Tuesday, February 28, 2006

News on the grad school front

Yesterday I got two emails: one a rejection from Berkeley, which was really not very surprising, and an acceptance to Maryland with 4 years of funding.  The funding sounds really pretty interesting -- the first year is an internship with the Maryland state legislature.  Then after that it's RA/TA work.  I'm very excited that now at least I know I am going somewhere.



My dad, the PBS celebrity

I got an e-mail from my dad this morning telling me that he had filmed part of a series for WGBH/The Annenberg Foundation on new literacies in reading instruction for grades 3-5.  My dad is one of the leading experts (or as we in the family like to tease him "the world's greatest expert" ;) ) on new literacies.



More info here: http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/teachreading35/session5/index.html



Sunday, February 26, 2006

Weekly Recipes - Sofrito and Black Bean Soup

I love to cook.  For Christmas this year, I made my sister-in-law a cookbook of some of my favorite recipes.  I'm going to try to post a recipe I've tried and like once a week here so others can enjoy some of my favorite foods as well. 



This week, I'm going to share my sofrito recipe.  Sofrito is a base in a lot of Central American cooking, especially in Puerto Rican dishes.  I usually make a batch and freeze it in 1 cup portions.  That way, I can take it out and use it whenever I want without having to make it fresh every time.  It freezes well in quart ziplocks.  You can really use this sofrito in just about anything.  I use it as a condiment on top of homemade fries, as a sauce on top of chicken or mixed in with rice, and my favorite - in black bean soup (see recipe below).  Enjoy!



Sofrito
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, corsely chopped (about 4 cups)
2 green bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, coarsely chopped (about 2 1/4 cups)
2 red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, coarsely chopped (about 2 1/4 cups)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large tomato, cored and corsely chopped (about 2 cups)
3 cups fresh cilantro leaves and stems
salt
pepper



In a 5 quart Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion. Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Add bell peppers, garlic, oregano, and cumin; cook, stirring often, about 10 minutes.  Add tomato; cook about 5 minutes, stirring ocassionally.  Transfer to a food processor.  Add cilantro and puree until slightly chunky.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Black Bean Soup

1 cup sofrito
2 15.5 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can reduced fat chicken broth
1/2 cup water
salt
pepper
12 teaspoons of fresh lime juice (fresh really tastes better than bottled!)
sour cream



In a medium saucepan heat sofrito over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.  Stir in beans, chicken broth, and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.  Cook 5 minutes.  Puree with an immersion blender.  Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.  Immediately before serving, stir in 3 teaspoons of lime juice to each serving of soup.  Top with sour cream. 



Self Esteem Boost - Always a Good Thing

Last night Jeff and I went to a birthday party for one of his employees.  We actually had a great time.  Note to self: catering from Hard Times Cafe is the way to go for a party.  The best part of the evening for me though was running into a guy that Jeff works with who I hadn't seen in a couple of years (before I'd lost any weight) who came up to me and told me that when we came in he didn't even recognize me and was wondering who I was.  That really made my night.  :D



Have Some Time To Waste?

Check this out:



Ten Best Flickr Mashups from Webmonkey



Saturday, February 25, 2006

More London Photos

Britmus_1

More plundered treasure from Greece in the British Museum.  There is a huge controversy between the British (who took a lot of relics from Greece - including the infamous Elgin Marbles (see London Day 2, 4th photo).



Britmusint


The interior of the British Museum.  That is the exit to the main lobby from the inside of the museum.



Britmuslib_1


The reading room at the British Museum.  Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital here.  It has also been used by many other famous British literary figures like Rudyard Kipling, Oscar Wilde, and H.G. Wells.  This picture captures approximately 1/4 of the room.  It is a huge circular room.



Egypt


Murals from Egypt in the British Museum...



Raminthicket


This artifact was featured prominently on our map of the British Museum and it is called "Ram in the Thicket."  Jeff and I thought the name was rather pervy.



Bigben


Big Ben is the name of the bell, not the tower...



Jeffgw


Jeff in front of the George Washington statue outside of the National Gallery.  An exact copy of this statue is on the quad at GWU.



