I indulged my Star Trek sweet tooth this evening, and tried to find episodes of The Next Generation. That entire series has gone missing on US video outlets, although earlier and subsequent versions of the Star Trek saga are there for the taking.

Well, I finally found what I was looking for, but not without some effort. For whatever reason, I can watch video streams of the series - all seven seasons - from either China or Korea. The shows are subtitled rather than dubbed, fortunately. I caught up with Captain Picard and his crew for one episode and intend to check in with more of the same.

It's a pretty bizarre feed, in that it stops, then starts, then stops, then starts. That signal must be traveling quite a long way to get to my computer here in Boston! After a while the signal sorts itself out and there's less interruption.

The commercials are a hoot. At one point an exultant Chinese (Korean?) couple are dancing around a beach singing the praises of some type of fruit juice. I have no idea what's going on there, but an ad is an ad wherever you go, I guess.

So, I got an hour of Star Trek, surrounded by Asian calligraphy and tacky commercials. There was even a little cartoon guy in the lower right hand side of the screen, drinking his juice. But, hey - I got to see Romulans, Klingons, Federation guys and the Starship Enterprise in its 1980s recreation. I'll drink to that!

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

Okay, I should be grateful. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has far more generous benefits than most states for those seeking aid from the outrageous expense of health insurance.

Turns out my household is eligible for assistance, based on our income and employment status. This is a mixed blessing, but what the hell.

I think, though, that the Commonwealth could be a bit smarter about it. For example, we're reimbursed after we pay the entire cost of insurance per month. That's over $1,000.00 per month for us. Now you guys from outside the US, pick up those jaws. Okay. It's a royal pain, but what the hell.

On top of this, a copy of the front and back of a canceled check is required for proof of payment of that outrageous premium. Problem is, my bank no longer provides a copy of the front and back of a canceled check. They haven't done that in years. Most banks here don't, and haven't in years. So, I have to contact the bank, every month, to get a photocopy of the front and back. The originals are destroyed. But, what the hell.

Then, hubby dear barges in on my work day, insists I do all of this right at this very moment, even though I have deadlines and haven't heard peep one about any of this beforehand.

This is where I reach for a bottle of wine. This is where "what the hell" reaches its limits. Thank goodness I have a backup in a long-stemmed glass, or someone would be flying out of a window right now.

I'm sure I'll be fine by tomorrow. Or maybe just later today, after glass two.

Aaargh.

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

You ever have one of those days when you feel like doing jack s***? That was me today, listlessly pressing one button after another on my computer and barely getting the energy up to make dinner. I started a Stephen King novel, but decided that blood'n guts was not what my laggard brain required. So, I didn't write anything new, didn't read anything new, didn't do...well, jack.

Maybe I needed the down time. All that recent brain activity has plum tuckered me out. So, there I was sitting downstairs with a rather gory novel and wondering if that was really what I wanted to do in an evening. My husband brought me some treats in the form of chocolate and perhaps that endorphin boost was behind the next inspiration.

I was browsing this-and-that websites today, part of my normal Margy-the-computer-consultant routine, when I came across some sites that contained public domain pictures, videos and audio. In other words, take 'em, they're free! I was particularly enchanted by one site containing thousands of free sounds effects. You know, people walking, crowds in restaurants, chainsaws. Everything a brain dead computer sycophant might desire for a night of playing.

So, I played. And here's what I came up with.

This is a great way to start a day:

But then, we all can't wake up in a pasture. Usually, I just hear this:

Ah yes, city life. And, I've found the perfect sound for all my wedded nights:

What, you think we're sexy at our age. Please. As soon as the hubby starts sawing wood, here's what I feel like saying:

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

Happy Halloween!

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

Sad but sweet: I found this on YouTube:

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

New England is a colorful place in the fall, even in the kitchen. I made up a batch of green tomato mincemeat, an absolutely fabulous meat-free mincemeat recipe that's sweet, tart and rich all at the same time. The recipe calls for dried cherries, so there's a wonderful aftertaste of these as well. It's everything you'd expect in a mincemeat and is second-to-none, particularly if you make the pie with a home made crust.

Green Tomato Mincemeat

Ingredients 

Directions 

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

New England is a colorful place in the fall, even in the kitchen. I made up a batch of green tomato mincemeat, an absolutely fabulous meat-free mincemeat recipe that's sweet, tart and rich all at the same time. The recipe calls for dried cherries, so there's a wonderful aftertaste of these as well. It's everything you'd expect in a mincemeat and is second-to-none, particularly if you make the pie with a home made crust.

