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Friday, 30 October 2009

Gold gold gold gold gold

You know all those adverts they are showing on TV at the moment where they are trying to persuade us to send in our gold that we no longer need?  The ones where they ask us to just pop our rings and chains into the pre-paid envelope, and send it off, and then wait for the fat cheque to arrive by return of post?

From companies like this and this and this

The TV adverts are full of testimonials from delighted customers who sent off their unwanted gold, or the wedding ring from their first marriage, or that huge chain their ex-girlfriend gave them, and look! They received £258 in return!  The adverts are full of shots of people waving fans of tenners, grinning widely at their financial savvy.

Some of the adverts also show pictures of the huge smelting plant where all this gold is melted down.  Soft-focus images of chains and rings being poured into a crucible, fat sparks spitting out as they are rendered down to make a river of purest molten gold, it's like a scene from Lord of the Rings.

I assume that all these adverts are a sign of the recession, and that a lot of people are taking advantage of the convenient way to raise a few quid by selling off their "unwanted gold".  The little list at the bottom of the screen of the items they take was revealing:  chains, rings, bracelets, dental.

Wait, what?

Oh sweet lord, they are offering money for gold teeth. Is it just me, or is that an invitation for violence and theft on a grand scale?

Don't just steal their jewellery, knock out their teeth too! We'll take them! No questions asked!

Been out burgling? Send us the loot! All smelted down and untraceable in moments....hell, we'll send you cash back by return of post! C'mon! Don't be shy!

I don't see this ending well.

Unless, and I am not sure that this is likely, the police are screening everything as it is received, comparing the envelopes of golden trinkets to their database of stolen items. Easy to then pop round to the originating address...

*Knock knock*

"Who's there?"

"Someone with a huge wad of cash for up! Can you hear it rustling out here?" (whispers) "Ready with that taser, lads..." (muffled giggles)

Yeah right. That seems rather too pro-active and organised, to be honest.

The other option is that it's all a front for something else. Who else would want to gather up as much gold as possible, even sending out cash in return?

Hmm, let me think...

Sunday, 25 October 2009

Mysterious stranger

Hello Friend,   Ok, we've never met as far as I know, but already we are friends.  This bodes well.

I am Mr.Yi Kwan, supervisor on investment in Standard Chartered Bank,Hong Kong.   *nods*  Nice to know.  A good, solid, responsible job, so you must be a responsible kind of man.  Again, bodes well.  I am feeling more excited about this as I read.

I have a sensitive, confidential brief from Hong Kong and I am asking for your partnership in re- profiling funds ($18,500,000.00 USD).   Ooh!  "Reprofiling" - is that like "laundering"?  Because I kind of have a feeling that's illegal?  Isn't it?

What I require from you is your honest co-operation and I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you and I from any breach of the law.   Aah, no, clearly it isn't illegal.  My mistake.  Thanks for making that clear, Mr Yi Kwan.  And thanks for being so careful to reassure me that I will be protected from any breach of the law.  We don't want to get into trouble, do we?

Please accept my apologies, keep my confidence and disregard this email if you do not appreciate this proposition I have offered you.   Of course!  Again, thank you for being so courteous and thoughtful.  I am trusting you more and more with every word you write.

All confirmable documents to back up this fund shall be made available to you, as soon as I receive your reply via: I shall let you know what is required of you.  I will await your instructions.  Do I need to get a ski mask?  Or a speedboat?  Or some diamond-tipped drill bits that can cut through bank vault shielding?  Or anything?  Just let me know, I will be here, fake passport at the ready, money sacks poised to receive my re-profiled (but legitimate) huge piles of cash.

I can't wait.

Regards from,Yi Kwan

Mal de Dorset

This weekend I have done a lot of driving, most of it either in the dark, or in appalling low visibility due to heavy rain. It's been fun.

It took me over two hours yesterday morning to get to my lovely Mum's house. A combination of appalling rain, motorway spray and heavy traffic meant that I seldom managed to get much over 50mph, except for brief spurts on the motorway, in between the 40mph roadworks sections.

Ahhh travel in 21st Century Britain.

It was a shame that it was so dark and rainy, as otherwise it would have been a beautiful trip. What I did see of the trees in all their Autumn glory was lovely.

All that aside, once I got there, we had a relaxing comfortable day doing little more than chatting, doing the Saturday Telegraph crosswords, watching films* on TV, and eating a rather splendid Chinese takeaway.

It was excellent.

When I got home, Mr WithaY was collapsed full-length on the sofa, post-bath in his tracksuit bottoms and a huge sweatshirt, watching "Watchmen" on DVD. He was knackered, having got up early and spent the day tramping across the countryside, shooting. He brought some pheasants home, so I expect they will feature at a Dinner Party Near You** soon.

I watched the last 40 minutes or so of the film with him, and thoroughly enjoyed it, despite having seen it before, and missing the first two and a bit hours this time. If you haven't already seen it, you should. It's long (almost 3 hours) and there are some icky "look away" bits, but the story is great and I love the way it's filmed.

Today we went down to check on Father-in-Law WithaY's house (still standing, still full of all his stuff, still not for sale, gah) and then called in at Tesco in Shaftesbury on the way home. Unfortunately, I was overcome with what can only be described as sea-sickness on the way there, and spent much of the trip feeling myself getting paler, tremblier and cold-sweatier. As we drove through Shaftesbury I was having nighmarish visions of having to stick my head out of the window and vomit copiously all over the scenic streets and merry tourists.

I managed to not do that, but it was a close run thing.

Walking around the Tesco car park taking big breaths*** restored me to more or less normality, and we were able to get all the groceries AND another digital radio (£25! Bargain!) without any vomit being involved.

The radio I bought at Asda is now living in my study up here, as I can get Planet Rock on it. Hurrah. The one in the kitchen is currently tuned to BBC Asian music. Mr WithaY and I were dancing around to bhangra music as we put the shopping away.

Before I felt as though I was going to die, I took a couple of pictures out of the car window of a fabulous poppy field in full bloom.

You can't see just how big that field is.  It's HUGE.  Take my word for it.

*"A Passage to India", which I had read but never seen before, and then "What About Bob" which contains Richard Dreyfuss chewing up the scenery in a splendid manner.

**But only if you live round here. If not, get used to disappointment.

***Yeth, and I'm only thixthteen.

Thursday, 22 October 2009

Perchance to dream

The endless rain and dull grey skies are making me tired. So very tired.

It might, of course, be partly due to the fact that I was still awake at 0400 this morning, seriously wondering if I ought to get up and do something constructive. I'm not sure what that "something" would have been, mind.

Ironing would have been noisy and steamy, thus disturbing to Mr WithaY, who was fast asleep. He is not a fan of noisy, steamy activities at 0400 unless he is an intrinsic part of them, and we are on holiday in a posh hotel, after an evening of fine wine and delicious food.

I could have read some work stuff, but I dismissed that idea as "too bloody dull." I could have read a book, but I couldn't be arsed to get up and find one that I wanted to read.

Baking a cake (despite my recent whinging about my fat arse) would have meant making delicious smells* through the house, also likely to wake up Mr WithaY. I suspect that even the most delicious of cherry madeira cakes would be insufficient to pacify him if I woke him in the wee small hours by baking one.

So, I lay there for a bit, then, too tired to get up and be useful, too awake to sleep, till I eventually dozed off. Then I had a great lucid dream episode, which was entertaining. No idea what it was all about now, but it was one of those dreams where you can control the action to some extent. I love those. You know you're asleep, but you also have enough of your brain still awake to be a film director in your head. Sometimes I dream that I have woken up, though, which is bizarre. Then when I really wake up, I am all confused.

My sisters used to sleepwalk when they were younger, possibly they still do. We all talked in our sleep, which I certainly still do. More unnervingly, I also laugh in my sleep. I once seriously freaked out my room-mate at college by laughing for over an hour whilst fast asleep. She said she just sat up in bed, wide-eyed and trembling, watching me in horror, expecting my head to rotate 360 degrees, or my entire body to levitate.

She once had to stop me climbing out of the window, having watched me open it and throw my boots into the garden. Again, no idea what caused that. I lost my alarm clock. She told me a few days later "You put it under your mattress, that night you threw your boots into the garden." Ah yes, of course I did...yes, here it is, safe and sound. Poor Clare. What a lot she had to put up with. No wonder she never kept in touch**.

Mr WithaY (and assorted mates who have had to put me up over the years) say that I have also woken them in the dead of night by screaming in my sleep. How nice for them! When they wake me up, terrified and distressed, I have no recollection of it, or indeed what made it happen. Not weird at all then. The perfect guest.

Speaking of which, time to go and prepare things for dinner. We have some mates coming round. Marvellous.

*Oddly, we both hate being woken by any kind of smell. Although a delicious one might be a nice change.

**To be fair, neither did I.

The Excellent Dagenham Dave seems to have deleted his blog. That's a bit of a shame, I liked it a lot.

Dave, if by any chance you read this, I'm sorry you left. Come back soon and keep your chin up.

That is all.

Wednesday, 21 October 2009

Lady who lunches

I took a lunch break in between my working at home stuff today, which felt like a real luxury.

Usually I just switch on the work laptop in the morning and get on with whatever I am doing till hunger strikes. Then I go downstairs, forage a meal/snack/pathetic cry for help from whatever I can find kicking around, come back up here and continue with the business of the day until either I get bored, go cross-eyed or Mr WithaY gets home.

