So... the internet was abuzz for a few days because some white college grad decided to set off on his own with nothing more than a sleeping bag and 25 bucks in his pocket and 'pull himself up by his bootstraps'. The experiment was to see if, within a year, he could improve his situation to the point where he had: a furnished place to live, a car, and 2500 dollars in the bank. Before the year in his experiment was up, he had a duplex with a roommate, a working truck, and over 5000 dollars saved up. To some folks, Adam Shepard is an inspiration - proof that the American dream isn't dead, and that "Nickel and Dimed" got it wrong. To others... well, here were some of the major criticisms I read about the book (apparently by people who hadn't read it):
1. Ooooh, a college graduate can make it off the streets? That's a revelation how?
He didn't use his college degree when applying for jobs, and the job that he took wasn't one that required even a high school diploma - being a college grad isn't gonna help you as a furniture mover or a day laborer.
2. The experiment isn't valid because: he's white. Of course he had no problem finding a job.
See the jobs he took again - none of them are what one would call reserved for whites-only.
3. The experiment isn't valid because: he didn't have any medical problems. See how an injury throws a kink in his plans and then come back to me!
Actually, he was laid up for a week from work after he broke his toe. The cost of medical help and lost wages threw a major kink in his plans, and he repeatedly stressed how grateful he was that it was only a toe, and acknowledged that had it been something more serious, he would have really been up shit creek.
4. The experiment isn't valid because: he ended it early! He only did it for 10 months and then when he heard there was an illness in his family, he gave up and went home! Let's see how well he would have made it if he'd had to support his sick family member!
This one is definitely by people who hadn't read the book. Aside from the fact that he'd already exceeded his goals when he ended the experiment, in reality, his struggle was just beginning for real. His mother came down with really aggressive cancer, and had nothing but a small disability check to support her. He and his brother took an apartment and moved her in with them to help support her. Oh, and the job he was helping support her with? He got a job at another moving company. The experiment ended up being practice for what his real life threw at him.
It's a quick read, at less than 250 pages. Every once in a while, he slips into white liberal anthropologist mode where he starts talking about how "authentic" and how "real" the people on the streets are, as if anyone living in a middle-class neighborhood is somehow a cardboard cutout. Other than that one criticism, though, I found the book truly inspiring. It wasn't a screed about how lazy poor people are, and the only thing stopping them from not being poor is a willingness to work. It was an ode to hard work and delayed gratification. It emphasized that teaching these concepts is critical to getting people off the streets. He doesn't say that anyone can do it on their own, and doesn't try to say that he did either - he openly acknowledges the help he received from Crisis Ministries, advice from other residents at the homeless shelter where he started out, advice and inspiration from his coworkers who were making it at the moving company. I enjoyed it, if only because it inspired me to keep on track - keep saving, keep paying down debt and keep to my goals. If Shepard can achieve his goals, starting from just 25 bucks and a year to work at it, I can surely achieve my own with a good job, and good house, and a supportive family.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
La maison de Livvy et Nick
Bonjour peeps! Me and Nick have been on the house hunt since mid-February, and it's been really annoying. Who knew buying a house was so time consuming? It seemed to me that when Awrissa and Pesto did it, it went by super smooth and quick. But not for me and Nick--or at least I don't think it was a breeze. We found one house and put an offer on it. It was a townhouse. Super nice :). But, it took the bank about a week to get back to us and tell us that he wasn't accepting any offers that weren't for the listing price. We were like "screw you bank." If you don't want to even consider our offer--the guy wouldn't even look at it--then we don't want to do business with you. So we started looking again. (It's funny, but they didn't get any other offers on the place. Ours was the only one. And they called us back about a week ago. We sent in a letter to withdrawal our offer. Hahahahah.)
We found another house, that was on a quarter acre. It was two stories, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and was perfect for us :). We loved it. It was listed for 254,900. It was a foreclosure and it's assessed value (for tax purposes this year) was 344,900 or something. The year previous it was like 414,000 or something. So a really nice property, that we were already getting for pretty cheap, but that was a good investment too because the value will most likely go up since it was up in previous years. Anywho, we had the second best offer because someone else came in and offered well into the 300k's. We were like "what the hell? Who does that? The appeal of this place was because it was CHEAP, so why offer so much more for it?" Whatever. So we started looking again!!! I am super down at this point and beginning to think that we'll never find a house. Especially since Nick LOVED that one sooooo much and kept saying things like "in our price range, that's probably the best we can do." So mean of him seriously :).
So, the weekend before last we go out again. We're looking at everything--strictly single family homes though because Nick really wanted one, and they are better and more private--and not being picky. Within three houses, we find another one that we both really really really like. It's a rambler, so just one level, but it's pretty big for just 2 people; 1830 sq. ft. It's got 3 bedrooms (one of them used to be two bedrooms, but a previous owner took out the dividing wall, so now it's a huge bedroom with a sitting area), 3 full bathrooms, a GORGEOUS and completely updated kitchen--granite counters, brand new cabinets, tile flooring--a seperate laundry room, a small formal living room/dining room combo, a family room with a huge stone hearth and fire place/woodburning stove, that's also set up for surround sound, and a lovely stone patio. It's sitting on a quarter acre of land and has two storage sheds in the back yard, with a stone path lined with rose bushes leading out to one of the sheds. It also has a vegetable garden, but we don't know if we'll keep that. Anywho, it's all ours :). We got it.
We're paying 278,000 and the seller is paying all the closing costs. But, it's assessed at 356,000 for this year, and last year it was 404,00, and the 2 years before that it was 465,00 or something obscene like that. So, it's a really good investment property that we'll already have equity in after purchase, and it's also just a really nice house. We are both soooooo excited! We can't wait to move in :).
So, anyone who lives in a state other than VA should come visit and bring your puppies. There's a fence in the backyard :)!
Wish us luck. I probably got ahead of myself with this post, but all that's left is to settle, so hopefully nothing goes wrong between now and then!! Keep your fingers crossed for us :).
Toodles,
Livvy
We found another house, that was on a quarter acre. It was two stories, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and was perfect for us :). We loved it. It was listed for 254,900. It was a foreclosure and it's assessed value (for tax purposes this year) was 344,900 or something. The year previous it was like 414,000 or something. So a really nice property, that we were already getting for pretty cheap, but that was a good investment too because the value will most likely go up since it was up in previous years. Anywho, we had the second best offer because someone else came in and offered well into the 300k's. We were like "what the hell? Who does that? The appeal of this place was because it was CHEAP, so why offer so much more for it?" Whatever. So we started looking again!!! I am super down at this point and beginning to think that we'll never find a house. Especially since Nick LOVED that one sooooo much and kept saying things like "in our price range, that's probably the best we can do." So mean of him seriously :).
So, the weekend before last we go out again. We're looking at everything--strictly single family homes though because Nick really wanted one, and they are better and more private--and not being picky. Within three houses, we find another one that we both really really really like. It's a rambler, so just one level, but it's pretty big for just 2 people; 1830 sq. ft. It's got 3 bedrooms (one of them used to be two bedrooms, but a previous owner took out the dividing wall, so now it's a huge bedroom with a sitting area), 3 full bathrooms, a GORGEOUS and completely updated kitchen--granite counters, brand new cabinets, tile flooring--a seperate laundry room, a small formal living room/dining room combo, a family room with a huge stone hearth and fire place/woodburning stove, that's also set up for surround sound, and a lovely stone patio. It's sitting on a quarter acre of land and has two storage sheds in the back yard, with a stone path lined with rose bushes leading out to one of the sheds. It also has a vegetable garden, but we don't know if we'll keep that. Anywho, it's all ours :). We got it.
We're paying 278,000 and the seller is paying all the closing costs. But, it's assessed at 356,000 for this year, and last year it was 404,00, and the 2 years before that it was 465,00 or something obscene like that. So, it's a really good investment property that we'll already have equity in after purchase, and it's also just a really nice house. We are both soooooo excited! We can't wait to move in :).
So, anyone who lives in a state other than VA should come visit and bring your puppies. There's a fence in the backyard :)!
