One Steak, Two Pies, Three Anniversaries

We’re coming up on a few anniversaries and looking back at last week. Pull up a chair, pour a drink, and make yourself comfortable.

On jelly bean day I found quite a few more folks than I imagined that also like the black licorice flavor, and also that a large number of my friends and acquaintances like soda-flavored jelly beans, particularly Dr Pepper.

Impossible Astronaut Day was fun even if only two people commented on my tally marks and one of them asked if I was counting the number of times I’d been misgendered that day. If I counted that on my hands it would be depressing, so I don’t so that. Although maybe if it got people talking . . . so long as they were talking in a good way.

I started rewatching the series Grimm and it’s still a fun watch. It’s the kind of show that knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to be something it’s not. Sure it devolves into lore rather than monster of the week (I really don’t like it when shows do that [ahem] X-Files and Supernatural)and the final scene is way too schmaltzy, but if got six seasons before we get there. Okay, five seasons since I just started season two.

I’ve been playing The Tortured Poets Department (shocking I know) and Spotify gifted me with this wonderful graphic:

Ten percent is good, but there’s part of me that thinks those are rookie numbers. One of my friends asked if I was going to write a review of the album and that made me happy to think someone values my opinion, so that’s something I think I’ll work on. You might look for it later this week., depending on what time I have.

This time of year marks a few anniversaries. Yesterday was one year to the day I got the best haircut of my life with a nice androgynous look perfect for attending the Eras Tour with Victoria (anniversary number two, coming up tomorrow). It was the first time I really felt that I got a haircut that reflected myself.

Since then no one else has touched it. Literally. I have gone a whole year letting my hair grow out and now Krystal says “your hair is so long and beautiful it’s not fair I want to punch it”. You’ll also see that with longer hair I’ve also taken to going about more clean shaven than in the previous decade or so, despite a few days stubble in the picture.

I’m thinking of keeping it long; I like it, I just don’t know what to do with it 🤣

One of my friends saw this side-by-side and said

it’s the Scooby hoodie too. your fits have become immaculate ✌️

Anniversary number three comes on Wednesday when it will mark a year to the day our D&D group finally met in person. Krystal and I were able to meet up with Jax and Ciarán back in February, and there’s tentative plans to get together sometime this fall. Until then, here’s one of my favorite pictures from a year ago:

Yesterday I made pie and messed up the spice. I have a jar of my own spice blend and in my haste I put two tablespoons in instead of one, only realized hours later I could have just washed the apples and started over.

Anyway, I baked it and it’s the worst pie I’ve made in years. Since my pies are usually superb (if I say so myself) it’s still edible if you’ve got some ice cream to cut it with. Oh no, such a burden . . .

Anyway I was making a pie for Krystal to take to a party and that one turned out great and I marked it with a hedgehog so it wouldn’t get mixed up. And I think I have enough left over to make another pie again in the next couple days.

As Krystal was at her party, I made a Guinness-marinated steak with mashed potatoes and Guinness-mushroom gravy and mixed veggies. I’m slowly learning to get steak right and not turn it into leather. I’ve got two more steaks I need to do something with today . . . so it’ll either be a repeat of last night (which would be delicious) or a stew of some kind . . .

My week was brightened this week by several animals. Leaving work Friday one of my friends drove by with a kitten they showed me very quickly as we did not want to block traffic in the parking lot. Then I had to get my car inspected and while I waited met the Service Station Cat named Belle. Saturday I went grocery shopping and had to pause to make way for goslings.

How have you been doing?