Bah Humbug

I know I haven't done a gratitude list in a few weeks. Michael's parents were here the 4th and then 11th we were in Denver. I have been going non-stop for weeks and weeks and don't see it stopping until after the holiday.

I am really actually quite down this year. I didn't get a holiday - not a normal one. Things got kind of messed up since when we were in Denver in November. I just haven't had much rest and time to do my usual holiday prep. By now I normally have had presents done, mailed or close to mailing, cards mailed out, house decorated, tree up and decorated, cookies baked, candies made and so on...the only thing done completely on that list is house is decorated. Everything else has things to do still. Some of the holiday cards are out but we didn't have enough stamps so the rest are sitting here waiting for stamps. I haven't made any of my presents but got all the supplies today while we were out. I have not baked anything. Our tree isn't up and I don't see that happening until the weekend. I usually have watched Miracle on 34th Street about 10 times by now but hasn't even been popped in the DVD player yet.

So it isn't our normal Christmas and I am down about it the holiday. I don't feel like we have been home much lately. At least just home to enjoy the holidays and get that Christmas spirit. Usually I am always the one with the holiday spirit...not this year. Someone please find a little extra and pass it my way please?

I need to get back to work on my endless list...and hopefully I will see some positives before Friday's gratitude posting.

Computer problems

Well this Monday isn't starting out very well....

Last night we had a power outage that had a power spike that started it. The power spike ended up frying one of Michael's computers. The one of course with tax info on and he hadn't filed taxes yet. We have a back-up server which is great and we love having but of course the power spike messed with it too. And it took most of the morning for Michael to get it back. And now he is tranfering the last copy of the fried computer over to his other computer.

So I believe this week is going to be a little stressful - at least until he gets taxes done.

Just not a great way to start a week.

Little Rant & Potato Herb Rolls

I am working on some website for clients but in between today I made some rolls to go with dinner. Also today made it clear I need to do a customer review of a company. I won't do it though until we are all free and clear of them. But really i have never seen such horrible customer service. Michael has been dealing with a lot of customer service lately (internet outage - has to call everyday and we have been out a week today) and we have had some really unenthusiastic help. But this company I need to do a review about (nothing to do with the internet) has been horrendous. We actually need to do a good customer review for the company Michael used to get his parents engraved wine glasses. They WERE awesome! I should ask Michael to do that as he dealt with them.

Okay on to the dinner rolls...I did the dough in my bread machine and then took it out, shaped and baked in oven. I didn't want to do my usual just little round bun shape so I googled how to shape dinner rolls and came up with a really great link from Cooks Illustrated. It is a pdf with instructions on how to shape dinner rolls. I did mine a few different shapes just to play and see what I liked best. I did the double knot and then from another website just a single cross over. I didn't brush mine in egg as I was out of eggs.



Potato Herb Rolls

1 C. plus 2 tablespoons water (70 to 80°F.)
2 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
2 t. dried herbs -- I use more then that and use garlic powder, onion powder, basil and oregano
3 C. bread flour
1/2 C. instant potato flakes or buds
2 T. nonfat dry milk
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. bread machine yeast


Topping:

1 egg, lightly beaten

To make dough: Measure all dough ingredients into bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer, adding potato flakes with flour. Process on dough/manual cycle.

When cycle is complete, remove dough to floured surface. If necessary knead in additional flour to make dough easy to handle. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece to 10-inch rope; coil each rope and tuck end under coil. Place rolls 2 inches apart on large greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.

To Top:
Brush tops with egg; sprinkle with sesame seed (optional). Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.

Note: Dough can be prepared in 1 1/2 and 2-pound bread machines.

No More Papyrus Please!

I just read one of those lists -- 25 Reasons you might be a graphic/web designer. And all to many of them I could relate too but one of them has been a personal crusade of mine for a long time. It is to not use the font Papyrus. For the last several years -- to urge people not to use it. I said it once in a workshop I was teaching and they just looked at me like I had slapped them in the face. But I guess they just don't see how OVER used it is. To me it feels clunky with most designs. Nothing seems to mesh with it very well. So my suggestion is to not use papyrus for anything you do (I was going to add except for personal correspondence but really it even bothers me seeing it there.) Please just step away from the papyrus font! Pretty Please!

What would you do?

I watched Oprah one day last week where she featured Primetime's What Would You Do? series with John Quinones. They set up actors to perform scenarios and see how people reacted to them. Such as they had teenagers in a park - one girl being picked on by a bunch of girls. And then they saw what people did. Men didn't respond and women did. Women would just start out trying to talk to the bully girls and then started acting like the teenagers. Calling the teenagers losers with the attitude of teenager.

Of course all the scenarios bothered me but there were a few that brought tears to my eyes as it just hurt to see others being treated so poorly and no one doing anything. One of the scenarios reminded me of a situation I encountered a month or two after 9/11.

One situation that brought tears was an African American couple arguing in a park - they were the actors. And many men that came up to them said take this out of the park. They didn't say this isn't right -- how the man was talking to the woman and how he was grabbing her. But said take it out of the park. And they would say things like..."these people" shouldn't be using the park like this. But they didn't really help the woman of the couple. It was amazing to me because the things the man was saying to the woman of couple were very offensive. He was grabbing her by the arm swinging him back to her saying don't walk away from me and he even slapped at her bottom a few times. And yet no one was stopping. But one woman finally stopped and wouldn't leave. She didn't have a cell phone and kept asking passersby for a cell phone to call 911 but wouldn't leave the woman alone. The actors did this for 5 hours before a woman that stopped. It makes me sick to think that so many people passed them by and didn't help her. When Primetime's John Quinones interviewed people after the men said they thought it would just escalate it and they might get hurt. That thought just boggles my mind. Then go to the nearest phone and call 911 - stop someone and say call 911 and then go over to the couple so you can get involved now to stop what was happening to her. Benjamin Franklin said, "He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither." To me no man is free if they can really stand by and watch something like that.

