Love Hate Movies

My husband loves to watch movies. I have a hard time sitting down and watching movies, and it is a victory to my husband if I sit down and watch something with him.   It is a double victory if I admit I liked it.  According to him, I hate almost everything. Here is a list of 10 victories that my husband has achieved in getting me to sit through and admit that I loved them.

1. Fright Night (both, they count as one right? But I will admit I am sweet on the newer one.)
2. Miami Connection (If you sing the song, I might kill you and laugh while doing so.)
3. In the Mouth of Madness (which turned into the gateway drug for all other John Carpenter movies.)
4. Night of the Comet (I have no idea why I like this, but I will sit down every single time it is on and watch it to the end.)
5. Terrorvision (There is so much about this that makes me laugh)
6. The Dungeon Master (This might be one of the worst movies I have ever seen.)
7. Godzilla vs The Smog Monster (It might be the weirdest Godzilla movie I have ever seen.)
8. Final Girls (I really hate camp setting hack and slash movie, but this is a cut above.)
9. Captain Kronos (This has to be one of the best vampire movies by Hammer Horror.)
10. Return of the Living Dead (I can’t believe I laughed as much as I did.)

As you can tell, my husband is a big fan of horror movies. It has take almost a dozen years for me to come around to this far on horror movies.  

Scooby Apocalypse

When I was a kid, one of my  I favorite cartoons was Scooby Doo. I distinctly recall waking up and watching a million episodes on Saturday morning and loving every bit of it.  If Scooby Doo or Gilligan's Island were on, I was one happy kid.  I loved the monster of the week feel to it, that always turned out not to be a monster. I found humor in the way that Shaggy and Scooby could out weight their fear in a situation by the rumble of their stomachs and how every bad guy would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for those meddlesome kids.

I am an adult now and I still have a nostalgic love for Scooby Doo.  I loved the episode of Venture Bros that re-imagined  the gang in a much darker light. (Season 2 Episode 11 "Viva Los Muertos!").  I tend to like dark comedy and Venture Bros may be one of my favorite adult cartoons, so that only added to my amusement of that particular episode. It cracked me up to no end, because it shed that feel that nothing bad ever happened in the Mystery Machine and everything always turns out fine in the end.

I know that I am giving a lot of back story, and it is hard to see where I am going, but I felt it was important when I try to explain how excited I was discovering Scooby Apocalypse at my local comic shop.   Despite the huge stack of books and comics that I need to read and finish reading, I had to have Scooby Apocalypse.

I devoured it like Shaggy and his Scooby snacks.  I love the way that the characters were re-imagined. They were fleshed out in a way that was not accomplished in the horrible live action movies and brushed over in the television show.   The comic gives them a rounded character  with history and incorporates in some nostalgic touches, such as well used catch phrases.  (Do you know how weird people at work look at you if you use the word jinkies? Spell check doesn't even like the word, and keeps replacing it with kinkiest.)

I don't want to spoil the comic for anyone, because I think it deserves a spot on the book shelf, but I will say that it does hold true the cartoon in the way that the monsters are people. Of course there is a twist, but that is part of the fun in reading the comic.  I

Battle Jacket

I didn't know that I needed a project until I gained a project. My husband had this brain child where he wanted a battle jacket.  I will be honest. I had no idea what he was talking about for a moment, but having watched a fair number of post apocalyptic movies and listening to punk rock, I could envision a little of what he meant by a battle jacket as he started to describe what he had in mind.  It was a jacket that had patches all over it of things that he felt were cool. Patches of things that he represented. Patches that would bolster his sense of self and make him ready to do battle.

My support in his brain child, is that after he did the hard part of ironing, I would sew the patches on for additional stability. (I really hate ironing. Sewing is cheesecake.)  I had no idea there were so many patches out there.  As they began to trickle in, the plain canvas jacket slowly became something infinitely more awesome.  I have to admit that it is becoming increasingly fun, trying to find a patch that my husband will go nuts over.  This is a unique art form of self expression that is testing my abilities with a sewing machine.  It is a weird sort of sense of accomplishment when I sew an extra difficult patch on.  My husband is is full of high fives and praise when we get another patch finished and it feels lie we are team awesome.  While I was not instantly on board when he explained his project idea, I have certainly seen the light and have found something to love about this project.

