A Baked Good with Attitude.

People need to stop sneaking into my head in the middle of the night to steal all of my good ideas:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smith Brothers has launched a campaign for a dessert treat available at Kings Family Restaurants, aptly named "The Frownie." Frownie is a chocolate-frosted brownie with a white icing scowl. To support the Frownie, an outdoor and POP campaign was launched, along with PR events featuring Frownie in the flesh. Outdoor ads that feature headlines such as, "We Make A Mean Dessert!" and "You Want A Piece Of Me?" are running in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, where Kings Family Restaurants are located, through the end of the year. TV and radio spots will follow.

 

Find a location near you.

This Makes Me So Happy

Calif. Voters Defeat Abortion Notification

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated Press Writer 16 minutes ago (as of 9:51 a.m. PDT)

In a stinging rebuke from voters who elected him two years ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's efforts to reshape state government were rejected during a special election that darkened his prospects for a second term. Voters also strongly rejected an initiative that would have required parents to be notified when minors seek abortions.

Click to read the full story here.

"Babies-for-Sale" on Chinese eBay

Goodness!

 

"Babies-for-Sale" on Chinese eBay

There is a thriving black market in babies in China

Chinese police are investigating a report of attempted baby trafficking on an internet auction site, according to a state-owned newspaper.

The advertisement was reportedly placed on eBay's Chinese website, Eachnet.

Boys were advertised for 28,000 yuan ($3,450) while girls were offered for 13,000 yuan ($1,603), Eachnet manager Tang Lei told the China Daily.

The offer could have been a hoax, but it comes as baby trafficking is seen as an increasing problem in China.

China's strict "one child" birth control policy, coupled with the traditional bias for male children, has led to widespread reports of child abductions, and several people have been sentenced to death for their part in smuggling rings.

Read the full story here.

 

 

Read another story about this on ChinaDailey.com.cn.

 

The Mysterious "Camel Toads"

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

I am a Master

You are a MASTER of the English language!


Huzzah. While your English is not exactly
perfect, you are still more grammatically
correct than just about every American. Others
admire the way you speak and could learn a lot
from listening to you. Still, there is always
room for improvement...


How grammatically correct are you? (Revised with answer key)
brought to you by Quizilla

Save the Date: International Moment of Frustration Scream Day

Coming soon this October 12th, and every one thereafter!!!!


International Moment of Frustration Scream Day -- To share any or all of our frustrations, all citizens of the world will go outdoors at twelve hundred hours Greenwich time and scream for thirty seconds. We will all feel better, or Earth will go off its orbit. Co-sponsored by Low Thresholders of the Earth League.

New Orleans Had it Coming???

Louisiana State Senator said that New Orleans' evil, sinful ways were the reason behind God's wrath of Katrina. Now, seriously! WTF?!?!?!

******************************************************************************************
Alabama legislator: Katrina was God's wrath on sinful coast

9/28/2005, 1:56 p.m. CT The Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A state senator in Alabama says Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment on a sinful part of America.

State Sen. Hank Erwin, R-Montevallo, wrote in a weekly column for news outlets: "New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast have always been known for gambling, sin and wickedness. It is the kind of behavior that ultimately brings the judgment of God."

Erwin, a former conservative talk-radio host and now a media consultant, wrote the column after a tour of hurricane-wrecked Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss., and Bayou La Batre on the Alabama coast.

"Warnings year after year by godly evangelists and preachers went unheeded. So why were we surprised when finally the hand of judgment fell?" Erwin wrote. "Sadly, innocents suffered along with the guilty. Sin always brings suffering to good people as well as the bad."

The New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary was flooded by Katrina. Erwin said the Baptists knew they had put themselves on the front lines ministering in a sinful place that could be targeted.

He said he didn't think the hard-hit residents of the low-income lower 9th Ward in New Orleans were singled out for especially harsh punishment but were merely in the way, as were the shrimpers in Bayou La Batre.

Click here to read the full article on Nola.com.

14 Year Old Girl Expelled Because Parents are Lesbians

The Ontario Christian School in Ontario, CA suspended a 14 year old female student, Shay Clark, after learning that her parents are lesbians.  It's such crap!!!  Their excuse, "Your family does not meet the policies of admission," Superintendent Leonard Stob wrote to Tina Clark, Shay's biological mother.  The School's policy states that at least one parent cannot engage in practices "immoral or inconsistent with a positive Christian life such as cohabitating without marriage or in a homosexual relationship."

 

Okay, so because it's a private school, they can pretty much say what they want and have their own special rules.

 

BUT what I want to know is how long Shay has been attending this school.  And if she has been attending this school for quite a while, how is it that the school didn't know about her parents?  If they've known for a while, but are acting on it now for some reason or another - they better give this family back the money that was paid them for her to attend this private school.

 

AND I fully expect for this school to start kicking out students whose parents are cohabitating.  If they don't, then it's just another lump of bull.

 

 

Click here to read the article.

 

 

And here is the official statement that's posted by the school on their Web site:

 

"Thank you for your inquiry regarding a student that had been enrolled at Ontario Christian School. The student is not attending Ontario Christian, as the family does not meet admissions criteria. The ministry of Ontario Christian is to promote discipleship of Jesus Christ as defined by the Bible and consistent with historical Christianity. The school forms a voluntary partnership with parents who seek the same discipleship. Therefore, the school requires that at least one parent be a confessing Christian and active in the local Christian church. In this case, the parent does not meet the criteria by participating in a homosexual relationship. We regret that this relationship was not disclosed at the time of admission, as that information would have prevented enrollment and the occasion for misunderstanding.

