May 20, 2014 | Literature |
Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Tom Clancy is an amazing writer, I am always surprised by how much I like his books. He does a great job of giving you a feeling of the military teams, attitudes and technology without being over-your-head with the terms and lingo.
This books started out with some world building and character building but quickly introduced “teasers” for the main plot. Once the main plot was revealed the action was non-stop to the end of the book. My problem is more with the choice of enemies (environmental terrorists) than with the actions or reactions of characters in the book.
The “bad guys” want to wipe out all life on earth to save the earth and return it to their natural state. They are willing to go to extremes (bio-terrorism) to achieve this. However most of their views and beliefs weren’t the fanatical dedication I would have expected. They drove Hummers around their compound, talked about getting bear-skin or lion-skin rugs, and utilized all manner of electricity and technology to live comfortably. Now maybe this is just an expression that you can never really tell who the terrorists are, but to me it seemed that they just wanted to create an elite society and the environmental stuff was tacked on at the end since its a “hot button issue”
The most annoying thing in the book was Clancy’s interchange of the words vegan and vegetarian. As a vegetarian for 15 years I can tell you that there is a major difference between those two terms and neither one of them include eating pastrami…. To be so precise with the military side, it seemed sloppy to me to not have this clarified.
Overall I extremely enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a fast-paced novel. The military stuff was not over the top and should be accessible to anyone who has seen a recent action movie.
View all my reviews
May 14, 2014 | Current Events, kittens |
During the recent thunderstorms my clock fell off the wall. It wasn’t damaged, but the pin holding it was tiny so rather then get the picture hanging hooks and hammer at 10:30pm we decided to wait until morning. I put the clock on the floor.
When I woke up I found that during the night someone had chewed the hands of the clock and bent them out of shape. The Other and I were sleeping so that leaves 4 suspects.
I don’t know which cat did it, but I have my suspicions…
May 11, 2014 | Fashion, Food, Holidays, kittens |
If, like myself, you are the mother of kitties it becomes important that you take mother’s day into you own hands. Kitty paws just aren’t gonna cut it! This year I help my fur babies pick out some really great gifts for me – assorted Frango Mints and a kitty necklace! They are so thoughtful!
After trying all the mints, I decided the Milk Chocolate Mints are still my favorite and informed the kitties I would like only those next year. They looked disinterestedly at me in what I assume is agreement. The Other all got me a gift – Starbucks Chai! I didn’t even have to help with this one – he is a lot more capable than the kitties.
To further treat myself, I decided to give myself a manicure utilizing the new book and nail tools I got from my Reddit exchange. Overall I think it turned out pretty good for a first try! I choose an easy one – Dots and went to work.
I didn’t have the exact colors suggested in the book so I decided to utilize my set of Coach polish.
Started with a base coat
Then my base color coat. The book suggest light pink so I used that color from the Coach set. I think this nail polish is getting a bit old (I did get it 3-4 years ago) because the pink went on a little gloopy.
Now the first dot color. The book suggest blue, which I assume is because its the darkest. For this reason I decided to start with the purple.
I waited a while in between each coat because I didn’t want to smear the dots. Luckily its easy to turn Kindle pages with wet nails. For the second dot coat I used the dark pink, since it was the second darkest color.
Finally on to the gold dots. I tried to fill it any remaining gaps but overall I think the gold was a little light compared to the other colors. If I did it again I would make sure the dot colors were closer in intensity.
Once I gave the dots a bit to dry I put on a super shiny top coat. As I said I think I did pretty good for my first time. I can’t wait to try other ones in the book. I’m thinking either Strawberries or Ladybugs next!
May 10, 2014 | Food, General Chit-Chat, kittens |
The weather is finally getting nice and the kitties are getting spring fever. Magritte has been especially bad begging at the front door even though she has a wonderful outside kitty playland and screened in porch. But in the end I guess she knows I will give in an let her out – I just wish she wouldn’t immediately run and eat grass. Grass barf is the worst!
