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Dee's Repulsive Sandwich
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May. 19th, 2008 @ 01:06 am
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I can't seem to get anyone interested in what has been called "your nasty sandwich." Of course, I think that was related to eating it on a long car trip with 3 other people.
Take a good whole wheat or french bread roll (I'm using a Macrina Volkern Roll* for this one.) Spread on a generous layer of butter, then a layer of chopped fresh garlic. (Luckily I have it frozen, so I always have garlic). Then half an avacado and some salt.
I'm telling you, the Best. Sandwich. Ever.
--
*Macrina is a local bakery, where I get a lot of great bread 50% off from their day old bin. (I can't afford their regular prices!) They make something called Volkern Bread (or rolls) which is a hearty whole wheat topped with toasted sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. It's a real local favorite! I have a bag of the dinner size rolls now, from the day olds.
So tempting to make a second sandwich! But noe!Current Mood: dragon breath! Current Music: Big R Radio ˆ 70s FM - msng |
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The Twits.
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May. 19th, 2008 @ 12:03 am
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These are the twits I twitted. |
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A super quick backward glance
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 08:47 pm
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Look! I've managed to write lots of stuff here for a couple of days now! Let me take advantage while I'm on the roll.
These days are special. I am standing back and looking at how things came and went this year. I learned a lot about many things. Living on my own, taking those courses and doing those projects, having tough times and fun times. I watched many interesting shows on the TV for the first time, went to different journeys with different people. And when I wasn't updating this place, I was discovering a lot about myself. :)
Some time during this year, I discovered that I have always been trying to please everyone. My parents, my friends, my readers(!), my grandparents, my professors. Maybe it was the Project Runway, or my courses that made me realize that things won't work this way. Not for the top winners, at least. I realized I have a style, a great purpose, and if some people don't go with it just let them be. If my friends don't like what I do and say, that's fine with me. My parents love me enough to accept me in any way that I chose to be. I discovered that we need to fight sometimes in life. I used harsh tone with my management when they were neglecting my request repeatedly for several days. That was a HUGE accomplishment on my side! I discovered that big dreams need lots and lots of hard work, lots and lots of deaf ear times, very close connections with the right people,lots and lots of technical skills and a very thick skin of a fighter. As a spoiled daddy's little girl I had several scary and exhausting moments this year, but looking back I see that I have grown a lot in one year. I'm now a (newbie) traveler with purposeful steps and with head held high. Let's see how far I can go in this road. |
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For the birthday chef
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 09:45 pm
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I ordered a cake for your birthday.
I received video confirmation that it didn't arrive :-(
So, cakeless, I sing to you.......
Happy birthday ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) sweetinsanity ,
( Happy birthday to you! )Current Mood:  amused |
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How Harold And Kumar Gave Me A Civics Lesson
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 09:44 pm
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Harold: Listen, about our situation
W: Listen guys, fuck that I am the fucking president alright? I can pardon anyone I want, you guys are in the fucking clear
Harold and Kumar: Oh shit! Seriously? Thank you Mr. President
W: Don't mention it (leans back in chair further high)
Harold: But um, listen to be honest after all the shit we have been through, I don't, I don't know if we can trust our government anymore
W: Squinting through blunt smoke: Trust the governemnt, heck, I am in the government and I don't trust it.. You don't have to believe in your government to be a good american. *leans back with blunt smoke* You just have to believe in your country.
Kumar: Exactly, EXACTLY
W: *Putting blunt in mouth* This shit is good shit isn't it!
Laughter...
I recently saw Harold And Kumar Escape Guantanamo Bay and scarily, I had a better time with this movie than "Prince Caspian" Meh, Caspian was just, "derivative" and lackluster. Harold and Kumar though, man, it had "some" laughs, but overall it was lighthearted as well as made a point. If you have a chance go see it... Or, maybe go here and take a peek.
I only hope that Indiana Jones does not disappoint... Lucas has been backpeddling and that is pissing me off...
We shall see this weekend... |
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Brimfield, New Hampster, and a Katana
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 08:20 pm
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As I now sit watching the History Channel's special on Indiana Jones and Archeology (something I am enjoying immensely)I finally got the chance to upload the photos of the katana I bought Saturday at the Brimfield antique show...
