| “ “. … … *crickets chirping* … … Yeah, we had 3 of 5 as no-shows, so we overheard NOTHING at the gaming table tonight. However, BEFORE gaming, I took this photo, and said to myself, “Eating peas with chopsticks sux, yo…” |
 |
Regards,
{ 0 comments }
| I read hundreds of blogs. No kidding, literally hundreds. And I like them all for one reason or another, otherwise I wouldn’t read them.
There are a handful of blogs, though, that I read just for the fun of it. Because they challenge me, or delight me, or amaze me. Here’s 5 of them. Onward and Awkward-This is the blog of Tina Montney-Harkness, a local blogger in Duluth. She’s gone through some rough times in the past couple of years. Her blog is |
|
| of my favorites. |
Zumba Queen’s Blog-My friend Connie is The Zumba Queen! She found Zumba (a form of combined dancing and exercising), and never looked back. She’s currently teaching Zumba classes, and also blogs about her experiences with Weight Watchers, and is a lot of fun to read.
Home On The Range-Brigid’s Home On The Range. “Just a Celt/Viking warrior living out life in the Midwest. With a cast iron cookpan, a black dog, and an ammo can or two.” Brigid makes some of the tastiest-looking food I’ve ever seen. And she shoots guns–a lot. And she’s a sci-fi geek. And she’s a Browncoat. And she’s a patriot. Any description after that would be…well…inadequate. You really just have to experience Brigid.
How Sweet It Is Cakes-Actually not a blog, but a gallery of the coolest looking cakes you’ve ever laid eyes on! My friend Eileen is a master cake decorator, and wandering around her gallery is just fun. I can personally vouch for the DELICIOUSNESS of her cakes. And she’ll deliver in the Duluth/Superior area.
Runs with d6’s-My friend Chewie. He’s a runner, and a swimmer, and a gamer, and a Linux Geek, and an all around cool guy to chat with.
Regards,
p.s. I’m always on the lookout for new blogs on the topics that interest me. Please tell me your favorite blogs in the comments!
{ 0 comments }
This recipe is from Pat Libling, of PatsyPie Gluten-Free Bakery, in Montreal, Canada. PatsyPie’s website is patsypie.com. I found this recipe in the February/March 2010 issue of Living Without.
Clouds of Delight Cookies
Makes 36 cookies
3 egg whites from extra-large eggs
3/4C sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1C toasted coconut
optional-sweetened cocoa, for dusting
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or use non-stick cookie sheets
2. In a chilled bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks begin to form. Slowly add the sugar, a bit at a time. Add salt and then vanilla. Continue to beat mixture until it becomes very stiff, like meringue.
3. Using a spatula, carefully fold in the chocolate chips and coconut.
4. Use a teaspoon to form cookies, placing them on prepared cookie sheets.
5. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes with the oven light on. Keeping oven door closed, watch carefully to make sure cookies don’t overly brown. Cookies are done when they’re slightly golden.
6. Remove from oven and cool on pan. Dust with a little sweetened cocoa, if desired.
Store in an airtight container.
{ 0 comments }
 |
“dang! I’m kinda cold out here in a t-shirt…” I thought to myself. “Well, you’re going to be a lot colder in just a few minutes!”
As Blackie and I walked briskly along the Lakewalk with the other Plungers, we came around the corner and my mouth fell open; there had to be 1000 people jammed onto the Lakewalk. There was 20 ambulances, at least 40 police officers, several large tents, and a couple of radio stations. Lots of paramedics, |
| photo by Special Olympics Minnesota | and several people in red and yellow dry-suits |
floating in the water. And a big, jagged hole chopped in the ice on the shore, ringed by a boat dock like my grandfather used to have on the lake.
We hurried down the path, and soon found another group of folks wearing the same shirt that I was. These were the people from my job, and we were all jumping together.
It felt really good being out there with folks from work. We were supporting a great cause, and doing something fun together. I wished that more of us had decided to Plunge!
We gathered for a photo and then were told we could jump at any time. Eeeeehhh! The excitement! I was pretty nervous, ‘cause I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pretty darn sure it wouldn’t be good though!
We chatted with people in the crowd, and posed for more pictures. I watched the line of people on their way to the lake; people wearing nothing but shorts and sandals, bikinis even. People wearing costumes of chickens and moose, people dressed as bikers or goth girls. It was a lot of fun watching every one!
