ice cream making and ranting

Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop

2009-03-18T23:34:00.000-07:00

I was innocently reading the grocery store ads, and noticed an odd thing: Nabisco Classics Iced Animal Cookies, as well as frosted oatmeal cookies.

"Oh good," I think "all is not lost from the Mother's bankruptcy." Then, I did a little google research.

Nabisco doesn't mention these classics on their website. But, two very selfless bloggers have the story. Kevdo and Look What I Found.

Turns out, these new cookies are knock-offs. And Kellogg actually bought the Mother's recipes and will release their new cookies in July.

it has a flavr

2009-01-28T23:22:00.000-08:00

Seriously, more internet memes and dessert. Awesome!

Never gonna run around and dessert you

2009-01-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

There's not much I love more than taking an internet meme and making it into a cake.

Hanukkah Miracle

2008-12-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight I have Hanukkah/Kwanzaa story time. Complete with Kinaras made of beans and noodles, wooden dreidels for playing and marshmallow dreidels for eating. I've spend some of the last week reading up on the holidays I don't celebrate so I can convey them in a positive and learned manner. And I've spent a lot of time physically preparing everything for the crafts.

So, when I filled my gas tank for $23.50 today all I could think of was that I was being rewarded for my efforts. Maybe the fuel won't last longer than it should, but my money certainly will. I might just have some fried potatoes for dinner, to honor the miracle.

Qua-duc-ant

2008-12-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

OMG! First there was turducken. Now there is quaducant! Could be awesome, although, it's more than double the cost of turducken.

...is the new nose job?

2008-12-01T18:42:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what it's like where you live, but here in the greater LA area, I've seen quite a few billboards for the LAP-BAND popping up. They are slightly offensive to me, featuring a grumpy, ugly fat lady encouraging us all to go ahead an have a nice Christmas surgery.

But, I was completely unprepared for the radio commercial I heard this morning that went a little something like this:

You know, gyms just cost so much money... I think I should totally have elective surgery instead.

quite possibly, I've taken a little creative license with the part after the ellipses, but there's no mistaking the following:

1. They were comparing exercise with surgery.
2. They were implying that surgery costs less than $30/month.
3. They were implying that after the surgery there is no need for exercise.

I'm not denying the benefits of some kind of surgery for the morbidly obese. But the super, super majority of morning radio listeners do not need the surgery. And I just don't understand.

10 Gifts

2008-11-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Another reason to add to the list of why MSN is sucky...

This list is titled 10 Gifts We Don't Want.

However, they are totally, totally, totally wrong. Anyone who doesn't think goldfish bookends or light bulb shoes are awesome doesn't deserve to write things on the internet.

Twilight in 15 Mins

2008-11-25T17:14:00.001-08:00

So, I'm a librarian. And I supposed to know something about every popular book there is. But, popular books are usually sucky. And, instead of reading them, I rely on my friend the internet.

Now, Twilight is not really written for people like me. And I take that into account. Possibly, my teen self would have even enjoyed the phenomenon. (probably not though, the style of the books is super wordy like a harlequin)

However, just to not sound like I'm 100 years old, I have to know something.

This is where Twilight in 15 Minutes fits in.

And 28 reasons the movie is better than the book isn't bad either.

Red, White, Blueberry

2008-11-04T22:48:00.000-08:00

In honor of election day I tried to incorporate red, white and blue pancakes into my standing pancake tuesday. Instead, i got non-partisan purple pancakes.

Also, enjoy pictures of the very delicious banana pancakes

Keep your fingers crossed for the bullet train to the future. Come one little train. I know you can.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

front
back

My sister's

Update: This year we decided to up our game and got some carving tools and tried shaving in addition to carving. I can assure you, the pumpkins are much cooler in real life. I'm not entirely sure if it's the low light itself, or my terrible, terrible camera.

Also worth noting, my Kon pumpkin from 2 halloweens ago is the #2 google search for Kon pumpkin

People will be very healthy, soon

2008-10-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a pretty big fan of pop psychology. I love it when people tie huge complex issues up into nice little dumplings of knowledge, even if they aren't necessarily true... and it makes me happy to know that there'll be plenty of deodorant to go around.

Full article

During a recession, laxatives go up, because people are under tremendous stress, and holding themselves back," said Shapiro, now chief executive of SAGE, a consulting firm in Chicago.

"During a boom, deodorant sales go up, because people are out dancing around. When people have less money, they buy more of the things that have less water in them, things that are not so perishable. Instead of lettuce and steak and fruit, it's rice and beans and grain and pasta. Except this time the price of pasta's so high that it's beans and rice."

A recent Nielsen report listed tobacco, carbonated drinks and eggs as especially vulnerable to recession, and candy, beer and pasta sauce as recession-proof.

ALSO

"Death rates fall, people smoke less, drink less and exercise more. Traffic fatalities go way down, which is not a surprise when people drive less. Heart attacks go down. Back problems go down. People have more time to prepare healthier meals at home. When the economy weakens, pollution falls."

OMG Sarah Palin has my coat!

2008-10-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

Found on a boingboing post depicting a photoshopped verison

This is the original.

Does this mean Sarah Palin shops at TJ Maxx? Because I'm pretty sure that's where I got mine. I'm sure it wasn't over $30. I've never actually worn it, because really, it's a little crazy. But now I can't really wear it, can I? It's been boingboinged for goodness sake. I can't wear the same coat as crazy book-banning, librarian firing, creationism lady. (Although I'd like to believe in a time when dinosaurs and humans lived in harmony)

My other moments of clothing famousness:

The 90's when Andrea on the original 90210 wore an ugly pink sweater that my mom had

A sweater I bought a few years ago from the Macys juniors department that was on both the Nick show Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Disney's Suite Life of Zach and Cody.

A crazy print shirt/tunic thing from Zara that Giada De Laurentis wore on her weekend getaway show to San Francisco.

That's all I can think of for now. Although not clothing. Hannah Montana has one of our pfaltzgraff patterns in her kitchen. And icarly has our fifties clock.

How about you?

Cake Games

2008-08-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

I don't really know the rules, but here's an exciting use of cake in gaming (not to mention marshmallow peeps)

Settlers of Catan

I'm still open for suggestions on how to use the castle cake in a game.

Beloit Mindset List 2012

2008-08-22T16:59:00.000-07:00

Well, they're at it again. Here's the newest list to come from Beloit College. And, I have to say. After all of my previous hate, this one isn't so bad. Did I just finally become accustomed to the stupidity? Maybe. But I think they're also making a better list. This one is more things that existed or didn't exist in a person's lifetime if he was born in 1990. It's not so much of "they can't possibly know or think this" it more objective facts.

So kudos Beloit, for finally having a decent person making the list. But all your points were lost when you made a page that can't be copied and pasted. Thank goodness for source code.

Here are a few to make you feel old:

We have always known that “All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten"

McDonald’s and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for cooking french fries

There has always been Pearl Jam.

Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.

Students always had Goosebumps.

Olympic Nonsense

2008-08-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

This seems to be the first olympics that I've ever paid attention to. You'd think it'd be more interesting when I was younger, but apparently I've never watched before. Because, it seems, that every freaking sport is a surprise to me.

Last week I was shocked, and delighted to see that synchronized diving was an event. I had no idea you could synch that. Swimming, sure. But diving? Amazing.

And, who knew about women's softball? Not me.

But really, the big shock to me was today's 90 minute event of the women's 20K racewalk. Seriously? walking? Not even real walking. Mostly some kind of crazy waddle. What makes it a walk? These rules:

The first dictates that the athlete's back toe cannot leave the ground until the heel of the front foot has touched. Violation of this rule is known as loss of contact. The second rule requires that the supporting leg must straighten from the point of contact with the ground and remain straightened until the body passes over it. These rules are judged by the human eye, which creates controversy at today's high speeds.

Most olympic athletes are graceful at their sport. They have some kind of skill that is generally appealing. Unless you're really into ducks, I can't see how you'd find this sport attractive. It looks terrible for your knees, and even terribler if you had middle school kids around who would definitely mock you. I generally don't have much respect for marathon runners. It seems like a stupid skill to have, and is really terrible for your body. But 20k walking is way, way stupider.

If you don't believe me, check out the men's 50k on the 22nd.

And a shout out to Rakia Al Gassra for defying all odds, and being one of the first women to represent Bahrain. She was in Athens. And I saw her tonight, racing in her long pants, long sleeves and hoodie. A bold move, when the other women runners wear practically nothing.

Seriously, this olympics thing is just weird.

Gourmet Recipes at Discount Prices

2008-07-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I'll pretty much buy anything that costs $1. So, I was pretty excited to get my copy of The 99 Cent Only Stores Cookbook: Gourmet Recipes at Discount Prices, even at 10x $1. Not only was it going to be full of great ideas to use treasure from the 99 cent only stores, it was also supporting performance art. The author ONLY used ingredients she bought from the store. If they didn't have a box of sugar that week, she'd use a box of individual packets, even though she had perfectly good grocery store sugar sitting in her cabinet.