*Que Raiders March*
I was at Brimfield to find a large format camera and indeed I located a speedgraphic that someone had and wanted $225.00 for. As I wandered the stalls looking for a better opportunity I came across a tent and spied three Katana. As I walked toward them and began to look at them the owner called across to me;
"65 bucks each"
As he said this, I opened the Katana I actually bought. I was amazed to see the blade. At fist blush with the steel still inside the tsuba, I thought that this might just be a stamped out WWII issue officers blade. The shirasaya is a green lacquer covered wood. It has brass/iron fittings and the ring to hang this sword on their belt/uniform. Once taken out though I saw the folding.
Needless to say, I scarfed this one up right away. The other two on inspection looked to be later WWII versions (which on further looking were authentic too) but this one, it seemed to be hand forged as you can see from the folding.
I paid the man the $65.00 and walked away with my new toy.
( Katana Pictures Under The Cut )
This morning after waking up in NH tired from a bad nights sleep *post on why to follow* I went online and looked up WWII katana's. The site I found Militaryitems.com showed me tantalizing evidence that not only had I located and bought a WWII era blade, but indeed perhaps something of some worth.
If you look at THIS katana, you will see the similarities to mine, save the folding. This particular blade was stamped and not hand forged and the worth is $2,000.00
Whoa...
Tonight when I came home, I cared for the blade with some honing oil and cleaned it externally. My next step is to take the blade apart. IF I find that this blade has the engraved name of the smith, then I must look up the Kanji and find out who made it. I hope to find the name on the tang.
From what I remember, the Japanese army did indeed take old katana's and re-set them in shirasaya and give them to officers. In some cases, the officers themselves may have had noble Samurai lineage and carried their blades that were passed down...
All in all, I have begun a bit of a detective/Indiana Jones story here...
More when I know it... |
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The News From Poughkeepsie - Day 27 - Pie Week!
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 04:51 pm
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My friend Joe said I should do a pie-centered week on NfP, and I’m all for pie. So this post starts PIE WEEK.
Anything goes Sundays:
I’m sure someone in economics can explain it if you need the background - and I’m not asking you to explain it to me - but I’ve never really understood why people who provide food, farmers, chefs, etc, aren’t higher in class systems. If they control the food, they should have the most power. With that in mind, I have a class system brewing in my head where the farmers are the ruling caste, but the bakers, chefs, etc are directly below. My main character is Sylvia, master pie baker, who is wealthy and respected, but she wants more. Her goal is to infiltrate the farmers, gain their trust, and rule from behind the tractor.
And she’ll bake anyone who gets in her way.
The News From Poughkeepsie is a daily blog post featuring an idea for you to take and do with what you will. Read more about it here. This post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. You can take this idea, change it, make something new, and even make money off of it. All I ask is if you create something - anything! - that this post inspired you to make, please link back here.</p>
Originally published at The Murverse. You can comment here or there.
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Muahahah.
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 07:29 pm
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Rust never sleeps.. except when you poison its tea. Works nicely on chromed steel: a few seconds with a wire wheel on a rotary tool afterwards and a fistful of old sockets are nice and shiny again.
For those of you who haven't heard yet, work and I have parted company. I'm planning to spend a week doing repairs on the Peril, burning old artwork, and ripping out a basement. Shall be most therapeutic. <nodnods>
Into the future, comrades. |
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Things I Want From Think Geek
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 02:58 pm
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Yes, I guess I can still be considered a geek of some sort if I can get lost in the Think Geek website for an hour at 2am on a Saturday night...
For part 2 of that procrastination, here is a list of the oooooh! shiny! thinks I require from Think Geek, in no particular order...wheeee fun!
There's No Place like 127.0.0.1 Baby Doll Teeshirt
"There are on 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary, and those who don't". Babydoll tee.
Shut The Fuck Up Babydoll Tee
Geek Love Poem babydoll tee. This is so cute, it just makes me *squee*
Babydoll tees in Large, they run super small, even for me.
Bluetooth Retro Phone Handset This is the coolest thing I have ever seen, can you imagine actually having this. I might even use my cellphone more!
Ah yes, the TV-B-Gone. I still don't have one!
Super Waterproof Gadget Holder, cause I need all the help I can get keeping my small expensive things safe.
LED & Mini Knife. Cause I love 1) knives and 2) flashlights!! Together as one!!!
Self-Powered Emergency Tool, because if anyone would have one of thse, it would be me: hand cranked generator, LED flashlight, FM receiver, MOTION ACTIVATED SECURITY ALARM (wtf?!), compass, signal mirror, panic alarm. What the hell. Although with some duct tape, I could probably make a not-quite-so handy version with all of the emergency gear I already have. Btw, charges your cell phone. Wow. I'm in love.
