Posts (page 2)
I love local news about really classy Pittsburghers. This one is great.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - A Pittsburgh-area couple says a wedding night brawl was a misunderstanding that exploded into a full-fledged fight with other hotel guests.
David and Christa Wielechowski face charges for allegedly assaulting hotel guests last month. An interview with the couple was broadcast on WPXI-TV on Monday.
Christa Wielechowski says the fight erupted after she stuck out her backside for her new husband to kiss it. The drunken groom tapped it with his foot, and his intoxicated wife tripped on her gown landing on her face.
Hotel guests thought David Wielechowski had harmed his bride. The wife says she told them she was fine, but a man punched her husband in the face.
The Wielechowski's spent their wedding night in separate prison cells.
As most of you know, I'm a real history nerd, so to hear of a fallen comrade breaks my heart. But I have to say that God really does have a sense of humor and when MY number comes up, I hope I'm taken out in a blaze of historic glory myself.
R.I.P. brother.
CHESTER, Va. - Like many boys in the South, Sam White got hooked on the Civil War early, digging up rusting bullets and military buttons in the battle-scarred earth of his hometown.
As an adult, he crisscrossed the Virginia countryside in search of wartime relics — weapons, battle flags, even artillery shells buried in the red clay. He sometimes put on diving gear to feel for treasures hidden in the black muck of river bottoms.
But in February, White's hobby cost him his life: A cannonball he was restoring exploded, killing him in his driveway.
More than 140 years after Lee surrendered to Grant, the cannonball was still powerful enough to send a chunk of shrapnel through the front porch of a house a quarter-mile from White's home in this leafy Richmond suburb.
White's death shook the close-knit fraternity of relic collectors and raised concerns about the dangers of other Civil War munitions that lay buried beneath old battlefields. Explosives experts said the fatal blast defied extraordinary odds.
"You can't drop these things on the ground and make them go off," said retired Col. John F. Biemeck, formerly of the Army Ordnance Corps.
White, 53, was one of thousands of hobbyists who comb former battlegrounds for artifacts using metal detectors, pickaxes, shovels and trowels.
So the other day we're having dinner with Rich and Cherry Rosenthal and Rich asks who's the actor who played Jake Ryan in the movie Sixteen Candles? I immediately say "Judd Nelson" it has to be Judd Nelson, all cleaned up before his famous work in Breakfast Club. I even went so far as to stupidly bet $10 on it.
I say stupidly because just last year I lost $20 to my boss in a Gloria Estafan/DeBarge kerfuffle but that's a story for another day.
This past weekend Sixteen Candles comes on one of the random cable channels and low and behold - clearly NOT Judd Nelson. What was I thinking?
If it wasn't Judd Nelson, then who the hell was it? Turns out it was some guy named Michael Schoeffling. Apparently this was his big moment. He went on to do some other clunker movies but was never cast again. So he moved to Northern Pennsylvania where he had two kids and now makes hand crafted furniture. Just in case you ever wanted to know that.
I have spent the majority of the weekend alone while John was at work all weekend and I've had a lot of time to think (while supervising the new dog of course). Here are some things that I really like:
There is not one flaw in her skin. She is flawless. I happen to know this shot has not been photo-shopped, according to the source which I trust. How does Dita do it?
NAPLES (Reuters) - Ballot stuffing took on a new meaning in Italy's parliamentary election on Sunday when a man ate his ballot paper in protest at the country's politicians.
Police in Naples said they had charged the 41-year-old
businessman with destroying election materials. He said all
Italian politicians and politics "are crap" and that he was
protesting "against the system."
Today ain't the greatest birthday I've ever had.
I seem to have injured my back and it kills to get up from my chair or sit down in it.
I have economics class tonight - the kind of economics class that only a nerd school like Carnegie Mellon can make really really hard.
Apparently the new dog has been dragging food off the counter tops in the kitchen and pissing John off.
Chelsey Clinton is on campus today.
What else could go wrong?
Then I read that the country of Bhutan (apparently a Himalayan nation) has a king named Jigme Wangchuck. How cool is that? Do all of these mythical Bhutan people have silly names? Hoggy Zipperlou is the Minister of Chocolate and Buggy Thugburp runs the Department of Upside-down Flying Underpants!
But seriously, it appears that good ole' Jiggy Wangchuck married 4 SISTERS: Yangdön, Pem, Wangmo and Sangay. I guess Jigme likes to get his groove on, if you're into that kind of thing:
The dinner parties they host must be really awkward. You go Jiggy... more power to you boy. Nice paper mache boots. Thanks for salvaging my birthday mood with your wacky outfits, adorable names and off the charts libido.
This is Sol. A special delivery from Animal Friends. His eyes don't light up like different colored Christmas lights in real life! That's just the magic of flash photography.
He is 2 (they think) and his formal given name and title is Commodore Solomon Q. Troublepants, Esq. I made that up, the pound was calling him Salk. Any of you Pittsburghers should know who that is...
Happy Easter!
This recipe rocks. Comfort food all the way and even better the next day packed up in a tupper for work.
Be sure to follow the directions on dumpling making exactly - this is not a newbie-friendly technique but it's easy if you follow the directions below.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (10.75 ounce) can reduced fat cream of "whatever" soup - I like mushroom
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth (low-fat, low sodium works fine too)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 3 stalks chopped celery
- 1/2 a small bag of chopped baby carrots (or 3 large chopped)
- 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
- 1 teaspoon herb blend (I like herbs de Provence)
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, stir together the cream soup, chicken broth, and milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
-
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken
strips, onion and celery. Cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink, and
onions are tender, it's ok if the chicken is still raw inside, this will keep it moist in the stew as it continues to cook.
- Transfer the chicken mixture to the soup pot, and mix well. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes. Season with herbs and black pepper.
-
To Make Dumplings: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking
powder and salt. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of milk and 2
tablespoons of oil. Pour into the dry ingredients, stirring just until
moistened. Make sure the dough is sticky and wet, they will be dense and gross if it's not really sticky. Add more milk if you have to.
-
Drop tablespoonfuls of the dumpling mixture into simmering chicken
stew. Cover pot tightly, and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 15 minutes - without peeking! Keep the top on and let the steam do it's magic. The dumplings will get big and fluffy (baking powder chemistry!).
- Ladle into bowls, and serve hot.
