Plans with both Erics are the coolest ever!

Yay, LJ has done another username purge! At least they told us about permanent account sales a month in advance this time, haha.

I think Nina and Dylan S. (her son) are now out of my life, unfortunately - she doesn't answer phone calls for the past few months, and I don't think she'd answer emails either. Sure, I know you can get busy, but surely you'd have time to answer your phone (messages) once in a while. UGH. On a semi-related note, I tried calling my parents this afternoon... and the phone line was busy all the time! My dad later said it was because I dialed the wrong phone number... I don't THINK so! *rolleyes*

On more positive notes, I made plans with white Eric via MSN: a ride is definitely more than possible, so that's a good thing. I'm not going to adhere to a silly condition, although he DID wish me a good time on the cruise. As if I'd be less than nice, anyhow - cheh! Then I called Chinese Eric with no answer, but here's the difference between him and Nina - he actually checks his phone and calls people back! No, I was not the one who called him early in the morning since I'd have been sleeping then! He thinks that he can get me to give up my secrets easily by asking - you'll have to wait for it, buddy. Later, he brought up Nathan and others watching movies after camp tomorrow: I'm not so sure I'm up for that, honestly. Maybe if I weren't going on a cruise the next ULTRA-EARLY MORNING, haha. There were phone problems, but unlike what happened with another person years ago, these were legitimate.. AND he called me back right afterwards! Yay for firm friendships on this end! Makes more sense to plan an outing after the cruise, since I'm sure I'll get him something from that "adventure," haha. Corey says he needs to add things to the small stuff from Taiwan, and that's why it's taking him so long to mail THAT out - perfectly understandable since I do the same thing at times! (like the previous sentence proves, hehe)

Why do I bother with Quiz Heaven stuff nowadays? I think I won't do anything with it from now on since it freezes my browser if I open up more than a few tabs from the site! (I know, I know... "don't do that, then!") Yikes @ all the time I've wasted on it! Certainly be better for post-cruise catchup, hahaha.

what would you do alone that you would never tell anyone

dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

are you as cool as you think

way more

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

Sweet! I like this result!

Who are you?

You are an incredible person

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

This one works for me, too. :D

are you a nice or bad person

you're not a total jackass, but you're almost there.

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

This flies in the face of the previous two results. I DEMAND A RECOUNT!

Preppy

You are the farthest thing from emo there ever could be. You have friends, and yearn to live another day.

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

YES

YOU'RE A PREP

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

Woot! Devin!

YES, DEVIN! HE'S YOUR GUY!!!!!!!!

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

WHAT KIND OF HORSE BREED ARE YOU?

ARABIAN, PINTO, PAINT, PALOMINO, QUARTER

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

What Do You Have Detention For?

Didn't wear pants to school.

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

What color is your Care Bear?

green

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

Dream of olives, jalapenos, and brain damage / Blog check

Stupid pink blinking annoying ads. It's not "What could be better than thousands of cute smiley's"!!!! Not that I expect better from Myspace, but on an AD?! *thud*

Another day, another message from someone. Interesting stuff, haha. Too bad it's not Eric Ho, even as I suspect I might not really be able to get together with him tomorrow. Probably best to schedule such stuff after the cruise, after all. Let's see... who do I think I'll get postcards and souvenirs for, besides me? Both Erics, Jeremy, someone whom I missed seeing yesterday (left vague), Corey, Dawn, Citrus, Danielle ("Happy Late Birthday!" kidding), brother, girlfriend (gotta make up for just the BOOKMARK maybe?), and I'm not sure who else. Guess we'll see, haha.

I had a dream where my friends and I were going around campus, and I had to help Tracie look after a bunch of physically / mentally-disabled people. She looked like she does in an old Myspace picture (basically like a plump 40-something mom), and helped feed them. Our charges liked sticking gummi bears to their white T-shirts, and I remember thinking that I'd like a blue gummi bear from someone's rainbow... luckily, I didn't follow through on that! Red, white, blue, yellow... all different colors were represented. There was this particular person who loved olives and jalapenos, and he seemed to take a special liking to me. He spilled a bunch of olives and jalapenos, and kept apologizing as I told Tracie that we needed a cleanup on Aisle Six jokingly. She took care of the floor and keeping them to one side, then my brother came in and said he'd like to speak to all the people elsewhere. We agreed (less work for us!), and then a group of people in purple shirts and blue jeans came in. They were escorting a man with handcuffs who kept shouting about how he had tactile brain damage for one day, and that caused him to murder his wife - not guilty by reason of insanity? The dream ended after I asked Tracie if such a thing were possible... she said no.

No idea what triggered THAT one! Maybe my subconscious is craving nachos or something, haha. Probably not something I'll get on the cruise ship, though! We'll see what we eat - as Karen said to me on Wednesday, it'll be SOMETHING! I'll probably make my sister take pictures of all the food again, haha. Might as well check blogs: Alyssa has taken a break after the concert to focus better on real life, Randal has stuff about demons, and Vivian wonders whether anyone will hire her to teach. I'm sure they will, although I can't say this knowing what it's like! Let's just say that I don't think sins are always / necessarily a result of being mentally disordered in some way - if that was the case, we'd ALL be locked up! (that would be a pretty societal picture, NOT!) Some, MAYBE... but certainly not the absolute of all.

Defending people is the right thing to do when they've clearly been wronged / insulted, and I wish I heard more about this case where a black woman was gunned down by her estranged husband in front of her church! (then again, it's only San Fran local news - Google / Crime Library, here we come!) Oh, here's a cheap person whose frugality directly resulted in his wife's death from a heart attack! ("Call an ambulance!" "No, wait till we get to Canada since it's expensive in the US!" "PLEASE!" "Okay... oh crap, she's dead now!") Then there was the one about anger and amusement - I wonder what someone was trying to tell me! Guess I'll ask him later... for now, it is time to lunch quickly before Henry comes to pick me up! (Quiz Heaven tonight!)

Edit: He's not coming today, since he's facing an imminent death in the family. :(

Next week it is, maybe... for now, off to do more space adventures.

Your Intrapersonal Intelligence Score: 54%

Your Intrapersonal Intelligence is Average You have a pretty good awareness of who you are, but you occasionally surprise yourself. There's a lot about your own psychology that you can figure out. Consider starting a journal or writing poetry. There's a much deeper side of yourself that you will discover.

How Does Your Intrapersonal Intelligence Rate?

Your Interpersonal Intelligence Score: 56%

Your Interpersonal Intelligence is Average You do well in most group settings, but you also need time to recharge. So while you can work with people during the day, you may crave your alone time at night. For you, it's all about balance!

How Does Your Interpersonal Intelligence Rate?

Blood, Mormons, asylums, Outback Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bushman Bread

Today's Unprotected Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A Minneapolis city worker is worried about blood in the sewer system because while he was cleaning the system, blood sprayed out of a hole and got all over him. "We could tell it was blood, I mean, a large amount of blood," said Minneapolis Sewer Maintenance Worker Ron Huebner. It happened in March 2007 in Northeast Minneapolis near a lab that does medical testing and dumps blood into the sewer. It is
allowed, but the city is now making changes to help protect workers in the future. "Blood just all over my face, in my mouth, I could taste it. It was terrible. I had it in my mouth and I kept spitting and I couldn't get rid of it," said Huebner. Huebner said he hasn't been sleeping much. He's worried about the blood that he swallowed when he was operating a jet machine to clean out the sewer. The Met Council said it was a mix of human and animal blood used in medical testing at this nearby lab. In fact, the company, R & D Systems, does have a permit to dump blood in the sewer system. However, Huebner wasn't protected or warned about the blood because his immediate bosses didn't know about it. "We have changed the procedure to ensure they're wearing goggles or a face mask while they are above that manhole," said Hamilton. The Met Council is changing the permit to say that the city has to warn the lab it's coming to clean the sewer, and the lab has to stop discharging blood until they're done. R & D told the city that the blood shouldn't present any risk, but Huebner's still worried. "I'm going to hope that nothing's wrong with me, but I don't want to see this happen to anyone else in my department," said Huebner.

Culled from: WCCO.Com
Generously submitted by: Marco

**********************************************************************

Okay, here's what I don't understand about this story: if your job is to clean sewers, isn't blood spraying out all over you the LEAST of your concerns??? Wouldn't you be covered head to toe in some sort of protective gear anyway?

