zmrzlina = ice cream

If I Had a Million Dollars

2007-04-04T21:52:00.000-04:00

I'd open a coffeehouse. I'd call it Snowball's Chance Café and the slogan on the door would read "a hell of a cup of coffee." The coffee would be locally roasted. Any food would be prepared fresh daily and would not contain saturated fats. There would always be in-season fruit and vegetables available. Staff would be paid a living wage so they don't have to live on tips. In fact, I would not allow a tip jar.

This would be more than a place to get a cup of coffee, though. There would be free wi-fi for anyone who brings their computer, and two or three limited-use house computers available for customers. The house computers would be in an area filled with all sorts of career information, local free events, and an official BookCrossing Zone. This would be a community gathering place.

I'd have local music as many nights as I could get it. Community groups wanting to spread out and create would always be welcome, and I'd have a photo gallery showcasing their meetings all over the walls. I wouldn't sell handcrafted items, though, since I am rather particular about that sort of stuff, but we would keep contact info for artists on-hand.

What I would sell that isn't coffee or food, though, are postcards. I'd run an art/photography contest twice a year and the winning selections would be made into postcards. I'd encourage people to write.... postcards, letters to friends and families, maybe even letters to political and business leaders. As much as I love the instant gratification of email, putting pen to paper is still an important means of communication.

I even know where I'd open my coffeehouse... in the city, in what is often considered a "bad part of town." I love this section of Pittsburgh because it has so much more character than the neighborhoods with the Starbucks, Crate and Barrels, and Gaps. I would do my homework so I would know how to deal with a business in an economically depressed neighborhood. I'd be active in the community so that I'd have a better chance at holding out against the chains when they do come, because I know they will eventually come to that area of town.

If I had a million dollars...

Julia Child is Laughing At Me

2007-03-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

I peeled my first ever tomato today, but, no, that is not why Julia Child is laughing at me. After I peeled the tomato I had to go lie down for a bit, else swoon right there at the kitchen counter.

One of the very few good things about being unemployed is I have more time to cook. My 20-odd years of vegetarian diet prior to moving to Pittsburgh three years ago consisted mostly of pasta, rice, beans, ordinary salads, and, of course, vegetables...but only a few vegetables, and always raw because I hate squishy cooked vegetables and that is usually what happened when I tried to cook them. After moving here, and cooking for, and with, someone not afraid to try different things, I started to expand my repertoire. Soy in all its many forms started appearing in meals. Salads became more than greens and a cucumber. After learning the delights of steaming and roasting vegetables, I even started eating asparagus, a vegetable I thought I hated. Vegetarian cookbooks were piling up in my kitchen and dinner became an adventure.

So, this afternoon I was preparing a new recipe, one with an odd name, Moors and Christians. It is an adaptation of a Cuban recipe and the author of the cookbook, 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes (Judith Finlayson), says the name refers to the time when Spanish and Moorish were at war. That made me think of the book I just finished reading, José Saramago's The History of the Siege of Lisbon, a delightful contemporary love story with a goodly amount of historic blood and gore spilled by Portuguese and Moors (and yes I know that Portuguese is not Spanish). So I am thinking about the book, which I really enjoyed, as I start peeling the tomato.

I really have never peeled a tomato before. Not in all my 50 years. I usually use canned tomatoes in recipes. But this one calls for one fresh tomato, peeled and seeded. I got my Wüsthof 4.5 inch utility knife (another thing about my new cooking skills...good tools!) and set to peeling. First pull of the skin, my knees buckle. The sound is what I can only imagine skin coming away from meat, human meat, would sound like. It is the sound I hear in my head when reading medieval stories of torture. Scenes in the Saramago book came to life in my head. In my hands I held a pulpy mess of red. Trying to put the images and sounds away, I quickly worked to get the rest of the tomato peeled, seeded and chopped, then put a cover over it and retired to my bed.

I'm going back to canned tomatoes. Already chopped canned tomatoes.

So perfect

2007-02-02T21:31:00.000-05:00

Not sure if this is an illegal action, but can't resist. Click the image for a larger view.

Remembering Nana

2007-01-31T22:16:00.000-05:00

The Morris chair belonged to my great-grandmother, Nana, when she was a child. I used to sit in it when I was little and watch Lawrence Welk with her.

Nana used to make me wear a crinoline to school. I'd take it off as soon as I got there and stuff it in my jacket or behind something if I didn't have a jacket. And then I'd have to remember it before going home.

Nana also used to make my lunch. She was quite active for an elderly woman, but she did get confused at times. One day she mixed two of my favorite sandwiches together by accident, so I ended up with cheese, mayonnaise and jelly sandwich. I ate it because I always ate what Nana made. And I liked it, too! Actually asked for it from then on. Good thing she didn't put peanut butter in with the other three things, 'cause that would have been just crazy to eat.

Es tu Tigger?

2007-01-28T11:29:00.000-05:00

Went to visit the baby tigers at the Pittsburgh Zoo yesterday. Nice to get out of the house for a while. I'm not a huge fan of zoos, but Pittsburgh's is winning me over.

Mini Snowman

2007-01-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

Extinguished

2007-01-13T23:08:00.000-05:00

The little spark of hope last week was quickly extinguished this week. Came so close (three interviews) to a very cool job at a very cool tech company here in Pittsburgh, only to find out I'd lost out. And then an opportunity that would have helped me follow a dream fell through on Thursday. I was 100% sure I had the later. 100%. And it fell through. I am having a very hard time getting over this and back into career search mode. And this blog may end up a casualty. I don't much feel like doing anything at all.

Something Different Happened Today

2007-01-05T15:28:00.000-05:00

After days of only getting out of bed to give the cat her medicine I decided to do something constructive today and mail out a few more cover letters and resumés. I haven't been sick. I've just been feeling defeated and hopeless. When 2006 ended, I had three decent interviews under my belt and I really thought 2 January 2007 would bring at least one job offer, if not a choice. Oh, how disappointed I was when the phone didn't ring on Tuesday or Wednesday. I knew the companies would be making those calls at the very first opportunity because the positions needed to be filled quickly. I went to bed Tuesday afternoon in a blue funk, and by Wednesday afternoon the funk had become full-blown depression. Didn't get out of bed at all on Wednesday. Thursday morning the phone did ring. A request to come in for a 3rd interview at a technology company I'd love to work for over on the Southside. But, the interview was amazingly short and didn't feel so great. I don't hold out much hope on that one. Never did, even though I've had three interviews. Just doesn't seem like I'm a good fit. Anyway, I went to bed when I got home and this morning I woke up thinking I'd give the cat her medicine, and maybe spend some time reading in bed, since I wasn't really sleepy. Reading is at least productive.