The mission of Ontario Christian School is to provide for the children of Christian parents a Biblically-based, quality education that nurtures students to grow in knowledge, conviction and maturity; therefore, our focus is to equip students with the vision and skills to engage all relationships and culture under the authority of Jesus Christ."

San Diego Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk

On October 14-16, thousands of men and women will be participating in the San Diego Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  Many of you may remember that I participated as a walker a couple of years ago, and last year as a volunteer.  Unfortunately, I cannot participate this year, but one of my good family friends is.

 

Penny Bell, a good family friend is participating.  This will be her second walk, she participated last year in the S.F. walk.  Penny and her family live across the street from my parents in Morgan Hill, CA.  I grew up with one of her sons, Gerry, who is only a couple of years older than me.  The Bells are probably the most kind-hearted people you would ever meet - always giving, always smiling - wonderful people to have in your lives.  When she's not busy donating time to her church, Penny works as a cardiac nurse - tending carefully and lovingly to many patients.

 

With about three more weeks left until she walks, she's barely half-way to her $6,000 fundraising goal.  If you can help sponsor Penny as she walks 60 miles over 3 days, it would mean a lot to her - and a lot to me.  Even if you can forego going to Starbucks for a week to get your daily fix, that $15-$20 would be incredibly helpful.  And even if it's $5 or $10, every bit adds up to helping a great cause.

 

To learn more about the 3-Day Walk click here.

 

To read more about Breast Cancer's affects on men and women, and to learn about how the Susan G. Komen Foundation is helping rebuild non-profit institutions supporting breast cancer in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, click here.

Hollywood Power Outage Sends City Into Chaos

No electricity for 26 minutes. 'This is our Tsunami.'

By Joshua Gates

Actor, Photographer. Victim.

LOS ANGELES, CA, September 12, 2005 - Horror and disbelief swept through the greater Hollywood area this afternoon as a minor power-outage turned the city into a virtual war zone and local residents struggled to deal with the devastating aftermath.

The outage struck at 1:35 PM, during L.A.'s busy afternoon coffee and Pilates rush hour. Traffic lights fell dark, local gyms and sushi restaurants were without power for nearly 30 minutes and many businesses were illuminated only by the light of the sun and its blistering 78 degree heat. "It was horrible," said out of work actor and voice-over artist Rick Shea. "I was in a Jamba Juice on Melrose when it hit and the blenders simply shut down. A woman lunged for my Berry Lime Sublime an after that, well, it got pretty ugly."

In the ensuing panic, local radio stations broadcasted conflicting reports as to exactly which local businesses would be offering relief supplies. Almost 100 people flocked to the Starbucks at Santa Monica and La Brea only to find helpless baristas, no hot coffee and a totally meager selection of baked goods.

"My mother is 83 years old and we heard on the radio that this Starbucks was going to be up and running. If she doesn't get a venti Arabian Mocha Sanani, I don't know what's going to happen to her, I really don't." said Lucinda Merino of Los Feliz.

To make matters worse, those few people who did manage to get coffee were further thwarted by a total lack of artificial sweeteners on site. "Sugar in the Raw? Are you frigging kidding me?," sobbed avid salsa dancer, Enrique Santoro. "I'm on the South Beach Diet and my insulin levels are going to go crazy if I use this. Why isn't the rest of the country doing something?"

Deteriorating conditions will force authorities to evacuate the thousands of people at local Quiznos, movie theaters and upscale shopping centers, including the The Beverly Center, where a policeman told CNN unrest was escalating. The officer expressed concern that the situation could worsen overnight after patrons defaced multiple "So You Think you Can Dance" posters, looted a Baby Gap and demanded free makeovers en masse at a MAC cosmetics store during the afternoon.

At least 2,000 refugees, a majority of them beautiful, will travel in a bus convoy to Beverly Hills starting this evening and will be sheltered at the 8-year-old Spago on North Canon where soft omelettes with confit bacon and Hudson Valley foie gras was being airlifted in by The National Guard.

Honorary Mayor of Hollywood Johnny Grant told a group of embedded reporters at a Koo Koo Roo Chicken restaurant on Larchmont that, "The scope and scale of this disaster is almost too much to comprehend. Local carwashes are at a stand-still, the tram tour at Universal Studios has been on hold for almost an hour now and I've been waiting for a rotisserie leg and thigh with a side of green beans for upwards of 15 minutes. This truly is our Tsunami."

"We want to accommodate those people suffering in the Beverly Center as quickly as possible for the simple reason they have been through a horrible ordeal," Grant said.

"We need water. We need edamame. We need low-carb bread," said Martha Owens, 49 who was one of the thousands trapped in the Beverly Center when the escalators stopped moving. "They need to start sending somebody through here."

Along miles of coastline, the power simply surged, causing writers to lose upwards of a page of original screenplay material, causing Direct TV service to work only intermittently and forcing local residents to walk outside and look helplessly at the Pacific from their ocean view decks. "I can hardly begin to put this experience into words," said longtime Two and a Half Men writer John Edlestein. "I was just getting into my rhythm and making some real headway on a scene where Charlie Sheen parties with a busload of female volleyball players when my Power Book crapped out. I have nothing. Simply, nothing."

