Woodwoodworkshop so far..

In the Zombie Apocalypse, I'd rather be a Geek!

I saw a GeekSquad car the other day.

I was in my car eating lunch in the grocery store parking lot, when the little black VW Bug with the large, yellow advertisement rolled by on the street in front of me. I'd seen the advertisements on TV back in college, but (as with most ads you see) figured it would be pretty much an East coast thing and we'd never see it out here.

Consequently, I was so stunned that it took me a few minutes to get the breadstick I was eating into my mouth.

Geeks are cool. And I say that with the utmost sincerity (and not just because I was one). Because, when it comes down to it, who does the world rely on to fix their computers, to design innovative things, to create art that makes our world beautiful, to send our men to the moon & keep them (and us) safe to boot? It's the geeks. That kid you sit next to who wears the thick glasses and is just kind of odd -- he's our next NASA Engineer. The guy who will solve global warming. The guy who will design the armored suit that will keep our soldiers safe overseas. The guy who will be the next Rembrandt. Or Tchaikovsky. Or Shakespeare. Those kids labeled as "geekish" are resourceful and free thinkers, minds who will challenge the world as we know it.

Still, despite their strengths, people will look the other way. People will still judge, and ignore, or worse yet, ridicule.

Not me, though. At the end of the day, when the zombie apocalypse is raining its wrath down on our heads, I'd rather share my foxhole with a geek. With a pencil and some baling wire, they might just get us out of the mess we'd be in.

~*~
Heather S. Ingemar has loved to play with words since she was little, and it wasn’t long until she started writing her own stories. Termed “a little odd” by her peers, she took great delight in exploring tales with a gothic flair, and to this day, Edgar Allan Poe continues to be her literary hero. To learn more, please visit: http://ingemarwrites.wordpress.com/ or follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/heatheringemar

Irresistable Rocky Road Fudge

Puuh. I can't put words on how nice it is to come home to a quiet home after spending a couple of hours with wild children that are running around everywhere, and screaming all the time. I am so happy I don't have any small siblings. I would make a terrible big sis to them, haha. But besides all the noise and wild games all the "small people" were occupying themselves with, I had a great time. Especially with that Rocky Road Fudge...I was suppose to take two pieces, but somehow I just happened to double the size, and now I am guilty as charged, hehe. But even though they must be huge calorie bombs, I have to learn how to make those. Trudi said it was really easy, and that I could just google it. So regardless of how much I have to exercise afterwards, I will make those because they are simply too good to resist.

Risgrynsgröt

Vicki was the cutest sister ever this morning. While we all were still sleeping, she sneaked down to the grocery store to surprise us by buying risgrynsgröt. You guys have no idea how much I love risgrynsgröt, but it's a lot of love I can say...I think it is one of the major reason why I love Christmas - because then you can eat a lot of risgrynsgröt without people telling you "why do you want to it risgrynsgröt all the time? It's not even Christmas yet!". Anyhow, today is Första Advent and I have to start getting ready since we are invited to Trudel's yearly Adventsfika at 3.00 p.m. We'll see how long I'll be stuck there...

Oh by the way, have a great Första Advent!

A Home Wanted

As I haven't done anything for DARG for a while now, and as they have so many new dogs and cats up for adoption, I thought I must really do another painting.

This is Sledge.  He is a cross Husky something and was apparently abandoned by his owner.

It always amazes me how human beings can be so callous about their fellow creatures.  We domesticate them to such a degree that they become totally reliant on us for all their needs, and then idiots like this owner decide they don't want them anymore!

I believe we share this beautiful planet with our fellow creatures and our intellect does not give us dominion and lording rights over them.

I hope Sledge finds someone who will care for him.

Uppsala Christmas market

Even though it was 5°C and no snow, a tradition is a tradition. So mami, sis and I went down town for the yearly Christmas market, which is always held the weekend of 1st Advent here in Uppsala. I don't think that that many people outside of Sweden (OK, Scandinavia) are that familiar with the term "Advent", but basically it is the four Sundays counting down to Christmas; it is also the time when you are suppose to drink glögg (mulled wine), eat pepparkakor (gingerbread), and of course indulge in big amounts of lussekatter! (Which has the funny translation of Lucia cat!? Haha.) I'm not that found of glögg, but for the sake of Advent and the whole Christmas spirit, I can endure a cup from time to time. After all, it makes the approach of Christmas more like - Christmas.