But, instead, I decided to apply for a couple of jobs that aren't exciting or very interesting, but might get me back in the career search mode. Don't know why I changed my plans. Maybe it was an email from a dear friend in the UK who usually manages to make me smile when I'm down. Maybe it was G's gentle hug and kiss this morning when he left for work this morning. It has been an incredibly rough week for him, and he really has put his own pain aside to comfort me. Maybe it was just that damned Protestant work ethic (minus the "being saved" part) I've always had, kicking me out of the bed. Whatever it was, I am very glad for it. Something different happened today.

I stopped at a local Starbucks for a latte, a treat to myself for getting out of bed (maybe it isn't that work ethic after all...), and decided to drink it at one of the tables, from a real mug, rather than take it to-go and risk spilling it or having it get cold while I waiting in the post office queue. As usual, I had a book, The History of the Siege of Lisbon by José Saramago (a true delight), and I had a couple of postcards I had not yet written. So I took a seat by the window, read a few chapters, wrote the postcards, and started to get ready to head out. It was a dismal, rainy, grey, bleak day and the café was crowded with people who looked to be wanting a bit of warmth. One woman, in particular, looked like she really needed warmth. All sorts of warmth. She was putting sugar into her coffee-to-go and a man who had been sitting nearby walked up and quietly struck up a conversation. I was sitting right next to the condiment bar, so I overheard them talking.

He asked if she was from around here. She answered that she wasn't and told him where she lived, which I didn't catch as I really wasn't eavesdropping, just sort of caught in their conversation by my location. She asked where he lived and again I didn't catch the name of the town, but it did seem like it was local because she commented that it is very pretty around here. He agreed, and added "But you don't see many black folk," and laughed quietly. She also laughed, and agreed. They were the only two black people in that Starbucks. And both of them stood out from the well-dressed majority, myself included.

She had on jeans and a long-sleeved hooded sweatshirt. Bright red. It had seen better days, and the cuffs looked like she had been using them as mitts. All stretched out and hanging over her hands. She held the coffee cup tight to her chest, as if it would warm her soul. She seemed so out-of-place, and not because of her color. Just out of place in life. She asked the man about the bus to the city and he told her where it stopped, but said she might have to wait a long time because city buses don't run all that often up here in the northern suburbs. She didn't seemed worried, just resigned.

By now I had returned my cup and was ready to walk out the door. Something stopped me and instead I went over and asked her if she wanted a ride into the city. She accepted immediately, thanking me over and over. We walked out the door together and over to my car, and she told me she had had a terrible day, but didn't offer details. She settled in, not putting her seatbelt on, and I thought I should ask her to do so, but, totally unlike me, I didn't. She offered me some of her cookie, but I declined. As I headed out of the parking lot, I caught sight of someone running up to me in my sideview mirror. A police officer.

I had seen two police cars in the parking lot when I was sitting inside. I didn't think anything of them. Police cars and coffeeshops go together. Seeing the policeman running up to my moving car really scared me. Did I do something wrong taking this stranger in my car? Was she supposed to be with him? With a line of traffic behind me, I stopped and opened my window. He asked if I knew my passenger, where I was taking her, and my name and telephone number. I asked him if something was wrong. He assured me there wasn't, but he wanted to make sure everything was okay. I told him everything was fine and I just didn't want to see the woman standing out in the miserable weather for an indefinite period of time waiting for a bus. He wrote down the telephone number to the barracks and told me to call it as soon as I got home and leave him a message that I was fine. He also wrote the number down for my passenger, and told her to put on her seatbelt. Then he told me to wait while he took down my plate. As he walked off to his car, I called "It's Slovak for "ice cream" (my vanity plate), and he called back, "I know...I'm Polish!" and shouted a Polish goodbye which I can't recall how to spell, or pronounce. I don't even know Slovak... just a few words.... enough to be polite, and sometimes get me in trouble.

Perhaps I should have been nervous at this point. But I wasn't. Not even a little bit. Perhaps the officer thought I was some sort of Good Samaritan and did stuff like this all the time without giving thought to the dangers that might be involved. But, I wasn't giving this woman a ride out of any sense of goodness. I don't normally take strangers in my car. I just did it because there wasn't anything else I was doing and she needed to be warm. It was kindness, but I don't think any sort of out of the way kindness. I wasn't frightened. I didn't consider she could be directing me to drop her off somewhere I wouldn't be safe. I didn't consider she might try to get me to help her in other ways. I just wanted to make sure she got to where she was going without having to stand in cold rain.

As we got on the highway, she told me the same officer had given her a ride from a rural area further north. She said she had trusted someone who had left her stranded up there, with no money. She told me the officer gave her $20 and a ride to the Starbucks. He said he would have liked to have driven her home, but couldn't do that. Then she and I just started talking about our kids (she has four, ages 2-15, and she is 29), our dreams, Pittsburgh, and just general chit-chat you would have with a friend over coffee. The trip to the city went by very fast, even in the driving rain.

She directed me through an area of the city called the North Side. Along the way she pointed out Max's and said it was a great place for dinner. She asked if I like jazz. When I said I did, she pointed out the James Street Tavern and said she knew a guy who "played the horn" there and I should really go and listen. The place looks to be under renovation right now. She asked if I had been to the Aviary, and I said I had. She said it was one of her favorite places. And she asked if I had been to the Observatory, and I haven't. "Oh," she said, "it is the best place to go. I don't know what I am looking at or understand any of it, but I love it."

She spoke as if she had been giving tours of the North Side all her life. She brought everything alive and was so very excited about the area. But then she said she wishes she could leave. Move somewhere different. I told her I had done just that when I moved to Pittsburgh from Boston nearly three years ago. She said it was a brave thing to do. I said it was a crazy thing to do, but it was a necessary thing to do. When I pulled over to let her out, I reached over and hugged her. I am not a touchy-feeling sort of person. I don't even hug friends and relatives all that much. But I wanted to hug Melee (may-LEE). She walked away, not looking back, her bright red sweatshirt like a beacon in the grey rain. I hope she is well right now. I hope she finds whatever she needs in life, and gets a whole lot more warmth and kindness. When I got home I did leave a message with the barracks letting Officer M know I was fine. I am more than fine. I am ready to find my dream.

Postcards, Postcards, Postcards

2006-12-30T22:20:00.000-05:00

PostCrossing brings so much fun to my post office box. Yesterday I got this fabulous addition to my UNESCO World Heritage collection from a man in UK. The site, Giant's Causeway is on the Antrim coast in Northern Ireland. On the back of the postcard is a real message. Yes, a nice long, by postcard standards, message. This is becoming a rare treat on postcards. Sure, the typical brief "wish you were here" message is mostly expected on a holiday postcard from family and friends, but on postcards sent to strangers I always think there should be a bit more communication. Why bother with postage and writing if you are just going to say "here is a postcard of X," which is quite obvious from the start? Or sometimes just "this is the postcard I promised you from X forum." Yeah... and? Did you visit the place? Does the image mean something to you? What did you have for breakfast today? Something! Tell me something other than the obvious!

