And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor. 12:9, NKJV)
I was listening to Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov this morning (also Debussy, Verdi, Bach, Ravel... Mmmmm!), and went to Wikipedia to research some of their works and their biographies. On Rimsky-Korsakov's page, there was a music file of "Flight of the Bumblebee," a short piece of about one minute which takes incredible talent and dexterity to perform.
UPDATE: Well, that's odd... TPad isn't accepting, or Verizon isn't sending, the text messages I send with the photos! [pout]
Anyway, what I said was:
The Munchkin fell asleep on the way down to the theater (4 o'clock show, and she's asleep!! Pre-teens, I guess, LOL), but she perked right up when we went in to the movie. We had a wonderful time watching it, and then went to Red Lobster for dinner afterwards...
Home now (obviously), and very satisfied with our great evening...
Of course, we could still go to the horse show nearby... [hmmm....]
Senator Edward M. Kennedy was rushed from his Hyannisport home to Massachusetts General Hospital this morning after an apparent seizure.
One government official said the 76-year-old senator suffered a second
seizure aboard a helicopter transport flight from the Cape to Boston.
Kennedy’s Senate office released a written statement just after 2
p.m. today offering the first official confirmation, saying, "It
appears that Senator Kennedy experienced a seizure this morning. He is
undergoing a battery of tests at Massachusetts General Hospital to
determine the cause of the seizure. Senator Kennedy is resting
comfortably, and it is unlikely we will know anything more for the next
48 hours."
As you may be well aware, I am not fond of Sen. Kennedy's past actions or his politics, but he is no less made in the image of God than I, and I am commanded
Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
Thank you, my brothers. This is a good lesson for me to learn.
*sigh* I'm sorry, this is all a me!me!me!me! post, but I really wanted to put up some bling that I'm lusting for... I mean, really, REALLY lusting. I've been making googly-eyes over this stuff since it came out.
Now, they're both in my Amazon wish list (See? The link [Kat's Kravings] is right over there in my sidebar ----> ), and *sigh* wouldn't it be nice if an angel waltzed through and bought them for me? *grinz* Oh, it'll never happen (heck, it's not even my birthday, much less Christmas, LOL), but a girl can dream, right?
Yeah, I'm Gizmette, the Gadget Girl... I blame my Dad and my BelovedHubby ;-)
*wistful sigh* Oh, well, gotta save my pennies (probably better to wait for the second generation Kindle, anyway), and get them.... someday... [laughing at my little longings...]
In the book you also talk a lot about “Shatnerian delivery”. Can you explain?
I don’t really understand what it means, except when someone’s doing an
impersonation and I turn to the person beside me and say, ‘Does that
sound like me?’ And they guiltily nod ‘yes.’ Apparently it’s rhythmic.
If somebody does me, I’m now aware they think they’re doing me. I’m
aware of the tip-offs.
Your voice is really soothing in real life.
Are you going to sleep? Maybe it’s the subject matter.
His autobiography, Up Till Now, is available and looks like a fun read, and I hope it sells like crazy.
But anyway, I've always loved Shatner - he really is a good actor, it's just that I think he knows people like him best when he's really "playing" [sound trumpets] WILLIAM SHATNER!!!! [another trumpet ruffle, please], and so he indulges them. He knows how to laugh at himself, unlike most other actors these days.
Since I know Shatner fairly well, and I’ve spent a fair amount of time with him, I can tell you that this is pretty much the way he really is. He’s not putting anything on here.
... Suddenly I'm getting the very scary and hilarious idea of putting Shatner in a room with Robin Williams and seeing just what kind of insanity they create....
All for now, except for this FANTASTIC and oh-so-Shatner video -
Or, at least, that's what the working title of this series is [rolls eyes at self].
Anyway, I'm trying to keep up with the Virginia blogosphere (conservative side, of course), and my Jeffersoniad family is a great way of doing it. I am blessed to be associated with thoughtful, gracious men and women who are staunch conservatives and who know how to make their points persuasively and intelligently. So, I thought the best way to do this would be to do a weekly roundup of things they found of interest, along with any non-Virginia links they considered interesting and noteworthy this week.
Leslie is talking about the new security x-ray machines. I sort of agree with her (we do need to respect the boundaries of privacy and not succumb to invasive searches) but I also sort of don't: we need to use the best technology and information we have to catch terrorists who are willing to sacrifice themselves while doing us great harm. It is a terrible and difficult balance to maintain...
Leslie also has a short post up about California's Supreme Court legalizing gay marriage that has a huge discussion that is well worth reading. Now, gay marriage is something I do not support, and from my understanding of this instance, it's a classic case of judicial activism; the residents of California have already expressed their opinion that marriage is one man and one woman (back in 2000, IIRC). Judges are supposed to interpret existing law, and the people make the law through voting and through their elected officials in the legislature. Therefore, I believe that the CASC has overstepped its bounds in this case. But I'm not a lawyer, so your mileage may vary.
