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From the website:
A collection of desktop wallpapers curated by Tom Watson to make your computer beautiful without distraction
Simple Desktops
December 7, 2009
Simple Desktops
December 6, 2009
Christmas Time
"Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want-and their kids pay for it."
- Richard Lamm
Happy Birthday Janine!
Edit: A "bump" from a year ago.
Might as well bump it, I'm sure not adding much original content.
Today is the birthday of Janine Turner (official website, IMDB listing here, one of my most favorite actors and is also a born-in-Texas gal. I first became aware of her when I started watching the reruns of Northern Exposure in which she played an Alaskan bush pilot who had some extreme misfortunes with men. She has also appeared in such films as Cliffhanger (with Sylvester Stallone), Steel Magnolias and Leave it to Beaver.
A few years ago, my Brit friend elle and I drove down to Denton to see my sister and her family and after arriving in the town, promptly got lost. We stopped at a convenience store to find out where my sis's street was and I got in line after a few other people standing at the register.
I was standing directly behind a woman dressed in jeans and a western-cut shirt, complete with muddy boots. I was close enough to smell her; an odd combination of horseflesh and White Diamonds and just a touch of female sweat. Believe me, it was a good smell.
I can't recall what she purchased, but when she turned around I noticed the mole/beauty mark on her temple, not quite covered by the scarf she was wearing nor the sunglasses that covered her eyes, and I immediately knew who she was!
I was dumbstruck and only managed an " 'Scuse me." as she turned to go. She gave me a smile that would light up the dreariest day and to tell the truth, nearly melted my heart.
At the time I didn't know she owned a small ranch near Denton where she now raises Longhorn cattle.
I've kept up with her since then, even though I haven't seen her much on TV nor in the movies. I was delighted to discover that she is a conservative as well as a Christian...not that I would ever have a chance with her, but it's nice to know ALL of Hollywood is not liberal.
Happy Birthday, Janine!
December 5, 2009
Free Holiday Postcard
Compliments of Google
From the site:
Sure, email is great, but there's something uniquely heartwarming about the kind of card that comes in the actual mail — especially for folks who don't hear from us as often as they should, simply because they aren't online.
So we've made it as easy to send snail-mail holiday cards as it is to send email. Simply fill out the form below and we'll send one free holiday postcard on your behalf. Yes, through the mail and everything.
Only one card can be sent, but if you like their cards, you can print your own.
nonplus
nonplus \non-PLUHS\ , transitive verb;
1. To cause to be at a loss as to what to think, say, or do; to confound; to perplex; to bewilder.
"Nonplussed" was a pet word for me for the longest time, replacing "bumfuzzled" in my vocabulary until I started hangin' 'round British people online, then I picked up "gobsmacked".
Hot Revenge
From Jokes.com
Two missionaries in Africa were apprehended by a tribe of very hostile cannibals who put them in a large pot of water, built a huge fire under it, and left them there.A few minutes later, one of the missionaries started to laugh uncontrollably.
The other missionary couldn't believe it! He said, ''What's wrong with you? We're being boiled alive! They're gonna eat us! What could possibly be funny at a time like this?''
The other missionary replied, ''I just peed in the soup!''
December 4, 2009
What's in a Name?
You Have a Passionate First Name |
 You are a loving, emotional person. You think and act from the heart, and that sometimes gets you in trouble. You are very intense and impulsive. You go with your intuition, even if your intuition is telling you to make a very bold move. You tend to feel strongly about everything in life. You have big emotions that sometimes conflict one another. You have a wild streak, and you're known to be unpredictable. You chase your dreams. |
gallimaufry
From our Word of the Day in the right-hand column:
gallimaufry \gal-uh-MAW-free\ , noun;
1. A hodgepodge; jumble; confused medley.
Another cool blog name. Fits this one, for sure.
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
My mom and sisters used to make this cake all the time. It's delicious and definitely is moist. Notice there are no eggs in the recipe (there are eggs in mayo). I could be wrong, but I believe a mayo-like product such as Miracle Whip (tm) could be substituted.
From StartSampling :
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake 
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup mayo
1 cup sugar
2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp cocoa
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
There are some recommendations for pan size and such on the comments page. A member of the site was kind enough to post a frosting recipe:
CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING
1/3 cup softened butter
3 (1 ounce each) unsweetend chocolate squares,melt/cool
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoon vanilla
Mix butter and chocolate well, stir in powdered sugar,blend well. Gently mix in sour cream and vanilla and blend until smooth
December 3, 2009
Excess Baggage
From the 
archives:
When Lindberg was preparing his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis for the first trans-Atlantic flight he was well aware of the danger of being overloaded. The plane, the fuel and the pilot were necessary but all the superflous weight was dangerous. It could cost the trip, the plane, even his own life if he carried even one pound too much weight.
