Happy Friday Aniki. Mrs J sounds awfully annoying.

Eff off to sprained hand. Glad its not my cooking hand because the hot chocolate sounds very good. I like turmeric tea with coconut milk and vanilla bean paste. Heres the recipe I make. You might like it with cardamon

 https://www.elizabethrider.com/how-to-make-golden-milk-recipe/

Eff off to:

My narcissistic extremely competitive teammate whose life mission is to show me up. The latest is that she just got a promotion with another branch. She accepted and got a start date. She encouraged me to apply for a temporary assignment and I did. Well, I got screened in and did the written test and found out that despite my teammate ACCEPTING a permanent job, she applied for the TA and did the written. WTF? So, what happens if she wins? Give up her pemanent job just to prove and show everyone she beat me? I'm so tired of her! 

The Shunning Bitch - another winner at work who literally shuns everyone. Also got a promotion somewhere else and when someone needed info on her files she left behind, she shut down skype for business when the person reached out and refused to respond. She literally shuns people and yet she gets rewarded with a promotion and management has always favoured her and given her ALL of the prime projects. I just don't get it!

Forn Friday

Speaking of hot chocolate, I work near two chocolatiers. Both make hot chocolate that's literally melted chocolate. Hmmm. I think I'll go there later. I need some chocolate. i might get an assortment of chocolates too. There's white chocolate, milk, dark and extremely dark. 

Oh! I know what I can say about chocolate for my Forn contribution. I make a black bean dark chocolate soup. Yes, it sounds weird, but soooooooooo good! It's very comforting soup to have with all the rain we've been getting. It's wet and cold here with no sign of it letting up for a while. 

About a pound of dried black beans, large can of crushed or diced tomatoes, molasses, extremely dark chocolate bar at around 90%. I've used 80% and it's worked fine. spices, such as cumin, chili, black pepper, cayenne or something else to add heat, bay leaves, onion powder and garlic. A large chopped onion. 

I put the beans into my Instantpot and run them through the bean/chili cycle. When that's done, I throw in the rest of the ingredients except for the extra dark chocolate and run through the bean/chili cycle again. You can blend some of the soup or all. I like to blend some and pour it back into the soup because I still like to have some whole beans in the soup. Sir however many square of the extremely dark chocolate you want. 

Enjoy!

Oh, I just use water rather than any type of stock. The reason is because the soup is so flavourful that any stock doesn't really add anything to the soup. Then the vegans in my family can eat it or the meat-eaters can add chicken chunks. It's a versatile soup. Sometimes I get creative and try adding soaked goji berries on top. Definitely cilantro. Cheese if you're not vegan is great too. 

Eff0ff: - Not

I am in the twilight zone of not having every interface being an arguement or debate within my own organization. This is allowing a near immediate improvement in the collaboration with the client. It is a strange new world where my commute is not a growing anxiety journey the closer I get to work.  Though I do have some guilt over not firing my now transferred former #2.  I suspect that I let my pesonal feelings buffer my discipline of his toxic behavior.  In my defense, it was a special needs situation.  He is on the Autism spectrum and also struggles with addiction and emotional illness issues.  HR and Legal were zero help in figuring out how to deal with his outstanding capabilities while disciplining his behaviors within the context of his protected status.

He is now someone elses problem. That someone else is his BFF, predecessor,  and my former boss.  I helped my earleir #2 get promoted two levels and he became my boss for about 6mos.  My recently transferred #2 is thankfully not likely to ever be my boss.

I am just relieved to have the chance to take my team to the next level. We did great last year but it was a constant battle. Now, it is showing to be a comparitively calm progress path.

Knock on wood.

DW has yet to turn in her notice, though she did write it. She should have an offer in hand shortly. Once that happens, I am cautiously optimistic that she will cut herself free of the shit show she has been torturning herself over with her current firm.

F0rn:  Not sure what is up for the weekend on the foodie side of life.  Though I am Jonesing hard for a two fingers glass of my birthday gift from my DW last year. I won't.  I do not want to break the Ketosis cycle that has been melting off the fluff over the past 7mos.

Even the 40" waist size jeans I went into 3mos ago are starting to fall off.  A good problem to have.  I may get to 34-36.... if I can remain diligent.

