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Sunday, December 16, 2007
Wasn't That a Party
It's holiday time so I have been busy away from the blog, but with last night's party out of the way I can catch up on the pile of tasting notes exceeded only by the pile of snow in my driveway.
For the past few years my wife and I have hosted an open house for close friends and neighbours. But rather than simply put a bottle of wine on a table, every year I conduct a mini-tasting. Too chaotic (kids are invited) for anything formal, I simply serve a variety of wines and blind the guests.
Tonight, the wines were "Santa", "Mrs. Claus", "Rudolph" and "Frosty":
Armed with the following riddles our guests were invited to guess which was which, if they so chose:
A - "Viva Italia!" Oops, I mean "Viva Argentina!"
B - Chianti, but not Classico
C - Shiraz, or Syrah?
D - Who added that dash of white to my Aussie red?
This rather simple exercise integrated well into this social event. Some guests tried to solve the riddles, some simply asked me lots of questions, others secretly pondered the wines and listened to the others, and some simply chugged whatever was closest to them. But as evidenced by the army dead soldiers on my dining room table, the forty-five adults in attendance were "enthusiastic".
The winner? Well, that wasn't really a question, as all of these were terrific wines, but Rudolph was hero tonight and I had to work hard to keep that decanter full. Rudolph was the 2005 d'Arenberg "The Laughing Magpie" (1,2). No surprise - in my experience the big fruit of the Aussie wines always seem to win in such a chaotic setting, and this wine had enough complexity to keep the interest of our more experienced guests. A good party choice (but not cheap), but very sludgey wine so decant carefully.
The 2004 Masi Corbec comes from their Tupungato estate in Argentina. Made from Corvina (the grapes used in Amarone) and Malbec, and in the appassimento method used for Amarone, I thought this would be the one to confuse even the best tasters - and it did. A big bruiser, it shows similarities to real Amarone, at a price ($27) much closer to a simple Valpolicella. It probably needs some time.
The 2004 Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina (90% Sangiovese, plus Malvasia nera, Colorino, others) is a JoeFave (1,2), but in this setting this flavourful but very dry wine just didn't work. The same went for another JoeFave, the 2003 Guigal Crozes-Hermitage (1,2) - the Syrah of the group. Crisp and elegant, but with all of the sights, sounds and flavours thrown at our guests it was ignored by all, except my bro-in-law Cam who happily gulped it up.
Some may have noticed other wines. A late arrival was Cosme, the man who started me on this vinous journey. Together we and the remaining seven guests raided the JoeCave for some Montepulciano, the 2001 Don Luigi by Di Majo Norante to be exact, a wine made from 90% Montepulciano and 10% Tintilia. A wine enjoyed in the past, I put it away for a few years after my last bottle. Awkward when first poured (it was still at cellar temp), it opened up to a terrific and complex (leafy tobacco and dark berries, spicy) nose. Flavourful, with crisp acidity and big tannins and nice cherry fruit, I can't believe this is six years old. This wine screamed for a helping of homemade meat lasagna.
6 comments:
- Edward said...
Sounds like a great day/night. I love the naming of the wines. I often call my decanters Bruce, Kylie and Wayne. . .
Just in case I don't get a chance to comment in the next week - Merry Christmas!
- December 17, 2007 1:09 AM
- Joe said...
Hi Edward - yes, it seems like we would require and entire day/evening! Merry Christmas to you as well. Would you like me to send you some snow? I am pretty fed up with it here.
- December 18, 2007 10:25 PM
- RougeAndBlanc said...
Wow. I counted 14 empty bottles. Your party must be a boat load of fun (and your guests can drink!).
Quick question: Is your Don Luigi a regular bottling or the reserva?
Happy holidays to you and your family.
- December 19, 2007 12:47 AM
- Joe said...
Thanks Andrew - All the best to you and your family as well. My only excuse is that there were a lot of people. I am pretty sure there is only one bottling of the Don Luigi - are you sure there are two bottlings? The Di Majo Norante site lists only one.
- December 20, 2007 12:13 AM
Looks like a fun party! How did the Masi Corbec go over? I served it at my Easter dinner last year to mixed reviews. I enjoyed it, but also thought it needed more time.
- December 20, 2007 10:25 AM
- Joe said...
Welcome A. Hard to say - there were no complaints about it, but no raves either. It was probably the second favourite after the d'Arenberg
- December 20, 2007 2:29 PM


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Ecce Puer (See the child) by Medardo Rosso, 1906.
Lee Bontecou, Untitled, 1937. Wonderfully 3D effect done with canvas
Beatifully stylised Bird Swallowing A Fish by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, 1914.
This piece, Der Rächer by Ernst Barlach from October 1914 is a good reminder that Germans at that time didn't see themselves as evil invaders but as righteous avengers. The avenger is holding a saex, an ancient Germanic sword type. I feel there's an uncanny resemblance between the face and that of then Emperor Wilhelm II.
Barlach's enthusiasm for the war quickly wore off on the front and he returned as a pacifist. His post war work includes many commemorative signs at war cemeteries. His work was later labeled as Entartete Kunst by the Nazis. Just like Käthe Kollwitz, who lost her son in the Great War. This is her Turm der Mutter from 1937.

subset: commoncrawl


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* Differential Aptitude Tests and the DAT Career Planning Questionnaire were given to all ninth-graders at West Point High School recently.
* Differential Aptitude Tests and the DAT Career Planning Questionnaire were given to all ninth-graders at West Point High School recently.
Marianna W. Chestnutt, director of guidance and counseling, says the DAT is composed of eight tests: verbal reasoning, numerical ability, abstract reasoning, clerical speed and accurary, mechanical reasoning, space relations, spelling and language usage.
These test scores are reported in national percentiles and tell where each student ranks on each test in comparison with all students in numerous schools across the county.
The DAT Career Planning Report includes a standard computer-produced profile of the student's DAT scores and a pre-printed statement that describes the tests and their interpretation and orients the students to the career report printed by the computer.
On the back of the report are descriptions of the aptitudes measured by the DAT, followed by the groups of school subjects and activities and the groups of jobs and occupations.
* King and Queen Central High School is participating again in Project PERT, a state-funded project that encourages students with disabilities to explore vocational training while still in high school.
PERT's objective is to specifically identify the needs of 10th-grade students with special needs.
The program began in 1984 to assist learning disabled students and mildly retarded students in entering the world of work or post-secondary educational programs. It is also geared to pinpoint available programs to meet the students' needs and to bridge the gap where service-delivery voids exist.
A total of 50 school districts will participate in the program this year. Approximately 350 students in Virginia will take part in career exploration emphasizing decision making and independent living skills.
Project PERT is jointly funded by the Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Department of Rehabilitation Services and the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center.
Selected students from King and Queen Central High School will undergo an intensive two-week evaluation during May at Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center in Fishersville where the project is based.
The evaluation includes vocational exploration of each person's three highest interests in order to determine specific needs.
After the students return, the Department of Rehabilitation Services and school professionals work together with a case manager to apply the knowledge learned from the evaluation towards restructuring each student's academic and vocational high school programs.
If necessary, students may return to Woodrow Wilson the following summer to receive work adjustment, independent living trial vocational training services. Areas of focus have ranged from food service and child care to computer assisted drafting and auto mechanics.
For more information on the program, call Ruby Hickman, King and Queen Central High School, 785-6102, or Five Rivers Regional Educational Services, 843-4085.
* Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) is making available as much as $250,000 in 1989 for up to 100 research internships for science and engineering undergraduate students at state-funded, four-year colleges and universities in Virginia.
The internship program is intended to be a partnership of CIT, the educational institutions and participation technology companies. Each internship will provide the student $5,000 to pursue a technology-based research problem in industry. CIT will pay half of the costs through the colleges and universities and the companies and corporations are being asked to pay the other half.
A nonprofit corporation created by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1984, CIT invests in high quality research with market potential at state colleges and universities, assists in commercializing that research and aids in the creation and support of technology companies in a variety of ways across the state.
Ten internships will be allotted to each doctoral-granting institution and five internships will be granted to each of the other four-year institutions.
The program is aimed at boosting the number of science and engineering professionals in Virginia and encouraging new or expanded contacts between colleges and companies.
A requirement of the program is that each student, after completing the internship, submit to CIT a three-page summary of the results or findings of his or her research. Twenty percent of the interns judged to have the best papers and who have indicated an intention to go to graduate school in Virginia in a science or engineering field will be awarded a supplemental fellowship worth $2,500 annually for the first two years of graduate school.


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i'm going to start doing occasional updates on the kids just so i can remember what they are in to at certain points in their life, and especially because my memory is really bad.
micah just finished another asthma exacerbation. hopefully he is growing out of it, it's been a while since the last one. he is on his 3rd week of potty training and doing excellent. the only real accidents he has are sometimes during nap and when he forgets to point his birdie all the way down while he's peeing. he uses pull-ups only for nighttime. his favorite song is still "imma be" by the black eyed peas. his favorite dvd is 'they might be giants, here come the abcs.' like most boys his age, he likes cars, star wars, and transformers. he's also really into trucks, especially garbage trucks. we watch videos of garbage trucks on youtube (very exciting). when micah is in his terrible 2 mode his voice gets really loud, he yells, motions as if he's going to hit, and can scream in a higher pitch than malia. sometimes it's frustrating (like in church), but other times i just end up laughing at him. he's still cute to me when he's mad.
malia just started voice lessons last saturday. she picked voice lessons over dance classes this time. she would still love to take theater classes, but they were interfering with schoolwork during the week, so we had to find something on weekends only. she plans on singing at her school talent show in june. she's funny because she just goes around the house making up her own songs and the lyrics she comes up with are hilarious. malia's favorite song right now is "almost there" from princess and the frog, which happens to be her favorite movie too. malia is in some whining stage. (or does whining just come with being a girl?) but i noticed that all the girls in her class whine. it makes me want to pull my hair out. so we are working on the whining. sometimes i copy her and whine at her so she can hear how bad it sounds. she laughs and stops. but that only lasts so long.
when m&m aren't fighting, they like making forts, playing make believe, and playing computer games together. they also like to "help" me in the kitchen and fold the laundry.


