Regardless of how the rest of the competition goes, I guarantee he'll be putting out an album, and I can't wait for it!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Antique Mommy is one of my favorite bloggers, and while every post of hers is some kind of wonderful, Not Just Because He Wears A Napkin On His Head stands out above the rest. Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
So, I've kind of decided that I really need to go home and have a nap before I hurt someone.
As some of you already know, I was up until the wee hours of the morning today finishing up an assignment, and as a result am operating on 4 hours of sleep and a hell of a lot of caffeine.
Now, I'm not sure if it's the lack of sleep or the abundance of caffeine, but I am irritated by every.little.thing. I'm sure that people aren't really being any more irritating than normal, or louder than normal, or stupider than normal, etc... but I'm sure noticing it a heck of a lot more.
Wow. This post is really not nearly as interesting as it sounded in my head. Definitely nap time.
As some of you already know, I was up until the wee hours of the morning today finishing up an assignment, and as a result am operating on 4 hours of sleep and a hell of a lot of caffeine.
Now, I'm not sure if it's the lack of sleep or the abundance of caffeine, but I am irritated by every.little.thing. I'm sure that people aren't really being any more irritating than normal, or louder than normal, or stupider than normal, etc... but I'm sure noticing it a heck of a lot more.
Wow. This post is really not nearly as interesting as it sounded in my head. Definitely nap time.
Well son of a ...
I'm an addict.
I spent an entire class this morning thinking about getting a fix.
And now, I find out that I can't get my fix here at the college, and I am saddened. :(
No, it's not a cigarette that I crave, or caffeine, or any alcohol or drug for that matter.
It's a game. A mind-numbing time-devouring game.
It’s called Hog Heaven Slots. Hours and hours of pig pokin' fun.
It’s available at a web site I have long avoided (www.pogo.com - Go on. Click it. You know you want to. Everyone else is doing it. I promise I won't tell.), until a good friend asked me if I wanted a 5-day guest pass.
Unfortunately, the game runs on a Java applet, which the college’s network bans from “calling home”.
So, I guess I’m back tostudying... or blogging... or reading other people’s blogs... or any of the other distractions that I find to avoid actually working on anything important between classes. ;)
Le sigh.
I'm an addict.
I spent an entire class this morning thinking about getting a fix.
And now, I find out that I can't get my fix here at the college, and I am saddened. :(
No, it's not a cigarette that I crave, or caffeine, or any alcohol or drug for that matter.
It's a game. A mind-numbing time-devouring game.
It’s called Hog Heaven Slots. Hours and hours of pig pokin' fun.
It’s available at a web site I have long avoided (www.pogo.com - Go on. Click it. You know you want to. Everyone else is doing it. I promise I won't tell.), until a good friend asked me if I wanted a 5-day guest pass.
Unfortunately, the game runs on a Java applet, which the college’s network bans from “calling home”.
So, I guess I’m back to
Le sigh.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Wugh. A whole week since my last post. School is seriously kicking my butt y'all. Not to mention this cold that doesn't seem to want to leave me alone. Ever.
I threw together some vegetarian enchiladas last night, and they were so good I thought I would share the recipe. I started out looking for someone else's recipe to follow, but nothing I found sounded like quite what I wanted, so I made up my own.
Vegetarian Enchiladas
Mix a couple of tablespoons of canola oil with the taco seasoning in a large coverable pot until well combined, then add the uncooked rice. Mix the rice with the seasoning mixture until well combined, and then cook on high(ish) heat until most of the rice has started to turn from slightly translucent to opaque white. Add the water, stir, cover, and turn the heat down to minimum. Let the rice cook for about 20 minutes - until all of the water is absorbed.
When the rice is done, mix in the corn, refried beans, and chilies.
While the rice is cooking, prepare a 9x13 casserole dish by lightly greasing and then covering the bottom of the dish with a layer of enchilada sauce.
Warm the tortilla shells however you prefer. I use the "low-fat" technique outlined at Simply Recipes.
As the shells become ready, spoon some of the rice mixture onto each one, roll the shell around the filling, and place the finished roll into your casserole dish, seam side down. There's great pictures at Simply Recipes that demonstrate how to lay your rolls in the casserole, just remember that whether you lay them widthwise or lengthwise depends on the starting diameter of your tortilla shells. I usually use the large size, and the best way to fit those is widthwise.
When all of the tortillas are filled and in the casserole, pour the rest of your enchilada sauce over the top, and then sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in oven @ 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes (until cheese is browned and bubbly).
I served these with green salad tossed in salsa and sour cream, with some crushed plain tortillas and a little shredded cheese on top.
I threw together some vegetarian enchiladas last night, and they were so good I thought I would share the recipe. I started out looking for someone else's recipe to follow, but nothing I found sounded like quite what I wanted, so I made up my own.
