the Unidentified Flying Tuna Trot

The week was so-so. No use rehashing that. Let's just get to the animals, shall we???

Simon's first tuna. 

Kylie and Tovah LOVED when I made tuna. Sophie never cared. I opened a can this last week, and Simon was weaving in and out of my legs. I think he enjoyed the treat. 

Just an outing to Horseshoe "Lake". 

There is some water in it currently due to some heavy rains. 

The idea is for Simon to be on the blankets, not under them. 

I don't care about the cat hair, it's his claws - and it's a brand new sofa. 

Other end of the table - from last week. But he found the sun. 

Supervisor Simon and lowly worker Shep. 

_____________________________________________________________

As the 'spying' comments from the last two days continues - yesterday?  10,000+ hits on the blog. They're out there............

Song by: REO Speedwagon

Fuel

Gruel.  The breakfast of champions? 

For those who have read me for any amount of time have known I've bee a Honey Nut Cheerios guy for years and years. Before that, Honeycomb.  In the last week (a little less), I've been trying something new. 

Oatmeal. 

I could say it is in a quest for being healthier, and in a way it is. The reality is: my fuel for long runs still comes up short. But I listen to people in the training group who say "oatmeal was a game changer for me".  This was after a 20 mile run where I struggled the last few miles (granted, they were all up hill). 

So, I consulted a running expert: Morty. I don't now he used it to fuel for running, but I knew he ate it daily. 

Growing up, we never at oatmeal. Now and then my mother made us Malt O Meal or Wheatena. Both would have a generous helping of brown sugar to make it palatable. 710 goes through instant oatmeal kicks, but I've never really tried. 

With Morty's guidance, I got oatmeal and a topping - granola. 

This is tricky. Most granola has nuts in it - and worse, almonds. I'm not a fan of the smell or taste of those. But I found one with no nuts and some dried-ish fruit. 

I went further with toppings though: real fruit. Fresh blueberries and dried cranberries. It helps. 

Oatmeal has the consistency - and possibly taste - of wallpaper paste. The fruit gives it some flavour, the granola some texture. 

I can't say it's "yummy" (besides never using that word), but it's not unbearable either. The first few days it filled me up. The following day I was starving an hour later......and it wasn't even Chinese oatmeal!

I'm not noticing anything as of yet in terms of fueling, but I've only done 3-5 mile runs since starting this routine. Tomorrow is 10 mile race, so we'll see. 

My thought was to do this three weeks prior to the marathon to adjust my body (and poops) well in advance of that run. 

Here's hoping for a 'game changer'. 

____________________________________________________________

Additional Note:  I don't wanna say "told ya so", but..........

Yesterday's post on apps and such spying on or listening to us might be too on the mark. I inferred they were already spying / listening, and to pick on on app seems ludicrous. 

My normal blog volume ranges between 1,800 - 2,300 hits per day lately.  Yesterday?  8,970.  It seems the NSA and all had their agents turn their eyes on me for calling them out.  

That's my story, anyways. 

Song by: Echo & the Bunnymen

Tik Tok

It's 21:00 and I have nothing planned. 

Pappy Joe disappoints once again by signing that stupid fucking TIk Tok ban.  

I don't even have or use the app and I know the ban is bullshit. 

China (and the U.S.) are spying on each of us 87 different ways. .......including all the apps you already have, along with Goooooogle and the likes of which I'm typing on right here, right now. 

We've all complained about our conversations and then any one of your feeds or ads are now exactly what you were discussing. 

Yes, Tik Tok has stupid shit on it - as does X, IG, Facebook and the likes. But unlike a lot of those, Tik Tok is used as a marketing tool - sometimes the lone one - for a LOT of independent businesses. It's cheap (if not free) and lots of exposure for small business. 

Pappy Joe is trying to score points with lord knows who(m). Again, he's syphoning off zero votes from the GOP on this - or anything. 