Another thing that brings me into the Christmas spirit is all of the Christmas songs that they have started to play everywhere. However, I know through experience that this feeling of coziness won't last up until it is Christmas for real. Because then, the same songs playing over and over and over and over again EVERYWHERE have started to get on my nerves, and all I want to do is throw up at it. Nevertheless, that isn't the case yet, so I am just going to enjoy all of it for now. Because regardless, I do like Christmas.

Mami and me

Found this cute and wise statement in a small boutique "It is not important of where you are heading in life...what you do...or how much you own...the important thing is who you have by your side".


Vicki came home with a "Salmon bomb" as a surprise yesterday which made a perfect Saturday snack for today ;) Dangerous, dangerous but delicious, delicious...

Maid of the day

What would mami do without me? I have just vacuum cleaned the whole apartment, cleaned mirrors, washed dishes, and wiped away every piece of dust in the in our hallway. So, for all of those people (including mami and sis) that think that I am useless when it comes to housework...Guess what? You are wrong! I'm actually quite good at it, and it gives you a really good workout too, haha...

Something about Tuesdays

I have started to love Tuesdays. I know it's Wednesday today, but I didn't have any time to blog yesterday, and my joy just have to come out. So prepare yourself, because I wasn't prepared at all for...getting a freaking 7 (the highest grade on the IB scale) on a Swedish essay I wrote a while back!!! Last Tuesday I was told that I got a 6 on my Environmental Systems and Societies exam, and now this?! There is seriously something special about Tuesdays...And I kind of like it. :)

BGR The Burger Joint

This Bethesda (and Alexandria and Dupont) burger joi--er, outlet bills its offering as the" one burger you MUST HAVE before you die."  Now that's taking it a little far.  That said, PLEASE get to your local Burger Joint and have the shake of the month before November ends.  The flavor is pumpkin pie, and the results are OH MY GOSH delicious.  Really.  Just go.

J and B enjoyed the burger of the month on a recent voyage: Thanksgiving On A Bun.  TOAB is a deliciously moist and well-seasoned turkey burger topped with cornbread stuffing, cranberries, and gravy.  I had to do something other than ALL CAPS to show you how amazing I think those toppings are.  Variety is the spice of life, people!

TOAB was great, and the sweet potato fries (and regular for traditionalists) are pretty good, too.  Even the veggie burger is yum--smoky and full of lots o' bits of good stuff.

I didn't have a regular burger, but I'm sure it's good.  Better than Ray's?  I'll have to go back to render that verdict.  For now, the only advantage I see for BGR is that you can bring your vegetarian plus-one there without damning them to a mac 'n' cheese existence (LC i'm looking at you!). 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!!!!


BGR: The Burger Joint
4827 Fairmont Ave
Bethesda, MD
Metro: Red Line to Bethesda (and other locations in Dupont & Old Town, Alex)

Gus's Unique Talent in Cynthia's Attic

Hey, everyone! And, Happy Thanksgiving (almost). Mary Cunningham was supposed to post today, but since she's busy getting ready for the big dinner tomorrow, I said I'd fill in for her since I want nothing to distract her from cooking that turkey!

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Gus. My given name is Augusta Lee, but don't call me that unless you want a kick in the shins. Other than my limitless appetite, I have a pretty special talent. I don't supposed I need to keep it a secret since there are already four – count 'em – four books about me! And, my time-traveling side-kick, Cynthia, of course.

Our latest adventure take us on a very special trip to Swiss castle in the early 1900s to look for clues in the disappearance of a magician's assistant. This may not sound like much of a challenge, but, if we don't find her then Cynthia's family could face personal and financial ruin! We can't let that happen, now can we?

So check out Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle. In fact, check out the whole series! Thanks to me and my very special talent to travel from place to place through a magic trunk, you'll be glad you did.

