The anecdotal evidence is in!

(Some) Girls' sports make more money than (some) boys' sports! Basically, it is limited to youth sports and based on the position of young daughters in society. Check out the NYT for more details. I wonder how long it will take for this to be spun into girls' sports take away from boys' sports. . . .But good for all those families supporting their children like this!

Cooking (again) & Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan is a great food writer. He wrote an article which I'll talk more about after I get back from taking my boxer to the vet. (A store for another day.) A great read and my response ties back to my defense of Sandra Lee. Since my dog-sitter swiped my SL Cooking 3 cookbook from the library, you'll have to wait to read about my efforts at the recipes. Last night's cooking with Kate was fun and I think that even though the breadcrumbs and the pasta were not homemade, it officially counts as cooking.

The Beer Summit & Why Vampires Never Die

An article on the "Beer Summit" from the NYTimes. I admire the way all parties involved are handling the incident. I think we could all learn a great deal from their example.

An op-ed piece on the allure of the vampire by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Who doesn't love a good vampire story?

Spaghetti with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

I actually cooked dinner tonight and we brought our lunch to work. I found this recipe in one of those recipe machines at the grocery store. It is a Rachael Ray recipe.

I added about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of chopped onion to the tomato mixture. I also bought the wrong size of canned tomatoes and had half of what the recipe calls for. Next time, I'll make sure I have the right amount. I also cooked it covered as I was concerned about the lack of liquid (I, um, just figured out my mistake). Kate helped shape the meatballs around the cheese. Some of the cheese melted out some of the meatballs. Kate said she didn't like it. She ate her three meatballs and her plain angel hair pasta. She says she doesn't like a lot of things and then one day she does. She thought the meatballs were too moist and she likes my old drier meatball recipe. The kid is just odd. :)

I took pictures both in the pot and on the plate. But I can't figure out how to get them off the camera. One thing at a time I guess. . .

I only have two complaints/comments, (1) the recipe says it serves 6 and that it makes 20 meatballs. 20 is not evenly divisible by 6. (2) it actually made 19. If I can make this, anyone can! Pretty good I'd say! I will definitely be making this one again, but next time, I'll actually follow the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup milk or water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, 2 smashed and 1 chopped
• Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
• Salt
• 1 pound lean ground sirloin
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 large egg
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 20 (1/2-inch) cubes
• 1 pound spaghetti

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk.

2. In a large, wide saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season to taste with salt and let the sauce simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the beef, chopped garlic, parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano, egg and 1 teaspoon of salt to the soaked bread crumbs and stir with a fork until combined. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in your hand and press a mozzarella cube into the center. Shape the meat around the cheese, forming a ball. Repeat with the remaining meat and mozzarella.

4. Stir the sauce and raise the heat to medium- low. Carefully place the meatballs in the sauce, submerging them completely. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook without stirring for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, and drain. Toss the spaghetti with the tomato sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.

515

515, that's how many words I have to write a day to get a 50,000 word book done before the end of the 2009 Harlequin Presents Writing Competition. Actually given my tendency to delete at least half of what I wrote the day before, that's how much ahead I need to get each day. . .515

Glenn Beck is an ass.

Every time I see Glenn Beck or read what he has said or written, I come to the same conclusion, Glenn Beck is a clown and an ass. Today's evidence:

Beck made the statement during a guest appearance today on the "Fox & Friends" morning show. He said Obama has exposed himself as a person with "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture."

His remarks came during a discussion of Obama's reaction to the arrest of Harvard University scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Gates is black and was arrested for disorderly conduct by a white policeman over a misunderstanding about a break-in at Gates' home.

. . .

Beck's statement was challenged on the air by Fox host Brian Kilmeade, who noted that most of the people who work for the nation's first black president are white.

"I'm not saying he doesn't like white people," Beck said. "He has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist."

Really, Glenn? A deep-seated hatred for white people? Because he said that the police officer arresting a man in his own home for being upset about being accused of breaking and entering his own home? Really, Glenn?

I did like what General Powell had to say on the matter via CNN. Gen. Powell noted that both Gates and the arresting officer could have handled the situation better. I would add that the arresting officer *should* have handled the situation better. I understand why Gates didn't handle it differently. In the article, Powell comments on Palin, Limbaugh, and other political topics. Good article, reminds me of why I like him and wish he would run on the Dem's ticket for national office.

