The End of an Era…

Paul Newman 1925 - 2008
RIP

From the Washington Post article:

“…They had a famously durable marriage. Newman spoke about their relationship by noting how they decided to act in the comedy A New Kind of Love (1963).

“He told Time magazine: “Joanne read it and said, ‘Hey this could be fun to do together. Read it.’ And I read it and said, ‘Joanne, it’s just a bunch of one-liners.’

“And she said, ‘You [expletive], I’ve been carting your children around, taking care of them, taking care of you and your house.’ And I said, ‘That is what I said. It’s a terrific script. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.’ This is what is known as a reciprocal trade agreement.…”

Stay Out of My Trash Cans!

Today’s Daily Thought from Real Simple:



The things people discard tell more about them than the things they keep.

— Hilda Lawrence

Exercise vs Stress

From Quotes of the Day, today:

Exercise relieves stress. Nothing relieves exercise.

- Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata

Yes, I Like Lavender. A Lot!!

How to Dry Your Home Grown Lavender

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

You can easily dry lavender flowers for use inside the home and enjoy the fragrance all year round!

Steps

1. Get a pair of sharp garden shears and a ball of string.
   
2. Cut matured lavender flowers just above the leaves, getting the longest stem possible on the flower.
   
3. Without crushing the stems, tie each flower separately, close to the cut end with a long piece of string. Leave about 3/4" between each stem. This will ensure that when you hang them to dry, air will be able to circulate and that the lavender will not rot or go moldy while drying.
   
4. Tie the ends of your string together to form a loop.
   
5. Hang the chain of lavender, ensuring the flowers point toward the floor, in a dark dry place for about a month.
   
6. Untie the lavender from your piece of string when it's dry, and use in dried flower arrangements, or chop up for potpourri.
   

Tips

• Lavender can discourage moths, so hanging the lavender in your clothes cupboards will not only smell nice to you, but could also save your clothes from insect attack.
  
• If you use half-hitch knots, you can re-use your piece of string numerous times.
  
• Drying time is weather-dependent. If you live in a humid area, they may take longer to dry out.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Dry Herbs
  
• How to Grow Healthy Plants
  
• How to Grow a Tomato Plant
  
• How to Grow Elephant Ear Plants
  
• How to Grow Basil from Seed
  
• How to Grow Cuttings from Established Plants
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Dry Your Home Grown Lavender. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

From the Plant to the Kitchen

How to Prune and Harvest Lavender

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Pruning and harvesting lavender is easy. You don't have to be scared of killing it. It is helpful, however, to understand that pruning and harvesting aren't the same thing. Here are some handy tips for pruning and harvesting lavender with some success.

Steps

Pruning

1. Learn to prune lavender the correct way. Cut back the green growth to within a few inches of the woody growth. Remove all the dead leaf matter, along with any stringy twigs and any other plant clutter.
   
2. Wait for the new growth to appear. Do not overwater or place in direct sunlight. However, do ensure that there is adequate access to light to stimulate growth.
   

Harvesting

1. Cut the lavender stems that have flowers. Do this early in the morning, after the dew has dried but before the heat of the sun draws out too much of the essential oils (you will want those intact to evoke the scent in your home).
   
2. Dry the lavender in bunches or on screens.
   
3. Dry and store in a cool, dark place. Some varieties are best for stems and others for flower buds.
   

Tips

• The bits you have cut off can make cuttings. Put them in a tray of soil, water them occasionally, and they should grow.
  

Warnings

• Watch your fingers. The sharper the secateurs, the better.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Dry Flowers
  
• How to Dry Fresh Grown Catnip
  
• How to Grow and Pick Melons
  
• How to Harvest Sweet Pea Seed Pods
  
• How to Make Violet Eye Cream
  

Sources and Citations

• For a good complete article, see Lavender care and tips
  
• Lavender Oil Profile
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Prune and Harvest Lavender. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

These Cookies Sound Really Good!

How to Bake Lavender and Lemon Cookies

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Lavender and lemon make a delightful combination for homemade cookies. Guests will not be able to resist taking at least two.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (about 1 gram) dried lavender flowers; must be culinary suitable and chemical-free
  
• 1 cup (227 grams) butter (ensure it is at room temperature)
  
• 2/3 cup (67 grams) sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
  
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) lemon extract
  
• 1/4 teaspoon (.5 grams) grated, fresh lemon rind (ensure lemon has been well washed)
  
• 2 cups (250 grams) flour (all purpose/plain)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon (.75 gram) salt
  
• Frosting of choice (optional)
  

Steps

1. Grind the lavender flowers. A mortar and pestle is easiest but you can also use a coffee grinder reserved only for food grinding use.
   