5 in 1 Emergency Tool. Glass punch and seatbelt cutter, everyone should have one of those, actually. Also, of course, it's a flashlight too. No knife.
Paper Email, the cutest notepad that I've ever seen. I wonder who I would write notes to, though? Maybe I could send them in the mail.
Hand soap dispenser in the shape of the Rhinovirus. You have to be kidding me. Seriously, I love it. As if I don't wash my hands 87 times a day anyway.
Anthropomorphizing kit...otherwise known as a bunch of cartoon eye and mouth stickers to put on inanimate objects! Awesome!
Aww, a heart shaped hand warmer. LIke my reusable hand warmers that I already have, but cuter.
Harry Potter Monster Book. But soft. Still a little scary. Also, just a little threatening.
Whew. That was fun. It feels like Christmas!!!
Ok, time for a shower and back to work on my paper. |
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Swarms
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 02:21 pm
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*headdesks* There are a DOZEN swarms within 30 miles of me. The beekeepers list is just flooded with people's neighbors going AGH! What do I DO?!?
Plus there's a commercial keeper that's going out of business with 200 bee boxes for sale for like $50 for a FULL SETUP.
I am so tempted it's not even funny.
But it's so cool knowing that the local honey bees are doing so well.
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CMU commencement ceremony
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 01:00 pm
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Today was CMU's commencement closing ceremony.
We had Mr. Al Gore as the keynote speaker. It was so crowded that I only found 3 familiar people. However, today was very inspirational. The speech was about global warming, and how CMU research groups and Pittsburgh city are helping in reducing the production of CO2 gas and clearing the atmosphere from it. Did you know that Pittsburgh has the highest concentration of green roofs in the United States? Today, once again I was totally impressed with CMU. To me, it's a mixture of people dedicated to evolutionary innovations, humanity and peace.
We also had Dr. Randy Pausch giving the graduates and the guests a short speech. He is fighting cancer, and as he himself says, he has less than a year to live. Hearing his words of wisdom is so valuable. If an old old old guy says something at death's door steps you don't connect to the words. But you hear someone who is nearly exactly like you, just a dozen years older and a little (a lot!) smarter, trying to give as much advice as he can while he can. The words just burn into your heart. He said when we are about to die, we don't regret the mistakes that we have done. We regret things that we have not done but we could have. He always says that we should try to find our passion of life (which might take several years), and just follow it. He said money isn't a dream, and won't bring a dream with it. I really admire him and absorb his words.
The graduates were also looking so good in their robes! I can't wait to wear one of them. Next year I'll graduate from my masters. I'll have the chance to wear those robes and cool hats!
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Tweets for Today
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 12:08 pm
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Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter |
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Full of awesome
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 10:22 am
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When I think of post apocalyptic settings, this is what I think of. Well, not normally kung fu cowboys with a side of conan, but that was clearly my error. |
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Date Night at the Range
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 10:01 am
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The couple that shoots together stays together! Or something.
Shooting Range Holds Date Night For Gun Loving Couples
Seriously, I kind of dig on this idea. But I'm odd like that.
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Good Point
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 06:01 am
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Brad pointed out to me that a 108 lb dog, even with a limp, will just walk through a baby gate like it's not there. But one of the windows in the bedroom opens, so we're getting some nice cool morning air now.
Moose was a little bemused when we let Jack out and not him, and fussed when he heard the sound of kibbles. "Don't forget me!" He's pretty limpy today still, but now he's had breakfast and his pills and is flopped back down again. |
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State of the Cone
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 04:34 am
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Not that he's having to be coned, but Moose started limping slightly last Sunday, and this got worse enough by Tuesday that I took him into the vet and called his oncologist, etc. He was favoring the leg he'd had surgery on so this was pretty nervous-making.
So he got that leg (wrist and elbow) x-rayed, and while he has a little atrophy on the bone that might be arthritis, and some atrophy in his shoulder muscles that is probably from him being old and from him being fairly sedentary around the surgery, there wasn't any really good clue as to why he was limping. He's already on an anti-inflammatory for his arthritis, so we increased the dose from "one in the morning, a second in the evening if he seems to need it" to "two a day." Friday he went to the kennel where he didn't get to play, but he ran around excitedly when Brad came to pick him up and seems to have really thrown something out.
