Family Values

I'm not sure what Red Envelope is but I sure as hell am gonna buy something from there now!

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Domesticated

There was a time when I would make fun of somebody for baking their own bread. Why in the hell would you go out and bake bread when you can buy it? Why take all that trouble to do it? Well then I read an article on Farmgirl Fare about how to make Cheddar Dill Beer bread in under one hour. There was also a recommendation to make the mix and give out the recipe with the mix and a bread tin. I thought that was a good idea so before I did that I wanted to try the bread.
Wow! Now I know why people make their own bread. Homemade bread right out of the oven is so completely different from what you would get at the store that it is not even funny! I am now contemplating how to modify the recipe and come up with my own creations. Does this mean that I am officially domesticated now that I have made my own bread?

Make your own Cheddar Dill Beer Bread

Ingreadients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 ounces beer

Mix all the dry ingredients together then add the beer. Mix until you have a doughy mass and spoon that into a bread tin and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes (or until golden brown and a knife comes out clean when stuck into the bread). That's it!

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The Amateur Gourmet

I just finished reading an Advanced reader's copy of The Amateur Gourmet: How to Shop, Chop, and Table Hop Like a Pro (Almost) and I enjoyed it. It was by no means the best written book about food ever but I have read much worse. The author visits such topics as knives and knife skills, eating out, shopping, and cooking for family. Every chapter includes recipes that relate to one of the recipes he talked about in that chapter.
The author runs the Amateur Gourmet blog and the writing does reflect that blog style of writing. . .quick, witty, and occasionally without substance but that is okay because the flaws in the book are outweighed with the positives. I would recommend this book to anyone who is just getting into the whole cooking and creating better food life (like me). There is a lot in there that is relatable but it would have been better without some of the overblown food descriptions.

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Bully

I loved Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto's and I want Bully! Turns out you can get the hard core bullys to make out with you by giving them gifts. . .awesome!

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Enchanted

On Thursday C-Fresh and I celebrated turkey day by going to see Enchanted. D. you might as well just start chortling now because I loved that movie. Sure it was predictable, sure it was slightly cheesy (okay pretty cheesy), sure it was saccharine sweet, but that is what I loved about it. I also enjoyed the fact that it was not overly ironic. I am actually thinking of taking my 4 and 6 year old nieces' (what is the plural of niece?) to go see it since they both go gaga over princesses.
One of my favorite scenes is when Patrick Dempsey (yum) and Amy Adams are walking through Central Park and she starts singing and everybody starts to join in and sing along and Patrick Dempsey just has this look like WTF? How in the hell does everybody know this song?

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Adorable

I saw this over at Just Giblets and it was just too freaking cute!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Skipping Thanksgiving

Why do people freak out when you tell them you aren't doing anything special for Thanksgiving? My God you'd think I was torturing puppies when I said that C-Fresh and I were just going to relax. Sure we are cooking a little dinner but when people hear that we aren't having turkey they are aghast. Well C-Fresh is a vegetarian and I do not like turkey so why the hell would we cook one? Anyway we are going to have a nice vegetarian dinner (warm potato salad, green bean casserole, stuffing, and something else that I can't remember) and then head off to the movies. Thank God I found C-Fresh because he also likes cheesy stupid movies too so tomorrow we are off to go see Enchanted and that will be our Thanksgiving.

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Not All Christians Are Crazy

Desmond Tutu has got it going on! Let's hear it for somebody who actually speaks reasonably!

"If God as they say is homophobic I wouldn't worship that God...It is a perversion if you say to me that a person chooses to be homosexual. You must be crazy to choose a way of life that exposes you to a kind of hatred. It's like saying you choose to be black in a race infected society. Why doesn't [Williams] demonstrate a particular attribute of God's which is that God is a welcoming God."

and

"Our world is facing problems - poverty, HIV and AIDS - a devastating pandemic, and conflict...In the face of all of that, our Church, especially the Anglican Church, at this time is almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality...God must be weeping looking at some of the atrocities that we commit against one another."

