I was laboriously going through my old entries tagging them, when I found this quiz. which was stolen from almsthvn way back in 2008.Rules: 1. Pick 15 of your favourite movies.2. Go to IMDb and

Can you find three ladybugs and three babies in this picture?If you do - don't tell. Let others find them too!

Started to crawl into bed. Suddenly feel... something small, spongy, soft in the sheets.Turn on light. It's a used teabag.

You're sitting in a chair, reading or watching TV. Or you're lying in bed, not yet asleep, thinking about whatever. Then you notice there is a cat on your lap, or on your hip or your back or maybe on your head. The cat has been there for well over ten minutes. You might be scratching the cat's head. But you don't remember t

I haven't posted in a while and that's because I really don't have much of interest to say. It's January, the month when we recover from Christmas, though for me the entire Christmas season 2011 was pretty much a wash.It seemed unusually cold today; although the thermometer read about 40/4, there was some snow m

Tonight I was petting Simcha and talking to her. Last winter she - about four months old - and another kitten, a lovely silvery long-haired kitten, were thrown out at my house. They were terrified of everything. It was terribly cold at that time last winter. I provided a box with a warm blanket and put out food for them. T

I got this message via LJ from someone named morriseric, who, according to his profile, is from Lagos, Nigeria (red flag). Hello how are you doing today, I hope you are doing great, I want to love a

Write a poem or share one that you like. View 727 Answers Two by William Butler Yeats:Remorse For Intemperate Speech I ranted to the knave and fool,But outgrew that school,Wou

Once I found it, I can't look away. It's rather creepy.P.S. If you find it, don't tell. Let others have a look.

A lot of folks showed up at Gary's house. Well, to be fair, they were invited.In no particular order.Can you spot

I'm loving all the photo posts people are doing, showing the best of 2011 around the world. So many perspectives and great photography. You people rock.2012 is already here for some of you. In half a day, 2011 will be history for us here on the West Coast. Personally, I'm not going to miss it much. I can't say I

When I came home today I discovered that a cat had thrown up in the toilet. This is the coolest thing ever. If I could just get them to do that all the time...

I stole this concept from supermatt41 - the year's photos but not in any order. BBQ country-style ribs.

This is slightly adapted from Lindsey Shere's Chez Panisse Desserts. I use it as a pie filling, cake filling, or as a topping for French toast, waffles, English muffins, etc.2 large lemons (Meyer lemons are wonderful in this)6 tablespoons granulated sugar5 eggs6 tablespoons butter2

Despite having relatives from Oklahoma and Arkansas, we never had collard greens when I was growing up. Canned spinach (until we wised up) and cabbage was about it for the greens department (aside from salad).Years ago I decided to try collards so I bought a bunch and followed the directions in a cookbook, which

You can get into picayune arguments about whether a certain potato dish is scalloped or au gratin: scalloped refers to being cooked in a milk-based sauce; au gratin or gratin refers to cheese on top being heavily browned. Since what I made has both elements - and virtually every version of it I'v

Now this is how a 72-year-old woman ought to be. Darlene Love has it goin' on.It's already Christmas day for down under pals onlylisa and

Not your usual health public service announcement.

This morning Gary and I had a few friends over for Christmas brunch. I normally would have made crepes but standing for an hour turning out crepes made me feel exhausted just thinking about it. So instead we made stuffed French toast (I made the sandwiches filled with cream cheese and raspberry-blueberry jam, and Gary fried

In six hours at 9:30 PM here on the West Coast, winter will arrive. Considering it's sunny and pleasant, it seems like mid-autumn. Our trip around the sun continues. The light lengthens and the cold strengthens.Bon hiver to you all.

What do you love about Hanukkah? View 253 Answers I'm not Jewish, but as a shiksa who randomly steals traditions if they suit her, I love brisket and latkes. I love the menorah being lit every night with recitation

Goodbye, Warren Hellman. You made my life so rich and did so much for San Francisco.

It was two weeks ago today that the headache intially hit me. Since then it's been ups and downs vacillating between complete misery and relative peace. Only once or twice did the pain go completely away, and then only for a few hours.Tomorrow I will try to go back to work. I'm acutely aware that I am not nearly

What is your cure for the common cold? View 563 Answers Cure? That ain't gonna happen. But to get through it: lots of garlicky chicken broth with a poached egg in it, orange juice, tea, more Kleenex than you'd think possi

Well, let's see. I last left you on Sunday when I was status quo.Monday morning I called the doc to report I was not 100% and left a message saying as much. I got a call back saying they wanted to try me on a blood pressure meds, the idea being that it would hopefully open up the blood vessels and relieve the pr

