203 - Feeling better

Woke up this morning and felt better. Sun is shining, and it might even warm up enough for me to open the windows again today. VD is also over. Maybe the Omega-3 and triple dose of exercise paid off (Gilad tricked me... his shows are usually 30 minutes but this one was a grueling hour... then later I did a hip-hop workout). I've been off of anti-depressants for about 3 years now, but every once in a while I still succumb. I've read that regular exercise, over a period of time, is actually more effective than meds to stave it off. Another good reason to get off my ass.

Also, thanks to everyone for your supportive comments, I read them and that went a long way toward elevating my mood. I've never met any of you in person, but your comments do perk up me up. I also got a couple of awards in the last week, so tomorrow I will address those.

Yesterday, at the height of my crap mood, I watched Conspiracy Theory. Interesting show (I say haltingly). Does it mean I'm paranoid if some of what Jesse Ventura says actually makes me go 'hmmm'? I used to blow things like that off, but more and more I find myself willing to listen. I may not believe it all, but I can learn at least a couple of thought provoking things if I keep an open mind. The show I watched was about the bunker that the government is building for themselves in preparation for the 2012 solar flare event, and the underground condos (former missile silos that are being converted) that wealthy people are buying. I had to laugh a little at the condos... One of the scenarios was that a 500 foot tidal wave washes over the city... They said these condos are designed to be submerged for up to 36 hours. So... first... 'up to'? Doesn't that give you a warm fuzzy? And what happens if the water doesn't recede in 'up to' 36 hours? Then you're buried in an underground bunker with tons of water on top of you and nowhere to go. D'oh! I also figure that most of these wealthy people are so used to other people doing things for them that once the real work begins are they even going to know what to do? Survival only begins with not dying, but it doesn't end there...

You know how things get me thinking... The 'danger' most feared during this solar flare event is apparently the electrical grid going down. Apparently if there are no grounds between transformers, there's nothing to stop a surge from frying the whole grid. I guess this isn't important in the day to day scheme of things or it would be standard operating procedure to install these grounds? So I happened upon this really interesting map that shows the states most likely to be affected if a solar event fries the grid. (Yea Texas!) I think I could probably live without electricity as long as I could still make a fire and grow my own food, except that water is brought up from the ground using electric pumps, and waste treatment facilities need power... the toilet would be a problem, and eventually drinking water could be an issue.

Heard something interesting about water on the radio the other day... One of our radio stations has little 5-minute segments on technology in the mornings, and while I'm usually not interested in 'geek' stuff like knowing how something mechanical works, these little snippets are usually interesting enough to keep me listening. This particular segment was on water towers. I learned that water towers pump water from the ground at night when demand is low, then gravity feeds the water to our houses. That's why if the power goes out, we still have water flowing through the tap. It works as long as the tower is higher than the buildings it serves, so skyscrapers often have mini-water towers on their roof, which is also a safety measure during a fire because then there's water available to put out fires. But I still wouldn't mind having a well... that way if the power goes out for too long a period of time, I still have water... Sometimes I have this yearning to go back to the 'old ways'... that's why I'm interested in gardening and canning and things like that. I don't like being dependent on 'the city' for things... I want to know how to do things if the 'failsafe' methods fail.

Off that topic, I attempted to make a rotisserie chicken in my fancy-schmancy toaster oven on Saturday... The cornish hen I cooked last month went great. The chicken was a frickin' nightmare. I tied the damn thing up (or so I thought), stuck it on the spit, put the little spikey things in it, and put the spit in the toaster oven. That's always a hassle... I've already scratched off some of the coating inside the oven as I attempt to get the spit in place. First problem is that the spit going through the cavity of the chicken was lopsided... breast side was right up againt the spit, back was hanging down like a gaping mouth. So I fixed that by adding lemons to the cavity and after a couple of attempts, managed to get the spit centered between the breast and the back. Bully for me. Next, one of the wing tips kept hitting the heating element as it rotated, so smoke began to billow out of my oven. Not only did it scare me because smoke can mean fire, but it stunk (another reason why opening the windows was such a treat). I snipped the offending tip off with some kitchen shears. Then the wing managed to works its way out of the twine and hit the heating element again. I snipped off more. Oh the carnage. Then it did it again. I took the bird out of the oven and retied the twine, which by now had completely come loose because it, too had hit the heating element and basically burned away. After three more snafus I took the damn thing out of the rotisserie oven and transferred it to the oven where I finished it off and it was delicious. So... maybe I'll try again with a smaller bird, one trussed to the nines, or maybe I'll just use my toaster oven as a toaster oven... It does make a damn fine toast. And my oven does chicken just fine, so why bother?

Actually went outside yesterday afternoon and pulled some weeds out of the flower beds. Because the guys who mow my lawn keep it pretty much under control, it wasn't so bad, but there were still a few patches of clover to pull. Then I planted some arugula (rocket), jalapeno peppers, and even though I know it's probably futile since you're supposed to germinate them indoors... tomatoes. I'm worried that with all the rain we've been getting, the ground is too saturated and the seeds are just going to rot. I haven't seen any life stirring in the pots where I planted the lettuce seeds. Guess time will tell. But at least it felt good to get out there and get my hands in the dirt.