Princessquare


View of Princes Square from our hotel room  window.  I lived down the street to the right towards the end of the square in a flat on the 4th floor (5th floor to Americans - in England the "1st floor" is the ground floor and the "2nd floor" is the 1st floor.)



London Day 3

WestminsterabbeyDay 3 started with us grumbling about having to get up so early.  But I really wanted to see the inside of Westminster Abbey.  When I was in London in 1998, I was there during the peak of tourist season and every time I walked by the line was several hours long.  Even though it was the off season, I didn't want to have to wait in line, so I decided we were going to get there at opening.  We ended up getting there about 30 minutes after opening, but there was no line.  Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside because the interior was even more beautiful than the interior of Notre Dame and we got to see the tombs of many famous British kings and queens, as well as several famous British poets, writers, and actors.  After walking through most of the Abbey, we stopped for some breakfast, which for me was the breakfast of champions: hot chocolate and a brownie.  We headed out towards the exit and passed the tomb of the unknown soldier.  There were also memorials to FDR and a Congressional Medal of Honor placed on the tomb by General Pershing.  I explained to Jeff the symbolism of the Red Poppies surrounding the tomb.



We walked over to the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms (yet another thing I somehow managed to miss in London, however since the Churchill Museum wasn't open when I was last in London, I was almost glad I had waited).  On the way we passed a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln.  I had never noticed it before and we both wondered why a statue of Lincoln had such a place of honor (right on the traffic circle in front of Westminster), especially considering the British had taken the side of the Confederacy in the Civil War. 



Rick Steves had advised us to get the audio tour at the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum and amazingly it was free with the cost of admission.  Definitely well worth it too.  We spent about an hour and a half walking through.  The Churchill Museum was probably one of the best museums I have been to.  It was pretty small (one very large room divided into sections), but it was so informative and they used some pretty cool technology to make it very interactive.  I would definitely recommend visiting the museum and war rooms when you are in London. 



Westminster_1After that we walked past 10 Downing Street, saw the Queen's Guards and ate a really awesome pub lunch.  Jeff had fish and chips and I had a really good steak and ale meat pie.  I also had a pint of Pride of London, which was probably one of the best ales I sampled during our short trip.  As we were leaving I noticed some French tourists sitting at the table next to us.  It was clear that they did not know that at pubs you are supposed to order at the bar - there are no waiters that will come and take your order.  I thought about saying something to them, but I decided not to.  Be forewarned -- if you go to England and eat in a pub, order drinks and food at the bar.



Next on my list was visiting the National Gallery, but Jeff really doesn't like art museums and I had spent a lot of time there when I was in London previously, so I decided to just grab a bus to Covent Garden.  Covent Garden is now a shopping area and home to the London Opera.  Back around the turn of the century it was a hug flower market and the setting of several scenes in Pygmalion where Eliza sells her flowers to opera goers.  It is also home to another great museum in London: the transport museum which gives the history of the underground, the oldest and largest subway system in the world (another hint for travelers to London -- if you see a sign saying subway, that isn't the underground.  It's an underground walkway.  The "subway" is called the underground on most signs.)  Unfortunately, the museum (which I had already been to, but Jeff hadn't) was closed.  We walked around the shops and I explained to Jeff that punch and judy shows had also originated in Covent Garden.  I spent a decent amount of time in Lush - one of my favorite stores, and Jeff apparently spent his time being accosted by a mime while he waited for me.  I also spent some time in the Transport Museum Gift Shop which was open.  I almost bought a really cool poster which showed the underground system with each line representing a different type of music.



EyepodAfter shopping and Jeff making a narrow escape from the mime, we headed to catch the bus to the London Eye which wasn't open when I was in London in 1998.  We passed a theatre that was surrounded by people and a bunch of bobbies (that's policemen).  While we were waiting for the bus, we asked someone what was going on.  Apparently Prince Charles was at the theatre for some charity event and everyone was waiting to get a peak of him on his way out.  We didn't wait and instead got on the bus.  There was a huge, but pretty fast moving queue at the London Eye and I had time to think about chickening out (I am rather afraid of heights and I hate Ferris wheels!).  I bought tickets and consoled myself that unlike most Ferris wheels, the pods don't swing on the eye.  The whole trip takes about 30 minutes and it was well worth it.  The pod didn't shake and the views were really amazing.