ApocalyptiGirl : An Aria for the End Times

In a moment of insanity I decided to clean out my bookshelf. It was brutal. A part of my brain switched off and if the book was not sentimental, something I would read again, in my to be read pile or something my husband found sentimental or enjoyed, it got shoved in donate pile.  I am sure a little part of me is still curled up in my brain screaming in agony over the separation.

To quiet the screaming part of my brain, I decided to distract it with a graphic novel out of my ever growing to be read pile.  (Holidays have a way of making the to be read pile swell into cat squashing proportions.). The graphic novel I chose to distract myself with was ApocalyptiGirl. An Aria for the End Times by Andrew Maclean.

I am not even sure how to explain this graphic novel.  My brain scatters all over the place and refuses to format words when I try to put it in a category. If there was a category called Beautiful, it wouldn't be accurate, because despite the mesmerizing art style and engaging storyline there is something there that I can't put my finger on.   Something that feel sort of nostalgic, but also like a breathe of fresh air. Perhaps it is the most accurately title graphic novel, and it really is just an aria for the end of times.

I don't know, what it is exactly and when I put my finger on it, I am not sure anyone else will get it. I would highly recommend ApocalyptiGirl for anyone that is looking for something a little different, but different in a good way.

Apocalyptic Flat Tire

It is a wonderful night for a flat tire. I love the way it brings me perspective.  I don't think I ever understood windchill until the car tells me it is 44 degrees out and the wind has me seriously thinking it was 29 degrees out.   It is a cosmic requirement for me to have a flat tire when I am least appropriately dressed.  High heels, dress slacks, thin jacket and a shell top is the opposite of what a person should wear to change a tire.  

This experience has made me understand why in post apocalyptic films, the clothing looks like it was randomized out of yard sale rejects. It always bugged me that it seems like they don't even try to have anything that remotely goes together in those types of movies.   As the wind ripped through the thin jacket and shell I was wearing, I searched my car for any sort of additional clothing I could find.  Search results yielded a spring green tunic vest and a burnt orange crayon colored wrap.  They clashed horribly with the cheerful crocus colored shell and eggplant jacket, but I didn't really care.  Fashion could take a hike when you are cold. 

Thankfully my flat tire was in the parking lot of my work and one of my coworkers stuck around until my husband showed up. Between the two of us, we had the spare tire out, the car jacked up and we were getting ready to take lug nuts off by the time my husband pulled in. (Jamie is awesome, and we had that accomplished in maybe 10 minutes.) Despite my husband saying that we did the hard part of getting the jack set up, he did the truly hard part of getting the lug nuts off. I think removing the lug nuts is the hardest part of getting the tire off and he did it like a pro. He is a hero.  Jamie is a heroine. I am that weird person that cracks terrible jokes when faced with adversity and doesn't lose their cool. (Also wind chill is bull shit.) 

Thank you Jon and Jamie for not letting me become a weird pre-apocalyptic desert wanderer with bad fashion sense!

Subconscience Gift

I love giving gifts. I also enjoy my libations. When these two things meet up, it often leave me scratching my head and wondering what I was thinking.  To quell this buyers remorse I have resorted to online shopping and either throwing things on a wish list to look at later or not checking my virtual cart out until a day or two has passed and my head has cleared. That way I can assess if I am a genius or perhaps just a little intoxicated.

I recently discovered a private wish list I created that has left me scratching my head.  I probably started it in the summer or perhaps in the fall, but honestly I don't know when I started it.  I clearly had something in mind when it came to fruition.

Here is the list:

1. Mindful Skull Tapestry Beach Sheet
2. Set of 4 Ninja Throwing Spikes with Wrist Sheath
3. M48 Apocalypse Tactical Tomahawk
4. Kraken Sea Monster Patrol Patch
5. Tungsten Carbide Steel Lord of the Rings Ring
6. Map of Middle Earth on Silk Cloth
7. Cat Treats
8. Mudder 60W 110V Electrically Adjustable Temperature Welding Soldering Iron w/ Five different tips


To me, it looks like I am either going on an adventure to Middle Earth and I am taking my cat with me and expecting trouble or I was preparing for the end of the world and planned on surviving off of the cat treats as a last resort.  Either could be a possibility. I don't know.  Part of me wants to buy all the things and use them as white elephant gifts and the other part of me is trying to figure out the method behind this madness.   If you are ever stuck for gift ideas, I don't think you can go wrong with throwing spikes.  I am pretty sure that is something every one could use multiple of and not be upset for receiving duplicates.