*******

The Comtesse Recommends...

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

I'm ashamed to admit my naivety, but I never knew that Mormons could be so morbid! I mean, I've always thought of them as quite insane, but in a happy-happy-joy-joy wholesome Osmond holy underwear "no caffeine please" kind of way. But after reading this fascinating book, well, I've gained an entirely different perspective! Jon Krakauer exposes the grim truth behind Mormon fundamentalism, which (like most fundamentalist beliefs) basically amounts to a group of selfish men figuring out that when it comes to indulging in their darkest fantasies, there's no better scapegoat than God.

You want to kill your brother's wife? "God told me to do it!" You want to screw around with as many women as possible without guilt? "God told me to do it!" You want to slaughter people who don't share your beliefs who happen to be passing through your territory? "God told me to do it!" You want to impregnate your 12-year-old daughter? "God told me to do it!" There's literally NOTHING that you can't get away with!

And sadder still are the women who have been indoctrinated into this cruel subculture which teaches little girls that obedience is the supreme virtue. This naturally results in brainwashed girls like Elizabeth Smart feeling that she must willingly submit to her kidnapper "husband" without any attempt to escape, and it makes a 12-year-old girl feel that she is "sinful" if she resists her father's incestuous advances because God told him to do it. There are some truly sickening stories within these pages.

More than anything else, Under the Banner of Heaven is a compelling warning against the very real dangers of blind faith, regardless of what particular belief a person may ascribe too. A chilling read. (Hate mail to the usual address, please!)

*******

Morbid Link Du Jour!

The Clark County (Nevada) Coroner's Office has a website displaying the unidentified Las Vegas dead. Take a look - and perhaps what happens in Vegas *won't* stay in Vegas for a change!

Thanks to feanix for the link.

*******

Urban Exploration!

GK sends me the link to an Abandoned Asylums webring. There are some very interesting sites linked here.


Outback Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bushman Bread

Along with an entree at this popular steakhouse chain comes a freshly baked loaf of this dark, sweet bread... served on its own cutting board with soft whipped butter. One distinctive feature of the bread is its color. How does the bread get so dark? While you may notice the recipe includes instant coffee and cocoa, these ingredients will not give the bread its deep dark chocolate brown color - not even close. Usually breads that are this dark - such as pumpernickel or dark bran muffins - contain caramel color, an ingredient often used in the industry to darken foods. Since your local supermarket will not likely have this mostly commercial product, we will make the caramel color from a mixture of three food colorings -- red, yellow, and blue. Just be sure to get the food coloring in the little droppers so that you can count the drops as you measure. That's very important to getting the color just right. You may also opt to keep the color out. The bread will certainly taste the same, but will look nothing like the real deal. I suggest using a bread machine for the mixing and kneading, if you have one.

Dough
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
2 cups bread flour
1 2/3 cups wheat flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoon (1 package) yeast

Coloring
1/4 cup water
75 drops red food coloring
45 drops blue food coloring
30 drops yellow food coloring
cornmeal for dusting

1. If using a bread machine, add all of the ingredients for the dough in the exact order listed into the pan of your machine. Set it on "knead" and when the machine begins to mix the dough, combine the food coloring with 1/4 cup of water and drizzle it into the mixture as it combines. After the dough is created let it rest to rise for an hour or so. Then remove it from the pan and go to step #3.

2. If you are not using a bread machine... combine the flours, cocoa, sugar, coffee, and salt in large bowl. Make a depression or "well" in the middle of the dry mixture. Pour the warm water into this "well"... then add the butter, honey, and yeast. Combine the food coloring drops with 1/4 cup of water and add that to the "well." Slowly mix the ingredients with a spoon, drawing the dry ingredients into the wet. When you can handle the dough, begin to combine it by hand, kneading the dough thoroughly for at least ten minutes, until it is very smooth and has a consistent color. Set the dough into a covered bowl in a warm place for an hour, to allow it to rise.

3. When the dough has risen to about double in size, punch it down and divide it into 8 even portions (divide dough in half, divide those halves in half, and then once more). Form the portions into tubular shaped loaves about 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. Sprinkle the entire surface of the loaves with cornmeal and place them on a cookie sheet or two. Cover the cookie sheet(s) with plastic wrap and let the dough rise once more for another hour in a warm location.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the dough and bake it for 20-24 minutes in the hot oven. Loaves should begin to darken slightly on top when done. Serve warm with a sharp bread knife and butter on the side. If you want whipped butter, like you get at the restaurant, just use an electric mixer on high speed to whip some butter until it's fluffy. Makes 8 small loaves.

Tidbits

It is normal for this dough to be a bit tacky and to seem somewhat thin. Just be sure to add plenty of flour to your hands and work surface when working with the dough to prevent sticking. If you are able to find caramel color, you can use that rather than the food coloring formula described in the recipe. Just measure 1 tablespoon of caramel color into the dough mixture where the recipe uses food coloring and water.

DOWNTIME! YAY! / When a girl tells you...

Eric called at 9 after I napped / banned a random person from my journal for using Netspeak. He let me know that he was still at work, so we wouldn't be going anywhere. Fine by me, as I think this was the blessing in disguise that allowed me to stock up on non-social time, haha. He says he can probably give me a ride on Sunday (I still need to bug him about stuff), so I'll call him tomorrow - yes, I know he has to be there early for worship. No, I don't really mind THAT much... we'll see how early it turns out to be! Also called Chinese Eric: not surprised there's no answer at home OR his cell phone! Still reading the stories at the regifting site - at this rate, I'll be done by the time I go to bed again finally! (and hope I can actually sleep... I think blue is better than white)


"When a girl tells you..." from Sarah G. (Tonks) via Myspace bulletin:

Girl facts:

When you catch a girl glancing at you, she wants you to look back and smile.

When a girl bumps into your arm while walking with you, she wants you to hold her hand.

When she wants a hug, she will just stand there.

When you break a girl's heart, she still feels it when you run into each other 3 YEARS LATER...

When a girl is quiet, millions of things are running through her mind.

When a girl is not arguing, she is thinking deeply.

When a girl looks at you with eyes full of questions, she is wondering how long you will be around.

When a girl answers "I'm fine" after a few seconds, she is not at all fine.

When a girl stares at you, she is wondering why you are playing games.

When a girl lays her head on your chest, she is wishing for you to be hers forever.

When a girl says she can't live without you, she has made up her mind that you are her future.

When a girl says, "I miss you," no one in this world can miss you more than that.

When a girl is mean to you after a break-up, she wants you back, but she's scared she'll get hurt and knows you're gone forever.


Guy Facts:

When a guy calls you, he wants to be with you.

When a guy is quiet, he's listening to you...

When a guy is not arguing, he realizes he's wrong.

When a guy says "I'm fine" after a few minutes, he doesn't mean it.

When a guy stares at you, he wishes you would care about him and wonders if you do.

When you're laying your head on a guy's chest, he has the world.

When a guy calls / texts / comments you everyday, he is in love.

When a (good) guy tells you he loves you, he means it.

When a guy says he can't live without you, he's with you till you're done.

When a guy says, "I miss you," he misses you more than you could have ever missed him or anything else.

Sometimes guys are more sensitive than you think they are.

Guys don't care what people say about them, unless it's the one they love. If it's them, it kills them inside when you say something not so nice.

Repost this in 10 minutes and your true love will call you.

Someone was in your mind as you read this.

Post this as

IF YOU'RE A GUY, POST IT AS "When a guy calls you..."

AND

IF YOU'RE A GIRL, POST IT AS "When a girl tells you..."

