Good thing they have a dish inside for water, this is an ice rink today!!
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Cold doggie
Poor puppy, she was outside for over an hour playing in the snow, now she's warming up under a down comforter, and she never likes to be under covers... boy! was her nose cold then.
Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl
Why do I always have yellow food? This is New England Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl with croutons and cheddar cheese on it. On a YELLOW plate too, lol
Friday, 5 December 2008
Pumpkin Crumble Dessert
Ok, I promised on Twitter (follow me @tiggr) that I would put the recipe for the nameless pumpkin dessert thingy that I made last weekend.
This is very sweet, so 1-2 lg spoonful in a pudding dish will satisfy most sweet toothed friends.
I left the shopping list in the car, yet still managed to remember 99% of the ingredients, so that tells you how easy it is.
I bought white instead of yellow cake mix. I'll try yellow next, but I'm sure there is not a major difference.
I only put nuts (I used chopped walnuts) on half the dessert, remembering that not everyone can eat nuts, and if you are taking this to a buffet, they will appreciate this gesture.
Preheat oven to 350F (175C or gas mark 4)
Grease (but not flour) the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan (I used glass)
Ingredients:
1 x 12 oz Evaporated milk
1-1/2 c Granulated sugar (white)
1/2 t Salt
16 oz can Pumpkin (they may be 15 oz cans)
3 Eggs
4 t Pumpkin spice
1 box Yellow cake mix
1 c butter/margarine (melted)
1 c Chopped pecans (I used walnuts)
Cool Whip (or other topping)
Combine the first six items
Pour into greased pan
Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top of mixture, level it out, to avoid pocket of mix after cooking
Top with nuts
Drizzle butter over the entire pan... it should cover almost all the surface
Bake for 50 minutes at 350F
Top with Cool Whip
Should serve 12-20 depending on how much you serve. Since it needs to be spooned, not sliced, servings will be uneven.
**What I learned:
Let the dessert set for 30 min or longer to let the pumpkin form.
Cover and refrigerate. Serve in pudding dishes, and warm in microwave.
When I dished it up, it looked more like a bread pudding, rather than a cake.
I don't know if it would freeze, but why wouldn't it, if covered airtight???
Checking my receipt from the grocery store, this was not an expensive dessert to make.
Monday, 10 November 2008
My first attempt to beat the cooking Credit Crunch
(well, sort of...)
An earlier post gave a recipe I found for Beef Stew, which claimed a total cost of under $5.00 (under 3 quid). It had the least amount of ingredients, and being a simple person, seemed simple enough for me.
I doubled the recipe, as my goal was to fill freezer containers for later dinners, so here is the actual price breakdown.
Fred Meyers store 7 Nov 2008
Stew beef- approx 1.5 lbs $5.50
Carrots 4 really long ones 1.28
2 cans tomatoes 1.06
1 sm bag frozen green beans .99
1 onion (lg, used 1/2) .90
2 lg baking potatoes .95
Bag of rolls from discount cart .79
(used only one per meal)
---------------------------------------
Total $11.47
Not bad!! Besides getting 6 x 1-cup freezer containers filled and in the freezer, I had 3 more meals with what was left in the pot.
Side notes:
-Added 2 boullion cubes to the mix
-Used part of the onion to cook when braising the beef cubes before adding the rest of the meeting.
-I already had a jar of chopped garlic, and used a healthy tablespoon to the braising step also.
-Added about 4 cups of water, enough to cover all the vegetables, then used corn starch towards the end to thicken.
-Used the entire bag (16oz) of green beans, which probably brought the cost up by .50.
-Very important to salt and pepper to taste, I added a tablespoon of powdered curry just for fun. If I'd had it, I might have added cooking sherry, or worchester sauce.
A nice touch might be to get some bread bowls, hollow them out, and serve hot in the bread!
I'm very pleased with the results!!!
An earlier post gave a recipe I found for Beef Stew, which claimed a total cost of under $5.00 (under 3 quid). It had the least amount of ingredients, and being a simple person, seemed simple enough for me.
I doubled the recipe, as my goal was to fill freezer containers for later dinners, so here is the actual price breakdown.
Fred Meyers store 7 Nov 2008
Stew beef- approx 1.5 lbs $5.50
Carrots 4 really long ones 1.28
2 cans tomatoes 1.06
1 sm bag frozen green beans .99
1 onion (lg, used 1/2) .90
2 lg baking potatoes .95
Bag of rolls from discount cart .79
(used only one per meal)
---------------------------------------
Total $11.47
Not bad!! Besides getting 6 x 1-cup freezer containers filled and in the freezer, I had 3 more meals with what was left in the pot.
