(the) Jebbica

The great thing about having your own personal blog is that you get to go off on a tangent and rant from time-to-time.  It’s no secret that we as a country have fallen under some tough times.  I don’t know how many people I know that are looking for a job, are behind in their bills, are having things repossessed on them, etc.  And that is very sad.

UNTIL.

You find out what they’ve been doing to correct the situation.  Can you guess what they’ve done?

Nothing.

And some of you might think I’m singling you out for this, but I’m not. Seriously, I know like 30 people who are in this situation right now.  And I could just shake all of you!

The older and I guess wiser I get, the more I realize: people love to complain.  After all, isn’t what I’m doing right now precisely that?  In general though, I don’t think people should complain unless they’ve put forth the effort to correct the situation.  For example, I don’t think one should be like, “Wah, I’m so fat,” if she won’t put in any effort to diet or exercise, and there is butter drooling down her chin.  I mean really…has no one heard of being proactive?

Half of my friends fit into this category: the kind who will sleep on your couch and eat your food, but if the tables were turned, they could never help you out because they’re always staying on someone else’s couch.  After all, they’re quite comfy.  Can you help with the dishes? Oops, gotta go–I just remembered I have to go do something!

People these days, it seems, are used to things being handed to them.  Why look for a job, when you are staying on some nice person’s couch, rent-free?  I mean, hell. They have cable, wi-fi, and free long-distance!  I couldn’t afford all that if I got a job and had to pay rent somewhere! And OMG, they have a Wii!  I swear, sometimes The Boyfriend and I would have pretend fights with each other just to make the other person uncomfortable enough to want to leave.  And that’s not the friendly thing to do, I realize.  But also, when someone wants to stay with you until he can “get back on his feet” but then never makes the effort to get up off his ass, then there’s something wrong.

You, my friend, have been spoiled.

So, in a way, I guess it’s as much my fault as it is theirs.  People want to complain about not finding a job.  But there are places that are DESPERATE for help. They might not be the places you necessarily want to work, but will they get the bills paid? Absolutely.  And, it will look better on your resume that you were at least working somewhere while on the quest for your dream job. 

In the past, I was so desperate to help people get back on their feet.  I was ready to combat every excuse with an antecdote.  Don’t know where to start? Here is a list of resources.  Don’t know how to act in an interview? Here is a list of typical questions and the best answers for them.  Rehearse, and you won’t be as nervous.  Don’t know how to make a resume? Here, I’ll just do one for you.  All you have to do is call or email them!  Here is everything you need; you just have to show up!

Too much work.

I can just donate plasma, instead, or sell some stuff. That will give me cigarette money, anyway.  Why do anything, when I can just whine about it?  Jessica will take care of me, anyway.

Not anymore.

The old Jessica, the one with a sympathetic heart and a helpful hand, is gone.  I’ll still help, but it will be a different kind of assistance.  After all, wasn’t it Jesus who said “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a meal. But teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”  Pretty wise words.  I’ll teach you how to fish.  But I won’t loan you my couch.

This is what’s for dinner tonight, so I thought I would share!  Via growing our own garden, we have been using bell peppers for just about everything, but until today we haven’t done any stuffed peppers!  I have been thinking…I really like bell peppers and pico de gallo in scrambled egg whites and egg white omelets.  I’m wondering how it would do to make a breakfast stuffed pepper: eggs/egg whites, sliced turkey, cheese, salsa.  Think that would be good?

*Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers allegedly work better because they’re sweeter and less bitter.  Good thing I have plenty of those!

**Shopping tip:  If you have an ALDI anywhere around you, you can purchase the three-color pepper pack for much, MUCH cheaper than the other stores.  They look better, too.