Westminster2On our way out, I had to go to the bathroom, so Jeff waited in the cafe while I went downstairs to the toilets.  As I opened the door to leave the toilets, I heard an alarm and saw a huge metal fire door sealing off the staircase that I needed to go up.There were a couple other tourists standing in the hallway looking confused.  I was afraid Jeff might have had to evacuate too and that we might get separated since there were so many people, so I wasn't going to wait around with the rest of the tourists.  I started following the green fire exit signs (all emergency fire signs in London are green) which led me through the kitchen and out to a loading dock.  I ended up having to circle the whole building and when I got back to the cafe everyone was sitting there as if nothing had happened - including Jeff.  Apparently only the downstairs bathroom area had had the problem and it was just a false alarm.



After having some coffee at the cafe, we decided to go to the tkts booth and see if we could get some cheap tickets to a show later that night.  We ended up getting half price tickets to see the Producers which coincidentally was in the theatre where Prince Charles had been.  Neither of us were hungry for dinner, and we had some time to kill before the show so I finally persuaded Jeff to check out the National Gallery.  I really only walked through the impressionist rooms (and noticed the original of a print we have in our kitchen that I bought the last time I was in London -- one of my favorite Monet's of poplars).  Then we decided to walk over towards the theatre and grab some dinner.  We stopped at a Pret a Manger on the Strand and had sandwiches.  Then we stopped in at a coffee shop and bought a paper which we read through until it was time for the show.  Bird Flu had just been found in the North of France and it was pretty much all over the news when we were in London.  The Evening Standard had the funniest headline that day which was displayed throughout the city on signs: "Scientists Say Lock up All the Chickens!!!"  Jeff and I both get a kick out of British journalism which is much more candid than American journalism.



Finally it was time for the show.  We had gotten front row seats and had a great view of the orchestra as well as the show.  Neither of us had seen The Producers before and we both really enjoyed it.  All of the actors were really strong, even though Ulla was the understudy.  After the show, we headed back to the hotel.  It was a great last day.



London Day 2

Britmus2Today started with me waking up at about 2am and not being able to go
back to sleep. I ended up channel surfing until about 4 when I finally
made it back to sleep. I ended up watching Stargate SG-1 and Next Gen.  One of the best thigs about the British is their love for good sci-fi.  Of course, then I ended up sleeping in until
about 10:30. We finally got showered and out the door and headed to the
British Museum. I had been there before, but I thought Jeff would like
to see all the mummies and the Rosetta Stone. After walking around the
British Museum for awhile we had lunch at the Wagamama around the
corner. Wagamama is one of my favorite restaurants in London. It’s a
chain of Japanese noodle bars and I have never eaten anything bad at
one. We were seated without a wait and I had some kind of spicy soba
noodle dish and Jeff had a more bland chicken one. We split a piece of
ginger cheesecake for dessert. Very good.



JeffbritmusAfter lunch, we headed
over to Oxford Circus to do some shopping. We stopped in Hamley’s, a
huge toy store, for awhile and then went to the Virgin Records on
Piccadilly Circus. I bought a few cd’s and Jeff checked out the book
section. By this time it had really started to pour and it was also
pretty cold. I don’t know how it gets to be so cold and wet without
snow. We headed towards Leicester Square and discovered that Sega World
no longer existed. Too bad – it would have been perfect for a rainy
afternoon. We also discovered that the BAFTA’s were going on today at
the Leicester Square Odeon. How exciting! If it hadn’t been so cold and
wet, maybe we would have hung around to try and get a peak of some
celebrities. As it was, we decided that the best option would be to hop
on one of those tourist buses and sit some place dry and warm.