Bacon is My Jam

I enjoy canning. There is something about it that give me a feeling of accomplishment. It might have something to do with the fact that when I am done I can physically see what I have accomplished and there are not to many things in life that are like that. It might also have something to do with preparing for the inevitable end of the world and when that happens I will have at least a well stocked larder to get me through the nuclear winter.

It seems like since the cookbook challenge ended, I quit writing about trying new recipes and I have slowed down on trying new recipes.  That is only partially true. I haven't been hitting the cook books all that hard, but I have tried several new recipes as of late.  I have not felt compelled to write about every single new kitchen adventure as it happened, until I came across Bacon Jam. This now one of the favorite new recipes for canning and it is out of the Better Homes & Gardens Canning Summer 2015 magazine that I picked up on an impulse at the grocery store.

When it comes to canning, I look for something that is unique that I will use. I don't want to can something just to have it and then never eat it. It is a waste of food and time.  When I happened across Rebecca Lindamoods article and recipe on how to make Bacon Jam, I knew immediately that I would eat that.  The recipe was amazingly easy and it made my house smell delightful.  The smell of bacon cooking for hours wafting out of my kitchen window may have made some of my neighbors green with bacon jealousy. I know that it made my cats a little crazy and they hung out in the kitchen corners hoping for crumbs while I was jarring.

It isn't all about the smell, because it also tastes like a slice of heaven.  Kaiser roll smeared with bacon jam with a fried egg and sharp cheddar makes the taste buds sing and dance and is a right proper way to great the morning. Bacon jam has become become my jam.  It has found its way into my freezer, but is having a hard time staying there.  I would highly suggest if you are of the bacon eating mind, that you check this out.  It is delicious.

I Am All Ears

There is something magical about good food. It brings people together.  Memories happen, and stick with you in a way that you will never forget.  Recently I had the pleasure of making freezer corn.  Freezer corn is not where you buy the corn from the grocery store,  and toss it in bags and call it a day.  Freezer corn is so much more than that. Really good freezer corn is a taste of summer at its finest.

My friend Lizzy let me experience what it really means to make freezer corn happen.  We drove out to the middle of Amish Country, where I saw more horse and buggies than gas stations, and through some family connections, I found myself in a field of corn that was ready to meet its destiny.  I have never been in a corn field. I have lived near plenty of them, and remember them to be full of poison ivy and corn flowers.  They were a thing of beauty and danger to me. Mostly because I have a high allergy to poison ivy and think that cornflowers are pretty. This field had no poison ivy, and was full of ears.  The ears have probably heard it all. I know for a fact it heard me trying to figure out the best way to harvest corn. I may have plucked 25 out of the 200 ears that we left with.  I am absolutely amazed at the speed that some people can pick corn. All 200 ears were in the car with in 20 minutes.  Complete with corn bugs.


 When you have 200 ears to husk and silked, you learn to find a rhythm quickly. You also learn really quickly that corn is a sticky. Not a little sticky, but very sticky. The reason sweet corn is sweet, is because of the amount of sugar and starch at is nestled in each kernel.  I am pretty sure that if you were to juice corn, it would be a type of cement. They type of cement that you would never really be able to get off your hands with a single washing and multiple washing will only make your hands smooth. I wouldn't recommend using corn to smooth your hands. It is not an efficient way to exfoliate.

Once corn has been husked and silked, it gets cooked in a pot. Thirty ears of corn at a time, is still a lot of corn. Once the corn is cooked it had to be cooled. Not just on the out side, but all the way down to the hot molten core. If I had a portal that I could zap the steaming buckets of corn to the middle of the arctic tundra to cool it off faster.  Since I do not have a portal to transport corn to a cooler climate, I got well acquainted with well water. Well water is cold. Cold water and hot corn in a bucket doesn't make the corn cold immediately. Lots of water was used in cooling corn down and  a good bit of it got dumped in my shoe.

I think it might be a tool of magic that was used to take corn off the cob. It resembled a knife stuck in a piece of wood that you run the corn against it like a mandoline. Only there is a higher risk of chopping a finger off if you aren't paying attention.   After the kernels of corn are separated from the cob, you are left with the gold delicious taste of summer.  Tossing it in bags, labeling them and putting them in the freezer for the future, makes it worth all the work that was done.

