what WILL they think of next?

via crazyknee, this amazing invention

belly laugh

last night, my brother-in-law had me laughing so hard i was crying when he was telling me about his experience with his first colonoscopy (just a i'm-now-50-years-old procedure, nothing is actually wrong).

no, you gutter minds, he didn't give the gory details of the actual procedure, but his before and after thoughts were so fucking hilarious. and i haven't had a laugh like that in sometime. i needed it.

six degrees of terror separation

anything can be connected to the war on terror if you're a pro and can stay on your talking points.

more retro please

even though my eyeglass frames are less than a year old, i've been obsessed the last few months with finding some new ones. i mean, come on, they kinda like an accessory, right? so owning more than one pair is all right because you can change them according to outfit/look, right? so lately my obsession has taken the form of wanting ultra-retro frames, with rhinestones if possible.

yesterday, while killing time in an optical shop in white river junction, i found these. i think i might just have to get them no rhinestones, but the shape is perfect.

maybe i'll even check for actual vintage cateye frames on e-bay...

2004 resolution report, week 16

strawberries still being on sale, and dessert my assignment for easter dinner, i decided to try my hand at strawberry shortcake from scratch.

pretty easy, as shortcakes are basically bisuits with a little more sugar and cream instead of milk. so i got off easy that week.

god, i love strawberry shortcake. it's one of my favorite desserts, in case you're wondering.

2004 resolution report, week 15

chicken pot pie. one of the classics that i've been wanting to try for sometime, but i've been hesitant because of the cream. not for me, but for brian. so our friend's cookbook has a recipe that only calls for milk, which means i can use lactaid milk so brian doesn't have to supplement his dinner with lactase.

and this recipe is so frickin easy i loved it. and every one liked it as a meal. this may become one of my classics now. plus the crust was sooooo yummy with a little parmesan in it. mmmmmm...maybe i'll make another this weekend...

2004 resolution report, week 14

decide to do something kinda fancy because, for once, i have the energy and the time. also, i need to cook something for our neighbor's birthday dinner. so i make julia child's stack o' crepes with spinach and mushrooms. lots of cream in this baby, believe me.

i manage to do this somewhat complicated recipe in three stages. FIRST STAGE: the night before, i make the crepes ( a new experience in itself) which is fun, but L-O-N-G. the crepes are kinda funny shaped, but i don't really care because they are all going to be stacked and in a souffle dishe when i'm done. SECOND STAGE: the morning of, i cook the veggies, make the bechamel sauce (cream, butter and cheese, if memory serves) and assemble the gateau (stack). it goes like this: crepe, spinach stuff, crepe, mushroom/onion/sauce stuff, crepe, spinach, etc etc. you're supposed to do something like 25 crepes, but i think i stopped early because the stack was starting to be higher than the edges of the souffle dish. after you're done doing all the stacking, you pour the last of the bechamel sauce all over it. THIRD STAGE: bake it for about 30 minutes. (done at our neighbor's house)

sooooo yummy. very rich tasting, but light in texture somehow. and rory liked it because of all the butter and cream, so it works if i want to get her to eat spinach.

we've got a shitload of crepes left over, too, so they are in the freezer awaiting something else. i gotta figure out what to do with them.

2004 resolution report, week 13

made 'new england spider cake' from the NYTimes sunday magazine food section. kinda like a sweet cornbread, but right before you bake it, you pour a whole cup of cream (or milk, according to fannie farmer), which makes it kinda puding-y when it's baked.

everybody loved it, we had it plain and with strawberries on it. i think brian even tried maple syrup as weel-i swear, he will try maple syrup on just about any breakfast related item.

.

j'taime this

buying new luggage? please buy from the people who did this, i like them.

it's the little things, really

one of the joys in my life: a brand new sharpie pen!

couple of things

it's actually been on the warm side yesterday and today. and since i'm carrying an extra 25+ pounds, i'm sweating like a pig. it's very unpleasant to be me right at this very moment.

if you've been anxiously awaiting a 2004 resolution update, fear not, i will supply it by the end of the week. promise.

still sick

if you want the gory details, go here. otherwise, just sit tight and i'll get to you when i can.

but on the positive side

our taxes are done. they were finished this morning at about 8:30, but they are done. phew.

bleh

fricking viruses. and i don't mean the computer variety, although i had some problems with them last week.

i'm sick and don't have much more than dry cough and congestion, but it's affecting my sleep (as if the 25 lb beach ball that is attached to my front side wasn't) so i'm just feeling rotten. i'm just not up to making a witty posting or link or anything right now. hopefully, it won't last much longer. you deserve better.

quick hits

there's a really really excellent article in the sunday NYT magazine about the log cabin republicans and how they feel about bush pretty much dropping them like a hot potato when the same sex marriage issue came up. read it this week before you have to pay for it!

did you know that the department of homeland security was actually suggested by DEMOCRATS before clinton left office? (i think i'm getting my facts straight...i was reading al franken's book last night and i'm fairly certain that's what he said but don't have it here to refer to. will post correction tomorrow if necessary. CORRECTION-it was suggested by democrats in february 2001, shortly after bush took office. you can read more about hart-rudman (the guys who wrote the report) here). it's amazing what additional stuff we're learning from the media about this highly secretive current presidential administration these days.

post-easter egg salad sammies rock. even if the egg salad is a wee bit blue/red/green/whatever.

and finally i post this link every year around easter (sorry it's late, i had a sick toddler to deal with the last few days), but it is soooo totally worth your time. plus check out the other food-related experiments-esp. my personal favorite, the pop tart research.

love, exciting and new

remember little vicki from the love boat? well, she's all grown up now

blessed are the hot dog eaters

i can't believe i didn't mention this before: a while back it was all over our news back here that catholics in the greater boston area who are also red sox fans were seeking special dispensation from the catholic diocese of boston because opening day at Fenway this year falls on good friday. (for the non religious types out there-that means they would have to forgo most meat products for sale at the ballpark.)

i'm not sure how it turned out, but i don't think they were successful in their pleas. bummer. what's a baseball game without a dog?

a sudden realization

holy shit, i'm going to be 39 years old in about 2 months.

you go boy, i mean, uh, er, senator

really great statement by tom dashcle the other day in the senate...