Wednesday, September 17, 2008

In the Middle

Lately, I've been having an inordinate number of "those days" - to the point that it's more like one of "those weeks." And I'm fearful that it's on the verge of becoming one of "those semesters." Seriously, it's been rough lately and my workdays are not exactly stretching out before me like a glittering land of promise.

So I get a fresh cup of coffee and try to shake it off.

You see, things will fool you. And if you're not careful, you'll start thinking that what you're seeing - the gritty side of things - is the way things actually are. You forget to notice the pearls and begin to think that the headlines of doom, gloom, despair, and such-like are all there is. (Oh, no, rain of toads!!) Nothing in that is to be construed as meaning that there is no grit. Of course there is, and it's nasty; all I mean is that it's not all there is.

For instance, there's the book I just finished reading - Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, if you're interested. Funny, passionate about saving what's left of South Florida, and unforgettable characters. There's the fact that I realized that Jimmy Buffett has a song for nearly every mood and maybe I should dig those out. There's the fact that the autumnal equinox is just around the corner - a day of rare equilibrium when the Earth is literally balanced in the middle of light and dark. And there's the fact that I found a recipe for "fidget pie" that I'm going to try, using equinox as an excuse. Maybe it'll get the "fidgets" out of my own system and let me move into the last part of this year with my head on a little straighter.

Or maybe I'm just bellying up to some strange sort of celestial raw bar that Douglas Adams could appreciate. Could go either way - I'll let you know.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

think sometimes when it starts raining toads we must remember that they taste like chicken. It's an ill wind that blows no one good, and it can be hard to beat Sunday dinner falling from the skies.

Just, you know, be sure and wear a helmet.

Also, you'll want to skin and carefully wash the toad’s legs. I like using a simple egg wash and coarse-cut breadcrumbs, flour, salt, and pepper batter. Preheat some good canola oil to about 375F, and fry for 7-10 minutes.

After all, there are few things quite as satisfying in life as throwing the products of a crummy day into hot oil and deep-fat frying the SOBs.