I feel like I am a better person for having taken such time to put good food on the table, and I feel a lot more appreciative of the work that  it takes to get food to the table. I don't think that most people when they buy a bag of frozen sweet corn in the grocery store, truly know the amount of time it takes to get it there. I already looking forward to thawing a bag of corn in the middle of winter and enjoying of moment where summer dances across my taste buds and reminds me that with great work comes great pay off.

Prophet: Remission

Prophet. There are many things that come to mind when you just see the word prophet. Mostly they revolve around some form of enlightenment. Prophet: Remission which is a graphic novel by  Simon Roy (Author), Farel Dalrymple (Author), Giannis Milogiannis (Author), Brandon Graham (Author, Illustrator) took me a while to figure out what to say about this graphic novel and parts of me are still trying to wrap my head around it. I haven't gotten to the part where the enlightenment happens, mostly because I am not sure if I know what is really going on in this graphic novel.  It is a hard science story that makes no apologies if you can't keep up.

Hard Science Fiction  and Soft Science Fiction as defined by Wikipedia: Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. Soft science fiction is a category of science fiction that either (1) is based on and explores the "soft" sciences, and especially the social sciences (anthropology, sociology, psychology, political science, and so on), rather than engineering or the "hard" sciences (for example, physics, astronomy, or chemistry), or (2) is not scientifically accurate, or (3) both of the latter. Soft science fiction of either type is often more concerned with character and speculative societies, rather than scientific or engineering speculations.

 In the story you are following John Prophet. He is a representation of humanity and his mission is to restart the Earth Empire. You start each chapter following John on his quest and realize that the world is full creatures that resemble evolved ants and there isn't really any other humanoid looking creatures to be found.  It makes the reader wonder how are they going to restart the Earth Empire without any Earthlings, or are the Earthlings in a cryogenic sleep just as John was at the beginning of the story. The further you go on in the story, it becomes blatantly clear that the the John Prophet you are following is a clone and there  multiple John Prophets out there, and that there is something much bigger going on.  At the end of the graphic novel the original John Prophet returns and slays his clones. 

There is a clear focus in what is going on instead of a focus on the characters relationships with other characters.  That aspect of this makes it a very interesting read, but also a challenging read, because you don't know what you should really feel for the characters. It isn't going to hold your hand and tell you to feel sorry for them because they had a crummy childhood in a cloning tube. It focuses on the mission and what they are doing, not why they are doing it as much. The way that it is written and drawn makes you almost feel like you are the god watching this play out.  The art is striking and the writing keeps a person turning the page to try and figure out what is going to happen next. If I were to compare this to anything, it would be just like watching Aeon Flux for the first time. You don't always understand it right away, but you can recognize that it is good.

Hinterkind Vol1: The Waking World

Free Comic Book Day is one of my favorite days out of the year. My local comic shop, Comix Connection goes all out for it. Not only are there free comics, but there are discounts on graphic novels, figurines there is a food drive and there are great discounts on back issues and a whole lot of Storm Troopers wandering around.  It is one of my happy places. This year. I had a wedding of a dear friend on Free Comic Book Day, and there was a hard choice to be had. Do I ditch the wedding, after all what is one less bridesmaid, or do I miss the comic shop and my free comics?

With a lot of prep work on my part the night before, and with the aid of my husband I was able to do both. What is a little less sleep when there are comics free comics on the line? Fuel by a cup of tea and a whole lot of hair spray, we were at Comix Connection early before it turned into a complete mad house or comic mayhem.  I probably had the fanciest hair there while I was picking out my free comics.

Among my acquisitions that day I picked up Hinterkind Vol 1: The Waking World by Ian Edington. The summary on the back of the graphic novel talked about how it was a post apocalyptic world, where all the creatures that are in fairy lore are actually real and are reclaiming the world as their own. After reading the first volume I am hooked, and have started to follow it in single issues.  The creatures of fairy lore are not sweet innocent and forgiving of the years of hiding in the shadows. In fact it seems like most of them have a taste for the flesh of humans and that the human race is not longer the dominate species, because of it.  In fact they are closer to an endangered species.  There are some interesting twists as to what some people will do to survive and the story moves along at a pretty quick pace.

This is not the sort of comic that you would be able to miss an issue and still figure out what is going on in the following issue.  The art and color work well with the writing and it is a joy to look at and adds depth to the  story. I absolutely loved with in the the opening where they were hunting a zebra in an abandoned sky scrapper office that turned into a jungle habitat. It sound convoluted when I describe it, but the concept and execution brings everything together. If you haven't checked it Hinterkind out, do so. It isn't like every other post apocalyptic comic out there, it has some fresh idea's and makes a person go hmm.

