The bachelor lifestyle has it’s downsides. My last night in San Diego Mamma Walls made this wonderful turkey-sausage lasagna. We stuffed ourselves on it so much Chrissie had to roll onto the couch, grab her tummy and moan for her stomach to “digest faster.” I must say I ate a ton as well, but I can handle a full stomach better than most people 😉

This week, tiring of Marie Calendars(tm) Pot Pies for the 3rd night in a row I decided to build a lasagna of my own. This dish would be a monument to culinary engineering. Not only would it satiate my hunger but it would be quick to reheat, portable – for easy lunch access – and tasty. I had all the basic ingredients: ground turkey, noodles, sauce, onions, know-how and a 9×12-baking dish. I stopped by the store on my way home and picked up some zucchini (bet you didn’t know I knew how to spell that!), mushrooms, cheese, then I paid the electric bill and was ready to bake!

I must say the process of making the lasagna went very smoothly, but then, I am a PROFESSIONAL process engineer, so there was really no surprise there. The surprise was in just how much fixings I really had. I wasn’t “technically” using a recipe but going off of instinct. I was channeling Martha Stewart, Jamie Oliver, and Dom Deluise. The noodles were flabby, the meat was brown, the veggies were soft – but not soggy. It was time to put it all together. That’s when the plan started going south.

I had so many fixings I couldn’t possibly fit them all into the dish. One layer of noodles, one of meat, veggies, more noodles, more meat, presto the baking dish was full and I still had a lot ingredients left to go. But wait, where

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. That Daniel is cute!

I had a blast hanging out down in San Diego with Dan, Suzy, Baby D, Elmo, JT and who am I forgetting? Oh yeah, my wonderful wife, who upon seeing me after 4 long and (I’m sure) excruitating days without her lovably hubby said, “did you lose more hair while I was gone.” That’s love I tell you.

From Chrissie in San Diego:
They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder but I don’t think that’s always true. I think that sometimes, absence makes your head clear so you can see things as they really are. “What do you mean Chrissie?” I hear you asking. Well, lets take, for example, a lamp.

This lamp is, quite simply, ugly. It looks like a left-over set piece from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. We’re talking ugly 70’s style here. This thing went out with bushy sideburns, tight jeans, and disco. And yet, here it sits in my parents’ family room. I suppose it has been part of our family for over 30 years. To the best of my knowledge, it has sat on our side table since the dawn of time and today was the first day I noticed it. Yes, for the last 30 years it has lived unmolested. But for whatever reason, when I walked into our family room, my eye was drawn to this hideous yellow eyesore. The only reason I can devise for my sudden notice of this thing is that I haven’t been home in a while and I must have blocked it from my mind. (Not a surprise considering what it looks like, really.) But the truly horrifying thing is that once my eyes were opened, I took a new look around the room. There was a second lamp much like the first – yellow shade and tin-y brass base. The wallpaper was a strange mustard orange color I associate with shag carpeting and the shades had an odd gray poupon tinge to them. When I informed my mother that this was simply unacceptable, she looked at me blankly and said, “But Chrissie, we’re using energy saver bulbs.”

I immediately decided that drastic measures were in order and informed my mother that we were going to go out and purchase some 21st Century lighting – maybe some nice torchier lights and a halogen or two. My mother, having lived with me for 18 long years, simply smiled and nodded. When I went on to tell her that the lamps should be shipped immediately to the nearest Salvation Army, she managed a feeble protest by stating that they were Ethan Allen lamps and, therefore, had some intrinsic value. My reply was simple. There are also people out there who still justify wearing tan leisure suits because they were made by Coco Chanel. Bleck.

I’m a little frightened to look into any other rooms for fear of seeing things with new eyes. Even scarier, what if I go back to Portland, take one look at Kevin and say… “what a minute, that looked much better when I left!”

Yep, I’m one my own. I’ve been on my own for a while. So long, in fact, I’ve forgotton how to dress appropriately:

Luckily Chrissie (and JT!) comes back in a week. Hopefully the house will be in order and I’ll still have the normal number of appendages. We’ll have to see…

I’m heading back to LA/SD to celebrate Baby D’s first birthday. I can hardly wait as I’ve been told he’s totally mobile now and really into baby talk. Even more exciting, Kevin is going to join us for the weekend and finally meet his nephew. Gonna have a party!

Will do my best to keep the site updated as to all the crazy doings down in SD. If very lucky, may even add a few pictures for your enjoyment! Wish me luck at the airport security screening. (Don’t worry, I learned from last time and am making sure I have clean feet and nice shoes on this time!)

I’m so very excited. You see, last night, Kevin ordered me my very own Flip and Fold (as seen on TV). Now, for the last few days I have been seeing the infomercial for this product but I had resisted the temptation to buy it. But last night, while channel surfing with Kev, I came across it and Kevin (bless his little heart) said I wasn’t a total schmuck for wanting it and could order it if I so desired. YES!

So in a mere 10 days, I will be the proud owner of my very own Flip and Fold. But wait, there’s more! Since we ordered in time, we were upgraded to two Flip and Folds for the price of one. Can you believe it? It must have been our lucky day or something. I mean, I’ve never heard of a deal like that before. Man, if the rest of 2003 keeps headed in this direction, there’s no end to the amount of good stuff we’re in for.

Now, really, I only need one Flip and Fold so if anyone one out there is interested in the other, let me know. I expect the second one to go pretty quick – after all, it’s the secret behind all the department store displays don’t you know – so I’m going to have to institute a first-email-first-serve policy here. The good news is that they are still offering the two-for-one deal so once I run out, there’s at least one other source.

Ten days…… I can hardly wait!