Repost of a recipe + things I wish people would stop doing

[stoney321]

irishrose1 asked me for my tomato basil soup, so I've got it under a cut for anyone interested.

Tomato Basil Soup
2 lbs. Roma tomatoes, cored, peeled and diced
OR
1 15 oz. can of tomatoes (diced, crushed, or whole, doesn't matter.) + 1 pinch of sugar (that gets rid of the tinniness of the canning)
1 bunch fresh basil
1 squeeze of lemon
cream (or milk, your call)
salt and pepper

Dump the tomatoes and their juice (unless you're like me and think tomato seeds add a bitterness, then omit) in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. I use a potato masher to crush them up as they cook. Let them cook down for about 20 minutes.

Immersion Blender: process the tomatoes until they're mostly smooth, add a handful or two of fresh basil leaves and process again, but leave it a little chunky with the herbs.
Bar top Blender: ladle the tomatoes into your blender with a handful of basil leaves. Pulse to blend, but leave it a little chunky. You may have to do two batches. BE SURE TO NOT FILL IT ALL THE WAY - it's hot and will blow the lid off your blender. Pour back in the saucepan.

Bring back to a gentle simmer and slowly stir in cream (or milk) until it reaches the color of terra cotta. I usually add about 1/2 C because I don't want the fat, but La Madeline's adds 1 C. Season with a touch of salt and pepper then squeeze a half of a lemon over the soup, stir in, and serve with a Fontina and sourdough grilled cheese sandwich. Or rather, that's what we're having for dinner. :)

NOTE: if I'm using fresh tomatoes, or they just don't look... robust, I'll add a few teaspoons of tomato paste to deepen the flavor. I love me some tomato soup.


Things I Wish People Would Stop Doing (and I realize this may be polarizing. Eh.)

French manicures on feet
Guys. Guys. This is gross. One, it looks like you have press on nails on your toes. Two, it looks like your toenails are too long and need to be clipped. GROSS. Sorry, long toenails gross me out. SHORT AND BUFFED. Painted, whatever, but the white tips just looks... Gah. I'm just here to help.

Freaking HARNESSES on CHILDREN
I think I am finally snapping and bringing scissors with me to the maul this holiday. Oh my GOD this makes me crazed. It is your human child and you have them tethered to your waist. And why? Because your hands are most likely full of your phone and some Starbucks. PUT ONE AWAY. Hint: you can keep your coffee. The only things that should ever hang from a belt are: key rings, esp. if you are in some sort of custodial position and/or 'coon pelts that you will sell to raise enough money for a blue-tick coon hound brother and sister duo (but oh my god, something bad will happen to them and I will cry and it will scar me in the third grade for years to come.)

I got off track. STILL. Human children are not on the list of acceptable belt accessories. If you can't be bothered to HOLD YOUR CHILD'S HAND WHEN IN PUBLIC, you should rethink why you became a parent in the first place. No respect for those mothers, not one ounce. Sorry, I will never be convinced of a scenario in which tethering a child to your waist (or stroller) is acceptable. I managed to raise three kids (two by myself for their first years,) and somehow managed to not lose a one. Know why? Because I paid attention to their bodies and/or held on to their bodies with my own appendage.

Constant Phone Talkers
My friends know that I hate being on my phone in public and try to avoid that at all costs. Why? Because I see YOU (not you, you, but YOU. You know who you are.) on your phone. You are on your phone in line when you should be courteous to the cashier/salesperson/everyone in line. You are on your phone in the public bathroom, oh my god, stop this immediately. You are on your phone gabbing to your girlfriend about nothing while your child is destroying things, hoping for your attention. And not only are you on your phone, but you are SHOUTING on your phone. You are. No, you think you aren't talking loudly, but you are. Trust me. You reading this who are thinking that I'm not meaning you? You are probably the shoutiest. The wonderful thing about phones is that they carry your voice any where in the world. You don't have to physically make your voice loud enough to accomplish this, the technology does it for you. You really don't have this much to talk about. If you find yourself responding to "what are you up to/doing?" when called on the phone with "Oh, nothing" that is when you should go DO SOMETHING. Don't shout about how you have nothing going on and blah blah blah and I just want to buy a jug of milk OH MY GOD SHUT UP AND PAY FOR YOUR THINGS.