Oh, and check out the cool video below!


Buy Cynthia's Attic Series on Amazon

Mary Cunningham Books
Cynthia's Attic Blog
Amazon
Kindle
Fictionwise

Remember that time...

That I was really sad because I had to take the bar exam, and it kept me from blogging?

Well.  I PASSED.

Now for the real reason I wanted to tell you that: I celebrated with a DEEEEELICIOUS pumpkin custard and gingerbread crust PIE from The Dairy Godmother.  Thank you J, E, & C for being fabulous celebratory company!

I follow DG on Twitter, and there is no better way to give yourself a hankering for dessert than to get the early AM tweet with the flavor of the day.  Check out my pie.  I just ate the last slice for dinner this past Saturday.  You heard me right.  Dinner.

My Prize

Yesterday I picked up my wonderful prize for coming second in James Parker's  Windows to the Words challenge blog!

All the way from the USA, arriving safely in Cape Town (we never know whether anything will get to its destination or not!), here are the two marvellous paintings - the hummingbird is a tiny little painting which will sit next to me in my art room.

Thank you James!

 

Purgatorio

Throughout the drawn-out process of moving house, it seems that almost everyone I know has sympathetically opined that "it's the second most stressful thing you'll go through in your life", with the first being divorce. I'm not sure where everyone has apparently sourced this piece of information, but it's become a modern axiom - at least in well-fed Western countries where the fear of war, starvation, extreme poverty or genocide has receded into a comfortable background. In any event, I disagree. Moving house was far more stressful than my divorce.

"It's like the fifth circle of Hell", Clever Colleague suggested helpfully.

"What gets punished in the fifth circle?" I asked, warily.

CC furrowed her brows. "Actually, I don't know. It just seemed like a good, mid-level sort of Hell. Would you prefer the seventh circle?"

Unknowingly, CC was right on the money. The fifth circle of Dante's Inferno is where the wrathful and slothful are sent for punishment. (I'm a prime candidate in both departments, alternating my spare afternoon hours between road rage and siestas.) Of course, that's not the only place that us lazy bums can end up. The other is Purgatorio.

Dante envisioned purgatory as an island of concentric terraces rising upwards out of the Southern Oceans. Each sin gets its own terrace, where the wicked endure various degrees of tortuous suffering in the name of spiritual growth. The punishments, ironically, fit the crimes, and therefore we find the Proud struggling to hold their shoulders up under the weight of huge boulders, the Gluttonous abstaining from food and drink... and the slothful, running in perpetuity to atone for their laziness on Earth.

I was struck by the comparison. Rather than being Hell, moving house is basically a form of Purgatory on Earth, where we are forced to confront our months or years of slothful housekeeping and haphazard storage. Thus, for over a month, Clever Partner and I were constantly running to atone for our sins. We marvelled with the hindsight of a soul in Purgatory - didn't we know that the oven should have been cleaned every six months? Could we not have forseen the problems inherent in simply shoving unwanted items out of the way to the top of bookshelves or underneath tables? Should we not have realised that our failure to properly clean out five years' worth of accumulated junk from various expat flatmates would result in a mountain of detritus that would take the council three collections to dispose of?

Well, apparently not. We didn't, and, considering the degree to which comparisons between moving house and Hell are readily accepted, nobody else does, either. And now that we have worked out way through Purgatory to the Paradise of the New House, let us bow our heads and pray:

"May we always remember to scrub the grout,
Have the wisdom to unblock the downspout.
Free us from rising damp and insect hordes,
From leaking taps and rotten old floorboards.
May we never seek to store things overhead
Atop shelves and cupboards, or below our bed.
Deliver us from black-spot mould
And, please, before this house is sold
Shall we ever strive to clean, and then
Roll up our sleeves and clean again."

Amen.

Learning languages from each other.