Finally, we decided to get in line. Mark, Jim, Crystal and I decided we would jump together. I was getting butterflies now. “Ohhhh, this is gonna suck…” I said to myself. We slowly ambled forward in line, watching the jumpers as they popped up out of the water. Their faces looked so surprised!
Finally it was our turn! My stomach fluttered, but I had to put on a brave face, ‘cause 1000 people were watching, including about 100 people that knew me!
We walked out on to the dock, and it bobbed up and down a bit as it floated on the water. We had to move fast, because there were a lot more people left to jump. We held hands, Mark counted 1-2-3! And I launched myself off the dock!
I hit the water and bent my knees to absorb the blow when I hit bottom. It felt just like I thought it would; VERY WET, and VERY COLD. I found my feet, and then stood up. And that’s when it was REALLY COLD! The water wasn’t that bad, but the cold air on wet skin was almost painful!
I lost my breath a little bit due to the cold, and made my way to the ladder so I could climb out on shore. A policeperson offered a hand, and helped to pull me up. I wiped the water out of my eyes, and was amazed at how cold it was as it came off my face. Dang, that was cold!
I followed the crowd up the hill past the Plungers, and towards the changing tent. Blackie threw a towel around me from the sidelines, and I wrapped it around my shoulders. I had survived!
Looking back, it honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was cold, don’t get me wrong, but I had built it up into my mind as being very painful. It really wasn’t. Honestly, it wasn’t too bad.
This year, I have the chance to Plunge again. There’s a lot more folks from work this time. One of our executives challenged her folks in a contest, and they all have to jump! The real winners are the Special Olympian’s though, because my company has raised a lot of money this year.
If you want to help us out, there’s still plenty of time. You can pledge at this link. Or, if you prefer, you can hand the money to me at work before Friday at approximately noon. And if you work at the same place I do, this allows you to claim participation in a company-sponsored charity activity. Everyone wins!
Come down to Canal Park on Saturday, February 20th, at around 3pm. We’ll be easy to find, you can’t miss us! Watch me jump in the lake and get REALLY cold. And a lot of my company’s management is jumping also! They’ll be even more fun to watch than me!
Regards,
p.s. That link to pledge is here. It’s for a great cause, and a lot of fun! See you there!
{ 2 comments }
| A while back, you may remember that I had a scare with that most-dreaded of MS Windows annoyances, the Blue Screen Of Death, or BSOD. I was pretty shaken up at the time, as I’ve had some history with BSODs; once you’ve seen one, it’s a race to save your computer’s data before Windows completely craps out, |  |
| and you end up losing a bunch of stuff and reinstalling the operating | photo by mstyne |
operating system. Not only is this a PITA, but there’s also a decent chance that you’re going to lose at least some of your data.
Also, there’s the time lost reinstalling all of your necessary programs, and reconfiguring your browser, and other critical apps. And finally, it’s just nerve-wracking to think that this piece of machinery that you paid 2 weeks salary for could have another nail in it’s coffin. “Will this one be the big one, the un-recoverable one?” You ask yourself.
Obviously, we want to prevent all that. I can’t be independent without staying in touch with the people and happenings that are brought to me by that little pressed aluminum box. I can’t be self-reliant if I don’t know how to protect myself from little hiccups like this.
And how did it come to this? You would think that some of us alpha-geeks have got triple-redundant systems, and backups, and backups of backups, and everything neatly sorted and ready to go at a moments notice, blah blah blah. Well, you’d be wrong. It’s been my experience that computer geeks have some of the worst habits of anyone regarding keeping proper backups. I know I do. I think we think of backups the same way we think about becoming organ donors; everyone says you should do it, but no one really does. It’s time for that to change.
Enter my latest BSOD. After I calmed down, and assessed the situation, I was both relieved and anxious. I felt better knowing that a specific application caused the BSOD, so if I just don’t run that app, I should be fine. But I also felt jumpy, because I realized how close the bullet was that I’d just dodged, and I wasn’t really sure I’d dodged it anyway. BSODs tend to create more BSODs, so it was only a matter of time before they were being caused by something other than that one stoopid app.