True story, I was flying into Jacksonville, stopped off in the ladies' room, and heard a business woman conduct a board meeting ON SPEAKER PHONE while she proceeded to explode out of her anus. Make a raspberry noise with your mouth. Now crank that up to 10 and imagine that being a woman in the bathroom with an entire boardroom listening in. WHAT ON EARTH.

...this is why I prefer to stay away from the public during holiday shopping season. Too many inconsiderate weirdos out there, yeesh. (Well, the toenail thing isn't inconsiderate, I just find it icky.)

ION: I am reading Guillermo Del Torro's trilogy, The Strain. For those that wished The Passage was darker and a touch more focused, this is your book. DUDE. I'm very happy with this series so far, and I'm just starting it. Also, I'm waiting for everyone to start all of the anti-woman character bashing on The Walking Dead because fandom never disappoints. I'm cool with how it was laid out last night, though. Put Spoiler in your heading if you talk about the show in comments, because you're all awesome and considerate like that, right? Right. :)

Comments

[roonilwazlib6.livejournal.com]

The French thing on toes doesn't bother me as much, but now that you said it makes it look like your toenails are long, it's grossing me out. XD

And for the second two: I work in retail. I have for the past three years (higher education ho! I NEED MONEY UNTIL I HAVE THAT SHINY MASTER'S DEGREE IN MUH HANDS). There is nothing, NOTHING I hate more than the customer who is on the phone while I am ringing them up. Oh, you don't want to hear about saving 20% today by giving me your email address? I mean, clearly you don't, since you're being incredibly rude to me. It was worse when I worked at Panera because that job requires interaction at the register and it's just like, ugh, why should I feel rude and bad about interrupting you when you're being the asshole?

Whenever a parent comes in with a kid leash, I have one co-worker who always catches my eye and shakes his head.

lol at exploding out of her anus. XD

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I just can't not see it as needing a good clipping. EW.

I always tell someone when my phone rings, "I'm checking out, let me call you right back" and then get back to brass tacks. I just.. man, it's so rude and inconsiderate!

[moosesal.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on all three of those. I can't tell you how annoying it was to have my customers at the bank talking on the phone while trying to do a transaction. They invariably didn't have their deposit slip filled out right and their math would be wrong and you can't get any questions in to them because they're on the phone and the people in line behind them are getting annoyed. Hated it. Hang up and do your business, asshole!

French toenails creep me out too. And leashes... dear god, no. I'm of mixed minds about ski leashes for little kids on the mountain (the kind used for teaching). I get the idea of being able to keep your kid from just going out of control down the mountain. But there's a problem in that sometimes the kid falls and then the parent falls down on top of the kid. So good points and bad points. But leashes while walking around in public really piss me off. As you said, just pay attention to your kid and you won't need a fucking leash.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

You just can't multitask the phone and anything else. It's been shown over and over how people think they can, but they CAN'T. I love it when salespeople refuse to help someone on their phone. I've had one salesperson skip the person at the counter because they were on the phone, and helped the person behind them. Awesome.


Hmm, I didn't think about ski leashes, but I can see how that can have merit. That's not really the same thing, though, as in, it's not employed as a way to not have to worry about them so you can do your own thing (ie: phone talking, shopping, etc.) Now, if it's being used that way, talk about a dangerous thing! I'll just hook ol' Junior to my waist and hit a black diamond... Lol.

I'm still of the mindset that just paying attention (on the slopes, too) is the way to go. My kids learned to ski the old fashioned way "french fries/pizza" and a lot of ouchie bottoms from falling on their butts. :)

[furikku.livejournal.com]

I was a child on a leash. I was quiet and sneaky. The one time my mother went shopping with me without the leash, I ended up on the other side of the mall the first time her back was turned, and only managed to get reunited with her because I had my address and phone number memorised.

