Matt in the Middle: Hugs and Rainbows (probably false blogsvertising)

Friday, January 7, 2011

Hugs and Rainbows (probably false blogsvertising)

One of my better qualities!

I have never been much of a Springsteen fan, I know I am in the minority and don't ask me why because I don't know, but this seems like a good theme song for today... cue the music -

It’s Friday. I am in a bad mood today and it isn’t even my time of the month yet. Is your couch available for the next ten minutes or so? Maybe it’s the pain in my head (jaw, head...) which is better than voices I guess. It’s probably just a MATTer of time. I don’t know what’s wrong. Maybe I have Sugar Momma withdrawal. I just talked to her and she is at the Dallas airport. Her flight gets here at 7:00PM rather than 9:00PM which is nice though the traffic probably would have been better at 9:00PM. I delivered Splenda to Arlington Heights for her trip to Devil’s Head. I am glad it was this time of year because I dropped her off about three blocks north of Arlington International Racetrack. If the horses had been running I probably would have killed the time waiting for Sugar Momma at the track which rarely ends good.

I don’t think sleep is the issue today because I slept pretty well last night. Going on two hours of sleep the previous night probably helped. I worked out in the afternoon with only the two hours under my belt. I also used some of the tips I received from my friend Stacee as well as I got in touch with my old friend Ben that I hadn’t talked to in awhile. You remember him - Ben A. Dryl. Maybe I am entering my blue period or my black period of blogging. I know there is some kind of period to blame for my rotten disposition. So if you ask am I on it I can say yes but I just am not sure which one I am on. In the nearly 1/10th of a decade that I have been writing this blog I have learned one thing about myself to be true....I am one moody mo fo.

One of Hemmingway's favorite waterin' holes

Weren't a lot of the great writers throughout history moody and/or psychotic? Maybe this is my mind and body's way of telling me that I am ready to get those novels written. Maybe I should find an island and sit in a little shanty on the ocean and stay drunk for a month and just write; it looks like such a romantic thing to do in the movies. A lot of great writers were big drinkers too right? I am not that huge of a drinker and when I do get drunk I am a happy lovable drunk. Most of my book ideas are not happy subjects either. I should stay focused on my Mr. Hyde side and start writing. But if I drink I will start writing about hugs and rainbows; there's the title for my happy book - Hugs and Rainbows. For some reason I just feel like a loser today. Hey, whatever happened to that comic strip The Born Loser?

Speaking of hugs I am pretty sure I am a good hugger but I think I am a lousy kisser. Any moron can hug. Bears can hug. Babies hug. Wrestlers hug. So, of course, I can hug. Maybe I should just go get drunk and be in a better mood and go hug everybody I see. The Matt In The Middle 2011 Hug-a-thon. Why isn’t there any hug-a-thons? Who holds the Guinness Book of World Records for hugs? I may have stumbled across my calling. I guess it's not much of a calling if I don't even know who the current record-holder is.

I got the new Victoria Secrets catalog in the mail today. How in the heck did I get on their mailing list? I’m not complaining - just wondering. Someone must know that I like to keep up with the current fashions; this one appears to be the swimsuit/beach edition. Courtney Cox's hair was way too short in that video. (that's what we in the blogging business call a "call back")

Now I go to publish this and there’s something wrong with our router or the connection or something (The Born Loser). I started writing it about 1:45PM and who knows if I will get it up today (TWSS). I've seen that stupid Verizon or Frontier Communications truck up and down the road outside of our subdivision for about two weeks...grrrrrrr. I hope you had/are having a nice Friday. I will try to blog tomorrow between basketball games and such. I have to believe Harper College has Wifi huh? TTT next time...MITM (crabbed-out).

2 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 8, 2011 at 9:38 AM
Nice job MITM
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AnonymousJanuary 8, 2011 at 9:41 AM
Hey dude please don't hug me the next time I stop by. :-) Tom
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Matt In The Middle Blogssary