Vegetarian Enchiladas
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice (you could use any type of rice, and just modify the cooking times, of course)
- 2 cups cold water
- 1 package taco seasoning (or homemade, but I'm lazy)
- Canola oil
- 1 can corn nibblets
- 1/2 can refried beans
- 1 can chopped green chilies
- 8 tortilla shells (I used flour, but you could use any variety)
- 1 jar enchilada sauce (again, you could use homemade, but I've never tried to make it)
- Cheddar cheese (to sprinkle on top - vary amount depending on your tastes)
Mix a couple of tablespoons of canola oil with the taco seasoning in a large coverable pot until well combined, then add the uncooked rice. Mix the rice with the seasoning mixture until well combined, and then cook on high(ish) heat until most of the rice has started to turn from slightly translucent to opaque white. Add the water, stir, cover, and turn the heat down to minimum. Let the rice cook for about 20 minutes - until all of the water is absorbed.
When the rice is done, mix in the corn, refried beans, and chilies.
While the rice is cooking, prepare a 9x13 casserole dish by lightly greasing and then covering the bottom of the dish with a layer of enchilada sauce.
Warm the tortilla shells however you prefer. I use the "low-fat" technique outlined at Simply Recipes.
As the shells become ready, spoon some of the rice mixture onto each one, roll the shell around the filling, and place the finished roll into your casserole dish, seam side down. There's great pictures at Simply Recipes that demonstrate how to lay your rolls in the casserole, just remember that whether you lay them widthwise or lengthwise depends on the starting diameter of your tortilla shells. I usually use the large size, and the best way to fit those is widthwise.
When all of the tortillas are filled and in the casserole, pour the rest of your enchilada sauce over the top, and then sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in oven @ 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes (until cheese is browned and bubbly).
I served these with green salad tossed in salsa and sour cream, with some crushed plain tortillas and a little shredded cheese on top.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
I just about squealed!
Word 2007 has contextual spell check!
Type 'it's' instead of 'its' and Word will flag it with a blue squiggly (like the red squiggly for spelling errors, and green squiggly for grammar errors). Right click on the word, and the suggested replacement is available to replace the original. I haven't tested the full capabilities of this feature, but common homonyms like won and one, knew and new, they're their and there, to two and too, are easily identified and corrected.
Now I have to admit that as a parent I have some reservations about this feature, because it could conceivably become a crutch and hinder students from actually learning which is the appropriate word to use in a given context. However, I also think that perhaps repeatedly having Word suggest corrections may help to reinforce the correct choice.
Now if we could only have this immediately implemented into every message board software currently in use... ;)
Word 2007 has contextual spell check!
Type 'it's' instead of 'its' and Word will flag it with a blue squiggly (like the red squiggly for spelling errors, and green squiggly for grammar errors). Right click on the word, and the suggested replacement is available to replace the original. I haven't tested the full capabilities of this feature, but common homonyms like won and one, knew and new, they're their and there, to two and too, are easily identified and corrected.
Now I have to admit that as a parent I have some reservations about this feature, because it could conceivably become a crutch and hinder students from actually learning which is the appropriate word to use in a given context. However, I also think that perhaps repeatedly having Word suggest corrections may help to reinforce the correct choice.
Now if we could only have this immediately implemented into every message board software currently in use... ;)
I am in heaven.
Last night, I downloaded and installed Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007. The Office 2007 products are not expected to be in stores until January 30th, but in the meantime you can get trial versions here to play with until the official release. The trial versions are fully functional until March 31st.
Now, that probably doesn't sound like an event that would cause so much glee, but then you're probably not as much of an Excel junkie as I am. I thought that I was perfectly happy with my ancient Office XP Suite, but oh my is the sun shining so much brighter today! I haven't tried the new Word yet, but I expect I'll be just as thrilled with it when I do.
I'll post some of my favorite new features as I play more with the programs, as well as any problems and solutions I run in to, just in case anyone is interested.
Last night, I downloaded and installed Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007. The Office 2007 products are not expected to be in stores until January 30th, but in the meantime you can get trial versions here to play with until the official release. The trial versions are fully functional until March 31st.
Now, that probably doesn't sound like an event that would cause so much glee, but then you're probably not as much of an Excel junkie as I am. I thought that I was perfectly happy with my ancient Office XP Suite, but oh my is the sun shining so much brighter today! I haven't tried the new Word yet, but I expect I'll be just as thrilled with it when I do.
I'll post some of my favorite new features as I play more with the programs, as well as any problems and solutions I run in to, just in case anyone is interested.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Laughing so hard there are literally tears running down my face. O Holy Night @ The Sneeze
And the zombiefied version, just for Birch: O Holy Night @ ZombiesComic.com
And the zombiefied version, just for Birch: O Holy Night @ ZombiesComic.com
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Quick! Go look at this picture, and then come back and tell me how long it took you to get it.
I'm down for 6 seconds, although I have to admit I was *really* confused for 5 of those.
I'm down for 6 seconds, although I have to admit I was *really* confused for 5 of those.
