Technology, a perennial pain in my ass (20 reasons why I'm angry)

I think that comparatively speaking, I'm solidly average when it comes to technology.  I know some basic stuff and think it's cool when technology helps me.  However, the snags that inevitably come with that coolness are incredibly frustrating.  I was so angry today I stopped myself from cursing at the poor tech support guy that was just trying to make a buck helping someone out on the phone.  I literally felt anger...wash...over...me.  Here it is in sum...

1. A few weeks ago, a website I included on this blog was supposedly infected with malware.  It checked out by Google and was legit, but IIIIII ended up still being stuck with the "Warning! This blog may damage your computer!" attached to my blog (thanks to those of you who told me!!!).
2. I remove the link and click the button that says "Get Google to take another look at this.  Just verify the ownership of this blog with one easy step". 
3. I click and don't have the password or customer number.  The screen says call Godaddy.  
4. I call Godaddy.  They tell me I have to call Google Apps.  
5. I call Google Apps.  They tell me to call Godaddy.  I start to get very very angry.  
6. I call Godaddy.  A woman is very helpful, and we're finally getting somewhere after about 40 minutes.  Then we're disconnected.  Guess what?  I'm angry.  
7. I call back.  There's no way they can figure out who talked to me before.  This new man is very eager to help me and it takes another 40 minutes to get back to where I was with the other woman.  After 2 hours, I end up renewing my domain and because there's a sale, I end up renewing for 5 years, and saving some money.  I spend a little over $100, and I'm not quite sure how this helps me.  I think the plan is, we're switching my blog from Google Apps to Godaddy.  I now have the correct password and customer number and can probably do step 2 above.  (I feel a little like I've been robbed and it makes me a little angry, but I can't focus on this now...)
8. A week later, when I get confirmation that the transaction has been successful, I do step 2 above. 
9. The malware warning is removed!!!  Yay!!!  But...instead of my blog, I get a "Godaddy has parked your blog here".  WTF?  It's an advertisement page for Godaddy.  I remember the eager tech support guy said the blog could go down for a short while, but not to worry.  
10. I check every day for about a week.  I am not worried, but...getting increasingly angry.  
11. I call Godaddy and they tell me, "Oooooh, you just paid for the domain for 5 years.  The blog has not been moved over".  WHAT???  Why would any person pay for a domain for 5 years and not want their mother(beeping) blog moved over?  This is when the twinge in my back starts (that's the anger washing over me).  He puts me on hold for like 5 minutes.  Honestly, I think he's just being an ass because I was a little rude to him.  I guess he's justified.  Anyway, he finally sends me a link which resolves the problem.  The DNS needed to be pointed to the new domain, and some kind of ware server or MX thing or some shit like that needed to be done.  Who knows.  The point is, PHEW!! I'm back!!!  

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By the way, I'm also very angry because I got a horrendous haircut by a new and expensive hairdresser.  It might have been fine, except at one point, I said, "Oh, Kally sent me".  And then guess what.  She gave me Kally's haircut - even though I brought pictures of Kristen Wiig circa Bridesmaids - in 3 different angles!  Now Kally's hair is lovely, but on me, it is literally a short and puffy mullet.  Short puffy mullets on my head make me ANGRY.  

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Now that I'm officially blogging again, I can go back to making cheesy puns about perennials followed by pretty photos.  Below is some of my summer garden...

And you know...when made a plan for this post, I hoped to vent a little, then end with some positivity.  BUT, I couldn't get these last photos to move up in the post so alas, I need to end...angrily.  My bela lugosi daylily, which I never saw last year because of the deer, bloomed beautifully for a short while a week or so ago.  The moment I  lost a little diligence with spraying them, the deer had their buffet with bela lugosi as the main course.  See that deer standing on my neighbor's front door step begging for lilies?

On the left, a big limb from our storm that not only damaged my wall that I'm fearful to (not be able to) fix, but also knocked out power for 6 days.  There was a heat wave going on in Maryland, and even the basement was beginning to get hot.  We slept down there because it was the only room that was not sweltering, but due to the lack of power (and lack of dehumidifier running), it was damp.  My memory foam pillow was literally damp.  And who would not be angry about sleeping on a damp pillow?!

Oh - but here's some good news.  My beach week is quickly approaching.  Now that I know this blog is safely residing here on this AWESOME DOMAIN (that I've purchased for 5 years), I'll let it rest for a week or two.  Hopefully I'll return as my normal, cheerful, grateful self!

GTTC: yellow raspberry vinaigrette

Brave you for pushing on through despite the MALWARE WARNING!  Apparently a link I added had some suspected malware on their site, but the other site turned out to be perfectly innocuous, and I removed the link anyway, but now Greenish Thumb is marred by the experience!  Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to get rid of the warning - please help if you know how to do this!  

We've been out of touch for a while due to the 6 day power loss after a crazy scary storm we had here.  Before that, I'd been harvesting my yellow 'Anne" raspberries every day or so.  This arugula salad with bacon, pine nuts, and gorgonzola was awesome dressed in a raspberry vinaigrette.  It's been a good week an a half, but I believe the dressing was just olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and a small handful of raspberries.  Such a great lunch!

What's on your plate for lunch today? Link below and tell us about it!

