September 01, 2004
As I'm waiting for my
As I'm waiting for my sincerely ancient oven to get to temperature,
I'll give y'all the recipe for the Red Velvet Cake that I've made and
am waiting to bake. If you're from the northeast, I'm told the regional designation for this deeesert
is "Waldorf Cake." Same diff.
Ya ready? Okedokey, then. Here we go.
For the cake:
2 1/2 Cups sifted cake flour (and that's CAKE FLOUR, not ALL-PURPOSE)
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 ounces red food coloring
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two (9-inch) cake
pans. In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking
powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and
butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately add flour mixture and
buttermilk. Beat in food coloring, vinegar, then add the vanilla.
Spread batter eveninly into the pans. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until a
wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn out
onto a rack to cool.
TIPS FROM THE BABE O' BAKING: 1.Yes, you must sift the flour
and you MUST use CAKE flour. I'm repeating myself, but all-purpose just
doesn't work here. Trust me on this one. Chip out two and a quarter for
the box of Softasilk. You'll thank me. 2. Have I mentioned that you
need to sift the dry ingredients? It's an absolute must-do sort of
thing. It's a pain I know, but you'll thank me when your cake batter
doesn't turn out to be full of lumps. 3. You don't need 2 ounces of
food coloring. One small, separately-sold, bottle of food coloring will
turn your cake a nice reddish color.
4. I add vanilla like a drunken sailor drinks a bottle of
whisky---liberally and messily. I don't think you can have too much
vanilla---ever
5. If you're like me and you've been spoiled by cake mixes that produce
moist results, you'll want to add about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
to the batter when all is said and done. Disregard if you like dry
cake. Ok, now you're ready for the frosting, right?
You will need:
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
In a large bowl cream the cream cheese and butter. Beat in
confectioner's sugar until fluffy, then add vanilla. Use frosting to
fill and ice cake. Pretty tasty, on the whole.
I'll give y'all the recipe for the Red Velvet Cake that I've made and
am waiting to bake. If you're from the northeast, I'm told the regional designation for this deeesert
is "Waldorf Cake." Same diff.
Ya ready? Okedokey, then. Here we go.
For the cake:
2 1/2 Cups sifted cake flour (and that's CAKE FLOUR, not ALL-PURPOSE)
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 ounces red food coloring
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two (9-inch) cake
pans. In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking
powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and
butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately add flour mixture and
buttermilk. Beat in food coloring, vinegar, then add the vanilla.
Spread batter eveninly into the pans. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until a
wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn out
onto a rack to cool.
TIPS FROM THE BABE O' BAKING: 1.Yes, you must sift the flour
and you MUST use CAKE flour. I'm repeating myself, but all-purpose just
doesn't work here. Trust me on this one. Chip out two and a quarter for
the box of Softasilk. You'll thank me. 2. Have I mentioned that you
need to sift the dry ingredients? It's an absolute must-do sort of
thing. It's a pain I know, but you'll thank me when your cake batter
doesn't turn out to be full of lumps. 3. You don't need 2 ounces of
food coloring. One small, separately-sold, bottle of food coloring will
turn your cake a nice reddish color.
4. I add vanilla like a drunken sailor drinks a bottle of
whisky---liberally and messily. I don't think you can have too much
vanilla---ever
5. If you're like me and you've been spoiled by cake mixes that produce
moist results, you'll want to add about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
to the batter when all is said and done. Disregard if you like dry
cake. Ok, now you're ready for the frosting, right?
You will need:
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
In a large bowl cream the cream cheese and butter. Beat in
confectioner's sugar until fluffy, then add vanilla. Use frosting to
fill and ice cake. Pretty tasty, on the whole.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:52 PM
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Post contains 456 words, total size 3 kb.
Apparently, the only good things
Apparently, the only good things to come out of last summer's European heat wave are some seriously brilliant Bordeauxs.