No Diven / Dreams of little kids biking and birthdays / Mom's confusion / Quizzes

Hey, I actually slept from 11 to 5:10! That's pretty good, considering I haven't really slept since Wednesday morning or so. If my personal circadian cycle is more like 20 hours on and 10 hours off, it's not going to work with the cruise schedule! Hopefully, it's another occasional aberration / blip in the NATURAL scheme of things. ;)

Even better, I didn't find what I was half-expecting on my screen / phone. That would be a series of messages / calls from Diven asking me where the heck I was, using MSN noisy emoticons, and informing me that I had to be at a certain intersection by 5 or 6! I can tell you right now that it wouldn't have been happening, and I wouldn't have gone to Fellowship / Bible Study tonight! (or I'd just make him extremely late for whatever practice he was going to) I have to mock-yell at him sometime this weekend for stealing my seatmate, even though he probably likes others. Hahaha, good times. And just when I'm wondering where Blogthings / YNR was with their quizzes, they come up with a whole bunch of them at once. Nice, real nice. Ah, here's Diven on my phone insisting that it rang 27 times! Hahaha, at least I know that he's still at work - running late is fine by me! (not really, but whatever!) If people want to go out tonight afterwards, I think we'd better do that since neither of us would have had much dinner... peanuts and sweet / sour pork does not necessarily constitute a meal. :P

---

I had a weird dream that involved a whole bunch of my friends in someone's math class. We learned that it was our teacher's birthday, and made plans to sing from our classroom while she was preoccupied next door with another class. Jeremy decided to lead the singing of HAPPY BIRTHDAY, and Miss Bradley seemed amazed and touched! After that, we had to look after a group of kids. Some of us were more interested in watching TV on the big screen, so continually told some quintuplets (red / yellow / blue / other colors) to move.

Then we realized that one of the kids' moms wanted to shoot a guy she was involved with if he didn't shape up. Scary stuff. She did so, but somehow there were no consequences. Later, there was a group of us doing Awana-type things: Melia, Andrew, some of the teens, and I all had a debriefing session around paper. We went through a few sessions in different places while Ada helped Ian (her real-life son) and Christal get around on their bikes. There was this debriefing session near my apartment once. Since it was so close by, I just took off for home after Awana. While waving to Ada / Ian / Christal as they biked and played around a nearby intersection, I realized that I'd forgotten about the debriefing session. But because I was more than halfway home (SO CLOSE!), I just went there. That was how the dream ended. Weird.

Oh, and my mom (of all people) knows what Viagra is! Guess she's slowly expanding her knowledge: libido, what testicles REALLY are (not tentacles!), and now Viagra. However, she still needs work distinguishing between a nightgown and formal wear. Exact quote: "You don't need to pack your nightgown for the cruise formal night, because I will pack it for you!" Why does she have my nightgown, and why would I wear one around the public areas of the cruise ship anyhow, hahaha? (formal night or not)

You Are 55% Creative

You are a quite creative person. You're always involved in at least one interesting project. Keep it up and keep learning. Your creativity may bring you great things someday.

How Creative Are You?

You Are a Pretty Good Liar

Your lies are somewhat believable, but sometimes you get caught. Work on keeping your body language and emotions calm. And you'll be a better liar in no time!

Are You a Good Liar?

Your Celebrity Style Twin is Kirsten Dunst

More hippie chic than hippie chick.

Who's Your Celebrity Style Sister?

You Are 56% A Child of the 90s

Ah yes, the 90s! You remember them - and they were totally phat. Or totally dope. Or totally da bomb.

Are You a Child of the 90s?

You Are 76% A Child of the 80s

Not only did you experience the 80s... you are practically an expert. You should be totally stoked!

Are You a Child of the 80s?

You Are a Natural Beauty!

You're the kind of beauty that every guy dreams about... One that looks good in the morning - without a stitch of makeup. That doesn't mean you're a total hippie chick, though. You have style, but for you, style is effortless!

What Type of Beauty Are You?

Your Ideal Hairstyle:

Curly Bob

What Women's Hairstyle Is Right For You?

Coincidences, regifting, last words, 100 most metal moments

Well, sleep has proved elusive... grr! Maybe it was all the tea I had at dinner! Also, my Firefox dictionary reset itself AGAIN when I restarted the computer earlier: I hate when that happens! I had a lot of words in that thing! Since I can't sleep, I'll give you three links and a list of metal music moments. Gotta love the alliteration, haha.


1. There is an old saying that "there is no such thing as a coincidence," but whether or not you believe in Fate, it is hard to argue with the fact that sometimes extraordinary circumstances conspire with uncanny synchronicity. OddWeek.Com presents the 20 Most Amazing Coincidences, a highlight reel of happenstance that will challenge even the most skeptical of readers.

2. Fans of the TV show Seinfeld will remember that the brilliantly insightful sitcom first coined the term "re-gifting." For those of us previously unfamiliar with this ethically-challenging verb, it is clearly defined in Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English as "to give as a gift something one previously received as a gift." With the motto "Really, you Shouldn't Have," Regiftable.Com is part forum, part etiquette guide, and part tribute site to the underground world of re-gifting. Read about the five "W's," hear stories from fellow re-gifters, learn tips to avoid getting caught, as well as other artful devices to help you through the uncomfortable, hilarious, yet all too frequent dilemma of what to do with a present you don't want.

3. Depending on the situation, words can be powerful tools for communication, a medium for art and humor, or just "all talk." If you love history, or just have a dark sense of humor, you are bound to appreciate the Last Words Browser, an online collection of the final words uttered by famous people. Browse the index alphabetically and read the last words of well-known authors, poets, politicians, composers, dictators, prophets, scientists, artists, royals, and other famous figures in human history. Spoken just before their passing, these memorable finales include passionate sentiments of faith, profound philosophical statements, and unbelievably callous and witty jokes. Our personal favorite was uttered by Oscar Wilde on his deathbed: "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do."


List taken from VH1's 100 Most Metal Moments, courtesy of Nick. Kaitlin would probably LOVE this! ;)

