Today was the last day of Serengeti Trek. It was a great week with the kids. If I have the time next summer, I'll do it again.
I am so excited about something that I discovered last night. There is a new feature in the OnDemand section of Comcast digital cable. It is in the Free Movie section, called Palm Pictures. I am guessing that they want to associate by name with the "Palm D'Or" of the Cannes festival. It is a film festival hosted on cable TV, featuring independent, foreign, and short films. Viewers can vote for favorite movies and they claim it can affect decisions to release some of these films in the theaters or on DVD. Sounds kind of cool. I checked out what movies were there and found a good Korean film, JSA (Joint Security Area). It is a murder mystery/political thriller set at the DMZ. I hope that I can get my dad and brother-in-law to watch it with me. Anyone who may read this and have access to OnDemand, I highly recommend this movie. It was a huge blockbuster in Korea when it came out in the late 90's. The story is tense and dramatic. Dealing with North and South, it could easily have fallen into simplistic cardboard characters, but the main characters are complex and compelling.
Today has been busy. The only thing I haven't done in the past three days is to take any action about my job search. I need to get that new resume done and scour the 'net for good jobs. I also need to make calls and do research about the kind of job and career I really want. I actually wish that I could find a good work-at-home opportunity that wasn't sales or a scam.
July 22, 2005
July 21, 2005
Live to Eat
My family likes food. I enjoy eating good food. While I'm not an especially picky eater, I do feel that life is too short to waste time eating boring or unappetizing food. I am not talking about eating fancy all the time. I like a wide variety of foods. There are two fast food items that I can't resist. One is a Frugals' bacon and swiss burger (they use thick-sliced smoky bacon and real swiss cheese, not processed cheese). The other is a jumbo sized burrito with quacamole, sour cream and everything else from Taco Del Mar. Mom and I watch the Food Network sometimes. We especially like 30 Minute Meals and Food 911. We've also seen random episodes of some other series, like Calorie Comando, Paula's Home Cooking and Everyday Italian. We have tried some recipes and gotten ideas for tweaking familar dishes. I found the only chili recipe that I will ever use again on Calorie Comando (Turkey Sausage Chili). Be careful with the chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, though. We cut those in half and it was still very hot. I like heat, but in moderation. A couple of weeks ago Mom surprised Dad by making Tyler's chicken satay recipe from a Food 911 episode. It was delicious and very easy to make. Here are some of the recipes I've printed out and haven't tried yet.
* Coconut Shrimp with Red Curry Sauce (Food 911, same episode as the satay)
* Spaghetti and Meatballs (Food 911, the meatballs are stuffed with fresh mozzarella)
* Grilled T-Bone with Chipotle Chili Rub and Cilantro-Lime Compound Butter (30 Minute Meals)
* Chicken in Tarragon Cream Sauce, White and Wild Rice with Walnuts (30 Minute Meals)
* Stuffed Baby Eggplant (Food 911)
* Ottoman Empire Yogurt Soup (Food 911, same episode as the eggplant)
* Pan Seared Salmon with Sour Cream and Dill (Food 911)
If you want any of these recipes, they are at the Food Network website. There is a very handy "find an episode"search where you choose the title of the show and can type in topic words, like "Thai", or "eggplant".
* Coconut Shrimp with Red Curry Sauce (Food 911, same episode as the satay)
* Spaghetti and Meatballs (Food 911, the meatballs are stuffed with fresh mozzarella)
* Grilled T-Bone with Chipotle Chili Rub and Cilantro-Lime Compound Butter (30 Minute Meals)
* Chicken in Tarragon Cream Sauce, White and Wild Rice with Walnuts (30 Minute Meals)
* Stuffed Baby Eggplant (Food 911)
* Ottoman Empire Yogurt Soup (Food 911, same episode as the eggplant)
* Pan Seared Salmon with Sour Cream and Dill (Food 911)
If you want any of these recipes, they are at the Food Network website. There is a very handy "find an episode"search where you choose the title of the show and can type in topic words, like "Thai", or "eggplant".
July 20, 2005
The Cat Came Back
Selfish me. I put the cat down so that I could type. Ahhh, she still has claws on her back paws. They were digging into my shoulder; she just leapt up and is settling down again across my arms. Her fascination with computers started at the neighbors' house. He wrote his whole master's thesis with Scruffy draped over his arms. She is indeed a well-educated and most helpful cat. I don't, however, recommend her as a typist. She will not take no for an answer, but what respectable cat would? That was before the cat sharing arrangement started, about 3 years ago.
You see, originally, Scruffy was owned by other neighbors down the street. They moved and she stayed behind (lost or abandoned, who knows?) She camped on the doorstep of our neighbors' house in the middle of winter. Our neighbor doesn't like cats at all, but she couldn't leave a forlorn little beast to die in the cold. Scruffy stayed there and the husband became quite fond of her. He was home a lot studying and writing and they bonded at the computer. After some time she was banned from the neighbors' house and allowed only in their garage. Why would they do that? It is a long story, but the short version is that Scruffy had an accident on the rug and you don't want to mess with that woman's house, ever. About that time, Mom was asked to feed Scruffy while the neighbors were away on a trip. She loves cats and has actually wanted to have one for years, but my dad refuses. He swore when our last pet passed that there would be no more. While she was pet-sitting, she would bring Scruffy to our house and let her sit in her lap and cuddle for a while every day. Ever since then, Scruffy has become a regular visitor at our house. She is quite elderly and recently has been ill. Mom and the neighbors took her to the vet. She is slowly gaining weight. Mom weighed her again on Monday and she was 5 lbs. 3 ounces. You can't tell by her behavior that she was ever sick. In fact, my Dad even said, "Look at her run!" as she jauntily jogged into the kitchen for a drink of water. My brother-in-law is working on his class work. Maybe she will help him, too.
