whole grain bread

my first love (when I was 5)

2008-03-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

The honorable Levar Burton!

"Butterfly in the sky..."

the similarities of fashion and insects

2008-03-07T20:25:00.001-08:00

The beautiful Banded Argiope spider:

The hideous Balenciaga shoe, in memory of the Wicked Witch of the East from the Wizard of Oz, whom we only remember by the hideous stockings she was wearing when she died.

These shoes are available with a human-sized web with hooks and an inflatable helpless bug, for the aspiring spider heroine on the go.

The revolting Alexander Mcqueen shoe. Perhaps these shoes might prove useful in the tenements of New York or Philadelphia, where mice and roaches are known to roam freely. Freedom at last for the forgotten style-fashionistas of the ghetto! These shoes are for you! With this dandy pair, the pests could conveniently crawl underneath your feet, instead of over them.

The stunning Arrow Shaped Micrathena Spider:

Sigh.

my favorite pictures of the day

2008-03-07T00:12:00.000-08:00

Paris Hilton with a Buddhist Monk? Hilarious! You have to admire Paris' ability to keep a straight face, although she may have lost it for a moment when she apparently did the Buddhist Monk a favor by driving him home. Was Paris Hilton really seeking enlightenment? No! It was merely a prank on the paparazzi, and the psuedo-Buddhist monk is really an actor! Brilliant!
On another note, I love her dress.

thoughts on eyebrows....

2008-03-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

Do your eyebrows love to be the center of attention? Or are they raised so high over your eyes that they appear to be flying away from your face like mini-boomerangs?

Are you sure of your ancestry, or is your father really Mr. Spock from Star Trek??

It disturbs me that many women, especially featured in commercials, ads and television programs, have over-arched eyebrows! Sometimes, you can even see their eye socket under their eyebrow. Maybe the childhood images of Cruella De Vil and Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle still subconsciously linger in their minds. In any case, people with over-ached eyebrows appear to be in a constant state of anger, amazement or analysis, or are making people uneasy by the perpetual look of suspicion that overly raised eyebrows produce.

My my, why are you so happy dear? "It is my over-arched eyebrows, of course!"

Natasha: "Boris, daaahlingck, you got plan?''
Boris: "I always got plan. Right now my plan for you is an eyebrow makeover!"
Natasha: "Boris, you don't mean it!"
Boris: "Well, you don't want to look like Fearless Leader over here, his eyebrows are so ugly... even his ugly is ugly!"
Fearless Leader: "Quiet, idiot! Have you liquidated Moose and Squirrel?"

Have you been searching for the perfect gift for your eyebrow-challenged coworker? Why not favor them with a limited edition Cruella De Vil pen holder? Or maybe you could set it in one of your home windows for security. I'm sure no burglar would attempt to break down your door if he saw this face peaking through the blinds, scrutinizing his every move.

Are you in an artistic mood today? Then perhaps you may wish to emulate the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. She was a poor, tormented soul, whose eyebrows were true witnesses of her tortured existence. (Also note the prominent female moustache. More on this subject later.)

It seems that even men are not exempt from this malady. Why, is this Paul McCartney? Could his eyebrows have been the inspiration for the song "Help?"

Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone,
Help!

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed any body's help in any way.
My eyebrows did their thing, I was so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind, I don't like them anymore.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
and I do appreciate you bein' round,
Help me fix my over-arched eyebrows,
Won't you please, please help me?

For naturally beautiful eyebrows, they must follow the contour of your eyebrow bone. Run your finger along it.You should be able to feel it beneath your eyebrow. That is where the line of your eyebrow should be. If your eyebrows are far above this, then you most likely have over-arched eyebrows. It is much better to stay with the arch that you naturally have already.

Remember, if eyes are the window of the soul, then your eyebrows are their frames, and since we should all value our eyes as one of the most precious treasures we have, let us not detract from their beauty, but enhance them with beautiful, clean, naturally shaped eyebrows.

The Great Kitchen Escape

2008-02-18T14:06:00.000-08:00

This is the best new game I have discovered! And I still haven't figured it out yet! But it is easy, yet challenging, fun, satisfying and a waste of time, all of the requirements for a computer game!

What sweet pea is listening to

2008-02-18T13:24:00.001-08:00

Basia Bulat and her album "Oh my darling"

It's folksy. It's real. It has harmonica, guitar, violin. I love it.

http://www.basiabulat.com/

Reviews: "Oh My Darling is an enchanting collection of songs featuring Bulat's breathy vibrato set like a jewel into organic arrangements"

-Andy Gill
The Independent (UK) ****

"The Ontario-based singer's gorgeous debut is an old fashioned delight, full of waltzing rythms, twinkling piano and delicate strings, topped off with a voice so warm it barely needs accompaniment...a low key gem that should not be overlooked."