2. Cream together ground lavender, butter, sugar, both extracts and the freshly grated lemon rind.
   
3. Add flour and salt.
   
4. Mix the ingredients together. Combine until dough is soft. Add a little extra flour if the dough remains sticky.
   
5. Refrigerate the dough until firm. This may take 1 - 2 hours.
   
6. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC) before removing dough from the fridge.
   
7. Flour a clean surface, lightly, in preparation for rolling the dough.
   
8. Roll dough out. A quarter of an inch (.635 cm) is an ideal thickness.
   
9. Cut cookies.. You can use a cookie cutter or just make balls.
   
10. Arrange on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
    
11. Bake 12 - 15 minutes. Cookies should only be lightly browned at the edges to retain delicate flavors.
    
12. Remove and cool on wire racks.
    
13. Frost as desired.
    

Tips

• If you have purple food coloring, this can make a delightful complementary frosting for the cookies.
  
• If using fresh lavender, add about twice as much.
  
• If using a mortar and pestle, adding some of the sugar to the lavender may help you grind it finer.
  

Things You'll Need

• Medium mixing bowl
  
• Mixing spoon
  
• Cookie sheet
  
• Parchment or baking paper
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Bake Cookies
  
• How to Dry Your Home Grown Lavender
  
• How to Prune and Harvest Lavender
  
• How to Enjoy a Lemon Italian Ice
  
• How to Make Lemon Pie
  
• How to Make Lemon/Lime Water
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Bake Lavender and Lemon Cookies. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

I Know *I’m* Surprised!!

From RoughlyDrafted Magazine yesterday:

“After dumping its $10 million contract with Jerry Seinfeld after just three ads (only two of which even aired) Microsoft has created new ad copy where regular people and a few celebrities say, “I’m a PC!” One problem with the campaign’s credibility: the ad work was created using Macs.…”

Poor Spiders!

For some reason, the dratted video won’t embed… Oh, well… point your browsers thusly, then:

http://www.glumbert.com/media/spiders

The Inmates Have Escaped the Asylum…

…and they’re running us…

Bob was at the hardware store for various stuff this afternoon, and learned two very interesting things:

1. If you’re under 18, you are forbidden, under state law, from using the key-making machine
2. If you’re under 18, you are forbidden, under state law, from using the paint-mixing machine

Of all the moronic… Oh, never mind…

Dear St. Michael, guard my room.

Posted to Silouan’s blog today:

“A prayer to my guardian angel
“by Father Stephen Freeman

“O Holy Angel, who stand by my wretched soul and my passionate life: do not abandon me, a sinner, neither depart from me because of my lack of self-control. Leave no room for the evil demon to gain control of me through the violence of this mortal body. Strengthen my weak and feeble hand, and instruct me in the path of salvation.…”

Scary Times: Al Gore Invented the Internet…

…and John McCain helped invent the Blackberry??? Not that Obama is very bright…

From the LA Times politics blog this morning:

“John McCain helped invent the Blackberry? Who knew?

“John McCain’s technological acumen is back in the news – courtesy of one of his top aides.

“Barack Obama’s campaign sought to spotlight the subject late last week with a controversial ad that scoffed at the Republican’s computer skills.

At a gathering in Washington today, McCain domestic policy adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin was asked about his candidate’s grasp of high-tech matters. Holtz-Eakin held up his Blackberry and, in a nod toward McCain’s onetime tenure as head of the Senate Commerce Committee, said, “He did this.…”

Being a Food Critic is HARD Work!!

How to Become a Food Critic

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Introducing new restaurants and new dishes to the public is a demanding and competitive job with travel and new exciting experiences as the reward. If you enjoy tasting a wide variety of food and wines and love to write, this could be the perfect career for you.

Steps

1. Develop fantastic writing skills as a newspaper reporter. You can have the most discriminating palate in the world, but you'll never make it as a food critic if you can't communicate well. If you are heading for school, major in journalism or English. Work on the university paper and try to write as many articles as you can on food and the arts. If you can't go to school full-time, try to take courses part-time and/or look into getting an internship at a local magazine or newspaper.
   
2. Become familiar with the restaurant business. Owning or co-owning a restaurant is very practical for a food critic. At the very least, you should know how things operate behind the scenes. If possible, work in restaurants and study how they work from top to bottom. Ask many questions. Educate yourself.
   