We also ordered some Pineapples from Hawaii a couple weeks back. These are Kauai SugarLoaf Pineapples and they are amazing! They are less acidic (almost none) compared to regular pineapples and much sweeter. We orignally had them when we travelled to Kauai in 2009 and have been trying ever since to get them shipped to the mainland. Finally they were available and just as good as I remember. Now if only I can find a way to ship Coco Puffs.
May 6, 2014 | Fashion, Hobbies |
I participate in the Reddit Gift Exchange and this time I did the nail and makeup exchange. I was really excited about this one because I like getting my nails painted and recently have started to enjoy painting my own nails and even trying out designs. It seems like I can’t go into Ulta or Sephora without purchasing nail polish regardless of how many colors I have. I actually put a self-imposed ban on my nail polish buying leading up to the exchange (and even that I broke…)
I didn’t do this one myself, I used my Christmas gift from Brianna to treat myself to a gel mani. Its sparkly teal with orange glitter – I feel like a mermaid!
Anyway, my gift arrived today and I couldn’t be more thrilled!! It is a DIY nail art book and some nail art brushes. My Santa included a super nice note and she totally got me the perfect gift. Honestly I would already be trying them if I didn’t get the above gel mani last Friday 🙂 Give me at least another week
So thank you thank you thank you I can’t wait to try it out! I will definitely post an update when I try my first design.
In the meantime to hold you over (cause I’m sure you need that) here are some recent manis I did myself:
Butter Knackered – this is the polish I broke my ban to buy. It was the last one left and too pretty to pass up!
Butter Rosie Lee – so much glitter!!!! Butter makes the best glitter polish I know, only issue is getting it off.
These are actually Sally Hansen nail stickers. Great for a quick mani and have some cool designs. I hope to be doing designs like this myself now!!!!
Apr 30, 2014 | Food, Holidays, Travels |
I’m not big in to celebrating Easter except for the obvious reasons (food and candy). This Easter there was no big family get together so I decided to enlist The Other to make a lamb soup. Lamb, I have learned, is traditional on Easter but soup is not. This would be my first foray into a more adventurous soup from my Cook’s Illustrated Soup and Stew book.
The soup – officially called Irish Stew in the book – consisted of Lamb shoulder, and potatoes. There was a variant which included turnips and carrots which I decided to try. I thought this would add a little more variety to the soup. Although I love potatoes, my results with lamb have been mixed about 50/50. Brutus on the other hand was just excited meat was being cooked and decided to jump on the counter ( a no-no) and photo bomb while I was taking photos #throughglass
The bad news was that since it was Easter weekend and people like to eat lamb on Easter my butcher didn’t have any lamb shoulder and the Jewel had only 1 package left. I quickly called The Other to see if we could sucessfully scale down the soup from the required 4.5 pounds of lamb to just 1 pound. He said it could be done and was not worried.
My two tiny lamb shoulder chops
All that’s left after removing from the bone and trimming – it doesn’t look like enough!!!!
We successfully scaled down the recipe and made enough for about 4 servings of soup. It was awesomely delicious. The lamb was cook perfectly and so tender and flavorful it was by far my most favorite part of the soup (again just making me sad I didn’t have more lamb!) There was a weird aromatic in the soup which I think came from the turnips that I didn’t care for. It wasn’t enough to not eat it but if I made this again I would leave out the turnips and just do potatoes and carrots.
The cook book also listed a complimentary quick biscuit recipe which was supposed to be easier and faster than traditional biscuits. We did not scale down this recipe….
They turned out pretty good even though I forgot the salt during the mixing. They were easy to work with and cooked in about 15 minutes and for those doing Weight Watchers were about 3 points each. I am definitely going to keep this recipe on hand for get togethers and parties. I also liked that the biscuits were small (2.5″ round) so a good option for finger food or hors d’oeuvre.
Apr 28, 2014 | General Chit-Chat |
I was having a hard-core snuggle session with Brutus this morning and in the middle of nuzzling his neck I realized he smelled like poop. I did a quick poo-spection and didn’t see any obvious cause. That’s when I realized he was eminating a strong poo-aura. So we decided to give him a bath.