text:
It seems the BBC news service is wholly without the services of an economist. Either that, or it's content to publish whatever pro-EU old rubbish is pushed in its direction. What else can explain the coverage being given to the NIESR's report that Eastern European immigration increased UK GDP?
As any fule know, it's not changes to GDP that's meaningful in this context, but changes to per capita GDP; even a Somali on benefits will increase GDP, but whereas a Somali on benefits marginally reduces per capita GDP, a Canadian doctor will marginally increase it.
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Hollow EU Econprop from slavish BBC
2 comments:
The real per capita hourly wage has been going down since the 70s, only disguised by two adults working in most households. Like per capita GDP it is not discussed.
- 1 May 2011 at 14:12
- English Pensioner said...
This report http://vladtepesblog.com/?p=33033
suggests that in Denmark immigrants and descendants from non-western countries today the Danish society 15.7 billion kroner per year, while immigrants and descendants from Western countries contributing to the exchequer by 2.2 billion kroner.
Strange, the BBC never mentions such reports!
- 1 May 2011 at 21:32
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text:
Ah, there's nothing like full disclosure on Monday morning…
Over the past couple months, I haven't been a model patient.
I would say about four to six times in the last month, I haven't been able to sleep. I just roll around. My brain won't shut off. And I can't figure out what's messing up my sleep cycle. Then when I wake up, I notice that I forgot to take my nighttime meds. And then my lack of sleep makes total sense, although I am sad to discover that I am obviously still in need of meds to help me sleep.
I don't take sleeping pills. I take a muscle relaxer and anti-anxiety meds. It took me and my rheum awhile to figure out this combination. When I first got sick, I realized I wasn't sleeping well because 1) when I would lay in bed, it felt like my bones were crushing in on each other and 2) for an amount of time, when I was at my sickest, I worried that if I went to sleep, I wouldn't wake up (maybe a very irrational, but very real fear).
I've always viewed it as okay to occasionally skip or forget to take my nighttime meds. Not on purpose, but I really thought I didn't have to worry that the world would cave in if I missed a dose. Now I'm realizing, however, that they serve a very real purpose in my life. I can't sleep for shit without them.
I've also been a delinquent patient in another way. I haven't totally followed through on the "no drinking alcohol" rule. I'm not really sure how serious of an offense this actually is. I'm not a big drinker, but for some reason, when you're not supposed to, it suddenly makes doing it so much more palatable. But I realize now that because 1) I don't drink that often and my tolerance is low and 2) I think the meds make the effects of alcohol more potent, when I do drink, it hits me in ways that makes me never want to drink again. Don't worry. I won't make that mistake again any time soon.
Also as of late, my fatigue has begun to increase. I have a feeling that it getting darker earlier has something to do with it. And therefore, I've increased my coffee intake from one cup a day, which I've been relatively staunch about in the past, to no less than two cups a day. But the thing is, and we all know this, caffeine doesn't do much to cure this kind of fatigue.
So what gives? Why have I become a dose-skipping, alcohol-drinking, coffee-addict?
Needless to say, when you're feeling reasonably well, it's easy to push the envelope a bit. But it's stupid. Because as soon as I get welcomed back into pain land, I realize how good I had it when I wasn't in pain. My workouts this past week have been horrible. My knees burn the entire time. And you how you can grab a cat by the nape of its neck? It feels like someone is doing that to my shoulder. It's not pleasant.
All in all, though, I have an appointment with my rheum in a week and a half, and honestly, I feel like I don't have all that much to say. My right hip and elbow are a constant struggle, but that's pretty much a given in this body of mine.
And I don't plan on telling him about my few transgressions. I wouldn't want him to think that I'm trying to sabotage this period of relative health. Because I'm not. And there are certainly signs that I'm in active disease mode. My left neck gland is swollen. Does it ever get un-swollen, I wonder? Well, I know it does, because now that it's swollen, it hurts. And I've developed a gash on my lip that just won't heal. I don't know how I got it; seems like my lip has a mind of its own. It looks like my non-existent boyfriend punched me in the lip. Yeah, it's that good.
So let's be realistic. We aren't model patients 100% of the time. I think we tend to be better patients when we are feeling worse.
Ultimately, it's my responsibility to get back on track, and I'm writing this post to hold myself accountable to do just that.


text:
The P&S Journal: Spring 1998, Vol.18, No.2
Research Reports
Defining Epilepsy
Individuals who experience two or three unprovoked seizures have a high risk of suffering more seizures and should be treated for epilepsy, according to a study published in the Feb. 12, 1998, issue of New England Journal of Medicine. The study establishes the first mathematically sound definition of epilepsy.
Epilepsy, a condition that affects approximately 2.5 million Americans, is defined as a condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. "There has been a debate in the medical community about how many seizures that means and when a person should be treated for epilepsy," says lead author Dr. W. Allen Hauser, professor of neurology and public health. "This study shows that two seizures are necessary and sufficient criteria for defining epilepsy. It provides a prediction of risk of seizure recurrence for people newly diagnosed with epilepsy."
The researchers followed 204 patients for a mean of eight years, beginning at the diagnosis of their first unprovoked seizure. Only one-third of the original group had more seizures within five years. However, once patients had a second seizure, their risk of a third jumped to 73 percent. Patients who had three seizures had a 76 percent risk of a fourth.
"Once a patient has a second seizure, the risk of having a third or fourth is quite high," says Dr. Hauser. "So the implication is that patients should be treated after their second seizure." In the United States, approximately 150,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy each year.
The study was funded in part by a grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.


text:
Jamaican police have returned to work after staging a "sick-out" in protest of stalled salary increases.
Police union leader Corporal Hartley Stewart said Wednesday more than one-fourth of the nation's 8,000 officers took part in the protest.
He said they returned to work after the Minister of Finance and Planning, Omar Davies, agreed to discuss salary issues with union officials. Stewart said the meeting is scheduled for July 25.
With a population of more than 2.6 million, the Caribbean nation has one of the highest murder rates in the world.Some information for this report was provided by AP.


text:
I wanted to thank everyone for the suggestions and give of follow up of where we ate (visitors from Vancouver).
Tuesday-Lunch at Artichoke Pizza in the east village. My bf had the margherita slice which we both really liked. He said it was his favourite pizza in NYC. I had the square piece but didn't really like it. It was a little bit burnt (which they said was how they did it) and really heavy tasting. It was ok but definitely not as good as the regular slices. We planned to go to the Artichoke restaurant in Chelsea but unfortunately the hurricane caused us to change those plans.
Dinner-Blue Smoke-had the burger. The patty was really thick and cooked really well. I expected a bit more of a bbq taste but maybe for the best as I don't especially love thick bbq sauce.
Wednesday dinner-Ended up close to the hotel at Amarone restaurant. Had the seafood pasta which was a steal of a deal at about $15. Large portions and tons of scallops and shrimp.
Thursday-Lunch at Co. (Company) in Chelsea. Amazing pizza though a little on the small side. Both had the Margherita which is our go too. Like how they have a lot of flavoured oil already in the pizza so you don't need to add it to the crust.
Dinner-Lupa-A little disappointed here. Had the 2 appy's and then both had pasta. I had seafood linguine which was alright but pretty bland. Felt like I could have made it myself if a bit of white wine, olive oil, clams and pasta. The appy's were ok but again nothing to rave home about. Probably our least favourite place.
Friday-Lunch at EMP-Can't go on enough about this experience. Absolutely the best. Amazing food, amazing service, beautiful portions, and beautiful room. Would recommend this place to everyone and if you are out of town ask to see the kitchen where they will let you take pictures and serve you an egg-cream. I will attach photos soon.
Dinner-Keste-Also amazing Neopolitan pizza. Can't decide if Keste or Co. were better. To me very similar and delicious. Keste pizza seems a little bigger and has a more mom and pop shop feel but both are worth visiting.
Saturday- Dinner-Hurricane warnings started so ate at our hotel restaurant "Print". Had the steak. Huge portions including, potatoes cooked in duck fat (yummy!), salad, and steak. The steak itself was decent but the salad and potatoes were really the stars. The restaurant is a farm to table restaurant and boy can you tell with the salad. Every bite and you just taste the freshness of the produce. BF and I ended up sharing the plate with a dessert and bread and were both satisfied. Plus they have an amazing rooftop lounge for after dinner.
Sunday-Not much open so ended up eating at a hole in the wall NYC style thin crust pizza joint. Quite delicious. Dinner ended up in Hell's Kitchen at Island burger and shakes another hole in the wall. Both were cheap and good.
Monday-Breakfast-Sullivan street bakery as it was one block from the hotel-had the green olive bread which the bf chowed down on. Yummy but pretty similar to the green olive bread at Terra breads in Vancouver.
Lunch-Modern bar room-had the wine flight and charcuterie and slow poached farm egg with lobster and eggplant. The eggplant but the star here but overall very good and would be interested to try more (if more time).
Overall, we ate at most places I wanted to except Katz's and one of the Momofuku joints. Would also have liked to trade Lupa for Minertta tavern. But overall, food was amazing as expected and it was well worth doing lots of research before I went rather than just winging it.
Thanks again for your help and will post pictures of EMP lunch soon.
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012
Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010
Sullivan Street Bakery
533 W 47th St, New York, NY 10036
The Modern
9 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019
Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016
686 9th Ave, New York, NY 10036
328 E 14th St, New York, NY 10003
230 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001
Keste Pizza & Vino
271 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
653 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036


