Good Friday

My friend was both lucid and responsive today. God is Good.

Scary

A good friend of mine is very, very ill. Less than a year ago she was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. In December she had a bone marrow transplant. Apparently, the cancer is "back." Less than a week ago, she was told that she has "weeks" to live.

Here's what is scary.
On Saturday we visited for a long time. She was lucid and responsive and we talked at length.
On Sunday she was clearly less responsive but certainly lucid and aware of her surroundings.
On Monday she was none of those things. At all. None.
Yesterday she was sleeping when I saw her.
Today she was more responsive, but I honestly fear that days like Saturday are gone.

I'm heartbroken. For her. For her family. For those of us who are her friends.

Guess who's the over-all Number 1 seed in the men's NCAA tourney?

The semifinals (Final 4) and finals (Championship game) are in San Antonio, but our seeding means we'll be in our own backyards until then (first Raleigh, then Charlotte).

Go Tarheels!

How come Lisa gets to be Breakfasty? I wanna be pancakes with the perfect amount of syrup!

Instead, this is what I am:



I am the time when being awake feels forbidden. Huh? What does that even mean?!

democrats running for President

My first choice for President withdrew from the race.

I voted on Super Tuesday and feel good about who I chose, but I am watching the race closely as we decide who will be the Democratic nominee.

I did not start out this process being antiClinton. After all, she is one of my senators. However, I am disturbed by much of the antiObama rhetoric I hear. For example, as a Christian, I am disturbed and offended by the notion that Obama's Christianity necessarily means he is homophobic and anti-choice. He's not, incidentally. Here's some proof. And here's even more proof.

In general, I'm pretty annoyed with Mrs. Clinton and her "I have more experience than he does because I was First Lady" campaign. Does anyone else remember her insistence of the use of her birth name, Rodham, to make it clear that she was not "just" a wife and mother. And what of her contempt for Barbara Bush's decision to be a political spouse and parent?

So now that it suits her, she'll use that her husband was President? How is HIS presidency HER experience?

Tarheel Pride

Check this out!

Cable Delight

Today a nice man from my local cable company came and added phone to my "all-in-one" package. Even though he was amused when I asked for a photo ID before I let him in.

He even came on the early side, so I've spent the last few hours getting acquainted with Windows Vista on my new laptop. So far, I am NOT a fan. So much so that I'm tempted to have XP put on this new computer, but I probably need to learn Vista, if only to be able to help guide the gf on her own OMGwhatismycomputerdoing journey.

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Much thought of late about Clinton, Obama, evangelical Christians, why folks insist on making Obama Muslim, and the kidnapping of all things Christian by the Republicans. Watching the Texas and Ohio primaries with interest. Learning that even today, even with folks I know and respect, I should continue to refrain from discussing issues of race with white folk. Most of you, anyway.

82-51

My Carolina women walked all over Duke today.

Beautiful.

Go, Carla!

Carla Richardson and I were roommates our first year in college. Now she's family physician Dr. Carla Lambert and today is the grand opening of her private practice, Truly Blessed Health and Wellness Center in Beltsville, Maryland.

Congratulations,
Dr. Lambert!

My auto insurance rocks!

Not only did they work quickly to expedite my claim, my filing the claim will not make my premium go up because I wasn't at fault. At least, that's what the nice lady at my insurance agent's office told me. I get a rental car too, which is good since I have a 25-30 minute commute to work each way.

So now I have to find someplace to DO the work!

He Has a Name

More from the young man mentioned on February 22nd. His name is Derrick Ashong, BTW.

I was in Queens this weekend. The gf and I got up early yesterday and went into Manhattan to her favorite store, Macy's at Herald Square (That's the one on 34th street). We had a blast, and even got me a purse I've been looking at for 6 months- on sale, no less.

And she wasn't even frustrated while shopping with me, the kid who isn't a huge fan.

So, it was a good trip.

Until we got back to Queens and saw that someone had hit Marianne (my car). HARD. The passenger side front panel is dented in so far I was concerned that the wheel well was damaged. It drives ok and I made it back Upstate with no problems, but now I have to get my car fixed.

And NO, the person who hit my car did not leave a note.

Boo Hiss

I'm annoyed. I mean, really annoyed.

Last Saturday morning the gf and I were on separate websites to get tickets for The Last Play at Shea, scheduled for July 16th (a Wednesday). Not exactly the easiest time for me to go downstate to Shea Stadium, you know? BUT, we were excited about the show and happy to have gotten tickets.

