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If you could chance one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My motivation. I lack it a lot. I'd like to be motivated to work out more often. And I'd like to motivate myself to do my homework more thoroughly.
Posted 2 years ago
2 notes
About Mickolas
Hi, my name is Mick!
I'm a recent college graduate. I majored in biomedical science with Chemistry and Spanish minors.
I'm 22, single, and gay-ish.
Instagram: @Mickolas9
Copyright © 2011–2014 Mickolas. Powered by Tumblr.
Simple Things theme by Dan Hauk.


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Google is expanding its "Shared endorsements" program. Starting in November, your name, photo, comments, and ratings or +1's you've given to a brand or local business can show up in both organic search results and in advertisements for that brand or businesss.
"This only happens when you take an action (things like +1'ing, commenting or following) – and the only people who see it are the people you've chosen to share that content with," Google explained in its announcement.
Google reminded users with its updated terms that users control how their endorsements are displayed in ads through their settings.
On November 11, Google+ will update its terms of service agreement to clarify how your profile name and photo might be used in Google products, including in reviews and advertising.
"This update to our Terms of Service doesn't change in any way who you've shared things with in the past or your ability to control who you want to share things with in the future," Google said in its announcement.
If you'd like to check your settings, here's a couple simple steps:
- Sign into your Google account. Go to the "Shared Endorsements" settings page.
- You can enable or disable the setting that allows people to see your name and photo in shared endorsements on ads by checking or unchecking the box shown in the following screenshot:
Google reminded users that "unchecking the box means that Google won't be able to share your recommendations with your friends in some cases where they might otherwise see and benefit from them."
The Original Search Marketing Event is Back!
SES Denver (Oct 16) offers an intense day of learning all the critical aspects of search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search advertising (PPC). The mission of SES remains the same as it did from the start - to help you master being found on search engines. Register today!

subset: commoncrawl


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Famous Smoke Shop Premium Cigars at Discount Prices! Order Toll Free: 1-800-564-2486 Contact Us
White Owl Cigarillos Foilfresh (replaces miniatures) Reviews [view details]Give us YOUR review!
Showing 11 through 16 of 16 reviews
"Bring back the miniatures"
Bring back the miniatures!Jerry hawks in Jacksonville, fl November 3, 2010
"bring back the miniatures"
These are a horrible replacement to the most popular Miniature. Bring back the mini and fire the guy who stopped the making of the Miniature... rate 10dave paradis in sutton nh October 16, 2010
I have been a White Owl miniature smoker for some time now, and the only cigar Ihave really enjoyed. Tried others but come back to Miniatures. Now you no longer make them??? What a bummer. Please reconsider your decision and resume production of the WO Miniature. Thanks!!!Lou K in Bel Air Maryland August 29, 2010
BRING BACK THE MINIATURES THANKS YOURaymond in Rhode island August 24, 2010
"Very popular Miniatures replaced by poor quality"
I bought a box of these because some bone-head at White Owl decided not to make the Miniatures anymore. These have a cut tip which immediately began to disintegrate after a few puffs. The taste isn't bad but you will be spitting out tobacco the whole time. These were my everyday cigars, so on the good side I now only occasionally smoke a higher quality cigar and am smoking less. This was a terrible decision by someone at the company. Not recommended.Dennis in Tulsa, OK July 21, 2010
"White Owl Miniatures vs. White Owl Cigarillos"
Long time WO Minaiture smoker. Very sad to see these replaced by the Cigarillo. Tried these new Cigarillos for a month now. Harsh taste, open tip must be cut to get good draw. Foil package is nice but tabs will not work properly to remove them. Just not a good switch in my opinion. New Cigarillos come in flavers which may be popular but not for me. Big mistake White Owl! Bring back the Miniatures!Rick Onks in usa February 19, 2010


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Daily Update
Monday, September 22 - The Dan Moran Aviary is temporarily closed due to maintenance.
Date Change - 2014 Monarch Tagging is now October 1-3 (1-3 p.m. daily). Free with Zoo admission.
55º F
Current Conditions:
Partly Cloudy
Tue - Sunny, High: 82
Wed - Mostly Cloudy, High: 82
Halloween Costume Swap
The Zoo is hosting its annual Halloween Costume Swap event on Saturday, October 4. Kids will enjoy shopping costumes that are "new" to them while adults enjoy the savings. For early drop-off, bring your new or gently used child-sized Halloween costumes to the Zoo's Guest Relations office from September 29 through October 3, and receive a ticket to come back and shop our Swap on Oct. 4! One ticket for the Swap will be given for each costume donated. Or, donate without swapping. No Zoo admission required.
SWAPtember Savings!
Through September, some local organizations are teaming up to save you money. During Swaptember, show your current membership card from any of the following organizations and receive $5 off any other listed organizations' membership: Museum of Osteology, Myriad Botanical Gardens, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma Historical Society, Sam Noble Museum, Science Museum Oklahoma, Strafford Air & Space Museum, and ZooFriends. Some restrictions apply. For information, call (405) 425-0618.


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Best Dressed: Emma Stone in Lanvin; Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace. Both just a little bit odd; both close to perfect (although I don't love the sleeves on Emma's dress or the hem on Angelina's, the amazing slashes of color on both gowns make them unforgettable).
Honorable Mention: Dianna Agron in Giles, who gets an A for Effort. I don't really like the dress, but I do really like that she's a relative newcomer and nevertheless refuses to play it safe.
Best Beauty: Salma Hayek. Her Gucci dress may have disappointed some - it's simpler and less va-va-voom than what we're used to seeing Salma in (which is actually a big plus in my book; I thought she looked chic and modern) - but I don't think anyone would argue that she nailed it from the waist upwards. Those earrings!
Most Yawn-Worthy: Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang. We've seen her in this silhouette countless times, and yeah, it works on her, and yeah, she's beautiful…but I'd love to see her try something '70s-inspired with a loose updo. Or anything else. Anything.
What was your favorite look of the night?
Q. Hi Jordan,
I am shopping for new spoons/forks/knives for my apartment. I want a set with some character, but nothing too crazy. What are your favorite flatware styles?
- Amy
A. Really, a lot depends on the look of your plates, but you can't go wrong with simple styles infused with a unique detail or two.
I love gold sets lately (like this one), but that's quite a statement and not for everyone, so here are some more favorites that are traditional with a little twist:
Clockwise from top left: Lenox Flatware ($190/65-piece set); Kate Spade Abbington ($70/5-piece set); Williams-Sonoma Laguiole ($89/5-piece set); Kate Spade Belle Boulevard ($70/5-piece set)
And here's a romantic, vintage look (Pottery Barn Maxfield, $99/5-piece set), if that's more your style:
And finally, if all of these are too pricey, try Ikea. They're not going to last you a lifetime, but they have lots of cute, extremely well-priced sets; I particularly like the Rustik ($30/20-piece set) for a retro country look:
I've been meaning to start keeping all my home inspiration photos stored in one spot for easy access/reference.
So: Jordan's Place.
Follow along, if you like!
Update: OK, OK - all of you said I need to use Pinterest instead. Working on getting an invite; will let you know when it's up!
Update 2: Pinterest = up.
Senator Al Franken, who also happens to be my good friend Thomasin's father and a man for whom I have enormous admiration and respect, is fighting to pass a bill that would require schools to protect LGBT students who face threats and bullying (while students are presently protected from harassment based on race and gender, there are no protections in place for children who are bullied based on their gender identity or sexual orientation).
Check out Senator Franken's message above, and then please take a moment to call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121 and urge your Senator to sponsor the Student Non-Discrimination Act.
Q. I read your blog and decided to start using Cor soap because of your rave. I've never had anything even out my skin tone and make my skin feel so good. I even raved about it on my own blog.
Do you have any recommendation for facial cleansing wipes that might give me similar results for those few times it would be nice to wipe the makeup away and just go to bed?
- Ronja
A. Right?! Cor is just awesome. Ridiculously expensive, but - and I mean this - totally worth it. Both because of how well it works (full review here), and because it lasts forever. I've had the same bar now for so long that it's starting to get weird (and if you just want to test the waters, those little sample size bars also last a bizarrely long time).
Anyway, I hear you on occasionally needing to keep emergency supplies by the bed for the nights when you are simply not moving in the direction of the sink. I keep a stash of Proactiv Makeup Removing Cloths ($15) in my drawer, and they're great - very soft and thick, and get everything off without drying your skin or leaving residue.
Read about my Winter Skincare Solutions here.
My friend Stephen (whom you might remember as the guy who taught me this awesome lampshade refurbish trick using graphic wallpaper fragments) just gave me the heads-up that craftsman-with-a-cult-following John Derian is launching an exclusive sale of framed prints inspired by 18th-century French wallpaper patterns on One Kings Lane today. Gorgeous stuff starting at just $99.
The sale launches at 11AM EST, and goes for 72 hours. Check it out here.
Or: how to eat cake for breakfast and feel pretty good about it (not that you should ever feel bad about such things).
Click through for recipe.
What you need:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup poppyseeds
What you do:
1. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate large bowl, cream together butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time, blending well between additions.
3. Mix dry ingredients into butter/sugar/egg mixture.
4. Add milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppyseeds; mix well.
5. Bake at 350F approximately 30 minutes (use a toothpick inserted in the center to check doneness).
Serve with cream cheese icing (not pictured).
P.S. You can also make this into muffins; go here for general baking time rules.
