Free Netflix subscription

I just received an email from Netflix that allows me to give people a free 30-day trial. I'm pretty much the last one of my friends & family to join, so no one I know needs this. If anyone out there is interested, let me know and I'll send you the details.

Hey, I figure if I'm asking if you've gotten any unique/interesting/wacko recommendations from Netflix, the least I can do is offer you the chance to see for free, right?

Netflix Logic?

After not touching my account for many months, I recently added a bunch of flicks to my queue. I also rated a bunch more movies that I've seen.

For those of you who aren't members, Netflix will give you recommendations of movies they think you might like based on other movies you've rated or those that you have in your queue. Ok, I'm down with that. Always happy to hear about another movie I might like. However, I'm not sure I understand the logic behind some of their recommendations.

For instance, they recommended the Disney/Pixar movie Cars. Ok, I'm fine with that. Cute movie. Loved it. What has me confused is they recommended it because I liked Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith. Can anyone out there clue me in on the link between these 2?

Or they recommended Pan's Labyrinth because I liked Little Miss Sunshine. Huh? I'm not seeing how a light-hearted, indie comedy has anything to do with a dark, gory fantasy set in WWII Spain. Someone enlighten me, please.

Another puzzler was they recommended Wait Until Dark because I liked The Philadelphia Story. The Philadelphia Story is a screwball rom-com with Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. Wait Until Dark is a thriller about a blind woman being stalked by a thug who's after a stash of heroin that was hidden in her apartment without her knowledge. Again, I fail to see the connection.

I'm sure the recommendations are all good movies in their own right, but is anyone else somewhat puzzled by the recommendations they've received?

Thankful Thursday

Wow, it's that time again. Seems like it snuck up on me this week. In no particular order, here are the things I'm thankful for this week:

1. No staff meeting today. 'Nuff said! :-)
   
   
2. Spending time with my nephews. Nothing like having a 3.5-yr-old being my best buddy from the time I walked in the door. I think he spent 1/2 the day in my lap or right beside me. And I got to practice my (long-dormant) skills at Candyland and Chutes and Ladders.
   
   
3. 80 degrees and sunny. And no humidity!!!
   
   
4. Having some gems I hadn't listened to in a long time pop up on the iPod today.
   
   
5. Getting to see a 6-yr old make her public performance debut singing with a Big Band this week. I may be able to dance, but I can't carry a tune in a bucket (and unlike the scores of people who audition for American Idol, I *know* I can't sing.) So, it was amazing to see a 6 yr old get out there & not just sing, but sing *well*! I shouldn't be too surprised -- the whole family is musical; her now-14 yr old sister has been singing with the band since she was 8 and her aunt is the regular singer with the band. But I'll tell ya what -- the little one brought the house down! And it was so nice to watch her beam with pride afterwards.
   
   
6. Fuzzy white love junkies (a.k.a. my dogs).
   
   
7. Helping someone who is presently going thru some of the same health issues I went thru and realizing just how much better things are now.

So, how bout you? What's made you thankful this week? (The idea and banner come from Tiburon at Shark Bait. Feel free to use both and make a Thankful Thursday post on your own blog.)

I Doubt This Will Surprise Anyone Who Knows Me

I took a "What Flavor of Ice Cream Are You?" quiz, and no surprise to those that know me, I tested as chocolate. It went on to further add:

You embody the perfect blend of sweetness and seduction. You personality is just as luscious and irresistible as chocolate ice cream. You have a flirty, melty attitude that's easygoing and delicious. You appreciate luxurious, extravagant things, like the way ultra-soft fabrics feel against your skin. Some people want to hog you all to themselves, but you find ways to make everyone feel special.

Now, I don't know about all of that, but it's my blog, so I'm going to post it & say it's so. :-P

Want to know what flavor you are? Take the test here

My Favorite Monday -- Candy

Today's topic for "My Favorite Monday" is favorite candy. My ultimate numero uno is high quality Belgian dark chocolate, but sometimes, a girl's gotta go a little low-brow and when it's time for that, ya can't go wrong with a Reese's Peanut Butter cup. 2 favorites -- chocolate and peanut butter -- mixed together for the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and fat. Mmmm!

So, how bout you? What's your favorite?