One of the many reasons I am proud to teach Y3C is that they have been really up for sharing each other's cultures and languages. Everyday, we practice greeting each other in many different ways. We've practiced bits and pieces of Chinese, French, Arabic, Turkish, Indian, German, Irish and more. However, no one has taught us more (so far) that Mr. Sekula. Yes, that's right, Y3C had a visit from a very special teacher last week, our very own Maksymillian. Here he is taking us through the basics of Polish phonics. Apologies for the video quality but I think you can see that we are very lucky to have so many different cultures in our class willing to share!


Mr. Cusack.

mm, cm, metres and kilometres

Year 3C have been working extremely hard over the last few weeks at learning how to measure accurately. We have carried out many studies including this one, to find out the most common length of shoe in our class. We found out that we have mostly big feet (over 20cm long!).









Y3C are doing fantastic work in Numeracy.

Mr. Cusack

Comic Book Hero

What can I say? Little Lulu was my first literary hero. I hurried to the corner drugstore with a dime clutched tightly in my hot little hand to buy each month's edition the minute it hit the newstands. I collected piles of them and read and reread them. I still have a few, although brittle, and always watch for them at flea markets and antique stores.
In truth, I wanted to BE Little Lulu. I loved her fiesty attitude, her mischievious pranks, and the way she always outsmarted the boys. Sometimes she played detective and called herself "The Spider." When she caught the culprit - usually her father, she always said, "The Spider spins again!"
Her best friends were Annie and Tubby. Sometimes she babysat Alvin, a pesky little boy. Her teacher, Miss Feeny, often sent her on errands, but the truant officer, Mr. McNabb, always ended up chasing her thinking she was playing hooky. Gloria was the perfect, pretty little girl and Wilbur was the rich boy in her class. Willy and Iggy never wanted girls in their club, but Lulu broke that barrier and always figured out a way to make them look stupid.
I named one of my characters Lulu in her honor in my upcoming novel, Back to Bailey's Chase, due out Summer 2010. Go Lulu Moppett!
In fact, I think I'll go read some Little Lulu comics right now.

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Birthday Miley, Happy Happy Joy Joy

by Pam Ripling

Shout out to Miley Cyrus, who’s celebrating her 17^th birthday today. I’ve always been fond of Billy Ray’s likable offspring. Were I a teen, I’d covet that gorgeous blonde wig she dons as Hannah Montana, her teenish-sultry singing voice, her down-home practical girl television persona. I was glad she was the influence-of-the-day for my young daughter a few years back, when Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff) faded into that neverland of ex-Disney pre-adult stardom. And yes, I know, Miley's fallen from grace for some, due to some campy photos she's posed for. She's a teen, they all do it, get over it. Each of these girls are unique and beautiful.

So what is my unique talent? I stumble on that word, “unique” because it denotes a sense of, well, a little bragginess. I don’t like to be braggy, like Sister Berenstain Bear. I like to think that I’m good at a few things, but I’d never go so far as to call myself unique. After all, doesn’t that mean something like, “one of a kind?” Here are a few things that might be “different”-- albeit not unique. (Taking deep breath.)

• I rarely, if ever, get writer’s block
• I don’t hate our president
• My kids all respect me
• I’ve dreamed of being a 1940’s starlet
• I’m extremely tolerant of diversities
• I don’t like licorice
• My father was a stand-in for Clark Gable (okay, that last one was about Dad, not me, but still...)

Oh, I once toured a huge popstar’s home with his fiancée just because I knocked on the door and she let me in (a perk of growing up in N. Hollywood.) Talk about a dream come true! That was a truly unique experience.

I know, it’s a rag-tag list, but I don’t care, because I can almost smell the turkey and cranberries, which distorts my ability to write a uniquely decent blog on a Monday morning...

Wishing you all a wonderful day of gratitude!

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.

I Yam What I Yam

Popeye The Sailor is a wonderful cartoon that doesn't get nearly the credit it deserves. Popeye first came out in 1929 and was at one point, more popular than Mickey Mouse! Pretty cool, hey?

Have you ever listened to what the guy mumbles in the old cartoons? OMGosh, it would have all the PC types up in arms today. Hilarious stuff though, and the reason he's always been my favorite cartoon character.

