hair weave stops bullet...

ok, so this from the world wide web.....In Kansas City, Missouri, a woman's life was saved when a bullet intended for her head was stopped - by her weave!

The 20-year-old woman was in a parking lot when a man called out to her that her ex-boyfriend still loved her. When she did not reciprocate, she heard a gunshot, and then witnessed her ex firing a gun at her.

She fled and then called police. The ex-boyfriend and his accomplice were arrested.

The bullet, which would have pierced her skull, got tangled in her weave, saving her life.

working in my sleep

ok, so.....i worked the night away...mostly worrying about how to manage to keep up operations if our building would be unavailable due to some sort of damage.....many non-work related folks show in these work dreams......i have no idea why this happens.....as i do not dream about work folks in my non-work dreams......

Aldi's versus Trader Joe's

ok, so this from the NYTimes....

Do You Know Who Owns Trader Joe’s?
By Stephen J. Dubner
Do you shop at Trader Joe’s?

From what I have seen, the world is divided into three sets of people.

1. Those who have never been to a Trader Joe’s, and perhaps have never heard of it.

2. Those who love Trader Joe’s more than they love their own families.

3. Those who love Trader Joe’s more than they love their own families and are incensed that there isn’t one nearby.

So, let me ask those of you who fall into categories 2 and 3: Who owns Trader Joe’s?

1. Some great California family full of surfers and gardeners.

2. A small band of communal farmers in Oregon.

3. A huge German discount-grocery chain best known in the U.S. for no-glamor stores often located in marginal neighborhoods.


Yeah, it’s No. 3. The company is called Aldi and, though I’d seen one or two of its stores in the past, I didn’t even know it was a grocery store. Then I read this very interesting Wall Street Journal piece about the company’s ambitious new plan for the U.S., which calls for 75 new stores this year. The article claims that Aldi is so good at selling cheap goods that WalMart couldn’t compete with it in Germany. How do they do it? Here’s one way:

Store-brand goods generally make up 22 percent of U.S. food sales in terms of unit volume, according to research by Nielsen Co., while in some European markets, they account for about 30 percent. At Aldi, 95 percent of the goods are the retailer’s own brands.

They are, in other words, not the obvious owner of a chain like Trader Joe’s — which, although it tries to be ruthlessly cheap, also has a very high style quotient and neighborhood grocery store vibe.

I thought of all this when I ran into a friend who used to work at a Trader Joe’s. I asked her if she knew who owned the chain. She said no, then thought about it, and then remembered: “Oh yeah, some Germans!” She knew this only because some Aldi executives came to look at her store a few times, and she says management asked all the employees to not talk to the Aldi executives. She was uncertain why this was necessary. But then she remembered something: “The carts we used to wheel boxes up and down the aisles, we called them U-boats, because they were shaped like a U. We were told to definitely not call them U-boats whenever the Germans were visiting.”

sudden storm

ok, so yesterday the storm sirens went off....and as i glanced out the window on my way downstairs to the most internal room, the sky was nearly pitch black......by the time i made sure everybody else was on their way to relative safety, the sound of the hail was resounding......we had insisted a foster couple who were just leaving come back inside with their 2 infants.......a woman came in off the street with hail in her hair, reporting that she was on her way home from an early shift and saw our building as a safe haven....we had our weather radio with us- blaring the updates.....and the weather radar on the pc nearest the lab area....and then.....the sky seemed to turn instantly blue....and shined brightly on the hail scattered about like so much rock salt......and then there was the rainbow.....rather low in the sky as rainbows go.....the folks at church last night reported seeing a double rainbow.....but that sight alluded me.....ah well.......next storm, i suppose....

back taxes....

ok, so....i read this morning with amusement that ole' sarah back up there in alaska owes back taxes on the $17,000 in per diem payments she accepted when she stayed at her own house rather than in juneau where she was elected to serve.......the back-taxes issue has been trotted out by the GOP numerous times of late......in sarah's case it is kinda like the pot calling the kettle black....

procrastination.....

ok, so.....i have numerous personal and work-related projects that i am ignoring for the time being.....too bad there is no medication for blatant laziness.....

the simpson's newest intro....

ok, so this intro is really, really funny.....the couch escapes rather than have the simpson's sit back upon it...

ok, so this from google reader.....Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "When ideas fail, words come in very handy."

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Obama Poster Debate - David Ross and Ed Colbert

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

ok, so.....this piece about the obama poster lawsuits is pretty funny.....especially since the lawyer in the bit is colbert's brother....and pronounces his last name in the traditional manner....

closeted....

ok, so in my dreams last evening, i was moving into somebody else's apartment...and all of my stuff was put into a kitchen pantry-closet....on shelves rather than in drawers.....and this apartment was memorable in that it had sculpture...large pieces.....a cow beside the bed in the guest room- which was not my room...i never was shown to MY room......and a calder-like mobile hanging from the ceiling in the entryway.....a curious dream.....

sweet pleasures....

ok, so....i spent an unexpected amount of time in my garden....pulling spring onions....i am in awe that after 26 years of uninterrupted gardening seasons that there would be ANY spring onions left to pull....but these weeds are just too crafty to eradicate...for every clump that one can pull up intact...there are thrice the number that simply break off at ground level....to rise another day....maddening....i am pleased that the rambling rose along the back fence survived the drought as well as the ice storm....there are three crocuses blooming along the brick path near the rose arbor....and in spots there are daffodils pushing up an inch or two.....signs of spring...but way to early too take seriously.....the aroma of cold boxwood may have inspired my lengthy bit of procrastination outside...i am supposed to be grading exam #1, and updating my blackboard gradebook.....but the day is far too glorious for working on my second job...no...i believe i will continue to relax and enjoy my day off from my day job.....

martha on letterman....