He is such a good boy. He went in the shower with The Other and didn’t scratch or struggle at all. He only screamed out his displeasure once.
Now he is a clean, fresh smelling fluff nugget….at least for today.
Apr 18, 2014 | Bright Ideas, Current Events, Tech |
Yup, I got a Google Glass – and I couldn’t be more excited about it!! I have so many ideas in my head of what I am going to do – and I won’t lie, most of them involve the kitties….
I just got it today but I have spent pretty much the whole day playing with it – so much so I ran out the battery! The obvious things are to take pictures and movies on it, but it can also send messages, make phone calls, play music, post to Facebook and YouTube and of course play games. It’s still technically in beta so there isn’t much “Glassware” (that’s what they call the apps) yet.
Taken #ThroughGlass !
One of the apps I got was a compass – now it will make sense when you give directions like “go west on Main St”! I also got an app that will translate signage by looking at it – no more confusion here:
I also got a field trip app that will tell you interesting information about the sites you are visiting. And another that will check your calendar for upcoming appointments then display an instant dossier about the people I am meeting. I’ll be like a spy! There are also fitness and food apps. I plan on trying to use this a lot more to post things here too. I can’t say enough how excited I am about this!!
Apr 17, 2014 | Bright Ideas, Fashion |
I try to always have fresh flowers in the house but I usually don’t get Roses because for the price they don’t last add long as other options. With Easter coming up though there are lots of flowers on sale at Jewel so I got this pretty bunch for a deal.
This gave me some inspiration for fun nails. I found these nail art stickers at Jewel as well. You just wait for the color to (mostly) dry, place the stickers where you want them, then put on a top coat. It’s a great easy way to get fancy nails without much effort or skill. I did each nail a bit different too, which I think gives it a more hand-crafted look (pun intended)!
And no, none of this helps Brutus smell any better. His poo-aura conquers all!
Apr 15, 2014 | Politics |
Personal Beef Wellington and Creamed Corn. Because this is how I assume Mr Moneybags would celebrate after the government took the GDP of a small country in taxes. Thanks Obama…
Apr 14, 2014 | Current Events |
April 14, 2014 – actively snowing with accumulation. FML
Apr 9, 2014 | Current Events, Philsophy |
Turned in the Audi today for lease end. I will miss that car – it was absolutely fantastic. I have never enjoyed a car as much as I did the Audi. I’ve had other luxury cars but none that were as fun to drive or got as many compliments. It may look understated but there was a lot of power – smooth power – in that car. You know they don’t just throw the 4-rings on anything…
But its time to turn a new page! There are a lot of other cars in the world and exciting advancements coming out ever day. I love cars and can’t wait to see what the next adventure brings. I am sure I will get another Audi in the future, but I don’t know if I will love it as much as this one!
Gallery of when I got the car:
Apr 8, 2014 | General Chit-Chat |
Got a blister on my finger from using a fork and knife to eat my take-out pizza!
Apr 6, 2014 | Travels |
So back from Peru and pretty much adjusted back to living in a place where I can flush toilet paper, eat fruit and veggies and drink tap water. It was a fun and fulfilling trip regardless of my altitude sickness and subsequent “3-days cleanse”. The big question that everyone asks is: Would I go back? At this point no – not only is there a lot of other stuff to see in the world, but I love my fruit and veggies!!
Day 1: We fly out of Miami at around 5pm (est), arrive in Lima around 10pm (cst), get to the hotel (about 1 hr away – an appropriate distance to be from an airport), and go to sleep. Tomorrow starts the fun stuff.
Day 2: We arrive in Lima, Peru. We got some money exchanged, visited a cat park (yes a whole park dedicated to stray cats!!!), and had a nice dinner out. This dinner was my first taste of Causa which is basically a potato roulade. It was amazing, I pretty much ate it every chance I got. Lima was like any other big city except it was very foggy due to little wind. It was nice weather though, about 70*.
