Just for the record, I finally saw the beginning of The Great Escape last night.

It's too bad I didn't get to see the rest of it because it started at 12:15 am.

(Sooper Sekrit Note to Russ: Dude, you would not believe the number of hits I get from people googling in on the phrase "Harvey Mushman." In fact, I'm the number one reference for it. And people say I've got a lot of useless information rattling around in my brain.)

Posted by: Kathy at 05:32 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Dumbasses.

Eden Prairie High School administrators have reprimanded more than 100 students and suspended some from sports and other extracurricular activities after obtaining Facebook photos of students partying, several students said Tuesday.

School administrators and the district's spokeswoman didn't return phone calls, but students called in by their deans over the past two days said they were being reprimanded for the Facebook party photos, which administrators had printed out. It's likely, they said, that other students among the 3,300 who attend Eden Prairie will be questioned throughout the week.

Danny O'Leary, a senior who plays lacrosse, said his dean displayed four Facebook photos of O'Leary holding drinks and told him he was in "a bit of trouble." One photo shows him holding a can of Coors beer, another a shot of rum, he said. In yet another, O'Leary is pictured holding his friend's 40-ounce container of beer.

"I wasn't drinking that night," O'Leary said. But that apparently doesn't matter. "I was told each picture was equal to a two-game suspension,'' he said.

O'Leary said he intends to meet with the director of student activities today to discuss the suspensions. He said he will point out that two of the photos were taken two years ago, before he joined the lacrosse team and signed a pledge not to drink.

"I'm personally pretty upset and wondering why someone would collect these photos and turn them in," O'Leary said. "A lot of kids' lives are going to be ruined as far as scholarships and sports are concerned."{...}

I sense the fine and skilled hand of geeks on a mission of retaliation and retribution. Teenage Rambos, only without firepower and without being slathered in baby oil, but who have mad Facebook searching skillz! I mean, seriously, this is pretty sweet retribution simply because it probably didn't take too much time. I would suspect that whomever the mad genius is, they hit a proxy server, obtained new IP number, set up an anonymous Gmail account, loaded up an email with the Facebook links in question and---poof!---hit send. That's efficiency for ya, kids.

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Reason #342 Why It's Good Not to Have a Car At Times.

The Crosstown, or as it's regularly denoted on the map State Highway 62, is a mess. Has been for years. It is the most illogically constructed bit of freeway in a town where logical construction of freeways is not a highly valued concept. Now, to be fair, when they originally constructed the Crosstown, they got the location just right, which is why it's one of the most highly utilized freeways in town. It shoots straight across from the southwest suburb of Eden Prairie, all the way over to el aeroporto, on the far fringes of east Bloomington. It runs right through highly populated areas and, theoretically speaking, it can (and does) save you boatloads of time on the road, simply because you're not going out of your way just to travel at freeway speeds. It also hooks up with just about all of the major north-south highways, so it's very convenient. The problem is that they goofed---and goofed badly---when they put it together.

Now, I can understand where they thought three lanes would be sufficient for the level of traffic at the time of building. But, the problem is, if you're on the road during rush hour, the thing pretty much slows to a crawl for six hours of a twenty-four hour day, and that's because some genius decided to merge it with 35W north for about a mile, and when it merges, it narrows down to one lane. If Lileks had shot that video at rush hour---which he obviously did not---it would have run for over an hour. Now, this is if you're going west to east; if you're going the opposite direction, you merge with 35W south, and then have to move over one to two lanes, depending on the traffic and where you want to get off, instantaneously to continue traveling west on 62. And when I mean instantaneously, I'm not exaggerating. The split between 62 and 35W south happens in, oh, about a quarter of a mile and you've got to beat cheeks to make it all happen or you're on your way to Albert Lea. It's a nerve wracking experience, because, for some strange reason, no one barreling down the 35W south pike is going to move an inch to let you in. This interchange is, by far, my least favorite in the Twin Cities---and there are lots of other horrendous interchanges in this town. It makes me break into a cold sweat every time I have to drive it, and I am glad, to a certain extent, that they're actually doing something about it---even though it seems as if most of the MNDOT budget has been shifted to fixing the 35W bridge in downtown.

