Kittens
My friend’s neighbor’s house seems to be a cat factory. Apparently all the stray cats in the area like to congregate under the shrubs and porches and other sheltered places on her property. What do they do there? They have kittens. Lots and lots of kittens.
See that squinty little guy in the front? I call him "Popeye."
There are five in the latest litter, which I got to see this weekend. I am told that they are only a few weeks old. Each one is just big enough to fit in my hand. They are they softest little things; even their little claws haven’t really sharpened yet. The tiny mews that escape their mouths are so precious that I can’t help but squeal when I hear it. The best part is that while they are just courageous enough to be curious about people, they are still too young to know that they should probably run away when one of us tries to pick one of them up.
All I know is that I must have some seriously good karma going on. If I didn’t, my conscience would have shut itself up and not reminded me that 1) my grandparents don’t like cats, and 2) we have a very large dog that could swallow a kitten whole. If that karma weren’t so good, I would be well on my way to becoming the crazy cat lady with hundreds of cats inside and out, to whom I would leave all my worldly possessions when I die. It took every ounce of my moral fiber not to take one of those little squirts home with me.
But honestly, though – how lucky am I to be able to resist a face like this?
NASA attacks the moon!
Gentle readers, I am feeling particularly lazy as of late. So lazy, in fact, that I have asked a friend, the distinguished Mr. Otto von Kotzenmeister, to write a guest post for me. Enjoy!
Watch out, Moon!
I can live with the headline “NASA attacks the moon” or “NASA to bomb moon.” I mean, it did catch my eye enough to have me read the article. But when you get a smug newscaster from MSNBC with raised eyebrows prefacing a report with “…and there’s this item, we’ve decided to bomb the moon” it gives off a totally different vibe. He goes on to show the computer simulated video of what will happen when NASA crashes it’s rocket into the moon (spoiler alert: it blows up), although with the amount of reverence they gave this story it would have been more than appropriate to play Yakety Sax in the background while showing it.
Of course, like any other red blooded American, at this point you must be thinking, “Yeah, sure, water on the moon, future missions, space exploration blah blah blaaaahh, how much am I paying for this?” Well, MSNBC is right there with you wondering the same thing; they end the video with “This ‘moon bombing’ mission, by the way, is costing tax payers 79 [pause] million dollars.” And I’m left wondering, do they really need to say that? Are there comparable stories about the most recent mission in Iraq where they add that it has cost tax payers 900 billion dollars at the end of the story with a skeptical look on their face? Someone did the math (not me, I don’t do math) and this experiment cost each tax payer 26 cents if the cost were evenly distributed across the U.S. population. That seems pretty worth it. But no, let’s just rile people up instead until we are left with comments like these:
Why NASA spent alot of money to strike the moon even though our economic in the world is in trouble. If hit the moon, earth’s surface and weather will be changed worst. Sciencists [sic] know nothing but God knows. Does God allow?
I don’t think this is a good idea at all. What if something goes terribly wrong? The moon should be left alone.
And my favorite:
Is money all that you all think that is important! The moon sound be left alone, NASA has to put their noses in everything and in somethings that should be left alone! WTF is your all’s problem get a life! It’s people like NASA who think that they know everything about outer space when really they don’t know diddly crap. LEAVE OUTER SPACE ALONE!!!! Up with space down with NASA!!!
Well, the attack on the moon happened early this morning and the earth and moon seem to be intact, and it’s raining now so I can only assume that the weather is still working. But I’m 26 cents poorer, and so are you – I expect my moon house and hover-car before the world ends in 2012.
Ginger pumpkin bread
The sudden chill in the air has made me crave all things squashy and pumpkiny, so I thought it was about time I whipped up some pumpkin bread. It’s a wonderful quick bread with a subtle gingery, tangy twist that can be made by whisking alone; while I adore my KitchenAid stand mixer, sometimes it’s nice to feel empowered by mixing by hand.
I highly recommend placing a sheet of wax paper, foil or some other protective coating under the cooling rack if you decide to glaze your loaf. If you don’t, you’ll be scrubbing a dried sugary mess from your countertop. That’s not fun.
This recipe is adapted from the October 2006 issue of Everyday Food magazine.
Ginger Pumpkin Bread
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for pan- shortening for pan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 can (15-oz.) pumpkin purée (1-3/4 cups)
- 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) butter, melted
- 3 large eggs
- sugar glaze (recipe below)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour a large loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugars, pumpkin, melted butter and eggs. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir just until combined.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 60-70 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then invert pan and transfer loaf to a wire rack to cool completely. Glaze.
Sugar Glaze
- 1-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water
In a small bowl (or spouted measuring cup) gradually add water to confectioner’s sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until mixture is smooth but thick. Drizzle over loaf.
Something NaNo this way comes
Well, gentle readers, it’s that time again. With thirty days left in the month of October, I have once again signed up for the infamous National Novel Writing Month challenge. This will be my fourth year participating, and (we can always hope) the year that I actually reach the goal of writing 50,000 words in thirty days.
It’s funny, really. Every year I surprise myself with how excited I get about this silly little challenge. I made sure that my user name was still active two months ago. When I saw that they would be starting fresh for this season’s NaNoWriMo today, I found myself checking the website every 15 minutes so that I could get a glimpse of the brand new badges (like the one to your right). I even know what I’m going to write about, and I really have to restrain myself from starting to write right now. It’s sad, I know, but it just proves that I’m not doing a bad thing by participating.