Side notes:
-Added 2 boullion cubes to the mix
-Used part of the onion to cook when braising the beef cubes before adding the rest of the meeting.
-I already had a jar of chopped garlic, and used a healthy tablespoon to the braising step also.
-Added about 4 cups of water, enough to cover all the vegetables, then used corn starch towards the end to thicken.
-Used the entire bag (16oz) of green beans, which probably brought the cost up by .50.
-Very important to salt and pepper to taste, I added a tablespoon of powdered curry just for fun. If I'd had it, I might have added cooking sherry, or worchester sauce.
A nice touch might be to get some bread bowls, hollow them out, and serve hot in the bread!
I'm very pleased with the results!!!
Sunday, 9 November 2008
My Podcast Debut
I had the great privelege of appearing "live" via SKYPE on my very fist Podcast on 27 October 2008.
The ERKPOD is actually several podcasts, origiating from Sydney, Australia. Hosted by Erk (of course), Drue, Squeak, Leigh "The Voice-over Guy" and various friends, the feeds including Erkpod Round Table, they also produce the Erkpod Mini, Maxi, NAPODPOMO (National Podcast Post Month), and Echo Romeo Kilo One One. They vary in length, with the Round Tables lasting several hours, but the feed is broken up in one hour increments.
I was involved in Round Table Ten (ERKPOD 151-154) which included emminent podcasters and storytelling authors Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine. (Full disclosure: I own two of Tee's books, and one of Pips, but I'll try not to let that influence me!!)
I just happened to be paying attention to my Twitter, and @druey and @erkpod sent out
tweets announcing a live recording available for viewing on their site (via ustream.tv. After Tee and Pip (may I be presumptious enough to call them that?) I was invited to join the round table via Skype. OMG...
Now, I have no idea how many subscribers they have, but as far as I was concerned, it could be 10 or 10000. They are a group of friends who meet on a regular basis, and just talk about stuff. There are no show notes, until afterwards (corrected post), and digression is not only allowed but encouraged.
To say my 15 minutes of fame was a blast is an understatement, and I was invited to be involved in the November Round Table. You can bet I'll move mountains to be there, even if I have to take a nap (yeah, I'm not too proud to admit they are a good thing) and be awake at Aussie time!
Follow the gang on Twitter:
@erkpod
@druey
@thevoiceoverguy
@squeakaz
@rockeye
@rgspro
Join the Erk Pod Group on Facebook where these wonderful young men have appointed me (yes! me!) as the Idaho Correspondent!!
27 Oct Round Table 10 (episodes 150 - 153) Show Notes
By Erk
Categories: Comedy, Drue, EP Bunny, Erk Pod Maxi & Round Table, Erk Pod Shop, General, Haiku of Frustration, Interweb, Leigh the Voice Over Guy, NaPodPoMo2008, News, Orange Tim, Other Podcasts, Podcasting - General, Round Table, Show Notes, Squeak, TV, Twitter, Video, You Tube and humour
ROUND TABLE 10 (INCORPORATING EPISODE 150) WITH HOSTS ERK & DRUE WITH A CAST OF VARIOUS PANELISTS FROM AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, AMERICA, ENGLAND AND IRELAND
SATURDAY 25 OCTOBER 2008
Erk Pod Round Table 10 (incorporating episode 150) was recorded on Saturday 25 October (Sydney time) at the Erk Pod Studio.
MORE LINKS AND PHOTOS TO FOLLOW!
In the Erk Pod studio was:
Erk (host)
Drue (co-host)
Orange Tim
Leigh the Voice Over Guy
Squeak (on floor)
Joining in via Skype at various stages were:
Richard from the Wasting Time podcast
Stephen from the Tea & Chat podcast
Podcasters and authors Tee and Pip making their return after Round Table 7
Shawno & Jen from the Hyper Nonsense podcast
Tim from the Some Guys in a Car podcast
Jim from the UK (who made the excellent comments for Erk Pod 146)
Tiggr, creator of the Tiggrz Travels blog
Grizzly (host of the Grizzly Growls podcast) from a bar in Wisconsin
Most music is courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network
The ERKPOD is actually several podcasts, origiating from Sydney, Australia. Hosted by Erk (of course), Drue, Squeak, Leigh "The Voice-over Guy" and various friends, the feeds including Erkpod Round Table, they also produce the Erkpod Mini, Maxi, NAPODPOMO (National Podcast Post Month), and Echo Romeo Kilo One One. They vary in length, with the Round Tables lasting several hours, but the feed is broken up in one hour increments.