Today, though, I thought I'd take an actual break. In between toasting, spreading with Marmite and eating a bagel I also:

a) Emptied, then refilled, the dishwasher

b) Tidied up all my shoes that were taking over the house

c) Went over the cooker hood underside with some Flash wipes (and they were a real discovery, let me tell you), horrifying myself with the layers of greasy fudgey filth that were removed. I did wash my hands before continuing to eat my bagel, in case you were worrying.

d) Put a load of washing into the washing machine.

I am good at multi-tasking. Sadly, my bagel was dull and unappealing, as they sometimes are, so lunch itself was a bit of a disappointment.

I am also time-limited in terms of working today as my gorgeous guitar teacher is due over soon, so I need to make sure the place is reasonably tidy. Those amps take up a lot of space.

When I staggered home last night, late and tired and train-dazed, Mr WithaY had made the World's Largest Lamb Biriani, with the remains of our Sunday roast lamb. By Swansea it was good. We're having it again tonight; there is still enough left to feed at least six people. I may then freeze any leftovers. Four days of lamb in a row is enough, I think.

Hopefully we are having some mates over for dinner* tomorrow night, all being well, but as I won't get home till 8 at least, Mr WithaY will have to manage the food. Which, to be fair, he is spectacularly good at.

I am the underchef in our kitchen. Maybe even just the kitchen porter. The one who peels potatoes and carrots, and tidies up as the Master Genius Creative Talent works his magic. I put stuff away as we go along, and keep the surfaces clear and check the timers on things. Sometimes, if I am feeling especially brave, I make a pudding, or bread, or maybe even a chilli. The arrangement seems to work.

One of my sisters pointed out the killer logic flaw in my "I am fed up being fat" whinge that I indulge in from time to time. She pointed out that I often bake.

And what do I bake? Bread. Cakes. Biscuits. Quiche. Pies. Chocolate torte. All the stuff I'm good at. Doesn't take the brains of an archbishop to work that particular cause and effect spiral out, does it?

Gah, that list reads like the "Never Eat These" elements of a nutritionist's chart.

So, today it's a bagel and then later on, some biriani. And I think salad. There's salad in the fridge, at the back, behind the cheese. Somewhere.

*We're not having lamb

Sunday, 18 October 2009

Moon River

When I was out and about socialising with my mate Tall Richard on Thursday night, I took a few pictures of the Thames, as it was looking particularly scenic. Can't actually see the moon though. Sorry.

I like how the little bridge out to the boat is all lit up.  Very pretty.

And on the left, among the blurriness and poor light levels, you can make out St Paul's Cathedral.  Faaaar away in the distance.

The London Eye, all lit up and artfully bisected by a railway bridge.  I'm quite the photographer.

This is the north side of the river bank.  The Embankment, in fact.  Again rather blurry as I was using my phone to take the picture, and more of a concept than an actual picture of scenery.  The lights are pretty though.

This weekend has been very pleasant.  Mr WithaY and I went over to the pub for dinner on Friday night, as he was home from his business trip rather later than anticpated, then we scooted home to watch the new Armstrong and Miller TV show, which we both found very funny.  Saturday was a constructive and enjoyable day, I did laundry, ironed, baked bread rolls, and in the evening we went out for dinner with some mates in the village.  Mmmmmm deicious dinner.

Today was a day of Sorting Stuff Out.  We cleared out rubbish and weedsfrom the flowerbeds, Mr WithaY mowed the lawn, I pruned the roses, and we pulled up all the stuff in the vegetable bed that had finished being productive.  Then, inspired by this diligence, we tidied out the garden shed and put the table and chairs away till next summer.

Very satisfying. My legs ache like hell now though. Time for a shower and getting stuff ready for my absurdly early start tomorrow.

Oh, and I can now play "She's Not There" by the Zombies. Which is one of my all-time favourite songs, so I am mighty pleased about that.

Friday, 16 October 2009

It's not that often that I read something on the news that makes me shake with fury. This, however, has made me incredibly, incredibly angry

Whatever one's views on the current conflicts, how cowardly and stupid do you have to be to mock someone who has been maimed horribly?

I can only assume that those cruel, spiteful, stupid boys gave no thought to what they were saying.  Not that that is an excuse.  Fucking scum of the earth, all of them.

Thursday, 15 October 2009

I often while away my long train journey to and from London by playing Scrabble on my iPhone. I usually win, even though it's set on the Difficult setting, which makes me feel very smug. Ooh get me, defeating a computer. One day it will of course turn on me and fire me out of the side of the train into to cold bleak emptiness of deep space. Well, maybe Basingstoke.

Tonight I began a game of Scrabble, or "Scrab" as we officionadoes (sp?) call it, and I noticed that my letters spelled ARRSENE.

Marvellous. If I ever get a job marketing rectal remedies, expect to see that name on an ointment tube near you.

Monday, 12 October 2009

Back up in London today, after what feels like years, what with my time off work and the recent trips to Bristol.  It was tiring, but no more so than I expected, and I felt far more able to deal with work stuff than  I have for a long time.  I even managed to consider some knotty work problems without deciding I ought to write a letter of resignation.  So, progress.

And, as a bonus, when I left the house this morning, there was a glorious bright moon, and a sky full of stars.  Lovely.

Which brings me neatly to what I wanted to tell you about:  an iPhones application called Planets.  It shows you which planets in our solar system are visible at night - if you look at it during the day it just shows the Sun.  The two bright stars I saw low in the sky this morning were Jupiter and Venus, I learned.

If you look at the Globe option, it shows you the Earth as it looks at that moment - right now it is dark over Europe and you can see all the lights on the continents.  The Americas are currently in daylight.  It's fascinating, and I love it.  You can also see photos (from giant space telescopes, I assume) of the planets, and rotate them around with your fingertip to see how they look from all angles.  It's hugely pleasing.

Other, sad news.  Youngest Sis's lovely little dog Charlie passed away unexpectedly yesterday.  He was a charmer, and will be missed.

Saturday, 10 October 2009

The Big Bhangra

I am downloading bhangra music from iTunes. Tonight we are having a Curry Extravaganza, with people coming round, and naan bread and mango chutney and everything. I decided that something more appropriate than AC/DC, Chris and Thomas or Lynyrd Skynyrd from my iPod, or Pink Floyd, depressing Gregorian chant or 1950s do-wop music from Mr WithaY's would be nice.

I know nothing about bhangra, other than that when we have visited our lovely Indian friends, or been up to Southall to go shopping with them, I have enjoyed listening to it. So I more or less randomly downloaded a few albums, after typing "bhangra" into the iTunes shop seach box.

I am still toying with the idea of downloading "Bhangra Bloody Bhangra", a tribute to Black Sabbath. It has a certain appeal.

Other news:  We decided to put off going to the Wood Fair till Sunday, which means it will probably be raining when we go, but we have wellies and raincoats. I assumed we were putting off today's trip becasue of the upcoming Curry Extravaganza, but no, it is apparently because tomorrow is the day they are running didgeridoo workshops. Thankfully Mr WithaY is not planning to take his along, but I am sure it will require more than my mere mortal strength to stop him joining in when he finds the workshop.

Also, I have successfully uploaded a couple of sound files of Mr WithaY playing his didgeridoo. Well, one is of him playing it "properly" and the other is him trying to impersonate wild animals of the Bush. I leave you to decide if he is successful.

I think I need to add them as a special stand alone linky thingy though, as I can only upload pictures or weblinks here.  Gah.

Friday, 9 October 2009

Told him. Am being referred. And I only wept a little bit, which is an improvement. Yay me.

He said I need to be aware that depression could strike me down like a huge, mace-wielding vengeful demon* once the SSFH** is no longer foremost in my mind, though, and I have to watch out for that. So I will.

Fingers crossed that tomorrow will be a nice day as we are planning a trip to the Wood Fair. See the link over on the right there to the one we went to before. Under "Grand Days Out"'s called "Wood." Can't miss it.

I also need to pick up my Rickenbacker from the shop. Apparently the bridge needed raising, as somehow, mysteriously, it was too low. Hmm, how can that have happened I wonder? Might it have been when it was restrung a few months back? We shall see what, if anything, they try to charge me for fixing something that I think they broke in the first place. Heh.

Other news: I have made several deeply moving recordings of Mr WithaY making beautiful music on his didgeridoo. Now I need to work out how to install them on the blog.

*I paraphrase slightly
**Shit Storm from Hades

Today is the day I go back to the doctor and ask for a referral to a shrink. I've seen one before, although last time I had to be more or less ordered to do it, believing as I did then that depression was something that weak-willed people allowed to happen to themselves.

Ha. How very interesting it is to learn about these things first hand.

Anyway, I'm not depressed again. I know how that feels and that is not what is going on. The doctor talked about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when I saw him last, but having no previous experience of that I have no frame of reference. What I do know is that I am still hugely unbalanced* and that it takes very little to set me off on an uncontrolled, prolonged weeping fit. Which is nice.

I am also struggling to get back into my normal work routine. The long, long, oh so long commute now feels like a hideous obstacle whereas before it was an inconvenience that I was dealing with successfully. I have lost a lot of my ability to focus, which is a bit of a shame given the job I am doing, and I am completely exhausted after a day working, to the point where I come in, collapse on the sofa and am usually asleep by 9.30. That is not how I usually am.

Right. Time to go and tell all that to the doctor.

*More than usual, I mean.

Wednesday, 7 October 2009

Hump day dump day

Ah, Wednesday. Known to some as Hump Day, according to the radio. Why? Are we all supposed to be out there humping people's legs like unruly dogs? I'm sorry, but I am simply not prepared to do that.

Plus it's raining really hard and I don't want to go out and get soaked.