Wish us luck. I probably got ahead of myself with this post, but all that's left is to settle, so hopefully nothing goes wrong between now and then!! Keep your fingers crossed for us :).
Toodles,
Livvy
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Movie Meme - jeannie
This was fun. Unfortunately, I don't have one of those jobs where I get to play on the computer all day so I may be a little slow in checking answers (not to mention the three hour time difference!) so bear with me :-)
1."I don't belong here! I want to go home! I want my mother!"
"I had your mother, she wasn't that great!"
Shawshank Redemption guessed by Livvy
2."Don't go looking for Mr. Right. Look for Mr. Right Now."
The Sweetest Thing guessed by Anna
3."Hey, psycho - we're not gonna discuss this, OK, it's over. Please get out of my Van Halen t-shirt before you jinx the band and they break up."
The Wedding Singer guessed by Celeste
4."What, you don't like rice? Tell me Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?"
The Lost Boys guessed by Anna
5."Just look inside yourself and you'll see me waving up at you naked wearing only a cock ring."
Pump up the Volume guessed by Celeste
6."I do wish we could chat longer, but... I'm having an old friend for dinner. Bye"
Silence of the Lambs guessed by Celeste
7."All right so he got shot in the foot, what is it a big fuckin' deal?"
Goodfellas guessed by Anna
8."Don't ever do that again! Carnivores, ugh!"
The Lion King guessed by Roy
9."Anti-wrinkle cream there may be, but anti-fat-bastard cream there is not."
The Full Monty guessed by Anna
10."You know, taking us for ice creams in a blizzard... makes you wonder who the real whack jobs are."
Girl Interrupted guessed by Lissa
11.Oh... guys? Don't stay in here all day. I had to take the batteries out of the carbon monoxide detector; it was beeping all night."
Garden State guessed by Livvy
12."Oh, great. Now you're robbing him. You gonna rob me, too?"
" How do you think we fund this organization? We're not exactly the March of Dimes."
Blade guessed by Anna
13."That was some of the best flying I've seen to date - right up to the part where you got killed."
Top Gun guessed by Livvy
14."Your body's dying. Pay no attention, It happens to us all."
Interview With a Vampire guessed by Celeste
15."I had the perfect relationship which was ruined by marriage."
Just Married guessed by Celeste
1.
"I had your mother, she wasn't that great!"
Shawshank Redemption guessed by Livvy
2.
The Sweetest Thing guessed by Anna
3.
The Wedding Singer guessed by Celeste
4.
The Lost Boys guessed by Anna
5.
Pump up the Volume guessed by Celeste
6.
Silence of the Lambs guessed by Celeste
7.
Goodfellas guessed by Anna
8.
The Lion King guessed by Roy
9.
The Full Monty guessed by Anna
10.
Girl Interrupted guessed by Lissa
11.
Garden State guessed by Livvy
12.
" How do you think we fund this organization? We're not exactly the March of Dimes."
Blade guessed by Anna
13.
Top Gun guessed by Livvy
14.
Interview With a Vampire guessed by Celeste
15.
Just Married guessed by Celeste
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Well hell... I say it's Movie Game time!!
Only rule - no damn googling or using IMDB.
I'll start with someone easy: Adam Sandler
I'll start with someone easy: Adam Sandler
Movie meme
1. "As if."
"Oh, really, Alicia?"
Scream guessed by Livvy
2. "Yeah, I'm crazy. Ask my mom."
Wild Things guessed by Livvy
3. "Do you think maybe you wanna maybe, I don't know, go out to dinner, you know, catch up on old times?"
"Didn't we just do that?" There's Something About Mary guessed by Anna
"Low overhead, my boy - we pass the savings on to you! But seriously, that'll all be covered in the orientation."
4. "Any questions?"
"Just one. Why are these ceilings so low?" "Low overhead, my boy - we pass the savings on to you! But seriously, that'll all be covered in the orientation."
Being John Malkovich guessed by Celeste
"Nothing, if you're the cop from the Village People."
5. "I'm very discreet... but I will haunt your dreams."
40 year old virgin guessed by Anna
6. "Okay Cool, man, the day a monkey comes out of my butt is the day you'll get your sorry."
"What a coincidence, because that's TODAY."
Bruce Almighty guessed by Livvy
7. "Oh, maybe if I get really lucky, I'll get to grow up and listen to Air Supply and wear jack boots."
"What's wrong with Air Supply?" "Nothing, if you're the cop from the Village People."
Rock Star guessed by Livvy
8. "Aren't you gonna take your skates off?"
"I never take my skates off."Boogie Nights guessed by Sonny
"Yeah me too"
"It's sick. The commercial people they make them sing and dance so people will eat them."
9. "Did you see those, those raisins on TV? The ones that sing and dance and stuff?"
"They scare me." "Yeah me too"
"It's sick. The commercial people they make them sing and dance so people will eat them."
Benny and Joon guessed by Anna and Sonny
"Can't we do both?"
10. "Did she tell you we had sex? So vigorous!"
Lake Placid guessed by Livvy
11. "What's your rush, dollbody? What do you say we slip in the back seat, and make a man out of me?"
"What do you say I smack you around for a while?" "Can't we do both?"
A League of their Own guessed by Celeste
[Holds thumb and forefinger an inch apart]
"It's a difference of *this* much."
12. "If you don't let me gut out this house and make it my own, I will go insane and I will take you with me!"
Beetlejuice guessed by Anna
13. "Mom, what'd you mean when you said Dorian was your favorite?"
"Oh, Angus, I love you both." [Holds thumb and forefinger an inch apart]
"It's a difference of *this* much."
Homefries guessed by Anna (sorry Celeste!)
14. "I need a corporal. You're it, until you're dead or I find someone better."
Starship Troopers guessed by Celeste
15. "Life is full of interruptions and complications."
Love Actually guessed by Anna
Bonus points if you give the trail of movie - actor - movie etc that links all these fun quotes together.
Movie Meme - Livvy (Round 2)
Hopefully this one will be harder. But, who knows? I'm off to class though, so I won't be able to tell you if you're right until later tonight. Have fun :)!!
1. "Good question, Aguado. First, I'd establish a motive. In this case the killer saw the size of the bug's DICK and became insanely jealous. Then I'd lose 30 pounds... PORKIN' his wife."
Ace Venture: Pet Detective, guessed by Anna.
2. "Oh don't you lay that on me! I have orgasms everyday I've just gotten so use to having them when you're not in the room."
Something to Talk About, guessed by Celeste and Anna :).
3. "I figure the bed's one of those vibratin' numbers, so that explains all the quarters. Nobody could possibly fancy pretzel twists that much so I reckon you won some kinda weird contest. As for the condoms, well, either you got a yen for cheerleadin' squads or we had the night of all nights, whatever, there's an explanation. As for the blue chicken, I need a little help with that one."
Flesh and Bone, guessed by Anna
4. "You mean she bit you?"
"No, her dog!"
"Oh, she bit her dog, eh?"
The Wizard of Oz, guessed by Celeste.
5. "How are you supposed to know? Fucking men like you built the hydrogen bomb. Men like you thought it up. You think you're so creative. You don't know what it's like to really create something; to create a life; to feel it growing inside you. All you know how to create is death..."
"Mom."
"...and destruction... "
"Mom! We need to be a little more constructive here, okay?"
Terminator 2, guessed by Anna.
6. "I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
When Harry met Sally, guessed by Anna.
7. "Hey, what kind of belt do you have?"
"Canvas. JC Penney, 3.98; You like?"
Karate Kid, guessed by Anna.
8. "Don't eat that!"
"Why?"
"Don't you know that eating that stuff can give you very large breasts?"
[looks down]
"Oh, my God! I'm too late!"
Real Genius, guessed by Anna.
9. "[being chased by terrorists] Let's see if you bastards can do 90."
Back to the Future, guessed by Celeste.
10. "Alright, I'll make out with you. But no fucking 'cause I'm straight."
Freeway, guessed by Anna.
11. "Why are you dressed so scary?"
"It's Halloween."
