It's Back Again

Yep more snow. We were forecasted to only get 4-8 inches. Got that overnight and today. Now have the "lake effect backlash" coming at us for another 4-8 inches depending on where you live. After the snow stops tomorrow we head back down to -20. It's when it warms up to the teens to twenties that we get snow. Yes, to us, being in the teens to twenties is warm to us in winter!

I grabbed these pics from blogs of people I know since it's a wee hard for me to get out to take pictures!

This first picture is of not only a snowman but a snow fort and plenty of snowballs all ready for a good snowball fight. I don't think he will have a hard time replenishing his supply of snowballs with the additional 8 inches coming!


Even I am super impressed by this snowman!


This is the scene every few hours of what Chicagoans do because we don't stop for a few inches! Now feet we might slow down a bit!


Even the carts have to come back into the store. Yes, people still get groceries and push the carts through the snow and life goes on......

Banned Words for 2010

Yes, someone actually makes up a list of words and phrases that they state should be banned to the List of Words Banished for mis-use, over-use, and general uselessness.

The place is Lake Superior State University. I guess this list has been around a while since this is the 35th annual list although I can officially state I have never ever seen it before. But for a bit of history on said university and said list:

Former LSSU Public Relations Director Bill Rabe and friends created "word banishment" in 1975 at a New Year's Eve party and released the first list on New Year's Day. Since then, LSSU has received tens of thousands of nominations for the list, which includes words and phrases from marketing, media, education, technology and more.

All I have to say is this was started at a New Year's Eve Party where I imagine alcohol was involved. Now the list makes sense.

So on to their 15 words and phrases they 'unfriended' and declared them 'shovel-ready' for inclusion to this list. They are:

1. Shovel-ready - according to LSSU, the accepted definition of this phrase is to imply that a project has been completely designed and all that is left to do is to implement it. But when something dies, it would also be considered shove-ready for burial so LSSU is confused about the meaning of this word and therefore it should be banned. Guess they don't mean the garden is ready for planting but then again I can't even remember ever saying anything is shovel-ready.

2. Transparent/transparency - according to LSSU, this word should be banned because it is becoming the new buzzword for the year. It is supposed to mean obvious or easily understood. Okay, isn't that the real definition or am I just not getting it?

3. Czar - according to LSSU this word has been used as a metaphor for positions of high authority. Still not seeing a problem here.

4. Tweet - according to LSSU this word and all its variations (tweetaholic, retweet, twitterhea, twitterature, twittersphere, etc) should be banned because it is overused and is pointless. I am beginning to think LSSU has nothing better to do and quite possibly do not tweet.

5. App - according to LSSU this is just another abbreviation and we should be using the correct word 'programs'. I think the people who attend LSSU are dweebs or even geekier than me and have no life.

6. Sexting - according to LSSU this involves the sending of sexually explicit pictures and text messages through a cell phone and should be banned because it is a dangerous new trend. Okay, is phone sex with your husband also banned?

7. Friend (used as a verb) - according to LSSU this word became popular through social networking websites - one adds someone or 'friends' someone to their page or the reverse - unfriends them by removing them as a friend. Were these people drunk?

8. Teachable moment - according to LSSU this would otherwise be known as a lesson and according to them stating it as a teachable moment is actually a condescending substitute. They also stated that if everything is a teachable moment then everyone should have teaching credentials. Does that mean I need a teaching credential if I decide to ever take an opportunity to show or teach a grandchild to go potty on the toilet?

9. In these economic times - according to LSSU this phrase should be banned because it is overused and redundant and that all times are economic times therefore it is confusing. I actually agree with this one - maybe there is more geek in me.

10. Stimulus - according to LSSU this word has been used way too much. I agree in the political terms but in sexual terms......it's very appropriate.

11. Toxic assets - according to LSSU this makes them sick and instead we should be using words like 'bad stocks' or 'debts' or 'loans'. I agree again and that is getting scarey.

12. Too big to fail - according to LSSU nothing is too big to fail unless the government lets it and that we will never know if a company is too big to fail unless it somehow does fail then it will no longer be too big to fail so therefore the phrase has to stop. Huh?