On the back of this postcard there is a really nice descriptive caption provided by the publishing company, but the sender used the writing space to give me so much more. Details about the folklore that resulted in these odd rock formations (two giants battling it out), a nice summary of how Britain is divided into four nations, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England. And a bit about the languages in those places. There is even a Welsh greeting, bore da (good morning), to start the message. All this makes this postcard a valuable addition to my collection. It isn't just a picture to add to the book. I have a teeny sense of the person behind the postcard, too. Communication, however small, with a stranger in another land. This is the reason I started collecting postcards so many years ago. Even if I never hear from this sender again, I have made a connection that is more than the obvious.

For many years I traded postcards on Yahoo groups. At first it was great fun because the organized swaps usually had themes and it was like a treasure hunt trying to find postcards to match the theme. The swaps would be to 5 to 20 or more people, so sometimes it would be a real challenge to get the postcards picked out, written, and mailed before the deadline. I enjoyed it, though. But, after a while, I got discouraged because people became oh so fussy about the "quality" of the postcard, the size of the postcard, the postage stamps used, the condition in which the postcard arrived (like the sender has any control over that!). The message became secondary to the image. And the messages were too often just the "this is the card for XYZ swap" and a signature. I started trading less and less, and then Yahoo really made me mad (a whole other kettle of fish), and I just abruptly dropped the groups and stopped trading for a while.

Then PostCrossing came along. I read about it at the forum on BookCrossing and joined up immediately. Random postcards to and from strangers instead of organized swaps. And with each postcard request I am sent, there is a bit of information about the recipient... their interests, likes, philosophy, history. Sometimes the information is thin, but it is rare that there isn't something. Writing postcards became interesting again. And I was receiving postcards with lots of wonderful tidbits, including what the sender had for breakfast since I ask that question in my own profile. But, lately things have been going a bit downhill.

As the PostCrossing project matures, some long-standing members seem to have lost the initial wonderment of the whole thing. I get more postcards with just "hope you enjoy this view of X," the ID number and sign-off. And when I get those sort of "messages," I am almost always correct in assuming the sender has sent 100 or more postcards. The folk who are just getting started with the project are almost always more verbose. I am not disillusioned, like with Yahoo groups, because it is still not common to get the mundane. Usually the message is fun or interesting or informative or all of that. And then I will get a card like the one pictured here, and I forget all the dull ones.

Thank you to all those who send postcards with a bit of themselves attached. You make my world more interesting and exciting.

Grrrrr... wtf!

2006-12-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

I discover a page about Literary Landmarks at Friends of Libraries USA and got all excited because it presents me with another idea for a postcard collecting theme. But, the list is broken out into years, not as one complete list! How dumb is that!? The person who designed this page needs to get a lesson in web design. First rule... don't make me think (thank you Steve Krug).

Anyway, I plan to post more about the sites once I click through all the lists and compile them into my own complete list.

Postcard Treasure Hunt

2006-12-28T10:42:00.000-05:00

I love postcards. I love finding, or making, postcards that fit someone's particular preferences (and the more particular, the better!). So, I joined a new swap at Swap-Bot that will send me out on a treasure hunt for 8 postcards to send to strangers around the world. You do have to join the site to play, but it is free. So join! And then sign up for postcard with a picture you want swap #2. Maybe we will end up partners... you never know who you will get.

Careerwise Thursday Thirteen

2006-12-28T08:26:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Job-related Joys Zmrzlina Is Seeking

1. A desk that I can personalize
2. Regular 9-5, M-F, work hours
3. Work at home option
4. Time off requests treated with respect
5. Enough pay that I can afford fun work clothing
6. Bus pass
7. Incentives to take advantage of the city's cultural and historic activities
8. Generous vacation time
9. A goal that is more than just making a living
10. Co-workers who love to read
11. Work that challenges my technology skills
12. Good coffee
13. A cat on-site would be the best thing of all

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Gadgety Thursday Thirteen

2006-12-21T07:54:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Kitchen Gadgets Zmrzlina Loves
I'm pretty hopeless in the kitchen. I am vegetarian and I'm usually happy just stir-frying a bunch of veggies until they are merely warm, tossing in some spice and/or soy sauce, and serving over wild rice or soba noodles with a side of seasoned tofu. But, since moving to Pittsburgh I've tried to vary things and I am starting to enjoy cooking.... just a little bit. It helps that G is willing to try whatever I cook, and often does his own experimenting in the kitchen. These are some of our favorite gadgets.

1. Rev 'n Chef Herb Chopper. I use this for herbs, but also to make quick work of dicing up small bits of onions and peppers.

2. Silicone Pinch Cups. I like having everything all measured out and ready to use before I start cooking.

3. Stainless steel hanging baskets... the old fashion kind that don't seem to be in many kitchens anymore. I keep my garlic and other non-refrigerated produce in them.

4. Glass jars, on the shelf over the sink, where I store my grains. I use lots of whole grains and like to have the out so I know exactly how much I have left with just a glance. I also store my most often used spices (cumin, curry, chili, turmeric) in small glass jars on the same shelf.

5. Silicone cooking utensils. I love these. I am getting rid of all the ugly plastic ones and getting all silicone.

6. Cooking utensil holder. I have a vintage looking container on the counter to hold all my utensils. For the first 30 years of cookinghood I had them in drawers. So much easier to have them out and ready for use.

7. Nut chopper. I like chopped nuts in my salads and this little gadget is perfect to pull out and chop a few nuts. Rinses out easy and back into the drawer.

8. Pampered Chef Wine Bottle Opener. Love how the little foil cutter takes the top off so neatly. I collect those little cut off tops. And the cork remover is pretty cool, too.

9. SiliconeZone Lid. Covers my biggest pot and skillet. Very cool for letting me see what's cooking. Just have to be careful of escaping steam and hot water when lifting lid.

10. Recipe book holder. I have a plain, stainless, no-frills holder that folds up small to slip beside the cookbook rack. Cooked for 30 years without one and now I can't imagine why. So much easier to have the book, or magazine, held open and upright in front of me!

11. Perfect Tear Paper Towel Holder. Mine is a bit different than the linked one... brushed not shiny and a nicer top. I love how the towel comes off with just a one-hand tug.

12. Hershey silicone bakeware. I don't have these, but I want them. We saw them a while back, but since we don't eat sweets and I don't ever bake, I didn't buy them. But I do want them. I don't know why, I just do.

13. Lastly, a bit more than a gadget, but indispensable, my Keurig Coffee Maker. I love the perfect cup of coffee I get and I can use my own coffee in the resusable K-cup filter assembly that I bought separately.

Lately we have been finding it very hard to stay out of shops like Sur la Table. But, we don't really buy many gadgets because we have a tiny kitchen with not very much storage space. But someday....