Not all parents who leash their children are horrible and neglectful. Some just are trying to raise people who are naturally ninjas. >_>

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

While I'm obviously not going to say your mother was a horrible person, I still stand by my belief in not using harnesses. What if your destiny in life was to be the greatest ninja that ever ninja'd? You have been denied that! Ha.

But really, I think there's a distinct lack of object lesson learning happening with kids over the past, say, 25 years, and they're lessons that are important. Like getting lost and scared, getting sick, etc. etc. We'll just think differently on this one, I suppose. I'm just an opinionated LJer after all, I don't make policy. :D

Agreed

[menomegirl.livejournal.com]

I hate the whole leash thing. I'd like to smack parents whenever I see this. It aggravates me to no end.

And cell phones! Don't even get me started on that.

Re: Agreed

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

99.99999% of the leash-using parents are just wanting their hands free for other things. Every time I see it I go crazy.

CELL PHONES. PUT THEM AWAY, OH MY GOD.

[maybe1ce.livejournal.com]

I was a Mom of Ninja with a leash. I didn't clip it to my belt, I held it in my hand. But, my little precious angel was a NIGHTMARE. She would BOLT in an instant, which is pretty damn fast when you are also dealing with a grumpy tween and a tired middle kid. If I held her hand, she fell limp and SCREAMED "LETMEGO, LETMEGO, LETMEGO," which, I tell you, gets you some fun stares in the mall. I would slip her in the harness, hold the leash, and she'd think she was free...until she went to run at that tall display of expensive breakable things....DENIED, SUCKA.

That said, I was always a little embarrassed to use it and I'm so glad I don't need it anymore.


Of course French Pedicures are gross. Duh.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Ha, furikku was the Ninja Child, as well, so I've clearly struck a nerve with some of my flist. IDK, I just feel there are other alternatives. I know that's going to be polarizing, but I have to stick to my principles, or some shit. ;)

I haaaaaaaate those nails. Toes or hands, really, but toes really gross me out. (I totally typed toes or nads, which really changes things, lol.)

[hopeandmemory.livejournal.com]

The bit about the kids being on leashes... spot on. I will never understand why people harness up their kid like he/she is a freaking labrador. That's so... demeaning. If you can't keep your kid under control at the mall, either you're doing something wrong, or you need to get a babysitter. I was an extremely hyperactive kid and not once did my mother ever have to put me on a leash. Know why? Because I knew I'd get into big trouble if I acted up in public like that. Parents are so indulgent to their kids' whims these days, no wonder you've got middle schoolers dropping f-bombs and childhood obesity is through the roof.

I don't like talking on the phone in the first place, so I try to keep any public conversations brief. Luckily when I worked at Bath & Body Works, cell reception died right in front of the register (we had this weird dead zone, haha), so I never had to deal with customers yakking on their phones while I was trying to cash them out.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

And I know that my stance on harnesses is polarizing for some folks, but I'm just of the mindset that if you have an uncontrollable child (it happens) then they shouldn't go. I have a sister that has autism, is non-verbal, and was self-harming. Taking her anywhere was a nightmare. So my step-mom just didn't go places until she could be free to leave her with me, my dad, etc. Does that suck? Yes. Does it add a major layer of inconvenience to life? Absolutely. But parenthood is all about the inconvenience. I just do not agree with the concept, not one ounce. If that makes me a jackass, so be it.

Oooh, dead zone at the store? What a great idea for stores to do!

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

Cell phones! There is a time and place to weep and break up with your boyfriend and it is not on your cell phone in the dairy aisle at my local supermarket. Please pajama pant wearing college student, take this back to your dorm room! Civilization is getting less and less civil every day.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

"Civilization is getting less and less civil every day." This sums up everything I'm saying poorly in my post in a most succinct manner.

[minim_calibre]

I was a leashed child. It allowed me some freedom of movement without me running into traffic or up trees. I'm pretty sure neither of my siblings required leashing, but then, neither of them would be halfway up the nearest shelf in the blink of an eye. Apparently, I was perfectly happy with it, the alternative being having to hold someone's hand (HUMAN CONTACT! ACK!). Places where I was unlikely to wind up in the ER, I went unleashed. There are pictures.