To paraphrase Jay-Z, we got 99 problems but Tik Tok ain't one of 'em.  Education. Debt. Wars. Immigration. Voting Rights. Women's Rights. LGBTQ+ Rights. Gun Control. Insurrection,  

Should I do the entire 99 list?  Either way, Tik Tok ain't gonna be on it. 

It's a cheap political point, one Biden can't cash in......ever. 

Song by: Key $ HA

Joe

While I think everyone here knows I'm not a fan of Pappy Joe in general, we still need him to prevail come November - plus the subsequent two years of insurrection and SCOTUS rulings.

And it is about time that Joe - or let's be honest, his campaign team of young 'uns - has stepped up to the social media plate. 

None of this will get anyone to switch from BLOTUS to Pappy Joe, but maybe it will get a few people who just don't go to the polls to do just that. 

Maybe. 

Here's hoping they keep it up and kick it up a notch or 231. 

Song by: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Passover

I am amused when people will say "happy Passover". 

What????

I think people think it's like Easter where one gets Peeps, eggs and chocolate. Instead of plagues and bitter roots. 

I guess the only overlay in the Venn Diagram of the two observances is that the first born son is killed. If only Jebus had some lamb's blood above his door. 

If only. 

There ain't nothing 'happy' about it. 

But it seems that people don't get the movie - as cheesy as it is - the 10 Commandments. I don't truly think they associate it with Passover. 

I mean pre-cable TV, for years it was lumped into being seen once a year, the same weekend as the Wizard of Oz. All of it fantasy to most. 

I can guarantee you, 99% of the people who saw the movie had heard of "Moses" and no other character in that movie. Though you gotta laugh at Edward G. Robinson playing any role in that. 

Honestly, Jebus was a Jew and is there any mention of Passover in the New Testament?  There are people who will say that the last supper was a Seder, but..........I dunno. 

A quick Gooooooogle search will say the NT "suggests".......fill in the blank for your own cherry picking. I'm beginning to think Jebus wasn't a very observant Jew. Yeah yeah - he died on "Good Friday" before sundown, but.........that just seems convenient for storytelling. You gotta back that "three days" (really, 36 hours) from your contrived "Easter Sunday". 

Of course, it would all be contrived. 

None of it is the word of g-d. It's the word of men. And I go with the Tracy Chapman lyric on this:

There is fiction in the space between / The lines on your page of memories / Write it down but it doesn't mean / You're not just telling stories.

Song by: Joy Division

My Music Monday

I gotta give it to my oldest nephew. Eons ago, maybe before he was even in college (he's 30 now), he attempted to turn me on to the music of Hozier. He ever burned me a cd.  Yes, if you date time by technology, it was a while ago. 

At the time it didn't speak to me and I let it be. But lo and behold, 15 years (or so) later, Hozier had an album that did ok on the alternative music scene. I could look up the tune I liked, but that seems like work. I liked the music and the melody - and to sound like an old fuddy-duddy, I couldn't understand a word he sang on that song. I liked it nonetheless. 

It took that song for me to realize Hozier is a dude and not a band. 

Hozier has a new song out - "Two Sweet" - about a month old. It's melodic and extremely catchy, especially the chorus. 

He mentions whiskey, which I don't drink. Maybe it's good, but I cannot get past the smell. Ditto for bourbon or scotch. Maybe now that I'm an old man, I should give it another shot.  .......though if I were in AA, I'd be earning my 90 day chip next week. 

I also don't drink coffee. 

I still like the song. 

Now that he has some popularity, I'm guessing my nephew no longer likes Hozier. 

Cooking with Blobby

Today we are doing a patty melt. 

Oddly, until a few months ago, technically I've never had one. I know, right?

Actually, until a few years ago, while loving onions, I loathed grilled onions. Or thought I did. 

If I brought it up to my psychiatrist ever, I'm sure we'd quickly get down to my mother's love for liver and grilled onions. For decades I would avoid both. I still avoid liver. 