13. Bromance - according to LSSU we have been brought to the point that just being friends has to be described in a pseudo-romance context and LSSU is just too sick of combined type of words like this and frenemies, blogorrhea, etc. I can actually state that I have never ever heard of this and therefore don't see a problem with it.

14. Chillaxin' - according to LSSU this word has been nominated for several years and they "couldn't chill about it anymore". It is supposed to be a combination of the words chillin' and relaxin' and therefore a made up word used by annoying Gen-Yers. Okay, I am beginning to see a pattern here - do you?

15. The last word I am leaving alone and not even touching it. If you want to check out what it is, feel free.

The pattern I am seeing here is the following: The people at LSSU's New Year's Eve Party where these words are voted on to be banished is a boring old fogey party where people have nothing better to do than to make fun of anyone younger than they are. That is my opinion and I be sticking to it then chillaxin' and checking out stimulus.

Recipe Tuesday - Easy Molten Lava Cake

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping or fresh raspberries or sifted confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter four 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard cups.

Bake 13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping or fresh raspberries as the picture above shows. I have also just sifted some confectioner's sugar on them.

You can also bake these in muffin cups (which make for smaller servings but more so you don't have to double the recipe and believe me, one hits the spot unless you are a HUGE chocolate fan). Prepare batter as directed; pour evenly among ten paper-lined medium muffin cups. Bake at 425ºF for 10 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min.

Another neat thing about this recipe is you can make the batter ahead of time. Prepare batter as directed; pour into prepared custard cups or the muffin cups. Cover with plastic wrap (I set them in a 9x13 pan so they are easier to cover with the plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before baking as directed.

One Word Meme

I got this idea from Z's blog and loved it so thought I would do it here and no, twasn't tagged and no not tagging anyone .

Your cell phone? black but how many of you had to look like I did?
Your hair? tan
Your favorite food? Korean
Your dream last night? dreamless
Your favorite drink? water
Your dream/goal? grandkids
What room are you in? office
Your hobby? read
Your fear? surgery
Where do you want to be in 6 years? walking
Where were you last night? bedroom
Something that you aren't? liar
Muffins? cornbread
Wish list item? books
Where did you grow up? everywhere
Last thing you did? laundry
What are you wearing? scrubs
Your TV? ancient
Your Pets? cats
Friends? many
Your life? good
Your mood? thankful
Missing someone? grandkids
Vehicle? car
Something you're not wearing? guess
Your favorite store? bookstore
Your favorite color? pink
When was the last time you laughed? today
Last time you cried? today
Your best friend? Cindy
One place that you go to over and over? doctors or church
Facebook? yes
Favorite place to eat? Crabhouse

Spiritual Sunday - Luke 2:4-50

Today's sermon was really interesting (I watched on television this morning since I am not allowed out of the house except to go to work part time and to see the doctor). In Luke 2:4-50 we are reminded of something that all parents can relate to - Mary and Joseph 'lost' Jesus at the age of 12. Naturally they were frantic and after 3 days of searching for Him, they finally found Him in the temple courts, amazing everyone who heard Him. When Jesus was asked by Mary and Joseph how he could have done this to them, He responded: "Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know I had to be in My Father's house?" Later on in verse 50, Mary and Joseph did not understand what He was saying to them. It shows that Jesus knew that He had to be in His Father's house and that Mary and Joseph should know that. When we are at our best, that is where we dwell.

I remember when my son was 4 and he and I went Christmas shopping (this was back in the days when I actually started early and finished early - those long ago days). I had gone into 'Children's Place' and was picking out clothing for the kids. Son was playing on their playground. I turned around and he was gone. I screamed. Security people came running (yes they were dressed as ordinary shoppers). Woodfield Mall was closed down. I gave them a description of what he was wearing. This was before cell phones so I had no way of notifying my husband. After 30 minutes and I had gone through 12 lives and added 1000 gray hairs, the security people found son. He was next door to where we were in their stockroom, instructing them on how to put together a Brio train set properly. When the security officer asked if he was lost, he gave them an emphatic NO. When they asked if he knew where I was, he replied in a exasperated tone - "Of course I do. She's next door picking out dumb clothes."