In fact, it's been raining all day. Luckily for me I have not had to go out and walk around in it much. I popped out to the local garage this morning to get the be-beep key fob thingy for my car sorted out. It was becoming excitingly unpredictable, not unlocking (or indeed locking) the car on the first, second and sometimes seventh click of the button. I had nightmarish visions of getting off the train from London at 9pm one dark night and not being able to open the car, then having to walk all the way home, crying piteously.

So, a new battery seemed like a good idea.

They are lovely down there. They replaced the key fob battery and then refused to take any money for it, saying "We'll sort it out next time, love, don't worry about it." What nice people.

I then scooted to Morrisons and picked up a few groceries. Washing powder! Bleach! Onions! My life is a whirling fun-packed carousel of delight.

What else have I been doing lately? Apart from slowly getting myself back to what passes for normality, post SSFH*, I mean.

I spent Monday and Tuesday in Bristol, helping with a training/familiarisation course, which was interesting. Always nice to meet people who work in related but separate fields**.

There is a HUGE difference between the trains that go from my local station to Bristol, and the trains that go from my usual station to London. The people! My dears! Such dreadful, dreadful people!

I suppose the big difference is that the London train is stuffed to the gills with city types in suits, settling in for the 2-hour ride, reading their newspapers or working on their laptops quietly. They all have their usual seats (me included) and there is a degree of placid tranquil acceptance that we are all in it together. We simply chill out and tolerate the journey as best we may, each trying to be inconspicuous and productive. Well, I tend to play Scrabble and listen to loud rock music on my iPhone, but you get the picture.

The Bristol train, now, is a different kettle of fish. Indeed, the one on Monday smelt as though one of the many slack-jawed mouth-breathers crammed in there was actually carrying a kettle of fish. It was a dump.

The train was the same size as the London train***, but there were fewer seats, meaning that while those of us who had found somewhere to sit were not too cramped, there were many people forced to stand up for the duration of the journey. And they were bitching about it.

There were several people for whom the term "dangers of rural inbreeding" might have been coined. Four people sitting around a table had only 5 eyebrows between them. It wasn't pretty.

Anyhoo. People hop on and off all the time, only going one or two stops, so it's a constant stream of bags and coats whacking you as they shuffle past, knuckles dragging, personal steroes blaring, phones cheeping and chirping. Was worse than being in the cinema with a huge crowd of unruly teenagers.

Still, it took less than an hour and a half to get to work, and I was home before it was dark, which made a nice change.

Other news: Mr WithaY has been diligently practicing his didgeridoo since he got home from Egypt. I might make a recording and put it on here if I can work out the technology.

*Shit Storm From Hades
**Not like farmers, but in a professionally-related way

Sunday, 4 October 2009

Mixed signals

I'm still here. Just not filling this little corner of the Internet with quite as much trivia and nonsense insightful social commentary as usual.

I am, however, feeling much better than I was. I'm still going to see the doctor next week though, as I am pretty far from normal.

It has helped that the weather was glorious all week. It's colder, as you'd expect, what with being October and all, but it's been clear and bright, with the trees just starting to turn colour. Very scenic.

Bestest Mate very kindly came over and stayed for a couple of days, which was lovely, so the week didn't feel as lonely as I thought it might at the outset.

One afternoon we went out for a little walk. I wanted to show him the new bridge over the river, so we wandered down to it and stood there watching trout in the afternoon sunshine. As it was such a lovely day we decided to take a stroll round the village and enjoy the weather. We got as far as a mates' house* and decided to call in and say hello. Luckily (for us) we interrupted them having tea, so we were invited to join them. Mmmm tea.

We sat and had a cup of tea, chatting about all sorts of stuff, when our host happened to glance down at the plate of buttered malt loaf he had placed beside his chair. There was an anguished cry of "Cat! No! You're kicking the arse out of it!" as he lifted their cat off the table. It had snuck round quietly and amused itself by licking all the butter off each slice while we sat talking. Heh.

That evening we went over to another mate's for dinner, which was mighty fine. Bestest Mate had to endure a whole evening of intense cross-examination**, being a comparative stranger round here. At one point our host enquired of his wife "Would you like a slightly brighter light to shine in his eyes?" which made me laugh.

Friday night there was a band playing in the pub, so I wandered over to take a peek. They were pretty good, but it was a bit of a shame there weren't more people there to enjoy them.

I left at about 11, back home to await Mr WithaY's arrival. I'd been checking flight details online throughout the day, and his was supposed to land at Gatwick at 9.30pm. Allowing about an hour for baggage, customs and car park sorting-out, two hours for the drive home, I expected to see him back here about midnight-ish.

I sat up till almost 1am, then gave up and went to bed, leaving lights on so he would at least get to see the glorious new paintwork as soon as he arrived. Apparently he actually got home at around 2.30am; his plane was very late in arriving, so he thoughtfully took himself off to the spare room rather than come crashing in and waking me up in the wee small hours.

He knows that's a bad idea.

Anyhoo. He managed a week of diving in the Red Sea without having anything bitten off by sharks. He has got some spectacular bruises from falling down a companionway, or onto a belaying pin, or into a bilge or something***.

Other news: I had to take my gorgeous Rickenbacker back to the shop to get it looked at. It was unplayable, which makes me feel better about the couple of times I tried playing it (before the string broke) and sounded shite. I think the action got lowered when it was restrung a while back. It was ok when you played a string open, but as soon as you fretted it there was just a lot of buzz, and no music at all. Bah.

Also, I have bought a digital radio for the kitchen. The signal on the old FM radio has degraded rapidly over the last couple of months, to the point where I often had to switch it off in exasperation. Bestest Mate suggested we went to Asda, as we were in Frome anyway, so we called in. I bought some new pillows, as the ones in the spare room were apparently not hypo-allergenic enough, and then looked at their electrical stuff.

Digital radios for £25! Incredible. So I bought one, and it sounds great. I can't pick up Planet Rock on it, which is a bit of a blow, but the BBC stations are fine.

Asda had the world's biggest selection of horrible Halloween shite I have ever seen, including a "joke" severed arm that actually turned my stomach. Gah.

Back to Bristol next week for a couple of days, then London on Thursday. I need to renew my season ticket. Almost five grand! Gah again.

*Hello Lynn! Hello Richard!
**It began with "So what do you do for a living?" and gradually ramped up to "So you're really not gay?"
***I'm not a sailor, but I can get by with the lingo, as you see.


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Thursday, 29 September 2011

Me:  When you have an itchy palm on your right hand, does that mean you're going to come into money soon?

Mr WithaY:  Yes, it does.  That, or you've got a burrowing parasite.

Saturday, 24 September 2011

I've been looking at the jobs pages in the local paper. Employment opportunities in this area are limited, compared with less rural localities, and as I don't want to commute, I am not looking even as far afield as Bristol and Bath at the moment.

I might change my mind, though.

So far, this is what I've found:

Job details

  • Location: Longleat Forest, Warminster
  • Salary: N/A
  • Industry: Other

  • Location: Longleat Forest, Warminster
  • Salary: N/A
  • Industry: Other
I am considering how to reframe my CV.

Saturday, 17 September 2011

Basket cases

Last week Mr WithaY and I went on a one-day willow basket-making course.  You can't become a basket-maker in one day, but you can make a basket.  Here's how:

You start with 6 sticks, all approximately the same thickness and straightness.  You have to find the natural curve of the wood and follow it to get the proper basket base shape.  My sticks all looked to be either completely straight or wavy as anything, not the gentle curve talked about by the instructor.

Once you have aligned your sticks properly, you stab them with a deadly steel bodkin, pointy, sharp and scary.  Oh, before you do any stabbing, you grease the bodkin point with tallow.  It's positively medieval.

Our instructor told us how she once had to rescue her can of tallow from a greedy dog which had its face in it.  She didn't mention it to the dog's owners;  I expect they found out later that day.

This is how the sticks look once you've STABBED them with the greased-up bodkin.  It's interesting how unnerving it is, having to stab something when usually you are all English and repressed and un-stabby.

Once you've finished stabbing, you slide one set of sticks through the other, thus:

This is the basis for your basket.  I had to stop and have a cup of tea at this point, all the craftsmanship was exhausting.

After you've had tea and braced yourself, you start doing the next step.  It has a technical name which I have completely forgotten, but it involves weaving small willow stems to make the basket base.

See the two different colour willows?  One sort has bark on and is slippery, the other sort doesn't and isn't.  They're both bloody awkward to weave properly.  You have to hold the spokes pressed hard into your tummy as you do this.  Painful.

Once you've got the base woven, and it is properly convex, you add long sticks to make the sides of the basket.  If it's not convex enough, you have to help it along using your knee and brute force.

Adding the long sticks was fiddly and hilarious, with all of us wrestling with our baskets on the floor.  We got there in the end.

Once we'd got to that stage it was lunchtime.  Lunch was excellent. Home-made and delicious. I recommend it.

After lunch it was time to start building the basket up.  Da da daaaaaaaaa.

You have to STAB it once again with the bodkin to hold it in place while you weave the willow sticks.  That's harder than it looks.  Getting everything nice and even and tidy is even harder.

Once you've built up the base, you change both style and material to make the sides.  I was using a weaving technique that involved using two lengths of willow in pairs at once, in a traditional English style.  It's strangely hypnotic.

Then, when your basket is tall enough, you do another set of the stronger weave that you used for the base, to make the top nice and sturdy.  If your basket is less than perfectly circular, you assist it with your knee and brute force.

Willow is very forgiving.

Once you've done that, you make the top edge, using the long sticks you stuck into the base to form the sides.  Remember them?  Yeah you do.

