Here's a view of downtown Pittsburgh in the winter.
Sigh.... I got back from San Antonio 5 days ago and that was the last time I saw the sun. Pittsburgh is just so gray in the winter. At least in Michigan we had the bright sun to compliment the bitter dry cold.
This guy I work with named PJ was wearing a gray shirt and gray pants today. He told me it was his Pittsburgh camouflage.
Sigh..... This might call for more red wine then usual.
UPDATE:
This is the radar for the area. It's a blanket of gray, a blanket of gray that may never, ever end. Ever.
Sorry people, I've been away in Texas at the Association of Donor Relations Professionals conference. Is sounds awfully boring to a layperson but I did actually come away with some really excellent ideas on how to make donor's happy.
Here's a photo of what my friend Joann could see from her hotel room balcony. Bitch. I got a view of the inside courtyard and it looked just like the set of Melorse Place.
While I was there two really bizarre things happened to me. I was exiting a restaurant on the river walk and asked this random guy for the time. I have no idea how we started talking but it turned out that he lives in the exact same condo complex as my parents in Easton, Maryland. He forced me to have a drink with him and his girlfriend and they were both very lovely people.
On the shuttle bus going back to the airport yesterday afternoon I sat next to a guy who graduated from Adrian College in Michigan the same year that I graduated from Albion College in Michigan. Adrian is kind of like a mini-Methodist sister school to Albion.
So that's 2 totally small world random coincidences in three days in San Antonio, Texas. I should have played the lottery.
By the way, the Alamo was pretty cool - the gift shop was a thing of beauty.
There's this odd woman at work who shares a cube wall with me. She's been with the university for 24 years. She doesn't really talk to anyone, plays computer solitaire all day and leaves at 3:30pm. If she likes you she will show you photos of her dogs. Apparently I've made it to her inner sanctum for I got the photos handed to me from across the top of the cube wall about 15 minutes ago. I wonder what I did?
This is something that I've been thinking about for years.
When you use a cotton swab, what do you use it for? Don't ponder, just say the first thing that comes to your mind.
Cleaning out the inside of your ears.
I believe that the cotton swab, or the "q-tip", is the ONLY product on the world market that is expressly and exclusively used for the very thing that the manufacturing companies of cotton swabs tell you NOT to use it for.
I purchase Q-tips brand cotton swabs and I keep them perched on the back of the toilet. That way, when I or my husband gets out of the shower we can easily clean out our ears and throw the used q-tip in the trash can. It would not occur to me to reach for a q-tip for any other purpose then this.
The official logo on the Q-tip box states this: "Q-tips: The Ultimate Beauty Tool" and then lists a Variety of Uses with little pictures next to the suggestions to reinforce the message (I might also add that none of these suggestions involve beauty). They are:
"First Aid: Gently apply ointments and creams" (picture of a q-tip resting near an eye on a face)
Really? I've always applied ointments and creams with my fingers.
"Electronics: Clean and dust
even hard to reach places" (with a picture of a computer keyboard)
This one is a major stretch. Who delicately cleans between the keys of their keyboard with a q-tip? Frankly I just chuck the thing in the trash and buy a new one for $6.95 on eBay.
"Baby Care: Delicately care for sensitive areas" (picture of a little girl's face with a q-tip posed next to her nose)
I could see this one, but I don't have any kids. So maybe someone who has kids could weigh in on this one.
"Household Use: For all
household cleaning" (picture shows a q-tip posed next to bathtub tile and faucet)
Oh crap, the bathroom floor is filthy, honey, pass me a box of q-tips so I can spend 17 hours cleaning this floor. Puh... lease. Don't insult my intelligence.
If
these subtle suggestions aren't enough, it then states: Warning: Do not insert swab into ear canal. Entering the ear canal could cause
injury. If used to clean ears, stroke
swab gently around the outer surface of the ear only. I didn't just bold this for effect; it's
bolded on the box.
Clearly whomever manufactures Q-tip brand cotton swabs (I'm too lazy to look it up) is either reacting to some scathing law suit where some idiot was cleaning out her kid's ears and managed to render him completely deaf or they've been highly warned by their legal team that this is an accident waiting to happen.
