Monkeyfister

"Don't Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford," From Steve Martin, and Saturday Night Live... It's just one page long.




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Labels: Get out of debt-- just pay it off, just do it-- one bill at a time

Hello everyone. I'd like to just drop by and invite
everyone to take a look at my new blog.

It took me a long time, but I finally have a blog.
I think it's a good one. If you don't like hoaxes,
scandal and controversy, don't go to my blog,
though, because that's pretty much what it's about.

Only big ones. I don't care about petty dating stories
of the rich and famous. I care about the men (and
some women) who are planning overthrow of the
US government, and how to stop them.

link to blog

This is an article from last month. I forgot to post it when it was fresh, and was surprised that it wasn't blogged about more at the time, or since. So, let's get it out there, eh?

AssPress Reports:

NDIANAPOLIS — Employers who offer health insurance coverage could see a 9 percent cost increase next year, and their workers may face an even bigger hit, according to a report from consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Costs will rise in part because workers worried about losing their jobs are using their health care more while they still have it, the firm said in the report released to The Associated Press. The report also said rising unemployment is driving up medical costs.

Health care reform legislation currently being hashed out in Congress likely will have little impact on next year's costs, said PWC principal Michael Thompson. But he noted that the intense focus on health care may slow price increases.
"Nobody wants to be front-page news when all the lights are shining on your industry," he said.

Businesses confronted with increases will likely pass some of the burden to employees via higher premiums, deductibles or copays, Thompson said.
"If the underlying costs go up by 9 percent, employees' costs actually go up by double digits," he said, noting that will have a "major, major impact" when many employers also are freezing or cutting pay. A total of 42 percent of employers surveyed said they would increase employees' share of costs.

The 9 percent increase predicted for 2010 represents a slight decrease from the 9.2 percent PWC projected for this year and 9.9 percent predicted for 2008. A growing use of generic drugs has helped tame spending, according to the most recent survey.

Actual cost increases for this year and last were not available.

Single-Payer off the table? Public Option horribly weakened, or getting pulled? A five-year hold before being put into effect? Huh???? Oh, I think more poking around at the juicy bits under-reported in this short article will yield plenty of fruits for the inquisitive researcher.



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Labels: Fuck The Health Insurance Companies, Health Insurance, Universal Health Care

It's been a very busy four days in the garden and kitchen, as Cucumbers, and the Romas, Beans and Peppers keep coming in big waves. Saturday, I made up 3-1/2 quarts of tasty, spicy dill pickles, and froze 6 quarts of chopped Romas. Sunday, I froze 10 individual meal-sized packets of Beans. I planted Goldmarie Vining Yellow Pole Beans, and Rattlesnake Green Pole Beans for the big production plants. Boy, they are going to keep me busy this Summer, and they both are sweet, crisp and delicious-- I can't fully describe the taste and texture of the Goldmaries-- they have a very buttery and tender feel in the mouth-- just divine, and I highly reccomend them to you all for next year. They beat the hell out of Blue Lake or any of the others. They are an Italian-style flat, wide bean. I put up three quarts of pickled peppers as well, on Sunday.

Today, I got out of work an hour early, and went to the pick-your-own tomato place, up the road. Got a full bushel of big, organic tomatoes for $15, and I've got the water on to start processing them. Next year, I'll have the final bed, which is fallow this year, to plant 100% in tomatoes, and won't have to pay for them. Still, $15.00 is a GREAT price for a bushel of fresh-picked, local, Organic Tomatoes.

Tonight, I am going to can some crushed tomatoes, with a hot pack, and water bath process. I like this link, from the National Center For Home Food Preservation, but, any AgExtension has the same recipe., because it is simple, and to the point, with big, easy to read tables.

I'll need:

Tomatoes
Two big pots:

One for sterilizing jars, and one to cook the crushed Tomatoes in.

A medium pot:

To flash-boil Tomatoes for skinning

A small saucepan:

For sterilizing the lids

A bottle of pure Lemon juice
Measuring spoons
Kosher or Sea Salt
Jars and lids
A Canning Funnel
A Jar Lifter
A Lid Magnet (these three are usually available at any big grocery store as a kit.)
Ice
A shitload of BIG bowls, and cutting surfaces for all the many evolutions of the Tomato Processing Process.
And a good, sharp knife

OK. The water is boiling, and I'm off to cook-down, and can some crushed tomatoes.