Then, I found out that another show was added . The added show is on Friday, July 18th so now we have tickets for the Next to the Last Play at Shea.

So guess what did we did this past Saturday morning? Yep, try for tickets to the Friday show. And not only couldn't we score tickets, we couldn't even get to the site or an operator.

So, we'll go to the Wednesday night show, but just for the record, I think it stinks that they added a show on a better day (and later) than the original show.
Couldn't the original show have been on Friday night, then the added show on Wednesday?

Surely Shea Stadium and Billy Joel knew they were going to add a show. How could the first show NOT sell out? He always sells out in NYC, and for Pete's Sake, it's the LAST SHOW before Shea is shut down.

My friend Jocelyn sent me the link to this video.

A young man at a Barrack Obama rally is being interviewed on his views. I guess the interviewer is fairly aggressive, which is what made Jocelyn forward the link to me.

And so I pass it on:

President's Day

I was listening to NPR this evening as I was cooking, and heard this quiz in tribute to today being President's Day. I got half of them right. Can you beat me?

Who was the first US President...

1. to visit a foreign country?
2. to visit the West Coast?
3. born West of the Mississippi River?
4. born in a hospital?
5. who was a bachelor? (not a widower, a bachelor)
6. who was divorced?
7. to resign?
8. to die while in office?
9. to wear pants regularly (as opposed to wearing knee breeches)?
10. to own a radio?


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And I just saw this on the NPR website. I found it oddly amusing.


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Oh, you want the answers to the quiz? Click here.

Surviving Lent

It is possible to smile so much your face gets sore. I realized last week at work. One of the folks I work with nearly laughed their head off when I told them what my goal for Lent is. The response was, "You'll never make it!"

Not exactly encouraging, huh?

Well, it's been nearly a week, and so far, so good.

Pig Uterus, Anyone?

On Colvin Avenue in Albany is the Asian grocery store (called "Asian Grocery") I like. It's where I get nori and rice for sushi, the ginger drink I often have with breakfast, and inexpensive veggies.

On my last visit, I ventured past the tanks of live fish (and lobsters and turtles) to the fresh meat. Lots of pork, including fresh neck bones. Since I've only been able to find frozen ones here, I was thrilled. Southerner that I am, what's a pot of black-eyed peas without neck bones?

Tonight I actually bought some. Yippee! I also looked at some of the other offerings. No chitterlings but they did have pork stomachs (hog maws) whole ducks, chicken feet, pork hearts (2 to a pack) and packages of pig uterus.

I've eaten (and enjoyed) my fair share of porcine large intestines, but the uterus? Oh my. And can I tell you it was white and gelatinous looking? It looked, well, "springy."

So curious was I about pig uterus that I did an on-line search and found this. Scroll down to "Number 1 Scariest Food to be had at Ranch 99." It had me laughing out loud.

Happy Valentine's Day

Recipes

I received BiblioDiva's recipes in the mail yesterday. The idea was that the loser of the wager would send 20 recipes to the winner. Recipes that the winner would likely enjoy. So, what'd she send? More than 20 recipes, for starters, including a couple for biscuits, several for desserts (including a few chocolate chip cookies and a pound cake), and a few main dishes.

The most memorable, however, are from the same cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book for Beginning Cooks of All Ages (published before I was born, I'm sure).



Recipe #1: According to the cookbook, "Individual meat loaves made with ground beef are shaped around wooden skewers and called Everyday Drumsticks. The whole family will enjoy this new and different mealtime idea."




Recipe #2: Here's the list of ingredients for Strawberry Pineapple Freeze.

1-10oz package frozen strawberries, thawed
1-8.75oz can crushed pineapple
1 cup strawberry-flavored yogurt
0.25 cup sifted powdered sugar
3 pineapple rings
lettuce

And here's the photo:


Yes, folks, it seems that BiblioDiva really is trying to kill chubby little me. Miniature meat loaves on sticks? And where's the cool whip for the strawberry pineapple thingy? And do I really have to cut it into wedges like that and serve it on iceberg lettuce?

Next time you're in metroDC, call BiblioDiva and ask her to cook you a meal...

Have you ever been a part of something small you were quite proud of? So small that it won't change most lives around you, but still big enough that you think "Woo Hoo!"

I think that about having helped get an amazing group of my college classmates to want to be class officers for the next 5 years. We will celebrate our 20th anniversary in May and these women will usher us to our 25th reunion. A small thing in the big scheme of things but honestly, these are amazing women!

I'm soooo excited.

We went to Mount Holyoke, incidentally-