3. Test the limits of your palate. To be a food critic, you must have an incredible and adventurous palate. Expand your curiosity and be prepared to try every kind of food and drink. You might have to be brave at times and go way out of your comfort zone. It really helps to be the kind of person who has tremendous zest for life willing to take many adventures and risks. This job is not for the faint hearted. Try anything and everything you come across, no matter how strange or foreign it may seem, and record your impressions as descriptively as you can. Training your palate is like exercising a muscle. You need to be able to detect the subtle nuances of flavor and seasoning in food.
   
4. Become an expert in food. Your goal should be to become a first class connoisseur of cuisine. Food should become your life! Dedicate yourself to searching out the finest, latest, rarest and most delicious incredible culinary knowledge. Read the cookbooks from all the great master chefs from all around the world. You should be obsessive in your search for new food trends and ideas.
   
   • Travel to food and wine festivals, from first class to the obscure.
     
   • Study the art of cooking. Take cooking classes non-stop. You should attain a "chef" level in cooking as a goal.
     
   • Build your culinary vocabulary. Frequent fresh food markets and learn about produce and herb seasonings from all over the world.
     
   • Try to take a few wine classes and make many visits to wineries. A good appreciation of wine is crucial. Knowing how to taste wine can also develop your palate.
     
   • Consider becoming an expert on certain foods, such as dark chocolate, later in your career. Many food writers also immerse themselves in the history and culture of food to add depth to their articles.
     
   • Study French, Spanish and Italian. Learn at least one language fluently as well as being versed in the languages of Japan, China and the Mediterranean.
     
   
   
5. Research other food critics and chefs. This is imperative. Everyone has there own style of food writing.You need to find your own "voice". You should read the works of M.F.K. Fisher, A.J. Liebling, Elizabeth David, Calvin Trillin, A.A. Gill and Robert Courtine.
   
6. Write reviews. When you go to a new restaurant, go with three friends. Bring someone who's familiar with that kind of cuisine (such as if the cuisine is ethnic, and your friend grew up in the country it originated from). Ask everyone to order something different (including appetizers and dessert) and take two bits of every dish, including your own. Then stop eating. The reason for this is twofold: it helps you maintain a healthy weight, and it helps leave enough room in your stomach for everything. (Besides, you can always ask to have things wrapped up and take them home, or your friends might have fun finishing what you didn't.) Between each dish, try to take a mental snapshot of the dish, and remember your impressions of it. Do not take notes at the restaurant. Wait until you get home, in the car, or even the bathroom. You don't want to tip the restaurant off that you're a reviewer. After your first visit to the restaurant, do it all over again. This time, you and your companions should order dishes that you didn't have the time before. That way, you'll have tried many different dishes and can get a good idea for how you're going to rate that restaurant.[1]
   
   • Also pay attention to the ambiance and service. Make note of anything that contributes to or takes away from the experience. Food critics often have an extensive checklist that includes, but is not limited to the impressiveness of the food.[2]
     
   • If you're going to make a career out of critiquing food, it's important that you don't become recognizable. Once people know who you are, they'll try especially hard to make sure you enjoy their food which, while nice, can interfere with your review of the food. After all, your readers won't get that kind of treatment, and your job is to let them know what they can expect as an average person, not a food critic. Make reservations under a fake name (or else they might recognize your real name with what's published in the paper) and keep a low profile (don't go to benefits, wine dinners, or other gatherings; don't appear on television or participate as a celebrity in events; don't accept offers to try a chef's cuisine).[1] Failing to keep your anonymity intact may warrant a lot of criticism from readers.[3]
     
   
   
7. Create a portfolio of at least 40 written articles that you have written on food, wine, restaurants, chefs, food festivals, etc. If your plan is to become a food critic, then you must write all the time to have something to show to editors. Schedule writing one article a week until you build up a body of writing work. Consider starting a blog.
   
8. Apply to different newspapers and magazines regarding writing food columns. A big part of your life will be writing newspaper stories about all aspects of food. You will not start out as a food critic in most cases. You will start at the very bottom. There will be no job you won't do. When you do land a job at a newspaper, keep a travel bag packed at all times in your office or car. You might even get a job that doesn't focus on food at all, but it'll put your foot in the door and you can write about food on the side--in some cases, you'll inherit a food critic's position as a result.[1]
   

Tips

• All food critics are food writers, but not all food writers are food critics. Remember that your job as a food critic is to scrutinize food and help the readers know if they'll enjoy it or not. If you give an inaccurate impression of the food, people will be dissatisfied with your work.
  