So, I spent a long time looking over the book, making shopping lists, planning... Unfortunately the results are not the most delicious food ever.

It started on a reasonably high note.

The Asian Soul Slaw (coleslaw with the addition of rice wine vinegar & sesame oil) was absolutely delicious, and is now our go-to coleslaw recipe.

and the Delicious Toffee Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies were perfectly fine, nothing special, but nothing wrong.

The next day didn't fare so well though

The Maryland Crab Soup was absolutely the blandest, milkiest, terribleist soup I've ever had.

and the Corn Pudding, was pretty much a corn omelet.

But I couldn't give up that easily.

Yesterday I tried Green Beans au Gratin. It was also fine, not as good as normal campbells cream of mushroom soup green been casserole, but like the cookies, there was nothing wrong with it.

I guess I'll try a few more things. But I'm pretty sure you get what you pay for, and you can't really have gourmet food at discount prices.

AX 2008

2008-07-07T12:15:00.001-07:00

Just a few days after ALA came Anime Expo. I only went 2 days this year, and I'm not sure I got my fill of cat girls for the year.

I did, however, get the Manga Cookbook that they wouldn't sell me at ALA. And an ice cream nyanko.

Flickr set here

Clearly larger than a 5 lb burrito

2008-07-03T16:40:00.001-07:00

ALA 2008

2008-07-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

I spent the past 5 days at the Anaheim convention center for the American Library Association conference. When I first walked in, I was sad to see everyone had their correct number of ears. But, by the end, loaded down by free stuff, I stopped missing the cosplayers.

My flickr set is here

Among other things I came home with:

16 bags (10 cloth-like, 1 oilcloth-like, 5 vellum or paper gift bag like)
23+ full books (8 advance readers, 13 regular, 2 blank paged-- i paid for 3 of the books)
various sampler books and cds
2 regular cds
6 different post-it notes (multiples of a few)
tomato seeds
2 pencils
7 pens (i totally m2issed the ball on the free pens. somehow, early in the convention I decided I didn't need any pens. I just don't know why)
8 buttons
library temporary tattoos
calendar
mousepad
stress tv
air freshener (from a book on tape company--it says "commute stinks"
business card holder
sunblock
choose your own adventure fortune cookie
flying, screaming monkey toy
2 packages of mints
so much free candy

I'd also like to thank ProQuest for all of their delicious free espresso drinks
And I'd like to boo TLC for never having a freshly baked Otis Spunkmeyer cookie when I walked by.

One of the days we had dinner with my old supervisor and friends. Ryan ordered the 5 pound burrito, it was more like a 10 pound burrito. Needless to say he did not win the t-shirt for eating it all. However, it made a tasty breakfast for us the next 2 days. (picture may or may not be forthcoming)

One major highlight of the weekend is pictured above.

The other was the book cart drill team. I'm hoping better videos will be posted later.

But for now, you can see part of the winner's video
although it's the beginning part before it gets really good and turns into thriller

Also, the entry from texas has some good hats

And, I met this monkey

Not April Fool

2008-04-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

I was watching an IHOP commercial yesterday, and I thought, for sure it was a joke.

Turns out it's real, and they're serving a Dr Seuss menu that includes green eggs and ham, crazy looking Who pancakes and the thing that makes the least sense of all: 7-up with Jell-o cubes in it

The pictures are clearly on their homepage

Worst of all, they've been serving it since March 3 without me knowing about it.... it's for a limited time only, so you better hurry along...

My new heroes

2008-03-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, my new heroes

Chefs make gourmet dinners out of ingredients from 99 cent stores

Winter of TV discontent

2008-01-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

It’s no secret that I love the TV. And, yes, I would marry it if I could.

But the writers strike really needs to end. My love is not going to wait forever. I’m personally willing to be a scab and write shows about libraries, unicorns and baking cupcakes, if they’ll have me. Also, if they need me to make the Oscars less boring, I have some ideas.

But the people who run TV have other ideas. Like the current Miss America Reality Check show on TLC. I guess I wasn’t paying attention earlier this month, but it’s a 4 part reality show ending in the Miss America Pageant on Saturday. Yes, All 52 Miss America contestants (including Miss Virgin Islands and Miss Washington DC) live in a house together and compete in challenges. Challenges, mostly entirely unrelated to being a pageant queen. However, no one gets voted off the island or anything. The top and bottom 3 for each contest are singled out but there don’t seem to be any consequences for winning or losing. But of course pageant girls are competitive, and they’re compete for anything (nothing?).

In the meantime celebrity judges try to get the girls to update their looks and stale pageant images. Which is a noble cause, except the judges’ tastes are just as arbitrary as pageant standards. My least favorite is Jeannie Mai, a makeup artist to the stars, or something. And, just about twice as bitchy and vapid as you’d expect one to be. If anyone has ever watched the Disney Channel show The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, she’s exactly like a 10 year older London Tipton.

What I don’t understand is the rules. How far in advance was this show scheduled? When the girls were competing in their individual state pageants did they know? Certainly, they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into in all their previous pageant practice. And what about the whole nonsense that Miss America is a scholarship competition? What does that have to do with living 10 to a bedroom on TV for a month? I only saw last weeks, but I do have to say at least, unlike other reality shows, there was a noticeable lack of girls changing clothes, and cameras in the bathrooms. Most likely, this is the one bit of control the Miss America organization had.

Please read tvgasm’s recap if you’re still interested. I don’t think I’ll be around to watch Miss America this weekend, I can only hope TLC is lacking shows and will repeat it indiscriminately.

Meanwhile, ABC has a different response to the writers strike.

#1 I’ve been noticing they’re editing General Hospital to fill more time than the shot footage should. More repeated bits after commercial breaks, and from Friday to Monday. Also, I don’t know if I’m crazy, but it looks like more commercials too.

But #2, came out of nowhere, with no pomp that I could find. Go to ABC’s streaming video site, you can catch up with your favorite shows like normal. But starting this month, they seem to be releasing a new episode of my so called life direct to the internet.
I don’t understand, but I’m not going to complain.

In other TV news, I’ve been thinking about getting the complete box set of the Twilight Zone. But I didn’t realize it was on twice at 10pm weeknights on the Sci Fi channel. Anyone have any opinions?

Also, if you're not a regular viewer of MTV's My super sweet 16. This is a zorse, and this is a zonkey. Awesomeness!

Happy New Year

2008-01-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

Pictures here,
not really of people, just turducken.

It's time to raise the curtain...

2008-01-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

Know what's f-ing awesome?! And, possibly, the best movie ever made? None of that AFI nonsense, Citizen Kane and Casablanca ain't got nothin' on the Muppets Take Manhattan.

Know what else is awesome. Drinking half a bottle of champagne.

Know what's even awesomer. Both of the above, together.

And how about a few awesome news stories:

1. Disneyworld restaurant bans children
I'll be sure to remember that when I make my trip out to Animal Kingdom

2. Scientifically infused Chocolate filled strawberries, and more

w00t!

2007-12-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

You've probably already heard how w00T is the Merriam-Webster word of 2007

And all this buzz is just as to be expected for technophobes explaining it to other technophobes.

What I haven't been able to find though, is the answer to my burning questions.

1. Does this mean w00t gets into a print dictionary?
2. If so, where does it go? W00t is spelled with zeroes. Does that mean it will be put before words that start with WA? Or, will it be filed (incorrectly, in my mind) as if the zero is the letter o?

My librarian head is just about going to break. I can't wait to get to the library this afternoon and talk to the other librarians.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2007-12-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

Know what's great about hanging out with older people? They celebrate Christmas, and have Christmas parties. And they don't make santa say "ha ha ha." Yea Christmas!

But if you're on the more modern side, check out these awesome things walgreens will make out of your photos...and for pretty reasonable prices.

Personally, I'm into the vinyl clings, tie, pj pants and scarf.

I like potatoes!

2007-10-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Owner of a Tenderheart

2007-10-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

This does seem a bit ridiculous

Special 25th anniversary Tenderheart

Commemorate the Care Bears' 25th anniversary with Tenderheart, featuring silver-plated accents and Swarovski crystal eyes. This beautiful white and silver bear is accompanied by a rare DVD containing the very first Care Bears episode ever, The Land Without Feelings, making it a perfect gift for Care Bears fans and collectors of every generation!

All for under $20 at at Walmart. Or if you get to Kmart this week, only $18 on sale. What a deal! If it wasn't so ugly, I might get one for myself.

Bugaboo

2007-10-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

There's this site where artists draw local maps pointing out kid friendly things to do in their city.

www.bugaboodaytrips.com

The site design is bad, and a little glitchy. But, the maps are pretty cool bits of art.

Starfish and Coffee

2007-09-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

In 1987 Prince released a song called Starfish and Coffee on his Sign O’ the Times album.

You’d think I’d have heard of a song that features a girl with my first and middle name. But no, I was looking through Ross, not paying any attention to the music when I hear my name in a cover of the song.

