Arial has taught me an important lesson. Just about the worst thing you can do to cake mix is turn it into a cake.
If you've ever made a cake before, you know that the batter is delicious. It is very sweet and tasty. But somehow the baking process dilutes the flavor until it's cake, heats the taste right out of it.
Arial has found a way to keep the goodness in. Okay, I think she found it on the side of the box but still she had to try it.
She makes these great cake cookies. They are like condensed cake (but better). It's like eating little disks of batter (but without the spector of eating raw eggs). Good stuff.
She also does a crisp/cobbler (I don't know the difference between the two) with peaches. Apparently, it's pretty easy to make but it turns into this amazingly good dessert. It's like a food drug. Since there are only two adults in the house, it usually sits on the counter where periodically we can have a little bite of ecstasy.
That's all. I just wanted to warn everyone to stop wasting cake mix on cakes.
mwz
Monday, April 25, 2005
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Random critiques
I have two little things that I want to write about.
The first is Gilmore Girls. Gilmore Girls is one of the shows that we make sure that we catch every week. It is a really good show with good writing, blah blah. It's no Buffy but what can you do.
Anyway, I really like Gilmore Girls but occationally they throw in some really irritating little political lines. They don't advance the plot or add to the humor, they are just the writers trying to slip in a little soap box. There are only two that I can remember off the top of my head. The first was when Rory wasn't invited to a party that Seymore Hersh was at. This was about the time that all the blogs on the right were talking about how Hersh is a big hack. But Rory swooned at the thought of meeting him.
The second was last night when Lorily was complaining about her mother and said, "She's the Condoleeza Rice to my Barbara Boxer". It didn't really make much sense unless you believe that Ms. Rice is evil and Barbara Boxer isn't just a grandstander.
I watch fictional shows when I don't want to think about politics and spin. I can handle people on shows having opinions about issues like the death penalty or gun control or whatever. I can even stand some amount of preachiness. But when they start talking real world politics, it takes my mind out of the show and it takes some of the fun out of it.
The second little thing I wanted to mention was that tonight we went to TGIFridays. All three of us. It was the first time that we had all been to a restaurant together that wasn't on the side of an interstate.
Frances did very well in her high chair and many people complemented her on her cuteness. I figure that since they benifit from being allowed to see such a beautiful child, it is their duty to complement her. (I'm a little proud of her, can you tell?) Arial brought her supper with us and we took turns feeding Frances while we ate (Arial did most of it, but I helped too). It all worked out very well.
But what I really wanted to write about was the burger I had. We've gone to Fridays for many years (like 5 or something) and we've watched their menu change over that time. I was disappointed when they got rid of the day-of-the-week burgers. I usually had the Wednesday burger. It turns out that it was just a mushroom, onion and swiss, so I got over that.
But tonight I ordered the same burger that I always get (when I get a burger) and it was like 10 times better than it had been. I was a little intimidated at first because the patty was nearly an inch thick. I didn't know how I was going to get it into my mouth without making a mess.
But then I discovered the secret. They have new, magical buns that can hold a large sandwich together. It was amazing. I think it was a combination of the shape of the bun and it's integrity. It was sturdy enough to support the thing until the end. I'm used to the burger or at least some toppings slipping out the back (I'm not a very talented eater) but for my last bite, I had burger with a bit of toppings and bun on both sides. Incredible.
On a related note, somewhere around 3 months after I started trying to lose weight, I am 7 lbs heavier.
mwz
227
The first is Gilmore Girls. Gilmore Girls is one of the shows that we make sure that we catch every week. It is a really good show with good writing, blah blah. It's no Buffy but what can you do.
Anyway, I really like Gilmore Girls but occationally they throw in some really irritating little political lines. They don't advance the plot or add to the humor, they are just the writers trying to slip in a little soap box. There are only two that I can remember off the top of my head. The first was when Rory wasn't invited to a party that Seymore Hersh was at. This was about the time that all the blogs on the right were talking about how Hersh is a big hack. But Rory swooned at the thought of meeting him.
The second was last night when Lorily was complaining about her mother and said, "She's the Condoleeza Rice to my Barbara Boxer". It didn't really make much sense unless you believe that Ms. Rice is evil and Barbara Boxer isn't just a grandstander.
I watch fictional shows when I don't want to think about politics and spin. I can handle people on shows having opinions about issues like the death penalty or gun control or whatever. I can even stand some amount of preachiness. But when they start talking real world politics, it takes my mind out of the show and it takes some of the fun out of it.
The second little thing I wanted to mention was that tonight we went to TGIFridays. All three of us. It was the first time that we had all been to a restaurant together that wasn't on the side of an interstate.
Frances did very well in her high chair and many people complemented her on her cuteness. I figure that since they benifit from being allowed to see such a beautiful child, it is their duty to complement her. (I'm a little proud of her, can you tell?) Arial brought her supper with us and we took turns feeding Frances while we ate (Arial did most of it, but I helped too). It all worked out very well.