I was involved in Round Table Ten (ERKPOD 151-154) which included emminent podcasters and storytelling authors Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine. (Full disclosure: I own two of Tee's books, and one of Pips, but I'll try not to let that influence me!!)
I just happened to be paying attention to my Twitter, and @druey and @erkpod sent out
tweets announcing a live recording available for viewing on their site (via ustream.tv. After Tee and Pip (may I be presumptious enough to call them that?) I was invited to join the round table via Skype. OMG...
Now, I have no idea how many subscribers they have, but as far as I was concerned, it could be 10 or 10000. They are a group of friends who meet on a regular basis, and just talk about stuff. There are no show notes, until afterwards (corrected post), and digression is not only allowed but encouraged.
To say my 15 minutes of fame was a blast is an understatement, and I was invited to be involved in the November Round Table. You can bet I'll move mountains to be there, even if I have to take a nap (yeah, I'm not too proud to admit they are a good thing) and be awake at Aussie time!
Follow the gang on Twitter:
@erkpod
@druey
@thevoiceoverguy
@squeakaz
@rockeye
@rgspro
Join the Erk Pod Group on Facebook where these wonderful young men have appointed me (yes! me!) as the Idaho Correspondent!!
27 Oct Round Table 10 (episodes 150 - 153) Show Notes
By Erk
Categories: Comedy, Drue, EP Bunny, Erk Pod Maxi & Round Table, Erk Pod Shop, General, Haiku of Frustration, Interweb, Leigh the Voice Over Guy, NaPodPoMo2008, News, Orange Tim, Other Podcasts, Podcasting - General, Round Table, Show Notes, Squeak, TV, Twitter, Video, You Tube and humour
ROUND TABLE 10 (INCORPORATING EPISODE 150) WITH HOSTS ERK & DRUE WITH A CAST OF VARIOUS PANELISTS FROM AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, AMERICA, ENGLAND AND IRELAND
SATURDAY 25 OCTOBER 2008
Erk Pod Round Table 10 (incorporating episode 150) was recorded on Saturday 25 October (Sydney time) at the Erk Pod Studio.
MORE LINKS AND PHOTOS TO FOLLOW!
In the Erk Pod studio was:
Erk (host)
Drue (co-host)
Orange Tim
Leigh the Voice Over Guy
Squeak (on floor)
Joining in via Skype at various stages were:
Richard from the Wasting Time podcast
Stephen from the Tea & Chat podcast
Podcasters and authors Tee and Pip making their return after Round Table 7
Shawno & Jen from the Hyper Nonsense podcast
Tim from the Some Guys in a Car podcast
Jim from the UK (who made the excellent comments for Erk Pod 146)
Tiggr, creator of the Tiggrz Travels blog
Grizzly (host of the Grizzly Growls podcast) from a bar in Wisconsin
Most music is courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network
Monday, 3 November 2008
My Second Attempt Will Be:
Both @Shayna and @renee_daniels suggested the 5DollarDinners website, so I grabbed this as my second attempt. www.5dollardinners.com
Beef Stew
Ingredients
Stew Beef ($2.25)
Can petite tomatoes ($.59)
3 carrots, peeled and chopped ($.35 )
4 potatoes, washed and chopped ($.60)
1/2 cup frozen green beans ($.25)
2 cloves garlic, crushed ($.10)
Salt/Pepper
Water
Rolls ($.79)
Directions
1. Put all ingredients in pot. Let simmer however long you like!!!
2. Enjoy with warm rolls!
Cost $4.95
Seems too easy, so it's perfect for me!!
Beef Stew
Ingredients
Stew Beef ($2.25)
Can petite tomatoes ($.59)
3 carrots, peeled and chopped ($.35 )
4 potatoes, washed and chopped ($.60)
1/2 cup frozen green beans ($.25)
2 cloves garlic, crushed ($.10)
Salt/Pepper
Water
Rolls ($.79)
Directions
1. Put all ingredients in pot. Let simmer however long you like!!!
2. Enjoy with warm rolls!
Cost $4.95
Seems too easy, so it's perfect for me!!
First Credit Crunch recipe experiment
My thanks to @CarrieP for this submission!!!
Cargo Bay rice and beans from http://fireflydvd.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=34312&highlight=#34312/
Equipment
Large saucepan with lid
Spoon
Wet and dry measuring cups
Ingredients:
1 cup dried, split lentils, any color
1 cup instant brown rice
16 oz can black beans
3 cups chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1-4 Tablespoons curry powder, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Put rice and lentils in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add coconut milk and brown sugar to rice and lentils. Add the black beans, including the liquid in the can. Add 2 cups of the stock to the pot. Add curry powder, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling, uncovered, sirring often. Once the mixture reaches a boil, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add a little bit more chicken stock if mixture starts to get too dry.