But am I ever happy I don't have to drive it regularly during the construction period! Woohoo! No car=no traveling on in-progress freeways! Yippeee! I knew they'd started work on it, but I'm somewhat surprised at the amount of progress they've achieved, particularly with the bridge collapse. (No car also means not seeing how far they've come with things.) At one point in time, the legislature had the brilliant idea of asking contractors to bid for the job of putting the fixes in place, but since there wasn't any funding for the project, they asked the contractors to foot the bill entirely until they could finally find the money to pay for it. Not surprisingly, no one applied for the job. People want to get paid, and they don't want to have to shell out millions of dollars for supplies and labor, with the hope that the stupid, dysfunctional state government would, at some undetermined point in the future, finally get around to funding the damn job. Apparently, however, they found some coin and work has commenced. This thing is going to be a mess for years to come, and for the time being, I'm ever so happy I don't have to travel through it.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:05 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Go and read this NOW.

Not many of us would have the foresight to realize that a. we could die and b. to put down our final thoughts in a post, should that unhappy event come to pass. I'm amazed at what Andrew Olmstead did. Facing your mortality isn't a fun thing to do, whatever the circumstances might be that forced you face facts, but to write a calm, clear and collected post that would get across what you want to say in the event of your death is absolutely amazing.

While I did not even know of Andrew Olmstead's blog before today, and while I'm certain he was a brave man for the simple act of doing what he did, this posthumous post, I have to say, takes the cake for bravery. If you're a blogger, pass this one along. It deserves to be widely read.

Resquiat in Pacem.

{ht: Martini Boy}

Posted by: Kathy at 02:44 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I think my personal favorite is the dude who brings his monitor over to the copier machine after the printer toner cartridge explodes on him.

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"Little green men.*"

Seti@home, the project using personal computers to search for radio signals from alien civilisations, is calling for more volunteers to help crunch a vast surge of new data. An extensive upgrade at the world's largest radiotelescope, Arecibo in Puerto Rico, means that data is flowing 500 times faster than before.

When Seti@home began eight years ago it was the first internet computing project that harnessed spare capacity on private PCs for scientific work, and it is still the largest such network, with 320,000 computers involved. They analyse radio signals from space, looking for patterns that might come from intelligent beings rather than natural sources such as quasars, the distant celestial bodies.

If enough new PC volunteers come forward, "we are 500 times more likely to find ET than with the original Seti@home", said Dan Wertheimer, chief scientist of the project, which is based in Berkeley, California. "We're entering an era when we will be able to scan billions of channels. Arecibo is now optimised for this kind of search, so if there are signals out there, we or our volunteers will find them."

If you, too, perhaps would like to help find the little green men, well, go here and volunteer your home's computing power! It's not like you're going to find anything, but really, you've got some spare gigs of memory that can help the cause, right? Donate them! So we will definitively know that we are alone!

*spot the quote. And it's easy peasy, so I fully expect someone to chime in, in a sing-song voice, with the answer.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:02 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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...for movies that will undoubtedly disappoint me when I actually get to see them.

First, we have Jumper.

Hey! Hayden Christensen appears to act for the first time in his career as a Jedi! Who knew it was possible!

Then we have The Dark Knight, which I'm really hoping will. not. suck.

I will admit, when I heard that Heath Ledger had been entrusted with the role of The Joker, I was incredibly skeptical as to whether or not he could pull it off. But, after seeing this, I have high hopes Heath will finally live up to his much advertised, but never yet seen, potential.

And, finally, we have Nim's Island, which is family fare, but it's family fare that I would have dug when I was a kid, so I'll give it a go as an adult.

The fact that Gerard Butler is in it has absolutely nothing to do it. Ahem.

