Grinding on my last nerve/The Sound Of Silence

Ahh...the sound of silence.  Can you hear it?  Any of my long time readers will recall these posts:
No Longer A Party Animal
Drummer Boy aka Metallica Head Is Clueless
Get Off My Lawn/Busted!
Get Off My Lawn/Busted Part 2
I just had a wicked rough day today.  No money for gas to get home from work.  Praying to make it home or find someone who owes me money to pay me some.  Got out of work 45 minutes early, only to get home at my regular time (wtf?).  And then I pull down my street and I hear IT.  I hear music at top volume.  You've got to be kidding me!  I pull all the way up my driveway, close all my windows, the car is running and I can STILL hear it.  I got out my car, got my backpack, set my alarm and walked down the driveway.  I hollered over 3 times.  Not once!  Not Twice! Three times!  "TURN DOWN THE MUSIC".  Nope, still going.  I get in the house.  The window a/c units are running and we can still hear that infernal music!  I went up to my room.  Yup, 2nd floor, a/c unit on, I can hear it as if it were in my bedroom.  That's it!  I called the non-emergency number, hit the button for "you want a squad sent to your house or you want to file a complaint".  I got through immediately and reported the issue.  An hour later and the sheriff was no show, so I got comfy.  A short time later my daughter is calling me, sheriff is at the door.  I go down and explain to him that I have 2 mentally ill children, one not doing very well right now.

"The music is way too loud, listen for yourself officer." - Lola
"Yes, I hear it." - Officer
"I understand our county has no noise ordinance, but this is just too much." - Lola
"Mam, actually we do have a noise ordinance right now.  Is that dog loose over there too?" - Officer
"Yes." - Lola
"Is he dangerous?  Because those dogs seem to love brown polyester." (Referring to his uniform.) - Officer
"Those dogs are just big and goofy, I doubt they'd bite." - Lola

And I go on to explain my history with Drummer Boy and Animal Control.

"Mam, I'd be happy to go over there and write 2 tickets.  $150 for the noise and another for not following the leash law." - Officer
"Go for it!  Thank you officer." - Lola

So the officer goes over there for about a 1/2 hour and then comes back and explains to me and my gf that he wrote Drummer Boy 2 tickets.  Then he apologized profusely for taking so long to come out to answer the call.  I told him no worries, I know Fridays are busy and there are more important calls out there and that we really did appreciate that he did come out and write those tickets.  We all shook hands and the officer left.

I'm not a spiteful person, I know this guy claims to be on disability and rides his bicycle to the liquor store every day for a 12 pack of Bud, and gets into donnybrooks on the lawn with his neighbor to the east.  But gosh darn it, I've got no money for food or gas and dude, you're grinding on my last nerve.  We've had years of this.  Enough is enough.  And hey...I did warn him...THREE times.

If nothing else happens this weekend...I will feel I have accomplished something.

I have gained silence.  And...it's golden.


Lola's Diner ©2008-2012

Cookbook Review: "Tortillas To The Rescue" By Jessica Harlan

A while back (longer than I'd care to admit) I received a copy of Tortillas To The Rescue.  I was really excited when I learned I'd be reviewing this cookbook.  When we learned that my son has an allergy to Gluten, we really scrambled to come up with new and different meal ideas.  Since Corn Tortillas are on his allowed food list, this book is right up our alley.

I'm always looking for ways to make foods he can't have with ingredients that he can, so when I saw the following recipes I was very excited:

Breakfasts:
Egg In A Hole
New Mexican Benedicts
Shortcut Blintzes
Snacks & Appetizers:
Spinach & Cheese Empanadas
Chorizo & Cojack Taquitos
Baked Wontons With Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce
Mexican Snack Mix (For Gluten Free, use Gluten Free varieties of Chex Mix and Gluten Free Pretzels)
Meat Main Courses:
Burger Pouches
Meatless Main Courses:
Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche
Tortilla-Crusted Eggplant With Spicy Tomato Sauce
Roasted Vegetable Napoleons
Comforting Casseroles:
Mexican Lasagna
Broccoli-Chicken Casserole

This is nowhere near a complete list of the recipes.  There are also many recipes for roll-ups, burritos, wraps and desserts.  I selected the above recipes to highlight those items that I can convert to Gluten Free by using Corn Tortillas.  All the recipes are quick, easy and fun.

Included in the 100 Quick & Easy Recipes, are recipes to make your own Flour Tortillas and Corn Tortillas at home.  For someone who has made pasta at home and knows the delicious difference between homemade and store bought, homemade tortillas are also delicious and make for a real homemade meal with simple ingredients.

This is definitely going to become one of my go-to cookbooks.  You can find Tortillas To The Rescue at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com and your local bookseller.  It is also available on Kindle and The Nook.  This would make a great stocking stuffer for your favorite cook, or student who is off to college.  Yes, the recipes are that quick and easy.


Lola's Diner Disclaimer: I was given the cookbook Tortillas To The Rescue to review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this book review.

Lola's Diner ©2008-2012

Meet Bubba

Bubba officially moved in Saturday night and spent up until this morning hiding in various spots in the master bedroom.  Yesterday I started working on cleaning out my closet and I nearly jumped out of my skin when I pulled a box out of my closet and there she was.  She would not let me take her out, Ms. Attitude would have none of that.  She didn't eat, drink or use the litter box until this morning when I told my gf that she needed to put her in the bathroom where her box and food were and just shut the door.  She'll figure it out eventually.  She did, she used the litter box and had a snack.

After about 2 hours my son let her out of the bathroom when Irish and Maddux were out.  It was kind of like a prize fight where they kind of circled around each other and gave each other the evil eye.  Then Bubba made a beeline for her sofa, stood on the arm, plotting her exit and jumped down and under the end table and hid there until Irish and Maddux went back upstairs.  Maddux did manage to hiss at her once, that was about it.

Lola's Diner ©2008-2012