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. WestOfMars
2. Writing Aspirations
3. zzz

'rents, you gotta love 'em

2006-12-20T13:23:00.000-05:00

It ain't easy being a parent. We all know that. Kids can be mean as hell. We can be as mean as hell. And then there are the other times. Most of the time, if you are lucky (and I am). I've received two cards in the last couple days that make me think about being a parent.

The first is from a woman in Massachusetts whose daughter got one of my random postcardx postcards. The woman wrote that her daughter always loved receiving cards, and then that her daughter had died in September. I did a quick bit of research and found the obit... 33 years old, "peacefully in her sleep," the only child. The mother's husband died a while back. I don't know if she is alone now... I hope not.

And then today I got a card from parents in Pennsylvania whose daughter had posted to postcardx that she had been "causing them a lot of grief lately." I sent a pretty snowflake postcard with something simple written on it (I don't remember what) and ended by saying "Julia loves you." I am guessing that Julia does love them, because why else would she post their names and address to a public website and ask for "beautiful things" to be sent to them? Anyway, the card I got today is signed by Julia's mother and she says she has read and reread my postcard and will keep it. She ends by saying I'm "very fine." It made my day.

Giftmas

2006-12-20T09:06:00.000-05:00

Every year about this time I get to wondering how to explain the sort of celebration I observe come the 25th of December. I do like to give and get presents on Christmas, but I am not christian and don't think of the holiday as a religious celebration. I like the crazy shopping. I like the wrapping. I like the decorations. I have a Christmas tree. It is purple with white lights and is decorated with snowpeople and snowflakes. But, I don't like to say I celebrate Christmas. I celebrate Giftmas.

I don't like the nasty required gift giving that may come with the holiday, those gifts to people you barely know just because you can't go empty-handed to a gathering of more than two at this time of year. I don't like buying gifts for people who expect something perfect. I don't like buying gifts for office parties. But, I do like buying gifts for family and friends. I usually have no trouble at all finding gifts I want to give. And that's how I shop for gifts. I think of what would make me happy to give a particular person and it usually results in the recipient getting something that makes them very happy. Although, I have to say, it hasn't been quite the case with G. I don't have a great track rating with giving him gifts that work, though I am getting better.

Anyway, this year, because I am unemployed, I am not observing Giftmas. Instead, my daughters and I will take a road trip next spring, out to Ohio to ride coasters and maybe to Hershey, PA, to ride coasters and eat bad chocolate. I would love to buy Greg something wonderful, but I can't. Once I am employed, there will be gifts, though. I know just what to get him, and this time I am not going to be wrong. Christmas weekend we will go to visit his parents in West Virginia. They aren't so into the holiday, so any gift giving will be limited to books and bags of good coffee. But, I did go up north, to New York, last month for a family gathering where we celebrated every end of the year birthday (there are lots) and a sort of Giftmas.

We had agreed that there were to be no gift exchanges between adults. Just the kids would get gifts. There are three boys, my nephews, ages 9, 10 and 11. I spent the $150 worth of Borders Rewards money (one good reason to quit working at Borders... I spent too much money there!) and my last monthly employee $30 gift card on the boys. They didn't get as much from me as in the past, but I find some good buys and I am sure they are happy with what they got. The rest of my family went nuts. It was a gift orgy. We did make the boys open presents one at a time, and made sure they acknowledged the gifter, but even so, it was a crazy scene, which I can't really capture with this image, but I don't like to have photos of people other than myself on my blog.

I don't really like the gift orgy thing so much. I would have preferred something a little less frantic, but I guess with three boys that young, frantic can't be avoided. I don't know what we will do next year, but I kind of hope there won't be any gifts at all. I'd rather do something like take a family holiday somewhere warm, or go to a show in the NYC and stay at a nice hotel. We can send gifts to the boys to open when they open all their other presents. When frantic happens and I am not in the room to observe it, then it really hasn't happened.

The Strange Sister Cult of Tom Robbins

2006-12-14T14:43:00.000-05:00

I have three sisters, all younger. One is 12 years younger, the other two are 3 and 4 years younger. We rarely agree on anything, but years ago we discovered a common denominator, Tom Robbins. It was a surprise to learn that my sisters enjoy his books as much as I do, although my youngest sister seems to have navigated away from the cult in recent years (well, his stuff hasn't been nearly as engaging, so maybe I can't blame her... maybe). I have an idea for a book, fiction, about four sisters who read Tom Robbins, but it is still just a rough idea of a rough idea.

Anyway, years ago I bought Tom Robbins: A Critical Companion by Catherine Hoyser and Lorena Laura Stookey because I found it used somewhere (list price is too rich for my blood!). I didn't really enjoy the analysis all that much, but it did add some detail to the books, so I mentioned it to sister #2 (the second to youngest). Joyce wanted to borrow it, but knowing Joyce, I figured I'd never get it back since she moves around lots and is quite the pack rat. So, I bought it for her... new. She was thrilled, and I figured "well, at least there are two people in the world with the book."

At this year's family gathering to celebrate every end of the year holiday and birthday (we don't "do" Christmas, but we like to have a tree, or two, and give gifts) Joyce gave sister #1 (the second to oldest) a copy of the very same book (it was bought used, but in great condition). Jeannette also got the trade paperback edition of all of Tom's books, which she has been lusting after for years. I'd rather have old beat-up hardcovers. I have a hardcover Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates that is signed by Tom, to Pete. I don't know who Pete is, but the book ended up at Four Seasons Books in Shepherdstown, WV and I bought it for $6. But, Jeannette is equally thrilled to have her paperback collection, and the coveted critical companion.

It's good to know there are three people now who own the critical companion.

Maiden Thursday Thirteen

2006-12-14T12:19:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Captions from Zmrzlina's Camera

1. A Fistful of Beads To Aid Battered Women
2. Reading Legacy Trumps Hell
3. Gift Orgy
4. Quilted Love
5. Now Three People Own It
6. These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things
7. I Miss Stone Walls
8. No Smoking
9. Over the Bridge
10. Vienna in Pittsburgh
11. Is This The Little Girl I Carried
12. I Am Cat, Hear Me Roar
13. Another One Off the List!

The above are captions to the most recent 13 photos in my digital camera. I plan to go back and link each list item to its photo and perhaps a separate future post. That's the plan...

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. WestOfMars
2. Writing Aspirations

Thursday Thirteen

2006-12-14T12:09:00.000-05:00

I have seen this "meme" on other blogs, but never did one myself. I don't think it will become a weekly event, but I am going to give it a try this week because of a list at The Scratching Post. It may take me the rest of the day, but it will go up.

