The Queen's Meme #17 ~ The Ex Files

Welcome to The Queen's Tuesday Meme #17
Sometimes silly. Sometimes serious.
Always fun!
Step out of the box. Be creative.
Use your imagination.
No one's answers are quite like yours.

Once upon a time in a faraway Bloggiverse there lived a maiden named Queen Mimi Pencil Skirt. She slayed her own dragons, stoked her own fire and well.....wrote memes by the light of the Bloggingham moon. One day a kind blogger from England noticed her meme lovin' ways and royally crowned her Mimi Queen of Memes. As time passed in the peaceful kingdom of Bloggingham, her Royal Highness found comfort in the company of fellow bloggers who also loved memes. But the Queen had a wicked disposition too. It is widely reported in historical Blogosphere archives that any and all bloggers found guilty of not completing their memes were promptly thrown into the dreaded Bloggingham dungeon. If I were you, I'd do the meme.

1. When is the last time someone did something EXtra-special for you?

Ummmmm, that would be Quackers ...... she's always doing nice, special stuff for me, like listening ....... giving me a shoulder to cry on, or ears to vent to ....... visiting me in hospital, supporting me getting surgery dressings changed (though it has to be said she did leave the room when they whipped the needles out). Oh and then there'll be next week of course ........ Christmas Day ........ I'll be spending it with her & her family :)

2. Name one EXciting thing that happens in your life daily.

I wake up? How about breathing? Guess it depends on what your definition of exciting is .......... ye gods, is it true? Do I lead a very boring life offline? ..... oh how could I have forgotten ..... food!!! Yummmm

3. Tell us the good, the bad and the uglies of your online EXperiences.

Let's see ........ there's the meme's of course ...... that has to be good what with meeting royalty an' all (don't want to end up in the dungeon after all) .... then there's the bad ......... those yucky random comments that people leave trying to sell viagra and such like ......... the uglies? Well, have to say Bud and Judd's dating meme does conjure up some *interesting* imagery to mind ........ Bud, I don't mean the twins :D ........ overall, it's pretty good ..........

What do you mean I'm hiding something??? ........ well, there was this one time ............. my friends got me signed onto a dating site ......... and they wouldn't let me put what I wanted to (Bud would have been proud) .......... compared to what I saw on one person's profile/emails ...... I think I got away lightly when I managed to de-register after a month! ........ What do you mean you want details?

4. What makes an ordinary day EXtraordinary and EXceptional?

Depends on who just sauntered past :D ......... OK I'm not that shallow that a cute guy on the train to work will actually brighten my day ...... I reserve that for the train home :D ........ not that either? OK, how about the day I heard one of my best friends was EXpecting? And I predicted it with my cards 2 weeks before she even conceived :D

5. Name one embarrassing incident you had to EXplain to your mother when you were a child.

So embarrassing I refuse to go back there now. Ever heard of the saying, the past is in the past? Hmm, wonder if that's a dungeon-worthy comment?

6. If you could FedEX yourself anywhere in the world,
where would you go?

Let's see ...... hot, sunny ......... and through the postbox of Keanu Reeves :D

7. Who would you like to EXray and why?

Keanu Reeves ....... hell, who needs a reason!

Monday's Menu - Courgette and Lemon Soup

Now I'm really not keen on courgettes. I don't eat them as a vegetable at all. I once had them on a Greek holiday where they'd been roasted or baked in an oven and were sliced extremely thinly and covered in salt. Everyone else loved them, but they weren't for me. So I'd pretty much given up on ever eating them. Until this year, when I went on holiday and one of the soups served at lunchtime was Courgette and Lemon. This recipe is kind of from memory, so it's a bit of a personal adaptation :)


Ingredients:

1 courgette, ends removed and cubed
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 Lemon,
1 Onion
2 cloves of garlic
500ml homemade chicken stock
500ml water
15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil

Method:

Gently fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes Add in the cubed potato for a couple more minutes. Then the cubed courgette. Add in the juice of one lemon. Continue gently frying for about 5 minutes. Add in the chicken stock and water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 1 hour. Whizz in the blender and serve immediately.