Saturday morning he went out for a walk with Brad and Jack, made it about to the end of the block (limping badly) and then just sat down. "That's enough!" Brad took him home and we were both very worried; it's really not good for a dog to not be able to walk. He was still eating with every sign of enjoyment, at least. Brad had to go out that day so I took him and Jack (not sure if Jack CAN be left home alone yet; we haven't proofed him) to the vet, and they were very sanguine about the Two! Giant! Dogs! in their waiting room, with Jack leaning on anyone he could. Then the vet took another good look at Moose and decided to x-ray his shoulder. While she was doing that... he started limping on the OTHER front leg. Her: ! So she x-rayed his other shoulder, which also showed no signs of real problems, but during this she noticed that while he was willing to turn his head to his right, he really did not like turning his head to his left.
So the theory is that he's done something to his neck/back, and the limping is referred pain that sometimes goes down one leg and sometimes goes down the other. It might be an issue with his spine, so he's going back in on Monday to get tranqed up for another x-ray (poor irradiated dog) in that area. It may be a soft tissue problem in which case the therapy is anti-inflammatories and rest, the first of which we have him on and the second of which we are now intensifying. She said that steroids are stronger than the rimadyl we already have him on, but not a LOT stronger. I am very relieved to have any sign of a cause at all; he's been basically letting people handle his legs all over, including where the surgery/skin graft/radiation/sore spot is, and looking mildly uncomfortable and that's about it. He doesn't even react much to having his head turned other than to passively resist it being turned to the left, turning his whole body instead of just his head. We're giving him some of the same painkillers we gave him after his surgery, which we know he doesn't react to (he reacts to morphine), and which will both help him with the pain so he can get in and out to the yard (he gets to do this no more than twice a day) and also keep him a little quieter so he doesn't stress his neck out any more.
He has some old spine damage around the base of his tail, which is where he developed arthritis a few years ago, and big heavy dogs are prone to it; what I'm hoping is that he's simply thrown out his back/neck so that the rest and medicine will fix him.
He likes staying in the bathroom anyhow, so maybe we'll get a baby gate so we can open the doors and cool it off a bit in the bedroom; I've been confining him to just the bathroom/bedroom and he's been sleeping in the cavelike no-windows bathroom, which really isn't much bigger than a crate. I've moved a water bowl in for him, and he's willing to get up to use it, and we'll start feeding him in here so he doesn't have to walk much for that either; we'll save all the walking for him going outside. We have stairs, which is hard on him, but he should be okay as long as we minimize it; based on how he acted before on the medicine he'll probably not be as interested in running around or going outside for the next week. I think he'd be less happy about staying in it if we actually closed the door on him in the bathroom, and I like him having access to the dog beds if he wants to flop down on one, and the bedroom has little enough free space that he can't exactly exert himself in here either.
On the sore spot front: it's gotten a lot smaller, though he still ritually licks it whenever he lies down. He doesn't lick and lick and lick and lick it anymore, and it's getting a chance to develop some real scar tissue because he doesn't keep stripping the scab. So the local injections the oncologist gave him to break the cycle seem to have broken the cycle.
In Jack news, he's not quite as housetrained as we'd like, probably because this is the largest house he's ever lived in and he's spent a lot of time living in small places and a kennel. But that's under control now; he's absolutely good if we keep him with us, and we can start getting him to think of one room at a time as his "den." The computer room is probably his den already, because he spends a lot of time hanging out there with Brad, and probably the kitchen as well because that's where he eats. There are some rooms in the house that we use less, though, so they'll take more time for him. Right now we're mostly just keeping him from having access to them alone and that makes it a non-problem, but we'll want to be careful and watch him if we take him over to someone else's large house, not to let him wander off alone and to make sure he doesn't need to go outside, etc. (Since he likes to be with The People it's not actually very hard to keep him in view, but he hasn't really figured out how to ask us to go outside yet.)Current Mood:  hopeful |
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How's the paper going?
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May. 17th, 2008 @ 10:28 pm
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Here are the plans for the paper for the rest of the evening:
(General)
- First of all, drink at least 2 glass of wine.
- Do not buy cigarettes despite being convinced that you can't write without them.
- Use timer but feel free to work thru break as long as the will is there.
- Go to bed no later than 3am.
(Specific)
- Find at least one more Postman reference to use.
- Flesh out at least one paragraph per notecard (25 notecards total, this is where the wine comes in)
- At least start bibliography, unless totally drunk, it's too detailed and you'll just have to do the work over again!Current Music: Big R Radio ˆ 70s FM - msng |
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May. 17th, 2008 @ 09:49 pm
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He had so much fun going to the Penis Festival.