text:
Tim O'Reilly, an author, online publisher and conference producer, was quoted in a BBC article about "Blogger's Code of Conduct "in reply to a sequence of disturbing comments which appeared to come from cyber-bullying weblogs. A week later O'Reilly decided to put forward a draft to which people could subscribe to. Finally, the lecturer came through, with a summary of the main points of the discussion.
In regard to his very first intervention, after discussing about this matter, lecturers came up with some ideas about what a code of conduct should include.
First of all they talked about the fact of taking responsibility not just for each one's own words, but for the comments we allow in our blogs. This is not about promoting censorship but about distinguishing acceptable and unacceptable content, and behaving responsibly on any blog we participate.
Apart from that we find the idea of labeling our tolerance for abusive comments, by suggesting every blogger to specify their level of discourse in advance, in order to avoid as many offensive comments as possible.
The next step, would be considering the fact of eliminating anonymous comments, as there is a huge number of people who say things that they would never dare to say when they are identified. Related to this, we have the rule based on ignoring trolls and avoiding controversy as some times those people don't even deserve to stand up to them. In addition to this, taking the conversation offline, and talking directly or finding an intermediary would be a great solution, so as to solve confrontations or misunderstood. We should bear in mind, that writing comments in a public forum is a horrible way to have a discussion full of emotions.
It would not be a bad idea either, telling badly behaved people, about their nasty attitude towards someone else and therefore not remaining silent. Last but not least, we cannot forget about not saying things we wouldn't say in person. We should simply have to control our anger and frustration, in order not to see us in the duty of having to apologize for our disastrous attitude.
In regard to "Draft Blogger's Code of Conduct", Tim mentions six principles which should be carried out, with the purpose of encouraging both personal expression and constructive conversation.
He insists on taking responsibility for our own words, not saying anything online that we wouldn't say in person, connecting privately before doing it publicly, taking action when we believe something is unfair, not allowing anonymous comments and ignoring the trolls.
To finish, O'Reilly summarizes all on his "Lessons Learned so Far", dividing it into 6 points. The first one is based on the poor choice of "badges", it's important to put as much attention to images as to texts, as these can also contribute to a negative reaction by many people.
Secondly, he affirms, that the "code of conduct" needs to be much more modular, it is not just about the image transmitted, but the assertions and associated images, which actually led to express values, that a site would not like to express.
Thirdly, he suggests some moderation mechanisms instead of policies, to promote or demote comments, and therefore make a difference between valuable and invaluable comments.
Fourthly, he affirms that anonymity has certainly a place, but that place will necessarily need to be designed carefully. After this, he insists on the fact that a code of conduct should be revised by lawyers.
And finally, he remembers, that civility still matters. He emphasizes that even if we love intense and passionate discussion, we should not give space to insulting or no substance comments.
- O´Reilly, T. (2007). Code of Conduct: Lessons Learned So Far. Retrieved from http://radar.oreilly.com/2007/04/code-of-conduct-lessons-learne.html
- O´Reilly, T. (2007). Draft Blogger's Code of Conduct. Retrieved from http://radar.oreilly.com/2007/04/draft-bloggers-code-of-conduct.html
- O´Reilly, T. (2007). Call for a Blogger's Code of Conduct. Retrieved from http://radar.oreilly.com/2007/03/call-for-a-bloggers-code-of-co.html
- Brad Stone (2007.04.09) A Call for Manners in the World of Nasty Blogs. In the New York Times retrieved 2012.11.12 from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/technology/09blog.html?pagewanted=all
- Brad Sugars (2009.08.26) Anonymity and Ethics. In Aboutbradsugars.com retrieved 2012.11.12 http://www.aboutbradsugars.com/anonymity-and-ethics


text:
Lorne Raber hears Winnipeggers say it all the time:
"When I die, I don't want any sort of marker. I want to be cremated and have my ashes scattered."
But to Raber, owner of Eden Memorials and president of the Monument Builders of North America, throwing one's identity to the winds is an incomprehensible preference.
"No one's going to know who you were!" he says. "Everyone that walks the face of this Earth should be remembered.
"To my way of thinking, it means your life wasn't worth anything. It doesn't matter what size (of memorial) it is, but there should be something. Wouldn't you want people to know you existed?"
He mentions a memorial destined for a Saskatchewan cemetery and a recommendation for an inscription in the deceased's Hungarian, and even what he wants his own epitaph to read.
When he took over the business, Raber went to Minnesota to see how granite is quarried and finished, so he could speak about it first-hand.
He became active in the 700-member Monument Builders of North America that in 1999 he became one of only 125 certified memorialists in the world, and the only one on the Canadian Prairies. Among the requirements, he had to write a four-hour exam on everything from how granite is created to grief counselling. He became so active that he was elected president of the group this year, the first Jewish head in its 102 years.
The company has created monuments for Holocaust survivors on which the names of family members who perished are carved on the back. A Star of David made from barbed wire symbolizes this kind of remembrance.
For Raber, the manner in which Jews were killed in concentration camps is another reason why the ever-increasing popularity of cremation does not sit well with him.
"As a Jewish person, knowing of the Holocaust, I can't comprehend why anyone would want to get cremated," he says.
One comment that will warm the hearts of genealogists: He believes that a woman's maiden name should be on her gravestone: "It helps place her in the context of family members and community, he says, and is vital for genealogy. Maiden names are really, really important. What we do (creating headstones) is a historical record."
There's more on designing headstones, on cremation, monument wording.
While some people joke about his work, he says, "Don't make fun of me. I get to spell your name at the end."
If you're a current or former Winnipegger, you'll recognize many of the references in his "vital signs" at the end of the story.


text:
By Spencer Ackerman
There used to be a war called the Iraq war, and it's actually going to continue until December 2011, at which point it will continue in mutated form without American participation. In Washington, there's a curious effect whereby a war that fails to generate controversy falls out of public attention. Iraq is a settled issue — Obama will withdraw forces in two and a half years and the Republican Party no longer objects — and an unsettled conflict. And this post is actually about food.
Sharon Weinberger at Danger Room recently took a trip to the U.S. embassy in Iraq, ensconced within the formerly-U.S.-controlled fortress that used to be called the Green Zone. (When I was there in March 2007, we were supposed to call it the "International Zone," but few people did.) It's a huge embassy that doesn't have a lot going for it, culinarily. Judging from Sharon's post, not a lot has changed since I last visited, despite the upgraded facilities:
The shiny new dining facility, or DFAC, at the embassy features gleaming refrigerators filled with a seemingly endless supply of Gatorade, cola, and even near beer. There are over half a dozen separate food stations, including one where fresh Caesar salads are assembled on the spot. The cafeteria is run by KBR, which hires third country nationals — mostly Indians and Sri Lankans dressed in formal attire — to serve the food.
The food is not only all-you-can-eat, it's also all-you-can-take: Employees can prepare to-go meals and are allowed to take unlimited amounts of soda and drinks back to their rooms. "The carrot cake, you've got to try the carrot cake," one of my lunch companions insisted. (There's an entire station for baked desserts, featuring several different types of freshly baked cakes and cookies; there's a separate station for ice cream, both regular and soft serve.)
One thing you quickly learn when embedding with U.S. troops is that you're never far from a Gatorade re-supply. Your electrolyte balance is very important to warfighting.
Food-wise, DFACs are big cafeterias. If it can be put under a heat lamp and it contains a powerful caloric burst, it will be served to you. The DFAC at nearby Camp Liberty had six flavors of ice cream available at all times. Jellos, individual servings of cereal, juiceboxes (hi haters), burger stations, cold cuts, waterlogged green beans, fridges filled with soda. None of it is going to be Iraqi food. These are creature comforts and coping mechanisms, reminders of home in carbohydrate-smothered facsimile. Even outside the embassy, the Iraqi food is a similacrum. Sharon explains:
The two main restaurants serving expatriates — Freedom Restaurant, which serves Iraqi food, and its uncreatively named neighbor, Chinese Freedom Restaurant, which serves dishes like "Cube + Milk + Nugget" — were all but vacant. Even Foreign Service officers are questioning the size of the staff in Baghdad, noting that it's taking away resources from other embassies.
My experience was somewhat similar. This is from a post I wrote in 2007 for a friend's now-defunct foodblog:
The [al-Rashid] hotel, just across the street from CPIC in the Green Zone, used to be the only transit point for visiting westerners during Saddam's rule. All foreign journalists were required to stay there, as the Ministry of Information operated out of the hotel in order to spy on guests. It remains an ornate place inside, with a beautiful marble forecourt giving way to a maze of shops hawking overpriced watches and bootleg DVDs, but the locals lament its decline since the war. My lunch companions, a Shiite ex-journalist and a Sunni ex-Army officer, discussed in various ways how, unfortunate as it is to admit, life was better under Saddam, and I couldn't help but think they were spurred to this opinion at least in part by the sub-par offerings of the al-Rashid's restaurant. The hummus is a pasty mess with stunningly little tahini and no garlic, and the pickled beets were straight out of the can. Sadly, the mixed grill was no better: underseasoned rubber chicken and chewy steak chunks augur the hotel's decline. And the tea was Lipton, not the delicious chai you get offered by every dignitary you interview out here.
And this was my Embassy DFAC experience:
Green Zone food is the worst of all. The US Embassy might be the largest in the world, but its chow hall is subpar, even by FOB standards. Avoid any steamed vegetable — the rumor is that they're causing a regrettable gastric illness. Your best bet is to head down to the PX's food court, which hosts a Subway and a Burger King in individualized trailers. (Nothing beats a receipt that reads BURGER KING IRAQ GREEN ZONE.) [The press credentialing agency] allows transient journalists a place to crash, but the price is to get slopped like a hog. Breakfast is at 6, and if you don't wake up in time, try to get them to open their closet filled with Otis Spunkmeyer apple-cinnamon muffins and individual-serving cereal. Lunch is a chow-hall buffet out in the courtyard with Salvadoran soldiers and contract guards pointing the occasional rifle in your direction. Dinner is, again, chow hall stuff — burgers, pizza, salisbury steak that tastes like cardboard slathered in unidentifiable goo — but it's served to you in the lounge in takeaway trays. Ubiquitous are the Fico Fresh-brand Iraqi potato chips, Gatorade by the ton in the fridge — and of course, Fanta.
Nothing like that to make you feel like some horrific mistakes are impervious to change.
Photo by Flickr user Jamesdale10.


text:
Some character roughs for a thing I'm working on around the edges of my paid gigs.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Abigail and Friends
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About Me
- Roger Langridge
- London, United Kingdom
- Eisner and Harvey Award-winning cartoonist responsible for The Muppet Show Comic Book, Thor the Mighty Avenger, Snarked! and Fred the Clown. Would like to save the world through comics.


