tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17857952009-05-18T04:24:14.417-07:00BlogosaurusLinks Dinosaurs LoveCathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.comBlogger477125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-77560577838063651442009-05-17T14:11:00.000-07:002009-05-17T14:15:56.765-07:00Living in BelmontForbes Magazine recently came out with its list of <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/04/towns-cities-real-estate-lifestyle-real-estate-top-towns_slide_16.html?thisSpeed=30000">Top 25 American Cities to Live Well</a>, and Belmont, California (where we live) was number 11. <br /><br />We've lived here six years, and we like it very much. We love our neighborhood, and its proximity to hiking trails. The schools are very good. It's close to San Francisco. It has a great new library. <br /><br />The main drawback is the weather.. it's often 20 degrees cooler here than next-door San Carlos! It can get quite windy. Chris doesn't mind it, but I'd prefer it a little warmer. We do have heat waves.. it was 94 degrees here yesterday.. but it seems like its either slightly on the cool side, in the 50s or 60s, or REALLY hot. I'd like more 70-80 degree days!<br /><br />Also I wish there was a real downtown. There are shops and restaurants, but no real main street.<br /><br />But I have to agree it's a great place to live!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-7756057783806365144?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-66520176776866478872009-05-15T10:51:00.001-07:002009-05-15T11:09:41.706-07:00What's different about England?Every time I visit the UK, I see little things that are subtly different than the US. There are the obvious things, of course, like different vocabulary, driving on the other side of the road, having a Queen, etc. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/sets/72157613273897242/">This last trip</a> I decided to write down some of the things I noticed. I've listed them here.<br /><br />Let me preface it by saying I really love the UK, and that these are just my own experiences, from the 4 months or so I've spent there. Your mileage may vary.<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/3282127365/in/set-72157613273897242/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Separate hot and cold taps</span></a>. This really drives me crazy... you either burn your hands or freeze them. The idea is that you're supposed to put the plug in and fill the sink with the right mix of water, but that seems like a lot of bother.<br /></li><li>"<span style="font-weight: bold;">Half-eleven</span>". Just one of those phrases that I have to stop and think about when I hear it (I would say "eleven-thirty").</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">"dinner" == Sunday lunch</span>. I still get mixed up about the usage of lunch, dinner, and tea. Sometimes tea means afternoon snacks, sometimes it means a light dinner, sometimes it means a regular dinner. Sometimes lunch is lunch and sometimes it's dinner.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">No napkins</span>. Or at least, very few napkins. Chris is adept at eating without needing a napkin. Me, not so much. I didn't realize I was a messy eater until I had to make due without a napkin. Restaurants have napkins, but often have paper napkins instead of cloth even at slightly nicer places.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Putting the laundry out to dry outside</span>. This is good environmentally, and not everyone has space for a dryer, but I see lots of people who do have dryers still using the line. In a country that rains a lot. I remember being in Scotland at a B&B and the owner had just put the wash out to dry, when it started hailing, so he brought it all back in. Then it was sunny again, so it went out again.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">No shower door/curtain</span>. Another skill Chris has that I lack: taking a shower in a tub with no curtain. After my 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> visit to his parents', I am finally able to take my shower without getting the floor soaking wet. Showers often have hand-held sprayers that are on brackets on the wall; I must admit I really like my water-wasting more powerful American shower heads.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Small rooms, keep the doors closed!</span> I'm used to houses with more open-plan styles, where you often can't even "close" a room because there's no door. A lot of the UK houses I've been too have smaller rooms, and I see people opening and shutting the doors as they go in and out. Makes sense from a heating perspective. It's just something different.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Soap with a "badge"</span>. Chris's parents have this soap called <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindaukrose/2715292328/">Imperial Leather</a> that has a little "badge" in the middle, that's leftover when the soap is all gone. Never seen that before!</li></ul>Anyway, those are just some of the little things that struck me. I would love to hear from Brits about the little things they've noticed in the US.