If collecting wine is your idea of a good time, you should know that
the futures for the 2003 Bordeauxs haven't gone through the roof yet,
despite the fact they've gotten great reviews. While I still don't
understand how wine futures work, it appears the market is a bit
glutted at present and there are some great buys to be had. Or so the
article says. Go forth and buy a case of Margaux and respond to my
kindness by sending me a bottle, eh? I'll have a red wine hangover
after only a glass (the tannins in red wine don't agree with me) but
I'll offer up my suffering for all the poor souls in purgatory. And
then, maybe, they'll do something nice for you in return. Like let put
in a good word for your heathen ass with the Big Guy. It could happen.
If collecting wine is your idea of a good time, you should know that
the futures for the 2003 Bordeauxs haven't gone through the roof yet,
despite the fact they've gotten great reviews. While I still don't
understand how wine futures work, it appears the market is a bit
glutted at present and there are some great buys to be had. Or so the
article says. Go forth and buy a case of Margaux and respond to my
kindness by sending me a bottle, eh? I'll have a red wine hangover
after only a glass (the tannins in red wine don't agree with me) but
I'll offer up my suffering for all the poor souls in purgatory. And
then, maybe, they'll do something nice for you in return. Like let put
in a good word for your heathen ass with the Big Guy. It could happen.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:52 PM
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Post contains 175 words, total size 1 kb.
Excellent commentary from a Mr.
Excellent commentary from a Mr. X.
A resident of the Upper West Side, he's a little fed up with
intolerance of his political views from people who would claim to be
the most tolerant of all.
Go read the whole thing. I find Mr. X to be extremely brave. He does
what I wouldn't do---he keeps talking to who ld different political
views from him. If the subject of politics is raised when I attend a
party here, I either keep quiet, leave, or find a way to change the
subject. I know from past experience that here in the Twin
Cities---especially since 2000---that I'm a. in the minority and that
b. a lot of people will react viscerally to what they perceive as my
"stupidity" for being a conservative. In other words, just like Mr. X,
I've been shouted down because someone got upset by something the
husband or I have said. It's just not worth it. Is it hard to hold my
tongue? You bet your sweet bippy it is. Particularly when you want to
do nothing else than shut the person down. What I find to be the most
insulting, however, is the shocked condescension I receive from people
when they find out that I'm a conservative for the first time. Their
eyes go wide. Their jaws drop and the inference I draw during and after
the dramatics is that they're so shocked and dismayed that someone they thought was so intelligent could possibly be so stupid
simultaneously. From some of the reactions I've received in the past,
you would have thought they would have been more tolerant if I'd
announced that, instead of being a Republican, I was a crack whore.
That would be a better alternative for them. But I'm polite. I don't
discuss politics and I keep my mouth shut when the topic is raised.
There's no chance for an honest discussion of the topics, so I
generally don't bother. Itstill grates on the nerves though. Case in
point: there is a man in Mr. H's work life that we run into on a
regular basis whenever we go for coffee in Mr. H's neighborhood. Mr. H.
has his own issues with this particular gentleman because he generally
makes Mr. H.'s life a living nightmare with his sloppy work habits.
But, he's further up the food chain than Mr. H. so I'm nice to him,
even though, in the past, he's made political comments along the lines
of Bush=Hitler, and "thank God for the New York Times.
They're the only ones who are doing any honest reporting," that have
made it very hard to hold my tongue. But I do it for Mr. H. I know he
does it for me as well, so turnabout is fair play, but man do I ever
have a hard time. But yet this guy thinks I'm a liberal because I never
say anything. It's like living as a spy at times. Some people don't
know where my true allegiance lies, nor do they bother to ask, because
they're so busy assuming that if I'm a reasonable individual, I'm a
democrat. I can only imagine what he would think if I "came out." I'd
probably get an earful. So, I feel for Mr. X. I've walked more than a
mile in his shoes. I can understand about wanting to defend your
position. Yet there is a point where you just have to be quiet. It's
not worth the angst in the meantime. It's really not. There are other
things to talk about other than politics.
A resident of the Upper West Side, he's a little fed up with
intolerance of his political views from people who would claim to be
the most tolerant of all.
