"Think something of beauty..."
3 years ago
Thank you, WOOD TV 8
Checking in on your hometown's news website pays off.
For instance, did you know that (exluding today) Grand Rapids has seen 8 hours and 49 minutes of sunshine. They need to have over an hour today, the 31st, to not be the all time cloudiest month on record. Thank goodness I moved in time!
Also, thanks to Bill Stefan, the weatherman, for this priceless gem:
Delayed Gratification...
Here is a teaser of information to come:
A Christmas with Dad, in Omaha.
One Week.
Games.
Snow.
Good Food.
And a Christmas with Mom, in Wilmington.
One Day.
Good Food.
Shopping.
Dog.
A Christmas with Dad, in Omaha.One Week.
Games.
Snow.
Good Food.
And a Christmas with Mom, in Wilmington.One Day.
Good Food.
Shopping.
Dog.
Father offers daughter to shoe-thrower
I can understand why an Iraqi reporter would throw a shoe at the president, especially upon learning that the sole of a shoe is a sign of disrespect. I can respect that an Iraqi may have contempt for President Bush.
But this; I'm not so sure I can understand this decision:
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian man said on Wednesday he was offering his 20-year-old daughter in marriage to Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad on Sunday,
The daughter, Amal Saad Gumaa, said she agreed with the idea. "This is something that would honor me. I would like to live in Iraq, especially if I were attached to this hero," she told Reuters by telephone.
Her father, Saad Gumaa, said he had called Dergham, Zaidi's brother, to tell him of the offer. "I find nothing more valuable than my daughter to offer to him, and I am prepared to provide her with everything needed for marriage," he added.
Zaidi's gesture has struck a chord across the Arab world, where President Bush is widely despised for invading Iraq in 2003 and for his support for Israel.
Amal is a student in the media faculty at Minya University in central Egypt.
Zaidi's response to the proposal was not immediately clear.
(Reporting by Mohamed Abdellah, Writing by Jonathan Wright)
If Christmas isn't found in your heart, you won't find it under a tree.
Yesterday, Tom and I found ourselves buying a discount, thus defective Christmas tree. There were maybe eight left in the lot, and this was the smallest, leaning up against the brick wall, gangly and constantly overlooked.
Perhaps it wasn't loved because it doesn't taper towards the top, or perhaps it wasn't big enough for a family's full arsenal of ornaments. Maybe after a twirl, others realized that one full side is flattened, after weeks slumping into wall for support. But we love it, as special as it is. We have all of ten ornaments, one lone string of lights, plus some candy canes. It fits perfectly (both in size and in theme - the theme being defective) into our little humble apartment.
It's our second Christmas tree as a family, and the first solely decorated with the ornaments we have collected in our first year and a half of marriage.
We love it!
Vegetables
Vegetables. As a kid, I never really fought over vegetables (with the exception of bell peppers, which, as I had convinced myself, were spicy). Other than the typical veggies that most of us don't care for (brussel sprouts, lima beans, etc), I enjoyed these healthy greens, and occasionally yellows and oranges.
Somewhere along the line, vegetables lost their appeal. Not their delicious taste, but their appeal. In college especially, balanced meals were never a priority. A quick sandwich, bowl of soup, or fancier - grilled chicken with a pre-made pasta mix. Fresh vegetables are pricey, especially since they have a low shelf life. If you don't eat it in the first 4 or 5 days, you might as well not buy it. For someone who would shop monthly, fresh vegetables rarely made it on my table. Frozen vegetables had a soggy quality, since I really only ever cooked them in water, often overcooked at that. And our last veggie option is canned. Canned vegetables are the Ramen of vegetables. They will suffice, but both the taste and texture are highly compromised. Salt is normally a necessity. In fact, they work well in Ramen. Thus, as a cheap college student (as in economical, not promiscuous) vegetables rarely made it at all to the table.
There was always one grand exception - a concoction that erin and i call "vinegar salad." Chopped, colorful veggies - mostly bell peppers, corn, green onions, and often some small-style pasta like orzo dripping in some combination of vinaigrette, red wine vinegar, and italian dressing. A batch of vinegar salad lasts about 5 days, thus I often had at least two servings of veggies for a whole 5 days straight.
Since I've moved out, left college, gotten married, and worked harder on healthier choices, the vegetables are beginning to make a comeback. It's a slow process, for sure. I have discovered frozen steamed vegetables, which are hard to overcook and are rarely soggy. They show up in at least one meal a day. Tom tries to put vegetables in my lunch, but often they go untouched. I'm just not "in the mood," and they rarely sound good. Years of pushing aside nature's choice foods has reduced their appeal. I try to eat them anyways, knowing that I enjoy how they taste, once I actually take a moment to savor them.