I often wish Lillian had been leashable. My anxiety and constant fear that I'd lose her when my brain got stuck in a hyperfocus loop would've been eased. But she wasn't, so it wasn't. And I've only managed to misplace her once in 5.5 years, and that was because I thought Paul was following her when she ran off in the store.

(I've THOUGHT I've misplaced her dozens of times. I kind of hate when my brain goes hyperfocus, because wow, I lose awareness of my surroundings.)

[minim_calibre]

Oh, and french pedicures? NASTY. Ugh.

[copykween.livejournal.com]

All of those things are on my pet peeve list, too! UGH!

And to be honest, I don't even really like french manicures on fingers, either. But on toes? GROSS!

The soup looks yummy, though!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

CLIP THOSE HANGERS, OH MY GOD. Lol.

The soup is fantastic, I'll be completely honest with you on that, ahahaha.

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

I can't judge the leashing children thing anymore. I'm going to try not to do it myself, but I can understand why people do. Hoo boy can I understand it.

But MORE IMPORTANTLY: why do they read that book to us at such a young age?! I can vividly remember my fifth grade teacher reading it aloud in class and pretty much everyone crying at the end.

THE RED FERN BLOOMS EVERY YEAR, STONEY. TO SHOW THEIR LOVE. *bawls*

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

DON'T DO IT. Leave them home. If anything, there's your moment's peace, which every mother needs at some point.

THANK YOU FOR CATCHING THAT BOOK REFERENCE. Oh my god, I sobbed to the point of being excused to go to the nurse's office. GAH. Also on my list of "whyyyy?!?!" is Old Yeller, Sounder, and The Red Pony. CRY. CRYING FOR EVER, WAAAHHHH!

[zyrya]

I would put harnesses on everyone ... cats, dogs, children, waiters who wander off just as I'm ready to order, friends who head towards those bowl-o-bacteria bar snacks, my sister who gets lost in every crowd ... everyone.

French pedicures sound revolting. I sigh at those women who wear revealing shoes but can't be bothered to pumice for a few minutes. Give those cracked heels some love!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I think you mean a lasso - I fully support this plan, btw.

AHAHAHAHA, YES YES YES.

*frazzled mom word explosion* feel free to ignore.

[gabzilla.livejournal.com]

Only slightly disagreeing on the child leash because my 2 year old still hasn't learned not to run out into the street, and practically makes me wrench his arm out of socket when trying to hold his hand or make him stop for a second. Then he does the patented wet noodle flop and the little dude is big. He's bigger than some 4 and 5 year olds I've seen. (Never really thought my husband and I were above avg. height, but now I know - the kid is part giant.)I haven't yet caved in and gotten one, but sometimes... Sometimes.

Re: *frazzled mom word explosion* feel free to ignore.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, I have all kinds of people that think I'm a certified jackass now, because I hate leashes on kids, so don't mince words. :D Hahaha.

Oh, do I remember the wet noodle/boneless chicken stage. It's incredibly frustrating when they do that.

[anelith.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a list I can agree with! I never have seen a French pedicure on toes before, but the mental image is... unpleasant.

I've never liked leashes on kids either, but I also will add a practical reason for not liking them. When you have a kid by the hand they are kept really close to your body, and you have a bit of leverage over them just through strong-arming them one way or another. But on a leash, even though kid leashes are short they still can get a bit of distance from you. And then that leash is a PERFECT tripping mechanism for all the other folks walking through the mall. A sort of knee-high clothesline, if you will. And, no leverage to direct the kid where you want him to go.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I LOVE YOU ANNE-GIRL. Yes. I'm making some people very mad, I know this, AND YET. I completely agree with you on the tripping, on the false sense of security it gives a parent... And hey. I've had to leave places. I've had to not shop/run errands. It's all a part of the gig, that's all there is to it.

I love every point you've made here, and as you are the mother of two young and energetic boys, you've obviously got some real world experience to back up my point. :)

[the-soul-of-wit.livejournal.com]

I'm not disagreeing with your leash stance, just sharing an anecdote--my best friend had to be a leashed kid because he would sag and pull in his parents' grips to the point that he dislocated his shoulder. After that, a harness seemed safer!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Ha! Oh, we parents have all had the boneless chicken period - they should patent that move and sell it to criminals getting cuffed, hahahaha.

