Juneteenth

Happy Sunday, dear readers!

While the rest of the country celebrated Father's Day, my family did not.

We celebrated Juneteenth instead.

A brief explanation of Juneteenth. Pic found here

Juneteenth is a Texas holiday commemorating the emancipation of the Black slaves in the state. The name is a combination of June and nineteenth, the date the emancipation was first celebrated formally in 1865. It was my husband who introduced me to this holiday in 2012, and he told me how when he was a younger man, he used to celebrate the day by eating fried chicken, watermelon with salt, and drinking cheap shitty beer. While his idea of celebrating Juneteenth came from the racist tropes of Blacks that he'd grown up with in Texas, I didn't mind eating fried chicken and a watermelon on this day. I'm not a big melon eater, but I've had watermelon every year on Juneteenth since 2012, even if beer and fried chicken were out of the question.

I did my bbq-ing last night. Pic found here

What surprised me most about my husband's choice of celebratory foods was the watermelon with salt. I knew about watermelon being seasoned with sugar (my grandma did that), and chili powder (the Mexicans did that), but not salt. Apparently, this is something only Texans did as my husband did not recall anyone in Louisiana seasoning their watermelons with salt (they did pickle the rinds, however). I didn't particularly care for the taste of salt and sweet watermelon the first time I had it, but I've grown to tolerate it.

Forget Father's Day. Sure dads are important, but the holiday has become so commercialized that it's been rendered worthless. Thank goodness my husband isn't crazy about parent-themed holidays. At least with Juneteenth, it was a holiday we could spend together as a family and somewhat relate to since both of our respective peoples (Irish and Serbs) had been utilized as slave labor over the course of history by various Western European powers. Today happened also to be the hottest day on record (a whopping 115 degrees Fahrenheit!), so it was a good day to stay inside and feast on leftover London Broil, baked beans, and watermelon. I had to kick myself out of bed super early so we could go to church early in the morning in order to get our Sunday obligation to attend Mass out of the way before it got too hot out.

And that was how I spent my Sunday.

Thank you for reading this post and please don't forget to share, comment, and subscribe!

Memorial Day

Greetings!

While I did not get the chance to do any baking during this weekend's last stretch of semi-cool temperatures, I did manage to have an interesting Memorial Day.

'Murica. (This was once a profile picture for some Tea Party guy I followed on Myspace back in the day. I only just now discovered I had saved it)

I hadn't planned on doing anything special except domestic duties and cleaning off the bbq grill, but then my husband had the inspired notion that we should go to Mass that morning. Not because it was Memorial Day and we should engage in idolatry of the military, which is what this day is REALLY about, but because the soup kitchen where my husband did his community service has a Mass that takes place every Monday at 10AM. My husband had been to the soup kitchen Mass a few times, but I'd never witnessed it. Even though it was too early for my liking, I decided it was worth it.

We arrived at the soup kitchen and took our seats on the back porch patio a few minutes before the Mass began. The soup kitchen was once a single-family home and had been converted for the purpose of doling out food to the homeless and impoverished, but some reminders of its previous incarnation remained. A few of the staff and regulars recognized my husband from his visits there, some of whom I'd only met for the first time that day. The priest himself was an old left-wing Redemptorist from Boston who now ran a retreat center out in the boonies. Since the soup kitchen is affiliated with the Catholic Worker movement and is run by a pious Catholic who found his way to the Church through the unlikely path of Karl Marx, I expected there to be no patriotard/Murica troop worshiping on this property.

Vintage communist poster

The Mass itself was pretty uneventful, but even though I didn't feel threatened or harassed, my demon meter went off the second we parked the car and stayed on the entire time we were there. Basically, I felt like there were dark entities lurking around the periphery which made me feel uneasy, and some outbursts from the homeless men hanging around watching the Mass lent credence to that hypothesis. Now, I am well aware that within the homeless community, the rates of mental illness are through the roof largely because our mental health care system in this country is atrocious and its really easy to fall through the cracks; but, that being said, my knowledge of demonology tells me that people who are mentally unstable are more vulnerable to demonic influence because their condition provides a hook that demons can use to manipulate the individual to suit its needs. That being said, however, not every mentally ill homeless person is under demonic influence; only some are.