It's not even three o'clock yet, and the cafeteria at the college is out of coffee and not making any more for the rest of the day. I'm still here for another two hours, so the lack of coffee is ridiculously unfair. I think I'm going to start a petition for a Starbucks on campus. Or at least a Tim Hortons, since I don't think most of us can afford thrice daily Starbucks fixes.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Thursday, December 28, 2006
I took a couple of pictures of our favorite tree ornaments the other night just after we'd decorated. I thought I would share, and put out an open invitation for my readers to do the same on their own blogs. Can't wait to see your special ornaments! (Provided of course, that you are as lazy in the week following Christmas as I am and haven't already taken your tree down, or that you just happen to already have the appropriate pictures.)
This baby is my favorite. I got it for Ryan the first Christmas after we started dating. It's a Hallmark, and it's called "Stuck on You", which very much described our budding relationship. If we weren't physically stuck to one another, our minds were stuck on each other. I'm amazed that we both made it through that period with our jobs intact. Totally and completely driven to distraction darn near 24/7.
This here is Monkey's favorite. This year, as soon as we dragged out the boxes of ornaments, she was searching for it. I was surprised that she remembered it, because she hasn't ever made a big deal about it in the last couple of years since it was given to us, but apparently she finds it very special. It was given to me by an online friend as part of an ornament exchange the year that we all moved in together.
That's it for now, but I'll finish with a picture of our massive tree all decorated - I know I'm a couple of weeks past showing off your tree time, but we got a late start.
I'm crossing my fingers as I hit the publish button, because I'm not sure if my formatting is going to work out. If the pictures are on the left, and most of the writing is on the right, I'll be ecstatic. Simple minds, simple pleasures.
This baby is my favorite. I got it for Ryan the first Christmas after we started dating. It's a Hallmark, and it's called "Stuck on You", which very much described our budding relationship. If we weren't physically stuck to one another, our minds were stuck on each other. I'm amazed that we both made it through that period with our jobs intact. Totally and completely driven to distraction darn near 24/7.
This here is Monkey's favorite. This year, as soon as we dragged out the boxes of ornaments, she was searching for it. I was surprised that she remembered it, because she hasn't ever made a big deal about it in the last couple of years since it was given to us, but apparently she finds it very special. It was given to me by an online friend as part of an ornament exchange the year that we all moved in together.
That's it for now, but I'll finish with a picture of our massive tree all decorated - I know I'm a couple of weeks past showing off your tree time, but we got a late start.I'm crossing my fingers as I hit the publish button, because I'm not sure if my formatting is going to work out. If the pictures are on the left, and most of the writing is on the right, I'll be ecstatic. Simple minds, simple pleasures.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Funniest Flash animation ever. Not safe for work or small children. I never get tired of this one.
End of The World
End of The World
Posting from my new toy!
That's right folks, we've finally invested in a laptop.
It's going to be immensely useful for me for school - instead of coming home between classes to use my desktop computer and wasting time and gas on the drive, I can just set up anywhere at the college and work away. Most of the campus is wireless, so I'll even be able to get online.
Yay!
That's right folks, we've finally invested in a laptop.
It's going to be immensely useful for me for school - instead of coming home between classes to use my desktop computer and wasting time and gas on the drive, I can just set up anywhere at the college and work away. Most of the campus is wireless, so I'll even be able to get online.
Yay!
My Christmas Dinner Contribution
Here's the recipe for the lentil loaf I took to Christmas dinner. I would cook it for a little longer than it says, because mine didn't really "loaf". It was more of a lentil slop. Tasty lentil slop, but slop none the less.
1 onion
1 clove garlic
2 stalks celery
2 teaspoons sage
3 cups cooked lentils
3 cups cooked wild rice
1/4 cup dry whole wheat breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 eggs (Use egg substitute to make this dish vegan).
2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
fresh ground black pepper
sea salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Chop onion and celery finely, and crush the garlic clove.
3. Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray, and saute the onion, garlic and celery until onion is translucent.
4. Add the sage.
5. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
6. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and fill the loaf pan with the mixture.
7. Press down.
8. Bake 30 minutes covered, 10 minutes uncovered.
9. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.
I served it with Mushroom Gravy, which is so disgustingly simple to make, and extremely tasty.
1 onion
1 clove garlic
2 stalks celery
2 teaspoons sage
3 cups cooked lentils
3 cups cooked wild rice
1/4 cup dry whole wheat breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 eggs (Use egg substitute to make this dish vegan).
2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
fresh ground black pepper
sea salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Chop onion and celery finely, and crush the garlic clove.
3. Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray, and saute the onion, garlic and celery until onion is translucent.
4. Add the sage.
5. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
6. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and fill the loaf pan with the mixture.
7. Press down.
8. Bake 30 minutes covered, 10 minutes uncovered.
9. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.
I served it with Mushroom Gravy, which is so disgustingly simple to make, and extremely tasty.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas from a bad bad blogger
Hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas!
See you sometime later this week once the sugar buzz and Christmas dinner hangover wears off!
See you sometime later this week once the sugar buzz and Christmas dinner hangover wears off!
Monday, December 18, 2006
A sigh of relief and a brag
Another semester almost over. My final portfolio of papers for Contemporary Moral Issues is one (or maybe two) editing sessions away from being complete, and when I hand that in at 3 o'clock on Wednesday, I will officially be on 'winter break' (which really just means more time at work, but at least my evenings will be a little clearer).