Day 3: We fly to Cuzco today and its our first day at altitude. I was feeling good getting off the plane except a bit dizzy – almost like being drunk. We bought some Coca leaves from the airport and Lee got some Coca candy. The candy was the better choice. In my altitude drunkeness I chewed the leaves and they were bitter and got stuck in your teeth. I also acquired Axel today – who you will see much more during the trip. We had a 4 hour drive to our hotel that night but stopped for lunch in a small village where we ate with some locals and then they put on a weaving demonstration. It was here that I ate some Guinea Pig! It had a strong gamey flavor but the real issue was all the tiny bones. It wasn’t bad tasting but the bones made it off putting. I also drank a bunch of Coca tea which although made from leave was much better then chewing them straight out. After lunch we headed to Ollantaytambo – our first Incan ruins. After that we stopped at a local pottery shop who is using traditional methods to create ceramics. We then finished our drive and arrived at our hotel, checked in, and then went to a local restaurant for food. It was delicious and I had the trout which is a local specialty. This was the first night I started to get an idea of what was to come…
Day 4: I woke up today with a bit of heartburn but nothing terrible. I was really excited about today because we were going to the salt pans. It was early in the season though so the salt pans weren’t as amazing as I had seen in images. I did get a chance to do some #yogaanywhere and learned that in Peru mountain grafitti is a big thing. I’m not sure how the kids do it but they clear a section of the mountain to represent their school or team or whatever – its all over the country. We also had a lot of fun at the Moray crop circles (literally circles for growing crops and acclimating them to different altitudes and climates) Throughout the day I started to get worse and worse stomach pains – like someone had a knife in my gut and was twisting it. Luckily it was a lot of time on the bus so I would sleep while I could and always woke up feeling a bit better for the next activity. However by the time we hit the last stop I couldn’t get off the bus. (I sent The Other out to take pictures of the mountain graffiti). Once I hit the hotel I realized that I would have to miss the evening activity (dinner with a local family) if I wanted to be in shape for Machu Picchu the next day. I stayed behind and had a relaxing evening eating saltines, drinking powerade, and pooping.
Day 5: Today was a full day at Machu Picchu. I still felt bad but I was glad I was healthy enough to see this – since its kinda what the whole trip was about. We took a train (the bathroom on the train was very nice) and then spent the day exploring the ruins.
Day 6: Today was a full day in Cuzco. We started the morning with an option tour to visit a local shaman who performed a healing ritual (it didn’t help me…). After that we headed to the local market to see how they do things Peruvian style. It was a big market, almost flea market style. There was food (meat, vegetables, chocolate, coffee, etc) but also trinkets and necessities. Like a farmers market and a walgreens in one. After the market we went to a local cemetery where people pay yearly to keep their loved ones (even after they die) and if you don’t pay they put your name on a blacklist out front and eventally remove the remains!! The plots were mostly built into a wall with little “viewing” boxes up front for the family to put trinkets and such that the person liked while they were living. Apparetley the families visit often, even holding picnics and dancing outside of the grave. And if you don’t visit often enough (dried or no flowers) your neighbors will call and harass you to see whats up! I don’t even like to talk to my parents while I’m alive, I certainly don’t want them in my business after I die. After that we went to a local restaurant where a chef made the local specialty “Causa”, which is basically a potato roulade but is so delicious that when I was eating, I was eating that. I have even had The Other make it for me since we have been back home! Our afternoon was free and The Other and I did some shopping. Dinner was another folk show, but it wasn’t as good as the first one.
Day 7: Today was mostly spent on the bus – it was an 8 hour drive from Cuzco to Puno. I’m still not feeling well at this point so I slept as much as I could. We got off the bus here and there for bathroom breaks and to look at more ruins. Honestly at this point in the trip I’m kinda done with ruins so you will start seeing a lot more of Axel…
Day 8: Today was Lake Titicaca and the Uros Islands. They are man made islands of reed and pretty much smell how you think wet, rotting vegetation would smell. They also aren’t very sturdy as standing in one place too long opens up the ground so the water from the lake comes through. We did get to ride on a straw boat which looked pretty cool. The girls on the islands wear these pom-poms in their hair which I set out as my mission to get some for myself. Also I saw a kitty on one of the islands so the day wasn’t a total waste 🙂 The rest of the day we wandered around Puno. We did try Alcapca while we were here, it was good, tasted like lamb.