Friendship is Rare

Have you ever gotten a song stuck in you head? And you hear the same stanza over and over in your head and it won't stop.  You have tried playing the song to get it out of your head, and listening to other music to drown it out, but in moments of utter silence the words float about in your brain sort of song? I have one of those songs stuck in my head.  I figured the one way to really get it out of my head would be to write about it. For the past couple of days I have had Tenacious D stuck in my head, and thankfully it is a stanza that won't get me fired if heard muttering at work.


"Friendship is rare, Do you know what I'm sayin' to you? Friendship is rare. My derriere, When you find out much later That they don't really care. It's rare to me, can't you see? It's rare to me, can't you see? "

Of course after the the third hour of singing this, I begin to think about my friends, instead of how to get the song out of my head.  I started to think about who my best friend is and realize that there is no one person that is my best friend. If my friends are reading this, I am sure that some of them are a little surprised. They know my pretty well and would be willing to join me on some pretty stupid adventures. Here me out, before you pull the pitch forks out and start the march. 

Friendship is rare. It isn't easy to make friends. It isn't always easy to find some one that you click with and that understands aspects of you.  I think that when most people think of a best friend, they think of a person that understands you the best. That could be a sibling, spouse, coworker or muggle. 

What if there were multiple people that understood various aspects about you, would they all be considered equal in their level of friendship? Or is it the person that I see most often considered my best friend? If that were true, I would be considered best friends with a good majority of my co workers.  I like my co workers, but I am sure that some of them would not think twice about tripping me if it meant getting away from the zombie apocalypse or a bear. 

I believe that a person can have multiple best friends, because people are fulfilled at different levels. I can be the best friend to several people at once because I am fulfilling a need and they fulfill my needs. My best friend to bake cookies with is not the same best friend that I go shopping with, because those actions to mean the same thing to each person. 

While the rest of that Tenacious D song did not stick as much as that first stanza the lyrics, I think that it might have been the reminder that I needed to be thankful for the friends that I have, and that finding someone to connect with is a rare thing and should be cherished. Not every one will understand a friendship, and it is okay, because we all connect at different levels. 

Here is all of the song lyric, and good luck not getting it stuck in your head. 

                                                           "Friendship"

Friendship is rare, 
Do you know what I'm sayin' to you? 
Friendship is rare. 
My derriere, 
When you find out much later 
That they don't really care. 
It's rare to me, can't you see? 
It's rare to me, can't you see? 

Oh shit there's a bear, 
Could you hand me that shotgun buddy, 
Also that chair? 
We're fighting a bear 
Now your life's in grave danger 
And you don't even care. 
It's rare to me, can't you see? 
It's rare to me, can't you see? 
It's rare to me, 
Say a prayer for me, 
'Cause it's rare to be 
In Tenacious D. 

Friends will be friends 
They're running naked in the sand, 
Friends holding hands 
Will someday surely form a band, 
Friends will be friends 
They say that friends are friends 
To the bitter end. 
Long-as-there's-a-record-deal-we'll-always-be-friends! 
Long-as-there's-a-record-deal-we'll-always-be-friends! 

Friends will be friends 
They're running naked in the sand, 
Friends holding hands 
Will someday surely form a band, 
Friends will be friends 
They say that friends are friends 
To the bitter end. 
Long-as-there's-a-record-deal-we'll-always-be-friends! 
Long as there's a record deal we'll always be friends, yeah

Now that I have written about it, hopefully it will move on and make room for other songs to get stuck in my head. 

Apocalyptic Purse

I think women are better prepared for an apocalyptic situation than men, simply for the fact that they carry the purses.  Most women will not leave the house without their purse, and in the case of evacuating a building, a purse is always tucked firmly under their arms.   When I think about what is in my purse, compared to what I pack in an emergency kit, they are not that far off. 

Recently I was cleaning out my purse and taking inventory of what I could get rid of and what I should keep.  I have realized that I use my purse for more than just a way to carry my valet and keys.  I use it as a book bag, lunch box and first aid kit.  All very useful things if there was in emergency.