I've been obsessively checking the college's web site to see if any of my marks have been posted yet, and sometime this afternoon my mark for Auditing went up. 97%. Yay me! Seeing that kind of number pop up really makes all of the homework and studying and lost sleep feel much more worth it.
And now, I must sleep.
Hopefully we'll get the monster Christmas tree decorated tomorrow, and I can share some festive pictures with you all.
I've been obsessively checking the college's web site to see if any of my marks have been posted yet, and sometime this afternoon my mark for Auditing went up. 97%. Yay me! Seeing that kind of number pop up really makes all of the homework and studying and lost sleep feel much more worth it.
And now, I must sleep.
Hopefully we'll get the monster Christmas tree decorated tomorrow, and I can share some festive pictures with you all.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Some light reading and a reminder link for myself...
Just got through reading this article, and I thought I would link to it both for the enjoyment of (some of) my readers, and as a way to remind myself to try the recipe which comes at the end of the article. It's an oldie but a goodie by Peter Singer.
If you're not a vegetarian, interested in animal rights, or open minded in any way about the aforementioned topics, you might want to just skip it.
If you're not a vegetarian, interested in animal rights, or open minded in any way about the aforementioned topics, you might want to just skip it.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
The Plague
The Husband and I have recently found ourselves struck down by the plague.
You know what I'm talking about - that nasty head cold that goes around during the Christmas season that leaves you feeling like a walking snot machine with a vice clamping down on your head and a tourniquet ever tightening around your throat.
And it's right on time to interfere with exams and getting ready for Christmas. You'd think I would have figured out by now that this will happen EVERY YEAR but apparently I'm not that quick.
Wugh.
You know what I'm talking about - that nasty head cold that goes around during the Christmas season that leaves you feeling like a walking snot machine with a vice clamping down on your head and a tourniquet ever tightening around your throat.
And it's right on time to interfere with exams and getting ready for Christmas. You'd think I would have figured out by now that this will happen EVERY YEAR but apparently I'm not that quick.
Wugh.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Grammar goodies
Most excellent.
Now take it and tell me what you scored. Make sure to post the results on your own blog to spread the grammar love.
Your Language Arts Grade: 100%
Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).
Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz
Now take it and tell me what you scored. Make sure to post the results on your own blog to spread the grammar love.
Nothing like a little public humiliation...
This is several months old, but I just came across this picture and thought I would share.
For your viewing *ahem* pleasure, a picture from my bachelorette party. Yes, I am drinking out of a diamond shaped ring shot glass. Yes, I am adorned with many shiny sparkly things. Yes, that is in fact a veil made of bar bathroom paper towel.
This is the first time any of the pictures have been put out to the internets, as far as I know, and it may be the last.
The party was a blast, and I was surely and soundly humiliated by my dearest and closest friends, as per tradition. And I can't wait for the rest of them (you know who you are!) to get married so that I can return the favour. Bwahahahahaha.
In all fairness, I did get off quite lightly, compared to some of the other poor girls I've seen dragged around town in horrid getups. In fact, I fared far better than my husband - he may have made an even prettier woman than I did that night. But I'll save those pictures for another day...
For your viewing *ahem* pleasure, a picture from my bachelorette party. Yes, I am drinking out of a diamond shaped ring shot glass. Yes, I am adorned with many shiny sparkly things. Yes, that is in fact a veil made of bar bathroom paper towel.
This is the first time any of the pictures have been put out to the internets, as far as I know, and it may be the last.
The party was a blast, and I was surely and soundly humiliated by my dearest and closest friends, as per tradition. And I can't wait for the rest of them (you know who you are!) to get married so that I can return the favour. Bwahahahahaha.
In all fairness, I did get off quite lightly, compared to some of the other poor girls I've seen dragged around town in horrid getups. In fact, I fared far better than my husband - he may have made an even prettier woman than I did that night. But I'll save those pictures for another day...
Performancing
Becky at Savvy Mom posted a great Firefox extension for her contribution to Works for Me Wednesday (Hosted by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer).
It's called Performancing, and it's a great little blog editor that sits right inside your Firefox window, and does all sorts of neat things like accept drag-and-drop formatted text from webpages, and allow you to take notes to save for later.
Very easy to set up and use, and in my humble opinion works a smidge better than the Blogger Beta interface. It supports a wide variety of other blog platforms as well.
Enjoy!
It's called Performancing, and it's a great little blog editor that sits right inside your Firefox window, and does all sorts of neat things like accept drag-and-drop formatted text from webpages, and allow you to take notes to save for later.
Very easy to set up and use, and in my humble opinion works a smidge better than the Blogger Beta interface. It supports a wide variety of other blog platforms as well.
Enjoy!