If you're a bit forgetful and have failed to keep your willow sticks wet, they will snap at this point.  The instructor will then rescue you and fix it so it will not show.  She was very good at rescuing people.

And at the end of the afternoon, you will have a lovely basket.

There were as many different baskets made as there were people on the course.  Mr WithaY made one with a French weave in the middle, and conveniently it stacks neatly inside mine.  There's tidy.

That's his on the left with the fancy French weave thing.  Sacre bleu.

One lady made an up-and-over handle.  Very pretty.  Those round things in the background are big bundles of willow sticks.  The barn we were working in smelled lovely.

One chap made these rather fetching finger holes.  I shall try that next time I make a basket.

If at any point you got bored or frustrated, and went outside to look around, you could see where the willows grow:

They had information boards up to let people know all the kinds of animals and birds you might see if you looked for long enough.  I saw bugger all.

I liked these gigantic sculptures, left over from a Glastonbury Festival, apparently.

And the maze was fun, despite being very low.  I reckon I could have stepped over the partitions in an emergency.

So, after a long and full day, a splendid vegetable lasagna and fruit crumble for lunch, a lovely drive through the Somerset Levels, and weird bruises where I hadn't expected any, I now own a basket that I made.  And it works.

Did I mention  how much nicer this is than being stuck in the office?

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

Tiny tripe

Well hello there.  It's been a while, hasn't it?  I was working on the assumption that everyone would be away on holiday and therefore not notice that I had been slack and idle for the best part of a fortnight.

To be honest, that's not true.  I haven't been slack, and certainly no more idle than usual.  In fact, I have been out and about, gallivanting across the countryside like a frisky gazelle, scampering hither and thither.

Yeah, I have.

Where have I been? Well I'll tell you.

Mr WithaY and I went up to Derbyshire for a weekend.  The Chatsworth Show was on, and we fancied having a look at it.  We drove up to a pleasant B&B on Friday evening, and were advised to try a local pub for dinner.

If you are ever in the area, go and eat there.  Really.  The food was excellent, the staff were competent and friendly and the prices were not too steep.  In fact, here's their website - The Black Swan.    It was so nice that we went back again the next night and tried their "sharing dish" of rib eye steak and big chips.  Mr WithaY and I enjoy our food* but we still ended up with a small tinfoil package of steak to take home at the end of the meal.

The B&B was good too.  Note for American readers - a B&B is a Bed and Breakfast establishment, where you stay overnight and they feed you breakfast - usually a huge and sausage-filled extravaganza - but you don't get an evening meal.  B&Bs are less expensive than a hotel, and often more interesting.  Sometimes, though, they are shite.

This one was lovely, though, and on a farm, our room looked out across one of their trout lakes.  People were fishing, and Mr WithaY sat with his nose pressed forlornly against the window, watching them till we went out.

There was a degree of grumbling along the lines of  "I knew I should have packed my travel fishing rod," but it soon passed.

The Chatsworth Show was excellent fun.  We missed the Red Arrows, who flew on the Friday for the first time since the crash that killed one of their pilots, but we did see a splendid display of stomach-churning aeronautics by two small stunt planes as we were leaving on Saturday afternoon.

Chatsworth House itself was under wraps, unfortunately, possibly to deter visitors to the show from gawping in through their windows and watching the Duchess sitting there in her curlers eating cheesy Wotsits and watching Jeremy Kyle.

I took a couple of pictures of their impressive wall carvings though:

There were hundreds of different stands and displays there, ranging from the traditional country pursuits of ferret-racing (no photos, I was laughing too much to think of using my camera) and stick-whittling to formal mounted displays of the Household Cavalry, with a fairground and lots of small trade stands in between.  There were people doing clever fishing demonstrations, shooting stands where you could Have A Go, and more delicious food vendors than you could shake a stick at.

As is traditional, Mr WithaY and I Had A Go at as many of the shooting stands as possible.  It got competitive.

I am officially Rubbish With An Air Rifle.  Mr WithaY was hoping to win an air rifle on the strength of that result, but as yet has not had a phone call telling him to go and collect his prize.

However, the .22 rifle was more successful.  Mine:

Mr WithaY's:

And yes, that is the noticeboard I made. We have our targets displayed in the kitchen.

We watched some lurcher racing.  It;s like greyhound racing but a bit less organised.  The dogs have to run at high speed through a field, after a fake rabbit on a bit of string that is being dragged along at even higher speed.  Blimey, they can move.

To such an extent that there are warning signs posted.  They'll BREAK YOUR BONES, so stand back.  I wonder how? Perhaps they use cudgels, although I'd have thought gripping a big twatting stick between small lurcher paws might be tricky.

There were many different craft tents, some crammed to the gills with talented people, others less so, some just brilliantly demented.  We found these chaps in a far corner of the showground.

They had a whole marquee full of teeny little model carts and things, all made to accurate scale.  My favourite was the butchers shop on wheels.  It had dolls-house size meat, including little teeny pigs trotters.

You get a sense of the scale of it by comparing it to the proud creator sitting behind the table there.  He was delighted that I was taking pictures, even moving the butchers shop around this way and that so I could capture the interior properly.

Look at the tiny pigs feet!  And black puddings!  And tripe!  I was entranced.

I spotted this giant letter "R" made from trees on the opposite hillside.  No idea what it is, or why it's there.  Anyone who has any answers, please feel free to comment.

Oh, this is me firing a 2-bore muzzle-loaded gun.  The recoil was hefty, hence the rather appalling firing stance I have there.  You could have a go with four different types of muzzle-loader, shooting at clay pigeons.  I am proud to announce that I managed to shatter a clay with a flintlock musket.  Yay me.

We also popped in to see my genius clock-making mate, and selected two of the types of wood he is going to use to make our clock.  That was interesting, and I am looking forward to hearing how it's progressing.

Where else have I been?  Oh yes.  Ragdale Hall.

I went on another - ANOTHER! - short break to the home of all that is relaxing and beautifying, along with both sisters, mother and auntie.  We had a blast, I have not laughed so much in a very long time.  I had a reflexology treatment, a full body massage, a facial and a pedicure, and loved every minute.  We all went swimming in the fabulous pools, sat in the various steam rooms and saunas, chilled out in the comfy chairs that are artfully scattered around the place, and talked and talked and TALKED.  So much to say to each other.

Normally when we all get together there are hordes of children and husbands and partners milling around, getting in the way and preventing two-hour conversations about nothing.

Middle Sis and Youngest Sis and I shared a triple room.  It was like the Three Bears house.  Three beds in a row in the room.  Three robes hanging in a row in the cupboard.  Three coffee mugs in a row by the kettle. Only one toilet in the bathroom, though.  I had half expected to see three of those in a row in there too.

Other news:  I have been harvesting crab apples from the tree in the garden, and making crab apple jelly. The first batch has turned out remarkably well.

I'd post a photo if Blogger would let me.  Maybe later.

*are fat greedy bastards.

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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Truths to Live By: Diversity is the Hallamrk of Creation

Open your eyes and really take a look around you. You will see that diversity is a hallmark of life. Even in an urban environment the sheer number of living things is remarkable.

Our species is also varied. Diversity has been a critical factor in our success. Our large brains, and our adaptability, have allowed us to survive in almost environment.

It is critical for us to open our eyes and see the wonder of our diversity. As far as we know, we are the most advanced expression of our benevolent Universe.

Each one of us is unique on every level. Our physical differences are apparent. We are constructed of different emotional, mental, and even spiritual, stuff. In Ifa our unique combination of energies is our Ori.

Each individual has their own Ori. At their best, they express themselves with good character, as an essential part of the whole. We need all of us, to be the best we can be. Our evolution depends on the full expression of every human being.

Our differences should  be celebrated. They make us strong. They give us so much to explore. We have an amazing number of cultural expressions. Every culture contributes to our evolution, even if we can’t see how.

You can appreciate someone, who is very different form you, without agreeing with them. Agreeing to disagree is key. Before we can understand being human, we must become more aware of the people around us.

Start by making an attempt to relate to someone very different from you. This can be something as simple as reading about another culture. Be open to a positive experience with every person you encounter.

We all have biases towards people based on their race, ethnicity, or culture. As a gay man, I avoid people from cultures that, I assume, are homophobic. We are all works in progress. This is an invitation to take a step out of your comfort zone. Discover something new about the human race.

Can you see the wonder in the diversity of humanity? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

Connect with Brian

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Spring Into Balance

Spring is a time of renewal. It is also a great time to plant seeds that will bring balance into your life.

To get the most out of our lives, we must look at the whole of ourselves. We need to care for the various aspects of ourselves.  But, we need to remember that we are one, whole, person.

I’d like to invite you to take a look at how balanced your life is. This will allow you to plant some seeds that will move your life forward.

Think about the physical, your health, diet, and exercise regime. Look at how you are supporting your body. You need to be strong and healthy to live your best life.

Think about your mind, do you give it enough stimulation, are you still learning?

Think about your emotional life. What do you do when a negative emotion arises? Negative emotions are pointers. They show us work that we need to do. Dealing with them lets positive emotions to come through.

Do you have a regular spiritual practice? Yoga, meditation, even long quiet walks, can be sources of renewal. They can feed the deepest parts of your being.

Think about each of the parts of yourself. Figure out which get the least attention. They will probably be the areas that you feel least comfortable with, and most uncertain about. Commit to bring more focus to them.

Take it easy. Be reasonable about how much you commit to. Push a little. Some discomfort will probably be good for you. Pushing too hard wont’ do you any good.