Kilpatrick

Articles like this one in the Detroit Free Press make me wonder what Kwayme Kilpatrick must be like in person. It has come out that he had an "improper personal relationship" with the woman who was appointed to over see the Detroit Police Department. I'm not sure what exactly an improper personal relationship is, but it doesn't sound good. Is he that irresistible? He seems resistible to me. She isn't the first other, other woman we have heard about in this mess. How many women was he having affairs with? How many of them knew there were so many of them? Did any of them care that there were so many of them? I feel like there are so many questions with this man, his affairs, and his marriage, I wouldn't know where to start . . . I guess some of them are none of our business . . . but some of them are. . .

I will say that one of the things that really annoys me about the articles on this topic is that so many of them keep saying that "she" was paid over $180,000 a month when, in fact, it was a team of people who were paid that amount. I didn't see anywhere that said how much she specifically was paid

Gmail Headlines

My gmail news banner had the following link: CNN.com Recently Published/Updated - Sarkozy tells France he is in rude health - 2 hours ago.

When you click on it, the actual headline is "Sarkozy tells France he is in good health"

Rude health, that is awesome. What exactly is rude health?

Library

I really love our local library. I mentioned earlier that I check out Joy of Cooking and Sandra Lee's Cooking 3. My complete library list:

• Ethical fundraising : a guide for nonprofit boards and fundraisers / Janice Gow Pettey, editor.
• Black tie optional : a complete special events resource for nonprofit organizations / Harry Freedman
• Road to Wellville / T. Coraghessan Boyle.
• The Moneypenny diaries / edited by [i.e. written by] Kate Westbrook.
• Jane Austen ruined my life / Beth Pattillo.
• Turn coat : a novel of the Dresden files / Jim Butcher.
• The talent code : greatness isn't born, it's grown, here's how / Daniel Coyle.
• The search / Christiane Heggan.
• Blood dreams / Kay Hooper.
• Out of time / by Samantha Graves.
• Dead beat : a novel of the Dresden files / Jim Butcher.
• Small favor : a novel of the Dresden files / Jim Butcher.
• Grease [sound recording] : the original soundtrack from the motion picture.
• Blink : the power of thinking without thinking / Malcolm Gladwell.
• Team of rivals [sound recording] : [the political genius of Abraham Lincoln] / Doris Kearns Goodwin.
• The devil's eye / Jack McDevitt.
• When Bruce met Cyn--- / Lori Foster.
• Manhunting / Jennifer Crusie.
• Pippi Longstocking [sound recording] / Astrid Lindgren.
• Joy of cooking / Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker ; illustrated by John Norton
• Semi-homemade cooking 3 / Sandra Lee.

Annoyingly, when I got home I started Manhunting and discovered I had already read. I was reading Dead Beat until I was distracted by Realm of Empires on facebook which led to being distracted by hulu. I am planning to do a review of Dead Beat when I finally get it finished. It is so far a good book.

Sandra Lee again

I'm not ready, I'm just not ready to leave her. I have decided to forgive her the craziness of the Kwanzaa cake. I made this decision tonight in the library when I checked out Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking 3. Then I promptly went home and made mac & cheese for dinner (Kate also had carrots & I had a turkey dog). Oh and it was Kraft. You know what else I checked out of the library, the 75th Anniversary Edition of Joy of Cooking. And, ah, then I made some Kraft Mac & Cheese (and I liked it).

I gotta tell you, for all the shit she takes online from the "experts", some of the stuff in this book looks good. And frankly, it makes me think I can cook. I could give a crap Anthony Bourdain like her or her style. I am in no way impressed by a man who eats sheep testicles, ant eggs, and other disgusting things. She really seems to piss him off. I like that she wants to connect with me and make my life easier. All while he is off gallivanting around the world eating rectums and other unfortunate body parts. He does not inspire me to want to cook for my family.

I think I am going to try to make a few meals from her cookbook. I will try to take pictures and share the results with you here.

Sandra Lee made me sad.

I have always loved Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee. Loved it! I don't really can't really cook very well or often. So she always made me feel like I could cook, I still didn't, but that is really quite beside the point. Then today, thanks to Smart Bitches, I came across this video. It made me sad, very sad. You see, she made me think I could cook. But it turns out she's crazy. So does that mean I can't cook. I mean corn nuts?




I just don't know if I can still watch her show. Well, okay, watch clips of her show as we haven't had cable or satellite in over a year now.

Smart Bitches also provided a link to an awesome blog post in which two women attempt to recreate the Kwanzaa cake.

I love the internet.