If you don't have a garden going, I strongly recommend visiting your local Pick-Your-Own Tomato/Vegetable patch/Orchard, or visiting your local Farmers' Market for fresh, locally-grown tomatoes for canning. You get the very best for an excellent price-- especially if you Pick-Your-Own. These jars full of Summer will be very welcome come January. Trust me. There is nothing more delicious in the middle of Winter, than a jar of fresh-canned tomatoes.

UPDATE: I started a ~6pm, and finished at 10pm. I canned 18 quarts and two pints (the pints are mostly liquids). It goes a LOT faster if you have some help.

I have ten quarts of frozen, diced Romas already, with at least another 20 quarts ripening on the vine. I'll set-up another bushel of these Tomatoes, just like this, and call myself good for the Winter as far as Tomatoes go. Beans, Peppers, Cucumbers and Potatoes are all shaping up to be sustaining this year as well. Plenty of garlic, and Onions, and the Greens and Roots are all doing just fine. I am going to have more Leeks that I have any clue how to use this year. I have no IDEA what I was thinking, just planting and planting them.

Squash Bugs keep attacking the Squashes, but, staying away from the Cucumbers that I sowed from seed with the Tobacco ash-- remember that? The Nasturtiums seem to be a deterrent to them, and the Icicle Radishes are OK in comparison. Tomorrow, I am going to get out there and hit them with Pyrethrins. Yesterday, I hit them with Neem Oil, and it knocked them silly. This should be the K.O. punch for them. I hope it saves the Squash plants. One day you see a Squash Bug, the next day, they've invited the whole damned neighborhood to party on your plants, and the veggies are getting sick. Neem Oil, Pyrethrins, and Dormant Oil on the eggs. Kills them off... but they ALWAYS come back.

Other than that, no shortage of side items for dinners these days. my tiny Blueberry bushes keep giving me a handful of berries a week, as do the Strawberries! I started the Fall Broccoli, Brussel's Sprouts, and Collard seedlings this weekend, on top of everything else. No-- the house didn't get cleaned as I like it, and the Bachelor Farmer piles are beginning to spread from those places that I frequent most. One can have preserved foods, or a clean house-- one cannot have both at the same time... Life as a single man in the 21st Century... sigh.


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Labels: Canning, Food Preservation, Food Security, Local Economy, Local Farming, Local Food

This week, I came across this wonderful recipe for preserved roasted tomatoes. As I already have 15 quarts of tomatoes put up, and had a mountain more on the counter (perhaps 25 pounds, or more), and the plants are still loaded with ripening Romas, I thought that I'd give it a try. Yesterday, we had an administrative day off due to a big change of leadership ceremony well-done, and so, I decided to give it a try. Let me tell you-- the results are spectacular, and my house smelled wonderful all day!

via Grist

Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes

Makes about 3 pint jars

10 pounds heirloom tomatoes
1 head of garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
A couple of shallots, halved, but not peeled, optional
A handful of thyme sprigs
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
Your favorite fresh herbs for tomatoes—basil, marjoram, or oregano
A few dried red chili peppers, optional

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper or foil. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.

Rinse your tomatoes, and slice them in half across their equator [MF says-- I used Romas, so I trimmed the stem spot off, and sliced mine top to bottom], or into thirds if they are particularly large. Line them on the baking sheet in a single layer, seed side up. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Scatter the garlic cloves, shallots, garlic, and thyme over the tomatoes. Sprinkle each tray of tomatoes with one teaspoon of salt.

Place the tomatoes in the oven and roast for about 6 hours [MF says-- I started checking mine after about 2-1/2 hours, it took ~5 hours for me], until much of the tomato juices have evaporated, and the slices have shrunk to about ½ their original size.

