Where No Couch Has Gone Before: The Weekly Hodgepodge

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From This Side of the Pond 

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August is National Golf month...do you play? Do you enjoy following golf? Have you ever been to a professional tournament?

I'm not a big fan of golf.  I appreciate the skill needed to play, but it just doesn't appeal to me.  I'm more of a football and baseball girl.  The closest I've ever come to playing golf was going to the Putt-Putt course with some friends during undergraduate school.  

Astronaut Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 fame passed away this past Thursday. Are you interested in outer space and what's happening today in terms of space exploration? If space travel became common in your lifetime would you go? How do you personally relate to the idea of exploring something vast and mysterious...does the idea excite you, intimidate you, or something else? 

As an avid Trekkie (TOS - some of Voyager--it got too weird as it went along) I enjoy the fantasy and romanticism of space exploration.  While many inventions have been inspired by the Star Trek universe, space travel has certainly been a jarring example of "expectation vs. reality."  I'm not even talking about tragedies like the Challenger accident; mishaps happened in the fictional space universe.  I'm talking about how space exploration has become space exploitation.  It's become too political, to "woke," and too ostentatious.  It's not about exploration and science anymore; it's about sending celebrities into orbit (using tons of fuel) so they can come back to tell the regular people that their cars are putting too many carbon emissions into the air (yes, I'm looking at you William Shatner).  

Nah, give me Roddenberry's fantasy any day. Someone like me would be welcome in that universe, not the current version of "space exploration."

Describe your communication style in three words. 

GET IT SAID!

Do you have a favorite cookbook? A favorite celebrity chef? Do you watch any cooking shows on TV? 

I've collected many good recipes from the internet that I keep in a notebook, but my go-to cookbook is the Betty Crocker's New Cookbook published in 1996.  I think I bought it when I was part of the old Crossings Book Club (the book version of Columbia House).  Nearly 30 years later, I still pull recipes from it.

I never had just one favorite celebrity chef, but among my favorites were:

• Julia Child (especially when she cooked with Jacques Pepin)
• Justin Wilson ("add one cup of wine")
• Martin Yan (his Yan Can Cook on PBS was hilarious in the 90s)
• Paula Deen (pass me the butter, suga')
• Rosanna Pansino:  I know that technically she is a baker not a chef, but her Nerdy Nummies YouTube series was great.  She changed the format, so now I can't stand it.
• B. Dylan Hollis:  His YouTube shorts that feature vintage recipes is more about waiting to hear what crazy thing he's going to say next than learning to cook anything. 

As a child did you have any back to school traditions? If so, did you carry on those same traditions with your own children? Do you have any back to school traditions you've started on your own? 

My two favorite back-to-school traditions as a child were getting a new outfit (when we could afford it), and buying school supplies.  I enjoyed the same traditions for my classroom when I taught preschool.  Now, teaching online doesn't lend itself to the need of new clothes or supplies.  However, each time I walk through the school supplies sections of my favorite stores this time of year, I get giddy and I want to buy something.  I don't, but I want to.  Maybe I need to come up with some sort of appropriate traditions for this time of year.  

Anybody got any ideas? 

Insert your own random thought here. 

I had to say goodbye to a dear old friend a couple of weeks ago...

 

This IKEA couch was passed down to me from my friend Annie's parents.  Who knows how long they had the couch before they gave it to me, but this thing was in great shape and lasted nearly eight years before it got too "wallowed out." Rotating and/or flipping the cushions didn't work anymore, so it was time to say goodbye.

I had Big Ass Junk Removal dispose of her for me.  These guys were great. 

I used IKEA's delivery service for the first time.  Unlike Wal-Mart delivery, this service (and everyone else) found my apartment just fine (giving Wal-Mart the side eye).  My friend, Emily, came over this weekend and helped me put the couch and chair together.  I've got some more accessories to make or purchase, but I'm so pleased with the new digs.  

In case you missed it:  

• My previous Hodgepodge post "Sometime in the Morning" is here.
• My latest Weekly Digest "Big Nasty" is here.
  
• My latest First Line Friday post: #38:  The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard is here. 
• My "25 for 2025" challenge is here.  (Updated regularly)
• My "2025 I Can Only Blame MyShelf Reading Challenge" is here. (Updated regularly)