We are darkening all our sites for the SOPA blackout tomorrow, 8am-8pm EST. Misangela, IndigoDragon.net, thinkweasel.com, nickmizgala.net and all the other comics sites, too.
Please observe the SOPA blackout and contact your Senators/Reps to STOP INTERNET CENSORSHIP.
I’m grumpy. I feel OK so far today, but I have some leftover grump that I need to get out of my system, so here it goes:
1. Since when is it OK to search the internet for posts about you or your business, then bitch about the post to the writer? I’ve had three instances of this in the last week and it REALLY chaps my ass. It all started with my previous host’s owner asking me to delete – not just edit, but delete my post about why we left his hosting company. Yes, it was a negative experience, which is kinda why we left, YO. Since he’s also a personal friend, I edited the post, but did not delete it. And I am not happy about it, but he seemed seriously worried, so, whatever. Then I got a love note about my Rudolph post, which was VERY positive. However, at the end, I added that they needed funds for the Henson wing and that apparently sent their PR firm into fits. ?? Look, I understand trying to make sure there’s no slander or misinformation out there, but seriously? ONE WORD? You’ll write an email about ONE WORD in a post? Really, bravepublicrelations.com? How RUDE. Et tu, Trek Trax ATLANTA? RUDE RUDE RUDE. And YES I will be totally snarky when you send me these trifling bullshit emails. Get over yourselves. Ever heard the phrase “All publicity is good publicity”? See the Yelp/Facebook saga of the local eatery Boners BBQ for a nice illustration of “How to be a dick to your customers who review you.”
2. Comcast can eat a bag of dicks. Kate was over and downloaded a couple of movies and here comes the love notes. I think it’s SO CUTE how Comcast insists that they don’t have anything to do with the media companies’ noticing a torrent. RIGHT, I’m sure the companies monitor every port and every IP address all day every day. Bullshit. They get the IP addresses from Comcast. Clearly Comcast monitors home users and not businesses since Nick can (and has) downloaded the whole internet from work. Comcast, you are big media’s BITCH. At least be honest about it.
3. OMG I’ve had country music in my head for days. Miranda Lambert, Gretchen Wilson, Sara Evans, Jo Dee Messina. I love these ladies, I do, but DAMN. EARWORMS!! I think I’ll listen to a weird internet radio station today to see if I can change my internal channel.
4. I love my con organisers, I really do, but WHY, gods WHY can’t they join us in the 21st century? The really small ones want a check mailed to them. A paper check. I don’t even have any paper checks!! Even the big ones can’t get past FAX machines and having to call it in. Please guys, please, for the love of technology, get with the program and set up a PayPal cart and learn to use email. And NONE OF THEM send any sort of receipt or acknowledgment. Nothing. Is a receipt too much to ask for?
I gotta go hit the rack and fiddle with the weight bench. I’m still grumpy.
GET OFF MY LAWN YOU STINKIN’ HIPSTERS!
This is an odd recipe I found on AP of all places. It is an oddly satisfying stew. It’s also VERY low fat and of course you can make it in about 30 minutes. Yield is about 3.5 quarts or 8 servings.
1# pork, bite sized pcs (I get “pork for stew” at the grocery; if not, use chops)
1 Tbl olive oil
1 bulb fennel (med), thinly sliced on a mandolin (about 1.5 cup)
1.5-2 cups finely sliced cabbage (I used .5 a savoy head)
.75 cup sliced carrots
.75 cup sliced celery
1 med diced onion (OR use frozen mirepoix, about 2 cups for carrots celery and onion)
3 cloves minced garlic (or use Indian garlic paste, 2Tbl)
1 bay leaf
1.5 Tbl crushed dried tarragon
.5 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbl dijon
zest and juice of one lemon (or lime or orange)
1 Tbl cider vinegar
about a quart of chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream for garnish
flour for dredging
Trim pork and dredge in flour + s/p. Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven with olive oil to med high and brown pork. When the pork has browned on all sides, turn down the heat to med and add all the veg except the cabbage. Let the veg begin to get soft (about 5-6 mins) and add garlic, bay, tarragon, red pepper and dijon. Stir and coat the meat and veg. Turn up the heat to high and add lemon zest/juice and vinegar. Keep everything moving so as not to burn. Add in enough stock to cover meat/veg and bring to boil. Add in cabbage and add the rest of the stock to barely cover the cabbage. Stir cabbage in thoroughly and bring back to boil, then turn down to simmer. Let simmer 20-30 mins. Check s/p levels. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.