I still disagree that tethering a child like an animal is the way to go. I KNOW, I'M AN ASS. Gah.

Polarizing?! More like "Makes me love you more"!

[evamagick.livejournal.com]

French manicures on feet - OMG YES! Gross. The long toenail look is NEVER good. Also, it's whore-ish to me. Ick.

Leashed children - OMG OMG YES YES! I defriended an old high school friend because she leashed her under 2 year old. Disgusting behavior. I always think it will lead to weird parent-child relationships, or a weird kink later in life. Your child is not an animal. I can't think of a single good reason to leash your child.

LOUD TALKERS - Huge problem when I lived in Phoenix, haven't dealt with it much up here in Portland. Thankfully.

Guillermo del Toro - I haven't read his books (because they are scurry!), but my husband and I went to see him talk on his book tour. He is AMAZING. If you get the opportunity, do it. OMG do it.

Re: Polarizing?! More like "Makes me love you more"!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Eesh, I am not a fan of the word "whore" but I know what you're meaning, and yeah - I am not a fan of the tacky nail jobs.

I can't either, and I'm taking a lot of heat for it. OKAY. I still feel this way, and cannot see to the other side at all.

Ooh, I bet he's great live! He's very entertaining in interviews I've seen.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

I used to have a similar hard line judgment about harnesses on children... and then the museling became a toddler. I don't have a harness for him and don't know that I could ever decide to use one, but if he were any stronger I literally would not be able to keep hold of him in parking lots and so forth when he wants to get away. I have RSI issues in my hands, so my grip is probably somewhat less strong than average, but he is so incredibly strong and twists like a fish that even with me holding onto his wrist with all of my strength he has been known to get away from me when I had 100% of my attention on him. And he can run faster than I can, too. (Most recently he was desperate at the local farm to go see the pumpkins. I am happy to report that they were away from the parking lot.) He can also unsnap himself from his stroller and get out of it in a flash. So while I could never condone having your kid on a leash so you can hold your latte and chat on the phone and while I'm not sure I could ever decide to use a leash on my child, I can understand why for safety reasons in crowded/dangerous areas like airports and malls some people could choose to go in that direction.

I have absolutely no grey area about the ickiness that is a french manicure on a foot. Ugh.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh man, that 2 - 3 year period is THE MOST TRYING period. And this is from the mother of a child with autism that was a single parent with two babies 16 months apart. IT IS VERY HARD. That boneless thing they do, the Houdini moves they pull... It's so frustrating. Anne (a few comments up) made a great point about leashes being excellent tripping devices, and I think they'll lend a false sense of safety to a parent. So, your child is leashed, you're occupied at the counter with a clerk, and they're opening up bottles under the counter and pouring them everywhere. Or fill in the blank to what works.

I just... I can't budge on that one. I can understand why people choose them, but I can also think of several counters for it, but that's because I'm a hateful jerk who can't play well with others. Hahaha.

[dovil.livejournal.com]

I agree 100% with two out of three of your strongly held opinions. We must now fight TO THE DEATH over the third one, because what, you're a wussy saddo not completely given to the cause opinion holder? I AM OFFENDED!

Obviously the one I disagree with is where it's somehow weird not to hold up the phone to one's anus when explosively farting and expelling fecal matter about the place. I blame this on your puritan American roots.

(My mother had me on a leash, but don't worry it was humanely used around my neck and the kids at High School stopped calling me Dovil the Dog Faced Girl after I bit them and made them fear me, fear me as they should.)

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I ONLY CAME BACK ONLINE FOR YOU AND YOU DARE TO TREAT ME IN THIS MANNER? Woman, I challenge you to a duel of memes where there are thinly veiled threats against one another.

EN GARDE.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

o.O I must say, I have yet to see a woman with a harnessed child clipped to her belt here.... And that is a good thing!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Agreed!!

pedicure nightmare-

[druidchick.livejournal.com]

I was at the salon last week getting the mani/pedi combo. The woman next to me at the nail stations was getting gels(acrylics? whatever) on her fingernails- and then i looked over and she was having her toenails done too! WITH FAKE NAILS! i was horrified. still am horrified. will remain horrified. :)

SEE ICON!!!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

!!!!