ok, so i enjoyed this clip....not just for the sight of dave chugging hot sauce, but also for martha joking that she invented the pomegranate....

the winds that came after the ice.....

ok, so the howling winds that raced through this area from yesterday afternoon onwards seem to have brought down whatever loose limbs that the ice storm missed.....and took off several of our window screens in the process.....in the semi-darkness the roof looks intact......that is a small blessing in these unpredictable days....

cheri

ok, so...michelle pfeiffer is in berlin promoting her newest film, cheri directed by stephen frears (the queen) and based on one of my favorite works by colette cheri/the last of cheri........the article describes it as a tragicomedy.....yikes.....i simply saw the sadness of a woman facing down the aging process...nothing especially funny about that at all....the closest this film will come is lexington....maybe cincy......or netflix.....

say

ok, so....i didn't stay up late enough to see john mayer sing this song on the grammy's...but i love this song...

jane and the zombies....

ok, so this from jezebel.....though i must admit i had already heard about the book on wait,wait...don't tell me....Seth Grahame-Smith's new novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, is a "delightful comedy of manners" featuring Elizabeth, Darcy, and the undead. I'd say Jane was rolling, but she probably stopped caring long ago.

wild tail.....

ok, so this wild tale (tail?) from the world wide web....Workers at an Ohio pet shop are used to worried pet owners bringing their animals in to be treated in the store's clinic.

But an unaccompanied visit Saturday by a deer to the PetSmart in Rossfield was a first for the store.

Manager Trudi Urie says the wounded doe was hanging out behind the store and then ran through an open door into a stockroom.

Staff members made sure the animal couldn't enter the shop area and called police and a veterinarian.

Agustin Cuesta had the deer brought into the clinic and closed a wound on its hind leg with dissolvable stitches as assistants held it down.

He says he couldn't tell how the animal got hurt.

melted cheese

ok, so in my dream i had driven all the way to toronto for a herbal conference at which i was to read a poem set to a powerpoint slide show, and describe the piece with precious banter for at least 30 minutes, not including the lunch based on herbs that i was serving.....the first line of this piece, which i could see clearly as i slept but which has faded since getting up and making coffee.....had to do with melted cheese.......given my appreciation for all cheeses in the melted state, i consider this a plausible dream sequence.....

too little too late...

ok, so....i stopped by the krogers in l-burg on my way home from frankfort.....to pick up a few things while i waited for my a-rated chinese supper to be whipped up at the restaurant in the same minimall.....and as i was checking out of the krogers i was presented with a long list of peanut butter containing products that i have purchased in the past few months...mostly granola bars.....mostly granola bars that were eaten long before the recalls were announced......so i suppose that we lived long enough to be told of the recall is a good thing....right?

pick-up stix

ok, so....so we spent a few quality hours snipping, sawing, and/or picking up branches....too bad we have more work to do til we are done....

unseasonably warm

ok so.......it is so warm I will go to church without a coat......ironic given the storm flotsom that litters the ground in all directions...

weariness as the disaster winds down...

ok, so...i have worked 12 days in a row.....and i am tired and weary....both physically, and emotionally...especially now that i have sat and listened to a videoconference detailing just how agancies apply for fema reimbursement....omg......we'll not see the first dime, but we will likely spend hours and hours pursuing the fantasy....

weary

ok so...i have worked the last 10 days....and I am starting to look and feel like the living dead....i do not sleep well for worrying about all that needs done....the glass remains halfful but the wine is a bit cloudy...

ok, so i just love this superbowl commercial..

pristine

ok so.....my fridge and freezer are so clean and empty to be frightening......it is like really nobody lives here....

resourcefulness

ok so...we heard at church about a welfare check made at the senior housing towet....to the surprise of the visitor the older gentleman had rigged a solar panel to his balcony to run a heater, the tv and a coffeemaker....and he was entertaining elderly ladyfriends...wow

lights...take 2

ok so....we have lights again but no landline or web.....making do with my phone's web access....hesitant to break out the bubbly in case this iis a false alarm...

5th day without power or phone...

ok, so.....what i really, really want is a long hot shower.....alas, we have no promise of power or phone service any time soon.....sadly, there is a shower at my workplace, but no hot water.....

small blessings...

ok, so.....despite the power and phone outage...there have been moments of pure bliss......we have taken time to walk the circle or out to the highway and back each day since this craziness began....and while the roar of the chainsaws has been deafening, the intense aroma of newly sawn cedar and pine has been intoxicating.....i have stopped in my tracks more than once to take in the smells.....eau de cold pine....wow....one of my favorite fragrances....

making the best out of a bad situation...

ok, so....we have had no power no phone service since early tuesday morning.....i have made my way to work to recharge my cell phone, and to check out the parking lot...., which remains a sheet of ice...several of our staff were at work calling restaurants about the mandatory boil-water advisory...and the possibility that the water may go off altogether....ouch....things could get really dicey.....i made my share of phone calls.....there are not many restaunteurs who want to hear that they will ahve to close if the water goes off....

on the other hand...the woodstove has performed well and our chimney concerns have not played out.....knock on wood...i cooked a lovely lunch of ravioli and meatballs in my copper casserole from Dehillerin...on my grill, along with yeast rolls and a streudal.....just cleaning out my freezer before everything is ruined...i am also pleased that i have enough boxed white to see me through these hard times.....nopw that is a glass half-full rather than half-empty...

ice.....

ok, so....we lost power at 6:30 am.....and so i gave my coworkers a 2 hour delay and then drove myself on in to work to survey the prospects for opening up at 10.....the parking lot is a sheet of slushy ice about 3 inches thick in places.....so we will close today and i will head back home once my phone has charged up.....thankfully i have gas for the grill, and if the power doesn't come back on we'll still have a hot supper.....

snow days....

ok, so.....it is quite a show of personal conviction to drag oneself out of a cocoon-like sleep on a cold day when one knows that one's child has no school.....the 6:00 am automated phone call from the district office prevents any hopes of getting a few more winks before the 6:30 am alarm.....prompting a full 30 minutes of feeling sorry for oneself at having chosen a profession that does not give snow days.....

a commercial from the uk.....

ok, so i am amused by this commercial.....but then, it doesn't take much to amuse me....

the pope weighs in....

ok, so this from the world wide web...Pope Benedict XVI says social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace can foster friendships and understanding, but warns they also can isolate people and marginalize others.