My Purse

•  Identification Cards (For me & both cats)
•  Keys
• Bottle Opener
• Silk Scarf
•  Petroleum Jelly
• Compact Mirror
• Make-Up (Powder, Gloss, Brush & Mascara)
• Anti-Bacterial Gel
•  Reading Material (Current Purse book is The Antipope by Robert Rankin)
• Colored Pens
• Mechanical Pencil
• Paper/ Note pad
• Thumb Drive
• Tea (Loose Leaf not bagged)
• Sun Glasses
• Eye drops
• Aspirin
•  Money
•  Hair Ties
• Snack Crackers
• Mobile Device
• Address book
•  Broach/ Pin
• Perfume/ Body Spray
•  Lighter/Matches
•  Eye glass Cleaner and buffer cloth
• Tissues
• Band aids

Emergency Kit

•   Tourniquet
•   Pain reliever
•   Matches/Lighter
• Band aids
• Mirror
• Flashlight
• Alcohol
• Pin
•   Petroleum Jelly
• Ties
• Book
• Writing Utensil
•  Paper/ Notebook
• Eye drops
•  Tissues
• Emergency Contacts
• Money

By doing a simple at a glance comparison, I can see that almost everything that is in an emergency kit is currently in my purse, with a couple of additives.  Which to mean means, that once I have fled the area, treated my wounds if I have received any, I will still be able to get my much needed hit of caffeine and have a snack, distract my mind from whatever horrors I have witnessed, while trying to get some sleep at the house of one of my vast list of address contacts, I have taken refuge with. 

For those that are wondering why I have Petroleum Jelly in my purse, Vaseline, which can be used for chapped lips, is nothing more that petroleum jelly in a tube.  It is completely normal for a person to have this item. Sure, there are more things that can go in an emergency kit, just as there are more things that can fit in my purse.  Sometimes, less is more. The more you have the less you think about what you can do with what you already have. 

Pilfered By A Cat

It has been documents that some animal have a sixth sense for natural disaster. There have been reports of hens not laying eggs, cows not giving milk, dogs dancing in circles  hours and sometimes even minutes before the unforeseeable strikes. Cats and dogs are said to be a lot closer to nature and therefore more likely to be aware of the rumblings of mother earth. 
Knowing this, I can't help but wonder what Iggins is trying to tell me, because is behavior gets odder and odder. The evidence starts out as it simply being a cat, but as it piles up one has to wonder what the cat knows. 

• At Christmas, Iggins had secreted 8 toy mice into a secret stash. With him being a cat I didn't think too much of it, until he started to secret other things.  
• I love tea and have a pretty good selection of loose leaf tea.  Iggins had attacked the tea, and removed it out of the pantry and spilled a good bit of it all across the kitchen floor. 
• There was a package of graham crackers from the cabinet. We were alerted to the pilfered graham crackers by the crackling of package as the Iggins tried to covertly move grahams from under the bed to his secret stash.  We had the move the crackers into the night stand, so that he could no longer reach them. 
• A few weeks later, I come home and see a shiny square golden cube on the floor. I pick it up and discover that it is the bouillon out of the cabinet. Checking the cabinet, I quickly assimilated that the three packets of bouillon had been pilfered.  With much searching, I was able to recover all of the bouillon, except one. I have no idea where the one cube is at. 
• A week and half after that, I am in the library. I am trying to reorganize the books, since I had just built a new shelf.  Glancing in the hall, I see Iggins with a stick of bouillon again. I can tell that he is not all that thrilled that I have once again taken away his treasure. 
• A week after that, Jon stopped Iggins from removing a small bag of rice out of the cabinet. I am not entirely sure how far he was going to get with a bag of rice.
• A couple of days after the "rice" incident, Iggins comes barreling down the stairs, which is a sure sign to the humans around that he has something that he know that he shouldn't have. After much negotiation and some hard corning of him, it was discovered that he had a contact carrying case. 

Individually these items, don't seem like they have a lot in common. Tea, Mice, Graham Crackers, Rice, Bouillon. Until I suddenly realized that if I were preparing for the worse, I would try to make sure that my family was taken care of.  Iggins is trying to take care of his family. He stashed the mice for him and Dib for incase of emergency, and then he was trying to create a food stash for Jon and I, so that we would not be forced to dine on kitty flesh.  The only reason that I could think that Iggins would be doing this is if he saw the zombie apocalypse coming and needed time to prepare. That is right, if you look into the eyes of Iggins, you see the fear and raw kitty nerves of one that can see the future, and in this future he see, he tries to prepare to save the ones that he loves, or at least the ones with the operable thumbs.