Notoriously Nice ®

Oops! I did it again.

I took advantage of my cheap Beta discount and signed up for another year on TypePad. Alvin Greene is running for office again so I feel sure I'll have plenty to talk about in 2011.

Merry Christmas, Psycho! Again.

Four years ago I bought Psycho a cat bed to keep him from sleeping in or on random things like the sink in the guest bathroom, paper bags at the back of the pantry, or a pile of sheets I needed to wash. He loved it...until he didn't. Lately he's been sleeping on a dish cloth that fell off of the kitchen counter and that I didn't have the heart to pick up.

I bought him a new cat bed today and he loves it. The cycle begins again.

For my TypePad friends, with a big shout out to you Betas

This is the SAY Media company line. Make of it what you will. I know that some of you are already looking for a new home.  I'm paid up through the end of the year so I'll stick around and see what happens. I like TypePad the way it is. Six Apart gave me everything I wanted without having to ask for most of it. (It's been years since I submitted a ticket.) If it stays like it is now, I'll probably stick around. Your mileage may vary.

The Kentucky gnome sez, "Here birdie, birdie, birdie!"

Kentucky Wildcats vs Louisville Cardinals - Saturday @ 3:30 PM on ABC, ESPN Game Plan, and ESPN3.com

My Lucky Day

When Justine and I returned from Australia last October we gave up our seats on our United flight from San Francisco to Dulles in exchange for confirmed seats on the red-eye 9 hours later and vouchers for a flight to any destination within the 48 states that United or United Express flies. Since Justine had never been to San Francisco before this worked out well. We took the train from the airport and spent the afternoon and evening exploring the waterfront, eating a great late lunch, watching the sea lions that had invaded the docks at Pier 39, and Justine got to see and photograph the Golden Gate Bridge.

My voucher was going to expire in the middle of October so I used it for my flights to St. Louis, via Chicago, today.  As I was sitting at the gate in Charleston this morning waiting for my flight to be called the gate attendant called my name instead. Immediately I thought, "Crap, what now?"  The attendant told me that the flight to Chicago was overbooked and he saw that my connecting flight to St. Louis wouldn't arrive there until 1:00 PM CDT. He said he could put me on a Delta flight to Atlanta instead with a connecting flight to St. Louis that would get me there at 11:30 AM.  Plus he would throw in $400 in travel credit coupons (4 x $100) that are good for flights to any destination United flies, domestic or international.  Of course I agreed.

I caught the MetroLink at the St. Louis airport and took it to the Delmar Loop station. My hotel is just a short walk from there. I arrived at the hotel at noon and since check-in isn't until 3 I figured that I'd have them check my bags, lock them in the storeroom, and I'd come back later to check-in. But this was my lucky day. They had a room waiting for me.

It's too bad there isn't a Powerball or Megamillions draw tonight. I think I'm on a roll.

Play dead. Good cat.

Tempting

Kayaks and canoe-kayak hybrids have outsold canoes for several years now. It's nice to see that canoe makers are taking advantage of technology to fight back. I'm old school. I learned to paddle a canoe when I was a boy scout. (You haven't lived until you've played capture-the-flag on the lake at Camp McKee. Someone ends up in the water instead of on it.) My canoe is a heavy tandem that once held two adults, two children, and a dog. Now it's just me and a dog. And when I think I've found the perfect replacement, along comes the Spitfire 13, a sweet carbon-fiber/kevlar canoe. It's a solo open-top with plenty of room for fishing gear and Champ but it has the stability and turning response of a kayak. And it's narrow enough to paddle with a double-blade paddle. Best yet, at 22 lbs (or 26 depending on how it's fitted out) it weighs half of what a comparable fishing kayak weighs and wouldn't give me a hernia lifting it from the roof rack and carrying it to the water.

Unfortunately no local dealer sells Placid Boatworks canoes and I'd really need to test paddle one before I buy it.