Uncover pot, add tomatoes and liquid. Cook for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more salt or curry powder if needed.
This is going to be my first attempt in the goal of filling my freezer... Since I'm cooking for one, it will take lots of freezer containers, I hope, lol
Cargo Bay rice and beans from http://fireflydvd.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=34312&highlight=#34312/
Equipment
Large saucepan with lid
Spoon
Wet and dry measuring cups
Ingredients:
1 cup dried, split lentils, any color
1 cup instant brown rice
16 oz can black beans
3 cups chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1-4 Tablespoons curry powder, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Put rice and lentils in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add coconut milk and brown sugar to rice and lentils. Add the black beans, including the liquid in the can. Add 2 cups of the stock to the pot. Add curry powder, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling, uncovered, sirring often. Once the mixture reaches a boil, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add a little bit more chicken stock if mixture starts to get too dry.
Uncover pot, add tomatoes and liquid. Cook for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more salt or curry powder if needed.
This is going to be my first attempt in the goal of filling my freezer... Since I'm cooking for one, it will take lots of freezer containers, I hope, lol
Fighting off the Credit Crunch
Here is an audience participation post.
In these "credit crunching days", many people are having to cut back. However, you can only turn off so many lights, cut back so many miles driven, stop drinking quite so much, and who can do without their telephone or Internet? (Well, certainly not me...)
One place we are probably all guilty of splurging is food. Let's face it, we make a resolution to eat at home more, but still our grocery bills seem to get higher and higher. This is resulting in some very creative, "CC" meals. What have YOU done to reduce your grocery cost without sacrificing flavor or nutrition?
I'd like to know what you are making for your family (or having if you are not the cook) to fight inflation. What is your favorite budget meal? I want recipes!!! I want shopping lists!!
Here are the guidelines:
1. Easy to prepare (under 30 min is good, but not required)
2. Low in cost
3. Fairly nutritious
4. Easily freezable for leftovers or use in another meal
Think you can handle this?
Post your responses in the comments section. If you are not using a meal of your own, link to the appropriate page for credit to them.
I'd like to fill my freezer for those dark winter nights when I'm too flippin lazy to cook (as opposed to now, when I just don't want to, lol)
I'm looking forward to submissions!!
In these "credit crunching days", many people are having to cut back. However, you can only turn off so many lights, cut back so many miles driven, stop drinking quite so much, and who can do without their telephone or Internet? (Well, certainly not me...)
One place we are probably all guilty of splurging is food. Let's face it, we make a resolution to eat at home more, but still our grocery bills seem to get higher and higher. This is resulting in some very creative, "CC" meals. What have YOU done to reduce your grocery cost without sacrificing flavor or nutrition?
I'd like to know what you are making for your family (or having if you are not the cook) to fight inflation. What is your favorite budget meal? I want recipes!!! I want shopping lists!!
Here are the guidelines:
1. Easy to prepare (under 30 min is good, but not required)
2. Low in cost
3. Fairly nutritious
4. Easily freezable for leftovers or use in another meal
Think you can handle this?
Post your responses in the comments section. If you are not using a meal of your own, link to the appropriate page for credit to them.
I'd like to fill my freezer for those dark winter nights when I'm too flippin lazy to cook (as opposed to now, when I just don't want to, lol)
I'm looking forward to submissions!!
Nine Inch Nails
I got on a mailing list from NIN (Nine Inch Nails) after I took advantage of an offer for a free download of their latest EP. If I had that link, I'd put it in here. So, consequently, I get, from time to time, emails from them about upcoming concerts and other news.
Today, I got an email about tomorrows election. I was expecting an endorsement, and I probably assumed to know who they would endorse, but I was surprised.
The email was simply an appeal to participate in our democratic (small "D") system which we cherish. It was simple and to the point, so I'm re-posting it here:
date Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 9:15 PM
subject *Important* Regarding Tuesday's Election
9:15 PM (11 hours ago)
Reply
Next Tuesday we will elect the next President of the United States. The result will have great consequences for the nation.
This election offers a choice is between two men with dramatically different visions of the future. We have strong feelings about this choice. But we feel even more strongly that all Americans, regardless of political preference, have a stake in the outcome and should vote in this critical election.
This is likely to be a close election. Your vote matters. Please use it and make a difference.
Sincerely,
Trent Reznor
Thank you for listening.
Today, I got an email about tomorrows election. I was expecting an endorsement, and I probably assumed to know who they would endorse, but I was surprised.
