Joys of Homeownership

I swear, I will never be done with basement issues here. Went downstairs today on my day off to watch a little tv and relax...and was greeted by a not very pleasant aroma. Turns out the floor drain by the train layout had overflowed, and from the look of it it was from the bathroom upstairs. Fun. I went to Lowe's and bought the most caustic drain cleaning chemicals I could find - the same ones that worked wonders on the kitchen several months ago. This time, not so lucky. I went back to Lowe's bought a drain auger and a plumber's wrench the size of a horse's leg, and returned home. After about 20 fruitless minutes of trying to loosen the cleanout plug so that I could gaze upon the horrors inside, I had second thoughts about trying to tackle this myself. I returned those and bought a test plug for the drain, which keeps about 90% of the water and 100% of the 'debris' from coming out. Then cleaned up the awful mess on the floor, and bleached the hell out of everything that had been touched by water. Then I went to Giant Eagle, bought myself a nice pint of Ben and Jerry's, and returned home to look up plumbers to call in tomorrow. I'm not going in there by myself with only a Bob Vila video for guidance.

Best Pot Roast Ever

I made this tonight...it's a combination of a few different recipes I've culled from different sites...seriously good.

Ingredients:
- Beef chuck roast, ~3lb
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup raisins
- mustard, any variety

Rub:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt

==========================
- rub roast with mustard to cover; combine rub ingredients and...rub into the roast
- place into slow cooker on high heat, or into 225 degree oven in small pan. let cook untouched for 3 hours.
- after this time, add chopped onion, raisins, tomato juice and vinegar. cook for an additional 2 hours or until fork tender (internal temp 190).
- prepare to get laid after making this for someone. This could be awkward if it's for a family gathering.

Win?

I received notice from GM that my Vibe is part of the recall that I blogged about a month or so ago. Apparently the mass mailings went out this week, as the owner's forum I read is full of comments about it. All it really says is yes, your car will need work, but parts aren't available now, and your dealer will let you know when they are. No time frame is given at all. Weeks? Months? At least I know I'm in their records - I wasn't sure how such a thing would work for me the thing being buying a secondhand car from a defunct car brand. I'll give it until Nov. 1 and then start calling around for an update.

Middle

2.9 days down, 2 to go. The weather is finally starting to shift away from the never-ending summer heat this year. My love of hibernation is crepping back...nothing like being snuggled under the covers on a cold morning. But it's not all rosy - I need to start watching my calories, the combination of less activity and recently ramped up food intake could spell trouble if I'm not careful. I spent years working this off, I'll be damned if I put it right back on. Part of that is dating...I will admit, I'm less vigilant about diet when I'm involved. But who isn't? Still, that's no excuse. Time to banish cookies and ice cream from the kitchen I'm afraid...sniff.

Memory Lane

Another weekend is in the books...friday was a bit of a mixed bag...we watned to attend the concert, but the weather wasn't the best for standing outdoors for several hours...so Chris and I joined brand and Scotty for a little sushi at Haiku. After that, we still had a bit of a concert bug, so we drove up to check it out. There was a large crowd, but Weezer still wasn't on stage - over 2 hours after it started? Shortly after we arrived, an intermission started. We weren't really feeling it, so we decided ot go check out a movie instead. Watched "The Town" - much better choice.
Saturday was the Microbrew Festival at the North Market - so much fun, so many nice beards - I forgot which we were there to check out. The evening was spent entering a food coma of shame. No regrets.
Sunday was a lot of fun...I couldn't really decide on a course of action - I wanted to get out, since we'd spent the entire night before parked on the couch. Chris suggested a road trip to Cinci, to check out his old haunts and visit Ikea. Sold. I had a great time, he lived there for about 9 years, so lots of memories to share - I've been there a few times, and kept getting reminded of places I'd been or seen before. I still couldn't find my way around that city to save my life. We finished off with dinner at probably the best Indian restaurant I've ever visited. So much fun. Two days was not enough.

Cough...Wheeze

Attending a free Weezer concert tonight with Chris and a friend. Hoping the weather cooperates, it sounds like it might be turning bad right around concert time.
Tomorrow should be a lot of fun, planning on a long enjoyable day with a few peeps. We may partake of a couple different culinary temptations/disasters if the mood strikes; I'm guessing it will.

Hope

A friend of mine posted this video on Facebook, along with this message:

My mom has been pretty sick for awhile. Last night, on “One Tree Hill,” they showed a video for a new song by Amy Kuney called, “Hope a Little Harder.” It is a montage of pictures and short video clips in which people express what they hope for. And there, about 3:10 in, is my beautiful nephew, Will, in his dorm room at college. He holds up his hand, and written on his palm is, “I hope that my Grandma gets better.” Of all the things that a teenage boy could wish for..... Made me cry just a little.

That is beyond beautiful. I hope his mom is having a restful night of sleep.