When I was listening to today's sermon and the pastor asked if we as parents could relate to how Mary and Joseph felt, my mind went totally to that incident and said to myself - absolutely. But then I thought some more. I was not raising Jesus. But like Jesus, son knew exactly what he was doing and why.

The story of Solomon shows us more. Solomon asked for wisdom and the guidance of the Father to help him lead others rather than all the other things that he could have had by himself....and then Solomon received it all. In asking to be fed by God in wisdom, he received the full measure of blessing.

Paul tells us that we were meant to be here....in God's house and that Jesus' intent was to have the wisdom of God and we are predestined for every spiritual blessing and if we are, we will receive the fullness of all He has for us.

How Blessed that makes us!

01-02-2010 Palidrone Day

I lurve lurve math - anything to do with math. So when I saw this headline in the Chicago Tribune and realized what today is, I just couldn't resist making it the blog topic of the day!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk-palindrome-29-jan02,0,2403039.story
University of Portland professor sees fun, not meaning, in numbers
The date Jan. 2, 2010 is a palindrome

Some people are into cars. Some people dig the ocean. Aziz Inan, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Portland in Oregon, loves numbers. Truly, madly, deeply.

"I can relate to them," Inan said. "Each number has its own personality."

With this adoration in mind, consider Jan. 2, 2010. The day is a palindromic date: 01-02-2010, meaning the number can be read the same way in either direction.

There will be 12 palindromic days this century, Inan said, and Saturday is the second. The first was 10-02-2001. (To check out his complete list: faculty.up.edu/ainan/palindrome.html)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk-palindrome-29-jan02,0,2403039.story

University of Portland professor sees fun, not meaning, in numbers
The date Jan. 2, 2010 is a palindrome

A native of Istanbul, Inan creates math puzzles in his spare time. So, as you might imagine, it was a big day when he looked closely at his own name and saw a pattern. His first and last names are both vowel-consonant-vowel-same consonant -- and, if you write the names in all caps and switch the vowels and turn the consonants 90 degrees, both names are the same.

"I jumped in my chair," he said of that day, two years ago, when the connection hit him. "My parents had no idea."

Despite Inan's excitement, he dismisses the notion that mysticism and magic lie behind such dates. He doesn't, for example, fear Dec. 21, 2012, the date the Mayan "Long Count" calendar marks the end of a 5,126-year era. Some folks think the date portends a revolution or an apocalypse.

Jan. 2, 2010, and Dec. 21, 2012, he said, just happen to be really cool dates.

Nifty!

Happy New Year!

Boy what a difference a year makes. Last New Year's Eve, hubs and I found out breast cancer was found on my MRI, we committed hubs's father to a lock down psychiatric unit to get control of his dementia PTSD, hubs found out his brain tumor was back although still not as big as 11 years ago when he last had it debulked, hubs was recuperating from prostate cancer, and hub's mother had 3 strokes - yep all on New Year's Eve. Last year hubs and I pretty much looked at each other, ordered pizza and just snuggled.

This year, although I am still in a cast and non-weight bearing, we refused to do any tests or go anywhere although hubs had a surgery to do in the am. We kept things really low key. We didn't have any special meal - hubs had spaghetti with meat sauce, breaded artichoke, and garlic bread. Neither of us drank. We just peacefully watched a movie and then the apple drop in NY, the peach drop in Atlanta, and then the ball drop in Chicago. We had the grand doggies and we were all snuggled on our bed with Trouble who has decided to switch days and nights.

Last night as I looked back on the past year, even with my 3 surgeries, FIL's 2 hospitalizations, MIL's broken arm and shingles, my mother's shingles and decreasing health, and so many other numerous things, I realized something important - we lived through it all and we did it together. We were blessed then to have each other. Every single thing happened for a reason and although we don't know what some of those reasons are, we survived. That is what life and a new year is all about. I am glad I had the year to live with my husband, children, family, and friends and yes, even animals.

I leave you with a few quotes and thoughts for the coming year:

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
~Benjamin Franklin

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
~Bill Vaughan

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
~Mark Twain

Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.
~Anais Nin

And the best:

If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.
~E. Joseph Cossman

I wish everyone who reads this blog a very Happy New Year!