Poor Alvin

I know it turns out that he’s got legal problems and that the cheese probably slipped off of his cracker a while ago, but that doesn’t mean that he was part of some conspiracy to keep party favorite Vic Rawl from winning the primary election.  In fact, if you listen to Michel Martin’s interview on Tell Me More with Carol Fowler, the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, it sounds like Alvin understood what he was getting into and was clear about why he was running when she talked to him before the election.

The worrying thing about the interview is that Fowler, who will preside over the protest hearing on Thursday, admits that she believes U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn when he says that something was wrong with the election. It sounds like she’s already made her mind up. (If you don’t know who Clyburn is, he’s the first African-American to be elected to Congress from South Carolina since Reconstruction and is currently the House Majority Whip. As such, he has a lot of sway over what happens in the Democratic Party at the state level.) The easiest thing for the party to do now would be to void the result of the primary, based on whatever evidence Rawl comes up with, and order a do-over, thus avoiding more embarrassment. (I’m not saying that they will. I’m just saying.)

In the end, none of this matters. Jim DeMint, the Republican incumbent, is the most popular politician in South Carolina and he will win in November no matter if it’s Alvin or Vic who runs against him.

Except that it does matter. If it turns out that Alvin saved up his military pay to pay the filing fee because thought he could make a difference in the Senate, and if the hearing on Thursday robs him of the chance to run in November, then not only does he lose, but voters like me lose, too.

(The link to the interview worked until I hit the publish button. I'm working on it.)

Update: The link is working now.

Chicken Pot Pie (without the pie) Stew

I love chicken pot pie but I stink at making pie pastry. I am, however, a master at boiling noodles. This recipe combines the best of both worlds. And it's heart healthy!

Chicken Pot Pie (without the pie) Stew

2 small, or 1 medium, boiling potatoes, cut into ½" cubes

½ cup frozen lima beans

½ cup frozen peas

½ cup frozen cut green beans

¼ cup sauteed mushrooms (or canned if you must)

¼ cup pearl onions from a jar, halved (if you can find fresh ones they work, too)

2 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken stock

½ cup nonfat dry milk

3 Tbs flour

½ tsp dried tarragon (or 1½ tsp fresh)

½ tsp dried parsley (or 1½ tsp fresh)

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked chicken, diced

wide noodles, boiled just in time to join the party

A few of notes before we begin. Because I hate making chicken stock, but use a lot of it in my soup and stew recipes, I usually use Kitchen Basics® unsalted stock. It's inexpensive, flavorful, allows me to salt things my way, and is readily available. You can use whichever stock you like. Because I never make pastry I have no need to keep a bag of flour in the pantry. Instead I keep Gold Medal Wondra® flour in the fridge. It keeps forever without going rancid and it's a great thickener for stews, sauces, and gravies.  Again, go with what you like best. Because I like to cook heart-healthy I love using non-fat dry milk in certain recipes. Instead of buying a box and never using all of it, I buy a box of packets.  If I don't need an entire packet, like in this recipe, I fold over the edge and put it in the freezer until I need it.  I used tarragon in this recipe but you can use whichever herbs you think go well with chicken. Remember, we're creating, not cooking.

Put the potatoes and lima beans (and fresh onions if you are using them) in a 2 qt pot, add 1½ qt water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender. 20 to 25 minutes depending on the variety of potatoes you use and how thick you cubed them.

While those are simmering put the peas, cut green beans, mushrooms, and onions (if from a jar) in a 1 qt pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil for a minute, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and keep warm until you need them.

Put the chicken stock, non-fat dry milk, and herbs in a 2 qt pot and heat. Whisk in the flour and increase the heat until the mixture thickens. You'll know it when you see it. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When the sauce is thick drain the vegetables and add them to the sauce along with the chicken. Heat briefly. If the mixture looks too thick add a bit more chicken stock.

Spoon over the noodles. Serves from 3 to 6 depending on how large you think a serving should be.

My memory is a bit fuzzy. Did I have an inappropriate relationship with you?

Of course I didn't (I don't think). That was just a tease to get you to read my blog.

Elections in South Carolina are always fun but this year's primary has been a riot.

