If I could have one superpower, it would be teleportation. I have always wished I could make myself go from one place to another in an instant.
It seems that in the last few years, physicists working independently in Austria, Australia and Denmark have all achieved a form of teleportation at the quantum level of atoms and photons. Finally, teleportation is being looked at as a serious scientific possibility.
I know. It does not look like teleportation on a human level is anything I will actually live to see, or anything that might ever actually come to fruition. Nonetheless, I think the concept of “quantum teleportation” is fascinating.
It involves two separate particles acting like they are one and the same, even though they are separated by distance. Changes to one particle will be mirrored in the other. It might not ever move to the human level, but it has a huge impact on the world of computing. In fact, I may perhaps live to see a quantum computer that moves information at the sped of light.
I need a haircut. It’s as simple as that. I spent a year in an intensive university program and pretty much just lived with my hair pulled back into a knot. I wanted out clean and out of my face, that was my only stipulation. In the meantime, my hair just kept growing, getting longer and longer. Now I look in the mirror and cannot believe how long it has become – certainly longer than I have had it in this particular century, at least.
I want to take advantage of all this growth and get a great hairstyle, since I obviously have enough hair to start with that I can get about anything. But, I am having trouble imagining just what will look good on my face. So, I’ve got my photo uploaded over at MakeoverSolutions.com. I adjusted the settings to track my features, set my hair color, and now I am trying on different hairstyles. I can with almost 100% certainty now that most hair dressers I have worked with are correct – bangs do not work on me!
I am thinking a sleek cut with a flip on the ends, razor cut probably, to add texture. I’d show you my final picture from the website, but I uploaded a pretty bad picture and I have more pride than that. ? Trust me, though, this really helped me work through what kinds of cuts look good with my face right now. I look a lot different than I did the last time I had long hair, so this has been a huge help.
I am quite earnestly recommending this site. The basic makeover tool is free and you can get quite a bit done if you take a minute to upload your own photo.
My friend and I were just talking the other day about which of the British prices is more appealing: William or Harry. She was in the William camp while I tried to point out why Harry was the clear winner. I am pretty sure neither one of us convinced the other.
But then today I have to stop and look at the headlines that are out regarding the princes. William, it is reported, is on his way to becoming an Air Force pilot. That is daring and noble and perfectly sexy. Harry, on the other hand, has apparently been photographed snorting vodka. That’s just gross.
I very well may have been wrong about Harry. Wrong, indeed.
In times like these, I actually log back into my old accounts at some of the online dating services and consider contacting one of the guys for a nice evening of dinner out and conversation. What I mean by “times like these” is that I have been spending a lot of weekends out with the girls and as much as I love it, I miss having a conversation with man and hearing a man’s POV. I absolutely don’t count the fact that I speak to my ex-husband on the phone daily, because those are conversations I would almost rather have my toenails pulled out than have. I just want a couple of worry free dating situations and some nice grown-up interaction.
My life is nearly free from all drama. I made a conscience decision to be home with my daughter one more year, work freelance when I can, and just enjoy being free and single. Without the entanglements of a relationship, I have been able to commit more time with my daughter than ever before and she is thriving because of it. My ex never did get the hang of balancing fatherhood with marriage. He’s better off without the marriage part and my stress level is almost back to normal.
Let’s just say I’m holding out for the right man. I have no tolerance for wasting time with intermediary relationships, when my time would be better spent with my kid. Mom’s around the world will know exactly what I mean. A nice dinner out, though, I could surely deal with that.
I posted earlier about the recall of ConAgra pot pies and I had a reader comment about posting a recipe. Now, I tend to go ahead and make a pastry from scratch and use a simple white sauce with broth instead of the canned soups, but this recipe is a surprisingly delicious shortcut to a fantastic comfort-food meal.
I feel like I’m cheating when I make this. I learned it from one of my best friends, Becky, who is not exactly known for her patience in the kitchen.
Regular pie crust, top and bottom
1 large can of white meat chicken
2 cups cut carrots
2 cups frozen peas
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 small onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Cook onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes in microwave until tender. Make sure to allow some water for the vegetables so they do not dry out.
In large bowl, mix vegetables with chicken, soups, cheese, and milk. Turn into bottom crust. Top with second crust, cutting slits for ventilation.
Bake at 350º until crust is golden brown.
NOTE: I skip the cheese in this recipe. Also, instead of canned chicken, I often use leftover roast chicken or turkey — just make sure it’s pre-cooked. Lately we’ve been using a tofu substitute called ChickenNot – good and healthy.
I don’t generally think of my mother as a senior citizen. She is pretty and vibrant and youthful in both appearance and activity level. Nonetheless, she has recently started complaining about her cell phone. She is not interested in the myriad of functions that come on the phone. She just wants to make calls. She just wants an easy to use cell phone. Also, the fact that phones are getting smaller and the buttons on phones are getting more numerous means most of the buttons and keys are miniaturized. She’s not having that at all! She is actually fondly recalling the massive cell phones of the 90s.
I’ve been seeing commercials for Jitterbug phones. Basically, the phones are designed simpler: brighter screens, easier to hear ring, friendlier service, and larger buttons. They also claim to be more comfortable to use. And, it’s JUST a phone, not a PDA or a GPS or a camera. Just. A. Phone.