How to keep a black-and-white palette from looking cold: just add texture, splashes of green (exposed brick and wood balance out the look nicely too, if you've got 'em), and cozy things like floor poufs.
Love floor poufs; wish I had them (both because they're cute and because I spend a large amount of time every day perched on the floor next to a bouncy seat). Of course those oversized Missoni ones are The Dream, but there are lots of affordable options out there. Por ejemplo:
Product info after the jump…
Clockwise from top left: Tazi Designs ($240); Urban Outfitters ($149); Neiman Marcus ($199); E Kenoz ($99); World Market ($49.99); Urban Outfitters ($109)
"Eels always look like they just told a joke and are waiting for a reaction."
Gasping for breath and holding onto something.
i can't with you girls today.
When I was fifteen years old, my four best friends and I spent a week at my friend's parents' place in Vermont. They had a porch enclosed with screens, and on it was a hanging bed - really just a piece of wood suspended from the ceiling by four chains and piled up with sleeping bags and comforters. We took turns sleeping on that bed, and on the night that it was my turn, I asked my friend what was so special about it, why everyone fought over who got to stay there. "You'll see," she said.
And in the very early morning, while everyone else was still asleep, I woke to pale sunlight streaming across the lake through a thick cloud of mist. I burrowed down into the blankets, and watched as the lake grew brighter and the birds began to stir. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my life.
The place weâre looking at has no lake, but it does have an enclosed porch, and a distant view of the Hudson River. I'm not counting any chickens, but I'm just saying…
it'd be nice to get back there.
Also, this is pretty:
Update: Thanks to Jackie for sending me…this.
Yes, exactly.
Yeah, yeah…more about money. What can I say: it's on my mind lately. And there's nothing like starting a family to make you start thinking very seriously about the future.
Some more tips that I picked up at the Go Girl Finance event Monday night and wanted to share:
Love & Money
- The number one predictor of divorce is fighting about money. That I knew already, but Personal Finance Expert Manisha Thakor has a simple test to determine whether a couple is starting from the same basic headspace. When you look at a menu, which side do you order from first: the left side, or the right side? And which side does your partner order from first? (This test doesn't exactly work for me, since I like to order two appetizers rather than an entree because I usually think appetizers are more interesting…but I get where she's going: do you approach eating out as an opportunity for indulgence, or are you frugal even when enjoying yourself?)
- You (and your partner, if you have shared finances) should give yourselves an annual "financial physical", going over your net worth, your savings, and your credit score.
Saving For The Future
- The three most powerful words in the world of personal finance: Start Saving Now. The money you save in your twenties and thirties will give you five times the money in the long run.
- Savings show respect for yourself and your life (and that life may be pretty long - or at least significantly longer than previous generations - so keep that in mind when you start your savings plan).
Estate Planning & Insurance
- No one likes to talk about this stuff. But this is one of those things that feels like it doesn't matter…until it does. And then it really, really, really does. At minimum, you should have the following: a medical directive, a will, life insurance, disability insurance, and umbrella liability.
- Your life insurance should be at minimum 5-10x your annual income, and the younger your children are, the more you should have.
For The Self-Employed
- If you own your own business, you should protect yourself by setting up a wall between your personal and professional finances.
- Set up an LLC (Thakor recommended using Legalzoom), which will have both legal and tax-related benefits, and set up separate bank accounts in case you're audited.
I promise: we'll get back to your regular programming now…but this stuff is too important to ignore.
A tip from Personal Finance Expert Manisha Thakor (whom I met last night at the Go Girl Finance event at the Warren-Tricomi Salon):
Take your annual income, and divide it by 2000 (the number of hours per year the average American woman works) to learn how much you make per hour….and then before you buy something, do a quick calculation to determine whether the item is worth that many hours of work to you. It may be tempting to pick up a $300 pair of boots…but once you realize that you'll have to work 15 hours to pay for them, resistance may come a little easier.
Click here for my another of my favorite (easy!) ways to up your savings.
Click here to learn how to handle tricky financial situations involving friends (hint: no yelling!).
i used the ROC eye cream awhile back and i recall liking it quite a bit…but other than that, nope. sorry i can't be of more help! maybe someone else has info?
We found a house we love.
I don't want to say too much more about it, because I know that what usually happens with these things is that they don't work, and then don't work, and continue not to work, until finally one day they do…but oh my god, do I ever love the place. (These pictures were taken right outside, just as the sun was setting.)
Something else I love: the fact that I rediscovered a pair of pants that were purchased the same year that I went around quoting Ani DiFranco and contemplating dyeing my hair platinum-blonde with a big streak of purple down one side (which is to say, a long freaking time ago).
They're cargo pants. They have a little spot for me to place my hammer. You know, the one I'm always toting around wherever I go.
They're ridiculous. And amazing. And they've been tucked away in the storage bag under my bed for over a decade now, because every time I've taken them out to toss them I've remembered how excited I was when I first bought them with money from a commercial (they're Frankie B, and were way more expensive than any pair of pants I'd ever owned), and thought to myself, "You know what? I bet they'll come back in style one of these days."
And I'm not quite sure that day has come.
But you know what?
Don't much care.
Like I said: ridiculous/amazing…and anything that can be described using those two words should be worn immediately, and often.
On me: Forever 21 blazer, Frankie B cargo pants, David Lerner tank, Melinda Maria earrings, GANT sunglasses, Talbots belt, vintage horseshoe necklace and bracelets, Aldo Roder Wedges.
So this is going to sound completely nuts, but…
You know that saying that grandmas (and I guess I) use: "She'd lose her head if it wasn't screwed onto her body"? (Or something like that.)
Well, these days it would not be 100% out of the realm of possibility for me to leave the house without pants on. (Yes, ha ha, she tends to go pantless on purpose from time to time. I'm talking about forgetting the lower half of my outfit when its presence is most certainly required.)
The thing about breastfeeding is that it's a hell of a lot easier if you stay in a state of partial disrobement at all times. And because this style of dressing has started to feel normal, I've had to remind myself on occasion that this is not an appropriate state in which to say hey to the FedEx guy or assorted other visitors. Yesterday I took Indy over to the doctor's office, and halfway there I felt a chill in a place where a chill should not be, and had a total panic attack, and had to check to make sure that I was in fact wearing leggings, and hadn't accidentally put on tights and forgotten to add the requisite something-to-go-over-them. As it turned out, I was happily covered up - just not wearing enough layers - but I am constantly doing things like leaving the house to walk the dogs wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops. In January. And you know what? A couple of times I've just said "F it" and continued on my dog-walking way. Because once you've wrestled a baby in a bear suit, a panicking lhasa apso, and a near-comatose shih tzu down four flights of stairs, hypothermia seems like a better option than prolonging the experience for one more second than absolutely necessary.
What's obviously going on here is that I'm so preoccupied with making sure that the baby has the gazillion things he needs in order to leave our little nest happily and safely that I'm completely forgetting to attend to my own attire. Whatever goes on my body is usually the fastest and easiest thing to put on when I'm already fifteen minutes late (because despite the fact that I have historically prided myself on being to-the-letter on-time, I am now always fifteen minutes late).
But…if you see me walking down the street, and I'm not wearing pants…
maybe give me a heads up.
That's all.
P.S. In an odd coincidence that makes this post shockingly timely…did you know that Sunday was apparently No Pants Subway Ride Day? 'Twas.
Friday night we went on Date #2 A.B. (After Baby), to see The Descendants (this was Date #1). I wore a dry-clean-only cashmere sweater and spike heels to sit in a dark movie theater because, you know…I don't get to wear impractical clothing all that often lately. And I totally missed our son madly and ended up rushing home right afterwards so that I could be the one to put him to bed.
(Excellent movie, by the way.)
Saturday involved not a single photo-worthy activity (we're talking straightening up and trips to the dry cleaner, woo), but on Sunday we drove up to Ossining (well…Mom drove. So we didn't have to take the train with the baby. Thank you, Mom! Also, I need to sign up for ZipCar) to look at more houses. We also made a stop into Lubin's & Links - that's Kendrick eating something called a "Junkyard Dog" (chili, bacon, jalapenos, eek) in our realtor's conference room, because Lubin's has no indoor seating, it was freezing outside, and our realtor is nice.
This is my Serious Home Buyer Face. (I know, I look super-professional up there in my blazer, but you want to hear a secret? I feel like a six-year-old, having conversations about home ownership - it's just a world that I'm completely unfamiliar with. It's also very exciting. Where will we be living in six months? No idea! Now that's suspense.)
This height chart, spotted inside the closet doors of one of the houses we visited, is a pretty good encapsulation of why we want to move.
We finished the journey back in the city at Flex Mussels, home of spectacular shellfish and that sorta deconstructed lemon meringue pie that I posted about (and shot a Better TV segment on) awhile back.
Click here to learn how to make 100% Not-From-Scratch Lemon Meringue Pie…In A Glass.
And finally: this might be my favorite photo of our son ever (or at least so far). Almost 12 weeks!
Five things:
1. My mug looks cuter than I do at the moment.
2. We just watched the premiere of this season's The Bachelor last night, and I want to know what I was thinking, not watching every second of every other previous season ever. Kendrick and I were literally on the edge of the couch going "PickJennapickJennapickJenna" during the rose ceremony. You know what sounds fun? Buying that treasure of a girl drinks and listening to her talk. About anything.
3. My gel manicure has grown out quite a bit and really could stand to be redone…but it has still not chipped. I want to give it a hug.