You Will Need:

• Six whole bell peppers (red, yellow or orange preferred)
• One pound lean ground beef
• 1C. brown rice
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can chicken stock
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown in skillet on medium-temperature.
3. In the meantime, cook the rice with half the amount of liquid (using chicken stock rather than water will add flavor) and half the time as noted on the box directions. Once the rice mixture is transferred to the peppers, the liquid in the peppers will cook the rice the remainder of the way in the over. Be careful not to over cook the rice before filling the peppers as it will get soggy.
4. Add the can of tomatoes, liquid and all, into the skillet with the ground beef.
5. Once the rice is done, add that too to the skillet along with the minced garlic and salt and pepper.
6. Combine all ingredients well.
7. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove all the seeds from inside.
8. Take your meat and rice mixture and fill the peppers to the top. If there’s any extra stock from the rice, add it to each individual pepper. After the peppers are full, put the tops back on.
9. Cover the entire baking dish with aluminum foil and throw the dish into the over for 50 minutes.
10. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

When you take the peppers out of the over the aromas are unbelievable. Make sure the peppers are tender, but not falling apart. Serving these stuffed bell peppers with some freshly grated parmesan cheese is always a hit.

I am speaking, of course, about my dogs.

In case you didn’t know, I have two Maltese: a boy, named Leo, and a girl, named Buffy.  I never really had a dog growing up, and my other experiences with puppies were short-lived.  I don’t have any children; I have Buffy and Leo.  They are the shining stars that light up my life.  And yes, I’m very corny about them; I realize this!  My cubicle is filled with photos of my “kids”, and I can rarely withhold a cute story about one of them in social conversation.  I never thought I would be one of those crazy dog people, and now here I am. A step away from dying my hair white to look like my babies.

Leo is a little over two years old and is obsessed with cats.  He’s mine: that is to say, he loves me more than any other Human, and where I am, he’s not too far behind.  When I first started working at my new job, he would lay down by the front door, depressed, and wait for me to come home.  He’s adjusted somewhat, but he loves me dearly.  And I him.  Leo is easy to love, because he learned to use the pee pad straightaway, and he was quick to learn phrases like “go home”, “go potty”, “run, Leo!”, “come see Mommy”, “sit”, and a slew of others.  He is a good dog.

Buffy, on the other hand, is a bit more of a handful.  She is her Daddy’s dog.  She is to The Boyfriend what Leo is to me–except she’s not so keen on minding.  She also hates all other animals–especially cats–the only exception being Leo.  If anything else comes within range, she sounds an alarm better than ADT.  She’s cuter than crap, and she knows it.  She’s sassy and has an affinity for jumping on high surfaces–much like the cats she so despises.

I am blessed to have two great dogs, and I haven’t been able to contain my hopes that they would one day fall in love and make adorable, well-mannered puppies together.

That day is today.

Technically, I guess it was yesterday.  Details, details.  Last week, Buffy went into her first heat.  We knew we would have to keep them apart until the next time, for safety reasons.  Leo didn’t seem very interested last week, but that was last week.  This week, however, he is starting to see Buffy in a new light.  But he’s not the only one…Buffy has started teasing Leo, as well.

And it is driving us absolutely CRAZY.

Leo won’t sit in my lap. He doesn’t care about food. He doesn’t care about anything, but Buffy.  And he lets us know how much he cares, by singing love songs.  Loud, howling, wheezing, whiny love songs.  He sounds like Ben Gibbard on crack.

You know how, when you fall in love, you can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t do anything but think about that person with a sickness in your stomach?  Well, thanks to Leo’s infatuation, we get to be privvy to those feelings.  Seriously, who can sleep with the constant pawing and howling? Nonetheless, we had been doing a good job at keeping them apart.

That is, until I turned my back for a SECOND yesterday. The next thing I knew, Leo and Buffy had consummated their marriage, and they were stuck together, backs against each other like Siamese twins.

Ew, ew, ew.

So, does this mean there are Christmas puppies in my future? I don’t know, since this is my first time dealing with this.

Seriously, though, aren’t I too young to be a grandparent?

Got a pooch story? Feel free to share!