Oh What a Difference a Day Makes!

From the gloom and gray of February to glorious sunshine and the promise of spring that is March!  Overnight we've gone from sleet and exceptionally treacherous roads to not a cloud in the sky and the wonderful sound of ice melting and dripping off of the roof.

Helvetica basking in the lone sunny spot on the living room floor

It never ceases to amaze me how much more productive I am when I wake up to a bright day.  I'm pretty sure I did next to nothing of great use yesterday, not that reading and writing letters isn't a good use of a day, I just don't count it as a particularly productive one.


Today, however, I've painted half the bathroom, made ricotta cheese, turned it into lasagna, done some laundry, and spent a quantifiable amount of time playing with the dog.  Once the husband is home there's much more to be accomplished.  A visit to the library(having a scheduled library date on Tuesday evening makes it so much easier to avoid fines!), possibly buying a second color of paint for the bathroom since we'll be out and about, the shower window to frost(finally I can get rid of the plastic bag taped over it), and recaulking around the shower(I don't actually need him for this, it's just that I want to do it as late as possible so that the shower is as dry as possible).


The current spurt of work in the bathroom is because we can't continue work on the outside of the house just yet, also I can't do much work on the upstairs because it's only about 40 degrees up there right now and I don't want to risk issues with the paint.  Plus the bathroom is the only room downstairs that needs any real work right now, and it's small enough that projects are accomplished quickly.


Anyway, I've spent enough time writing this, I have lots to do!

End of February Day Book

Outside My Window
A grey rainy, sleety, yucky looking day.  It's been this way since the wee hours of the morning and doesn't look as if it's going to end any time soon.


I am Listening To
The dog snoring while she naps by the window.


I am Wearing
Wool sweater, jeans, thick wool socks, slippers, and an afghan.


I am Grateful For
Blackcurrant Tea and leftover soup.


I am Reading
This and this, and thinking about how to find the balance between them.



I am Creating
A baby sweater, some knitted toy balls, and quilts for Bean and Ben.


I am Thinking
Of all the people I am writing notes to today.  Because what better to do on a gloomy day than write notes to friends on sunshiny stationary?


On My iPod
The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud.


Around the House
Painting the downstairs bathroom, which will make it a much pleasanter looking place.  Though really, anything is better than plain white.


In the Kitchen
I'm not sure yet, I had to work on Saturday which threw off my grocery shopping schedule and I haven't thought about what to make tonight.  In which case it's probably breakfast for dinner, which is quick enough that I can get the shopping in this evening.


One of My Favorite Things
Quiet afternoons curled up on the couch with big cup of tea and some writing and knitting.


A Few Plans for the Week
Painting the bathroom, finishing both quilts, and just keeping up with things around the house.

Dusting off the blog

Where to begin, where to begin. . .

Well the very short version is that in my longer than expected hiatus I've bought a house, gotten married, moved to the East Coast, and gotten a dog.

I also have picked up knitting, quilting and cooking every day.  The house is a fixer-upper and there's always something to be done with it, currently we're in the middle of adding on a dining room and re-siding the whole house.  That rather large project is partway done and on hold until the snow melts and it's warm enough for us to tolerate being outside for long.  In the meantime we're reorganizing and purging the inside of the house and painting all the rooms we didn't get to before we moved in.

That's about all for right this moment.

The finals countdown

Western Civ paper (Due Tuesday by 12:00)

American History paper (Tuesday by 10:00)

Literature review/thesis proposal paper (Tuesday @6:00)

Literature review/ thesis proposal speech (Tuesday @~7:15)

Spanish test (Wednesday @7:30)

Work (Wednesday from 1:30-10:00)

Architecture test (Thursday @1:00)

Work (Thursday 3:30-10:00)

Sell books back (whenever)

Pack

Clean(only half done)

Get ready for new roomie

A little Christmas Music

This is dedicated to Grant, who won't stop playing with the digital ocarina on his iPhone.
Shamelessly swiped from Faith and Family Live

Outside My Window... it is sunny but frigid
I am thinking... that I actually have enough notes to write this paper, but that I'll need to get some pictures
I am thankful for... the nearby Walmart that sells single serving packs of real cheese
From the kitchen... cafeteria coffee and fresh chocolate chip cookies
I am wearing... jeans, a crisp white shirt, wool sweater and sk8er shoes
I am creating... a paper for my architecture class
I am going... to go do loads of research
I am reading... old building notes
I am hoping... that everything they found in the house inspection this afternoon can be remedied somewhat painlessly
I am hearing... Brighter Than Sunshine by Aqualung
Around the dorm... my work is sort of piled all over my space
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: work and writing

Outside My Window... the parking lots are almost empty
I am thinking... that I should get to bed soon
I am thankful for... a bed next to the heater
From the kitchen... instant cocoa
I am wearing... my work clothes still
I am creating... this post?
I am going... to finish tossing some clothes in a suitcase and to bed
I am reading... nothing at the moment
I am hoping... that I can get someone to work for me on Sunday
I am hearing... "Hush" by Deep Purple
Around the dorm... my roommate is gone for the weekend
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Home!

Outside My Window... people are getting picked up early for break
I am thinking... that a nap would be nice if I had time
I am thankful for... a nice blanket to snuggle up under
From the kitchen... a peanut butter, cream cheese and strawberry jam sandwich
I am wearing... jeans and a zip-up sweater
I am (re)creating... my blog template a bit
I am going... to drop into class tonight, just for a project consult and then we're free for the evening.
I am reading... html code
I am hoping... that I get Sunday off of work
I am hearing... Bill Bailey playing The Scale of Evil
Around the dorm... my desk is still in need of a good cleaning
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Two more classes, homework, work tomorrow, and then home.

Outside My Window... the over-lit common area between the dorms
I am thinking... that I have a lot of writing to do
I am thankful for... a fiance that works ton of overtime and chooses to use it to buy a house for us.
From the kitchen... instant cocoa and cheetos
I am wearing... flannel pjs
I am creating... a draft of my literature review
I am going... to bed soon
I am reading... journal articles for my thesis
I am hoping... to get to spend more than just Thanksgiving Day at home this weekend
I am hearing... Never Mind the Buzzcocks playing on YouTube
Around the dorm... My roommate is studying for anatomy and my desk is in need of a good cleaning
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Two more days of classes, homework, and finally some real, non-cafeteria food!