Still, patty melts we'd only get when out - and rarely at that. While I love hamburgers on the grill, sometimes you just want something a little different. While this is more labour intensive than throwing meat on a grill, it is totally worth it. 

INGREDIENTS 

Yield: 4 servings 

4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 

2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

1½ pounds ground beef, at least 20 percent fat 

8 slices seeded rye bread 

8 slices Swiss cheese, approximately ½ pound 

Let's start with we basically cut everything in half here, though we had about 2/3rds of the ground beef which was 15% fat. I get where 20 could have been better.  So our reduction made us three melts

The main photo has Worchester Sauce - which I thought we'd use but didn't, though it would have been fine. 

 PREPARATION 

Step 1  Caramelize onions. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet set over high heat. When it foams, add the onions and sprinkle with salt. Do not stir immediately. Wait 1 minute, then begin to stir frequently over high heat for 5 minutes or so, or until the onions have released some liquid and started to become translucent. 

Step 2  Reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, for what will seem like a very long time, until the onions are fully melted and dark golden brown, approximately 30 to 40 minutes (30 tops!). Remove onions, and set them and the skillet aside. (You can caramelize the onions a day ahead of time and reheat slowly when you’re ready to cook.) 

The reduce to so little, but taste and smell so great. 

Step 3  Cook the burgers. Add the remaining butter to the skillet in which you cooked the onions, and place it over medium heat. Gently divide the ground beef into 4 small piles, and then lightly form these into patties that are like flattened meatballs, roughly the shape of a slice of rye bread. Season aggressively with salt and pepper.  (I assume it doesn't mean throwing spices at the meat!)

Step 4  Increase the heat under skillet to high. Put the patties into the skillet with plenty of distance between them, and allow them to cook, without moving, for approximately 2 minutes. Use a spatula to turn the patties over, and continue to cook for another 2 to 2½ minutes, then remove the patties from the skillet, and allow them to rest. (They will at this point be rare inside.) 

Step 5 Decrease the heat below the skillet to medium, and put four pieces of rye bread into the butter and fat that remains from cooking the patties. Top each piece with a slice of cheese, then a patty, then some of the caramelized onions, and finally another slice of cheese and another slice of rye.

I forgot to take a pic of putting onions on it.  Oh, and we used sourdough, because ironically, I'm not a fan of Jewish rye bread. 

Use the spatula to press down on the packages, and after about a minute or so, carefully turn over each patty to begin to brown the other side. (You may need to add the additional butter.)   We did. 

Cook until the cheese is fully melted and the bread is golden brown and crisp on both sides. Slice in half before serving.

Yeah yeah, the plate is messy, but the sandwich was SO good. The ones we had while ordering out were good, but not as good as this. 

This is more labour intensive than a hamburger, but to me, the pay off was worth it.  We shall be doing these again. 

Note:  this might be better in a cast iron pan, but we don't have one. They seem like a LOT of work. 

Staring at the Sun

Last week, due to 12 of 12, you didn't get a full compliment of pet pics. I'll try to make up for some of that now. 

Simon loves looking at birds and squirrels.

Even I think my mother would approve how Simon uses her old dining room table to nap. 

Awaiting the walk. Somewhat impatiently. 

I don't know who this is, but they were so friendly and go lots of pets. 

Big boy.....for still being a "kitten"

Even Shep was prepared for Totality. 

He wasn't stealing my jellybeans. I put them down to retrieve the mail. 

Song by:  U2

Ain't Equal

Back in 1989, Laurie Anderson had these lyrics in her song "Beautiful Red Dress":

"I just want to say something. 

You know, for every dollar a man makes a woman makes 63 cents. 

Now, fifty years ago that was 62 cents. 

So, with that kind of luck, it'll be the year 3,888 before we make a buck."

According to the Pew Research Center, in 2023, women now make $0.82 for every dollar a man earns. 

I've said for a while now, that if one insists on having a 'gender reveal party', the expectant couple should open a wallet. If it has a one dollar bill, it's a boy.  If it has 73 cents (now I guess 82), it's a girl. I wonder how real that party gets after that showstopper. 