22. Write a book & 18. Clean out the basement

Last week was crazy! Every night we've had something going on or a bunch of tasks to get done. We've made progress on the basement. 9 boxes emptied! Woo hoo! 5 million to go! :(

I did get some writing done this last week (22. Write a book). I was inspired by Harlequin 2009 writing contest. Entries must be submitted by November 2, 2009. So I jammed out over 2,00o words, loved where I was going and then didn't write anything for 2 5 days! So today's goal is to get another 1,000 words written 1 inch at a time. Here's the thing, I put number 22 on the list because I have started about 7 books now in various word processing applications. I have finished exactly zero. I probably made the most progress in law school. I would write in Will & Estates and another class that semester, I can't think of which one it was.

Ahhh, really?

Came across this on the blog Undiplomatic. It really doesn't require any commentary, does it?

Excuse me, Catherine Crabill, your 15 minutes is up now . . .

It expired when you were discussing 'tea parties' and you said, "We have the chance to fight this battle at the ballot box before we have to resort to the bullet box,". The bullet box? Who exactly are you threatening? Fellow voters, the administration?

Why I am hearting Sen. Feinstein today

I don't heart her every day. . . like all politicians sometimes I disagree with her from time to time. But today, I am hearting her. The Washington Post has posted the transcript of her exchange with Sotomayor. Here are my favorite parts. This opening exchange is refering to the Ricci drama.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I have great respect for Senator Kyl. I've worked with him, I guess, for about 12 years now on the subcommittee of this committee. But I think there is a fundamental misreading of the Supreme Court decision, if I understand it.

It's my understanding that the court was five-to-four. Is that correct?

SONIA SOTOMAYOR: It was.

FEINSTEIN: And that the four dissenters indicated that they would have reached the same conclusion as the 2nd Circuit did. Is that correct?

SOTOMAYOR: That was my understanding.

FEINSTEIN: Thank you. Let me clear one thing up. I'm not a lawyer. And I've had a lot of people ask me, particularly from the West Coast who are watching this, what is per curiam. Would you please in common, every day English explain what through the court means?

SOTOMAYOR: It's essentially a unanimous opinion where the court is taking an act that -- where it's not saying more than what either incorporating a decision by the court below because it's not adding anything to it.

FEINSTEIN: Right.

SOTOMAYOR: In some cases, it's when there's, as Judge Cabranes in his dissent pointed out, in some cases, it's simply used to denote that an issue is so clear and unambiguous that we're just going to state the rule of law. It can be used in a variety of different ways. But it's generally where some -- where you're doing something fairly -- in a very cursory fashion, either because a district court judge has done a thorough job...

. . .

FEINSTEIN: . . .

Now, many have made comments regarding your Latina -- "wise Latina" comment. And I'd like to just take a moment to put your comments in the context of the experiences of women. And this country is built on very great accomplishments. We forged a new country. We broke away from the British. We wrote documents that have stood the test of time. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights.

But we also have a history of slavery, segregated schools, of employment discrimination, of hate crimes, and unspoken prejudices that can make it very hard for individuals to be treated fairly or even to believe that they can do well in this society.

So I understand empowerment and the role that it plays. And everything has been hard fought. We, as women, didn't have the right to vote until 1920. And that was after a tremendous battle waged by a group of very brave women called suffragettes. And when you graduated law school in 1979, there had never been a woman on the Supreme Court.

Today, women represent 50.7 percent of the population, 47 percent of law school graduates, and 30 percent of American lawyers. But there are only 17 women senators, and only one woman is currently serving on the Supreme Court, and we still make only $0.78 on the dollar that a man makes.

So we're making progress, but we're not there yet, and we should not lose sight of that. My question is, as you have seen this -- and you must have seen how widely broadcast this is -- that you become an instant role model for women. And how do you look at this -- your appointment to the court -- affecting empowerment for women? And I'd be very interested in any comments you might make. And this has nothing to do with the law.

Analysis of Sotomayor hearings thus far

Dahlia Lithwick over at slate.com has an interesting article about the wasted opportunity that this hearing turned out to be.

. . . consider this: Republicans came into these hearings with nothing to lose. They were never going to block this nomination, but they could have used these days to make it clear they are not the party of Rush Limbaugh and Joe the Plumber. They could have questioned Sotomayor about her record, her views, even asked a tough question or two about wise Latina women. They opted not to.

Democrats also came into these hearings with nothing to lose. They were going to seat this nominee, tee up the next two, and school the American people on why the Supreme Court matters and how it's letting them down and explain why balls and strikes are half the equation. They opted not to.

Pat Buchanan distrubs scares me

It really isn't my intent to focus solely on politics here. It is just one of those days . . .Buchanan has never been my kinda guy. His behavior with regard to the Sotomayor hearings has been shameful and dishonorable.

