adret

adret a·dret [a-drey] noun
a side of a mountain receiving direct sunlight.

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I wasn't familiar with this word, but thanks to our Word of the Day module, I do now, as well as finding out the shady side is called an ubac.

The shady side, or ubac , is usually rocky, steep and densely forested, whereas the sunny slope, or adret , is gentler and much more fertile.

-- Pier Paolo Viazzo, Upland Communities: Environment, Population and Social Structure in the Alps Since the Sixteenth Century , 1989

I'd hate to have to make a choice on which side to live; if possible, I think I'd prefer to have half my property on the adret and half on the ubac. I could call it "Adretubac Acres".

On second thought, maybe not - I'd hate to have to keep explaining what the name meant. Maybe Sunny/Shady Acres?

Hot or Cold Dinks

I was just reading an article from one of my recipe sites, Spiced.  The recipe was Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream and the author was writing about his favorite ice cream flavor being vanilla, but why wasn't there a vanilla syrup for chocolate ice cream like there is chocolate syrup for vanilla?

Well, I've never used it for ice cream, but there IS such a thing as vanilla syrup and I started to reply and say so...but I didn't want to be one of those insufferable people who feel the need to point things like that out to others.

I mean, I don't want to be one of those people any longer;  I'm working on that, honest.

I've seen vanilla syrup in grocery stores, usually in the coffee aisle, right there with the powdered flavorings and creamers and the liquid form is in the milk section along with the other perishable items that need to be refrigerated.  A quick search online shows that you can make it yourself, or buy it from Walmart or Amazon.  I've never made a simple syrup w/ vanilla, but it sounds easy enough and the closest to an ice cream syrup;  personally, I've never cared for the coffee flavorings - they just don't taste very good and leave an aftertaste.

Back in grade school, I fell in love with a girl who sat right next to me.  I was far too young to be physically attracted to her, but there was *something* about her that drew me to her.  I finally worked up the courage to tell her she really, really smelled good and she told me her mother wouldn't let her wear perfume, so she dabbed a little bit of vanilla extract behind her ears.

That was when I learned a life lesson;  boys are either hungry or horny, one or the other, all the time...just not both at the same time.

Maybe that's what I need to do; create a perfume that smells like baked goods.  Oh wait, they already have.

Anyway...something caught my eye on the Amazon listing:

(click graphic for larger view)

Stiff Upper Lip - AC/DC

Live at the Circus Krone - 2003

Purley Gates Ranch

My friends, family and regular readers of this blog know I love to look at real estate ads and I've posted a couple of times about properties I'd love to own.   I first noticed this one on the Hortenstine website a couple of years ago.  One of the realtors was nice enough to answer some questions that had "bothered" me about the listing.

The price of the property was recently reduced to $6,500,000. (from over 7 million) To be honest, I was surprised it didn't sell at the higher price and I expect it won't last much longer at that price.  Of course, there's no way I could afford it...unless I won a BIG lottery.  Even if I did win a hundred million bucks, I don't think I'd buy it now;  I'm getting too old to try to keep up such a huge property.  If I had had the money ten years ago, sure, but now?  I'd have to move my entire family and THEIR families in with me to maintain the place.  Who knows?  They might be all for that.   With three large homes and several manufactured homes for employees, there'd be plenty of room for all of us.  I'd even build a home for my big sister.

Being several miles from the nearest town of any size, I'm not sure it would have good broadband internet, though.  That might be a deal breaker!

With it being on the market for a substantial time, I'm wondering why it hasn't sold.  From looking at maps and Google Earth, it appears that one leg of the Keystone pipeline went very close to the property, but that shouldn't be a deal breaker.  I don't think there's much oil/gas production close by and part of the royalties convey.  There are coal deposits not too far away, but I doubt they'll be developed and I think the sub-surface water (springs) are in no immediate danger of drying up.  I dunno;  I'm such a pessimist and there's GOT to be some reason it hasn't been snatched up already. 

I've got my Megamillions ticket for tomorrow night; the cash option jackpot is right at 47 million after taxes, so I would have close to 40 million left after buying this place.  Maybe if my family wouldn't want to quit their jobs and move there w/ me, I could talk some of my Internet pals into it!

What Constellation Are You?

You Are Phoenix

You are incredibly resilient, and no one should count you out, ever. When you're at your worst, you rise up and surprise people. You are constantly remaking yourself and rising from the ashes. You haven't failed more than most people, but you have had more comebacks. You are driven to be independent and self-reliant. There is nothing you hate more than being trapped. You are a natural healer, and you know how to overcome your wounds - both physical and emotional.

What Constellation Are You?

The Show - Lenka

I've posted a couple of her songs in here and really like them as well as this one, too.  It's been out for several years and I'm surprised I hadn't seen this video before.

I finally got around to watching Moneyball last night, the story of how Billy Beane turned around a major league baseball team, the Oakland Athletics. Great movie, but there was a scene in the movie where Beane (played by Brad Pitt) is buying a guitar for his young daughter Casey (Kerris Dorsey) and she sits down and sings a little bit of the song for him. The melody is pretty and I felt as though I had heard it before and it didn't take but a few minutes of searching to find that it was originally done by Lenka.

Here's the clip from the movie:

Ms. Dorsey is a cute young woman and I predict she'll have a bright future with her acting career and maybe even singing with a little bit of coaching. What really struck me was how much she resembled a good online friend's daughter - they're not identical twins by any means, but the shape of their faces and their smiles are similar.

I like kids and particularly when they're that age;  they're (usually) still sweet and yet old enough to treat as older and fun to talk to.  I really enjoyed the few scenes with Pitt and Dorsey in them and especially the last scene of the movie, was heart-warming and I felt like shedding a tear when Pitt was tearing up.  Of all the things I regret in this world, especially the things I DIDN'T do, I wish I could have had children. -sigh-