text:
The turquoise pair is already sold out!
That was my first choice but I do also like the b&w polka dot/animal fur inspired one.
And nooow I'm lost in anthropologie land ;)
x atelier zozo
Oooh...these are adorable, I love them too :)) Adore the three at the bottom, they are perfect!! I hope you have a beautiful weekend doll xx
The Dainty Dolls House
These are gorgeous - and such pretty imagery! Have a great weekend xoReplyDelete
these are so pretty!! love the red and the camel ones :)ReplyDelete
They're all so pretty!ReplyDelete
I've never seen these before. Love flats, and these look so festive.ReplyDelete
I love that store I could stay in there all day shopping they have such beautiful items for just like the items you display they all perfect. Enjoy your weekend.
Hi Rowena! I think they are the perfect flats for the holidays! I dont wear heels a lot so for me are so ideal! Fell in love with them all but as you, I have a crush on the red pair, truly fab!:) Kisses dear, hope you have a wonderful weekend! xoReplyDelete
Gorgeous! I love the tan and red ones the most. xReplyDelete
omg yes yes yes! why haven't i seen these before. i wish i had the gold pair. i'm going to a holiday party tonight and i'm dreading what my heels are going to do to my feet!ReplyDelete
They all look pretty but I wish they were a little less pointy. With my enormous feet I really need shoes with rounded tips :-(ReplyDelete
These shoes are so unique and pretty, I actually love pointy shoes so these fit the bill. I think I would have a hard time making decision Rowena because they all look nice. The red pair is a good choice.ReplyDelete
I have been loving pointed toe flats!
With A City Dream
I wouldn't mind having any of these styles in my closet. They are very cute and stylish Rowena. Thanks for sharing. xx/MadisonReplyDelete
I like the beige/taupe pair! The red glitters would look fabulous with party outfits, though. :)ReplyDelete
These flats are beautiful! The details are so gorgeous - I love that flats can be "fancy" too! xx Kat
Love and Ace
Amazing flats.... I love them all!!!!!!
Have a lovely WE my dear!!!!
I agree, they could be and I would wear them after I get tired of wearing heels. I love the red glittery pair, they are adorable.
I love them, I would pick the green and blue ones.
Corinne x
the pink ones are really cute! :)
Now I am really really sad we don't get Anthropologie here, these flats are so pretty, very much my style, I would want them all. Thanks for your kinds words dear, have a warm and splendid weekend!ReplyDelete
Such pretty flats, perfect alternative to heels too!
I would like to invite you to please participate in my International Giveaway from Sammy Dress
International Giveaway from Sammy Dress
Feisty Fox Diaries
Oh WOW. I sooooo want a pair of these now. And $59.99 is not a bad price at all! I like the gold.
Allie of ALLIE NYC
Love the flats!!!!
Love Nilu Yuleena,
BIG hair LOUD mouth BLOG
BIG hair LOUD mouth FACEBOOK page
Love...so cute!!ReplyDelete
I really want a pair now! I love these!
xx Easy Outfits, by Pip
I can see why you want a pair they are so cute and perfect for the holidays! Great price too! I think I drawn towards the blue and green pair!
What a fantastic price! The hard part is choosing. I wouldn't know where to start. HaHaHa
The latest michael kors bags here
loved the pink ones!
Follow each other on GFC? please let me know.
These are pretty! I like wearing flats, but usually I'm wearing sneakers :DReplyDelete
wow, wonderful shoes!!!
happy weekend!
Great blog!!!
Can we follow each other via gfc bloglovin and g+?
I would pick the burgundy. So cute.
Hahaha these have such cute designs! I'm not a huge fan of the pointed toe though. Lucky for me the holidays are spent with family so I don't bother very much with my shoes. :)ReplyDelete
Adorable, i love wearing flats all the time.
Miss Margaret Cruzemark
cute flats for the holidays! Love them all
I love how oriental the bottom 3 look! I don't have shoes for my cheongsam looking dresses and these would fit complement well.
Numbers are so cool but I'm not good with them. I would only realise things after people say it. Ah, and you stay in NYC. So cool! My wedding date coincides with our car licence number. I didn't realise till my mum pointed out after we told her the date.
nice ones. I'm a junkie for striped stuff, so go fiure what my favourites are.ReplyDelete
Perfect flats not only for holyday! Love them!ReplyDelete
I love them! I think these ones at the top would be perfect for me <3ReplyDelete
They are gorgeous!! I love them all! <3
New Blog Post: Tips to Relieve Stress This Holiday Season
The one with the stripes was my favourite.
Stella from a A Shiny Place
normally I'm not really into ballerinas, but this ones are just amazing, thanks for sharing :)
Your blog looks awesome :)
I love flats and I agree the glittery ones are great, I also like the striped pair. I hope you had a great weekend!ReplyDelete
Oh, what an exquisite collection! I aboslutely adore the blue pair and the glam glitter ones!ReplyDelete
Absolutely perfect. The design is exquisite and stunning. I want a pair so much.ReplyDelete
love the sparkly ones :)ReplyDelete
nice shoes my dear :)
How fun and festive are all of these???ReplyDelete
Lovely post!
Maybe you'd like to follow each other on Bloglovin? Let me know and I follow you back :)
following you dear....
Those flats are just too perfect! Love :)
xo TJ
Thanks so much for dropping by! Please don't be shy and say hi! I do read all comments and try to respond by visiting you back on your blog or by email if you have it enabled. For a quicker response, you can always tweet or email me. Any spam and inappropriate links will be removed.
Stay in touch!


text:
oms2go is a nice little openstreetmap editor that was designed for the maemo platform. I managed to install it on moblin too.
sudo yum install subversion gcc libtool libcurl-devel libsoup-devel gtk-doc make gnome-vfs-devel libgnome-devel gtk2-devel svn co http://svn.gnome.org/svn/goocanvas/trunk/ goocanvas svn co https://garage.maemo.org/svn/osm2go/branches/ports/debian osm2go #first compile goocanvas cd goocanvas ./autogen.sh ./configure --prefix=/usr make sudo make install cd .. #osm2go cd osm2go ./configure make sudo make install cd .. #Finished. You can issue osm2go to start!


text:
ANDI EDWARDS shares a G&T with TREACLE HOLASZ.
Within this hipster enclave against a backdrop of crushed red velvet drapery, a whiplash guitar cut's througth the exalted gathering. Freakbeat rythems begin to rise as the stage is suddenly awash with an exotica display of sensual reverie and explosive slinkiness. Tail feathers a shaking and bodies writhing to the propulsive beats, all attention is held in rapture by the sassy femmes leading this psychotropic parade tonight. We all flasback in unison to a world beyond the valley of the dolls and deep down within the go-go canyon.
Ladies and gentlemen be upstanding and please welcome the fabulous Meyer Dancers.
The Meyer Dancers are the UK's premier Go Go Girl dance troupe. Appearing at all hip and happening shindigs within the capital and beyond, they transform every event they appear at into a blaze of ecstatic glamour and earth shaking swagger. Previously known as the DRA Dance collective they have recently expanded to a five piece. I caugtht up with lead Meyer Treacle Holalsz over a few gin and tonics and easy chatter at a favoured local batcave.
Treacle: "For me the biggest influence and reason I started the troupe was the opening trailer of Russ Meyer's Faster Pussycat... kill kill kill. It was the passion, strength, stamina and femininity of the women in the scene. What I had previously encountered in Go Go Dancing had been this very sweet interpretation, for example The Supremes which I personally don't see as Go Go dancing. It's very nice but it's basically a motown 2 step. Our whole thing was to bring back the proper Go go dancing. Our influences were the dancers at The Whiskey A Go Go in the '60s, Tura Santana and The Ikettes. We just wanted to display that raw energy and I personally wanted to start a dance troupe that expressed that love, fire and passion we have for the music. Which I hadn't seen expressed since the '60s."
Funny you should mention that, as within my own events I've always felt the need to have a Go Go dance troupe to accentuate the musical and visual impact. "When you are performing with a band from the '60s or '70s, I feel it really helps them as it's a way of really taking them back. I feel it helps to get that original passion from them again. Which may not happen if they were performing to just another unknowlegable crowd."
So how did the girls all come to find each other originally?
"We all met througth out mutual dance degree with the tacher Lee Bryson. We studied together on a B.A course in dance chereography, and bonded over morning ballet classes. Eventually we all found out we shared a mutual interest in Gin & Tonic's and record collections. And from there we all came to a descision that there was no one else out there performing any dance we wanted to see and that we should get out there and have a go. I had a friend that was running a '60s night and he gave us the oppurtunity to cherograph a few numbers and get up and perform. And really it's all grown from there.
In term's of the new members, one of the girls applied to us througth our website and she is a Bollywood dancer, and the other is a fashion make up artist and designer. One of our original dancers Cherry met the latter on a fashion shoot, and she is this amazing 6ft 5 Amazonian goddess and Cherry was like "Oh hello... by the way do you like dancing by any chance?" (laugths)"
Going back to your early perfomances, are there any memories that particularly stand out?
"Well all of my memories are generally good, but the girls did ask to point out one particular incident. We had a misbooking at this members club in Mayfair, London. We began to wonder where the stage was and the owner's reply was "No.. no stage, two of you can go on the Bar and one can go on the amplifier..." and i was like 'Whaat?! This sounds faintly ugly.' But we stuck it out and the next thing we know this firebreather walks in, stinking of vodka and boasting about how she had burnt her mouth the night before. And the final straw came when a lady whom was a snake charmer came out dressed as Lara Croft and we decided Ok, regardless of the money, this is definatly not for us and promptly left."
On a more posistive and apropiate note, the girls have made a number of memorable appearances at Le Spoke Boutique..
"I only have good memories. And we'd definatly like to say a massive thank you to Rob Bailey, as he was one of the first people to gave us an oppurtunity to perform. But our favourite memory that we've all agreed upon is when we performed with The Sonics.....Firstly the crowd that night were so up for dancing. And that was the first night we did our routine 'Liar Liar' by The Castaways and it just seemed that everyone in that room had the same anticipation and raw energy. We then came off the stage to find we were sharing a dressing room with The Sonics, which I think would be any girls dream. We are all huge Sonics fans and to go in there and find they were literally some of the nicest people you could ever meet... they couldn't share enougth of their Corona Beer and cheese...! They were lovely."
Within your performances what is your dream music to dance to?
"We all love northern soul. It just lends itself dancing, you just hear it and want to move. And not only that a lot of the lyrics of the songs are telling you what dance moves to do. It's a cherographers dream. It's so good to hear music that is so upbeat and engaging, and it create's the energy we want. In terms of actual dance routines, it has to be 'Shake Your tail Feather'. For me I've been an Ike & Tina Turner fan for as long as I can remember. I had a record player given to me for my fifth birthday by a delusional godparent. And with it came a load of records, mainly classical and one record by Ike & Tina. So I used to do my ballet to the classical and then put the other record on and pretend to be Tina Turner. And when I met the other girls they were all Turner fan's, and there is this great night named 'Shake Your Tail Feather' and that was where we first premiered the dance.
"We had these shorts made that were black crushed velvet with these huge white feathers coming out of the back so it enabled us to be properly Tina Turner. And there is this wonderful clip of Tina from Soul Train back in the '70s where she asked by an audience member. "What are your hobbies Tina?' and after a few replies she answers, "I think I like being a woman.And that just sums everything up for us. We just want to go out and celebrate being feminine and express that joy and fabulousness that The Ikettes were all about."
And the fabulous future of The Meyers...
"Well as far a i know we are going to be the first dance company to attempt a '60s Bollywood Go-Go routine. There is some amazing '60s Go Go in the Bollywood world, but so far no one contemporary has touched it. We also have dates lined up at a Spanish festival in November, and in that same month we'll be dancing with the legendary Geno Washington. It's a charity event at The Cross in Birmingham, which as a big Geno fan is pretty exciting to me."
And with that we down our G+T's, pick up our tail feathers and shimmy into the star crossed dawn...