100. Ozzy Osbourne shaves eyebrows off his sleeping bandmates.
99. Poison screen potential groupies with the aid of a video camera.
98. Faster Pussycat singer scratches crotch with fan's prosthetic arm.
97. Judas Priest replaces Rob Halford with tribute band singer.
96. Alice Cooper kills a chicken by throwing it into audience.
95. Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley is electrocuted onstage.
94. L7 singer throws her used tampon into the audience.
93. Guns N' Roses' Slash hires bodyguard to carry him home when he's drunk.
92. David Lee Roth hires midgets and female body builders as security team.
91. Stryper start oxymoronic Christian metal movement.
90. Faith No More's flopping fish flap.
89. Quiet Riot performs at Michigan nudist colony.
88. John Wayne Bobbit porno has cameos by metalheads Lemmy and Vince Neil.
87. King Kobra singer has sex change and goes from Mark to Marcie.
86. Jimmy Page replaces Robert Plant with Zep-clone David Coverdale.
85. Sam Kinison's Wild Thing video features appearances by metal's A-list.
84. Alice In Chains' Speedo water slide ride leaves little to the imagination.
83. Crazed Slayer fan carves logo in arm, and makes it into band's album artwork.
82. Megadeth's Dave Mustaine talks smack in Ireland, and needs armed escort out of country.
81. Def Leppard have mid-show sex parties underneath the drum riser.
80. Ted Nugent becomes legal guardian of his 17-year-old girlfriend.
79. Ozzy Osbourne drug binge begets cat massacre.
78. Whitesnake cast Tawny Kitaen in video and create a metal super-vixen.
77. Marilyn Manson rubs his business on bouncer's head at show.
76. Devil statue that urinates Jack Daniels becomes a stage prop for David Lee Roth.
75. Mötley Crüe makes groupies pee in litter box to meet the band.
74. Aerosmith big mouth gets arrested for potty mouth.
73. Warrant's Cherry Pie video puts an end to subtle sexual metaphors.
72. Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx ODs, dies, gets revived, and ODs again.
71. Pantera singer's very own "House Of Shock" incurs Christian wrath.
70. Kiss markets coffins which double as beer coolers.
69. Mayhem embody black metal with suicide, homicide, and cannibalism.
68. The Plasmatics cause havoc on Tom Snyder's Tomorrow show.
67. Rage Against The Machine bassist arrested for climbing on VMA set mid-show.
66. Mötley Crüe meet the Canadian Mounties, and lose porn.
65. Aerosmith's Steven Tyler casts daughter Liv as stripper in Crazy video.
64. Biohazard pull prank on Slayer involving stupid friend and feces.
63. Manowar set Guinness record as world's loudest band.
62. Guns N' Roses deliver profane, drunken acceptance speech at AMAs.
61. Bon Jovi's arrival signals birth of "Hair Metal."
60. Homeless man claims to be "down and out" Kiss drummer Peter Criss.
59. Septic truck driver becomes singer in Tesla.
58. L.A. Guns singer sits in salad and serves it to fans.
57. Pete Steel of Type O Negative reveals his metal in the pages of Playgirl.
56. Skid Row scores metal's first #1 debut on Billboard charts.
55. Sex tape featuring Poison's Bret Michaels and Pamela Anderson sex tape surfaces.
54. Metal horror flick Trick Or Treat features Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne.
53. Motörhead drummer freaks out on Absinthe, and goes on hotel streaking spree.
52. Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx sets himself on fire in the name of showbiz.
51. Cynthia Plaster Caster starts casting the hammers of the rock gods.
50. Foo Fighter Dave Grohl pays homage to metal roots with Probot.
49. Led Zeppelin's John Bonham leaves stinky surprise in groupie's shoe.
48. Iron Butterfly drink too much and birth In A Gadda Da Vida.
47. Metallica go after Napster and 317,377 copyright infringers.
46. Megadeth's Dave Mustaine feuds with MTV's Rikki Rachtman.
45. Gorgoroth defile Pope's hometown with sheep's blood and mock-crucifixions.
44. Def Leppard's Joe Elliott gets burned on Foolin' video shoot.
43. Plasmatics' Wendy O. Williams engages in death-defying stunts.
42. Beavis & Butthead's paternal lineage is revealed. (Their dads were roadies for Mötley Crüe, I believe.)
41. Anthrax trash a fan's house for MTV, and appear on Married With Children.
40. Ace Frehley, Kiss' spacey guitarist, claims intergalactic abduction.
39. Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee compete in stink and score fest.
38. Ozzy Osbourne pees on the Alamo in wife's dress.
37. W.A.S.P.'s Blackie Lawless sports exploding codpiece.
36. Marilyn Manson makes Satanic affiliations official.
35. Tenacious D pay tribute to Ronnie James Dio.
34. GWAR's bloody stage show gets them in trouble in Georgia.
33. Kiss put the makeup back on.
32. Poison guitarist C.C. Deville goes ballistic at the VMAs.
31. Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil challenges Axl Rose to boxing match on MTV.
30. Parents make Aerosmith's Steven Tyler guardian of 14-year old groupie.
29. Tipper Gore's P.M.R.C. tries to curb filthy rock lyrics.
28. David Lee Roth cuts head with sword but the show must go on.
27. The Decline of Western Civilization - Part II, The Metal Years.
26. Motörhead's Lemmy contributes to the delinquency of a minor reporter.
25. W.A.S.P. fans display affection by pelting band with meat.
24. Judas Priest dispels backwards masking myth.
23. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page buys mansion of famed occultist Aleister Crowley.
22. L7 raffles off one-night stand with drummer.
21. Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee steers boat without his hands.
20. Van Halen awards roadies who guess the groupie of the night.
19. Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, and Metallica play Moscow Music Peace Festival.
18. Def Leppard offer obscene backstage passes.
17. W.A.S.P. guitarist gets hit by flying rump roast.
16. Heavy Metal Parking Lot documentary premieres.
15. Faster Pussycat drummer receives a special drug delivery.
14. Kiss' Gene Simmons sleeps with over 4,600 women and has the pics to prove it.
13. Dokken guitar solo ignites actual volcanic eruption.
12. Axl Rose attacks fan at Guns N' Roses concert and starts one of many riots.
11. Poison revolutionize information maintenance systems with groupie database.
10. Def Leppard drummer loses arm, but keeps rocking.
9. Led Zeppelin's mud shark incident.
8. Groupies rate rockers sex romps and sizes online.
7. Ozzy Osbourne and Nikki Sixx compete in gross-a-thon.
6. Judas Priest's leather-clad "Metal God" comes out of the closet.
5. Spinal Tap premieres.
4. Mötley Crüe release autobiography The Dirt.
3. Dio popularizes "Devil's horns," the universal hand-signal for heavy metal.
2. Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi sacrifices fingertips to create metal guitar sound.

And the #1 most metal moment...
1."Hear N' Aid" benefit album unites metal nation for the good of all.

Outback Steakhouse Coral Reef 'Rita

Next week is gonna suck sleep-wise if I can't get to sleep at a "normal" time. I hope this repositioning cruise is worth it!


Outback Steakhouse Coral Reef 'Rita

This Outback margarita selection will handily quench, soothe, and ring the bell in your clock tower -- just what the doctor ordered for a hot summer evening fiesta. A mildly fruity on-the-rocks margarita is powerful ammunition in any home bartender's arsenal of party cocktails. I like tequila. Tequila is my friend. But get to the bottom of too many of these tasty pink drinks and you'll feel like a used piñata in the morning.

1 1/4 ounces Margaritaville gold tequila (1 shot)
3/4 ounce triple sec
3 ounces (approx. 1/3 cup) cup sweet and sour mix
3 ounces (approx. 1/3 cup) cranberry juice
3/4 ounce Grand Marnier
wedge of lime
Optional
margarita salt (for rim of glass)

1. If you want salt on the rim of your glass, moisten the rim of a 16-ounce mug (or glass) and dip it in margarita salt.
2. To make the drink, fill the glass with ice.
3. Add the tequila, triple sec, then some sweet and sour mix and cranberry juice (in equal amounts -- about 1/3 cup each should do it) to within a half-inch of the top of the glass. Stir.
4. Splash a half shot of Grand Marnier over the top of the drink.
5. Add a wedge of lime and serve with a straw. Makes 1 serving.

Overtime hockey, dinner, slow torture, and the Decemberists

Why is Melia calling me on her cell? Meh, I'll get back to her after the hockey game! (1-1 in overtime, oh my!) The Canucks have to win this one or they're eliminated. I like my mom trying to get into the hockey psyche: "We won't riot if we lose tonight... but we would have if we lost to Dallas when we were up 3-1 in games!" Heh, the backup goalie Danny Sabourin got some action too and made five crucial saves to start overtime! Good for coming in pretty cold, because he hasn't played since the last regular-season game against Phoenix!

Went to dinner with my grandma - guess she wants to see us before she goes to Hong Kong. This weekend isn't good because of camp and some birthday banquet, and we were reminded of how seven is an unlucky number for her. ("we can't have seven dishes... WHERE'S THE LAMB?!") Steph managed to join us, so that was better than leftovers eaten at home. (sucking snails, oh my!) Jon's talking at the camp, and wishes he could go to Redefine... however, Harmony gets into town on the long weekend too! Oh well, there will be other conferences and such! Now various aspects of my PERSONAL LIFE have been given to Grandma to think about for four months... I dislike certain people sometimes, really!

Edit five minutes later: The Ducks won the game on a long 50-foot wrist shot by Scott Niedermayer in double overtime. Luongo didn't see the shot which went past his left pad, either! (he collapsed to the ice in disbelief) You win some, you lose some...


Today's Educational Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A far from speedy death, the bastinado involved the victim being caned gently and rhythmically with a lightweight stick on the soles of the feet. A skilled executioner was needed to sustain the torture for many hours before the mental collapse and eventual death of the victim.

Although the method was widely used in Persia (now Iran), the specialists were the Chinese who, while not concentrating just on the soles of the feet, used thin lengths of split bamboo to torture and eventually kill their victims. The 'lictors,' as they were called, were so skilled that they could flick the victim's body hundreds of times without breaking the skin, or, at the other extreme, tear the flesh off in long strips.

Culled from: The Book Of Execution

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You gotta respect those torturers for their patience. It takes real discipline to keep from going all Tootsie Pop Owl in the torture chamber. "One... Two... oh what the hell - CRACK!"

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Follow-Up Du Jour!

Yesterday, I featured some morbid snowglobes and asked if anyone could find out additional information on them. Several of you were kind enough to do the research and found that the snowglobes are mixed media artwork created by Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz, and can be fully enjoyed at their website.

As a man once said about a lamp, "It's indescribably beautiful!!"

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Ghastly!

If you haven't seen the images of "brain worms" before, well, prepare
yourself by taking some anti-nausea medication before you click.

Thanks to Adam for the link.

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Morbid Lyrics Du Jour!

Jeff sends the lyrics for one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands, The Decemberists.

"One band your readers might want to check out (if they haven't already) is The Decemberists. Frontman Colin Meloy writes most (if not all) of the band's songs. While the songs are considered folk / rock, many of the songs tell stories set in centuries past, and deal outright with themes such as death, murder, revenge, desperate longing, and star-crossed lovers who meet with tragic ends.