The email was simply an appeal to participate in our democratic (small "D") system which we cherish. It was simple and to the point, so I'm re-posting it here:
date Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 9:15 PM
subject *Important* Regarding Tuesday's Election
9:15 PM (11 hours ago)
Reply
Next Tuesday we will elect the next President of the United States. The result will have great consequences for the nation.
This election offers a choice is between two men with dramatically different visions of the future. We have strong feelings about this choice. But we feel even more strongly that all Americans, regardless of political preference, have a stake in the outcome and should vote in this critical election.
This is likely to be a close election. Your vote matters. Please use it and make a difference.
Sincerely,
Trent Reznor
Thank you for listening.
Monday, 27 October 2008
Future blogs
I've had around 600 visits to this blog!! WOW! I'm surprised, impressed and honored. I would like more comments, though, so I'm throwing it out to you for the subject of my next blog.
I've been to the following countries:
Canada
Mexico
Japan
Thailand
Singapore
Diego Garcia
Canary Isanda
Italy
Spain
England
Scotland
Wales
France
Kuwait
Egypt
Afghanistan
Kyrgyzstan
Australia
You tell me which country you want the next blog about. I have pictures from most of these countries, so choose wisely.
I've been to the following countries:
Canada
Mexico
Japan
Thailand
Singapore
Diego Garcia
Canary Isanda
Italy
Spain
England
Scotland
Wales
France
Kuwait
Egypt
Afghanistan
Kyrgyzstan
Australia
You tell me which country you want the next blog about. I have pictures from most of these countries, so choose wisely.
And, as long as I'm blogging...
I recently took a long road trip with the first leg being from Boise to Colorado Springs to see my son. Dave works for SRAM Company (http://www.sram.com/) which makes components for road and mountain bicycles, as well as trains dealers and mechanics at STU (SRAM Technical University).
Dave has been in CS for almost 18 months, so I felt it was high time I went to see he and Teri, his girlfriend. I thought, early October should be fine... no snow... yeah right... brilliant plan...
I started out on Friday, 10 October, in what I (though not most weathermen) would consider a full blown blizzard. Great. The earliest snowfall in recorded Boise history, and I leave town in it. I knew I had at least a five hour drive ahead to Salt Lake City, so I couldn't delay anymore than I already had. Fortunately, the snow ended about 30 miles past Boise, and was smooth sailing after that. All was fine on the drive to SLC as I had a full iPod (plus backup), my Crackberry with GPS direction to my first stop, and a tank full of gas. I thought...
I arrived at my first stop, which was the Worldmark by Wyndham location in Eden, Utah. I'd booked a night in this timeshare location as a perfect first stop on Friday night. It's about a 14 hour drive to CoSp and it would cut a big chunk out of the drive. Well, just like me, I get to reception, and realize that I'd booked for the night before, Thursday night. Sheesh! I'd only read the confirmation three or four times, but still I'd managed to cock it up somehow. Oh well... back in the car...
As it was the Friday of a three-day weekend, and the resort was 100% full, my choices were simple... drive down the mountain to Ogden and stop for the night, or get back on the Interstate, head for Wyoming, and stop somewhere down the road. I chose the latter. So off I went again.
Next... Day 2
Dave has been in CS for almost 18 months, so I felt it was high time I went to see he and Teri, his girlfriend. I thought, early October should be fine... no snow... yeah right... brilliant plan...
I started out on Friday, 10 October, in what I (though not most weathermen) would consider a full blown blizzard. Great. The earliest snowfall in recorded Boise history, and I leave town in it. I knew I had at least a five hour drive ahead to Salt Lake City, so I couldn't delay anymore than I already had. Fortunately, the snow ended about 30 miles past Boise, and was smooth sailing after that. All was fine on the drive to SLC as I had a full iPod (plus backup), my Crackberry with GPS direction to my first stop, and a tank full of gas. I thought...
I arrived at my first stop, which was the Worldmark by Wyndham location in Eden, Utah. I'd booked a night in this timeshare location as a perfect first stop on Friday night. It's about a 14 hour drive to CoSp and it would cut a big chunk out of the drive. Well, just like me, I get to reception, and realize that I'd booked for the night before, Thursday night. Sheesh! I'd only read the confirmation three or four times, but still I'd managed to cock it up somehow. Oh well... back in the car...
As it was the Friday of a three-day weekend, and the resort was 100% full, my choices were simple... drive down the mountain to Ogden and stop for the night, or get back on the Interstate, head for Wyoming, and stop somewhere down the road. I chose the latter. So off I went again.