But his statements saying that Todd Palin "ought to take Levi down to the creek and hold his head underwater until the thrashing stops" go beyond the pale. For the sake of better ratings or perhaps because he really means it, he advocates murder as an appropriate response to speaking against a public figure. Instead of having a discussion on why the hell is the media is giving time to her daughter's bitter 19-year-old ex-boyfriend, he advocates murder. Of course, 'cause that would be rational.

Orrin Hatch: Doesn't know what smearing is but knows it when he hears rumors of it.

Senator Hatch is jumping to Ricci's defense from the liberal smear machines. According to the New Haven Independent:

During a break in the senatorial grilling, Hatch was asked what he meant by Ricci being “smeared.”

“I’m not quite sure,” replied Hatch. “I just heard that they were smearing. Plus I’ve seen some comments about trying to make his dyslexia an issue because of the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

"I just heard they were smearing."? Seriously? You can't do better than that?

The article also quotes Sen. Hatch as saying:

“He deserves a lot of credit, but they’re trying to make it seem like he’s just a pussyfoot” who complains when he doesn’t get promoted or hired, said Hatch.

I am going to ignore the word pussyfoot, I think it doesn't mean what Sen. Hatch thinks it means. Dictionary.com says that when used as a noun it means " a person with a catlike, or soft and stealthy, tread." I won't use that word to describe a guy who goes around suing when he doesn't get his own way. I'd use a different word. I think it is fair to question a guy who first uses a discrimination lawsuit to get a job and then uses a reverse discrimination suit to get a promotion at said job. First it was the dyslexia, then his whiteness?

101 Goals in 1,001 Days

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Our List:
We sat down and made a list together. Some items are mine, some are his, and some are for both of us. We have until February 8, 2012 to get the list done. The item numbers have no meaning except for keeping track of how many things are on the list. For example, get married is 4 and number 61 is find the engagement ring (must not be a new diamond, prefer no diamonds).

We made the list over drinks while visiting Cleveland. It was a nice night.

When we remember to work on our list, it is fun. We have started some of the items on the list - those are listed in green. We were originally keeping track of our progress on a wordpress blog that was dedicated only to this project. But I am trying to simplify our lives and keep us on one site. Eventually, I'll move our other stuff over too. But for how, here is the list!