I have a bad reputation for starting NaNoWriMo with high hopes and well thought-out plans, and for letting the whole thing flush unceremoniously down the commode. With that said, there really isn’t a good reason to think that I’ll miraculously earn the coveted “winner” badge to display proudly wherever images are proudly displayed.
I’ll tell you what, though, gentle readers, after three consecutive years of not winning, I’m more determined than ever to meet the challenge. Despite my bad track record, some things have changed from years past that might give me a snowball’s chance in hell:
Years past: My state’s music teachers association’s state conference sucked up a huge portion of my precious time.
This year: I have resigned my post as Conference Registrar, meaning that I will actually have a life in the month of November. Let some other schmuck do it.
Years past: Editing my state’s music teachers association’s annual yearbook, the biggest and most important publication of the year, required more of my attention than I was willing to give.
This year: As with the position of Conference Registrar, I have sort of resigned my post as Yearbook Editor. I say “sort of” because I have agreed to temporarily remain on call as Co-Editor, but this title is mainly given out of respect for my willingness to help my replacement not completely screw everything up. Either way, I expect to have a lot more free time.
Years past: Thanksgiving was spent in a house that was so lovely it makes my heart ache not to be in it, but that was over six hours away. Driving that distance takes a lot of time and energy away from writing.
This year: Thanksgiving will be spent either here or at my parents house, which is only an hour away. Also, since I took on most of the Thanksgiving feast preparations last year (believe me, I am in no way complaining), I now know what exactly is involved and can be even more time and energy efficient so as to maximize my holiday writing.
Years past: Pulling creative bits of fiction from my brain, despite extensive planning, proved to be much more difficult than I had expected. I ended up writing myself into a corner, not knowing where to go next.
This year: I have decided to take a semi-autobiographical route. Since I have a wealth of memories built up over the last almost-thirty years, I don’t expect to have as much of a problem thinking of things to write about.
Years past: I did not have an iPod Touch.
This year: I do have an iPod Touch. That doesn’t really make a difference in the grand scheme of novel writing, but I thought I should mention it.
Over the past three years of participating in NaNoWriMo, I may have broken the 50,000-word barrier collectively. I know I passed 31,000 words last year. The years before weren’t so great; I may have averaged 15,000 words the two years before that. Given that the trend is on the upswing, the odds are in my favor that I may come close enough to my goal to push through to the end.
Of course, there is a part of me that feels like Bruce McCullough’s shrimpy little Napoleonic fighter that picks a fight with the tough guy twice his size, who (no matter how many times he is punched out, and despite pleas from his girlfriend, the crowd gathered around him and even the monster he is fighting) won’t admit that he’s bitten off more than he can chew and just will not stay down.
Stuff My Students Said
As a teacher, I regularly come into contact with young children. As young children, they tend to stay true to Bill Cosby’s adage and say the darndest things. On several occasions I have walked out of a lesson laughing so hard that I couldn’t even get the words out of my mouth to explain why I was laughing. It makes for a pretty good work environment.
There’s only one problem. My memory is that of a gnat. I remember cutting one student’s lesson short last year because I couldn’t stop laughing, but I can’t for the life of me remember what that student said to make me laugh so hard. That’s just not cool.
And so, with the help of a colleague, a new blog was born: Stuff My Students Said. We decided to chronicle just what the blog says: stuff our students say. Specifically, the stuff they say that makes us laugh, or is just plain out of left field.
While this blog is the result of piano lessons and stuff said by piano students, we certainly welcome stuff other students say, whether they be from music lessons or math class. So, if you know any teachers, spread the word and tell them to submit the stuff their students said.
Arrrrrrrrrrrr
Avast ye, me hearties! Today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day!
Almost ever’ year someone reminds me about ITLAPD, but nay until 11:00pm th’ tide o’. But this voyage I remembered in time t’ do somethin’ about ‘t. I didna reckon in time t’ make a proper costume, but after all, today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day, nay International Dress Like A Pirate Day.
So, mateys, buckle yer swash an’ shiver yer timbers! Raise th’ Jolly Roger! Change yer Facebook settings to English (Pirate) and speak like a true buccaneer!
Yarrrrrrrrrr!
Hi, my name is Ninja Assassin and I’ll be your waiter tonight.
I think our local brewpub may be hiring its waitstaff from outside the normal pool of potential employees.
Tomato Town: Salsa
Today’s tomato recipe comes from the scariest cookbook I know: my brain.
Normally, when I cook, I start with a recipe from a tried and tested cookbook, and then adjust it to give it a spin to reflect my personal tastes. To start completely from scratch and create a recipe out of thin air is a rare thing, mainly because I am afraid of concocting something so vile that those who eat it will die a horrible, acid reflux-induced death.
However, if I didn’t get a little creative, I would never use up these blasted tomatoes.
Salsa is pretty hard to mess up. All that is involved is chopping up a little of this and that until it tastes the way you want it to.
My recipe is pretty simple, and can be adjusted, depending upon how oniony or garlicky or spicy or sweet you like your salsa. Remember, spiciness is determined by the jalapeño – the more seeds and the more of the ribs left in, the spicier it gets. Incidentally, wash your hands immediately after working with a jalapeño, and do not under any circumstances touch your eyes until that jalapeño oil is washed off, unless you enjoy blinding pain.
All-Purpose Salsa
Chop up and mix together the following:
- about 4 large (beefsteak-sized) tomatoes
- 1 small onion
- 4 or 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 jalapeño
- a handful of cilantro
Squeeze half of a lime and drizzle a teeny bit of olive oil over the salsa. Season to taste with kosher salt and coarsely-ground pepper.