I vowed then and there that I would never again be caught flat-footed. I promised I was going to discover the very best system and configuration that modern technology had to offer, because my data and my sanity are worth it. And, it had to fit within my budget, because when I open my wallet, most of the time moths flutter out of it.
This post is a kickoff for my project, a “Case Study”, if you will. I’m going to narrow down my requirements, and figure out what hardware and software will fit the bill. Then I’m going to migrate my current system over to the new configuration. Finally, I’ll outline the steps needed for backing up and saving my critical data, so that I never have to worry about BSODs again, both from a software and a hardware point of view.
And, I’m going to share it with my readers, so you can get a first-hand look at how you can take steps to ensure YOUR OWN safety and security with the computer systems in your life.
Check back with my blog often to make sure you don’t miss a report on this project. And if you have any questions or comments or suggestions on how to do this better, PLEASE leave me some comments.
I’m excited! Let’s get started!
Regards,
p.s. Watch for further posts on this case study as I work my way through the process!
{ 2 comments }
or you might miss this exceptionally short post.
Valentine’s Day, drinking, new meds, very tired, blah, blah, blah.
{ 1 comment }
 |
I’ve been talking a lot lately about some important concepts, like “independence”, “responsibility”, and “self-reliance”. Those ideas mean a lot to me. They’re markers for thoughts about how I try to live my life, |
| photo by Stuck In Customs | and how I try to view the |
world. A blueprint, if you will, of the ideals that I’m trying to pattern my life after, and what I’d like to see more of in the world.
It occurred to me though that I’m in something of an echo chamber. I say how I think things went, or how they’re going, or how they should be, but I just keep reinforcing my own ideas. This is generally a good idea, because it helps me to solidify them, and ingrain them to my brain.
But, I also recognize that I need different points of view. I need to constant introduction of new ideas, and new ways of looking at things, and new opinions. Without them, I’m going to get stale pretty quick.
So, I’d like you to chime in. Pick something I’ve spoken about, and give me your opinion on it. Tell me why you think the way you do. Ask me some questions, or further the discussion.
When I say “independence”, what comes to your mind? What are some of your experiences with “responsibility”? What questions do you have about “self-reliance”?
Regards,
p.s.
Please! Leave some comments!
{ 2 comments }
 |
I like gadgets. I really like gadgets that do what they do very well. I REALLY like gadgets that do what they do really well, and that allow me to be independent, and not DEpendent on the whims of someone else.
The Barnes and Noble nook is one such gadget. My wife Blackie bought a nook for me for the holidays this past year, and I’ve quickly fallen in love with it. As you can see in the photo above, it’s very simple, yet very elegant. |
| photo by Mostly Muppet |
The main screen has that amazing e-ink that’s all the rage. You can read it in direct sunlight, and it will still be clear as day. It also has a color interface bar at the bottom where you can flick through your library or pages of your books. It’s cool being able to see your book covers, just like you’re reviewing them on the shelf.
What I like most about the nook though, is the independence it gives me. I can take hundreds of books along with me, in the space of a paperback. I get ebooks off the ‘net for free every day. Barnes and Noble will even give you classic books for free, easily downloadable at home or in their store.
If I like a book, I can get a free sample of it anytime I want. Then, if I decide to buy, it’s just a couple of taps on the screen, and it begins downloading via whatever network is convenient.
I can load my own books into the nook, and I can save all of my books to removable SD card. That’s something that current versions of the Kindle CAN’T DO, by the way. That’s a big advantage in the independence department. I own my books, and I can move them around, even loan them to other nook users, any time I want. I can make backup copies at home, and load any of my scores of ebooks from my home computer.
And finally, the nook runs on Android software. It has similar interfaces and behaviors as my Android phone, so it already feels very comfortable to me. That, and I’m not lining Bill Gates’ pockets every time Microsoft decides it wants to force an upgrade, like with Windows.
If you’re a voracious reader like I am, you’ll like the nook. If you want to be independent of tired, old ereaders, and some moron in a boardroom determining how and when and where you can use the media THAT YOU’VE PURCHASED, you’ll really like the nook.
Regards,
p.s. If you’d like some advice on purchasing a nook, or how I use mine, or how you could use yours, just contact me. I love talking about the nook!
{ 1 comment }
I’ve been having a lot of adventures with my diet the past couple of years. And I don’t mean my “celery sticks and Sweatin’ To The Oldies” diet. I mean making positive changes in my eating habits, and how they effect me.