After Mass, we got a food box and went home. The Lord heard my recent craving for bagels and home baked bread, and boy did we get some! We were also blessed with some gourmet potato salad, green beans with mushrooms, fruit salad, and a blueberry pudding cake. Most of it was day-old stuff from local grocery stores, but they were still edible. A number of people complemented how nice our cholomobile looked too. Arizona lends itself to being an ideal place for older vehicles because the dry climate preserves them well.

And that was how I spent my Memorial Day.

Thank you for reading this post and please don't forget to share, comment, and subscribe!

A Christmas Miracle

It's the weekend!

Today we received a special shipment in the mail from my in-laws in Texas. My mother in law spent a few weeks carefully packing her annual Christmas care package to send to us. In addition to some family heirlooms, she got my husband's sisters to pitch in as well with toys and other goodies. After she mailed it off at the post office and sent us the tracking number, the package disappeared from the radar. We were all furious, assuming someone in the post office had either lost or stolen our Christmas presents, and prepared to face the possibility that we would never see these items again. My MIL had thankfully insured the package and was getting ready to file a claim when my husband walked outside this morning to round up the cats for their morning feed, and saw that our mail carrier had dumped the package over the fence earlier in the day. It made its way here safe and sound.

There were two boxes in the large box that came. This one above

And this small box as well

After a delightful call to MIL to let her know of the unexpected boon, we proceeded to open it up and see what was inside. In addition to some family heirlooms, the baby got a few toys, I got some bath goodies, and my husband got some candy, a gift card, and a little money for cat food. The baby was especially delighted with a toy remote control from Fisher-Price that lit up and made noises when she pressed on the buttons. It'll be the only remote control she ever sees in our house, since TV is something we avoid like the plague.

The baby plays with a plushy turtle

Vintage-style Christmas ornaments from my husband's aunt

Me holding a Santa ornament from his grandmother's Christmas Tree

Vintage Christmas ornaments from 1962, my hubby's first Christmas

Vintage Virgin Mary statue that belonged to my MIL

Earlier in the week, we were contacted by our friends in the Latin Mass church's St. Vincent de Paul Society chapter. Our Christmas presents, donated by a wealthier parish in town, were ready and we needed to come pick them up. Since my husband had a paycheck waiting for him at the temporary employment agency that needed to be collected, it would not be out of our way to get our goodies. Those have not been opened, and are sitting underneath the tree like proper presents should.

After nearly a week of missing from all tracking records and presumed stolen, to have my MIL's Christmas package show up intact was downright miraculous. This is shaping up to be a very happy Christmas season.

Our Christmas Tree

Happy Friday, dear readers!

Along with the arrival of the weekend was the arrival of our Christmas Tree! This is a huge occasion for my husband and I because in our three years of marriage, this is the first time we've ever gotten a tree. Prior to this auspicious day, a lack of funds and a lack of space made searching for and setting up a Christmas Tree difficult. As a result, my husband and I didn't bother with the whole mess and we were just fine without it. But when the baby came, things changed. My husband and I both have fond memories of setting up a Christmas Tree when we were younger, and we felt that it would be good for the baby if we could continue that tradition as well.

We found a 5'-6' Douglas Fir tree at a nearby Home Depot tree lot. I'd initially planned to get a Noble Fir one in the 3'-5' range as they were the cheapest trees on the lot (they were running like $24 and some change), but when I saw them in the flesh, I changed my mind. The Noble Firs were, quite literally, Charlie Brown trees with their anemic-looking branches and sparse needles. For a few dollars more, the $28 range, we could upgrade to a Douglas Fir that was much fuller and about two feet taller. My husband agreed with my assessment and I picked out the tree. The lot attendant gave us our name ticket with the bar code so we could pay inside, and set about doing a few cuts so that the tree would stay fresh throughout the holiday season.