Alternative Gifts

2006-12-09T00:12:00.000-05:00

Got someone on your gift-giving list who loves to read, but has a ton of "TBR" (to be read) piled in little mountains all over the house? Bet they would love a gift that provided a literacy instructor for teaching adults to read in Haiti. Maybe your 80 year old grandmother has enough shawls and knickknacks and would love to be part of a program in Peru that aids old women in passing their stories and wisdom to others. Give a goat to your boss. Or just donate a where help is needed most. I've bought lots of gift through Alternative Gifts International. I like that I can pick the project so I know what organization is getting the money. There isn't a barrage of mail from the AltGifts, either... just the one catalog a year. Give something different this year.

Pittsburgh Plus

2006-12-08T09:32:00.000-05:00

Pittsburgh Plus is up. Now I just have to make sure I post to it as often as possible.

Buy A Friend A Book

2006-12-07T12:28:00.000-05:00

When I first saw the above link on WestOfMars, I thought, "Yeah... nothing new with doing that. I do it all the time." Follow the link and discover there is a bit more to it than just buying a book. Lots of rules, though not too difficult to follow. Not sure I'll get involved since finances are thin (this starving artist thing is not fun), but I like the idea. Susan (WestOfMars author) did a contest to find a new friend for the next gifting spree. Cool idea.

WrapSack!

2006-12-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness! I was shopping at Whole Foods today and at the checkout they had these cute little cloth bags to use for wrapping, an idea I have loved for a long time since they can be used again and again, however these come with a tracking number so you can send a gift, the receiver logs it at the site, then they use the bag to send a gift to another person, and so on. Like BookCrossing and Postcrossing. I bought one to send off to a random person through postcardx and plan to buy lots more. This will be fun!

Reminder of Things To Edit in Template

2006-12-01T10:11:00.000-05:00

1. Must get rid of the big white space and line between date and title.
2. Must figure out how to edit link widget so I can annotate each link.
3. Must find a photo to put somewhere.
4. Would like to add the List widget with an activism theme

will add more as I think of them.

Thought of something else, but I think it will need its own blog. My wishlist/gift journal....

I get tons of catalogs because I shop almost exclusively online. All through the year I cut out the stuff in the catalogs that appeal to me (for myself or others) and paste them into a journal with annotations about why I like them, or who would like them, or why I hate them if I want to spend a bit of time ranting. Makes for a creative way to capture my thoughts. And when I want to buy a gift, I just look at the name index in the front of the journal and find the pages with stuff for that person that I've found throughout the year.

I also use a smaller journal to make notes about websites that have interesting stuff. I don't like buying from Amazon but I sometimes browse the stuff there for ideas.

And, when I do go out shopping, I go to the small indy stores in my city. Much more fun and I usually find lots of unusual gifts. That is what I think I should make a different blog about, indy shopping in Pittsburgh.

I Manifest My Bufflehead

2006-12-01T07:10:00.000-05:00

This morning's batch of spam brought the above subject line, and made me giggle. That will be my mantra for the day. The second best subject line is "I Atlas to Centerpiece." Both spams are about (love Gmail's preview space!) "bestest" replica watches.

Also in my inbox is a newsletter from Giant Microbes announcing their newest cute germs, toxins and pests; Malaria, Lyme Disease, Red Tide, Krill, Sea Sparkle (Bioluminescence), House Fly, Mosquito, Heartworm, Mange, and Rabies. I've already got 4 Giant Microbes (Kissing Disease, Bookworm, Sleeping Sickness and Bed Bug), but I'd love to add a few more. They are quite dear decorating my bookshelves.

Eureka!

2006-11-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

Just remembered my logon for this page and thought I'd get it going again.

To Abandon or Not To Abandon?

2002-08-10T23:26:00.000-04:00

Been a very long time. I am not sure what to do with this now. I will have www.beautifulnonsense.com up very soon so this will just be another abandoned site on the Internet.

Wonder Woman

2001-10-18T13:46:00.000-04:00

Great history of Wonder Woman in Boston University's Alumni mag, Bostonian. She is based on a real live woman and there is everything one could ask for in a story. Success over odds, family values and ménage à trois. Gosh I would love to have a Wonder Woman costumes...and all her toys.

2001-10-17T17:20:00.000-04:00

It ain't easy being idealist. I am facing a crisis of philosophy. In the last week I have taken a verbal lashing from just about every corner, professional, academic and personal regarding my belief in non-violence, fair trade, the purposes of protest and world order. Tonight I have promised myself to write out a list of everything I believe in and see what happens from there.

2001-10-14T16:12:00.000-04:00

Great article about a Pakistani man in Pittsburgh. "Customers bring joy to Pakistani store manager".

2001-10-14T10:42:00.000-04:00

Try as I might, I can never really seem to get the hang of Nerve. I love sex. I love erotic literature. I love the Internet. And they all come together on Nerve. I even bought a book put out by the editors of the site one day while twiddling away the hours at an airport. But the site, and the book, just don't thrill me like I would think.

Today's article in the New York Times (linking the Yahoo article to be on the safe side) about the couple who started the company is intriquing, though. The couple is now separated and he has his new girlfriend working in the office. It seems like there is still lots of emotion hanging on and I wonder about what it must me like to work there with all this going on in the very same place (the office and his apartment are one and the same). Now I am more interested in keeping up with the site. Ah...a little real life sex opera is better than fiction.

2001-10-11T12:37:00.000-04:00

One of today's headlines...

Trade in Honey Is Said to Provide Money and Cover for bin Laden

Title of my graduate studies thesis (still in progress)...Beekeeping in Yemen as Civil Society. I think I may need a spin doctor.

2001-10-04T22:40:00.000-04:00

One of my continual haunts in the last weeks has been Postcard Stop, an online shop for postcards. Since I don't have a great selection of views locally and I am afraid to go into Boston (that's another story..don't want to talk publicly about that, though no one reads this anyway), I haven't got as many views to trade. So, I have ordered 100 or so at this shop. From everywhere in the US. Lots of fun picking out the views. One view I picked out was for a joke....The Corn Palace of South Dakota. Well, let me tell you...it isn't really as corny (I heard that groan!) as you might think.

A palace has been there since the late 19th century, though the current structure dates to 1926. It is redecorated every year with a mural made out of corn, grasses, flowers...sort of a Rose Bowl float gone homey. And it is used for community activities and to promote the historic significance of agriculture in the region. I really want to see this place! And I ordered 38 more cards, depicting the palace in many different years.

The things ya learn on the Internet.

2001-09-23T14:11:00.000-04:00

In an all out effort to remove myself from the constant barrage of war talk, I have picked up an old hobby...postcard collecting. Oh my goodness! It has changed dramatically in the 8 years or so that I've been away! The Internet makes it much easier to find other collectors. Yahoo clubs have been very good, as much as I hate to admit it. I have come upon many wonderful souls in other countries and here in the US interested in postcard correspondence. Ah...escapism

2001-09-20T20:40:00.000-04:00

Got my Cesar Chavez poster today from Shop Different, a now defunct Apple shop. Very cool poster. Can't decide if I want to hang it in my office here at home or at work. Will piss people off in both places, which doesn't bother me in the least.

