November 2003 Archives

Got to go to a holiday potluck and don't know what to bring? Here's a favorite of me and my friends that's easy to make and a sure hit:

Potato Casserole

1 2 lb bag of frozen hash browns, defrosted
2 C sour cream
1 10� oz. can of condensed Cream Of Chicken soup
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion (or two Texas Sweet onions), chopped
2 C grated cheddar cheese
� C butter or margarine
2 C corn flakes, crushed

Preheat oven to 350�. Combine sour cream, cream of chicken soup, onion, salt, pepper and cheese in a large bowl. Fold in the defrosted hash browns and pour into a 3 qt. casserole dish that has been greased. Combine melted butter with the crushed corn flakes and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. Can be re-heated the same day at a party with no loss of creamy potato goodness.

A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to thaw out during the particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years ago.

Because both had jobs, they found it difficult coordinating their travel schedules. It was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday, and his wife would follow him the next day. Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. In his room there was a computer, so he decided to send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her address, and sent the e-mail without realizing his error.

In Houston, a widow had just returned from her husband's funeral. The dearly departed was a minister of many years who had been called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow checked her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived.

I know you are surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send e-mails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is hot down here!

Go here now.

Don't argue with me. You WILL enjoy it.

This has to be one of the signs of the apocalypse: http://www.jesusdressup.com/

That site was a link off of the radio show I listen to in the morning. I wish I would have heard some of the less-than-ignorant people that call in trying to explain why that offends them. It reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw awhile ago, "Dear God, please save me from your followers!" Gotta luv the south! Also, today marks the end of Ramadan, so my friend Shariq can once again eat during daylight hours. Happy day!

Woohoo! I'm 10 pounds lighter this morning. So far, it's been pretty easy, and I haven't been tempted too badly. However, I am looking forward to blowing ketosis with great gusto on Thanksgiving. In other news, it seems my host has finally gotten their server upgrade done and my site is up for good. Also, they installed the Perl module Image::Magick so when I upload photos I'll be able to re-size them on the fly for thumbnails. Think of all the bandwidth you will save, my loyal readers with slow modem connections!

It's often been said that my blog doesn't deal much with human interest stories, especially those relating to the fairer sex. So after much exhaustive searching I have come up with a website that I feel lends a certain amount of "intellectual savoir faire" to the site. So kiddies, click the pic below to learn everything you need to know about A Woman�s Guide on How to Pee Standing:

Well, it appears my host, Logjamming.com, has been upgrading servers and that's why my 'blog has been unavailable for the past few days. Hopefully they are done and the servers are back up and happy. More info from their support log here.

Go play some Crab Volleyball! It's a great time waster, and you can play it here. So far my highest score is -5.

As of today, I've lost 6 pounds since Monday. I had a latte from Starbucks this morning, but I managed to stay in ketosis. So far, so good. The sweet cravings have gotten pretty bad, especially tonight, so I may go to bed early to avoid temptation.

I've been doing pretty good, so far. I'm deep into ketosis and I haven't really had any terrible cravings. 2.5 pounds have disappeared since Sunday and I'm feeling pretty good. Tonight, me and some work guys are going to play music, and I'm sure to be tempted with beer and pizza. I think I can resist. I had dinner (brats and kraut) with Bayly and Emily last night and it's good to have a buddy to commiserate with. I really need to cook more-- but this week has been rather hectic and I haven't had time. I'm hoping to make carb-free fried chicken this weekend. Also, I might start another batch of beer (to be ready in 6 weeks)-- cream stout this time.

My good friend Julie sent me some new pics of her son Thomas. Here they are:

Whatever you do, do not click the link.

LINK

Here's a couple of very interesting links sent to me from my dad:

(They should all open in a new window)

Motorcycle Funerals for the dead, rich, biker dude.
Sign Generator so you to can be on the billboard in front of the church.
Useless Trivia, did you know that "Mr. Mojo Risin'" is an anagram for "Jim Morrison"?

