6 years ago
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Feeling cultured today, as last night we attended a concert at the new Segerstrom Concert Hall which is one of the new buildings in the OC performing arts center. My choir director had a bunch of free tickets to see tenor Rolando Villazon and I snapped them up. Culturally enriching and free? I'm there.
It was really very enjoyable. We walked (yes, walked -- the performing arts center is literaly about three blocks from our apartment) to the new concert hall and took in the architecture before the performance. It's a beautiful building and the acoustics are amazing. Rolando was enchanting and did about six encores -- but he seemed to be having such a good time, who could blame him. I was thrilled to pieces that he sang Per la Gloria d'adorarvi from Griselda and Faure's Apres un reve, both of which I have sung in my very modest singing career. He did a much better job than I ever have, and it was fun to hear them sung so beautifully.
It was really very enjoyable. We walked (yes, walked -- the performing arts center is literaly about three blocks from our apartment) to the new concert hall and took in the architecture before the performance. It's a beautiful building and the acoustics are amazing. Rolando was enchanting and did about six encores -- but he seemed to be having such a good time, who could blame him. I was thrilled to pieces that he sang Per la Gloria d'adorarvi from Griselda and Faure's Apres un reve, both of which I have sung in my very modest singing career. He did a much better job than I ever have, and it was fun to hear them sung so beautifully.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Books
What Should I Read Next? is a web site that will recommend books for you based on what you read last or what you're reading now.
Seems like a pretty cool service, although it didn't recognize some books I put in -- like "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" or "Peace Like a River." But when I did get it to recognize a book ("The Thief Lord"), the list of recommendations seemed pretty cool.
The same site is also betaing a a film and music recommendation site.
Seems like a pretty cool service, although it didn't recognize some books I put in -- like "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" or "Peace Like a River." But when I did get it to recognize a book ("The Thief Lord"), the list of recommendations seemed pretty cool.
The same site is also betaing a a film and music recommendation site.
Monday, October 09, 2006
before there was blogging
One of the first things I loved to do on the internet was find cool sites and share them with friends and family. In college, I ran a tiny little weekly "newsletter" -- mostly to friends and family, but a few perfect strangers! -- that listed cool, useful, and interesting sites I came across on the net. My "freshman thesis" as they called it back then, was an ENORMOUS web site I called "The College Student's Guide to the Internet" which listed dozens of useful sites for college students.
Well, the love of sharing interesting and useful websites has never quite faded. As some of you know, I now have an account with del.icio.us that lets me (and you!) access an organized list of websites I've bookmarked. You can always visit there to see what I'm looking at lately, but here are a few of my latest finds and faves:
Lifehacker is my new daily (if not more-than-once-daily) destination for all things awesome. "Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time." I've already bookmarked about half a dozen articles that I'm going to want to come back to in the near future.
Apartment Therapy is a blog based on the book of the same name all about living with thoughtful design. I'm big into design lately.
Achieve IT! is a blog about goals -- another kind of lifehack, I think. I've just started reading it, but so far it seems interesting.
Speaking of goals, Joe's Goals is a nifty little free, online application for tracking your progress toward achieving your goals. Elegantly simple and uncluttered, like the life we all strive for.
And speaking of nifty free apps, my mom clued me into 37 Signals for fantastic free web-based software to help you get organized. I've started using Backpack every single day as a sort of landing page to make lists, notes, and record thoughts.
Thrifty Planet is "The largest free directory for thrift stores, antiques, recycled merchandise, earth friendly items and more."
And I just found this one today, CHOW magazine has now gone entirely online, including a cool food media blog called The Grinder.
TTFN! Ta-ta for now!
Well, the love of sharing interesting and useful websites has never quite faded. As some of you know, I now have an account with del.icio.us that lets me (and you!) access an organized list of websites I've bookmarked. You can always visit there to see what I'm looking at lately, but here are a few of my latest finds and faves:
Lifehacker is my new daily (if not more-than-once-daily) destination for all things awesome. "Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time." I've already bookmarked about half a dozen articles that I'm going to want to come back to in the near future.
Apartment Therapy is a blog based on the book of the same name all about living with thoughtful design. I'm big into design lately.
Achieve IT! is a blog about goals -- another kind of lifehack, I think. I've just started reading it, but so far it seems interesting.
Speaking of goals, Joe's Goals is a nifty little free, online application for tracking your progress toward achieving your goals. Elegantly simple and uncluttered, like the life we all strive for.
And speaking of nifty free apps, my mom clued me into 37 Signals for fantastic free web-based software to help you get organized. I've started using Backpack every single day as a sort of landing page to make lists, notes, and record thoughts.