"To give you an example, the following song is called Leslie Anne Levine. It's from the album Castaways and Cutouts, and is told from the POV of a dead newborn's ghost. Great stuff!!"


Leslie Anne Levine

My name is Leslie Anne Levine
My mother birthed me down a dry ravine
My mother birthed me far too soon
Born at nine and dead at noon

Fifteen years gone now
I still wander this parapet
And shake my rattle bone
Fifteen years gone now
I still cling to the petticoat
Of the girl who died with me

On the roofs above the streets
The only love I've known's a chimney sweep
Lost and lodged inside a flue
Back in 1842

Fifteen years gone now
I still wail from these catacombs
And curse my mother's name
Fifteen years gone now
Still a wastrel mesallied
Has brought this fate on me

My name is Leslie Anne Levine
I've got no one left to mourn for me
My body lies inside its grave
In a ditch not far away

(I love this song, but the one thing that bugs me is... if the baby died 3 hours after birth, how does she know her name? Or, indeed, how to talk? And how can a chimney sweep child ghost find satisfying love with an infant? Does this bug anyone else??? - DeSpair)

Dreams of animal stampedes / Outback Steakhouse Cinnamon Oblivion

I HATE INTERNET DRAMA!

Hmm. Now I get phone calls from Toronto?! Very odd. Oh well, I was going to see if I could spend time with the Big G today, but I guess it's a good thing I didn't since I woke up feeling a bit unwell. (yay for it striking after Jen's dinner?) Maybe this lime-plum tea thing my mom gave me will work since it's supposed to help digestion; I don't think this stomachache is digestion-related, but at least it's not stress illness! (I hope...)

Eric also reminded me that certain things existed to be eaten: I know, but maybe not now with my stomach issues. (Nathan's stomach flu is not contagious!) Corey left me a message saying that I should especially run Ad-Aware when I play Bookworm: that would slow down my time considerably, so I don't think I shall do that. Crazy person. :P

Speaking of crazy, I had a weird dream involving me in a red jacket which I almost forgot when it was time to leave a room. There were many pigs and animals underfoot which had escaped from their secure pen, and all the kids and adults had to catch them. My dad's name was Clintonis in the dream, but then got changed to what it really is later on. My mom was looking through black-and-white photos in an album, but we couldn't join her because of the animals and frightened kids. Insane, as I'm not even sure if it means anything!


Outback Steakhouse Cinnamon Oblivion

Roll a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream in home-made candied pecans. Surround the ice cream with warm cinnamon apples and drizzle caramel over the top. Sprinkle fresh cinnamon-butter croutons on the dessert and you've got an irresistible clone of one of Outback's most popular menu items. For the croutons, it's best to use the Bushman Bread clone from right here on the site. But if you're not up for bread making, choose another sweet bread, such as Hawaiian Sweet Bread or Pillsbury Honey White Bread.

Candied Pecans
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon butter
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

Cinnamon Croutons
2 cups cubed Bushman Bread (from clone here, or you can use another sweet bread such as Hawaiian Sweet Bread or Pillsbury Honey White Bread)

1/3 cup salted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon Apples
1 20-ounce can apple pie filling
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar

4 cups vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup caramel topping (Smucker's is good)
1 1/2 cups whipped cream
4 fresh strawberries

1. For candied pecans: combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon butter, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until mixture boils and all sugar granules are dissolved.

2. Add chopped pecans to mixture and stir for 1 to 2 minutes over heat. Be sure that all pecans are well-coated.

3. Pour mixture onto a large plate and continue to stir until mixture hardens and begins to break up. You should be able to separate all of the nuts.

4. For the croutons, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Pour the slice bread cubes onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bread has turned light brown. Stir halfway through cooking time.

5. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Pour baked croutons into the pan and sauté until the bread is well-coated with butter. Combine the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle this mixture over the croutons while stirring so that the croutons are well-coated with cinnamon/sugar. Remove croutons from the heat and pour them onto a plate to cool.

6. Prepare apples by carefully mixing them with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in a large bowl. You want to be sure you don't stir hard enough to break up the apples. Microwave the apple for 1 to 2 minutes or until hot.

7. To assemble the dessert for serving, first roll four cup-size scoops of ice cream in the pecan pieces. You can do this step ahead of time if you like, keeping the pecan-covered scoops in your freezer.

8. Place an ice cream scoop onto a small plate, then pour about a tablespoon of caramel over the ice cream. Dribble another tablespoon around the base of the ice cream onto the plate.

9. Spread the hot apples around the base of the ice cream being sure to divide them evenly amongst the four servings.

10. Divide the croutons into four portions and sprinkle them on the apples around the base of the ice cream scoop on each plate.

11. Spread a generous portion of whipped cream onto the top of each scoop of ice cream.

12. Top off each dish with a fresh strawberry. Makes 4 servings.

Banana Leaf, George Bush quotes, leeches, and snowglobes

Tonight's dinner at the Banana Leaf was great! Now, if only Eric would stop bugging me about a certain subject every time we're together... I called him a dork numerous times during the two hours we spent in each other's company, and he pretended to get emotionally upset over it on the way home, haha. We talked about being crazy, the 24 finale dinner, that long weekend camp (I *told* him not to ruin my weekend, darn it!), dinner, and various friends of ours. Met Jen, Andrea, Vivian, Karen Choo, Karen Lew, Dawn, Jeremy, and Nathan at the restaurant - Nathan decided not to eat any spicy stuff since that stomach flu's a killer! Discussed the Pussycat Dolls (I don't think much of that show even if I've never watched it!), Martin (still in the "too new to get attached to" category, kinda), embarrassing (Erin) stories, Jon being hyper, 24, Slurpees, Alan canceling his barbecue, Facebook status ("devising punishments"), the stupid referees at the hockey game yesterday, colds, and some other stuff. Had Hainanese chicken, rice, curry, noodles, strawberry ice cream cake (Eric pretended to be all "EW!" about pink :P), and a bunch of other stuff. Definitely a good dinner!

Jon called Eric to see what was up - of course, he wanted to go to Dragon Ball after teaching, but nobody wanted to do that since we all left after dinner! Jen seemed to like the "SMUSH BUSH" doll and the button, although she was confused about the date on it. It's the president-elect thing before the inauguration! Jeremy loved the Bush quotes on the back, and came up with some more: SO SCREAMINGLY FUNNY! I should tell Jon that Jen thought we'd get her something beer-related, haha. On the way home, Eric and I discussed obsessions / insinuations / flaws in general / perspective. Then he said that he wanted me to get a ride from Sam for the long weekend Friday - we'll see! Another slot of "me" time might not go amiss either, hehe. ;)

He quoted Homestar Runner, said he didn't think his grammatical / spelling errors mattered THAT much (not to me, but maybe to others?), told me what he wanted me to do on the long weekend Monday (I beat him to thinking of the idea!), and told me stuff about Facebook that I didn't know before. I gave it right back to him as far as craziness and being mock-stern were concerned, haha. Let's just say that I don't know if I have any follow-through! Good times, even if something ends up not happening like we envision it! Of course, he blamed me for yesterday's loss (which neither of us went to my matchmaking mother's for), but knew it was all the refs' fault for letting Selanne score like that. :P


Today's Educational Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Excerpt from a medical report:

"A nine-year-old girl was admitted to Hospital USM with vaginal bleeding. She had a history of swimming in a river prior to the incident. She was pale. An aquatic leech bloated with blood detached from the vagina after 20 milliliters of normal saline flushing of the vagina. The bleeding continued after the detachment. The patient needed 1 unit (250 milliliters) of Packed Cell transfusion. The bleeding stopped 24 hours later. Professionals must be aware of the possibility of leech bites in the vagina as the differential diagnosis for abnormal vaginal bleeding, especially in places where leeches are prevalent."

Culled from: ISPUB.Com
Generously submitted by: Kris

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So, now you know!

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Wretched Recommendations!

Dana has a film recommendation for us:

Edmond (2005)

"Think Fight Club meets American Beauty staring William H. Macy and written by David Mamet. Better yet, think William H. Macy arguing with prostitutes about what percentage of his payment goes to the house..."

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Morbid Link Du Jour!