Getting to Know Your Friends - The Holiday Version
I was tagged in e-mail, but I decided to answer here rather than by e-mail. I am *much* more likely to post on my blog on any given day than to answer e-mails, although I have no good reason for that.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog. Preferably with spiced rum. Or Hot Chocolate, with Mint Chocolate Baileys. I'm not really that picky, as long as there's alcohol.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He wraps them.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Coloured on the tree, none outside. Blinking obnoxious coloured lights on the tree, to be exact.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.
5. When do you put your decorations up? Tree goes up whenever we get around to getting a tree, which usually means we wait until The Husband's parents get theirs, and tag along with them. Decorations go up as we get around to it. Sometimes, they don't even make it up. It's strange, considering how much I love Christmas, but the decorating thing just doesn't get my mojo going.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Squash and cheddar casserole.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? When my brother knocked over the Christmas tree when I was 2 or 3.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I have no idea. I think my mother's handwriting on Santa's tags gave it away. Hence why I don't put tags on Santa presents now.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Monkey always gets a book and a set of PJs. Nothing for the "big kids" (aka The Husband and I).
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Tons of lights and as many decorations as will fit.
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it love it love it. We don't get much here, but we're under a heavy snowfall warning right now and there's already over a foot on the ground and I'm ecstatic.
12. Can you ice skate? Have you ever fallen on the ice? Not well. And yes, a lot of falling.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My parents got my brother and I our own shared phone line, which then became my own line when he moved out. I absolutely loved it.
14 What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being a kid again with my daughter, and spending quality time with family..
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I have no idea. Probably peppermint cheesecake.
16. What are your favorite holiday traditions? Crafting and wrapping.
17. What tops your tree? A star.
18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving. Especially when it's a homemade gift.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song? I have way too many favorites. I love them all. I'm a total Christmas music junkie.
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or yum? Yuck! Yuck, unless they're crushed and put in hot chocolate. That's a yummy treat for by the fire on a cold night.
Now I tag Andrea, Birch, Bryan, and anyone else that wants to play along.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog. Preferably with spiced rum. Or Hot Chocolate, with Mint Chocolate Baileys. I'm not really that picky, as long as there's alcohol.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He wraps them.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Coloured on the tree, none outside. Blinking obnoxious coloured lights on the tree, to be exact.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.
5. When do you put your decorations up? Tree goes up whenever we get around to getting a tree, which usually means we wait until The Husband's parents get theirs, and tag along with them. Decorations go up as we get around to it. Sometimes, they don't even make it up. It's strange, considering how much I love Christmas, but the decorating thing just doesn't get my mojo going.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Squash and cheddar casserole.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? When my brother knocked over the Christmas tree when I was 2 or 3.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I have no idea. I think my mother's handwriting on Santa's tags gave it away. Hence why I don't put tags on Santa presents now.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Monkey always gets a book and a set of PJs. Nothing for the "big kids" (aka The Husband and I).
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Tons of lights and as many decorations as will fit.
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it love it love it. We don't get much here, but we're under a heavy snowfall warning right now and there's already over a foot on the ground and I'm ecstatic.
12. Can you ice skate? Have you ever fallen on the ice? Not well. And yes, a lot of falling.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My parents got my brother and I our own shared phone line, which then became my own line when he moved out. I absolutely loved it.
14 What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being a kid again with my daughter, and spending quality time with family..
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I have no idea. Probably peppermint cheesecake.
16. What are your favorite holiday traditions? Crafting and wrapping.
17. What tops your tree? A star.
18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving. Especially when it's a homemade gift.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song? I have way too many favorites. I love them all. I'm a total Christmas music junkie.
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or yum? Yuck! Yuck, unless they're crushed and put in hot chocolate. That's a yummy treat for by the fire on a cold night.
Now I tag Andrea, Birch, Bryan, and anyone else that wants to play along.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
A much needed chuckle...
Breasts and why we should be filled with shame for using them.
I love me some finslippy today. Make sure you follow the link to the full article - I just didn't want anyone to miss the Irony Overload bit.
I'm crawling back into bed now. Some strange bug has taken over my body and is making being upright for more than 10 minutes at a time very unpleasant. Great timing, considering we have a parent-teacher interview at Monkey's school in 2 hours, and I have a 3 hour class tonight (that I'm probably only going to go to long enough to hand in my homework and get the next assignment), not to mention the 7 hours of worked I missed today.
I love me some finslippy today. Make sure you follow the link to the full article - I just didn't want anyone to miss the Irony Overload bit.
I'm crawling back into bed now. Some strange bug has taken over my body and is making being upright for more than 10 minutes at a time very unpleasant. Great timing, considering we have a parent-teacher interview at Monkey's school in 2 hours, and I have a 3 hour class tonight (that I'm probably only going to go to long enough to hand in my homework and get the next assignment), not to mention the 7 hours of worked I missed today.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Which Sports Car are You?
I'm pleased with my result. The exact word out of my mouth was sweeeeeeet. And anyone who knows me shouldn't be the least bit surprised by that.
I'm a Ford Mustang!
You're an American classic -- fast, strong, and bold. You're not snobby or pretentious, but you have what it takes to give anyone a run for their money.
"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.
There's more than one of me!