The woman of actors/couple said after doing that for 5 hours having that kind of offensive language and behavior used on her - although she was an actor - it did affect her. She was feeling defeated and then finally that woman stopped and she said she felt like finally someone saw me. When she was asked why she stopped she said how could I not stop.

Then the other scenario that really got to me was a woman with a headcovering came into a bakery and the guy behind the counter was an actor and the woman in the headcovering was also. She said she had a question about the apple pastry and the guy behind the counter started saying he didn't serve her kind that she wasn't an American she was a terrorist. He said extremely offensive anti-Muslim and anti-Arab slurs. And most people just literally looked the other way by turning their faces to not look at her. Some even stepped in front of her to order. There was one man that thanked/commended the guy behind the counter and agreed she was a terrorist and not an American. She said I was born and raised here. That didn't matter to him. She asked people in line to buy her an apple pastry and they wouldn't. There were a few people that stopped and stuck up for her. One man had a son in Iraq and said that this woman shouldn't be treated that way. He said that he stopped in the bakery every time he passed by it and now he wouldn't again. Then there were two young women that really got angry and one said she wanted to see the manager right away that if anyone needed to leave was the guy behind the counter. That it wasn't right to treat anyone the way he was and so on - she was great!

It made me remember I was coming out of a grocery store maybe a month or just bit longer after 9/11 and there was a woman with a little kid and holding a couple sacks on the way her car a little ways in front of me. She was wearing a headcovering and also a long dress. She was basically covered - except for her face. And a man and what I assumed was his son went up to her and spit on her and knocked her groceries from her hands. They were telling her to go back home that she wasn't wanted here in the USA anymore. I ran over to her asked her if she was okay. I helped pick up her groceries. She had tears streaming down face. And the man told me I shouldn't be helping a terrorist. I was like she isn't a terrorist...and went on to say that she looked like a mom shopping for groceries to go home and make dinner just like I was and he probably was too. He just rolled his eyes at me. He told all of "them" are terrorist and he walked away. I helped her get to her car and asked if she wanted me to call 911. She said no. I felt so sorry for her. She thanked me several times. I told her that they should be apologizing and although it wasn't the same I was apologized for their behavior. She said that it was not necessary that it has been happening quite a bit -- but she can't hide out in her house for the rest of her life. I told her I hoped she wouldn't because not everyone was as ignorant as those two men. She said I proved that to her.

"Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander." From the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out. (one version of the famous words by Martin Niemöller)

I will not be a bystander and I will not remain silent.

Grrr....

It is great day.....

SMOKE and burning smell coming from the dishwasher. I turned it off when I realized hmm something smells like it is burning. And now I am coughing. And it is freakin cold out, but I am needing to open windows.

where oh where is my hair....

You know when I walked in to get my haircut I knew I should have waited as my favorite girl wasn't there today. So instead getting the 4 to 5 inches I wanted off...the stylist took 7 to 8 inches off. It is just a smidge past my chin. After I dye it tomorrow I will take pictures. I showed her how much I wanted off and she started in the back so I didn't see how much she was actually taking off until it was too late. When she got to the front....I knew....it was quite a bit shorter then I told her. Sad thing is that if I would have known she was taking that much off I would have told her to take one more inch and save my hair so that it could have went to locks of love - I think that is what upsets the most. All that hair lying on the floor could have been donated had she asked to take that much off.

It was just hard looking at it this short though and she is lucky I didn't start crying right there. I know it is only hair. It will grow back but just not feeling very happy about it. I am sure it will "grow" on me. Michael likes it and says it is cute so that is good. I was worried it was too short for him too.

Watching Oprah

I don't watch regular network TV very often as our satellite doesn't carry it (yet - that is changing) and when watching it through the rabbit ears on the tv it just doesn't come in clear. A blog I read announced that Oprah was doing intersex as the topic of her show today.

It was an okay show...I mean it probably helped bring it out in the open to educate the public. And maybe it is just because I haven't watched Oprah in years, but her questions came across as shocked and slightly judgemental to me at time yet on the other hand she was truely sincere and concerned that everyone treat everyone with acceptance. And I believe she feels that way but I didn't feel the accepting vibe when she was asking questions though. Such as one of the women she interviewed she asked if she wished she was a normal woman. And the tone and just using the word normal to me is implying she is a freak and not normal. Oprah could have asked her if she wished she wasn't intersex and got the same answer she was after and been more accepting. She also said things like under her breath almost...you know when little kids say a naughty word or even say sex or penis and then snicker...that is how it came across to me....like she was embarassed. I would have had more respect if she just would have been straight forward and asked what do your partners say when you tell them or are you gay without the shocked and embarassed attitude. She has been a host for how long - you would think she would have heard it all by now to know how to phrase questions in a more accepting and sensitive way. Again I think Oprah really is very accepting and sincere in that acceptance, I just think she could have been more sensitive in her questions.

Next Friday she is doing transgender as the topic. We will be on the road so I will miss it.

The book that inspired her to do the topic of intersex was Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. The book I want to read after her talking about it a bit and also talking to the author. He won a Pultizer Prize for Middlesex. I think I am going to add it to my library list.

just passing this on...

A Fat Girl Rant....