You know me. If you don't, you've seen me...eating dinner
in a midtown restaurant or walking up Broadway on a Saturday morning or
sitting at the playground in the park as my child climbs the monkey
bars. I take the subway to work every morning like thousands of other
New Yorkers. I shop at Fairway and Zabar's. Maybe you've even been
sweating on the next treadmill at the gym. I look like a hundred other
guys around my age. I dress like them, too. And if you saw me, you
would never guess my secret.
I am not gay. That is certainly no reason to hide. I am not a person of
color. That prejudice should have been erased from our national
consciousness decades ago. I don't carry any disease microbes that I am
aware of. I don't even smoke.
But the information that I will now transmit has caused people to shout
at me, brought dinner parties to an abrupt end on less then polite
terms. It has even ended long friendships.
Here it is. I will just say it. I am a Republican.
It's not just that I am a Republican - it's more that I am a Republican
who lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It's the life-style and
location I have chosen for myself that doesn't seem to fit the
political viewpoints I believe.
Go read the whole thing. I find Mr. X to be extremely brave. He does
what I wouldn't do---he keeps talking to who ld different political
views from him. If the subject of politics is raised when I attend a
party here, I either keep quiet, leave, or find a way to change the
subject. I know from past experience that here in the Twin
Cities---especially since 2000---that I'm a. in the minority and that
b. a lot of people will react viscerally to what they perceive as my
"stupidity" for being a conservative. In other words, just like Mr. X,
I've been shouted down because someone got upset by something the
husband or I have said. It's just not worth it. Is it hard to hold my
tongue? You bet your sweet bippy it is. Particularly when you want to
do nothing else than shut the person down. What I find to be the most
insulting, however, is the shocked condescension I receive from people
when they find out that I'm a conservative for the first time. Their
eyes go wide. Their jaws drop and the inference I draw during and after
the dramatics is that they're so shocked and dismayed that someone they thought was so intelligent could possibly be so stupid
simultaneously. From some of the reactions I've received in the past,
you would have thought they would have been more tolerant if I'd
announced that, instead of being a Republican, I was a crack whore.
That would be a better alternative for them. But I'm polite. I don't
discuss politics and I keep my mouth shut when the topic is raised.
There's no chance for an honest discussion of the topics, so I
generally don't bother. Itstill grates on the nerves though. Case in
point: there is a man in Mr. H's work life that we run into on a
regular basis whenever we go for coffee in Mr. H's neighborhood. Mr. H.
has his own issues with this particular gentleman because he generally
makes Mr. H.'s life a living nightmare with his sloppy work habits.
But, he's further up the food chain than Mr. H. so I'm nice to him,
even though, in the past, he's made political comments along the lines
of Bush=Hitler, and "thank God for the New York Times.
They're the only ones who are doing any honest reporting," that have
made it very hard to hold my tongue. But I do it for Mr. H. I know he
does it for me as well, so turnabout is fair play, but man do I ever
have a hard time. But yet this guy thinks I'm a liberal because I never
say anything. It's like living as a spy at times. Some people don't
know where my true allegiance lies, nor do they bother to ask, because
they're so busy assuming that if I'm a reasonable individual, I'm a
democrat. I can only imagine what he would think if I "came out." I'd
probably get an earful. So, I feel for Mr. X. I've walked more than a
mile in his shoes. I can understand about wanting to defend your
position. Yet there is a point where you just have to be quiet. It's
not worth the angst in the meantime. It's really not. There are other
things to talk about other than politics.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:50 PM
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The Crack Young Staff at
The Crack Young Staff at The Hatemonger's Quarterly has recently shown their incredible good taste and has added The Cake Eater Chronicles to their blogroll.
Apparently, they recognize good stuff when they see it.
Which leads one to ask, "Why did they add you to their blogroll, Kathy? You don't have any good stuff."
True. Very True. But being one to take it where she can get it, I will
choose to look the other way regarding their egregious error, thank
them, and ask you to share the love and go and visit them. Really. Go. They're funny.
Apparently, they recognize good stuff when they see it.
Which leads one to ask, "Why did they add you to their blogroll, Kathy? You don't have any good stuff."
True. Very True. But being one to take it where she can get it, I will
choose to look the other way regarding their egregious error, thank
them, and ask you to share the love and go and visit them. Really. Go. They're funny.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:42 PM
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Post contains 108 words, total size 1 kb.