Benedict urged a culture of online respect in his annual message Friday for the World Day of Communications.

Benedict welcomes as a "gift" new technologies such as social networking sites, saying they respond to the "fundamental desire" of people to communicate.

But he also warns that "obsessive" virtual socializing can isolate people from real interaction and deepen the digital divide by excluding those already marginalized.

He urges producers to ensure that the content respects human dignity and the "goodness and intimacy of human sexuality."

thankfully, the pope failed to mention blogger in his admonishments....

she's got a friend...

ok, so this from the international herald tribune...Folk singer James Taylor says he'll give Sacramento, California, resident Natalie Lenhart a brand new music player with his songs to replace the one she says she had to give up when her credit card was declined after a taxi trip to the airport last month, according to the New York Post.

The red iPod nano was loaded with oldies including songs by Taylor. He's penned classics such as "You've Got a Friend" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)."

Lenhart says officers at the airport made her give her $140 music player to the taxi driver as payment for the $49 ride from Manhattan. The driver has said he'll return her iPod in exchange for the fare.

The agency responsible for police at the airport says it is investigating.

elizabeth alexander on the colbert report

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Elizabeth Alexander

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

ok, so...i loved this interview about poetry...

slum dog millionaire

ok, so...2 remarkable details from my day.....slum dog millionaire scored 10 Oscar nominations, and the local theater announced that slum dog millionaire is coming tomorrow.....go figure....i went to see this fabulous film in lexington over the holidays because i was so very certain it would never, ever be shown in our rural locale.....who knew....i will see it again with my spouse this weekend, despite my inner urge to spare myself the pain and angst....

the rev. lowry's closing prayer

ok, so i really enjoyed this guy....

leftward leaning....

ok, so....my favorite part of the entire day was when obama sat down to sign his first documents, with his left hand....and my daughter and i shrieked at the very same time...he's a leftie......!!!!!....it takes a leftie to know a leftie.....

the prayer from the gay espicopalian priest from lexington that didn't make the hbo cut...

ok, so....i am saddened to read the o's folks allowed hbo to cut this prayer....

le ruisseau

ok, so.....i scored a framed art print at the beaumont plaza goodwill....cezanne's le ruisseau (the brook)....with a fairly deep ecru matte and a mahogany-ish wooden frame.....will look just fine above our sofa now that the stanton macdonald-wright (poster) still life with calla lilies that was above the sofa is at my office....

pardons?

ok, so.....today is the last full day that dubya can issue pardons as thanks for services rendered by his cronies/colleagues/donors.......i will personally be shocked if he fails to pardon scooter libby.....i would be only mildy surprised if he pardoned larry craig and/or ted stevens.....i would not be surprised at all if he attempted to pardon boy george, despite the fact that he is not an american citizen.....dubya has never troubled himself with such details.....

turn, turn, turn......

ok, so.....we watched the reprise of the hbo we are one concert on-line at 7:00 pm this evening....given that we opted out of both cable and dish reception..the two of us huddled around the pc screen......wow.....what an assembly of meaningful music and orators....tom hanks performing the vocals to the copeland piece about lincoln.....U2 performing one.......john cougar mellancamp and his little pink houses....josh groban singing my country tis of thee in the same spot that marion anderson sang it in 1939 having been barred from performing in the space controlled by the DAR......i was moved to tears by pete seeger, and his grandson and bruce springsteen singing the woody guthrie anthem...this land is your land as a sing-a-long with the thousands on hand around the reflecting pool.......pete seeger was part of the march on washington, and was on hand for mlk's i have a dream speech......i was not aware until i read the wikipedia summary of pete's life that he was a life-long protest singer, known for standing up for the common man...he wrote if i had a hammer,...and where have all the flowers gone...among others....he was sentenced to 10 years for contempt of congress for refusing to testify at the mccarthy anti-american hearings......he never served due to flaws in the indictment...... i also was unaware that he was the fellow who put the verses from Ecclesiastes 3:1 to music in a song made popular by the byrds...turn, turn, turn....

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

yes, there were many talented and deserving artists on hand on the mall to celebrate in the inaugural of president obama....but it cheered my soul to see the joy in pete seeger's face as he reminded us all that this land was made for you and me.....

heart attacks and harleys....

ok, so...so i got up really early for a saturday, and was at the big lots by 9 in hopes of getting back home from my shopping/library rounds in time to have the afternoon to walk and read......i go to big lots for the cheap dog chew toys and rawhide bones....i was 3rd in line at the checkout, in back of a man and wife buying marked-down christmas wrapping paper, and a guy buying cat food......and both the men ahead of me were wearing harley davidson logo hats....and they were compelled out of brand loyalty, i suppose, to tell the story of how they happened to splurge on a harley.....both scenarios involved dramatic heart attacks....and/or cancer scares.....and miraculous against-all-odds recoveries.....one wonders at such occasions how much truth lies beneath such public pronouncements of survival.....was there really only 2 months to live before the doctor failed to find the fatal cancer on the post-biopsy scan?......did the cardiologist really massage the heart in the office waiting room until the rescue squad arrived?.....do both harley #1 and harley #2 purchased as rewards for making it out alive have over 100,000 miles?.....from riding back and forth to florida, though neither go anywhere near fort myers because of the competing hispanic gangs......i was not surprised to see the wrapping paper couple and the catfood guy still chatting in the parking lot as i exited with my chew toys........

