All hail the salad!

The sun streams through my skylights in the late afternoon and there are only 2 things I'm willing to do then. Cook or sit in my reading chair with a good book. This time, I'm "cooking". 

So my fridge looks a little like that. And I need to eat that Romaine before it turns into something ugly. But it's full of dirt, and mud and I think even a bug. Organics seem to be this way. After a lifetime of nary a grain of sand in my supermarket lettuce, it's an experience. And somehow a pleasant one. Still, I put off the washing.
Just as I get each leaf ripped apart and in the sink full of ice cold water to wash it, the phone rings. As usual, I let the machine get it. I'm scared of the phone and I'm elbow deep in muddy ice water. Ever since a traumatic experience at work answering phones, I freak out just thinking of answering, especially if I don't know who it is. If I thought I'd answer to this, I might get over it:

But you know, most of the time it's this, and that's not worth my time:

Anywhoo, the water thing is also a plausible excuse to give when I call them back.
 Not to worry, it was a debt collector. They've been calling for weeks looking for someone with my same last name. I have no debt - so it's definitely not for me! I delete them.
The romaine, finally washed and ready to be my Caesar goes into a bowl in the fridge, while I run to the store for some dressing.  BRB.
Paul Newman will be missed. I'm so glad that they keep making food the same way! So, I picked up his bottle of dressing (thanks for the coupon mom and dad!).
Thank you to Suzanne Somers (again) for her Parmesan crouton recipe as well!  I make these in batches and put them in the fridge to go on things, in things and sometimes just to snack on! You can find the recipe in her books. Simplified: put some parm in a non stick pan and brown it on both sides - cut up to sizes you like.

Fantastico!
Then, I watched 500 days of Summer. Luvd it! I am that girl. Relationships suck the life out of you and you just end up hurting every man in your path. Then, when she gets married, at the end, I was thinking to myself, "yeah right, it's just the way they had to end it so the lame chicks of the world don't complain about a bad ending." The test audiences must have made them do it. Although, I do wonder, are men really like in the beginning? He thinks that playing some song she likes is "giving her a chance"? This could explain a lot...