Various and Sundry were Thoughtful, This Morning

Some interesting exchanges on Twitter yesterday, and reading various updates around the social networks, plus an impromptu dramatic rereading of "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock" this morning over coffee, and my brain is being all Thoughtful 'n shit.

And the end result?  I am very thankful that, for all the crap life has handed me and all the crap I've handed myself, that I was also given a sense of humor AND developed a sense of perspective about All The Crap. Because otherwise, it would be really easy to become bitter and angry and afraid, and bitter and angry and afraid are terrible ways to spend your life.

Especially since we get no points, style or otherwise, for anger, and few of us are really witty enough to get points for bitterness, no matter what we want to believe.  And fear, while it keeps you from being eaten, can also keep you from everything else.


(That does not mean, however, that I do not have occasional, utterly enjoyable, wallows in bitterness. Also, envy, fear, jealousy, and general fuckitallity. Because, yanno: human. And it adds piquancy to the rest of life, in small doses, and that informs the writing, eventually. Then I get out of the wallow, dry myself off, and go on. )

Friday Night Pickup (for dinner, that is)

Because I was cranky and out of sorts and it was suggested that maybe I needed protein, quickly.... (before I bit someone's nose off)


1/2 lb high quality ground beef (80% lean)
1 yellow zucchini, quartered
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 bunch spinach, washed & shredded
1 cup low-fat ricotta
2 cups (cooked and still warm) cut pasta

Brown the meat, drain and set aside. Using the drippings, sautee the peppers and zucchini until soft (I added garlic powder, salt and fresh ground pepper), then turn the heat off and drop the spinach on top, to allow the residual heat to wilt the spinach.

Mix the pasta with the ricotta, toss until the cheese melts slightly around the pasta, then add the vegetables and toss, then add the beef and toss again. Serve.

(you can add seasonings to taste, after, but I thought this came out perfect as-is)

Feeds two. Or four not-so-hungry. Or one male teenager.