Mean Girls, guessed by Celeste.
12. "What about love?"
"Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate.
Devil's Advocate, guessed by Anna.
13. "You're getting a lion?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"To protect my shit."
"Never heard of a dog?"
"Dude, you can get past a dog. Nobody fucks with a lion."
"Yeah, that's true."
Grandma's Boy, guessed by Celeste.
14. "Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you."
Dirty Dancing, guessed by Celeste.
15. "God... I heard about the Alphabet Bomber. Bombs exploding in the... in the airport... and barber shop..."
"That's right. All in alphabetical order. Car wash... drug store... I used to lay in my crib and hear him scream in his sleep...”A,B,C,D,E,F,G... BOOM! BOOM!""
"But your mom..."
"My mother tried to stop him. She couldn't even spell, for Christ's sake but they fried her too."
Cry Baby, guessed by Pesto (that's for calling me a copy cat...I can't help it if it takes a long time to compile a list and you posted yours before me...thpppt)!
1. "Good question, Aguado. First, I'd establish a motive. In this case the killer saw the size of the bug's DICK and became insanely jealous. Then I'd lose 30 pounds... PORKIN' his wife."
Ace Venture: Pet Detective, guessed by Anna.
2. "Oh don't you lay that on me! I have orgasms everyday I've just gotten so use to having them when you're not in the room."
Something to Talk About, guessed by Celeste and Anna :).
3. "I figure the bed's one of those vibratin' numbers, so that explains all the quarters. Nobody could possibly fancy pretzel twists that much so I reckon you won some kinda weird contest. As for the condoms, well, either you got a yen for cheerleadin' squads or we had the night of all nights, whatever, there's an explanation. As for the blue chicken, I need a little help with that one."
Flesh and Bone, guessed by Anna
4. "You mean she bit you?"
"No, her dog!"
"Oh, she bit her dog, eh?"
The Wizard of Oz, guessed by Celeste.
5. "How are you supposed to know? Fucking men like you built the hydrogen bomb. Men like you thought it up. You think you're so creative. You don't know what it's like to really create something; to create a life; to feel it growing inside you. All you know how to create is death..."
"Mom."
"...and destruction... "
"Mom! We need to be a little more constructive here, okay?"
Terminator 2, guessed by Anna.
6. "I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
When Harry met Sally, guessed by Anna.
7. "Hey, what kind of belt do you have?"
"Canvas. JC Penney, 3.98; You like?"
Karate Kid, guessed by Anna.
8. "Don't eat that!"
"Why?"
"Don't you know that eating that stuff can give you very large breasts?"
[looks down]
"Oh, my God! I'm too late!"
Real Genius, guessed by Anna.
9. "[being chased by terrorists] Let's see if you bastards can do 90."
Back to the Future, guessed by Celeste.
10. "Alright, I'll make out with you. But no fucking 'cause I'm straight."
Freeway, guessed by Anna.
11. "Why are you dressed so scary?"
"It's Halloween."
Mean Girls, guessed by Celeste.
12. "What about love?"
"Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate.
Devil's Advocate, guessed by Anna.
13. "You're getting a lion?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"To protect my shit."
"Never heard of a dog?"
"Dude, you can get past a dog. Nobody fucks with a lion."
"Yeah, that's true."
Grandma's Boy, guessed by Celeste.
14. "Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you."
Dirty Dancing, guessed by Celeste.
15. "God... I heard about the Alphabet Bomber. Bombs exploding in the... in the airport... and barber shop..."
"That's right. All in alphabetical order. Car wash... drug store... I used to lay in my crib and hear him scream in his sleep...”A,B,C,D,E,F,G... BOOM! BOOM!""
"But your mom..."
"My mother tried to stop him. She couldn't even spell, for Christ's sake but they fried her too."
Cry Baby, guessed by Pesto (that's for calling me a copy cat...I can't help it if it takes a long time to compile a list and you posted yours before me...thpppt)!
Movie Meme - Celeste rides again!
1. "I came here to study the great American art of muff diving. To smack clam, munch rug, dine at just one American pink taco stand! You know, I wanted to, how is it, park the porpoise. You know? I want to take it through the car wash, baby. And get it waxed. I want to wax it. Wax it! You know, and air dry. Air dry that shit, yeah!"
Van Wilder - guessed by Anna
2. "There was a moment last night, when she was sandwiched between the two Finnish dwarves and the Maori tribesmen, where I thought, 'Wow, I could really spend the rest of my life with this woman'."
Zoolander - guessed by Anna
3. "We're clearly soldiers in petticoats, and dauntless crusaders for women's votes! Though we adore men individually, we agree that as a group they're rather stupid."
Mary Poppins - guessed by Anna
4. "So happy I could shit."
"Chip, you know how I hate the brown word."
Serial Mom - guessed by Anna
5. "Who wants to hear about my STD from the silent film era?"
Grandma's Boy - guessed by Livvy
6. "And stop saying 'okay' all the time. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Good."
The Professional - guessed by Anna... although I think Livvy is right and the same dialog is in Blast From the Past
7. "Nice job, you fucked up date night."
8. "Juvenile delinquents are everywhere. Right here in this community. Boys with long hair and tattoos who spit on the sidewalk. Girls who wear tight slacks. Hysterectomy pants, I call them."
Cry-Baby - guessed by Anna
9. "This is a crucial question, Bob. Do you believe in the lord Jesus Christ and take him for your personal savior?"
Freeway - guessed by Anna
10. "Now this top line translates into, 'Pharaoh gobbles donkey goobers,' and the bottom line, 'Cleopatra does the nasty.'"
"Say what?"
"Well pretty much, that's the best I can translate it."
Bubba Ho-Tep - guessed by Anna
11. "No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for... for ten minutes!"
12. "Do your children enjoy jazz music? For I am here to tell you that Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, and the whole weed-blowing ginger-colored lot are merely masquerading as musicians and are, in fact, agents of evil. Reefer slows down the smoker's sense of time, allowing him to squeeze in unnecessary grace notes, giving this voodoo music the power to hypnotize white women into indulging in acts of unspeakable degradation."
Reefer Madness - guessed by Anna
13. "Oh, nice. 16 Candles is on, man."
"And the award for the least heterosexual statement ever made in this apartment goes to..."
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle - guessed by Livvy
14. "...you should stop eating. You see, when you skip a meal, your body feeds off its fat stores. And if you skip enough, maybe your body will eat your ass!"
Bring It On - guessed by Lissa
15. "What were you just doing?"
"What? Nothing!"
"Oh no, don't tell me nothing, you were just singing a show tune!"
"You're crazy, I'd never do that."
"You can't be suicidal if you're singing show tunes!"
Dead Man On Campus - guessed by Lissa
Van Wilder - guessed by Anna
2. "There was a moment last night, when she was sandwiched between the two Finnish dwarves and the Maori tribesmen, where I thought, 'Wow, I could really spend the rest of my life with this woman'."
Zoolander - guessed by Anna
3. "We're clearly soldiers in petticoats, and dauntless crusaders for women's votes! Though we adore men individually, we agree that as a group they're rather stupid."
Mary Poppins - guessed by Anna
4. "So happy I could shit."
"Chip, you know how I hate the brown word."
Serial Mom - guessed by Anna
5. "Who wants to hear about my STD from the silent film era?"
Grandma's Boy - guessed by Livvy
6. "And stop saying 'okay' all the time. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Good."
The Professional - guessed by Anna... although I think Livvy is right and the same dialog is in Blast From the Past
7. "Nice job, you fucked up date night."
8. "Juvenile delinquents are everywhere. Right here in this community. Boys with long hair and tattoos who spit on the sidewalk. Girls who wear tight slacks. Hysterectomy pants, I call them."
Cry-Baby - guessed by Anna
9. "This is a crucial question, Bob. Do you believe in the lord Jesus Christ and take him for your personal savior?"
Freeway - guessed by Anna
10. "Now this top line translates into, 'Pharaoh gobbles donkey goobers,' and the bottom line, 'Cleopatra does the nasty.'"
"Say what?"