Here's a few of my faves from what I think is the best cartoon of his ever: Popeye Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves:

Popeye, trying to get the door open: Open Cecil, Open Sissy…and then later, when he eats his famous spinach: Open Says-me…

When he does get in, he's afraid to get caught, so he runs through mumbling "tippy-toe, tippy-toe, tippy-toe, tippy-toe" lol!

In the big fight with Ali Baba, he jumps into Ali Baba's clothing and punches him from the sleeves, inside the collar, saying things like "peek-a-boo!"

Give it a watch on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox5mzTtYfK0

Hope you have as many giggles as it gave me!

Warmly,
J.R. Turner

J.R. Turner is the author of the Extreme Hauntings series. The first book, DFF: Dead Friends Forever is available at Amazon.com, Kindle, Fictionwise, and Echelon Press.com

Speaking of time

God my head is tired. I've been doing maths the whole day, and by that I really mean the WHOLE day. However, when I then checked my calender I saw something crazy. Like it for instance that today is exactly the 14th week I've been in Sweden; that it's four weeks to Christmas; that it's only five weeks until this year is over!

A while ago sis and I were talking about time. How fast hours, days, weeks, and even years pass us by, and then she told me something that I never really thought about, but still made so much sense. She told me that time is flying quickly because every week is full of routine, and then when summer arrives, and we are off to Malaysia, time stops for two months. It's like the future doesn't exist. I never worry about the future, about the upcoming days. I often don't even know what day it is! But then when we come back home to Sweden, it's suddenly fall. We get occupied in the routines of school and work, and suddenly it's winter, Christmas, New Year...All equally quick in arriving, and disappearing.

Wow, I just realized how pessimistic I sounded. Haha, that wasn't really my main point, but maybe it will give everyone reading this another view of looking at time. That no matter if you want it or not, time will pass you by and it's up to each person to make the best out of each day. Of course we need routines in our lives, it's good for us, but we should never forget to just live in the moment from time to time. Because that is also good for us, trust me.

Quinces and Walnuts

My computer was non functional for 3 days this week.  Our single, state run telecommunications service took its own sweet time about restoring lines in our area, and my service provider was not amused when I asked her if I needed to take up writing letters and using the post office again!  Absolutely no sense of humour.

And with Summer finally here, life seems to get very active, so not much painting gets done.

I did, however, manage to paint from a rather nice pic taken from Dana Marie's Inspiration all Around us blog, of quinces and nuts - I called them walnuts - I think that's what they are.

Now she has another amazing pic posted, so hopefully I will get to that one in the next week! 

New Moon premiere

Me, Lewar, and Dilan got the best seats out of our little crew of 19 chicks that joined. Thanks girls! :D

Popcorn and cute guys. The evening was great.

Biking home after the movies was probably the most refreshing thing I've done in quite some time. I seriously needed some fresh air from those half hyperventilating moments. Especially that one when Jacob is out in the rain shirtless (like he was almost during the whole movie, but it's not like I complain)...I mean good gracious those abs! We often talk about girls having good bodies but jeez, his "werewolf diet" really worked wonders, and with that short hair added - he was pure eye candy. And Edward wasn't that bad either...The only funny thing though, was that since we all had started to become used to the fact that all the werewolves were running around shirtless with their super trimmed bodies (no one could beat Jacob's though), there of course came the scene when Edward was going shirtless towards the end. Hmm, how should I say this. It was rather interesting compared to Jacob's golden brown six pack (or was it eight!?), haha. But he's cute anyway so it doesn't really matter.

Anyhow, overall New Moon was good. They added some scenes, and of course deleted a lot, but it was still really good no matter what the reviews say. I didn't cry though, but I laughed quite a lot. A part of it was due to the extra jokes they added in. So, I know it was premiere tonight but get you butt up and go and see it soon!

Anime -- The New "Saturday Morning" Cartoon?

By the time you get to high school, you probably consider yourself "above" cartoons. Hey; you're almost an adult now! And there are better things to do than crash in front of your t.v. in your pj's every Saturday morning to catch reruns of old Looney Tunes and Disney... (despite the fact, you wish you still could crash on the couch every Saturday morning.)