I don't know if they are real or just magnificent little Photoshop creations... and I can't seem to find any evidence whatsoever that they are for sale... but in a perfect world, they would be! What, you ask? The most magnificent snowglobes on the planet!

Thanks to Vickie for the link.

Dream: Conveyor belts and fire / Outback Steakhouse Caesar Salad Dressing

I had a weird dream (again) about shopping and Mom yelling at me. Why the heck is that so familiar these days to my subconscious? If she yells at me all the time next week on the cruise ship, I'm going to rethink cruising with her, haha. (only kidding, kinda?)

* It also involved being in my apartment, and checking the mail to find a LOT of envelopes and parcels, some of which were out-of-season Christmas cards on festive green paper with cats. No wonder the sender was listed as "Heaven Kitty" on those!

* We also went shopping at Save-On Foods in the dream, and had to deal with conveyor belts for the shopping carts at the checkout - these made the carts seize up at first. Had a lot of stuff to buy, including shoes and these new handmade microwave meals. Those meals were easy to open: just tear a perforation on the side of the box, and hey presto!

* Afterwards, we went outside to meet Grandma at a Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant had some fire damage (we could see the flame at the base of the building), and the firemen were busy extinguishing it. One of the firemen came over and sympathized with our plight, adding that it had been a stressful day for him since he'd just opened a new bank account when he got called to this fire. My mom was less than understanding of that being stressful, but we told her to just shush - we'd handle it!

* We eventually settled on another restaurant, and had a grand time there.. the dream ended when my mom decided to have a hissy fit about our being unsupportive towards her when she was trying to tell the fireman that it wasn't that bad. I think we were in the middle of telling her to chill and stuff, too! Weird.. no idea what the triggers were for this one, except maybe the CSI fireball which was helped by a heater, heh.


Talked to Dawn a bit about Banana Leaf locations and cursing Translink, and Eric called to say he'd be picking me up after work. (I'm sure he didn't call just to bug me about finally answering my phone - hey, I answer it if it beeps at me!) No need for intersections, yay! Gives me more time to do various important things like showering and such, too. :D


Outback Steakhouse Caesar Salad Dressing

Ask, and you shall receive. To answer many requests, I've whipped up this killer clone for the mouth-watering Caesar salad dressing from America's favorite steakhouse chain. You can't buy it in the stores, but now you can make it from scratch in mere minutes. Best of all, this dressing keeps for weeks and weeks in the fridge in a covered container (if it's even around that long).

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, crushed fine

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat ingredients for about 1 minute.
2. Cover bowl and chill for several hours so that flavors can develop. Makes approximately 2 cups.

Dog kills man, Funeral Quest, Ed Gein

Today's Hyperthermic Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A 28-year-old duck hunter was killed when he was accidentally shot by a hunting dog on an inlet of the Cumberland River in west Nashville. The victim was identified as Thomas Ayer St. Charles III of Carriage Drive. The man had gotten out of the boat to pick up decoys at the end of the day, said Cape Taylor, Tennessee Wildlife Resources law enforcement supervisor for Davidson and several other counties. A hunting companion, who didn't have waders on, remained in the boat, where the other man's shotgun lay on the floor. "The dog apparently jumped back there and hit the trigger of the gun," Taylor said. The safety lock had either not been on or the dog hit the safety button - depending on the type of shotgun - and released it. The shotgun fired and blew a hole through the side of the boat, striking the man in the water in the lower abdomen. "He said, 'Call 911, I've been hit,' " Taylor said, repeating what the other hunter had told officials. The 911 call was made to Metro at about 5:50 PM Thursday. Emergency personnel could get to the men by driving down River Road, he said. The slough where they had been hunting is just off the west Davidson County road. The man who had been shot was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he died.

Culled from: Tennessean.Com
Generously submitted by: Katchaya

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Good Dog!! Extra treats for you!!

Hello again. I'm finally back from my trip to Catatonia. Unfortunately, a virus made the trip back with me, so I've been bedridden for the last couple of days. So far, 2007 seems to be the Year of Living Sickly for me.

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Morbid Mirth Du Jour!

Elizabeth has a game recommendation for us:

"I wanted to recommend a game called Funeral Quest. I do not know if it has been suggested on MFDJ before, so I thought I'd send it in. Players use guilt and sympathy as sales tactics to convince the bereaved to spend as much as possible on a funeral service. It's not just morbid, it's also funny. Players will sell items such as a casket cellphone (in case of premature burial), a box of extra-strength tissues, or a casket air freshener, among scores of other humorous items."

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Ghastly!

Adam stumbled across something quite vile, and naturally had to share it with us!

"I stumbled across this morbid little treasure searching for information on Ed Gein. Child's hand stuck in meat grinder left me speechless..."

Dream: Orange ice cream, mint ice cream, eggs, and gold!

The help is kinda working... oh yes. However, it does leave me with a somewhat lethargic feeling: weird, but maybe that's how it affects me. I also had an interesting dream, sorta-kinda... I'll post it here before I take out my laundry from the dryer! Also, my computer is bugging me for a restart!

* some friends and I were in a HUGE warehouse store, which was kinda like Costco - lots of big piles for customers to choose from

* we saw a big section devoted to orange ice cream, and another one at the other end devoted to mint chocolate chip ice cream - they stayed cold even if they weren't in a freezer!

* my mother was overseeing the carts, and told us that they'd cost 45 cents each to rent - it wasn't a dollar like other stores, but neither was it 25 cents... we took a bunch of them to shop with

* Sam (p1r4t3_k1ng) was following us around and writing things down in order to post them online later: he asked us for our impressions, which we duly gave him

* we had a LOT of stuff in our carts by the time we decided to leave: ice cream, dolls, electronics, books, stationery, other miscellaneous stuff...

* when we left, we went to the church... we saw a black car parked out front that had SOMETHING done to its wheels (the second half was off the ground just slightly)

* we wanted to see what was wrong with it, but narrowly dodged eggs aimed at the car from somewhere

* as far as we were concerned, that was the last straw - we went to a Chinese restaurant (complete with gold dragon) to meet Chung, Karen Kwan, and others for tea (we knew the other members of our party were there if those two were waiting for us!)

* the dream ended with us watching hockey at the restaurant, of all things!


No clue what (if anything) it's supposed to mean, but meh. Jon's emailed me to see if I'm going for dinner tonight. Nope, since I've spent a bit too much time with others this week and need my downtime... especially before the cruise! Note to self: Ask someone about souvenirs, haha.

Someone could have DIED! / Outback Steakhouse Bleu Cheese Dressing

Mom made a LOT of stuff for dinner tonight - seven dishes! We compared her to Auntie Grace, and said that she didn't need to make so much! As I said to Dallas, I think she went into overdrive when she heard that we both were coming. I got my sister to sign birthday cards even though she was doing some camp planning, so that was a good thing. Emailed a few people after dinner before I forgot, too. Eric came over with 10 seconds to spare: SOMEONE COULD HAVE DIED, YOU KNOW! Jon was making plans with Holly - he wanted to say hi to Harmony's parents, but wasn't sure if they were home. Speaking of Harmony, she sent him a cute box with their picture on it - quite nicely decorated! Later, certain people wanted to know what was inside the box - none of my business, so I didn't look!

Discussed that highway collapse in San Francisco-Oakland, taxes, Jen's party (which Banana Leaf on Broadway IS it?), Alan's barbecue that same night, ride arrangements, Daniel camp, Dallas' 19-pound watermelon, Sunday dinner (only a handful of people because of camp), Eunice moving to Burnaby, weddings and babies, the change at Shanghai Wind (NEVER going back!), our friends, and tomorrow's hockey game. Eric and I are going to remain home for that one, most probably! Mom gave me some pineapple juice, an Old Navy wool coat, and some more dishes with dragons on them. Not sure where I'll put the dishes and such, but the coat's hung up somewhere and the juice is in the fridge. (no shopping till a week past the cruise?) The old Shanghai Wind owners and waitstaff have moved to the old Bread Garden, so maybe we'll try the upscale stuff once - before Eunice goes to Burnaby! Eric insists that they've been talking about it for the last six weeks, but I haven't heard a thing till tonight! Crazy person...