Those crazy Japanese and their penis festivals.
There's only one problem. Nobody in japan knows about it.
If it sounds really crazy, or really popular, there's a good chance nobody's heard of it.
And while you're probably not interested in Japan for robots or penis festivals,
there is something about Japan that interests you.
And they'll have no idea what you're talking about.Current Mood:  content Current Music: Kyuss - Whitewater |
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What I'm Eating This Week (with Recipes)
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May. 17th, 2008 @ 09:44 pm
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Cobb Salad
(This is prep for a whole bunch of salads!)
1 head iceberg lettuce, torn into little pieces (I LOVE ICEBERG!!!)
2 pints of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup cheap bleu cheese crumbles
4 avocados (don't slice until making each salad)
1 pound of bacon, cooked and drained
4 hard boiled eggs (don't peel/slice until making each salad)
Annies Green Goddess Dressing
Remember, this is a composed, not tossed salad, so make little piles of each topping over the base of iceberg. Did I mention that I love iceberg lettuce? I use half an avacado (sliced) and a whole egg, a good handful of tomato and a small serving of the bacon and cheese. Don't overdress the salad with the dressing, just a few spare drops here and there, seriously!
BLTs
You can pinch from the Cobb salad ingredients to make a BLT. Toast a yummy whole wheat type bread (I actually eat Flax bread), and let cool for just a minute or so, then add a bit of the iceberg, some of the tomatoes, and some of the bacon. (Going heavier on the lettuce and tomato of course!) And get this, the Green Goddess dressing totally makes the day! So much better than mayo on this sandwich. Altho some people consider a BLT to be simply a vehicle for mayo. *Shrug*
Mushroom Barley Soup
(I promised this recipe last week, it's so good that I made it again...it's pretty rare for a soup to get an encore like that, but I wasn't even sick of this soup by the end of the pot! It's from the Moosewood Low-Fat cookbook...which you need if you are eating Cobb Salads all week!)
1/2 ounce dried wild mushrooms (I use Trader Joes mixed variety)
6 c water
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c finely chopped celery
1 c peeled and finely chopped carrots
3 c sliced fresh mushrooms (Trader Joes has a bag of sliced crimini that is just 3 cups, perfect!)
1/4 c soy sauce
tsp dried thyme (I'm going to try lemon thyme next time, I'm out now)
1/2 c raw pearl barley
1/4 c dry sherry or 2 tsp honey (what the hell, I used both!)
salt and pepper to taste
Bring the water and dried mushrooms to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, set aside while doing the rest of the prep (at least 15 minutes). Cook the onions and garlic in a large soup pot until onions are very soft and transparent, add the celery and carrots, cook for 5 minutes, add the fresh mushroom, cook until the mushrooms start to release their juices. Turn off the heat.
Drain the mushrooms through cheesecloth or a fine sieve RESERVING the liquid. Add enough water to make 7 cups of mushroomy liquid. Remove any nasty woody parts from the wild mushrooms, and whirr in a food processor until very finely minced. (You could do that by hand, but how tedious is that? Those things are slimy.)
Now everything goes in the soup pot: the mushroom stock, the wild mushrooms, soy sauce, barley, thyme, sherry, honey. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Not Your Mom's Macaroni Salad
(I think it was the heat today that made me want a cold pasta salad, adapted from Moosewood.)
1/2 c lowfat cottage cheese
1/4 c lowfat or vegan mayo
1 tab cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 lb macaroni or other pasta shape, cooked, drained, rinsed in cold water
1 c (or more) broccoli blanched in pasta water, then broken up
1/2 c chopped cucumber
1/2 c coarsely chopped dill pickle
a lot of fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
You need a slotted spoon, but you can blanch the broccoli while the pasta cooks. After the pasta is brought back to a boil and is now lightly boiling, drop the broccoli in for about a minute (until it turns a bright green and is a smidge softer). Remove with a slotted spoon and rinse under lots of cold water. After the pasta is done and rinsed, combine the two.
Whirr the pickle in the food processor. Add the cottage cheese, mayo and dill and whirr until creamy. Combine with pasta and broccoli, adjust seasonings (more mayo? more pickle? more vinegar? salt and pepper?) and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. (Flavors will marry.)
And yes, I'm on a 70s music kick, I've been listening to that internet radio station all weekend.Current Music: Big R Radio ˆ 70s FM - msng |
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May. 17th, 2008 @ 09:21 pm
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 Current Mood: enthralled Current Music: Vast - You |
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