text: SocGen Admits Biggest Ever Bank Fraud of $7.3B Finance world reacts with disbelief at scale of deception By Jason Farago, Newser Staff Posted Jan 24, 2008 4:30 AM CST 0 comments Comments Picture taken 14 May 2007 shows French banking group Societe Generale CEO Daniel Bouton during a shareholders general meeting in Paris. Trading in shares of Societe Generale was supended, 24 January 2008,... (AFP) View 2 more images (Newser) – One of the world's largest banks has admitted epic-scale fraud by a rogue trader that has led to $7.3 billion in losses. French banking group Société Générale had to issue nearly $8 billion in emergency shares after the announcement of "serious" illegal activity by an "imprudent employee" working in the bank's investment banking division. The SocGen announcement represents a massive blow to already fragile investor confidence in the banking sector, writes the Financial Times. The CEO of Société Générale, who offered to resign but has been ordered to stay by the board, tried to reassure the bank's 22.5 million customers that they had no more exposure to the trader's positions. The finance world has reacted with disbelief and shock. One trader called it "Leeson squared," a reference to a fraudulent trader who brought down Barings Bank in the 1990s. View 2 more images


text:
Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:9
Sunday, July 7, 2013
The scab
7 comments:
- Linda Sowles said...
OMG, Kendra! This was just what I needed! I have just lived through my first year without my dad - who died July 4, 2012. Your connection between grief and a scab "hit the nail on the head" for me today. And, although this last week has been tricky for me - your message of hope, healing, and faithfulness is not only one that I can relate to - it is one that encourages me to keep going.
I think and pray for you and Colton often. Thank you for sharing your inspiring message today! It means so much to me.
- July 7, 2013 at 11:44 AM
- Susan Rhem-Westhoff said...
Kendra, how beautiful and insightful. Pain makes one insightful, of course so does love. Thank you. {{{Hugs}}}
- July 7, 2013 at 12:16 PM
- Cheryl said...
I was just praying for you, Colton, and your family this morning and wondered how all of you were doing. Thank you for sharing an update - I pray that God will continue to comfort and strengthen you and give you His peace. I also pray that He will continue to use Ryan's testimony and yours for His honor and glory.
- July 7, 2013 at 12:54 PM
That is exactly how it has been for me. You put it into words so beautifully. The scab still hurts and gets torn open at times, but healing is taking place. I hadn't really thought about equating the different color of the scar as being representative of a different life before. Thank you for sharing your heart!
Tammy Stace
- July 7, 2013 at 2:06 PM
Kendra, I continue to pray for you and Colton and the rest of the family each week. Thank you for sharing the grace God is extending to you.
In Christ,
Sheryl Gasser
- July 7, 2013 at 7:03 PM
Psalm 147:3 - He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. There will always be scars, unexpected bleeding now and then, but he is faithful and the real healer. Too bad so many hurting people in the world don't understand the real "bandaid" needed for their wounds, Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for sharing. Continued prayers for you and Colton.
Karen Minnema
- July 7, 2013 at 8:39 PM
- July 22, 2013 at 4:35 PM


text:
By Deborah Pace Rowley
If you read my post yesterday, you will remember that I encouraged kids to write their message to the world. My 18-year-old daughter wrote the following messages for the rest of her family. I just had to share her beautiful words.
Katie wants to frame the quote above since it was made just for her.
I love these more than all the memes I see on Facebook. Perhaps you need this message today.
Pin It


text:
My dear friends, as I was contemplating my life in this world, I came to this reading from St. John's 1st Letter: "I have written to you young men, because you are strong and God's word has made its home with you, and you have overcome the evil one. You must not love this passing world or anything that is in the world. The love of the father cannot be in any man who loves the world.
My brothers and sisters, I implore you, by God's mercy to offer your very selves to Him; dedicated and fit for his acceptance, the worship offered by mind and heart. Adapt yourselves no longer to the pattern of this present world, but let your minds be remade and your whole nature thus transformed. Then you will be able to discern the will of God, and to know what is good, acceptable, and perfect."
My dear friends, let us then become totally immersed in our desire to give ourselves body and soul to Christ our Lord, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This, then, is our aim and goal, nothing is more important than to save our souls.


text:
When Andy did the electric work for the bathroom he installed wiring for three outlets: one behind each vanity and one in the linen closet so that we could leave my hairdryer and his shaver plugged in but not out on the counter. We wanted the outlets behind the vanities to be horizontal instead of vertical and it was easier to place them after the drywall was done and vanities were in place so we could get them exactly where we wanted them.
Cutting a hole in the new wall!
Searching for and locating the new wiring.
Ready to go!
I guess this is Andy's challenge to the Manning family. Diagonal screw alignment? Anyone? Anyone? (Bueller? Bueller?)
After we figured out where we wanted the new outlet in the cabinet Andy drilled holes around the permitter of the new location. (I'm so glad he's comfortable cutting into our brand new cabinets!)
Found the new wiring and pulled it into the cabinet.
All set and ready for shelves. We are using the bathroom and the new outlet in the linen cabinet is great! Unfortunately, we had a hard drive crash so I'll have to put the finished picture in another post. The good new is that once the new drive arrives we should be able to recover most of our data from the busted drive and our backup.


text:
Papelbon Ruins One Of Craig Sager's Colorful Sport Coats
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
The Red Sox know how to win in the clutch, but I personally think they're better at celebrating. Johnathan Papelbon is a bit of a nutcase, but I think I speak for TV viewers everywhere for destroying that orange monstrosity that Craig Sager was wearing last night....
That was a heck of a spray right there (that's what she said!), and you could tell he was waiting that whole interview to get the sideline reporter. Bravo Papelbon....for one day (and one day only), I salute you.
Jonathan Papelbon turns Craig Sager's pumpkin suit into fizzy goodness (Red Sox Monster)
Red Sox win, Sager's jacket will never be the same (Small White Ball)
Labels: Boston Red Sox, Craig Sager, Ernie Johnson, Jonathan Papelbon, MLB Playoffs, Sideline Reporters, TBS Baseball, YouTube Video
9 Comments:
I guess Craig will have to knock over another pimp for a new suit.
Sager should have slit that asshole's throat.
Anyone who constantly insults fashion police like Sager does deserves to have that happen.
Wow, someone pull the gargantuan stick out of gmoney's ass. I believe it is causing him severe discomfort.
The anti-Boston schtick is as old as Sager's. Get a new, actally-funny one.
It's kind of crazy that the Sawx have won 2 of the last 3 World Series, yet are still celebrating the win of the ALDS like it's the greatest thing that ever happened to the franchise. Act like you've been there before.
"Act like you've been there before." Uh huh. And if the Sox celebration had been more subdued, the comment would have been, "What douches! They have such a sense of entitlement! They're like robots now, can't even enjoy a series win!"
Like heef said, the anti-Boston everything attitude is so tired.
Hating on Boston will never grow old because those insufferable Affleck-lovers will always be running their mouths.
That's right, the whole world is anit-Boston. Get a grip. I was just making a statement that it's a little odd that these guys are going ape shit over winning the ALDS considering there recent success in the playoffs/World Series.
Great - a mental midget who can't come up with any new material.