While I will admit, it does have a strong Romancing The Stone feel to it, I'm a sucker for a dude in a fedora. You know, so long as it's Harrison Ford or Gerard Butler sporting the fedora, and not Michael Douglas. Bleh.

Is there anything that you, my devoted Cake Eater readers, are looking forward to being disappointed by in the near future?

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Holy Crap! Doug's back!

And it's a good thing, too, because way back in July, he linked to my baldie picture---and then had the gall not to post anything for six months, meaning that I was still getting hits from that damn post until a few days ago, when it, mercifully, was pushed down the page.

Despite this egregious error, I'm nonetheless glad to have him back at the keyboard. If for no other reason than I can give him loads of shit about Nebraska's faltering football program.

Heh.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:49 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Hey, you Romney for Minnesota bastards: don't say I didn't warn you.

I've decided that while Mitt does have some fabulous hair, he needs to switch it up.

And I'm just the girl for the job.

Here's Mitt with Don King's hair. Kinda suits him, for some strange reason.

Who's hair should we appropriate for Mitt next, kids? Any ideas? I'm thinking Zsa Zsa Gabor, but I'm not sure.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:53 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Well, here we are again, my devoted Cake Eater readers. Another year has passed, and in time-honored holiday fashion, I'm going to post everyone's favorite photo of me...

...if for no other reason than my hair was longer in this photo than it is now. Perhaps if I have enough spiked egg nog tonight, I'll let the husband take a photo of me and I'll post it for comparison purposes. But only if I have enough spiked egg nog. We'll just have to see how things on that front progress.

My hair aside, I realized earlier this month that I really didn't need any Christmas presents because I'd received a pretty big present this year, in the form of my survival from ovarian cancer. Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I honestly couldn't come up with anything to tell them. And while my reply frustrated the Cake Eater Mom, I'm fine with it. I want for nothing. I've got my life, and my health, and that's all that really matters. While my survival required some rather large sacrifices, we're coming to terms with the situation. We're not healed yet, but, just like everything else, I have faith that we'll get there. Someday. That's enough for now.

I have so many blessings in my life. I have my fabulous family, who really stepped up this year to keep me buoyed up during my incarceration in the hospital and at home, afterwards, and during my treatments. We've had illness and adversity in our family before. We're no different than any other family in that regard. Yet, as the first of our immediate family to be diagnosed with cancer---a disease that has done a number already on our extended family---I know I scared the shit out of them. I'm so sorry I scared them. I couldn't really help it, but I'm sorry nonetheless. Instead of running away, like some of my real-world friends did, however, they all stepped up and did what they could to help, even if that was just sending the occasional e-mail telling me that they were thinking of me. That's no small thing. I'm thankful for them. I am also thankful for my in-laws who, despite having their own massive battles to fight this year, took the time, of which they didn't have much, to help out in their own way.

I also have my fantastic friends. My real-life friends, like Mr. H. and ML and the Doctor, just to name a few, have been there with incredible amounts of support, Louis Vuitton scarves, friendship, and much-needed laughter. They're incredible people and I'm truly blessed to have them in my life. I also have my online friends, people like Chrissy, who sent marvelous pick-me-up presents and emails, but who also made and shipped a SHITLOAD of gooey cakes to help out with my nephew James' JDRF fundraising efforts and never got a proper 'thank you' note from moi for her efforts, but who, somehow, doesn't think bad manners are a reason for cutting off friendship. For that I'm REALLY grateful, because she's truly an extraordinary person and I'm grateful for her presence in my life. I'm also grateful for the Llamas for their friendship. Steve-o kept up with the usual harassment, which made it feel much like things were still the same, and for Robbo in particular (and who just sent me the sweetest Christmas note, which completely made me blubber.) for plenty of things, but mostly for making me laugh like nothing else had in a long while with his "chemo pr0n" comment when I posted this picture. A certain "Just Me," with whom most of us are familiar, has also been a rock, and who graciously allowed me to make something useful out of all the knowledge I gained from my hysterectomy. Surprisingly, despite the fact I'm full of shit, she even took some of my advice and, in the process, made me feel useful for the first time in a long time.Phoenix, Cal Tech Girl, Eric, Zonker, Mitch , RP, and SO many others that I'm undoubtedly forgetting to mention, have also been just fantastic. But, last but not least, I cannot forget my devoted Cake Eater readers from Winterset, Russ and his wife, the Lovely Janis, who sent not only many, many emails of friendship and support, but who also sent a sleeve of cups from Kelly's, which I've been meaning to blog about, but haven't quite gotten around to doing yet. The internet truly does make the world a small place, but it makes my world so much bigger and richer because of the people I've been fortunate to meet through it.