MummiesWe
killed about an hour on the bus and then decided we should just go back
to the hotel. Jeff wanted to go to a casino on Edgware Road and I was
thinking I would just hang out at the hotel. Jeff and I split up and I
went to the M+S to pick up some quick dinner stuff. When I got back to
the hotel though, Jeff was in the lobby. The tournament he was going to
play in had been moved up to 5pm and he had missed it. So, I put the
M+S goodies in the fridge and we decided to grab dinner at the Phoenix
(formerly Bar Oz). The inside looked exactly the same and I wondered if
they had just renamed the place or something. The ATM even said “Bar
Oz”. I was going to ask about it, but I forgot. We split an order of
nachos and I was reminded what a bad idea it was to try anything
remotely North American in London. We ended up getting a big pile of
Doritos with bad salsa and a container of sour cream on top. I
instantly had flashbacks of the time we went to the Texas Embassy in
London with my flatmates. The concept was pretty cool – a tex mex
restaurant in the building that housed the embassy of Texas, when it
was an independent republic. It was then that I found out how Italian
people must feel when they eat at American Italian restaurants. It was
so bad – pretty much Taco Bell on a china plate! Fortunately I had a
pint of pretty good bitter to wash the “nachos” down. I ended up with
fish and chips again as nothing else on their menu was really appealing
to me. Jeff had fish and chips as well, though he had garden peas
instead of mushy peas. Over dinner, I decided I might as well go with
Jeff to the casino.



ElginmarbleWhat an adventure. We sat around for
awhile waiting for a table of 1/2 pot limit hold ‘em. Jeff got called
to a table first and I sat around and waited. Finally they started up a
new table. When I got there I really freaked out inside as I realized
there was no dealer. The players rotated dealer and I would have to
deal. Yikes! I was seated with a bunch of older men and one younger
guy. The older guys all were foreign (mostly Spanish, I think). The guy
seated to my immediate left was sort of scary and kept telling me I was
dealing “wrong”. Finally, with some encouragement from the other people
at the table, I managed to deal the way they were used to. I actually
won a few hands and then won a huge pot after the guy I was heads up
with folded without showing his cards. About 5 seconds after that he
started pitching a fit and saying that he had beat me and didn’t
realize it. Of course, I had just taken about half of his money. And he
had seen my cards since we were heads up. And no one had seen his cards
since he folded them. After a few tense moments of me not backing down
and giving him his money back as he demanded, the rest of the table
convinced him that since he folded, it didn’t really matter what his
hand was – none of us had seen it. I really would have loved to have
just gotten up and left after that, but that would have no been very
sportsmanlike. We played for another hour and left; it was almost time
for the last train and we didn’t want to have to take a cab. For a few minutes I was really worried that the guy was
going to follow us back to our hotel or something. The casino was
pretty seedy. Fortunately, he stayed at the table when we left. wink.gif



London Day 1

After an uneventful flight during which neither of us were able to
sleep (though I did get to watch The Constant Gardener), we arrived at
Heathrow and made our way through customs in record time. I guess I
should always visit in the off-season! We were soon on the tube en
route to our hotel, which we hoped would have a room available so we
could catch a few hours sleep before hitting the town. On the short
walk from the Bayswater tube to our hotel, I noticed a few things about
my old neighborhood. Unfortunately, it seems to have gone a bit
downmarket, though not horribly so. It’s still a great place to stay,
in my opinion. Bar Oz – our favorite pub for watching footie – is now
The Phoenix (more on that to come). And although the patisserie on
Queensway is still there – most of my other favorite shops weren’t. Oh
– and they opened a Marks and Spencer in Whiteleys – very convenient!



An
older gentleman approached us and asked us if we needed directions on
our way to the hotel (probably since we had luggage and were rather
wide-eyed and sleep deprived). We had a nice chat with him as we walked
to our hotel. I told him I used to live in the area so we knew where we
were going.



Paulstat_1I was very impressed by our hotel: The Somerset
Bayswater. Nice lobby, friendly staff and a complimentary breakfast,
which we never ate. It’s not the Ritz, but we didn’t pay Ritz prices
(or anywhere close to them) either. All the rooms are suites and ours
had a full kitchen including dishes, pots, and pans, as well as a TV,
DVD player, and stereo. It had a nice suede couch as well. Frankly, it
was the biggest room I have seen in a less expensive European hotel
(though definitely not big by American standards). Lots of closet space
and mirrors as well. I was impressed. I’d definitely recommend it to
anyone and we’d stay there again.