Next... Day 2
Today
Well now, it's been quite some time since I've updated my blog, and there is a ton of stuff which has happened, or will happen. I'll try to cover a few today as I am quite relaxed from a full body massage I just receive. We'll start there:
Full disclosure, I have no connections to this business other than my patronage today
Shangri-La Tea Room & Cafe 208-424-0273
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=416197275
Located at the corner of Federal Way and Overland in Boise, this unique establishment offers a vegetarian menu and an extensive list of herbal teas. On certain days, they offer lectured programs and have live music in the evenings, including jazz and drumming.
Today the event was:
BlueThunder, peacekeeper of The Shoshone Nation, rainbow warrior and guardian of Mother Nature leads special teaching circles to raise awareness on how to clean the negative energy away from natural environments. For more information, e-mail alanamarmel@hotmail.com or tetonrainbows@yahoo.com.
Future events can be found at:
or watch the Boise Weekly for newly added events.
Sample menu items include:
Corn Chowder and Black Bean Soup
Boca Burger (Served o a whole grain bun with goat Cheese and Peach-Mango Salsa
Southwestern Wrap (Black Beans, Corn, tomato, Cucumber, Lettuce, Spinach, Cheese, and Mango-Salsa
Mediterranean Pizza (Olive Oil and Pesto sauce topped with mozzarella cheese, Artichoke, Sun Dried Tomato and Kalamata Olives on Pita Bread
Prices are very reasonable, and they have all items for take-out.
I visited today, as I had an appointment for a massage, which is offered by Laura. Her massage room is quite comfortable, with gentle music. Her technique was professional and relaxing, very therapeutic, and lasted the full 60 minutes. I will be a returning customer. Give her a call and let her know you read this, you won't be disappointed.
As I was leaving my appointment, the pleasant oder of lunch wafted throughout the dining room, and there were a dozen or so patrons with tea and lunch waiting for BlueThunder to speak.
Full disclosure, I have no connections to this business other than my patronage today
Shangri-La Tea Room & Cafe 208-424-0273
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=416197275
Located at the corner of Federal Way and Overland in Boise, this unique establishment offers a vegetarian menu and an extensive list of herbal teas. On certain days, they offer lectured programs and have live music in the evenings, including jazz and drumming.
Today the event was:
BlueThunder, peacekeeper of The Shoshone Nation, rainbow warrior and guardian of Mother Nature leads special teaching circles to raise awareness on how to clean the negative energy away from natural environments. For more information, e-mail alanamarmel@hotmail.com or tetonrainbows@yahoo.com.
Future events can be found at:
or watch the Boise Weekly for newly added events.
Sample menu items include:
Corn Chowder and Black Bean Soup
Boca Burger (Served o a whole grain bun with goat Cheese and Peach-Mango Salsa
Southwestern Wrap (Black Beans, Corn, tomato, Cucumber, Lettuce, Spinach, Cheese, and Mango-Salsa
Mediterranean Pizza (Olive Oil and Pesto sauce topped with mozzarella cheese, Artichoke, Sun Dried Tomato and Kalamata Olives on Pita Bread
Prices are very reasonable, and they have all items for take-out.
I visited today, as I had an appointment for a massage, which is offered by Laura. Her massage room is quite comfortable, with gentle music. Her technique was professional and relaxing, very therapeutic, and lasted the full 60 minutes. I will be a returning customer. Give her a call and let her know you read this, you won't be disappointed.
As I was leaving my appointment, the pleasant oder of lunch wafted throughout the dining room, and there were a dozen or so patrons with tea and lunch waiting for BlueThunder to speak.
Saturday, 4 October 2008
Attention OIF/OEF Veterans
As you can see from my website here, I am a veteran who has deployed to various places around the world, including Kuwait, Qatar, Afghanistan and Kyrgystan. I support all coalition troops, and will pass on good news and the like when I get it.
I received the following notice through official channels, and have signed up for future notifications myself (age appropriate, can't see myself rock climbing anymore).
The best part is that ALL expenses including round trip transportation are included in this!!!!
Fully Paid Outward Bound Wilderness Excursions for OEF/OIF Veterans (POCe-mail and phone numbers listed at the end of paragraph)
Outward Bound, an international non-profit outdoor educationprogram, is offering fully funded outdoor adventure excursions to all OEF/OIF veterans. It doesn't matter what your current military status is (active, inactive, discharged, retired) - you're eligible to attend as long as you deployed in support of OEF/OIF combat operations while in the military. These five-day excursions offer adventure activities such as backpacking, rock climbing, canyoneering, canoeing, and dog sledding in beautiful wilderness areas in Maine, Texas, Colorado, California, and Minnesota. Scheduled courses from Sep 08-Feb 09 are listed below, and future courses will be scheduled soon. All expedition costs for lodging, equipment, food, and instruction are completely funded by a multi-million dollar Sierra Club grant, including the participants'round-trip transportation between home and the wilderness site. The excursion is offered at no cost to the participant. To sign up for one of the prescheduled courses, please contact Doug Hayward at 1-866-669-2362, ext. 8387, or simply e-mail him atobvets@outwardbound.org. To learn more about the OEF/OIF program, visit the website at www.outwardboundwilderness.org/veterans.htmlwww.outwardboundwilderness.org/veterans.html> . You can alsocontact two of our retired Judge Advocates, Joe and Amy Frisk, who areworking for Outward Bound on this incredible program atvetsor@outwardbound.org, or at (303) 968-4420.
