Sandwich-splaining

All I need is a hero, but I'm pretty sure those sandwiches are not called heroes. Okay, so apparently in New York, that's what they call hoagies. Boston calls them Grinders. And on the west coast, we're just confused. We think Sub stands for Subway. It doesn't.

Because you came to my blog for sandwich facts, right?

I think I've earned a few stripes making sandwiches, and it does come down to quality of ingredients. It also comes down to remembering you can purchase fresh lettuce...and you know, there not being a lettuce recall.

So, for this sandwich, my victory was finding a whole wheat french bread. I then picked out a green pepper, pepperjack and fresh lettuce.

Here's my tip: You can buy "living lettuce" or butter lettuce that comes in a little plastic container with the roots soaked in water so it stays fresh much longer than one of the normal stalks. If you live alone or only make a sandwich every so often, this is something to take advantage of.

I added the crabmeat, supplemented with fresh sliced ham (not lunchmeat). Remember it always comes down to the quality of ingredients. So if you want to be bougie, look for it in the fresh meat section. SHIT, I'm supposed to be vegetarian.

Look for it in the "novelty" section of the grocery store and get yourself some flavorless tempeh.

Oh dear....it appears I've fallen off the wagon. To be fair, it's extra difficult around the holidays to not eat meat when you're visiting so many different people, and those people all live in pig and beef farm territory. So next week, I'll be more pescatarian. After I finish this sandwich, ;)

The episode:

I completely forgot how Liv met Drake. Which is interesting to think about, because he's kind of a perfect foil for Major. He even resembles him. Liv scratched both of them to save their lives. She's convinced that even though she saved their lives, both of them would rather be dead. She's able to cure Major, which ironically leads to the end of their relationship. Which is interesting because I'm not sure how much Liv is exaggerating the "zombie problems" in her own head and how much Major actually sees them as a problem. He seems ready to stick-it-out but I'm sure Liv is right that all of these things would lead to resentment that would build and build and build, and she should save them from that misery. Which is very similar to how Logan breaks it off with Veronica in a painful episode of Veronica Mars, but more on that later. Liv is bogged down by the history of their relationship and how much of a departure she's made since the engagement. Then comes along Drake. Drake who is nothing but appreciative that she saved his life, and isn't cured, so physical intimacy will no longer be a problem. Not to mention, there's no baggage with Drake. This is Liv getting to start a perfect zombie-zombie relationship with a handsome guy who appreciates her and someone who can't possibly hold her against a past version of herself, like she assumes Major will. He loves zombie Liv, not human Liv, which is Liv's fantasy right now since she's not optimistic for a cure. AND, Drake has a secret. He is secretly a good guy posing as a "bad" guy, contrasting to Major secretly working for the "bad guys". In a weird way, Drake is always honest with her, even though she thinks he's mobster. Major is doing the wrong things for the right reasons, but can't be honest with her. So he gets to watch her date a "mobster" over him because the "mobster" has at least been upfront.

My recommendation for the week:

Michael Kiwanuka

He did the theme song for Big Little Lies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOubjLM9Cbc ) and has one of the most amazing voices I've heard in awhile. His music is powerful and I don't want to say unique, but he has his own sound, which I think is what makes it so powerful. It's genuine soul music, but I think it defies genre in a way that makes it fit for anyone's playlist. Listen with your mom, listen with your kids. Play it for a party, play it in a coffee shop. It's transcendent.

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Short story ---ish. Not really sure what this is:

Time dissolves into the little things. The groceries, the laundry, cleaning the toilet. There's more time than there is energy in the day and you find yourself dissolving, too. There's too many people to connect with, so you don't. You cast your thoughts into a void and wait for a response. But the void doesn't talk back. You fall into another pattern of thought-dulling distractions. Whatever will erase the feeling that you're not doing what you should, what you want to be doing.

Every once in awhile you have a good day. A day that reminds you that it's good to be alive and there are things that truly make you happy. But everything else is maintenance. Your life has become a maintenance. You're body is living check to check. Barely anything left in your bank once you've paid off the essentials.

Maybe it's the city. Maybe it's your career-path, maybe it's your lifestyle. But it's where you are.

Maybe you're not living check-to-check, but you're pouring little bits and pieces into investment accounts. Every day you invest in your health, your relationships, your peace of mind. And eventually, it'll pay off, right? Maybe.

We are a to-do list that just keeps growing. A list of things we'll someday do. Some are good, some are chores. Some are adventures, some are dentist appointments. Things we have to do and things we get to do.

And then there are the things we have to do because someone else wants to do them. So many of those. Seeing the wrong movies, drinking at the wrong bars. So much effort also goes into making other people happy. That's an investment, too.

Either way, the time ticks and we tick.

Life is a tapestry of menial decisions and civilized survival. Dreams lose their meaning when we age. We are as fluid as a river and as stubborn as a tree root.