It is also important to remember that you are unique. Balance doesn’t necessarily mean and equal amount of time spent in every area.

Some people will always prefer quieter intellectual and spiritual activities.

Others are more outgoing. They are most comfortable in the physical and emotional realms.

A little effort can go a long way. Your whole life can make a leap forward with a bit of focus on a neglected area.

How is your balance? Do you find some areas of your life very challenging? I’d love to hear which ones and why?

Connect with Brian

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Truths to Live By: Discrimination is Destructive

Prejudice is destructive to both the individual, and society. The only basis for judging others must be their character.

Discrimination is caused by a process called generalization.  Generalization can be very useful. It allows us to get into any car and run it. Otherwise we would have to learn to drive over and over.

When generalization isn’t used with caution it can get us into trouble. A blueberry is tasty and healthy. Not all fruits that have the colour and shape of a blueberry are edible. Belladonna is deadly.

We should question our generalizations before we act upon them. Many are based on ignorance and hate. Acting on negativity only brings more negativity into our lives. Incorrect thinking in a society can create oppression, even genocide.

Even positive generalizations can dehumanize people. They attempt to force an individual into a mould. This separates us from the real person, and creates a shallow relationship.

We are all unique pieces that are essential to the functioning of the whole. Fulfilling our destinies will move the entire species forward. In order to achieve our destinies we must express our personal energy. We need to work to be who we truly are. We should always express good character.  This allows us to help our species, and the Universe, evolve.

If someone has good character and we treat them badly anyway, we move everything backwards. The Universe is reaching forward. It calls us to move with it towards greater complexity, and greater integration. There is no room to make anyone less because they are not like us.

Can you see how generalization has led to prejudice in your life? Can you see that it is a valuable tool that can bring greater understanding? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

Connect with Brian


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Sat, Aug. 26th, 2006, 10:58 am
chrissmari: lgbt organizing kickoff/ house party

Liberty PA is a statewide LGBT organization working to defeat right-winged senator Rick Santorum and elect Bob Casey and the entire democratic ticket. This house party will serve as a kick off to organize the LGBT community in Delaware County for this year's campaigns and to form a future LGBT caucus of the DelCo Democratic Party.

Date: Wednesday September 6th
Time: 7 pm
Where: At the home of Paul Scoles 26 Haverford Road, Ardmore PA
RSVP: paulscoles@comcast.net
click here to RSVP


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Monday, 15 December 2008

Ugly Dinosaur!

I've not written anything for a while but a few updates-

You can now buy UGLY DINOSAUR Tshirts and Limited Edition badges on I Dress Myself! I Dress Myself are an independent screen printers that specialise in T-shirt and poster printing using high quality water based inks. The dinosaur tee is screen printed along the bottom left of the tee on vintage style organic cotton in conversion tees. They are available in mens small, medium, large and extra large. Take a look! buy buy buy

There is still time to order items for xmas, if you order by Wednesday I can get them in the post first class!

I did a stall a couple of weeks ago at Moor St station- a comic strip coming up about that soon! (just need to scan) And the weekend just gone was the LUC xmas, which due to stupid train floods meant I got to London too late and missed! boo! :o(

Christmas Comic Sushi coming soon!....

Cadwell said...

I am SO buying that ugly dino tee with my christmas pennies.

Lizz said...

They have some really cool tshirts on the site, I really want the one that says "I cannot contain my indifference" and the one with the tiny wizard that says Cosmo! They have cool pillowcases too. I need more money!! :oD


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OK, Back To The Basics.

The Basics

Now is not really a great time for FUNDAMENTALS.  Things like ‘facts and substance’ are often viewed as getting in the way of vision, creativity and growth. But guess what? Knowing what you are doing is still ‘en vogue’.

At LoanCirrus we support  lenders around the world and we sometimes help them to set up LoanCirrus to their specifications, we hear a very wide range of questions from our customers. We realized that many of our customers (and we imagine others) may need a little refresher on the basics of lending. So here we go…

Loans are debt. Someone takes a loan you are in a creditor/debtor relationship with them. You extend credit (Creditor) and the assume a debt (Debtor).

Loans are ASSETS to you and LIABILITIES to your BORROWER.

The Cash you loan is  called PRINCIPAL

The price you charge for the money you loan is called the INTEREST

It is typical that you get repaid the money you loan PLUS the Interest you have charged for that money.

THE (not so) BASICS

Simple Interest is the most basic form of Interest . Not all Interest is calculated this way.

Simple Interest is when you charge the interest ONCE during the term. NO COMPOUNDING occurs. An example, You loan 100,000 @ 10% per month for 10 months. Clearly the Interest here is simple: 100,000 X  10% x 10 = 10,000 You will pay 10,000 interest for this loan for the 10 months. I can split it into 10 payments, 5 payments or 2 payments – it doesn’t matter the frequency of repayment, it is still 10,000 that I repay in interest.

To account for all other types of interest calculation periods a compounding effect is required. So, If Interest is to be charged WEEKLY instead of once, then we need to figure out how much of the interest is to be charged each week. For that we simply take the monthly interest and divide by 4 (4 weeks in a  month). Then take the weekly rate and charge it weekly then compound it for the term.  While the interest rate remains 10% per month, you will get a higher interest amount when the total annual interest is summed. This new amount when fractioned will provide the Annual Percentage Yield (APY).

Fees are NOT a requirement of lending. If you learn how to calculate and set a proper price (interest rate) then you should not need to charge customers a fee to have a loan processed and God forbid you would  charge someone simply to apply for a loan. In many instances, fees are simply upfront interest payments although they are not presented this way to customers.

Penalties are also NOT a requirement of lending. In fact, there are other schools of thought suggesting that penalties are counterproductive to building healthy customer relationships and therefore portfolios.

Over reliance on either fees or penalties for break even suggest an underlying portfolio problem and this will require deep analysis.

The Interest you charge for the money you lend is considered Interest Income for your business.  While your business can have some  amount of ‘other income’ interest income should be your PRIMARY source of revenue.

From your Interest Income you are expected to cover your cost of capital and operating expenses. If something is left over you must pump it back into lending to organically offset revenue churn from delinquent borrowers.

It doesn’t matter what interest rate you charge, only who you target. Like every other market on earth, lending is a spectrum. There are customers all along that spectrum.  Ensuring proper fit between your rates (price) and your market is more important an abstract and absolute view of price.

Lending is commodified – it’s been around so long and the only real barrier to entry is…well, money itself.

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Vehicle Wrappers delight Moscow ID

Welcome to the EV-motoring.com Local Pages. Here you can find local information about Vehicle Wrappers delight in Moscow, ID. We have compiled a list of businesses and services around Moscow, including Advertising & Marketing that should help you with your search. Should you wish to find help online, the ads on this page have also been targeted to Book Printing & Publishing in order to better help you find what you are looking for. We hope this page helps satisfy your local needs.

Business Technology Incubator
(208) 885-3800
121 W Sweet Ave
Moscow, ID
Design Renovations-Digital Media Productions
(509) 595-0551
51 Gray Rd
Pullman, WA
Spout Media Works
(208) 665-9496
412 E Sherman Ave Ste 102
Coeur D Alene, ID
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1050 Clover Drive
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Vector Marketing
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415 Addison Ave
Twin Falls, ID
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335 Nw Robert St Apt 2
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Creations In Space Inc
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415 Nw North St
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Savvy Marketing
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1801 N Government Way Ste 2a
Coeur D Alene, ID
Etched In Stone
(208) 523-2499
393 1st St
Idaho Falls, ID
Microserv Computer Technologies Inc
(208) 528-6161
1808 E 17th St
Idaho Falls, ID


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Beinhauer Family Funeral Homes

Services / Funeral Services

2828 Washington Road,
Canonsburg, PA 15317

(724) 969-0200

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When deciding on a funeral home, you and your family want to be sure that its service, merchandise and support selections are of the highest quality.

We provide the same superior assistance to all of our families, regardless of the type of funeral, cremation, memorial, cemetery or pet service they choose. Whether or not your choose us, this section will help you to decide which factors are most important to you. Once you are sure of what will best serve you and your family, the choice of funeral home will become clear.

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Sandusky County FairFree Parking Free Treasures at Admission FREMONT FLEA MARKET October 14th & 15th 9 AM - 3 PM Cool Temperatures Hot October Deals!!! BONNRGSO ONNIGSON October 14th Public Auction @ 9:27AM UPCOMING EVENTS "All Wheels" Swap Meet October 28th For information go to: or call (419) 332-5604 Sandusky County Fairgrounds REALTY & AUCTIONEERS. INC 901 Rawson Ave,, Fremont


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Hybrid Cars Auburn AL

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for Hybrid Cars. You will find helpful, informative articles about Hybrid Cars, including "Escaping the Oil Trap". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Auburn, AL that will answer all of your questions about Hybrid Cars.

Gentry & Ware Motor Co
(334) 749-1286
3906 Pepperell Pkwy
Opelika, AL

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Carroll's Auto Sales
(256) 447-8886
409 Memorial Dr
Piedmont, AL

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River City Auto Sales Inc
(256) 340-1557
3420 Highway 31 S
Decatur, AL

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Technique Automotive Inc
(251) 476-3247
3180 Spring Hill Ave
Mobile, AL

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Tony's Quality Cars LLC
(251) 459-7919
5711 Highway 90
Theodore, AL

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Walter Hand Motor Co Inc
(334) 774-2551
315 W Reynolds St
Ozark, AL

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Jerry's Used Cars
(256) 775-2883
10474 Us Highway 31
Hanceville, AL

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Jimmy Wells Used Cars
(256) 638-3126
667 Main St E
Rainsville, AL

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Rsb Auto Sales Llc
(205) 640-3112
2224 Moody Pkwy
Moody, AL

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RV Rentals New York
24,Green Lane,Walsall Midlands,New York,USA
New York, AL
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Escaping the Oil Trap

Escaping the Oil Trap

Selflessness doesn’t just benefit recipients, but those on the giving side of the
equation, too. The bonus: There are so many ways to give, whether you are being
charitable with your money, time or love. Here’s what science says about
altruism and how it enhances all our lives.

