By The Wiz
Every morning, I get to sit here and ponder life while experimental drugs drip into my veins. I am a very deep thinker. At least, I used to be. Then I learned everything, (around age 19, I believe) and, well, once you know everything, it’s all downhill from there.
Halloween is an excellent night to go out to dinner with friends. The restaurants are empty. Everybody’s partying or trick or treating, and all that fine food in the restaurants has to be eaten be somebody. Tasty.
It’s cold here. There was snow and everything, which made me very bitter. The leaves are pretty, though. Still, I long for the cactus and the sun.
I am getting a lot of reading done. I forgot how much I like Chaim Potok.
The rash is developing nicely. Sigh. They even took off the adhesive after 24 hours, and have been doing dressing changes and applying Benadryl cream. Still, the rash persists.
My husband has informed me we have 8 different types of cheese in the fridge. 9 if you count cream cheese. Is cream cheese a ‘cheese’? Where does it fall in the world of food classification? I’m curious. How many cheeses do you buy?
I miss my family so much it’s hard to breathe sometimes.
Only nine?
Yes, cream cheese is a cheese. Especially if you buy the non-pasturized natural cream cheese!
Wish I could have gone to dinner on Halloween with you. I am SO done with October.
Comment #1 by Tracy MNovember 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 amWe’re a little low on cheese right now… cream (of course!), mozzarella, cheddar, havarti, ricotta, parmesan and muenster. Well, I guess that’s seven kinds, but somehow it seems low!
Comment #2 by ResearcherNovember 2nd, 2009 at 10:29 amI LOVE cheese. Mmmm. Definitely a good reason to go to Europe for!
As for being hard to breathe sometimes, I hope you do it anyway!
Have you read _The Book Thief_ yet? One of my new favorite books. And it’s long (over 500 pgs), so it’d be helpful to take up time.
Best wishes with the mystery treatments.
Comment #3 by StrollerbladerNovember 2nd, 2009 at 10:38 amYa cream cheese is a cheese…. I love cheese!
As for the rash… if your interested Redmonds Clay is the best freaking anti itch, anti break out in freaking zits and rashes because you are pregnant, clay. You can get it at the health food store. It’s also known as bentonite clay.
I get this really stupid rash on my face when I am pregnant and so far it has remained small, but I have to use the clay every couple of days to keep it that way..
Here’s wishing you…. uh… fun times I guess!
Comment #4 by SunshineNovember 2nd, 2009 at 10:46 amCheese. Yummy. Generally in our fridge we have some grated sharp cheddar, some mozarella, powdered Parmesan (if you count that), a block of Parmesan, string cheese, American cheese (which barely counts), sliced Swiss for sandwiches, and some other type of sliced sandwich cheese (frequently Pepperjack). Cream cheese makes a frequent appearance, as does ricotta. The happiest times though are when there is some sort of “special” cheese in the fridge, like a nice goat cheese, or some feta, or havarti or gouda or any of those cheeses that, in my opinion, are much more expensive at the grocery store than they ought to be, and so are very, very rarely in our fridge.
Brie, however, can stay out of my fridge entirely. As can bleu (blue?) cheese. Unless it’s in a dressing.
It was 88 here on Halloween. My toddler’s face was bright red and sweaty by the time we were done playing at the pumpkin patch. A tad bit too hot for me (80 would have been just about perfect). On the bright side, our winter grass is sprouting beautifully now. It is a little odd, seeing new bright green happy grass growing in November, but I am quickly getting used to it.
Chaim Potok was one of my favorite authors several years ago. I haven’t read any of his books in quite awhile though, so I can’t really say if he still has a spot on the favorites list. He probably does though.
Good luck making it through the next few family-less days.
Comment #5 by kaduseyNovember 2nd, 2009 at 10:57 amRead Book Thief during my last set of infusions.
Our current cheeses are cheddar, colby jack, monterey jack, swiss, gorgonzola, parmesan, feta, parmiggiano reggiano, and of course, cream cheese.
Comment #6 by The WizNovember 2nd, 2009 at 11:02 amHmm. Swiss, White Irish cheddar, 3 kinds of goat cheese from France which I’m afraid to open because we bought them about 6 weeks ago, block of parmesan, colby-jack marbly stuff, feta - also a little old and scary — and mozzarella. No cream cheese though. Wow, 9! I guess we oughta cut back a little on the dairy!!
Comment #7 by meemsNovember 2nd, 2009 at 11:11 amGlad to know I’m not the only one with 8 cheeses in my fridge. Just picked up some havarti today.
Comment #8 by m2thehNovember 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 amOh! We’re inventorying our cheese!? Hold on, let me get my basket from the fridge. Yes, you read that right. I have a basket in my fridge where my tender darlings reside… wanna make something of it?
Boursin
Naural feta in brine
Tillamook aged white cheddar
Tillamook pepper jack
Danish Blue
Real Roquefort
Cacique Cotija
Chevre
Mozarella
Parmesan wedge
Asiago wedge
Havarti with dill
Raclette
Sheeps milk Romano
Plain old swiss
Mizithra
American slices for the kids (but those stay in the door, they do not get to mingle with the darlings)
I think I may have a problem…
Comment #9 by Tracy MNovember 2nd, 2009 at 11:27 amIt looks like Tracy wins! A round of applause! That is impressive.
By the way, The Wiz, I forgot to send well wishes to you during your treatments.
Comment #10 by ResearcherNovember 2nd, 2009 at 11:47 amHey, I gotta take a win lately where I can!!
Yes, Wiz, well wishes to you as well…
Comment #11 by Tracy MNovember 2nd, 2009 at 11:50 amSo are you allergic to bandage adhesive? Yike. Hope that goes away. Maybe cheesecake?