2001-09-20T19:58:00.000-04:00

Will U.S. Remember Global Goodwill?. Article originally appeared in the Toronto Sun today. It has some faults, like I don't think Israel has pledged support for the terrorism coalition (I could be wrong) and Pakistan's support is still iffy in places. However, I do think the point about Americans taming the bloodthirst needs to be heeded. It would be terrible to have us look just as murderous as those cowards who attacked.

2001-09-18T21:05:00.000-04:00

I am concerned about the airline industry. Massive layoffs and it looks like this is only the beginning, But on a positive note, give Southwest a nod for somehow managing to not have to lay anyone off so far. And take a look at their Adopt-A-Pilot program. Very cool.

2001-09-18T20:54:00.000-04:00

Using this with permission from mememachine. The author also encourages people to make their own infographic. I wish I knew how....

2001-09-17T19:43:00.000-04:00

There is a move to archive the sites that have something to do with Sept. 11 at WebArchivist. I haven't investigated it thoroughly and a friend just used the words "voluntary carnivore" after seeing it, but I am going to look into it more tonight and tomorrow.

2001-09-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

Another World is Possible

I saw this as a "please don't let there be war" slogan. I like it. Will be investigating it more.

2001-09-13T21:25:00.000-04:00

Slovenské telekomunikácie is offering the people of Slovakia free calls to US until Sunday. How incredible is that?! I have heard from lots of my Slovak friends. Thank you Slovenské telekomunikácie!!

2001-09-13T08:53:00.000-04:00

In the last 24 hours I have been called everything from insensitive to traitor to monster. All because I am trying to find the "why" to Tuesday's horror. Never once have I excused, justified or otherwise condoned the actions of the cowards who did this thing. People have said it is not the "right time" to look for explanations. We should think only of those who have been directly affected. Some have said that we should be out to get the cowards and, later, if convenient, we can look for reasons. I don't agree with these opinions. While every effort should, and is, made to help survivors, there needs to be an active voice looking for the whys so that this never happens again. And I want the cowards caught as much as anyone, but I do not want revenge to be the primary objective because it will only beget more violence.

And the one person who I thought would support my opinions has failed me.

2001-09-11T14:44:00.000-04:00

How can I do anything today but think about the last moments of the lives of so many who got up, went about their usual morning affairs, heading off to work in the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and stood in the lobbies, conference rooms, offices and watched the planes crash into their buildings. And the people on the airplanes...I hope they had no idea, but I don't think that is a going to hold true. None of us will be the same. And I don't want to hear anymore that it is an "attack on freedom." It is an attack that rages against the freedoms we have in this country and others. Until we face terrorism for what it is, the act of powerless, voiceless, hopeless people, it will continue to happen. Make no mistake...this is cowardaice of the most extreme. And when the cowards are caught, and they will be, I want them punished. I don't know how I want them punished and punished is too weak a word. The only way to respond to the cowardice is with its opposite, courage. And we will need lots of that.

2001-09-11T07:52:00.000-04:00

Oh very cool. I am glad I decided to just do some hit and run looks at weblogs from the front page of Blogger 'cause I hit Bushwacker and the list of other more serious, political type (and booklover) weblogs is just what I needed to assure myself that I am not there is intelligent life out there and not just all shit-chat. Not that there is anything wrong with that, just need some substance, too. Ewww...a disgusting analogy popped into my head as I was typing but I refuse to allow it to escape my head.

2001-09-10T20:06:00.000-04:00

On Sept 29 at 7 a.m. I will be on an airplane heading to Washington D.C. I am very nervous. Not 'cause flying scares me, though six months ago that would have been the reason. I am nervous because there will be 100,000 other people planning to be in approximately the exact same area at the exact same time as me and lots of them are really angry.

The World Bank (more accurately, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will hold their General Meeting that weekend in D.C. I will be joining protesters from all over the world (though mostly the US) in exercising our political voice telling those organizations that they had better come down from Stratos* and start looking at the world from where the world lives. I am not part of any organized protest. I am going on my own. I am going because I want to hear what is said without the mainstream media coloring it with corporate paintbrushes. I am going because I am tired of always saying I want to do something and never actually doing anything but talk. I am going because I need inspiration.

There is a teach-in all day Sat that I will attend and the "permitted event" is a rally on Sunday which is actually billed as "kid friendly." I am not so sure it will be and I wouldn't ever consider bringing a child to something like this, but I am over-cautious on that account. I am concerned about the violence these protests generate. I am not going to be involved in any violence. I abhor it as a total breakdown of intelligence and an illegitimate means of expression. I don't really know what to expect. And it makes me very nervous. Though not nervous enought to not go.

* Credit for Stratos reference to When Corporations Rule the World, David Korten.

2001-09-09T09:54:00.000-04:00

Oh how I wish I could be involved somehow with the Science Year project in the UK. It started on 7 September 2001 and runs through August 2002. The Giant Leap got the whole thing off the ground (see photo below). I am going to keep my eye on this just to see what happens with the project. the web site is wonderful. the project is aimed at 7-19 years and "the adults around them." I like that way of looking at it!

2001-09-09T00:25:00.000-04:00

Love this photo. Not sure how long the story will be valid, but it is at Giant Leap. More details at Science Year. And I will write more later.

2001-09-08T15:05:00.000-04:00

I want to know more about Second Harvest (including why the site looks so awful) and Ashoka. They have nothing to do with each other, but I was cleaning my bookmarks out and they held my attention a bit longer than some of the other sites I looked at.

2001-09-08T09:15:00.000-04:00

Yup, that is what it is. So I think I will leave the Reblogger off since no one reads this blog but me and it would be terribly silly for me to talk to myself any more than I am already.

2001-09-08T09:11:00.000-04:00

Nope, not Blogger. It is the ReBlogger. I think.

2001-09-08T09:09:00.000-04:00

Hmmm...something is not right with Blogger.

2001-09-07T17:40:00.000-04:00

Okay, so there is more than the WebCrossing making me blue.

Anyway...one of the others in the graduate group just sent out an email chastising people for not using the board, so maybe there will be a change.

2001-09-07T16:48:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here all teary over the stupidest of things.

WebCrossing has free discussion board software online so anyone can use one of the best bits of coding around to set up their own forum. So...I set up a board for my graduate studies program. This is a group of people who are not great with technology, but knowing this software will not be difficult, I had high hopes.

