Recipe: Italian Chicken and Rice
So, in celebration of the Great Cleansing, I threw together the following:

• 6 chicken thighs, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
• 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 6 roma tomatoes, diced
• 5 basil leaves, sliced
• 5 oregano leaves, sliced
• 2 sage leaves, sliced
• pinch salt
• 1 cup rice
• olive oil, thyme to taste

Clean Those Carpets!
So, I dropped a bottle of wine (red, of course) on my car's floorboard last week. And I ended up with a bottle's worth of wine soaking into the floormat and carpet. After bailing/sopping out the excess wine, I put down some baking soda to soak up some more wine (and odor), until I could rent a cleaner. Note to self: baking soda doesn't work all that well against red wine; car ended up smelling like the musty, gym sock portion of merlot, with all of the sweet, fruity bits removed (or absorbed by baking soda).

So, the cleaning took place over the weekend, between rainstorms. And although the stains might never disappear, the car is now drivable again, thanks to the cleaning unit, and some type of enzymatic odor remover. One more pass with the enzymes (i.e., empty the bottle and use a brush) should do the trick.

Once the rain started again, I parlayed my great automotive cleaning success into the apartment. Apparently, the carpet was never really cleaned, as the wastewater looked pitch-black, and the "apartment smell" I was accustomed to had completely vanished. Note to self: when moving into a new apartment, have the carpet replaced or steam-cleaned before moving in.

posted at: 03:08 | path: | permanent link to this entry

Whither yon ants?
The ants haven't bothered showing up in my apartment for quite a few months. This, primarilly due to the vast number of children (7) that moved into my building in the spring. A family of four or five holds more potential for food than two roommates. What few ants remain are kept busy with the porch garden. So, I'm enjoying the break.

posted at: 02:52 | path: | permanent link to this entry

Why August is My Favorite Month
August is my favorite month. Why? In general, the nights start to get a hint of autumn, especially toward the later part of the month. The days are still long enough to enjoy a good walk in the evening, and for all the Braves fans that can remember the pre-Realignment days, August hosts the annual Western Division homestand:

• August 9-11: Los Angeles Giants of San Francisco
• August 12-14: Los Angeles Diamondbacks of Arizona
• August 16-18: Los Angeles Dodgers
• August 19-21: Los Angeles Padres of San Diego