And, finally, I have my incredible husband, who has been such a gift this year, that I really cannot express how grateful I am for him. I married a good man. I've written before that he's a wonder, and that I'm grateful for the knowledge of him, but really, kids, he's gone so far beyond and above the call of duty this year, that, well, I get all weepy thinking about him and all he's done for me for no other reason than that he loves me. I feel humbled and undeserving of his love and devotion. I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

And now, because I have other things I have to do this Christmas Eve Day, I will wrap this post up with a golden oldie recommendation for tonight. I wrote this little bit way back in 2003, during my very first Cake Eater Christmas, and I've always been particularly proud of it, unlike most of my writing. I always struggle to get things right, and usually after I post something, I think of a million ways I could have gotten something across better. This is one of the few instances where I think I got it just right the first time around:

Make the time tonight, between glasses of wine and obnoxious relatives, to go outside. Enjoy the peace and quiet, albeit temporary. Enjoy the cold for a few minutes. Breathe deeply and, for a brief moment, enjoy the icicles forming in your lungs. Shiver copiously. And then look up at the night sky, and if Rudolph's honker isn't too distracting, gaze at the stars.

Then, think of a young couple who on this night, roughly two thousand years ago, gave everything over to their faith and a God who demanded difficult things of them to fulfill His will. Know that they submitted without hesitation. Think of the gift they gave us this night and know that they gazed at the same stars you're looking at.

And know that the world is a wondrous place.

Merry Christmas, my devoted Cake Eater readers.

UPDATE: I'm also incredibly thankful for YouTube.

And Linus.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:30 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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A crying shame.

Outraged family and friends are blaming a medical insurer's heel-dragging for the premature death of a California teenager who died awaiting a liver transplant.

Nataline Sarkisyan, a 17-year-old from Glendale, Calif., died Thursday just a few hours after her insurer, Cigna Health Care, approved a procedure it had previously described as "too experimental" and that dozens of Sarkisyan's supporters protested at the Cigna's headquarters.

{...}The Sarkisyan family claims that Cigna first agreed to the liver transplant surgery and had secured a match weeks ago. After the teen, who was battling leukemia, received a bone marrow transplant from her brother, however, she suffered a lung infection, and the insurer backed away from what it felt had become too risky a procedure.

"They're the ones who caused this. They're the one that told us to go there, and they would pay for the transplant," Hilda Sarkisyan said.

Geri Jenkins of the California Nurses Association said the teen had insurance, and medical providers felt comfortable performing the medical procedure. In that situation, the the insurer should defer to medical experts, she said.

"They have insurance, and there's no reason that the doctors' judgment should be overrided by a bean counter sitting there in an insurance office," Jenkins said.

Doctors at the UCLA Medical Center actually signed a letter urging Cigna to review it's decision. Nataline Sarkisyan was sedated into a coma to stabilize her as the family filed appeals in the case.

During the middle of Thursday's protest, Hilda Sarkisyan fielded a call from Cigna alerting her that her daughter's procedure had been given the green light. Cigna released a statement announcing the company "decided to make an exception in this rare and unusual case and we will provide coverage should she proceed with the requested liver transplant."

The cheers, however, soon gave way to concern as the the hospital called to say that Nataline's health had taken a serious downturn. The family was forced to make the decision to take her off life support, and she later died. The battle to convince Cigna to support the medical procedure had taken too long.