I go shopping twice a month and make it a point to buy fresh vegetables every time. Sometime it's green peppers in my spaghetti, zucchini, corn on the cob, or green beans. Though I can't afford fresh veggies at every meal, alternating them with the steamed frozen variety gives me daily servings of the food pyramid.
Who thought getting your vegetables could be such a chore?
Somewhere along the line, vegetables lost their appeal. Not their delicious taste, but their appeal. In college especially, balanced meals were never a priority. A quick sandwich, bowl of soup, or fancier - grilled chicken with a pre-made pasta mix. Fresh vegetables are pricey, especially since they have a low shelf life. If you don't eat it in the first 4 or 5 days, you might as well not buy it. For someone who would shop monthly, fresh vegetables rarely made it on my table. Frozen vegetables had a soggy quality, since I really only ever cooked them in water, often overcooked at that. And our last veggie option is canned. Canned vegetables are the Ramen of vegetables. They will suffice, but both the taste and texture are highly compromised. Salt is normally a necessity. In fact, they work well in Ramen. Thus, as a cheap college student (as in economical, not promiscuous) vegetables rarely made it at all to the table.
There was always one grand exception - a concoction that erin and i call "vinegar salad." Chopped, colorful veggies - mostly bell peppers, corn, green onions, and often some small-style pasta like orzo dripping in some combination of vinaigrette, red wine vinegar, and italian dressing. A batch of vinegar salad lasts about 5 days, thus I often had at least two servings of veggies for a whole 5 days straight.
Since I've moved out, left college, gotten married, and worked harder on healthier choices, the vegetables are beginning to make a comeback. It's a slow process, for sure. I have discovered frozen steamed vegetables, which are hard to overcook and are rarely soggy. They show up in at least one meal a day. Tom tries to put vegetables in my lunch, but often they go untouched. I'm just not "in the mood," and they rarely sound good. Years of pushing aside nature's choice foods has reduced their appeal. I try to eat them anyways, knowing that I enjoy how they taste, once I actually take a moment to savor them.
I go shopping twice a month and make it a point to buy fresh vegetables every time. Sometime it's green peppers in my spaghetti, zucchini, corn on the cob, or green beans. Though I can't afford fresh veggies at every meal, alternating them with the steamed frozen variety gives me daily servings of the food pyramid.
Who thought getting your vegetables could be such a chore?
I WROTE THE BOOK OF LOVE: 9-YEAR-OLD REVEALS DATING SECRETS
By JENNIFER FERMINO
Last updated: 4:23 pm
December 2, 2008
Posted: 2:20 am
December 2, 2008
Last updated: 4:23 pm
December 2, 2008
Posted: 2:20 am
December 2, 2008
He's only 9, but this pint-sized pickup artist already knows plenty about pleasing the ladies.
So much, in fact, that Alec Greven's dating primer, "How to Talk to Girls" - which began as a handwritten, $3 pamphlet sold at his school book fair - hit the shelves nationwide last week.
The fourth-grader from Castle Rock, Colo., advises Lothario wannabes to stop showing off, go easy on the compliments to avoid looking desperate - and be wary of "pretty girls."
"It is easy to spot pretty girls because they have big earrings, fancy dresses and all the jewelry," he writes in Chapter Three.
"Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil."
He advises, "The best choice for most boys is a regular girl. Remember, some pretty girls are coldhearted when it comes to boys. Don't let them get to you."
Over a few Shirley Temples yesterday at Langan's on West 47 Street, Alec said that he culled his wisdom by peeking at his peers at play.
"I saw a lot of boys that had trouble talking to girls," Alec said.
As for his how-to, he concedes, "I never expected people to buy it like a regular book in a bookstore."
But with classic plain-spoken advice - like "comb your hair and don't wear sweats" - it's no surprise his 46-page book was a hit with boys and girls of all ages.
He believes the best way to approach a girl is to keep it to a simple "hi."
"If I say hi and you say hi back, we're probably off to a good start," he said.
As for his own love life, he said he is not dating anyone at the moment. "I'm a little too young," he confessed.
In his book, published by HarperCollins, he suggests holding off on falling in love until at least middle school.
Dating - which he defines as going out to dinner without your parents - is for "kind of old" people, who are 15 or 16.
Officials at the Soaring Hawk Elementary School said he wrote the book - which was the runaway bestseller at its book fair - for kids, but believe anyone can find inspiration in it.
Alec's mother, Erin Greven, credits her son's beyond-his-years insight to his avid reading.
"He reads nonstop. At dinner, I say, 'Put your book down,' " she said.
Alec - who just finished a children's book on the Watergate scandal - said he wants to be a full-time writer when he grows up, with a weekend job in archaeology or paleontology.
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