RL Blues

[dwgm]

Or not blues, exactly. Just a lot of it, with the end of school upon us, the retirement festivities, and preparations for moving out of our offices so they can do construction work all summer. We'll be lucky to get back in by August 24th, and then we'll be breaking in a new receptionist as our beloved Vi is retiring and it takes three or four of us scrambling around to do her job now. It's going to be an adventure.

Did the Secret Pals Revealed breakfast yesterday. Good food (The Potato Casserole --

8 big potatoes, baked
1 T. butter
1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped ham or Canadian Bacon
1 bunch green onions, finely cut
a handful of parsley, finely cut
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup (the healthy kind is good--less salt)
2 cups light sour cream
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar

Melt butter in big (12") skillet on medium heat, fry ham bits 'til nicely browned, add next four ingredients and heat on low, add 1 1/4 cups of the cheese. Slice potatoes, put a layer in a crockpot, spread some of the hammy goo over. Repeat 'til all potatoes and goo are gone, ending with goo. Cover and cook in the crockpot overnight (or about six hours) on low, sprinkle with remaining cheese and cook a few more minutes till the cheese on top melts and is pretty. Serve to many people.

This is a little different than the recipe in our cookbook, btw. The original had a lot more butter, and it would separate out and get all icky so I fixed it. Much better now. Try it, you'll like it.

Also Apple Crumb Coffee Cake (store bought cringe), OJ, Starbuck's, Mango, Watermelon, Cantalope, Mixed Berries with cream and brown sugar) was consumed, and gifts were exchanged. I was up at 4:30 yesterday morning to get it all there and set it up in time, and then running around like a maniac all day cleaning up budget issues and making certificates, etc., etc. Also, some idiot sub let some smartass kid use the P.A. system, thus revealing the code, and all the rest of the day we were treated to impromptu announcements from anywhere and everywhere, as the word spread. Finally caught 'em, and the code is now changed and will be given out on a need-to-know basis only.

Got home with all the breakfast dishes at 6, cleaned 'em up and dashed off to the little clerical retirement bash at Peggy's house, where more excellent food (Mexican, catered by Acapulco) was consumed, and a MARGARITA MACHINE was available, issuing vast quantities of the most delightfully cold and slushy, deee-licious margaritas at the pull of a little silver lever. Maybe it was because it had been such a long day (with no a/c in our offices, still), but I fell quite in love with that machine. Yes. We need one of those at ladymora's next birthday pool party.

firesignwriter posted a link to the Johnny Depp page on Fametracker.com. Needs to be updated a tad (it has a July 3, 2003 date on it, which is right before PotC came out, I believe) but it's quite hilarious and pretty accurate in its assessment of the reluctant movie star, IMHO. I particularly liked this...

He's almost daring us to find him disgusting. He wants us to disapprove. He wants us to turn our heads and leave him alone. But we won't. Because we know. That's Johnny Depp in there.

Well, enough with the funny stuff. Gotta make out a few bills, then go to work and do more budget and retirement dinner stuff. Have to order Costco cakes, and buy retirement gifts. gingersnapps and weemonkey6 and Cory are supposed to come over tomorrow evening for swimming and bbq, but I just checked the pool and it's only about 78, and I don't think the heater is working. So that's another thing to think about. Also need to do cruise clothes shopping, clean out the spare bedroom, etc. etc. etc. And what I really wanna do is read (I have a new M.F.K. Fisher 50th Anniversary compilation that I haven't even cracked), and write more on my story. But those'll have to wait a bit. RL is poking rather insistently at me just now.

Comments

[ladymora.livejournal.com]

Poor Mere. You'll be okay soon...it's almost summer. :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Yes. And I was wrong about the pool heater--should be plenty warm by tomorrow. And the apricots are ripe. Mmmmmmmm... *drools*