ஜ~§ If We Must Die §~ஜ

Hail my friends,

So I don't have much news. Loki and I are getting back to our respective schedules. I work nights 3pm - 11pm and he's usually in bed by 10pm or so. He doesn't have classes for a bit, so he's been staying up a bit later, but last week we spent a LOT of time video-conferencing and this week we've only spoken for a few minutes each night. We'll have more time to conference on Wed and Thur when I'm off work. We seem to be doing fairly well at that for the moment, we're making it work.

I don't know if I'd mentioned it before so I'll go into here and now. I am in a union ... I work for the railroad as a customer service clerk. (Internal service, IE. dealing with the yardmasters and trainmen and such) Anyway, the union is based on seniority, of which I have very little. So I got 'bumped' out of my current position, and I've been training my replacement these last few weeks. I'm not a fan of training, it wrenches my back leaning over and looking at everything to teach them what to do and how to do it. It'll be nice when this week is over and I can figure out what job I'll be doing next. I'll keep ya'll posted on that as well. I'll now be moving on to the more formal and formatted portion of my bloggity blog.

Oh ... quickly before that, I've mentioned to several people that I follow a pagan path. Therefor, I thought I'd do some blurbs on some of the holidays I celebrate and some of the rituals I do. I hope you'll all enjoy that.

ஜ~§Quote of the Day§~ஜ

Two such as you with such a master speed, cannot be parted nor be swept away, from one another once you are agreed, that life is only life forevermore, together wing to wing and oar to oar.
Robert Frost

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

Happy birthday, Nostradamus. Many people consider the prophecies of Nostradamus to be uncannily accurate, while others remain skeptical. Do you think it's possible to predict the future?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Antiquated ~ Adjective
PRONUNCIATION: [an-ti-kwey-tid]
MEANING: 1. continued from, resembling, or adhering to the past; old-fashioned: antiquated attitudes.
2. no longer used; obsolete or obsolescent: The spinning wheel is an antiquated machine.
3. aged; old
ETYMOLOGY: from L. antiquus "former, ancient,"
USAGE: "The system in use was antiquated and didn't produce well."

ஜ~§What I'm Reading§~ஜ

J.D. Robb: Salvation in Death

In the year 2060, cutting-edge investigative tools can help catch a killer. But there are some questions even the most advanced technologies cannot answer ...

At the most solemn moment of a Catholic funeral mass, the priest brings the chalice to his lips. Seconds later, he is dead on the altar.

For the mourners packed into the pews, Father Miquel Flores's sudden demise is an unimaginable shock. When Detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas confirms that the consecrated wine contained enough potassium cyanide to kill a rhino, she's prepared to plunge in and find out why, despite her discomfort with her surroundings. It's not the bodegas and the pawnshops of East Harlem that bother her, though the neighborhood is a long way from the stone mansion she shares with her billionaire husband, Roarke. It's all that holiness flying around at St. Cristobal's that makes her unearsy.

A search of the victim's simple, sparsely furnished room reveals few personal touches, except for a carefully hidden religious medal with a mysterious inscription, and a couple of underlined bible passages. The autopsy reveals much more: faint scars of knife wounds, a removed tattoo -- and evidence of plastic surgery suggesting "Father Fores" may not have been the man his parishioners thought. Now, as Eve pieces together clues that suggest identity theft, gang connections, and a deeply personal act of revenge, she hopes to track down whoever committed this unholy act. Until a second murder -- in front of an even larger crowd of worshippers -- knocks the whole investigation sideways.

The way Eve sees it, vengeance may be the Lord's business, but if there's going to be any earthly justice in this case, it's up to her.

ஜ~§What I'm Watching§~ஜ

Everything is a repeat tonight.

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

If We Must Die

IF we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Making their mock at our accursed lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
O kinsmen! we must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!
What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

Claude McKay

ஜ~§Recipe of the Day§~ஜ

This recipe is for Phin:
Tofu Cutlets Marsala

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (16 ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained, rinsed and cut crosswise into eight 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large shallots, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups sliced cremini or white mushrooms
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine (see Ingredient note)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

1. Whisk 1/4 cup cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Pat tofu with paper towel to remove excess moisture.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge 4 tofu slices in the flour mixture, add them to the pan and cook until crispy and golden, about 3 minutes per side. Place the tofu on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and the remaining tofu, adjusting the heat if necessary to prevent scorching.

3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, shallots and thyme to the pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallots are slightly soft and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in Marsala and simmer until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.

4. Whisk the remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch with broth and tomato paste in a small bowl. Stir into the mushroom mixture, return to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and glossy, about 4 minutes. To serve, spoon the hot sauce over the tofu.

Yield: 4 servings

Brightest Blessings,
~S~