Pretty sure that I’m mis-hearing the lyrics, I eventually look the song up. Sure enough, it’s Starfish and Coffee… and the chorus is:

Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine
And a side order o’ ham
If you set your mind free, baby
Maybe you’d understand
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam

So, I listen and I decide that it’s about a super cool non-conformist that everyone loves.

According to the internet, if you believe the internet, it’s actually about an autistic girl that Prince really knew…. Not quite as cool, but possibly one to learn for karaoke.

Mindset List 2011

2007-08-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, it’s that time of year again. Time for the Beloit College Mindset List These old people just need to give up and die already, it’s obvious they can’t function in today’s world.

With the wild success of my 2 posts.Here it goes again.

Actually, I’m kinda bored with it, but I couldn’t not blog when I got to #20

Half of them may have been members of the Baby-sitters Club.

Now, I love me some AMM. But half? If just over half of college entrants are female, they’re assuming almost everyone read the books. At that point in time, I’ve been told the BSC had become passé. In 1987 when I got my first book, I was slightly too young, but reading way above my grade level. It caught on like wildfire by 1990 and for sure was falling out of favor by the time today’s college entrants were ready.

And a few more for your groaning pleasure:

Smoking has never been allowed in public spaces in France.

Totally relevant for American 18yr olds, totally shapes their lives

They grew up in Wayne’s World.

Also totally relevant

MTV has never featured music videos.

Never, they don’t even have a stray one on every now and then.

Most phone calls have never been private.

Don’t even get me started…

Hips don't lie

2007-08-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

Here's some shameles self-promotion.

I'm pretty happy with the way my belly dance website is looking.

And, I finally got my videos up on youtube.

We (read: I) may be the most tech savvy bellydancers this side of San Francisco. Aren't I great! Woooo!

The Pickup Artist

2007-08-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don’t watch TV, there’s an amazing new show on VH1 called The Pickup Artist. 8 “loveable losers” live in a house together, and learn from the experts how to pick up women using the Mystery Method.

The problem is, the expert is basically a con artist, and a major i-want-to-stomp-on-his-toes freakshow. Seriously, just look at him. He calls himself Mystery, and with the help of his two friends who also have made up names (J-Dog and Matador) the inflict their nonsense on the world.

I was going to write a long diatribe about how much I hate Mystery, and how much I hate myself for loving this show. But, this girl has pretty much said everything for me. So read it.

Just to recap: Mystery has longer hair than I do, and wears more makeup and bigger accessories. He has this fuzzy hat that makes me want to die. And, it seems that during the eliminations, he always has a big red lipsticky kiss on his freakishly long neck. Seriously this guy is icky. If he approached me I would do my best to get away. If my mom saw him on the street, she’d freak out and cross to the other side. But, according to the show, and the internet, he gets chicks. Chicks much dumber than me, but chicks nonetheless. Anyone who takes advice from someone with that ridiculous hat deserves whatever happens to them…

As to be expected, my favorite contestant from the show is the one with the black plastic glasses, Spoon. Here’s his myspace and here’s a blog post by someone who has IMed with him. Unfortunately, he was the first one off the show. However, I am sure that Spoon no longer has trouble picking up girls.

That’s enough for now, expect much Mystery posting. Next week he takes off all the makeup and nonsense and makes the boys do storytime in a library. (at least he’s respectful of libraries). I’m counting the hours. It makes me hate myself... but oh well...

Spoiler

2007-07-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

Seriously, don't scroll down if you're gonna get mad. Although if you haven't read about the world's favorite wizard by now you don't deserve the secret kept.

Anime Expo 2007

2007-07-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

Pictures are here

Why the long face?

2007-07-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

So, a horse walks into a bar...

For the first time, I decided to cosplay a show I actually like (cosplay as opposed to wearing a costume on halloween), and pay attention to the details.

Bartender is a fantastic anime. Read the wikipedia entry.

Unfortunately, the show seems to be a bit obscure, and the costumes are rather understated. No one really recognized us. But look! They were good recreations.

Stay tuned for more AX pictures.

She's asking for it

2007-06-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

One of the top stories on yahoo news today is this Dear Abby about people touching a pregnant woman's belly. And I'm not sure I've ever been more offended in my life. This goes way beyond the 40 year old virgin fiacso. Since when is it cool to go around touching strangers in public spaces?!

First there's the scientific explanation "touching a woman's belly is a deeply rooted instinctual behavior. It is as natural as pulling your hand away from a fire."

Then there's the tight jeans/you're just asking for it explanation "The clothing that I have seen pregnant women wear advertises their protruding bellies and, in my opinion, encourages people to notice and admire their bellies, implying there's an open invitation to touch them"

And then some guy just encourages her to be a whore "She should relax and enjoy a little gratuitous physical contact; some people have to pay big money for it -- like with massage or chiropractic"

I've been thinking about this, and I'm wondering if it really has to do with the fact that a pregnant woman has obviously had sex. Never, would society encourage you to touch virgins. But obviously, since you're pregnant, you're a whore, and it's a free for all. Touchy, touchy, touchy!

If anyone tried to touch me currently, I'm perfectly prepared to kick them. But maybe pregnant women shouldn't be balancing on one foot while fighting off evil. I'm considering crafting a letter to Dear Abby, advocating women to carry a nice, hefty cane. Once they're smacked, maybe strange touchers will think twice about the next time.

I Declare

2007-06-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

There are just too many cats on the internet.

Seriously, it's bad for productivity.

Berry, Berry Good

2007-06-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

Have you tried the new blackberry shake from jack in the box?!?! It's delicious! I've always been disappointed with fast food shakes, but I had to try it because the poster made it look so good. And it actually was good.

Unlike strawberry shakes, this doesn't taste artificial. It tastes a lot like a berry jelly. (don't tell anyone, but I can't really tell the difference between blackberries and boysenberries). It's such a lovely pinky-purpley color. Mine was served with a healthy heaping of whipped cream. And the guy who made mine was one of the more pleasant fast food workers I've met.

