hero_messenger

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:53:53 GMT

I'm cooking. Or, rather, I have three crock pots going. One is regular chili and the other two are chili made with ground turkey instead of beef. I've never cooked turkey chili before. The idea of it kinda turns me off, but certain person in the household made a special request. My regular chili is weight watcher's compliant, but making it with turkey is supposed to be even better, calorie-wise. Maybe it's not going to be gross. Fortunately, though, if it is, I still have my regular chili. :)

I also made sugar-free jello to night and an apple pie-like desert. (Basically, you crumble graham crackers, and spritz with butter spray to make a crust, then cut up an apple or two and season with nutmeg & cinnamon, heat in the microwave, then top with a dolip of whip cream.) And, tomorrow, I may be making pumkin pie mousse. (That's pending a certain someone picking up what I need at the store.)

Tonight, I'm reading Julius Caesar. Why? Because I can, I suppose. Maybe it's the allure of it being from 1599. Dunno. Sometime I'm going to have to read Plutarch's Lives because Mr. Shakespeare has made over 90 references to Pompey. Yeah, it's that same type of reasoning that's had me pouring over Ovid. LOL. But, yeah, it pays off. For example, it makes all those references to mythology (in his works and others', like Marlow, for instance) feel like in jokes. Hopefully this Plutarch fellow won't be too boring. Hm.

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:28:59 GMT

I worked out to Cindy Crawford today. Back in the early nineties she made two workout tapes. Her first one I used to do three times a week for years (particularly during high school & early college). She's fun to work out to because she seems like a real person - she drinks water, sweats, and sometimes needs to catch her breath a little. Oh, and in her first tape, she still does girl push ups. But, don't let that fool you - the workouts are intense. They tend to be heavy on the lunges, which is great, becuase you're working large muscle groups. Lunges burn mucho calories and really get your heart pumping. ^_^ (I drink a lot of water during her workouts.) The music is great, too. I always found the trick to picking out a good workout tape was to pick one done by an instructor with a similar body type. That's how you get the best results and find routines that you will stick with. For instance, I'm the type who can easily gain a little strength in my legs (and I can do ab work forever without really tiring) but it's hard for me to gain much (if anything) in my upper-body and arms. Cindy Crawford (at least back in the early nineties, I really don't know what she's up to now) is the same way. (She's also not really super-anorexic skinny, either. Another plus in my book.) And, since the routine was taylored for someone like that it works well with me. I did have to be careful with anything arms because I'm still injured. For that, I did a lot of modifying.

I also remember really liking some of Jane Fonda and Claudia Shiffer's tapes. Those, sadly, because they are VCR tapes hadn't survived long into the 21st century. The Cindy Crawford one is a bit newer in my collection because I bought a fresh copy back in 2004. (I remember I had to hunt all over for it! LOL.)

Speaking of workout videos, there's this Qigong routine that was advertised on PBS that I would really like to do. They played some extended clips of it a couple Sundays ago and I followed along. It felt great. I'm not sure how to describe it. I suppose the word would be centered or maybe that I felt more balanced. It definately did something.

I saw Jane Austen Regrets on Sunday's Masterpiece theatre. It was interesting. I'm not sure how much of it was fiction, but I could imagine her being a person like that. I also recorded All Creatures Great and Small. I can't wait to watch it. Sunday I was visiting with my brother & his wife and today I was also busy. (Well, I could've watched it if I wasn't taping SG-1 during dinner. LOL.)

Oh, and did I mention my post-workout shake is banana creme flavored? Yum! It makes for a nice breakfast. And, it does tend to inspire me to workout first thing in the morning. If I don't workout, I'll just have to have something else, most assuredly non-banana flavored. And that just won't do.

Perseverance & Literacy

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:06:32 GMT

I put together my ab lounge today. I've had it a month and not been able to use it because I fell down the stairs New Years Day. Actually, I don't think I could've put it together at all until now - today was a bit of a stretch, but it looks like my wrist is ok. I'm still not ready for much lifting, though.

I watched Dancing With The Stars and BBC World news while I put it together. The sheer amount of parts and the lengthy instructions made the project appear at first that it had to potential to prove to be overwhelming, but, I managed to lay out the parts and follow it step by step to completion. I'm rather proud of myself for that. I love exercise gadgets because I really use them - in fact, I usually end up letting my mind wander or get too involved in the dvd I've popped in and go at it much longer than I originally intended. LOL. I like it when I do that.

I was asked today if I've actually read all the books I own. (Hmm... Why have a book if you are never going to read it? Sacriledge!) I simply can't imagine not reading. So many people go months, even years without reading a book. They consider it a chore. Such a concept completely blows my mind.