1. Amy – Make my own font.
2. Amy – Buy a pasta roller and make my own pasta.
3. Amy – Learn to make good bread.
4. Get married
5. Learn to swing dance
6. Get Berl a suit Amy likes
7. Piece by piece convince Berl to improve his wardrobe (he can keep his t-shirts, we’re just aiming for some diversity)
8. Go to Winter Carnival with Tanya, Dan, Berl & the kids.
9. Berl – Get a car
10. Berl – Set, monitor, and stick to a budget.
11. Berl – within 100 days be enrolled in college; within 365 days have a degree plan.
12. Amy – lose 80 pounds.
13. Amy – Do yoga 3 times a week for 3 months. [0/12]
14. Amy – Run a 5k by the end of summer 2010.
15. Amy – Make 50 Morsbags.
16. Plan a gala for A.H.
17. Berl – Lose 40 pounds.
18. Get Amy’s basement cleaned out.
19. Go to Chicago with all the kids.
20. Get Donald into a good college.
21. Get a new job (Amy & Berl).
22. Write a book (Amy).
23. Go on a cruise together or visit a warm island together – no laptop or cell phones allowed.
24. Get custody of Brianna and Kelsey.
25. Get regular parenting time with Payton.
26. Get a house together.
27. Eat breakfast together at the table 3 times a week.
28. Eat dinner together at the table 3 times a week.
29. Berl – Give up tobacco.
30. Berl – lighten/fade tiger tattoo.
31. Amy – get an academic legal article ready for submission.
32. Amy – get an non-academic legal article ready for submission.
33. Take all the kids to Disney.
34. Take all the kids to D.C.
35. Amy – Learn to make a good pot roast.
36. Amy – Make Martha’s Thanksgiving Turkey (fresh) without fire, smoke, or flame.
37. Berl – read 1 book a month.
38. Switch to earth friendly household cleaners.
39. Go organic in the kitchen.
40. Berl – make more time for Amy (3 nights a week by 10/01/2009 4 nights a week by 02/01/2010).
41. Walk dogs 2 times a day by 12/01/2009.
42. Walk dogs 1 time a day by 07/01/2009.
43. Go to a Red Wings game.
44. Decide if we really want to adopt if so get adoption process started.
45. Get bowflex set up.
46. Get Berl to try yoga 3 times.
47. Take a multi-vitamin daily for 30 days 7 times. [(0/30) ~ (0/7)]
48. Berl – give up Mountain Dew.
49. Amy – Give up processed sweets (homemade sweets okay).
50. Eat at least 7 servings of vegetables a day for 30 days. (0/30)
51. Berl gets a boxer puppy when we buy a house together.
52. Amy & Kate to have 2 special events per month.
53. Berl – learn to play guitar.
54. Berl – get a guitar.
55. Amy – learn to say no to new projects.
56. Amy – learn to ride a horse.
57. Amy – Do something with Tanya at least 2 times a month. [0/66]
58. Have vegetarian day 1 day a month.
59. Go to a fun concert.
60. Go out dancing 1 time a month.
61. Find an antique, recycled, or man-made engagement ring.
62. Amy – take Mom out for a mani-pedi.
63. Amy – get all student loans consolidated.
64. Amy – get the complete Prince cd/iTunes collection.
65. Get together with Jessica and Crupi for dinner and music at the Green Door (or other blues/bluegrass music place).
66. Take Mom out for Chinese 1 time a month. [0/33]
67. Pick a town to live in.
68. Amy – Learn how to make really good shortbread cookies.
69. Amy – Get out a monthly ECHS paper newsletter and a bi-weekly e-newsletter.
70. Amy – Plan a Walk for Hunger/Homelessness for A.H.
71. Amy – Teach Zeus 2 new tricks. [0/2]
72. Amy – Go to church every other week.
73. Amy – Clean out car every week.
74. Amy – Get oil changed every 5,000-ish miles.
75. Take the kids to Cedar Point.
76. Take the kids to Greenfield Village.
77. Write to the Grandmas once a month. (0/83)
78. Get the ECHS cookbook done!
79. Get Berl to the dentist.
80. Take the kids to a lugnuts game each summer.
81. Berl & Donald do something fun together once a month.
82. Amy – Start, monitor and stick to a budget.
83. Host a board game night!
84. Amy – Get a henna tattoo.
85. Amy & Berl – have a Christmas party.
86. Cook fifteen different meals for my family & friends. [0/15]
87. For two weeks, eat no take out or fast food. (0/14)
88. Plan and make good Halloween costumes. (Amy – Lucy Lovett; Berl – ?)
89. Amy & Berl; Amy or Berl – Take a picture a day for 365 days & post them on our blog! (1/365)
90. Take a cooking class together.
91. Amy – Make a good pizza from scratch.
92. Amy – Create a change jar that I don’t touch until the end of this challenge!
93. Send at least 20 postcrossing postcards.
94. Amy – Do all 329 creative writing prompts http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
95. Amy – Take a family portrait once a week. (0/143)
96. Amy – Improve my credit score by 100 points.
97. Amy – Donate of all the clothes I don’t actually wear.
98. Amy – Donate 400,000 grains of rice (1,710/400,000).
99. Amy & Berl – Get passports.
100. Amy - Get up by 6:30 a.m. every morning for 30 days (0/30), get up by 6:00 a.m. for 30 days (0/30).
101. Amy – Bring my lunch to work every day for a week 7 times. (0/7).

Sen. Grassley okay with double standards

So, Senator, double standards are okay when they benefit your group.* Just wanted to be clear on that. . .


*Although I would generally prefer to link to direct sources, I am going to link to another blog's post about the original story. I am doing this because dinner is on the stove and I still need to get to the library!

I have a confession.

I am obsessed with Sarah Palin. I can't read enough about her. We don't have tv and I don't have the patience to watch a clip her and a clip there. So most of my Palin information comes from the web. Here's the thing, she drives me nuts. And I don't normally go out of my way to read about politicians I dislike.

I don't understand my fascination with her. I suppose it could be likened to watching a car accident. I have watched her resignation and its meriod of responses with great interest. I know the traditional thinking is she's out. But I'm not convinced that she is down for the count. I'm also not convinced she has a masterplan. She doesn't seem like the masterplan type which I think is part of my fascination. We are always left wondering what comes next. I listen carefully to her speechs to understand what she is saying. I am a relatively intelligent person. I have well educated. Yet, often, I have no idea what she is saying. I get the themes real fast. She is good with themes. But the details, she loses me with the details. I'm not alone in this. Her inability to make sense would normally make me just write her off. But she seems to hold a special place for me and I don't seem to be alone in this. Apparently, some 7 of 10 Republican voters say they would vote her in as president. Holy Snikies Batman, 7 of 10! Looks like their special place is different than my special place.

I worry that my fascination with all things Palin says more about me than her. I could not disagree more with her politics. I do not regard her as particularily clever or competant. I have been known to complain about the cult like place personality has obtained in our politics. Yet, I fear I am fueling it with every click on another Palin article. So do I stop reading or tell myself my clicks don't matter. . . speaking of clicks, here's another article.