It’s long been suspected that I’m having allergic reactions to something in my diet, so we’ve been removing things, item by item. Most of my peeps at work will recognize this as my constant pissing and moaning about gluten, and how I really miss bread.
So, lately I’ve been chatting with Dr. Jocelyn Zentz, of Veritae Wellness about my food issues. We decided to get a comprehensive test, and the results came back today.
I scored positive for sensitivity to a bunch of different foods, not just gluten. From my layman point of view, I think this is where the allergic reaction symptoms come in. I’ll chat with Jocelyn on Friday to get the official scoop.
So, now we see if I can walk it the way I talk it, and do a major overhaul to my diet AGAIN. My sensitivities were all over the board; brewer’s yeast, baker’s yeast, cinnamon, bananas, kale, onions, potatoes, etc. A lot of the foods that I genuinely love to eat. And they gotta go…
Taking charge of my diet, and taking responsibility for my food choices are the only ways to ensure that I get healthy. Cutting bread and pasta from my diet was hard enough, but now I’ll be testing my determination in new and exciting ways!
I sure do love bananas. *sigh*
{ 2 comments }
I’m not kidding.
Well, I didn’t actually kill the reader ITSELF. I’d have to hack Google to do that. I imagine they’d get a little mad.
No, I deleted the 628 news feeds I had coming into my feed reader. No, I’m not exaggerating. I checked 628 feeds daily.
As you can imagine, it took a good bit of time per day. I checked as much as I could in the morning before work, I checked via my phone when I could afford breaks during the day, and I checked after work the first thing when I got home, and then again before going to bed.
I’m an information junkie. I love hooking my head up to a direct pipe into the internet. It’s a darn good thing we don’t yet have neural interface computers, ‘cause I’d jack in and sit there drooling all day long.
And I didn’t have only geek stuff, either. I had feeds about bento boxes, I had feeds about scenery in Australia, I had feeds about car repair.
Suddenly, I realized that my habit was determining how I spent my day. I was no longer independent, I didn’t have control. I felt genuine angst when I couldn’t bring my “unread” count down to zero.
I heard myself say “Enough already! You’ll never learn it all, so put some moderation in your life!”
I did a “Select All” in Google Reader, and then hit delete.
I still find myself subconsciously clicking over to the Reader from GMail. But when I get there, it shows a blank screen.
So, I ask YOU. Do you have any experience doing something like this? Tell me in the comments. The Reader has been an integral part of my life for several years. Do you have something that’s become that ingrained, that perhaps might give you some freedom and autonomy if you were to drop it?
Please, leave some comments.
{ 4 comments }
I’ve been DIY’ing for the past several hours, working on my logo and FB Fan Page for The Chronicles Of Wulfgarnia.
Hiring designers and such is sometimes fun, and your blog looks spectacular, but there is a lot of satisfaction and accomplishment in knowing that you did it yourself, relying on no one but you.
So, my FB page will look a bit poo-ish, but I feel good about it!
{ 0 comments }
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, even when we give it our all and do our best, life throws us a curveball.
It’s taken me years to understand that during those times, you show more independence and self-reliance when you allow your friends and family to help you, instead of going it alone.
When you’re self-confident enough to say “I’ve done all I can do, but I have obstacles that I can’t conquer alone,” you show that you are still trying to get the job done, you’re still trying to provide for your family, and that you’re going to see it through, no matter what it takes.
My buddy Garrett and his wife Chris are those types of people. Garrett had some medical problems, and he and Chris are facing some huge medical bills. Garrett used to work with me, and Chris is still employed by the same company I am, so I know how hard these 2 work. I know how independent and capable they are. They see the work through to the end, and get the job done when others have given up.
I can imagine that allowing their friends to put on a Spaghetti Benefit was difficult for them, but they knew it had to be done. They’re going to see it through, and conquer this obstacle. With a little help from their friends, they’ll be stronger for it when it’s over.
I’m attending the benefit dinner, because it’s something I can do to help my friend. To help him get back on his feet and do what needs to be done. I’d love to see you there as well.
The dinner is Saturday, March 13, 2010, from 4p to 6p, at Mr. D’s Bar and Grill. That’s 5622 Grand Avenue, in Duluth, MN.