GTTC: fresh juice and pulp bread

I have a great teenager.  She's not too cool to have fun with her parents.  She's curious, smart, and fully engaged in life.  And when her phone is taken away because she did not fulfill her part in the academic contract we've drawn up, she's even more delightful than usual.  I guess when you're not spending your whole life laying on the couch texting, then making juice, baking with mom, and even smiling for the camera is an alternative to total boredom.

Tonight, we juiced some carrots, apples, oranges, celery, and beets.  The carrots and beets were from the garden.  I always save the beets for last because I like to watch them color the whole concoction a dark and gorgeous shade of pink.  With the pulp, we made a pulp bread, following my favorite recipe for banana bread, only substituting the pulp you see in the foreground of the photo above, for the bananas.  My kids think they're eating health food.  Whatever.  If it makes them feel good, so be it.  For the real deal - try Holly's recipe for pulp muffins.  See her post here (where I drew inspiration) for a much more wholesome, truly healthy muffin.  What are you making this week?  Post below to share.

In other news, my seedlings are finally in the ground, but each year the same thing happens.  For weeks, I lovingly care for my seedlings under the grow lights.  When I'm finally ready to let my precious little plants leave the nest, I put them in the coldframe and then... forget about them.  So disappointing.

GTTC: grilled corn on the cob with fresh herb butter

I may have mentioned this before, but my husband holds a weekly backyard BBQ.  Sometimes one or more friends come by, sometimes, he's out there standing solo over the charcoal grill, beer in one hand, spatula in the other.  There are benefits and drawbacks...

His walking back and forth from the backyard to the kitchen inevitably creates a big mess.  And each trip through the sliding glass door invites about 3 mosquitoes in the house.  They seek me out immediately.  At some point, the cat enters (with a waiting group of 3 mosquitoes) and jumps immediately on the table to start eating our food.  I'll be downstairs but know she's up to no good because I hear the quick clink! clink! clink! of a spoon knocking around in a bowl.  Most importantly, there's got to be something unhealthy about a heavy weekly dose of carcinogenic red meat, chips, soda, and potato salad.

Of course, there are some nice things about the weekly BBQ.  Despite my health concerns, he's creating fond memories for the kids.  He likes to see what's going on in the garden.  He's made special creations like the Satan burger, his own version of a spicy tomato condiment, grilled blue-cheese stuffed peppers, and ultimately, he wants to please me.  When I said it'd be nice to have some bacon-wrapped turkey, I entered the kitchen a few hours later to find a plate of turkey kebabs, wrapped in bacon and ready for the grill.  This week, after something I'd mentioned earlier, he was inspired to grill some corn for me.  I made some herbed butter full of fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano.  It was delicious on the corn.

As a side note, something was not quite right about it and it kept nagging at me.  I eventually figured out that what didn't seem right was that we were eating corn in June.  Though it's so endearing that my husband would go to the supermarket and buy corn from who-knows-where, we're not harvesting corn in Maryland yet, and it just didn't feel right.  Maybe it's purely psychological, but it also didn't taste right.  I'll have him try this again with local summer corn in a couple of months and will report back. I'm sure that post will include the words - SWEET...CRISP...BUTTERY...

What are you growing and cooking this week?  I'd love to know about it!

GBBD - June 2012

If I spare you the commentary, you'll get to check out all that's blooming in my garden on this Garden Blogger's Bloom Day as well as visit May Dreams Gardens for more.  Do leave a comment before you go though so I can see what's going on in your part of the world too!

GTTC: French toast with berries

Tired of my strawberry posts?  As you can see from our breakfast, the strawberries are getting fewer and the blueberries are ripening.  This French toast was particularly delicious made with a Challah-like raisin walnut bread.

A less lovely vision - this cauliflower...ugh.

And this week, my daughter turned 14 years old.  How did I ever get old enough to have a 14 year old?  Below, my little one had cleared the table of its usual crap, set up the "centerpiece" and got the apples ready to make her sister's apple-mulberry birthday pie.  Seems like just yesterday, this blog was fledgling and the pie said, "11"...

So I'm a little nosy, what's in your garden hod this week and what are you doing with it?  Post about it with a link to Greenish Thumb and add your post below - looking forward to reading about it!

GTTC: strawberry-rhubarb slump

This was my first attempt at a slump.  I rooted for this dessert as soon as I read about it in the Joy of Cooking. A slump is the underdog of all wonderful warm desserts you make with berries: pie, tart, cobbler, crumb, crisp.  It's an unfussy sweet version of the classic one-pot chicken and dumplings.

For this slump, add a cup of water and a 1/2 cup sugar to a pot with a tight-fitting lid.  Next, add a few stalks of rhubarb cut into pieces, and a few handfuls of strawberries.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, make a dough of 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup buttermilk, 4 tablespoons melted butter.  Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just incorporated.  Drop spoonfuls of the dough into the simmering fruit.  Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.  The dumplings should be firm and dry to the touch.  Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, vanilla yogurt, etc...

Well, my strawberries are nearing the end of their season.  So sad.  But as a sweet consolation, there are blueberries ripening two by two, and raspberry flowers in bloom!  What are you harvesting and cooking?  I'd love to see.  Post about it with a link to Greenish Thumb so others can see what other GTTC participants are doing.  See you next week!