I took a survey for a study of blogging and bloggers. You can participate if you have a blog. It didn't take too long.
You see, originally, Scruffy was owned by other neighbors down the street. They moved and she stayed behind (lost or abandoned, who knows?) She camped on the doorstep of our neighbors' house in the middle of winter. Our neighbor doesn't like cats at all, but she couldn't leave a forlorn little beast to die in the cold. Scruffy stayed there and the husband became quite fond of her. He was home a lot studying and writing and they bonded at the computer. After some time she was banned from the neighbors' house and allowed only in their garage. Why would they do that? It is a long story, but the short version is that Scruffy had an accident on the rug and you don't want to mess with that woman's house, ever. About that time, Mom was asked to feed Scruffy while the neighbors were away on a trip. She loves cats and has actually wanted to have one for years, but my dad refuses. He swore when our last pet passed that there would be no more. While she was pet-sitting, she would bring Scruffy to our house and let her sit in her lap and cuddle for a while every day. Ever since then, Scruffy has become a regular visitor at our house. She is quite elderly and recently has been ill. Mom and the neighbors took her to the vet. She is slowly gaining weight. Mom weighed her again on Monday and she was 5 lbs. 3 ounces. You can't tell by her behavior that she was ever sick. In fact, my Dad even said, "Look at her run!" as she jauntily jogged into the kitchen for a drink of water. My brother-in-law is working on his class work. Maybe she will help him, too.
I took a survey for a study of blogging and bloggers. You can participate if you have a blog. It didn't take too long.
July 19, 2005
At the Close of the Day
I’m happily tired. Satisfactorily busy. The Vacation Bible School is so much fun, even more than I expected. I actually didn’t know quite what to expect, since I’ve never participated in it, except when I attended as a child.
I had that appointment with the job counselor at Work Source this afternoon. She had some excellent advice about my resume and cover letter. I am going to make a functional style resume that focuses on my skills and what I have done at my jobs. She also told me that my cover letter was way too detailed and told me what to cut out of it. I'll be working on that.
Mom and I exercised today for the first time in 5 days. We are not going to quit!
It has been fun to spend some time hanging out with my brother-in-law. We watched Billy Elliot last night. I haven’t seen him in three years. I only met him for the first time 3 days before my sister’s wedding in April 2000. They met online and had a long-distance relationship. I was also in Massachusetts at the time, so I didn’t see my sister much during her engagement, either. But my family embraced him very quickly. He has a great, off-beat sense of humor that fits in well with all of us. He is also is head and shoulders above anyone else that my sister ever dated. He treats her well. He gives her pedicures, manicures, cooks, and encourages her. He helps her stay focused and motivated on her goals for her health and career. I am not sure exactly how much weight she has lost in the last year-and-a-half, but it is close to 100. She is gaining her health and her confidence. They also support each other spiritually, reminding each other to pray through all difficulties and to gain strength from reading and studying the Bible. I know it is hard for her waiting back in Oklahoma until he has a job here. I know that both of them will do what it takes to make sure that she comes here to Washington before too long. He estimates a couple of months.
I had that appointment with the job counselor at Work Source this afternoon. She had some excellent advice about my resume and cover letter. I am going to make a functional style resume that focuses on my skills and what I have done at my jobs. She also told me that my cover letter was way too detailed and told me what to cut out of it. I'll be working on that.
Mom and I exercised today for the first time in 5 days. We are not going to quit!
It has been fun to spend some time hanging out with my brother-in-law. We watched Billy Elliot last night. I haven’t seen him in three years. I only met him for the first time 3 days before my sister’s wedding in April 2000. They met online and had a long-distance relationship. I was also in Massachusetts at the time, so I didn’t see my sister much during her engagement, either. But my family embraced him very quickly. He has a great, off-beat sense of humor that fits in well with all of us. He is also is head and shoulders above anyone else that my sister ever dated. He treats her well. He gives her pedicures, manicures, cooks, and encourages her. He helps her stay focused and motivated on her goals for her health and career. I am not sure exactly how much weight she has lost in the last year-and-a-half, but it is close to 100. She is gaining her health and her confidence. They also support each other spiritually, reminding each other to pray through all difficulties and to gain strength from reading and studying the Bible. I know it is hard for her waiting back in Oklahoma until he has a job here. I know that both of them will do what it takes to make sure that she comes here to Washington before too long. He estimates a couple of months.
July 17, 2005
He's Here!
My brother-in-law is here. He arrived early this morning at the end of a marathon drive from Oklahoma. He shared some of his road pictures with me.
It has been a busy day. I went to church and then we had to decorate the sanctuary, fellowship hall, and the foyer for the Serengeti Trek VBS program. Didn't make the special surprise recipe today, so that will wait for another time. We went to Ruby Tuesday instead. I love their Buffalo tenders.
It has been a busy day. I went to church and then we had to decorate the sanctuary, fellowship hall, and the foyer for the Serengeti Trek VBS program. Didn't make the special surprise recipe today, so that will wait for another time. We went to Ruby Tuesday instead. I love their Buffalo tenders.
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