HANGING BY A THREAD….BY ONE STRAND…

 

 

 

Because more than half the time I never know whether I’m coming or going I decided to wear a mask on the back of my head as well as on the front.  By doing so everybody else won’t know whether I’m coming or going, either! Much is being sent to try me…take the following for instance.

I rue the day I tested the water.  Without warning, a massive undertow sucked me in. Ever since that fateful day I’ve been floundering and spluttering with steam coming out of my ears.  Frustrated, I’m in a state of constant agitation.  With only one strand of hair left on my head, I’m searching around for a beanie to hide my embarrassment.  Looking like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Vin Diesel or Yul Brynner is not the look I wish to emulate.

The reason for my angst is, I was dumb enough to finally succumb to a temptation. A few weeks ago I decided to tackle a puzzle that had been puzzling me for some time. After discussing the subject with an old mate I decided to cast indecisive hesitation aside, step up to the challenge and jump off into the deep end.  “Where there is no sense there is no pain” as the saying goes.  I reckon I have a fair share of good sense, but I’ve been suffering a great deal of pain.  The cause of my agony is I decided to tackle Sudoku.  Maki Kaji, the creator of the number puzzle passed away in 2021. Before doing so he must have gained pleasure from inflicting pain upon others!  Supposedly, “Maki created Sudoku to be easy for children and, for others who didn’t want to think too hard”!   “Supposedly” being the operative word!  Knowing his thoughts on the matter makes me feel even better…not!

I phoned my friend, telling him he was at fault for my state of frustration. He was the one who urged me to “give it a go!”  He’s partly to blame for my present state of insanity.  With a degree of pride and pleasure I phoned him back again a couple of weeks later to inform him I’d managed, to my extreme surprise, to solve two of the dastardly annoying puzzles.  As at this point in time they remain the only two games I’ve successfully resolved. In my defence, I have gotten close to breaking down a few others.  Every day, growling, I toss the puzzles aside, telling myself I am never going to do another.  You know the answer, don’t you?  It appears I’m a glutton for punishment, enjoying inflicting pain upon myself.

Every day, with pen in hand, I have my head buried in cryptic crosswords.  I love doing cryptic crosswords, and am pretty good at solving them.  Okay! I’m blowing my own trumpet…so what?  No one else will blow it for me. With irritating Covid still lurking around, it’s a smarter idea I do blow my own trumpet.  Old “Satchmo” aka Louis Armstrong, Dizzie Gillespie and Miles Davis would each be very proud of me.

However, Sudoku remains being a constant, nagging pain in my neck, and addled brain. I’m having dreams about the damn game.  I’m moving numbers around in my dreams; perhaps therein lies the solution.  Do the puzzles in my dreams, and they will be solved. There is the answer. Seeing I can’t succeed while awake; I should leave it to my dreams to triumph over Sudoku, or maybe I should leap feet first into my second childhood.  The latter plan could be the way for me to crack the puzzles, thereby enabling me to regain my equilibrium.

Two things of which I am certain…I am determined to hang onto this remaining strand of hair no matter what the outcome. Also, I can count to 9 and 45…awake and in my sleep…

 

Lemon Prawn Angel Hair Pasta: Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2c pasta water. Season peeled, deveined green prawns; cook in pan with olive oil, butter and garlic. Toss pasta with prawns and pasta water; add crushed garlic, lemon juice and zest, chopped fresh basil and parsley; sprinkle with Parmesan; serve.  You can work out the numbers.  

Angel Hair Pasta and Sea Scallops: Add 450g angel hair pasta to pot of boiling water; cook; stir occasionally until pasta’s cooked through, but still firm to bite; 4-6mins; drain. Melt 1/4c butter over med-heat; stir in 2 minced garlic cloves; cook 1min. Grab 900g sea scallops; rinse; pat dry; cut thick ones to match thickness of all to ensure they’ll cook evenly; stir in scallops, 3tbs chopped basil, and 2tbs chopped parsley. Cook gently; stir until scallops feel slightly firm when pressed with a finger, 2-3mins. Add 2tbs lemon juice; season. Pour in 1/2c cream, if you like a thicker sauce; bring to a bare simmer. Serve over hot pasta; sprinkle with Parmesan. 

Pasta Primavera: Preheat oven 200C. In pot of salted boiling water, cook 60g pasta al dente. Drain; reserve 1c pasta water; return pasta to pot. On baking tray, toss 2c broccoli florets, 1 punnet red and yellow cherry tomatoes, 200g baby button mushrooms and 1 can drained, roughly chopped artichoke hearts with x-virgin olive oil; season with garlic powder, salt and pepper; roast until tender and caramelized;15-20mins stir once. Add vegies to pot with 3/4c grated Parmesan and1/2c pasta water; over low heat, stir vigorously to create sauce; add more pasta water until desired consistency is reached. Garnish with Parmesan and basil.