(Thanks to Tiburon for the idea and the header image. Permission granted to pilfer both and play along.)

Worried

Last year, my SO battled cancer. Lymphoma to be exact. He first went through chemo & then some pretty intense radiation. To call it a difficult time would be an understatement.

He has had 2 clear PET scans so far. His next one is scheduled for next week. His pre-scan bloodwork showed some things that are a bit off; they aren't conclusive, but they are a bit worrisome. We won't know anything until he has the PET scan, which isn't for another 10 days or so, so it's going to be pretty tense until then.

I know there aren't many ppl reading this blog, especially since I haven't really told many ppl about it yet. However, if you are out there reading this and can spare a good thought or send up a prayer to whatever it is you believe in, he and I would both be very appreciative.

This Sums Up How I Feel Right Now

Thankful Thursday

It's been a crazy week, so it's nice to take a breather for a few minutes & think about the good stuff. So, here, in no particular order are the things I'm thankful for today:

1. Tulips -- I've got about 30-35 blooming in the area in front of my porch. I started out with only yellow & red, but now there are pink and white as well. They are so pretty & just make my day every time I head into or out of the house.
   
   
2. Getting to work from home for a little bit today.
   
   
3. Not having to mow the lawn -- My lawn service is coming today for the first time this year. Yay for having nicely cut grass without having to figure out when I'm going to get time to get it done.
   
   
4. Beautiful sunshine -- it was absolutely gorgeous while waiting for the bus and walking from the subway to my office. I've got to head over to a different building a little later, so I plan on walking the 10 blocks to get out & enjoy it if even for a little bit.
   
   
5. Getting approval to take a class I'm really interested in. It'd previously been nixed, but my boss & I were able to present a good enough justification for it that the powers that be reconsidered & it's been approved.
   
   
6. Surprises left on my door -- my SO will occasionally leave things hanging on my door knob just because. It's very nice to come home & find a surprise waiting for me!

So how about you? What are you thankful for today?

Drive By Blogging

Remember that big project I said my boss was letting me take the ball & run with? Well, it's taking a fair amount of my time. I'll be back in a couple of days, once things have calmed down a little.

Thankful Thursday

It's that time again.....In no particular order, here are things I'm thankful for today:

1. A good attitude -- I sat next to a gentleman on the Metro this evening who was just miserable to be around. You know the old 'is the glass half-full or half-empty' question? Well, to him, it was definitely 7/8-empty. Ugh! I'm glad I can find the upside of most things.
   
   
2. My pizza garden is growing -- what's a pizza garden you ask? It's a pot with 4 openings that came with seeds for a green pepper plant, oregano, basil, and parsley that I found on clearance at Tar-jay a few weeks ago. I didn't know if it's be any good or how long it'd been sitting on a shelf, but the pot was interesting & it alone would have cost me what I was paying for the whole thing, so I figured it was worth taking a shot on it. I haven't seen anything from the green pepper yet, but all of the herbs are clearly growing. Fresh herbs to cook with, alright!
   
   
3. A boss who both trusts me & doesn't micromanage -- I've got a pretty big, high-profile project & he's given me the ball and is allowing me to run with it.
   
   
4. Watching my senior dogs romp like puppies -- one dog is 11.5 yrs old; another is 9.5. To watch them romp on and with each other, you'd think you were watching pups of 9.5 and 11.5 months. I know I won't have them forever, but it's great to know they aren't acting old.
   
   
5. Picking a paint color for the living room/dining room/front hall -- I've waffled on this for quite a while, not sure what I wanted to do in those areas. I now have "the vision" and have decided on the right color. Of course, that means I've got to find the time & make it happen, but it's gonna look fabulous once it's done!

So, how bout you? What are you thankful for today?

Best.Brownies.Ever!!

I got this recipe from Cooking Light. For their 20th anniversary, they did a retrospective & republished their best recipes in various categories. This is their pick for best brownies, and I have to say I agree!!

I'm giving the recipe as it appeared in the magazine. Since I don't like coffee, I used water with some chocolate syrup added in to keep the right amount of liquid and to add the flavor boost that the coffee would have contributed. Worked perfectly!

Enjoy!

Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/4 cup toffee chips

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine coffee granules and 1/4 cup hot water, stirring until the coffee granules dissolve.

Combine butter and semisweet chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH for 1 minute or until butter melts; stir until chocolate is smooth.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine coffee mixture, butter mixture, vanilla extract, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add coffee mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with toffee chips. Bake at 350° for 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield
20 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 145(30% from fat); FAT 4.8g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 2.2g; CHOLESTEROL 30mg; CALCIUM 23mg; SODIUM 121mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.9g

My Favorite Monday -- Ice Cream

Tiburon's topic for this week's "My Favorite Monday" is favorite ice cream flavor. For me, if we're sticking to readily available flavors, it's a toss up between mint chocolate chip and dulce de leche.


Mint chocolate chip is so cool & refreshing. On a hot day, it's just sooo nice.

Dulce de leche, on the other hand, is richer and more indulgent. According to Haagen Dazs, the flavor is "inspired by Latin America's treasured dessert, our dulce de leche ice cream is a delicious combination of caramel and sweet cream, swirled with ribbons of golden caramel. "

My all-time favorite, however, is Bittersweet Orange. Dark chocolate ice cream infused with hints of citrusy goodness. There's only one place I know of that serves this, but you can bet that's what I'll order every time we go there.

Quote of the Day

I came across this earlier & it just resonated with me:

Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills, against misery and ignorance, injustice and violence. ... Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of our generation. -

- Robert F. Kennedy

Are You Smarter than a 5th-Grader?

Apparently, the Smithsonian Institution isn't....

5th - Grader Finds Mistake at Smithsonian

ALLEGAN, Mich. (AP) -- Is fifth-grader Kenton Stufflebeam smarter than the Smithsonian? On a winter break trip with his family to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, the 11-year-old southwestern Michigan boy noticed that a notation, in bold lettering, mistakenly identified the Precambrian as an era.

Since it opened in 1981, millions of people have paraded past the museum's Tower of Time, a display involving prehistoric time. Kenton was the first to point out the error.

Kenton, who lives in Allegan but attends Alamo Elementary School near Kalamazoo, said his fifth-grade teacher, John Chapman, had nearly made the same mistake about the Precambrian in a classroom earth-science lesson before catching himself.

''I knew Mr. Chapman wouldn't tell all these students'' bad information, the boy told the Kalamazoo Gazette for a story published Wednesday.

So Kevin Stufflebeam took his son to the museum's information desk to report Kenton's concern on a comment form.

Last week, the boy received a letter from the museum acknowledging that his observation was ''spot on.''

''The Precambrian is a dimensionless unit of time, which embraces all the time between the origin of Earth and the beginning of the Cambrian Period of geologic time,'' the letter says.
The solution to the problem would not involve advanced science but rather simply painting over the word ''era,'' the note says.

While no previous visitors to the museum had brought up the error, it has long rankled the paleobiology department's staff, who noticed it even before the Tower of Time was erected 27 years ago, said Lorraine Ramsdell, educational technician for the museum.

''The question is, why was it put up with that on it in the first place?'' Ramsdell said.

Excited as Stufflebeam was to receive the correspondence from museum officials, he couldn't help but point out that it was addressed to Kenton Slufflebeam.

In Allegany.

The Dream -- 40 Years Later

Most people by now have heard that today is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. It's one of those 2-sided coins: a lot of things have changed for the better, but there's still much that isn't there yet.

Brian Williams said something tonight on NBC's World News Tonight that I thought was wonderfully hopeful. I don't have it verbatim, but the gist of it was that it was the 40th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy that started the real push to remember & honor the WWII veterans and their accomplishments. It is what spurred Tom Brokaw to write his book, The Greatest Generation, which is now considered *the* definitive tome on that generation. He mused that perhaps, if we're lucky, the 40th anniversary of the assassination of MLK will do the same in regards to race in this country. Wouldn't that be nice?

I leave you now with the full text of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. Even this many decades later, the power of these words is undeniable:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. *We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only."* We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Happy Cheese Weasel Day!

Happy Cheese Weasel Day to one and all!

What? You've never heard of Cheese Weasel Day? I hadn't either until I was wished a happy one a little earlier this morning. I'm afraid I don't have any processed cheese food to place under anyone's keyboards, but I'm sure if you've been good, the Cheese Weasel will have already done that for you.