text:
Sunday, February 15, 2009
This store is located on Boulevard Magenta.
They have card games, board games, books about games, game figures.
There are some tables in the shop and people play games there.
You can check out the game schedule from the web site (www.lerepairedudragon.fr). Click on a date in the "Calendrier" which means calender in French, on the right side of the web site.
See also Troll2Jeux
44 Boulevard Magenta
75010 Paris
Tel: 01 44 84 70 69
Web site: www.lerepairedudragon.fr
Open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Monday through Friday except Wednesday), to 7:30 p.m. (Wed), from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday
2-minute walk from Jacques Bonsergent (Metro ligne 5)
See also The List of Board Game Stores in Paris
Posted by Usalapbit at 9:27 AM No comments:
Labels: board game store in Paris
Thursday, February 5, 2009
AGRICOLA (French edition)
I bought a board game, AGRICOLA (French edition) last month.
When I was in the U.S., I wondered if I should buy one, but eventually I missed.
Playing boards
I joined some board game parties in Paris and played many kinds of games.
But when people start playing Agricola, I just watch them playing it.
I managed to play games if I don't need to read or speak in French during the game.
I still have problems to play games asking me to read a lot of French words written on the cards like "Shadows over the Camelot".
So, I decided to buy one "to study French", I mean, to play the game in French with French people.
French edition is published by Ystari
The 16-page rule booklet filled with a bunch of French words.
The cards written in French. There are 360 cards! If I translate one card per day, it will take almost 1 year to finish them all....
Well, I'll set out to translate the rule booklet first of all.
Posted by Usalapbit at 1:11 PM No comments:
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
L'Oeuf Cube
This store is located next to Université de Pierre et Marie(Paris VI and VII).
They have board games, card games, Warhammer products and books about games.
Despite of its size, the shop sells a lot of games, specially card games and the staffs are so friendly.
24 Rue Linné
75005 - Paris
Tel: 01.45.87.28.83
Fax: 01.45.35.96.83
Web site: www.oeufcube.com (in French)
1-minute walk from Jussieu (Metro ligne 7 and 10)
See also The List of Board Game Stores in Paris
Posted by Usalapbit at 8:49 AM No comments:
Labels: board game store in Paris
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text:
Sorry for the silence lately, but I really suck at blogging! I think its mostly because I don't think anyone will find what I have to say is interesting and the fact that I don't want to bombard you with annoying promotion for my book.(The Creation Chronicles book one The Dragon Within) Hahaha.
So what better thing to talk about than my favorite holiday, Christmas!
No matter what religion you are or what you believe, this time of year holds magic for everyone. It's a time of year when people give more freely, enjoy the wonder they see in their children's eyes, and experience the love that we all have in our hearts. I know this holiday season causes a lot of stress for people. The fear of not providing a happy Christmas for their families can be very overshadowing. But I think that if we all learned that age old saying that "its better to give than to receive" perhaps we would all be a little less worried. Sometimes the simplest of gestures is enough to make someone's Christmas magical.
I remember when I was a kid my most fond and vivid memory had nothing to do with gifts, it was putting up the tree. My parents had these scented ornaments that had a unique smell that I loved. I can't remember what it was called but as soon as I smelled it I knew it was Christmas. I loved throwing that cheap tinsel all over the tree until it looked like a shaggy silver dog, and I remember when my mom made us pick it all back off to save it for next year! I remember all the times my bother and I would wake up insanely early and snuck out to get our stockings. We would always sit in my room or his and excitedly go through what Santa brought. When we were down we would quietly hang them back up and try and go back to sleep, but we never could quite fit everything back in the way it was, so we almost always got caught! You know I honestly don't remember any specific gift that I got a Christmas. All the things I do remember are the times I spent with my family. It's not what material thing you receive at Christmas that's important, it's the gift that someone gives your heart that you should cherish and hold on to.
Now I know that when I was a kid hearing all of this would have went right over my head because lets face it when you are a kid life lessons don't apply to you yet. It is getting harder and harder these days to try and teach our children these things. There are so many distractions like, cell phones, tablets, video games, and computers. Our kids are always looking for the next best thing and we give it to them. I think we forget to stop and take a breath and realize that we are forgetting to teach our kids about what's most important about this time of year and that is to give. Not just the gift of toys or money, but the gift of love and perhaps even just their time. I know that spending time with my daughter is a priceless gift and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
This Christmas while you are worrying about what to get everyone stop and listen to your heart. Your brain gets assaulted everyday and frankly needs a break sometimes. Do what your heart tells you and chances are the gift you give will be the best one of all.
Merry Christmas!!!


text:
We're shipping worldwide.
Super comfortable racer back running vest explaining why we exercise..because diets are boring.
Now for the science bit...concentrate...this gorgeous item is made from a 100% polyester neoteric texture fabric, promising excellent wickability and is therefore ideal for all forms of exercise.
Also available in black and dark pink, in sizes 8 through to 16.
Running is fun, we all know that. However, here at Your Running Mate we get a bit twitchy when we see people hell-bent on sucking all the fun out of it and turning it into an expensive, elitist and worst of all, serious business.
Not us. If we exist where you live, we'll introduce you to the sporting love of your life and show you how much fun it can be. If you've already been introduced but perhaps have become a little estranged over the years, we're here to remind you just why you fell in love in the first place.
If we haven't reached you yet, then just buy our stuff, have a giggle, and wait until we arrive.


text:
What is this weird time capsule I am in all the time, that turns days into hours and hours into
I did this awesome thing in January. Believe it or not, I needed a break from the retail industry. I couldn't quit my job though (you don't say haha), so I eased the pain by putting a spending ban on myself. And by spending ban I mean a REAL spending ban. While I didn't allow myself to buy any luxury items such as clothing or shoes, accessories, home ware and the whole she-bang, I also wasn't allowed to buy take away food, coffees, smoothies or juices, bottled water or lunch and so on.
Pretty strict you say? Well let me explain.
I used to love the weeks leading up to Christmas, but working in retail just makes it this stressful and pressure fueled time, in which I work myself to the ground, while feeling incredibly guilty about not being able to be with my family overseas or the family I have here. In a nutshell, the month of December for me is: artificial light, recycled air, millions of phone calls that make my ears go red, too much of this bullshit phenomenon that is multitasking, sales, Sales, SALES. It definitely doesn't stand for calm, introversion, reflection, gratitude or simply time.
When I'm under pressure, I display the strangest behavioral patterns. I either crave sugar, want to destroy shit, or I want to give other people my money in exchange for things I don't need. So imagine these three behavioral patterns spread over the length of at least one month and the damage these do to my figure, wallet and mental health.
|This kind of unflattering leopard skirt is the most recent clothes purchase I made, on 26th December. I didn't try it on. Mistake.
I wanted to regain control over my finances most of all, so a shopping ban was the obvious thing to do. Don't get me wrong, I never had any debt in my life, but I feel extremely uneasy about digging into my savings at the end of my pay period, just to get the groceries. Wanting to kick my sugar habit perfectly aligned with the spending restrictions I put into place, which resulted in me packing my lunches myself, doing the necessary food prep in advance and therefore saving extra dollars by not wasting groceries. Needless to say I save a HUGE amount of unnecessary calories. That's a bonus on the side if you're a lazy ass like me who doesn't work out for health reasons, but drags herself to the gym with one simple goal only: To look good naked.
There were a few hurdles I faced, especially in the first and last week of January, so I did up a little weekly recap for all you fellow over-spenders and over-eaters out there.
My 11 am and 3 pm coffee habits are the hardest to kill off. I keep myself in line by thinking of the $ 10 and whatever amount of calories I save per day by not making that trip to the next cafe. I start bringing a travel mug and tea bags to work, but never actually feel a craving for a hot drink in the first place. Major body and mind trickery is in place here.
Packing my lunch means getting up 10 minutes earlier than usual. The first few days are a pain, but I get into the swing of things pretty quickly. I actually look forward to lunch and my delicious salads, pasta dishes and homemade protein muffins. I start using my filter bottle for water, which increases my water intake by about one liter per day. I avoid any and all clothes shops altogether, not even catching glimpses of shop windows.
Total savings for the week: $ 170 (holy shit, I know. All this money spent on commodities in the past. I hate myself a little looking at that sum.)
|Not shying away from spending the $$$ on this idiot.
Total savings for the week: $ 0
|totally worth it tough!
Total savings for the week: $ 50
I find myself in a frenzied state inside a "Lovisa" store, trying on decadent necklaces and realizing I could easily drop hundreds of dollars right then and there on necklaces that are way too impractical to wear (getting punched in the face by chunky jewellery much?). A nice chat to the sales assistant calms me down and I reassure myself that once I choose ONE out of these six or so potential new closet tenants online, I can come back in February to buy it. I also have an epiphany that my work wardrobe needs a massive overhaul, but decide on one particular outfit I want to invest in in February (which I will feature in a future post!). I'm still lunch packing, and to my surprise my coffee cravings have disappeared. I hardly notice if I forget my morning cup of the death broth, whereas a month ago it would have taken lightning out of Satan's arse to wake me up without my standard morning coffee. My usual 3 pm sugar cravings are diminishing. Instead of crappy stuff I eat fruit and maintain semi-abs I last worked on about a fortnight ago. Again I spend money on the puppy. This time it's toys worth $ 45 that last around 2 hrs and 15 minutes before I collect them all in bits off the floor and place them in the rubbish. I am sick and cancel personal training, which saves me $ 50 (that I will use for my extra session next week, of course!).
Total savings for the week: $ 175
SO, do you see a pattern here? I completely avoided walking into shops, because I knew I couldn't trust myself (which was perfectly put on display during my almost relapse at a fashion jewellery store out of all stores!!!). I packed my lunch and even if I craved a fucking burrito, I still ate that salad knowing I couldn't let it go to waste because MONEYS. I still went out to social events, had a few drinks and ate greasy fast food a hand full of times because, hey, a gal's gotta live! But I tuned down this urge for consuming and spending from a massive loud voice in my head to a tiny little whisper whose trigger I can now identify and manage. I won't be that person who NEVER buys new clothes again, but I won't buy anything unless I have tried it on properly, have gone home and can't stop thinking about it for at least 48 hrs. I won't starve myself if I forget my lunch, but I won't get back into that old habit of not bothering to pack my lunch or buying coffees because I am bored or thirsty or both. And I won't get back into buying sugary snacks full stop. Pretty sure they eat your brain.
So you're thinking about doing this or a similar challenge, but are riddled with self-doubt like every other twenty-something with internet and social media access on this planet? Let me tell you this:
I work in at least two different shopping centers every day, walk past duty free airport shops twice a week, I have the biggest sweet tooth and a massive 3 pm blood sugar drop, haven't been known for my will power (hello muffin top), have massive FOMO attacks and I still kicked this challenge's ass. Give it a shot, if nothing else your savings account will thank you and you can blow it all on a concert ticket or domestic flight or micro vacation at the end of the month!
Living smart doesn't exclude living HAAARRRDDD y'all. *drops motivational speaker mic*


