Ian and Matt (Shameless US)

I’m no writer, so I am going to apologize ahead of time for any grammar, punctuation, and syntax errors.  I am a Gallavich fan, but I wanted to write this.  Okay, here is my idea...

Ian and Trevor decide to remain friends; Trevor is convinced that Ian is not yet over Mickey, and that Ian needs some time to reflect upon his life.  

Ian is at the station when he and his partner hear on the CB band that a hit-and-run has occurred nearby. They take the call and ride off to the scene.  After assessing the victim’s injuries, the man is put into the ambulance. While riding to the hospital, Ian notices that this guy is hot!  The injured man notices Ian noticing him and he smiles.  He tells Ian his name is Matt, and that, yes, he is interested too.  Ian blushes as Matt apologizes for being too blunt.  As the ambulance pulls up to the hospital, Ian asks if it would be okay to check in on him.  Matt’s eyes light up and he agrees.

Ian does visit Matt as promised.  Ian discovers that Matt has a great personality, sense of humor, and, most importantly, a very mature, sensible way of looking at life.  Matt explains that he recently broke up with his boyfriend after being together for five years.  He reveals his ex is a drug addict.  Matt tells Ian that he went to all the meetings with his ex and even visited him many times in rehab.  He believed, naively, that his ex was getting better.  Matt stated their relationship ended when he came home early from a business meeting and found his naked boyfriend lying on the living room floor with a needle sticking out of his arm, near death.  After calling 911, he realized right then and there that his ex was not going to change and that he needed to leave.

Ian provides some detail into his own life; including, family and Mickey.  Matt can tell that Ian is holding back but he does not pry.  Ian and Matt agree to exchange phone numbers and go on a date once Matt is back on his feet again.  

For their first date, they decide on dinner at a new Moroccan restaurant that opened, and, afterward, drinks at a nearby nightclub.  Matt and Ian find themselves enjoying their time together.  Matt realizes that he needn’t worry when Ian is talking to someone that he might be Ian’s dealer, and Ian doesn’t feel he should be hiding in the shadows.

Over time, Ian and Matt grow closer.  Ian admits to Fiona that he is feeling things for Matt that he has never felt before.  How he misses Matt when they are not together, how he thinks about him all the time, and how his heart skips a beat whenever Matt walks into a room.  Fiona smiles and tells Ian, “You’re in love, kid!”

Ian passes by a jewelry store and something shiny in the window catches his eye.  He stops to look.  It is a gold heart pendant with diamonds spelling out the word ‘love’ in the center.  Ian goes in to inquire about the pendant.  While there, Ian looks around and sees a beautiful gold band ring.  The jeweler tells Ian that he can make an engravement...for a few dollars extra, of course.

Ian invites most of his family, Matt’s family, and some friends, to dine with he and Matt.  After their meal, Ian stands up to make an announcement.  He tells everyone how much he loves Matt, how blessed he feels to have him in his life, and that their love is special.  Ian then gets down on one knee, and pulls out of his pocket a dark blue, crushed velvet box. Everyone at the table is smiling, while V is straining to hold back tears. As Ian starts to open the box, the door starts to open; everyone turns to look toward the door, and in walks...

To be continued....

A Shameless Story as told by Me (Shameless US)

Inside the Hidden Mind

What you are about to read came to me before going to sleep, recently.  I decided to put this sleepy idea of a Gallagher storyline on to a Word doc.  This is simply my thoughts on paper, nothing more, as my writing talent doesn’t run that deep, I’m afraid.  Please enjoy, and let me know what you think.  

We see the Gallagher house.  It is a bright, sunny Saturday afternoon.  You can hear noise coming from inside the house.  Lots of laughter and (incoherent) talking.

As we step inside the house we see Fiona fighting with Liam over a shirt he does not want to give up.  Fiona exclaims that the shirt is now too small and should be given to Dana. 

Dana, a friend of Fiona’s, is collecting clothing and other items to donate to a local charity.  Fiona stated, unceremoniously, to all the Gallagher’s, to go through their closets, drawers, the floor, and any other place they would be stashing clothes they haven’t worn since the previous summer, to give to Dana. 

Liam, still clinging to that shirt, yells out that he doesn’t want to give up his favorite shirt because it was the last thing Mommy bought him.  Fiona, standing silently while looking at a sad Liam, gives up the fight and tells him to put it away.  Liam runs upstairs.