fun t-mobile ad

ok, so i enjoyed this ad from the uk.....

buh-bye....

ok, so sometimes there just are no words.....

fantasy island....

ok, so if i ever win the lottery and can afford to buy an apartment in paris, i want it to look just like this one, that rents for an outrageous 2500 euros a week.....

wow.....

ok, so....i am so impressed that the pilot managed to bring this plane down safely and that every passenger was rescued.....

ok, so.....buddy makes a really cute obamicon.....

short-sleeve shirt

ok, so the outside temp is around 13 degrees, with a windchill nearer to zero, and my youngest child is preparing to walk to the bus-stop in a short-sleeved shirt.....and a short leather jacket....this is status quo made more ironic on this morning by her contention that our rather shaggy dog needs a doggie coat to keep him warm while he is outside......

survivor supper

ok, so, last night i hosted a survivor supper, a gathering of folks that i once worked with at the local hospital....we all have one thing in common, even at this late date.....we were 'run off' in one way or another by the same woman......the notion to get together took form when we made contact with each other to pass along the delicious news- that SHE has been run off by the hospital ...i'd like a nickel for every time a person has mentioned the phrase what goes around comes around but i digress from our get-together.....we all had a chance to tell about what we have done since, and for the most part....we are all better off......we chatted far too long, and i found myself forced to take my 13th walk in a row after 10:30 pm......

obamicon.me

ok, so this website allows you to create your own obama-like photo.....you have to register, get a user name and password, and reconnect from your email address before the magic camera will let you save a photo.......i rather enjoy my finished photo....

sarah responds to anonymous bloggers...

ok, so this short film by blue gal....

Q & A

ok, so....i stayed up til 11 to watch the entire golden globes.....with fingers crossed for slumdog millionaire's propects.....and i was thrilled that this film swept the categories for which it was nominated...best screenplay, best soundtrack, best director, and best drama....

fruit salad

ok, so.....i dreamed that i attended a potluck lunch with the staff at a local medical practice....and a co-worker of mine brought a salads in one bowl to safe space.....and in order to disentangle one salad from the other we had to rinse off the dressings.....i spent part of the dream sequence searching through cabinets for a colander.....and the other part trying to figure out how i came to be taking a nap on a neighbor's sofa, with the neighbor's children.....i have never been past the kitchen of this house....when i woke up i tried to explain that the steel beams inside the rafters of the house had become disconnected...and i kept trying to point up toward the rafters in hopes that others would take notice.....in order to walk back home i had to borrow a pair of shoes, and i could not find a pair in the basket of shoes by the door that fit......no idea if the fruit salad ever got rinsed off......

drama....of sorts...

ok, so....in the midst of my grocery rounds i stopped to fill up my gas tank at the kroger's to get my 10 cents off per gallon...and as i was trying to hold my jacket closed with one hand as i pumped gas with the other, i noticed a sad bit of drama unfolding just across the right-of-way.....a saturday morning child hand-off between estranged parents.....the diaper bag, the toys, the carseat, the bottle, and finally the toddler.....i suppose the list is what caught my eye...the mamma was trying to engage the daddy in what was written on a yellow legal-pad....and he was focused on the transfer of stuff, and his inattention to the legao pad appeared to upset the mamma, and the tension i could feel yards and yards away eventually caught up with the little one, who started crying......and i nearly started crying myself, what with the dreary rain priming the pump......i was reminded of trying to escape the heights of the spires when we visited the sagrada familia in barcelona.....my party had gotten off the elevator, and i was immediately stricken with the fear that i would fall over the barriers to my death.....i managed to inch my way to the steps leading back down to earth.....and as i was just about to grasp the handrail, a father and son bolted past me...the son hurrying down the steps and the father in pursuit....and i recall the father berating the son so passionately of his cowardice in italian that i started to cry the moment the son burst into tears....gentle readers.....i do not speak italian, but i know when i am being shamed in many languages....yeah- pappa italiano was not shaming me directly, but i felt his biting words as sharply as the child he belittled...... so what do these two scenarios have in common?....i suppose it is the fantasy we all cling to...that our interactions with friends and family are somehow insulated and separated from the world that surrounds us....and that nobody pays attention to our public antics......ah well.....my countertop is filled with the makings of vegetable soup, and if i am very efficient with my cooking time i can still sneak in a nap before supper.....and sleep- perchance to dream of sweet and positive family dynamics.....

monster truck....

ok, so i dreamed that we had a monster truck on our porch- a porch that was not really OUR porch here at the house...but a porch that was up a ramp from a gravel drive.....i recall the gravel part because i walked the truck down off the porch and the gravel was unpleasant to my bare feet.....i recall seating inside the truck, and not being able to reach the radio (to turn it off) or the headlights....no clue why i did not move up the front seat, and no clue how one 'walks' a truck.....and no clue why the c-dubs would have a monster truck.....

scrabble....

ok, so...after supper we played scrabble- even grandma....i started out with the letters to spell vortex.....only i never got the chance for my big move.....that is the nature of scrabble....i suppose.....the eldest cleaned up with some high-ticket words......he has flown back to austria.....and now we are feeling kind of alone in a house that got used to maximum capacity for a short but special while.....

