Geminai's Blog Site

Geminai's Blog Site http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/ "Laughter is the language of the Gods." – Buddhist saying "I think we can't go around measuring our goodness by what we don't do; by what we deny ourselves; what we resist and who we exclude. I think we've got to measure goodness by what we embrace; what we create; and who we include." -Pére Henri,Chocolat "Hear our humble prayer ... for our friend the animals, especially for animals who are suffering; ... for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry; ... and for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion and gentle hands and kindly words. Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals and so to share the blessings of the merciful." -Albert Schweitzer Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:35:10 -0000 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:51:00 -0000 Geminai's Blog Site http://images.geminaigraphics.multiply.com/logo http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com 100 100 The Water In Georgia I don't know what the heck is in the water in Georgia, but I am impressed!! Brothers’ winnings benefit animal rescue group By SANDY ECKSTEIN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution <img style="width: 357px;height: 237px;" class="alignleft" src="http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/03/33/13/image_7413333.jpg" border="0">When we last checked with Zack and Thomas Eller in December, the two Milton boys had raised more than $1,200 for a rescue group. This month they increased that amount substantially with a $5,000 donation, thanks to their mom and parenting magazine Wondertime, which held a Littlest Volunteers Contest. “I saw the contest and filled out the application without even telling them,” said Tracy Eller, who has helped sons Zack, 13, and Thomas, 9, with their burgeoning dog biscuit business over the past two years. The boys started making them in 2006, and soon were selling the peanut butter, applesauce and wheat doggie goodies at local stores and adoptions for Aiding and A-Petting, a group that fosters dogs and cats until they can be adopted. All the proceeds, about $1,700 so far, have gone to the rescue group. Founder Karen Brink... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/849/The_Water_In_Georgia Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:51:00 -0000 10 Thoughts of a Nasally Mind <a href="http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SKsBhwoKCDAAAH1NaNE1"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.geminaigraphics.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SKsBhwoKCDAAAH1NaNE1/TheThreat-sm.jpg?et=J%2BuxMrjVD2256EcYEbOJvg&nmid=0" border="0"></a>1. This is one of my fave photos from when we used to shoot the atv and dirt bike races, and we're going to make a poster of it for this year's media kit. 2. I'm ready to be rid of the nasally quality of this sinus infection. 3. I hate sounding whiney all the time. 4. Cold front today! It's overcast and only supposed to get up to 85º! Wahoo! 5. Have I mentioned I'm soooooo ready for summer to be over? 6. Jeremy and I have a California Coast kayaking trip planned for next month and I am sooooo excited for it! 7. One of the #Darkroom folks is coming to the area this weekend, and I'm really looking forward to meeting him and his wife. (pixelsaurus, for those from the old days of the #Darkroom) 8. I'm on cipro now. This sinus infection doesn't stand a chance. 9. Our "Conversational Spanish" class starts a week from tomorrow. I'm excited and nervous. 10. Life is good. :) http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/848/10_Thoughts_of_a_Nasally_Mind Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:22:00 -0000 Stink! <img style="width: 554px;height: 346px;" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://www.geminaigraphics.com/multiply/stink2.jpg" border="0"><a href="http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SKopYQoKCDAAAHXAdoE1"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.geminaigraphics.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SKopYQoKCDAAAHXAdoE1/stink1.jpg?et=6bROn%2Bhx1MWb2t50DewsSQ&nmid=0" border="0"></a>I found a bug at work today. It was pretty cool. :) I thought it was dead, actually. It was laying upside-down, not moving. So I flipped it over and it still didn't move. Then I went to slide a piece of paper underneath it, cuz I wanted to photograph it, and to my surprise it started moving! Unfortunately my ring flash batteries were dead, so the shots are shallow and not very good, but I thought I'd share my stink bug photos (also called a shield bug, per Wikipedia). I guess I didn't hurt it, because it didn't stink at all. :) Today when I got home, there was a package waiting for me, from Michigan. I opened the package and PANICKED! Well, partly because it was a PANICK button! Then, I couldn't get it to work and I thought the batteries were dead and I PANICKED again! But then I realized it was currently switched "off". *whew* Then I PANICKED because I read the note and I didn't get it. It said, "Because sometimes there's just never a need for that stupid Staples Easy button!!" Thankfu... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/847/Stink Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:59:00 -0000 Gone To The Dogs <img style="width: 550px;height: 440px;" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://www.geminaigraphics.com/multiply/dogsday.jpg" border="0">Yep, that's just where today went .. to the dogs. It was once again 100º and the dogs were moping around the house like kids who hadn't gotten to go to the playground in a while. So we took the dogs to the Sparks Marina (puppy playground) where they got to play with other dogs, swim, get treats and lots of love from friendly strangers, and just generally cool off and wear themselves out. Not really much other news here. We went to see Mirrors yesterday ... awesome contemporary horror movie. Had all the good stuff ... good music, good story, twisty ending, heart-clenching scariness, including a little demon wall-walking. Gooood stuff. I would highly recommend it to any horror buff. By the time it was over, my energy was gone. We didn't do much yesterday afternoon but we did make a new Indian dish for dinner .. it was aaaaawesome. Sorry, didn't have the energy to shoot it (those of you who know me well know that's when I'm really down and out .. when I can't pick up a camera) - next time.... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/846/Gone_To_The_Dogs Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:04:00 -0000 3 "I Don't Care" Confessions <img class="alignmiddleb" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Evolution3glyph.png" border="0">1. I have not watched even one minute of the Olympics (nope, not even the opening ceremony), and I really don't care if I don't see any at all. I also don't care who thinks I'm absolutely crazy because of this. 2. I have spent all day listening to my Christmas playlist on my iPod because I'm feeling crappy again and I know it'll make me feel comfortable and happy. And I don't much care who thinks this is weird. 3. I am very uncomfortable around people who start up bizarre conversations with me out of the blue and I really want to work on being able to handle that better. Example: A couple days ago I was waiting for my prescription at the pharmacy. I brought a book in with me so I could just sit and wait for it. I was feeling like crap so I sat in the furthest, most private char and just wanted to read, get my meds, go home, pass out. This woman sits down a few seats away from me and starts looking through a sales flyer. All of a sudden she announces (seemingly to no one, but, as it becam... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/844/3_I_Dont_Care_Confessions Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:44:00 -0000 Football Relates To Life and Stuff By <a href="mailto:cquinn@ajc.com">CHRISTOPHER QUINN</a> The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 08/06/08 Photo by Frank Niemeir <img style="width: 383px;height: 288px;" class="alignleft" src="http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/05/80/82/image_7382805.jpg" border="0">Marcello Torres states matter-of-factly that "football can relate to life and stuff." That discovery by the 12-year-old quarterback in a flag football league is exactly the point.Work mates Joseph Greiner and Jeremy Weil of JPMorgan Private Bank started the league this summer for underprivileged kids and brought in inspirational speakers. Professional football players and coaches such as former Falcon Ronnie Bradford and Georgia Tech starting tackle Darryl Richard and educators talked to the children during the six weeks of the league. "When Joe and I started up the camp, we wanted each of the six weeks to have a th... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/843/Football_Relates_To_Life_and_Stuff Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:11:00 -0000 I Remember Whens-Day <img class="alignleft" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21DJD26FVNL._SL500_AA140_.jpg" border="0"> Books. I loooooove books. I love bookstores like Borders and libraries and used bookstores and ... I just love books. I love the smell, the feel, they make me happy. I remember back in oh, I think it must have been 1997 or 1998 when TIME announced that they would be doing away with their printed magazine by the year 2000 and that everything would be digital. <img style="width: 121px;height: 179px;" class="alignright" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/83/Origndtsotoc.jpg/180px-Origndtsotoc.jpg" border="0">Ha! Never happen, said I. People love books! Yes, I think there are some who do a lot of online reading. Yes, I know Amazon's Kindle is reportedly selling like hotcakes. But you know what? Nothing beats feeling the paper in your hand, the feel of your favorite worn, dog-eared, creased, slightly-beaten-up favorite book in your bag when you're traveling or at the beach or curled up in a chair, watching the rain or snow fall outside your window. Nothing beats that. And I don't care what any marketing guru tries to tell me, reading the text on a screen, holding a laptop in front of me ... none of that will replace the feel of a good bo... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/842/I_Remember_Whens-Day Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:49:00 -0000 Yay for Antibiotics <img class="alignleft" src="http://www.geekland.org/picture_library/antibiotic.jpg" border="0"> (and cough syrup with codeine) I'm well on my way to recovery, thanks to both. :) A 5-day antibiotic + an entire full night's sleep, uninterrupted by coughing fits have done wonders. Thanks to all those who've asked and sent good thoughts/wishes. I slept laying down (what a novel idea) last night, AND didn't wake up once with a coughing fit. Amazing. So anyway, I'm not back up to 100% yet, and I'm still really exhausted today, but I am definitely feeling better! (photo borrowed from geekland.org) http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/841/Yay_for_Antibiotics Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:27:00 -0000 Dreams Are Free <img style="width: 319px;height: 402px;" class="alignleft" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Plitvice_lakes.JPG/450px-Plitvice_lakes.JPG" border="0"> My friend Renée "tagged" me in her blog (not on Multiply) and, while I don't normally follow in line with the tagging games, this one actually got me thinking about some things so I thought eh, why not put 'em out there. Sometimes doing that helps me actually follow through with things, anyway. So, here y'go Renée. Eight things I want to accomplish before I die: 1. I want to hear the Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling monastery chant/sing. In person. 2. I want to visit (and photograph) Plitvice Nat'l Park in Croatia, home of Falling Lakes (pictured at left, taken from Wikipedia). 3. I want to see my photography published in an international magazine (other than the ones I put together). 4. I want to make enough money that I'm able to do something fairly big and philanthropic as regards animal rights. And I don't mean that I would give it all to PETA. :) I mean something like the ALDF, where they work to prosecute people who think it's ok to abuse animals. 5. I want to make sure e... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/840/Dreams_Are_Free Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:28:00 -0000 Reunited Today's 'feel good' story made me a little teary-eyed, If you can watch the <a style="font-weight: bold;color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://www.latimes.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=2752495">video</a>, it is even more amazing than the written story itself. I tried to embed it here, but it just won't go. So I linked to it instead. Dog lovers, grab a tissue! <img class="alignleft" src="http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/images/stories/pets/dog-kaiser.jpg" border="0">The dog left on the doorstep of the Granada Hills pet clinic was sick. The letter left with him was heartbreaking. "Dear Drs., please forgive me for this horrible transgression. I have no where else to turn so I ask you to mercifully, gently and lovingly please help him sleep. His name is Kaiser and he's 16-and-a half years old. He's been my friend, my teacher, my pupil, my lifelong loving and loyal companion," the letter said. On the envelope, the author of the letter said that he thought Kaiser had two strokes the night before. "Be good to him as you would your own child, for he's been mine for a loving lifetime," the envelope read. Inside, the writer continued to pour his heart out. "We've been together 24-7 36... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/839/Reunited Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:46:00 -0000 10 gross-out thoughts <img style="width: 370px;height: 333px;" class="alignleft" src="http://www.asiahomes.com/dogpix/0893cat_flu3days.jpg" border="0"> 1. This poor cat looks about how I feel. 2. I feel pretty nauseous, and I know why. 3. It's a combination of coughing so much and uh, "swallowing" so much. 4. Which is happening because my nose is 100% chapped and so painful when I blow it now that it brings tears to my eyes each time. 5. So, y'know, you have to pick which way you want goopy stuff to go, and I choose the least immediately painful, yet still nauseating, way. 6. But hey, the good news about that is that when I go to the doc's today, I will have lost weight. 7. The only thing really concerning me about this cold anymore is that I have one painful lung in conjunction. 8. It could just be a pulled muscle from when I had that really tough ab workout a couple weeks ago. 9. Or I could be dying. WebMD helped me run the gamut in my head. 10. I am sooooo ready for summer to be over and fall to be here. P.S. - Thanks for all the msgs and kind thoughts about my feeling better. I really appreciate it. It's not like me to be sick for quite th... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/838/10_gross-out_thoughts Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:07:00 -0000 Sick Tradition <a href="http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SJ5XegoKCDAAAGSL@tI1"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.geminaigraphics.