Chili, Mansfield Park, Milky Way

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 07:07:30 GMT

I made chili today. It came out fantastic. You know, chili is a very personal dish. I mean, it can be almost anything, the variations are endless. I can see why there are chili competitions. I'm still playing with it, but I'm really pleased with how mine came out this time. I've been told I get excited when I cook. LOL. Dunno why. But, yeah, it is fun.

You know you can make drinks with a crock pot? I would love to make Hot Buttered Rum. I found the recipe today in this old crock pot cook book from the 70's. I found a lot of great stuff in there.

Last night I saw Mansfield Park on Masterpiece Theatre. It was cute. Billie Piper played Fanny Price. This particular novel of Austen's people generally really love or really hate, largely because of the heroine's nature. The main character is shy and lacks self confidence. But, on the upside, she's also true blue, genuine, and very loving. She falls in love with her childhood best friend and they end up marrying. Though, by today's standards, I think it's a bit weird that she and Edward are cousins. However, back then, it was perfectly acceptable by their society's standards. Here's a link to the book in html format: Mansfield Park

Afterwards, I tuned into a program from the History channel about the Milky Way galaxy. (or, the Mutter's Spiral, as they say in the Whoniverse. ^_^) Did you know there is a black hole in the center of our galaxy? And, we're in orbit around it. LOL.

Quiz

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:53:12 GMT

I took a silly quiz.

You paid attention during 100% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

My Sunday

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 06:16:02 GMT

I just solved today's word jumble. It felt more challenging than yesterday's. It had six words (plus the pun jumble), two more than yesterday, but that's not really what made it difficult. It's just me - maybe I have an automatic temporary block on the last word when I do these puzzles. There is no logical reason why the last word should be any harder than the first few words. I was stuck on that last word for few minutes, then when I realized it's prying, I felt silly. Jeesh. I'd even solved the joke before hand, again, so I had the knowledge of the two letters that belonged in the circles for said word. The joke was pretty funny, if a bit corny (as per usual). "What the drill sergeant concentrated on at the dance." 4 letters, 5 letters, 4 letters. If you'd like to try a jumble and don't have today's paper, you can go to jumble.com and do puzzles online. I just went and did another puzzle (It's different than today's Sunday paper. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. ^_^) My score was 1480 out of a possible 1650. It's more like the ones they publish during the normal week. If you want to see if you can beat me, the puzzle I did online was about the airconditioning salesman. (I hope that wasn't the one that is going to be in tomorrow's paper...)

I saw Northanger Abbey tonight. The actress who played Isabella Thorpe also played Sally Sparrow, the best companion the Doctor never had, in the Doctor Who episode Blink. (Um, yeah, I can list the title of every episode of NuWho in order, just off the top of my head. Total geek/nerd, me.) It was good. I'm thinking I may look up some of those gothic novels Cathy and Isabella were reading. I bet they're on gutenberg.org and I can just read them online.

As it turns out, All Creatures Great and Small is a television series. I ran a total of seven seasons with three Christmas specials. The next episode in the series airs February 2nd at 8 o'clock.

Today I went to the Fire Station for breakfast. It was lovely. They served pancakes (blueberry, chocolate chip, or plain), bacon, & sausage. My grandparent's friends kept telling me how beautiful and charming I am. I felt very flattered. It was a bit of confidence boost. I had this lock of hair that kept falling in my face. I thought I might accidently eat it. But, yes, I do like to hide behind it, sometimes.

PBS, recipes, word jumbles

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:02:18 GMT

I should be asleep, but I'm not. I soaked in the tub tonight, after my shower, so I'm feeling really clean. It's a nice feeling.

I started reading All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. It was a Christmas gift from my aunt's family. Earlier today, as I was flipping through the channels I noticed Peter Davison on PBS. Yeah, he played the Doctor on Doctor Who, back in the 80's. (He's one of my favorite Doctors, actually.) Anyway, he played Tristian on All Creatures Great and Small II, and so I tuned in for the rest of it. Wow, Davison was really young then! (Kinda handsome, too. LOL.) It's supposed to be on again tomorrow at 5PM. Between that and Masterpiece Theatre, it looks like I'll be catching quite a bit of PBS.

Before bed, I also went through a stack of recipes, looking to revamp/add to our dinner menu. Even though I'm the chef, I've felt like we've been stuck in a rut. So far, I've found a few interesting prospects. I've also found quite a few desert type items. One of them involves pumpkin, the other, banana. ^__^ Yum.