6 days.....

ok, so....i came home and walked on the treadmill while the roast was in the oven...just to get it out of the way.....i had gone out at lunch to buy the roast in question, as i was expecting an extra child for supper......but that did not happen.....i have other dinner plans for this evening, so we will finish off last nights leftovers tomorrow.....i finally got the book i ordered in the mail- a short history of tractors in ukranian.....an unexpected tale told partly in flashbacks in the way that slumdog millionaire is told in flashbacks as the main plot pushes forward.....i sat in the front room under an afghan to read- the lamp is positioned perfectly by the armchair for this purpose.....i had planned to go to bed mjch earlier, given the fitfull night i had on monday......but the book was too good to put down...thankfully i slept the night through and feel somewhat refreshed as a type.....praises be....

sleepless....

ok, so....i stayed up far too late hoping that osu would stage a comeback against texas...they came close but did not prevail...and while i must have gone right to sleep, i woke up sometime around 4:00 am with a headache- and a throbbing arm.....i got a combo tetanus/pertussis vaccine yesterday, and was warned that the throbbing arm was part of the deal.....the ibuprofen must have kicked in at some point because i am pretty sure i was asleep when the alarm went off at 6:30 am....

and then there were three.....

ok, so....i drove a child to the airport in lexington to catch a plane back to school yesterday....i had thought about stopping at the marshall's to pick through the post-holiday bargains, and then to a goodwill or two.....but i was so emotionally wrought by the trip up- rainy and tense- that i drove right back home to walk on the treadmill and then curl up to read the rest of the day away.....

losing track of time and space.....

ok, so.....i was greatly amused this morning when my youngest stumbled down the stairs just after 9:00 am...fussing about how i was supposed to get her to church by 9:15 and why did i not wake her up earlier and it was all my fault.....except that she does not have to be at church until sunday morning at 9:15.....seems she lost track of the days of the week sometime after school let out for the holidays.....

sign of the times

ok, so....i took a peek at my new class roster....and was not surprised to see fewer names than usual.....just over half-full rather than a waiting list.....uncertainty could easily cause perspective students to work as many available hours rather than chance the scheduling changes necessary to accommodate a college course.....this semester i have an unusually high number of upperclassmen dual-major students.....should make for an interesting dynamic....

curious collection of connections....

ok, so....we stopped by the phone store to connect a xmas phone for one of our family lines....and there were no fewer than 4 employees in the showroom area that we knew....either from my eku classes of yore, or from my children's school acqaintances, or both.....thankfully these folks wear name tags...so i did not have to recollect either of the 2 who i taught in separate semesters....the fellow who waited on us is a brother to a fellow who either waived or stopped by my class 2 semesters ago to ask about my sons......and that is how i knew that he had been stationed for a time in iraq....employee # 4 is a son of one of my children's teachers.....and he has also been in iraq in the past year.....but with all those connections, i was still required to show picture ID before we could alter our phone service.....rules are rules.....

from crooks and liars

ok, so this is just too funny....

12:03

ok, so...i stayed up til midnight to ring in the new year. Being too old to stay up so late, I was in bed by 12:03 am.......and likely asleep by 12:05 am.....

what i did not get for xmas, part 1

ok, so.....these are available on-line.....knowing my luck, if i owned them i would forget to wear them, or be unable to locate them at onion-slicing time....

whoo......

ok, so this from cnn.....NEW YORK (AP) -- A Long Island teenager has earned all 121 merit badges offered by the Boy Scouts of America. Oceanside resident Shawn Goldsmith earned his final badge -- for bugling -- in time for his 18th birthday in November. He far surpassed the 21 badges required to achieve the elite rank of Eagle Scout.

He said he took about five years to earn his first 62 badges and then nearly doubled that number in a matter of months. He did it with the encouragement of his grandmother, who died shortly before he reached his goal.

The Binghamton University freshman was awarded his final badges on Dec. 19. He said he hopes to become a businessman and politician.

mm notes: i have fond memories of my days as a brownie, a cadet, and then a full-fledged girl-scout.....the girl scout leader doubled as the 4-H leader...but that is a bit of unrelated trivia.....i can recall searching through the girl scout handbook for the easiest to earn badges.....the notion that a girl could earn every badge listed never crossed my mind....i am in awe of this incredible achievement....

last night of channakuh

ok, so...we invited guests for supper last night, and were pleasantly surprised when our guests arrived at dusk, brought out their menorah, and asked if we minded if they lit the candles and said the blessings....it was a sweet prelude to saying grace at the table......

a nice touch of irony

ok, so......i was forced by our lack of milk (soy and cow varieties) to get dressed and venture out into the world after basically doing nothing of substance on christmas friday save walk on the treadmill.....and listen to my children read aloud snippets from the newspaper account of my promotion...the article was not so bad.....but the file photo used is at least 5 years old....from my restaurant days.....if one looks really close one can see that i am wearing an apron despite the newspaper's efforts to crop the photo to a head-only shot......and so i was greatly amused to hear my name called aloud as i perused the aisles of the aldi.....'hey-there's_______, that new health department director!".......my presence noted by a couple of local caterers who can fully appreciate why one might get into, and then out-of the restaurant lifestyle.....i did respond aloud.....by adding that i was also a reformed restaurateur.......i will one day go back and actually read the article, written by a fellow who was in the group of 8th graders i escorted to paris and strasbourg over a decade ago.....he is a talented writer, and surely portrayed my career, such as it is, a respectable light......

run, lola, run.....

ok, so.....i bought this film on dvd from half.com because it was german, and my eldest was returning from a german-speaking country and i thought it would be fun to watch with him.....we never got around to watching the film while he was available...so last night my spouse and i watched it by ourselves.....i should say, we enjoyed it greedily without distractions....by some fluke i purchased a fine indie film that is refreshingly simple in its plot and starkly filmed....and ripe with existential questions.....the story opens with lola receiving a frantic phone call from manni, her boyfriend.....she had failed to pick him up after he did a test-run for his mob boss....and he lost the money owed to his boss when he left the shopping bag full of cash under his subway seat.....lola, whose motorbike was stolen earlier in the day, has 20 minutes to come up with the necessary cash and run it to her boyfriend, who is calling from- a yellow phonebooth in some berlin square......so far, so predictable....except that the story line is told three times over, with lola running the basic course through increasingly familiar streets each time, but turning out differently each time......one turns off the dvd player wondering if, like groundhog day, lola ran more times than we were shown.....so perfectly timed was the last go-around of the film.....from the wikipedia writeup i learned that the film is chock-ful of cameos by german celebrities...who knew?...i also learned that the english subtitles lacked many of the nuances important to the plot...ah well....i will fully admit that the original lure of the film was the star, franke potemte....who was in the first 2 bourne films.....i will gladly watch the film again if the notion arises before our german speaking child flies back to europe.....

ok, so this precious cat and muff tableau is from gawker.....i just love a sweet cat photo......

ok, so.....the obama santa says it all....

xmas day vegetarian option

ok, so....this is a variation on a recipe i have copied onto a file card years ago- but cannot find at this moment in time...