{ 0 comments }
1st:”Do you have a rifle?”
2nd:”I have a black Stetson.”
1st:”That’s a hat, not a gun.”
{ 0 comments }
I’ve blogged about an awesome export from Texas. Here’s a not-so-awesome export from Texas.
 |
Open Letter To The Couple In The Photo:
I understand that “all the kids are doing it” and “what’s the big deal?”, but here’s what I DON’T understand; when you’re working 20 hours this week at McDonald’s and |
|
photo by People Of Walmart |
chance, and you know you’re better than this, |
and why is life so hard, and how are we going to pay for all of this meth that we keep needing, please try to understand what I’m about to tell you.
You are responsible for the circumstances of your life. You have created the situation you’re in. It’s not society, it’s not the economy, it’s not your parents, it’s not your clergy, it’s not because of your gender, it’s not because of your ethnicity, and it’s not because you live in a small town that you have such a shitty life. The responsibility is yours.
People judge you, and make decisions about you, and interact with you based first on what they see. Your appearance colors their perceptions. And then, good or bad, your actions confirm those initial impressions. I know it’s unfair, and we’re told in kindergarten “to not judge a book by it’s cover”, but we do. We do it every day, and it’s not fair, but we still do it. Deal with it.
The single greatest thing you can do to improve your life is TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHANGING IT. The way to start doing that is to like yourself enough to dress and act like a responsible person in your community. Like someone who truly cares about who they are and where they’re going and what they’re doing.
Clearly, what you’ve got going on there ain’t it. Now go home, put on some clothes, and get to work.
{ 0 comments }
But…I can’t tell you what it is yet. *sigh*
There’s a lot of work in setting up a Facebook page for this blog, and I want to get it a little bit more spiffy before I debut it. I’ll have it in the next couple of days though. Once it’s done, you can have all TCOW all the time!
TCOW = The Chronicles Of Wulfgarnia
Thanks for being patient with it!
{ 0 comments }
 |
A darn fine restaurant, THAT’S what it is!
Blackie and I ate at The Texas Roadhouse today, and we had a good time! |
| photo by dmolsen |
We were a bit skeptical at first, as there is a huge barrel of peanuts sitting next to the front door, and a bucket of peanuts on every table. As we have a fatal allergy to peanuts, that usually means we need to run out the door.
But, the air was fairly peanut-dust free, so we thought we’d give it a shot. And I’m glad we did!
I had a half-rack of ribs, and then the fried catfish with a sweet potato.
I was really impressed with the ribs. They were real ribs, as in, from a hog. Most places serve the little 2 inch pseudo-rib-but-mostly-fat kinda things. These were huge, and had plenty of meat on them, with the meat tender enough to fall off the bone.
The catfish was a skosh over-fried; a bit too crunchy. But the cool part was there was a ton of it, and it was cornmeal-dusted, instead of breaded (gluten-free).
The sweet potato was also very big. It could have used a couple more minutes in the oven, but that’s only because I like them soft. It was cooked adequately, just not mushy. I also had the option “loading” the sweet potato with a honey and marshmallow sauce, but I declined. I like the taste natural.
Blackie ate the sirloin tips, a garden salad, and also a sweet potato.
The sirloin tips were done exactly as ordered, and very tender. They were also cut into genuinely bite-sized pieces. Nearly all meat, with very little gristle.
The garden salad was mixed greens, all fresh, and it didn’t have the sitting-in-the-fridge-all-day taste. Also, the ranch dressing was homemade.
Our waitress was Randi, and she was awesome. Ask for her when you go in!
Once they started to sweep the floor, a lot of the peanut dust kicked up, so it was time for us to go.
All in all, very good. The music was fairly loud at times, so it’s not really a place for casual conversation. Also, you know how some places do the birthday thing where all the waitstaff come out and clap and cheer? Well, at Texas Roadhouse, they started with a saddle on a sawhorse, and made you get on it. I had to avert my eyes at that point due to my delicate sensibilities.
I recommend Texas Roadhouse to my friends. I’m definitely going back for the ribs, and the steaks looked mighty fine too. If anyone wants to go with me, just let me know!
{ 1 comment }
Please put a check mark next to the 3 subjects that you'd like to see me write more about.
Total Voters: 7
Loading ...