4. Part of the morning routine we've established involves settling into the rocking chair around 9AM and listening to classical music while we (or at least one of us) gets ready for a nap (yes, we've already been awake for long enough to require a nap). It's my favorite part of the day.
5. A great side-effect of having a baby - there's so much time during which you can't do anything but sort of just be there. Like during middle-of-the-night feedings, or the aforementioned rocking chair time. You can't check e-mail, can't watch TV, can't really even talk on the phone…you just do whatever it is that you're doing. And I feel like maybe it's been years since I've done that. I remember the feeling from sitting on the back of a motorcycle during long road trips (when the scenery is boring and all you have to do is hold on): it's amazing how much thinking you get done when thinking is all you can do.
Ever since I had my first for-real grilled cheese experience a little over two years ago (not a joke; I went twenty-eight years before discovering the wonder that is melted cheese on toasted bread; and to answer your question, no, not even as a kid - my mother is an alien who doesn't like cheese and never really kept any in the house), I've been sorta obsessed with them. I'm generally of the opinion that simplicity is key when it comes to food like this - give me Kraft Singles and Wonder Bread, and I am a happy lady - but sometimes the addition of things like bacon and avocado makes a dish just worlds better.
Oh, who am I kidding with that "sometimes" jazz?
Bacon and avocado always make a dish worlds better. Even (especially?) chocolate ice cream: bacon and avocado make that stuff better, too. (Try it.)
A little discovery I made last night: rather than spreading butter (or mayo) directly onto the outsides of the bread, which is both messy and a pain when you've forgotten to bring your butter to room temperature and it's all hard and unspreadable, just pop a big dollop of it in a heated pan and let it get foamy before adding the sandwich. When you're ready to flip the bread, just balance it on your spatula for a moment and let a little more butter melt in the pan before frying the other side.
Oh, and use really good bacon. Like, really good. Expensive. It's worth it.
(I know, it doesn't look like there's bacon in there. That's because there isn't. I used up all our bacon in last night's grilled cheeses, and then devoured them like a crazed velociraptor before I could even take a photo, so what's pictured above is today's sadly baconless lunchtime replica.)
Click here for more perfect-grilled-cheese tips.
Maybe the best-smelling soap ever…
a little dried lavender on the mantle…
a candle filled with oakmoss and English fern…
the straps on my new arrival from Blush…
and a thrift-store watch that's more Steampunk than sweet.
Source: camillestyles.com via Sara on Pinterest
I mean…obviously I love this. And obviously it's now on my list of Projects to Undertake When We Move Into A House (not that you need to live in a house to do this - this makes a perfect Apartment Garden).
The best part: when I kill one of the plants - which I will, as I am quite the expert plant-slayer - I can just replace the one I've destroyed without mucking about in the garden and potentially creating more victims.
P.S. Lots more Mason jar inspiration here. Click here for Mason jar wedding decor ideas.
(Via Sarandipity.)
Q. My boyfriend and I just got engaged and are planning on doing a destination wedding with just us two, then one big reception back in the States for both of our families and all of our friends.
I'm wondering if a) you have any cool ideas for locations or wedding packages for our wedding, and b) what your advice would be for breaking it to our families that they aren't invited to the ceremony - just the reception.
A. I love this idea. If a small, intimate affair is what you're looking for this is a great way to get the wedding you want while still including your friends and family in the celebration…plus it's a great way to cut costs if you keep the reception relatively informal.
For a destination wedding, my dream locations would be Turks & Caicos or the Greek Islands, but if you're looking for something more affordable you might want to consider Cancun (really; if you go at any time other than Spring Break you won't have a problem with the crazy kids, and you can get spectacular all-inclusive deals) or nearby - and slightly calmer - Cozumel (pictured above during our one-year anniversary trip; we spent quite the afternoon at Senor Frog's). For more specific info, you might want to head over to Mary Rambin's blog; she travels to Mexico frequently and has lots of great trip advice.
In terms of breaking it to your families that you'll be having a private ceremony, the important thing to remember is that while your family's feelings are of course something to be considered, this is your day, and it's up to you how you want to do it. And besides, some of your friends and family members may be secretly relieved that you don't expect them to purchase tickets to an exotic locale.
For most people, the invite will be sufficient to clarify what's going on - nontraditional weddings are increasingly common these days, so it's not like they won't have ever heard of a couple doing this kind of thing. You don't need to mention the ceremony at all - why bring up an event to which they're not invited? Instead, try something like this: "_____ and _____ invite you to celebrate their recent marriage with a cocktail reception, to be held at _____." You may get a few confused emails from those wondering where the ceremony is being held; if that happens, just tell them that you've decided to have a private ceremony, but are excited to celebrate the marriage with your family and friends at the reception.
You should be aware going in that some more traditional family members may be upset at the idea that they won't be able to watch you get married, but hey: a little family drama is pretty much standard-issue for weddings, and when it comes down to it, the drama is nearly always coming from a place of love and a desire to feel included. Just keep the focus on the fun to be had at the reception - not on what an awesome time you'll be having at the ceremony without them - and you should be good to go.
For more on Island Honeymoons and All-Inclusives, click here.
For more on Wedding Drama, click here.
I've been making this for dinner all the time lately - it's such a good one, so healthy and fast: you just wrap the fish in foil, put it in the preheated oven, and then get to sauteing the vegetables about five minutes before the fish is done.
Baked Salmon in White Wine & Herbs
Bok Choy with Ginger & Green Onion
If you'd like to make the meal a little heartier, add a side of Mushroom & Farro Salad (or you can just saute some sliced portobellos along with the bok choy, which is what I did last night.)
I don't know what's in the water lately (probably a bit of New Year's Eve champagne, if I had to guess), but I've been getting request after request for recommendations for under-eye issues - primarily puffiness and dark circles. And I'm certainly the right person to commiserate with about these kinds of beauty troubles, because I have been through it with the eye drama.
Dark circles I don't know a ton about (see below; would love your recommendations), but I've always had a problem with puffiness - and specifically one eye that gets way puffier than the other, creating a stunning lopsided effect. And then in the summer of 2010 I hurt my eye in an embarrassing dance floor mishap, an injury that ended up compounding the problem to the point where the appearance of my eye became something that I obsessed over. I even (sharing secrets, now) briefly contemplated looking into surgical help, because it was starting to affect my ability to function at work.
You know how when you have a pimple as a teenager and you think everyone's looking at it, and your parents tell you to stop being silly because you're the only one who even notices the thing? Well, I was hosting a project awhile back, and as the shoot rolled on I began to feel my troublesome eye growing puffier and puffier. I tried to apply that no-one-notices-but-me logic…until I realized that everyone was most certainly noticing. The producers had a whispered conference in the corner that was quite clearly about the golf ball popping up on my face, and shortly afterwards a cameraman instructed me to please direct the remainder of my lines to the food that I was preparing (in other words, keep those eyes far away from the camera).
So we're not talking run-of-the-mill poof; we're talking a sorta majorproblem for someone who does the kind of thing that I do for a living.
And I FIXED IT.
I mean, not totally - it'll always be something that bugs me - but it's no longer something that makes me miserable.
Ask me how. Go on, ask!
It's very scientific and expensive and involved.
What I did: Get pregnant, and start drinking water like it was my job.
I swear, I'd tried everything from fancy creams to Preparation H to crazy expensive eyedrops (part of the problem was attributable to dry eye syndrome), and after all that, it was the constant water-drinking that helped more than anything else. Which is why even though I don't really do the New Year's Resolution thing, I made one this year, and it is to continue drinking water as if I have a baby on board.
It's a simple equation, really: Drink water = feel fantastic. Don't drink water = feel and look like a truck ran over me.
Anyway, that's my big, earth-shattering beauty secret. But of course creams do help as well, so I wanted to offer up some suggestions for those of you who want additional help beyond the H20.
Favorite Undereye Potions: StriVectin-SD Eye Concentrate (for wrinkles), Clinique All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage (you can find similar rollerball products in drugstores), Votre Vu Tout Le Monde Antioxidant Eye Gelee (very cooling), Zelens Triple Action Eye Cream (pulls triple duty for wrinkles, puffiness and undereye circles). I'm also about to start testing out Peter Thomas Roth's Instant FirmX Eye, enthusiastically recommended by both my mother-in-law and Dr. Oz, so I'll report back on how that one works out.
And of course, I always take off every stitch of makeup before going to bed (another new development) and leave whatever cream I'm applying to my eyes in the drafty spot next to my air conditioner (or in the refrigerator during warmer months) to up the cooling effect.
The dark circles thing I can't speak to, though: I just don't really have them unless I'm very tired. When they pop up, I erase them with Yves St. Laurent Touche Eclat or Laura Mercier Secret Concealer, and my mom recommends Benefit's Erase Paste…but I figured I'd post the question here in case those of you with more experience with this specific problem would be interested in offering up product recommendations.
So: If you suffer from dark under-eye circles…what do you find helps the most?


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The New York folks
The New York portal of Lime&Tonic is run by your favourite man about town, Marc Seago (and his team).
Entrepreneurial at heart and tonic drinkers in spirit, the team are also the founders of the local lime squeezing factory. The team prides itself on their drive to provide the best information to the people of New York - both international and local - and are forever looking for new tips, so keep them coming!


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We have been going to various pow wows this summer. My spirit feels so calm when going to a pow wow. I am so pleased that my kids want to dance in the pow wow during inter tribal times. This year my youngest ( age 4) danced for the 1st time.