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-6652017677686647887?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-68144320245779000782009-03-05T18:10:00.000-08:002009-03-05T18:45:49.755-08:00Song FlashbacksThis morning on the radio I heard Sting's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Love is the Seventh Wave</span> and was instantly transported back in time to 1988, driving down Ygnacio Valley Road in Chris W's (POPnet handle: Number Six) yellow AMC Hornet, en route to a party.<br /><br />I love song flashbacks. When I hear <span style="font-weight: bold;">Groove is in the Heart</span> by Deee-Lite, I'm back in my dorm room freshman year at UCSD, dancing with my roommate Amanda. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Push It</span> by Salt-N-Pepa puts me back at a high school dance, doing the Running Man. When I hear <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Flag </span>by the Barenaked Ladies, I'm driving in my car from Indiana to Kentucky on my first solo road trip.<br /><br />When I hear <span style="font-weight: bold;">Help Me Rhonda</span> by the Beach Boys I picture my Dad dancing in our living room, clapping his hands and singing, and everything seems right with the world. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Early Morning Rain</span> reminds me of Jon...it was on a mix tape from him and I listened to it over and over in my Honda station wagon in high school.<br /><br />Some songs have multiple memories. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Summer of '69</span> by Bryan Adams brings to mind hanging out at Jason's house in high school, singing along in his living room, as well as early days of dating Chris, jumping on the bed in his studio apartment and air guitaring.<br /><br />Some songs are sad, reminding me of breakups, or my lonely first summer in Indiana. Some songs make me tearful but for good reasons: the lyric "And when I take your hand, I watch my heart set sail," from Mark Cohn's <span style="font-weight: bold;">True Companion</span> fills me with love for Chris.<br /><br />And there are songs that I just can't help dancing to, like <span style="font-weight: bold;">It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right</span> by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock. Lisa and I heard that in the mall the other day and just started grooving at the Gap.<br /><br />I love how music brings back such powerful memories. Got any song flashbacks? Share them in the comments!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-6814432024577900078?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-81856126231815066322008-12-07T17:41:00.000-08:002008-12-07T18:14:06.254-08:00Love Me Tender<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/3091406646/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.mcquaker.org/blog/uploaded_images/ElvisWedding-752578.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Last night was the Yahoo! holiday party. The theme this year was Las Vegas, and I have to say it was my favorite so far (of the four we've been to). The first year we went, I was feeling terrible from the <a href="http://www.mcquaker.org/blog/2005_12_18_blog_archive.html">bug I'd picked up</a> on our trip to the Caribbean. The second year was good. Last year I was 5 months pregnant and spent most of it sitting down. This year I was footloose and fancy free!<br /><br />My parents babysat and we had a great time dancing, eating, playing Dance Dance Revolution, and renewing our vows with Elvis. Yes, they had a Vegas-style wedding stage, and Elvis performed the ceremonies. They even had wigs/glasses to dress up. The only thing lacking was gingerbread men (available at the previous parties).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-8185612623181506632?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-90852997518193854872008-11-11T21:50:00.000-08:002008-11-11T22:02:39.428-08:00Here In My Car<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/3023765002/in/set-72157608903843307/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://www.mcquaker.org/blog/uploaded_images/Car-713678.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Chris and I have been discussing buying a new car for years. I'd been driving a 1996 Nissan 200SX SE-R, and he's been driving a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/636312117/in/set-72157600512042004/">2001 Audi S4</a>.<br /><br />I loved my Nissan. It was my first new car, and I bought it back in Indiana when I was going to graduate school. I took my first solo road trip in it (down to Kentucky to visit Mammoth Caves), and drove it from Indiana to Virginia, and Indiana to California. It was just right for me: small, zippy, and comfortable to drive. The only thing it lacked was a color: I wanted green, but settled for black. I vowed the next time I bought a car I wouldn't settle.<br /><br />I briefly considered buying a Nissan 350Z as its replacement, and even took one for a test drive, but I knew I wouldn't end up buying it. Too impractical.