Thankful Thursday!

It's that time again. This week, I'm thankful for (in no particular order):

1. Health -- This time last year, someone very close to me was in the middle of chemo. I was also dealing with my own issues, eventually leading to major surgery last August. We both are doing so much better. I'm not 100% back yet as far as my strength goes, but I'm probably about 95-97% or so, so I'm not complaining!
   
   
2. Finding out 2 friends of mine have quit smoking -- one has been smoke free for 9 months now. The other for almost 5 months. I'm so happy for them & so proud of them!
   
   
3. Spring flowers -- a walk at lunchtime near my office showed daffodils and tulips in bloom. The cherry blossoms reached peak this week. The magnolias and redbuds are blooming, as are the dogwoods. The weeping cherry trees are to die for right now. It's just a gorgeous time to be in the DC area.
   
   
4. Having dogs I can take anywhere -- one of my dogs is a certified therapy dog. She & I visit a local nursing home as part of a local pet therapy program. Another of my dogs will be once I make the time to take him to the certification program. Each of them has gone with me to various events, both this past week and on previous occasions. They have both spent the time winning friends & influencing people. It's great to be able to take them, as well as to not have to worry about how they'll handle the situation.
   
   
5. My bus buddies -- see post below
   
   
6. Chocolate -- good, European, high quality chocolate. That's hawt! (See below)
   
   
7. Security -- even though the economy is tough right now, I know I'll be ok. No, I'm not wealthy & it's not likely I ever will be. However, I have a roof over my head and I don't have to worry about not being able to afford groceries or not being able to cover the utilities this month. A lot of people can't say that right now.
   
   

So, what are you thankful for? (Props to Tiburon for the idea and the banner.)

Shout Out to my bus!

In the DC area, many people seem to have a schizophrenic relationship with our public transportation. Most people I know would take a subway without giving it a second thought, but those same people are "bus snobs" and would not consider taking a bus. Don't know why that is, but that's the way it is.

I, too, was a bus snob. But then about 4 yrs ago, I took a job working downtown, so I knew I'd be commuting by Metro everyday. Instead of driving to the subway station, I decided to take the bus. It would save me money every day, as well as wear and tear on the car, and really wouldn't cost me anything in time. And boy am I glad I did!!

I've made some great friends. Most of the time on public transportation, everyone is in their own little zone and there's not a lot of interaction. Not on my bus! A core group of us got to know one another & regularly get together to go out to dinner. When our bus was threatened with being discontinued due to budget cuts, we banded together to fight it (and won!). As a result, more regular riders were brought into the fold, and our dinner group has now expanded.

I also have to give a shout out to the bus drivers. They are a really nice group of people who regularly go above and beyond. The bus stop happens to be on my property line, but on the other side of my yard from my driveway. It's not far to walk & as a result, I've often reached my driveway before the bus has pulled back into traffic. Thus, the drivers have realized that that is my house. I've noticed that any time it's raining or if I'm carrying a lot of stuff, the drivers seem to overshoot the bus stop, which just happens to mean that they drop me right at my driveway. Coincidence? I think not!

How to Eat Chocolate

A friend of mine recently went on vacation in England. Anyone who's ever spent time in Europe knows that you can get chocolate over there that far surpasses the standard American fare, so he brought back chocolate as presents for some of his friends & co-workers. When they opened the assortment of milk chocolates at his office, these are the instructions that came with the goodness that was inside:

The sensuous flavours of pure chocolate can take you on an enthralling journey captivating all your senses. All you need to do is close your eyes and take the plunge.

a) Take a few seconds to relax and prepare your senses before you even take a micro slab in your hands. Gaze at it a while.

b) Snap the micro slab in half and soak up the sound. Bring the broken edges to your nose and breathe in the aroma.

c) Take a piece in your mouth and give a few initial chews then just let it melt for about 10 seconds.

d) Move it slowly around your mouth spreading the melted parts across all the taste zones of your tongue.

e) Close your eyes to focus on the sensations. Don't rush it. Often the finish is the best bit.

How was it?

Several people felt they should either fan themselves or take a cold shower after reading that.