They MUST know that everyone on the planet uses their product to clean out the inside of their ears. But no matter how hard they try or how much they pay a marketing team, I will always only ever use q-tips to clean out the inside of my ears.
By the way, for more helpful hints visit www.qtips.com! There you will find "beauty experts" who will show you how to apply your makeup with q-tips. Sad.
Last year the history author David Cannadine came out with an 800 page coffee table breaker called Mellon: An American Life about the great Andrew Mellon.
Today was a slow Friday at work, the majority of the office has already left town for the holiday and those who are stuck here were up on campus dealing with a trustee meeting. To pass the time I decided to clean out the boxes under my desk.
Lo and behold I found the (presumed missing by my boss) left over Mellon books, 13 first edition signed copies. Biblio.com is selling signed, mint first editions of this book for $168 each, just one year later.
What would you do?
P.S. As a side note I started to read a few pages and it's a major snoozefest - as I'm sure you can imagine.
I'd like to share an obsession with you. www.cuteoverload.com
It's not just cute photos of puppies and bunnies like you think it would be, it's much more. The creator, Meg Frost, is sent the greatest photos by her viewing public which she captions to a tee. A funny photo of a chipmonk, well, meh. But with Meg's captions, the photo is transformed to capture the animal's imaginary personality.
"[Cliff Claven voice] Listen, uh, before we uh, build the uh, deck, here, we're gonna need a couple more two by twelves and a C-clamp. And, take a look at the seventh Fetzer valve, will you. I think it's been sticking."
She doesn't always do this, but when she does I'm charmed. I think you should check this website out, if it makes me really happy it's bound to do the same for you.
Here's another example, just to peak your interest:
"HOT TUB! (in James Brown voice)
Gonna make me sweat-ah
Gonna make me wet-ah
Gonna git in the wat-ah!"
A 22 year old science type guy in New Zealand has invented some sort of "pod" that when you drop it into a warm beer turns it instantly cold without watering down the beverage. No more lugging bags of ice to the beach mate! I'm impressed. Here's the news link:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10475718
My friend Dean likes to think he's all cultured and stuff because he was born in England and lived in Washington DC for 10 years. But you know what? You can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy. Go Gamecocks!
Just for you Dean - a very special treat. Right from Shauna's "hand cleaned" pork chitlins website! (http://www.chitlinmarket.com)... for all your chitlin needs.
Shauna’s Fried Chitlins
Rinse 10lbs Shauna's Fully Cleaned Chitterlings (weighed after cleaning)
Place in pot, cover with water, add lid
Bring to rapid boil, drain and thoroughly rinse in strainer
Return to pot, cover with fresh water
Add 6 ounces Shauna’s Gourmet Chitlin Seasoning Blend
Stir and then replace lid
Bring to second rapid boil.
Remove from Heat
Add 1/4 cup oil in chicken fryer
Heat to 400 degrees.
Dip chitterlings in flour and lay gently in oil with tongs --Use splatter
shield if necessary
Fry to a golden brown on both sides
Remove to platter lined with paper towels for draining
Remove paper towels and serve...Enjoy!!!!!
This was just announced. I'm gonna have to beg to differ. I mean, he's ok and all but I'm thinking the voting committee was his wife, his mother and a few guys from the gym.
Eating Well Magazine is outstanding for the non-professional cook. It's published out of Vermont and most of the recipes really work well and are creative and healthy without being weird or full of "fat free" garbage products.
I will soon post my creamy tomato dressing, which I got from the magazine, that is so good I could drink it alone.
Here is a very good tuna salad recipe - I'm always looking for a nice twist that adds some fiber, and some people aren't into mayo based salads:
Tuscan Style Tuna Salad
| ACTIVE TIME: 10 minutes TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy INGREDIENTS
|
 |
DIRECTIONS:
Combine tuna, beans, tomatoes, scallions, oil, lemon juice, salt and
pepper in a medium bowl. Stir gently. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Ingredient note: When you use canned beans in a recipe, be sure to rinse them first in a colander under cold running water, as their canning liquid often contains a fair amount of sodium.
MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