Extra idea:

If you want a stronger and sharper lemon flavour, leave one half of the lemon in the soup while simmering and remove before blending. Personally that's a bit too sharp for me, although I did still find it edible.

Friday's Photos - Together in silence

Even though we have many different life experiences, I know that when the going gets tough, my best friend is always there, even if it's just to be there with me in silence. May you all have someone that loving in your lives :)

The Dating Profiles Meme: Pride and Joy

1. My pride and joy is my cat Spike.

Were you one of last week's contestants because I'm pretty sure that neck collar sounds familiar.

2. I run, do pilates, zumba, and can dance anywhere.

C'mon, fess up. You watched Fame many many times in the 80s didn't you!

3. I'm into to going to Home Depot for house projects that I think I can master but never do.

Let's be blunt ........ you're a tool aren't you?

4. I joined this dating site to meet new people and see what happens!

Let me guess, you're still waiting! Here's a clue ...... get out of the house.

5. I was married for 5 years from 1990 to 1995. We had a nasty divorce but now are the best of friends.

Why am I sensing the words *restraining order*?

6. I'm looking forward to a meeting of the minds, to fun and arm wrestling.

Which state did you say you were from?

7. My match would be someone who is emotionally available. One that believes 1+1=Love.

Are those your mummy's apron strings I can see trailing behind you?

8. I wanted to win my son when we play video games together, back then he was 14 years old, and I did practice while he is not at home, but was never able to win him.

Are you sure you're not the same person as Number 6?

9. How do you sum up a full life into a little box without sounding like everyone else?

If you had that full a life, you wouldn't have any time to be on a dating site, and let's be honest, a little box of life doesn't sound much fun does it!

10. There are as many ways of falling in love as there are snowflakes in a snowstorm.

OK, I get it, you're a flake! Next ....

Thursday's Thoughts - Manners

I wrote a while back (would have been around early May) about expectations and giving unconditionally. Now that Christmas is almost here, I find myself yet again torn, wondering where to draw a line and looking at the logic behind my emotions.

Manners. It's a simple enough word. But what does it actually mean? Wikipedia as it defined as thus:

"In sociology, manners are the unenforced standards of conduct which show the actor that you are proper, polite, and refined. They are like laws in that they codify or set a standard for human behavior, but they are unlike laws in that there is no formal system for punishing transgressions, other than social disapproval. They are a kind of norm. What is considered "mannerly" is highly susceptible to change with time, geographical location, social stratum, occasion, and other factors".

At the very basic meaning of the word ........ I like the most simplified version that I can think of for it ....... saying please and thank you. It's acknowledgement. It doesn't have to include gratitude or validation or even appreciation. They may even just be words, hollow and not full of any meaning when spoken. But still, it conveys an acknowledgement that someone has done something, and that something has been duly noted or received.

And such is the case with my sister. Back in May I had a vent because not only was the birthday gift of vouchers I sent to my niece not acknowledged (as in, did it even turn up!) but she had opened them and spent them on my niece's behalf before her actual birthday. That's to say she got them, opened them, spent them and I wasn't even sure they'd arrived. No thank you, no acknowledgement. Oh and my niece was 17 by the way, not a little toddler who couldn't go out and spend them on her own and yes, the envelopes were addressed to my niece, not my sister!

But ok, vent a bit ....... and let it go. Embrace the gift of giving unconditionally! So I did. Didn't say a word, only when the time came for the next niece's birthday I did send vouchers but actually put them in the birthday card so they couldn't be opened separately. What happened? I got a text to say the card had arrived safely and would be put to one side until the actual day. No "thank you". But fair enough, it hadn't been opened and they didn't know exactly what I'd put inside. Only when the day came, still no acknowledgement. Biting my tongue at this point ......... and figure, next niece, I'll do the same and see what happens. I couldn't not send anything to her if I'd given a birthday gift to her sisters!