"Well pretty much, that's the best I can translate it."
Bubba Ho-Tep - guessed by Anna
11. "No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for... for ten minutes!"
12. "Do your children enjoy jazz music? For I am here to tell you that Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, and the whole weed-blowing ginger-colored lot are merely masquerading as musicians and are, in fact, agents of evil. Reefer slows down the smoker's sense of time, allowing him to squeeze in unnecessary grace notes, giving this voodoo music the power to hypnotize white women into indulging in acts of unspeakable degradation."
Reefer Madness - guessed by Anna
13. "Oh, nice. 16 Candles is on, man."
"And the award for the least heterosexual statement ever made in this apartment goes to..."
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle - guessed by Livvy
14. "...you should stop eating. You see, when you skip a meal, your body feeds off its fat stores. And if you skip enough, maybe your body will eat your ass!"
Bring It On - guessed by Lissa
15. "What were you just doing?"
"What? Nothing!"
"Oh no, don't tell me nothing, you were just singing a show tune!"
"You're crazy, I'd never do that."
"You can't be suicidal if you're singing show tunes!"
Dead Man On Campus - guessed by Lissa
Movie Meme - Livvy
I tried to make mine easy :):
1. "Until mankind is peaceful enough not to have violence on the news, there's no point in taking it out of shows that need it for entertainment value."
Clueless guessed by Celeste
2. "Did you know there are 452 official kinds of cheese in this country, isn't that amazing? To find 452 ways to classify what is essentially a bacterial process? Don't you think that's amazing?"
"You would prefer one kind of cheese? One cheeseburger to put it on? One restaurant to eat it in?"
"I'm saying I *like* the cheese. God."
French Kiss guessed by Celeste.
3. "He's all right! Aren't you, cat? Poor cat! Poor slob! Poor slob without a name! The way I see it I haven't got the right to give him one. We don't belong to each other. We just took up one day by the river. I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is but I know what it is like. It's like Tiffany's."
Breakfast at Tiffany's guessed by Celeste.
4. "Welcome to prime time, bitch."
Nightmare on Elm Street 3 guessed by Celeste.
5. "Are you classified as human?"
"Negative, I am a meat popsicle."
The Fifth Element guessed by Anna.
6. "One scoop of creamed potatoes. A slice of butter. Four peas. And as much ice cream as you'd like to eat."
Secretary guessed by Anna.
7. "God forbid, I exude confidence and enjoy sex. Do you think I relish the fact that I have to act like Mary Sunshine 24/7 so I can be considered a lady? I'm the Marcia fucking Brady of the Upper East Side, and sometimes I want to kill myself. So there's your psychoanalysis, Dr. Freud. Now tell me, are you in... or are you out?"
Cruel Intentions guessed by Celeste.
8. "I saw a boat. "
"You did?"
"Yeah, it went by not too long ago. Follow me."
[few seconds later]
"Would you quit it? What, the ocean isn't big enough for you or something like that? You got a problem? Huh? Do ya, do ya, do ya? You wanna piece of me? Yeah, yeah! Ooh, I'm scared now! What?"
"What? You said you saw a boat."
Finding Nemo guessed by Anna.
9. "First I'm gonna use you as a human shield, then I gonna kill this guard over there, with the Patterson trocar on the table. Then I was thinking about breaking your neck."
True Lies guessed by Celeste.
10. "Didn't I tell you, you're the only one who can see me like this."
Mannequin guessed by Lissa.
11. "So what is it today? More spelunking?"
"No. Today it's BASE-jumping."
"BASE-jumping. Is that like parachuting?"
"Kind of. Do you have any light-weight fabrics?"
"You know... I think I got just the thing."
Batman Begins guessed by Celeste.
12. "I'm fireproof, you're not."
Hellboy guessed by Celeste.
13. "You threw a knife at my head!"
"Yes, and you caught it. Only the chosen one could have caught it."
"But... you *threw* a *knife*... at my *head.*"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer guessed by Celeste.
14. "What's with the Halloween costume?"
"This is NOT a costume. These are my clothes!"
Supergirl guessed by Celeste.
15. "Being dead wasn't a problem, but being forgotten, now that's a BITCH. I can't come back if nobody remembers me. I can't come back if nobody's afraid. I had to search the bowels of Hell, but I found someone, someone who'll make 'em remember. He may get the blood, but I'll get the glory, and that fear is my ticket home."
Freddy vs. Jason guessed by Celeste.
1. "Until mankind is peaceful enough not to have violence on the news, there's no point in taking it out of shows that need it for entertainment value."
Clueless guessed by Celeste
2. "Did you know there are 452 official kinds of cheese in this country, isn't that amazing? To find 452 ways to classify what is essentially a bacterial process? Don't you think that's amazing?"
"You would prefer one kind of cheese? One cheeseburger to put it on? One restaurant to eat it in?"
"I'm saying I *like* the cheese. God."
French Kiss guessed by Celeste.
3. "He's all right! Aren't you, cat? Poor cat! Poor slob! Poor slob without a name! The way I see it I haven't got the right to give him one. We don't belong to each other. We just took up one day by the river. I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is but I know what it is like. It's like Tiffany's."
Breakfast at Tiffany's guessed by Celeste.
4. "Welcome to prime time, bitch."
Nightmare on Elm Street 3 guessed by Celeste.
5. "Are you classified as human?"
"Negative, I am a meat popsicle."
The Fifth Element guessed by Anna.
6. "One scoop of creamed potatoes. A slice of butter. Four peas. And as much ice cream as you'd like to eat."
Secretary guessed by Anna.
7. "God forbid, I exude confidence and enjoy sex. Do you think I relish the fact that I have to act like Mary Sunshine 24/7 so I can be considered a lady? I'm the Marcia fucking Brady of the Upper East Side, and sometimes I want to kill myself. So there's your psychoanalysis, Dr. Freud. Now tell me, are you in... or are you out?"
Cruel Intentions guessed by Celeste.
8. "I saw a boat. "
"You did?"
"Yeah, it went by not too long ago. Follow me."
[few seconds later]
"Would you quit it? What, the ocean isn't big enough for you or something like that? You got a problem? Huh? Do ya, do ya, do ya? You wanna piece of me? Yeah, yeah! Ooh, I'm scared now! What?"
"What? You said you saw a boat."
Finding Nemo guessed by Anna.
9. "First I'm gonna use you as a human shield, then I gonna kill this guard over there, with the Patterson trocar on the table. Then I was thinking about breaking your neck."
True Lies guessed by Celeste.
10. "Didn't I tell you, you're the only one who can see me like this."
Mannequin guessed by Lissa.
11. "So what is it today? More spelunking?"
"No. Today it's BASE-jumping."
"BASE-jumping. Is that like parachuting?"
"Kind of. Do you have any light-weight fabrics?"
"You know... I think I got just the thing."
Batman Begins guessed by Celeste.
12. "I'm fireproof, you're not."
Hellboy guessed by Celeste.
13. "You threw a knife at my head!"
"Yes, and you caught it. Only the chosen one could have caught it."
"But... you *threw* a *knife*... at my *head.*"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer guessed by Celeste.
14. "What's with the Halloween costume?"
"This is NOT a costume. These are my clothes!"
Supergirl guessed by Celeste.
15. "Being dead wasn't a problem, but being forgotten, now that's a BITCH. I can't come back if nobody remembers me. I can't come back if nobody's afraid. I had to search the bowels of Hell, but I found someone, someone who'll make 'em remember. He may get the blood, but I'll get the glory, and that fear is my ticket home."
Freddy vs. Jason guessed by Celeste.
Movie Meme - Celeste
Some of these should be gimmes....
1. "We lived on a farm! And I got lonely! We were just a couple of crazy kids!"
Club Dread - guessed by Lissa
2. "I like to grease the highboard better than anyone and if it was just four or five guys, I'd have no problem with that, but when I come home and find her doing the two-backed beast with the entire church council, well by God, that's going too far - especially since half the council is women! That's when I take a stand. That's when I'm counted as a man! That's when I throw my balls up over my shoulder and charge into the fire!"