Avocado Ice Cream

I haven't done this in a while but I couldn't resist.

Avocado Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1/2 pint (250ml) double (heavy) cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 pint (375ml) milk
3 ripe avocados

Take the avocados, peel and seed them then put into a blender with the milk and make a purée. Pour the purée into a mixing bowl, add the sugar, lemon juice and cream and beat until creamy. Then transfer the complete mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Outside My Window... rainy greyness.
I am thinking... that I should finish making up my package for Grant.
I am thankful for... large mugs of peppermint tea.
From the kitchen... a fresh pan of Almond Roca.
I am wearing... jeans and a grey shirt.
I am creating... a letter for Nina.
I am going... to hopefully pick up my computer today.
I am reading... Easy to Kill.
I am hoping... to make more progress cleaning my room today.
I am hearing... some unknown song on the radio.
Around the house... it is kind of empty with everyone else gone doing things.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: The Conference.

Outside My Window... the lilacs are in bloom.
I am thinking... that Apple is really quick about repairs.
I am thankful for... tax returns.
From the kitchen... absolutely nothing is happening.
I am wearing... jeans and a work shirt.
I am creating... mental additions to my book list.
I am going... to set up sprinklers for the vegetable garden.
I am reading... Easy to Kill.
I am hoping... they aren't serious about the new dress code at work.
I am hearing... Kennedy's Kitchen, and Jenni singing along.
Around the house... there is conference prep going on(Jenni collating as she sings).
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Picking up my laptop, and The Conference.

The Summer Reading List

So, due to 5 days without my laptop, and not much to do for leisure aside from lots of gardening, a trip to the library was in order last week. And a very small library resulted in not having a very worthwhile selection of fiction to choose from without planning ahead and ordering things in. But they do have a few Agatha Christies, and now I'm hooked. So my summer reading list is mostly short pleasure books(aside from Sheen and Mallory). But here it is in all its length, and I'm sure it will continue to grow.

(Italics are finished)
Endless Darkness – Agatha Christie
Murder for Christmas – Agatha Christie
Easy to Kill – Agatha Christie
Cards on the Table – Agatha Christie
The Sittaford Mystery – Agatha Christie
Sparkling Cyanide – Agatha Christie
The Hollow – Agatha Christie
Funerals Are Fatal – Agatha Christie
Third Girl – Agatha Christie
The Man in the Brown Suit – Agatha Christie
N or M? – Agatha Christie
Passenger to Frankfurt – Agatha Christie
Three Blind Mice – Agatha Christie
Murder in Three Acts – Agatha Christie
Dead Man’s Mirror – Agatha Christie
Thirteen at Dinner – Agatha Christie
The Clocks – Agatha Christie
Dead Man’s Folly – Agatha Christie
At Bertram’s Hotel – Agatha Christie
Mystery of the Blue Train – Agatha Christie
Ordeal by Innocence – Agatha Christie
Postern of Fate – Agatha Christie
The Secret of Chimneys – Agatha Christie
There is a Tide – Agatha Christie
The Body in the Library – Agatha Christie
The Boomerang Clue – Agatha Christie
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – Alexander McCall Smith
Tears of the Giraffe – Alexander McCall Smith
Morality for Beautiful Girls – Alexander McCall Smith
The Kalahari Typing School for Men – Alexander McCall Smith
The Full Cupboard of Life – Alexander McCall Smith
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies – Alexander McCall Smith
Blue Shoes and Happiness – Alexander McCall Smith
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive – Alexander McCall Smith
The Miracle at Speedy Motors – Alexander McCall Smith
Le Morte d’Arthur – Thomas Mallory
Three to Get Married – Fulton Sheen

Outside My Window... darkness.
I am thinking... that maybe this is a cold instead of allergies.
I am thankful for... good friends and good food.
From the kitchen... more chocolate chip cookies, though not as fresh.
I am wearing... capris with socks(yeah, yeah, but I didn't do it in public).
I am creating... a mental list for the next couple of weeks.
I am going... to be working lots next week.
I am reading... nothing at the moment because I finished a book just before I left this evening.
I am hoping... that next week isn't so stressful as it looks like it will be.
I am hearing... the news in the next room.
Around the house... there is conference stuff being assembled.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Work in the morning and the Conference this weekend.

Until I can find something subtantial to blog about. . .

I'm going to steal Gianna's form for blogging.

Outside My Window... the freshly planted and almost finished garden.
I am thinking... that I need to take a Claritin before bed.
I am thankful for... Smithwick's(because "it's damn good!").
From the kitchen... The smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies, and the sound of Dad emptying the dishwasher.
I am wearing... jeans and a slightly dirt-streaked t-shirt.
I am creating... Well, I picked up the fabric for a really cute top this afternoon, so I'll be creating soon.
I am going... to bed soon because I have work in the morning.
I am reading... Murder for Christmas.
I am hoping... that this allergy goes away.
I am hearing... the TV in the family room, and cups being stacked in the kitchen.
Around the house... all the gardens are just about finished, two flowers left to plant.
One of my favorite things... satin PJ's.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: A bit of work, some room cleaning, and The Conference.

Dead Tired

So I'm off to a bit a slackerly start here, but I'm about to drop over dead asleep. I had a long day of work and some play as well and have definitely earned my rest. I'll have a real post sometime after work tomorrow.

NaBloPoMo

So, because both the fiance and I are slackers lately when it comes to blogging, I threw down the colloquial gauntlet and challenged him to participate in NaBloPoMo. So let the posting begin!

Saint Gianna Pray For Us

From Adoro

"In the spirit of St Gianna Beretta Molla, Dr. Ellice Hammond of Australia gave her life to save that of her unborn daughter, Mia. Dr Hammond was diagnosed with Hogkins Lymphoma in the 21st week of her pregnancy and refused the chemotheraphy which might have saved her life. Instead she had mild chemo just to protect Mia (the baby) and then they induced Mia at the 31st week. Mia is being cared for in Monash Medical Centre's neonatal unit and doing well. Ellice died three weeks after Mia was born. As can be expected, there was an American press silence on this story."