Although the Jitterbug is considered the Senior Cell Phone, I think this might also be a useful phone for a younger child to use as an emergency cellular. There is not a long term contract either, which is attractive, because my mom is only staying with her current provider due to the fact that her 2-year contract is finally fulfilled and she is loathe to sign a new one that will box her into new terms.
All in all, it’s a good, simple concept and it absolutely services a consumer niche that is growing daily.
I love a good pot pie. Sometimes I will eat a frozen pot pie made by Michaelina’s, but most often I make my own. It’s sort of the best of everything when it comes to comfort food: tender meat, flavorful veggies, rich gravy, and a flakey crust. I do a pot pie better than anything you can get in the freezer section.
Most frozen pot pies are pretty gross, and things just got grosser. Is that a word?
Yesterday, ConAgra Foods has voluntarily stopped production at their plant in Missouri that makes Banquet brand potpies. Apparently, the pies have been linked to a possible 139 cases of salmonella in 30 states.
Yikes.
The word is, do NOT eat ConAgra’s chicken or turkey potpies until investigations are complete. Most of the cases have been in reported in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Missouri.
Earlier this year, it was also ConAgra that recalled all of its peanut butter because of salmonella.
USDA said the Missouri plant made Banquet and generic store brand potpies. All of the potpies made at the plant in question have ‘P-9′ printed on the side of the box as part of a code above the use-by date.
Consumers who want a refund should send the side panel of the package that contains the ‘P-9′ location code to: ConAgra Foods, Dept. BQPP, P.O. Box 3768, Omaha NE 68103-0768. Consumers with questions can call at 1-866-484-8671.
I know I keep harping on some of the same shows over and over, but I think this fall’s crop of new series is just about the best in years. Some of the shows I have been watching in the past had gotten so stale I just gave them up, lock stock and…, you know what I am getting at.
This is the first time I have even watched shows on the CW network, or even the two networks that came together to form CW. For the longest time, I just wrote the network(s) off as out of my demographic and as not possessing any of the better made shows on TV. I don’t have a lot of time, so I’ve had to be choosy.
Of course, now I’ve been using my DVR for a couple of years and I can tape two shows in any given timeslot and watch them back while skipping all of the commercials and the slow parts. I get my TV shows watched in double time now.
I’m watching both Reaper and Gossip Girl on The CW. Reaper is clever and wacky and the guy who plays the devil reminds me of my late step-father in so many ways. He’s a dapper man with an evil streak.
Gossip Girl is intriguing. I’m drawn to it mostly because of the fact that a Blog is a character in the show. Plus, the dynamics of gossip are fascinating to me. I actually really, really try not to indulge, myself. I have seen too many friendships go south due to gossip. Nonetheless, the speed at which gossip travels, the way it morphs from person to person like a game of “telephone” and the havoc is can play on a person’s life is just one of those things that makes me stop and look – like the proverbial traffic accident.
Blog are perfect gossip vehicles. News doesn’t have to be true to attack traffic and infamy. Ask the best link baiters out there about the art of starting some good gossip and you will see more than a few eyes light right up.
Gossip Girl is on CW Wednesdays at 8 eastern. Check it out.
I had an ongoing debate with the lawn guy at my old house in Gainesville. He insisted this odor we could both smell in the back corner of my yard was someone running a meth lab. I insisted it smelled like a cat had been peeing there on a regularly basis. I never did find out the truth, but I would put money on the cat pee.
And now a news story out of the local area kind of backs up my theory.
Cynthia Hunter, of Lithia, was in jail for 50 days. She was accused of petty theft at a WalMart and possession of a controlled substance.
Deputies found a vial containing a yellow substance in her purse and thought it was methamphetamine. Lab tests were eventually run and it turns out it was just cat urine. She kept trying to tell the cops it was just dehydrated cat urine for her son’s science project.
The deputy did a field test for drugs and the test indicated methamphetamine. So much for field tests, huh.
She still pled guilty to the theft, but can you even imagine how ridiculous it must have felt to her that she was in jail that long for cat pee?
I’m a news junkie, so I read a LOT of headlines in any given day. Last week, something that caught my eye was a lot of commentary on the wires about the possible phasing out of tax breaks from the government on things like updating your house to be more energy efficient, a.k.a “going green”.
That’s why I feel better when I hear about things like the BP Solar Decathlon. That’s when BP partners up with the U.S. Department of Energy to sponsor an event where 20 university teams from around the world design, build and operate livable, energy-efficient, and entirely solar-powered houses. It happens every other year and culminates in a week-long competition on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
This year, the Solar Decathlon is October 11–19. Trust me, that’s the PERFECT time to spend some time on the Mall. DC is splendid in mid October. I was born and raised in the area.
BP is one of the main corporate sponsors (actually, the only energy company sponsor) of the 2007 Solar Decathlon. They’ve been involved with the competition since its inception in 2002.
If you don’t live in the DC area and can’t get there to see the cool concepts being brought to the table by the participating teams, you can check out BP’s blog about the event. All of the teams, as well as an on-site reporter, will post throughout the competition. Check it out at www.bpsolardecathlon.com.
The more we all make advances in solar power and other energy-conserving tactics, the sooner we can look at the world and feel confident in our stewardship.
