(I'll spare you a random "country" picture this time so here's another Symon pic)
Well Bloomington, IN isn't really all that bad.
Granted we don't have reliable internet (dial-up is too antiquated), but a fifteen minute drive to the library when my brother-in-law isn't home with his laptop and Android with a hotspot App is just fine. And we don't miss cable at all. We watched so little TV while in Evanston; we just put on the 24/7 Weather Channel local station for background noise (and the constant bad music would drive anyone shit-bat crazy). Most of the time we watched Daily Show and Colbert from the computer. And cable was the largest chunk of our bill. So when either of us get work and money, we'll get a Verizon hotspot transmitter and a USB receiver for the PC. And when the PC goes, we'll get laptops but still get a mouse. :-P We'll have to sign a two-year contract with Verizon, but we can take it anywhere Verizon is provided. Where we live, there is still no cable or DSL set up; seems it would be too expensive to lay down cable and deprive eleven households of basic cable/internet needs (so much for modernizing America's infrastructure).
We do have issues with the bugs not to mention the heat and humidity! I suppose we'll get used to it...NOT!
I am pleased that downtown Bloomington has some diversity. Earlier, we went to the Farmer's market and bought a few veggies and some basil. It's not the big city, but the big city has become too expensive. It's like Springfield, MO as far as being a college town and cost of living. And we had some good vibes from the Indianapolis job market, even if it's an hour to drive there. Lisa and I had good interviews with the Office Team branch there. They appeared very professional and understand that we just need work for now and the dream job can wait. Unlike Chicago where they demand to know what is you "ideal job". How interesting that a smaller city has a better pulse on the job market than a metropolis. Or is it because Chicago was insular and unwelcoming to new people? If you weren't born in Chicago, they want nothing to do with you.
So as far as Chicago is concerned: We Came! We Saw! We Left!
It's time to plant new seeds here and see what blooms.
Wish us luck!
Symon says; "Mew" >^.^<
from 123rf site
Yesterday after driving to find my new job location (which was about a half hour from home), we went to Men's Wearhouse so I could get some lighter slacks to wear. The others I have would be too dark as the weather is just beginning to warm up. I specifically told the gentleman at the store what I needed: a few light colored khakis to go with the shirts I already have. Despite this, he kept showing us dark/black pants. Ok I tried four that I liked. I also bought another belt and a pair of dark brown shoes to match. Then the salesperson suggested a sports coat. "No thank you," I replied. "I will be working in a warehouse environment." He finally backed off.
Or so I thought. In a last ditch effort, he suggested I could get a "perma crease" on my slacks. He directed me to feel the crease on his slacks. I'd swear I almost cut myself. Seriously, you could cut a tin can with that.
Wow! For real!?!? I want to look good for my supervisors, not assassinate them! I'm working for a company that sells and ships store fixtures, not SPECTRE! "Oh, we have this Kevlar sports jacket with spring-loaded blades in the sleeves that would look good with the slacks."
I know the economy's tight, sir, and I can appreciate your position as a salesman. But no means NO! The last gentleman at the same store understood what I wanted and didn't push after I said no thank you. (We were there last weekend for some shirts.) Trying to constantly push the sale gets the salesperson nowhere. Neither does weaponizing slacks.
Olive Oil smokes at high temperatures!
We decided to make another pizza. Again we used goat cheese and italian sausage from Whole Foods, but we used olive oil soaked basil leaves instead of a tomato sauce. There were small mozzarella balls on sale so we used those instead of shredded bagged cheese.
After the dough was placed on the hot stone, the oiled basil leaves were placed. We felt there was more than enough oil without adding more. Then the goat cheese was spread around, followed by the sausage, then the mozzarella that was cut into small disks using kitchen shears. Into the oven for fifteen minutes. About seven minutes into the cooking, we noticed the kitchen filled with some smoke.
SHIT! THE OLIVE OIL!
It dripped in the oven and began smoking. I quickly placed a piece of foil on the second rack underneath, something I should have done earlier. It caught most of the dripping oil but by that time, the kitchen was really smoky. Good thing the back door is in the kitchen along with a ceiling fan and two windows. Fortunately, the smoke alarm never went off and the kitchen was quickly aired out thanks to a standing fan blowing away the remaining smoke and the two of us taking turns waving a wet towel in the air.
But no fire broke out. All is well now in The Klow Apartment. However next time, use a canola oil/olive oil combo to reduce the smoke as olive oil has a very low smoke point. Also, place a piece of foil on the underside oven rack.
You'd think we'd know by now! But despite the scarey incident, the pizza was perfect!
The result...
obscene food porn!
Today, highs reached 80F but a heavy breeze kept the apartment relatively comfortable. It appears we broke a record high today. Temperatures are expected to fall by late evening as a major storm heads toward Wisconsin.
View from the study as clouds roll in.
And the pressure change triggered a bit of a migraine. Sharp barometric changes usually trigger my headaches. Better now but the medicine has me a bit foggy.
Tomorrow's high is back in the mid-50s.
Strange indeed.