• Enjoy the fact that you will spend hours poring over menus from all over the world; food is one way to become more familiar with other cultures.
  

Warnings

• After a negative or mixed review, be prepared for a barrage of e-mails from the restaurant's fans telling you that you don't know what you're talking about.
  
• When you first start out it will very tempting to try many foods as well as the desserts and possibly gain a good deal of weight. This can be hazardous for your health. The best way to deal with this is to take a taste of a dish and not eat the entire thing.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Give Constructive Criticism
  
• How to Criticise
  
• How to Use the Compliment Sandwich to Critique
  
• How to Write a Critique in 5 Paragraphs
  
• How to Accept Criticism
  

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Boston.com - The Secret Life of a Restaurant Critic


2. ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=26&entry_id=4946


3. ↑ 'Daily News' Food Critic Danyelle Freeman And Her Face

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Become a Food Critic. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

From a Politician to a Useless Politician

From Quotes of the Day, today:

In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.
- John Adams

Rain Numbers - 10 September 2008

.02", for today
.03", for the storm
.03", for the month
37.18", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 9 September 2008

.01", for today
.01", for the storm
.01", for the month
37.16", for the (rain) year

Passing the Time at PDX - Music

Once the sandwich and football were done, and with plenty of time was left to kill, I wandered out of the “food court” and stumbled straightaway into Mario Carboni and Chazz Hamilton, piano and guitar players, respectively, extraordinaire!

What a treat!! These boys obviously have more than just a clue about ensemble playing and sound GREAT together! No surprise, I guess: according to MySpace, Mario and Chazz are Back Road Boogie. I’m gonna have to get back to Oregon RSN.

• Mario at MySpace
• Chazz at MySpace
• Back Road Boogie at MySpace; make sure you check out the songs!

You can sample, and buy, Mario’s CD, Big Bad Boogie, on CD Baby. It’s a good listen; why, oh why didn’t I think to have him autograph it when we were all still at the airport??

Passing the Time at PDX - Sports

So, I’m killing time in terminal/concourse/whatever-they-call-it C at PDX, having gotten to there with RenRen and Bwen, whose planes took off oodles earlier than mine, and stopped off for lunch at Big Town Hero (gobbled the tuna melt forthwith; saved the avocado delight for later!). They share a “food court” sort of central area with some other food vendors, so I took advantage and sat down and watched some football.

Interesting it was: Michigan beat Miami of Ohio 16-6, but it was 10-6 for a long time. And Ohio was leading OSU, but eventually lost, 26-14.

Historical Notes from OHSU: In memoriam: Robert J. Meechan, MD, 1926-2008

Historical Notes from OHSU: In memoriam: Robert J. Meechan, MD, 1926-2008

I Know Them! I Know Them!!

Also from the Senile this morning:

An “honest” chiseler from Hollywood to Felton - Santa Cruz Sentinel

“For years, they have been a landmark for commuters and parents dropping off their kids at school. And, to San Lorenzo Valley residents, the twisted whimsical animals, spirits nymphs and friendly bears fashioned from redwood burls are a familiar and comforting sight.

“Passers-by who stop to take a closer look are in for an artistic treat at the home studio of the “Honest Chiseler,” Cliff Short. He and his wife, Norma, have called the spot on Highway 9, across from San Lorenzo Valley High School, home since 1971.

“The path to the studio shaded by fruit trees meanders past towering wooden sculptures and intriguing works of art. Two bears gracefully support the back of an inviting bench. The inside of the tidy study is adorned with stained glass, tables and chairs, bowls, jewelry, clocks, paintings and small animal figurines. All of this is just a part of Short’s life work as a redwood burl artist.…”

Truth is Definitely Stranger than Fiction

From the Senile, er, Sentinel, this morning:

Composer of first Japanese national anthem traced to Santa Cruz

“A two-decade-old mystery that spread across the United States, Japan and Great Britain was recently solved within the boundaries of Santa Cruz.

“Toshio Akiyama, former president of the Japanese Band Directors Association, had been searching for information about the composer of Japan’s first national anthem, the late John William Fenton. Akiyama wanted to know how he died and where his grave was.

“According to a story on news Web site telegraph.co.uk, Fenton was considered the father of band music in Japan. Fenton composed the first version of the country’s national anthem in 1870, and set to the historic Japanese poem, “Kimi Ga Yo,” according to Santa Cruz historians. The official version was composed by Japanese court musician Hiromori Hayashi 10 years later.…”

I Never Thought of Myself as a '30s Woman…

60 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!