[ladycyndra.livejournal.com]

The people on cells talking loudly thing. I agree with this. Why can't people put down the damn phone for a few minutes to get things done?? Its not gonna KILL them. They can check texts and voice mails LATER. Is it really that hard? My husband has done this, answer the phone while checking out and the nice check out person is trying to ask him important questions. He doesn't do any more! One evil glare from me and that was over! XD

As for the kids on leashes thing....eeeh I don't know, Stoney. I'm of a split mind on this. I mean I can see why some parents do it but then I feel bad for the poor kids because they aren't pets!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

My husband gets a lot of grief from me about his cell phone abuse, too.

Exactly, they aren't pets! You have an unruly child, you have two hands. Or hey, you leave the store and chalk it up to a bad day. That's a hard one, I've had to do it, but it ultimately teaches the child what is good behavior and what isn't. Those longterm goals, man.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Friend who leashes her toddler at places like the park: her toddler has ONE hand. If she keeps him close by holding it, he can't interact with the world and eat dirt and grass the way he needs to for a robust immune system. A leash (held in her hand, not tied to her belt) INCREASES his freedom.

French pedicures: TOTALLY ICKY.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I guess I have no idea why you would leash a child at a park, though. Isn't that where they're supposed to play and run around?

And come on, you're posing an amazingly unique scenario that doesn't apply to the vast majority of those parents that do leash their kid.

...I kinda can't believe I'm having to type "leash their kid" as many times as I am today. We survived as a species for a long time without them, that's my only hands in the air comment. These are my beliefs, not everyone's, etc. etc.

[serenemiss.livejournal.com]

I hate the french manicured toenails too. It just looks wrong.

Not gonna lie, I crack up when I see pictures of kids on a leash or something. That probably makes me a horrible person, but... :/

Also, the woman on the toilet... ewww!

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

THE WOMAN ON THE TOILET. I MEAN, ARE YOU KIDDING ME, LADY.

[oaktree89.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha I agree with you SO HARD on these things. Another I'd like to add to the list? TALKING REALLY LOUDLY ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT. Today I was on the streetcar and there about five teenagers TALKING SHRILLY about their stupid gossip and their stupid friends, and oh my god, we are in an ENCLOSED SPACE, SHUT UP D:

So yeah. I've had a long day, sorry :/

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

OY, YESSSSSS. Shouty talkers, of which I can be at times, but I always appreciate when someone says, "Stoney, you're yelling." Sorry, I have to shout over the voices in my head.

Wait, what? ;)

[ryokomusouka.livejournal.com]

Ok, One more for the "eh, leases aren't SO bad" group, and I'll drop it.

The rest? OMGIWILLKILLPEOPLEWHODOTHIS.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

You are not alone! *holds up lighter*

AND YES STOP IT, PEOPLE WITH THE BAD PHONE ETIQUETTE!!

[bailunrui.livejournal.com]

Absolutely agree with you on the French pedicure and cell phone talkers.

Interestingly (for me), your leash discussion has brought back some of my childhood memories. Being a child of the '80s, I remember going to the mall with my Mom and my baby brother. I wasn't exactly leashed, but a cuff was put on my wrist and a cuff was on my mother's wrist with a stretchy phone-cord-like string connecting us.

I was not the type to wander off, run away, or get into trouble. So, I just called my mom to ask her why she used it. My mom said that she did it to give me some personal freedom without losing me or having to hold my hand. The cuff-thingie was new at the time and the idea appealed to her because during that period a big to-do had been made about strangers and kidnapping. She only used it a couple of times before she decided that I didn't need it.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

You know, I think I remember the cuff thingy, honestly. I CAN respect your mother's approach to it. "This is something new, we'll see how it goes, eh, no big change, done." It's the panicky MY CHILD WILL BE RIPPED FROM MY ARMS! bidness or the "it's just easier, I can do more with my hands free" mindset that I struggle with.