Even in the Ocean's movies (ewww), the women only had Ocean's 8.  Or 73% of Ocean's 11. They movie makers didn't even try to hide it. 

On the surface, it would seem that Anderson's calculations would be off a bit, but not by that much. Still - $0.24 increase in 23 years is kind of astonishing compared to that rate it had been increasing prior to 1990. 

But then you take this latest wage gap example:

I get it - it's sports, and the market drives what you get paid. But does it? By that much? 

Mind you, I don't follow college basketball that closely, let alone the drafts, but even Mary Ingalls could see that this is way lopsided. Even some of the least knowledgable sportsball folks has heard Caitlin Clark's name all season. She is a phenom in basketball. 

Notice, I did not say "women's basketball". 

Yes, I get that men's basketball is more established and brings in more money than the WNBA.  But for one player, does it bring in more than 163 times as much?  One player. Now add in the Currys, James and the lot. 

For those who know of the WNBA player Brittney Griner who was detained, tried and was in prison in Russia a year or two ago, she was met with comments like:  "you don't see Lebron James playing basketball in Russia". 

Because he can afford not to. WNBA players have to pick up other opportunities to actually make money. He brings home about $42M a year - NBA pay.  Not Nike, Tonal or Sprite endosements, and to whatever else he lends his name and likeness.

So, now let's go back to that wage gap to the two examples above. I'm not sure my iPhone calculator could show the disparity in pay, but it is no longer $0.82 to the dollar. More like a percentage of a penny? 

Just remember folks, every single Republican - including the females - voted against equal pay act. Oh - and the GOP congressmen who sponsored the bill even voted against it.  And this year, Republicans rejected a Democratic attempt to include equal pay in the Women's Bill of Rights. 

And isn't it just fucking sad that we have to make a separate bill of rights for a specific gender? 

May I have some GOP readers. If so, they don't really speak up here. But if they are, I'm all ears to hear why they think women don't deserve equal pay. 

I'll wait.  

Song by: Megan Thee Stallion

Dark Sunglasses

While it is not difficult to do anymore (or ever), but I am so annoyed right now. 

Apparently the networks are hounding BLOTUS and Pappy Joe about the debates. While I get it, you do know that most of the states haven't even had their primaries. It's just the forgone conclusion - one in which we truly have zero say. 

While BLOTUS 2024 signs have been up since 2021 (not kidding), I'm just starting to see ones of Pappy Joe. 

They are two sided signs. 

The first side?  Fine, I guess. 

The other side?  What the actual fuck!!!

I've checked other signs, so it's not like the rain made the ink run. They're all this way.

Does Pappy Joe have conjunctivitis?  Is he in a new Predator movie? 

What kills me is this idea had to go through multiple approvals, and this was what they deemed was the best of them? 

I seriously don't know what message this is supposed to convey, and I'm guessing most voters won't either.  For an undecided voter, this sign isn't going to sway anyone to Pappy Joe's side. 

Song by: Chrissie Hynde

Up and Down

The title of this post could mean just about anything, right?  My moods (mood?) for starters. 

That's probably a post for another time. Maybe. 

Last evenings run with the training group was just fraught with issues. They send out an email a day before to tell us of our distance and route. Normally, I read them religiously, but I didn't even look timely. I knew it wouldn't be more than 6 miles, and I can do that. (Whoever thought I could say that ever?)

But around 16:30 (run begins at 18:00) my curiosity got the better of me and I looked. I didn't see the distance because for the first time it seems we were not running from our normal place, but much farther out in the 'burbs. 

Crap. 

I had to rush to get ready and leave earlier to get there, as it was rush hour. It's just as well I didn't look at the evening activity. I assumed, where we were going to be was going to be hill work, as it is a park with mostly one hill..........that goes up for almost two miles. So, on the drive I was mentally preparing for that. For me, hills are more mental than physical, but just by a bit. 