Someone needs to make one of these for Canada, if there isn't already one. Very cool.
| HowManyOfMe.com | ||
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Saturday, November 18, 2006
Potato Leek Soup
Now, I never wanted this blog to turn into a "what I had for lunch today" blog, and in fact I've seriously considered buying Maggie's book to ensure that doesn't happen, but as you all know, I love food, and I love cooking, and occasionally I'm going to have to share my creations and recipes with you. Today is one of those occasions.
Potato Leek Soup (Vegan friendly)
10 cups cold water
1 leek
Olive oil
4-6 medium potatoes
1/2 bulb garlic
Sea salt
Clean and chop the leek into thin slices (some people suggest only using the white part, but I love to throw it all in for the greeny goodness) and saute til slightly browned in the olive oil. While the leek is browning, peel and dice the potatoes. Add the potatoes and leek to the cold water and bring to a boil. Smash and mince the garlic (you may want to reduce the amount slightly, but I'm a garlic fiend so I use tons) and add. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Now, at this point you could call it done and just give it a good stir, add salt to taste, and serve, but I prefer to cream the soup with a hand blender and then add the sea salt. Top it off with some freshly ground pepper just before serving.
Bon appetit!
Potato Leek Soup (Vegan friendly)
10 cups cold water
1 leek
Olive oil
4-6 medium potatoes
1/2 bulb garlic
Sea salt
Clean and chop the leek into thin slices (some people suggest only using the white part, but I love to throw it all in for the greeny goodness) and saute til slightly browned in the olive oil. While the leek is browning, peel and dice the potatoes. Add the potatoes and leek to the cold water and bring to a boil. Smash and mince the garlic (you may want to reduce the amount slightly, but I'm a garlic fiend so I use tons) and add. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Now, at this point you could call it done and just give it a good stir, add salt to taste, and serve, but I prefer to cream the soup with a hand blender and then add the sea salt. Top it off with some freshly ground pepper just before serving.
Bon appetit!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Nine Shades of Weird
Tag! I'm it.
- I hate having other peoples feet touch me, and I hate it when my feet touch other people. Frankly, I hate it when my feet touch anything, which is why my favorite TV watching position is sockless-with-feet-over-edge-of-couch. My family thinks this foot issue of mine is hilarious, and they'll often try to be sneaky and put their feet on me without me noticing, but it never works.
- I love shoes. Totally in contrast to number 1, of course, but I figure if I must confine my feet, I may as well do it with shoes that I love.
- I'm incredibly cheap. Totally in contrast to number 2, of course. I spend a ridiculous amount of time coveting the shoes of other people (particularly TV characters), but never actually buy the shoes I love for myself. This is also why I'm still walking around in several pairs of shoes with broken or worn down heels.
- I don't answer my phone unless I know the caller. Thank goodness for caller ID! This one drives The Husband mad, because I'll run across the house with a ringing phone to make him answer it if I don't recognize the number. When he's not home, I just let the machine take it. I figure, if it's important, they'll leave a message. So always leave a message if you call me from a number I might not be familiar with.
- I love spreadsheets. Yes I do. I think Excel is a program designed by the Gods to make my life more pleasurable. The more things I can think of do to with Excel, the better. While planning our wedding, I had spreadsheets for just about everything, including the shopping list for alcohol, on which the taxes and deposits were automatically calculated so that I knew what we were spending to the penny. That's right, if you didn't already know it (but who doesn't...), I'm a total nerd.
- I hate odd numbers except for multiples of 5. If I'm listening to the radio and the volume control is numbered, I have to set it to an even number, or a multiple of five. Same with watching TV. Sometimes, I swear that The Husband puts it on an odd number just to torment me.
- I love food, and I will try just about anything once, but I also have some very strange food habits. I hate for my food to touch, and if it does touch I must separate it before eating it. Sandwiches are eaten in layers, pizza pops are disemboweled and each type of ingredient eaten separately, cake is eaten from the inside out (cakey part first, filling second, and icing last), etc. This behaviour has been labeled odd by some, and totally disturbing by others.
- I eat paperclips. Well, not really, but at any given time you could walk into my office at work and find me with a paperclip in my mouth. Sometimes I play with them with my tongue, and other times I just chew on them.
- I only shampoo my hair once or twice a week. I wet it down and style it just about every day, but I don't actually put soap on it unless it's really full of styling cack. Now, you folks with straight hair are probably totally grossed out by this, because people with straight hair often *need* to wash their hair every day or it gets greasy, but that's not the case for *most* of us with frizzy/curly hair. Plus, frizzy hair is even frizzier when it's squeaky clean, which is generally not my preferred look.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Happy Birthday Monkey!
Monkey's 6th birthday is later this week, but we're celebrating this weekend because she will be with her dad for the actual day and the following weekend.
Can't believe you're six already baby!
Love you much.
Mom
Can't believe you're six already baby!
Love you much.
Mom
Friday, November 10, 2006
Sexism in the Sandbox
Environmental Groups vs. Rona Ambrose
I understand the cause, I understand the passion, and I understand the desire to use language that is going to catch people's attention, but this is unacceptable. What are the chances that the same comments would have been made about a male in her position, regardless of how lovely his hair was?