The family said that it will now consider filing a lawsuit against Cigna -- after Nataline Sarkisyan is laid to rest. {...}

I hate stories like this. My sympathies go out to Nataline's family.

But, and there's a rather important "but" here, Nataline's parents would have you believe that Cigna is to blame for her death, rather than the lung infection that ultimately killed her. They're playing the if only game. If only Cigna hadn't denied coverage, she could have had the liver transplant, and all would be well. The big bad health insurer is to blame, once more, for another senseless. It's John Q all over again.

I don't think it's quite as clear cut as all that.

There's no guarantee that Nataline would have survived, even if she'd had the liver transplant. Transplants are risky things, and they don't always work. I'm no doctor, obviously, but it seems to me that if a young girl who was suffering from leukemia, had most likely been through some kind of chemotherapy treatment, and had already had a bone marrow transplant, would already have been somewhat immuno-compromised. Her age would have helped out some with this, though. It's a simple fact: younger people do better with cancer treatment. Yet, you have to add into the mix that she would have had to take immuno-suppresion drugs to keep her body from rejecting the transplant, and then it seems like her survival would have been a long shot. Her youth might not have helped out all that much in such a circumstance. Yet, again, I'm not a doctor, so take my analysis with a grain of salt. I'm just a former chemo patient who had a serious crash course in how the immune system works earlier this year. But the doctors were willing to do the transplant, despite the fact that she had a lung infection---that should suffice for the insurance company, right? I'm not sure. Insurance providers have to weigh the risks of paying for such procedures. As in, if Nataline had received the transplant, then had passed away, it's likely they would have faced liability for her death, then, too. It's a damned if you do, and damned if you don't situation.

The thing that bothers me about all this is why did Nataline's parents stage a protest at the insurance company, when it was most likely possible for them to accept payment liability for the transplant. Then their daughter could receive her much needed transplant, and then they could have hired a lawyer and fought it out with Cigna later. At least, by their reasoning, their daughter would now be be alive. Why is the blame laid automatically at Cigna's feet, when their daughter's health is their responsibility?

People forget that you can get health care without insurance. It happens every damn day of the week, in every hospital in this country. While I'm sure this would have been an exceptional case in terms of self-pay situations, it should have been presented as an option to the Sarkisyans. Why didn't the doctors at UCLA say, "Hey, let's do the transplant and then worry about who's paying for it later?" Why was it so important to the family that the procedure be covered by insurance? I can understand how scary it is to not have a financial safety net underneath you when you make large, expensive decisions like this. Believe me, I understand that. But that's no excuse for inaction in such a circumstance as this. I, too, have had approval for expensive procedures denied by my insurance company because of rules they have set in place, to prevent abuse of the system. But you can always fight that. And you can do it later, after the crisis has passed. Providers usually understand this. It takes a large leap of faith to do this, yes (and it usually requires a Visa card with a large limit on it, too, because they'll want at least a down payment up front.), but it's possible. The problem can be solved. Insurance companies are required by law to have appeals processes in place, so that you can always state your side of things. The procedure is listed out on the back of every single claim rejection---or even every damn letter---they send out. It's a pain, yes, but the process is there for a reason, so that insurance companies aren't later blamed for preferential treatment or, conversely, discrimination. Despite what the media and Hollywood would have you believe, insurance companies are not populated entirely by heartless bastards. While there are some glaring exceptions to that rule, for the most part, insurers do try to make sure that people get the coverage that they're paying for. The Sarkysians were obviously aware of the appeals process, too, because that's precisely what they were doing when their daughter took a turn for the worse. Furthermore, there are generally state and federal funds that could have been applied for to for assistance in paying for the transplant. Hospitals usually employ people whose sole job is to know how the system works, so that they can find the money to get paid and to keep the hospital running. Did the family not qualify for these programs? Do the programs not cover transplants? Did the hospital even inform the family of their options in this regard? There are many unanswered questions. And, from what I can see, no one's bothered asking them in their rush to tar and feather Cigna for their refusal. The questions loom large, but the main one I have is why didn't the family take the financial leap of faith that might have kept the daughter alive? Why did they think that their only option was to fight the insurance company?

