Making Hash

First of all, I have no real "i" key, I have to press really hard on wear the key *should* be to get it to type.  So sorry if there are some "i"s out of place.

Plus, November is admittedly going to be erratic in terms of the "What I Wore"  clothing diary portion, even though the Goodwill purchases' posts are the loose framework around which the blog is more or less constructed.  November is hell month for me.  I just got through a couple of  days without a severe migraine, and it has been such bliss.  But the fact that I expect one tomorrow as a consequence/punishment is because I just get too many damn migraines.  I cannot plan what I am doing later today, let alone next week..  It happens every November.  I had to cancel my Cannabis Cooking class at the last minute because of a migraine, which makes me really sad plus I think I have lost that entire tuition.  I should have known better than to schedule anything in November.  I am spending a lot of days in tank tops, sweat shirts, and pajama bottoms.  Which as you have seen, I'd photograph, but these headaches have just sucked so hard.

Anyway, we are still scheduled to go to "Graduation" in December.  Fun!

Sooo, we have been really experimenting with hash the last couple of months.  We have been purchasing it from SBAC.  The stuff they sell is exponentially better has than Greeway's, I have to say, as much as I adore Greeneway, as well as making our own type of hash from duff.  "Duff" is the left-over vaporized plant material, which has some, but not nearly all of the cannabinoids removed from it via vaporizing.  We use a relatively inexpensive vaporizer, which we got from Vapor Brothers:

I am actually kind of psyched to make our next batch of hash from duff, since I learned a whole bunch at Oaksterdam that should make our next batch better, stronger, and easier to handle and use.  I know to use Everclear, and how to heat and press it properly.  The stuff we have made has been pretty goopy, and burns up too fast.

But hash strains have become more routine for me to incorporate into my routine.  Because you are not supposed to use a direct flame on hash, I had been improvising with paraphernalia; in particular, heating the underside of the glass bowls on the  sliders on our bongs.   Please Note: The glass of sliders does not take kindly to direct flame for long periods of time.  One broke one day, the other the next.  Oh, and then since I went to the head shop to buy a couple of replacements, I broke a brand new slider through sheer clumsiness.  I am very happy with my hash pipe, and feel like it really is strong.

We found out there is a head shop, Smoke Stuff,  on Yelp, about 3 miles from here.  Since we broke two water pipe slides within 24 hours, plus I was curious about getting a hash pipe, I decided to head over there.  Usually head shop employees are so sullen, and this guy was cheerful and friendly.  He sure was enthusiastic about his products. Heh. The store was so clean, and the guy was very nice.  He helped me pick out my hash pipe.  We will be using that shop in the immediate future. due to my amazing slide smashing skills.

Anyway, you get a lot of bang for your buck with hash.  I also bought these tiny rolled balls of keif, I cannot remember what they are called, and the way they package it meant I had to tear the label off in order to open it.  But sprinkling a bit on what you are using gives it an added kick.

I am really liking Purple Dragon hash right now.  Also, bud from "Humboldt Hash Plant,"  another  good pain killer.  We are still hanging on to some Burgundy Goo, for my next killer migraine (counting down in 3, 2, 1...).  Hash is good at prophylaxis, and for early onset of headaches, but once they are fully established, they probably make it worse.  Although it helps vomiting no matter how severe or well established.

I then also made good old fashioned potato, meat, and onion hash, this time with cubed leftover tri-tip, chopped sweet onion, cubed yukon and russet potatoes, a bit of oil, and about a third cup of beef broth.  Eggs sunny side over easy.  Fat city, but so good.  I hadn't made a good hash in years, and it is really something I could eat almost daily, if my heart didn't scream in agony.  Kidding. I have "spectacular lipid levels," so says my neurologist.  I also particularly love Corned Beef hash, but have never had the balls to make it, since bad corned beef is *so very bad.*

So at this point in the blog entry, I almost feel a little bit like saying, "Okay, let's get this next part over with."  But I obviously enjoy it, so what the hell.  Yes, I've been to Goodwill this week.  Twice.  I have pictures to prove it.  In fact, Thursday I drove around for a while trying to find the Salvation Army that I had done so well at last time, before throwing up my hands, and going back to one of the bigger Goodwills instead (the one on Meridian).

I actually only have "outfit" pictures from Wednesday, when oddly, I wore two outfits.  That is because it was quite chilly in the AM, and warmer in the PM, and I also was dressed to go "thrifting" as I am now learning it is called.  That sounds so much more socially significant than compulsive shopper, don't you think?

So the AM outfit was to take DH to the bullet train, so he wouldn't have to take the bus in the cold.  I went from there to Safeway, and did quite a large shopping trip.  I bought a lot of "quick" meals, for reasons I will relate below.  I also bought a lot of things we were running out of, but I am really pissed because I forgot the McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal.  I actually am zipping through cans of that now that I have learned to soak the oats overnight.  I still am eating them four or five times a week, and not tiring of it.  Thursday I cut up some strawberries, a tablespoon of sugar, and some milk for my last serving, and it was out of this world.  But that was the end of my supply.

This is what I wore for the drive to the train station, and grocery shopping:

Black cotton cable-knit sweater tunic (bit long on me, but I am short, and have an enormous chest), and a pair of boot cut jeans.  I own one pair of carpenter pants, but all my other jeans are boot cut,  just like them better.  They are a very dark blue wash, so look black in this picture.  It doesn't help that  I am wearing  my black "motorcycle" boots.  Double semi-precious beaded necklace from It's a Girl Thing.