-David Smyth
London Evening Standard (UK) ****

"The set is perfectly paced and varied with the songs wrapped in a delicious warmth that pervades the room, drawing us closer into the songs. Most of Basia’s album Oh My Darling features with Why Can’t It Be Mine, La-Da-Da and December staying in the memory. Violin, piano and ukulele are interspersed over the drums and Basia’s autoharp and guitar with enough invention to keep the attention up.

Double-time hand claps from the whole band introduce I Was A Daughter, continuing until their instruments are needed and silencing for the duetted middle part before coming back in and rising to a quick crescendo.

Little Waltz comes mid-set and is the undoubted highlight. Plucked guitar notes decorate a sorry tale of love that didn’t quite blossom before the strings invoke the song’s emotion. The line “I learned how to dance but I never showed it to you” holds such repressed feeling than Ishiguro would be proud of it.

Basia’s between song banter is quite at odds with her demeanour when singing. She has trouble speaking between the giggling and manages to sound entirely genuine when she beamingly announces how pleased she is to be playing in Birmingham. Maybe she is genuine. Tonight is the one month anniversary of their being on tour so perhaps the novelty hasn’t worn off, but then with highlights like staying with the drummer from Dexys Midnight Runners how could it?

On drums Basia’s brother Bobby, teased for his surly onstage demeanour, is impressive, especially on The Pilgrimming Vine where he keeps a tight martial beat on the snare while the song unfolds around him. If there’s any suggestion that working with ex-Arcade Fire’s Howard Bilerman has had an influence it’s on this song.

A rousing rendition of Snakes and Ladders closes the set and as the band troop off they make it as far as the door before being called back by the crowd – not in the usual charade of these things but with more of a pleading edge. The band turn back at the door to give us one last morsel.

Basia Bulat and her band of family, friends and housemates have returned to Canada for the time being but until they come back I’d heartily recommend buying her album. You may as well get in early because as everyone seemed to agree after the show the little girl with the unusual name is headed for bigger things."

http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=1634

turkey breast

2008-02-18T13:20:00.000-08:00

I went to a grocery store on Sat. night and I was feeling so hypoglycemic I wanted to eat a rotisserie turkey. It was near closing time and I knew they would be discounted. And there it was------a rotisserie turkey breast, abandoned, large, leathery-looking and only $5. Echoes of prehistoric men bearing clubs flashed for a moment in my brain, followed by Geico commercials, but they quickly disappeared when I sat down to eat in the little dining area they have by the deli, plastic fork and knife in hand.
I was not prepared for what followed. Soon, people walking by, supposedly absorbed in their store flyer or casually strolling their Wonder Bread-towered carts towards the meat aisle, slow down to stare at me, or whisper to their partner while "safely" casting their glances in my direction.
What, haven't you ever seen a petite woman eat a large turkey breast before??!!!!! My husband left me for a brief moment to get a magazine to read, and then when the first group of onlookers had passed, this ugly ghetto looking man who did not look like he was grocery shopping, wearing a dirty hoodie, baggy pants, unshaved face and nappy hair sticking out in uneven places upon his head, alone and cart-less, walked by me, looked at me, and then turned around to look at a pile of cheap sweat pants that was right in front of me. He didn't look that interested in the sweat pants. Finally he said "You gonna eat all that?" But I just ignored him, becoming even more seriously engrossed in the task at hand, and concentrating on the labels of Old Bay products. He walked away.

If you were wondering, my turkey breast was delicious.
Next time I decide to eat a large piece of meat in a public place, I will turn my back. No, I think I should purchase a very large bone, and contentedly gnaw on it to further entertain any onlookers.

my first quiche

2007-12-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to make a quiche. I am trying to improve my attitude towards the incredible edible egg. Why? Because I don't eat enough protein, I need something that's not as tough as rawhide that still contains a substantial amount of protein, and that also contains b vitamins. Unfortunately, I hate eggs. I hate their eggy flavor. I hate their eggy scent. I hate how they jiggle.

Ever smell a glass that has been washed by a dirty sponge? Uh huh. What does it smell like?
Rotten eggs.

Why do you beg your husband or son or brother to take the garbage out for the thirtieth time? Because it smells like egg.

Why do you pitch that dish cloth into the incinerator? It smells like eggs.

From the time we first learned to ask questions, we were struck with the horror of the egg: "But mommy, aren't dair baby chickies in dair?"