By Eric Schneider

July August 2008

Our use of petroleum and fossil fuels is downright addicting, not to mention environmentally hazardous. Can we slip oil’s greasy grasp before it does us in? The health of the planet’s water and air hinges on finding an answer to what may be the most crucial question of our time.

Ouch! Filling up the tank costs from $60 to a wince-inducing $100 for bigger vehicles, and even fuel-efficient cars tend to rack up $40 to $50 receipts at the pump. With costs for regular unleaded fuel climbing above a staggering $4 per gallon at press time, frustrations with Big Oil have reached a new peak. Coupled with an interest in more environmentally friendly fuel options, this has prompted steady rumblings for oil independence to grow louder.

Getting the Most
from Your Gas

Saving your pennies for that sweet little hybrid in the dealer’s showroom? Good move, but you can conserve fuel even before you trade up by heeding the following tips, courtesy of the National Resources Defense Council ( www.nrdc.org , 212-727-2700).

Given that as a nation we collectively run through roughly 55,000 gallons of gas a day, these simple ideas can save wear on both the environment and your wallet.

∗ Don’t be a leadfoot. Dropping from 75 to 65 MPH, for example, can cut your gas usage by 15%.

∗ Get tuneups on a regular basis. Keeping your engine in good shape can not only net you another 15% drop in consumption but can increase your car’s useful lifespan. When you do visit the mechanic, ask about energy-conserving motor oils.

∗ Keep your tires at the correct pressure. Under-inflation reduces mileage.

∗ If you’re going to be sitting for a while—at a railroad crossing or waiting for the coach to dismiss your child’s team—cut the engine. Idling for more than 30 seconds consumes more gas than a restart.

∗ Team up with your coworkers on your daily ride to work, or ask your employer about telecommuting at least part of the time. Use mass transit whenever possible.

Becoming energy self-sufficient by weaning ourselves off of foreign oil is far from easy or direct. The United States consumes 20.5 million barrels of oil a day—roughly a quarter of world oil production—but produces only 5.1 million barrels per day. This means that to become oil independent, we need to reduce our oil consumption by 75%, observes Jonathan Dorn, PhD, MPP, staff researcher at the Earth Policy Institute in Washington, DC. This heavy reliance on foreign oil is deeply ingrained in both the economy and the energy industry. Even with considerable instability in regions that supply much of our petrol...

Click here to read the rest of this article from Energy Times


text:
Hybrid Cars Columbia TN

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for Hybrid Cars. You will find helpful, informative articles about Hybrid Cars, including "Escaping the Oil Trap". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Columbia, TN that will answer all of your questions about Hybrid Cars.

Parks Pontiac Buick GMC
(931) 388-5843
919 Nashville Highway
Columbia, TN
Clutch Repair,Fuel Injection Repair,Radiator Repair,Tune up Repair,Truck Dealers,Auto Dealers

Lucas Chevrolet Cadillac Inc
(931) 388-3824
Po Box 357
Columbia, TN

Data Provided by:
Direct Auto Sales Llc
(931) 486-9945
3302 Kedron Rd
Spring Hill, TN

Data Provided by:
Honda Professional Repair
(865) 927-1505
9001 Oak Ridge Highway
Knoxville, TN
AC and Heating Repair,Auto Dealers

Burgin Dodge Inc
(865) 688-3620
4500 Clinton Highway
Knoxville, TN
Radiator Repair,Truck Auto Body,Tune up Repair,Van Dealers,Used Truck Dealers,Auto Dealers

Sloan Ford Lincoln Mercury Inc
(931) 388-2463
115 S James Campbell Boulevard
Columbia, TN
Alignment Repair,Fuel Injection Repair,Radiator Repair,Tune up Repair,Auto Dealers

Kittrell's Kars
(931) 379-0244
709 N Main St
Mt Pleasant, TN

Data Provided by:
Russell Barnett Ford Mercury Cars Trucks Vans Hybrid Crossovers
(931) 967-2277
4055 Tullahoma Highway
Winchester, TN
Clutch Repair,Radiator Repair,Retail Tire,SUV Repair,Tune up Repair,Van Dealers,Auto Dealers

Crossville Ford Lincoln Mercury
(931) 484-5135
269 N Main Street
Crossville, TN
SUV Repair,Used Car Dealers,Auto Dealers

Pioneer Motorcycles
(931) 967-2219
2433 Decherd Boulevard
Winchester, TN
Motorcycle Fabrication,Motorcycle Repair,Auto Dealers

Data Provided by:

Escaping the Oil Trap

Escaping the Oil Trap

Selflessness doesn’t just benefit recipients, but those on the giving side of the
equation, too. The bonus: There are so many ways to give, whether you are being
charitable with your money, time or love. Here’s what science says about
altruism and how it enhances all our lives.

By Eric Schneider

July August 2008

Our use of petroleum and fossil fuels is downright addicting, not to mention environmentally hazardous. Can we slip oil’s greasy grasp before it does us in? The health of the planet’s water and air hinges on finding an answer to what may be the most crucial question of our time.

Ouch! Filling up the tank costs from $60 to a wince-inducing $100 for bigger vehicles, and even fuel-efficient cars tend to rack up $40 to $50 receipts at the pump. With costs for regular unleaded fuel climbing above a staggering $4 per gallon at press time, frustrations with Big Oil have reached a new peak. Coupled with an interest in more environmentally friendly fuel options, this has prompted steady rumblings for oil independence to grow louder.

Getting the Most
from Your Gas

Saving your pennies for that sweet little hybrid in the dealer’s showroom? Good move, but you can conserve fuel even before you trade up by heeding the following tips, courtesy of the National Resources Defense Council ( www.nrdc.org , 212-727-2700).

Given that as a nation we collectively run through roughly 55,000 gallons of gas a day, these simple ideas can save wear on both the environment and your wallet.

∗ Don’t be a leadfoot. Dropping from 75 to 65 MPH, for example, can cut your gas usage by 15%.

∗ Get tuneups on a regular basis. Keeping your engine in good shape can not only net you another 15% drop in consumption but can increase your car’s useful lifespan. When you do visit the mechanic, ask about energy-conserving motor oils.

∗ Keep your tires at the correct pressure. Under-inflation reduces mileage.

∗ If you’re going to be sitting for a while—at a railroad crossing or waiting for the coach to dismiss your child’s team—cut the engine. Idling for more than 30 seconds consumes more gas than a restart.

∗ Team up with your coworkers on your daily ride to work, or ask your employer about telecommuting at least part of the time. Use mass transit whenever possible.

Becoming energy self-sufficient by weaning ourselves off of foreign oil is far from easy or direct. The United States consumes 20.5 million barrels of oil a day—roughly a quarter of world oil production—but produces only 5.1 million barrels per day. This means that to become oil independent, we need to reduce our oil consumption by 75%, observes Jonathan Dorn, PhD, MPP, staff researcher at the Earth Policy Institute in Washington, DC. This heavy reliance on foreign oil is deeply ingrained in both the economy and the energy industry. Even with considerable instability in regions that supply much of our petrol...

Click here to read the rest of this article from Energy Times


text:
Vitamin B Supplements Bennington VT

This page provides relevant content and local businesses that can help with your search for information on Vitamin B Supplements. You will find informative articles about Vitamin B Supplements, including "The B Team". Below you will also find local businesses that may provide the products or services you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Bennington, VT that can help answer your questions about Vitamin B Supplements.

Spice 'n' Nice
(802) 442-8365
223 North St
Bennington, VT
Wild Oats Co-Op Market
(413) 458-8060
320 Main St
Williamstown, MA
Hundredth Monkey
(802) 464-4640
W Main St
Wilmington, VT
Vites & Herbs
(802) 878-3777
400 Cornerstone Dr
Williston, VT
City Market Onion River Co Op
(802) 863-3659
82 S Winooski Ave Ste 2
Burlington, VT
Johnson Beth Herbalife Distributor
(413) 458-5992
718 Henderson Rd
Williamstown, MA
Village Store & Co-Op
(518) 677-5731
25 E Main St
Cambridge, NY
Plainfield Cooperative Inc
(802) 454-8579
Plainfield, VT
Vites & Herbs Shoppe The
(802) 388-3220
The Marble Works
Middlebury, VT
Dennet Douglas MD
(802) 864-0693
789 Pine St
Burlington, VT

The B Team

Given all the hazards to your well-being out there (sagging skin, cardiovascular
crises, DNA damage) it’s good to know that you have your own personal protection posse—
the overall health team known as the B vitamins.

By Patrick Dougherty

From November, 2006

Why is the sky blue? What is the definition of irony? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie-pop? Ask passers-by on the street, and they will find these questions to be “stumpers,” concepts that we understand vaguely, but struggle to define. How about this one? What is a vitamin? We know they are good for us (and we’ve got stacks of vitamin bottles to prove it), but how many of us can actually define what a vitamin is?