So he stripped his plane of everything that was not essential. He even ripped out the upholstery from the pilots seat, choosing discomfort rather than failure or death. He took only sandwiches and coffee. Before the end of the flight LIndberg had many occasions to see how wise it had been to travel light. He landed safely in Paris amid shouts of praise.
About the same time there were some French fliers who planned a flight westward across the Atlantic. But they thought it was foolish to to strip themselves of every comfort and convenience. Their plane was upholstered and furnished until it was almost luxurious. They took along all kinds of good food and even some champagne.
They started ever so well but out over the ocean they ran into storms and trouble. Their plane may have been too heavy to maneuver or stay aloft and they perished beneath the waves of the Atlantic. Their excess baggage may have cost them their lives!
In the Bible is the solemn question,"What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul?
Hebrews 12:1: "Let us throw off everything that hinders and sin that so easily entangles us."
December 1, 2009
November 27, 2009
November 26, 2009
Let's Go Cowboys!
The game is fixin' to start!
...although that turkey looks more like a Redskin than a Cowboy.
That's all right; I sure hope Dallas isn't a turkey today.
November 25, 2009
Make Up Your Mind - Theory Of a DeadMan
I had heard of this band, but wasn't familiar with their music. I like 'em.
Best Side Dish EVER
No surprise with this result:
If there's anything that's really annoying about having diabetes, it's having to nearly completely cut out potatoes from my diet. I've always loved them, particularly mashed. When corn is served along with the potato dish, I like to make a deep indention in my mound of mashed potatoes, then spoon the corn on top: "corn on a cloud".
Mashed potatoes, other than having an extraordinary amt. of carbs and fat - when prepared with real cream and gobs of butter as I like them - are a great dish. They're easy to digest, even easier to chew and are also the perfect missile for food fights. Like my "corn on a cloud" mentioned above, mashed potatoes are great for helping scoop up small vegetables like corn and peas...just put a dab of mashed on your fork, then roll it in the veggies.
(They'll stick like glue, which is what the texture is of mashed potatoes that have been beaten too long. Even "gluey" mashed potatoes are better than none, though.)
The only drawback I've found of the dish is re-heating in a microwave because other things on the plate being nuked get warm far sooner than do mashed potatoes. I never minded a large amt. of mashed potatoes being left over (which was rare around my family, thanks mostly to me); there are all sorts of dishes one can make from leftover m.p., such as other favorite potato dishes of mine... pancakes, potato salad and soup.
I haven't managed to cut mashed potatoes completely out of my diet, but I miss having the "real thing". Usually, when I get the craving so bad I dream about them, I will purchase a pkg. of instant and use only half at a time to satisfy my craving. It's not a bad substitute, but there's nothing that can match the real thing.
Sure have made myself hungry!
You Are Mashed Potatoes |
 You are reliable and steady. People know that they can count on you each year at Thanksgiving, and you are never a disappointment. While you may seem simple, a lot of work goes in to who you are. You are a bit of an under-appreciated masterpiece. You are both decadent and indulgent, while still being accessible to the common thing. In some ways you are all things to all people. You get along well with other people, but you're also good all on you're own. The bottom line is that you're easy to love. |
If there's anything that's really annoying about having diabetes, it's having to nearly completely cut out potatoes from my diet. I've always loved them, particularly mashed. When corn is served along with the potato dish, I like to make a deep indention in my mound of mashed potatoes, then spoon the corn on top: "corn on a cloud".
Mashed potatoes, other than having an extraordinary amt. of carbs and fat - when prepared with real cream and gobs of butter as I like them - are a great dish. They're easy to digest, even easier to chew and are also the perfect missile for food fights. Like my "corn on a cloud" mentioned above, mashed potatoes are great for helping scoop up small vegetables like corn and peas...just put a dab of mashed on your fork, then roll it in the veggies.
(They'll stick like glue, which is what the texture is of mashed potatoes that have been beaten too long. Even "gluey" mashed potatoes are better than none, though.)
The only drawback I've found of the dish is re-heating in a microwave because other things on the plate being nuked get warm far sooner than do mashed potatoes. I never minded a large amt. of mashed potatoes being left over (which was rare around my family, thanks mostly to me); there are all sorts of dishes one can make from leftover m.p., such as other favorite potato dishes of mine... pancakes, potato salad and soup.
I haven't managed to cut mashed potatoes completely out of my diet, but I miss having the "real thing". Usually, when I get the craving so bad I dream about them, I will purchase a pkg. of instant and use only half at a time to satisfy my craving. It's not a bad substitute, but there's nothing that can match the real thing.