Actually, there was more than just American press silence on this, I could only find one real news story on it here.

Pictorial

Alright not quite 3 months away from blogging has certainly been pleasant, at least in some ways. I was nice not to feel the need to write something(not that I'm sure I ever had that feeling. . .), but, on the other hand, I've shorted myself of a creative outlet and I'm beginning to feel my brain atrophy. So, to explain at least some of my absence here's my summer so far.



Myself and Kate toasting my 21st, albeit a day late.



Thursday drinking a fruity blue drink(which completely goes against his scotch-drinking grain).



The handsome Fiance at lunch in the lovely town of Stockbridge.



Shooting lots and lots of photos of a crumbling historic prison. And of course touring the mines underneath, a thing which is probably best done before watching the video in the main building that tells prison horror stories.



Playing lots of 9-ball with vintage cues.


Well, at least that was the later half of June, my July has been mostly working and getting ready for school. Oh, and trying to get in all that reading that I've been meaning to do all summer.


(And getting to gratuitously show off photos of the Fiance.)

I'm Engaged

Hosted on Zooomr

I realized that it's almost been a month already(Easter Vigil) and I hadn't mentioned this. So in the efforts of keeping The Fiance happy, I should mention it.

I'll get around to posting the story eventually here. . .

What American accent do you have? Your Result: North Central "North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.
The Midland
The West
Boston
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The South
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

For those of us who can't have real pumpkins...

There's virtual pumpkin carving.

Oh I'm a wanderer, yeah, I'm a wanderer...

create your own personalized map of the USA.


I think that's everywhere I've been(correct me if I'm wrong).

H/T to The Dork

Very, very interesting...but stupid!

It's official, the latest version of iTunes is definitly not empathic. In fact it may well be posessed. The older versions of iTunes seemed to be at least somewhat empathic; I could be thinking that I'd like to hear a song and it would be the next song that played(I suppose that may also point to posession), or at least it would pick music that could make me feel better.

The new version is just strange. I've had the flu all week and my brain, nerves, and emotions have all been a little bit on edge. I was feeling better today for the most part and was eating again(only light stuff) and now I'm still up because I'm sick again. In the time since I started feeling worse(5-ish hours), and out of 1600 songs, iTunes has played "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind three times, "Sounds of Silence" four times and "Brick" by Ben Folds three times. I'm mildly worried about my computer being preoccupied with playing songs about suicide and abortion. I'm having a really hard time trying to get it to randomly select any of the upbeat music that it normally goes with.

Just a tad odd.

Five things

Five things in my freezer:
1. Ice cubes
2. Vermonty Python Ice Cream
3. Pizza Rolls
4. Half of a chocolate orange
5. Socks

Five things in my closet
1. Scrapbooking stuff
2. Trauma kit
3. A box of sweaters and other clothes that I don't need just yet
4. Shower caddy
5. The legs to my bed

Five things in my car
I don't have a car up here, so this is kind of moot, but I have a good idea of what might be in the car at home.
1. Jumper cables
2. Lots of bottled water
3. Tool kit
4. A jacket
5. Maps

Five interesting things in my backpack
1. My stress ball
2. Digital sudoku
3. Headphones
4. Sketch pencils
5. A laptop mouse

Asparagus Ice Cream

Ingredients

* One bunch asparagus
* 1 cup sugar (to make double sugar syrup)
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/2 cup Amaretto
* 2 eggs (at room temperature)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 600mL (1 pint) cream
* 200mL (1/2 pint) milk

Method

Dissolve 1 cup of sugar in the water and bring to the boil. Remove the woody part of the asparagus, and chop into small pieces. Add the asparagus. Return to the boil and take off the heat.

Make the custard. Whisk the eggs and sugar together. Gently warm the cream and milk. Add the cream/milk to the eggs while stirring. Strain the custard back into the pot over a gentle heat. Stir until the custard will coat the back of a spoon.

Blend the asparagus and almond liqueur.

Add the asparagus purée to the custard.

Churn as per the instructions on the ice cream machine.

It's Getting Worse!

Okay, so I took this test about a year and a half ago and got a score of 88, or High-Nerd. And now I just don't want to know what happened...

I've only seen 50

My friend Matt emailed me this and I decided that instead of emailing it, I'd just post it here. I'd really like to know what the criteria was for picking these movies, there's nothing over 25 years old on this list.

Supposedly if you've seen over 85 movies, you have no life. There are 163 movies on the list, bold the ones you've seen and italicize the ones you've seen part of.

Rocky Horror Picture Show
Grease
Pirates of the Caribbean
Boondock Saints
Fight Club
Starsky and Hutch
Neverending Story
Blazing Saddles
Airplane!
The Princess Bride
Anchor Man: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
Napoleon Dynamite
Labyrinth
Saw
Saw II
White Noise
White Oleander
Anger Management
50 First Dates
The Princess Diaries
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Scream
Scream 2
Scream 3
Scary Movie
Scary Movie 2
Scary Movie 3
Scary Movie 4
American Pie
American Pie 2
American Wedding
American Pie Band Camp
Harry Potter
Harry Potter 2
Harry Potter 3
Harry Potter 4
Resident Evil I
Resident Evil 2
The Wedding Singer
Little Black Book
The Village
Lilo & Stitch
Finding Nemo
Finding Neverland
Signs
The Grinch
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
White Chicks
Butterfly Effect
13 Going on 30
i Robot
Robots
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Universal Soldier
Lemony Snicket's: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Along Came Polly
Deep Impact
Kingpin
Never Been Kissed
Meet The Parents
Meet the Fockers
Eight Crazy Nights
Joe Dirt
King Kong
A Cinderella Story
The Terminal
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Passport to Paris
Dumb & Dumber
Dumber & Dumberer
Final Destination 1
Final Destination 2
Final Destination 3
Halloween
The Ring
The Ring 2
Surviving X-MAS
Flubber
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
Practical Magic
Chicago
Ghost Ship
From Hell
Hellboy
Secret Window
I Am Sam..
The Whole Nine Yards
The Day After Tomorrow
Child's Play
Seed of Chucky
Bride of Chucky
Ten Things I Hate About You
Just Married
Gothika
Nightmare on Elm Street
Sixteen Candles
Remember the Titans
Coach Carter
The Grudge
The Mask
Son Of The Mask
Bad Boys 2
Joy Ride
Lucky Number Slevin
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Twelve
Identity
Lone Star
Bedazzled
Predator I
Predator II
The Fog
Ice Age
Ice age 2 The Meltdown
Independence Day
Cujo
A Bronx Tale
Darkness Falls
Christine
ET
Children of the Corn
My Boss' Daughter
Maid in Manhattan
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Frailty
War of the Worlds
Rush Hour
Rush Hour 2
Best Bet
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
She's All That
Calendar Girls
Sideways
Mars Attacks
Event Horizon
Ever After
Forrest Gump
Big Trouble in Little China Town
The Terminator
The Terminator 2
The Terminator 3
X-Men
X Men 2
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Sky High
Jeepers Creepers
Jeepers Creepers 2
Catch Me If You Can
The Others
Freaky Friday
Reign of Fire
Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions 2
The Hot Chick
Shrek
Shrek 2
Swimfan
Miracle
Old School
K-Pax
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
A Walk to Remember
Boogeyman
The 40-year-old-virgin

