sunday - I got some Legos for Christmas. I saw that Lego has a new “holiday tradition” they’re trying to make stick. It’s December 27th and it’s called Lego Build Day! It’s convenient that they settled on it being two days after Christmas. I was still house/dog sitting on the 27th so I didn’t open these until today. Relaxing day after a late night last night.