Stupid me. There is a wonderful post I know everyone in the group would have an opinion on. I waited and waited. No one responded. So, I sent out an email telling everyone there is a great offer on the board and everyone should take a look and put in their two cents. I got a flood of emails saying basically "Oh yeah! That is a great idea. Tell Katie (the poster) to go for it!" ::::sigh:::: They could have all just as easy posted this to the board so that Katie could see it without me having to forward all the emails and putting more mail in boxes that will just get lost in the overflow.

And so I am teary. I know...it is silly. But I just can't understand why people don't take the time to use technology to its better possibility.

2001-09-02T16:02:00.000-04:00

I have been listening to a book on tape while in the car. Makes for a more relaxed commute since I tend to get too wound up listening to National Public Radio. I love NPR, but sometimes I just need a break from reality. It is purely an accident that I have this particular book on tape, though. I had ordered what I thought was a book through interlibrary loan and it turned out to be audio. I am so glad I wasn't observant.

The tapes are Ian Carmichael reading the book Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. It was written in 1889 and is a travelogue of sorts, but not really. It is very funny. And fascinating. And poignant. A scene describing what it might have been like at the signing of the Magna Carta brought tears. Mostly it is funny. Uproarious in places. Giggly in others. And though it was written more than 100 years ago, some of the observations...nay, most of the observations are as fresh as if written last week. Mr. Carmichael's voice is at once soothing, cultured and downright friendly. He reads the British elongated vowels in such a way as not to appear pompous (as some of those BBC folk can sound). Truly a joy.

2001-09-02T08:16:00.000-04:00

Okay, the "Put up a Blogger" button up there is put on my page with very little research, but I have a gut feeling this is a great idea.

2001-09-01T22:39:00.000-04:00

I attended my first Apple store opening today, at the NorthShore Mall in Peabody, Massachusetts. It is a 130 mile round-trip drive for me and I don't like shopping, especially in shopping malls, so it was only the opening that got me in the car at 8:30 a.m. I was not disappointed.

The mall is huge...one of those rambling place where it looks like they just keep adding stores willy-nilly. I had no idea where the Apple store would be so I entered through Macy's and headed for the cosmetic department. The mall entrance is always through the cosmetic department so they can try to make you inhale whatever it is that causes uncontrollable spending on stuff you don't need. I heard one salesperson ask another "Did you see the line of people waitin' to get into that computer store?" The other answered "Idiots." I bit my tongue, which was hard 'cause I was holding my breathe, and continued on.

The line wasn't of epic proportions, though earlier I guess it had been. I waited an hour, but I had my Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency to read while waiting so it wasn't bad. There were some employees wandering up and down the line showing off PowerBooks and letting people play with them. Others were handing out free water. People were walking by, gawking at the line and asking "What are they giving away?" I replied, "Nothing." (they do give out t-shirts, but no one was there for those). Disbelief abounded. One disbeliever talked to a saleperson for a bit and decided to get in line. I saw her with what looked like an iBook box a little later. Wow. Imagine being able to impulse spend like that?!

The store is the same as all the others, but the Genius Bar is on the left instead of right (see article in MacCentral), which suits me just fine. I like my genius on the left. I will confess here that I am not yet a Mac owner, so I can't tell you all the wonderful things they had for people to play with, but let it be said that this is the way to sell computers. Stations you can walk all around so it is easier for a group of people to watch a demonstration. Bright lighting and clear, clean space. Places to sit. The music was a tad loud, though there were more than a few Depeche Mode tunes on the playlist, so I was happy enough. Just a wonderful experience.

I collected lots of little product booklets to hang all around my workspace so I am always inspired not to spend too much money on books and save up for my first Mac. I think it will be an iBook. I had never seen one, and it is lovely. And after spending six months around Mac discussion groups, I am sure I will like its performance. Oh how I wish I could have walked out with a computer. But I didn't have to leave the store empty handed...I have my Mac t-shirt.

2001-09-01T19:23:00.000-04:00

I clicked a pop-up ad today. I think it is the first time I have ever clicked one. Usually I have software running in my systray that kills pop-ups. But this one is so beautiful. It is featured on iVillage, amid all the pop-ups for pain killers and parenting (oh I hate that verb) tips. I never go to iVillage, but I clicked a link from another site and ended up there. The pop-up features a view of the earth from space and some text about wanting to make it a better world. I clicked. It brought me to FamilyPlanet.

Planet is an organization dedicated to making the world more aware of the need for family planning. They link the environment, poverty and disease to the lack of family planning. This is not an approach I would want to deal with on an exclusive level, but I do like it as one way of looking at human suffering and environmental degradation. And they have four postcards to use as an introduction to the site. I sent off a dozen of them.

2001-08-31T13:31:00.000-04:00

Ooo..found a neat site call MakeStickers where I can create bumper stickers and get them without shipping fees (in USA) and I only have to pay for one it that's all I want. I created the above bumper sticker and one that says "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind" --Ghandi.

I tried to link a picture of my bumpersticker from My Yahoo, but I am doing something wrong and it won't work. So, the image can be found here. It's a cool expression...go see it.

2001-08-25T11:30:00.000-04:00

I am going to S30, the IMF/WB protest in Washington, DC. I can't wait.

2001-08-14T19:42:00.000-04:00

Back from NYC...and Vermont. Lots to write about and I will in short order. Got to track down some URLs and get my journal notes deciphered.

2001-08-07T19:24:00.000-04:00

The recent Blogathon organized by frykitty caught my attention and I decided to sponsor mybluehouse for no other reason than her site title intriqued me and the organization she wanted to raise money for is not US based. The organization is Casa Alianza. A total of $420 was raised in the 24 hours of the Blogathon for this organization alone. Over $20,000 was raised in total. Impressive.

Anyway, I have received a couple emails from Casa Alianza and I am looking more closely at the organization. It is "an independent, non profit organisation dedicated to the rehabilitation and defense of street children in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. Casa Alianza is the Latin American branch of the New York-based Covenant House, whose President is Sister Mary Rose McGeady D.C." I am not usually trusting of faith-based charity, but again, like Alternative Gifts International in my earlier entry, I am hoping my faith in their faith is not misguided.

I worry about help comes with strings, like the children must agree to some kind of service to religion. That when the kind people at Casa Alianza "try to change an attitude or conduct, we have to suggest and create alternatives together with the children", I have to hope it is not an offer they can't refuse. I do feel this is the case with this organization, but how do you know for sure? I would prefer a world without any religion at all. Just human beings relying on human beings. I think humans are good without the threat of a god or devil.

2001-08-07T13:58:00.000-04:00

Last Christmas I was trying to think of a creative gift idea for our family Yankee Swap that wouldn't be just another thing under the Christmas tree. I've long championed the idea of charitable donations in lieu of a gift. When my children were small I used to donate money to Globe Santa for needy area children (I was once a Globe Santa child) on behalf of their schoolteachers. I thought this was a better idea than another "You are the best teacher" coffee mug. My daughters didn't always agree since they wanted to give a "real" gift, so maybe I deprived them in some way, but I don't think so. In recent years I have seen catalogs for Heifer Project where you can give a farm animal to a poor family and Habitat for Humanity where a donation of money is put toward building supplies. I thought these were great ideas, however, I've been a little put off by the overt religious tone of those organizations.