PaulgateAfter a few hours nap, we
decided to hit the town. But first – lunch! I had read about a new
sushi chain (Yo! Sushi) that was new since the last time I had been in
London. There was a branch at Whiteleys, right around the corner from
our hotel, so I suggested we go there. They had a giant bar that
everyone sat at and the sushi went around on a conveyor belt. You
picked what you wanted and they charged you based on the plates left at
your area when you were done. I really enjoyed a prawn (that’s shrimp)
salad and the smoked salmon rolls. Jeff had these giant maki that
looked rather like California rolls without mayo or roe. We both
thought it was really good. We also discovered another change since our
last visit: Coke Light is now apparently called Diet Coke in London!
For better or worse though, it is still a different formula (still has
the vegetable extracts) and is still low calorie, not non-caloric.



StpaulOne
of the few places I hadn’t been to when I lived in London was St.
Paul’s. I had seen it from a far, but that was pretty much it. We
headed over there and I noticed some mini Cadbury Cream Eggs for sale
in the chocolate vending machines in the tube. Unfortunately, everyone
we passed was broken (which ended up being a running joke for the rest
of our visit. I finally ended up buying some at Heathrow on our way
home and I have to say, I was rather disappointed after all the build
up!). St. Paul's was very beautiful inside. I was most impressed with
the view looking up at the cupola from the floor. I could not believe
that they let people go all the way up there and made the easy decision
to pass on visiting it even though I’m sure the view is great. Just
looking at it from the ground made my stomach tense up! I was
interested in going up to the whispering wall, but Jeff and I were both
tired, so we passed. The crypt area – where Admiral Nelson is buried
was interesting too. I got a coffee and Jeff a soda at the crypt café
and planned our next move. 



Stoneman_2

We decided to go to the Science
Museum in South Ken – also someplace I had not visited during my time
in London. I thought Jeff would particular like it since I had read
they had a lot on the history of math and computers. Overall the museum
was a little run down in some areas, but it was still pretty
interesting. They had a cool section on flight with all kinds of
airplane engines. They also had built a difference engine and Jeff got
to explain to me all about how they worked and how some guy had built
one out of legos. It was pretty neat. We passed on the Alien exhibit,
which required a ticketed entry and the IMAX theatre. We wanted to buy
tickets to Haunted 3D, but it had been replaced by Safari 3D instead.
Oh well. We grabbed a snack in the cafeteria, stopped in the gift shop,
which randomly had a copy of Scotland Yard (a great board game we have
been unable to find in the US) for sale, bought the game, and left.



BakerstreetYet
another thing I hadn’t seen when in London (well, I had walked past it
– do you see a theme here?) was the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221B
Baker Street. I wasn’t all that interested in Sherlock Holmes when I
lived in London, but since then I have come to appreciate him thanks to
Jeremy Brett and the Biography channel. It was a gigantic tourist trap,
though entertaining. We got to walk through Sherlock and Dr. Watson’s
apartments, which were filled with curiosities from their escapades.
After about 20 minutes, we were out of there and in search of dinner.
In keeping with the Sherlock Holmes theme, I suggested going to the
Sherlock Holmes pub. We had a great dinner there – I had fish and chips
with mushy peas with bread and butter pudding for dessert. Jeff had
shepherd’s pie and apple pie with custard for dessert. Both were yummy.
I had a pint of bitter, which was pretty good as well. Jeff stuck with
his standard diet coke. Finally we headed back to the hotel to hit the
hay. By the time we got back we were both pretty exhausted – I think we
went to bed around 9pm or so.



Friday, February 24, 2006

An Olympian in the Family?