<br /><br />When the baby arrived, I started driving the Audi, because it's a 4-door so it's easier to get the car seat in and out. However, it's still too small to fit two adults in the back in addition to the carseat. So we decided we'd replace the Nissan with a more family-friendly car.<br /><br />We didn't want an SUV or a minivan, and quickly settled on a wagon. But then we stalled. There are wagons out there, but nothing met all our criteria: good gas mileage, reasonably sized back seat and cargo space, a little bit sporty, 4WD, and, my most important one: it had to come in red!<br /><br />We dithered for months, went to the car show, test drove a couple of cars, and finally decided on a Toyota Matrix. But finding the Matrix with the options I wanted (red, 5-speed manual, vehicle stability control, all-weather package) was impossible. I tried CarsDirect.com, spoke to various dealers, but they all said that combination wasn't available. One dealer kept calling/emailing me and would say, "Cathy.... are you SURE you want red? I mean... it's RED. Really red."<br /><br />Finally I called an auto broker and she found the car I wanted in Sacramento. Two guys drove it down on Saturday morning, and when we opened the door they looked at us doubtfully and said, "It's red." I GET IT. Then when I said I wanted to take it for a drive around the block, one of them said, "Well, it's a 5-speed.." Um, yeah, I DID buy the car... do you think I can't drive it? Then he insisted I was the co-signer when in fact my name was listed first. Ok, I'm a 36-year old woman; why is it I can't possibly want a red car with a manual transmission??<br /><br />Anyway, we drove the car this weekend and I like it a lot. It doesn't have all the luxuries of the Audi--I really miss the automatic temperature control, where you can just set the temperature you want--but it's been nice to drive so far. And, we can fit two adults in the back along with the car seat!<br /><br />Now I just have to sell the Nissan. I'm going to miss that car.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-9085299751819385487?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-435721277575503902008-10-29T12:36:00.000-07:002008-10-29T12:47:21.280-07:00DuhStupid things I have done recently that I choose to blame on sleep deprivation:<br /><ul><li>Stuffed the water bill into a drawer and forgot all about it</li><li>Went to the grocery store but forgot my shopping list</li><li>Went back to the store to get what I forgot, and bought sour cream instead of cottage cheese</li><li>Forgot to pay the credit card bill, then argued with the customer service rep that of COURSE I had paid it, it must have been a bank error. Uh.. no.</li><li>Set fire to parchment paper on the stove</li><li>Drove down the block with the emergency brake on</li><li>Sent someone a birthday card an entire month early</li></ul>I'm sure there's more, but I am too sleep-deprived to remember.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-43572127757550390?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-3604015037452460992008-10-24T18:53:00.000-07:002008-10-24T18:55:31.704-07:00Ho Ho HoI find this a little ironic: it's a <a href="http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1510&f=22303&q=coal&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1">bag of coal</a> from Crate and Barrel (really licorice pieces), for Christmas stockings. And it's kosher.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-360401503745246099?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-82673813794536936912008-10-08T22:41:00.000-07:002008-10-08T22:51:25.984-07:00Bad SurveyAs someone who used to conduct surveys, I am sympathetic when I get calls asking me to participate in one. Plus, I actually like taking surveys.<br /><br />Tonight I got another call from the Nielsen people, asking me to take a television survey. First the guy says, "May I speak to Cathy.. F.... female?" I said, "Cathy F?" and he says "Oh.. no.. Cathy, the F is for female."<br /><br />Ok, that's me! Then we get stuck on the first question: do I subscribe to cable TV? Well, I asked for a clarification, since cable TV sometimes means literally cable TV (e.g. instead of satellite), and sometimes it means non-broadcast channels. <br /><br />He repeated the question. I said, Does it include satellite TV? We subscribe to satellite. He repeated the question. Finally, I'm like, I don't know, let's move on.<br /><br />The next question? "Do you subscribe to a satellite TV service?" <br /><br />Sigh.<br /><br />He then proceeds to list every sport known to man, including 10 types of car racing I've never heard of, and wants to know how much I like watching them on TV, on a scale of 1 to 5. Since I don't watch sports on TV, I answered 1 to everything, though I really wanted a negative rating scale for things like hunting and fishing, which would be even worse than watching, say, football.<br /><br />About 12 minutes into the survey, he suddenly says, "I am having computer problems. I will have to call you back." I ask him how much more there is of the survey and he says "I don't know.. my computer is having problems."<br /><br />I think their survey technique could use some improvement.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-8267381379453693691?