Ed and His Dead Mother - guessed finally by Anna
3. "The Living Dead and the dying living are all the same. Cut from the same cloth. But disposing of dead people is a public service, whereas you're in all sorts of trouble if you kill someone while they're still alive."
Cemetary Man - guessed by Lissa
4. "As Bertrand Russell once said, 'The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.' I think we can all appreciate the relevance of that now."
"Was that on a beer mat?"
"Yeah, it was Guinness Extra Cold."
"I won't say anything."
"Thanks."
Shaun of the Dead - guessed by Anna
5. "Wait - would you rather live in the ascendancy of a civilization or during its decline?"
Revenge of the Nerds - guessed by Livvy
6. "Houses don't have memories."
Amityville Horror - guessed by Livvy
7. "Stand back boy! This calls for divine intervention!"
Dead Alive - guessed by Anna
8. "Let me out. Let me out of here. Get me the hell out of here. What's the matter with you people? I was joking! Don't you know a joke when you hear one? HA-HA-HA-HA. Jesus Christ, get me out of here! Open this goddamn door or I'll kick your rotten heads in! Mommy!"
Young Frankenstein - guessed by Anna
9. "What do we do with this guy?"
"I promised the professor that we take this guy alive. After you blow him all to hell, put one in his leg so we can tell the professor we tried."
Jason X - guessed by Anna
10. "Are we awake?"
"We're not sure. Are we black?"
"Yes, we are."
"Then we're awake, but very puzzled."
Blazing Saddles - guessed by Anna
11. "Where am I?"
"Back from the dead. I've saved you."
"My God! How?"
"By magic, of course. With a kiss, because I like you."
Flash Gordon - only guessed by Russ, despite the number of hints I gave
12. "You hate that job anyway. I don't see why you don't just quit."
"Because I want to fit in."
American Psycho - guessed by Livy
13. "...I'm not a very good shot...but the Samaritan here uses really big bullets."
Hellboy - guessed by Anna
14. "Hello, and welcome to Amsterdam's finest and most luxurious youth hostel. We feature one medium sized room containing 70 beds which can sleep up to 375 bodies a night. There is no bathroom. Nor is there one nearby. If you do not wish to have your valuables stolen I suggest destroying them or discarding them right now. You can also try hiding your valuables. In your anus. This will deter some but of course not all thieves. Once you are inside, the doors are chained and locked from the outside. They will not be opened again until morning, no matter what. Should a fire occur due to our faulty wiring or, uh, the fireworks factory upstairs you will be incinerated along with the valuables that you have hidden in your anus. Tips are greatly appreciated."
Eurotrip - guessed by Livvy
15. "Look, there's no point in arguing about this, all right? We need a solution. We need... we need to get some food over there."
"Yeah, OK, I have an idea. We draw straws and the loser runs across the lot with a ham sandwich."
Dawn of the Dead - guessed by Anna
1. "We lived on a farm! And I got lonely! We were just a couple of crazy kids!"
Club Dread - guessed by Lissa
2. "I like to grease the highboard better than anyone and if it was just four or five guys, I'd have no problem with that, but when I come home and find her doing the two-backed beast with the entire church council, well by God, that's going too far - especially since half the council is women! That's when I take a stand. That's when I'm counted as a man! That's when I throw my balls up over my shoulder and charge into the fire!"
Ed and His Dead Mother - guessed finally by Anna
3. "The Living Dead and the dying living are all the same. Cut from the same cloth. But disposing of dead people is a public service, whereas you're in all sorts of trouble if you kill someone while they're still alive."
Cemetary Man - guessed by Lissa
4. "As Bertrand Russell once said, 'The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.' I think we can all appreciate the relevance of that now."
"Was that on a beer mat?"
"Yeah, it was Guinness Extra Cold."
"I won't say anything."
"Thanks."
Shaun of the Dead - guessed by Anna
5. "Wait - would you rather live in the ascendancy of a civilization or during its decline?"
Revenge of the Nerds - guessed by Livvy
6. "Houses don't have memories."
Amityville Horror - guessed by Livvy
7. "Stand back boy! This calls for divine intervention!"
Dead Alive - guessed by Anna
8. "Let me out. Let me out of here. Get me the hell out of here. What's the matter with you people? I was joking! Don't you know a joke when you hear one? HA-HA-HA-HA. Jesus Christ, get me out of here! Open this goddamn door or I'll kick your rotten heads in! Mommy!"
Young Frankenstein - guessed by Anna
9. "What do we do with this guy?"
"I promised the professor that we take this guy alive. After you blow him all to hell, put one in his leg so we can tell the professor we tried."
Jason X - guessed by Anna
10. "Are we awake?"
"We're not sure. Are we black?"
"Yes, we are."
"Then we're awake, but very puzzled."
Blazing Saddles - guessed by Anna
11. "Where am I?"
"Back from the dead. I've saved you."
"My God! How?"
"By magic, of course. With a kiss, because I like you."
Flash Gordon - only guessed by Russ, despite the number of hints I gave
12. "You hate that job anyway. I don't see why you don't just quit."
"Because I want to fit in."
American Psycho - guessed by Livy
13. "...I'm not a very good shot...but the Samaritan here uses really big bullets."
Hellboy - guessed by Anna
14. "Hello, and welcome to Amsterdam's finest and most luxurious youth hostel. We feature one medium sized room containing 70 beds which can sleep up to 375 bodies a night. There is no bathroom. Nor is there one nearby. If you do not wish to have your valuables stolen I suggest destroying them or discarding them right now. You can also try hiding your valuables. In your anus. This will deter some but of course not all thieves. Once you are inside, the doors are chained and locked from the outside. They will not be opened again until morning, no matter what. Should a fire occur due to our faulty wiring or, uh, the fireworks factory upstairs you will be incinerated along with the valuables that you have hidden in your anus. Tips are greatly appreciated."
Eurotrip - guessed by Livvy
15. "Look, there's no point in arguing about this, all right? We need a solution. We need... we need to get some food over there."
"Yeah, OK, I have an idea. We draw straws and the loser runs across the lot with a ham sandwich."
Dawn of the Dead - guessed by Anna
Monday, February 25, 2008
Movie Meme
Rules:
+ Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
+ Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
+ Post them here for everyone to guess.
+ Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
+ NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions.
1. "People will look at the ashes of Westerburg and say, "Now there's a school that self-destructed, not because society didn't care, but because the school was society." Now that's deep."
Heathers guessed by Alicia
2. "I said I'd die for you!"
"No. You said you'd die with me. Cause you had nothing better to do."
Ginger Snaps guessed by Celeste
3. "Honey! C'mon over here, Sugar-buns. This machine just called me an asshole!"
Maximum Overdrive guessed by Celeste
4. "You better pray to the god of skinny punks that this wind doesn't pick up, cos I'll come over there, and jam an oar up your ass."
Tommy Boy guessed by Alicia
5. "What is the one thing that could ruin my senior prom?"
"That you would trip on your Barbie heels and I'd be named prom queen... Did I just say that out loud?"
Never Been Kissed guessed by Alicia
6. "Move it, garbage boy! You are COOKING? HOW DARE YOU COOK in my kitchen! Where do you get the gall to even attempt something so monumentally idiotic? I should have you drawn and quartered! I'll do it! I think the law is on my side! Larousse, draw and quarter this man - after you put him in the duck press to squeeze the fat out of his head!"
Ratatouille guessed by Olivia
7. "I rescued your hat."
"Well... that's the important thing."
Jurassic Park 3 guessed by Olivia (close enough)
8. "Look, this is an emotional moment for all of us, okay? I know that. Let's not make snap judgments, please. This is clearly-clearly an important species we're dealing with and I don't think that you or I, or anybody, has the right to arbitrarily exterminate them!"
"Wrong!"
Aliens guessed by Celeste
9. "She's not my girlfriend. I find her interesting because she's a client and because she sleeps above her covers... *four feet* above her covers. She barks, she drools, she claws!"
Ghostbusters guessed by Sonny
10. "Mom, I'm worried about Antonia. Did you know that she put on her mouse ears and drives around town, all liquored up, NAKED?"