Delivering his weekly radio address live from the White House, President Bush announced he was deploying more than 7,000 additional active-duty troops to the region. He comforted victims and praised relief workers.

"But despite their best efforts, the magnitude of responding to a crisis over a disaster area this sunny and trendy has created tremendous problems," he said. "The result is that many of our citizens simply are not getting the help they need, especially in the Hollywood Hills, and that is unacceptable."

Gay Marriages ALMOST Legal in California

I hope this goes through. I'm a married, heterosexual woman who has several gay friends who deserve to share the same legal benefits I have that the civil union of marriage provides.

From today's L.A. Times:

Legislature OKs Gay Marriage

By Nancy Vogel Times Staff WriterWed Sep 7, 7:55 AM ET

SACRAMENTO — The California Legislature made history Tuesday as the Assembly passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.

With no votes to spare, California's lawmakers became the first in the United States to act without a court order to sanction gay marriages. The measure was approved after three Democratic lawmakers who abstained on a similar proposal that failed in June changed their minds under intense lobbying by bill author Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and gay and civil rights activists.

No Republicans voted in favor of the bill. Forty-one of the Assembly's 47 Democrats voted yes; four Democrats voted "no," and two abstained.

The bill, which would change California's legal definition of marriage from "a civil contract between a man and a woman" to a "civil contract between two persons," now goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has signaled that he will veto it.

Tuesday's vote came after 23 lawmakers addressed the chamber, many of them focusing on the historic element of their action, others relating intensely personal stories.

In a moment of high drama, with dozens of gay rights supporters watching from the gallery, Simon Salinas (D-Salinas) hesitated for several seconds as the tally hung at 40 "ayes" — one short of passage. Then, having promised Leno months ago that he would not let the bill fail, Salinas pressed the "aye" button on his desk, making the final vote 41-35.

Those seconds "seemed like an eternity," said Mark Guzman of El Dorado Hills, as he and his partner of 14 years, J. Scott Coatsworth, celebrated in the Capitol rotunda after the voting.

Click here to read the full article.

Get Ready for National Talk Like a Pirate Day!!!

Every year on September 19th, Dave Barry fans and pirate wannabes get all pirate-like. Get more info on National Talk Like a Pirate Day here.

You can even take inventory of your inner pirate with this survey. Here's my inner pirate:


You are The Cap'n!

Some men and women are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any man that stands between them and the mantle of power. You never met a man you couldn't eviscerate. Not that mindless violence is the only avenue open to you - but why take an avenue when you have complete freeway access? You are the definitive Man of Action. You are James Bond in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. Your swash was buckled long ago and you have never been so sure of anything in your life as in your ability to bend everyone to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off their head if they show any sign of taking you on or backing down. You cannot be saddled with tedious underlings, but if one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones' locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.

What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

Entertainment Survey

Share your thoughts on entertainment sources and information by answering the questions in this survey: Click here to access survey.

(I would hugely appreciate it if you could answer the questions in this survey. It will help me out with a work project. Thanks!)

MMmmmmm...Cookies...

I wish it wasn't so late in the evening right now and that I have butter, because I feel like baking cookies!

So, instead I'll just post one of my favorite recipes (they're my husband's favorite too).

Brown Sugar Shortbread
Makes 2 1/2 Dozen
By Mrs. Fields

Shortbread Ingredients:
1 C. salted butter, softened (my favorite is Plugra)
3/4 C. Light Brown Sugar, Packed
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 C. All-Purpose flour (I use Gold Medal)

Topping Ingredients:
1 tbsp. salted butter
1 C. (6 0z.) semisweet chocolate chips (my favorite is Guittard)
1 C. (4 Oz.) pecans, finely chopped (sometimes I do walnuts, or a mixture of walnuts and pecans)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 325-degrees Fahrenheit.

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed. Scrape down sides of bowl. Then add vanilla and flour, and blend thoroughly on low speed.
  
• Shape level tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls, then form into logs 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Place on ungreased baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
  
• Bake for 17-19 minutes or until cookies spread and turn a light golden brown. Transfer to a cool flat surface.
  
• To make topping: Melt butter and chocolate chips in a double boiler* over hot (not boiling) water or in a microwave oven on High power. Stir chocolate every 30 seconds until melted.
  
• Dip top of each rolled shortbread cookie into melted chocolate, then into chopped pecans. Place cookies on waxed paper and refrigerate to set.

--For storing these cookies, I recommend placing them into an airtight container, using waxed paper to separate single layers of cookies.

*Alternate for double boiler: in a medium saucepan place 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water into the pan and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, sit a medium metal (not glass) bowl on top of the saucepan rim (water should NOT be touching the metal bowl). Place butter and chocolate ships into the bowl and stir with a metal spoon or whisk until fully melted.

:::Bock-Bock!!!:::

If it walks like a chicken, talks like a chicken, and smells like a chicken. Well then, it must be chicken.

Poor Kitty

One of my friends just sent me the link for this site where some person posts images on their blog of the stuff people put onto their cats. Hence stuffonmycat.com.

I think that this has to be one of the funniest images on there (I got in a giggle fit).

I'm Blank.