"No sweetie, there aren't baby chickens in there."

"Why?"

"Well, there aren't baby chickens in there because the daddy chicken wasn't there."

????????????????????

"The daddy chicken didn't love them????"

Before I get too sidetracked, today I made my first quiche.

Here is how to make one:

Step 1:

Walk around in a Wegman's grocery store and be amazed at how they have so many indispensable items that you never heard of before but that you just realized you need.

Step 2: Accidently stumble on a... pie pan? jumbo cookie cutter,... uh, oh yeah a quiche pan! Yeah, that's what it is! Wow! I could really use one of these!!!!!

Step 3: Remind yourself of what a quiche actually is. Oh never mind. Just look it up on line later, where you can find some simple, easy recipes.

Step 4: Search for easy quiche recipe online. Oh no! You need a pie crust! You didn't even think of that! Oh well, who needs that.

Step 5: Search for crustless quiche recipes. Become disheartened by the fact that these were all created for people on diets and contain disturbing words such as "substitute".

Step 6: Hours later after reading cooking utensil reviews and signing up for a few kitchen makeovers and being humiliated by the audacity of recipe writers who assume you know what a open-faced tart is, decide to embark on this honorable task alone.

Step 7: Crack two eggs in a bowl and whisk them confidently with your shiny egg whisk.

Step 8: Inspect your refidgerator for any scraps of vegetables or meat to put in your quiche.

Step 9. Realize that there are none. Opt for some frozen peas and some cubes of cheddar cheese.

Step 10. Remember that you read to put some flour in your crustless quiche. Undaunted, scoop a couple of spoons of flour into your egg mixture and begin to whisk!

Step 11. Rationalize to yourself that the little grains of flour assembling in the quiche will not even be noticed. Ok, little clumps of flour. It might add an interesting texture to the.... hmmmhmmm......well a dumpling quiche will probably be great...

Step 12. Dump the whole thing into the blender. Take that, you evil mumps of flour!Bwa Bwa ha ha ha!!!!!

Step 13. Become so faint from hunger and the heat you start to pour the egg mixture into a glass thinking it's a banana smoothie and almost drink it.

Step 14: Regain your senses and pour it into your little quiche dish. Whoops! You forgot to grease it!

Step 15: Fight back the tears and courageously pour your runny egg mix into a seperate bowl. Wash the quiche pan. Grease it with butter. Sprinkle some flour on it and give it a shake. Try to blow the excess flour out but end up having to delicately brush it out with your chicken baster while trying not wipe the butter off.

Step 16. Pour the quiche mix triumphantly into the quiche pan and add the cheese and peas! Add a dash of pepper and onion powder.

Step 17. Preheat the oven to 350. Wait ten minutes, then proudly place your pre-quiche into the oven.

Step 18. Set the timer for,hmmm...well, 20 minutes should be good.

20 minutes later: It's still liquid.

20 minutes later:Yay it's starting to rise! But it's still liquid in the center.

20 MORE minutes later: I think it's done now! Beautifully risen, brown on the top, and no running!!

Step 19: Burn your arm on the oven door in your ecstatic rush to admire your masterquiche.

Step 20: Dance around the kitchen in pain and try to jam your burnt arm between the piled dishes and the faucet so you can run some cold water on it.

Step 21: Gingerly slice a wedge from the quicche...Aaaaaaahhhhaahhhh.Raise it tenderly to your lips, and as the steam wraps affectionately around your nose take a......

Step 22: GAG!!!!!! THIS STILL SMELLS LIKE EGGS!!!AchhghhhhhghhhYuck!

Step 23. Pretend that didn't just happen and just accept your quiche for what it is, eggs in a different shape. You decide that you really do like eggs, that you will make another quiche tomorrow, and if all else fails you can give it to your husband, who will eat anything.

Step 24: Waste time writing about your ridiculous culinary adventures and post it online where no one will ever read it except someone who accidentally stumbled onto your blog while searching for "How to get husband to take out the trash."

What I'm listening to

2007-12-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

A little band called Soulfire. If you Google this, you will soon realize that many bands have this name, but I am referring to the duo from South Africa, Duncan Breen, and Dave Starke.
Here is the lowdown from Amiestreet.com:
"Soulfire was formed around a fire in the mountains of South Africa's Cedarberg region. Both Dave and Duncan have had successful solo careers but through this union of styles and voices are able to create something unique. Blending influences from past and present performers with styles ranging from classic folk, blues, rock and reggae, Soulfire have created their own laid back blend of acoustic rock that has met with critical acclaim in their native South Africa and elsewhere."
One of my faves is their song Beautiful.