I'll tag Thursday, Holly, Victor,and Jenny.

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

Your Linguistic Profile:

40% Yankee

35% General American English

15% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Chili-Lime-Avocado Ice Cream

Just because I haven't posted any weird ice cream recipies in quite some time.

1 quart ice cream, softened (lime or coconut works best)
2 avocadoes, pitted and peeled
Zest and juice of 2 limes
2 t. sugar
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup sweetened flake coconut
1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded or not (depending on how much of a kick you’re going for)

While the ice cream is softening up, mince the peppers in the food processor with the lime juice and zest. Process well until the mixture is paste-like. Add the sugar, coconut, and avocadoes, and continue processing until the mixture is well-combined. Spoon the ice cream into a freezable container, and stir in the coconut milk (this will help to soften it up even more). Work in the avocado mixture, stirring until the ice cream turns a lovely shade of avocado green and seems evenly mixed. Freeze for a few hours or up to a week. Serve it to your friends.

Yet another meme

Jenny tagged me to do the book meme.

1. One book that changed your life.

The Five Love Languages

2. One book that you’ve read more than once.

Ivanhoe

3. One book you’d want on a desert island.

The Napoleon of Notting Hill

4. One book that made you laugh.

Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night

5. One book that made you cry.

The Return of the King

6. One book that you wish had been written.

I have no idea.

7. One book that you wish had never been written.

A Tale of Two Cities

8. One book you’re currently reading.

A Modern Guide to Etiquette(which is, ironically, from the 1940s)

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read.

Orthodoxy

And I suppose I shall tag Thursday, Mary Liz, Mattias, and Emily.

Quotation Meme

Thursday tagged me to do this meme, so here goes.

The Directions:Go here, to the random quotes generator, and look through random quotes until you find five that you think:

a) reflect who you are
OR
b) what you believe.

The Results:

1) "It is impossible to go through life without trust: that is to be imprisoned in the worst cell of all, oneself." ~Graham Greene

2) "Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts." ~ Aristotle

3) "There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes." ~Doctor Who

4) "I believe in getting into hot water, it keeps you clean" ~G.K. Chesterton

5) "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." ~ Albert Einstein

Sorry, but my children bore me to death!

That would be the title of a lovely piece of dreck that ran in today's issue of the Daily Mail. The author is a mother of two who is trying to make the argument that "women must not be enslaved by their children." Instead she more or less comes across as saying that she finds it perfectly acceptable to leave the children in the hands of a nanny while she pursues her career because she, in fact, finds such chores as reading bedtime stories and going to park to be, in a word, boring.

She notes that women who have made raising their children their career look down on her for working, while she raves on and on demeaning their chosen profession and writing about how horrible their lives must be since they are stuck at home with no one but those ever boring children. "...many women have spent years studying and then working so that we would not have to do a job as menial as full-time motherhood." Webster's defines menial as "[something] lacking interest or dignity". While I'm sure that most full time mothers would tell you that it's not always fun to raise children, I'm also fairly sure that most would disagree that it lacks either interest or dignity. Admittedly, your dignity probably does drop a bit, especially when dealing with screaming kids while grocery shopping, but that hasn't seemed to deter any of the mothers that I know from having several kids.

She tries her very best to justify her boredom with her children by saying that her neglect of them will cause them to grow up to be well-adjusted adults because they have learned early on how to take care of themselves. She insists that stay at home parents smother their children and that this causes them to grow to be dependent and narcissistic. While I agree that totally smothering your children is bad for them, I would also say that not spending time with them is equally bad, if not worse for them.

On the plus side, if you ask her, her children have adjusted well and learned to cope with her lack of involvement.

"My children have got used to my disappearing to the gym when they're doing their prep (how boring to learn something you never wanted to learn in the first place).

They know better than to expect me to sit through a cricket match, and they've completely given up on expecting me to spend school holidays taking them to museums or enjoying the latest cinema block-buster alongside them. (I spent two hours texting friends throughout a screening of Pirates Of The Caribbean the other day)."

"They stopped asking me to take them to the park (how tedious) years ago. But now when I try to entertain them and say: 'Why don't we get out the Monopoly board?' they simply look at me woefully and sigh: 'Don't bother, Mum, you'll just get bored.'

How right they are."

Have Yourself a Merry Shih Tzu Christmas

A lovely product from our friends at The Danbury Mint. You have several different breed options. Isn't it just what you've been needing?

I'm Free! I'm Free!

The play closed last night and the last issue of the newspaper hits the stands tomorrow! I can have a life!(I'm already bored)

Something

It's 2:15 in the morning and I'm wide awake so I guess I'll write something.