Anyway,  while I was at Safeway, I decided I was getting grossed out by the house again. This is quite a feat, I am exceedingly hard to gross out.  I bought all kinds of cleaning products for people who don't know how to scrub, plus some Drano to fix our bathroom sink, which was taking about 5 minutes to empty.  I am kind of in cleaning mode, but it is really one item at a time, it isn't a frenzy.  I did fix the sink drain, so yay me!

I also got potatoes for beef hash, which I planned to make from leftovers from the tri-tip we had.  Oh, yeah, we had a marinated tri-tip roast with roasted potatoes on Sunday.   DH was so happy to eat meat, even though he doesn't generally complain.  I also got a couple of nicely sized russets for baked potatoes sometime this week.  Hmm, need to check our sour cream, and see how it is holding up.  Anyway, we rarely have big hunks of meat like that anymore, and DH was a very satisfied diner on Sunday night. Yesterday, I completely cheated and got a Safeway refrigerated meal, which I just had to heat up: rigatoni and bolognese.  If you put tomato sauce on food, DH will likely be happy to eat it.  Also those strawberries I mentioned strawberries and avocados (I eat about three a week).  Plus, we have chicken and potato wedges.  Man, heavy on the potatoes this week.

And a lot of candy. 

I went home, put away groceries, and fed Violet.  I only meant to surf the net for a bit, but I was kind of still feeling my oats because I haven't been having nearly the problems with my head that I was last week.  I have been beyond relaxing the last few days, just luxuriating in the relative lack of pain. I haven't been migraine free, but I have been keeping them under control with the aid of both Big Pharma, and Cannabis.  Then I remembered we had broken the slides,  So I headed out to Smoke Stuff.

After that, it was still before noon, and I decided to do some "thrifting."  I wanted to go back to the Salvation Army.  But I got totally lost trying to find the Salvation Army I went to last time when I used Smoke Stuff as my starting point.  When I came back home, and looked at a map, I realized I had merely been on the wrong side of the street.  Gah.  I had thought about trying to get there again today, but my head and ache-y legs have pretty much nixed that idea.  Or, I could go to the Salvation Army just a couple of miles from here.  People were a little ruthless at the Salvation Army, and shopped out of my cart once before I was aware of it:  I have had that happen to me once or twice in Goodwills since then as well, so I guard my basket.

So, Wednesday afternoon, San Jose Goodwill, on Meridian.  Fortunately, one of their biggest locations, because the whole reason I wanted to go to the Salvation Army is because it's HUGE.  I actually am kind of amazed that I am able to keep straight in my head what I bought on Wednesday, and what I bought on Monday, but I can.  I have to take a few more pictures, of the stuff from Monday.  I know these aren't the greatest pictures, but it is hard to display this sort of thing without a manikin,

Anyway, I have learned to dress with a tank top under my clothes, so I don't have to compete for dressing rooms as much (there are mirrors here and there around the stores).  I wore the same jean and boots, but a pink tank top, and a fasten-less cardigan in a synthetic knit of some kind, with a empire waist (one of my Monday Santa Clara Goodwill finds).  Cardigans are easy to slip off and on, so I don't freeze between trying on clothes.  I also wore my new-ish flower/pouf black headband, since I know my hair gets in my eyes pulling things off and on, and it is a quick fix.  In both Wednesday's pictures, I am wearing a brown braided leather belt I also bought at the Santa Clara Goodwill on Monday.

I got a small black leather hobo purse, Wilson's.  I already have the big black Wilson's satchel.  The handle is asymmetrical, and has two metal links on one side.

A purple and violet pin-striped oxford blouse:

This was a cute find: A blue wool knit top with cable, an empire waist, and that nice collar.

This is a light wool short-sleeved lavender top, with an scoop, and embellished keyhole neck.

Here's the embellishment:

I am not bothering to include pictures of the plain black top, and the camel-colored top with the collar with the rather restrained embellishments.

So from Monday in Santa Clara, you have seen the Black empire-waist button-less cardigan thing-y, and I am guessing you can visualize a standard brown leather braided belt.  Here is a mis-sized fabric brown and pink purse, the top stripe is pale pink, compared to the flowers:

It looks brand new, and I combine pink and brown a lot.  Plus, a little black lace slip skirt:

Here is a detail of the lace:

I have reached this weird place with my wardrobe.  First of all, I am being pretty ruthless at discarding things I don't wear, and stuff that looks ghastly in the pictures on this blog.  That doesn't mean I won't wear something over-sized, like that tunic sweater (I'm calling it a tunic because it has side slits), but to be honest, I like how that looks, even if it isn't the latest fashion.  So I have enough clothes, yet because of my weeding out and organizing what I have, I know really specifically where I have holes in my wardrobe.  For instance, I do have one or two navy things.  But I could really use navy shoes, and a purse.  A pair of navy slacks wouldn't hurt either.  I don't need them, but I know that I can certainly use them.  This is allowing me to be both incredibly picky, and a little more outre in my choices, because I try on things that I think, "What the hell, I like it, maybe it will work on me."  And about 15% of the time, I find something good, so since there is a lot of stuff to try on, I almost always walk away with a find.

So back to less frivolous and material things:  I woke up today (Friday) morning with a slight headache.  So a several day break, more than I had really hoped for.  But it is back, I can feel it creeping around my skull. UGH.  I have to say last week's Migrane-o-rama really took the wind out of my sails, both in the sense  I can still tell  am still recovering days later, and also in the sense that it seems to have put a hitch in my mood, I no longer feel like I am being sent by slingshot to every destination.

Okay, this post is just getting ridiculous, I can't even proof read it it is so long.   Tomorrow, I want to talk about the riveting subject of home decor. Har.