Dana knocks while walking into the Gallagher house.  Dana is the same age as Fiona.  She is average height (about 5’4”), slender build, light-haired brunette, hazel eyes, pretty smile, and a laugh you can hear for miles around.  Fiona met Dana a few months earlier at the diner.  She noticed a pretty but sad young woman, sitting in a booth by herself, crying.  Fiona offered a free piece of pie and some sound advice about men.  Dana, surprised, wondered how Fiona knew that is was about a guy.  Fiona rolls her eyes and lets out a deep breath, “I have been you, in a booth, like the one you are in now, so many times.”  Dana starts to smile and laughs a bit nervously.  “I’m cried out, Dana.”  They became fast friends.

Fiona points at several bags of clothing, shoes, and something resembling a winter coat, but no one is certain whose it is or how it got into their house.  Lip runs down the steps, cigarette between his lips, unlit, saying he has an appointment to get to.  He politely thanks Dana for taking all their ‘ghetto shit-wear’ out of the house.  Dana smiles and waves goodbye to Lip. 

As Lip runs out the door, Debbie walks in with Franny in a stroller.  Debbie apologizes to Dana; all of Franny’s old clothes were given to friends of hers who needed them and that her old stuffed animals were a bit ‘rough’ looking and thought it best to not give them away.  Dana smiles and tells Debbie it is not a problem.

Fiona goes to the kitchen to make lunch as Debbie and Dana sit down on the couch.  Dana notices that Debbie looks tired and a bit distracted.  Turning her head, she blurts out that life with Neil is not working out the way she had hoped.  He is continuing to have issues related to his head injury that has left him argumentative and cold; especially when it comes to Franny.  His constant yelling wakes her up, crying, and that causes Neil to yell even more.  The neighbors are complaining, and the landlord is threatening to kick them out if Neil doesn’t calm down.  Debbie doesn’t want to leave Neil but doesn’t see an immediate resolution to the problem.  Dana holds her hands, and, with a warm smile, offers her home for a night or two, if things get worse.  Debbie hugs and thanks Dana. 

Debbie, at times, feels closer to Dana than to her own sister.  She has even noticed how Liam interacts with Dana in relation to Fiona.  He talks, excitedly, about school, friends, and how he feels about his Mommy going to a ‘fictitious heaven preached by lackeys of the bourgeoisie to keep the poor in a permanent state of poverty’.  Dana, realizing this is Frank’s influence, takes it all in stride and helps Liam focus on what should be important to his young life.  Debbie wishes Dana was around years ago when she really needed someone like that in her life.

As Fiona, Dana, Debbie, Franny, and Liam sit around the kitchen table, eating, Ian stumbles down the stairs.  Sleep is still in his eyes after a long double-shift at the station.  Ian looks around and asks what time it is.  Fiona tells him its 12:15pm.  Ian throws himself on the couch and turns on the t.v.  Fiona asks if he wants some lunch, but he fans the air and says, “Later…maybe.”  Fiona goes back to telling her story about one of the crazy tenants living in the apartment building she now owns.  Everyone is laughing…except Dana. 

After lunch, Debbie leaves and Liam goes to his bedroom.  As Ian continues to flip channels on the t.v., Fiona notices how quiet Dana has become.  Fiona asks, in a lowered voice, “Did Ian say or do something to piss you off?” Dana, looking nervous yet surprised, “No, I hardly speak to Ian.”  Fiona, now suspicious, walks to the sink to wash the dishes.  Dana suddenly springs from the table, notes the time, and insists she must leave.  She hugs Fiona goodbye and, while walking briskly toward the door, says not a word to Ian.

The Green Owl - Vegetarian Restaurant in Madison WI

On November 9, 2014, me and two of my friends, whom I will refer to as T and C, went to The Green Owl for brunch.  For those of you who have never been to The Green Owl, which opened in 2009, it is strictly vegetarian and vegan fare located in the Schenk-Atwood neighborhood on the near east side of Madison WI.

The restaurant is small and local, which I prefer versus big box chains, and the decor is simple.  There are only about 15 tables and can fill up quickly.  As for the menu, on Sundays the brunch menu is smaller than the regular menu but still offers a fair amount of choices.  Some of the choices include Tofu Scramble, Biscuits and Gravy, Omelettes, French Toast and Nuevos Rancheros.  If you choose a vegan option, they offer Daiya cheese and you can request to substitute eggs for tofu.