So, if you've been wavering... go, go, go! It's for a limited time only.

~~~~

I've decided to stop wasting my time at work. I can be very productive, if I want to. Taking my inspiration from Cher in Clueless, I've decided to use my work hours to break in my shoes. I have so many pairs sitting around, because I wore them once and they were uncomfortable. Now is the time to take action. (Because I just bought another super-cute pair yesterday.)

If I'm going to be grumpy at/about work, it's nice to have an easy cause I can point to. It's a much easier life for me to say, "I'm sorry, my feet hurt." not "I'm sorry, I'm way underemployed, and I've stopped believing in the company long ago."

Goin' to Disneyland (almost)

2007-06-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

Charles Phoenix is dreamy, and a perfect host for his Disneyland Tour of Downtown Los Angeles
I might post words, but pictures are worth 1,000. So, here there are.

It was quite a day full of sights, puppets and snacks… I am considering quitting my job and just following Charles Phoenix around. He definitely deserves groupies. I was thinking he’s like the pied piper, except he’s the mouse, and he’s leading all the children around.

Would you like Zs with that?

2007-05-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, hey, look, I graduated. Maybe one day I'll get a job. We had harpists playing pomp and circumstance. It was odd, but cool.

But more importantly, what's with the rash of stranged stuffed animals popping up lately?

First I heard about webkinz, similar to neopets you have an online pet you have to take care of and also play games. But, to get the pet you have to buy a stuffed animal, have it physically and enter it's code online. I'm thinking about getting one, they're pretty cute, and I'm really curious about this secure online community. One of the features is that you can "chat" with your real life friends, but only by using certain pre-approved words.

And today cute overload pointed me toward PerfectPetzzz where you can buy a stuffed animal that breathes and snores. They're not too expensive on ebay, but I'm rather afraid.

More disturbingly there are the new Shrek baby dolls. As if Shrek isn't ugly enough, we really need these monstrosities? I almost threw something at the tv because I was so disgusted. Can I sue the station for exposing me to such unpleasantness? At least nothing with the shrek doll replaces s with z

Breakfast is the most trendy meal of the day

2007-05-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

I don't know when it happened. And, I'm certainly not complaining. But, everyone is jumping on the breakfast sandwich bandwagon. And I can't wait to see what comes next!

Jack-in-the-Box has, for as long as I can remember, always had breakfast available all day. But they're stepping up the advertising, and they created this nonsense site for your people in food suits viewing pleasure. Personally, I love a good sausage crossiant combo

And trying to edge in on 7-11's morning business, AM/PM has started with the selling of breakfast sandwiches selling of breakfast sandwiches I haven't tried one yet, but I will one day.

And, to make their already long lines even longer, Starbucks has theirs. They seem to be a bit more upscale in their flavor offerings. I never go in the morning, and by the time I get there in the afternoon the few remaining sandwiches are looking a bit limp. But I will make an effort to try one.

But, if you're like me and barely make it to work on time everyday without stopping for a sandwich, Aunt Jemima breakfast croissants (Sausage please) keep me happy. The pancake sandwich isn't nearly as good.

Just don't follow the crazy microwave directions on the box.

I pull one out of the freezer, and drive to work. By the time I'm ready to prepare the sandwich it has thawed just a bit.

Take the croissant and toaster oven it, with the slice of cheese.
Meanwhile microwave the sausage patty and egg patty. (30 secs, flip, 30 more secs)

One tablespoonful to be taken at bedtime

2007-05-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

This story about the oldest Peter Rabit translation isn't really interesting news.

But, you have to enjoy the ending sentence

"Japanese people are very familiar with rabbits and the humor of drawing
them dressed up in clothes and getting up to mischief is very appealing," he added.

Juxtaposition

2007-05-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

wooo weeee, look how vain I am.

Free Museums!

2007-05-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Why bother supporting the arts if you can get it for free!?

Use your Bank of America ATM card or MBNA credit card and get in free to these museums.

It's too bad Noah's Ark at the Skirball doesn't open till June. It looks super-awesome.

You all up north have it a little better with SF MOMA and the de Young. If only I could remember what it was I wanted from the SF MOMA gift shop.

I need a date to the prom, would you like to come along

2007-04-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Kids today have all the fun

Kostya Kolomoyskyy wanted to offer Ali Schreiner an invitation she would never forget.

After school, he drove around the Campolindo High School parking lot until he found Ali's car. The spot in front was empty, so he placed a yellow cone on either side of the vehicle. Around those, he wrapped yellow caution tape. Then, he lay on the ground and asked a friend to draw his silhouette in chalk.

Next to that, he wrote: "It would be a crime if you didn't go to prom with me. -- Kostya."

shooting the breeze

2007-04-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, there has been a tragedy. Yes, gun control is a bit of a joke.

But, you know what the answer isn’t… making identity theft easier.

Yes, the freaked out politicians are all over the TV talking about how there should be “instant background checks” every time you buy bullets. I’m not entirely sure what this means. But I’m pretty sure it means giving your SSN and other valuable identifying info to the guy behind the counter at K-Mart who makes minimum wage and doesn’t give a damn about protecting your info.

Let’s say I suddenly decide to take up hunting, or decide to plan a girl’s night out at the shooting gallery, or dingos threaten to steal my babies. There are already guns in my family that I can use. And if I ever felt like buying a gun, you know it would be from somewhere hardcore, probably from some crazy ex veteran who’s more concerned about the man trying to steal my info than I am. But, the ammo is quite a different story. By design it’s disposable, single use, and cheap. And the people selling it don’t have to be smart, knowledgeable or conscientious.

With the way identity theft is going in this country, it’s hard to believe that companies, institutions and governments continue to ask for more info and get away with it. This is the sort of thing that really makes me curious about law school. I would love to be on the forefront of pressuring people to collect less data, protect it more, and make identity theft easier to ID and fix. On the other hand, I don’t want to plunge back into the depression I had last spring when I was taking the Information Secrecy class where I lovingly referred to my final paper as "fun with wiretapping."

So, as bumper stickers will soon say: when they outlaw bullets, only outlaws will have bullets.

Higher Power of Lucky

2007-03-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

I’ve read better books, but I’ve certainly read worse. Also, I’ve read much more offensive books. I’m much more uncomfortable with passages mentioning alcoholics, dead beat dads and jailed mothers than the aforementioned scrotum passages.

Contrary to my previous assessment of Newbery books, Lucky is neither a minority or from the past. She is however poor and often sad. And the weird small town, dusty desert setting evokes an awful lot of past. Really, the only thing that suggests the present is the fact that her step-mom is taking a class on the internet.

Lucky is a girl, and what she really wants is to find her higher power, because she listens in on all the fill-in-the-blank anonymous meetings held in the town meeting hall. Surely there can’t be that many though, because the town’s population is 43. And, like almost every started plot line or personality quirk, it never really comes to fruition.

Lucky’s mom died, and her dad skipped town. Rather than own up to his life, he calls his first ex wife to come from France and take care of Lucky, the daughter of his second wife. After a bit, she actually adopts Lucky, and it’s obvious to everyone except Lucky that they’ve bonded and she’ll be her surrogate mother. Lucky, however, is a child and doesn’t understand things, and she’s just preparing for the day they send her off to some horrible orphanage in LA (because they live in some weird outlying area in southern Calif.). This is the cause of pretty much all of her turmoil. And it gets old quick, which is quite a feat since the book is only 130pgs.

Pretty much everyone in this book is a caricature and their random, bizarre personality traits never really lead anywhere. The best example is Lucky’s best friend.

Lucky’s best friend ties knots. He loves knots and what he wants more than anything is to get enough money to go to a knot convention in England. But we all know that’ll never happen because the town is dirt poor. Also in the beginning of the book he becomes the grammar police and puts a colon in the Slow Children at Play sign. Neither of these quirks lead anywhere. They both have good potential and just leave me completely unsatisfied.

And the book ends pretty predictably. Lucky gets a little smarter, and the bond between her and the step-mom and her and the town and the step-mom and the town grows.

It was a quick read, completely inoffensive for the 4-6th grade set, and not entirely unpleasant. I can see how kids would like the mini adventures, even if they lead nowhere. But, as the best children’s book written last year, we have a very sad state of children’s books.

Oh yes, and everyone in the town is poor enough that they get government issued food. Including strange cheese that neither shreds or melts. Who knew that still existed??

FLAVOR SPRAY DIET!!!

2007-03-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

I saw the flavor sprays on Unwrapped last night. Immediately my sister and I became obsessed.

I love food technology. And I’m totally cool with artificial flavors. To bottle up just artificial flavor is pretty much magical.

We were all ready to place the $180 order for all the flavors when I remembered how many times I’d been burned before. No calories, no carbs, no anything… Well, the savory flavors are fine and good. But the sweet ones contain sucralose. Grrrr.

But, I’m still not 100% opposed. I’m thinking about an artificial flavor party. Anyone interested??

How about now?

I’m particularly interested in caramelized onion, bacon, pesto, and BBQ. I used to be into maple, but I’m sure it has sucralose.

Way the Cookie Crumbles

2007-03-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

Festive Cookies, M&M Cookies, (brownies from a Betty Crocker mix), Butterscotch Pinwheels

~~~~~~~~~

I decided I'm never going to be happy with my cookie website. So, I'll just publish it and let the world be a better place with my tried and true recipes floating around cyberspace. I've looked for some of these, and they're just not out there.

Cookie Page

Not Cookie Page
Includes the jello cream cake from the shower

And don't forget the retro bonus picture.

One day there may actually be a link between the pages. For now, I'm going to bed.

"Scrotum": Panic Ensues

2007-02-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

This story is making the rounds, and commenting on it seems to be addictive.

With One Word, Children’s Book Sets Off Uproar

My headline and the gist of the story is, Newbery Award Winner contains the Word “Scrotum”: Panic Ensues.

I haven’t read this book yet, so I’ll try to refrain from specific comments about a book I haven’t read. But, I think we all know how I feel about Newbery books.

According to School Library Journal, a particularly reputable source, the book’s level is 4-6th grade. By this age, kids get the sex talk in school. Anatomy is not a mystery to them. And using the correct term for a not-easy-to-talk-about part of the body seems perfectly acceptable. This is not porn. And, apparently, it’s in reference to a dog being shot, not even a naked person.

On the other hand, I do hate Newbery books on principle. And based on this one passage in the NY Times, it holds one of the characteristics I hate in kids books:

“Scrotum sounded to Lucky like something green that comes up when you have the flu and cough too much,” the book continues. “It sounded medical and secret, but also important.”

Dude, since when do kids wax poetic about words? And on a larger scale, what’s up with all the things they don’t understand. I’m so tired of adults writing books where kids fully get the full picture. Seriously, authors need to get a life. That sort of thing only works in comedy. Either the kids understand or they don’t therefore making the readers understand or not.

One particularly egregious passage in another Newbery book has the kid not understanding the sex noises coming out of the parent’s room. It’s never explained. It just hangs. Older readers know what’s up, but the target audience doesn’t. So why put it in? Why not make a book appropriate for your intended age group? And why make your characters dumber than they need to be?

Meanwhile, I’m still curious to read this book. My local libraries don’t have enough copies to go around. I’m not sure if it’s because of the controversy, or the likelihood the books are kept on the new book shelf and someone just grabs it and goes. There’s nothing like free publicity. Judy Blume, one of the top challenged modern authors, knows that. And she’s really good and describing reality for teens (not children).

The NY Times coverage of this is a bit less than correct. First, it lists a blog as an electronic mailing list. And then there’s this:

Authors of children’s books sometimes sneak in a single touchy word or paragraph, leaving librarians to choose whether to ban an entire book over one offending phrase

What is that nonsense?! Authors just sneak in words?? Really? There’s not like an editing process where a gajillion people read the book before it’s printed and make changes? The authors themselves sneak into the printing facility and make the changes just before the machine starts spitting out books?