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Monday, November 1, 2010
6 comments:
- mummy-who-cooks said...
OMG...these puppies are adorable...!
- November 1, 2010 at 8:18 PM
We have many many more. Tell your friends that they can adopt from us.
- November 1, 2010 at 11:09 PM
- mummy-who-cooks said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- November 2, 2010 at 5:32 PM
- mummy-who-cooks said...
MDDB: I am an animal lover myself, and we have an American Pitbull at home. What concerns me is that some people love having dog as a pet ie; when they are still a puppy coz they are so adorable, but when the dog has grown up, the owner starts slacking in their responsibilities. We have few dogs in our neighbourhood, but the owner never walks their dog, these dogs were confined within the porch area and some are caged- thats sad, very sad. Lucky my Hub takes our dog for a walk 2x a day (morning and evening). I think our dog is one one of the happiest & luckiest dogs in the neighbourhood..!
- November 2, 2010 at 5:33 PM
That is also our main concern and that is we also think that rescuing and rehoming isn't the solution at all. We would rather go from housing estate to housing estate as well as to speak to residents association about making the strays in their area community dogs. Once spayed and taken care off - there won't be any puppies after the adults pass on.
- November 2, 2010 at 8:41 PM
- Siuyin said...
I think that the way some -(unfortunately alot) of people keep their doggies is not good - why insist to have them confined all day to one small area (no running space is BAD!) - they should have some time also to run free - and of course some time inside on the couch! Sure, sometimes, it may be good discipline to have he/she sit in one place for an hour or so - maybe whilst going to puppy school as part of general doggie training but not all day every day - there should be a campaign started up about this I reckon, coz people need to be educated about how to really look after their pets and give them the quality life they need.
Those pics are so sweet! All of them - really -but I have to say the last three are just soooo cute as cute can be!
- November 27, 2010 at 2:01 AM