Torta Rustica

One recipe for pizza dough
¼ cup olive oil, mixed use..you may not need this much
1 Onion, chopped
8 Ounces mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons
dried oregano
2 Large tomatoes, sliced, or 2 c marinara sauce

1/2 tsp salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lb fresh, cleaned, spinach
1 lb eggplant
1 lb red peppers
1/2 lb sliced provolone cheese

1/2 lb mozzerella, sliced

Cut eggplant lengthwise in ¼ inch slices. Soak in salt water for 20 minutes.Pat the slices dry with paper towel, line baking sheets with parchment paper, brush eggplants slices with olive oil and bake in a 425F preheated oven for 10 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool.

Saute the onion, peppers and garlic in 3 tbs olive oil until tender.
Reduce the heat to medium add mushrooms, basil, oregano, and salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions and mushrooms are limp .

Preheat oven to 400F.

Roll out ¾ of the dough to a 16inch circle, approximately ½ inch thick. Place the dough in to a 9 x 3 spring form pan allowing a 1 inch overhang all around the pan. Layer each ingredient in the pan as desired, or dump them all in at once. Spinach does not need to be cooked prior to putting in Torta. Roll out the remaining dough into a circle to fit the top of the Torta Rustica. Lay it over the top and fold up the overhanging dough, crimping them together to seal the edges. Make 4 small slits in the top to let steam escape and brush with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Place the Torta Rustica in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Let cool to room temp before cutting and serving, serves 12.

flashbacks redeemed....

ok, so....i fully admit that i have given scathing commentary in the past over films and fictional works that have leaned far too heavily on flashbacks to move the plot forward......it is refreshing to see a marvelous film that successfully weaves flashbacks into a plausible plot.....in slumdog millionaire danny boyle's character jamal's correct quiz-show answers can be traced back to a series of childhood perils......oliver twist forced to put up with an older brother and far too many fagan-types..........and something that oliver didn't have to sustain him through these wretched times.....the certainty that he would be re-united with the love of his life.....a fine film.....sad that we were 2 out of maybe 8 folks at the early show.....

spam?

ok, so this from the huffington post...On Sunday a New York Times pool reporter disclosed that Barack Obama ordered "spam musubi" for lunch during a golf outing in Hawaii.

Mainlanders may be unfamiliar with the local delicacy. According to the pool report, "spam musubi, a local luncheon specialty, consists of spam and a fried egg on a bed of rice, all held together with a dried seaweed wrap. (Visualize a very big sushi role, slightly larger than a Hostess Ho Ho.)"

Here's a little history on the Hawaiian love affair with Spam, sometimes referred to as "The Hawaiian Steak." According to Wikipedia, Hawaii consumes the most Spam per capita in the United States, and it was first introduced to the island during World War II.

shirtless....

ok, so this composite photo of shirtless presidents from gawker......

helping hands during hard times....

ok, so....a two-kleenex op-ed piece from the newyorktimes....

a real bookstore fan

ok, so this from the nypost.... TOM Hanks makes his living in movies, but he loves books. The star braved a nasty LA storm the other day to help his local, cash-strapped, independent shop, cozy Village Books in Pacific Palisades. There was a bodyguard to his left and right, plus another at the front door and two police officers outside in a patrol car, as a very friendly Hanks sat at a small table in the back signing everything put in front of him. Hanks teased a little girl about her shyness, and joked that the store staff should ring a bell with each sale. He stayed a half-hour beyond his scheduled two-hour appearance - "until the last person," said Village Books owner Katie O'Laughlin. Thanks to Hanks, she added, "We're catching up on the rent." He signed Post correspondent David Finnigan's Penguin paperback copy of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," scribbling, "Hit the road!"

latkes and omelets....

ok, so i have the day off....and after a cozy sleep-in i rallied to make our current version of potato pancakes-the one with red, yellow and sweet potatoes......yummy with sour cream and a bit of salt....i do have other frying pans, but i prefer the copper omelet pan from dehillerin for frying latkes.....which makes the pan is suitably hot for the perfect omelet..... ahhh.....life is good....

exact change

ok, so.....one of my many holiday pet peeves involves exact change, or rather...those who would hold up a long check-out line fumbling around in the bottom of one's purse for spare change so as to not get more change to unceremoniously drop in the bottom of one's purse.....i was tempted at the big lots this afternoon to hand the woman 13 cents, because i lost confidence that she would find the dime/nickels/pennies that could add up to the necessary amount.....in the end, she handed the cashier a quarter, and received 12 cents in change-which she tossed into her open purse.....but in this season of charity i can not leave out those who carry actual coin purses......these folks can be just an annoying as they try to come up with the exact coins by the braille method...coin purses tend to be too small for a good visual......the lady in front of me at the salvation army had such a coin purse.....and she also ended up handing over an extra dollar to cover the change she thought she had but could not find....i fully admit that i have change clanging about at the bottom of my purse, as well as change in the zipper pocket and the outside pocket......and when i have not visited the atm recently i may dip into my change to come up with the $1 for my powerball ticket.....i make a point of counting it out before i go into the store, so as to not be just another counting customer......