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-46392748511863540972008-09-30T15:57:00.000-07:002008-09-30T16:22:55.372-07:00Book Review: Traffic: Why We Drive The Way We DoI just finished the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Traffic-Drive-What-Says-About/dp/0307264785/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222815924&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What it Says About Us)</span></a> by Tom Vanderbilt. It was excellent!<br /><br />He takes a look at the psychology of driving, and has lots of data and studies to look at. One of the most fascinating parts to me was about the "less is more" theory, e.g. it's safer to have FEWER traffic signals, signs, high sidewalk curbs, etc, because those things allow a driver (as well as pedestrians and bicyclists) to feel safe when we shouldn't. He quotes recently-deceased Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman, who pioneered this theory. You can <a href="http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=wq.essay&essay_id=462572">read more about Monderman</a> on Vanderbilt's blog, or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaLhbbtmlE">watch this video</a>.<br /><br />Two paragraphs really stood out for me. The first is about people's inability to understand the odds of dangerous things happening, and how it makes us try to add security to the wrong places. He articulates something very well that I've long thought (emphasis mine):<br /><blockquote>Grimly tally <span style="font-weight: bold;">the number of people who have been killed by terrorism in the United States </span>since the State Department began keeping records in the 1960s, and you'll get a <span style="font-weight: bold;">total loss of less than 5,000</span>--roughly the same number, it has been pointed out, as those who have been struck by lightening. But each year, with some fluctuation, <span style="font-weight: bold;">the number of people killed in car crashes in the United States tops 40,000</span>. More people are killed on the roads each month than were killed in the September 11 attacks. In the wake of those attacks, polls found that many citizens thought it was acceptable to curtail civil liberties to help counter the threat of terrorism . . . <span style="font-weight: bold;">Those same citizens, meanwhile, in polls and in personal behavior, have routinely resisted traffic measures designed to reduce the annual death toll</span> (e.g. lowering speed limits, introducing more red-light cameras, stiffer blood alcohol limits, stricter cell phone laws.) . . . It might be precisely because of all the vigilance that no further deaths due to terrorism have occured in the United States since 9/11 . . . <span style="font-weight: bold;">This raises the question of why we do not mount a similarly concerted effort to improve the "security" of the nation's roads</span>; instead in the wake of 9/11, newspapers have been filled with stories of traffic police being taken off the roads and assigned to counterterrorism.<br /></blockquote>And I liked this paragraph too (again, emphasis mine):<br /><blockquote>On the road, we make our judgments about what's risky and what's safe using our own imperfect human calculus. We think large trucks are dangerous, but we drive unsafely around them. We think roundabouts are more dangerous than intersections, although they're more safe. We think the sidewalk is a safer place to ride a bike, even though it's not. . . <span style="font-weight: bold;">We do not let children walk to school even though driving presents a greater hazard</span> . . . We buy SUVs because we think they're safer and then drive them in more dangerous ways. We drive at a minuscule following distance to the car ahead, exceeding out ability to avoid a crash, with a blind faith that the driver ahead will never have a reason to suddenly stop. <span style="font-weight: bold;">We have gotten to the point where cars are safer than ever, yet traffic fatalities cling to stubbornly high levels.</span> We know all this, and act as if we don't.</blockquote>Anyway, the whole thing is a great read and I highly recommend it.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-4639274851186354097?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-2342505321044594542008-09-23T13:31:00.000-07:002008-09-23T13:35:16.821-07:00A PollJust curious about my readership. (I have the same poll on my other blog too.. please only vote once!)<table height="100" border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 ><br /> <tr><br /> <td valign="top" ><br /> <b><center>Which do you read:</center></b><br><br /> 1) <a href="http://www.luckypolls.com/index.php?act=06&id=14366&answer=1">I only read Blogosaurus.</a><br>2) <a href="http://www.luckypolls.com/index.php?act=06&id=14366&answer=2">I only read Baby Blogosaurus.</a><br>3) <a href="http://www.luckypolls.com/index.php?act=06&id=14366&answer=3">I read both blogs.</a><br><br /> <br><center><a href="http://www.luckypolls.com/14366/which-do-you-read"><u>View Results</u></a></center><br /> <br><center><a href="http://luckypolls.com">Make your own poll</a></center><br /> </td><br /> </tr><br /></table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-234250532104459454?