The Isolation Cafe is open again

Oh my. We are back on lock down. A tad more prepared this time and since it's darn near winter,  perhaps it feels more natural now. 

The days are short,  the nights are long.  The kitties put themselves to bed around 4:30 pm and Mark and I have begun a new phase in our relationship... playing games! Most nights find us crouched over the coffee table playing Gin Rummy, Bananagrams or Cribbage. We are teaching each other games from our childhoods.

In this post,  you'll see that I'm branching out. Quiche is on the menu tonight.  And an old favorite.  Caprese salad. 

Wine is ever present!

Earlier this week we travelled  (gastronomically) to Thailand with a green curry,  India with a hella hot orange curry and Spain, with this crazy good white bean and chorizo dish.

Chicken Marsala. I long for Carrelli's to be open for fine dining again... but until then, my version of this classic Italian entrée will have to suffice.

And later that month... Indian curry.  Tomato and coconut based with a sweet mild spiciness and complex flavors.  This one is a long time favorite and affectionately known (by me) as "curry in a hurry". It's equally good with chicken, white fish or shrimp. 

Mushroom risotto. It's creamy and wonderfully loaded with 3-4 kinds of mushrooms. Doubling as winter comfort food one evening and the perfect base for my boiled breakfast too.

Roasted brussel sprouts.  The perfect appetizer... or turn it into your main meal! Mine are finished under the broiler to crispy them up and singe some of those red pepper flakes.  Then,  it's just a matter of sprinkling on a wee bit of parmeggiano reggiano.

Mmm....brunch.

The Daily OM - tidbits for personal growth

 I subscribe to Daily OM. Each day a little morsel of wisdom pops into my inbox and if I'm being good to me and have the willingness to hear something difficult or learn something new, I read it. I wish I was better about this! Most of these morsels are truly gifts. I'd do well to accept the gift.

Today the focus fell on complaining. While I'd like to believe I'm better than I used to be, I know that I still have a lot of work to do. Lessons such as not attempting to change someone else, but instead focusing on changing myself and my circumstances, are probably going to need lifelong reminders.

FYI, just because the goal is to change oneself, it doesn't mean you go it alone. Asking for help is a good thing. Giving help is a good thing too - when it is solicited.

This is the full article from today. (I hope I'm allowed to do this.) There was no by-line so I'm giving credit to the website in lieu: https://www.dailyom.com

Rethinking Complaining

When we spend all of our time complaining, we are in essence in constant destroy mode rather than building mode. We all know someone who has elevated the process of complaining to a high art. Sometimes funny, sometimes exhausting, these people have the ability to find a problem just about anywhere. In its more evolved form, complaining is simply the ability to see what's not working, in one's own life or in the external world, and it can be quite useful if followed to its natural conclusion -- finding a solution and applying it. However, many of us don't get that far, and we find that complaining has become an end in itself. In small doses, this is not a big problem, but if complaining has become a huge part of our identities, it may be time to take a good look at how we are spending our energy. Complaining is a person's way of acknowledging that they are not happy with the way things are. In a metaphorical way, when we complain or criticize, we are tearing down an undesirable structure in order to make room for something new. But if all we do is tear down, never bothering to summon the creative energy required to create something new, we are not fulfilling the process. In fact, we are at risk for becoming a stagnant and destructive force in our own lives and in the lives of the people we love. Another issue with complaining is that we sometimes tend to focus on other people, whom we can't change, as a way of deflecting attention from the one person we can change -- ourselves. So transforming complaining into something useful is a twofold process that begins with turning our critical eye to look at things we can actually do something about, and then taking positive action. When we find ourselves complaining, the last thing we need to do is get down on ourselves. Instead, we can begin by noticing that we are in the mode of wanting to make some changes. But rather than lashing out at somebody or an organization, we can look for an appropriate place to channel this energy -- not our neighbor's house, but possibly parts of our own. Finally, we can ask ourselves the positive question of what we would like to create in the place of whatever it is we want to tear down. When we do this, we channel a negative habit into a creative process, thus using our energy to change the world around us in a positive way.

Cozumel 2020

I think this sums up everyday....  

A relaxing walk through glistening jungle-gardens to an immense buffet. The call of flamingos and parrots and peacocks in our ears, saturated colors and earthy smells. Little waves on the shore, Spanish music, smiles behind masks, massages, minty mojitos, great company and conversation. 

Lots of gratitude. 

C'mon Already!!! We all know that Biden won. Just CALL it.

 It took 5 days to call Pennsylvania and, in turn, the Presidency.

The short story is that President-Elect Joe Biden and his glass-ceiling shattering running mate, Kamala Harris were victorious and gave eloquent, compassionate and humble acceptance speeches on the evening of November 7th. 

The part of the story that no-one really cares about, is how I fared last week. Did I give myself an ulcer or palpitations? Yes. Yes, I did. 

But at the end of the day, it could have been a lot worse and apparently the counting of ballots could have gone on longer. Oh wait... it's still going on!!! 

Georgia has been sitting at >99.0% tallied votes for days and still won't call it for Biden. Sure, it's close but in the history of all recounts, has any state EVER found 10,000+ missing or mis-counted ballots? Ah... no. They have not. So while we all understand a recount in an acceptable request when the difference is .2% between candidate, we all also know it's not going to change the outcome. Let's go ahead and call this one "denial".  

Arizona... Definitely slower to count and report. Biden has been losing his lead slowly but surely, for 5 days. Too slow to make a difference in the end though. They have also counted more than 99% of votes and despite the fact that Joe is still 17,000 or so ahead, it remains a "toss up".  Let's just go ahead and call this "wishful thinking". Perhaps it's a way to soften the blow and throw some benign support Trump's way...  You know, to help pave that "easy off ramp" that he'll need to navigate his gigantic ego out of the White House.

The prize for complicated and slow counting is surely Nevada's though. Then again.... with only about 95% counted, they did the math and called it for Biden, who's lead was ever increasing. While the 6 electoral votes will hardly matter in the grand scheme of things, I'd like to voice appreciation for every one of them and the folks from the cities to the reservations, who made it happen.  I'm calling Nevada the "pepto-bismol" state, for bringing a little sweet relief to the nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach and diarrhea that 4 days of ballot counting has brought on!

And finally, if you read my last post and giggled at my confession of having absconded with a resort cat (AKA emotional support cat) then you'll get a good belly laugh out of my "new and improved confession":

I actually needed TWO emotional support cats to get me through the week! 

... and lots of cake!!!!!