Conservativa, who has great photographs on a regular basis (No, I am not jealous of her photographic talent... Much.), posts this example of party unity. Congressman Eric Cantor and Attorney General Bob McDonnell share a handshake at a local convention... Conservativa also passes along this link (page one of a two page item) in the Weekly Standard about Rev. Jeremiah Wright:
I obtained the 2006 run of Trumpet, from the first nationally distributed issue in March to the November/December double issue. To read it is to come away impressed by Wright's thoroughgoing political
radicalism. There are plenty of arresting sound bites, of course, but
the larger context is more illuminating--and more disturbing--than any
single shock-quotation. Trumpet provides a rounded picture of
Wright's views, and what it shows unmistakably is that the now-infamous
YouTube snippets from Wright's sermons are authentic reflections of his
core political and theological beliefs. It leaves no doubt that his
religion is political, his attitude toward America is bitterly hostile,
and he has fundamental problems with capitalism, white people, and
"assimilationist" blacks. Even some of Wright's famed "good works," and
his moving "Audacity to Hope" sermon, are placed in a disturbing new
light by a reading of Trumpet.
...we are a party that needs to return to the principles of limited government, liberty and freedom, and economic conservatism. Ronald
Reagan once said, “Government is not the solution to our problem, it is
the problem.”
First, please remember that Scott, of Scott's Morning Brew has finally had it with his old servers and moved to new ones. I believe that his RSS feeds (if you subscribe via Feedburner) will remain the same but make sure you fix your other links to the new domain URL: http://www.scottsmb.com/
Another brother I love dearly, Mike at the Write side of My Brain, has a trio of posts worth your time:
Obama's 57 State Tour (*snicker*) - "We have to wonder how many more states he’ll have to add to make Michelle proud of her country again." BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
John Edwards endorses Obama - a classic video of Silky Pony at his best... I'm wondering how many people it brought to Obama's side... Four?
Pretty good posting for a guy who's had a nasty week... I've got you in prayer, Mike - {{{hughughughughug}}}
Next up, we have the brilliant and prolific DJ of the Right Wing Liberal who excoriates Rob Whittman for voting for the bloated farming bill and spitting on the principles of limited government. Then he moves on to explaining just why it is that Republicans are losing government seats:
It’s bad enough Republicans are acting like big-government Democrats; now they’re even talking like them - i.e., saying anything the voters want to hear and hoping their too stupid to notice.
Oh, yeah, DJ - don't get me back up on my soapbox on a Friday night, OK?
Finally, we have reserved the "best for last" spot for one of my oldest (as in the "known a long time" sense, NOT the age sense: he's still a young whipper-snapper compared to me, LOL) Virginia blog brothers, J. R. Hoeft of Bearing Drift. J.R., darlin', when you ask "How long does it take Democrats to whine?" you know it's going to beat how long it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop...
(Sorry, I couldn't resist...)
J.R. has also posted a for fun poll asking which candidate for Virginia's senatorial race has the best website... Huh. Dunno - I'll have to go check them out!
Well, that's this week's tour of the Jeffersoniad's bookshelves. If I have any other entries, I will be sure to put them up [eying my other Virginia blog-brothers sternly] [and badrose, too!]
It's not something I've been doing regularly recently, which is a shame, since I have such wonderful, snuggly purrs... So, here's something to make up for it:
OMG, talk about a glorious example of why the GOP is losing so frequently: they've lost whatever it was that used to hold their skull bones apart! And spines? I'm beginning to think that the definition of today's Republicans must use the word "spineless."
John Martin, a lifelong Republican who founded the Web site Republicans for Obama, said his track record is too short to be defined as a liberal.
“If the solutions Obama proposes are a little more to the left than I would
prefer, then that is fine,” Martin said. “We need some kind of solution
for our problems and we are not getting them.”
I would really love to check out the sooper seekrut magic 8-ball Mr. Martin uses to project Obama's future conservatism. Dude, the solution for our problems is to go back to the foundation of the Republican Party's mission (small government, low taxes, strong national defense, family values, and personal integrity and responsibility - since you've obviously forgotten), rather than support more government bloating and interference.
They're pushing me more and more to either the Libertarians or the Constitutionalists, you know...
UPDATE: I forgot to add this... John Martin, "lifelong Republican," you have won
THE JETHRO SMACK AWARD OF THE DAY!!!
Congratulations on moronic non-thought below and well short of the call of duty. Idiot.
