I had something profound to say. I know I did. I forgot what it was on the way to the computer. Oh well. Another of life’s great mysteries will remain a mystery.

To be honest, I still knew what I wanted to say when I sat down at the computer, but then I saw my browser window open to a search I was doing. I got distracted. I’ve been looking for someone. It’s been two years since we have heard from this person, and when a braggart falls completely off the face of the planet, it’s just weird. It’s not just us who hasn’t heard from this person either. No one here in town has, and they had a lot of contacts here.

At first you think their “perfect” life had a downturn, and they don’t have anything to brag about … and heaven forbid they ever appear to have anything but the best of dumb luck. That fit nicely since the last thing we heard about them was Lin finding out they no longer worked for the company they had been working for in an executive capacity. That would certainly be a downturn in life. But you figure things will improve or they’ll just have to tell you about something eventually, so maybe they need to take a year to get back on track and have something to brag about. You leave it be. Surely you will eventually hear something from someone.

Sometime during the second year, you begin to wonder, since you know they had a problem with DUI’s in the past, if maybe they got that fourth or fifth DUI, or maybe even injured someone in an accident, and are currently sitting in jail. I spent a lot of time searching along that train of thought. I found nothing.

As the second year ends, you start to think maybe they died. That was my search path today. I didn’t find anything, which really doesn’t mean much. I only searched in their last known location.

Not that finding this person is some sort of top priority. I don’t want to find someone who doesn’t want to be found. It was starting to gnaw at me though, because I do pride myself on being able to find people, places, things, and the most obscure information possible. I wasn’t finding anything. Not even a hint of anything. As though this person had not only fallen off the grid, but like they had never been on it at all, which isn’t true. This person was big on the internet.

But then I sat down, profound thought begging to be expressed, and I suddenly had an invisible hand smack me up side the head. Out went the profound thought, and in went a way to discover whether or not this person was still alive. Or at least, I hoped so.

I have been using the tax rolls in Austin for years. First to track neighborhoods we were thinking of buying a house in, then checking the value of houses we were looking at, and most recently just to … well … get to know the neighbors a little better and be nosy. I recalled that every time I looked up our tax information on line, I was amazed how easy it was to retrieve the data. Bingo.

Even though I couldn’t remember which suburb of a major metropolitan area they had bought a house in, I lucked out and guessed correctly the first time. So now I know this person is still alive, and they still own their house … and it’s property value has been going up … and they pay less taxes than we do on a MUCH nicer house. Not going to contact them. They apparently just don’t want to talk to any of the old crew anymore. Whatever. It really isn’t that much of a loss.

So, no profound thought tonight. I think I’ll go to bed. We have GOT to go to the farmer’s market tomorrow. Got to go. It’s going to be cold and wet and gloomy, but I need some organic goodness, and I need it NOW!

I promised to link it when it went up, so here you go … Orb speaks to reporter and doesn’t have a negative experience:

When Happy Holidays Means No Gifts.

You can point and laugh if you like, but I don’t think it’s something that will provoke pointing and laughing. Gift giving at Xmas has gotten out of hand. People need to step back and reevaluate why they are giving gifts. I’m all for gifts with meaning, well thought out things that people need and really want, but just giving gifts to give gifts is a ridiculous waste of time, energy and money. And … it takes away from what is really important: for the religious, the actual message of the season, and for the secular, a year-end chance to be thankful to have family to spend time with.

So, there you go. Orb in the news, and now you all know my real name too. Not that it was ever some deep dark secret.

Dinner wasn’t terribly remarkable last night, meaning it was something I have made a thousand times before. Roasted chicken breasts with cilantro and lime, steamed broccoli, and oven-baked french fries. I did the fries differently this time though. We watched a cooking show a few days ago, and I had to try making Baked Meyer Lemon Fries (with garlic, lemon zest, and fresh tarragon). Oh my god … they were so good that even though I had made more than I normally would for a dinner for two, we ate them all and wanted more!

What I will do differently the next time I make them (possibly tonight — definitely this weekend) is to take them out a bit before they are done to put the seasonings on top so the flavor can bake in a little more. On the TV show, he put them back in the oven for a few minutes after adding the lemon zest and such, which the recipe doesn’t mention … and which seems silly, because you’d have to do more than just toss the stuff on top and serve them. My suggestion is to take them out of the oven a few minutes before they are done, add the toppings, and then finish baking.

I have to say the combination of lemon, garlic, and tarragon is a fantastic taste combination! Really, really good, and the flavor lingers for a while after eating them too. Sweet, but not really sweet. Spicy, but not really spicy. Just the way I like things!

They went great with the vanilla screwdrivers I was drinking with dinner too.