If you have the opportunity to participate in one of these adventures, be sure to let others know, leave a comment about this or other tributes to the troops, whatever country is offering them, and I'll be sure to post them all
I received the following notice through official channels, and have signed up for future notifications myself (age appropriate, can't see myself rock climbing anymore).
The best part is that ALL expenses including round trip transportation are included in this!!!!
Fully Paid Outward Bound Wilderness Excursions for OEF/OIF Veterans (POCe-mail and phone numbers listed at the end of paragraph)
Outward Bound, an international non-profit outdoor educationprogram, is offering fully funded outdoor adventure excursions to all OEF/OIF veterans. It doesn't matter what your current military status is (active, inactive, discharged, retired) - you're eligible to attend as long as you deployed in support of OEF/OIF combat operations while in the military. These five-day excursions offer adventure activities such as backpacking, rock climbing, canyoneering, canoeing, and dog sledding in beautiful wilderness areas in Maine, Texas, Colorado, California, and Minnesota. Scheduled courses from Sep 08-Feb 09 are listed below, and future courses will be scheduled soon. All expedition costs for lodging, equipment, food, and instruction are completely funded by a multi-million dollar Sierra Club grant, including the participants'round-trip transportation between home and the wilderness site. The excursion is offered at no cost to the participant. To sign up for one of the prescheduled courses, please contact Doug Hayward at 1-866-669-2362, ext. 8387, or simply e-mail him atobvets@outwardbound.org. To learn more about the OEF/OIF program, visit the website at www.outwardboundwilderness.org/veterans.html
If you have the opportunity to participate in one of these adventures, be sure to let others know, leave a comment about this or other tributes to the troops, whatever country is offering them, and I'll be sure to post them all
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Running...
Let's face it... I am not a runner. I was not built to run... I hate running... can I make this any clearer??
That being said, I have started running... again... blech.
For Mother's Day, my son Chris bought me a very nice pair of Nike Shox at the Nike Employees store in Portland. These are supposed to be the most comfortable shoes for running they have. I'd just started going to the Fitness Center at Gowen Field (Air National Guard Base) to run on the treadmill, as I'd hit a plateau losing weight just going to Curves, and wanted to bump up the calorie burn.
These shoes are ones which have the space in the shoe for a Nike+ sensor, so you can sync it with your iPod Nano and track your runs/walks. Too cool!! The only problem was that neither of my iPods are Nanos. Not cool! So, I put about 75 miles on the treadmill with them, writing down my milege in a diary.
Now, though, Nike has come out with a new Nike+. This one has a wristband with the sensor, so you can use it without an iPod. It has a USB connection that you just plug into your computer to download your stats. I want!!
http://www.nike.com/index.jhtml?sitesrc=USPL&l=nikestore,nikeplus,overview&re=US&co=US&la=EN#l=nikestore,running,what_is,_pdp,cid-1/gid-181290/pid-181290&re=US&co=US&la=EN
Anyway...
I have always been a treadmill runner, recently running to Podrunner beat music. But today, I went to the High School track to see how I'd do with "roadwork". I still used the Podrunner music, trying to figure out which BPM (Beats per minute) rate was good for me. I did 2.75 miles in about 45 minutes, and that included a lot of walk/run laps. Not too bad for an old lady, eh??
The point of blogging all this is to keep me going.
Are you a runner? How do you keep motivated?? Are you a morning or evening runner? Inside or out? Let me know!
That being said, I have started running... again... blech.
For Mother's Day, my son Chris bought me a very nice pair of Nike Shox at the Nike Employees store in Portland. These are supposed to be the most comfortable shoes for running they have. I'd just started going to the Fitness Center at Gowen Field (Air National Guard Base) to run on the treadmill, as I'd hit a plateau losing weight just going to Curves, and wanted to bump up the calorie burn.
These shoes are ones which have the space in the shoe for a Nike+ sensor, so you can sync it with your iPod Nano and track your runs/walks. Too cool!! The only problem was that neither of my iPods are Nanos. Not cool! So, I put about 75 miles on the treadmill with them, writing down my milege in a diary.
