Mmmm... Pasta

Just something I threw together real fast last night:

In a pan over medium heat:

Some Olive Oil - not sure how much, maybe 1 1/2 tbsp.
Salt and Pepper
2 or 3 cloves Crushed Garlic
1/2 medium White Onion, chopped into small peices
Couple sprigs each of Marjoram and Oregano

Heat and stir until the onions are translucent, then add in 1 can (I think it was 12 oz.) of Diced Tomatoes (drain first!). When it starts to bubble lower the heat to a simmer and let it cook until your pasta is ready - I used bow tie.

Topped with grated Pecorino Cheese - but you could use Parmesan or Romano. A little lighter than normal spaghetti sauce.

Impromptu Party

Andy has been staying with us lately and it has been a really good time. Tonight his buddies Sandra and Malin came by and we had a little impromptu party complete with poker and shots. I broke out some unique alcohols I'd been saving for when we had company over - Grappa that I had purchased in Italy, Limoncello Mom just brought back for me. We played a little mock poker, that somehow involved Sandra's shoe, my home phone, and some other miscellaneous items. When Bobby got back from his class the boys played us a little Beatles on the guitar. Overall a good time.

Wind and Fire

I hate the wind. I've always hated the wind. It may be the only kind of weather I hate.
I love sunshine, I love the rain, I even like the snow, but I can't enjoy the wind.
The wind doesn't gently warm your skin, you can't splash in wind puddles, you can't throw windballs at people or build windmen. It just messes up my hair, throws debris in my face, tosses my car around, and causes the traffic to suck that much more. I suddenly require lotion and extra chapstick and am constantly thirsty.

Yesterday the wind was intense. We were at Bobby's parents' and at time it sounded like the wind would just pick up the entire house. Driving home through the canyon, if you closed your eyes it would sound like hail - but it was dust. When we got home, Lucas, who had been cooped up inside all day, was anxious to go outside. I let him out, and he immediately wanted back in. In the back yard the table with the umbrella had been picked up and thrown across the yard into our chiminea, which was now done for.

Today it is not just windy - it is hot. There are something like 12 wildfires raging throughout Southern California right now flanking us on what seems like all sides- one of which is not too far from my work. I hear the one in San Diego is possibly their worst on record, besting the wildfires in 2003.

View Larger Map

I remember those fires. Walking out of my house in Anaheim it looked like it had snowed lightly on my car, you could see the ash in the air and the sky was a gloomy grey. And it smelled - not like burning wood, but like burnt wood. I remember the sky looking like that for at least a week.

This time the sky is a gloomy grey and again hot, but you can't see the ash in the air because the wind is blowing it all so hard. The dry heat from the fires that the winds are blowing around has permeated my building - not long ago I was complaining about the freezing temperatures in my office... now I am baking. The air is not just dry, but I feel like I'm sitting next to a campfire with the smoke in my face. It makes me tired and my head hurt.

I feel bad for those trying to put the fires out. With this wind efforts must seem futile. I worry that the traffic home will be that much worse now that some of the toll roads are blocked off. I hope this all clears up soon.

Happy Birthday Malachy!

Tuesday is my first nephew's fourth birthday, so we got together this afternoon to celebrate.

When we arrived, Malachy was busy investigating the inside of a police car. When he escaped he had big hugs for everyone. He's a happy, energetic kid, and he was clearly having a good time. There were squirt guns and water balloons, and water bottles that became the weapon of choice for some. We had hot dogs and hamburgers, and it seemed like everyone had a good time.

AT&T Update

So we received the Tilt that was promised us. Bobby's pretty sure it is not new but rather a refurbished phone that was returned by someone else. The data cable was not to be found in the box. Luckily Bobby forgot to return the data cable that came with the 8525 and was able to use that.

Again - AT&T sucks.

Rice Pilaf

This is my standard recipe for Rice Pilaf. I make it all the time.

In one of those large flat pans with a lid over medium high heat, throw in:

2 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tbsp. of Butter
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
a few shakes of an Italian Seasoning Mix

Melt down and add in 1/2 cup each White Rice (I usually use Jasmine, but you could use any white rice) and Orzo pasta. Brown the rice/pasta mixture stirring frequently. When it starts turning brown (you don't want it too dark, just think of the pilaf you like), add in a splash of White Wine - just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

When the wine is cooked off, add in about 2 cups of Chicken Broth. Stir it around, cover, and reduce heat to low. When it looks like the moisture is all cooked in check to see if it is too hard - and if so add in some water or more chicken broth. When the pilaf is soft enough - serve.

Sometimes I like to add some onions or shallots and mushrooms. If I do I'll cook them a bit before adding in the rice and pasta and will use a little more butter as the veggies seem to soak some of it up.

Morning Tea

Like I said, I don't drink coffee, but I love having something warm to drink in the morning. I love lots of different kinds of teas, but mornings call for black tea. I usually go for Earl Grey, English Breakfast, or Irish Breakfast, and if I'm feeling spicy I'll go for Chai black or Orange Roobios (or another Orange Spice).