I wish more people would realize that pow wows are not just for people of native decent but for anyone wanting to witness and enjoy some native culture. I find that many people have no idea what they are or they think they can not attend one due to their lack of native blood.
This summer we have went to the Auburn,IN and Marion, IN pow wows and both were great. I really liked the fact that they were in the shade which made it much more comfortable. But my all time favorite pow wow so far are the Columbia City, IN ones.
The CC one has been going on every year since 1996 I think. The only thing I wish I could change about it is that it is in 100% direct sunlight the entire time which is uncomfortable and hot. But everything else is great. Their circle is large and their vendors are not to close to the circle, that way there is always plenty of room for people to sit and walk about unlike at the other pow wows.
This Saturday we will go to the Gaston , IN pow wow for the 1st time. My oldest ( age7) is excited about it. My husband found some goose feathers that are in great shape at a pond. I will make use of them in the kids hair for their native regalia ( outfits).
I feel closer to God while being at a pow wow and hearing the drums and voices. I feel some kind of emotional stirring deep with in me. That emotion sometimes wants to cry. It sometimes hurts that so many natives were treated the way they were and now their languages and cultures are about gone.
But there is plenty to be thankful for now a days. So it would be silly for me to waller in what happened in the past before I was born.
I love the way my Cherokee history tells how many many years ago Jesus came to them teaching them. This warms my heart and proves to me that Jesus wants everyone to have a free ticket to heaven. See below link for the Cherokee and Jesus connection.


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MasterCard and Visa are alerting law enforcement agencies and card issuers such as banks and retailers that a major third-party card processor's system has been breached and cardholders' account information may be at risk of being compromised.
The Wall Street Journal identified the credit and debit card processor as Global Payments Inc.
According to the blog KrebsonSecurity.com, which first reported the data thefts, the breach is "massive" and could expose the account information of 10 million MasterCard and Visa customers.
Neither company would say how many cardholders, financial institutions or retailers are potentially affected by the breach.
KrebsonSecurity.com said the breach occurred between Jan. 21 and Feb. 25 and that the customer information obtained could be used to create counterfeit new credit cards.
[A]ffected banks are now starting to analyze transaction data on the compromised cards, in hopes of finding a common point of purchase. Sources at two different major financial institutions said the transactions that most of the cards they analyzed seem to have in common are that they were used in parking garages in and around the New York City area.
Both MasterCard and Visa, which also process cards for banks, retailers and other card issuers, have said their systems have not been compromised.
"Visa Inc. is aware of a potential data compromise incident at a third party entity affecting card account information from all major card brands. There has been no breach of Visa systems, including its core processing network VisaNet," Visa said in a statement.
March 30th, 2012
1:41 pm
[...] Visa confirm credit card data theft described as …msnbc.comCNNMoney -USA TODAY -Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)all 335 news articles » credit cards – Google [...]
March 30th, 2012
1:45 pm
thanks mc & visa
March 30th, 2012
1:51 pm
Lets talk about something important, like how my groin still hurts.
March 30th, 2012
2:02 pm
We got a call from Etrade telling us "our Visa had been compromised" and they are cancelling the current card (which we just received a month ago after yet another similar situation) and sending another. Wont get it until Monday. Good thing we are not travelling…but also glad they are taking the initiative…
March 30th, 2012
2:07 pm
@JohnAbraham's Groin – you aren't the only one with issues! I'm way too small to keep up this charade at Cornerback and eventually I'll be exposed. I guess I pulled a fast one on Falcons' brass though with the Franchise Tag thingamajig.
March 30th, 2012
2:19 pm
Reasons number 1-5 why I DON"T have any credit cards. Your identity cannot be breached with cash.
March 30th, 2012
2:27 pm
@JJ They MC and Visa logo is also on debit cards as well and is stated in the article that debit cards along with credit cards are affected. So, not having a credit card does not spare you from this one.
March 30th, 2012
2:30 pm
Cornerback Smurf, what games have you been watching? Brent Grimes is a ballplayer! And a ball-hawk which is what we need. Refocus your energy on calling out Dunta "ever make a play" Robinson. He has already been exposed.
March 30th, 2012
2:34 pm
And it had to happen on National Cleavage Day…..
March 30th, 2012
2:43 pm
This is how Obama had planned to pay for that Universal Health Care that 75% of the country didn't want.
March 30th, 2012
2:58 pm
@ Just my two cents. I think JJ was just saying that his $20 bills and likely other denominations don't have the Visa or MC logos on them. At least not yet.
March 30th, 2012
2:59 pm
The Coca-Cola Family Federal Credit Union announced last month that laptops were missing from their office that contained credit card and banking data for all customers. They had to replace my credit card and paid for a year's free credit monitoring with another service.
March 30th, 2012
3:01 pm
@justmytwocents-I think we he said cash he actually means cash, just saying
March 30th, 2012
3:28 pm
All VISA and MC cards have ZERO LIABILITY on their cards so everyone is protected. If you see fraud, just call the bank and they will credit your account. You are more likely to have your cash stolen then be stuck paying for fraudulent transactions from your bank account. Using cards are safer then using cash and checks…just saying…
March 30th, 2012
3:50 pm
maybe cash transactions are not as bad as we think.
March 30th, 2012
4:30 pm
@WTF – Why are you blaming MC and VISA? They didn't do this. Global Payments is the source of the problem.
March 30th, 2012
5:25 pm
Sounds like one big national garnishment!
March 30th, 2012
6:48 pm
How many times has John Abraham's groin been surgically repaired?
March 30th, 2012
7:26 pm
@Grimey – I've got some land down in South Florida for a real steal. You seem the be the type that can be easily sold.
Grimes has skills but he's nowhere near worth $10M. If you believe that then please let's talk about that land.
March 30th, 2012
9:55 pm
This company has a history of poor security practices.
April 3rd, 2012
9:26 am
1%er's use Amex and pay it off every month.


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Geordie boy Danby coming home to raise the roof against Bolton
It was an atmosphere that left Sunderland shaking in their boots back in April at St James's Park and with a bit of luck it can light the black and white touch paper when Bolton Wanderers come to Tyneside on Saturday.
The performance of opera singer Graeme Danby simply raised the roof last time he was here to belt out a rousing rendition of the Blaydon Races - it's one not to be missed - and even if you aren't an opera fan, you'll know just what a big difference it made to United's cause that day if you were there.
To put it simply, when Michael Owen opened the scoring in the 2-0 win perhaps he should have credited Danby with the assist.
Last season's first home game of the season against Aston Villa coincided with the Bring Back the Noise campaign and without a doubt the atmosphere was crackling ahead of kick-off, with the Toon Ultras in great voice.
That day though, and not for the first time in black and white history, the team failed to match the fans and United could only pick up a point in a drab 0-0 affair.
With, United looking to build on their great start to the season at Old Trafford, victory now becomes a must for Kevin Keegan's men.
Bolton of course proved to be party poopers last time out in KK's first game back.
But surely, they can't do it again?
With Jonas Gutierrez already helping to run the show and Oba Martins getting the season off to a flyer, the door is open for a famous win that can really set the tone for the new term.
Let's hope that the lads can follow Danby's lead on Saturday.
« Toon fans taste that winning feeling at Man United! | It's Mike's round lads! »
6 Comments
I took a friend (a Southampton fan) to the home West Ham game last season and he was very underwhelmed by the atmosphere. On reflection he had built it up in his mind that St. James' was a fortress and it would be singing all day long.
Lets make sure it is like that from now on. Lets be having you!!! Lets have 52,000 Ultras!!
i wonder if local hero will be played as the teams come out this season? they were in the friendlies.....
Lee et al - let's not get too carried away yet aye.
Undoubtedly a raft of positives (including a point) to take on the bus home from Old Trafford but things can change so quickly with NUFC - history has a nasty habit of repeating itself.
Biggest positive from the Man U match - ALL the players wanted to play, for themselves, each other, and us - the supporters. They deserve a fitting reception at SJP - especially the new lads.
Assuming the international members of our squad come home safe, we should have too much guile for Bolton. The atmosphere will be nuclear on Saturday after Sunday's display and the thirteenth man will push an extra gear out of the lads. They looked like the free-flowing team typical of Keegan's old entertainers at Old Trafford, and can seriously get better in time, hopefully with the mercurial Saviola. Funny old thing....time, just 2 weeks ago this blog was chocker with gloom and doomers. Well, it's nice to read gushing Toonies again, easy pleased aren't wi?
It would be nice to think that Graeme Danby's pre-match Blaydon Races will help teach the correct words of the chorus to the many in the crowd that screw them up constantly. It irritates the hell out of me on match days. It's supposed to be the Geordie national anthem, so for god's sake let's get the words right.
Actually, we're not easily pleased - it's just that some fools think we should be!


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OCEAN CITY, Md. - Friends and family of fallen Ocean City Police Officer Tommy Geoghegan Jr. are using his memory to raising money to help bring holiday toys to needy children.
The "Toys for Tommy" holiday charity campaign is selling memorial decals, in the image of a plane similar to the World War Two style aircraft Officer Geoghegan was flying when he and fellow officer Joshua Adickes died in June. The decals also feature Geoghegan's tail number.
The decals are available for a small donation of $3 to $5 and are produced in a number of colors.
All the proceeds will benefit the Santa House Christmas/Holiday toy and food campaign to help needy families and children in Ocean City and Worcester County.