The Times usually has decent coverage of library matters, this article is a travesty. Another travesty, is that one day, if I ever get a job, I might have to deal with crap like this on a daily basis. Bleh!

(now that I've upgraded blogger, I'm tempted to label this post, but I'll refrain for the faint of heart)

UPDATE 2-27

This library blogger/YA book reviewer generally has the same tastes that I do. And here's her take on the book after actually reading it. And she had the same concerns that I did about "Oh, isn't it adorable when small children don't know things" and decides it's justified.

But, if that's too reasonable for you, check out scrotum poetry friday

UPDATE 2-28

How about this list of other books that use the word

Hips Don't Lie

2007-02-19T22:15:00.000-08:00

I haven't done much with web design since the late 90's but here goes nothing...

My belly dancing website

Christmas cookies are coming soon, I swear...

Bridal Tea

2007-02-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

Pictures, especially my crappy ones, just can't capture the true beauty of the bridal tea.

Pictures here.

Anyone else with pictures should post them, they must be better than mine.

Dorkbake

2007-02-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

It seems Kenny and I both enjoyed a bit of food competition this weekend.

I tried my best, but I couldn’t get my act together enough to enter the dorkbake. A competition where you build your own cooking device that runs off a 100 watt lightbulb, and then you compete in a bake-off.

However, I wasn’t about to miss the festivities. It was better than everyone expected.

If there’s a second one, wild horses can’t stop me. I have a great idea for a librarian themed set up.

Read Boing Boing’s recap.
And see pictures.

My favorite won 3rd place. An oven inside an old Mac. The mouse was a dimmer switch. Although, #1 really deserved it with the gorilla suit an all. In addition to crazy presentation, they also baked the thickest cake. Light can be pretty powerful, I guess.

Oh yes, the boing boing post totally doesn't mention the amazingness of the Machine Project's space. There's a doorbell on the wall, with a sign that looks something like this.

1. Press Bell
2. Wait
3. Give hand $2
4. Wait
5. Enjoy Beer

There is also a small beer can sized hole in the floor near the bell. Yes a hand comes out of the hole, receives money, and then beer comes out of the floor. Magical! If i wasn't trying to get over my cold, I probably would have been drunk off my ass because of the novelty of it all.

Tagging

2007-02-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

So the good people at PEW have done another good survey, this time on tagging. Tagging as in labeling things online in your own language. Not as in spray painting buildings.

Not that I make too many political and racial statements. But it has to be said, delicately by me. It seems as though white people don't do much tagging, virtual (or otherwise?).

I don't really understand. Since when are rich white people falling behind in anything computer related?

Pimp My Bookcart

2007-01-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

The good folks over at Unshelved hosted a contest to see who could trick out a bookcart the best.

Here are the winners

Here are the runners up
It should be no surprise that I like the cocktail cart best...

Exposed

2007-01-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

Since, I’m feeling a geeky librarian vibe today, lets talk about MTV’s new dating show, Exposed. (seriously, don’t click through, it’s flashed and crappy). Here’s the wiki entry.

In typical fashion there are 2 people competing for the affection of the 1 contestant. And from the 2 bits I watched yesterday, they all seem to be in the 18-20 year old range. The 2 episodes I watched yesterday featured boys competing for the girl’s attention.

So, the boys meet, and hurl really dull insults at each other, then they meet the girl together. And she asks a series of questions to them, while they do boring date things, like eat dinner.

Meanwhile, back in the van, the girl’s best friend is feeding the girl questions, and the boys’ answers are being fed through a lie detecting machine. A lie detecting machine that they boys don’t find out about until the end of the show. Now, I’m no lawyer. And I have no idea what sort of crap the boys signed to be on the show. But, I pretty much figure one of my basic civil rights is the right to not have my speech fed through a lie detecting machine without my consent. In fact, the whole show just made me feel dirty.

Surely, there’s something they could put on MTV that doesn’t violate basic trusts and privacy. Music videos, maybe?

Even ignoring what a dirty scheme MTV is running. The show is awful. Mostly, I suspect, this has to do with my ever increasing age and educational level. The kids are young and generic and super boring. And the questions they ask are ridiculous. One girl asked how much money the boy’s have in their bank account. I was raised right, and would never answer that question on a first date (or really 2nd or 47th or really, right up until the engagement) and I would certainly never answer that question on TV. And, mostly, I’d get up and walk out of a date if a boy asked me.

Another lovely first date question a was about virginity. Granted, it’s a fun, shocking topic that middle school kids love to see on tv. But not a topic for a first date. Is that acceptable to teach kids the 3rd degree is acceptable for dating, I don’t think so. The other point to mention was, I think 3:4 of the boys were virgins, and they were all under 20. It just seems kind of wrong, in the whole barely legal sort of way…

In recent weeks a few stories have come out about how teens are wising up and taking a lot of personal info off things like myspace. I’m glad we still have plenty of public forums to bare your soul, embarrass yourself, and make it harder for you to get a job in the future.

It sure is a good thing the new season of My Super Sweet 16 starts soon. It's for sure the best show on MTV, if not all tv, ever.

Geeking Out

2007-01-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

here are some links I stole from other blogs.

Typography not sexy? Well, how about these pin ups

And while you're at it, check out these Swedish Librarians.

I think I might search out a copy of vice. And a pencil skirt, I really need more pencil skirts.

As an added bonus, check out this Cascada video, featuring what totally happens every day in libraries around the world.

Beauty and the Geek

2007-01-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

It started again, with a 2 hr series premiere yesterday.

If there was any doubt, it found my heart early on with the first challenge being to find books in a library via dewey decimal. It actually made one girl cry.

You all will like Mario. He loves video games, comic books, and has a tattoo of a nintendo controller on his arm. Watch the video to see it.

Don't get any ideas though. At least let Lydia have a tattoo free wedding...

Finally, Somone else notices

2007-01-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

In interesting only to me news, someone finally called out Ann M. Martin and her nonsense about librarians.

Seriously, this is a woman who goes to librarian conventions, often. Disapproving of Nancy Drew is not really high on most people's list of priorities, and she should know that.

From BSC Headquarters

I’m not usually “oh, librarian stereotypes are bad, m’kay,” …However, I really, really hate how ANM is always “Claud’s mom disapproves of Nancy Drew cause she’s a librarian…” Shut up, bitch! Claud is what we [well, not me, cause I’m a cataloger, but teen and youth librarians and the like] call a “reluctant reader,” and librarians don’t care what they’re reading, as long as they’re reading!

The Sun Never Sets...

2006-12-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

My fantastic high school history teacher taught us that the sun never sets on the British Empire. However fantastic he was at history, he was not a weather man. So, behold my gloomy, cloudy, dark pictures of England.

Updated URL (for my new pro account) Flickr Set

Next time, I will take more pictures of meat pies. Mmmm.. pies...

Lydia has many more and different photos, including the best bathroom I've ever seen. Hopefully, she'll upload a bunch soon.

I might have some actual words to say about England soon. But today's the first day I haven't felt sick or tired since I came home. And pictures are worth 1,000 anyway.

Off to London

2006-12-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

FYI, in case anyone misses me. I'll be back on the 18th.

Viva Pinata

2006-12-02T22:52:00.000-08:00

Words cannot describe the amazing Viva Pinata event at the Santa Monica Pier. There was a 35 foot inflatable, people dressed in pinata suits and Mario Lopez.

Photographic evidence here

I'm one of you now

2006-11-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

I turned in my penultimate library school assignment last night. One more week and I’m done. I’ve always thought penultimate was a retardedly pretentious word, but it sure beats typing out second to last.

And in a not very smart move, on Monday I bought a pink Nintendo DS. I’m sharing it with my sister. She’s been trying to get me to go in with her on some kind of video game machine and I finally gave in.

We have two games right now—really more than I can handle. I started off with Super Princess Peach. While cute, it’s too much like a regular game. Too many buttons to press and not enough stylus action. Then my sister unlocked the toad mini game where you blow to jump. So far, I’ve bought all the levels I can, and am impatiently waiting to get the rest of them. Also, the spinning log thing before the second boss was pretty cool.

Knowing that I only like novelty, Nintendogs should have been perfect for me. I started my dog last night after I finished my assignment, and I don’t even think I played an hour. The stupid dog will only go on really short walks, and she only found one present—a stupid tennis ball that I already had. While I like Nintendogs in theory, I’m not sure how long I’m going to last in practice. My dog just might be too boring for me. And I was lured in to buying Dalmatian and Friends, but I think I actually wanted Lab.

7 Minutes in Heaven

2006-11-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

I was watching a rerun of King of the Hill yesterday and the kids started playing 7 minutes in heaven.

Has anyone actually ever done that? Maybe I didn't get out much during the after-school-special demographic age, but I don't even know that I've heard of it happening in real life. Is it just something they make up for TV like bumbling mall cops and Applebee's?

Also, has anyone else noticed that bloglines has stopped updating for blogger hosted sites?