I've been so, so busy at work lately that I really haven't had a chance to post anything super, super interesting. Oh well.

It's late, and I'm tired. I'm just waiting for a few things to print out so that I can take a quick shower before jumping into bed.

Oh...I actually do have something nice to talk about. Tonight I met with about seven former co-workers from the interactive agency that I first started working at when I moved down to Los Angeles - Full Moon. Sadly, like many other dot-com busts, Full Moon didn't make it past March 2001. We met at the old hangout, Birds, in the Hollywood area. One of the old co-workers I keep in contact with quite often, we actually worked together at another agency afterwards which he's still at right now. A couple of other ladies that were there used to work at this other agency too. Anyhow, it was nice to get together to visit and gossip about everyone else that couldn't make it.

That's about it.

Goodnight.

More Blue vs. Red

A friend just forwarded this great rant to me off of Craig's List:

"Dear Red States..." A Letter From The Blue!

---

Reply to: anon-80714812@craigslist.org
Date: Fri Jun 24 11:54:43 2005


Dear Red States...

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and
we're taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon,Washington,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We
believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially
to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.
We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get Elliot
Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.

We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.
We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You
get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states
pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the
Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a
bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and
anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at
once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have
kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no
purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their
children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and
hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our
resources in Bush's Quagmire.

Click here to read the complete posting.

My New Name

This is so goofy! I found the link to this on someone else's blog.

My Sexy Brazilian Name Is

Gisele Meira

What's Your Sexy Brazilian Name?

Things Taste Worse As You Get Older

Last Friday my husband and I went over to our friends' house in Playa Del Rey for dinner. They made this amazing vegetable lasagne (from Cooks Illustrated) and some turkey sausage stuffed bell peppers. While the peppers were in the process of being cooked I had mentioned that my mom used to make our family stuffed green bell peppers all the time (with ground beef, rice, onions, and miscellaneous seasonings). I used to love those darn peppers! I would slather them with a combination of ketchup and A.1. steak sauce.

In discussing these bell peppers, I had mentioned that there were a few dishes that I grew up eating that I just don't like anymore. Within the past 18 months I have made my mom's stuffed bell peppers, and even the famous tuna noodle casserole that I devoured as a child - and I just can't stand them anymore! They're soo bland. Lifeless. I need SPICE! Plus, I don't even enjoy the texture of these dishes anymore.

It makes me wonder if I would still enjoy some of the quick-fix canned or frozen foods that I would divulge in at times, like Chef Boyardee ravioli, SpaghettiO's with meat sauce, pizza rolls (they HAVE to be Totino's) , Bagel Bites. Okay, maybe I can't eat SpaghettiO's anymore.

Am I the only one who feels like this? Probably not.

I'm sure that my joy in eating and cooking good food, dining out at good non-chain food restaurants (soo many to choose from in the L.A. area), and my overall being a "foodie" has aided in my not enjoying my childhood cravings now.

Speaking of foodie, there is apparently this great new magazine called Chow that' s geared for the 30-something who enjoys fine dining and cooking shows, but who may lack many of the skills necessary to cook the things that they really like. I read about this magazine once in one of my many advertising newsletters, though I haven't seen it yet.

Bad-Blogger!

I need to leave posts more often. I have a few experimental blog ideas (that will probably only be new to me).

Anyone have any good ideas on how to keep ones self motivated to post often?

Crazy iPod Sleeves

So I subscribe to this great daily newsletter called DailyCandy L.A. (there are alternatives for other larger cities too). Anyhow, as I was catching-up on some of the latest newsletters that I haven't read lately, I came across one for this company, Tinymeat, that has some interesting and cool pop-art iPod covers. They also have some interesting card cases and wallets too.

They also have a pretty interesting blog.

This is my favorite iPod case from Tinymeat:

On a Jet Plane, Next to a Marine

I took the red-eye out of LAX early this morning to Atlanta on Delta. My flight was supposed to leave at 12:40 a.m. However, due to mechanical difficulties (I believe the gate attendant used the technical phrase "it's just wrong") we moved a gate-and-a-half down to depart where another plane "fresh from the hangar" was on its way. It was a very full flight. They were buying-out people's confirmed seats to get people onto the plane. The rest of the non-seated stragglers (and there were many) were told to show up at 5:00 a.m. to check in and see if they can get onto the 6:00 a.m. flight.

Oy vey.

Lucky for me, I had my aisle seat and I sat next to a very nice young man, a Marine from Camp Pendleton. And when I say "young," I mean YOUNG. He was only 22 years old - making me 11 years older than him. Sheesh.

My seat-neighbor's name eludes me, but I do remember that he's from Peru (by way of Wisconsin). He told me that three months ago, he just returned from his first tour of duty in Iraq. He was there for nine months. To get there, first he said he traveled by ship to Kuwait - it took them three weeks to get there from San Diego by ship. Then, he said that they unloaded their HUMMERS and outfitted them with armour. Then he said that they crossed into Iraq in their reinforced HUMMERS, traveling for three weeks until they reached Fallujah. Along the way they dug trenches and holes in the ground (part of which to sleep in). He said that it wasn't until three months after reaching Fallujah that he had his first shower. He sounded as if his first tour of duty went very slow.