Practical Magic guessed FINALLY by Celeste
11. "Everything. OK! I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out... But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life."
The Goonies guessed by Alicia
12. "One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach, all the damn vampires."
The Lost Boys guessed by Sonny
13. "Oh, God. I look 20 years old!"
A Nightmare On Elm Street guessed by Olivia
14. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"No, sweetheart. I'm making you not care. Okay?"
28 Days Later guessed by Celeste
15. "At least you'll never be a vegetable - even artichokes have hearts."
Amelie guessed by Olivia
+ Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
+ Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
+ Post them here for everyone to guess.
+ Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
+ NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions.
1. "People will look at the ashes of Westerburg and say, "Now there's a school that self-destructed, not because society didn't care, but because the school was society." Now that's deep."
Heathers guessed by Alicia
2. "I said I'd die for you!"
"No. You said you'd die with me. Cause you had nothing better to do."
Ginger Snaps guessed by Celeste
3. "Honey! C'mon over here, Sugar-buns. This machine just called me an asshole!"
Maximum Overdrive guessed by Celeste
4. "You better pray to the god of skinny punks that this wind doesn't pick up, cos I'll come over there, and jam an oar up your ass."
Tommy Boy guessed by Alicia
5. "What is the one thing that could ruin my senior prom?"
"That you would trip on your Barbie heels and I'd be named prom queen... Did I just say that out loud?"
Never Been Kissed guessed by Alicia
6. "Move it, garbage boy! You are COOKING? HOW DARE YOU COOK in my kitchen! Where do you get the gall to even attempt something so monumentally idiotic? I should have you drawn and quartered! I'll do it! I think the law is on my side! Larousse, draw and quarter this man - after you put him in the duck press to squeeze the fat out of his head!"
Ratatouille guessed by Olivia
7. "I rescued your hat."
"Well... that's the important thing."
Jurassic Park 3 guessed by Olivia (close enough)
8. "Look, this is an emotional moment for all of us, okay? I know that. Let's not make snap judgments, please. This is clearly-clearly an important species we're dealing with and I don't think that you or I, or anybody, has the right to arbitrarily exterminate them!"
"Wrong!"
Aliens guessed by Celeste
9. "She's not my girlfriend. I find her interesting because she's a client and because she sleeps above her covers... *four feet* above her covers. She barks, she drools, she claws!"
Ghostbusters guessed by Sonny
10. "Mom, I'm worried about Antonia. Did you know that she put on her mouse ears and drives around town, all liquored up, NAKED?"
Practical Magic guessed FINALLY by Celeste
11. "Everything. OK! I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out... But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life."
The Goonies guessed by Alicia
12. "One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach, all the damn vampires."
The Lost Boys guessed by Sonny
13. "Oh, God. I look 20 years old!"
A Nightmare On Elm Street guessed by Olivia
14. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"No, sweetheart. I'm making you not care. Okay?"
28 Days Later guessed by Celeste
15. "At least you'll never be a vegetable - even artichokes have hearts."
Amelie guessed by Olivia
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Golden Delicious
In case you didn't know, Mike Doughty's new album, Golden Delicious, was released yesterday. I know I'm excited! I'm also feeling dumb that I've been working on the music channel for so many months now, and only just realized that they have one of his videos up on it...
And here's the latest video from his new album, for the song 27 Jennifers
Mike Doughty "27 Jennifers"
Add to My Profile | More Videos
And yes.... dorky me is having fun playing with the various snag/embed functions there are available out there. It's nice that you no longer even have to know basic html in order to add crap like that to your site/blog posts. They've just made it too damn easy!
And here's the latest video from his new album, for the song 27 Jennifers
Mike Doughty "27 Jennifers"
Add to My Profile | More Videos
And yes.... dorky me is having fun playing with the various snag/embed functions there are available out there. It's nice that you no longer even have to know basic html in order to add crap like that to your site/blog posts. They've just made it too damn easy!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Eating Experiment
So I was browsing through the comments section on this guest-blog post by Michael Pollan and one of the comments in particular struck me. Kathy Leland writes:
I probably cook with a decent bit more vegetables than the average American, but it got me to thinking of other ways I could expand my horizons, starting with seeing if I can take some suggestions. So... in the comments, list as many different vegetables as you can, the only rule being that you have to have actually eaten them. If I didn't include that qualifier... well, I know Anna and I could probably have a good time just sitting down and listing out all the veggies we can think of. You can include herbs and specific varieties as well (after all, I regularly eat at least 4 different kinds of potatoes). Any vegetables in the responses that I have not eaten, I will incorporate into my next week's menu, if they're available, or add to the menu as soon as they are. And maybe it'll encourage you guys to do it too!
I'll start: arugula, asparagus, artichokes, basil, beets, broccoli, broccolini, cabbage, chives, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, garlic, green beans, green peppers, jalepeno peppers, leeks, mushrooms (portabella, shitake, white, cremini), okra, onions (white, yellow, red, boiling, green), oregano, parsnips, parsley, peas (garden, sugarsnap, snow), plantains, potatoes (yukon gold, white, red, 'new'), pumpkin, radishes, rutabagas, sage, shallots, spinach, squash (yellow, acorn, butternut, spaghetti), sweet potatoes, tarragon, thyme, turnips, tomatoes (plum, heirloom, common grocery, yellow), water chestnuts, zucchini.
I am teaching "The Omnivore's Dilemma" this semester in my Introduction to Literature class (somewhat bucking the tradition that only fiction can be literature), so I'm very excited to tell my students about this site and the great opportunity to correspond with Mr. Pollan. I'm sure they will have many questions! Young people today have a very quixotic and disconnected relationship with the food they eat: they understand and heartily endorse the merits of environmental awareness, they recycle, they don't waste paper, they don't litter -- yet at the same time, they live on fast food, can't identify more than 4 or 5 vegetables, and often have no idea what a really great peach tastes like. I think "The Omnivore's Dilemma" should be required reading in a lot of college classes. I hope I am starting a trend....and that just struck me as wrong.
I probably cook with a decent bit more vegetables than the average American, but it got me to thinking of other ways I could expand my horizons, starting with seeing if I can take some suggestions. So... in the comments, list as many different vegetables as you can, the only rule being that you have to have actually eaten them. If I didn't include that qualifier... well, I know Anna and I could probably have a good time just sitting down and listing out all the veggies we can think of. You can include herbs and specific varieties as well (after all, I regularly eat at least 4 different kinds of potatoes). Any vegetables in the responses that I have not eaten, I will incorporate into my next week's menu, if they're available, or add to the menu as soon as they are. And maybe it'll encourage you guys to do it too!
I'll start: arugula, asparagus, artichokes, basil, beets, broccoli, broccolini, cabbage, chives, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, garlic, green beans, green peppers, jalepeno peppers, leeks, mushrooms (portabella, shitake, white, cremini), okra, onions (white, yellow, red, boiling, green), oregano, parsnips, parsley, peas (garden, sugarsnap, snow), plantains, potatoes (yukon gold, white, red, 'new'), pumpkin, radishes, rutabagas, sage, shallots, spinach, squash (yellow, acorn, butternut, spaghetti), sweet potatoes, tarragon, thyme, turnips, tomatoes (plum, heirloom, common grocery, yellow), water chestnuts, zucchini.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
What a difference the right cheese can make
Since Livvy asked me to give it to her, I'm going to go ahead and post my recipe for tamale pie. I hated the thing for years and years, but my husband loves it, so I'd keep making it. It was an easy weeknight dish you can toss together, and hey, sometimes it's not about what I want to eat.
I was never a big fan of parmesan either. Then I bought some real parmesan, and realized it wasn't that I didn't like the cheese, it was that I didn't like the cellulose filled pre-processed cheese-füd I'd been eating. Real parmesan cheese is incredible!
Well I finally found a way to cook tamale pie that I think makes it taste incredible as well. It's still just as easy, and all of a sudden, I can stomach more than a few bites and don't have to pretend I'm full. The secret was in the cheese. Oaxaca cheese, to be exact. Oaxaca is also called Asadero, and I find mine at Harris Teeter. If you can find some, try it, it's so wonderful.