18th child?

ok, so...this from the www......After welcoming a 7-lb., 3 oz. daughter via C-section on Thursday to join their 17 other children, the proud papa tells the Associated Press: "We both would love to have more." The Duggars now have 10 sons and eight daughters, ranging in age from 17 months to 20 years, all with first names starting with the letter J, including the newborn addition, Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar.

'we would love to have more'......this is a guy truly tempting fate.....or at least statistical likelihoods....that a woman who has survived 18 pregnancies/c-sections could make it through the 19th go-around......i suppose he might croon a different tune if he had to raise all 19 as a single father......

new job, just like the old job.....

ok, so nearly 11 months after taking on the director's job in an interim capacity, i have been actually hired to do the director's job....i guess my starting day has already come and gone.....

close.....

ok, so...my eldest arrives tomorrow morning...the boy who used to be my baby that i have not seen since 7/31/08.......

forced marriage

ok, so this from jezebel...

Dr. Humayra Abedin, who, as we posted earlier, had been held captive by her parents in Bangladesh, who tricked her into visiting and were attempting to force her to marry, has finally been released.

Abedin, who had been studying in London and had planned to begin a residency in August, returned to Bangladesh after being told that her mother was seriously ill. This turned out to be a lie designed to lure Abedin back home for the purposes of forcing her to marry against her will. Abedin protested, and the London High Court, using the Forced Marriage Act, demanded that she be released. A Dhaka court agreed, much to Abedin's father's dismay: he "collapsed from shock after the ruling." Abedin will fly back to the UK at some point this week. ""We're delighted with the result, the rights of a Bangladeshi woman have been protected as they should be," says Abedin's lawyer, Sara Hossein, "Dr. Abedin looks very relieved, she's a very brave woman."

green onions

ok, so yesterday i made my usual three-store loop.....big lots/kroger/aldi....in record time as i had a very short list of needs/wants...it is now my custom to bring in my own reusable shopping bags....the bringing in of bags is still a novelty for many check-out clerks, despite the fact that each of the stores on my circuit sell reusable bags at the check-out...go figure.....at the kroger i opted for the self-check out option, as the other lanes were overflowing and i had only a handful of items....but when i carefully positioned my kroger shopping bag in front of the plastic kroger bags beside the scanner unit....the electronic message kept repeating- scan the first item before putting it in the bag....yikes- i paid for this bag months ago, and it is suitably worn enough to pass muster from a scrutinizing store manager if necessary.....so the self-check clerk came over to see what was happening, and she reset the machine.....and then we came to the green onions....which i had to look up as the tinyband that holds the bunch together lacks a upc code.....i put them in the bag, only to be told to take them out and scan them before putting them in my bag.....the self-check clerk again reset the machine...but only after she took them out of my bag and took them to her master register to make sure that i had actually entered in the cost of the green onions......an exhausting kroger experience.....fast-forward, if you will, to suppertime, when i opened the refigerator to find the green onions that had caused so much difficulty....not in the drawer, not hiding behind the boxed-up leftovers, not in the trunk of the car...not in the pantry with the crackers or the mac and cheese boxes....nowhere......could the clerk have gotten so distracted with all of the malfunctioning self-checkout machines that she is still clutching my $.68 bunch of green onions?.....maddening, as this was the single item that drew me inside the krogers in the first place.....if the aldi were to carry green onions i might be able to pare my saturday loop down to 2 stores.....i suspect that i will find the green onions in their clear plastic bag in some random location in this house- and it is my wish that i find them before they start to wilt and/or ooze.....and that i am able to conceal my brief senior moment from the rest of home-for-christmas crowd....

sausage stars

ok, so....i had these once at a brunch...i am going to make them over the holidays using soyburger....

HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH SAUSAGE STARS

2 c. (1 lb.) cooked crumbled sausage
1 1/2 c. grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 c. prepared Hidden Valley Ranch
Original Ranch Salad dressing mix
1 (2.25 oz.) can sliced ripe olives
1/2 c. chopped red pepper
1 pkg. fresh or frozen won ton wrappers (or egg rolls wrappers cut in 4ths)
Vegetable oil

Blot sausage dry with paper towels and combine with Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, salad dressing, olives and red pepper. Lightly grease a mini (or regular) muffin tins and press 1 wrapper in each cup. Brush with oil, bake 5 minutes until golden. Remove from tins, place on baking sheet and fill with sausage mixture. Bake 5 minutes at 350 degrees or until bubbly. Makes 4 to 5 dozen.

on tape.....

ok, so....there are many global happenings caught on tape of late, but the incident of most concern to is not in Chicago, or in Mumbai....but at eku/d-ville....i ran by at 5:00 pm to give the final a day early to a fellow with lots of mitigating circumstances...and while i waited for him in the staff area, the tech guy and the desk lady were going over the video-feed from the hidden cameras....seems a lady reported a book stolen from the computer lab....and the camera not only recorded her setting it down at the pc station along with other assorted stuff, but also showed her dashing off with her purse out of the room, another student approaching her stuff and student leafing through up her textbook, then putting it back down..... and the same student coming back in moments later and putting the textbook in between her own stack of books.....it was surreal to watch the tech guy slow-mo the feed to get the best possible full-face image of the thief...and to see him email that image to those who deal with security issues.....up until this evening, it had never occurred to me that there may be security feeds in my classroom.....and that should the health folks want to know exactly what time time call it a night- generally before the official quitting time..it would all be there on tape......on the bright side- should i need a record of a brilliant turn-of-a-phrase.....i will know who to call....

interview process....

ok, so..i finally had the chance to interview for my own job yesterday.....a bit awkward as i have done the job as interim for 10 months.....at one point in the 'script' they asked me if i wanted a tour of the facility.....i have a second interview on friday...keep me in your prayers, gentle readers......