Some of their influences include: Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, Damien Rice, Simon and
Garfunkel, and James Taylor.
Sit back and enjoy the music.

Coconut Records

2007-12-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

If you like Weezer and probably grew up listening to the music of the 60's and 70's then check out the Coconut Records.
I am listening to them while doing the laundry.

http://amiestreet.com/listen/Coconut+Records

Pedialyte has Splenda!?

2007-12-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

My pet budgie is not doing good. When I came home from the market yesterday, she was on the bottom of her cage, fluffed up into a little ball with her wings bent close to her body and her eyes shut. Then she started throwing up. ! This was of course abnormal, so I did some research on the computer, and learned that one of the things you can give your sick bird is Pedialyte. Soon I was in the baby aisle of Rite-Aid, eyes swimming with myriads of plastic, colorful products, more appealing to babies than
the poor parents who have to stand there and try to choose the best product by squinting their eyes and reading the ingredient list under fluorescent lights while
listening to "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" for the37th time.

Anyway, I wanted the best for my bird, so I avoided any Pedialite equivalent that contained arificial colors or flavorings. I was quickly running out of choices, when I picked up a bottle of Pedialyte that said, "With Splenda." Splenda? Now they're giving Splenda to babies and children???? What next!!! Splenda bad? A resounding yes.Not only is it bad, but it is especially bad for children. Dr Janet Starr Hull says it best:

Is Pedialyte® Really Safe or Not?

There are concerns about giving Pedialyte to a sick child because Pedialyte contains artificial sweeteners. Heads up for the concerned parent and guardian.

As of July 2000, all Pedialyte products, including flavored and freezer pops, exchanged the sugar-free chemical aspartame for the new kid on the block, sucralose found in Splenda®. Pedialyte now also contains the chemical sweetener acesulfame-K, plus artificial colors and artificial flavors.

Note: If you are concerned about your child's consumption of aspartame, please check the ingredient listing on the product's label to ensure you do not have the old Pedialyte formulation containing aspartame.

Needless to say, these chemical sugar substitutes can be harmful to a healthy human body, so the magnified, harmful effects they can have on a sick child under stress from a high fever, diarrhea and vomiting can make illness worse. Remember the story in my book Sweet Poison http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-case-histories.html of four-year old Katrina Carradine? Unknowingly, her mother had been giving her daughter vitamins with aspartame, and the child suffered over six-weeks in a coma. Today at 15 years of age, Katrina has never fully recovered mentally from the harmful effects of aspartame and diet sweeteners.

Bottom-line, and to be on the safe-side, children do not need to be exposed to diet chemical sweeteners under any circumstances; through medications, in foods, drinks, gums, candies, or flavored waters. And there are over 10,000 products your children are exposed to that contain aspartame, sucralose and other chemical sweeteners on the market today - many not labeled as sugar-free.

Pedialyte is a combination of systemic carbohydrates and electrolytes, also labeled as oral rehydration salts, ORS-bicarbonates, and ORS-citrates. A carbohydrate and electrolytes combination is used to restore dehydration and the loss of too much water from the body occurring with severe diarrhea, particularly in babies and young children. Although this OTC medicine does not immediately stop diarrhea, it replaces water in the body, and replenishes important body salts, known as electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium. These electrolytes are typically lost from the body through diarrhea, and they prevent more serious problems occurring as a result of dehydration and high body temperatures. Some carbohydrate and electrolyte solutions may also be used after surgery when food intake has been stopped, or for the elderly with deficient diets.

Pedialyte is available without a prescription; however, your primary doctor may have special instructions on the proper use and dose for you or your child.

Some common brand names in the U.S. are: (all registered trademarked items)
* Infalyte
* Kao Lectrolyte
* Naturalyte
* Oralyte
* Pedialyte
* Pedialyte Freezer Pops
* Rehydralyte
* Resol
In Canada:
* Lytren
* Gastrolyte
* Pedialyte
* Rapolyte

Try this recipe for homemade Pedialyte to have available in case of unexpected illness:
1 quart purified or natural spring water
2-4 teaspoons raw, unprocessed sugar, or 1-2 teaspoons of powdered fruit sugar (fructose)
1 teaspoon Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

Boil water, add sugar (or fructose) and salt. Stir. Let cool.
Refrigerate what you do not use, but do not keep for more than 48 hours; make a new batch. Safe for pets, particularly puppies and rabbits."

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/1206/health_alert.php

In the end, I bought the only Pedialyte bottle that is unflavored and without Splenda.
This world is trying to kill us, and our pets.