Along comes the Internet and I discover Novica and eZiba. These organizations promote artisans all over the world and give them a place to sell their goods. I liked that I can read about the particular artist I am buying products from and thought I had found a creative gift idea. I could give a beautiful handcrafted gift and know the person who produced it has the opportunity to make a living wage. And then, last fall, I stumbled quite by accident on Alternative Gifts International.

Alternative Gifts also has the religious component, but it is interfaith and has less of an overt feel to it. Of course, that is an entirely subjective comment, but I am as un-religious as they come and I am comfortable with this organization. Their mission is to "send authentic, life-giving gifts to a needy world - gifts that build a partnership with oppressed people in crisis and that protect and preserve the earth's endangered environment - to nourish and sustain a more equitable and peaceful global community." They do this by taking your donation and making 90% of if available to organizations that provide low cost business loans to women in Gaza or provide AIDS education to people in Rwanda and Mozambique or give a servant child a chance to go to school in Haiti (the 10% that Alternative Gifts does not pass on is used for administrative costs). These are only a few of the options you might chose as gifts. They have "33 sponsored national and international relief and development projects." The recipient of the gift will receive a card with the details and information about the organization.

I purchased two Alternative Gifts last winter and put the cards in envelopes I decorated with ribbons and glitter. My sister got it in the Yankee Swap and didn't want to trade if for anything else, and was quite protective that no one else got it from her. It may not be something you can wrap in a big box and put under the tree, but it sure is a gift that will not gather dust or find its way into the next year's Yankee Swap.

2001-08-07T08:48:00.000-04:00

And I am beginning to think I am the only person over 40...hell, over 30 who is trying to keep a weblog. What's the deal!?

2001-08-07T08:46:00.000-04:00

And another prepared food that I like very much...Taj Gourmet. Yum!

2001-07-31T18:18:00.000-04:00

It ain't easy being veggie. 'Specially in a house where I am the only person who doesn't like meat. So, I resort to some prepared meals on ocassion. Today I tried Kettle Cuisine Soups, the Ginger Carrot. Mmmm, good, and I don't even like cooked carrots that much. Lots of ginger and very tasty. That and a nice salad is all I need. Well, a glass of wine would have been good, too, but I didn't have any. On the site there is even a wine recommendation page. I've never heard of Gewürztraminer, but gee I would like to have tried it.

While I am on the subject of prepared foods. A few others I like are:

Thai Kitchen: Make sure you check to see what other ingredients may be needed because meals are not always complete. And this site is annoying. An applet that makes it load slow.

Taste of Thai: Buy a t-shirt, help an elephant.

Amy's Kitchen: All veggie, all the time.

The trouble with prepared foods is that they are often really high in sodium. Amy's Kitchen is better than the Thai choices on that account.

2001-07-30T14:18:00.000-04:00

Yeeps! I have greater appreciation for web site designers (not that I didn't appreciate them before) 'cause I just saw what this page looks like using a desktop monitor and not my laptop screen. The background is yellow! On my laptop it is a pale peachy color, very pretty and looks great with the brickish text of the journals and purple title and date. The links are a pretty light green, almost glimmers. On the desktop monitor the text is more brownish and the purple darker and the green a bit different...not so glimmery. I don't mind how it looks on the desktop, but it is certainly pedestrian. The colors on my laptop are not ordinary at all. When I get around to developing my own site, I will for sure use the color scheme I thought this was. And find a way to make sure that the colors are as I want them to be on as many systems as possible.

2001-07-29T22:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I had to change my template 'cause the one with the cool changing colors looked horrid in Netscape 4.77. But, I think I like this new one.

2001-07-28T22:17:00.000-04:00

In an article on h2g2 there is mention made of the site Anxiety Culture. I posted the following in response to the site:

Actually, the "How to Find Your Own Purpose" page reads deceptively obvious, but really...have you ever sat down and written out what you like about yourself, how you most like spending your time and your idea of a perfect world?

And I was asked if I have written such a list. I've thought of those things, but haven't actually written the answers out. So, here goes....

I like that I am always wanting to learn more. I like that I am happiest when I am living simple, which does not mean living without modern conveniences. It means I don't want for the latest fashions, fancy vacations, jewelry, elaborate home. I like that I am trying to live my life without labels. I don't eat meat, but I don't want to call myself a vegetarian. I don't believe in any god, but I don't want to call myself an atheist. Labels make it so you have to conform to others who wear the same label. I am human, that's all. And there is no way I will conform to being like all humans. Easier to be a non-conformist in so broad a catagory.

My favorite thing to do is travel. I love to wander a city and see what there is to see without having to see something. I love maps, but I can enjoy being slightly lost, too. I also love to read. I like to listen to people talk about politics. Sometimes I participate, but I am often too nervous that I won't be able to contribute intelligent commentary, so I stay quiet, then talk with someone very close about the topics later. Someday I want to write.

Perfect world...I don't want a perfect world. Perfection is boring. I want fair. I want tolerance. I want hope. There isn't nearly enough hope in the world.

2001-07-27T17:52:00.000-04:00

I am so unhip it is a wonder my bums don't fall off :-)

paraphrasing Zaphod Beeblebrox in Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Douglas Adams.

2001-07-27T16:23:00.000-04:00

Still keeping tabs on GeekCorps. They were last in Ghana and the chronicle is a wonderful read. The next group will have more female geeks. Woo Woo! I wish I had the skills to do this. I think they are going to Middle East next.

There are lots of articles in the "press room" on their Web site, but I would like to write something for my local paper. Something that might grab a suburban techie's notice and maybe make a volunteer out of someone who have never thought of volunteering. I don't really know how to go about this, but I am thinking my very small town paper would be a good idea. I have been thinking I'd like to suggest a regular feature on interesting web sites, written by a different person each week. I have to get my ass in gear and do this.

2001-07-27T15:04:00.000-04:00

Ah ha! Figured it out! It isn't a problem with the system. It is a problem with the operator...me! I will get the hang of this eventually. What the heck is supposed to go in the box over on the far upper right? The default said "Site Navigation" as a header, but I don't really think that is descriptive. I'll work on it....

2001-07-27T14:14:00.000-04:00

I am a bit frustrated with this software. I have tried so many times to edit the template so I have a "motto" where it says "My funny motto" and the edit does not take. The site status page mentions a system-wide problem with this, but indicates it has been fixed. I don't think so.

2001-07-21T21:01:00.000-04:00

Yikes! What am I doing adding yet another task to my life. But I am hoping this will serve as a place to post my Internet finds and remember why they are finds.