Thrifty Planet is "The largest free directory for thrift stores, antiques, recycled merchandise, earth friendly items and more."
And I just found this one today, CHOW magazine has now gone entirely online, including a cool food media blog called The Grinder.
TTFN! Ta-ta for now!
Saturday, October 07, 2006
FOOD
It is a GORGEOUS day, and I have already been to the UCI farmer's market where I purchased a dozen organic brown eggs; a loaf of whole wheat Irish bread (don't ask me what makes it Irish, I don't know) which the gentleman said was good for sandwiches -- not as good as the regular Irish bread, but better for you; two pounds of the most beautiful, adorably tiny, and sinfully sweet green raisin grapes I have ever tasted; a little bundle of toothpick-thin late-season asparagus; two yellow squash; an ENORMOUS zucchini; and a very adorably petite butternut squash which, the nice lady with the baby on her hip told me, was picked yesterday.
I may be very excited about this. I think I am going to make a vegetable omlete for lunch.
~*~
Several people requested the recipe for the Spicy Pumpkin Cake I took to critique group on Thursday (and which subsequently ended up splattered all over the front seat of my car) and so I deliver.
Spicy Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Chunks
From the Kraft "Food & Family" Fall 2006 magazine:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) spice cake mix
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened, divided
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
6 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup thawed Cool Whip
2 Tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, reducing water to 1/2 cup and increasing oil to 1/2 cup. Add half of the cream cheese, the pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into greased 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.
Mix remaining cream cheese, whipped topping, and sugar until well blended. Spread on top of cooled cake. Cut into 16 slices.
Lacy's Additional Notes:
I made this cake almost exactly as directed, except that I substituted 1/3 less fat cream cheese and fat free Cool Whip. I baked the cake for more than an hour, and it still came out rather more gooey than I would have liked.
Making it a second time, I might reduce the oil to the 1/3 cup called for on the cake mix box. I imagine you could reduce it even more if you added the entire can of pumpkin puree. Also, I think that using egg beaters instead of the regular eggs (called for on the cake mix, and not listed in this recipe) would have worked just as well. Also, it would have been just as good (maybe better) without the chocolate. I like the combination of dark chocolate and pumpkin, but this cake was already so dense, I think it could have done without the added richness.
The recipe also notes that you can use yellow cake mix in place of the spice cake mix if you prefer, but I thought the spice cake mix gave it a lovely pumpkin pie-type flavor.
I may be very excited about this. I think I am going to make a vegetable omlete for lunch.
~*~
Several people requested the recipe for the Spicy Pumpkin Cake I took to critique group on Thursday (and which subsequently ended up splattered all over the front seat of my car) and so I deliver.
Spicy Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Chunks
From the Kraft "Food & Family" Fall 2006 magazine:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) spice cake mix
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened, divided
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
6 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup thawed Cool Whip
2 Tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, reducing water to 1/2 cup and increasing oil to 1/2 cup. Add half of the cream cheese, the pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into greased 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.
Mix remaining cream cheese, whipped topping, and sugar until well blended. Spread on top of cooled cake. Cut into 16 slices.
Lacy's Additional Notes:
I made this cake almost exactly as directed, except that I substituted 1/3 less fat cream cheese and fat free Cool Whip. I baked the cake for more than an hour, and it still came out rather more gooey than I would have liked.
Making it a second time, I might reduce the oil to the 1/3 cup called for on the cake mix box. I imagine you could reduce it even more if you added the entire can of pumpkin puree. Also, I think that using egg beaters instead of the regular eggs (called for on the cake mix, and not listed in this recipe) would have worked just as well. Also, it would have been just as good (maybe better) without the chocolate. I like the combination of dark chocolate and pumpkin, but this cake was already so dense, I think it could have done without the added richness.
The recipe also notes that you can use yellow cake mix in place of the spice cake mix if you prefer, but I thought the spice cake mix gave it a lovely pumpkin pie-type flavor.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
birthday photos
YAY! Star Wars Party for Brandon's Birthday!!!!
You can't really tell, but it's a Star Wars themed party banner up there.
He got an Obi Wan Kenobi transformer. "TWO GREAT THINGS IN ONE!!!"according to him.
The DVD came in the exercise ball box from his sister. I was hoping it was an actual exercise ball, just for the comedy value.
He actually had to get out the directions to figure out how to transform the star fighter into Obi Wan Kenobi...
But he was ultimately victorious.
Darth Vader loves pie.