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Z Gallerie Ruins Xmas. . .Again

Oh I thought I had Christmas all figured out. I went to go buy C-Fresh's Christmas presents only to be denied by Z Gallerie. Last year he had gone to get me one of the Buddha table fountains they had that I LOVED! Guess what though, they would be out of stock until March so Z Gallerie ruined last Christmas. This year I go to Z Gallerie with several items in mind and NONE OF THEM WERE IN STOCK or would be in stock until next March or April. WTF? At that point I did lose it a little bit. I was still nice but I asked the lady to please point out something that they actually had in stock so that I could possibly buy something. I don't think she got it though because she gave me a blank look. I know it was not her fault and I should have just shut up and left but my edit button was broken and I could not stop myself from asking. I just don't understand how they can be out of stock of high end items right before Christmas. Somebody in the buying department needs a good talking to.

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I Won!

Well D. you aren't the only one to win a fake lottery. I won a huge fake lottery jackpot too! Mine is from the British National Lottery Headquarters

Uk e-National Promo Inc,
United Kingdom.

You have emerged Winner from this Weeks
Draws.
Contact
Mr Anthony Flower
mranthony.flower5@yahoo.es

For Claims Of Funds,Provide the Following
Information in your Email,
Full Name
Email Address
Home Address
Sex
Age
Occupation
Tel
Country

Winning Details,
Amount Won: £1,750,000.00
E-Ref.no: UK/32944/SL,
Ticket no:983846/UK
Serial no: LS/649382375356
Batch no: 19-46-11GB
Date Of Draw: November 19th 2007.

From The Clerk Office,
Result Department

So I have a few questions. Since I actually won that much money can't they even address me by name? Second, Mr. Anthony Flowers I don't want to say this looks shady but why didn't you give me your official address at the UK Natl Lottery Headquarters? And why the Yahoo account from a country that is not the U.K.? You are making me thing that maybe I did not actually win almost two million pounds. . .

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I'll Give You A Shiny Penny

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Cafe Conversations

This is a slightly different take on the normal cafe conversations. It seems that one of the girls who works for me has decided that she wants to become a "child of Jesus". Ok, cool, whatever. Fine by me. Show up to work, do your job, I don't really care what you do in your spare time. Oh, and no, this is not going the way you are probably thinking
She is actually asking me for advice.
About religion.
Me.
For instance "Is it okay if I want to have a beer with my dinner. I mean my boyfriend's mom says I shouldn't. What do you think?"
Me: Maybe you should ask your pastor.
Her: Yeah, but I want your opinion.
Me: Well, Jesus went out drinking with the boys a lot so I guess one beer could not hurt.

Then there are the deeper questions.
Her: What do you think is gonna happen when the Rapture comes
Me: Nothing, it is made up.
Her: No, really, what do you think is gonna happen.
Me: Nothing
Her: Oh you are so funny, really, what is gonna happen?
Me: I'll be able to get a table at First Watch on Sunday mornings for breakfast.
Her: Cause I was just wondering what you thought

Evidently the whole "it's made up," wasn't a good enough answer.

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What Book Am I?

In honor of NaNoWriMo 2007 I present to you the What Book Am I quiz. . .

You're I, Robot!

by Isaac Asimov

While you have established a code of conduct for many generations to
follow, your demeanor is rather cold and calculating. Brought up to serve humans, you
have promised never to harm them, to follow orders, and to protect yourself. Living up
to this code has proved challenging and sometimes even drives you mad. If you were a
type of paper, you would be pulp.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

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MMMM. . .Pretty

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NaNoWriMo 2007

Okay, I will be the first to admit that my word counts over the past couple of days have been lackluster but the whole experience so far is actually going pretty well. It is going fantastically well especially when compared to the other times I've tried it. The first novel I wrote was so horrible it stank up the neighborhood but I still enjoyed that experience because I can honestly say "Hey, I wrote a novel." Of course nobody ever read it (or ever will) but I still did it. That experience has helped a lot with this year's writing experience. I have noticed a heck of a lot of improvement and the words seem to flow better this year too. Another good point is that this time around I actually have a plot and stuff actually happens! The last time nothing happened until the last 5,000 words or so. We'll see what the next 2 1/2 weeks brings though. . .