On the drive, I realized I left my watch at home, which means, IF I wanted to track my miles and progress, I'd hve to run with my phone, which I hate. And it was75°, which means it would feel like it was 85° .

When I got there, I learned we'd be running a mile warm-up and then do hill sprints, eight times, and then a cool down casual run. 

Well, double crap. 

With my knee, I've been semi-avoiding hill sessions. I still run with the group, but do more distance while they tackled the hills. And while my knee is not as bad, I was contemplating not doing hill work. But due to change in venue, many fewer people showed up, so it would be obvious I was skipping. So against my own judgement, I did hills. 

I'm kind of glad I did - for a number of reasons. 

1. I needed the work. I needed the experience. Elevation is a part of a lot of races. Ignoring it won't make it go away. The speed work was ok too. 

2. It let me know my knee wasn't too fucked up. Yeah, but #8, I was feeling it a little, but not like I had thought it would be. 

3. It was a bonding moment. With a much smaller group - and most of them the A-list runners - it was more of a personal commiseration with a group who is less familiar with me. 

The drill was: 45 second sprint up hill; 2 minute recovery, which included getting downhill and prepping for the next 45 seconds. Eight times. 

In theory 45 seconds x 8 doesn't seem so bad. It was work, for sure - a lot of it - but it didn't kill me or even come close. 

My phone app shows the ups (sprints) and downs (recovery).

The timing thing shows weird. 13:09 average pace also includes the waiting recovery period, as I don't pause between intervals. And obviously, while I didn't sustain it, at a time I was on pace for a 4:31 mile. Uphill. With a bad knee. 

I'm taking this as a win. 

Makes me a bit more confident for a 20 mile run on Saturday. 

Song by: the Cars

Crash and Burn

I know the BLOTUS trial started today, but that's all I know, so far. You know me, I'm avoiding it........unless it's an unmitigated disaster for him. Then I'll be all over it .

Honestly, I did think he'd dump his counsel over the weekend so force a delay in trial. So, I was wrong on that, though a friend later told me that the judge had already warned him against such an action. 

But you know, it's not like he doesn't ignore judges all the time. 

You can see from the image that Truth Social Media looks to be $32.68 a share, down from $66.52 it has been upon going public.

That was over the weekend. It's down farther to $26.62, making BLOTUS lose another $540M!

Last Friday, on NPR's Marketplace, some BLOTUS follower said he put his entire life savings into this venture. He's lost more than half of his investment and still thinks he'll make a profit. 

There is literally no helping these people see the light of day. BLOTUS could kill their only child and they'd be like "I'm sure he had his reasons". 

Allegedly, the company has said it has doubts about it's ability to keep operating. 

WHAT????  Another BLOTUS venture go belly-up???  That's unpossible. 

The company statement made me LOL:

“President Donald J. Trump BLOTUS is the subject of numerous legal proceedings. An adverse outcome in one or more of the ongoing legal proceedings could negatively impact TMTG,” the company noted. “If President Donald J. Trump BLOTUS were to cease to be able to devote substantial time to Truth Social, TMTG’s business would be adversely affected.”

I think they just dinged the judge on the gag order, as well as saying that Truth Social is worth nothing without BLOTUS........since he is the only one who actually uses it. And the "man" is in his late 70s. It's not like he's going to be around for the long haul - ongoing legal proceedings or not. 

Actually, I'm surprised they acknowledged anything legal related. 

I hope the lot of his followers / investors go broke. How will they pay for their shoes and bibles? He'll still get a free pass, but it's nice someone is gonna lose. 

Song by: Sheryl Crow

My Music Monday

I bought Mumford & Sons' debut album back in 2011 (!!!!).  I wasn't wow'd with it and I'm assuming they came out with new stuff since. 

I do know they kicked one of their members out one of their members quit after a controversy of endorsing some right-wing bullshit conspiracy book.  I know their lead singer married Carey Mulligan. And from some interview when she asked Bradley Cooper to name or sing any of her husband's music, he couldn't - so that was fun.