The first time I was exposed to anime -- Japanese cartoons done in the manga style of drawing -- I was in college, and thought I had left cartoons behind a long time ago. Cartoons are simple, quick stories for little kids. Not so with Anime. I had walked into one of my girlfriends' rooms and cast a jaundiced eye at her t.v. "What are you watching?" I asked.

"Oh, it's really cool, come see!"

Quite frankly, I wasn't prepared for was the complexity and depth of anime storytelling.

Characters face difficult choices encompassing everything from being a hero to their world or sticking up for a friend in need and all variants in between. Entire worlds are built and landscaped. Sure, they maybe drawn caricatures of people, but gone is the Tom and Jerry simplicity of storytelling.

For the older, more discriminating watcher, anime may be the way to go when you need that cartoon fix (but don't want to appear like a kid!).

~*~

Heather S. Ingemar has loved to play with words since she was little, and it wasn’t long until she started writing her own stories. Termed “a little odd” by her peers, she took great delight in exploring tales with a gothic flair, and to this day, Edgar Allan Poe continues to be her literary hero. To learn more, please visit: http://ingemarwrites.wordpress.com/ or follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/heatheringemar

I've got a golden ticket ;D

I can't believe that it is already November 20 and that I am going to the New Moon premiere tonight! I never became as much of a Twilight freak (like several of my friends), but I can't deny that I am really excited about having one of the golden tickets for tonight. Last week I finally finished the book, and before that, I promised myself not to watch any movie trailer of New Moon. However, now I have and I can just say that I am soooooo looking forward to see Taylor Lautner shirtless longer than 0.5 seconds...and of course i'll join all the other girls when drooling over our favourite vampire...

I'll be back later. Xoxo Sandra girl ;)

Not that he's ugly with clothes on though...;)

Plans of getting The Injection

I don't know when, but I've decided to get vaccinated against swine flu even though the risk for me getting it is quite small, considering all the danger I've been put through when the hype was at its peak this summer...The reason for me waiting so long before getting an injection though, is because I've had so much going on in school. I was afraid that I might get affected in some strange way from the vaccine, which would keep me away from my studies...

Anyhow, I am taking it now (or when mami has recovered from her horrible cold since they recommend the whole family to take it at the same time), because even though I think that I won't get the flu, it's good to be absolute sure about it. Also, it's free to get the vaccination here in Sweden since the Government think that we all ought to have it done. So why not?

Town House

Town House in Chilhowie got plenty of buzz from the New York Times and Washington Post. But who in their mind would schlep more than 5 hours (I'm talking past Roanoke) to eat what the proprietors call "destination dining."  Us!

What we ate is similar to what others have had.

The course selections at Town House varied between 1-3, 4, and ten, but we were told we could get pretty much however many we want.  We ended up going with 10 just to say hey, we're on vacation, let's celebrate.  Why not?

It was a really interesting meal that was an adventure, but I can't say that the majority of dishes made me crave more.  I was more like hmm, what an interesting flavor/combination/texture.  In two cases I really didn't dig what I ate--both involved a little too much "essence of the sea" for me.  Part of it is that I don't have the most sophisticated palate (why must I be so self-depracating?).  I'm just looking for good eats.

I appreciate what the chefs are doing at Town House--there is no doubt that they are on the cutting edge of culinary creativity.  They are bravely playing with flavors (and nitrogen) in a way that would scare a lot of people, but it's cool.  The service was amazing, another group at the restaurant was super-friendly and chatty (even gave us some Asheville recommendations), and we did indeed see the chefs' faces (ahem, where are you Jose Andres???).  Maybe if we're ever driving to North Carolina again we'll go back.  We'll definitely recommend the exciting adventure to friends (at least those who are up to it).  I'll label the dishes below and note the favorites. 

No food in this picture, just an action shot of downtown Chilhowie, population 1,746, right across from the restaurant.

I don't have a photo of the amuse, but it was the black olive cookie sandwich with a lemony olive oil inside, and grated parm-reg on top. It was wonderful.