What's even more amazing is that he signed up for another tour of duty. This time he's traveling by ship and stopping off in Hawaii, Australia, the Philippines, South Africa, and Egypt before returning to Iraq. He seems very excited about this trip, especially because he gets to spend three days shore leave at each location.

But for now, until he heads back out in less than two weeks, he's on his way to Miami to surprise his dad in Miami. He hasn't seen him in six years.

I still can't believe that he's only 22 years old! He seemed much older. At least in his mid-to-late 20's. I'm a decade older than him!!!!

Okay, I'm done.

By the way, in case you were wondering, I'm out here for a convention the whole week.

Blogebrity

Shameless plug for my friends' new site Blogebrity. Check it out to see the who's-who of Blog A-Listers. (and even B and C-listers).

You can have your sandcastle, and eat it too.

Okay...Here's one more thing I don't need, but really really want. (Blasted Williams-Sonoma!)



Sandcastle Bundt Pan

Bake a classic bundt cake in the shape of a sandcastle to serve at a birthday party or as a surprise dessert for a special occasion. The cake’s shape is sure to capture the feeling of summer at the seashore–your imagination is the only limit to how you decorate it. For a colorful presentation, finish the cake’s sides with royal icing, or fill the center with fresh berries and ice cream for a cool summertime treat. The pan is constructed of durable cast aluminum that ensures sharp detail and uniform baking. Its premium nonstick interior provides quick release and easy cleanup. 9” x 9 3/4” x 4 3/4” high. 10-cup capacity.

$29.95

Now Featuring: Overheardtoday.com

Just thought I'd let everyone know that I'm one of the blog-team members at Overheardtoday.com. The blog is all about eavesdropping on other people's conversations. Pretty interesting. You should check it out. My friend, BloggerOverheard, just started this blog.

Happy Seis de Mayo

Hopefully you got the margarita or Mexican beer you wanted last night.

Not too much to say today...though I am now listed on Blogwise. Pretty cool.

Who Knew???

Who knew that there was a condiment museum online? That's right you can look over ketchup, mustard, lemon juice, BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, relish and loads of other goodies that help you personalize your noshing experience.



Now you know. Go forth and live your life to its fullest.

I REALLY want these shoes!!!!

(Switching gears now.)

I saw them in NYC for $250.00, so this $229.00 isn't too bad, is it?

Okay, so I'm a nerd...

According to some nerd test I'm "mostly nerdy" at 48%.

Which really shouldn't surprise anyone that really knows me. I mean seriously. I met my husband in a chat room (I was shmoozing for a job, honestly). I'm married to a geek (all of his groomsmen mentioned this during their speeches). We entered our wedding reception to "The Throne Room" Star Wars - A New Hope theme song. AND I entertain my husband by playing D&D with him and his friends -- he created his own campaign world. CRAP...AND I just bid on a Yoda shirt on Ebay. It was funny! Looks like the little Yoda from Cartoon Network's "Clone Wars" animation series.

No matter how cool I think I am, I think I'm really doomed.

I have to start girling myself up, quick! Must go shopping at Sephora. Watch more "Everwood" and "Jack & Bobby." Can't talk to the IT guys anymore. Try out for cheerleading...

Hazing

1. To persecute or harass with meaningless, difficult, or humiliating tasks.
   
2. To initiate, as into a college fraternity, by exacting humiliating performances from or playing rough practical jokes upon.
   
   (Source: Dictionary.com)

Stop hazing.

Do you feel loved?

One more sign of unabashed conservatism in Winona, Minnesota. I wonder if Principal Wondrasch and her faculty at Winona Senior High School would think differently of the "I (heart) My Vagina" pins if they saw "The Vagina Monologues?" I saw it several years ago when it was playing in Beverly Hills, and it was a very emotional and educational performance. And why didn't they suspend the students wearing shirts with the numerals 88 on it - representing the "H" in Hail Hitler - recently in commemoration for the evil man's birthday? I sense a double-standard in this school's administration.

(For information on the V-Day movement to stop violence against women and girls, click here.)

School Suspends 2 Over 'Vagina' Buttons
Friday, April 22, 2005 7:48 AM ET



WINONA, Minn. - The off-Broadway hit "The Vagina Monologues" has gotten two high school students into trouble. The students were admonished for wearing buttons inspired by the show that say "I (heart) My Vagina."

American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota has offered to help students fight any consequences from their actions. The trouble started last month after student Carrie Rethlefsen saw Eve Ensler's play about female sexuality and sexual violence against women. Rethlefsen and fellow student Emily Nixon soon began wearing the buttons.

"We can't really find out what is inappropriate about it," Rethlefsen, 18, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. "I don't think banning things like that is appropriate." As a show of support, more than 100 students have ordered T-shirts bearing "I (heart) My Vagina" for girls and "I Support Your Vagina" for boys. Principal Nancy Wondrasch said some in school find the buttons offensive.

"We support free speech," she said. "But when it does infringe on other people's rights and our school policies, then we need to take a look at that."

"Why is the measure of love loss?"

This blog title, is one of my most favorite book quotes. It's from the book Written on the Body by author Jeanette Winterson. The plot is quite interesting and compelling as the main character tries to define, or measure, the love in their life. I say "their" purposely, because while reading the story you never know what the gender is of the main character. And that's all I'm going to say about the book, because I don't want to ruin it for you, dear reader, if you decide to get it.