The decals are available at the following locations:
Kirby's Pub in the 94th Street Plaza
Dolle's Popcorn and Candyland locations in Ocean City, on 500 South Boardwalk (Wicomico Street) and 6701 Coastal Highway Unit 3 (67th Street)
Directly from Brad Wells or Jessica Schumacher (organizers) 443-497-2968


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Find & share great dishes, not just restaurants.
Find whatever you're craving, see what's good at any restaurant and learn what foodspotters, friends and experts love wherever you go.
The Foie Gras was prepared two ways, One way as a pot de creme in the little cherries and the other as a seared piece with a blackberry sauce. absolutely delicious.


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W Ritner St & S Garnet St has a Walk Score of 86 out of 100. This location is Very Walkable so most errands can be accomplished on foot.
W Ritner St & S Garnet St is a 15 minute walk from the BSS ATT Station to Fern Rock TC at the Oregon Station stop.
This location is in the Girard Estates neighborhood in Philadelphia. Nearby parks include Girard Park, Wilson Park and Smith Playground.
Nearby schools include Girard Stephen School, St Monica School and Gamp School.
The closest grocery stores are Rocco Barbaro Grocery, Benny Food Market and J G General Store.
Nearby coffee shops include Dunkin' Donuts, Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks. There are 96 restaurants within a 15 minute walk including Tap Room On 19th, Mr Wong's Chinese Restaurant and Virginia's Pizza.
W Ritner St & S Garnet St is near Peirce College, University of the Arts and Curtis Institute of Music.
There are excellent bike lanes and the terrain is flat as a pancake. W Ritner St & S Garnet St is very bikeable, biking is convenient for most trips.


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London 2012: 100 athletes to watch out for
Oscar Pistorius
Sport: 400m and 4x100 m relay
Age: 25
Country: South Africa
The South African double amputee will create history, on becoming the first amputee runner to compete in an Olympics. Popularly known as the 'Blade Runner', Pistorius runs on carbon-fiber blades.
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Get dirty, have fun and grow more food with great gardening tips from real-life gardeners.
With chaya and I it was love at first taste. I'm not usually a huge fan of cooked greens but there's something about the hearty, somewhat sweet taste of boiled chaya greens that keeps me reloading my plate.
In my recent post on growing Chinese Water Chestnuts, I told you that I'd be back with a look at other good perennial vegetables for the home garden. Today we'll look at chaya. The Latin name of chaya is Cnidoscolus chayamansa and it's also known colloquially as Mexican Tree Spinach. Some varieties have stinging hairs (my cultivar does not), some have deeply lobed leaves, and others have broad leaves (like the main type I grow) that vaguely resemble maple.
A few years ago my permaculture-minded friend Craig Hepworth gave me a couple of cuttings and I popped them in the ground. I was interested but not all that excited about a new green vegetable (I like roots and fruits!). About six months later my chaya plants had grown to about 4' tall and I figured they could spare some leaves for the table. Since chaya, like its cousin cassava, is slightly toxic raw, I fired up a pot full of water and threw in a fistful of freshly cut greens. I didn't expect much when I pulled a limp mess of steaming greens from the pot and transferred them to my plate. But wow... they were good. Now I'd never go without at least a few chaya plants in my yard.
Some greens, like amaranth and Ethiopian kale, can handle some of the heat of summer: chaya thrives in it. Chaya's problem comes in the winter. This plant originated in the tropics and simply can't stand freezing. Since I live in North Florida, I worried about losing it in the cold the first year I grew it, particularly when the frosts came and I saw my plants wilt and the stems brown out. The next spring, though, they were back - and happier than ever. New growth popped up in April and rapidly grew. At this time of year I have plants that are about 6' - and we've been harvesting leaves since June.
And that's another thing - chaya produces greens like crazy. It's considered to be one of the most productive leaf crops in cultivation. If you live further north than its natural range, chaya can be successfully grown in a pot and brought indoors as a house plant during freezing weather.
I've found these guys to be quite tolerant of a wide range of conditions and soil. I've grown them in shade and in sun; in poor soil and in rich. They're not picky. I've also cut stems and had them continue to live and even bud while lying in my greenhouse unplanted for months. That's my kind of plant.
The best place to find chaya is to ask around among your friends for cuttings. If that doesn't work, you can buy chaya cuttings here or search the web. Prices and varieties vary from site to site and this isn't really a plant that you'll find in local nurseries, so thank God for the internet!
Something else that's wonderful about chaya: the butterflies love the tiny white flowers it produces. We have a chaya bush off the side of our back porch and it's constantly being visited by a procession of zebra longwings. I don't know what they find so attractive, but they're always there.
As a part of the landscaping, chaya is an attractive tropical-looking plant with an interesting growth habit that I think would fit into almost any garden plan. I grow kale, collards, turnips, beets and lettuce through the winter... but chaya gets us through the summer and early fall.
Try a taste sometime and I think you'll fall in love just like I did.
For more daily gardening inspiration, plant profiles, rare edibles and homesteading, check out David's website at www.floridasurvivalgardening.com.
Creole garlics are a resilient type of hardneck whose demure white wrappers hide a lush, vibrant interior. Believed to originate in Spain, Creole cultivars are highly regarded by garlic aficionados for both their delicious taste and their long storage capability. Creole cultivars commonly seen in North America include Creole Red, Rose de Lautrec (photo), and Ajo Rojo.
Creoles thrive in hot, drier climates in which most other hardneck garlics typically struggle. They tend to be highly adaptable, with successive generations of plants acclimatizing to their specific growing conditions. Conversely, they are heavily influenced by yearly climate fluctuations, which can make them difficult to grow, especially if you are looking for a consistent product year-to-year.
The plants are usually tall, with leaves that vary between cultivars and climate from a pale lime to deep green. Normally modest bolters, Creoles do tend to bolt more heavily in regions with a moderate climate. The scapes of some cultivars will produce gentle curls; others will merely exhibit a graceful droop. Umbels are narrow and long, and contain between five and thirty small to medium-sized umbels. The scapes must be harvested in a timely manner, otherwise bulbs size will be significantly reduced. The bulbs themselves are comparatively late to mature, and so are harvested later in the season.
The bulbs produced by Creole cultivars are somewhat petite although they often increase in size through successive generations and optimal growing conditions. Although small, the bulbs are plump and round with lustrous white outer wrappers. Peeling back these creamy skins often reveals the most vibrant clove skins of any garlic type: deep, vibrant, glossy reds and purples. Clove size varies between cultivars, as those that contain fewer cloves tend to be more rounded and plump, while those containing greater numbers are somewhat thinner and more elongated.
Cultivars produce cloves that are medium to large in size, with average numbers ranging between four and twelve per bulb. The majority are arranged in a single layer around the central stem, like other hardnecks, but some cultivars will also produce small inner cloves which subsequently results in the cloves becoming more irregular in size, shape, and number.
Creole cultivars are highly prized for their rich flavor. Even though individual palates differ widely and the taste of different garlic types and cultivars can be very subjective, when described, words such as 'earthy', 'musky', and 'sweet' tend to be consistently be used to describe the Creole group. While most of the Creole cultivars hold these characteristics in common, the heat and pungency of each tend to vary from the delicate to the robust, making this type of garlic one that, although good when cooked, is especially enjoyable and versatile when consumed raw.
When stored properly, Creole garlics have a long storage time of approximately six to nine months, with some cultivars keeping in good condition for up to a year. Their flavor also tends to deepen and mature as they store, making them well worth keeping while you enjoy your less storage-prone varieties first!
Rose de Lautrec' - photo courtesy of Bart Nagel, Bulbs of Fire.
The use of animal manure in organic farming has been significant in the sustainable agriculture movement. Manure is a great source of many crop nutrients, including both micronutrients and macronutrients. Nitrogen is typically the nutrient with the most value, as well as the greatest potential for soil and water pollution. Quality and potential for contamination are both factors when learning how to use manure and selecting a manure source. Similarly, there are concerns with food safety when applying manure, and specific application guidelines have been designed to reduce the risk of pathogen contamination.
Nutrients are essential to proper growth of all plants, and farmers carefully plan to provide them, including finding the best source of manure for their nitrogen needs. Different animals produce manure with variable nutrient content, and some manure sources are more readily available and cost effective than others.
Manure from layer poultry, for example, provides nearly four times the nitrogen per ton as that from lactating cows. It also contains upwards of 12 times the potassium and phosphorus content of dairy manure. However, poultry manure is more costly than dairy manure — sometimes running twice the price. Poultry manure can also burn plants because of the large quantity of nitrogen it contains, so it's generally composted or aged before being applied to a garden or farm. Another option is to apply it to a fallow field months before planting, so the soil microorganisms can break down the nutrients and make them more available to the plant. Whatever method is used, it's important to note that under the best conditions only about half to three-quarters of the nitrogen in the manure is available to the crop in the year it's applied. The remaining nitrogen will become available over a period of years. That's why it's important to regularly sample the soil to determine nutrient needs for the year. It's also key to monitor crop nitrogen needs so that manure isn't over-applied, contributing to contamination of water by ammonia, organic matter, nutrients and bacteria.
Another factor to consider when selecting a manure source is potential contaminants. Some contaminants, such as heavy metals, can be avoided by requesting a laboratory analysis. Heavy metals are a concern in manure, since there can be high potential content and farmers may also use high application rates. Heavy metals present in manure may include cadmium, lead, zinc and arsenic. Poultry manure is particularly at high risk for arsenic contamination, because nonorganic chickens are often fed arsenic to promote growth and weight gain. For this reason, poultry manure from organic sources is popular.
