Fall: The Season of Drainage and Apples

I think I just picked a booger off my desk.

I am not embarrassed to say this because I don’t think it was mine.  You see, I called in sick yesterday (legitimately as I’m not always dishonest) and my desk is a popular place for people to get nosey.  Yeah.  It’s annoying, especially since I’m not totally better yet.

I was tempted to call in sick again today, but after running 4.8 miles this morning (yay me!), I couldn’t justify it.  If I could do that then surely, I could sit at a desk for a few hours.  Yet I assure you, the latter is far more painful. 

As a result, I am crabby, tired and generally pissed off.  I know it’s my own fault that I’m so negative, but as I poured hot coffee in my to go cup this morning, I suddenly felt the urge to throw it on the little Indian boy who lives downstairs as he threw his routine morning tantrum.  (For some reason, his favorite place to sit and scream bloody murder is right outside my door.)  As I breathed in the pleasant and incoherent sounds of a crisp, beautiful morning, I found myself thinking that there is nothing quite like waking up to a sore throat, pressure behind my nose, congestion and a mediocre job.  Unfortunately, you can’t call in sick with the excuse of sinus troubles and a bad attitude.

But the day is not without hope!  IT’S FRIDAY AND IT’S BEAUTIFUL OUTSIDE!  As I sit at my desk, coffee in hand, I await this weekend with eager anticipation.  Fall is here and so is fall cooking!  My family and I went on our annual apple-picking trip last weekend, a tradition that has been in my family since my sister and I could toddle.  (Sadly, I am unable to upload the pictures right now.  Perhaps those will follow...if I feel like it later.)

If you’re like me, you frequently feel like apples from the grocery store taste like toothpaste.  Lucky for me, Habibi and I brought home a bushel of fresh, locally grown apples.  Yum!!!!!  What a difference!!!!  We are currently in the process of drying a portion of them for snacking, but our dehydrator has only two shelves.  Alas, this will be a time-consuming project!  After apples?  Our farm (a.k.a. apartment balcony herb garden)!  Fresh and home-dried herbs are far superior to their store bought counterparts, I must say!  In any case, the outing was a smashing success.  Upon arriving at my Lacey’s house (what we call the dwelling that my parents inhabit…Lacey was our dog), we all set to work washing, peeling, coring, cutting, baking, saucing, chopping, etc.  For dinner, we had a feast of chili, cheese, apples, strudel, and -of course- PIE!

I’m not sure how I got from being miffed about working today to apple picking, but such is the troubled mind of a genius.  With that, I will bid you all farewell and wish you a pleasant weekend!

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For those of you wondering about Chocolate Rain:  Habibi called the Humane Society on Wednesday.  I am sad to say that our little friend is still there.  However, since I believe he is a purebred Chocolate Lab, I imagine he will be placed for adoption through a breed-specific rescue agency.  Typically, those agencies are rather successful, which is quite a relief.  Hopefully, he will be adopted by a loving family with lots of kiddos to play with him!  Also, I hope they will get him micro-chipped and have a fence.