Have a great weekend STalkers.

eff off to: pneumonia. I'm so tired of being tired. I got sick at the end of Nov. Here we are a whole year later, or a month if you're going to be picky. I so tired. Walk to the bathroom? tired. get the mail? tired. just tired. it will pass but until it does, I'm just tired. 

Forn: not sure yet. I cook big on Sundays. football and food it's my Sunday jam. I'm just not sure what I'm feeling this week.

I'll take some hot chocolate minus the chocolate though. of all the allergies I could have ..I'm allergic to chocolate. sucks. 

have a great weekend all. Not sxure what we're up to. The Mr has been pulling 12 hr days this week, he needs sleep and possibly a visit to the Amish this weekend for some meat and cold cuts. And birch beer. 

To the lady that decided it was OK to cough into my hair this morning!  ClassyNJ was not so Classy this morning.  I may have used a few choice words that I have learned from my DH.  This lady really had NO IDEA why I was mad.  "Why do I have to cover my mouth?  Im not sick"  Lady - I don't care!  YOU COUGHED INTO MY HAIR!!!

Food: Tomorrow night the Eagles play the Giants.  Its all football food!  Chili, sausage and peppers, subs and cookies

GO EAGLES!!!

Eff off to HEALTH decline and troubles, got Covid AGAIN, this time my husband got it first, then I got it two nights later, my youngest son the next day....we've been horribly sick, this new variant hitting MUCH harder then the one in August (where I got a PE a month later)...so I'm literally on a thread and the brain fog is so intense I'm starting to worry about my job.

I'm on antiviral, last night the first night w/out a fever....but it's been intense.  Literally felt I was dying. I am measuring my oxygen with oximeter though, went low one day (92) but it improved so at least no extra hospital stay so far.  I have significant muscle loss (especially if you can the last 6 months of hospitalizations, covid, pulmonary embolism, gallbladder attack stays and then surgery in Nov)- and am asking the Dr about getting authorization for physical therapy, my balance/gait is really off and I'm often very dizzy and under care of cardiology/hematology/ent, etc...probably pulmonologist coming- so in order to work out safely and start building stamina/strength, I probably really need guidance of a PT and not just join a gym...for safety reasons.  

Eff off to my in-laws. Two weekends ago, we were invited to a 1st birthday party for a niece's baby. I declined, saying I had a tight deadline and couldn't go (and I said it with a straight face). Such is life as a freelancer, when there's work, you do it. So off trotted DH and daughter. When they came home, they informed me that there had been 15-20 guests in a tiny livingroom (5 of whom do not believe in vaccines). I don't trust these people since the Royal Wedding a year and a half ago where the mother of the bride had Covid and spent the day hugging and kissing people. She ended off in intensive care for 3 weeks and still isn't vaccinated ...

DH came down with Covid 3 days later and so did I the following day. I should be back to normal by Monday. DH, OTOH, can't shake the cough. It's driving him nuts not being able to go out mountain-biking - it's his drug and he needs several shots per week. I doubt he'll be able to breathe properly for some time to come.

I am pissed at his idiot family and also at him. He should have just handed over the gift when he saw the lie of the land and come home (our daughter has 2 high risk factors - fortunately she has sailed through all of this totally unscathed). What the heck was he using as brains?

My appetite went out the window with the Covid and hasn't come back yet so no forn from me this week.

This is such a common thing at the moment that computer suggests it as the subject line of my posts.

Sigh

F0rn

I think I've said before that I'm not that keen on chocolate but last year someone gave me a box of Pierre Marcolini Belgiun chocolate cubes.  They are tiny fruit infused chocolates.  So good even to a non sweet lover.  They only produce the fruit version in the summer so I have to wait for months to get some more.

Eff off to drivers who think they can yell, rant, throw tantrums, lie, and demand things from the dispatcher. No, I am the one who give you your assignment, based on the company's needs. You don't get to verbally abuse me because you are having a bad day or feeling lazy. I usually tell these guys and gals "Here are your two choices. If you don't like either, then go away. I have other work to do. Yes, your boss WILL hear about it. Buh bye.

Special thanks to those drivers who are polite, professional, funny, helpful and who make my day better just by being themselves. **

Chocolate? Yes, I need lots of chocolate this week. Its been insane at work.

DH is being sweet. Skids are staying away, doing their own thing. Thank goodness!