 Chilled vegetable "minestrone."  We liked this light broth with fresh, thinly rolled vegetables.  And it was beautiful

Brulee of Smoked Salmon Roe.  The description says "coconut, mustard, avocado and banana, celery, cilantro confit, and let me tell you, I was not looking forward to this.  But the surprise was that I really liked this dish--it might have been my favorite.  It was sweet and salty, the crunchy glass-like top contrasted with the soft squishier inside, and it was just fun.  Party in the mouth.  Not fishy at all.

The Orange from Valencia.  OK.  This I don't know about--there were cold mussels and other items inside this orangey orange-shaped hollow shell.  It was interesting, but not for me.

Foie Gras Butter.  Watermelon radish, hazelnut, dark ale, lovage, rye.  Not as exciting as it sounds.

 OMG.  These piping hot black pepper potato rolls were AMAZING.  Seriously, they appeared mid-meal and our server was all, "would you like more?" and we were like, "do birds have wings?"  I would love the recipe for these and then I'd just keep trying it until it worked.

I don't have a photo of the Scrambled Egg Mousse with birch syrup & sweet spices, but I rather liked it.  It was like a foamy pureed omelet, but not in a gross way, and it was kind of sweet, served in a martini-ish glass if my memory serves me right.  I definitely liked it, but didn't need quite so much.  One or two spoonfuls would have sufficed.

 Chorizo Boillon ("with various Spanish influences").  This dish (described here) confused me.  The broth was good, and then there were all these little bits--cheese, chorizo oil, cuttlefish, ink (!).  Let's just say I found out the hard way that ink is NOT for me. J liked this dish.  I get parts of it--the cuttlefish melts in your mouth--for a second you think, was that fish or cheese?

Ah, the sea.  Cured Hamachi & Bev Eggleston's Pig Tail.  This is the dish that scared me the most just from the name.  But so did the brulee of smoked salmon roe, and that turned out fine!  So I'm glad I didn't cross both off the list by judging on the names, but I ended up splitting the difference--liked the roe, but didn't care for this one.

Thorntree Farms Lamb.  Why not?  I bet I would have loved this lamb if I hadn't already been stuffed to the gills.  After eating so much I almost felt sick (I don't remember feeling this way at Citronelle, but maybe the portions were smaller and spaced out further??? Anyone?)

Foggy Ridge's Pomme Gris.  Similar technique to the hollowed "Valencia Orange" but this time it was actually dessert--phew.  A spicy but creamy chocolateyness was on the inside ("aerated milk chocolate, yellow curry, roasted peanut, cumin") but the frozen shell just didn't do it for me.  I didn't want something so cold.

I don't have a photo of my favorite dessert (and favorite dish??), Purple Mountains: latte, anise seed, black sesame oil, yogurt, poached fig.  It was rustic looking and richly delicious.  A perfect note to end on.

Chefs love their nitrogen.


Town House
Town House Blog (Just because you won't be back for a while doesn't mean you want to miss out on the new creations--they are like art.)
132 E. Main Street
Chilhowie, VA (Note to the city slickers: if you think Ballston is far, you ain't seen nothing yet.)

Cartoon Crazes from the 60s

From the Road Runner, Chip 'N Dale, Foghorn Leghorn, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, Sylvester and Tweety Bird (Who can forget Granny?), Rocky & Bulwinkle foiling Boris and Natasha at every turn, to Underdog. Who doesn't love the old Saturday Morning Cartoons?

Use your imagination when reading these famous Foghorn Leghorn phrases:

"Fortunately I always carry a spare set of feathers." or the famous, "Now looka I say looka here." "Go, I say go away boy, you bother me." Can't you just hear him? I never got tired of hearing his western twang.

But, as much as I loved Chip 'N Dale, Bulwinkle and Underdog, my alltime favorite cartoon character was Tweety - aka, Tweety Bird, Tweety Pie - who appeared in 48 cartoons in the Golden Age of Cartoons.

Tweety is, for the most part, a good-natured character happily spending life in his cage or a nest. That is until Sylvester starts slinking around, threatening him, he can become downright devious. And, if Tweety fails to stop his arch-enemy, then it's Granny to the rescue - the little old, bun and bustle-wearing spinster whose weapon-of-choice is an umbrella.