My aunt sent me an e-mail, and then I got an e-mail from one of our Swiss relatives forwarded from my dad.  Apparently, Evelyne Leu, from Switzerland won the gold medal in freestyle skiing.  Perhaps we are distantly related.  ;)



Wednesday, February 22, 2006

London Notes

I finally realized why I like London so much on our recent whirlwind trip.  London, as Rick Steves noted in the guidebook I bought, is England's NYC, LA, and DC all in one city.  During our trip we got to see all the government buildings and tour politically-oriented tourist sites like the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms.  There were also protests going on during our visit (one large demonstration about the Mohammed cartoon and the ever present few outside Westminster).  A few tube stops away we were able to walk through Theatreland, visit the tkts booth and get some discounted tickets to see "The Producers."  London fashion week was also in full swing during our visit.  And right next to the tkts booth (in Leicester Square) we walked by the crowd waiting around the red carpet set up for the BAFTA's (Britain's Oscars).  London is a city full of hipness and style, amazing performing arts (including some pretty talented buskers), as well as all the politics and government history sites anyone could ask for.  It takes the things I like about all three US cities and wraps them up into one.  Now if only they could do something about the weather...  ;)



Wednesday, February 15, 2006

wierd london coincidence

I got an email from the place we booked our trip through.  Seems they had to change our hotel because the one we were booked into was full.  The place they booked us into is a major upgrade -- it's a studio apartment (kitchen, king sized bed, living room area, laundry), and it's in a much more convenient location.  I'm actually sad we won't be there for longer so I could actually go to the grocery and cook us a few meals with ingredients I remember fondly.



Here's the wierd part though -- the new hotel is directly across the square from where I lived in London in 1998.  I lived at 3 Princes Square.  The hotel is 42 Princes Square.  We will be smack dab in the middle of the old neighborhood.



Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Moment of Panic Last Night

Last night, I got home and was trying to get things organized for our impromptu trip to London.  First thing on the list: find our passports.  Jeff was convinced they were in the fire proof safe in our office, but I looked and they were nowhere to be found!  After a moment of panic, I found them in the top drawer of my desk - next to all my left over pounds/euros.  Oops.



Anyone who knows me knows that for me, planning the vacation is half the fun, so I've been doing a  lot of research and making a list of things we have to see.  Also - of course, food is half the fun.  I'm planning to take Jeff to my favorite sandwich shop: Pret A Manger, Wagamama - a great Japanese noodle place, and my local pub when I last lived there (the Prince Edward).  I'd love to stroll through the old neighborhood and see how similar it is...  I wonder if the French crepe guy still puts his stand on our corner, and if the good coffee shop is still on Queensway.  Jeff has been to the Prince Edward before (or as me and my flatmates used to cheekingly call it: "Eddie's", but he hasn't been to the other two.  A new sushi chain that is supposedly pretty good (Yo!Sushi) has opened up since the last time I was there as well.  Any other suggestions for good restaurants?  I'm all ears.



Saturday, February 11, 2006

We're going to London!

A friend just told me about a vacation deal - $399 to London including air and 3 night hotel.  So I figured we had a holiday weekend coming up and we should take advantage of it!  I haven't been to London since 1998, so I'm really excited!



Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Can't beat that with a stick

I just got my copy of "The Life Pursuit" that I pre-ordered from Amazon.  It was released today.  If I had bought it at a store, I wouldn't have picked it up until tonight.  Amazon rocks!



The Enigma of Tortellini Tapas with Spicy Ranch Dip

I got this recipe sent to me by e-mail from my sister on Friday.  It is sort of a mystery, really.  She hasn't been responding to my IM's recently and I've been meaning to e-mail her, but haven't.  Then I get this recipe...with no message.



I'm assuming she sent it because she knows I like to entertain by making a meal out of lots of tapas.  I have no idea if she's tried this recipe or not.



Sarah, please enlighten me.  ;)



In the meantime, someone else should make this recipe and let me know how it turns out.  :D



Tortellini Tapas with Spicy Ranch Dip



1  (9-ounce) package refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1  (16-ounce) bottle Ranch-style dressing with peppercorns, divided*
2  large eggs
2  cups fine, dry breadcrumbs
3/4  cup mild chunky salsa
1/4  cup chopped fresh cilantro
2  cups vegetable oil
Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs


Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain and cool.

Yield: Makes 8 appetizer servings



Whisk together 1 cup dressing and eggs in a large bowl until blended. Add tortellini, and let stand 10 minutes. Drain and dredge in breadcrumbs; place on a baking sheet. Chill at least 1 hour.



Stir together remaining dressing, salsa, and cilantro; chill.