Now, though, Nike has come out with a new Nike+. This one has a wristband with the sensor, so you can use it without an iPod. It has a USB connection that you just plug into your computer to download your stats. I want!!
http://www.nike.com/index.jhtml?sitesrc=USPL&l=nikestore,nikeplus,overview&re=US&co=US&la=EN#l=nikestore,running,what_is,_pdp,cid-1/gid-181290/pid-181290&re=US&co=US&la=EN
Anyway...
I have always been a treadmill runner, recently running to Podrunner beat music. But today, I went to the High School track to see how I'd do with "roadwork". I still used the Podrunner music, trying to figure out which BPM (Beats per minute) rate was good for me. I did 2.75 miles in about 45 minutes, and that included a lot of walk/run laps. Not too bad for an old lady, eh??
The point of blogging all this is to keep me going.
Are you a runner? How do you keep motivated?? Are you a morning or evening runner? Inside or out? Let me know!
Jelly Belly Heaven
When I planned my drive to San Francisco in April for a Navy weekend, I left early enough in the day to get (I hoped) to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA before it closed. I knew the last tour was at 4pm, and the store closed at 5pm, but I was remembering it as being closer to Sacremento than San Francisco. Boy, was I off by 100 miles!! Fortunately, I arrived right at 4:45, in plenty of time to buy a few pounds of Jelly Bellies!!!
If you EVER have a chance to go through this tour, or the one at the Midwest factory, do it!! It is a fascinating tour, well run, and great for all ages. When I took the tour 10 years ago, I had my then 18 yo son with me and since we had already taken the Alcatraz tour that morning, I gave him the option of staying in the car and sleeping, or going in with me. He came in, and admitted afterwards, it was one of the best tours he'd ever done. Well! Who'd've thunk??
In the lobby of the Gift Shop, where the tour begins and ends, there is a very nice art collection up on the walls, all made from the different flavors of Jelly Bellys. Here are a couple of them that I was able to take pics of as I was leaving.
Monday, 30 June 2008
Some pics from my last trip
 |
| Pompey on tour |
I was away again... no surprise there, lol. This time I combined a business trip with a pleasure trip. I drove (yes drove) the 1100 miles to San Diego for a wedding. OK, not just a wedding, but a Pompey wedding. OK, not just a Pompey wedding, but a pre-wedding wetting down, a wedding, and a honeymoon cruise.
Click on the ship above to see some of the nutters who flew all the way from England, Canada, Florida, New York for the shenanagans.
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Road Trip Part II
Well, day 2 and I made it to Sandy Yago in one piece. Just shy of 1100 miles via I-15, the driving part was pretty uneventful. South of Salt Lake City, there was a truck fire on the northbound side, firefighters on scene, nothing left of the cab of the semi... I hope the driver got out ok.
There were dozens of hawks, falcons and eagles along I-15. The drafts from the hot air gave them roller coasters of currents to play on
I saw two license plates that caught my attention to the point I wrote them down so I wouldn't forget them.
One was in Idaho, east of Twin... SODFTHR hmmm shades of a dirty Adam Curry (ok that's a podcasting joke)
The second was harder to do without symbols, but I'll try... MAN U R
I read it at Manchester United Lover, but they may just be into manure... with a heart stuck between the U and the R. As I was driving by with my POMPEY tags, I thought of extending the international sign of goodwill, but it was an older woman driving, and made the sexist assumption that it was her husbands SUV and she'd have no idea who Pompey was, and why I was gesturing at her.
OK, also because I've never given the bird to another driver in my life, and I'd feel stupid.
I did drive through a sand storm today, and amazingly, the majority of the traffic actually slowed down and maintained a safe distance. I mean, like 45 mph versus the 80 mph they were doing before.
Buying 89 octane each time, I paid $3.99 in Boise, and up to $4.45 in Victorville.
Tomorrow, the assorted wedding guests (well, ones that I know, anyway) start trickling in. I have a pickup at 6pm. Inbetween checkout of the Navy Lodge and airport time, I will go over to the USS Midway (CV-41) and take pictures for my "3rd" son, Casey. He was stationed onboard her 10 years ago, and has fond memories. I'll post the pics in the next posting.
Monday, 2 June 2008
On the road again
Well, yes, I'm off on another road trip. Hopefully I will remember to update this occasionally and post pictures to keep my loyal readers (all 4 of you!) apprised of my whereabouts and comings and goings.
In the meantime, enjoy my nephew's debut on the comedy circuit...
in Hong Kong...
See you along the road...
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