Culminating

2006-11-19T17:07:00.000-08:00

Wooo! Finally done! And about 31 hours early!

If you've noticed, I haven't been available much lately. Here's the major reason why.

After being in the program for 2 years, the new director goes and changes the graduation requirements from 2 research papers to an e-portfolio. There was no buffer, no grandfathering, just past and present.

Now, a research paper I could write in my sleep. I’ve writing a million of them, and I haven’t come close to failing one. I’d even venture to say I’m good at them. E-portfolios, however, are different. I’d never made one, a barely knew what was a few months ago. There was no way of knowing if I’d be naturally good at one. And so I spent a few months angry. But sometime in mid-October I managed to shape up and start churning out portfolio content to match with our “core competencies.” Bleh.

So here it is, most of my portfolio on view for the world to see. (At least for 6 months until they delete it). If I don’t have a job in a couple months, I think I’ll move it to a more permanent location. I don’t expect anyone to read it. But, if you’re incredibly bored one day and want to understand librarianship a bit better, go ahead, click.

My Portfolio

If I never hear the word “competencies” again, it’ll be too soon.

Kobayashi

2006-11-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

It's the slow season in competitive eating. Badlands Booker's 3rd eating themed CD is coming out on Thanksgiving. But that's about it.

That's why last Saturday's fantastic TV Funhouse Cartoon was even more appreciated. Watch it before they kick it off youtube. Kobayashi is a superhero who saves the world through eating.

Chicken Pie!

2006-11-05T14:17:00.000-08:00

I think I had enough to say last time So, I'll let these pictures speak for themselves. I'm so glad I found the perfect place to wear that dress.

See all the glory here, including the neon chicken sign. Whenever you're in the area, just give me a call and I'll meet you at the chicken pie shop.

We're not worthy

2006-11-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why my kitten does this. But she does it a handful of times a day. We think she's just flaunting her cuteness. One day I hope to get good video of it.

Fun with wiki

2006-11-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

I dabbled in the Squelch wiki. 2 of my classes had wikis that we worked on. I've read articles from the real wikipedia. But, today, for the first time, I was pulled into action as guardian of knowledge, defending wikipedia from those who would abuse its democratizing powers.

I was trying to remember the order of Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science and it was the first result in Google. So I go to the article, and see that this jerk has replaced law #1 with “boob.”

Then, I had to look it up correctly, and fix it. And made a few other changes while I was at it. The article was defaced for about 6 hrs before I swooped in. I must have been the only one to look at it, I doubt anyone would believe the first law was boob. This seems like a good story to tell in a job interview, I’ll be working on it. I did a good deed for the world, the karma better work for me.

I don’t use wikipedia that much, and it was the first time I noticed anything like that. I hate to think it was someone involved with libraries that did that. But, who else knows about the 5 laws of library science?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2006-11-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

Bob Barker retiring after 50 years on TV

Who wants to go with me before he leaves in June? It's always been my dream to win a soda fountain.

Pumpkin + Cream = <3

2006-10-31T11:07:00.000-08:00

I’ve really been into side-by-side comparisons lately. I don’t get to do it much, but I always want to. In my head, there’s a party brewing, somehow.

Yesterday we had Dreyer’s, Double Rainbow, and my own home made pumpkin ice cream.

This was the first time my home made ice cream was by far worse than store bought. Granted I didn’t know what I was doing and then I accidentally poured in too much rum, but I think I’ll be shying away from squash ice cream in the future. Mine was a strange texture, I think because I didn’t have a fine enough sieve to strain out the large nutmeg bits. And I don’t think I remembered to use ginger.

Dreyer’s was the winner of the day. I’m not sure why, but it had a better texture than other Dreyer’s flavors, fluffy and smooth. And it’s a really satisfying light orange color (see picture of cone below). It’s just the right amount of sweetness, and spice, and not squashy at all. It has all the standard pumpkin spices but the ginger stands out from the crowd. YUM.

Double Rainbow was quite surprising. As an alternative, super premium, from a brand that cares about cow hormones, and makes a soy ice cream, you’d a expect more of a natural flavor. The first thing both my sister and I tasted was sweet. And it’s a bit overwhelming, because compared to the color of Dreyer’s, it’s darker and more pumpkin pie-like. It’s not usually useful to compare a super-premium with a premium, but for 27g of sugar to Dreyer’s’ 14g, it’s quite a difference. The flavor is good, and the stand out spice is nutmeg. It’s also very unsquash like. I would probably be all over it if i didn't taste it next to the Dreyer's.

I was unable to get my hands on Thrifty's brand pumpkin this year.

As an added bonus, Lydia tipped me off to Noah’s Bagels pumpkin selections. I wasn’t able to get my hands on a pumpkin bagel, but the Pumpkin Cheesecake Shmear is really fantastic. Quite possibly better than pumpkin ice cream. The color is a little darker than I would have liked. But, the flavor is fantastic, I couldn’t imagine it being better. The texture is like any Noah’s Shmear, which I think is a bit too light for the texture of their bagels. But, boy, is it delicious! What a Halloween treat! It's a toss up between the Shmear and ice cream. But I'll go on record saying that it's better than pumpkin pie.

Online Educational Database

2006-10-31T09:16:00.000-08:00

Mostly this is just for me. But, if you have a research question, try this site a as a place to decide where to start.

Research Beyond Google: 119 Authoritative, Invisible, and Comprehensive Resources

When I was taking the reference class, sites like these kept me entertained for hours.

Really, Happy Halloween

2006-10-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

Cone, Kone, Kon

2006-10-30T19:33:00.000-08:00

mmm, pumpkin
cutest vaccuum ever
grumpiest lion ever

In case you're wondering, yes, my sister carved that herself. It's not just a picture I pulled off the internet. As far as I can tell, I'm the first person on flickr to have a kon pumpkin.

Candidate wants to arm students with thick books

2006-10-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

I don't know what to say...

A candidate for state superintendent of schools yesterday said he wants thick,used textbooks placed under every student's desk so they can use them for self-defense during school shootings.

"People might think it's kind of weird, crazy," said Republican Bill Crozier of Union City, a teacher and former Air Force security officer. "It is a practical thing; it's something you can do. It might be a way to deflect those bullets until police go there."

Mr. Crozier and a group of aides produced a 10-minute video Tuesday in which they shoot math, language and telephone books with a variety of weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle and a 9 mm pistol. The rifle bullet penetrated two books, including a calculus textbook, but the pistol bullet was stopped by a single book.

I'm just waiting a few years for the smear campaign when they dig up video of him shooting books and call him a hick who doesn't value education.

Good stuff only I like

2006-10-29T00:23:00.000-07:00

So much good stuff happens in the world while I'm too busy to pay attention.

Check out the top 15 Fat Cats on the web.

Actually, the entire neatorama blog is good.

And the next BSC graphic novel came out a bit ahead of schedule. To celebrate I may break down and get this BSC shirt.

And for really boring pictures that don't actually include me (or any people, really) from my trip to Monterey, check out my flickr set

Monkey Elf Pirate Pizza Public Library

2006-10-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Just got back from an awesome library conference, and I have tons of stuff to catch up on. I should have a few interesting links posted this weekend. Until then, visit the best Flickr pool ever.

La Palma Chicken Pie Shop

2006-10-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows of my disdain for travel, really, even going so far as to leave the county is a bit much. It really is a different world out there. But my recent venture out to Orange County was well rewarded by the kinds of differences worth having.

The La Palma Chicken Pie Shop is my new favorite restaurant. I don’t think any one place has ever made me so happy. I drove past it one night when the neon sign was on, and I knew I had to visit. And it so exceeded my expectations, I can barely form sentences just thinking about it.

You walk in, under their crazy neon chicken pie sign, into the bakery. There are glass cases filled with diner sorts of cakes, and pretty traditional looking cookies and cupcakes. Good, solid food, nothing too fancy, the way grandma cooks for special occasions.

And just when I’m not expecting things to get any better, they usher us into the diner. Not some lame new diner made to look retro, and not some old diner they updated 10 years ago and haven’t kept up. This place is straight out of the late 60’s/early 70’s. The place is brown. The curtains are shades of brown and gold. There are macramé plant holders. There’s a lunch counter and plenty of booths. And everything is in great shape.

We give the menu a once over, but we know we have to have chicken pies. And for about $7 you get salad or coleslaw, your choice of soup, your choice of potato, rolls, chicken pie, and your choice of dessert. Surely, this is too good to be true. But it is true!

The salad was just a small dish of iceberg. Whatever, diners aren’t supposed to have good salad. The chicken noodle soup was the start of the greatness. A strange yellowy-orange color, but delicious and creamy and just the sort of thing I like.

Then dinner came. Check out this guy’s review. My plate looked an awful lot like his, with slightly less sauce, I think. The chicken pie people are clearly after my heart, an entire plate covered in delicious yellow-orange sauce. The chicken pies are just that. Delicious fork tender crust wrapped around chicken pieces. No veggies, no filler, just flaked off chicken, not even those creepy chicken cubes that Marie Callender is so fond of. The mashed potatoes were the perfect compliment. Although, I will admit the fries tasted pretty good in the sauce too.

