Wonkybusker

River Otters = Cute

A Week of Food

This is an interesting comparison of what families around the world eat in a week.  The picture of the family in Chad is heartbreaking.

Results

Okay, so over the last 24 hours, my poll has gotten 2 votes.  And one was Chris.  He suggested I write about "Snake control: ferrets vs. marmots."  A quick google search tells me that the answer is, in fact, a snake-proof fence.

New Posts

I've gotten a bit of flak recently for not updating my blog as often as I should.  But often, I have a bit of a writer's block trying to figure out what to write about.  So I figure I'll take a different approach.  What would you like to read about?  I will take this into consideration and not only write what interests me, but also write for an audience, since I guess that's part of the whole point of having a blog.  Anyway, vote away!

Thoughts

It looks like our newly formed gourmet club will be postponed a couple weeks, which will be good since I didn't know what we would cook anyway.  In the meantime, there's a Fifi party to cook something for this week and a pot luck wedding next weekend, so between now and our upcoming gourmet get together, we have plenty of cooking opportunities.  Oh, and we finally have everything in the house to start making mozzarella cheese.  Wish us luck!  The vegetable rennet arrived and we got new cheesecloth.  It should be an interesting experiment and if it works, I'll post the recipe.  This has a lot more steps than the riccotta cheese recipe did, so I'm a little hesitant.

I'm looking forward to this weekend, as the weather promises to be beautiful.  There's lots of frisbee coming up too, so hopefully that will help me get a little more in shape.  And, of course, we have our wedding anniversary coming up next weekend.  We want to do something for it, but with a frisbee tournament and a wedding, our weekend is already super busy.  We shall see how it goes.  I guess that's about it.  Work is keeping me busy and I apologize for going without updating for a while.  I'll try to get back in the habit of writing.

Top Ten Under-Reported Stories of 2006-2007

Are you tired of hearing the same media stories over and over?  Would you like to here something more substantial than CNN covering Anna Nicole Smith or OJ news?  Take a look at ten vital news stories of the past couple years that slipped through the cracks here.

A Warning

"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind…And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind is closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded with patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader, and gladly so."  --William Shakespeare

America at Home Photo Event

Last week I wrote about the amazing service that is Snapfish.  Well now I'm helping to spread the word about an online photo event being sponsored by them as well as Google and IKEA.  It promises to be interesting and I may just have to add some pictures to it.  People all over the country are invited to take pictures of what home means to them and upload them to a project called America at Home.  This will create a time capsule of sorts with a communal visual representation of the concept of home.  Then the best photos will be made into a coffee table book.  I'll have to let you know how it goes.  If anyone's interested in adding pictures to it, I'm including the schedule and descriptions below.

# # #

Monday, September 17 THE BIG TOUR: 3 PM
Show us exactly what makes your home your castle. Capture the essence and emotions -- ALL the nooks, crannies and grannies – and don’t forget the iguana if you’ve got one.

Tuesday, September 18 MORNING RUSH: 8 AM
Breakfast of blueberries and walnuts? A bracing shower? Yoga on the patio? Packing up the kid’s lunches for school? Let the world share your hectic sunrise routines.

Wednesday, September 19 MID-DAY MADNESS: 12
Noon Who’s home? Come one, come all. Show us your dashing kids, lovely friends or even that one strange black-crowned night heron who just built a nest in front yard maple tree.

Thursday, September 20 DINNER TIME: 7 PM
Lasagna again? [Yum!] Inexplicable Jello salads? Chinese take away? >From a microwave or Dutch Oven? Pick up your plates and show us! Be sure to get the family chef in action.

Friday, September 21 YOUR SANCTUARY: 4 PM
When it’s been one of those days (or weeks), where do YOU escape to cool out, re-boot or get away? Don’t be bashful; share your sacred space with us.

Saturday, September 22 HOME TREASURES: 11 AM
Your grandmother’s wedding ring? Your uncle’s false teeth? Your precious collection of snow globes? Bring’em out and let us all gaze in wonder!

Sunday, September 23 BEDTIME RITUALS: 9 PM
What do YOU do before you hit the hay? Finish a crossword puzzle? Look under the bed for monsters? Fix your cup of hot cocoa with a shot of something? ZZZZ-zzz-zz.

The Great Escape

Yeterday, Chris and I went down to the DC fish market, where Chris took this picture of the crabs.  Shortly after this picture was taken, one of the crabs used his claws to propel himself up and over the lip of the bin they were being held in.  I peered down to see where he had landed and saw a gap between the pier and the fish market stand.  The crab had actually escaped, making it back into the water.  I doubt the Potomac is any place for a crab, but it was a daring bid for freedom, nonetheless.

He must have know that this would otherwise be his fate.

Fish Market Images

We just got back from the DC fish market where we picked up mussels for dinner.  It is an unique destination and will soon be undergoing some renovations, making it a great place to visit and document before it changes.

North Carolina Shore

Snapfish

I forget who first recommended Snapfish to me, but thank you.  And for those of you who don't know what it is, it is the answer to all your photo print needs.  Finally, I can get reasonable prints of any size without having to use my own somewhat grainy printer.  It is the next step in having a digital camera.  I must admit that a few of the 8x10s I've ordered haven't come out looking exactly like the original picture, but they are nearly always flawless.  And I am a big fan of their memory books.  Chris and I have made them for all the vacations we've taken together.  And they have great sales, so it doesn't even cost much.  I am especially happy with them today because I placed an order for 3 memory books yesterday and they were printed, bound, shipped, and arrived via UPS today.  How is that for service?  Anyway, they come highly recommended.  Then, you can take the prints and get them custom framed for a fraction of the cost of a traditional framer at Art to Frames or Picture Frames (the custom matting choices here are fantastic).  Playing with the camera and taking pictures is great, but finally getting them hung on the wall where I can see them every day is especially rewarding.

Red Panda

I took this red panda picture on a trip to the National Zoo.  This habitat is part of the new Asia Trail.