I did not have high hopes for the Transformers movie. I expected it to be action-filled with great graphics, but I see many movies a year that fit that bill, and while they are fun, I usually don’t watch them a second time. Transformers is going to be different in that regard. I just watched it last night, and I already want to watch it again. There’s LOTS of action, and the computer graphics works is phenomenal, and … the soundtrack rocks. The acting was even good, and the storyline not at all painful. It went way beyond my expectations! I was a Transformers fan as a kid, so I knew I would at least enjoy seeing the robots brought to life in 21st century style, but I really, really loved the movie. Lin was an adult the last time Transformers were a big deal, so he knew nothing about them going into this movie, and even he loved the movie. It’s actually pretty rare for us to both go crazy about the same movie.

And so, I am ready to declare Transformers my all-time favorite movie. For right now, anyway. My all-time favorite movie changes every few years. Previous all-time faves include Braveheart, The Matrix, and, of course, The Lord of the Rings trilogy. All-time favorites are the ones that get popped into the DVD player when I feel like watching a movie, but I don’t know what to watch. They are guaranteed to keep my attention and entertain me, even if I have seen them a hundred times before. I definitely think Transformers falls into that class of movie for me.

So if you haven’t seen it, for fear it was going to be stupid or not worth the time, rent or buy the DVD. I was very impressed with it, and it was SO MUCH FUN!

Additionally, if you have never had vanilla vodka in orange juice, you simply must try it. It tastes a bit like an Orange Julius (a sort of orange cream soda). In fact, tonight I might try mixing some milk in with it in a blender and make a slush sort of thing out of it. May or may not work, but I’ll drink it anyway. Vanilla vodka is now my favorite liquor. Not much of a huge revelation there, as vodka has been one of my two favorite liquors since I knew what liquor was (rum being my other favorite intoxicant). The brand we have been buying is Bernett’s. It’s only $6.99 a bottle, which means it isn’t a top shelf liquor, but you wouldn’t know it by tasting it. It’s quite smooth and sweet. So smooth and sweet I keep it in the fridge so chilled shots are always on hand. Yeah, it even tastes good straight up or on the rocks, though being the lightweight I am, I can’t drink it that way. Two cocktails and I am too loopy to type, as evidenced by my inability to make this post last night while under the influence.

So watch Transformers and drink vanilla vodka and orange juice! Doing so at the same time may even double your fun!

Transformers.

Best … movie … ever.

Vanilla vodka and orange juice.

Best cocktail ever.

More tomorrow on both subjects. Maybe?

A bunch of links open in my browser, but I don’t feel like babbling. Actually, I do, but I’m making dinner and having cocktails, so my mind is less than focused on ranting at the moment. That and the fact I am also currently having a conversation/debate about afterlives and whether or not we are destroying the universe by observing it. Yes, debates around here are VERY interesting.

Anyway, here are the things open in my browser right now:

“The things that I can survive, if it were necessary to do them to me, I would do,” he said.

That’s John Ashcroft on his willingness to be water-boarded.

A sixth-grade student who was issued a misdemeanor criminal ticket for retrieving his coat from the bathroom at school will not have to go to court, the school superintendent says.

Could we stop treating our children like criminals? I guess now, we want them to become accustomed to living in a police state don’t we?

Romney and McCain going at it over torture at the latest Republican debate. Very interesting read.

A graphical representation of Bush’s entourage. Good grief is all I can say.

Want to lose weight? Stand up and putter. Well, now I can finally reveal my secret. I never sit for too long, and I am the master of puttering.

Now, back to doting on dinner.

Lin: How many pairs of hand knit socks do you have now?

Orb: One.

Lin: I thought you did more than one pair?

Orb: This is the only pair that has survived to completion.

I can’t believe I finally finished them. Nine months I have spent fussing around with these socks, mostly on the second one that gave me no end of problems thanks almost entirely on my two yarn-loving cats. I was really feeling quite pleased with myself as I took them out of the dryer and slipped them on my feet!

Throughout it all, I kept saying this was the only pair of socks I was ever going to knit. The yarn is so small, the needles are so tiny, and the whole process was aggravating to both my nerves and my achy fingers, but … as soon as they were done and on my feet, I wanted to make more. I apologize to all the sock knitters I may have called crazy for enjoying making socks. I get it now. Sure, the process is aggravating, and they are fussy, time-consuming things to make, but what a sense of accomplishment once they are done … and wow, they feel nice on my feet!

I’m going to spend some time today shopping for sock yarn on line. I want to get enough yarn to make myself another pair, and out of a sense of fairness, I should make Lin a pair as well. Maybe I could even have them done a little more quickly this time, provided I can keep the bratty cats away from them!

Here’s the pattern I used for this pair. Not really hard, but maybe a bit too fussy for my first official pair of socks.

Really, I hated almost every minute of the sock knitting, but damn, do I really love the end result. Must make more!!!