Bad lighting aside, this was our tree just after it was brought in before any modifications were made

Before we paid for our tree, we needed to get some lights. While my husband did amass a collection of LED light strings that he used to illuminate his tent and our old trailer, the lights only worked about half the time. Suffice to say, an upgrade was needed. We got a few clear LED strings and briefly debated getting colored lights before my husband's utilitarianism won out against acquiring them. The crappy old lights could go on the fence for decoration, but the nice new ones were to make the tree look respectable.

After paying, it was time to collect our tree. My husband went to bring the car while I went to get the tree. Despite its bulky appearance, the tree was not heavy nor were its needles sharp. I felt like an old-school Russian peasant as I hoisted the tree over one shoulder and carried it like a log to the car just a few feet away. We tied it to the roof, just like everyone in every Christmas movie ever, and I added an extra "safety" tie since my husband is a bit of a hot-rodder and I did not want our tree to go flying off somewhere because he decided to gun the car.

Once we were safely home, my husband put the tree in its stand and moved it into its present location near the front door, trimming a few stray branches here and there. Once I tidied the area a bit and vacuumed the needles which had shed, it was time to do some decorating.

Daddy doing the lights

Man at work, still more lights to go on

The lit tree, dark

The lit tree, with flash

To get the Tux penguin lamp on top of the tree, my husband had to take the battery base off and manipulate the light string placement a bit so that the penguin would have a light bulb up its ass and light up when the tree was lit too. Fortunately, I didn't have to wire the penguin to the top of the tree like I first thought, since the tip branch was sturdy enough to act as a pike for mounting. I topped off the penguin with a ghetto-style wreath headband made from the tree trimmings and some twist-ties.

Ta-Da! The *mostly* finished tree

By the time we were done, I was getting hungry and we agreed to hold off on decorating the tree with old computer parts till tomorrow. I needed to find the wire and cutters, and my husband had to look for the parts. I called it a night after my husband made a batch of Miracle-Gro and filled the bowl of the stand with it so that the tree would be hydrated and fed. We'll have *proper* ornaments as well, since family and friends have sent us some, but I'm looking forward to modifying old RAM and memory sticks.

And these, dear readers, are how Christmas memories are made.

The Christmas Tree

Hi everyone!

Since Christmas is 23 days away, it's time to think about getting a tree.

Growing up, my family had a plastic Christmas tree that they would drag up from the basement and set up in the foyer, which they still do today. That tree is older than I am, as my parents bought it when they got married in the mid-80s. Since I was raised Serbian Orthodox, the tree didn't come down till after January 7, Orthodox Christmas. For the right price, I wouldn't mind us getting a plastic tree, except my husband disagrees most strongly with that decision. In his family, they got a real tree for Christmas every year. Since this is the baby's first Christmas, he wanted to make it special for her by getting a real Christmas tree.

Me at age 2, standing next to our Christmas tree

Unlike the Griswolds, we have neither the funds nor the space to put a large tree in our home. I had something along the lines of a Charlie Brown tree in mind, though not quite as bare.

That size is perfect! Pic found here

Since we are a computer family, I was thinking once we got the tree to decorate it with old computer parts. We have a surplus of obsolete and shitty hard drives, RAMs, and the "star" at the top can be a penguin nightlight in honor of our preferred operating system, Linux! Besides, the cats are gonna be climbing into it and knocking it over as cats are wont to do, so it's kinda pointless to make it fancy.

Your move, Pinterest. Pic found here

This is gonna be fun.

Turkey Day

Happy Turkey Day to all my American readers. Yes, I call it Turkey Day instead of Thanksgiving because I refuse to recognize a holiday that marks the start of a bona-fide genocide. Besides, as a Catholic, I know of two Thanksgiving celebrations that happened here in the US BEFORE the Pilgrims ever set foot on Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts. They don't teach you that in school now, do they.