I forgot to write this up last week. We went to the Center for Puppetry Arts to see the Rudolph show on Fri Dec 30. I wanted to go before Christmas, but every show was sold out!
Now I understand why!
It was spectacular! It was WAY too good for kids! It was totally not what I was expecting.
When you think “puppet show” you think, well, puppets on a stage. But this was SO much more. Not only were the puppets exact duplicates of the ones used for the stop motion Rudolph movie from 1964, but they had 3D sets! There was a scrim in front of the whole stage that had foreground animations projected onto it. It was used for weather, surrounding scenery and transitions. When the stage lights came up, the scrim disappears (it’s VERY sheer) and you see the action of the puppets on a 2 tiered stage set. They even have smaller puppets for “long shots”! The puppets are voiced live by the puppeteers, some of whom are actors around town as well as puppeteers at the Center.
For $16.50, it was absolutely worth every cent. I’d pay more, actually. It’s live action, animation and live singing all in one. I HIGHLY recommend seeing Rudolph next year and other shows between now and then.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer gets 5 of 5 stars
As a side note, the Jim Henson wing exhibits are just the first part of the overall plan to house the ONLY Jim Henson Museum in the world at the Center. The Center only gets $30k from the National Endowment for the Arts. (!!) I was shocked at how little they receive! People with children should think about joining the Center to help fund the Henson museum as well as taking your kids to some quality programming. It’s a VERY good cause!
I just can’t stop! I guess I’ve got backed up posts that I’ve not taken the time to write or something. But 4 posts in 2 weeks? CRAZAY!
I just finished Water for Elephants. It was excellent. It’s the sort of book you just can’t put down – and when you do, your head is still in there, thinking about the characters and the circus. Yes, it’s really a story about the train circuses of the 20s-30s. And it’s fascinating. It’s also written in flashback like a memoir, which is my absolute favourite writing technique. I particularly like the juxtaposition of the ancient character recalling his crazy youth in this story.
Other than the book taking up my last few days, I’ve been catching up on mental housecleaning as you can see from all the posts! I’m getting geared up to start a diet/fitness plan from my Beachbody coach Josie. Nick has also asked me to take over the bills and all that, which I’m not looking forward to, but it needs to happen or he’ll never get back to comics. Lots of shifting around to try and make our life work better.
From what I’m reading around the social sites, it seems many of my friends are starting new projects and/or changing up how they run their lives this year. It is a 5 year and 5 means CHANGE. Here’s the numerology if you’re so inclined. I love numbers and I find numerology to be one of my favourite “prediction” tools even above astrology. It’s fascinating!
I’ve got to step up my support of Nick. His job has become a soul sucking, life draining mess and if I want him to get anything artistic going this year, I’ve got to take on much more of the household stuff (like bills) so he can come home and have nothing to do BUT comics. The stress is pretty bad. I look forward to the day he can tell them all to fuck right on off.
Mantra: Please let Awkward Ninjas be a hit! Please let Awkward Ninjas be a hit! x1000
Now that all the new hardware (MacPro, FrankenMac) and toys (iPod and iPad) have been bought, this year is all about hoarding money. We are obligated to go to San Francisco and see Nick’s family, which is a huge expense and we will attend Heroes Convention, another pretty big expense. Other than that, our money is destined to be HOARDED. Since we are dieting, eating out is a no-no as is the large volumes of alcohol we usually swill. That will save some bucks. Now that I’ll be in charge of the budget, I plan to analyse it and streamline it even more.
2012 is off to a rocky start, but hopefully the changes we manage to accomplish will be good ones and long lasting ones.
I hope everyone has GOOD LUCK making the changes they want to make in 2012.