But what I really wanted to write about was the burger I had. We've gone to Fridays for many years (like 5 or something) and we've watched their menu change over that time. I was disappointed when they got rid of the day-of-the-week burgers. I usually had the Wednesday burger. It turns out that it was just a mushroom, onion and swiss, so I got over that.
But tonight I ordered the same burger that I always get (when I get a burger) and it was like 10 times better than it had been. I was a little intimidated at first because the patty was nearly an inch thick. I didn't know how I was going to get it into my mouth without making a mess.
But then I discovered the secret. They have new, magical buns that can hold a large sandwich together. It was amazing. I think it was a combination of the shape of the bun and it's integrity. It was sturdy enough to support the thing until the end. I'm used to the burger or at least some toppings slipping out the back (I'm not a very talented eater) but for my last bite, I had burger with a bit of toppings and bun on both sides. Incredible.
On a related note, somewhere around 3 months after I started trying to lose weight, I am 7 lbs heavier.
mwz
227
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Pope
I can't take it anymore. I have to get this out of my system before my brain explodes.
A new pope was chosen. Let me say now that I am not catholic (I'm Lutheran), so I don't care all that much about who the pope is. What is bugging me is the criticism of the new pope in the media (including left leaning blogs).
It's not so much the criticism, it's why they are criticizing him. Apparently, he is to... Oh, what's the word... Catholic. He has the audacity to actually believe the things that catholics believe.
I heard on the news that people were upset with him because he once wrote that the only way to heaven is through Jesus. I can't even put into words how stupid those people are. What do they think the point of Christianity is, a way to meet nice people to get together with on Sundays?
People are also unhappy that he believes that homosexuality is a sin. Silly him. I guess he doesn't watch much tv, otherwise he would know that he isn't supposed to think like that. He's living in the dark ages. He probably wants to keep that old "murder is wrong" thing on the books too. Oops, I wasn't going to write about abortion.
Here's the deal. If you think the catholic church is wrong for theological reasons, then your not a catholic. If you believe in Jesus, that makes you a protestant. Either way (protestant or no) it's none of your business what the pope says and thinks. He's leading a religion, God really shouldn't sway with public opinion.
Okay, this is the last little bit. I saw on Eschaton this little snippet from Michelangelo Signorile's Queer in America. It is about a speech that the author attended by Ratzinger (who is now the pope). In it he talks about how protestors erupted at the beginning of the speech and didn't let him talk. Here is an excerpt:
And that makes me angry. Why is it that liberals can't stand for people with different opinions expressing them? Why don't they like free speech and open debate? Why is it that (generally speaking) they feel like they have to disrupt events held by people they disagree with? They had people disrupt the Republican National Convention. They hold protests to stop or at least be an annoyance to conservative speakers at college campuses. They hold protests to keep military recruiters from college career days.
Liberals can't allow opposing ideas to be spread because then they will have to defend their own.
[UPDATE]: I just took a quick look around the blogosphere and apparently, I'm not the only one with these thoughts. QandO, Powerline, Ace of Spades all have similar thoughts.
mwz
227
A new pope was chosen. Let me say now that I am not catholic (I'm Lutheran), so I don't care all that much about who the pope is. What is bugging me is the criticism of the new pope in the media (including left leaning blogs).
It's not so much the criticism, it's why they are criticizing him. Apparently, he is to... Oh, what's the word... Catholic. He has the audacity to actually believe the things that catholics believe.
I heard on the news that people were upset with him because he once wrote that the only way to heaven is through Jesus. I can't even put into words how stupid those people are. What do they think the point of Christianity is, a way to meet nice people to get together with on Sundays?
People are also unhappy that he believes that homosexuality is a sin. Silly him. I guess he doesn't watch much tv, otherwise he would know that he isn't supposed to think like that. He's living in the dark ages. He probably wants to keep that old "murder is wrong" thing on the books too. Oops, I wasn't going to write about abortion.
Here's the deal. If you think the catholic church is wrong for theological reasons, then your not a catholic. If you believe in Jesus, that makes you a protestant. Either way (protestant or no) it's none of your business what the pope says and thinks. He's leading a religion, God really shouldn't sway with public opinion.
Okay, this is the last little bit. I saw on Eschaton this little snippet from Michelangelo Signorile's Queer in America. It is about a speech that the author attended by Ratzinger (who is now the pope). In it he talks about how protestors erupted at the beginning of the speech and didn't let him talk. Here is an excerpt:
It was electrifying. Chills ran up and down my spine as I watched the protestors ad then looked back at Ratzinger. Soon, anger swelled up inside me: This man was the embodiment of all that had oppressed me, all the horrors I had suffered as a child. It was because of his bigotry that my family, my church -- everyone around me -- had alienated me, and it was because of his bigotry that I was called "faggot" in school. Because of his bigotry I was treated like garbage. He was responsible for the hell I'd endured. He and his kind were the people who forced me to live in shame, in the closet. I became livid...So basically, Mich was teased growing up and he wants to take it out on a guy who had nothing to do with it. A guy who would probably not want any child to be teased for any reason. This man doesn't approve of his lifestyle, so it's his fault and he must be silenced.