Truly, it bothers me to raise these issues so soon after their daughter's death. But they're the ones who went crying to the media, so I guess that makes them fair game. I simply wish they'd seen that they had more options available to them than simply fighting the insurance company. While there's no guarantee that Nataline would still be alive today if her family had done things differently, perhaps, at least, she might have had a fighting chance.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:07 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Just in case you, my devoted Cake Eater readers, were looking for an online company to print out your Christmas cards, well, I would highly recommend going someplace other than Photoworks.

I'd never done the photo holiday cards before, and given my hair situation, I will admit that it's exceedingly strange that this would be the year to break that particular sound barrier, but as I had a nice photo of the husband and myself, I thought I'd give it a whirl. (Besides, sending out a picture, whilst simultaneously wishing everyone a "Happy and HEALTHY holiday season" sort of gets me out of writing a holiday letter, no?) The only problem with this photo was that it was taken at sunset, with the sun behind us, and the trick of using the flash to compensate for the overwhelming backlighting was not working for some strange reason. Well, never mind, because, verily, there is such a thing as Photoshop. I was able to tweak the photo in that particular program and it looked pretty good by the time I was finished with it. It was a little dark, but you could see us and that's what mattered. I put together the card at Photoworks, received a hefty discount at checkout, and all was well until the cards actually showed up at the Cake Eater pad. For whatever reason, Photoworks did not print the photo in my tweaked manner, but, of course, let their computer program autocorrect the photo---and they ruined the print in the process. You can barely see the husband or myself in the photo, but oh, boy can you really see the setting sun!

I'm still sending the cards out, and I can already hear the ribbing I'll take about them from my friends and family. But I'm not going to redo them. I already paid good money for Christmas cards, and, by golly, I'm going to use them.

However, I thought I'd pass along the warning for what it's worth. I'm not really happy, but I'm somewhat beyond caring at this point in time. A Christmas card is a Christmas card, right? Even if it's crappy. It's the thought that counts. Right?

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The husband informed me this morning that the merry little elf Lileks has been using as a Christmas mascot this week is creeping him out.

Apparently, his family had one for quite some time and he always hated the way those devilishly happy elvish eyes stared out at him from the Christmas trees of his youth.

Erm.

Ok, you can go on with your lives now that I've shared that.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:51 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The husband and I were watching "The Simpsons Movie" and, whilst we were waiting for the movie to load up, the usual threats of death, dismemberment and a ten years in the pokey, and a bajillion dollar fine for illegally downloading the movie raised their head for their two seconds of airtime. We weren't paying too much attention, but one warning passed by very quickly...and it wasn't regarding downloading. It was regarding the EPA, and since it passed by so quickly and we couldn't read it fast enough, we jumped the gun and assumed that the government had gotten pissed off, and commented how stupid that was. Why would anyone get their knickers in a twist over what the The Simpsons had to say about the EPA?

Well, as it turns out, we were duped. In a very funny way.

Heh. Gotta love those guys for doing this. The "EPA's" logo cracks me up.

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The neighborhood in which the husband's shop resides, Bryn Mawr, is hosting a "Saturnalia" (yeah, don't start with me about it. I UNDERSTAND.) event on this coming Saturday, December 15th. It's meant to drive traffic into the neighborhood stores, and quite a few people show up. Last year, I made the huge and horrible mistake of supplying the husband with homemade caramels to give away, along with hot cider, to those who passed by. It was a huge success, and now I have been asked, very politely indeed, to make them again. So I will. And then I will make another batch, next week, to give out with the rest of my Christmas goodies. These are pretty tasty, and if you've got some spare time on your hands---and I mean a lot of spare time---make for a delicious Christmas treat.

Golden Caramels

(Makes about 150. Caramels should be individually wrapped in cellophane or waxed paper, so they keep their shape.)