Another way to avoid heavy metals in manure is to select an Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) Listed manure product. OMRI requires heavy metals to be below a certain threshold before listing the product for use in organic production. Although other contaminants are present in manure, heavy metals are the easiest to avoid. Contaminants such as hormones and antimicrobials are difficult to even identify because they are so pervasive in the conventional manure supply, and there are no guidelines in place to control this contamination. Finding an organic source of manure is therefore the best way to avoid many potential hazards.
The application of manure also has implications for food safety. Pathogens such as Salmonella and fecal coliform are the main concerns when applying manure to edible crops. The USDA organic regulations require that a harvest interval be followed after applying manure, where crops in contact with soil (carrots, potatoes, lettuce) may be harvested only after 120 days, and crops not in contact with soil (blueberries, apples, peppers) may be harvested after 90 days. The logic behind this harvest interval is that pathogens will likely be rendered unviable by soil microorganisms after a certain time period, and will no longer pose a threat to food safety.
Another way to avoid pathogens from manure is to compost it first. One can purchase raw manure and compost it, or it can be purchased already composted. Both methods are effective at reducing the risk of pathogen contamination when applying these materials to an organic farm. However, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a purchased compost product may pose a contamination hazard. The organic standards require a specific time period and temperature for composting, in order to ensure that any pathogens are, in fact, eliminated. Compost that does not meet these requirements is considered to be the same as raw manure, which means that application rates must meet the 90/120-day harvest interval requirements listed above. OMRI Listed products may fall into either category, so it can be helpful to research compost products on the OMRI Products List. OMRI's restriction text will indicate whether the harvest interval periods must be observed.
Anaerobic digestion is a new technology that has been used to process manure into a composted product. The use of anaerobic digestion is especially growing on conventional livestock farms, where large amounts of manure are produced and increasing regulations require proper disposal. Typically, manure is gathered in a lagoon or tank, where microbes break it down in an oxygen-free environment. Some anaerobic digesters have external heating systems to achieve pathogen reduction, similar to traditional composts. Although anaerobic digestion is similar to composting, it must achieve the same time and temperature requirements in order to be used without a harvest interval. Before using an anaerobic digestion product, one should verify whether it was heated to at least 131 degrees Fahrenheit for three or more days. If not, the harvest interval must be observed. The resulting components of the digestion process include a liquid effluent rich in nutrients, and dry matter that is great as a soil amendment or even as biodegradable planting pots. Methane is captured as a by-product and used as a renewable energy source, instead of being emitted into the environment as a greenhouse gas.
There's no doubt that learning how to use manure and applying it amply is one of the best steps toward providing nutrients in a well-managed organic farm or garden. Animal manure has many positives that make it worth the trouble of seeking out the best source and applying it with care. Manure use also contributes to the recycling of resources, which further reduces the environmental impact of livestock production in general. So, the next time you bite into an organic tomato, pepper or ear of sweet corn, be sure to also thank the animals that provided the nutrients used to grow your delicious food.
Photo by Fotolia/Jack: An organic farmer works with manure in a field.
Aunt Molly's ground cherry preserves may have occupied a privileged spot in your great-aunt's pantry, but you'll be hard pressed to find them nowadays. Ground cherries (Physalis pruinosa) are an endangered heirloom. Their recorded heritage traces back to 1837, when they first appeared in Pennsylvania horticultural literature.
Once commonly grown in backyard gardens, ground cherries somehow lost their way. Though they are ridiculously easy to grow and store, ground cherries are difficult to transport. Urbanization and the movement away from growing one's own food led to the demise of this golden gem. The good news is that they can be grown in containers or raised beds, they're relative pest-free, and they produce abundant fruit from mid-summer through frost.
Ground cherries are really not cherries at all. They are members of the Solanaceae family, which includes tomatoes and tomatillos. Like the tomatillo, ground cherries grow inside a papery husk. When ripe, ground cherries turn bright yellow and fall to the ground. Though several varieties are native throughout the Americas and Eastern Europe ('Aunt Molly' is a Polish variety), ground cherries taste like tropical treats. Their pineapple — vanilla flavor brightens pies, jams, and chutneys. They are equally delicious eaten raw, dried, or cooked. Squirrels and small children are keen to ground cherries' charms, so gardeners should keep a close look-out for ripe, fallen fruit.
Ground cherries are frost tender and should be started indoors 6-8 weeks before spring planting in cooler climates. They'll produce prolifically beginning 70 days from transplant, through the first fall frost. Good drainage and humus-rich soil ensure an abundant crop. Two to three plants grown in raised-beds or large pots will provide enough ground cherries for a season of tasty jams and pies, with a few left over for wildlife. Staking helps keep branches and fruit off the ground. Though they are sometimes susceptible to flee-beetles, ground cherries' weed-like nature makes them fairly disease resistant. In addition to 'Aunt Molly's,' tasty varieties to try include: Physalis pubescens 'Cossack,' Physalis pubescens 'Goldie,' and Physalis peruviana 'Cape Gooseberry.'
Once harvested, ground cherries will continue to ripen, if placed in a well-ventilated container on the countertop. They will store for up to three months in a cool (50 degree) environment. They also store well when dried like raisins, either in a dehydrator, or by placing them in the oven on its lowest setting for several hours.
6 c. ground cherries
1 c. granular sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
3 Tbsp. flour
¼ tsp. salt
prepared pie shell or crust
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
¼ tsp. salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine ground cherries with filling ingredients: granular sugar, almond extract, flour, and salt.
For the topping: mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, using your hands or a pastry knife to blend butter into the dry ingredients.
Pour ground cherry mixture into the pie crust, and sprinkle crumb topping evenly on top.
Place the pie on top of a cookie sheet to catch any drippings.
Bake for 1 ½ hours, or until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is brown.
Cool for several hours before cutting.
Brenda Lynn is the author of www.BeeHappyGarden.com, a blog devoted to small-space, organic vegetable gardening, native plants, and beekeeping. She is a free-lance writer, garden coach, and outdoor educator in northern Virginia, where she lives and gardens in her suburban backyard.
Garlic is rich in lore. It has been reputed to repel vampires, clear the blood, cure baldness, aid digestion over the ages. Today's studies have shown is garlic antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral. And, it tastes great! Garlic has been around for thousands of years. It originated in Asia, was cultivated in Egypt and has been a Mediterranean staple for centuries.It is easy to grow and has few pest issues. All you do is throw them in the ground in the fall in late September/early October in our Zone 6 garden and by early summer, they are ready to harvest.
The clove puts out roots in the fall. Depending on how warm the winter is, there can be green shoots showing through the cold months. Garlic will be some of the first to start growing. The stems resemble onion greens. The garlic flower, or scape, has a cute little curl in it. It grows on hard neck varieties. They are great in salads. Harvesting them also gives you bigger bulbs.
You should choose the biggest cloves to plant. The bigger the clove, the bigger the harvest! Cloves like other root vegetables like loose soil, compost and steady fertilizer. Like carrots, radishes and beets, you can add sand to give a looser soil structure in your garlic bed. Compost and mulch well in the fall before cold weather sets in. Plant the cloves root side down, 1-2" deep, and 4-6" apart. For planting by the cycle of the moon, garlic should be planted during the waning cycle of the moon. For our Zone 6 garden, this is September 9-23 and October 9-22. After the greens sprout to 6", add compost or fertilizer as a side dressing. Garlic does not need a lot of nitrogen so compost is a good choice.
Garlic is ready to harvest then the tops fall over and die off. They are ready to harvest about a week later. Typically this is mid-summer.
Be careful when you go to harvest. If you cut the bulb, it will not keep and needs to eaten soon. The garlic should be left in dry shade for 2-3 weeks or brought inside and stored in a cool, dry location with good air circulation. They can be hung or placed in a perforated bin to dry and store. Store-bought garlic has been treated with chemicals to keep them from sprouting so they are not a great choice for growing your own. A great option is to buy cloves from your local farmers market. You know they grew well in your area. Just separate out the bulb(s) into individual cloves and plant the biggest ones.
Garlic can be mild or hot. Elephant garlic is very mild and not really true garlic at all. It is a type of leek. It has a great garlic flavor and produces huge bulbs. The ones I am growing this year are from the previous year's harvest.
You can tell the difference in the two by looking at the flowers. Leeks and soft neck garlic have a onion type flower while garlic has a curly scape flower. There is soft and hard necked garlic. For storing, soft neck garlic is the ticket. It is also the strongest flavored. Hard necked is milder, easier to peel, more cold hardy and the first to mature.
Everyone knows of garlic in sauces and on cheese bread. A couple of years ago, we tried roasted garlic. It dramatically mellows the flavor. I just put a few heads in a small baking dish, add chicken stock to just about level to the cut heads, and let bake covered at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until soft. It is a great spread on French bread!
If your garlic dries up over the winter, I grind it into garlic powder. If you have great tasting garlic that doesn't store well or you have a bountiful crop, another preservation option is pickled garlic. Just peel and cover your fresh garlic cloves in organic apple cider vinegar. You can add a couple of hot peppers if you want to add some extra zing!
Of course, you can also add garlic to the tomato sauce, pickles or peppers you are going to can. You can flavor vinegars or oils by popping crushed garlic into them. Many options for utilizing your garlic harvest!
