HIPAA (Helser Is Practically Always A'bloggin)

Mom hates snakes so she would not like this logo

Happy Sunday or, as I like to call it, the beginning of my weekend! I suppose I include Saturday nights as part of my actual weekend. Last night Cha Cha and I went out for dinner after visiting my mom in the hospital. Mom has been there for about five days I guess. She has had some health issues for quite awhile and they seemed to have gotten worse of late it seems. She is in the same hospital where my dad was earlier this year though she is in a different building/department. She is getting along well enough and seems to be making friends there. I guess I am being kind of vague but I am not sure how much they want me to share at this point and I am bound by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) not to share this information at this time. I am not really bound by HIPAA but I am just respecting their privacy and will let them tell who they want to tell. Maybe my HIPAA is Helser Is Practically Always A'bloggin' (I will try to think of a better definition for that acronym). When she first went in the kids (Splenda and Fabio) and I went to visit her. Jill was at work (in Evanston that day) the time we went. I will update on mom's progress as I am allowed and deem necessary.

I am watching Shaun of the Dead while I write today's blog. I have seen it many times and I have always loved it. I recorded it several days ago but I have not had time to watch it. I guess I have had time but I have spent the time doing things like working and sleeping and mundane things like that. It has to be the funniest zombie movie of all time. I don't care much for zombie movies or shows but this one is much different as it is a comedy and a British comedy at that. I liked The Walking Dead for a very brief while but it grew tedious and seemed like the same show every week so I quite early on. Shaun of the Dead is a bloody good zombie movie blokes!

That's me at the zombie clinic tomorrow donating plasma

Speaking of zombies I think I may start donating plasma again tomorrow. I did it a long time ago and then I stopped because one time my protein level was too low to donate and then I just stopped. I went over a week ago or so and they took a blood sample and my protein levels are fine now. Did you know that plasma is one of the fundamental states of MATTer? The other fundamental states of matter are: solid, liquid and gas - those pretty much are me in a nutshell. I like serving mankind and saving lives so I do things like this. It must be more important that donating blood because they actually pay you for your plasma. They pay you $50 to lie in a chair for less than an hour. Win - Win! I wonder if they will use my plasma to make plasma screen televisions or something. Just think - one day a little bit of me may be sitting in your living room.

I have been quite lucky, in a way, over this past month. I belong to a club or whatever it can be classified as called Rally Squirrel. If you are a St. Louis Cardinals' fan as I am you may remember in 2011 during the NLDS (National League Division Series) when the Cardinals were playing the Phillies a squirrel ran onto the field and was kind of freaked-out and running around and then disappeared. The Phillies became so rattled that the Cardinals "rallied" and won the game and then went on to win the 2011 World Series (their 11th in team history - 2016 will be their 12th). Anyway, so I belong to Rally Squirrel. There are monthly drawings every month and I have never won anything but last month I won an autographed Peter Bourgeois baseball that just showed-up one day. Bouregois is no longer on the Cardinals but, ironically (or coincidentally) as far as I am concerned, now plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. So, I was all happy that I had won but then, two days ago a package showed up at the front stoop and it is an autographed photo (with authenticity documentation) of the World Series champion 1967 St. Louis Cardinals. The starting players are all sitting on stools in front of their lockers with their jerseys hanging in their lockers and their names and numbers facing the camera with Manager Red Schoendienst sitting on the floor in front of them. I bet you have heard of a few of these guys - Roger Maris, Tim MaCarver, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda, Curt Flood... The photo also read "The 'Million Dollar' Team" and lists their salaries for the 1967 season. I add their salaries and it only comes to $565,000 but that is only for theses starting nine players so I suppose the rest of the roster - 25-man (or 40-man after September 1)- makes up for the remainder of the salaries?

The photo I received has Red sitting on the floor not on a stool

I am going to end today as I have to go get some dog food and a few groceries. I think I am going to make my famous Turkey Giardiniera mini meat loafs. Here is the recipe - put meat (I use turkey) in a bowl. Pour a jar of giardiniera in the bowl with the meat. Mix ingredients. Make into tiny balls and put the balls into muffin pans. Cook until done to your liking. Do not fill pan too high with the meat as there will be a lot of oil (from the giardinera) when you are done.You can also make it as a regular meat loaf but we like this little loaf for ease and practicality. I have never done this with beef but I would just be careful as there is extra fat (oil / grease) in beef so you might want to keep the meat level lower yet the first time you try it. The muffin ones are great to just grab one of the mini loafs and throw it on a tortilla shell - quick and easy and delicios!

Have a great day. Jill and I will probably be at Fatty's later this afternoon signing autographs if you get bored. Thank you for stopping by and for whatever good vibrations you can send my mom's way. Good thoughts and vibrations have seldom hurt anything. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!