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-91347585777406543132008-09-22T22:35:00.000-07:002008-09-22T22:38:24.466-07:00So CloseThis afternoon, a <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/22/MNK713318C.DTL&hw=mollie+stone&sn=001&sc=1000">truck crashed into a parking lot</a> of a grocery store in San Mateo, injuring three people and killing a child. The grocery store is Mollie Stone's, where I go every week. I was in that very parking lot an hour before the accident.<br /><br />Just a reminder of how random these things are.. how quickly lives can be changed forever, even when you're just grocery shopping. Scary.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-9134758577740654313?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-68895376478038834712008-09-22T22:08:00.001-07:002008-09-22T22:35:04.895-07:00CookingI've been looking for some new recipes recently as I'm getting a little tired of all our standard meals. Plus I need more quick meals since I don't have much time to cook. Generally, I cook dinner 5-6 nights a week, and one night we do something really basic like frozen pizza. Chris sometimes cooks a meal as well (like when he has a hamburger and I have a veggie burger, or when we have breakfast for dinner and he makes bacon). He also makes very tasty broccoli <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">calzones</span>, but those take a while so we only have them on the weekend. Oh and this weekend he made a lemon <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">meringue</span> pie.. that was good too.<br /><br />When I say I "cook" that doesn't necessarily mean much; it could just be boiling ravioli & heating sauce and making a salad. But sometimes it's more complicated, like veggie Wellingtons (Chris's favorite vegetarian meal).<br /><br />Chris doesn't like leftovers, and I can't really complain about that.. he eats anything I make, even though it's vegetarian. We both grew up with moms who were stay-at-home (though my mom did go back to work part time when I was older) and who cooked dinner every night, so we're used to that model.<br /><br />But I found a way around the leftover problem! Did you know you can make twice as much, and FREEZE part of it? Wow! It only took me 36 years to learn this.<br /><br />Anyway, two new things I've tried recently: spinach & mushroom in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">phyllo</span> cups, and sausage-egg casserole.<br /><br />The spinach & mushroom thing is from Vegan Lunch Box, but the original recipe uses tofu and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">phyllo</span> you have to roll out, so I never tried it. But then I <a href="http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html">saw on her blog</a> [can't link to the post; scroll down to "Greg's Great Greek Lunch"] that she used mushrooms in place of the tofu and used the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">pre</span>-made cups (found in the frozen section) so I tried that and it worked well.<br /><br />I decided to try some vegetarian sausage last week when we had breakfast for dinner, and it wasn't too bad. I wasn't a big sausage eater when I ate meat, either. Anyway Chris didn't like the plain sausage, but I thought I might be able to find a dish that used it in a less obvious way. I found <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/SAUSAGE-AND-EGG-CASSEROLE-WITH-SUN-DRIED-TOMATOES-AND-MOZZARELLA-106411">this recipe</a> on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Epicurious</span> and tried it out tonight and it was pretty good--I think we'll have it again! (I substituted veggie sausage for meat, of course, and added more sun-dried tomatoes, and used half-and-half instead of whipping cream).<br /><br />That's the latest in our culinary adventures.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-6889537647803883471?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-28808492932023238582008-09-17T20:57:00.000-07:002008-09-17T21:08:44.948-07:00President of Yugoslavia<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/2866326281/in/photostream/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.mcquaker.org/blog/uploaded_images/YugoFlag-735918.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Back in high school, for reasons I cannot explain, I declared myself the president of Yugoslavia. My friend Tara S. declared herself the co-president, and we would talk in funny accents. I had a Yugoslavia keychain and a Yugoslavia sweatshirt, and I visited the Yugoslavia booth at the World Expo.<br /><br />Anyway, my friend Andy got me a cool huge Yugoslavian flag that I hung in my room, and then later in my dorm room in college. I carried that flag from San Diego to Indiana and back to California again. At some point I thought maybe I should sell it on eBay or something, since I was no longer using it, and someone else would appreciate it more. But I was too lazy to do anything about it.<br /><br />Until a few weeks ago, when I walked into my mother's group and met someone who was born in Yugoslavia. I said, "This may be an odd question, but would you like a Yugoslavian flag?" And she said "Sure!"