So.... on to the recipe. You will need:
Hardware:
1 skillet large enough to sautee the beef, and hold the rest of the ingredients
1 8" square baking dish (or thereabouts)
1 largish bowl for the batter
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 sm tomato, diced small
1 sm green pepper, diced small
1 cup frozen corn
1 sm onion, minced
1 jalepeno pepper, minced
1 cup (or more to taste) oaxaca cheese, shredded
1 pkg cornbread mix (your choice, there. I'm too lazy to make my own cornbread batter, this is supposed to be a quick meal!)
chili powder
ground cumin
salt
pepper
other seasonings to taste
To cook:
Preheat your oven to whatever temp your cornbread tells you to.
Sautee the ground beef in the skillet with the onion, seasoning it up to your personal heat/spice preference.
While the beef is cooking, mix up the cornbread batter
Before the beef is quite done, add in the rest of the vegetable ingredients, leaving the tomato for last so it doesn't get all mushy, mix well.
Dump the whole mix into the baking dish, spreading it out evenly, and then layer on the shredded cheese.
Spread the cornbread batter on top, and pop it into the oven.
Cook for as long as your instructions for your cornbread batter tells you to, then take it out and let it settle down for five minutes or so.
Done!
I like to top mine with sour cream.
I was never a big fan of parmesan either. Then I bought some real parmesan, and realized it wasn't that I didn't like the cheese, it was that I didn't like the cellulose filled pre-processed cheese-füd I'd been eating. Real parmesan cheese is incredible!
Well I finally found a way to cook tamale pie that I think makes it taste incredible as well. It's still just as easy, and all of a sudden, I can stomach more than a few bites and don't have to pretend I'm full. The secret was in the cheese. Oaxaca cheese, to be exact. Oaxaca is also called Asadero, and I find mine at Harris Teeter. If you can find some, try it, it's so wonderful.
So.... on to the recipe. You will need:
Hardware:
1 skillet large enough to sautee the beef, and hold the rest of the ingredients
1 8" square baking dish (or thereabouts)
1 largish bowl for the batter
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 sm tomato, diced small
1 sm green pepper, diced small
1 cup frozen corn
1 sm onion, minced
1 jalepeno pepper, minced
1 cup (or more to taste) oaxaca cheese, shredded
1 pkg cornbread mix (your choice, there. I'm too lazy to make my own cornbread batter, this is supposed to be a quick meal!)
chili powder
ground cumin
salt
pepper
other seasonings to taste
To cook:
Preheat your oven to whatever temp your cornbread tells you to.
Sautee the ground beef in the skillet with the onion, seasoning it up to your personal heat/spice preference.
While the beef is cooking, mix up the cornbread batter
Before the beef is quite done, add in the rest of the vegetable ingredients, leaving the tomato for last so it doesn't get all mushy, mix well.
Dump the whole mix into the baking dish, spreading it out evenly, and then layer on the shredded cheese.
Spread the cornbread batter on top, and pop it into the oven.
Cook for as long as your instructions for your cornbread batter tells you to, then take it out and let it settle down for five minutes or so.
Done!
I like to top mine with sour cream.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Russ the Rock Legend
LOL. I couldn't help it. I just had to tell all of you that Russ just beat Guitar Hero III on Hard. Go Russ!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Fido
If ever a movie was produced specifically for me, Fido would be it. It's got the '50s-style kitschy setting, the dark humor and zombies(!), all seemed aimed right at my weird-movie-loving heart.
The opening montage is fabulous. America has fought and won the Zombie Wars, and domesticated the undead, so that now the average citizen lives a lifestyle of relative ease, with tedious manual tasks relegated to rotting corpses with electric collars around their neck that keep their urge for flesh in check. Enter our hero, Timmy, a friendless runt of a kid with a father obsessed with death and terrified of zombies. (Dad is played by Dylan Baker, who I will always, unfortunately, associate with his creepy role as the child-raping dad in Happyness.) Timmy's mother buys the family a zombie, because they are the last family on the block who doesn't own one, and she hates to feel like she doesn't fit in. Lacking actual friends his age, Timmy names their new zombie Fido, and quickly develops a rapport with him.
Of course things can't stay that simple, and a la Dead Alive, Timmy's zombie breaks loose and kills a nasty old neighbor-lady. Rather than see his pet zombie destroyed, Timmy moves into damage-control mode and tries to cover up the crime, which of course results in a neighborhood-wide outbreak of zombies.
If you liked Ed and His Dead Mother, or Dead Alive, or Shaun of the Dead, this is a movie you'll probably enjoy. I loved it. It's been definitively entered into the "To Buy" list.
The opening montage is fabulous. America has fought and won the Zombie Wars, and domesticated the undead, so that now the average citizen lives a lifestyle of relative ease, with tedious manual tasks relegated to rotting corpses with electric collars around their neck that keep their urge for flesh in check. Enter our hero, Timmy, a friendless runt of a kid with a father obsessed with death and terrified of zombies. (Dad is played by Dylan Baker, who I will always, unfortunately, associate with his creepy role as the child-raping dad in Happyness.) Timmy's mother buys the family a zombie, because they are the last family on the block who doesn't own one, and she hates to feel like she doesn't fit in. Lacking actual friends his age, Timmy names their new zombie Fido, and quickly develops a rapport with him.
Of course things can't stay that simple, and a la Dead Alive, Timmy's zombie breaks loose and kills a nasty old neighbor-lady. Rather than see his pet zombie destroyed, Timmy moves into damage-control mode and tries to cover up the crime, which of course results in a neighborhood-wide outbreak of zombies.
If you liked Ed and His Dead Mother, or Dead Alive, or Shaun of the Dead, this is a movie you'll probably enjoy. I loved it. It's been definitively entered into the "To Buy" list.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Not Panicky Under Pressure!
Who would have thought I'd actually have a reason to use the 'life threatening situations' tag so soon after Livvy created it?
Roy has had a runny nose for the past few days. Last night he slept poorly all night and when he woke up at 6am this morning, he had a fever. Tylenol brought it down for a little while, but he was breathing really fast, and the fever came right back up within a few hours. So I called the Dr. As luck would have it, the Dr's office closes early on Wednesdays, so all I got was the stupid answering service. I made them page Dr. Stonerock, and received a call back within a few minutes. Fever over 103, fast breathing, lethargic, not responding to Tylenol... Dr. says take him to emergency room just to be on the safe side.
So with less than ten minutes before I was supposed to give a presentation to the entire AOL Channels dev team on the project I'm leading, I had to IM my boss with "Can't do presentation. Have to go to emergency room. Tell them I'm sorry. Bye." And we were off.
Luckily, there wasn't anyone ahead of us when we arrived, and we were seen immediately. And that's where the fun began. Dose of Motrin to bring the fever down (BTW - I didn't know this, but you can mix Tylenol and Motrin together to get better fever control - just alternate the doses every 3 hours.) Probe in the butt to take Roy's temperature - 3 different times over the course of the visit, and boy he hated that! Tie a pulse sensor to his toe that I had to spend the next 3 hours trying to keep him from removing. Stick him with an IV to 'rehydrate' him, even though he'd already polished off 4 sippy cups that morning. X-Ray his chest - which Russ got to take him in for, and I could hear Roy screaming down the hall, since they had to strap him down to do it.
Finally, the verdict comes in, and Roy has pneumonia. Dose of antibiotics through the IV, and then wait another half hour after that for the nurse to come back and remove it, and the tape removal resulted in much screaming and crying as well. Four hours straight of keeping the kiddo from ripping out the IV or the pulse sensor and trying to keep him from full-on hysterics, which largely entailed pacing a two foot area and swaying with the kiddo in my arms. Damn but my back hurts now!
So now Roy is on both Tylenol and Motrin and antibiotics for the next ten days. I'm proud to say I didn't cry once. We'll be staying in and taking it easy for the next week or so, though.