Simply put, vitamins are organic substances that enable our bodies to grow and function normally. This may sound unimpressive, but the bottom line is that vitamins are essential for life. There are thousands of different functions taking place in our bodies that only happen because of vitamins. And the B vitamins are a perfect example of this vital role—enabling a myriad of important internal functions while delivering health benefits that we are just beginning to understand.

Critical Coenzymes

To grasp the role of Bs and other vitamins, we must view the body as a sophisticated laboratory, producing myriad chemical reactions. Our immune system, for example, is a chemical reaction network so complex it makes the most advanced pharmaceutical laboratory look like a seventh grader’s baking soda volcano for a science fair. Functions we often take for granted—digesting food, walking up stairs, even the act of thinking—are all facilitated by chemical reactions within the body.

Thousands of these internal chemical reactions depend on enzymes, which accelerate the reactions to completion. Many enzymes only work with a little help from their friends—molecular buddies called coenzymes. This is where the B vitamins come in. Most B vitamins are coenzymes, helping enzymes carry out chemical reactions in the body. This coenzyme capacity partly explains why there are many different kinds of B vitamins.

How come there’s one vitamin C, but several B vitamins, you ask? (You might also ask why vitamins skip from vitamin E to vitamin K, leaving out vitamins F, G, H and I…but we digress.) The answer has to do with vitamin discoveries and the evolution of their classification.

“Historically, it was once thought that vitamin B was a single vitamin, similar to vitamin C,” explains Victoria Drake, PhD, Research Associate at the Linus Pauling Institute’s Micronutrient Research for Optimum Health in Corvallis, Oregon. “But many B vitamins were discovered, each having distinct biochemical functions. Because the various B vitamins were often found in the same foods, and were involved in similar end functions within the body, such as energy metabolism...they were grouped under the ‘B vitamins’ umbrella.”

As a result of this re-ordered vitamin cla...

Click here to read the rest of this article from Energy Times


text:
Vitamin B Supplements Picayune MS

This page provides relevant content and local businesses that can help with your search for information on Vitamin B Supplements. You will find informative articles about Vitamin B Supplements, including "The B Team". Below you will also find local businesses that may provide the products or services you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Picayune, MS that can help answer your questions about Vitamin B Supplements.

Watkins Products
(601) 798-2522
174 J M Stockstill Rd
Picayune, MS
Wic Women Infant & Children Nutrit
(601) 798-6212
7547 Highway 11
Carriere, MS
Sunshine Meadows Herbal Health
(601) 373-0788
141 Southpointe Dr
Byram, MS
Good Nutrition
(662) 281-8448
1151 Frontage Rd
Oxford, MS
Hundred Natural Herbs Sales
(601) 885-9010
1050 Bill Strong Cir
Utica, MS
Whole Health Connection
(601) 749-9831
221 Williams Ave
Picayune, MS
Smith Family Chiropractic
(228) 586-9343
16331 Highway 603 Ste 3
Kiln, MS
Harrison County of
(228) 467-1086
10222 Highway 603
Bay Saint Louis, MS
1 Nutritioncom
(228) 696-1919
1808 13th St
Pascagoula, MS
Smoothie King
(601) 271-2050
3201 Hardy St
Hattiesburg, MS

The B Team

Given all the hazards to your well-being out there (sagging skin, cardiovascular
crises, DNA damage) it’s good to know that you have your own personal protection posse—
the overall health team known as the B vitamins.

By Patrick Dougherty

From November, 2006

Why is the sky blue? What is the definition of irony? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie-pop? Ask passers-by on the street, and they will find these questions to be “stumpers,” concepts that we understand vaguely, but struggle to define. How about this one? What is a vitamin? We know they are good for us (and we’ve got stacks of vitamin bottles to prove it), but how many of us can actually define what a vitamin is?

Simply put, vitamins are organic substances that enable our bodies to grow and function normally. This may sound unimpressive, but the bottom line is that vitamins are essential for life. There are thousands of different functions taking place in our bodies that only happen because of vitamins. And the B vitamins are a perfect example of this vital role—enabling a myriad of important internal functions while delivering health benefits that we are just beginning to understand.

Critical Coenzymes

To grasp the role of Bs and other vitamins, we must view the body as a sophisticated laboratory, producing myriad chemical reactions. Our immune system, for example, is a chemical reaction network so complex it makes the most advanced pharmaceutical laboratory look like a seventh grader’s baking soda volcano for a science fair. Functions we often take for granted—digesting food, walking up stairs, even the act of thinking—are all facilitated by chemical reactions within the body.

Thousands of these internal chemical reactions depend on enzymes, which accelerate the reactions to completion. Many enzymes only work with a little help from their friends—molecular buddies called coenzymes. This is where the B vitamins come in. Most B vitamins are coenzymes, helping enzymes carry out chemical reactions in the body. This coenzyme capacity partly explains why there are many different kinds of B vitamins.

How come there’s one vitamin C, but several B vitamins, you ask? (You might also ask why vitamins skip from vitamin E to vitamin K, leaving out vitamins F, G, H and I…but we digress.) The answer has to do with vitamin discoveries and the evolution of their classification.

“Historically, it was once thought that vitamin B was a single vitamin, similar to vitamin C,” explains Victoria Drake, PhD, Research Associate at the Linus Pauling Institute’s Micronutrient Research for Optimum Health in Corvallis, Oregon. “But many B vitamins were discovered, each having distinct biochemical functions. Because the various B vitamins were often found in the same foods, and were involved in similar end functions within the body, such as energy metabolism...they were grouped under the ‘B vitamins’ umbrella.”

As a result of this re-ordered vitamin cla...

Click here to read the rest of this article from Energy Times


text:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Goat's Milk Woes

I inquired about goat's milk and was disappointed with the outcome.  The goat farmer I contacted does not sell goat's milk, just shares of a goat, which then gives you a specific amount of milk during the times that she's giving milk and leaving you fresh out of luck when she's dry.  The monthly fee is more than it costs me to buy organic cow's milk at the supermarket, and I prefer cow's milk anyway.  So, I guess we won't be taking the goat's milk route (thankfully - I was dreading that one a bit).

I know we don't need any more contributors to the world of ranting bloggers, but I must at least say that I'm not a fan of the "buying a share approach" to Community Supported Agriculture.  I would much rather support community agriculture by going to the farmer's market and purchasing the local produce that my family chooses.  It doesn't strike me as sustainable that we all pay a monthly fee to get a basket of what the farmer chooses, regardless of what we might choose.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Why?...or...Why Not?

Someone recently asked me why I am raising quail. I've had similar questions about why take the extra time to hang up clothes instead of just throw them in the dryer. The funny thing is, I usually find myself somewhat at a loss of an answer to such questions because my reasoning does not fall precisely in line with any specific ideology that dictates such actions. I suppose the easiest answer is that, although these things may be time-consuming, they are also very life-giving to me.

I'm not completely comfortable with industrialized agriculture and the many practices involved. I desire to show respect for the Creator by respecting His creation. I don't believe, for example, that this looks like placing chickens in cages that allow for no movement and focusing on the sole result of the most efficient egg production. Nor do I believe this looks like keeping created beings in overcrowded facilities where they do not see the light and cannot interact with any of the rest of creation.

I am also uncomfortable with the amount of steroids, antibiotics, and God knows whatever else getting pumped into our food for the sake of low-cost, efficient, and blemish-free production. While I don't find researching and debating the details of what the exact extent to which all this affects us physically, I do prefer to take proactive steps to cut back on the amount of chemicals being pumped into my body and the bodies of my family. In my house, this looks like everything from eliminating the use of plastic more each month to growing things organically in my backyard.

Finally, I value moderation of consumption. I enjoy cutting back on energy and water usage. I enjoy cutting back on utilization of centralized systems. And I enjoy saving money. I find it somewhat absurd that in the same day we use money and electricity on running both a device to pump out hot air (the clothes dryer) and a device to pump out cool air (the air conditioning), so I use the Creator's outdoor heating device (the sun) to dry my clothes).

That's the best I can give you for my "why." Really, it all comes down to that I like it. It feels right. It connects me with natural processes, teaches me spiritual lessons, and brings me joy.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Learning More About Quail

I believe this one's female, based on my research.  :)

Today’s job has been learning more about my quail.  Here’s what I’ve found:

     1. My quail are Coturnix quail, also known as Japanese quail.
     2. Quail have cannibalistic tendencies when under stress or living in too little space (very good to know…should have researched before losing one in pecking battles).
     3. Quail need 2 sq. ft. per adult male.  We have close to that but probably a little under, so we will need to increase their space now that they are maturing.
     4.  Nobody in my area carries game bird laying food.
     5.   Sometimes quail hide their eggs in the bedding (that should be fun!).
     6. Ways to sex quail (determining gender):
1.     Look at their breast feathers.  Males will have a rust color to their breast feathers while females will have distinguishable spots on their breasts.  (This does not work on the white ones.)
2.    Males crow, and females do not.
3.    Males have an extra bump on their rear that secretes foam – don’t think I’ll be using that method to determine my males if at all avoidable!
4.  Separate the suspected male to see if he lays an egg because we all know that males don’t lay eggs!

I suppose my to-do list has now expanded.  Over the next week I will be sexing my quail and expanding the enclosed space available to them (they will be the dinner of predators and fly through the neighborhood without the space being enclosed).  Wish me luck!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Updated To-Do List

Now that I have my edible landscaping well underway, I feel like I have come to a standstill on moving further down the path toward Learning to Live Local on Less.  Thus, I think it is time for a new to-do list.

    1.  Contact a local goat farmer and inquire about switching to local goat milk as our milk source.  (If I had more space, I’d sure love to have my own goat!)