<br /><br />So the next week I brought it with me, and gave it to her. And that is the story of my Yugoslavian flag.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-2880849293202323858?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-82495606387576819122008-09-03T17:58:00.001-07:002008-09-03T18:17:54.190-07:00The Android's Dream: ReviewOver the years, I'd heard favorable things about John Scalzi's writing, so I was happy to find one of his books (<span style="font-style: italic;">The Android's Dream) </span>at the local library. The title interested me because of the homage to Philip K. Dick's <span style="font-style: italic;">Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?</span><br /><br />I really didn't like this book. First off, the core plot revolves around a fart joke--not exactly my favorite type of humor. The writing is sloppy: for example the word "just" would be used twice in one sentence, and there were a bunch of typos. The writing style is extremely casual, which in general I don't mind, but this was casual enough that I was conscious of it.<br /><br />What I disliked most, however, was its treatment of female characters. I am very disappointed that a modern science fiction writer would do such a poor job of including female characters. It's science fiction.... you can do anything you want! Yet it suffers from the age-old treatment of women as important only as love interests.<br /><br />There are two major female characters: Robin Baker, and Andrea Hayter-Ross. Baker is a human/sheep hybrid; her mother was genetically engineered as a sheep-woman to satisfy men's beastiality urges. Nice. Baker is described as "attractive," of course, and is pursued by Earthlings and aliens alike for a ceremony to determine the next leader of the Nidu alien race.<br /><br />Hayter-Ross is really the only decent female character, as someone who started the Church of the Evolved Lamb, a thinly-veiled version of Scientology.<br /><br />Of course, Baker is always called "Robin" (or "the girl"), while the male characters are usually referred to by their last name.<br /><br />There are so many politicians, hackers, aliens, etc. in this book--why are they almost all men? In another charming example, Earth has banned all females of a particular alien race from visiting Earth during mating season unless they are on birth control, since their mating practices wreak havoc. It's a silly piece of the story, but why must it be the females who are banned? <br /><br />This book gets an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Even if the misogyny doesn't bother you, I think the story is pretty lame. I did actually finish the book, so it's certainly not the worst thing I've ever read, but I can't say it makes me want to read anything else he's written.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-8249560638757681912?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-3387266646248741542008-09-03T15:00:00.001-07:002008-09-03T15:09:39.267-07:00Dinosaurs Are Not Just For BoysIt drives me nuts when people advertise things like dinosaur decorations and label it "for boys". Why on Earth would only boys like dinosaurs? My mom got me a really cute scrapbook with dinosaurs on it and put pictures of everyone in the family in it. It comes with stickers and they all say things like "absolutely 100% boy" and "of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable" and "it's a guy thing". WTF?<br /><br />Look, I understand that in general, more boys than girls are interested in dinosaurs. But I was a dino-freak when I was a kid and I'm sure lots of other little girls are too. There is just no reason to categorize the world into "boy" and "girl" items. It's like greeting cards--why are Star Wars cards labeled "Boy Birthday"? Why can't they just be birthday cards? <br /><br />Jack's <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/2700831868/in/set-72157606358122700/">room is painted lavender</a>. We painted it that color a few years ago and saw no reason to change it when turning the room into a nursery. Having that color for a boy disturbs some people, however. I called a place to ask about glider cushions and when I mentioned the color of the room was lavender and that we were having a boy, the woman said, "Well, and you'll be changing the color of course..."<br /><br />Just what do people think is going to happen if a baby boy has a room with lavender-painted walls? No doubt he'll be scarred for life.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-338726664624874154?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-24259363671294790562008-08-24T17:46:00.001-07:002008-08-24T17:57:13.424-07:00Great WeekendWhat a nice weekend. On Saturday I went to <a href="http://6books.blogspot.com/">book club</a> for our 5-year anniversary. We read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Musicophilia-Tales-Music-Brain-Vintage/dp/1400033535/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219625245&sr=8-1">Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain</a>, by Oliver Sacks, and had a great discussion at <a href="http://www.bistrovidamp.com/">Bistro Vida</a>, where our book club was conceived. I love book club. We spend about half the time discussing the book, and half the time talking about all kinds of things. I always wish we could meet longer.