For obvious reasons, (like the fact that we had six visitors Saturday before the party) I haven’t started my Christmas baking. So tonight I made dough for cookies that needed to be refrigerated. That’s be rugelach, sugar cookies, and a new cookie–sour cream nutmeg cookie. I’ve also branched out and decided to try fresh nutmeg this year. Even bought myself a new Microplane grater. (Finer grating size than the one I already have.)
We’ll see how they turn out.
As far as the fine grater and the nutmeg, I have to say that it wasn’t really very difficult to grate the nutmeg–added maybe a minute onto the prep time. So as with the Microplane zester/grater I got, I definitely recommend this one. I’ll let you know whether grating nutmeg is really that much better.
The other thing that we’ve been busy is planning my Mom’s surprise 60th Birthday party.
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It’s already seven o’clock! Where is everyone!
Okay. I didn’t actually want to be up this early either. But sometimes, there’s just stuff you’ve gotta do.
And to be honest, the stuff I have to do doesn’t involve the computer, so I’d best move along.
(Of course today’s Andy’s wife’s due date. So maybe THAT’S where everyone is!)
Yes, I pretty much didn’t read for the two or so months while we were working on the house, but now that we’re finally getting settled into a routine again…
Fables: 1001 Night of Snowfall (2006) Bill Willingham
If you haven’t read Bill Willingham’s Fables series, then you have really been missing out. Fables is the story of the fairy tales who have escaped the lands of fairy tales after they were drive out by the adversary, and are now living in New York. However, anything you need to know about the Fables before reading 1001 Nights of Snowfall is explained in the one page introduction.
Read More about 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens (2003) Jane Dunn
I read the occasional history book, to pick up on all the bits I missed in school, and a book about two queens who reigned in the 1500s seemed particularly interesting.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth & Mary was to be a serious disappointment.
Read More about Elizabeth & Mary
Tripping to Somewhere (2006) Kristopher Reisz
Gilly and Sam are looking to escape their lives, and opportunity knocks when one of the city’s better known street people tells them that the Witches Carnival is in town, and if they move fast they can catch it. As Gilly and Sam run after the Witches Carnival, we learn what they’re running from, as well as what they mean to each other.
Read More about Tripping to Somewhere
I present evidence of the shearing of the locks.
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I recognize that local food movements and other such similar ideas are very good idea, for a number of reasons. And in the fall I do try to buy local produce when it’s available (Giant Eagle almost always has corn from Preston County.)
Yet I appreciate the fact that I can go to the grocery store and get foods from all over–especially ones that aren’t in season right now, or that don’t grow locally. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with ramps and paw-paw, but variety is good.
Especially the variety of citrus fruits available at this time of year. Besides snow, one of the other reasons I love winter is because that’s when citrus fruits are their best. Navel oranges and blood oranges and lemons–this time of year almost makes me wish I liked grapefruit.
Went to the grocery store today and came back today with a box of clementines. I’ve already eaten two, and they were wonderful. Say what you like about the modern would, but I wouldn’t want to give up oranges and clementines and all the other fruits and spices that would never grow here.
And now I think I’ll go have another clementine. Because despite everything, they’re only here in the winter, so I should enjoy them while I can.
Today’s the day! After 12 years of long hair, Michael has an appointment today for a hair cut.
He’s kept a short ponytail for the last several years, so he doesn’t have enough hair to donate (he donated ponytails to Locks of Love twice in the past) but he says he’s tired of it and getting it cut short.
This’ll be very strange, because I met him when he was growing his hair out. And once it’s short, I’m pretty sure he’ll never grow it out again–at least not as long as he’s expected to deal with the public on a regular basis,
I’ll try to remember to post pictures, post haircut.
A date which will live in Infamy
In 1941, Japanese planes made a surprise attack on the US Navy at Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 and wounding 1,178. Twenty-one ships were sunk or damaged, including the USS Arizona, which remains on the harbor floor, and the USS West Virginia, which was eventually refloated, repaired, and rejoined the fleet towards the end of the war.
Information about the Pearl Harbor Attack.
Pearl Harbor Remembered, including survivor’s remembrances.
The official US Navy Pearl Harbor website.
The USS West Virginia, including pictures of the ship from the 20s through the “mothballing” of the ship in the 1950s (She was later broken up and sold for scrap).
The USS Arizona, from the University of Arizona, including a brief hisotry and online exhibits.
President Roosevelt’s speech in response to the other attacks that day.
Move along home! Shap Three!
I’d be hard pressed to tell you why I enjoy that so much. Except that I do.
And anytime Michael or I heard the phrase “Move along home” one or both of us holler, “Shap Two!” (or three, or whatever comes to mind at that instant.)
And that was your completely random bit for the day.
Now, move along home.
How on earth is it December already? I feel like I just got used to writing 2006 on my checks and now you’re telling me the year’s almost over?
What have I been doing for the past 11 months?
Philosoraptor is wrong.
Do this!
Push the lever! All the other rats are doing it!
I realized today that the release of Office 2007 is upon us, and that someone had best familiarize themselves with it, because it won’t be long before we start getting questions on it. (And believe me, there will be screaming. A lot of people here are resistant to change. And this is a huge change.)
So I went through the Office 2007 demos on the Microsoft site, and although it’s not quite as horrific as I thought it would be, converting is going to be a problem. Additionally, I wasn’t that impressed with the demos. The focus seemed to upon document presentation. Which is all well and good, except that in practice what we’re going to get is people spending all their time changing to formatting of their documents rather than focusing upon the content.
Seems like the motto of the demos should be: Office 2007 – Making It Even Easier to Shine Shit.
Sorry, but I simply don’t care about applying themes to Word documents and Excel worksheets. What I care about it how easy it is to work with text and numbers, and how useful the spell checker is.
Now this doesn’t mean that Microsoft hasn’t improved the things that are important. I’m just saying that the demos focused upon things that aren’t important, while making me dig through the site to discover information I needed, like whether we can still use keyboard commands (you can use them, but in the demos the commands are no longer listed anywhere) and whether you can concurrently run Office 2003 and 2007 (the answer appears to be yes, although there may be issues.)
So, we’ll see what happens when I actually get my hands on a copy of Office 2007. I don’t think I’ll hate it, but I can tell you right now I don’t think I’ll care for the amount of window space the ribbon takes up–especially while I’m using a laptop.