In doing research for this blog post, I tried to pull up current favorite Saturday cartoons and couldn't find any! Are there good cartoons out there? Please, somebody clue me in. Who is the new Tweety Bird, or Mighty Mouse, or Underdog?

Leave a comment with your favorite! Meanwhile, enjoy this stroll down memory lane.

Meanwhile, check out Saturday Morning Cartoons DVD from the 1960s on Amazon

Mary Cunningham is the author of the award-winning, 'Tween series, "Cynthia's Attic," co-author of the women's humor/lifestyle book, "WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty," and has several published short stories, including Ghost Light available on Kindle, and new release, Cynthia's Attic: Christmas Daisy. Pre-order - Echelon Press

All books available on Amazon
Directly from the publisher Echelon Press
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or visit my website: Mary Cunningham Books

Role Models

Hi Gang,
Sorry this is late - I guess late is better than never! My home has been invaded by the H1N1 Virus and it's been crazy here for the last few days.

Role Models

1. Teachers. I had so many wonderful teachers. They taught me to read and to love books. I loved watching them move around the classrooms, sprinkle fish food into the aquarium, water the plants, and tidy their desks. I thought how wonderful it would be to be them, to have the power to do whatever I wanted to do at school. I did follow their footsteps and enjoyed the classroom scene immensely.
2. My Mother. I think of her every day. She was the kindest, most thoughtful person I ever knew. Her life was a role model of peace and goodness.
3. My Grandmothers. Both were homemakers, great cooks, and outstanding storytellers. I remember sitting at their sides and listening as they relayed the family stories.
4. MySunday School Teachers. It always amazed me that they seemed to love me so much. I really didn't love them, or ususally even being in Sunday School, but they showed such love for their students that it made us want to listen and go back. And I still go to Sunday School and my teacher is very loving. I guess some things never change.
5. Mildred. My best friend's mother was the most efficient person I ever knew. Her house was always spotless, meals delicious and on time, car clean and tidy. She always had time to host dinner parties and work at community affairs. I admired her for all of that go-power.
6. Nancy Drew. How fun it would have been to have been as independent as Nancy Drew. When I was a teenager and always had to scrimp and save for special things, worked at home for a paltry allowance, and had to ask permission to go to a friend's house, Nancy was driving her little red sports car all over the country. She boarded airplanes and trains, checked in and out of hotels, and always had lots of money. She didn't seem to need any adults in her life. How cool was that!
7. The First Author I ever met. And I don't even remember her name. She wrote a memoir of her tragic life and spoke at a women's conference I attended. Her book was thin, probably self-published. I read it and felt her pain. When I met her, I wanted to throw my arms around her in a big hug and tell her how happy I was that she was still alive. But when I approached her with a smile and "I loved your book!" she stepped back and looked at me like I was a cockroach. I didn't understand. I felt that I knew her intimately from her book and placed her among my best friends. She didn't return the feelings I had developed as a reader. Now when I visit people who have read my books and tell me how much they like the books or characters, I thank them and laugh with them about the incidents in the book. I guess I learned from this woman's coolness.
8. Little Girls at Camp - I worked as a cabin mom when my daughter went to summer camp. I was so impressed with the sweet little girls (9 & 10 yr-olds) They helped each other and had the sweetest little dispositions. I felt I needed to grow and be more like them.
9. Jimmy Carter - what a hero. With all his fame and money, he has spent years hammering away at homes for the poor. He and his wife will surely have a special place in heaven.
10. Missionaries who go to Africa. I listen to missionaries who risk life and limb to help the people in Africa. They know about the dangers of disease, bandits, and wild animals, yet they bravely go. I wish I could be more like them.

KINETIC SCULPTURE

SAND from Luca George on Vimeo.

Saw this after i'd done mine. Much better....

http://www.hauserwirth.com/artists/29/roman-signer/images-clips/3/


Roman Signer
Sand auf Radio (Sand on radio), 1998