The reason why I'm thinking about this book tonight, is that a conversation I had with a friend this evening has made me think of how I would feel if I have lost the one true love in my life - my husband. People all over the world are faced with daily - death, disappearance, leaving, divorce, etc...but I'm mostly referring to the latter. My friend may be facing an end to her 10-year relationship. This knowledge is still too new and fresh for her...it hardly seems real, yet.

I remember my first boyfriend, Paul. We dated for over a year - a pretty good timeframe considering that he was my first boyfriend and we were so young (I was 15 and he was 18). So yes, after doing the math you might have figured out that I was a Junior in H.S. when he went of to college. Like so many H.S.-College relationships, this one didn't last. Sadly, Paul broke up with me...and I was soo devastated. I remember feeling like my heart was ripped out of my chest...and now all that was left was this dark empty space. I can still feel where the golf-ball-sized lump that appeared in my throat when he told me. It took months to get over him. I never thought I would be able to replace him. My feelings for him grew ten-fold after he dumped me. Hence the whole "measure of love loss" thing.

OF COURSE I replaced him, with my husband who is 10 MM times more wonderful. ;)

The conversation with my friend definitely reminds me (I'm often reminded) how special the loves in my life are - family and friends, but most of all my husband. The old adage "You never know what you had until you've lost it."

That's it, I'm done pontificating for the evening.


If you want to learn more about Jeanette Winterson, visit her Web site here: www.jeanettewinterson.com

I guess I should take those pictures down

Latest News & Gossip - E! Online
Coco Arquette's Photo Flap Tue Apr 19, 7:46 PM ET

Courteney Cox Arquette and husband David are so mad, they could scream. Or, at the very least, sue someone.

The celeb duo are fuming over unauthorized pictures of 10-month-old daughter Coco's Apr. 9 christening that have been widely circulated over the Internet via email.
To make matters worse, the original and oft-forwarded email containing the illicit pics appeared to be sent by none other than Coco's godmother and Cox Arquette's Friends confidante, Jennifer Aniston.

Sent Friday, the fast-spreading email reportedly had a subject line of "FW: Friends in town" and contained pictures of Aniston, Cox Arquette, Arquette, baby Coco and various other friends and family members. The text read: "Jeff, Here are some pic's [sic] of that Christening that I went to, that I was telling you about..."

Aniston's rep has denied the email originated with the star and claims that someone posing as Aniston sent out the pictures using a spoofed email address.

The Arquettes, understandably distraught by the distribution of Coco's image in cyberspace, threatened to sue anyone who dared to publish the photos.

[Read the rest of the story here.]

What happened to Kirk Cameron???

My friend Sarah told me about this Web site last weekend, it's horrific: www.wayofthemaster.com

Be sure to answer "No" to the question, "Are you a Christian?" when you first launch the Flash demo. It's quite interesting and appalling. The condemning-tone seems very un-Christian. If anything, I would think that this "quiz" would turn people away rather than bring people into the fold. Basic advertising/marketing 101 says that scare tactics aren't really effective - it's insulting to the consumer.

Jennifer Aniston Has One Less Friend After This Got Out

Supposedly, Jennifer Aniston sent an e-mail with pictures to her friend Jeff Prasertlum...and Jeff forwarded it on to friends. Like the old shampoo commercial, "...and so on, and so on, and so on... ."

Here's a copy of all of the e-mail forwards that ended up in my hands (lucky for all of the people on the list that I went in by hand to delete everyone's e-mail addresses). For the original effect, read this blog posting from the bottom-on-up:


-----Original Message-----
From: Graham, Kathryn
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 12:55 PM
To: Graham, Kathryn
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom


-----Original Message-----
From: Debra Cullen
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 2:40 PM
To: Debra Cullen
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

Coco’s christening

-----Original Message-----
From: jwada
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 3:30 PM
To: Debra Cullen
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

Oh my god, this is great!!!!

------ Forwarded Message ------
From: Marni Rothstein
Mon, 18 Apr 2005 15:28:13 -0400
To: rluebke, jwada, hmerry
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

thought u girls would like this.............

From: Sara Friedman
To: "Amy Schneidkraut (E-mail)", "Brooke Sirota (E-mail)", "Cassie Gabrielson (E-mail)", "Danna Rosenberg (E-mail)", "Jamie Wenger (E-mail)", "Jeff Schaeffer (E-mail)", "Jill Brotman (E-mail)", "Kristen Kourakos (E-mail)" , "Lauren Engel (E-mail)", "Lauren Hendricks (E-mail)", "Marisa Ostheimer (E-mail)", "Marni Rothstein (E-mail)", "Michelle Zigler (E-mail)", "Rachel Bressler (E-mail)", "Rachel Rosenblum (E-mail)", "Rachel Shustak (E-mail)", "Stefanie Browdy (E-mail)"
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom
Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2005 14:35:42 -0400

Check out who sent this email initially...all the way down at the bottom - then look at the pics attached.. SARA FRIEDMAN

-----Original Message-----
From: Bourne, Sari (US)
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 2:30 PM
To: Allison Emmet; Brooke Lazerson (Brooke Lazerson); Melissa Davis; drlevy78 Cc: Alissa.Greenhaus; Sara Friedman; Carly Friedman (aol) (Carly Friedman (aol)); Andy Bourne
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

Am I crazy for thinking this might be legit?