Her first Turkey Day. I was never crazy about sweet potatoes, but she seemed to like them, in addition to making a mess with them

While the rest of the country gorged on turkey, engaged in family feuds, watched football and participated in the high holy day of consumerism known as Black Friday, I stayed home and cleaned house. Since my hubby would be at work till God-knows-when (a temp-emp agency got him this job), I wanted to surprise him with a cleaner home when he got back. I'm not, nor have I ever been, a clean freak. But, I figured it would be a nice surprise for him to arrive to a home that was more orderly than when he left it.

I have a little monkey on my back!

Unfortunately, I could only do so much housework. Though I was carrying the baby in her papoose on my back, I had to take regular breaks cuz my back was hurting. I'd planned to clean the whole trailer from top to bottom, but settled on washing the mountain of dishes and vacuuming. I didn't even get the stuffing done like I'd planned, but on his break, my husband called and told me not to worry about it cuz he'd score some Jimmy Dean sausage. I'd been researching stuffing recipes online and found one that was appealing, but called for ground sausage which we did not have.

We did have some of the turkey we spent hours roasting and slow-cooking all night. I'm proud to say that my marinade did the trick and made it tasty. The hickory and pecan chips helped too.

And that was how I spent my Turkey Day. 

9/11-A Tribute

14 years ago, two planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, causing them to collapse and result in a massive loss of life. Later on in the morning, a plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, where the US Military is headquartered. Finally, a plane that was headed for the White House was diverted and crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania after the passengers mutinied and took over the plane. While everyone on board those respective flights lost their lives, the Pennsylvania plane stands out because it failed to reach its designated target.

Though theories abound about who (or what) was behind the devastating attacks, one thing remains certain. On 9/11, America as we knew it ceased to exist. What was previously a republic barely held up by democratic means became a full-fledged fascist plutocracy of the likes seen only in the Third World. George Bush would plunge America into two very costly wars, and oversee a decline in both American prestige and power, domestically and abroad.

I was only 11 years old when 9/11 happened and it made my future, however bright it might have been, ever so much darker.

I made this video a couple of years ago with the intention of uploading it to Youtube for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Though it never made it onto Youtube then, I decided to upload and show it to you here and now.

May the innocent souls who perished as a result of these diabolical actions rest in peace.

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day everyone!

Why I became a Pinko. Image found here

Take a moment to thank the labor unions who pushed for living wages, reasonable work hours, better working conditions, and who are fighting their damndest to stop the common man from sliding back into slavery again.

valentines day

dear readers,

since its valentines day, i thought id do an entry just for this auspicious occasion.

perhaps you're wondering what my plans are for today. perhaps there are some of you who wonder if i even have somebody special to celebrate valentines day with. well, i spent the day at a tucson park observing the landscape and wildlife cuz my sadistic bio lab teacher threw a shitload of assignments at us for the weekend-one of which is a semester project. the 1st phase of the project is to scout out sites in tucson and take observations. i have to visit 3 sites, and i went to 1 today. i'll check out the other 2 tomorrow. after the park, i went to the mall. it was the most dead mall id ever seen. only like 4 stores were open. everything else was barracaded and empty. really quite sad to see.

now for the million-dollar question: do i have anyone to celebrate valentines day with? the answer is... NO!! 'why?' may you ask. well, part of it has to do with my upbringing, part of it is my choice (or fault), and part of it has to do with the availability of guys at my school. besides, i dont consider myself to be bitter about it. i just put up with it, like everything else.

besides, i, in my cynical view, have come to look at valentines day as just another shopping holiday. this time of year, the stores overflow with flowers, chocolates and other heart-themed candies, cards, and tons of cheesy teddy bears with 'i love you' hearts (did you know that the valentine heart we all know is actually the inverted shape of a woman's ass? i only found this out yesterday!!). come on now! valentines day is all about being with your sweetie (or with something you love alot-me, i love my computer more then any human ever should-wait, no, my brother can beat me on that one). like mothers day, christmas, and easter, its all been commercialized. oh well. i'm probably more inclined to support the business aspect of things cuz moneys what makes the economy grow-and we all know a growing economy means more money in our pockets!!

that being said, have a happy valentines day!!
tamtam