Comment #12 by mormonhermitmomNovember 2nd, 2009 at 1:45 pmI read a great book this past week and thought of you… but, maybe you’ve already read it. Fifth Business by Robertson Davies. It was the most interesting thing I’ve read in awhile. And we all know you desparetly need something interesting.
Hurry home. The sun is waiting for you.
Comment #13 by AndiNovember 2nd, 2009 at 2:06 pmMmm, Tracy. I want to come to your house! But, I guess it’d be easier to just head up to Trader Joe’s for some yummy cheese! We love to do spaghetti with brown butter and mizythra (like the Old Spaghetti Factory).
I think our current inventory is: sharp cheddar, medium cheddar, pepper jack, mozarella, swiss, provolone, neufchatel, gorgonzola, and a canister of parmesan.
Comment #14 by StrollerbladerNovember 2nd, 2009 at 2:07 pmWow, I had no idea I was so boring by only having 3 cheeses in my fridge! I’d have more but they’re so expensive! Where do you find good cheese for a reasonable price, or do you just bite the bullet and pay a lot anyway? Crazy.
Good luck, Wiz! Hope the rash disappears soon and that you’ll be with your darlings again soon (I meant your kids, not your cheese.
)
Comment #15 by StarababaNovember 2nd, 2009 at 2:56 pmMy cheese selection is definitely the most boring of all: some shredded cheddar for my husband to put on tacos and some “rice cheese” slices that aren’t actually cheese at all. That’s what happens when nearly everyone in the house can’t have dairy.
Wiz, aren’t you glad you started a whole thread about what cheeses people have in their fridges? Good luck with the treatment!
Comment #16 by VadaNovember 2nd, 2009 at 6:41 pmAmerican, Cheddar, Mozzarella. Pretty dull.
But I do like Chaim Potak.
I also hate hospitals and rashes and being away from my family. Hope all that clears up for you soon.
Comment #17 by JamiNovember 2nd, 2009 at 8:35 pmHmmm, I don’t think I have more than three kinds of cheese right now, but that isn’t to say I don’t want more. Maybe Tracy will find her cheeses are missing…
I was going to say I have a kind of funny story about the adhesive allergy thing. I don’t have it, but it is funny because where I live not many people have light skin or “Nordic skin” as they call it here when they are trying to be politically correct.
Anyway, so I had some blood drawn the other day and they told me they would use no adhesive tape because “it looks like you have that sensitive Nordic skin.” So, um, too bad you actually have the allergy, the wiz. It is just your “Nordic skin” I guess. (;
Comment #18 by DeniMarieNovember 3rd, 2009 at 1:29 amI’m sure my youngest son would die without cheese. He eats it on everything, or doesn’t eat. Did you know you can make cheese from dry milk? Did you know you can wax hard cheeses and store them in a cool place? (hanging from the rafters of your basement.)
Comment #19 by Everyone's MomNovember 3rd, 2009 at 2:29 amCan’t imagine being away from my family for any length of time, though every now and then I think vacation would be lovely. Hate to think of the state of things when I got back. Cats in the pantry, gold fish in the sink, pop cans on the TV, socks in the fridge. I am the mother of the Summers Brothers Wrecking Company. Large or Small They Can Wreck It All.
Get well soon *kisses*
Okay, I have been having this cheese converstation with Tracy, my cheese counter overwhelms me. Blah!
Currently:
New Zealand Cheddar
Irish (kerrygold) mature cheddar
Irish (kerrygold) red cheddar
Mozzarella (affectionately known as pizza mozzerella here in Malta)
Parmeseano-Regianno, grated
A generic (cheap) white cheddar for sandwiches
Cream Cheese
Little cheese circles for the kids lunches.
But shopping day is Friday and I am hoping to try some of Tracy’s suggestions…
But more importantly…The Wiz, hope you are doing well and are reunited with your family soon. Even more that the meds are working!
Comment #20 by KellieNovember 3rd, 2009 at 4:22 amWhen we had to travel 8 hours to the Chicago Temple (old days) one of the highlights of the trip was going to the supermarket in the big city for good cheeses. Our small town was pretty limited in those days.
Comment #21 by TStevensNovember 3rd, 2009 at 7:28 amWow. That’s a lot of deliciousness, packed into one refrigerator.
I think we ate all of ours last week. I had to throw away a moldy half-block of cream cheese yesterday, that I found kicking around the back of the bottom shelf of ours.
I am feeling for you. I hope your treatment goes well and you can quickly feel better. No Flu For You!!
Comment #22 by nosurfgirlNovember 3rd, 2009 at 8:26 amI love cheese. Really good cheese (imports and domestic) can be found in my small town, I just can’t justify double digit $$ per pound. We regularly have Tillamook cheddar, cream cheese and some mozzarella in the fridge. We purchase others when a recipe calls for it, but they are not staples.
My all time favorite is smoke gouda, but alas at $11.00 per pound it makes very rare appearances.
Praying that your treatments go well. My mother had a reaction to the bandage adhesive when she burnt her arm. She used those clear gel burn pads on the rash as well as the burn. She said it really helped with the itching and healed up quickly.
Comment #23 by JCNovember 3rd, 2009 at 8:41 amGee, thanks, y’all. I walked out of Costco last night with *8* pounds of cheese…
(havarti, provolone, mild cheddar, and mozarella)
Comment #24 by StrollerbladerNovember 3rd, 2009 at 9:05 amOne of my favorite books is My Name is Asher Lev! Sooooo gooood!
Comment #25 by Melissa McNovember 3rd, 2009 at 5:30 pmHave you read The Help??
What I wouldn’t do for a bit of peace and a lie down! Minus the drip, the rash, the drugs and the hospital bed. But I will take the eight cheeses…
Comment #26 by RoyceNovember 4th, 2009 at 12:43 pm