I understand the cause, I understand the passion, and I understand the desire to use language that is going to catch people's attention, but this is unacceptable. What are the chances that the same comments would have been made about a male in her position, regardless of how lovely his hair was?
Monday, November 06, 2006
Chameleon Blog
The blue was too dark, I think.
I'm not sure if I like this scheme either though. We'll see if it grows on me.
I'm not sure if I like this scheme either though. We'll see if it grows on me.
Article on Ecofeminism and Vegetarianism
Ecofeminism and the Eating of Animals - Carol J Adams
I'm not going to comment on it yet, unless anyone wants to discuss, but I read it and found it interesting, so I thought I would share. Enjoy!
I'm not going to comment on it yet, unless anyone wants to discuss, but I read it and found it interesting, so I thought I would share. Enjoy!
The Mystery of the Possessed Ceiling Fan Light Solved
So yesterday, the light in the ceiling fan started acting very strange. I turned the light on from the wall switch (it has a remote as well), and within a few seconds the light started cycling from really dim to really bright over and over and over again. C & D were over, so I called them both in to see it. There was some ponderings about whether it indicated pending lightbulb failure or paranormal activity.
I considered leaving the light on and seeing how long it would take to burn out, but I wanted The Husband to see it, so I turned it off and left it off until he got home.
I dragged him into the bedroom (get your mind out of the gutter!) as soon as he got home, and we both stood there and pondered the behaviour for a minute. Then R suggested that I turn the light off, and rather than walking to the door and flicking the switch, I picked up the remote. It was then that I noticed that the "Light" button was depressed and the LED that indicates that the remote is communicating was flickering.
Turns out that the light has a built in dimmer function that we hadn't realized was there, and if you hold the button down instead of just pressing and releasing, it changes the brightness of the light.
The really cool thing about that is that since we moved into this house, we've been cursing how dim the bedroom light is. Turns out it was just on a dim setting. So now we've got it turned up and can actually see things in the room, and all is well.
This post was *way* more interesting in my head than it is on screen.
I considered leaving the light on and seeing how long it would take to burn out, but I wanted The Husband to see it, so I turned it off and left it off until he got home.
I dragged him into the bedroom (get your mind out of the gutter!) as soon as he got home, and we both stood there and pondered the behaviour for a minute. Then R suggested that I turn the light off, and rather than walking to the door and flicking the switch, I picked up the remote. It was then that I noticed that the "Light" button was depressed and the LED that indicates that the remote is communicating was flickering.
Turns out that the light has a built in dimmer function that we hadn't realized was there, and if you hold the button down instead of just pressing and releasing, it changes the brightness of the light.
The really cool thing about that is that since we moved into this house, we've been cursing how dim the bedroom light is. Turns out it was just on a dim setting. So now we've got it turned up and can actually see things in the room, and all is well.
This post was *way* more interesting in my head than it is on screen.
It amazes me
how indignant some drivers can be, when they're actually in the wrong.
Case in point. I'm coming up 17th street tonight (which of course means nothing to the non-Valley people, but whatever), and I have a green light. I start to proceed through the intersection. The driver across the intersection who is waiting to turn left starts to go as soon as her light goes green (solid green, not a flashing green arrow), and then slams on her brakes and her horn simultaneously and shakes her fist at me. Now, I quite clearly had the right-of-way. What I'm really curious to know is if she realized her mistake and now feels like an idiot, or if she's off posting at her own blog about the crazy lady who ran the red light (as she must have presumed I was doing in order for her to have the right-of-way) and almost drove into her. I didn't notice if she had anyone else in the car, so whether there was an unbiased third party to point out to her what she had done wrong is unclear.
Interesting to ponder.
Case in point. I'm coming up 17th street tonight (which of course means nothing to the non-Valley people, but whatever), and I have a green light. I start to proceed through the intersection. The driver across the intersection who is waiting to turn left starts to go as soon as her light goes green (solid green, not a flashing green arrow), and then slams on her brakes and her horn simultaneously and shakes her fist at me. Now, I quite clearly had the right-of-way. What I'm really curious to know is if she realized her mistake and now feels like an idiot, or if she's off posting at her own blog about the crazy lady who ran the red light (as she must have presumed I was doing in order for her to have the right-of-way) and almost drove into her. I didn't notice if she had anyone else in the car, so whether there was an unbiased third party to point out to her what she had done wrong is unclear.