<br /><br />Saturday night S. came over and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/2793493353/">made us dinner</a>: lentil tostadas. They were very tasty and I had leftovers for lunch today. We watched some Olympics and played the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poll-Game-Opinions/dp/B00005JTC8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1219625505&sr=8-2">Poll Game</a>, one of my favorites. (Dave was out of town so missed out on the fun.)<br /><br />Today I met up with Amy and visited Lisa and Jason and their new <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/sets/72157606932635637/">baby boy Jon</a>. They're doing very well and Jon is adorable.<br /><br />Last night Jack gave us a treat and had a five-and-a-half hour chunk of sleep (he went to bed at 8, woke up to eat around midnight, then slept until 5:30).<br /><br />Soon, Jack will wake up from his nap and we'll go for a short walk, then have dinner. And that will be the end of a very nice weekend.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-2425936367129479056?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-36052907967588576532008-08-18T14:18:00.001-07:002008-08-18T14:20:08.632-07:003 Day What?I'm sure this isn't news to anyone, but the company <a href="http://3day.com/">3 Day Blinds</a> should really be renamed "3 Day Blinds (if you pay us $150 extra)".<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-3605290796758857653?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-49710987261100868662008-08-17T18:25:00.001-07:002008-08-17T18:30:58.845-07:00Question on Unlocking PhonesOk, people out there who are cell-phone savvy: I need to know how I can make sure my phone will work when we go to the UK.<br /><br />I have a Motorola Razr V3. I called T-Mobile and told them I wanted to unlock my phone. They sent me an email with the unlocking code and the following instruction: "Before you start, you must have a foreign (non T-Mobile) SIM card entered into the handset."<br /><br />I want to test this out before we travel (prob in a few months). Can I buy a SIM card here and try it? If so, where would I buy it, what would I buy?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-4971098726110086866?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-61553881830908799212008-08-04T12:22:00.000-07:002008-08-04T23:02:47.050-07:00Where the Hell is Matt? At Yahoo!Matt Harding, of the website <a href="http://wherethehellismatt.com/?fbid=HiOF1">Where the Hell is Matt?</a>, recently paid a visit to the Yahoo! campus. For those who haven't heard of him, Matt travels around the world and does a goofy dance in various locales. He often dances with the locals. This year's video is excellent, be sure and check it out.<br /><br />I wanted to be in on the fun so I went down with Jack and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/2692146654/in/set-72157606115080371/">had lunch with Chris</a>, and then took part in the dancing on the green outside the cafeteria. They just <a href="http://ycorpblog.com/2008/08/04/and-now-we-dance/">posted the video</a> on the Yahoo! blog. Matt danced all over campus and the part we were in is very brief, right at the end of the video. You can't really see us, but we're standing in the circle at the top left of the Y.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE</span>: There's a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yodelanecdotal/2732358363/sizes/o/in/set-72157606544363621/">photo of us on Flickr</a> right before the dancing started. We're just to the right of the white light post. In fact that's Jack's diaper bag next to the post.. :) Thanks Mom for finding us!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-6155388183090879921?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-67648640550409584472008-08-03T15:13:00.000-07:002008-08-03T15:36:06.546-07:00I Fought the Curl, and the Curl Won<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/2729974554/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.mcquaker.org/blog/uploaded_images/HairCut_small-723285.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>For 36 years, I've wished for straight hair. I've been going to the same hairdresser for nearly 10 years, and every time <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpearl/2251094854/in/set-72157603851842798/">I have him blow-dry it straight</a>. All day I say "I love my hair!" and the next time I take a shower, when the straightness gives way to the huge hair that's always been my nemesis, I shed silent tears.<br /><br />Ok, I don't really cry, but I do wish it could be straight all the time.<br /><br />My hairdresser's moving out of the state, so I decided to finally try going to someone new. She was all about the curl, so I let her loose. I have to say: I like it! The big question is, will I be able to make it look that way on my own? I think I'll have a good chance at it: she just put some product in and twirled the hair into ringlets and let it air-dry. Never too old to try something new, right?