It's production week for us theatre people out here, that means weird hours and the bizarre form of silliness which comes with the obligatory messed up sleep schedule. I'm the assistant stage manager and prop master for our production and, despite the random bits of stress, am enjoying it greatly. This semester's production is My Fair Lady, which means that we're at the end of those few months out of every two years that the theatre and music people put aside whatever differences they might have and try to put on a worthy show.

Since this production requires an orchestra and our theatre on campus isn't built to accommodate that we're using a historic theatre in town. I'm really enjoying using a real theatre with it's amazing lighting, 30-fly stage and cushioned wood floor.

Considering we're opening on Thursday night, I think it's coming along quite nicely. We had our first dress rehearsal last night and everything ran smoothly; there we're no prop problems and everyone hit their cues spot-on.

I may, however, be forced to offer our timpanist as a sacrifice to the theatre gods. In the middle of one of the musical numbers that he wasn't playing for last evening a timpani roll occurred. Not because he read his music wrong and jumped the gun or any such excusable mishap such as that. No, he and one of the other percussionists were tossing m&ms to each other and he missed catching one and it landed on the timpani. Suffice to say, the conductor wasn't all that happy with him.

Sweet!

I just found a website that has the Liturgy of the Hours! Admittedly, it's not that amazing, but it is rather cool. Universalis.

Another One of Those Music Things

Instructions: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.

How does the world see you?
Surfin' USA- The Beach Boys

Will I have a happy life?
Aqua Boogie(A Pyschoalphadiscobetabioaquadooloop)-Parliament

What do my friends really think of me?
Laura-Flogging Molly

What do people secretly think of me?
Tequila-Brian Setzer Orchestra

How can I make myself happy?
When I See You Smile-Bad English

What should I do with my life?
The Scientist-Coldplay

Will I ever have children?
The Shadow Proves The Sunshine-Switchfoot

What is some good advice for me?
Slide-Goo Goo Dolls

How will I be remembered?
Get Your Hands Off My Woman-The Darkness

What is my signature dancing song?
Devil's Dance Floor-Flogging Molly

What do I think my current theme song is?
In The Mood-Glenn Miller Orchestra

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Never You Mind-Semisonic

What song will play at my funeral?
Down to My Last-Alter Bridge

What type of men/women do you like?
Take Me As I Am-Tonic

What is my day going to be like?
Iris-Goo Goo Dolls/You Wanted More-Tonic (It tried to play Iris first, there was something wrong with the file tag.)

Data. Your friends will always be there to look

out for you when you're unaware of certain

things, but keep in mind, you're going to

outlive all of them ;)


Which Star Trek Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

The Liberal Baby Bust

"In Seattle, there are nearly 45% more dogs than children."

"Meanwhile, single-child families are prone to extinction. A single child replaces one of his or her parents, but not both. Consequently, a segment of society in which single-child families are the norm will decline in population by at least 50% per generation and quite quickly disappear. In the USA, the 17.4% of baby boomer women who had one child account for a mere 9.2% of kids produced by their generation. But among children of the baby boom, nearly a quarter descend from the mere 10% of baby boomer women who had four or more kids."

Full text here.

(Thanks to Mom.)

Happy Pi Day!

Yes, it's that time of year again. The day where we all sit back and enjoy the glory that is pi.

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923
078164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066470938446095
505822317253594081284811174502841027019385211055596446229489549303
819644288109756659334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234
603486104543266482133936072602491412737245870066063155881748815209
209628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204665213841469519415
11609...

Or maybe that's just me...

More Food

This is how the Riesling ice cream is supposed to be served.

Anise Cookie Baskets with Riesling Ice Cream and Fresh Fruit

Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 cup half and half
2/3 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 cup late harvest Riesling wine

Cookies
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped aniseed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated orange peel
3 tablespoons egg whites
1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1-pint basket strawberries, stemmed, quartered
1 cup small pineapple wedges
1 kiwi fruit, peeled, cut into wedges
Fresh mint leaves

For ice cream:
Bring 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup half and half to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk sugar and yolks in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in hot cream mixture. Return mixture to saucepan; stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 4 minutes, do not boil. Strain into bowl. Mix in wine and 1 cup cream. Chill custard until cold.

Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to covered container (ice cream will be soft) and freeze. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead.)

For cookies:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter and flour heavy large nonstick baking sheet. Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk in egg whites and flour.

Drop slightly rounded tablespoon of batter onto center of half of prepared baking sheet. Drop another slightly rounded tablespoon of batter onto center of second half of prepared baking sheet. Using back of spoon, spread each mound of batter to 6-inch round. Bake cookies until brown on edges (centers will be slightly pale), about 8 minutes.

Working quickly and using metal spatula, lift 1 cookie off sheet. Immediately turn cookie over onto inverted custard cup. Gently flatten cookie on cup bottom; crimp sides of cookie. Repeat with second cookie. Remove cookies from cups. Rinse baking sheet under cold water; wipe sheet dry. Repeat process with remaining batter, first rinsing and drying, then buttering and flouring baking sheet between batches. (Cookies can be prepared 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

Place cookie baskets on plates. Fill each with 3 small scoops of ice cream.

Top with fruit and mint leaves.

Something Slightly More Normal Than Last Time

Riesling Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 cup half and half
2/3 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 cup late harvest Riesling wine

Bring 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup half and half to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk sugar and yolks in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in hot cream mixture. Return mixture to saucepan; stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 4 minutes, do not boil. Strain into bowl. Mix in wine and 1 cup cream. Chill custard until cold. Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to covered container (ice cream will be soft) and freeze.

Prune and Caraway Ice Cream

6 cups half-and-half (48 fl oz)
2 tablespoons caraway seeds, toasted
3/4 lb dried pitted prunes (dried plums; 2 cups)
1 cup vodka (8 fl oz)
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla

Bring half-and-half with caraway seeds just to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, then remove from heat and let steep, uncovered, 30 minutes.

While caraway seeds steep, simmer prunes, vodka, and 1/2 cup sugar in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, partially covered, until prunes are tender, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly, then purée mixture in a blender, scraping down sides occasionally (use caution when blending hot liquids), until smooth.