Roy has had a runny nose for the past few days. Last night he slept poorly all night and when he woke up at 6am this morning, he had a fever. Tylenol brought it down for a little while, but he was breathing really fast, and the fever came right back up within a few hours. So I called the Dr. As luck would have it, the Dr's office closes early on Wednesdays, so all I got was the stupid answering service. I made them page Dr. Stonerock, and received a call back within a few minutes. Fever over 103, fast breathing, lethargic, not responding to Tylenol... Dr. says take him to emergency room just to be on the safe side.
So with less than ten minutes before I was supposed to give a presentation to the entire AOL Channels dev team on the project I'm leading, I had to IM my boss with "Can't do presentation. Have to go to emergency room. Tell them I'm sorry. Bye." And we were off.
Luckily, there wasn't anyone ahead of us when we arrived, and we were seen immediately. And that's where the fun began. Dose of Motrin to bring the fever down (BTW - I didn't know this, but you can mix Tylenol and Motrin together to get better fever control - just alternate the doses every 3 hours.) Probe in the butt to take Roy's temperature - 3 different times over the course of the visit, and boy he hated that! Tie a pulse sensor to his toe that I had to spend the next 3 hours trying to keep him from removing. Stick him with an IV to 'rehydrate' him, even though he'd already polished off 4 sippy cups that morning. X-Ray his chest - which Russ got to take him in for, and I could hear Roy screaming down the hall, since they had to strap him down to do it.
Finally, the verdict comes in, and Roy has pneumonia. Dose of antibiotics through the IV, and then wait another half hour after that for the nurse to come back and remove it, and the tape removal resulted in much screaming and crying as well. Four hours straight of keeping the kiddo from ripping out the IV or the pulse sensor and trying to keep him from full-on hysterics, which largely entailed pacing a two foot area and swaying with the kiddo in my arms. Damn but my back hurts now!
So now Roy is on both Tylenol and Motrin and antibiotics for the next ten days. I'm proud to say I didn't cry once. We'll be staying in and taking it easy for the next week or so, though.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Spoon!
Wow, but this has been just crazy times for me lately. Today was the first day I've had to even look at blogs or catch up on news... and I'm glad I did, because here is a real gem of an article for you: It's The Tick! (well, more like American Maid) In real life!
So... if YOU were going to don a costume and be a REAL, who would you be?
SO YOU'VE DECIDED to become a real-life superhero. Like Wolverine, you've chosen a secret identity and a uniform. But unlike the X-Man, you don't have retractable claws or a mutant healing factor. How do you make up the difference?
Most Reals use a combination of martial arts and weaponry. The Eye is a 49-year-old crimebuster from Mountain View, California, who wears a Green Hornet-inspired fedora and trench coat. Though he focuses mainly on detective work and crime-tip reporting, he prepares himself for hand-to-hand combat by studying kung fu and wielding an arsenal of light-based weapons designed to dazzle enemies. ...
Once you've honed your body and strapped on your utility belt, it's time to decide how to focus your heroic efforts. Within the community of Reals, there's a buffet of choices. Some choose mundane tasks—The Cleanser strolls around picking up trash, while Direction Man helps lost tourists find where they're going. Most Reals also lend their personages to charities, donating to food banks or organizing clothing drives.
So... if YOU were going to don a costume and be a REAL, who would you be?
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
New Years Resolutions!!
Everybody else has to do it too :). So here they are. My 2008 New Years Resolutions (in order of importance to me):
1. To not talk bad (or even think bad and if I do to stop it immediately) about people and especially not to hate on them.
2. To exercise consistently and get a Jessica Beal like body.
3. To pay off my credit card AGAIN (guh), and then start large payments on my student loans.
4. To graduate from College :). FINALLY!! This is actually really important to me, but I put it farther down on the list because it's pretty much a given.
5. To buy a house. Again, it's farther down on the list because I WILL BUY A HOUSE THIS YEAR!!!
K. Toodles :)!!
1. To not talk bad (or even think bad and if I do to stop it immediately) about people and especially not to hate on them.
2. To exercise consistently and get a Jessica Beal like body.
3. To pay off my credit card AGAIN (guh), and then start large payments on my student loans.
4. To graduate from College :). FINALLY!! This is actually really important to me, but I put it farther down on the list because it's pretty much a given.
5. To buy a house. Again, it's farther down on the list because I WILL BUY A HOUSE THIS YEAR!!!
K. Toodles :)!!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Panicky under pressure!!
So, I had an interesting weekend. I experienced something that I've never experienced before. I was rudely awakened at 8am on Saturday, after only 4 hours of sleep to an extremely loud buzzing noise. After about 30 seconds of it going off, I go "Nick, what the hell is that?" He mumbles, "I dunno." 30 more seconds pass by and I "NICK!! What the fuck?" At this point I thought he was pulling some mean prank on me, but he just mumbles "It's probably them." I'm thinking to myself "them who?" But, slowly I become more sensible and realize that the noise isn't just coming from only my apartment, but is surrounding us. So I go to the window, wondering if there's anything outside, like construction or something. Low and behold, I peak through the blinds and the entire building is on fire. Flames are licking up the whole outside of the apartments catty corner to mine and all I can see is FIRE and black smoke. With my over active imagination, I automatically think, "oh my god, the building is on fire, it's going to crumble, maybe explode (what with the oil tank being RIGHT next to where the fire is)! Then I launch into motion. I go "Nick, the buildings on fire, we have to get out of here." He launches out of bed and goes "What!?!" I'm stumbling around pulling on jeans and a robe. When I can't find the tie for the robe, I pull my coat on over it to secure it and then I go get the cat carrier. We only have one though which I see as a problem. Nick's just standing in the room staring at the clock (from my view point anyways) and I go "Nick what are you doing?!" We have to get the cats!!" Nick goes "I'm trying to get ready" And I go, "Oh my god, where's Pinky? Where's Stabby? I think I'm going to have a heart-attack..." So, Nick start looking for Pinky and I do too, without any success, but Nick finds them both behind the couch. Pinky, being spotted, runs for the room, and I trap him behind the hamper and grab him up to my chest in a grip that he was NOT getting away from. Nick's putting his shoes on in the living room and I go "Nick, why don't you have Sebastian? Wah!!" Nick goes, "I'll get him, I just need to get my shoes on..." I go "leave it and get the cat!" I guess Nick does what he wants anyways because he was definitely wearing shoes and socks when we got outside, but in my panicked state he did what I wanted and we trapped Stabby in the bathroom where Nick picked him up. He goes over to the one carrier and goes, "let's put them both in here," but I'm like..."No! I can smell the smoke! We have leave now." Nick goes..."this is how we lose our cats." But, we both head out the door and to the stairwell, where much more calmer individuals are walking down the steps. I guess they didn't have the vantage of the fire that I did, since it was directly in front of our apartment.
By the time we got outside, the fire department had it under control and pretty much put out. But, man was I scared!! Nick was definitely more in control than I was. You never know what you'll do in those situations, but now I know that I panic and definitely would've stayed in the apartment until I got our cats, fire or no! They kept us outside for 3 hours and then let most everyone else go back inside. 4 or 5 apartments were completely ruined by the fire, but ours was ok. It's scary to think about, but living in an apartment/condo building definitely has its risks. Like, anyone could burn down your house and ruin your life... I am much more motivated to buy my own house now. At least then if anything happened it would be my own damn fault.
I have a picture, post fire, but can't upload it right now. If I remember I will!
By the time we got outside, the fire department had it under control and pretty much put out. But, man was I scared!! Nick was definitely more in control than I was. You never know what you'll do in those situations, but now I know that I panic and definitely would've stayed in the apartment until I got our cats, fire or no! They kept us outside for 3 hours and then let most everyone else go back inside. 4 or 5 apartments were completely ruined by the fire, but ours was ok. It's scary to think about, but living in an apartment/condo building definitely has its risks. Like, anyone could burn down your house and ruin your life... I am much more motivated to buy my own house now. At least then if anything happened it would be my own damn fault.
I have a picture, post fire, but can't upload it right now. If I remember I will!
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