Morbid war facts / McDonald's Hot Mustard Sauce

I am so annoyed! People keep discussing a certain subject, and I definitely wish they wouldn't! Of course I'm nicer to Eric, and what they don't know is that I already thought of certain other things. Nothing tawdry going on here, folks! What would you do if your every little interaction was overanalyzed to death?! Makes me want to stay home! But 24... BOMB! "Where's Tom? Oh, he's in a briefing!" (no, he's been gagged in a closet for the past hour... the same closet which Reid's been in and out of for the past two hours or so!) I liked the part when Chloe freaked out and walks in on Morris in the bathroom, and directed some other guy OUTTA there: "NOT NOW! USE THE BATHROOM LATER! MORRIS, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" "You're just obsessed with the drinking thing, and I definitely CAN do my job! Now please go!" *she leaves, and he pours some alcohol down the sink drain.. good for him!*

Saw Jon at the airport after watching some of a CSI episode about a bear mauling on a hunting expedition which turned into "a human body in a cooler" thing. Parents seemed surprised when he asked about 24 and appeared to know stuff about the episode... you CAN check websites for these things, and he watched a bit of it before he left! No, Mom... I am NOT staying over! I'm not that insane... at least I saw my brother and such before he has to speak at Resonate! He and Dave knew Phil was going to propose in Chicago: glad it went well. Should check Phil's blog more often since that's apparently where my sister learned the news. Ooh, I have an email from Harmony... must answer that, too! Eric H. left me an MSN message - not sure I can do anything on Friday since I'll kinda be busy listening to my brother speak at Resonate. And if Eric M. does ANYTHING crazy, I will kill him. :P


Today's Revolting Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Trenches and rifle pits were not the invention of the 20th century's two world wars. Trench warfare was also used extensively during the American Civil War. At the Spotsylvania, Virginia battlefield, caught in a storm of lead and steel splinters, troops learned to hug the ground, but conditions in rifle pits and trenches soon became all but intolerable, as Chaplain Stewart recalled:

"From where I stood, and in front of a Rebel rifle pit, lay stretched in all positions over fifty of our unburied soldiers, and within the pit and lying across each other, perhaps as many Rebel dead. It seems almost incredible what a change of little less than a week had wrought, by exposure to sun and hot air. The hair and skin had fallen from the head and the flesh from the bones - all alive with disgusting maggots.

"Many of the soldiers stuffed their nostrils with green leaves. Such a scene does seem too revolting to record. Yet, how else can I convey any just conception of what is done and suffered here?"

Culled from: Portraits of the Civil War

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Ruthless Rhyme Du Jour!

I've been reading Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes and More Ruthless Rhymes by Harry Graham, a collection of hysterical poems originally published in 1899, and I thought I'd share with you some of my favorites.

AUNT ELIZA

In the drinking-well
Which the plumber built her,
Aunt Eliza fell...
... We must buy a filter.

Ruthless Rhymes For Heartless Homes

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Morbid Sightseeing!

I've been meaning to mention this for a while:

Great news for those of us in the Windy City - Body Worlds 2 is at the Museum of Science and Industry through April 29, 2007.

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Wretched Recommendations!

Dusty has a book recommendation:

Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen

"The author covers a variety of funeral options. Although none of the information is new to us, I think it is worth a read. It's not exactly 'morbid' though, but I still thought I would mention it to you. I enjoyed the way she incorporated blurbs of people's lives into each story. The only part of the book I found to be a bit long was the 'Biodegradable You' chapter. On the other hand, my favorite part of the book was 'The Culture Thing.' I didn't have a lot of prior knowledge about the funeral rites and rituals of the Hmong people, so I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter. My favorite quote in the book was: 'It's like an Epcot Center of Death.' I give it 3/5 coffins. :)"


McDonald's Hot Mustard Sauce

I finally got on the case to bring you the definitive kitchen clone for this one - and it's a cinch! Tie one hand behind your back and witness plain old ground dried mustard mixing it up with sweet and sour flavors in a saucepan over medium heat. The cornstarch wrangles around in there to thicken and stabilize while Captain Habanero pops in for the perfect spicy punch. Use it for dipping, use it for spreading, and use it again and again, since you'll make about a cup of the stuff. And McDonald's will be glad that we no longer need to hoard the little blister packs from the restaurants.

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons ground dried mustard
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
10-14 drops habanero hot sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in a small uncovered saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
2. Turn heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Sauce should thicken in 2 to 3 minutes after it begins to boil. Remove sauce from heat and chill in refrigerator in a covered container. Makes 1 cup.