Whisk together yolks and remaining cup sugar in a bowl, then add half-and-half (do not strain) in a stream, whisking. Pour custard into 3-quart saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it registers 170°F on thermometer, about 8 minutes. Immediately pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl and whisk in prune purée and vanilla. Chill, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Freeze custard in ice cream maker (in batches if necessary), then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, about 12 hours.

I Know What I'm Watching Tomorrow

PBS is running a series of Monty Python's Personal Best. There will be six episodes, one for each cast member. They begin airing tonight with Eric Idle and Graham Chapman, at 8:00 pm CST.

I Have Met Mine Foe and His Name is O Chem

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

I really don't think I'm ever anxious and high strung; I might be twitchy at times maybe...

Happy Birthday to Matt!

Happy birthday to Matt over at The Shrine!

The June 2006 Conference Lineup

As usual the University of St. Thomas in MN will be playing host to two of the greatest Catholic conferences of the summer.

The Eighth-Annual Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and Curriculum Fair
The conference will be held on June 2-3 and this year's theme will be "The Ministry of Education". We'll have a great set of speakers including Kimberly Hahn, the amazing Dr. Ted Sri and a host of others. There will also be the usual fieldhouse full of vendors (the used book sellers are the best!). And best of all, you'll get to see me there!

The 25th annual G.K. Chesterton Conference
Themed "The Best of All Impossible Worlds", it will be held June 15-17. Their lineup of speakers includes Carl Olson and Joseph Pierce, and shall have talks such as "Chesterton and Dickens" and "Chesterton and CSI". Registration begins in April, I plan on attending this year.

I made the first step in giving the blog here a facelift. The sidebar has been updated(and there was much rejoycing. Yay!). I got rid of the tagboard because I just couldn't stand the popups anymore; the links list has been updated and resorted; lastly I added the link to my Facebook page so y'all can go see that.

So Much For a Simple Project

Not that I'm really surprised. I got the kink worked out of the hose over the weekend and I just knew that it was too easy of a fix to the car up and running. Andy went to go try running some water through the system to see if it would work and to test for leaks. There's a rather large hole of some sort or another in the bottom of the radiator.
On the plus side one of the salvage yards in town is pretty sure they have all of the parts I need to fix it all up again.

I Have No Idea How I Got This Answer

How evil are you?

Hat Tip: The Whapsters

You scored as Chemistry. You should be a Chemistry major! As if that isnt clear enough, you are deeply passionate about Chemistry, and every single chemical reaction and concept fascinates you. Pursue that! Chemistry 100% Mathematics 92% Psychology 83% English 83% Engineering 83% Philosophy 75% Biology 75% Dance 67% Linguistics 67% Journalism 50% Anthropology 42% Theater 42% Sociology 33% Art 25% What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3) created with QuizFarm.com

Just a Little Weekend Project

Yeah. So one of my freshmen hit a deer the other night on her way back to campus. She was of course going 55 mph when she hit it and it took her a couple hundred yards to realize that she'd hit something(older car, no airbags and such). Being as I'm apparently the only person around here who knows anything about cars(thanks Dad!), I get first shot at working on it.

Getting that radiator hose unkinked is the one thing I will definitely be getting done today. I'll probably also be out and about looking for a new radiator, hood, grille, and other sundry parts that may be going in on future weekends.

See the nice curve that the radiator has to it?

Merry Christmas!

Dashboard Confessional

Worth 1000 had a contest for literal depictions of band names, here's the Dashboard Confessional.
And here's another one.

Throw the Cow Over the Fence Some Hay

Just a badly phrase sentence about someone who got scammed by a "seer" who charged her for an exorcism.

"the 44-year-old was told she was possessed by a young woman who read her palm at a Christmas market."

I didn't know that young women could possess people.

A Musical Game

Step 1: Get your playlist (or Itunes library) together, put it on random, and play.
Step 2: Write down the first line from the first 30 songs that play or close to it.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song the lines come from. (Title and Composer/Artist)
Step 4: Cross out the songs when someone guesses correctly

NO GOOGLING FOR ANSWERS!!! <----Punishable by DEATH
1. Feelin' down n' dirty, feelin' kinda mean.
2. Love is tragic.
3. Feels like you made a mistake.
4. Hey Jack, I know what you're thinkin'.
5. She never mentions the word addiction.
6. The power of love is a curious thing.
7. I need an alarm system in my house.
8. Any way you want it.
9. I don't want to be the crutch.
10. All around my hat I will wear the green willow.
11. We come from the land of ice and snow.
12. She got out of town.
13. She rolls the window down.
14. Watch your words.
15. Enid we never really knew each other anyway.
16. Desperate for changing
17. There's a man going around in this town selling lies.
18. Well I want you to notice.
19. I'll wait for you 'til I turn blue.
20. It ain't no joke I'd like to buy the world a toke.
21. Well our straw just broke.
22. In the afterlife.
23. You know that feeling you get?
24. My Maria, don't you know I've come a long, long way?
25. I'm just a gigolo
26. Flew in from Miami Beach BOAC.
27. Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move.
28. Baby, do you understand me now?
29. Saturday morning alone and barely feeling.
30. And when you wanted me, I came to you.

Number 28 is off of a soundtrack, it's not the original artist, so you don't have to guess the artist. I suppose I shall tag any, and all of the Whappsters, Victor, Holly, Jenny, and Mattias.

There is one on here that, if anyone but Matt gets, I will be truly amazed.

From the Sober Sophomore

Senior Citizen Ice Cream

1 cup pitted prunes -- (about 6 ounces) 1/3 cup armagnac 1 cup sugar 1 tbs cornstarch 3 lg. egg yolks 1 1/2 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate -- chopped coarse 1 1/2 cup well-chilled heavy cream

Preparation

In a saucepan combine the prunes and 1/3 cup water and simmer the mixture for 5 to 7 minutes, or until almost all of the liquid is evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat, add the Armagnac, and let the prunes macerate for 3 hours. Drain the prunes in a sieve set over a bowl, reserving the liquid, and chop them coarse. In a bowl whisk together the sugar, the cornstarch, the yolks, and a pinch of salt, add the milk, scalded, in a stream, whisking constantly with a wooden spoon. Boil the custard, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, add the vanilla and the chocolate, and whisk the mixture until the chocolate is melted. Transfer the custard mixture to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and let it cool, stirring. Stir in the cream and the prunes with the reserved liquid and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

It was actually a dead tie between him and Neo

You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause.

