Wednesday, September 28, 2011

This and That

I really don't have that much to report right now, but I feel like I need to write something anyway.

Work: In keeping with the tradition of posting how busy I am at work, I'm going to say that I'm still busy at work. This has just been an exceptionally busy summer for some reason. In addition to just having a lot of projects to work on, for some reason I'm working on a lot of big, complicated, and messy projects. So at times one book project feels like three. On the bright side, I should have most of these messy projects finished over the next few weeks. That's not to say that any of the busyness will end, but at least I will be dealing with less problematic projects.

Joey the Cat: In happier news, the neighborhood kitty continues to visit me on a regular basis. He still likes to come by every evening and every morning. I usually just give him a few treats—not a full meal—and I cuddle with him and play with him. Even though I spent a some money on some cute cat toys, he seems to enjoy playing in boxes more than playing with the actual toys. I should have known better, because the cat we had used to be the same way. She didn't care for cat toys, but was happy playing with the rings that go around the spout of a milk bottle.


Even though I enjoy having Joey visit me, I'm trying to build up my willpower and trying to not let him in every time he comes over. I don't want him to get too used to coming and going whenever he wants, because when I go away on vacation he will surely be disappointed when I'm not home. So tonight I tested myself for the first time. He came by tonight around dinner time, and jumped into my patio and meowed at the screen door. I left him outside, and he continued to meow at me while I was eating. It was absolute torture and I was in agony, but eventually he gave up on trying to get inside. He didn't go away completely, though. Instead he decided to sleep on my patio chair and he has been there for the past 30 minutes. Knowing me, I will probably let him in later tonight and cuddle with him for a little while, but hopefully he learns that sometimes he has to stay out...

...and just as I'm typing this he is back at my door meowing sadly, and I'm getting weak...

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

This past Friday was my day to bring in treats for our office food club. My partner for the day wanted to bring in nachos, so I decided to bring in some guacamole and salsas. I brought in some premade salsas, but I also decided to try out a new recipe and make some homemade Corn and Black Bean Salsa. It was the first time I made it, but it turned out to be a success.

Ingredients:

1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, finely diced
3 green onions, finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, finely chopped (seeds removed if you want to tone down the heat)
3 small tomatoes, seeded and diced
juice from half a lime
salt, pepper, cumin or any other spices to taste

Directions: 1. Toss everything together in a bowl and mix well.

Notes:
It's pretty hard to screw up this recipe. Simply taste the salsa and adjust the ingredients or seasonings however you wish. I seeded the jalapenos to tone down the heat because not everyone in the food club likes really spicy food. I think if I were to make this again for myself, I would keep some of the seeds or I would try a different pepper like a Serrano which has a bit more heat to it.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Cat Tales

My cat adventures continue. Joey the Cat continues to stop by my apartment for visits. When this whole little affair started out, he would only come by in the evenings. I usually wouldn't see him until 9:00 or 10:00 at night. Eventually he would start to come by in the mornings when I'm having breakfast and getting ready for work. Now, especially on the weekends, he visits during the day.


Because I'm weak, I let him inside for a little while. He usually comes in and meows loudly and asks for food. He is not a starving cat by any means, but I give him a few treats anyway. Sometimes he is really active and just wants to play. In spite of having an assortment of cat toys for him, he seems to like playing in boxes.

Other times, he just wants to hang out and sleep on the couch while I watch TV. I suppose he really just wants some company and wants some attention. Whenever I put him back outside at night, he meows loudly and sadly and scratched at the sliding screen door. It's agonizing and gut wrenching to listen to it, but unfortunately I can't keep him inside my apartment during the night. After all he does have his own home to go to, but I have a feeling he would rather stay with me.