A woman called me for some gardening advice a couple of weeks ago. She talked about various projects... fruit and vegetables, trees and shrubs... ...and then she said something so horrible I stopped in my tracks. "I have mushrooms growing all over the place," she related. "They're everywhere!" "Really?" I replied, "That's great!" "GREAT? Seriously? I hate them! I've been pulling them all and throwing them over the fence!"
Oh, the horror! The horror! I've heard this before, particularly with meticulous gardeners. Mushrooms pop up in the middle of a green lawn and they're immediately hunted down and destroyed. Does that describe you, oh enlightened reader of Mother Earth News? I hope not!
The average gardener sees mushrooms as if they were individual plants. He spots them in the yard and assumes they're simply a single organism, or a group of organisms in a ring or a cluster. Rarely does he stop and wonder how deep their mycelium run. The truth of the matter is that mushrooms are simply the fruiting bodies of a creature that may be much larger than it appears at first, second or third glance. Their deep underground network may have been around long before you arrived on the scene.
Have you ever turned over a log or some mulch and seen wispy white fibers running through the wood? That's the main body of the mushrooms, i.e. NOT the part getting thrown over the fence. In your garden, or better yet, your food forest, mushrooms and other fungi are tireless creators of soil and recyclers of hard-to-compost organic matter such as roots, logs and tough vegetable material. They digest rocks and release nutrition that plants can only dream of accessing.
Some mushrooms even have beneficial relationships with your plants. A tree can photosynthesize and create sugars mushrooms in a way mushrooms can't. They trade these sugars to mycorrhizal species of fungi and in turn are rewarded with minerals often carried to their roots from far beyond the tree's reach.
Innovators like Paul Stamets, author of Mycelium Running and other books, are now spreading the word. Entrepreneurial companies are even selling living fungal cultures you can add to the soil when you plant trees, giving them a leg up (or a "root" up) on the competition. Many of these products have been shown to help; however, you don't need to resort to buying fungi to get them running happily through your soil and enriching your homestead.
For the last few years I've been dropping tree company mulch, logs, leaves and other scrounged organic matter around my front yard food forest garden. When I go on walks I seek out mushrooms in fruit and bring them home, burying them and spreading their spores here and there.
(My wife realized how badly I had fungi fever last week on the drive home from church. In an empty field by the highway, I saw a big fairy ring of large mushrooms and pulled a U-turn to pick a few. Turns out they were the lovely [and unfortunately inedible] Chlorophyllum molybdites. To my wife's slight irritation [she was faking... I think], I pressed three good specimens into her hands and said "Don't let them get damaged! I need to spore print these!")
We've had a good wet summer this year and as fall approaches the sheer number of mushrooms in our front yard has been marvelous. We're talking at least 30+ species that I've seen thus far, all on a half-acre. I took a bunch of photos and posted them on my blog - you can see the beauty here.
Since adding wood chips and gaining the resultant fungi I've seen a lot of improvement in plant growth. Plus I get to look at beautiful mushrooms. One of these days I'll start deliberately cultivating edible varieties... but that's a topic for another day.
Now if I can just convince my lawn-loving neighbors to chuck their mushrooms over my fence, I'll be all set.
David Goodman is an avid naturalist, gardener, writer and teacher as well as being the creator of www.FloridaSurvivalGardening.com, a daily gardening resource for people serious about growing food in tough times while still taking time to enjoy creation in all its abundance.
When it comes to solution based ideas about self sufficiency and what each of us can do in our own back yards, the closed loop system is high on the list. With grocery stores making it effortless to get unseasonal produce and convenience foods lined up throughout dozens of aisles and stacked on hundreds of shelves, its no wonder why humans have lost their connection with food. Luckily there are many young farmers hoping to change our reliance on overpriced and over-packaged foods loaded with chemical preservatives and artificial ingredients. New farms are popping up all over the world. Innovative food growing methods being put into practice every day. From vertical gardens to rooftop gardens; from aquaponics to aeroponics, young farmers are setting roots in their own communities worldwide, helping to localize food systems and circulate funds back into the local economy.
The closed loop system is an idea that I have been intrigued by for many years. The closed loop system has been popularized recently through stories of individuals and families turning their backyard swimming pool into a full functioning aquaponics garden. Green Finned Hippy Farm is changing that in their community in Pocahontas IL. They run an aquaponics farm.
Aquaponics involves utilizing the closed loop system for both fish and food production. The closed loop or closed cycle system is essentially aquaponics which combines hydroponics and aquaculture to achieve both fish as a food source and a free nutrient rich fertilizer siphoned from fish waste solids to feed the plants. There is virtually no waste in this process.
Green Finned Hippy Inc. started in 2010 as a licensed tilapia hatchery in Belleville, Illinois by Josh and Alicia Davis. A few years later, they moved to a 10 acre farm in Pocahontas IL, where they stay on the cusp of new and innovative sustainable farming techniques.
According to Alicia, co-owner, they operate an Aquaponics barn where over 3,800 gallons of water flows to 12 grow beds. The tilapia fish are bred on site and are grown in fresh water tanks. The water in the tanks is pumped into the grow beds, providing natural fertilizer for the plants. The plants are grown in rock grow beds which eliminates the need for dirt or pesticides. Green Finned Hippy Farm also produces over 1,500 pasture raised broilers per season for Nathalie's Restaurant (owned by Overlook Farms) in St. Louis, MO. Using the Joel Salatin pasture raised poultry method, the broiler chickens live outdoors and are moved to fresh grass everyday using mobile chicken tractors. "Following in line with our All Natural theme, our flock of laying hens also spends their days roaming our pastures. Our fresh eggs cannot be beat with their rich orange yolks and health benefits that surpass any store bought egg! Haven't heard why pasture raised eggs are the best? Check out this article!", says Alicia.
Free Tours: Even with all of their projects, they make time to teach the public about what "Naturally Grown" really means. According to Alicia, "It's our mission to teach people what it means to Put a Face Back on Food! We always welcome people come to our farm to see how we grow everything, and then we recommend they watch food documentaries such as Food Inc. to see what the Industry Standard is for where their supermarket food comes from. It's an eye opening experience and we encourage everyone to take the challenge of thinking twice about WHERE and HOW their food was produced!"
One stop shop for simple clean eating. They feel going straight to the farm should not be seen as "inconvenient." They offer a diverse array of products to supplement the Locavore's diet:
Aquaponic Produce (Basil and Kale – all year round!)
Fresh Ground Peanut Butter
Freshly Baked Breads
Pesticide Free Produce
Fresh Goats Milk
Instruction on How to Pickle Produce
Instruction on How to Build Solar Panels
In their quest to become a sustainable farm, they also added two goats to provide the farm with milk and weed control! Since Aquaponics is how it all started on their farm, they offer consultation services to help others get their own aquaponic systems up and running. Their past consultations include Overlook Farms in Clarksville Mo, and Principia College in Elsah, Ill.
Visit their facebook page or website to learn more. www.GreenFinnedHippy.com
It is young pioneering farmers like Josh and Alicia Davis who are reshaping the future of food in the United Sates. Folks like these surely do inspire others to think differently about their food.
You Grow Girl
Kitchen Gardeners
Green Blog on NYT
Edible Landscaping
Barbara Pleasant's Blog Central
Cold Antler Farm
In My Kitchen Garden
The Rowdy Radish
Growing for Market
Veggie Gardening Tips
Seasonal Wisdom
A Way to Garden
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When testing this 90w-250-weight oil on the dyno, we found it can absorb up to 6 whp. This probably makes it not the lube of choice for mildly built streetcars, but for a turbo motor, who cares as long as it helps the tranny hang together longer? On NASA SE-R Cup road racecars, this lube makes the transmission more reliable.
Do stuff to avoid wheel hopWheelhop pounds the crap out of a car's drivetrain. Use Energy urethane suspension bushings and pillow-ball-type upper strut mounts to help reduce transmission-pounding wheel hop. On the dragstrip, stay away from wheel-tire combos that cause hop or run real drag slicks. Drag slicks don't hop easily and the soft sidewalls cushion the transmission.
Don't speedshift into thirdThis is self-explanatory. Lift the throttle and ease it into third. Make sure the transmission is fully into third gear before hitting it. One bad 2-3 shift in a high-powered SE-R can spell doom.
Other stuff we did while we were in therePhantom Grip LSDThe stock Nissan VLSD tends to wear quickly and become marginally effective at preventing wheel-spinning launches and inside wheel spinning under cornering. While the exotic Quaife and Nismo differentials address this issue, they're also expensive.
Phantom Grip has a unit designed to work with the factory Nissan VLSD to make it a much harder-locking piece and to greatly improve the performance of a typical worn-out VLSD unit for a much lower price. We used the Phantom Grip with the competition green spring tuning pack for even harder lock up. Phantom Grips are smooth in operation and you can't feel them work. You just notice the extra traction out of the hold and off the turns.
Courtesy Nissan fifth-gear pop-out elimination kitMany 1991 to '93 SE-Rs suffer from fifth-gear pop-out. This usually occurs at 50,000 to 100,000 miles, although one blown 4-5 shift can also cause pop-out. After 1993, Nissan improved many of the components, from the 4-5 balk rings to the shift inserts, to eliminate this problem. All of the cars built after mid-1993 have these improved parts in them.