As I was eating, and trying not to be overcome by the sheer amazingness of my situation, some people came in. They were regulars. The waitress knew who they were, and what they eat and about their lives. And I vowed I would become a regular, someday, somehow. And that was before the dessert.

I was pretty full, but determined. There was a lot of choice of dessert. Pudding, jello (oh diners, how quaint), ice cream, pie, possibly cake? They had boysenberry pie, and that’s something I just can’t refuse. It definitely holds its own against Knott’s, it was a bit tarter (good), and a little less thick (not as good), but definitely good.

I am in love. And I’ve vowed to quit the library business and take over the chicken pie business if I ever hear of it being in trouble. Anytime you’re ever in Anaheim, the chicken pie shop is well worth the stop. Even if you’re not in Anaheim, it’s worth the trip. Anytime anyone wants to go, just call me.

Later in the day we found ourselves at the Block at Orange, only to find a bit more strangeness. At least 30 deaf people outside of Starbucks signing to themselves. And not the shut-in sort of deaf people. Stylish, I might even say thugged out, young people enjoying themselves despite the drizzle, and breaking every deaf stereotype I could think of. It was pretty cool.

Pumpkin update #2

2006-10-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Ben and Jerry’s Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream: They’re selling this at scoop shops, not prepackaged I think. I sampled it at the Block at Orange this weekend. And BLEH! I’m glad I didn’t fork over any cash. It’s very definitely pumpkin cheesecake flavored, not pumpkin with cheesecake chunks, or anything that has the possibility to be good. At first you taste the pumpkin and spices, then that cheesecake flavor takes over. Do yourself a favor, stay away!

Jack in the Box Pumpkin Shake: I haven’t tried a Jack in the Box shake since they’ve gone all Carl’s Jr and started serving them with whipped cream and cherries. And if pumpkin is any indication. Thumbs up to them. I tried a pumpkin shake last year and it was a vanilla shake with the tiniest bit of pumpkin flavor mixed in. Very disappointing. They’ve managed to redeem themselves this year. Probably the best find of the season.

Ralph’s bakery Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: I’ve been meaning to try these for a long time. So I finally broke down and did, after trying the best oatmeal raisin cookie I’ve ever tasted made by them. And the pumpkin was a huge disappointment. The cookie texture was nice and cakey the way I like it. But the flavor was way too much pumpkin and not enough spice. The cookies stuck together in the package because they were too greasy. You don’t need me to tell you how gross pumpkin colored grease spots look attached to the clear package. Also, they put mini chocolate chips in the cookies, and they had the weirdest consistency, like the chips were burnt, but the cookie was fine. Thumbs down for Ralphs. However, the Oatmeal Raisin is delicious, spiceful, and also raisinful.

All your library...

2006-10-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

...are belong to us?

Now, it's nice when the librarians who "get it" try to explain it to the rest of the folk. But really? In 2006 do we need a 5 page article (6 when you include the title) about the history of All Your Base as an example of an amatuer video phenomenon? Especially when it fails to cite anything current? Can anyone remember the last time All Your Base was relevant to anyone?

Honestly, Illinois library school alumni newsletter, you have no chance to survive. Make your time.

I'm a bad cat pusher

2006-10-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

They'll never let me be a librarian if I don't start blogging more about my cat. I should have been posting a steady stream of kitten pictures. But here are the best of the best.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

I wanted to wait, but I just couldn't. My adorable cupcake makes a beautiful ballerina. Too bad she makes evil growling noises whenever she sees her fancy new outfit.

It's October

2006-10-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

It’s now well into October, and you know what that means: the launch of many, many fall flavors.

I think it’s pretty well documented from last October that in my head I like pumpkin, but what I really love is the cinnamon/nutmeg/allspice fall combo.

So, let’s start in on my list so far.

I started early this year. After watching the Food Network $10,000 Cookie Challenge, I made 3 spice cookies in August. Yum! The Spicy Ginger Whoopees actually had pumpkin in them but lacked some nutmeggy goodness in favor of pepper. They were however, good and dark tasting, with a nice texture. But, Emily’s Spiced Ginger Cookies were the best tasting. You can’t beat the simple ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg combo.

Late last month, I made a pumpkin ice cream. It’s pretty tasty, but I need a better strainer, the texture is a bit off. And it’s hard to compete with Thrifty’s pumpkin ice cream, even though mine does have gingersnap bits.

At that time I pulled out the bottle of Torani pumpkin spice syrup I bought a little while ago when BevMo was having a sale. I was excited and nervous as I added some to my coffee. Turns out there’s a lot more pumpkin and not enough spice flavor. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the rest of the bottle. Any suggestions?

And that brings us to this week. Sunday I found myself at Starbucks. Their pumpkin latte is back, and just as disgusting as ever, I imagine. But also, new to the US (but not new to Canada) is the Maple Macchiato. According to this, it’s good enough to make people rake leaves for you. I couldn’t bring myself to try it just yet. If I can work up the courage, I’ll just pour some log cabin into a cup of coffee and go from there. Now, I love syrup. In moments of weakness I’ve been known to dip my eggs and sausage in syrup. And you drink coffee with all of those things, right? In theory it sounds good. But I can’t have another disappointment like the pumpkin latte.

Meanwhile, the crappy 7-11 that I frequent (it doesn’t even stock Benedryl ) has added the Pumpkin Cheesecake Latte to the frothy drink machine. Last year it was called Pumpkin Spiced Latte. And it’s a bit different this year, not as good I think. Luckily, it doesn’t have that bizarre fake cheesecake flavor. Mostly the fake cinnamon flavor comes out, not enough other spices. However, this year it’s smoother than before. There used to be bits of stuff left at the bottom of the cup. Now, nothing.

I have to get myself over to a Circle K and see if they have the pumpkin cappuccino from last year. I think that was my favorite from last year, too bad there isn’t one close.

I have yet to try the new Jones Soda Flavors, but that’s really a group activity. Let me know if you’re up for it. Meanwhile, read the spoilers here.

Feel free to use this comment space to alert me to anything you’ve noticed this year.

Mind if I check you out?

2006-10-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Apparently, Target is selling this Naughty Librarian Costume. It's a bit pricey for what it is, but I just might need one. You know, librarians make novel lovers.

Also, don't forget to check out my other love, women who pop out of cakes.

It's a small world

2006-10-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

I just spent a little time over at youtube, and it seems that some "real" lolitas have taken quite a dislike to my booktalk. I had to delete about 20 comments, and made the decision to turn off comments completely. None of them chose to use correct grammar. Or even any kind of grammar at all. I'm pretty sure a real lolita would be much more elegant, and not so into personal defamation.

Meanwhile, because I'm so fabulous, it seems this murder mystery company (scroll down to "the mingles") has decided to hijack my blog post about my company X-mas party as part of their advertising. I'm just about to delete it, but I'll give it a a few days so you guys can revisit. It is totally uncool to use someone's personal blog to promote yourself when the blog post isn't even about you. These people should be ashamed of themselves.

Museum Day

2006-09-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Free admission to most museums around the country.

coupon

info

Also, It's banned books week. Once again it came and went with a whimper. I'm going to try to fish out my banned books bracelet in time for the event I'm going to on Sunday.

$9,500 marmalade

2006-09-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

I've never liked marmalade. I've always attributed it to my Americanness. And even though I loved Paddington, I couldn't make myself like marmalade.

But, I see now the reason is the quality of my marmalade. If it cost $145 to cover one slice of bread, I'm sure I'd like it.

The Fine Cut Seville Orange Marmalade with Whisky, Champagne and Gold mixes the finest Seville fruit with vintage Dalmore 62 whisky from Whyte & Mackay (valued at £32,000 per bottle), topped off with a splash of Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1996 vintage champagne and garnished with flakes of 24-carat gold leaf.
The resulting spread, encased in a custom-made crystal jar valued at £1,100, would cost £76 to cover a single slice of toast.

54 topping burger

2006-09-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

For those of you out of the loop, in the last 2 months I've read 2 books on competitive eating. And now I'm a little obsessed with large amounts of food. Fortunately my eyes are way bigger than my stomach, and I'm no closer to eating 54 hot dogs in 12 mins, than I was in June.

So, that makes this blog even better. Super Sized Meals Eating as a spectator sport.

And this post about the Counter in Palo Alto really tugs my heart-strings... A large amount of food in a crazy combinaton. I love it when people try things!

Fun with Bacon

2006-09-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

I like cats. I like bacon. Therefore, bacon taped to a cat = great.

I love the fair

2006-09-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

Now, that's a turkey leg!

For anyone in the area, you should totally go to the fair. Although I recommend trying to take advantage of one of these discounts. The $15 weekday admission + $8 parking is pretty steep. I'd probably be mad, if I didn't get in for free. Still, it's super, super fun. Much more fun than the OC Fair. There are acrobats, pig races, wandering performers, rides, music, people in animal suits and even more fried things than could I shake a stick at. I didn't eat nearly enough food on sticks. Next year I'll have to try pork chop on a stick or egg roll on a stick.