...Steve has decided to waste
...Steve has decided to waste his precious time fisking Michael Moore
again.
Go read.
When you're done, I'll start taking bets on the time, date and place Moore's gonads will come out of hiding.
Winner takes all.
again.
Go read.
When you're done, I'll start taking bets on the time, date and place Moore's gonads will come out of hiding.
Winner takes all.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:34 PM
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Cake Eater Etiquette Lesson #1:
Cake Eater Etiquette Lesson #1:
When someone proffers an invitation it is considered good form for the recipient to reply to said invitation.
Even if you don't want to attend because you just got a shipment of DVD's from Amazon/would rather have fiery toothpicks shoved under your fingernails than associate with the other guests/can't because of previous social commitments.
It's simply good manners.
That is all.
And, no, for once I'm not going to elaborate on what prompted this post.
When someone proffers an invitation it is considered good form for the recipient to reply to said invitation.
Even if you don't want to attend because you just got a shipment of DVD's from Amazon/would rather have fiery toothpicks shoved under your fingernails than associate with the other guests/can't because of previous social commitments.
It's simply good manners.
That is all.
And, no, for once I'm not going to elaborate on what prompted this post.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:25 PM
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One of my sisters lives
One of my sisters lives near to Dan Rather's vacation home.
I wonder if I should send her over with a twelve-pack of charmin and instructions to tee-pee the hell out of the place.
You know, just for the fun of it.
I wonder if I should send her over with a twelve-pack of charmin and instructions to tee-pee the hell out of the place.
You know, just for the fun of it.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:19 PM
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Just got an email from
Just got an email from seldom sober. Apparently, he'd just received a Google Click Through for this.
And apparently it's all my fault. Tee hee! Why someone would choose to
pair "Jane Austen" and "Aunt Jemima" is beyond me. Yet, I'll take my
amusement wherever I can get it. I'm thinking about declaring a new
motto: The Cake Eater Chronicles: Confusing Even The Most Efficient of Search Engines Since 2003.
Catchy, no?
And apparently it's all my fault. Tee hee! Why someone would choose to
pair "Jane Austen" and "Aunt Jemima" is beyond me. Yet, I'll take my
amusement wherever I can get it. I'm thinking about declaring a new
motto: The Cake Eater Chronicles: Confusing Even The Most Efficient of Search Engines Since 2003.
Catchy, no?
Posted by: Kathy at
01:17 PM
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This goes a little above
This goes a little above and beyond, "take two aspirin and call me in the morning", doesn't it?
Yet another sign that some would like for America, again, to be a dry country.
Yet another sign that some would like for America, again, to be a dry country.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:11 PM
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must edit manuscript must edit
must edit manuscript
must edit manuscript
must edit manuscript
must call mom and dad and see if they drove to florida today,
hurricanes notwithstanding
must edit manuscript
must call sister and talk about her children
must figure out what to have for dinner in time to defrost needed meat
must edit manuscript
must edit manuscript
must paint toenails
must take nap as am sleepy from lunch
must edit manuscript
Question for the Day: Is it really bad to want a real life refugee
situation to clear itself up so I don't have to hack away at the
manuscript like a Colombian coke producer hacks his way through the
jungle to get to his coca factories? Yeah. I thought so too. Sigh. I
hate editing. I hate revision. Grrr. It sucks.
must edit manuscript
must edit manuscript
must call mom and dad and see if they drove to florida today,
hurricanes notwithstanding
must edit manuscript
must call sister and talk about her children
must figure out what to have for dinner in time to defrost needed meat
must edit manuscript
must edit manuscript
must paint toenails
must take nap as am sleepy from lunch
must edit manuscript
Question for the Day: Is it really bad to want a real life refugee
situation to clear itself up so I don't have to hack away at the
manuscript like a Colombian coke producer hacks his way through the
jungle to get to his coca factories? Yeah. I thought so too. Sigh. I
hate editing. I hate revision. Grrr. It sucks.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:08 PM
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Post contains 140 words, total size 1 kb.