Fast forward a few more months to November and the next niece's birthday. Get vouchers, put in card, post early to make sure it gets there on time. Sure enough, a couple of days later, a text arrives to say the card had arrived and it was being put to one side until the birthday day! No "thank you". Again, no worries as they hadn't opened it (I presume). Come the actual birthday ........... and guess what ........... still no "thank you".

Now as I said, I don't expect an abundance of or even any real "gratitude". I don't shower my sister's kids with stuff throughout the year either, and I don't visit these days; it's been 2 years since I last visited due to a difficult family situation. But since when did it become socially acceptable to not even say "thank you" for a gift? The days of writing thank you letters are long gone (hated doing those as a kid) but it doesn't take a minute to send a quick text these days!

And this isn't about spending money either. But when do you draw the line? When does a situation pass from being just about acceptable albeit a bit rude ........ to crossing that line and pushing boundaries. When we respect ourselves, we draw those boundary lines. We say or show by our own behaviour, what we deem to be acceptable or not. If we continuously allow our boundaries to be pushed, changed and don't stand up for them ........ then realistically speaking we can't then expect others to adhere to them can we!

And what about when others play the emotional manipulation game? How do you respond to that? Especially when kids are involved! You know the kind of thing .... "you shouldn't let the kids suffer because of what the adult does". Well, surely the kids learn from what that particular adult is teaching them? After all, I strongly believe in the saying of "treat people as you wish to be treated" and that means with respect and love. And I know that I deserve that too, so that's something I should stand up and be counted for. And as I always find when I've got a decision to make, or I'm thinking deeply about something ........ I'll hear or see something to clarify my feelings. This was what I read from Thought for the Day:

"A person of wisdom and spirituality has very beautiful manners that have grown from genuine respect and love for the whole of humanity. Manners in this sense have nothing to do with culture or education: it is simply a question of humility. When we are at the receiving end of such manners, we feel that some deeper part of us has been honoured. In fact, none of us deserves anything less."

So now it's Christmas. And I'm about to send all my Christmas cards out. Do I keep those boundary lines relaxed and send vouchers as gifts once more ......... or do I draw a line in the sand? Again. Albeit a different one from last time. That one had such huge ramifications ........ I'm still feeling the effects almost two years later and I must admit to feeling more than a little apprehensive at what such action or non-action may bring!

Monday's Menu - Potato and pastrami tortillas

PJOzzyGirl has been sending me some great recipes, and one of the links was to the Australian version of Woman's Weekly. I found this recipe there which I thought I'd give a go :)

Potato and pastrami tortillas

Ingredients:

4 medium (800g) potatoes, peeled, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium (150g) brown onion, sliced thinly
150g sliced pastrami, corned beef or ham
6 eggs, beaten lightly
300ml light thickened cream
3 green onions (green shallots), sliced thickly
¼ cup (20g) grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup (30g) grated cheddar cheese

Method:

Boil, steam or microwave potato until just tender; drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium non-stick frying pan; cook brown onion and pastrami until crisp. Drain on absorbent paper.

Whisk eggs in a bowl with cream, green onion and cheeses. Add potatoes and pastrami mixture; toss gently.

Pour mixture into heated, oiled medium non-stick frying pan; cook, covered, over low heat for 10 minutes or until tortilla is just set. Carefully invert tortilla onto a plate, then slide back into pan. Cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with salad, if desired.

Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

My take on it?

Don't substitute some of the cream with milk, it means it won't set properly.

Don't use a pan that isn't properly non-stick, it will stick and you won't be able to invert the bloody thing!

Don't then stick the pan under the grill to make sure the stuff that didn't set properly (because you substituted some of the cream with milk) will set, and then go off and have a shower. It will burn, no matter how quick you think are! (Nope, the picture is off that website, mine definitely didn't end up looking that good :D)

That being said, the rest of it was great and I'll be making it again.

The Australian Women's Weekly, Feb 2007

Friday's Photos - Time for Fun

I will be smiling and laughing a lot tonight. Friends are flying or getting the train into town and we're meeting up straight after work. It's been a few months since I saw them, and I can't wait .... and yeah, just like the picture, I act just like a kid when I'm having fun with them :)