And that makes me angry. Why is it that liberals can't stand for people with different opinions expressing them? Why don't they like free speech and open debate? Why is it that (generally speaking) they feel like they have to disrupt events held by people they disagree with? They had people disrupt the Republican National Convention. They hold protests to stop or at least be an annoyance to conservative speakers at college campuses. They hold protests to keep military recruiters from college career days.
Liberals can't allow opposing ideas to be spread because then they will have to defend their own.
[UPDATE]: I just took a quick look around the blogosphere and apparently, I'm not the only one with these thoughts. QandO, Powerline, Ace of Spades all have similar thoughts.
mwz
227
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Park
I haven't posted in a while but I wanted to commemorate an important step in my babies life.
This weekend we went to the park for the first time. The weather was beautiful so Friday we went to a park relatively close to our house.
When we got there, we had to figure out what a baby who can't walk yet would want to do at a park. We decided to have her go down a slide.
The first slide we found was this weird thing that had rollers that you (the child) just kind of roll down. It was kind of neat but we were afraid that her fingers would get cought between the rollers. So we kind of hand slid her down it a couple times. She kind of liked it but after a couple go rounds, it seemed that she didn't like the bumpiness of it.
Then I held her in my arms as we slid down a tornado slide. She didn't seem to think anything of that. To her it was just like being carried anywhere else.
Then we found a normal childs slide made of plastic. There, Arial lay her down (so she wouldn't bump her head) at the top and I would catch her four feet later at the bottom. She seemed to enjoy that quite a bit for a little while.
Then we went home.
We went back on Saturday, like park junkies. We did similar things.
Then today, we went to a school playground near our house that has swings (because we can't get enough of the park). They didn't have baby swings so Arial held her while she swung. It was nice.
I don't think that Frances likes the park as much as she could because the thrills that she can get there (the slide, the swings, etc) are not as much fun as the thrills she can get when we flip her upside down or fly her around the room or put her on our shoulders. She seems to be okay with going to the park but I think to her it's about the same as going to the grocery store. It's all just stuff to experience.
mwz
227
This weekend we went to the park for the first time. The weather was beautiful so Friday we went to a park relatively close to our house.
When we got there, we had to figure out what a baby who can't walk yet would want to do at a park. We decided to have her go down a slide.
The first slide we found was this weird thing that had rollers that you (the child) just kind of roll down. It was kind of neat but we were afraid that her fingers would get cought between the rollers. So we kind of hand slid her down it a couple times. She kind of liked it but after a couple go rounds, it seemed that she didn't like the bumpiness of it.
Then I held her in my arms as we slid down a tornado slide. She didn't seem to think anything of that. To her it was just like being carried anywhere else.
Then we found a normal childs slide made of plastic. There, Arial lay her down (so she wouldn't bump her head) at the top and I would catch her four feet later at the bottom. She seemed to enjoy that quite a bit for a little while.
Then we went home.
We went back on Saturday, like park junkies. We did similar things.
Then today, we went to a school playground near our house that has swings (because we can't get enough of the park). They didn't have baby swings so Arial held her while she swung. It was nice.
I don't think that Frances likes the park as much as she could because the thrills that she can get there (the slide, the swings, etc) are not as much fun as the thrills she can get when we flip her upside down or fly her around the room or put her on our shoulders. She seems to be okay with going to the park but I think to her it's about the same as going to the grocery store. It's all just stuff to experience.
mwz
227
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Last Week
Last week kinda sucked. Last Sunday, our internet connection failed. I called Adelphia (my provider) and was told that the next available time that someone could come out was Friday.
All this week I was thinking about things to blog about (but couldn't), the top thing was of course how I was pissed at Adelphia. I was going to write a big long thing about how sucky I thought Adelphia was but now I don't want to bore anyone (or relive it myself). Plus all the people I met face to face were really nice, top notch people. That makes me think that it is the management of our local branch that sucks. A week to get an appointment is not good customer service.
But once the guy came out, he replaced the line from my house to the pole. Then called some other department to check out and fix the carrier line. That guy was there within a couple hours and had everything back up and running very nicely. So I think the people on the ground are great (including the nice lady who let me swap my modem at the adelphia office).
So that's why there haven't been any posts in a while. (I didn't feel like posting yesterday.)
Oh, I'm officially a yo-yo dieter. I've gained all my weight back plus some. It's great being old, fat and bald.
mwz
224
All this week I was thinking about things to blog about (but couldn't), the top thing was of course how I was pissed at Adelphia. I was going to write a big long thing about how sucky I thought Adelphia was but now I don't want to bore anyone (or relive it myself). Plus all the people I met face to face were really nice, top notch people. That makes me think that it is the management of our local branch that sucks. A week to get an appointment is not good customer service.
But once the guy came out, he replaced the line from my house to the pole. Then called some other department to check out and fix the carrier line. That guy was there within a couple hours and had everything back up and running very nicely. So I think the people on the ground are great (including the nice lady who let me swap my modem at the adelphia office).
So that's why there haven't been any posts in a while. (I didn't feel like posting yesterday.)
Oh, I'm officially a yo-yo dieter. I've gained all my weight back plus some. It's great being old, fat and bald.
mwz
224
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