Bad news. Which, of course,
Bad news. Which, of course, was compounded by this*.
Sigh.
Now, I may read comics, but I'm no aficianado. Well, that's not right. I am an aficianado, but not as much as the husband is. He loves comics and he's really embraced a lot of web comics, such as PVP and Penny Arcade.
These comics are directed at him---a member of that insane gaming
community---and he digs them. While I get the occasional chuckle out of
Penny Arcade, generally it's above my head as I have not been
surgically connected to an X-Box/Playstation 2/Ninetendo/Whatever new
gaming console has come out and I have no idea about. I, on the other
hand, have a stack of Calvin and Hobbes and Bloom County
books. So, I'm somewhat of an aficianado. But not really of the
web-based-comic variety. Noting that Jantze was backing out because of
syndication hassles, the husband made a comment that Scott Kurtz of PVP
and Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade had all been at Comic Con earlier
this summer and had some unflattering things to say about Jantze, with
whom they'd participated in a panel about---wait for it---syndication. Well, the husband was wrong.
Partly.
Gabe and Tycho,
being the uber-cool dudes that they are, did have some unflattering
things to say about Jantze, because it appears, to me at least, that
since they reject the arguments for syndication outright they couldn't
be bothered to listen to an opposing point of view. Kurtz, however, had some really interesting things to say about syndication and laid out his plan for funny pages world domination,
and in the meantime wasn't a jerk to Jantze, but instead respected his
opinion while disagreeing with it.
Ultimately, what it comes down to is the bigger battle the internet has
brought to the forefront---the battle over rights and creative control.
It came as somewhat of a shock that cartoonists have as many rights
regarding the copyrights of their work as does Britney Spears, but it
shouldn't have. I don't know why I thought it would be different, but
it's not. And, much like those of us who would rather not choke down
Britney Spears's music with our morning coffee, this is yet another way
content is being dumbed down for the masses. The syndicates publish
those comics they want to publish, and while the situation is akin to
that of the recording industry, the syndicates are in the position of
really being screwed over sometime in the near future when papers
decide not to pay for the privelege of publishing funny pages any
longer. The paradigm is shifting. Kurtz is positioning himself well for
the shift. Whether Jantze will do the same is anyone's guess. One can
only hope that Jantze will realize that he's got a huge opportunity
right now with web-only syndication, his bribery-cum-pledge-drive
notwithstanding. *Good luck, Chris! Keeping the fingers and toes
crossed for you and your family that all turns out well.
Sigh.
Now, I may read comics, but I'm no aficianado. Well, that's not right. I am an aficianado, but not as much as the husband is. He loves comics and he's really embraced a lot of web comics, such as PVP and Penny Arcade.
These comics are directed at him---a member of that insane gaming
community---and he digs them. While I get the occasional chuckle out of
Penny Arcade, generally it's above my head as I have not been
surgically connected to an X-Box/Playstation 2/Ninetendo/Whatever new
gaming console has come out and I have no idea about. I, on the other
hand, have a stack of Calvin and Hobbes and Bloom County
books. So, I'm somewhat of an aficianado. But not really of the
web-based-comic variety. Noting that Jantze was backing out because of
syndication hassles, the husband made a comment that Scott Kurtz of PVP
and Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade had all been at Comic Con earlier
this summer and had some unflattering things to say about Jantze, with
whom they'd participated in a panel about---wait for it---syndication. Well, the husband was wrong.
Partly.
Gabe and Tycho,
being the uber-cool dudes that they are, did have some unflattering
things to say about Jantze, because it appears, to me at least, that
since they reject the arguments for syndication outright they couldn't
be bothered to listen to an opposing point of view. Kurtz, however, had some really interesting things to say about syndication and laid out his plan for funny pages world domination,
and in the meantime wasn't a jerk to Jantze, but instead respected his
opinion while disagreeing with it.
Ultimately, what it comes down to is the bigger battle the internet has
brought to the forefront---the battle over rights and creative control.