Current word count:

15,152

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Ha Long Bay

I have been craving Vietnamese food since I moved to Columbus a few months ago. Really, nothing will ever top #1 Pho's Chicken in Clay Pot but I found a good substitute down here in Cbus. Ha Long Bay up in Polaris is a tiny little place located in strip mall and it does have that strip mall sort of vibe on the inside. The inside is clean but it is painted and decorated in the colors of the 70's. The food is really good though. I had a chicken with mustard greens that was spicy, yet flavorful (a bit more spice would have been a good addition though) and C-Fresh had a tofu, tomato, basil dish that was phenomenal. He just sucked that right down. We split an order of spring rolls to start and I really enjoyed the fresh spring roll with a peanut dipping sauce. C-Fresh was disappointed that they were not fried though.
We met Gumby and Yellow Dog up there and they seemed to really enjoy their meal too. It was great hanging out with you guys so if you find any other ethnic restaurants to explore then let us know!

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Passive Aggressive Notes

Have I mentioned yet how much I LOVE PassiveAggressiveNotes.com It truly does bring so much joy into my life to read these notes and know that I do not have to deal with any of their crap. For example, my new favorite passive aggressive note has to do with the eating of the cake (Let them eat cake!). Anybody who has worked in an office situation should thoroughly enjoy this letter. . .

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NaNoWriMo: By Popular Demand

Gumby and D. you both asked for it so I aim to please. You asked for a giant talking owl so I give you both, as part of NaNoWriMo 2007, the giant magic talking owl.

“Wait,” Justin called after her. “Are you from this realm? ”
“Yes, and no,” she started to say when they were both startled by a very loud “Whoo-whoo?” coming from above them.
“What the heck was that?” Justin asked her in alarm. “It sounds like a big ass giant magic talking owl,” he said half jokingly.
“Whooo, you are right there young Darkling,” a trilling voice said from up in the branches of a giant oak tree.
“What the hell is that?” Justin asked pointing up into the branches and there indeed was a giant snowy owl perched up in the branches.
“That would be exactly what you said,” Elnora commented. “A big ass, giant magic talking owl.”

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Cafe Conversations

It has been awhile since I have had one of these. Quite honestly the people in my new neighborhood are more mentally balanced than in the old burb but we still get a few here and there. For instance. . .
A lady comes into our cafe (We are a major national book retailer that serves the #1 coffee in America. . .you figure it out) and orders a small coffee. The new kid does what he is supposed to do and holds up the next size cup and tells her the next size is just 20 cents more. The lady slams her Donald Trump book (yes she was actually buying a book by the Donald) and says "You are such a corporate tool, did you know that?"
I was finishing up a drink for someone else but I heard that and I could not help myself, I just let out a huge guffaw of laughter. It just burst out of me as I looked at her. Who did she think she was kidding? Like any of us thought she was on a mission to save America from the "corporations" shopping in our store.

The next one happened two days later. We sell member cards that people can use to get a discount at any of our hundreds of stores (or online). One of the girls was offering it to a guy in his fifties and he refused on account of "the government tracks your purchases with those cards. I bet you didn't know that?". Okay, whatever, that would have made sense if he didn't then pay for his $1.85 coffee with credit card.

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Best Cook Bood EVER

I bought the best cook book EVER today. Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food (How to Cook Everything). Wow, I should be writing but I can't put this book down. It covers almost everything from how to buy your produce to how to clean and cook it along with fantastic recipes. He gives you tips on what are the essentials of a vegetarian kitchen and what are the basic, and not so basic, essentials for a kitchen. It sounds stupid but I just can't put this darn book down. It is a rare cook book that truly lives up to its full retail value and this is definitely one of them.

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NaNoWriMo Day 7

Well, I am officially one day behind in my writing. I kept up better than I thought I would over the weekend which brings my word count so far up to

8,506

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