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SJ5XegoKCDAAAGSL@tI1/sick.jpg?et=OKZbuz80oKpGkkZJBaN%2BZg&nmid=0" border="0"></a>Whenever I was sick, as a kid, my mom would always come home with something fun to read. It was a tradition and, before I got my tonsils out, I was sick a LOT. So that meant a lot of comic books, Mork & Mindy trading cards, and Walt Disney books. On the rare occasion that Jeremy has gotten sick, I've made sure to carry on the tradition. I don't know why it is that good, fun reading material is such a welcome thing when you're feeling sick, but there's something decadent about paging through magazines you don't normally read, or exploring the latest book from one of your favorite authors. Jeremy just came back from the store. He claimed it was to pick up some snack foods he was in the mood for, but he came back with some vitamin C and the new Jennifer Weinder book, Sunset (a magazine for basically "things to do on the west coast"), a book of puzzles (my mom used to bring those home, too, and we'd take turns finding a word in the word searches or answering one of the crossword clues)... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/837/Sick_Tradition Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:48:00 -0000 Life in a Jar <img class="alignleft" src="http://www.irenasendler.org/memory/irena_sunflowers.jpg" border="0"> Amazing! Sometimes I have to wonder about our priorities. There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist.  She had an 'ulterior motive' ...  She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids.) She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto.  The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.  During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.  She was caught,  and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely.  Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar,  buried u... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/836/Life_in_a_Jar Fri, 8 Aug 2008 17:04:00 -0000 I Remember Whens-Day (a day late) <img class="alignmiddleb" src="http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/4505/1000287694000111810S500x500Q85.jpg" border="0">Remember the Campbell's Soup Kids? We had all kinds of their paraphernalia when I was growing up. I imagine nowadays, with the hyper-awareness of overweight people/children, this stuff would never fly! Some of you are familiar with Sandy's recent blog about her kids trying to do a good deed and meeting up with some resistance. Not going to rehash it here, but I just wanted to explain where today's blog is coming from. Some of the comments people have made, about children collecting canned and boxed foods for a shelter, calling them "activists" and likening them to hoodlums and troublemakers .. wow. It has had me remembering my own childhood and all the things we used to do as kids. My mom would drive me to peoples' homes, and I would knock on the door to ask for donations for Jump-Rope-For-Heart-athon, the Cancer Society, or to sell oh, what was it called .. Tom something-or-other .. this stuff for school. Anyway, you know the drill. And I don't ever remember anyone being mean to me. Ev... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/835/I_Remember_Whens-Day_a_day_late Fri, 8 Aug 2008 03:22:00 -0000 Paying It Forward ... ... in a way I've never heard of in my life! This feel-good story/video is .. well .. watch it for yourself! I'm still in a little disbelief. The wait for a new kidney can take years. One donor began a chain of donations to people desperately in need. Harry Smith talks to 8 donors and recipients who are linked by paying it forward. http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/834/Paying_It_Forward_... Thu, 7 Aug 2008 23:24:00 -0000 One, Two-whooooo, Three! <img class="alignleft" src="http://www.uwm.edu/People/alkolata/Mr.%20Owl.gif" border="0"> Three confessions ... don't get the above reference? Watch the commercial, linked at the bottom of this message. Anyone who grew up in the U.S. and is in their 30s or 40s will likely remember this from when they were a kid. :) 1. I had soft-serve vanilla ice cream for lunch yesterday and my throat felt awesome for like 1/2 hour. 2. People and kids that hang out outside the doors of the grocery store and ask you to support some cause, donate money to this or that, buy cookies or popcorn or .. WHATEVER .. really annoy me. I've been known to skip the grocery store altogether when I see that both doors are being "manned" by people who want something of me when I just want to grocery shop without guilt. But today there was a kid asking for donations to help their football team and I gave him everything I had in my wallet (not too much) because of the effect Sandy's blog (about her kids doing charitable work, and the repercussions of such) had on me. 3. I went back and forth on calling the doc... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/833/One_Two-whooooo_Three Thu, 7 Aug 2008 20:22:00 -0000 Boys <img class="alignmiddleb" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415M3QX66PL._SS500_.jpg" border="0">Boys will be boys. We've all heard it. Many of us have probably even said it a time or two.  To some extent, I even believe it. A little. To be fair, I've never had brothers or a son, so my reactions to this phrase, when it comes to cruelty to animals, may be a little extreme. In the shortest terms: I think it's a bullshit excuse. When I was growing up, my parents (especially my mom) drummed "kindness to animals" into me from, well, probably from before I could understand what she was saying. Why is it that boys get some kind of pre-accepted "free pass" to cause pain to living things? Why is it explained away as "boys will be boys"? I mean, forget about the links between torture of small animals in childhood and serial killers in adulthood. I think there have been enough non-serial-killing males who tortured or abused animals when they were children to have made that a laughable, joke-able, comment. But ... does the cruelty really leave? I have to say, I have had reason to hypothesi... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/832/Boys Thu, 7 Aug 2008 02:51:00 -0000 The Highwayman Today's "feel good" story is about what seems to be a rarity these days ... the old-fashioned notion of a "good samaritan". With so many stories lately about people who sit/drive by and do NOTHING while people are in mortal danger, horribly wounded, or even dead or dying, I thought it might be nice to share a story about a guy who's doing just the opposite: going out of his way JUST to help people! Read on ... <img class="alignmiddleb" src="http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0805/csmimg/AHIGHWAYMAN_P1.jpg" border="0">'The highwayman': Thomas Weller of San Diego helped a stranded motorist in July during one of his freeway rounds. He's volunteered to rescue people since 1966. Brent Foster/L.A. Times SAN DIEGO - Christin Ernst was in a fix. An errant screwdriver punctured her tire on a San Diego freeway, leaving her stranded. That's when Thomas Weller – also known as the San Diego Highwayman – arrived in his monstrous white search-and-rescue vehicle, complete with emergency lights flashing. A surprised Ms. Ernst watched as Mr. Weller slapped on her spare and inflated it. ... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/831/The_Highwayman Wed, 6 Aug 2008 16:24:00 -0000 Molting Spider Warning to arachnaphobics ... graphic spider picture posted. Not my photography, by the way! Some of you may remember a blog a while ago where I talked about people who have influenced me, and whom I admire. One of them is Cor Bosman (and, by extension, his wife Julie Edwards - well, at least I think they're married .. anyway, if they're not they may as well be. Like Jeremy and I). I've known Cor for almost as long as I've been involved with the Internet - I think we "met" online somewhere around 1990, and then finally met in person when I was in Amsterdam in 1994. Anyway, through the years we've actually kind of kept in touch, and he and Julie are PHENOMENAL award-winning photographers, primarily of underwater subjects. Their work is extremely enviable. <a href="http://underwa.ter.net/journal/2008/07/29/molting-spider/"><img style="width: 370px;height: 272px;" class="alignleft" src="http://underwa.ter.net/journal/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/mpcc-molting-spider2.jpg" border="0"></a>I read a blog of theirs last week, and meant to link it here for people to see, then got involved with my deadline, and forgot. An email from Cor today reminded me! So, click <a style="font-weight: bold;color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-style: italic;" href="http://underwa.ter.net/journal/2008/07/29/molting-spider/">here</a> to see Julie's (I think) pictures of a molting spider from... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/830/Molting_Spider Tue, 5 Aug 2008 23:02:00 -0000 Must-see video This is maybe <a style="font-weight: bold;color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://www.maniacworld.com/twin-baby-moose-in-sprinkler.html">THE cutest video</a> I have ever seen! Two baby moose discover the wonders of a sprinkler in the summertime. Think seeing KIDS play in a sprinkler is cute? Give this a peek. It's about 4 minutes long but I probably grinned through the entire thing. http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/journal/item/829/Must-see_video Tue, 5 Aug 2008 16:37:00 -0000 Dante & Brit Playing Jeremy's traveling this week and I thought he might enjoy a little taste of home. I figured I'd open it up for any of you to view, as well. This is what "playtime" looks like at our house. You should ignore all the boxes and other junk around the living room. This was stuff that I moved out of the library in order to paint this http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/video/item/40/Dante_Brit_Playing Tue, 5 Aug 2008 05:10:27 -0000 New Balance Shoes + inserts 7/30: 35 minutes on the elliptical machine, avg HR 137, avg SPM 118, 1.2 miles. No foot cramping at all. Yahoo! Feel comfy enough, no knee