True Compass

Yesterday I finished reading Senator Edward M. Kennedy's memoir True Compass. The 527 page tome took me about 6 days to read. I didn't want to put it down. The book was a beautiful, comprehensive, fascinating account of Ted Kennedy's life, family, and incredible contributions to this country.

The book is presented in four parts: Family, Brotherhood, On My Own, and Renewal. The content is presented chronologically (for the most part) in an honest, heartfelt, well-written way. Kennedy remembers his youth as the youngest of nine children, all raised to the exacting standards of a devout and moral Irish Catholic family. His grandfather, John F. Fitzgerald (known fondly in Massachusetts as Honey Fitz), served our state in many capacities including mayor (1906-1908, 1910-1914). Honey Fitz helped establish Franklin Park Zoo and threw out the opening pitch at the inaugural game in Fenway Park (1912). Ted Kennedy attended a string of schools through his primary education in London, New York, Massachusetts, and Florida. He held his brothers Jack and Bobby in the highest regard and strived to accomplish legislation and social justice that would have made his brothers proud. He owns up to his personal failings and notes how his faith and optimism have helped him through difficult times. Most touching are his loving references to his children and his wife Vicki.

Despite the unfavorable view of some about the Kennedy family's wealth and Senator Kennedy's personal failings, he was an amazing legislator for this country (not just the state of Massachusetts) whose 47 years in the Senate made a positive impact for all Americans. He championed desegregation, education financing, early campaign finance reform, minimum wage, fair housing, voting rights (which changed the national voting age to 18 from 21), low income heating energy assistance, Meals on Wheels, WIC, Title IX (girls sports opportunities),  American Disabilities Act, Federal Medical Leave Act, health care, education, and foreign policy (see http://kennedy.senate.gov/senator/timeline.cfm for a comprehensive list of legislation). For all his wealth, he was a Senator of the People, and fought for us tirelessly on Capitol Hill.

The book had a strong impact on me. It served as an education about this great legislator. It also is a great inspiration to what politicians can be and how we can all be better people. I can't say enough positive things about his book. May he rest in peace. He is truly missed by many.

Happy October (One Day Early)

Just wanted to shout out an early Happy October! I've changed the theme a day early... You'll see that we are all dressed up for Halloween; Mattie is a cat (WOW!), I am witch (what a stretch, eh?), and Mike is a dragon (he really can breathe fire sometimes!).

Smiles

The Orangutan and the Hound

One of my friends posted this on Facebook. It was soo cute, I had to share (embedded video from YouTube below).




Have a happy day!

November 14 is World Diabetes Day. The International Diabetes Foundation and the World Health Organization introduced observance of diabetes in 1991. It was also officially recognized by the United Nations in 2007. Tuesday I signed a pledge to help make the day a success.

Yesterday I got the message below from a dear friend. I am passing it along since it is relevant to the topic of diabetes.

WHAT A UNIQUE WAY TO PRESENT THIS...

Someone ought to get an award for this. We know the facts, but this brings perspective quickly, doesn't it?

Hip Hip Hooray!!

I did it. Yup, I did, and I'm pleased as punch. I made beautiful poached eggs (no contraptions, just a pan of water) and fabulous Hollandaise sauce.

Take a look for yourself










I'm so happy! There was no way I was going to let an egg dish best me..

Real Quickfire during Top Chef filming

Just heard about this on Top Chef's Facebook page. Wow (embedded video below).

Salt Lake City, Utah

I thought it would be interesting to share some information about Salt Lake City since Mike is spending the week there [on business]. All of the quoted information below is is from Wikipedia.

Salt Lake City was originally founded by Brigham Young in 1847. It was outside the US boundaries, at least at first, and thus immune to interference by the US Government. The Latter Day Saints, Mormons, fled from city to city across the United States because of religious persecution. I read about LDS earlier this summer in The 19th Wife. LDS officially renounced polygamy in the United States in 1890.

Salt Lake City is the capitol of Utah. It was home to the 2002 winter olympics and continues to host sporting events.

Some interesting facts:

• Salt Lake City has been considered one of the top 51 "gay-friendly places to live" in the U.S.^[57] The city is home to a large, business savvy, organized, and politically supported gay community. Leaders of the Episcopal Church's Diocese of Utah,^[58][59] as well as Utah's largest Jewish congregation, the Salt Lake Kol Ami,^[60] along with three elected representatives of the city identify themselves as gay. These developments have attracted controversy from socially conservative officials representing other regions of the state. A 2006 study by UCLA estimates that approximately 7.6% of the city's population, or almost 14,000 people, are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual, compared to just 3.7%, or just over 60,000 people, for the metropolitan area as a whole.^[61]
•  In 2007 Salt Lake City was ranked by Forbes Magazine as the most vain city in America based on the number of plastic surgeons per 100,000 and their spending habits on cosmetics, which exceed that of cities of similar size.^[62]
• The city was also found to be the 8th most stressful.
• A 2008 study by Men's Health and Women's Health magazines found Salt Lake City to be the healthiest city for women by looking at 38 different factors, including cancer rates, air quality and the number of gym memberships.^[63]
• The city has elected Democratic Party mayoral candidates since the 1970s. Councilors are elected under specific issues and are usually well-known.^{[citation needed]} Labor politics play no significant role. The city has two elected openly gay women and an openly gay man, representing the city in the State House and Senate, respectively.^[73]
• The city's political demographics are liberal and Democratic. This stands in stark contrast to the majority of Utah where Republican and conservative views generally dominate.
• The city is home to several non-governmental think-tanks and advocacy groups such as the conservative Sutherland Institute, the gay-rights group Equality Utah, and the quality-growth advocates Envision Utah.
• Many films, music videos, commercials, and TV shows have been recorded in the Salt Lake metropolitan area. They include: SLC Punk!, Touched by an Angel, Everwood, Big Love, "Bonneville", Dawn of the Dead, Drive Me Crazy, Forever Strong, High School Musical, High School Musical 2, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, Unaccompanied Minors, Dumb and Dumber, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Independence Day, Poolhall Junkies, The Brown Bunny, The World's Fastest Indian, The Way of the Gun, Carnival of Souls, The Amazing Race 8, and The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights". In 2006 it was revealed that Dan Brown, the author of The DaVinci Code, was in the city studying the symbols on the Salt Lake LDS Temple and the Salt Lake Masonic Temple, among other historical buildings, for inclusion in an upcoming book.