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Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Chicken Bog
With all of the grandchildren here for fall break, I wanted an easy supper that everyone would eat. Chicken Bog was my plan. Chicken Bog, a South Carolina low-country favorite, is a perfect fall recipe, too. Baby Girl didn't love it but then there are a lot of things she doesn't love yet.
I have posted this recipe before, but this time I increased the amounts by 50%. When I taught home economics to 8th graders, I found myself also teaching a little math. Sometimes you need math in the kitchen. This would be one of those times. My original version served 4. This one is rewritten to serve 6.
Also, because of the little ones have tender palates, I used less black pepper (it's written that way in this recipe) and just left the red pepper out altogether. It was hot enough for them. Make the "heat' suit your family.
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
13-oz package turkey smoked sausage
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 teaspoons Lawry's seasoning salt
1-1/2 teaspoons House Seasoning *
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper, optional (I left it out)
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth (more broth or water, as needed)
2-1/4 cups uncooked white rice
Slice the turkey smoked sausage into rounds. In a stockpot, combine chicken broth, chicken breasts, sausage, onion, butter, seasonings and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook for about 35 minutes, until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from pot and let cool slightly. Using two forks, shred chicken and set aside.
Add rice to pot and bring to a boil, stirring well. Boil 10 minutes, then reduce heat. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes, or until rice is done. (Add more broth or water if needed.)
Remove bay leaves. Stir shredded chicken back into the pot. Add more broth if needed.
Serves 6
*House Seasoning: Mix 1/4 cup salt, 1 tbsp. black pepper & 1 tbsp. garlic powder. Store in an air-tight container, such as an empty spice bottle.
Let me say that after cooking supper last night, I am amazed that Mommy ever gets ANYTHING cooked to feed her family. I know I did it when my girls were little. I know she does it every night. But goodness, how crazy it is to be cooking with two little ones zooming around the kitchen. Understand that there were four adults here watching the two little ones and it was still hard.
How does Mommy do it when it's two against one???
Posted by Mimi at 7:04 AM 3 comments
Monday, September 28, 2015
Batten Down The Hatches!
I'm sitting here in early morning, making a grocery list. This is a special grocery list. All the grandchildren (along with Mommy) will be here this afternoon and will stay for a few days while their schools are on fall break. This is one of the wonderful perks of their move to a neighboring state.
I was having a hard time thinking of easy suppers to make while they are here. I don't want to spend much time in the kitchen when I could be playing and snuggling and reading storybooks and rocking the baby (well, she's 19 months old.) After coming up blank with meal ideas, it hit me. DUH! Check the recipe index right here on my own blog.
The recipes on my blog are the ones I know my family likes. And I know they work because I've made them all. Sometimes a new recipe can be a "surprise." So this morning, I'll head to the grocery store with a list and a plan. Maybe you can find a supper idea in my plan, too.
It will be cool and rainy here for their entire visit, so tonight I'm making Chicken Bog. Who doesn't like chicken and rice? And it didn't hurt that I have a turkey smoked sausage in the 'fridge that I need to use.
Tomorrow is Big Sister's 15th birthday. She has requested that I make Penne with Tomatoes & Mozzarella. I'm am totally happy she chose one of my easiest recipes!
Wednesday, I have a committee meeting at church, I am responsible for feeding kids in the children's Bible study and our handbell group has it's first fall practice. I'll be home in time for a slightly late supper with the children. But cooking Wednesday's supper calls for a slow cooker meal or a make-ahead dinner, or maybe soup. I can't think that far ahead this morning!
I'll make Chicken Salad for sandwiches because everyone likes that. And maybe Little Sister and I will bake Applesauce Muffins. If I'm smart, I'll measure the dry ingredients this morning before they arrive and then the mixing will be easy.
What else is on my to-do list this morning? Moving everything laying around up about 2 feet higher—so that Baby Girl's busy little hands cannot reach them. At least I hope she can't!
Posted by Mimi at 8:04 AM 3 comments
Labels: family
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Every Daybreak Is A Gift
"Whether I retire to bed early or late, I rise with the sun."
- Thomas Jefferson - Mr. Jefferson rose early everyday for 50 years.
- Thomas Jefferson - Mr. Jefferson rose early everyday for 50 years.
Like Mr. Jefferson, I am an early riser. I was just born that way. Yes, there are a few of us. When we moved here to the farm, I discovered that I had a ringside seat to watch the sunrise every day. So for years now, I have photographed the sky. Mostly in the early morning. Sometimes later in the day if I notice something special.
Making these hundreds of photographs of the same spot day after day has made me much more aware of the seasons changing. More aware of the weather. More aware of nature. More aware of myself.
All of these photos are from this summer. The final photo is today's sky, just before the sun came up—truly daybreak. If you are not an early bird, here is your chance to see what daybreak looks like. And I love these quotes from a few other "morning people."
"Angels in the early morning may be seen the
dews among.
Stooping, plucking, smiling, flying.
Do the buds to them belong?"
- Emily Dickinson
dews among.
Stooping, plucking, smiling, flying.
Do the buds to them belong?"
- Emily Dickinson
"The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep."
- Rumi
Don't go back to sleep."
- Rumi
"Morning glory is the best name,
it always refreshes me to see it."
- Henry David Thoreau
- Henry David Thoreau
"When you arise in the morning,
think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive -
to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."
- Marcus Aurelius
- Marcus Aurelius
"The difference between rising at five and seven o'clock in the morning, for forty years, supposing a man to go to bed at the same hour at night, is nearly equivalent to the addition of ten years to a man's life."
- Doddridge
- Doddridge
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Vacation's Over
Jessica and I are back at our respective homes and back to a regular schedule. But we brought back wonderful memories. It was just a lazy, relaxing time away. We had time on the beach. Time to read. Time for movies. We watched five of them. Thank you, Redbox.
Time to knit. Notice mine matched the furnishings? It's a new pattern called Summertide, most appropriate for my beach knitting.
Two visits to Brookgreen Gardens—the sculpture garden, the zoo and the butterfly house—provided many paths to walk after delicious meals. Jessica even found the labyrinth to walk.
And we made plenty of time to visit our favorite coastal restaurants. Some were worthy of a second (and one got a third) visit. I have never eaten crab in so many versions--crab cakes, crab nachos, crab quiche and crab hush puppies (or maybe they were shrimp hush puppies?) Every bite was perfect. Of course, there was shrimp, flounder, grouper, and mussels, too. Can we get those seafoods here at home? Of course we can. But it's just not the same as eating it at the beach.
On Tuesday of last week, it felt like we had been there forever with more days stretching out ahead of us. On Wednesday, I could see vacation's end rushing toward us. And on Friday, it felt like "we just got here" and it was time to start packing up.
I'm already looking forward to the next beach visit.
Posted by Mimi at 6:00 PM 4 comments
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Off To The Beach
Posted by Mimi at 9:03 AM 0 comments
Labels: fam
Friday, September 11, 2015
Almost Not Cooking #3
We were having BBQ sliders for supper and I wanted slaw to go with them.This slaw only requires a little measuring and dicing one apple and then stirring it all together. If you don't take forever to dice the apple, this is quick to make. I was done in six minutes. It would have only taken five, but I had to refill the sugar bowl.
If your knife skills aren't great, consider taking the free Complete Knife Skills class from Craftsy. Yes, it's free! Even if you only watch the first two of the four lessons, you'll learn a lot. It's like having a front row seat at a cooking class.
This cole slaw is such a light, fresh dish. Different from the mayonnaise based slaw I often make. I like them both. If you aren't a mayo fan, try this one.
14-oz bag cole slaw mix
handful of chopped fresh parsley
1 apple, chopped
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
Toss cole slaw mix, parsley and apple in a large bowl.
Measure oil in a glass measuring cup.*
Add sugar and vinegar and stir until sugar is dissolve.
Pour over slaw mix and stir to combine.
Refrigerate for a while to let flavors blend.
* This time I mixed the dressing in the large bowl and then added other ingredients and tossed. One less thing to wash.
I cringe when I watch my daughters cut almost anything. It's one of my failures as a mother. I obviously didn't teach them how to use a knife. Okay, daughters! Watch the free class!!! Before you bleed on the vegetables.
Posted by Mimi at 6:54 AM 2 comments
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Pork Tenderloin And Apples
If I were cooking supper for us tonight, it might be this recipe. Instead I'm cooking for the kids at church. But I'll share this recipe I made last week.
I didn't feel like cooking. Sinus headache. It's that time of year. But we did need to eat. I had printed this recipe out a few days earlier. I had already bought the pork tenderloin. I had everything else here. The recipe came from the Mayo Clinic website. I found it when looking for a low-sodium recipe. I am thinking this might a good meal to share, but I wanted to try it out before I took it to anyone. This was simple enough, even for a night when I didn't want to cook.
If your chopping skills are good, this is really quick to put together. I chopped one large onion and one large apple and minced a little fresh rosemary. That was the hard part. The tenderloin is just browned and popped in the oven.
Let me give you a tip—if you buy a package with two tenderloins in it (that's how ours usually comes) cook the smaller one. I cooked the larger one and it wasn't done in 15 minutes. Ten minutes more in the oven and it still had not quite reached the proper temp. So I sliced it diagonally and put it back in the oven for another minute or two. Slicing it let the internal temperature reach 160 degrees in a hurry. (In case you were wondering, I made pulled pork from the other tenderloin from that pack.)
Next time we might just cook it on the grill. Our grill is one step out of the kitchen door, so for us that's as easy as the oven. Either way is fine. The flavor all comes from the sauce.
PORK TENDERLOIN with APPLES AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound pork tenderloin*
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped apple
1-1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat a heavy baking pan with PAM.
Heat olive oil over high heat in skillet. Sprinkle pork with black pepper. Brown in oil on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove from skillet and place in baking pan. Roast the pork for about 15 minutes, until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. (That's for medium.)
While pork is in the oven, add onion, apple and rosemary to the skillet. Saute over medium heat until the onions and apples are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth and vinegar. Increase heat and cook about 5 mintues, until sauce is reduced.
To serve, slice pork on the diagonal and place on a platter. Spoon sauce over top.
*If your tenderloin is larger, allow extra time for cooking. There is plenty of sauce.
Posted by Mimi at 8:38 AM 2 comments
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Labor Day Fun
Perfect weather. One last weekend.
Water fun. Lazy days. Good food. Family together.
Water fun. Lazy days. Good food. Family together.
It was the last hurrah of summer.
It was fun to have Mommy and J-Daddy and all the girls at the lake.
It was fun to have Mommy and J-Daddy and all the girls at the lake.
And this gorgeous sunset was the perfect end to a perfect weekend.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Just Know What You're Starting
Pattern: Cabled Baby Hat & Mittens
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
Needles: size 3
When you make your first baby gift, keep in mind that you could be starting something that could go beyond this one baby. After you've knitted something for that baby, you find yourself making something for the next baby. And the next baby. A few hats down the road, people will begin to say, "I hope you're going to make something for our new baby!"
I think this is baby gift hat #17. I've knitted in the last few years. I've already started #18. I'm not even counting hats for my own little ones. There have been multiple baby blankets, too. And a couple of tiny sweaters.
Don't get me wrong. I've loved making each and every item. Wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it. Each one is a celebration of a new life. Just know what you could be starting with that first gift! ☺
These little "welcome to the world" gifts have been sent everywhere. I've sent hats and blankets to places I'll probably never get to see in person. Might never get to see these babies either, but it's a way to let the new moms to know we are happy about their new little one.
Pattern: Anne Norling's Kid's Fruit Hat
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, Off-White
Needles: size 5
Well, before I finished writing this blog post, I finished hat #18. Both of these are headed to daughter Jessica for a baby shower next week at her office. The babies are now coming two at a time! Yes, sometimes I don't know the recipients at all. But these are people that mean something to my daughters.
When I give a hand knit, I add tags that give the fiber content and care instructions. I've learned to add to the tag, in red, "Avoid Contact w/Velcro." So many baby bibs use Velcro fasteners now and Velcro will attach itself to knitted things before you can blink. It doesn't come off willingly.
As much fun as these tiny hats have been to knit, I hope I'm caught up for a while. There are other, bigger things to be knitted. There are books to be read. There are songs to be played. There are recipes to be tried. There are even dishes to be washed and towels to be folded. And I try not to forget to leave a little time for doing nothing. I'm not particularly good at that, but I keep trying.
HINT: When I send a blanket to a first time mom, I now include a mesh laundry bag in the package. The kind of bag you put your lingerie in to wash in the washing machine. All the Velcro bibs can go in the bag and into the washing machine and that keeps the Velcro safely away from everything else.
Posted by Mimi at 6:51 AM 2 comments
Labels: knitting
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Pork Chops And Brown Rice
Pork Chops & Brown Rice
I made this last week and we put half in the freezer. Pulled it out last night for supper and thawed in the microwave. I am all about keeping cooked foods in my freezer for easy dinners.
I love recipes that I have made so many times that I'm not digging through my drawer of recipes to see how to make it. This one is in that category. It's simple, with only a few ingredients. And it's always good. It doesn't take much time to put it together, then it goes into the oven for an hour. You can use that hour to make the rest of dinner. Or, go sit down with a good book!
After 20 years of making this recipe, I made one tiny change this time. Instead of putting slices of onion and green pepper on top of each chop, I diced the vegetables and added them to the rice and consomme mixture. The slices on top make a prettier dish. Mixed in with the rice might have tasted better.
We are still enjoying the last of the garden vegetables—okra and tomatoes—on the side. And one last recipe note...please understand that here in the South, brown rice might have nothing to do with whole grains—it's usually white rice cooked in consomme. Hence, it looks "brown."
4 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 (10-oz) can condensed beef consomme
1 onion, sliced (or diced if you're mixing with rice)
1 green pepper, sliced (or diced if you're mixing with rice)
1 tablespoon oil
Brown pork chops quickly in hot oil in skillet just until they get a nice brown color. In a casserole dish, spread rice over bottom. (I spray the dish with PAM) Pour half the can of consomme over rice. Top with pork chops. Place a slice of onion and green pepper on each chop. Pour remaining consomme over all.
Cover, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
The dish I use is a 2-1/2 quart oval Corningware dish with a lid. This also fits into a 9x9-inch square baking dish and you can cover with foil. I hate trying a new recipe and trying to figure out what size dish I should use. Hope this helps.
Posted by Mimi at 8:47 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
I Only Ordered Yarn
New yarn arrived in the mail today. The yummy kind of yarn. It was on sale. A good sale. Like many knitters, it wasn't so much that I needed yarn but the wonderful (discontinued) colors were hard to resist. I didn't order very much. Only enough for two scarves.
I do try to be sensible about buying more yarn. But today I am thinking that my hobby isn't so expensive after all. For the last few days, small airplanes have flown back and forth over our yard and the pasture. Just over the river behind our house, people with a BIG hobby gather together. There is a private airstrip that hosts fly-ins several times a year. Hundreds of planes fly in for a few days. Spouses arrive in their RVs and set up in the camping area. They must have a wonderful time because this event has been going on for years.
So when I think that maybe I should have skipped ordering the four skeins of yarn, I remind myself that I COULD have just ordered an airplane! My hobby is pretty reasonable after after all. That's my logic and I'm sticking to it.
Posted by Mimi at 8:55 AM 0 comments
Labels: knitting
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Almost Not Cooking #2
Here is another "almost not cooking" post. Maybe on the holiday weekend coming up, you'd like to do fun things and not stay in the kitchen. I made this last week on a night that I didn't feel like cooking.
I saw this "recipe"—it's really more like assembly directions—recently on an Instagram post from Euna Mae's. That's a kitchen/gift shop in Arkansas. A recipe that is in an Instagram post is going to be pretty simple because those posts are never very long.
I bought a fresh salad from the grocery store. This store makes fresh salads daily in-store. Of course, you could use a bag of salad or...hold on...you could cut your own greens! The genius of this salad is that you use purchased chicken tenders. I got mine from the grocery store deli.
I'll give you the basics of the "recipe" but of course, you can leave out or add anything, based on your likes or what is on hand. I am not a fan of olives listed in the Instagram post, but we still have green peppers in our garden. So I made that swap. Very sadly, I was out of bacon. That would have been wonderful. We love blue cheese but I used cheddar cheese because that's what was here. All of those changes, and it was still good. If you want a healthier version, of course you can use grilled tenders.
Put cut up romaine lettuce on your plates.
Layer vegetables, such as, halved grape tomatoes, sliced green onions, diced cucumber, avocado, etc.
Top with crumbled blue cheese, crumbled crisp bacon and croutons.
Pile chopped chicken tenders on top and drizzle with dressing.
Blue Cheese Ranch Dressing: Mix half & half, bottled Ranch dressing and bottled blue cheese dressing. (If you have one of the milder blue cheese dressings, you might want to go with 1/3 ranch and 2/3 blue cheese.)
I went crazy with the whole "not cooking" thing and bought a box of 5-cheese Texas toast from the freezer section. This was a great supper on a hot summer night.
If you are interested in following Euna Mae's on Instagram (she has had other recipes that sound good, too) search for "eunamaes" and should you ever find yourself in Springdale, Arkansas, stop by there. It's a cute store. You can also check out her blog. I just added it to the blog list on the side bar.
Posted by Mimi at 8:23 AM 0 comments
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text:
re-evolutionary ripples
There is one thing that everyone reading this can personally do to help shift our economy:
Move your money, folks.
Find a local credit union, open an account, set up all of your bill-pays & such, then go to your bank, close out all of your accounts and make sure you send the bank a letter and tell them why you are moving.
I found a cooperative credit union in Berkeley. You become a member and vote for the Board of Directors and participate in decisions about how the institution's profit is invested. Same online banking I was already used to, huge ATM networks, no fees for using outside ATMs, and best of all, my money will no longer be used for evil purposes, rather it will go towards investing in my local community, which is where it belongs.
The tremendous historical irony of the behavior of Israel is almost beyond comprehension. Israel, like the U.S., has created the situation they complain about with their own behavior. Those who arrogantly abuse others will never be secure. It's just one of those self-evident universal truths.
These guys held down the uplifting positive vibrations throughout most of the day. I wish I had been able to set up and capture the whole thing but this little bit hopefully conveys the feeling. I am most grateful to have stumbled across this bicycle powered vibe fest.
Opening an account today at a local, Berkeley based community based credit union. Tomorrow I transfer over everything from Citibank.
Feels good.
One of the most beautiful experiences I had at the Port of Oakland occupation was listening to the Pleasant Revolution folks singing and playing with their bicycle powered sound system. I recorded this audio of a song, "Be My Own Radio". Such a powerful message, these guys were brimming with consciousness and good vibes. Check it out below..
Be My Own Radio by Pleasant Revolution 2011-11-02