47% Rule - Matt in the Middle is 47 % estrogen
53% Rule - Matt in the Middle is 53% testosterone
Agitator (the) - Matt's podcast name (revealed in blog and podcast number 2
B. S. - blog stuff
Big Sexy - Jay Cole's drink of choice (Jack and Coke) - doesn't necessarily have to be Jack
Blogcast - our podcast (Dirty Laundry)
Bloggestion - now in Urban Dictionary meaning something suggested on a blog or taking a few minutes to understand (like suggested or digested)
Blogging Suit - like a NASCAR driver's racing suit with all of the sponsors patches
Blogssary - blog glossary
Blogisodes - episodes of this blog
BWAK - blogged with a kiss
Ca-Ching - the sound of the cash register as I try to gain sponsors that will never actually happen (I'm not really that delusional) - same as ka-ching
Cha Cha - revealed to be Sugar Momma's new name on premier podcast
Cheese & Quackers - our resident ducks. she is cheese and he is quackers
Ciaoloha - MITM's new mega-word "discovered" on Columbus Day 2011. It combines "hello," "goodbye," "love," "podcast" and "blog" into one happy little package!
Copyright - something that I think is clever and original that needs to be protected as original intellectual material (like it would really hold up in court)
Dirty Laundry - our podcast/blogcast launched 4/1/11
Discomboobulated - a word Bret Michaels used on Celebrity Apprentice when he meant discombobulated though discomboobulated is an actual word
Fabio - the name my son preferred being called on the blog (the artist formerly known as Sparky)
Judii - the sister I never had but wish I did (my unofficial sister)
Ka-ching - the sound of the cash register as I try to gain sponsors that will never actually happen (I'm not really that delusional) - same as ca-ching
Kajunkles - used for people who don't know how to run correctly. Body parts moving against one another rather than together for the common goal of running (could be a noun, proper noun or a verb). Trying to accomplish something against seemingly impossible odds.
The Lost Sock - Cha Cha's brother (and my brother-in-law). One of the best people I have known in my life.
MADYM - One of my very good friends - Mary. She was given this name based on an acronym of her name by one of my other very good friends Stacee. Together they came up with the MITM theme song idea. She was also our maid of honor or matron of honor (I don't know the difference).
Middle - anything average or center (Middle of the country, Middle of life, average intelligence, a regular joe (or joan)...)
MITM - Matt In The Middle
Ms. Peabody - Maisy (our dog) because of Mr. Peabody
Nature Girl - Another very good friend- Sue. Given this name because of being a combination of Diane Fossey, Caroline Ingalls and Danielle Boone (lady Daniel)
Patent / Patent Pending - something that I think is clever and original that needs to be protected as original intellectual material (like it would really hold up in court)
PFT - Plasma Fun Time - donating plasma - twice a week.
Roz - my pink/fuchsia i-pod nano. Named for Roz Kelly who played Pinky Tuscadero on tv's Happy Days. She goes with me everywhere to play my life's soundtrack and measure my steps with her pedometer.
Sparky - my son's blog pseudonym (see also Fabio)
Splenda - my daughter's blog pseudonym
Sponsorship Patch - when I mention a known product to try to get sponsorships and want to put a patch on my blogging suit
Stacee - a friend from high school that is a great inspiration to me continuously. The Cosmos keep bringing us back together electronically (MySpace, Facebook, Blog...) even though we haven't "seen" each other for nearly thirty years.
Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheels theme song of MITM. Idea suggested by MADY and Stacee
Sugar Momma - my wife, Jill
Trademark - something that I think is clever and original that needs to be protected as original intellectual material (like it would really hold up in court)
TTTT - Ta Ta 'Til Tomorrow
TWSS - that's what she said
WTF - why the face?

Potato Soup

Ingredients Needed:
1 - 32 oz. box Vegetarian Vegetable Broth (I used Swanson's)
can substitute with chicken broth if you wish
1 - package of Country Gravy Mix (I used McCormick's)
okay to use sausage gravy mix if you wish
1 - 26 oz. package of frozen hash browns

Cook hash browns in a large pot. Cook potatoes until slightly browned stirring often so as not to burn the hash browns. While the hash browns are cooking prepare the country gravy mix as directed on package. Once the potatoes are done to your liking slowly pour the broth into the pot with the potatoes and reduce heat and simmer until hot. After the potatoes and broth are hot add the gravy mix and continue to simmer until thickened. Serve and eat.

** special note...I like it extra spicy so I add an extra package of county gravy mix to the finished mixture and whisk and heat.

Just like I always say - add whatever you want (peas, onions...) and make it your own. And, as always, ENJOY!

Sangria Wine Recipe (reposted from 4/22/10)

I also made Sangria yesterday to honor Earth's goodness (truthfully so I could get lit). I am not a wine drinker because most wines are too dry in my opinion and I am not a big fan of cotton-mouth. I liked the movie "Sideways" though so I want to like wine. I was watching Planet Green a couple of days ago while I was cleaning the kitchen and folding laundry like a real man and Emeril Lagasse was making paella on "Emeril Green". He also threw in, as an after-thought, Sangria so I hit the record button. Well he did it very fast and didn't say measurements or anything but he gave the basics so I came up with my own recipe and I think it turned out well though I made A LOT! Sugar Momma says I am a man of excess - isn't that what "man" means? Anyway, here's my Sangria recipe but I suggest you might want to cut the volume down unless you are having a small country over for dinner:

ingredients (I would suggest cutting the liquids in half)

3 liters of inexpensive Shiraz (Frontera Mendoza 2009)
1 cup of Grand Marnier
1 cup of brandy
1 cup of lime juice
3 limes
3 lemons
2 granny smith apples
2 large oranges
12 oz. sugar
33.8 oz sparkling water (Pellegrino)
64 oz. orange juice
ice

In a HUGE bowl slice the fruit and cover with sugar, mix. Add Shiraz and stir. Add ice to hold the fruit under while it drowns in the wine. Add Grand Marnier and brandy and stir. Add lime juice, orange juice and sparkling water and stir. Let sit for awhile so the tastes blend. Taste and add ingredients to taste (I added a little more lime juice and sugar). Find the biggest vessel you own for storage (mine is a pot like they used in those headhunter movies to cook people which is now sitting on our stove). Sweet and fruity just like me. Share with your friends/neighbors and your boss at review time.

Caprese Paninis

Ingredients you will need:

good loaf of bread (I used Italian bread)
mozzarella cheese
pesto sauce (I used jarred Classico brand - found by pastas)
fresh basil leaves
extra virgin olive oil
tomatoes

And here we go:
slice the bread and brush extra virgin olive oil on both sides of each slice. Clean and separate basil leaves. Slice tomatoes. Grate Cheese. Lightly grill one side of each slice of bread. Flip the bread when lightly toasted. After flipping the bread spread pesto on the toasted side and top with shredded cheese while the other side toasts. Once the second side is toasted and the cheese is starting to melt remove it from the

grill and top with two slices of tomato side-by-side and put a basil leaf on each tomato slice. Remove another slice of the toast with the pesto and cheese mixture from the grill and place it cheese/pesto side down on top of the tomato and basil'd toast to form a sandwich. (They could just as easily be done in a frying pan or on a George Foreman Grill...)

Done! Very simple and delicious!