24 was pretty good this week: I guess the Vice-President isn't that bad since he's a WIDOWER and not actually married, but Lisa Miller is a two-timing specimen of humanity with a spy! (I won't use the common characterization of such women on here, and "skank" doesn't quite cut it!) Tom Lennox was all like OMG WTF?!?!?! for the entire time that the Vice-President was explaining things to him, hahaha! Morris made Chloe cry because he said it was over, Milo will be insanely jealous because of Mike Doyle and Nadia, they put CTU on lockdown since Jack escaped with Audrey Raines, and that medical guy was SO BAD for insisting that Audrey was HIS PATIENT and shouldn't be treated in a different way! No more drug-induced interrogation for this woman, since she's catatonic - at least Jack got her to say something useful. (guess her dad isn't dead like people thought... but he needs to know that Jack SAVED his daughter, and they're not teens anymore!)

CSI involved a fireball and Horatio firing a member of his team for accepting money from a gambler. "I'll give you something new to obsess about - a row of steel bars!" Persistent ex-boyfriends, arson, and more... oh my! Everyone thought that Steph's ringtone of Vivian S. laughing at something really funny was pretty scary! On the way home, I was kinda crazy... Eric just wanted to ask me some questions and remind me to read a certain site, which I didn't really mind TOO much. Gotta remember Jen's gifts since Jon's teaching till 7:30 and hopes there will be something afterwards! (Nathan's going to BOTH the dinner and the barbecue? Wow.)


Outback Steakhouse Bleu Cheese Dressing

If you've had the Kookaburra Wings from Outback, then you've tasted the chain's thick and creamy bleu cheese dressing served up on the side. Use this stuff when you need an excellent dipping sauce for your next batch of wings, or just pour it over a salad and dive in.

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon crumbled bleu cheese
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Mix all ingredients together by hand in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Cover and chill for 30 minutes before serving. Makes 1 cup.

Diven better come! / Dream: fried chicken and Starbucks / The Outback Bloomin' Onion

Got an email from my mom about tonight's plans. All I have to do is figure out whether Diven will be coming, so sent an email to my sister asking that - I didn't talk to him much yesterday, and hope she answers since I don't think he'll answer an email at work! Then again, it IS month-end at her work, so it's BUSY - bleh, email to Diven it is, haha. If he's not, I won't. Ah, he's just replied - he KNOWS what will happen if he leaves it as a mystery! (emailed joking threats, here I come!) So has she: "I dunno - ask him!" Just did, heh. I'll be glad to have my Mondays back again in a way - this business of picking me up way early is a challenge in some ways! Hmm... I have my own ideas about stuff, hehe. As per the usual, I had an interesting dream when I finally got to sleep:

* a bunch of us were standing around a computer room when we were summoned by a Very Important Person - we had to get some fried chicken and water, then follow a floor plan to deliver it to someone else who might have a job for us to do

* we noted the long lineups in general for the computers, and the bright signs hanging from the grey ceiling: "DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN YOUR FAIR SHARE OF TIME!" (we wished we could get right back on a preferred computer after we left it, but there was a LONG lineup for that one)

* we viewed the floor plan - decided to go to one corner of the square to get fried chicken, one corner to get water, another corner to see what else was going on, and then the final corner to deliver the goods

* soon, we discovered that the "fried chicken corner" was the only one in which we could transport the fried chicken... the water corner just disintegrated the chicken, and the other two zapped it out of our trays!

* with help from workers, we managed to get some OTHER kind of fried chicken that didn't just disappear into thin air when we reached any corners of the square

* we gave the fried chicken to the person in Corner #4, whereupon he told us to go around the world in a private balloon and pay close attention to the lakes, as he'd lost something very important in a lake while going on that type of journey

* Jon, Jeremy, Nathan, Raymond, a few others, and I all piled into the balloon and began looking around the lakes of the world: we couldn't help but notice the damp body of water where the Titanic had gone down

* we decided to stop by a certain city and see what was going on: there was a Starbucks there which offered a lot of sumptuous desserts, and Jeremy decided to treat us all to a dessert each - yum!

* we had to link arms and get back to our balloon because darkness was falling fast in foggy conditions after we got out of there

* I decided to write something in my diary about this trip, and look back a few years to see if anything I wrote would be considered "interesting reading material" - sort of!

* we went to my apartment for some time, and discovered that the power didn't work at 3:52 AM - SO BAD!

* the dream ended with the manager yelling at us for disturbing her sleep, and us yelling right back at her for not doing her job as far as paying the apartment complex electricity bill went.... oh my!


Not sure what triggered that one - except maybe for the fried chicken / Starbucks from yesterday, haha. I didn't (really) talk to Jeremy, Raymond, OR Nathan all weekend! (I never really talk to Raymond since he's too new for me to get attached to :P)


The Outback Bloomin' Onion

1/3 cups Cornstarch; more if needed
1 1/2 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Garlic; mince
2 teaspoons Paprika
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
24 oz Beer
4 Sweet Vidalia Onions
2 cups Flour
4 teaspoons Paprika
2 teaspoons Garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Creamy chili sauce
1 pt Mayonnaise
1 pt Sour cream
1/2 cup Tomato chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne

Mix cornstarch, flour, and seasonings until well blended. Add beer. Mix well. Cut about 3/4" off top of onion and peel. Cut into onion 12 to 16 vertical wedges, but do not cut through bottom root end. Remove about 1" of petals from center of onion. Dip onion in seasoned flour, and remove excess by shaking. Separate petals to coat thoroughly with batter. Gently place in fryer basket and deep-fry at 375 to 400° 1-1/2 minutes. Turn over and fry 1-1/2 minutes longer or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Place onion upright in shallow bowl and remove center core with circular cutter or apple corer. Serve hot with Creamy Chili Sauce.

Seasoned Flour: Combine flour, paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne. Mix well.

Creamy Chili Sauce: Combine mayo, sour cream, chili sauce, and cayenne. Mix well.

He'll have been to Richmond twice on my account soon - no need to make it THREE!

Jon picked me up this morning, and tried convincing Mom that she'd like stuff played on 106.5 - no go, unfortunately. He's not surprised they play a lot of Chris Tomlin, and wondered when I listened to that station: on Saturday afternoons / evenings when Henry drives me around! Mom wants Dallas to come for dinner before he moves, since he's finished exams and such - that would be good if I see him tomorrow! (Wednesday night are when Jon and I are busy!) She also said that it might be a good idea if I spent some time with my grandma before she leaves for Hong Kong - Monday's out, Wednesday could be out, and Friday is definitely out since that's when Eric and I make plans for the night! Ah, we shall see! Got to church, said hi to Jeremy and his parents, and talked to Dianne about our troubles falling asleep / sleeping pills as an aid. Man, we envy the people who fall asleep within five minutes! (she thought reading till 4 AM on Friday / Saturday would help her fall asleep since she was so engrossed in the material, but she was wrong!)

After service (which included a farewell speech by the Mandarin pastor: not grammar-checked perfectly!), I went to the back parking lot to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air for a while. I saw Julie, who's back from Alberta for the summer - YAY! Her older sister Denise wondered where my jersey / hockey spirit was since there was a game tonight: someone wondered where HERS was, and she said it was in the wash since she washed it after every series. She's had three games to wash it, but whatever. Steph said she'd sign a bunch of birthday cards tomorrow since she was busing to the Memorial Cup orientation - Karen was not impressed to hear that she was going to the PNE, haha. Jen asked if she was free on Wednesday, and I said that she should tell Jeremy about the venue before he left with his parents for lunch. He HAD said that he was free that night, so he'll probably remember! (I should ask Eric about it tomorrow, haha)

Went to Sunday School early, and stopped to say hi to baby Hannah. She's so cute, but was tired since she'd been up since 7. Told Dad that I was going to the luncheon, and he thought I'd bus home since he and Grandma weren't waiting for me. (Jon's plans included going to the beach after the meeting) Placed my stuff in the toddler room, and went back out to tell Jon that I was going - he figured that someone should be able to drive me home that lived close enough to Richmond. I said I hoped so, and then went back to the toddler room. Rachel learned English REALLY quickly, and talks so fast that her grandma can't really understand the new language - her cousins Jason and Amos have to translate, haha. Sean didn't want to sit down and listen to the story, but did like imitating the actions to the songs! I let him play with my rainbow stickers, which Rachel also liked - she and Wilson thought my insect book was scary! As usual, I had to color for Sean and put his stickers on his homework: he likes feeling the sticker backing, though! (he used to like coloring... but today, he said "green / purple / blue / red!") Heh, I gave Sean some Purell - Eric won't be impressed when I tell him! - since the kids' Play-Doh smelled BAD! (even Wilson commented on it, haha: you know it's bad then!)