Green Tomato Mincemeat

Ingredients 

Directions 

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward." Amelia Earhart.

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

A woman awakes during the night to find that her husband is not in bed. Concerned, she puts on her robe and goes downstairs to look for him. She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in front of him. He appears to be in very deep thought, just staring at the wall. She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee. 

"What's the matter, dear?" she whispers as she steps into the room. "Why are you down here at this time of night?" 
 
The husband looks up from his coffee. "Do you remember 20 years ago when we were dating, and you were only 16?" he asks solemnly.
 
"Yes, I do "she replies, touched to tears that her husband is so caring and sensitive.
 
The husband pauses. The words were not coming easily. "Do you remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car?" 
 
"Yes, I remember…" said the wife, lowering herself into the chair beside him.
 
The husband continued: "Do you remember when he shoved the shotgun in my face and said, 'Either you marry my daughter, or I will send you to jail for 20 years?' "
 
"I remember that too," she replied softly. 
 
He wipes another tear from his cheek and says…
 
 
…"I would have gotten out today.”

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

I've been pushing my brain over to the fiction side. It's taken a long time to assemble some plot threads, but I finally made the breakthrough and hope the rest goes more quickly. I re-wrote the ending of one chapter and tomorrow plan to revise the chapter after that. I should then be able to go on to new material, now that some of the twists in the plot have been improved.

I ended up solving a major problem by revising a character slightly, turning her from a paralegal into a fund-raiser for a local non-profit organization. I needed the skill set for plot continuity. I have to tell you, it was quite an ego trip to turn my character's life around at whim. As I was taking a shower tonight I had a mental image of my character flying out of a law office and landing ass-first in the development department of a charity. There - done!

I only wish real life were this malleable. This career doesn't work? Poof! Here's another one.

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

I decided to get started on my apple cooking/baking projects, starting with an apple pie. I used a pre-made pie crust, since I wasn't in the mood for that extravagant a project, but the results were visually stunning. I pulled the pie out of the oven and viola!

I had apples left over, so I threw together an Apple Brown Betty and just popped that into the oven.

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

POS? Piece of s***. That's my one and only work area. Grrrrr.

 

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

What a neat idea! And it worked (at least in Sweden):

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

Today was our annual pilgrimage to apple country for some fresh air, rural views and lots of opportunities for picking apples. I love to cook and Aram's been making noises about apple cider as well. We shall see!

Loaded up on Northern Spies, with some representation by Cox's Orange Pippin (which I'm told is popular in England) and Spencer apples. Took a bunch of pics (of course!), and will have some apple recipes up as soon as I've done a bit of baking.

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

I made a humongous roast chicken the other day and had tons of leftovers as a result. Since it's starting to get colder, I decided to put together a chicken pot pie. I had some frozen pie crusts - my one concession to "store bought" - and decided I'd use that to top the pie.

The chicken was extremely juicy, so I had plenty of broth on hand to create the sauce. Here's the recipe I used, adapted from the Fannie Farmer cookbook.

Chicken Pot Pie

Directions

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

It's pouring sheets, has been since earlier this evening. Just stopped to double-check email before falling into bed and - maybe - actually sleeping. Suddenly, fffsssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh...down came the rain. Quite the sound.

Lots more predicted for tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be a fiction writing day! Yes, I've started carving out actual time to start doing this again. Hooray!

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

I had a visit from my blind friend, Rosie, this week. We gossiped, met friends, went over some writing stuff and rambled here and there.

Traveling with a blind person is an interesting experience, and not the easiest thing in the world to do. In Rosie's case, she walked to my left and slightly behind. Her left hand was on my right shoulder.

Your mental senses aren't really used to clearance "for two." Even after all this time I ended up occasionally walking her into tree branches and, in one case, the rear-view mirror of a parked truck (!). Gah. How embarrassing. I'm also considerably shorter than she is and ended up running her aground for that reason as well. I don't really notice things that are above me. Since I'm 4 feet 11 inches, there are a lot of things above me that aren't above most other folks. I got some good-natured ribbing from Rosie, no doubt about it! Just to give you an idea:

Um, she's a little taller. Whack! Right into the tree branch. Sorry, sweetie. It was fun, though.

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com

Many thanks to a fellow Facebook friend for this. Classic. I'd pass it around to at least 15 guys you know.

Originally posted on margy423.vox.com