Check out the attachments...

-----Original Message-----
From: Kristin Bentz
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 1:43 PM
To: cruzhoo
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

Check it!
Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.- BETTE MIDLER

Kristin Bentz
KINNEY + KINSELLA

-----Original Message-----
From: Laurel Saville
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 12:46 PM
To: 'Kristin Bentz'; 'Alana Cohen'
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

Soo weird, my friend always gets these random celeb e-mails

Laurel Saville
Kinney+Kinsella

-----Original Message-----
From: Torchen, Amy
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 12:15 PM
To: Womack, Amy (MBFFD cs); Allyson Palmeri; Couch, Micaela; Jackie.Mueller@rsmi.com; Meade, Virginia; Kelly Suchowiecki (E-mail); cait3481; Alysia Bruno (E-mail); Nosilla327; KayJay228; harkie47; lomic81; amelia.lindberg; Shannon, Erica
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

WOAH this is CRAAAAZY!!!

-----Original Message-----
From: Moore, Danielle
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 12:12 PM
To: Torchen, Amy
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

-----Original Message-----
From: Mullahy, Danielle
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 12:05 PM
To: Gina Owens; 'Lauren Stever'; 'Courtney R. Trzaska'; 'katie halleron'; 'Meaghan McNamara'; 'Klampfer, Scott'; Moore, Danielle; Karla; 'FRED WINDHEIM III'; 'Rose, Charles'
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

Wow!

-----Original Message-----
From: Way, Ashley
Sent: April 18, 2005 12:02 PM
To: Gormley, Melissa; Schultz, Elizabeth; Mullahy, Danielle
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

Check this out!!! Read below who originally sent it....

-----Original Message-----
From: Abramovitz, Rachel
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 11:58 AM
To: Meredith Miller; arice; 'Carolyn Bedrosian'; jnodelman; 'Elizabeth Watson'; Way, Ashley; 'Ryan Murphy'
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

What???!!

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephanie Lasker
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 11:55 AM
To: Jamie Sand-Goldberger; Juliana Schure; Abramovitz, Rachel
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

*********************************************
Stephanie Lasker
SeamlessWeb Professional Solutions, Inc.
"The Smart Way To Eat at Work"
COMING SOON SEAMLESSWEB AT HOME
600+ Manhattan restaurants 1 place to order **********************************************

-----Original Message-----
From: Roth, Rachel
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 11:49 AM
To: EricaJLerner; Carrie Burstein; ksegall; Stephanie Lasker; Danielle Stapen
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

-----Original Message-----
From: Mendelsohn, Jamie
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 11:46 AM
To: Goodman, Ira; Roth, Rachel
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

-----Original Message-----
From: Van Cleave, Amalie
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 11:44 AM
To: Mendelsohn, Jamie; gmneff
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

-----Original Message-----
From: Corcoran, Christina
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 11:40 AM
To: Krenzer, Colleen; Van Cleave, Amalie; Miglionico, Kerri; Godwin, Anne
Subject: FW: Look who started the email at the bottom

Funny to me how quickly these are getting around.

-----Original Message-----
From: Laura Roche
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 11:31 AM
To: SStoller; nathalie.cohen; Salas, Andrea; Roche, Elizabeth (GMI Equity OTC Sales/Trading); Paragallo, Jennifer; erika.easter, Corcoran, Christina
Subject: Look who started the email at the bottom

Some pics from Courtney cox's christening..

--- Forwarded message from Julie Schaul ---

-----Original Message-----
From: Jaime Yandolino
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 4:36 PM
Subject: FW: Friends... LOOK WHO STARTED THIS!

-----Original Message-----
From: Marisa Ellish
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 4:15 PM
To:
Subject: FW: Friends...

-----Original Message-----
From: dana
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 4:01 PM
To: Marisa Ellish; Lauren Lessmann; Lauren Rosenthal; Lauren Stern; Leslie Press; amy stern; Rachel Miron
Subject: Friends... Look who started this...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dana Schuessler
Date: Apr 15, 2005 3:56 PM
Subject: Fwd: FW: Friends in town To: dschuess From: "Lucks, Cari"
TO: Amy (E-mail), Dana Schuessler (E-mail) , Deny Soto (E-mail), Gabby Strauss, Heather Kirsch (E-mail), Jill Winegar (E-mail) , Katie O'Shea (E-mail), Mae Gilberg (E-mail), Melissa Rosenberg (E-mail), Matthew Kelley (E-mail), Naomi Finkelstein (E-mail), Nicole Decario (E-mail), Sara Colman (E-mail), pamela1021, jmelz1, luckyml, hillary CC:


-----Original Message-----
From: Zobel, Lauren
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 3:11 PM
To: 'sspitzer' Cc: Lucks, Cari
Subject: FW: Friends in town

Check it out...

-----Original Message-----
From: Courtney Stein
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 2:07 PM
To: danielle.rosen; heather.gershen; lauren.hertz; lcohen;megan_linsey; cohenmj; meredithvmiller; Zobel, Lauren
Subject: Friends in town

just a MODERATE invasion of privacy...