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-6764864055040958447?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-33390999742107035112008-07-30T13:19:00.000-07:002008-07-30T13:21:33.334-07:00Too Much Star TrekLast night I had a dream about a time travel machine. William Shatner was there and when I asked him where he wanted to go, he said "Montreal World Expo, 1933." (I don't believe there was such a thing..) Anyway, he can go ANYWHERE in the entire history of the world and that's where he picks? Bo-ring.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-3339099974210703511?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-90736697429930347342008-07-16T23:03:00.000-07:002008-07-16T23:04:23.200-07:00Steve, Say It Ain't So<blockquote><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25706230">Barenaked Ladies singer and guitarist Steven Page faces a cocaine possession charge after his arrest while visiting two woman at their suburban Syracuse apartment.</a></blockquote>Nooooooo!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-9073669742993034734?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-38005093092681692752008-07-15T15:17:00.000-07:002008-07-15T15:24:30.137-07:00SnarkI seem to be getting snarkier in my old age, or maybe it's just the sleep deprivation, but I find myself saying things out loud I would normally keep to myself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Example #1</span><br />I'm at the pharmacy, carrying Jack in the sling. The pharmacist looks over and says sternly, "Make sure you cover that baby up in the sun!" I say, "Actually, I like to leave him in the sun for 5 hours a day, to get as much sun as possible!" I say it with a big friendly smile though so she just looks confused.<br /><br />What is with people and their fear of sun & babies? I mean if they took one look at Jack it's pretty clear how pale he is; obviously he's not sitting in the sun all day. And even if I were the type of person to do that, is her admonishing me really going to change my ways? Look, if I'm dangling Jack over an open sewer grate or something, you can speak up, but otherwise.. zip it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Example #2</span><br />It's noon on a Saturday. I'm feeding Jack upstairs, Chris is in the shower. Doorbell rings. I ignore it, figuring it's just UPS or something. It rings again. Knocking. Thinking it must be urgent, I rush downstairs carrying Jack who's now crying since his feeding has been interrupted. I open the door, and it's the Mormons.<br /><br />"Hello, we're from the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints," one woman says.<br />"I'm an atheist."<br />"Can we leave you some literature?"<br />"No. Can I give you some literature on being an atheist?"<br /><br />They didn't want any, which I suppose is just as well since I'm out.<br /><br />Grumpy old lady! That's what I am!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-3800509309268169275?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-92117557600026696952008-07-10T22:12:00.001-07:002008-07-10T22:12:54.831-07:00Dreamgirls: The ReviewToo much singing.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-9211755760002669695?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785795.post-80129894505850568102008-07-07T23:16:00.000-07:002008-07-07T23:17:28.818-07:00Song Meme1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle<br />2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.<br />3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.<br /><br /> <p class="MsoNormal">HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?<br />Impossible<br /><br />WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?<br />Workin’ for MCA<br /><br />WHAT IS LIFE'S PURPOSE?<br />Fever<br /><br />WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?<br />Take Me Home<br /><br />WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?<br />Thank Misery<br /><br />WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?<br />None of Your Business<br /><br />WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?<br />I U She<br /><br />WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?<br />Full of Grace<br /><br />WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?<br />Brokeback Mountain Score 3<br /><br />WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?<br />Whipping Boy<br /><br />WHAT SONG WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR WEDDING?<br />Iko Iko<br /><br />WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?<br />Superwise<br /><br />WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST??<br />Hell Yes<br /><br />WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?<br />I Only Have Eyes for You<br /><br />WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?<br />Here Today and Yesterday<br /><br />WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?<br />Sister Christian</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1785795-8012989450585056810?l=www.mcquaker.org%2Fblog%2Fblogger.html'/></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04337081194073631056noreply@blogger.com0