Interesting to ponder.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Waiting on the World to Change
The title of this post is the title of a John Mayer song that is getting massive airtime right now. Here's the lyrics:
Waiting On The World To Change
me and all my friends
we're all misunderstood
they say we stand for nothing and
there's no way we ever could
now we see everything that's going wrong
with the world and those who lead it
we just feel like we don't have the means
to rise above and beat it
so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change
it's hard to beat the system
when we're standing at a distance
so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change
now if we had the power
to bring our neighbors home from war
they would have never missed a Christmas
no more ribbons on their door
and when you trust your television
what you get is what you got
cause when they own the information, oh
they can bend it all they want
that's why we're waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change
it's not that we don't care,
we just know that the fight ain't fair
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change
and we're still waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
one day our generation
is gonna rule the population
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change
Now, I immediately found myself liking this song the first time I heard it. It's catchy, it touches on the media control of the right wing, and it talks about the strength of our generation's conviction that things need to change. But then I listened to the song a few more times... and a few more times... (It seems to be on on Sirius Hits 1 every time I'm in the car, which is impressive considering I spend at most 30-40 minutes total in my car out of every 24 hours). The more I listen to it, the stronger the message becomes that our generation shouldn't fight for change, because we're not going to win. That we have to sit on our laurels and wait for all the old codgers in power to die off before our voices can be heard. Not only is it an extremely defeatist attitude, but I just don't think it's accurate!
Do you?
Waiting On The World To Change
me and all my friends
we're all misunderstood
they say we stand for nothing and
there's no way we ever could
now we see everything that's going wrong
with the world and those who lead it
we just feel like we don't have the means
to rise above and beat it
so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change
it's hard to beat the system
when we're standing at a distance
so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change
now if we had the power
to bring our neighbors home from war
they would have never missed a Christmas
no more ribbons on their door
and when you trust your television
what you get is what you got
cause when they own the information, oh
they can bend it all they want
that's why we're waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change
it's not that we don't care,
we just know that the fight ain't fair
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change
and we're still waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
one day our generation
is gonna rule the population
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change
Now, I immediately found myself liking this song the first time I heard it. It's catchy, it touches on the media control of the right wing, and it talks about the strength of our generation's conviction that things need to change. But then I listened to the song a few more times... and a few more times... (It seems to be on on Sirius Hits 1 every time I'm in the car, which is impressive considering I spend at most 30-40 minutes total in my car out of every 24 hours). The more I listen to it, the stronger the message becomes that our generation shouldn't fight for change, because we're not going to win. That we have to sit on our laurels and wait for all the old codgers in power to die off before our voices can be heard. Not only is it an extremely defeatist attitude, but I just don't think it's accurate!
Do you?
An Official Request
I would like to request that the phrase "over-reacted" be struck from common use.
Guys, nothing good can ever come from telling your wife/girlfriend that she over-reacted.
Particularly when you follow that up with "just like you over-react to everything".
That is all.
Baby shower at my house today for a friend, so I won't be posting again until much later today, if at all.
Guys, nothing good can ever come from telling your wife/girlfriend that she over-reacted.
Particularly when you follow that up with "just like you over-react to everything".
That is all.
Baby shower at my house today for a friend, so I won't be posting again until much later today, if at all.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Pumpkin Pancakes
Monkey and I had these for dinner tonight.
Pumpkin Pancakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp cloves
1 1/4 cups buttermilk/sour milk
3/4 cup of canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon oil
Combine all ingredients till smooth. Fry on a hot griddle.
From here.
Pumpkin Pancakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp cloves
1 1/4 cups buttermilk/sour milk
3/4 cup of canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon oil
Combine all ingredients till smooth. Fry on a hot griddle.
From here.
Monday, October 30, 2006
If you're reading this...
let me know.
I'm curious to know who my readers are. And if you have a blog that I don't know about yet, feel free to link. I've got a wicked new extension for Firefox that is making it super easy and quick to check all of my favorite blogs daily.
Salut, mes amis!
I'm curious to know who my readers are. And if you have a blog that I don't know about yet, feel free to link. I've got a wicked new extension for Firefox that is making it super easy and quick to check all of my favorite blogs daily.
Salut, mes amis!
There simply aren't enough...
hours in the day to complete everything I want to do.
Everything I *need* to do - maybe. Honestly, if I didn't have any interests outside of school, work, and family, I think I'd be doing just fine. I've learned (as unhealthy as it might be) to cope with little sleep and virtually no "down" time, in the interests of getting done what needs to be done.
However, there are too many things on the list of "wants".
I've developed an interest in Feminism, and trying to sate my desire to understand Feminism both as a theory and as a movement involves a mountain of reading and research that I just don't have enough time for.
That's just one example. I'd put down all of the rest, but I just don't have enough time tonight!
And then there's the desire to reach out and reconnect with friends and family that I don't spend nearly enough time communicating with!
I need to replicate myself.
Everything I *need* to do - maybe. Honestly, if I didn't have any interests outside of school, work, and family, I think I'd be doing just fine. I've learned (as unhealthy as it might be) to cope with little sleep and virtually no "down" time, in the interests of getting done what needs to be done.
However, there are too many things on the list of "wants".
I've developed an interest in Feminism, and trying to sate my desire to understand Feminism both as a theory and as a movement involves a mountain of reading and research that I just don't have enough time for.
That's just one example. I'd put down all of the rest, but I just don't have enough time tonight!
And then there's the desire to reach out and reconnect with friends and family that I don't spend nearly enough time communicating with!
I need to replicate myself.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
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