Sure have made myself hungry!
Free Betty Crocker Calendar
Sign up at the Betty Crocker site
NOTE: It's been a while since I originally signed up (I think it was for last year's calendar)and I can't recall what is required other than simply signing up and becoming a member of the site, but I get a weekly newsletter with some fantastic looking recipes each time. When I find one I like, I save it to my recipe box at the website, using folders for each sort of dish, i.e. desserts, main course, casseroles, etc.
Groom Cross in National Geographic
Looking through my Google Reader subscriptions earlier this morning, I saw an photo that looked familiar at the Damn Cool pics site (second from top). The article is about photo submissions to the annual National Geographic contest, but it took a bit of searching to find out more about that particular photo. Finally I found it at Boston.com.
Several times when I've been up extra-early because of booming thunder from an early morning thunderstorm, I've thought about going over to the Cross and get some similar shots (I would hope to be).
Vote for your favorite at the National Geographic website.
November 24, 2009
I'm Glad
I didn't invent this.
Amazon has this for sale: Laptop Steering Wheel Desk
Without giving it much cogent thought, this might seem to be useful:
Then, on second thought, I'm not sure I want to be doing something like this going down the road...and I darn sure don't want anyone else doing it.
What I found funny were some of the customer uploaded photos; here's a couple.
Are You Christmas or Thanksgiving?
You Are Thanksgiving |
 You don't need a lot to make you feel happy during the holidays. You already feel very blessed. It is easy for you to be thankful. You think the holidays are the perfect time to express your gratitude. You are definitely not a materialistic person. If anything, you feel like the holiday season has been infected with greed. An indulgent meal in a warm home surrounded by those close to you is more than enough. Anything extra is just whipped cream on your pumpkin pie. |
November 23, 2009
Hooverism
About the time we can make the ends meet, somebody moves the ends.
- Herbert Hoover
From our Quote of the Day feed in the right-hand column
Be Very Careful
When sending an email:
The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase “Regards” again.
via Miss Cellania
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
The video was deleted, sorry. It's easier for me to write a note about it than it would be to go all the way back through the archives and delete the post.
November 22, 2009
November 21, 2009
November 20, 2009
billingsgate
billingsgate \BIL-ingz-gayt; -git\ , noun;
1. Coarsely abusive, foul, or profane language.
This would describe the Democratic Underground forum, the YouTube comments section or what is said during a typical Dallas Cowboys game.
November 19, 2009
Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Read more about the Gettysburg Address
A Partial View
Backdropped by the blackness of space, a partial view of Space Shuttle Atlantis' payload bay, vertical stabilizer, orbital maneuvering system pods and docking mechanism are featured in this image photographed by the STS-129 crew from an aft flight deck window.
Image Credit: NASA
November 18, 2009
November 17, 2009
Falling Down Fall
You Are Beer |
 You are a social organizer of sorts. Whether you're at Oktoberfest or watching the big game, you're always ready to crack open a beer with a few friends. You wouldn't say that fall is your favorite season. You tend to love all the seasons equally. You enjoy getting together with your friends for all sorts of occasions, and fall fun is no exception. Whether you're at a wild Halloween party, picking pumpkins, or going for a hayride ... you know how to have a blast during this time of the year. |
100 Most Common Words
Can you name the most commonly used words in the English language?
You have 12 minutes to guess after you click the button
I got 40 out of 100; that's not very good, especially after the rest of the answers were revealed and I had my "DUH" moment.
November 16, 2009
Awaiting the Mission
Awaiting the Mission
Space shuttle Atlantis is seen on Launch Pad 39a of the NASA Kennedy Space Center shortly after the rotating service structure was rolled back, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, Cape Canaveral, FL. Atlantis is scheduled to launch at 2:28p.m. EST on the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009.
Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Fantastic wallpaper! Visit the site for larger sizes.
hoi polloi
hoi polloi \hoi-puh-LOI\ , noun;
1. The common people generally; the masses.
Origin: Hoi polloi is Greek for "the many."
That might make a great blog category/label. Heck, that might make a great name for a blog or even a nickname for a schizophrenic poster with self-esteem issues.
November 14, 2009
November 13, 2009
November 12, 2009
Superhero Sound
You Are "WHAP!" |
 You are cunning and wily. You would be the type of superhero who could launch a sneak attack on anyone at any time. You move like a cat. You're quiet, flexible, and seem to possess nine lives each time you get into trouble. Your enemies tend to underestimate you... if they even know you exist. You'd be the kind of superhero that lurks in the shadows. You're happy to clean up the streets a little with your own type of vigilante justice. You certainly don't want or need any credit. |
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