It came as somewhat of a shock that cartoonists have as many rights
regarding the copyrights of their work as does Britney Spears, but it
shouldn't have. I don't know why I thought it would be different, but
it's not. And, much like those of us who would rather not choke down
Britney Spears's music with our morning coffee, this is yet another way
content is being dumbed down for the masses. The syndicates publish
those comics they want to publish, and while the situation is akin to
that of the recording industry, the syndicates are in the position of
really being screwed over sometime in the near future when papers
decide not to pay for the privelege of publishing funny pages any
longer. The paradigm is shifting. Kurtz is positioning himself well for
the shift. Whether Jantze will do the same is anyone's guess. One can
only hope that Jantze will realize that he's got a huge opportunity
right now with web-only syndication, his bribery-cum-pledge-drive
notwithstanding. *Good luck, Chris! Keeping the fingers and toes
crossed for you and your family that all turns out well.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:06 PM
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On both Tuesday and yesterday
On both Tuesday and yesterday the Llamabutchers
linked a couple of posts of mine. And guess what? My traffic went
through the roof.
Now, I've been linked by the Llamas before. Many times, in fact.
They've been exceedingly good to me. But I've never had anything like
the surge of traffic I've experienced the past couple of days. I would
hereby like to get some more linkage by coining the phrase
"Llamalanche" to describe this interesting phenomenon. Providing no one
else has come up with this. I'm not bothering to Google, so if I'm not
the first, well, I'll take credit where credit is not due.
See kids, I can link whore with the best of them. If I choose to. Most of the time I'm just too freakin' lazy to bother.
While not as potent as the Vodkalanche I experienced earlier this summer, the Llamalanche was almost up there, in terms of traffic, with the weekend Instalanche
I received. And the Vodkalanche was skewed because Martini Boy linked
to me and didn't post for another two or three days. Not like I put too
much credence in either: traffic increased temporarily and then weasled
its way back down to normal levels, with a few people sticking around
for what appears was the hell of it. We'll see if the Llamalanche has
staying power, unlike the Instalanche and the Vodkalanche. I've been
observing their success levels since they moved over to MT, and it
seems as if the move off Blogspot has done wonders for their
reputation. Which, of course, appears to destroy what I thought (read hoped)
was an urban myth: that unless you're paying for a domain and
bandwidth, no one will take you seriously. Now, how you could take guys
like Steve and Rob seriously, I don't know, but hey, the proof's in the
stats, baby, and apparently they're a force unto, er, themselves.
Anyway, shoving the snarkiness aside for a brief moment, congrats for
all the success, guys. You deserve it. And I get credit for the phrase
"Llamalanche." Damnit.
UPDATE: 09/01/2004 I've got CREDIT! Hot damn!
UPDATE II: Damn.
linked a couple of posts of mine. And guess what? My traffic went
through the roof.
Now, I've been linked by the Llamas before. Many times, in fact.
They've been exceedingly good to me. But I've never had anything like
the surge of traffic I've experienced the past couple of days. I would
hereby like to get some more linkage by coining the phrase
"Llamalanche" to describe this interesting phenomenon. Providing no one
else has come up with this. I'm not bothering to Google, so if I'm not
the first, well, I'll take credit where credit is not due.
See kids, I can link whore with the best of them. If I choose to. Most of the time I'm just too freakin' lazy to bother.
While not as potent as the Vodkalanche I experienced earlier this summer, the Llamalanche was almost up there, in terms of traffic, with the weekend Instalanche
I received. And the Vodkalanche was skewed because Martini Boy linked
to me and didn't post for another two or three days. Not like I put too
much credence in either: traffic increased temporarily and then weasled
its way back down to normal levels, with a few people sticking around
for what appears was the hell of it. We'll see if the Llamalanche has
staying power, unlike the Instalanche and the Vodkalanche. I've been
observing their success levels since they moved over to MT, and it
seems as if the move off Blogspot has done wonders for their
reputation. Which, of course, appears to destroy what I thought (read hoped)
was an urban myth: that unless you're paying for a domain and
bandwidth, no one will take you seriously. Now, how you could take guys
like Steve and Rob seriously, I don't know, but hey, the proof's in the
stats, baby, and apparently they're a force unto, er, themselves.