    2.  Research quail to learn how to better care for them and make this a sustainable egg source.  (We are currently dealing with some in fighting, likely, because some are males.  It is very difficult to tell the difference from male and female quail when they are babies, so we will need to figure out which are the males as they mature and trade them for females.)

        3.  Plan and prepare planting for a fall harvest.

        4.  Test soil from close to the foundation of the house for lead and asbestos to    see if it is safe to add edibles along the edge of the house.

          5.  Investigate growing grains or finding an affordable local source of grains.

I suppose the above list includes enough next steps to keep me moving in the right direction.   I’ll keep you posted.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

How the Garden Grows

Cantaloupe vines climbing up the fence.
Yellow squash with onions in the front.
First fruits.

French Runner Beans.
Sweet Potato Vines

Plant progress picture day!  Due to the drought, I have more empty dirt space than I'd like.  New plants just can't keep up in the record breaking high temps and lack of rain.  At this point, I am going to wait until late summer to plant some more things for a fall harvest.  Forgive the haphazard layout...Blogger doesn't handle multiple pictures well.

Challenging Peppers.

Herbs...lemongrass tea = happiness.

Tomatoes will be ready soon...

Delicious Peaches
My healthy grape vine...
...in desperate need of pruning and training.

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Brick Paths

My backyard layout was inspired by some British garden photos that had brick paths. I was committed to not spending much money on the paths but still had my heart set on brick. Well friends, I have good news, it is possible to make brick paths for free with good friends, craigslist, and the patience to live with a mess while you wait for the right materials at the right price. I was able to salvage many bricks from the messy side of a friend's yard, for which they were grateful that I cleaned out some "junk." Then, another person getting rid of paver bricks found my wanted ad for bricks on Craigslist.  He was also happy to have me take bricks off his hands for free. Just as I was losing steam and sitting around with mostly filled, wobbly paths, yet another friend called to see if we could use some extra sand they had leftover. So, we took the dirty sand out of the boys' sandbox and spread it around the brick paths. This stabilizes all the bricks and turns them into nice paths - I will do a how-to post of the process when all is finished. Then, we took the new sand and put it in the sandbox.  As you can see from the photos, we are still living with some mess, but we are getting closer every week.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Quail Adventures

There has been much discussion at our house about whether or not to let our quail have free range of the yard while we are outside to keep predators away.  Currently, they have free range of their pen.  The issue that stands in the way of allowing them free range of our yard is figuring out how to get them to go back into the pen for their own safety when needed.  Thus far, we have had trouble getting them still enough to clip their wings so that they can't fly out of the yard.

Take today, for instance.  I admit that I still have not found a great way to clean the quail pen.  I moved the lid off of one corner, just enough to be able to scoop out the dirty wood chips with my shovel.  It wasn't long before one flew out into the yard and calmly hid behind the pen, so I ignored her for a time in the interest of finishing cleaning without losing any quail.  Within minutes, I had another escape out of the roost and fly over the fence into our neighbor's apple orchard (thankfully, a friend).  We managed to track her down, catch her, and clip her wings.    However, in the course of finishing the cleaning of the pen, we had a handful of others escape around the yard (including hiding in the doghouse - bad decision), and one more fly over the fence into the orchard.  Our trusty bird dog tracked it down and sent it into our forsythia.  Everyone is safely back in the pen now, albeit somewhat traumatized, some with clipped wings.  It was a fun Saturday afternoon distraction, but I must come up with a better system for cleaning the quail pen!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Gardening Shoes

How does one replace a faithful pair of gardening shoes? These shoes have served me well for years and years. This week, however, pieces of rubber have started to fall off in the garden while I work. So, what do I do? Purchase a new pair of shoes to immediately immerse in dirt? I am very finicky about my shoes. Crocs or some other such "gardening shoe" simply will not do! I need athletic shoes to support me while I go about the work of gardening. I can't use an old pair of athletic shoes because the support is completely worn out by the time I am done with them, and thus, they do not provide the support needed to garden without pain. Hmmmm...stayed tuned.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Day to Day Sustainable Living

I think I owe it to my readers to show the not-so-exciting days of Learning to Live Local on Less. So many blogs and magazines out there are full of the excitement...the planting, the harvesting, the new goat endeavor, and the latest advancement in biking for transportation...that we don't ever have images of the author picking weeds in 90 degree weather and cleaning the toilet (naturally, of course). So I am here to tell you that this blogger is unglamourously getting up early to clean the berry patch before the heat kicks in, nearly passing out hanging loads of laundry in the squeltering sun, and vacuuming the house. Nonetheless, it is all very life-giving to me. I once read a quote in the book "Living More with Less" that said something to the point of: if living simply weren't so fun, I wouldn't do it. The concept has stuck with me. Thus, while I await my sourdough to rise, I blog while looking out the back window at my kids playing in the sandbox and my laundry blowing in the breeze. Sometimes I think the boring days are what life is all about.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Sustainable Urban Living Inspiration

Steve's pup has found a nice shady place under the tomatoes.

 We all need someone who shows us that what we read in books and magazine is possible.  Steve Fry is that person for me.  He makes it all happen right here in Muncie, Indiana and has been a great source of inspiration, encouragement, and practical help.  The problem is that Steve is so busy gardening that he doesn’t spend time on silly blogging endeavors, so I will have to brag on his behalf.

Steve's Outdoor, Solar-Heated, Water Heater
When I first met Steve, he was living a block from me completely off-grid and raising enough produce for a small army.  Last spring he moved to a little bit larger house, but he is still in the heart of the city on an average sized lot.  I remember him going to work immediately on making the yard into gardens upon relocating before worrying about the shape of the inside of his fixer-upper.  I was away this spring, and when Steve came by to welcome us home, he was excited about our backyard transformation and full of encouragement.  He said we must stop by and see his progress.  This is what met me upon entering his gate (remember, he just moved in last spring):

An unbelievable, edible backyard oasis!  He followed us the several blocks back to our house and helped make some repairs to our rain barrel system, leaving us with a bag of produce since we got a late start planting this year.  I suppose this means I should get back to work!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Sourdough Part 2

Hopefully yesterday’s post has given you the confidence to give homegrown sourdough culture a try.  I tried raising sourdough on my own before but wasn’t confident enough to stick with it until a dear friend gave me some of her sourdough culture that had been in her family for decades along with a batch of recipes.  She was so generous that I want to extend the favor.

Feeding the sourdough (the good kind – if you want just water and flour starter, google it!):  add 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, and 1/3 cup sugar.

How often, you ask?  If keeping it on the counter – daily.  If keeping it in the refrigerator – weekly.  Now, you may recall that yesterday I said you can keep it in the fridge for up to 6 months without feeding it.  This is true, but you do not want to consume it immediately after an extended period of stagnation, without first feeding it for a few days straight to freshen it up.  It will not taste good, and your belly will hurt.

My favorite website for sourdough bread recipes is sourdoughhome.com.  You cannot not rush the rising times.  They seem very long, but that is the nature of good sourdough.  Be patient.  It will be overly dense and won’t rise well if you rush it.  The sourdough culture must have time to work its way through the entire dough.

The above website doesn’t have recipes for cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and muffins.  Basically, for those, you can throw a cup or so of sourdough starter into your favorite recipe while adjusting the other ingredients to maintain the right consistency for the added probiotic benefit and flavor of sourdough.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

While we’re in the kitchen, let’s talk about sourdough.  Now I’m not talking about store-bought sourdough that is made with packaged yeast and has a touch of sour flavoring added.  I’m talking about homegrown sourdough culture that uses healthy bacteria to rise.  Our bodies need good bacteria (I’m sure you’ve heard the probiotics buzz).  Sourdough is good for your intestinal health and is not as difficult as you might think to maintain and use.  It only requires one thing:  patience – that dirty word!

Thoughts to calm your fears (based on things misconceptions that found me giving up on sourdough my first few tries):

     1.  My sourdough starter can last up to 6 months in the refrigerator without  being fed.
     2.  I use it for more than just bread – pancakes, muffins, cinnamon rolls…mouth watering yet?
     3.  I do not find myself dumping extra starter down the drain, nor do I bake   with sourdough daily.

Now, I must confess, my sourdough starter is not the traditional flour and water starter.  It is a flour, milk, and sugar starter.  Sure, I’m not a purist, but it makes for delicious outcomes, and I still get good bacteria in my system.  I’ll share more details, proportions, and how-to’s tomorrow.  If you’re in the Muncie area and want some of my starter, let me know.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Homemade Granola

For those of you who follow this blog regularly, I promised you a granola recipe would be in a future post, so here it is.  Making granola is a great way to cut breakfasts costs without giving up the convenience of pouring cereal and milk in a bowl and being done with it.  Below is the recipe I use, based on a recipe from a favorite restaurant, Mezza Luna, which has since closed.

Combine: 6 cups rolled oats, 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds, 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, mix:  1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup honey, 1 cup water, 2/3 cup oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Add wet mixture to dry mixture.  Spread onto two baking sheets at 300 degrees for about an hour.  Stir every 10-15 minutes.

I change the types of nuts to vary the recipe.  You can also change the amount of sugar to match your taste/health preferences.  I also often add 2 cups total of some combination of dried fruits.  The fruits you choose is completely adaptable to your preferences and budget.  Or if it's fresh berry season, leave out the dried fruit and top with fresh berries...even better!

Make it whenever you have time, and once it cools, throw it in a container until breakfast.  Enjoy!  (I'd add a picture, but this recipe doesn't even last long enough to snap a picture of it in my house.)