River Boulevard

Because it's Friday, ya bastids!

Plastic Man

Because. It's. Friday. Ya. Bastids.

The Welfare-to-Work Industrial Complex

Remember all that weird debate about work requirements that had us all on the edges of our seats for several months about the debt ceiling? Yeah, some reporters did a little digging. This is a must-listen, folks.

Go to the episode on Reveal News' website, or find wherever you get your podcasts.

The Post-Roe Health Care Crisis

Abortion bans are confusing doctors about what’s still legal. Reveal investigates the effects on pregnant women and the growing influence of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers.

Catch it at Reveal News' website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Weird secret ingredient for a perfect home frappucino...

 Xanthan gum.

Seriously. I've been rescuing leftover coffee lately by making a nice blended iced coffee, hoping to emulate the results you get from a Starbucks'. I had some good luck with a half-cup of coffee, a half-cup of milk, ice cubes, and a tablespoon of sugar, given the old Vitamix treatment. And indeed. It was delicious. 

But I'd read this tip on the Internet about xanthan gum, which acts as thickening agent, emulsifier, and stabilizer. In an iced coffee, it was suggested, you add a bit to keep the ingredients from separating. 

Only after reading this tip did I notice a failing of my recipe: Halfway through the drink, the yummy froth and the liquid tended to separate, and since the liquid is heavier than the yummy froth, you're just not getting the full yummy of the thing. So, I ordered some xanthan gum. 

A quarter teaspoon of the stuff improved this consistency issue remarkably. All yummy froth. Down to the bottom of the tumbler. 

Season 5, Episode 7...

So. Episode 7. Spoilers, so I’ll add some space…

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What a great juxtaposition. Abe, waiting around for Ethan to exhibit a birthright of genius he claims every Maisel son exhibits at age 6, but he lights up like a star when he realizes the gift has been passed on instead to his granddaughter. But he and others adjacent are stubbornly unable to recognize or appreciate the preternatural genius of the one and only Midge Maisel. Moishe and Shirley are even now blind to the fact that Midge is a really big deal; even as they occupy front-row studio seats at The Gordon Ford Show, they are unable, I mean physically unable to accept that the tickets came from Midge. Indeed, when Abe first discovers his daughter’s new avocation, he’s not proud. He’s not impressed. He is angry with her to the point of silent treatment. Esther, it seems, will not have to fight her previously-assumed role as did her mother. Those closest to Midge still see her as the happy homemaker, recording her own measurements in a journal and crafting the best brisket in the world. Esther will have an easier go of it. 

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Episode 8, to air May 19, is titled "The Princess and the Plea." I think we're going to learn more about how Joel ended up in the slam. Too obvious? Or might it refer to Midge and Susie burying the hatchet? What say yinz?

Kitteh's Recliner

I’d had the recliner covered with a sheet for a year to keep kitteh from scratching it. I have finally opted to uncover it and to trust that kitteh won’t scratch it up.

Kitteh has now decided it’s HIS chair.