4 cups heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 cups light corn syrup
4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 lb. unsalted butter (two sticks) cut into sixteen pieces
1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil cooking spray

1. Spray an 11 3/4-by-16 1/2 inch baking pan (a half-sheet pan) with vegetable oil spray. In a 2qt saucepan, combine cream and sweetened condensed milk; set aside.

2. In a heavy 6-to-8qt saucepan, combine corn syrup, 1 cup water, sugar and salt. Clip on candy thermometer. Over high heat, cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring with a wooden spoon, 8 to 12 minutes. Brush down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals.

3. Stop stirring, reduce heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until temperature reaches 250 degrees (hard-ball stage), 45-60 minutes. Meanwhile, cook cream mixture over low heat until it is just warm. Do not boil. When sugar reaches 250 degrees, slowly stir in butter and warmed cream mixture, keeping mixture boiling at all times. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thermometer reaches 244 degrees (firm-ball stage), 55-75 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Immediately pour into prepared pan without scraping the pot. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 24 hours without moving.

4. To cut, spray a large cutting board generously with vegetable oil spray. Unmold caramel from pan onto sprayed surface. Cut into 1-by 1 1/4-inch pieces, or other shapes. Wrap each in cellophane or waxed paper.

So, a few tips from moi, because I've made this recipe a few times and I just happen to have a few handy, dandy tips to pass along. First, this recipe takes HOURS to complete (and then you have to wait a full twenty-four hours before cutting them up) so wear comfy shoes, have good music on the radio and a cocktail in hand (with a full shaker nearby). Second, you don't need a half-sheet pan to use this recipe; a jelly roll pan does nicely, although the caramels do come out a little thicker than what I think they were originally intended to, so do take that into account when you cut them up. Third, this is not a recipe for novice candy makers. If you are not familiar with what "hard ball" and "firm ball" mean, ahem, in relation to candy making, this is not the recipe for you. Practice on some peanut brittle and then take this one on. Fourth, you can buy waxed paper wrappers at a kitchen specialty store, like Williams and Sonoma; I would not recommend being cheap and cutting up squares from a roll of waxed paper---they don't work nearly as well. Fifth, and final, they're not kidding when they instruct to spray the cutting board with Pam. The caramels warm up as you work with them and they start sticking. The Pam prevents this, so use it.

Other than that, well, enjoy! And if you're out and about on Saturday afternoon, December 15th, and happen to live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, drop by Bryn Mawr Computer Support to enjoy the Saturnalia festival. Hit the corner of Penn Ave and South Cedar Lake Road, and you'll find the merriment.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:26 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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So, have you ever had a loved one go flying about the country, and then wondered where, precisely, they were in the course of their journey?

Well, wonder no more, my devoted Cake Eater readers, for, hark, there is Flight Aware. All you need to do is enter in an airline and the flight number and, voila, a handy dandy little map comes up, and shows you the flight's progress, with the information coming directly from the air traffic control system. For instance, I can tell that the husband is, currently, about to land at O'Hare. His plane is cruising at 1600 ft., is going 176 knots, and has sixteen miles to go before landing. Impressive, no?

I suspect that in twenty minutes or so, he'll be texting me that he's landed and is wandering around O'Hare, looking for a cup of coffee.

Posted by: Kathy at 10:52 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Go here. A lot.

Aw c'mon. Don't look at me like that. You know you already go to those kinds of sites. This is your one-stop-shop. You know this will shortly become one of your favorites, because, well, it's just so functional.

And if you're wondering what the hell kind of site it could possibly be, well, click on over, kids and keep clicking. Suggest feeds. Vote for your favorites. Visit the sponsors. {wink, wink, nudge, nudge}

The husband thanks you for your support and promises that the more you visit, the prettier it will look.

And, yes, I did have fun p-shopping Tommy Boy Cruise's head onto a casserole.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:34 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 122 words, total size 1 kb.

The Christmas season can officially start now.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:57 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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