So I started a new job on October 1.  It’s been pretty good.  I think it was a good move.  It ’s a busy place. 

There were changes at my old office that I was not comfortable with.  In fact, the future of the place had become uncertain.  I had to go into my “new place” to pick up some comparison films and mentioned to the clinical supervisor that I was thinking that it was time to move on.  I asked her to keep me in mind if she needed a tech in the future.  I had no idea that she did.  A  few days later, she called and asked me if I was interested.  I went for the easiest job interview ever.  And a month later, here I am.

Here’s my “office:”

It is in a corner of the break room.  There is a tall metal shelving unit on the left with a curtain draped around it that serves as a room divider—-and houses the myriad binders that hold all the stuff I have to keep up with.  Credentials, follow-up, call-backs, biopsy results, service records, inspection records, quality control test charts….etc.

In real-life it’s not this blurry.  Again, I use this excuse:  phone photo. 

Not elegant, but functional.  And this way the actual mammo room stays tidy. 

But, look at this:

A whole bunch of Sharpies!  An x-ray tech’s dream.  And I didn’t have to buy them myself! 

I did have to supply my own chocolate:

I think I’ll try adding candy to the supply list that comes around every week.  Honestly, I didn’t know things could work like this.  If I need something, I ask someone to get it.  This could “go to my head.” 

I’ve already had two processor problems, but other than that things have gone well.  It seems like a good fit. 

Tomorrow the new digital mammography system is being delivered.  The first one on the island.  It’s pretty exciting.  I hope I’m not too old to learn something new. 

So, that’s pretty much what’s up.  

Stay tuned for more excitement.

Peanut butter banana muffin.

Tomorrow morning I’m heading out to Oahu.  I’m going to hang with Kate this weekend.  Sounds good, yes?   We’ll probably do a little shopping;  hopefully I’ll obtain some Indian food.  I will most likely get to Whole Foods. Williams-Sonoma is a requirement.  There are museums and gardens–lots of things to do. 

I like to go to Oahu.  It’s my equivalent of a “road trip.”   But, Kate plans to snatch me out of my comfort zone.  The plan for Saturday night:  going to a bar to listen to a band.  Is this something old people should do?  She says that her friend is bringing her mother too.  I told her I’m socially inept, but apparently that’s no excuse. Kate tells me that this is a good thing to do. 

My needs are simple.  I figured Saturday night would be spent with a bottle of wine in the hotel room watching the season premiere of Saturday Night Live.  But I suppose I shouldn’t get into a rut!  That rut is actually pretty deep already.

To shake things up even further, I start a new job on October 1.  

Change is good.  I hope.

What you see here is a big sticky trap for cats.

Clever, yes?

I came home at lunch to find Hugo looking a little too comfortable on this table.  Also, I found a bud missing on that little potted lavender.  Missing, as if it had been simply bitten off.  

Well, I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore. 

Name the movie. 

In a fit of inspiration I taped strips of packing tape sticky-side-up on the top of the table, and I did the chair while I was at it. 

I’m thinking they won’t like getting on that sticky tape with their delicate little paws.

How many days will I have to do this until they get the message?

Today, I put this up. 

It’s made from gutter screen. I saw the project in a magazine, and have been wanting to do it.  Yesterday, I finally went to Lowe’s and found the gutter covers; then today I picked up the tiny clothespins, spray-painted them white and glued tiny magnets to them. 

I used some random photos that I took (with the exception of the one from  New Year’s Eve 1957), liked and had printed. 

The beauty of it (besides the fact that it was cheap!)  is that it can change on my whims.

Let me know what you think.

What is Hugo looking at so intently out the window?

This:

It was on the meter box.  

It seemed to be intently considering something  in the vines on the side of the house, but I wasn’t willing to get any closer to find out.

So for supper tonight I wanted pizza.  At the moment I am severely financially challenged.   So, if I want it I have to procure it some way other than going down the street to Gianotto’s.

Gianotto’s has, by all means, wonderful pizza.  And the guy who owns it is super-nice and East Coast.  New York.  But since I’m broke, I need to take matters into my own hands.  Literally.

This morning before work I mixed up the Olive Oil Dough from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.”  Here it is right out of my fridge.

It’s destined to become crust.  Well, part of it.

But first, as soon as I got home I threw a head of garlic in the oven to roast.

Then I made  my sauce.  It is a white, roasted-garlic laden yumminess, based on this recipe from Emeril.  But really, it’s just a basic white sauce (bechamel) blended up with some roasted garlic. 

I took half the garlic cloves and put them in my Magic Bullet knock-off.

I blended the sauce and garlic together. 

This creamy goodness will wait for the crust.  I rolled a hunk of the dough out.

Then I topped that baby.  A little mozzarella cheese, the sauce, some sliced leftover herb-roasted chicken breast, the remaining roasted garlic cloves,   some parmagiano, and a light sprinkling of dried thyme.

Then, after about 7 minutes in a 550-degree oven.  It looked like this. 

Oh man baby.   

It was very delicious.  The crust was great.  I rolled it thin, but took it out of the oven before it got overdone.  It was still a little “floppy” but the edge was just a little crisp on the outside and actually chewy, which was just how I wanted it.  I’ve tried pizza dough plenty of times before but they always seem to come out hard and don’t have that chewiness.

And the best thing: I still have plenty of dough in the fridge.

I’m bored with the weather now. 

It has finally decided to rain.  And rain.  Not necessarily hard, but steady all evening. But that means that there will be flash floods in remote areas; and storm drains can never handle much, so streets will be flooded. 

So no more blog posts about Felicia. 

Because it is cool and damp, it seemed like a good night for Zippy’s saimin.

There is a section of the parking lot with double stalls for “family parking.”  I’ve never seen this anywhere before.  I don’t know if it is a Hawaii thing, a Zippy’s thing, a Maui Zippy’s thing. 

I’m always curious about it.

So, here is the view from my driveway at 11:30 this morning.  Not exactly sunny, but not exactly a storm. See?  You can still see the ocean.  It was barely drizzling at the time. 

I actually stopped checking any updates.  Alarmists.  The local news on all the networks had their people out “in the storm” this morning.   They were trying hard to report something. 

There were a few fairly heavy showers during the night,  and a few showers this morning alternating with sunshine.  This is more like our “normal” rain. 

Please overlook the condition of my yard.  I am very envious of the yard across the street (you can see it in the picture).   Brown is the new green.

Doesn’t look like it, does it?  

This was at 2:15 p.m.