See? My Dad's pretty fly for an old guy!

Day One of the diet is going ok. Got up this morning at had a Keto shake. So far, I've had only one cup of coffee. Tonight is Baked Meatballs from a recipe off the Atkins website. I couldn't find veal, so I switched it for ground turkey. I feel a bit bad about eating around my office-mate, Shariq, who is muslim; so he's in the throes of Ramadan and fasting. Oh well, he can't eat pork rinds anyway. Thanks for the comments posted to yesterday's posts!

Currently listening to: ZZ Top - Mescalero ("Punkass Boyfriend"), and the new Joe Bonamassa CD.

My white cat, Alice, who's sitting on my lap as I type this, has started peeing. This is not spraying but full-on inappropriate urination. I can't figure it out. I've got one of those automatic litter boxes, so it's always clean. Maybe my roommate moving back in last week has her freaked out a bit. Of done a bit of research online and environmental stress can be a trigger for this type of behavior. Either way, I'm going to have to take her to the vet when I get some money. If it's not one thing, then it's the other. Any ideas?

In music news, Bayly, Emily and I went to see Joe Bonamassa last night at the Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack in the River Market. It was a helluva show! He's a master of his instrument and has a great backing band as well. He's only 25, but man, what a shredder! We bought his latest album at the show and he signed it for me afterwards. Very cool guy! Now I'm impatient for my blueshawk to get here so I can dust off the chops.

So today marks the last day of carbs for awhile. My friend Bayly's wife (Emily) and I are going full-Atkins together. After an expensive trip to the grocery (carbs are cheap, protein is expensive!) I'm set for at least a week. Caffeine is supposed to go as well, but I can't do that-- so I eliminated Diet Pepsi. No drinking either, which may save me some money in the long run. So if you see me in the halls or anywhere else, do NOT offer me that donut. Further bulletins as events warrant--

Add comments about your dieting experiences below:

I have yet to see it, but the reviewers are giving it a sound thrashing. Some quotes found on Fark today:

"So disappointing they may as well have bussed in Ewoks to save Zion."
-- Christopher Null, FILMCRITIC.COM

"Visually stunning but a huge disappointment. The resolution sucked! "
-- Victoria Alexander, FILMSINREVIEW.COM

WOOHOO! Look what I just bought off of Ebay! I've been wanting a Blueshawk for many years now, and my friend Clyde bought one and loves it. Finding this deal with the original hardshell case for this price is amazing, so here's my Christmas present to myself. Hopefully I'll get it this week.

I have found a neat product that will keep people from trying to spam my blog with advertising or other junk. It's called MT-Blacklist and it was created especially for Moveable Type (the blog software I use). So if you post comments, they will be content and source scanned against a master list of spammers before the posting is allowed. Very cool!

Dear Cats,

When I say to move, it means go someplace else, not switch positions with each other so there are still two cats in the way.

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help, because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king-size bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue to sleep on the couch to ensure your comfort.

Look at videos of cats sleeping, they can actually curl up in a ball. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space used is nothing but catty sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to scratch, meow or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. In addition, I have been using bathrooms for years, feline attendance is not mandatory.

The proper order is lick my face, then go lick your butt. I cannot stress this enough. It would be such a simple change for you.

Rules for Non-Pet Owners Who Visit and Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. The cats live here. You don't.

2. If you don't want cat hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.

3. I like my cats a lot better than I like most people.

4. To you, they're cats. To me, they're an adopted son or daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

5. Cats are better than kids. They eat less, don't ask for money all the time, are easier to train, sometimes come when called, never drive your car, don't hang out with drug-using friends, don't smoke or drink, don't worry about buying the latest fashions, don't wear your clothes, don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and they can be spayed and neutered.

An email received from my friend Julie and her husband Gery

And they are gone...

So, loyal readers, it's your task to find a suitable replacement (in Javascript) for Thanksgiving. If you find something cool, or a webpage with something cool, send me a link and I'll try to steal the script.