Let the tomatoes cool at room temperature. Then with a spatula [MF says-- I used a big spoon or my clean fingers, it was easier than balancing a tomato on a spatula] transfer the slices to your very clean pint jars (wide mouth canning jars will be easiest to deal with.) Layer fresh basil, or your preferred herb, between the slices of tomato, as well as the cloves of garlic and shallots that you squeeze from their hulls. Leave about 1 inch of headspace at the top of each jar."*"

The link provides SEVERAL different preserving methods, and much, much more. I froze a few pints, and processed the rest, save for two pints, which are fresh, and in the refrigerator. The recipe author says to pack the tomatoes in "very clean jars," but, I ALWAYS sterilize mine-- even brand new ones-- by boiling for at least 15 minutes before using.

I made 12 pints. Some with basil, some with oregano, and some with rosemary. I added dried chilis from last summer to a few, and roasted some yellow bell peppers, and some sweet banana peppers along with the tomatoes with a mix and match plan. This way, I can use different tomatoes for different Italian recipes-- from simple marinara to pizza sauce or lasagna sauce, or whichever fits a recipe. I used some Friday night to make a pizza, and I'll tell you, it was better than using fresh, or even sun-dried tomatoes. So tender and full of concentrated flavor!

I can only imagine how wonderful it will be to open one of these little jars of sunshine come February, on a snow day, and making some delicious, summery dish.

"*"-- Depending on which preserving method you use, that one-inch of headspace is sort of variable. if you freeze them in the jars, you need that headspace, otherwise, I really reccomend reducing that to a 1/2-inch of headspace. Whichever way you choose, make sure the tomatoes and other ingredients are covered completely. Less air means a longer keep time-- and a safer long-storing product.



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Labels: Canning, Food Preservation, Gardening

Chatterbox Audio Theater is one of the finest art groups in Memphis... one of the few. They do live Radio Theater, and they are great. Right now, on my local NPR station, WKNO-FM, I am listening to their live performance of "Dead And Gone," a Southern re-telling of the James Joyce classic, set at the turn of the 20th Century Memphis. Well done!

Chatterbox Audio Theater was created in 2007 by four friends with a lot of creativity and ambition but very little money. Based in Memphis, TN, and conducted in spare rooms, basements, and other miscellaneous spaces, Chatterbox creates fully soundscaped audio works for free streaming or download. With rare exceptions, Chatterbox shows are recorded live, with manual sound effects and as little post-production editing as possible.

Great stuff. These folks are doing some wonderful Radio Theater, and I am a softy for good Radio Theater. Their production values are outstanding.




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Labels: Arts, Memphis, Radio Theater

"When it rains, it pours."

I'm having a string of crises, and I'm barely half-way out, so bear with me.

Started with a seven-day cluster of seizures-- both Temporal Lobe, and Occipital Lobe types-- and I've learned to stay well away from the computer when the Temporal Lobes start acting up. I used up all but a few hours of Sick Leave, still not fully right in the head. Then the A/C unit on the Honda blew out, along with the oil pump... I was saving to get the timing belt/water pump, which are due to be replaced. (ching... ouch) The re-up for the insurance on the car and truck are due in August...

Another bill from BlueCross BS, for $300 for a Tegretol Level check, that I really needed to get done-- levels turned out good, but that fucking bill is going to haunt me. $300 for one vial of blood, and a single, simple test... amazing.

Meanwhile, at work: I'm set to move to a different position-- the same Events Marketing position that I was hired to do, but huuuuuge budget cuts are coming down squarely on the Events Marketing Division. We just got a new contract with or Ad Agency, and they are only now getting the plan together, under duress of constant and randomly-timed budget re-negotiations. It's all so chaotic, that they can't get a Statement Of Work together before the next Million-Dollar cut rolls through. So, my transfer back to what I should be doing is completely delayed, probably until October, perhaps later.

End of sad, sad story: my wallet is as thread-bare as my nervous system right now.

No, I'm not blegging, Just letting folks know I am alive, fiddlin' with frugality, laying low, and busy tending to my own, right now. I'll be just as soon as I actually have the time to focus. Others with the keys are ALWAYS welcome to post.

I said breakdowns come
And breakdowns go
So what are you going to do about it
Thats what Id like to know
--Paul Simon

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Labels: My Life As It Is