T and I had a Mimosa to start.  T ordered an omelette, C and I ordered the biscuits and gravy.  When our dishes arrived, we were all a bit surprised at the small amount of food on our plates.   The biscuits and gravy had one ordinary sized biscuit with a small amount of brown 'gravy' on it.  I'm used to the way my mother makes her gravy...a white flour/milk based gravy.  When I am home my mom will make it vegetarian and it tastes wonderful.  Not exactly healthy, but it is good to indulge every now and again, right?  The Green Owl gravy was very thin.  Gravy on your biscuits should never be thin, it should be thick.  In my mind, brown gravy with biscuits; it simply doesn't go together. Ever.  The biscuit was over-seasoned and thus I couldn't tell if the thin, lifeless, watery 'gravy' had any taste or not.  Included with my dish was a small handful of roasted red potatoes.  They were a bit dry but good.  T enjoyed her omelette stating that the eggs were made the way she likes them.  C appeared to like the B&G better than I did and stated that white gravy over biscuits is more of a southern thing.  I'm from Chicago and I still like white gravy.  Okay, okay, I'll end the discussion there.

As for service, I found it to be a bit slow.  The server was nice but she was missing that somethin' somethin' you want in a server.  Also, we had to wait quite a bit of time for our food.  Many of the patrons around us had already ordered and/or were eating their food when we arrived.  Under normal circumstances I would have eaten all the food on my plate, especially considering the small amount, but not this time.  There was about half a biscuit remaining.  T and C finished their food.

This is not the first time I've been to The Green Owl and I have noticed one constant, the portions are not enough for what you pay for.  For the 3 of us, it was about $45 before tip.  As a result, the probability that I will return to this establishment any time soon isn't very good.  There are other places around town that offer vegetarian options with larger portions for the price.

Gee, are there any redeeming qualities you may wonder?   Yes.  First, and foremost, they are a strictly vegetarian/vegan restaurant and the only one like it in Madison.  Second, they do work with local businesses and farmers.  Third, they use jackfruit.  I never heard of jackfruit until The Green Owl opened. I am giving The Green Owl 3 out of 5 stars instead of 2 for the reasons listed.

For excellent, consistent vegetarian/vegan food, I would recommend going to the Chicago Diner the next time you are in the windy city.  They have two locations, the original location on Halsted and the newer location on Milwaukee Ave.

My new Vegetarian blog

My Vegetarian Blog 

This is my new vegetarian blog!  My hopes are to make you laugh a little, cry a little, pee a little and see yourself in this a little or a lot.

A bit about me.  I'm a native Chicagoan living in the House the Packers built.  I'm ready to move.  LOL!  Seriously though.  I'm not married with no children and currently unemployed.  No pets either.  I've been a vegetarian for almost 15 years.  

Why did I become a vegetarian?  Well, it's like this...when you see a parent, still young by today's standards, laying in a hospital bed with tubes sticking out everywhere, not knowing if they are going to make it or not, it changes your world.  I knew if I did not change my eating habits, I was destined to have family and friends standing over my casket before I started collecting social security (but then again, will there be a social security when I retire?).  In the beginning I gave up only red meat and pork.  Then I moved on to poultry.  After that, I gave up seafood and anything that had any kind of meat product in it, i.e., stocks, broths, gelatin, etc.  

One of the common questions I am always asked is if I miss eating meat.  The answer is an emphatic NO!  Before I gave up meat I was always sick to my stomach.  I used to buy alka seltzer and maalox several times a month.  When I gave up meat, I gave up the digestion relievers.  

And before you assume that I gave up meat only due to health issues, think again.  As I gave up meat, my eyes started to be opened up to a more compassionate way of life.  I have learned we do not need to eat meat to feel fulfillment and nourishment.  Animals being tortured and abused so you can suck down rubbery chicken nuggets and greasy, fatty hamburgers is simply wrong.  Wrong for your health, wrong for the environment and wrong for the animals who cannot defend themselves against a billion dollar industry who cares nothing but for their bottom line.  Do you think any fast food chain out there cares that you are obese or at least more than 20 pounds overweight due to the low-quality "food" they produce?  That they are adding to the fact you are subtracting days, months, years from your life every time you eat that stuff?  Fast food chains, restaurants, grocery stores and the food industry in general will not change as long as you do not change.  Think about it...do you want your family and friends staring down in your casket saying how you were 'too young' and 'I wish he/she took better care of himself/herself'?

Before you click away from this blog, keep in mind I am not trying to badger anyone who is a meat-eater, rather have you, the reader, understand why I chose to become and stay vegetarian.  

This blog will be about various articles, internet sites I want to share, pictures and anything that is pertinent to being vegetarian.

Oh and uh, do me a favor.  Do not refer to vegetarian as a 'diet'.  Vegetarianism has been around for centuries, so it isn't some fad that will go out with the bathwater along with your pet rock, puca shells, and Shaun Cassidy vinyl records.  And for those of you born after 1980, that is your acid wash jeans, beanie babies and Natalie Imbruglia CD.