...take that, Nancy Reagan.I think I last left you with a slight headache around the brain fringes. Shortly after that, the headache monster returned and brought all his buddies with him. I guess that was Wednesday night. I hate to keep harping on this because I know there are people in terrible chronic p

After the morphine wore off late yesterday afternoon, I took one of the emergency pills the PAC gave me to ward off a return attack of the migraine. It didn't work, in which case she said to take the other emergency pill. I did and it still didn't work. The enormous slobbering bear was back with a clamp to tighten around my

Sunday afternoon I was suddenly hit with a migraine - the second of my life (the first one was about ten years ago and mercifully brief). I thought I was having a stroke so I tried saying sentences out loud to test myself. When it appeared it wasn't a stroke, I then decided it must be two simultaneous brain aneurysms (I say

I can't help it. Every December 1, this is what comes to mind.Now the first of December was covered with snowAnd so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to BostonThough the Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frostingWith ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go

I had five days in a row off and I was busy every day with cooking and cleaning and whatnot. Now it is Sunday night and I'm trying to pull the long weekend together and get ready for another day at work tomorrow. We had Thanksgiving dinner on Friday and it was just lovely. The few days before had been cold and r

Many of you are hip-deep in preparation for the Thanksgiving meal, to be served tomorrow at halftime, or you're preparing to drive to Aunt Sadie's for dessicated turkey and relatives whom you don't care much for. Or maybe you've decided to stay home alone and open a great American standard, a bottle of bourbon.W

Apologies to non-Americans here. Just skip this if you're sick of Thanksgiving posts already, but, you know, it's our biggest holiday and the only one that nearly everyone can rally around - Christians, Muslims, Jews, Rastafarians - I mean, if you can't get behind being grateful and sharing an ungodly rich meal in the middl

Not as cold as Minnesota or Barrow, maybe, but still, it's very cold here for mid-November and it doesn't promise to warm up today. I don't mind, really: I'll be baking today and that helps heat the house up nicely.I had an amazing thing happen to me last week, and again, this is one of those things that athiest

In case you've been wondering whatever happened to old whatshername... I suppose it looks like I might have fallen off the face of the earth but no, I'm still here, in considerably battered form but still breathing. Things are better in some ways but not in others. Mostly I feel exhausted and sometimes very sad & depres

Despite my recent depressing entries, I am in fact looking forward to Christmas and the whole holiday season. I fully expect to still be functioning and almost cheerful by then.If you would like a Christmas card from me, please send me your address. You can either send me an LJ message, or post it here (comments

I just want the pain and hurt and stress to stop. I want to be happy again. Every time I start to think that maybe I am out of the worst of it, something else happens that crushes me. What next?

Take a look at some of these photos from a haunted house. These expressions are pretty funny.

Hope you're all doing well and enjoying fall (or spring, for some of you). And how about that snow on the East Coast in October? shesingsnow says the day of the month the first snow falls on tells how many snows

I know liver probably has more detractors than fans so right away some of you are already retching at the mere thought. But I like it and so does Gary, though perhaps not as much as Julie Powell, who wrote of its "feral fleshiness." I think that might be overreaching.Yesterday was another Day In Hell at the offi

Thanks to everyone who send happy birthday wishes yesterday. If I did not respond right away, it was because I was having a lovely birthday dinner of BBQ'd New York steaks with caramelized sweet potatoes and salad with two kinds of cake and a whole lotta wine, prepared by my wonderful husband. (Well, I stuck the sweet pota

Had really good idea today. An epiphany, if you will.Sometimes something is staring you right in the face but you're so accustomed to ignoring it that it takes an existential crisis to see it.I don't know if this is The Beginning of The Answer, but even if it isn't, it's still a really good idea.

Friday night I slept badly because I ate too much and woke up feeling dreadful, but after some ibuprofen and Alka-Seltzer, eventually I recovered without too much drama.Saturday I made crepes, as I said, and Saturday night Gary and I had dinner and went to bed. During the night I had this dream in which applican

I spent an hour or so making about 5128 crepes while listening to the CD Fright Night.. A little Halloween music goes well with cooking. We're having guests over tomorrow morning for b

At 2:45 this afternoon my work computer was suddenly seized by Malware, meaning the rest of the afternoon was a complete and total wash, watching the scan go by. I have no idea if it's fixed, or if all my data is toast, or what. Something to look forward to tomorrow morning.I suppose the best

Hello to my peeps.I've just checking in. I've been reading but not commenting because... well, just because it's been that kind of week. But you know who you are and I'm checking in with all of you to make sure you're doing OK - and I know that for some of you, it's been horrible. Blessings and the best to you.

Happy Birthday, John. How we miss you. We need you now.And Paul... this is the third time you've broken my heart.