issues, was impressed by how new shoes brought the workout into the quads .. unexpected. Three stars because by the time my HR hit 170, my toes got numb. That was about 15-20 min into the workout and they remained numb the entire rest of the workout. However, that was the ONLY reason I actually wanted the workout to end. I didn't find myself watching the clock, and it was a fairly good pace ... I felt like I'd done something by the time I was done. Gonna give the shoes some time on the toe numbness. First time wearing them, so maybe as the inserts wear in a bit, or as I learn to tie them less tightly or something, perhaps the numbness issue will dissipate. At this point, though, I'm not convinced that the shoes are miraculous, and I wonder if I wouldn't have gotten the exact same results for half the price. Oh yeah, forgot to give the next updat... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/reviews/item/16 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:32:20 -0000 Melon Dessert (Diabetic Friendly) Actual name: Cream Cheese-Filled Cantaloupe Bowls with Watermelon Sauce Light cream cheese and a fresh-tasting raspberry-and-watermelon sauce turn ordinary cantaloupe into a treat. This is a recipe taken from the Summer 2008 issue of Diabetic Living. It is definitely a different flavor. It's one of those where on the first bite, I wasn't sure I liked it, but the flavors really blend together well. A little bit of the cream cheese mixture goes a long way, so you might actually be able to stretch the dessert out to serve more. Extra tidbit of info: According to the magazine, cantaloupe is the most nutrient-rich type of common http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/recipes/item/28/Melon_Dessert_Diabetic_Friendly Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:53:13 -0000 Mediterranean "Tostadas" My grocery store is Raley's. I'm pretty sure you don't have them on the East Coast - they originated in Nob Hill in SF, I think. Anyway, I think there are some things that are more expensive there, but they have a lot of unique foods, spices, etc. They have incredible health food departments and awesome produce, bakery and meat departments. It's one of those stores where, for instance, I can go in and tell the produce guy what I'm planning to make for dinner, and he'll recommend vegetables and also recommend preparations of them. If I have a question about a fruit I'm unfamiliar with, he'll grab one, cut it open, and let me taste it. The butchers are always super helpful, too. If you need a special cut of something they'll go cut it while you wait, if they can. They'll also sharpen your knives for free, if you bring them in to them. Anyway, they also have this quarterly magazine that they call "Something Extra" and it's free. It's filled with recipes and cooking tips, articles about... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/recipes/item/27/Mediterranean_Tostadas Sun, 6 Jul 2008 03:36:50 -0000 Get Smart I never saw the original series, but I don't remember ever laughing as much at any movie in the theater ... ever! Seriously. There were so many great lines throughout the entire thing. I am a HUGE Alan Arkin fan, so he was probably my favorite character. There's one line, toward the end of the movie, when Smart turns to him and says, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, boss?" Arkin's response almost made me pee my pants laughing. His deadpan delivery ... he is just a genius. You'll know that scene when you hear it ... when we watched it, the theater was roaring! Even now when I hear it in my head is makes me break out in a chuckle. Jeremy said that it followed the old series pretty well .. and he was a HUGE fan of that old show, so I'd say that's quite a compliment. :) The cast was stellar! I'm not a huge fan of "The Rock" .. but even HE was awesome! With the exception of some people getting killed on screen and very very little swearing, I think even kids would love this movi... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/reviews/item/15 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:26:58 -0000 A Kitchen Fire Wow. Finally a video from me that isn't funny. This one was sobering and SO good to watch! I always thought you had to use baking soda on grease fires (although we have a fire extinguisher handy specifically for kitchen grease fires, too), but this was so interesting to watch (and a little scary, too!) I got this video via email, with the following information: "This is an important video It may save someone's life and home.I never realized that a wet dishcloth can be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan!This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire ... Oil in a frying pan. Read the following introduction, then watch the show ... It's a real eye-opener!! At the Fire Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire suit and using an 8 oz cup at the end of a10 foot pole toss water onto the grease fire. The results g... http://geminaigraphics.multiply.com/video/item/37/A_Kitchen_Fire Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:26:59 -0000