----Original Message Follows----
From: Michael.Elgort
To: courtneybstein
Subject: Fw: Friends in town
Date: Fri, 15 Apr 2005 14:00:11 -0400

some random celebreality pics, more up your alley

Michael E. Elgort
Ernst & Young LLP 5 Times Square New York,

----- Forwarded by Michael E. Elgort/Assurance/AABS/EYLLP/US on 04/15/2005 02:00 PM -----

From: Rich Pashkin/FS2/TAX/EYLLP/US
04/15/2005 01:51 PM
To: Joshua O. Perles/Connecticut/TAX/EYLLP/ Coleen Blakely/Southeast/TAX/EYLLP/, Michael E. Elgort/Assurance/AABS/EYLLP/, Ashley B. Cousins/FS2/TAX/EYLLP/, Christopher M. Rivera/PFC/TAX/EYLLP/, Rebecca L. DiGangi/Cons/TAX/EYLLP/, Linda Helble/Cons/TAX/EYLLP/, sian.rayson@ey.com cc
Subject Fw: Friends in town

----- Forwarded by Rich Pashkin/FS2/TAX/EYLLP/US on 04/15/2005 01:50 PM

----- From: "Prasertlum, Jeff" 04/15/2005 01:11 PM -----

To: "Paul Darrow (E-mail)", "Dean Meyers (E-mail)", "Rich Pashkin (E-mail)"
Subject FW: Friends in town

check it.


-----Original Message-----
From: Jennifer Aniston
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 12:32 PM
To: Prasertlum, Jeff
Subject: FW: Friends in town

Jeff, Here are some pic's of that Christening that I went to, that I was telling you about... _____________________________________________


And last but not least my bloggy-friends...here are the pictures that were attached to Jennifer's e-mail:

Sorry I removed the pictures!!!!!!!

What if I'm not having a clambake, ever?

I really, really, really want to buy these, but I have no idea what to do with them.





CLAMBAKE COLANDERS
Large Colander $45.00 Mini-Colanders, Set of 6 $75.00


I just love these gorgeous little holed-cups of juicy color. They're tiny and playful. But seriously...who really needs itty-bitty colanders??? If I bought these my husband would freak out. We would have no place to store them. We don't even have enough places to store our dish collections. Not to mention that we still have unused wedding gifts still being stored at his parents' house - we got married over three years ago.

If anyone reading this post can come up with another use for these things, maybe I can purchase them!!! (I can't even think of anyone I know getting married who could use these.)

I just want to buy them. Eeek!

Some Bunny Loves You

To get in the hippity-hoppity Easter spirit, I have decided to find some jokes and riddles for you.


Q: How do bunnies stay healthy?
A: Eggercise

Q: What grows between your nose and chin?
A: Tulips (Two Lips).

Q: What do you call a bunny with a dictionary in his pants?
A: A smarty pants.

Q: What's long and stylish and full of cats?
A:The Easter Purrade!

Q: What does it mean when you see thirty rabbits in a row and they are all marching backwards?
A: What you have is a receding hareline.

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
"Esther!"
"Esther, who?"
"Esther-Bunny!"

Q: Why is a bunny the luckiest animal in the world?
A: It has 4 rabbit's feet.

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
"Lettuce."
Lettuce who?
"Lettuce hide some more eggs."

One More Reason to Not Like Texas

First of all...Red State. Then there was the Texas Board of Education's ruling to change the wording in all of their school's text books where marriage was mentioned in order to clarify that it was a union between a man and a woman -- leaving out gay/lesbian marriages.

And now this...Cheerleaders can't even do what they do best??? What is this world coming to? It's just ridiculous.


AFP - Sat Mar 19, 5:44 6 PM ET

Did the Housing Prices Drop Yet?

I have a "lovely" commute from South Pasadena to Venice. This afternoon just after 4:00 p.m. there was a 3.4 earthquake about 4 mi. west off the coast from Manhattan Beach. Man, did we ever feel it here! Shortly after it was over, I popped my head outside my office and said, "I think the housing prices just finally dropped!" I got a few good chuckles.



See the larger blue box just to the right of the Catalina islands??? That's it!

You can find more of the nitty-gritty here: http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/ci14133232.htm

Belated New Year Greetings

Goodness gracious. Okay, so it's been AGES since my last posting. Lots had gone on the last three months of 2004. I could sit here and topline each month, but I'm just not in the mood to do so. Instead, I'll just talk about a few of the things that have happened so far in 2005.

• One of our friend's got laid-off for the eight-bazillionth time AGAIN. He just has the worst luck with jobs, AND women. Coincidentally, he and his 2nd wife are trying to divorce amicably. Is it bad to say I never really warmed-up to her in the first place?
• I FINALLY had my first review with my boss in January - two months past my 1 year mark. It went well.
• Work-work-work-work! I've been incredibly busy with work. I know have weekly meetings that take place at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesdays and 9:00 a.m. on Thursdays. I usually call-in from my car while on the way to work. Just craziness.
• Went to my crazy cousin's (one of many) wedding in Chandler, AZ. Saw lots of other relatives that I haven't seen in ages. My husband had a horrible headache the whole time. *gasp*
• Wonderful news, my husband got a permanent gig. The place he's been freelancing at since last October offered him a full-time position. Lucky for us, this stability will help us buy a house this year because....
• We got SCREWED by the tax man! We owe. We need a write-off that doesn't require a 9-month gestational period (or food, clothes, shelter, and requiring me to gain more weight that I have already gained w/in the past year).

Other than that...things are grand.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!