Once I was finished with Sunday School and talking to Sean's brother Ian / his parents, I spotted Auntie Grace in the basement. I asked her about Dave - good thing he's coming back for Phil's wedding, but I'll give her his birthday card since she'll see him in May! Now all I have to do is find Uncle Sam at a good time, haha. (too bad Teunis has no parental connections, hehe) I went outside, where Eric tried telling me that my Corona Extra hat was too straight. He then took the hat off my head (apologizing), and then curved it for me - he wasn't impressed when I tried to straighten it out again and called him a dork, playfully hitting him in the process! (then again, Jeremy's mom laughed when Jeremy and Jon did their "holy chest slap" thing, haha!) No wonder that hat is weird for me, heh. Went with Phil, Dylan, and Jon to the luncheon meeting after I gave Hannah two Mexican lollipops with bubblegum inside: Randal was certainly happy with a lot of fried chicken, haha. I originally sat in the back, but then didn't think I wanted to trip over everyone when I got my food, so moved to the front - let's just say I don't like it when my brother reads my mind, although NOT for the reason he was thinking! ;)

We introduced ourselves (sleeping is a hobby these days?!)... and discussed concerns, the pervasive nature of Internet addiction / gaming at church, spelling, blah blah buzzwords, controversy, Rick Warren, long videos, upset, 40 Days, coloring, and such. Once we heard that the babies and preschoolers could color, we all wanted to take that class! (I should go and buy stuff to color for myself and indulge my inner child, but we all know I am NOT artistic!) Managed to talk a bit to Randal about cruises, Alaska, the kids / toddlers / babies, pictures, "craptastic," 24 madness (he gets use out of his TV now that he's glad I hooked him on the show, haha), his apartment, and other stuff - good times! During the meeting, I got fidgety... but I was acutely conscious of position, so didn't kick Randal's leg accidentally. Auntie Cathy seemed rather upset about new initiatives, since there were other unity-building things around - for sure! Guess we'll see what happens now, although it would have been nice to discuss it before this meeting to say that we'd be doing that campaign in the fall. *sigh*

After the meeting, Randal said bye to me, but I delayed him in order to prove a certain point to my brother. I asked him where he lived - no, I didn't need his exact address even though I'm an information hound! (he knows mine, but that's because he needed to for ride purposes - I don't need to know his!) He told me, and I called across the room to Jon: "TOLD YOU! TOO FAR!" Randal then asked if I needed a ride home (Auntie Bessy asked if Jon was driving me - nope!), but I'd already made arrangements with Andrea. I simply told him that my brother and I were having a general discussion earlier about stuff, and that was why I needed the information. Andrea and I got going a while later after Auntie Cathy expressed further concern to people, but I was in no real rush even if the meeting went over an hour overtime.

We talked about Chuck, Elaine singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to her on the phone, Eric, Jeremy, food runs, Harmony and various nicknames, the kids, and hanging out. Decided to go to Starbucks since we decided we needed coffee! Talked about the "different woman" Teresa, eating whenever I was hungry, hockey, last names, memories, food, the time when Eric HAD to eat a banana, and other stuff. It was good hanging out with her, and she insisted on treating me even though it's her birthday! White chocolate mocha, yay! The Ducks just won 3-2 in a competitive game, too... blah. Now I must email people the stuff I promised them - hope Andrea's having fun at her birthday dinner! (I got a lot of leftovers, whee!)

Crappy Semagic / Edible flowers at Awana? / OREO COOKIES

Semagic was being craptastic when I restarted my computer earlier. It wouldn't load my draft, and I had (as you'll see) a LOT of stuff in there! Thanks for giving me that idea, Jamie... you rock! (yay for remembering to save my old options onto this version when it suddenly wouldn't work) For future reference: go to Open File and select one of the saved drafts. Also, save an entry as private and edit it later if I need to restart / it has a lot of HTML. If that doesn't work, I'm up the proverbial creek without a paddle. In this case, I wasn't going to sit here till 3-4 AM and try remembering what I typed out / take ALL the darned quizzes (in a backdated entry on here) AGAIN! PHEW!

Awana today was pretty cool - Bob asked me what my name was again, I got to help a couple kids with stickers and tape, and talked to Ian about games / his brother / Daddy being there soon. Chris said that Ian DID say a lot of stuff when he was playing Bomberman last night: hey, tickling DOES help with that! Anita and Andrew said hi when I got back from asking Jon what was up with his concert. He was driving to Tsawwassen with Phyllis at that moment, so of course couldn't drive me. I don't think I'd convince anyone to drive me that far away (as Henry said), so I just spent the night at home afterwards. Good thing too, as I had editing work in the form of Friends List Categories entries and such! (it shouldn't take two hours, but whatever!) Anita had Amos, Jason, Andrew, Julie S. (birthday girl!), Melia, Emily C., and others help her with photocopying and cutting out things for Sunday School. She told Phil that they were her little slaves, haha... Andrew gave her the wrong scissors back, oops! (he told me last week that he was afraid of Anita - yeah, I can understand that!) I was busy with the secretary duties, and she knows I can handle those on my own if need be! (good thing too, as my precise cutting skills are non-existent :P)

Just realized that I could be doing double duty at the park on May 12, which is fine with me! (looking after the Awana kids and little Sean, even though his parents will be there too) Wonder if Sean will realize that I'm the same person who takes care of him at Sunday School, haha - he's old enough to do so, but I'm not sure whether his condition will impact that. I'd like to say probably not, but who knows. I told Emily L. that it should be good if it's as sunny as it was today - my dad was passing by and told us that we WISHED it would be sunny since this was Vancouver! Meh, we know! Stopped to get some water from the kitchen, and talked to Auntie Stella for a bit about Kelvin's son Taylor - then asked about Kenneth and Daisy to be polite. Apparently, they're also having a son in mid-June: wow!

I shared half my petal bar with a few people, and ate the rest at home later. Mike took one look at the box and wasn't impressed with edible flowers, but at least the bit HE took was just buckwheat with no flowers! ("Good!" he said when I told him that) It tasted like granola, heh. At the debriefing, Henry jokingly thought he didn't have to do the Take It To Heart memory verses (which don't flow OR stick in your brain readily!) since his clubber David did it already. (in past years, Zoe was our example!) Melia says Angus liked her previous haircut better, but he'll have to get used to it! I was going to write some cards during my "break time," but talked to Auntie Vivian about shopping instead - her son William complained that there was nothing in the house to eat! "I'm not eating a can of beans because they make me fart! And I don't like chocolate, either!" Says he's a strange boy, but there's more chocolate for her / Sarah / Mary! Ice cream, mini pizzas, grass jelly, yogurt, milk, juice, noodles, veggies, fruit, bread, and more to buy at Superstore, for sure.

Oh, and I also owe my sister an apology on Auntie Vivian's behalf since I guess she doesn't want to lose face or something... sure thing! But since she was talking about Ryan and Ethan right before this, I thought she was talking about their mom Michelle at first! (I guess she can help Sarah with chemistry, maybe... Mary going into Gr. 11, and William into Gr. 8 already!) Henry drove David home first before dropping me off, but first had to navigate the church parking lot - some Subaru was parked behind him, and he didn't know who to blame. After a lot of maneuvering, he managed to get out: I noticed Danny applauding him from across the street, so told him about it. "Revenge" involved pretending to run Danny over outside the car, and crashing into Benedict inside Danny's car... "I'll applause HIM!" Haha, good times! At least my small group set up a time for lunch near the church (Trocadero's!) - not tomorrow, not next week (Daniel camp), and not the week after because of Mother's Day... so the 20th after church it is!


OREO COOKIES

Categories: Cookies, Chocolate
Yield: 6 servings

COOKIE
18 oz Devils food cake mix
2 tablespoons Water
2 tablespoons Cooking oil
1/4 cups Bitter cocoa powder

FILLING
1 Envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cups Cold water
1 cup Crisco
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 lb Powdered sugar +1 cup

Mix up cookies. Take small balls. Roll them in your hands. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool, and put filling inside.