2 pound stash....

ok,so somehow i missed this story last week...from msnbc..

Stash for the afterlife: A photograph of a stash of cannabis found in the 2,700-year-old grave of a man in the Gobi Desert. Scientists are unsure if the marijuana was grown for more spiritual or medical purposes, but it's evident that the man was buried with a lot of it.

raising chickens?

ok, so there was a short piece in the huff-post about raising chickens in the backyard....or in our case...the side yard.....they eat your leftovers and you eat their eggs....which sounds a bit gross, but as i already eat eggs i could see myself eating the eggs of my own chickens.....and since we are zoned ar-1...i could do it legally.....hmmm......

lazy and shiftless.....

ok, so.....yesterday i can count the useful things i did with one hand.....i had good intentions of numerous projects, but after the mail brought my copy of a year in provence on dvd, i kinda dropped everything to watch it.....yeah, it is old, but it is charming and that suited me just fine on a cold dreary day.....

carolyn to replace hilary?

ok, so...wow!....the ap is reporting that carolyn kennedy has approached the governor of new york about being his choice to replace hilary's soon-to-be empty senate seat.....this is the seat once held by her uncle robert....

a star-studded video against prop 8

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

ok, so....

last lecture

ok, so the last lecture for this semester's class at eku/d-ville is this evening, to be followed by the final exam next thursday. student projects are due today, and i am hopeful that each student will actually turn in a project......some in the past chose to take the d-grade that comes with so many missing points...their parents will be horrified when they figure out how their precious children nearly flunked a health class.....but this is not my problem.....my problem will be to locate on-line randy pausch's last lecture to show the nature of a good death- one with dignity and closure....

the ultimate mac and cheese

ok, so this from the nytimes...

Macaroni and Humboldt Fog Cheese

Adapted from John DeLucie, Waverly Inn, after a recipe from Zingerman’s Roadhouse

Time: 40 minutes

FOR THE MACARONI:
Coarse sea salt
1 pound cavatappi, preferably De Cecco brand
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onion cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cups (1 pound) Humboldt Fog goat cheese
3/4 cup chopped roasted peppers, half red and half yellow (bottled is fine)
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce, more as needed

For the topping:
1 large egg
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces Humboldt Fog, shaped into four disks about 1/2-inch thick, chilled
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs or panko
1 tablespoon butter, for frying.

1. For the macaroni: bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add 1 to 2 tablespoons salt. Add cavatappi and stir well. Cook until al dente, then drain well and set aside.

2. In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt butter (do not brown) and add onions and bay leaf. Sauté until onions are soft, about 5 minutes, then discard bay leaf. Add flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, then cream. Simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard, Humboldt Fog, roasted peppers, black pepper, 1 teaspoon Tabasco and salt to taste. Stir pasta into cheese sauce; adjust seasonings, if necessary. Cover, remove from heat, and keep warm.

3. For the topping: in a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Coat each disk of Humboldt Fog with egg mixture, then bread crumbs or panko; set aside. Place a small heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, and melt butter. Add coated cheese disks, and fry until golden, turning once, about 1 minute a side.

4. To serve, place equal portions of macaroni in four wide shallow bowls. Top each with a disk of fried Humboldt Fog, and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.

from crooks and liars...

ok, so....

condi's palace concert

ok, so this from the huffington post....

The outgoing US Secretary of State was accompanied by Louise Miliband, the wife of Foreign Secretary David Miliband, and three members of the London Symphony Orchestra in her performance of Brahms.

The stateswoman – who is a concert level pianist – was allowed to use a music room at the palace after expressing a wish to play for the Queen before leaving office at the end of the Bush administration in January.

The Queen listened to part of the performance, and afterward presented Miss Rice with an audio recording of the recital as a gift.

Miss Rice started playing the piano as a child and planned a career in music, originally enrolling at university to study the subject before switching to political science. At 15 she performed Mozart's Piano Concerto in D minor with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, as a prize for winning a student competition.

She was taught the instrument by her mother, who was a music teacher, and regularly performs private chamber music recitals with four friends, leading to her be described as the world's most prominent amateur musician.

Miss Rice was visiting London before heading for Brussels to attend a meeting of Nato leaders. Earlier in the day, she met Gordon Brown and Mr Miliband.

ashes and austen...

ok, so this from the daily mail..... The 17th-century cottage, with its quintessentially English garden filled with flower beds and herbs, has long been a place of pilgrimage for devotees of Jane Austen.

Now it seems increasing numbers are choosing the author's former home, which has become a museum in her honour, as their final resting place.

Museum staff have been shocked to find mounds of human ash around the grounds, left by relatives creeping in to honour the final wishes of loved ones.

But the management of Jane Austen's House Museum has moved to halt the practice.

In an open letter to the Jane Austen Society, collections manager Louise West wrote: 'While we understand many admirers of Jane Austen would love to have ashes laid here, it is something we do not allow.

'It is distressing for visitors to see mounds of human ash, particularly so for our gardener. Also, it is of no benefit to the garden!'

cuctom-knitted cozies

ok, so this from jezebel...."I decided on making cozies for empowering objects which happened to be very hard, masculine, recognizable objects. The covers kind of softened them up and changed their determined roles," explains extreme knitter Teresa Honeywell. She was, of course, inspired by a toilet-paper cozy at a flea market. "It kind of made me a little sad to see someone's handmade craft discarded and being sold for pennies, but it mostly saddened me because it was such a bizarre and useless object. I pictured a sad housewife with nothing better to do then knit up a cozy for a roll of toilet paper. I knew then that I wanted to use that same lonely technique, and meaningless process, to cover up an object that I wouldn't ever need or have the opportunity to use again in my new role as a housewife."