Anyway, shoving the snarkiness aside for a brief moment, congrats for
all the success, guys. You deserve it. And I get credit for the phrase
"Llamalanche." Damnit.
UPDATE: 09/01/2004 I've got CREDIT! Hot damn!
UPDATE II: Damn.
Posted by: Kathy at
01:05 PM
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I have to admit, I'm
I have to admit, I'm really enjoying these fox hunting ban protests.
Now, I honestly couldn't care less about fox hunting. While I respect
the traditional aspects of it, it's not likely something I'll ever do.
Because a. horses scare the crap out of me, hence I'll probably never
go riding and b. because I don't get my jollies by hunting. My friend,
M., who lives in rural England has gone on a few, but that's more
because she's a horse nut, rather than she gets a kick out of hunting
foxes. I get the distinct feeling that this whole deal is more about
objecting to whatever landed gentry is left in this day and age
galloping about the countryside on horses, rather than the abject
cruelty of killing foxes. The foxes seem to be a convenient cover for
banning behavior that only the wealthy can afford to partake in. But
that's neither here nor there. What I do find interesting, and more
than a bit amusing, is how the ban is being protested. Here you have
wealthy, rural, Englishmen and women---with a capital, bold-printed E---who
have something to protest. And by what means do they do it? Well,
they've followed the lead of all those nasty
globalization/meatismurder/
i'myoungandhavenothingbettertodowithmytimethanwhineabout
alltheinjusticeintheworldbesidesigetlaidalotbecausetheseprotestchicksareeasy
protestors. They've coopted the ways of the people who want to bring
them down. It's as if the Romans suddenly adopted the ways of the Huns
and scored a few victories as a result. The irony of it all is
particularly delicious.
Now, I honestly couldn't care less about fox hunting. While I respect
the traditional aspects of it, it's not likely something I'll ever do.
Because a. horses scare the crap out of me, hence I'll probably never
go riding and b. because I don't get my jollies by hunting. My friend,
M., who lives in rural England has gone on a few, but that's more
because she's a horse nut, rather than she gets a kick out of hunting
foxes. I get the distinct feeling that this whole deal is more about
objecting to whatever landed gentry is left in this day and age
galloping about the countryside on horses, rather than the abject
cruelty of killing foxes. The foxes seem to be a convenient cover for
banning behavior that only the wealthy can afford to partake in. But
that's neither here nor there. What I do find interesting, and more
than a bit amusing, is how the ban is being protested. Here you have
wealthy, rural, Englishmen and women---with a capital, bold-printed E---who
have something to protest. And by what means do they do it? Well,
they've followed the lead of all those nasty
globalization/meatismurder/
i'myoungandhavenothingbettertodowithmytimethanwhineabout
alltheinjusticeintheworldbesidesigetlaidalotbecausetheseprotestchicksareeasy
protestors. They've coopted the ways of the people who want to bring
them down. It's as if the Romans suddenly adopted the ways of the Huns
and scored a few victories as a result. The irony of it all is
particularly delicious.
Posted by: Kathy at
12:59 PM
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Post contains 262 words, total size 2 kb.
A few weeks ago the
A few weeks ago the husband appropriated this CD and I have to tell you, damn, I just really like George Thorogood.
As my sister pointed out when she listened to a copy we'd burned for her: "You just can't go wrong with George Thorogood."
And she's right.
I'm generally loath to pick out a certain type of music and declare it to be my favorite. I like all
types of music. I'm an MTV kid: during my formative years I was exposed
to a lot of different music and I see no reason why I should have to
choose a certain genre to be my favorite!. That said, I really
do have a soft-spot for bluesy rock and roll, and George Thorogood fits
into this category quite nicely. Besides, how can you not like a guy who plays songs like One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer, Move It On Over and Reelin' and Rockin'.
His music is fun. It's not overindulgent, whiny crap. George refuses to
take himself too seriously and that's a welcome relief. There are times
when you just want to be reminded of what rock and roll used to be
about, and George takes you to that place.
As my sister pointed out when she listened to a copy we'd burned for her: "You just can't go wrong with George Thorogood."
And she's right.