Which Action Hero Would You be? v. 2.0
(Hat tip to Fr. Jim)

Goodnight Moon - The Politically Correct Version

"Goodnight Moon," the children's classic by Margaret Wise Brown, has gone smoke-free. In a newly revised edition of the book, which has lulled children to sleep for nearly 60 years, the publisher, HarperCollins, has digitally altered the photograph of Clement Hurd, the illustrator, to remove a cigarette from his hand ... .

"It is potentially a harmful message to very young kids," (Kate) Jackson (editor in chief of HarperCollins Children's Books) said, "and it doesn't need to be there."


In the great green room there was ...

A cordless telephone

And a red balloon, non-helium and securely tethered out of toddler reach

And a picture of the cow jumping over the moon, with a warning label never to try this with cattle or indeed any animals without parental supervision

And there were three little bears, roaming freely in their native habitat, secure in their endangered-species status

And two little neutered kittens

And a pair of mittens, purchased from a Cambodian collective

And a little toyhouse with all potential choking hazards fastened in place by six-inch bolts

And a young and humanely captured mouse

Goodnight room, which is more than many Burkina Faso children have

Goodnight moon and all moon-related goddesses

Goodnight solar-powered clocks

And goodnight sustainably manufactured hemp socks

Goodnight synthetic tortoise shell comb and brush

Goodnight anybody who has ever been made to feel like a "nobody" by a rigidly patriarchal society

Goodnight organic whole-grain GMO-free oatmeal mush

And goodnight to the lady of mature years seeking an environment conducive to thought

Goodnight stars, which remind us that we are not alone in this cosmos and must henceforth redouble our stewardship efforts

Goodnight air, which we have done so much to pollute with our inhuman sport utility vehicles and our Weber grills

Goodnight all noises in the immediate vicinity ...

... with the exception of the white-noise machine, the Haydn concerto loop, and the four-gallon cool-mist humidifier with the evaporative wick filter that was changed only last weekend

Goodnight to anybody whose feelings might have been injured by not being included above.

Written by Louis Bayard, orginally ran in the New York Times on Nov. 17, 2005.
(It took me a while to track down the credit for this piece of work)

(Hat Tip to Dad)

Dead Man Walking

Yep, you read that right, we're performing Dead Man Walking for our fall theatre performance. We opened the show this evening and will be running through Sunday. Tonight's performance went exceptionally well for an opening night, hardly any glitches at all. We had a good number of people, in our nearly sold out audience, crying at the end of the show. Since it requires a cast of at least 25 people we, for once, have actors from a diverse range of departments and such. We got several of the football players to play prison guards, they really are good at this theatre thing, even if they do hate the makeup.

Glad I'm Not One of Bob Geldof's Daughters

otherwise I'd have an atrocious name such as Fifi Trixibelle, Tiger Lily, Pixie, or Peaches. I know americans give their kids some truly odd names, but these four really take the cake.

I do suppose though that my friend Matt thought that Pesitlence, Flatulence and (well I don't recall the third one) were good names for girls. I never have heard any particularily odd guys names, wonder why that is?

When Theatre Geeks(or Greeks) Dress Up

MetalSmiths

It's been decided that for Halloween, Andy(my most favoritest freshman) and I will be dressing up as Melpomene and Thalia. I even get to go as the happy one!

What I've Learned So Far

Since midterms here are coming to a close I figured I could share with you the wealth of things I've learned so far this semester.

1. Democritus and the Atomists isn't the name of a rock band -- but it should be.

2. You can actually make decent tasting lactose-free alfredo sauce.

3. The North cafeteria ladies love us more than the South cafeteria ladies do.

4. If you don't have a roommate to make you clean your room, it just doesn't happen.

5. Anyone who would letter space lowercase type would steal sheep.

6. I can read a Michael Crichton book in four hours flat.

7. Constantine makes a good teaching tool -- really it does!

8. I apparently dress like a nerd. (Yeah big suprise there).

9. Our lungs have a surface area equivalent to a tennis court.

10. Pickled okra should not be considered food.

11. HONClBrIF.

12. Tara thinks that I'm the most normal person she's met here -- she obviously doesn't see enough of me.

13. Macs are better than PCs.

14. VO2 max is the maximal amount of energy the body can utilize while exercising. It's measured in mL/kg/min.

15. Facebook is highly addictive.

F.Y.I.

Thanks to fall break, I'll be back in Minnesota this weekend. Maybe I'll even have time to post something.

Flash Blocker

This is the greatest thing, short of Firefox, I have ever installed on my computer. It blocks all of those great flash banners that can make pages take forever to load. If you need to see them you just click on the flash logo that shows up in their space and it will load them right up.

And if for some odd reason you don't have Firefox, go get it!

Since I'm Already Thinking Cold Thoughts

Grand Marnier Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 tsp. Unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
3 cups Non-fat milk
3 tbls. Non-fat dry milk
1/3 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Grated orange zest
2 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
3 medium Oranges

Preparation:

Sprinkle gelatin over Grand Marnier. let stand until softened. Combine 2 cups milk, non-fat dry milk, sugar and orange zest in saucepan. Heat to simmer. Add a little hot mixture to egg substitute and return all to pan. Heat and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in gelatin mixture just until dissolved. Stir in remaining milk. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. To serve, spoon ice cream into orange shells and garnish with orange zest, if desired. For six orange shells cut three medium oranges in half crosswise. Gently juice oranges, being careful not to damage shells. Reserve juice for another use. Scoop any remaining membrane from inner shells. Chill until serving time.

Winter Starts Early Out Here

At the moment it's 43 degrees outside with winds howling between 24 and 34 mph, making it feel like 30 degrees out there. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be 39 with heavy snowfall. Yippee!

Chocolate Whiskey Ice Cream

This isn't quite what the Old Oligarch was looking for, but you don't have to cook the alcohol off, so it's a bit better than the last recipe. I'm really not sure if having the chocolate in it sounds all that good to me.