Pour oil into a Dutch oven; heat to 375°. Fry tortellini, in batches, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dip; garnish, if desired.



*1 (16-ounce) bottle Ranch-style dressing plus 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper may be substituted.



NOTE: To make ahead, fry tortellini according to directions; drain and place on a baking sheet. Keep warm in a 200Âş oven for 2 hours.



Stolen from Best Week Ever...

I yanked the following from Best Week Ever.  I know some of us were rather disturbed by the Burger King Superbowl commercial.  Well get ready to be disturbed on a whole new level.  Burger King actually paid someone to design a website where you can make your own video.  AND, you can send it to a friend.  Perhaps the link should more accurately say: "Send to someone you hate and want to suffer miserably."



From BWE:



If Piper's McDonald's Sim game didn't satisfy your appetite for online fast food fun, maybe this will.



Brooke_burke



Remember that creepy Burger King commercial last night where women wearing Whopper-ingredient-costumes all piled on top of one another? Well, if you go here you can make your own Whopper sandwich featuring the Whopperettes.  I honestly can't believe I just wrote that sentence.



I'm not sure what the best part of this site is. Brooke Burke. The King dancing on the side of the screen. The Send to a Friend option. Seriously. If a friend of mine ever sent me an online video of a sandwich he designed, we'd have to have a looooooooong talk.



Don't we have better things to do?

I recently came across this article from the Beeb:



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4688300.stm



Seems to me like time and effort on both sides could be better spent.



More articles inspiring the same question:



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4686650.stm



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4685298.stm



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4688466.stm



Monday, February 6, 2006

"The Life Pursuit" Take II

I've been listening to this pretty much every chance I get since I pre-ordered it.  Lots of the songs have grown on me more.  I've found myself singing along in my head to "Funny Little Frog".  And as I listen more and more, some of the lyrics are making me fall in love all over again with B&S.  Some of my favorites:



  • “Oh, if I could make sense of it all!
    I wish that I could sing
    I’d stay in a melody
    I would float along in my everlasting song
    What would I do to believe?”



  • She said “You ain’t ugly, you can kiss me if you like”
    Go ahead and kiss her, you don’t know what you’re missing
    You said “Baby, you’re special,
    But there’s something not quite right.”



  • If I could have a second skin
    I’d probably dress up in you



  • Sukie was the kid, she liked to hang out at the art school
    She didn’t enrol, but she wiped the floor with all the arseholes
    She took a bijou flat with the fraternity cat
    She hid inside the attic of the sculpture building
    She had a slut slave and his name was Dave
    She said ‘Be my photo bitch and I’ll make you rich’



  • Honey lovin you is the greatest thing
    I get to be myself and I get to sing
    I get to play at being irresponsible
    I come home late at night and I love your soul
    I never forget you in my prayers
    I never have a bad thing to report



Lots of places came out with reviews today and they are all pretty good:





Of course, most all of the reviews mention that B&S are 10 years old.  Which is just another thing that makes me feel like I'm getting old.  Wah.



"Time it was, and what a time it was, it was..."

OK, so I know that is Simon and Garfunkel, but that was the first thing that popped into my mind after hearing about this new book.  Looks interesting.  And at only 147 pages, it's something I can probably get through before Summer break. 



Saturday, February 4, 2006

thirteenmonths.com

One of my friends just pointed me in the direction of this link: thirteenmonths.com.  Wow.  I wish I had the time/money to do something like that!



Friday, February 3, 2006

February Blahs

How can I have the February blahs when it is only Feb 3rd?   And when our winter has hardly been a winter???



I am having problems with my diet.  I'm not gaining, but I'm not really losing much either (only .04 pounds last week).  I know this is because I haven't been sticking to plan as well as I should.  And I'm having problems because I tend to be an emotional eater.



I was thinking about why I've been feeling this way recently and I think it's because I'm waiting on college acceptances.  I am continuously confronted by the fact that in months we may be moving.  I am excited about the potential move, but at the same time I feel like my whole life is on hold until I get some closure.  Someone I once knew said that I needed closure worse than anyone he had ever met before and I guess he was right.  It is hard for me to be motivated when I don't have a future concrete goal.  I also feel like I have less motivation to be a star at work and I'm sure that is showing, which makes me, in my need to go out of my way to please people, feel even worse.  BLAH!