Courtesy Nissan, a leading mail-order Nissan parts house and performance-friendly Nissan dealer, has assembled all of the improved parts into an easy-to-purchase, no-research-required kit. If you have an older SE-R and are rebuilding the transmission, or if your SE-R suffers from fifth-gear pop-out (they all do sooner or later), this kit is a lifesaver. Courtesy Nissan is also a performance-friendly dealer that both stocks many high-performance parts and actively supports the Nissan performance community as well.
While we had the tranny apart, we replaced all the bearings and seals. We inspected the synchros and balk rings and found them all to be in excellent shape, so we reused them.
An SE-R transmission prepared in this manner will have at least twice the service life of a stock transmission. Transmission life is very dependent on operator skill and driving style. What this means is that some people will never break the tranny again. Others will experience significantly better service life, like one transmission every five road racing events instead of every weekend.
One low-10-second, 550-hp SE-R had a transmission prepared like this last more than 100 passes and an entire season before breaking. Shift briskly yet smoothly for best transmission life and don't speedshift into third. Lift that throttle.
The entire cost of all this work is less than $500, including the Phantom Grip LSD. That's money well spent if you have an SE-R pushing more than 200 whp. In the next edition of Project Phoenix, we'll step into the exotic world of building a bomb-proof, cost-is-no-object tranny that will hopefully hold everything we have planned for our car! Stay tuned.


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We've actually started meeting up again in earnest! The group is currently meeting once a month on the second Tuesday, always around 7.30pm, but the venue changes from time to time. If you're interested in comics and live in or around Edinburgh, send us an email to get added to our mailing list which will update you about coming events!
The Thought Bubble 2012
Hi comic folks.It's been so long but it's time to rock again. Fumio and Eddie made a pilgrimage to Leeds' Thought Bubble' festival during 16-18 November, with a stall waiting for us (Of course!) It was a great pleasure to meet all the people in the comic scene but also see many people take a look at our works and leave comments, and sometimes buy too! The sales were better all round than the last year, this means the readership in the UK is growing…?
Introducing 'Parecomic' – Help to get it Kickstarted!
Scottish comics writer Sean Michael Wilson has started work on an exciting new project, but for it to become a reality he's looking for Kickstarter funding.
PARECOMIC is a graphic novel about something that affects us all: the system we live in – what's wrong with it, and how we might be able change it for the better!
Written by Sean Michael Wilson, and drawn by Carl Thompson, PARECOMIC is about Michael Albert and his life's struggle as a US left wing activist, reaching right back to the heady days of 1960's student demos and lifestyle rebellions. From the development of the anti war movement, civil rights, the woman's movement, and the black panthers to the establishment of alternative media like South End Press and Znet. PARECOMIC shows us Michael's story, and at the same time the ideas and issues that influence both our society and the better alternative that we can build via the anarchist influenced system of participatory economics. Or PARECON for short – hence the title for our book, which rather started out as a joke – but has stuck: PARECOMIC.
You can find out more and help to fund it here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/471898784/parecomic-a-documentary-graphic-novel
Public Entertainment Resolution Will Kill ELC.
I can only apologise for blogging about a political matter, but this does concern everyone who enjoys the vibrant free arts scene in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh City Council are proposing a change to licencing laws that will force community events such as visual arts exhibitions, music, dance and theatre events to apply and pay for a licence, even if those events are put on for free. Such a change would severely damage what ELC does, and possibly even ruin chances of us putting on future events.
I urge everyone to raise a stink about this. Write to your councillor, tweet about it, and tell people you know that this is happening.
As such there is a public meeting at Out of the Blue in Dalmeny Street tonight, tonight (Thurs 1st March), to discuss and oppose this. I urge you to attend and sign the petition and/or contact your councillor to express your opposition. In Glasgow 14,000 signed the petition and the council scrapped its plans to impose these measures.
Write to your councillor here: http://www.writetothem.com/
Sign the petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/scottish-councils-scrap-public-entertainment-licence-fees
Thanks for your time. Hopefully we'll get some more events organised soon!
Creator Interview: Stref'
Stref', aka Stephen White is an edinburgh based illustrator and comic artist. His first graphic novel 'MILK+' was published in 2011 with his second book 'Raising Amy' following hot on its heels at the end of the year. To continue our investigations into the workings of local creators, we sent over some questions for Stref' to answer…
For up to date info and an interesting insight into his artistic process please check out Stref's blog.
What are you working on?
I have just finished drawing my latest graphic novel, " X " and have just had my first cartoon humour book published, " RAISING AMY".
Your graphic novel 'MILK+' used a variety of styles and settings, how important is it to your creative process that you be able to use a wide range of approaches?
I like to approach each project with a style that I feel best suits it. I work on a wide variety of scripts and they demand very different visuals to work properly as individual projects. Changing styles also constantly challenges me, but I realise that I have no distinguishable look to the body of my work…which could either be seen as a good or a bad thing!
You write, draw, ink, colour and letter your work- is this through necessity or do you like it that way?
It's a bit of both…I couldn't afford to pay someone to colour or letter for me…also I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to that stuff!
Is there any difficult stigma you have to put up with trying to make thoughtful comics in the science fiction genre?
I don't think about that stuff…ideas come to me and I scribble them down regardless of whether people want to look at them or not…like cleaning the cobwebs out of your brain. I switch styles as much as I switch genres-always trying to be thoughtful and funny-though not always succeeding!
What was the last comic you read and what did you think of it?
The last comic I read was CLiNT,which I enjoyed very much.
Peanuts or Calvin & Hobbes?
Calvin and Hobbes.
Xmas Greetings from ELC
Creator Interview: Magda Boreysza
Magda Boreysza is a comic artist, animator and illustrator. She divides her time between Edinburgh, Sweden and New Orleans. Magda's comic series 'Toastycats' is soon to reach its sixth issue, for more info check out Magda's blog and website.
What are you working on at the moment?
I'm putting together the 6th issue of Toastycats, which will have more pages and more colour than previous ones. I'm also developing ideas for graphic novels. I'm generating a lot of ideas in general, and trying to organize myself so as to actually get those projects done.
Some people feel that the word 'comics' comes with some unfortunate stigma they would rather be without and prefer terms such as 'sequential art' or narrative 'illustration'- where do you stand on that debate?
I'm often hesitant to use the word 'comic' when I describe what I do to people who have little contact with the form. But I'm equally uncomfortable with 'sequential art' or 'narrative illustration'. Those are incredibly dry terms and make comics sound like a total drag. So I do say comics. It's short and it has a good ring to it. We need to use the word until it looses its association with comedy and funny papers.
Do you have a specific grand plan in mind for Toastycats or do you just work on it as and when it seems appropriate?
It's certainly something that I plan to continue for a long time, and I would like to publish it more consistently than I do now. I think that it improves with each issue. When I first started, there was no plan at all. I didn't think that there would be more than one issue. Then I made another one, and another… with each, I'm getting a better idea of what I want to do. There's been a lot of experimentation, and some things worked while some didn't. I think that I painted myself into a corner, somewhat, with The Seed, because it just keeps expanding and I feel like I need to continue it in each issue, when I would actually much prefer to have all the issues be self-contained. So, I'm contemplating whether I should remove The Seed and just publish it separately as a graphic novel.
I also try to improve the print quality. I think that I've hit a point at which it makes more sense to have Toastycats printed lithographically, which has given the whole endeavour a real boost. At some point I might start experimenting with the form a little more. We'll see.
What was the last comic you read and what did you think of it?
I recently read 'Laika' by Nick Abadzis. It's such a well crafted story, and very moving. I was floored.
Peanuts or Calvin & Hobbes? Discuss
Both. They are both great.
Fumio's first book is gradually coming!
It showed up in Amazon Canada, because Fumio's publisher is in Quebec.
If you google 'l'incroyable histoire de la sauce soya' (the incredible tale of the soya sauce)you can see some extracts and check out the stocks in book retailers.Fumio is flattered.
Extracts link http://www.scribd.com/doc/63646412/Sauce-Soja-Extraits
If you are interested in his publisher this is their website http://www.lapasteque.com/Accueil.html
Fumio is going off to the international festival of comic books in Angouleme in Farnce again at the end of January.http://www.bdangouleme.com/
Anyone going there too, Fumio wants to catch up and he looks forwards to the update about it.
Creator Interview: Malcy Duff
Malcy Duff is a comix creator, artist and musician currently working from edinburgh. We recently sent a few questions his way via email to catch up on what he is up to- enjoy!
If you want to find out more about Malcy's past and future work please check out his blog. His new comix 'The Weather and The Weather Forecast', 'Faded Book Spine', and 'Writing Postcards in the Visitor Centre' can all be obtained by emailing the contact details on his website
I have this rule where by I don't tell anyone the project I'm working on because if I do it will never get finished, so….
I've had an idea but again I better not say.
What degree of similarity is there between the way you create your music and your comics?
Peanuts or Calvin & Hobbes? Discuss
If you're asking me to choose one I would choose Peanuts. I have a nostalgia for Calvin and Hobbes but only because my brother read it when we were growing up and Calvin really reminds me of him. I never really liked it very much. I like pictures of snow so it coaxed me in sometimes, but the snow seemed to be the only thing I could relate to. I'm looking at the light from this computer screen light up my hands and I can see all the wrinkles, crosses, pimples, lines going through my nails, jim henson rocks, wisps… clearly, all over my hands as they age. There are 60s compilations of Peanuts with these really clunky Ben-Day dots for shading which they themselves become characters and abstract forms in the strips. They make it look like the book has acne. That's why I choose Peanuts.