I'm generally loath to pick out a certain type of music and declare it to be my favorite. I like all
types of music. I'm an MTV kid: during my formative years I was exposed
to a lot of different music and I see no reason why I should have to
choose a certain genre to be my favorite!. That said, I really
do have a soft-spot for bluesy rock and roll, and George Thorogood fits
into this category quite nicely. Besides, how can you not like a guy who plays songs like One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer, Move It On Over and Reelin' and Rockin'.
His music is fun. It's not overindulgent, whiny crap. George refuses to
take himself too seriously and that's a welcome relief. There are times
when you just want to be reminded of what rock and roll used to be
about, and George takes you to that place.
Posted by: Kathy at
12:49 PM
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It's not suicide. It's blackberry
It's not suicide. It's blackberry picking!
Posted by: Kathy at
12:43 PM
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Post contains 16 words, total size 1 kb.
It's Wednesday, so there must
It's Wednesday, so there must be a story or two about SILLY GERMANS!
Here's one.
What will they think of next?
The mind boggles.
Here's one.
What will they think of next?
The mind boggles.
Posted by: Kathy at
12:40 PM
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Post contains 34 words, total size 1 kb.
I wish I had something
I wish I had something more interesting to report about last night's
dinner, but I don't.
Nothing untoward happened. Grandpa toed the line. He made one crack
about all the "slant eyes"---His words, not mine. Don't direct your
politically correct ramblings at me---at the hotel, but that was as far
as he came toward dipping his toes in the Rude Rubicon. He never
crossed over, nor did he even get his calves wet.
Hmmph. All that angst for nothing. The husband was more than relieved,
but added that it "could have easily gone the other way," hinting that
it was just as well that our fight over serving jelly with the bread
was ultimately decided in his favor. (And, it should be said that he
snuck the jelly out onto the table while I wasn't looking...so he won
by sneaky means.)
Dinner was nice. I have a boatload of mashed potatoes leftover, but
I'll just pass them off on seldom sober when he arrives tomorrow.
Note to self: MUST GO TO LIQUOR STORE TODAY!
dinner, but I don't.
Nothing untoward happened. Grandpa toed the line. He made one crack
about all the "slant eyes"---His words, not mine. Don't direct your
politically correct ramblings at me---at the hotel, but that was as far
as he came toward dipping his toes in the Rude Rubicon. He never
crossed over, nor did he even get his calves wet.
Hmmph. All that angst for nothing. The husband was more than relieved,
but added that it "could have easily gone the other way," hinting that
it was just as well that our fight over serving jelly with the bread
was ultimately decided in his favor. (And, it should be said that he
snuck the jelly out onto the table while I wasn't looking...so he won
by sneaky means.)
Dinner was nice. I have a boatload of mashed potatoes leftover, but
I'll just pass them off on seldom sober when he arrives tomorrow.
Note to self: MUST GO TO LIQUOR STORE TODAY!
Posted by: Kathy at
12:31 PM
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Post contains 184 words, total size 1 kb.
(clickie for biggie) While
(clickie for biggie)
While I would rather it was Rather who would commit seppuku, the sentiment is apt.
(clickie for biggie)
While I would rather it was Rather who would commit seppuku, the sentiment is apt.
Posted by: Kathy at
12:29 PM
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Post contains 26 words, total size 1 kb.
(click on image for
(click on image for supah-size)
Amen!
See also: Michele
{tip off: enlightened cynic}
(click on image for supah-size)
Amen!
See also: Michele
{tip off: enlightened cynic}
Posted by: Kathy at
12:24 PM
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Dan Rather: "After extensive additional
Dan Rather:
What Dan really means:
"After extensive additional interviews, I no longer have
the confidence in these documents that would allow us to continue
vouching for them journalistically," the network's top news anchor, Dan
Rather, said in a statement. "I find we have been misled on the key question of how our source for the documents came into possession of these papers."
What Dan really means:
I'm a partisan hack and I got called on it.
So what?
I was misled. There's someone else to blame. It ain't my fault. I'm still slicker than shit through a goose. This won't stick and I'll still have my job a the end of the day.
Neener, neener, neener.
Posted by: Kathy at
12:17 PM
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