And while I do not foresee me purchasing any of their music going fowrward, I'm not hating their new song with Pharrell Williams. 

Again, save for his hit "Happy" and his work with that hyper-repetitive Daft Punk song, "Get Lucky" and the plagiaristic Robin Thicke song (for which Pharrell had to pay millions on) I couldn't tell you a thing he's done. 

That said - knowing that Mumford & Co had been fairly locked-in artistically-wise, I have to believe Pharrell is the one who brought them something newer sounding with their new song "Good People". 

While I won't purchase it, I also don't turn it off when it comes on the radio. 

Baking with Blobby

Way way way back when, on 710's and my first official date, I wasn't invited back for a drink, but for banana bread.  

Actually, that wasn't even a euphemism. 

I don't like banana bred, but I went over to his place anyway. So, we did have "banana bread", the euphemism. 

Now and then, 710 makes banana bread, and we often make fun of that first date. 

But we had a bunch of over-ripened bananas that end up in our freezer for "later". Even though I don't like banana bread, I thought, oh what the fuck, I'll surprise my husband. And I thought, maybe if I added chocolate, I'd like it too. 

Let's get to it. 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups (380g) ripe and mashed banana (3-4 medium bananas), measured 

1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar 

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar 

1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, melted 2 large eggs 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 cup (130g) 2% Greek yogurt (sour cream also works) 

1 1/3 cups (180g) all-purpose flour 

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt 

3/4 cup (140g) mini chocolate chips + a handful more for sprinkling on top 

Intstructions

Preheat your oven to 325F and grease and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper. 

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugars until you reach a paste-like consistency. This may take some vigorous whisking for a minute or two. You can either use a whisk or an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. 

Add in your mashed bananas followed by the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. 

Once all of your wet ingredients are mixed together, fold in the dry ingredients. 

Then, fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread it even. 

Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top if you like.  I used dark chocolate chips. And the recipe calls for mini - but I didn't those. So they got the adult size. 

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let it cool completely before removing from the pan. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Mine went for about 1 hour 25 minutes because the knife did not come out clean (I don't have toothpicks). .

It turned out ok. 710 likes it more than I do. It's not that the recipe didn't come out - it's just not my thing. I've come to the realization is that the only way I like bananas are just bananas. No bread. No pie. 

12 of 12

So I'm doing my 168th 12 of 12.

Normally it is 12 pictures taken on the 12th of the month. Since I only post once per day, you get my images the following day. All pictures taken with my iPhone. Click images to enlarge, if you choose.

Created by Chad Darnell and picked up from, what I can tell, any number of random bloggers who then link back to him and vice versa. Chad is no longer doing this, nor is successor coordinating the linking of other 12 of 12'ers anymore. 

Sorry kids - every so often, 12 of 12 displaces the pet section of this blog. I'll try to make it up to you all. Though I really don't know how that would work. 

02:27.  First wake-up. 

Going back to sleep is fraught with problem for me should I wake in the middle of the night. 

This was no different. 

05:45.  Last out. 

So I made the bed. This is the before. 

06:08.  Cheerios Distribution. 

Breakfast 1

06:43. Bike time. 

16 mile run planned for today, so yesterday I didn't run - just 14 miles on the bike. 

08:55. Breakfast 2. 

12:13.  Petrol 

Not on fumes, but closer than I'd like. 

16:10.  Welcoming Committee. 

But he didn't bite me. So: win!

16:22.  Laundry. 

I could run in dirty running clothes, but it was time. 

17:09.  Duty. 

The dog must be walked rain or shine. And it has been pouring for 55+ hrs now. It is miserable. 

19:09.  Charge. 

Need to make sure my watch is fully charged for tomorrow. 710's was already charging. 

17:18.  Salad. 

It was my "job" to make the salad for dinner. 

21:15.  It took me a bit, but I got there.