Day 9: Today we got up early to fly back to Lima. Our flight wasn’t that early, but the ride from Puno to the airport was about 2 hours and there was a threat that the labor riots could close the road. When it was realized that we were on time we stopped for some more ruin/market site seeing and even then got to the airport 2 hours early. The airport is in Juliaca, Peru which is a crazy corrupt city. For example, you only get taxed on a building when you finish building it so every building (including the airport) is unfinished. The roads are mostly unpaved because the town says there isn’t enough business, but most of the town does business from 3am to 8am in the morning so when the census takers come to see how business is they don’t see any. There are more examples like this but it was the only airport in the area so we had no choice. At least I don’t feel so bad living in Chicago now… Back in Lima we had our farewell dinner with our tour group – everyone was feeling a lot better to be back at lower altitudes so it was definitely festive!
Day 10: This was an early day and consisted of flying back to Miami. Its was good to be back although you can see some of our customs shocked Axel. The next day was another early morning and flight back to Chicago. Since I have been back I can’t get enough fruits and vegetables! You don’t realize how much you miss them.
Apr 5, 2014 | Bright Ideas, Current Events, Philsophy, Politics |
I am a bit behind on the new episodes of Cosmos and took some time to catch up this weekend. Episode 2 is one of the best presentations of evolution, mass extinction, and life that I have seen. It is clear, concise, and factual and (I think) a much watch. This is the type of things we should be use to educate children.
Check Out Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey: Some of the Things That Molecules Do on Hulu
Apr 4, 2014 | Uncategorized |
The old cat tree trunk was getting pretty worn out so we ordered a new one. It arrived today and the switch went smooth. We decided to lay the old trunk down as a “log” which the kitties are really enjoying.
Mar 28, 2014 | Current Events, Hobbies |
Mar 15, 2014 | Bright Ideas, Travels |
We are in Peru
It may be hard for us to
contact you, Don’t fret.
Mar 13, 2014 | Travels |
I’m going to Peru! It’s exciting and a little scary – definitely an advanced vacation. The Other and I are going with my brother and his girlfriend and its part of a tour group. There are a lot of things on this trip I have never done before: the trip is all inclusive, we had to get vaccines, it’s 3rd world country, there is an active terrorist organization…
Honestly I’m not worried about the vaccines or the terrorists, because most importantly our trip is all inclusive. We are going with a tour company which regulates what we do each day, where we stay, what we eat, and how we get places. They run tons of trips so I’m sure they have this down to a science. I will definitely document while I am there, but I’ve been searching the internet and besides eating a Guinea Pig, here are some things I want to do in Peru
Mar 11, 2014 | Current Events, Food, Holidays |
Last week I turned 35 – whoo-hoo! It was an awesome week. I ate junk food, I got presents, I did what I wanted! I have been celebrating Birthday Week for as long as I can remember but this by far was the best one yet.
On my birthday-birthday, The Other got me a Starbucks chai for breakfast. We then went out to Bulldog’s (A local burger joint) for lunch. It was good – my new second favorite local burger joint :). We then went to Cacao Sweets and Treats for a smores bar – which is literally what I think heaven tastes like! (check them out!: www.cacaosweetsandtreats.com) The Other and I made our way down to the local game shop where he bought me a Unicorn figure. This was an ultimate gesture of love since The Other is team pegasus. Love knows no bounds…
My family and birthday-buddy were all variously out of town on my actual birthday so we celebrated on Saturday by going to Medieval Times. I dressed up like the princess I am and had a wonderful time! Our knight didn’t win, but I was asked to pose with a little girl for a picture – so yay ego boost!
We were generally rowdy and misbehaved but we had fun and that’s all that counts. Can’t wait for next year!
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