the spreading of the HINIE-V and the unemploymency

Another person added to the list of unemployed people that I know personally, and about to have a baby at that! Does that mean his wife and baby won't have health insurance??

Another story of someone I know personally coming down with H1N1.

This stuff is officially is no longer a case of media fear-mongering, but actual real-life messed up world holy moly what are we going to do crap! Am I the only one feeling all hypochondriaced out about the scary germs circulating the planet right now, spreading like-- hate to say it -- the plague?

This stuff suddenly has been promoted to the level of CANNOT BE IGNORED.

Yikes.

Quote of the Day:
MB: You worry too much. life is life. There are no predetermined answers for what lies in store. You just have to deal with the good and bad. Analyzing the bridge before you get to it doesn't always solve the
problem.

Quote #2 of the Day:
MH: (About H1N1) i hate this dang flu! THAT is the scariest thing this halloween!

Hearty potato stewp

Stewp: n. A soup that actually came out more like a stew.
Example: The stewp I made yesterday is a meal you eat with a spoon!

1/2 head cabbage, chopped
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs olive oil
6 cups vegetable broth or vegetarian chicken flavored stock
1 giant can of organic stewed tomatoes
1/2 package Trader Joes Soyrizo
1 can spicy V8 vegetable juice
cayanne pepper to taste

heat olive oil on low and add onions and garlic until soft, about 3 min
Add soyrizo, sautee for another 3 min
add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on lower heat for 30 min.
Add cayanne pepper to taste if it isn't spicy enough.

This soup is vegan and filling, good for a cold rainy day

Accept and Give Praise

I can live for two months on a good compliment. -- Mark Twain.

By saying, "What you are doing is wonderful," we encourage those who are doing the wonderful thing to keep doing it. Maybe in a small way, we become responsible for the continued existence of something wonderful.

Spider vs. Wasp

Recently I was enjoying an amazing vegetarian Indian buffet at the Mango Grove in Columbia, when I noticed through the window an epic battle was being waged between a spider in her web and a large black wasp that had become entrapped in said web.

The wasp still had a lot of fight left in him. Most of his body was free, but though he struggled valiantly, thrashing his large body to and fro, he couldn't seem to free himself from the delicate threads ensnaring him. The spider, a particularly small, delicate, leggy fellow, almost translucent, was not patiently awaiting his victim to tire himself and give up. Perhaps he feared the strength of his prey would eventually allow escape, or perhaps he hadn't had a meal in some time and was as eager to begin on his lunch as I was when I loaded up my plate with the aromatic curries moments ago. Whatever his motivation, his purpose was clear: paralyze the wasp with venom and end his thrashing that was slowly but steadily destroying the carefully crafted net. The wasp would tire of his struggling and lie still for several seconds, and the spider would begin to descend, ready for the endgame. The wasp would wearily note death's approach and begin anew his panicked struggle to stay alive, sending the smaller, weaker of the two scuttling just out of reach to safety.

I found myself (I, who used to be late to class in gradeschool for stopping along the way to rescue every earthworm who found himself in the middle of the pavement and was in danger of being fried by the afternoon sun or tread upon by uncaring pedestrians, gently placing them in the cool shady grass) wondering if I should intervene in this Discover-Channel-esque life and death battle for survival. My initial instinct was to free the thrashing flier from his fate at the hands of one of the insects I most despise (horrifying, evil-looking, venom-filled hunters) and perhaps I naturally side with the victim. However, wasps are also hateful creatures who wouldn't hesitate to stab you with their poison dagger, who send children running and screaming in fear as they buzz menacingly around a Sunday picnic. And furthermore, freeing the wasp to go on his merry way and fulfill his future destiny of destroying birthday parties and family reunions in the park could very well seal the fate of the poor hungry hunter - its not as though a spider who has been robbed of his dinner can settle for a juicy carrot or an apple.

In the end I did as the nature videographers who capture the footage we watch on the Discovery Channel do- they observe but don't intervene in the course of nature, as hard as it may be sometimes. For if you save the baby wildebeast from the lioness' clutches, the lion cubs may meet that dark fate instead.

Swat Hand Signals

click image to enlarge

coming down the mountain

So I finally went skiing in spite of the fact that my all time favorite ski buddy jumped town years ago and I have been in mourning ever since. I'll never forget the time we were on the way back from Ski Liberty and we stopped at the Sheetz - which was selling a bunch of teddybears that you could record your own personal message on by holding thier paw, then squeeze the other paw and it will repeat your message. So on a whim, one after another, I recorded, 'for a good time call [my friend's name and phone number]' on like, 100 bears! It was hilarious, she couldn't figure out how to erase them, and everyone she tested repeated the same horrifying mantra!*

Anyway, no one else I know is into skiing. So finally, after TEN YEARS, I gave up and took the kids to Ski Liberty, meeting some of the teens Cody befriended (and a little more then friended!) at the Outer Banks last year. At first it was a total nightmare of struggling to get equipment on, paying $35 for a pizza we had to consume indoors while wearing blizzard-ready gear from head to foot, taking Jake's boots on and off three freaking times and adjusting the number of socks underneath until they were comfortable. WOW what a mistake it was to do this, what was I THINKING!

Phew. Then, we all took a lesson that was included free with our package, during which time we mostly just stood around and were boiling hot with our sucky instructor who said that in order to turn on skiis, go downhill and look to the left, and you will turn. Oh gee, really? Because I thought the skiis were attatched to my feet, not my head. I already knew how to ski so everyone in the class thought I was just an amazing learner and they just sucked. I played it up too when the instructor gave me compliments, like,

Teacher: 'great job, you're doing it perfectly!'
Me: 'Thanks!' looking smugly at rest of class, and throwing my arms in the air, 'i-am-the-champion' style :P

Anwyay

after all of that mess, we finally escaped from the class and started going. And then it was so much fun! Sooo fun. Cody was holding his own on the snowboard, Jake was a natural, refusing to even use the poles, and even at 8:30 when we were done, begged to stay and keep going! Was totally fun even though for like 3 days afterwards I was hobbling around like a cripple. Guess I need to get back to the gym!

*Of course we deleted them all before we left, I'm not evil!

.....i mean, salad

if I died and came back as a zombie
i wonder if I would be a vegetarian zombie
wouldnt go after brains
just like..tofu and soy products

Playmobil Security Check Point

"I was a little disappointed when I first bought this item, because the functionality is limited. My 5 year old son pointed out that the passenger's shoes cannot be removed. Then, we placed a deadly fingernail file underneath the passenger's scarf, and neither the detector doorway nor the security wand picked it up. My son said "that's the worst security ever!"

"Thank you Playmobil for allowing me to teach my 5-year old the importance of recognizing what a failing bureaucracy in a ever growing fascist state looks like. "

"What better way to teach the next generation how to behave in a police state then with a toy such as this? I'm really hoping that they come out with a toy in which the kids can play "interregator". Think of all the fun the little folks can have waterboarding those who "hate our freedom". "

You can't make this stuff up. Totally visit the page and read the amazon ratings comments. Hilarious!