(Kittipurrs to my blog brother, Rick Sincere, for the news link)
(And excuse me, I need to go throw up again... [wanders away muttering "Republicans for Obama - gads, what kind of drugs are they on?!"])
I was whining to some of my Cotillion sisters that I wish that a) TypePad had more themes available, or b) that I had solid design/coding skills, because I'd love a theme which reflects my faith, my love of country... and cats.
A lovely (NOT! Not for the faint of heart) little story which points to the hypocrisy of PETA (no, not "People Eating Tasty Animals," the other one), and the all-too-human inhumanity of some people...
Mercer County Humane Society officers give the following account: On Apr. 30, Tory Morgan found the mangled remains of her pony, Kahlua, on her Shenango Township property. Officers believe the pony was roped to an all-terrain vehicle and dragged. Kahlua’s back legs were broken and his legs, chest and belly had sustained large lacerations. Morgan also found four of her horses with cuts and scratches, which officers believe the horses might have sustained while fleeing the assailant or assailants.
The trusting nature of the 10-year-old gelding, and his blindness, undoubtedly played a role in his torture and death. Owner Tory Morgan found his mangled body in her Shenango Township, Mercer County, pasture on Wednesday afternoon. Investigators think he was roped and dragged behind an ATV.
I notice that my blog-brother, Scott, is experimenting with ScribeFire. I've tried it off and on several times over the past couple of years (I'm writing this post with it, as a matter of fact), and have always had some sort of trouble with it.
For instance, uploading pictures has always been a pain - it keeps asking for some FTP or HTTPS protocol, and I've never been able to figure it out for TypePad. *sigh*
Currently, it isn't finding the category settings, which is one of the reasons I finally stopped using Windows LiveWriter (which I really liked, BTW). I don't know if this particular issue is a result of some of the programming changes TPad is making, but it means that I need to open TPad's editor and add the categories to the post - which is kind of a waste of time.
So, although I like the idea of ScribeFire, so far I haven't found a way to make it work "invisibly" for me... [pout]
It's quite cool today, and we're expecting more rainy weather to come through, so I was feeling very much like I wanted some hearty comfort food, which felt decadent but was actually pretty healthy. So, I decided to whip up a simple, tasty lentil salad. I'm going to defrost some meatloaf and serve everything up warm with some home made bread - YUMMAY!
This recipe is sort of a spin off of Alton Brown's recipe from his Good Eats episode Pantry Raid 6, but I've modified it significantly, so I'm calling this one my very own ;-)
Ingredients to cook lentils:
1 pound bag of lentils, rinsed and picked over
32 oz low-sodium chicken broth
2 c. water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 to 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (I love pepper, so I add a lot)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly chopped
2-3 bay leaves
Stick everything in a 2 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. I went ahead and kept this at a fair boil for the whole cooking time (30 minutes), but you can lower the heat and let it simmer, if you like. Keep an eye on them from 20 minutes onward, checking their texture and doneness.
One thing I have learned about lentils is that they're rather like pasta: they like a lot of cooking liquid (which is why I added so much). Oddly enough, when I add "just enough," the lentils soak up all the liquid and get mushy. When I add extra liquid, however, it seems that the lentils cook through but retain a firmer texture, which is better for this salad.
When the lentils are done, dump them into a strainer to drain, and prepare the dressing:
1 c. olive oil - use something nice, but not extraordinary. You may need to add a little more if the salad seems dry.
1/4 - 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar - go ahead and use the cheap store brand if it's all you have (but never, ever, EVER use the "cooking wine" of any type - BLECH!)
2-4 TB dijon mustard, depending on how much you like the taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp freshly ground (yes, I do harp on that) black pepper
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt to taste, but wait until the salad is relatively cool and has soaked up the dressing; you may not need it
Mix all that together and then dump in the still fairly hot lentils. Stir together gently so you don't crush the lentils. I have the impression that the lentils soak up the dressing better when they're still fairly hot - I have no scientific basis for this, but *shrug* this is how I make this salad.
Now, you need to leave this alone for at least an hour so the flavors can blend. Feel free to stir it once or twice to make sure the dressing keeps everything coated, and you can let it sit in the refrigerator while it's marinating.
*IF* you can wait even longer to gobble this salad (my self restraint rarely lasts), when the salad is completely cool, add
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions
1/2 c. tomatoes, seeded and diced
This is delicious as a side dish, and I've also found that it goes well on some leftover meatloaf that's been lightly warmed. I'm sure you could add some lettuce and/or sprouts and stuff a pita pocket, too. If you have any Manchego cheese on hand (I know that my local Sam's Club sells it), this salad pairs with it beautifully.
There ya go, some nice, easy and healthy comfort food for Mothers' Day!