Unfortunately, the fried mac and cheese was a big lie, along with the smore's on a stick. Fortunately, they have the best Australian battered and fried potatoes this side of Australia. And I could have died happy when I got my blue raspberry and bubblegum snow cone that was bigger than my head. And there's still hope for my mac and cheese. There's a rather unappealing, yet delicious commercial on TV for TGI Fridays featuring fried mac and cheese nuggets. I'll bring my own stick.

The belly dancing was probably our most successful performance yet. And I made my solo debut. There aren't any pictures, but feel free to enjoy the rest of my fair album. My only regret is not taking more pics.

Shake your hips, then shake a stick

2006-09-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

I'm dancing this Sunday at the LA County Fair

At first, I was excited because this is supposed to be my largest crowd, and there's talk of an actual dressing room with lighted mirrors.

But then I saw this, and now I'm really excited!

New items this year include macaroni and cheese on a stick, the deep-fried Oreo and s'mores on a stick.

Quite possibly the most perfect food ever?! And only made perfecter by adding a stick. If only you could suck tea through it...

Boozocracy

2006-08-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I wish these men were actually librarians. As far as library fundraising goes, this is pretty much the best.

Two professors at New Orleans’ Xavier University, are auctioning their right to drink for 2007. Donate money into the “on the wagon” fund or the keep boozing fund. Check the results here, and be sure to pay attention to the picture of the lonely book drop eyeing the drink below.

These men are trying to raise $1 million to build a new library in New Orleans.

The Sex Life of Food

2006-08-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

The Sex Life of Food
By Bunny Crumpacker

Surely, that’s not her real name.

The book starts out fantastic, it’s like a Harlequin romance of food. Everybody knows food and sex should be sensual. Very sexy, descriptive language, the sort of thing that makes dining in bed seem like a necessity, not a welcome luxury. Unlike a Harlequin book, it blows its load early on, and there’s not the obligatory second to the last chapter sex scene. I wanted this to be great, and if it left out the boring parts it would be.

Here’s some examples of the good:

German psychologist Alfred Gebert talked to women about what their men were like as lovers, and then correlated those findings with the way each man age/ “there were amazing similarties,” Gebert said. He added that a woman looking for a certain kind of lover could make fairly accurate predictions by watching the way a man eats—then she’d know “whether to make an excuse and leave—or accept the invitations home for a cup of coffee.”

His findings: If you’re looking for a strong man, one who takes control, avoid men who mash their food up and eat several things together. If they eat in that mushy way they tend to lack new ideas in bed, the doctor said. A man who eats his vegetables before the meat is self-absorbed: better to avoid him. Men who play with their food, making patterns with it on the place, are probably good company, sympathetic, and generous—they even have the potential to be good fathers. Avoid men who season their food without even tasting it. “Men like that are bossy and controlling,” said Gebert, “They are traditional and like men to be men, and they like their women in the kitchen.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Both pornography and fast food de-emphasize the personal and the intimate. Both are mass order; they’re tailored for people in a hurry, people avoiding intimacy, people seeking easy satisfaction, people who wish to make no commitment or take any undue effort, who at heart would prefer to eat and to love alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There’s a pretty interesting section on restaurants that would serve you in a private room, often with a bed, so you could do as you wished.
They were a literal memory of the first public eating places, which were indeed broth4es, combining two eternal needs, two glorious pleasures….Restaurant boudoirs were meeting places for men and their mistresses, for those who had high hopes, and for discreet lovers. How much more appealing than a motel on the outskirts of town!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The book also tipped me off to this School Dinners place in London.

Mindset List 2010

2006-08-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

It's here again, and after last year, I guess I'll report again.

The Mindset List is out again, made by Beloit College, a private school of 1,200 people that thinks it knows what it's talking about.

Class of 2010 Mindset list
Let's look at a few, shall we??

A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.
Huh?? Does anyone know what this refers to?

Faux fur has always been a necessary element of style.
Really, always??

Milli Vanilli has never had anything to say.
When was the last time Milli Vanilli was relevant?

Computerized player pianos have always been tinkling in the lobby.
What? who's lobby? Huh?

They have no idea why we needed to ask "...can we all get along?"
That's not the right quote is it?

Ken Burns has always been producing very long documentaries on PBS.
Oh, they watch PBS, but they don't know Rodney King? I don't even know who Ken Burns is.

Sara Lee has always made underwear.
I had to look this one up. Sara Lee, parent company owns Playtex, and more... I'm pretty sure kids today don't know that anymore than I do, and I'm sure it's not relevant to anyone's life.

Gyoza Eating Championship

2006-08-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

How did I miss this?? I was in Little Tokyo for the Tofu Festival 2 weekends ago. How didn’t I pay attention to this?? I promise to follow competitive eating more closely from now on. These people are my new heroes.

GoldenPalace.net World Gyoza Eating Championship

Joey Chestnut edged out Sonya Thomas by two gyoza to win the dumpling contest. Chestnut ate 212 gyoza to Sonya's 210.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

2006-08-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

I was going to go to bed early and curl up with my fantastic competitive eating book that’s been sitting around since June, waiting for me to have a chance to read it. But, of course, I had to check my email one last time. And of course, that lead to more things. And pretty soon I was buying Desk Set which, for some reason last night was $7.97 instead of the current $9.99. What a deal!

And as I was checking out Amazon recommended (1953) Walt Disney Treasures - Disney Rarities - Celebrated Shorts, 1920s - 1960s. How did it know this is exactly what I wanted? I never buy Disney movies through Amazon, you get prizes when you buy them at the store. And I looked through the whole Disney Treasures series, and Rarities is the one I wanted most.

This is a collection of the Disney cartoons that were always on tv when I was little—and really up until a few years ago when the Disney channel banished the old cartoons to Toon Disney. They are the cartoons that don’t feature the regular Disney characters.

I just about clicked to buy it after the first cartoon I noticed listed was Lambert, the sheepish lion. Wow, talk about a song that gets stuck in your head. I didn’t even have to see the cartoon, all I had to do was think it… always tryin’ to be a wild and wooly sheep…

Then I saw Pigs is Pigs. What a great cartoon.. Whether they come in pairs or they come in sets, if they have 4 feet, they’ll be classified as pets. And there are the 2 Humphrey Bear cartoons, Paul Bunyan, the Ben Franklin one, and the Casey driving the train. It seems the only ones I’ll miss are Casey at Bat, and the one about the hats in love.

If anyone knows what these Alice cartoons are, please enlighten me. Or, I suppose I’ll figure it out on Thurs. Expect full on Fraggle Rock type reviews as long as my leisure time holds.

Can you imagine living in the past, not being able to buy your childhood back… one DVD set at a time?

Free Books

2006-08-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

WOO! I'm done with the semester. And i'm trying hard to forget there's only 1 week off before fall starts.

If anyone wants the following books, speak now, or the library gets them on Monday.

Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time
How my Private Personal Journal Became a Bestseller
Alice, I Think
Diary of a Crush: French Kiss (Book 1)

Obviously I'm getting rid of them because they're not that good. But if you know a teen, they're all in pristine condition.

Chicken and Waffles

2006-08-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

I suppose chicken and waffles has never been gourmet. But it’s always tried to have a bit of an edge. This all comes to an end now, with the $1 million prize winner for the Pillsbury Bake-off.

Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing sounds innocuous enough. That's because the name doesn’t even begin to describe the horrors within.

So you take super boring chicken breast, season it up, and make a glaze of syrup, peach jelly and Worcestershire—not the worst thing ever, but not particularly interesting. Then you pop that in the over and the fun begins!

Mix cubed, toasted waffle sticks with onion, spinach, chicken broth and an egg white for binding. Then pop it in the oven.

And when you’re done, you have the most dull, yet awful sounding chicken and waffles ever. That being said, I am absolutely going to try this recipe very soon.

I don't know if I'm getting older and snobbier, but the bake-off just hasn't been capturing my imagination lately. Or maybe they've finally just run out of things to do with Pillsbury products.

I haven't watched it yet, but please feel free to watch the videos on the Bake-off home page.

Paypalriffic

2006-08-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

I realize this is old hat for everyone, but yesterday, for the first time ever, I sold something online and got money in my paypal account.

I am very happy to get that awful cataloging tome out of my life. And the buyer was happy to get a discount on a like new set of pages in a binder. The transaction happened because of a school Yahoo group database. Now, maybe I'm finally ready to move myself up to half.com.

So many possibilities for online money that I can't see. Unfortunately the $65 hardly makes a dent in my Best Dress Ever fund. Maybe by the time I learn the Paso Doble, I'll have that kind of disposable income.

It's a full moon tonight. And there's nothing like a good full moon to shift your mood. Usually I go from normal to stir-crazy. Today I'm hoping it's from depressed to super-productive.