Several of the statistics above were of great interest to me. I presumed that Salt Lake City was a conservative area. Obviously, it is not. Not only is the prevailing political party the Democratic party, the number of gay residents is mentioned numerous times throughout the Wikipedia article. I was also unaware that so many movies and TV shows had been filmed in the area.

It's so great to learn new things!!!

This Cracks Me Up

I just love Matt Damon... He kills me. He and Clooney, and Pitt are a riot... (see embedded video below.

Background Switcher

I don't know if I am alone on this, but... I get bored with the same background on my computer. I like to change things up. The problem is, remembering to change the background can be a pain... Then Lifehacker came along with this article...

John's Background Switcher Adds Individual Photo Settings, Transitions, and More [Downloads]


Windows: If you like to mix up your Windows wallpaper, the latest version of John's Background Switcher lets you do it from almost any web source, and in any specific way you want to match your monitors.
We've thrown a little love to this clever little freeware app once or twice before, and version 4 of John's Background Switcher (JBS) gives us even more to love. If you've got one monitor and like your pictures scaled a certain way, JBS can do that, but if you've got a batch of photos and some need scaling, one needs a zoomed-in view, and others should be centered, the app can do that too.There's new support for Google, Yahoo, and Bing image search results, background transitions on Vista and Windows 7, and a unified settings dialog for setting up and authorizing your image pools and preferences.
There's also new 'cork board' and 'postcard' views for creating desktop collages of multiple photos. Best of all for those concerned about resources, JBS can be set to change a desktop picture on every Windows boot-up, then disappear if you don't plan to change more than once per session.
John's Background Switcher is a free download for Windows systems only, requires the Microsoft .NET framework 2.0 or higher to run. Thanks y0himba!

John's Background Switcher [John's Adventures]

I've installed this and am using Facebook pictures from selected friends with the Polaroid pile. OMG!!!! I LOVE IT! What a nice way to keep me smiling throughout the day. I also put in some of my own albums so I can trade off when I get the whim.

p.s. (as of 4:48 pm): My current desktop is below. It changes every hour. So great!

I love this...

It was just too good to pass up!

The Storm

I got this from a friend yesterday. I thought it would be a nice way to end the week for you!

THE Storm

They were together in the House. Just the two of them. It was a cold, dark, stormy night. The storm had come quickly and each time the thunder boomed he watched her jump. She looked across the room and admired his strong appearance...and wished that he would take her in his arms, comfort her and protect her from the storm. Suddenly, with a pop, the power went out... She screamed... He raced to the sofa where she was cowering. He didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. He knew this was a forbidden union and expected her to pull back. He was surprised when she didn't resist but instead clung to him. The storm raged on... They knew it was wrong... Their families would never understand... So consumed were they in their FEAR that they heard no opening of doors... just the faint click of a camera...... Now that you have smiled today, won't you please help someone else?

But (via ICanHasACheezeburger)

Speaking of Halloween... And no, it is not Mattie. But, it could be!

Eeerie Edibles: Cockeyed Cuckoos, Spooky Stew, Tombstone Trio & More (via Hostess with the Mostess)

Here's another one from HWTM. I may just have to have a Halloween party this year!!! These are just too cute!

Eeerie Edibles: Cockeyed Cuckoos, Spooky Stew, Tombstone Trio & More:

The special Halloween Tricks & Treats issue of Better Homes and Gardens that’s currently on stands is totally packed with the TONS of great ideas for Halloween! I picked up a copy this weekend and was instantly smitten with several of the ideas – especially the Gothic Gala (great adult party), Magic Show (cute kids party), and Eeerie Edibles articles.

5 favorites from Eerie Edibles are pictured above and below. Are these Cockeyed Cuckoo sandwiches adorable or what?! Made from meatballs and marinara atop ciabatta rolls, plus cream cheese & black olive “eyes”, sweet pepper “beaks” and “brows”, and snipped chives or shredded carrots for the “feather tops”. Genius!

This Spooky Stew is super cute too… individual servings of shepherd’s pie topped with whipped potatoes piped into the shape of a ghost. Green caper “eyes” add the perfect finishing touch!

This Jack-o’-Lantern Cheese Ball idea is so creative and EASY! (Gotta love easy!) Simply cover your favorite cream cheese ball recipe with crushed nacho-cheese chips, then use black olives and a small pickle for the “face” and “stem”.

Create your own Batty Bites with chocolate-covered cookies (for the “body”) and toaster pastries (for the “wings”), then add some almond or candy eyes and colorful sprinkles to brighten things up!

Pretzel cookes dipped in white chocolate, a marshmallow, and piped melted chocolate are all that you need to create the 3 skeletons that lie in this “Tombstone Trio“. Make them a suitable crypt from chocolate graham-crackers sitting atop cookie-crumb “dirt” and green-tinted coconut “grass”!

For complete recipes & details on all of the above & more, check out the current Halloween Tricks and Treats issue by BHG (on news stands until Nov 3, 2009).