I need to kick this 'tude so I can 1) study and pass my comps and 2) lose the 40 pounds I have left to lose!!!



Wednesday, February 1, 2006

First Listen to "The Life Pursuit"

Yesterday I got a $10 Amazon credit in my inbox from some Xmas gifts I had purchased online.  I knew exactly how to spend it; I went to Amazon and pre-ordered the new Belle and Sebastian (aka my favorite group that still puts out albums) album.  With free Amazon Prime shipping and my $10 credit it was only $3 and change.  Yay!



And ever better - I got a stream of the full album from Amazon, before the official release.  I heart Amazon.



So I've listened to the whole album through once now and while I'm sure my opinions will slightly change as I give it some more listens, here is my initial impression.



This album is definitely in the mold of Dear Catastrophe Waitress.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but I think those of us longing for more a la Tigermilk, and If You are Feeling Sinister, might need to give it up and realize that day might never come.  However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.  One could think of it along the lines of the evolution the Beatles went through.  Rubber Soul and Revolver were rather different than Sgt. Pepper and the White Album, and they are all good albums.  Still on the first listen, I think Dear Catastrophe Waitress has a slight edge over this album.  I listened to that album on repeat for weeks after it came out.  This one isn't grabbing me the same way.  It has a lot of 70's influence - one song sounds like it could be an undiscovered Earth Wind and Fire recording (and yes, I do have some EWF stuff on my ipod) - it is rather disturbing, really.  One thing I really noticed is that Sarah Martin is pretty much just backup to Stuart on this album.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it also seems indicative of the turn B+S has taken since losing Isobel Campbell.  I love Stuart, but I've always been a fan of B+S's interesting female vocal work too. 



As another review I read pointed out - there is still a song about a teenage schoolgirl on this album.  It's just her name is Suki instead of Judy or Lisa, and Suki would probably kick Judy and Lisa's asses and tell them to just get over it.  I think that's sort of an accurate description of this whole album - it's a lot less twee and sentimental than previous albums.



I think it might be a mistake to expect each B+S album to live up to the giddy excitement I felt when I first heard their first 3 albums in 1998.  It's sort of like being in a relationship -- you tend to lose the butterflies you had at the beginning, but that doesn't mean it's not as good as it used to be.



Song by song:
Act if the Apostle: I really like this song.  I like the piano and I like the harmonies, plus they have some great organ going on - classic B+S.  Plus there is a part that makes me laugh everytime I hear it because it sounds exactly like a song in Evita



Another Sunny Day: Again, upbeat and more like "classic" B+S - only more polished and produced.



White Collar Boy: OK, this is definitely the more recent B+S sound.  Plus it sounds disturbingly like something out of a musical.  As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure they stole some of it from Newsies (not really but that was my first thought on hearing this song - it sounds just like some of the ensemble work from Newsies!). 



The Blues are Still Blue: I like this song, but it's not the B+S I am used to.  It sounds sort of like Of Montreal's newest album crossed with 60's pop.

Dress Up in You:
Ah - a beautiful song.  Love the horns.  I have always though B+S's more mellow stuff was among some of their best.



Suki in the Graveyard: Again, awesome organs, this time with some fuzz bass.  Very late 60's/early 70's pop.



We are the Sleepyheads: Would be right at home on Dear Catastrophe Waitress.

Song for Sunshine:
This is the EWF song I mentioned.  Not quite sure what to make of it yet.



Funny Little Frog: The single from this album - again, very much in the mold of Dear Catastrophe Waitress. 

To Be Myself Completely:
Has an opening and background reminiscent of a disco song.  Hmmm...  I am generally a fan of Stevie songs, but this one really could have used some better vocals, imo.



Act of the Apostle II: This song reminds me of "It's Not Easy Being Green", and that is not a good thing.  I like the second part of this song (the reprise of Act of the Apostle) much better than the first.

For the Price of a Cup of Tea:
Boppy and fun, but I could take it or leave it.



Mornington Crescent: Like the guitar, but that's about it.