Take the Republican race for Governor. Nikki Haley was leading in the polls when two men, one a political blogger with a shady reputation and the other a former campaign consultant for an opposing candidate, claimed to have had an adulterous relationship with her.  She denied it and most people believe her. She still has a 20 point lead in the polls. Sarah Palin is standing by her endorsement as is Jenny Sanford, the ex-wife of our current Republican Governor who was caught doing the 'tween-the-sheets tango with his Argentinian soul mate in Buenos Aries.

Gresham Barrett will most likely get enough votes to force a runoff election with Nikki later this month. As far as I know no one has claimed to have had an inappropriate sexual relationship with him but he was endorsed by Dick Cheney so I'm hoping that there's a really good story behind that. Barrett thinks the Arizona immigration law is such a good idea that South Carolina should have one. Of course since the state has a high unemployment rate, Barrett has to blame someone.

Henry McMaster, our current Attorney General, defended the Town of Great Falls in federal court when it was sued by a Wiccan and the ACLU because the town council insisted on praying "in Jesus' name" at its meetings. He and the town lost.  As expected, the Supremes declined to hear the case.  Later McMaster defended the State, as AG, after it was sued when the Legislature approved a license plate that said "I Believe" and had a cross superimposed on a stained glass window. He lost that one, too, and the judge issued one of the better scathing opinions that I've ever read, aimed not only at McMaster but also at Andre Bauer (more about him next). Now either Henry is a really bad lawyer or he likes to pander for votes with taxpayer money. In the end it doesn't matter. He won't be in a possible runoff and come January he'll no longer be Attorney General.

Last, and certainly least, is our Governor Lite, Andre "I can't drive 55" Bauer. The only good thing I can say about Andre is that as Lt. Governor he had very little to do and he did it very well. This weekend he took a lie detector test to prove that he is alive. Results pending. If you think of the election tomorrow as a horse race, Andre will finish out of the money.

The fun doesn't stop there. Several months before the Nikki Haley-Will Folks-The Other Guy stories broke someone discovered that Richard Eckstrom, our incumbent Comptroller General who is running for re-election, had had an affair with Kelly Payne, a former teacher and current GOP candidate for Superintendent of Education. Payne is divorced but a big deal was made of the fact that Eckstrom, even though separated and living apart from his wife for the last two years, is, nevertheless, still married. If the story is true I have to admire Eckstrom. He's 61, balding, and yet he slept with an attractive 40-year old woman. I'm 61, have all of my hair, and yet I sleep with Champ. (Get your minds out of the gutter. Yes, we like to cuddle for a few minutes but when I turn out the light he goes to the end of the bed and stays there until morning.)

So far the Democrats haven't been as entertaining as the Republicans have been. That's probably because there aren't that many Democrats willing to pay the filing fee when they know that they will lose. But that doesn't mean that there isn't a story or two.

I've lived in South Carolina for 25 years and Ben Frasier was running as a Democrat for public office long before I got here. This year he is running again for the U.S. House District 1 seat. He rarely makes public appearances during a campaign, but at least we know he exits.

Not so with Alvin Greene, Democratic candidate for the US Senate. According to the blog Wolfe Report, Alvin is unemployed and lives with his dad but he somehow came up with the $10,400 filing fee needed to run in the primary. Since then he hasn't been seen or heard from except for one enigmatic phone call. He hasn't made any campaign appearances, raised any campaign money, filed any campaign finance reports or put out any yard signs. (Alvin, if you read this, I want a yard sign. I can sell it on eBay the day after the election and split the money with you). It's possible that someone paid Alvin to enter the race in order to steal votes away from Vic Rawl, the other Democratic candidate, but why? Vic has no hope of winning in November. (Of course, the Democrats didn't have a chance of winning in 1972 but that didn't stop the Nixon White House from breaking into the Watergate.)  I'm hoping that Alvin is someone's dog and that he was entered into the race to make a point and it was done without a background check.

One last thing. Make sure you buy your lottery tickets tonight. For some reason you can't buy them on Election Day. Was the Legislature worried that you'd buy votes with scratch-off tickets? Fortunately the liquor stores will be open so you can still buy votes with half-pints of Old Jockey Shorts.