7 Large Egg Yolks
1 c sugar
1 c Heavy Cream
2 c Cold milk
1 Vanilla bean, split
6 oz chocolate chips
1/2 c Jack Daniel's Whiskey

Combine egg yolks and sugar in small bowl until smooth and lemon colored. Place cream, milk and vanilla bean in small saucepan over medium heat and bring to boil. Immediately remove from heat and cool slightly. Remove vanilla bean and add a small amount of cream to the yolks, stirring briskly. Slowly add yolks to remaining cream, stirring constantly. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve. Melt chocolate over hot water in the top half of a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir into cream mixture and strain once more. Stir in whiskey and chill. When well chilled, pour
into an ice cream maker. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

Y'know, I'm getting the feeling that I'm the only person, with comments enabled, that hasn't been Sean Whited yet.

Avast!

It's Talk like a pirate day!

Happy Birthday to Jess

See, I didn't forget.

Jameson Ice Cream

I figured this would make a suitable follow up for the Guinness Ice Cream.

Jameson Ice Cream

100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) Jameson Irish Whiskey
140 ml (1/4 pint) full-fat milk
285 ml (1/2 pint) double cream
6 medium egg yolks
55 g (2oz) clear honey

1. Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add 75 ml (2 3/4 fl oz) of the whisky and flame to burn off the alcohol. Once the flames have died down, stir in the milk and cream. While this is coming to a boil, whisk the egg yolks and honey together with a standing or handheld mixer until they have doubled in size and become fluffy.

2. Take the milk and cream off the heat and pour half onto the egg yolks. Whisk until combined, then put to one side.

3. Put the remainder of the milk and cream back onto the heat and, when it is boiling, add the egg mixture, turn down the heat and whisk constantly for approximately 1 minute.

4. Pour into a large bowl to lower the mixture's temperature and stir in the last 25 ml (3/4 fl oz) whiskey. Cover and chill.

5. Once thoroughly cool, churn in an ice-cream machine. Alternatively, pour into a freezerproof container, put in the freezer and beat every 20 minutes until set

Best served with Coke as a float, melted into coffee, or plain.

First Migraine Ever

Which means y'all 'll just have to wait a while for me to tell you about school.

It's a Girl!

Congratulations to Mark and Denise on the birth of their daughter Kathryn Grace. I'm pretty sure that even though they did spell Kathryn the right way she's not named after me, but you never know...

A Nerd in the World of the Technologically Illiterate

While I've noticed this summer that I'm a bit more technologically informed than everyone else that I work with, I hadn't realized how much until this past Thursday. A customer came in wearing the above t-shirt. I got the joke immediately, laughed about it, and told him that I liked his shirt. After he'd left, the rest of my co-workers had to ask me what was so funny about his shirt. Was it that the person who wrote the shirt obviously couldn't count? And why on earth did I like? I just had to tell them that he could count just fine and that their confusion answered their second question for me.

Guinness Stout Ice Cream

Ingredients needed:

• 12 ounces Guinness stout
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 6 egg yolks
  

In a large saucepan, simmer the Guinness until reduced by 3/4 in volume, about 8 minutes.

Combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium, heavy saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan and add the vanilla bean halves. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk 1 cup of the hot cream into the egg yolks. Gradually add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, to the hot cream. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 170 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to keep a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Remove from refrigerator and add the Guinness reduction, whisking until well blended. Pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Yield: 1 quart

Mind you this recipe came from Emeril, which proves I'm not entirely nuts to think it sounds good, who recommends serving it with a dark chocolate honey sauce. I'm not so sure about that whole ruining Guinness with dark chocolate thing.

Welcome to that person who came here searching for Whitman Memes!

Just a Few More Shots

See those question marks up there? That means that they still need names. Hint, hint.


Yes, that really is a rose colored chasuble that NacMan's collected.

I'm Working on It

And by "it" I mean NacMan. The basic premise is that there is NacMan, a seminarian at the NAC. Your job is to help him find his way around Rome while being chased by I don't know what, all the while drinking espresso and picking up vestments and other liturgical goods. I've got the blank screen and NacMan himself done and now all I need is some replacements for the ghosts. So I'm taking suggestions for this. If you have ideas for something to replace Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde let me know. For now I'm just going to be making screenshots of it as I don't know how to code yet. And no, I cannot fit Fr. McBrien into that size screen and still make it look like him, not even just his head.

**update: I've got one ghost transformed into a liturgical dancer.**

Glass raised to Emily, Holly, and Jenny for all their help with this.

You Are Incredibly Logical

(You got 88% of the questions right) Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

How Logical Are You?

Fantastic Four

Length: 123 minutes
Rating: PG-13

Well it's no Spiderman but it's still worth seeing.
That being said, it was definitely worth seeing. Without spoiling it entirely I will say that the graphic effects were really well done. It was somewhat lacking in action scenes unfortunately. Unlike Spiderman and X-Men it didn't really have a clear moral message. If you're looking for something to do on a Friday night it's well worth seeing.

And now we know why I never pursued journalism.

And Then There Were Four

Sister #3 has started a blog so now all of my sisters have blogs.
Sister #1
Sister #2
Sister #3

You scored as Anselm. Anselm is the outstanding theologian of the medieval period.He sees man's primary problem as having failed to render unto God what we owe him, so God becomes man in Christ and gives God what he is due. You should read 'Cur Deus Homo?' Anselm 73% Augustine 67% John Calvin 67% Karl Barth 60% J�rgen Moltmann 60% Charles Finney 47% Jonathan Edwards 40% Friedrich Schleiermacher 40% Martin Luther 33% Paul Tillich 20% Which theologian are you? created with QuizFarm.com

I won tickets to the advanced screening of the Fantastic Four, so hopefully I'll have my review up late on Thursday night.

Roman Catholic 100% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 71% Fundamentalist 64% Neo orthodox 64% Classical Liberal 46% Emergent/Postmodern 39% Modern Liberal 32% Reformed Evangelical 29% Charismatic/Pentecostal 25% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

O'Connor Retires

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has retired after 24 terms on the Supreme Court.