I think I broke a personal record with today's word jumble puzzle from the paper today. I spent about 5 minutes on it. Usually, I get three words right off the bat with little effort, then the fourth I actually have to write down letter combinations until I get inspired with a word, and then I solve the jumble made of the circled letters. Today's clue was a bit too good, and I was able to solve it before I had all the letters, and because I solved it, I had the approximate knowledge of where two letters belonged in the fourth word, so... Well, I feel smart. Though, come on, "When the little indians got lost, the cornfield became a -- (five letters, four letters)" Easy peasy.

Sick & Sleepless

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 06:09:23 GMT

I can't sleep. I'm sick, and I can't sleep. So, I'm watching Voyage of the Damned for the second time tonight and drinking ginger tea. (I'm not really a great fan of ginger tea, however, it is supposed to be good for nausea. I am sooo nausiated right now.)

I saw Persuasion last night on Masterpiece Theatre. I rather quite liked it. It's about a 27 year old spinster that passed up her true love at age 19 because her father and godmother had advised against him, and suddenly, he's thrust back into her life again, reminding her of what she's been missing for the past eight years. I think it's great PBS is doing nine weeks of Jane Austen. There are a few I haven't seen yet and am really looking forward to.

Sunday, I went ot the Boar's Head Festival. It was fantastic. Hm. Maybe I can sleep now. :)

Chocolate + Bananas = Love

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:47:03 GMT

Oooohhhh... Do you know what is fantastically, gorgeously good? Chocolate Banana Vitasoy dairy-free beverage. I just poured a tall, cold glass of it just now. It's wonderful. & it has no GMOs, artificial ingredients or flavors. (You get protein & fiber with it, too. But, it tastes too darn good to be healthy. ^__^)

I fell down the stairs New Year's Day and sprained my left wrist. I've got this brace thing I have to wear. It helps a lot. I feel like I can move more and not risk those twinges of pain so much. I'm not to worried about muscle atrophy because I'd been lifting boxes for several days prior to (and even the day of) the injury. Hopefully it heals soon. I've been using this blue icy-hot goop. I wonder if I use it enough I'll begin to look like a blue-tinged smurf? LOL.

We got a new LCD flat screen HDTV. You know what my favorite thing to watch on it is? CPTV. Yeah. Especially when they have wildlife in HD. The picture is just gorgeous. All of a sudden now, we get these new channels. They have funny dashes in them. For instance, PBS/CPTV in HD is 107-1.

What are Saturday mornings for?

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 17:40:46 GMT

You know what Saturday mornings are for? Flipping through recipe books and watching chick flicks, that's what.

I've got this recipe I so want to try. (Actually, there are a bunch of them!) The one I'm looking at right now is for Spinach "Bread". (See Suzane Somers book, "Fast & Easy", page 182) Basically, you mix together a package of chopped spinach, 4 eggs, a pinch crushed garlic and season with salt & pepper. Bake this mix for a quarter hour @ 400 degrees (in a greased baking dish), then allow it to cool. I really don't see how this is bread, however, I'd like to try it anyway. If you eat it with ham, I suppose you really would have green eggs & ham. LOL. What a great breakfast. ^__^ (Or, well, in my case, now - lunch. Yikes!)

Mmmmhhh... There's another one here for chocolate strawberries.... Yum. Oh - this one is not in the book, it's a favorite of mine. Have you ever tried dipping a strawberry in sour cream and then into brown sugar??? Oh, it's sublime. The taste you get isn't like any of the 3 components on their own. It's just, wow. (Too bad I don't have any of those ingredients here. I'll have to plan for another lazy Saturday morning...)

The chick flick for today is Sense & Sensibility. Yeah. Jane Austin. It's got a great cast: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, & Greg Wise. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

Technique Admiration

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:04:16 GMT

Don't click if you haven't already seen it and don't wish to be spoiled. It's a brief bit of dialogue from what I watched last night. If you get HBO, it's now available on demand.

Setting: Mysterious underground laboratory. Characters: The Doctor, a companion with dark hair and a black HMS barret, a slug monster/alien.