You can't really tell, but it's a Star Wars themed party banner up there.
He got an Obi Wan Kenobi transformer. "TWO GREAT THINGS IN ONE!!!"according to him.
The DVD came in the exercise ball box from his sister. I was hoping it was an actual exercise ball, just for the comedy value.
He actually had to get out the directions to figure out how to transform the star fighter into Obi Wan Kenobi...
But he was ultimately victorious.
Darth Vader loves pie.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
SCBWI photos
FINALLY! I got the dumb disposible camera developed that I took with me to the SCBWI conference. I only had it the night of the shindig, but there are still some fun pics.
First of all, you have to understand, people took the "Jade Jubilee" theme very seriously. Some came dressed like this, or this, or even this (the blonde can-can dancer with her back to the camera is actually a dude).
But my friend Sonja and I came like this:
And Andy from my writing group came like this:
And I think we were a pretty good looking group, don't you?
First of all, you have to understand, people took the "Jade Jubilee" theme very seriously. Some came dressed like this, or this, or even this (the blonde can-can dancer with her back to the camera is actually a dude).
But my friend Sonja and I came like this:
And Andy from my writing group came like this:
And I think we were a pretty good looking group, don't you?
Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha... wipeout
This weekend, I got to meet one of my internet buddies, who (on the net at least) goes by ninjajab. She is incredibly cool -- like, I can't even begin to tell you how cool. Like, one of her more innocuous stories starts with, "So I was waiting in line for coffee in Hollywood, and Elijah Wood came in and gave me a huge hug and said, 'Viggo said you were stressed out. How are you? Are you OK?'"
Yeah.
And she was down in San Clemente filming a big huge world surf competition (I know nothing about surfing except that this was a big deal, and she is best friends with all the surfers) (except Kelley Slater)so she came up to my house to meet me and Brandon.
After an evening of talking to her, I began to feel like my life is just a shade boring. I mean, most of my stories have to do with my boring job, or... yeah. That's about it.
So yesterday I woke up feeling the teensiest, tinsiest bit jealous and dissatisfied with my life. Hey, it happens to the best of us, right? Brandon suggested I do something that was a little bit scary to break myself out of my rut. So I did.
I went to the beach by myself, rented a boogie board, and body surfed for an hour (because that's all I could afford).
It was AWESOME.
I have been boogie boarding once before with my friend Rebecca. She taught me the basics, and I caught one or two good waves when I was with her.
Yesterday, I caught half a dozen good ones and about a dozen more OK ones. And it was so much fun! I only wiped out once where I kind of went head over heels in the whitewater and cut up my knee pretty good, but I was right back out there.
I can't wait to go again. Next time I get eight bucks, I know how I'm going to spend an hour.
Yeah.
And she was down in San Clemente filming a big huge world surf competition (I know nothing about surfing except that this was a big deal, and she is best friends with all the surfers) (except Kelley Slater)so she came up to my house to meet me and Brandon.
After an evening of talking to her, I began to feel like my life is just a shade boring. I mean, most of my stories have to do with my boring job, or... yeah. That's about it.
So yesterday I woke up feeling the teensiest, tinsiest bit jealous and dissatisfied with my life. Hey, it happens to the best of us, right? Brandon suggested I do something that was a little bit scary to break myself out of my rut. So I did.
I went to the beach by myself, rented a boogie board, and body surfed for an hour (because that's all I could afford).
It was AWESOME.
I have been boogie boarding once before with my friend Rebecca. She taught me the basics, and I caught one or two good waves when I was with her.
Yesterday, I caught half a dozen good ones and about a dozen more OK ones. And it was so much fun! I only wiped out once where I kind of went head over heels in the whitewater and cut up my knee pretty good, but I was right back out there.
I can't wait to go again. Next time I get eight bucks, I know how I'm going to spend an hour.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Photos!
Finally! I've finished uploading and tagging all our pictures from our Colorado fact-finding trip!
To view of slideshow of all our pictures, Click Here!
In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites:
Here is Brandon, in front of the Capitol building, exactly one mile above sea level.
Some elk in Rocky Mountain National Park
Snow and doughnuts at the top of Pike's Peak!
Sherrif Brandon in Sedona, Arizona
And me, looking tired after a week of driving.
To view of slideshow of all our pictures, Click Here!
In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites:
Here is Brandon, in front of the Capitol building, exactly one mile above sea level.
Some elk in Rocky Mountain National Park
Snow and doughnuts at the top of Pike's Peak!
Sherrif Brandon in Sedona, Arizona
And me, looking tired after a week of driving.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
