Mizblog

Today I spent 2 1/2 hours scrubbing stove burner rings with steel wool, trying to remove baked on charcoal. Even though I’ve made huge progress (you can see actual metal in some places now), the overall result is still spotty and ugly. It feels like some of that carbon has been cooked into the steel, anodizing it a dull gray. I also feel like I wasted too much time scrubbing burner rings when there’s so much else in the apartment that needs attention.

I used compressed air to blow the junk around inside the stove while the burners were disassembled. Lots of charred food remnants in there that I’ll never be able to reach. Oh well, at least the nutritive content has all been consumed by fire, so it won’t be much of a haven for vermin.

I just finished cooking up a pot of turkey chili with extra jalapeños. It’s cooling and should be ready to eat by tomorrow. I took special care not to allow insects or insecticide to get into it, because I doubt either one would make it more delicious.

While stirring the pot every 15 minutes or so, I took the opportunity to clean out the spice cupboard. Eeeks, what a mess. In the back was evidence of multiple spice spills and habitation by a spider. I threw out spices that had dust or cobwebs on them. Apparently we don’t need those. Allspice? Dill weed? No. Bye. Trash.

My war with the other inhabitants of the kitchen continues. If anything it has accelerated since yesterday, but now I hold the field and can easily spot and destroy them when they pop their heads out of their hiding places. The areas they used to treat as safe are now barren and exposed, making them easy prey. I also noticed that they’re having a harder time finding food. I dripped a drop of liquid from the black beans onto the kitchen counter, and within 15 minutes it had attracted a scout. Dead.

Sangeeta took the key to the laundry room to Nepal, so I think I’m going to have to visit my parents’ house tomorrow with two bags of laundry. I’ll probably do some yard work to pay for it. Usually it’s enough just to bring Saranya, but Sangeeta took her to Nepal also. :P

I’m on a weird sleep schedule. I crash before midnight, wake up in the wee hours, have coffee, do some work, then go back to sleep after the sun comes up and sleep halfway to noon. I feel that process starting again…