Doctor: "Don't do it Schlong."
Schlong: "You leave me no alternative, Doctor."
Strange Slug Rumbling Sounds... The Doctor and his companion clutch their ears, faces in agony.
Companion: "What's happening to us?"
Doctor: "He's hyperpodulating.   He's using his muluscular clang valves to eternally fibulate our DNA."
Companion: "What does that mean?"
Doctor: "It means we'll both turn into slugs in about thirty seconds, unless I can reach that sodium chloride."
Companion: "What's sodium chloride?"
Doctor: "You probably know it as table salt."  The Doctor back-handedly throws table salt at giant slug. Schlong proceeds to mumble as he melts to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

I like to watch the way Tennant fills a scene. I mean, it's this brief little skit, but he has so much expression, tone, & movement. (And, no, it's not too much. It's mostly very subtle. It's all the little things.) He's very creative with it. I mean, a scene like that - it's mostly dialogue and could have been easy to leave empty, but it's not. It's very full. It feels larger than it was. So, anyway, I just had to write the dialogue down to get my head around it. He's a fun one to study.  Watching talented actors/actresses gives me a lot of ideas & inspirations for things I could do with amateur theater, or even just looking at past rolls and thinking about alternative ways I could've played the scene. I enjoy it, though, the bulk of it is never-ever seen by anyone. I suppose it's just how I like to amuse myself. :)

Fame is a mask that eats into the face

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 05:44:02 GMT

"Fame is a mask that eats into the face." What a thought provoking quote, isn't it? I like it. It comes from the Extras Christmas Special that aired earlier at 9PM on HBO. It pretty much sums up the theme. I was watching it because there was a scene in it with David Tennant satiring Doctor Who. His scene was brief, but well worth watching Extras for. (It reminded me of Classic Who. I really enjoyed it.) Besides, I enjoyed the whole Extras episode, anyway. The protagonist was an arrogant jerk, but he eventually realized this and turned his whole attitude around. (If you want to sound impressive, the literary term for this protagonist is that he is a dynamic character. Oooohhhh. ^__^ For a few extra points, you could say that this is because he has changed and grown as a person, as opposed to a static character, who does not grow, but stays the same, never changing.) I need someone to squee with over this. Sigh.

Action Hero

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 23:58:06 GMT

I had an action hero moment today: I had to jump into a moving car.

I'm actually quite pleased with myself that I was able to do this. Sure, I bruised my bottom in the process, but the alternative would've been much worse.

You see, I was clearing snow off my car in the driveway this morning. I'd already started the engine, put it into neutral, and set the emergency brake. Well, my car was parked on a steep hill and... while I was clearing the snow off, it began rolling backwards and down the hill. So, I ran, caught up with the car, opened the door, jumped inside, and hit the brake. Am I talented or what? Maybe I should get a job as a stunt person. LOL.

I used my bun & thigh roller today. I was watching Coupling and then some Doctor Who. I think I got a bit carried away with it, going on so long. Funny thing is, I don't feel like I've overexerted myself. Hm.

I have a new favorite lipstick. It's Saucy Mauve by L'Oriel. It's just stunning with my coloring.

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:31:35 GMT

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:33:36 GMT

Your Brain is Green

Of all the brain types, yours has the most balance.
You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver.
You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Brain?

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:56:33 GMT

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)

Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant. Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Miscellany

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 05:32:44 GMT

Wanna see my new work shoes? I think my tootsies are going to be very happy in these. ^_^ What I like about them is that they are more comfortable than my last pair, the heal isn't very high, and the toes are very pointy. (I once read somewhere that if you wear shoes with a pointed toe it means you want to go somewhere in your career. That's why I like pointy shoes. LOL.)

I found this website today: Personal Development for Smart People I have a feeling I will be frequenting it a lot.

Newsweek Quiz - What's your Autism Quotiant? I scored a 15. (Most people with autism or asperger score a 35 or more. My guess is that there aren't any autistic literature/drama geeks out there. LOL.)

Much Ado

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:50:26 GMT

I'm in the process of getting this set up. So, yeah, this is just a filler entry.

5.2

Benedick: Sweet Beatrice, wouldst thou come when I called thee?

Beatrice: Yea, signore, and depart when you bid me.

Benedick: O, stay but til then!

Beatrice: 'Then' is spoken; fare you well now. And yet, ere I go, let me go with that I came, which is, with knowing what hath passed between you and Claudio.

Benedick: Only foul words -- and thereupon I will kiss thee.

Beatrice: Foul words is but foul breath, and foul breath is noisome; therefore I will depart unkissed.

Benedick: Thou hast frighted the word out of his right sense, so forcible is thy wit. But I must tell thee plainly, Claudio undergoes my challenge, and either I must shortly hear from him, or I will subscribe him a coward. And I pray thee now tell me, for which of my bad parts didst though first fallin love with me?

Beatrice: For them all together, which maintained so politic a state of evil that they will not admit any good part to intermingle with them. But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me?

Benedick: 'Suffer love' - a good epithet! I do suffer love indeed, for I love thee against my will.

....