In my 16 oz. travel mug:

1 tea bag (if you are patient and let it steep properly, you shouldn't ever need 2 tea bags unless you are making more than this)
Fill 2/3 of the way with hot water and let it steep for a few minutes (if using a spicy tea, make sure to take the bag out after a few minutes - otherwise you'll want to water it down later)
1 packet of Splenda
Fill the rest of the way with milk

It's tasty, give it a try.

AT&T Customer Service Sucks

About a month ago we got Bobby a new smartphone - the AT&T 8525. In the time since, it has ceased being able open Word and PDF documents and has crashed multiple times - as much as once per day. We decided that this was likely a faulty device and went in on Saturday to exchange it since we were within our 30 exchange/return policy.

They guy at the AT&T store said that they didn't have any other 8525 in stock, but that they now have the AT&T Tilt. We'd never heard of it, but apparently it was the next generation of the 8525 - now including GPS - and had been out for a whopping four days. They didn't have one available that day, but were expecting deliveries all week. He had one that we could play around with and suggested we call back the next day to see if they had received any.

We called back every day, and on Wednesday they had one in stock. So at the end of the day we went back down to the store. It was becoming dangerously close to the end of our 30 day exchange period, and we wanted to make sure we had a good phone.

When we explained the situation to the salesperson, we were informed that the Tilt was only available for new customers - and not available for exchange. Something about how they are only receiving a few units.

But I've signed a new contract - doesn't this qualify me? No - it's only for new customers.
"So what you are saying, is that current AT&T subscribers that are looking to enter a new contract cannot get this phone. It's only available if you are actually signing up a new number."
Yes.

The rep called around to other stores in the area to see if they had a Tilt available for exchange. I tried to explain to him that I wanted him to find a Tilt period. He should not be indicating that it was "for exchange" because if they did not find us a Tilt - I was cancelling outright.

To be fair, I was irritated with AT&T before I walked into the store for a number of reasons:

• When my grandmother had died, I went through the process of changing all the house bills into my name. My grandfather is in a nursing home, and I am now officially paying rent, so it didn't make sense to keep anything in his name. I had no trouble switching any of the bills except for the phone bill - with AT&T. The first time I called, it went fine. But then the bills kept coming to my grandfather. I called back and was told that even though I had a confirmation number - they were in the middle of switching from "the old" AT&T to "the new" AT&T. Since I was with "the old" AT&T, anything I did with them was for naught.


• So then I needed to make the switch with "the new" AT&T. Even though I had all the required information - account number, last bill, his social security number, date of birth, drivers license, mother's maiden name - they wouldn't make the switch without actually speaking to him. As if they would even know it was him. Because their customer service hours are essentially during my work hours, I would have to take time out of work to go down to the nursing home and make a call so that he could talk to them.


• We have AT&T DSL at my work. I'd called a few months back to see what my options were to upgrade the line - we were looking at installing a MS Exchange Server and needed a faster connection. I had talked with the rep at length regarding the different options and pricing. When I called Tuesday to make the desired upgrade, I was informed that my current bandwidth was the fastest available in my area. Then why did the rep bother giving me pricing for all those plans if I can't even sign up for it. I would have researched other broadband options for my Cap Ex proposal.

So at this point I'm becoming a little irate with AT&T Customer Service policy. I can see the reasoning behind reserving a new phone for new contracts - it assures a conitnued income stream - but not only for new customers. This tells me that AT&T does not value their current customers.

I tried my best to be assertive without making the reps feel like I was attacking them. I know Bobby thought I was being aggressive. I explained that I did not want to be involved with a company with such poor customer service and was ready to cancel not only this contract, but the other two wireless accounts, home phone, and DSL that I have with them. We had just signed up for the DSL and had not yet cancelled our cable internet. I could easily switch the phone to Vonage, and Sprint had called recently offering to pay our cancellation fees with AT&T for the wireless accounts.

Now the manager finally becomes involved. He tries to smooth things over. He offers to have AT&T send us a Tilt in the mail - then have us bring in and return the 8525.

I should not have to go through all this to purchase a phone. I should not have to fight with a company to subscribe to their service or purchase their product. We may still leave AT&T and just eBay the phone. We'll see if they improve at all.

Coffee?

I drink a lot of tea, but I don't drink coffee (it gives me a headache). It often seems that I'm in the minority, so I found this interesting.



Source: National Coffee Association

Red Pepper Cream Pasta

I made this up, had it for dinner - tasty.

In a pan over medium high heat, mix together the following:

2 tbsp. Butter
2-3 cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Red Bell Pepper, 1/2 Medium Onion, and about 6 Medium Mushrooms all chopped up in bite size peices
2 sprigs each Oregano and Marjoram
Salt and Pepper

Cook these for 7-8 minutes until the veggies start to break down. Then add in about 1/4 cup dry White Wine of your choice. Cook a few minutes longer, then add in 1/4 cup of Heavy Cream. At this point you could also add in some shrimp or bits of (already cooked) chicken. Cook a few minutes longer, then stir in some chopped Basil - about 10 good size leaves.

Serve over pasta of your choice. I like using shells or other pastas that hold the sauce. Top with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese if you like. It's fairly rich, so I would recommend having it with something light, liked baked chicken and salad.