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Brother, Can You Save A Bakery?
Hello to all my friends in Bloggingland!
Ocean cataclysm, week four. Well, the oil coming out of the hole in the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico is still flowing like a dark guiser of goo almost one month after the big oil rig explosion and sinking, and nobody seems to know what to do about it. They sent down a top hat version of the larger dome this past week, and from what I heard, that didn't work either (They were, putting on the top hat, trying to be a stop cap, but it didn't work! Heh heh. Sorry, Fred Astaire.). So now, they're trying to send this mile long tube down to the oil well and try to contain some of the leaking oil and syphon it to a ship at the gulf's surface. Yeah. Good luck with that. If this works, about 80% of the oil will be syphoned to the surface. If it doesn't...well, we'll try not to think about that possibility now, will we?
Meanwhile, in other news in this country, in my neck of the woods, the city of Los Angeles, one of the greatest programs to help at risk kids in my city was dealt a major setback this week. The Homeboys Bakery, whose headquarters are in Downtown Los Angeles and whose main mission for the past 20 years was helping at risk youth get a second chance at life by getting a chance to finish their high school educations and receive job training by making breads, pies, and other pastries in their very own bakery, had to lay off about 300 of their employees, most of which this bakery was the very first real job they ever had. This endeavors, created by the noble Father Gregory Boyle to get many kids off the streets and into a normal life, eventually grew to include a store, bakery, and the Homegirl Cafe. Now, I kind have a problem with this project going under, especially in one takes into consideration that the Homeboy Bakery is just a hop, skip, and a jump from the entertainment capital of the entire universe, Hollywood, Ca. Now, you know as well as I do that the entertainment industry spares no expense advertising its movies, TV series, and albums on the billboards that towers over these young people's neighborhoods and on the side of the buses that drive trough their streets, but they couldn't donate one red penny to keep this humble bakery in business? Come on, people! You rallied to save the Hollywood sign a couple of weeks back! And you would do anything for the poor little animals in your community! Now is the time to step up to the plate and really make a difference in the community! now is the time to help your fans, when they realy need your help! After all, your fans were always there when you needed them!
Well, that's all the time we have for today. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to help the earthquake survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Ocean cataclysm, week four. Well, the oil coming out of the hole in the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico is still flowing like a dark guiser of goo almost one month after the big oil rig explosion and sinking, and nobody seems to know what to do about it. They sent down a top hat version of the larger dome this past week, and from what I heard, that didn't work either (They were, putting on the top hat, trying to be a stop cap, but it didn't work! Heh heh. Sorry, Fred Astaire.). So now, they're trying to send this mile long tube down to the oil well and try to contain some of the leaking oil and syphon it to a ship at the gulf's surface. Yeah. Good luck with that. If this works, about 80% of the oil will be syphoned to the surface. If it doesn't...well, we'll try not to think about that possibility now, will we?
Meanwhile, in other news in this country, in my neck of the woods, the city of Los Angeles, one of the greatest programs to help at risk kids in my city was dealt a major setback this week. The Homeboys Bakery, whose headquarters are in Downtown Los Angeles and whose main mission for the past 20 years was helping at risk youth get a second chance at life by getting a chance to finish their high school educations and receive job training by making breads, pies, and other pastries in their very own bakery, had to lay off about 300 of their employees, most of which this bakery was the very first real job they ever had. This endeavors, created by the noble Father Gregory Boyle to get many kids off the streets and into a normal life, eventually grew to include a store, bakery, and the Homegirl Cafe. Now, I kind have a problem with this project going under, especially in one takes into consideration that the Homeboy Bakery is just a hop, skip, and a jump from the entertainment capital of the entire universe, Hollywood, Ca. Now, you know as well as I do that the entertainment industry spares no expense advertising its movies, TV series, and albums on the billboards that towers over these young people's neighborhoods and on the side of the buses that drive trough their streets, but they couldn't donate one red penny to keep this humble bakery in business? Come on, people! You rallied to save the Hollywood sign a couple of weeks back! And you would do anything for the poor little animals in your community! Now is the time to step up to the plate and really make a difference in the community! now is the time to help your fans, when they realy need your help! After all, your fans were always there when you needed them!
Well, that's all the time we have for today. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to help the earthquake survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Undersea Peril: The Story Continues
Hello, everybody, and happy Mother's Day to all that applies!
First, a word about the latest attempt to fix the world wide catastrophe that seemingly has no remedy (no quick one, at least). It seems that British Petroleum is trying to fix what George Bush started by not seeing that off shore oil riggs are safely capped (in case something like this should ever happen), and what seemingly Mother Nature finished with that undersea methane gas leak, by trying to cap the undersea oil well with some kind of gigantic metallic dome, which BP had hoped would be successful. Well, it turns out that this would have been a very good idea, if ice hadn't had covered the dome on its way down to the overflowing well, some good five thousand feet below the ocean's surface (it turns out that the bottom of the ocean is a very cold place after all). Now, the "brains" at BP are going to have to find another way to fix this ecological cataclysm, and think of it soon. After all, all that oil is beginning to wash up on shore along the gulf coast, and the marine animal and plant life is already to feel its impact, unfortunately for them, and for us as well, because whatever affects the undersea world, will eventually affect the rest of us as well.
Now, I sure hope all you moms out there are having a very happy day today, and I sure hope all of you out there are doing something extra special for your moms. I, for one, baked my mom a cake yesterday. From scratch no doubt! It's a variation of the classic Gold Layer Cake with Chocolate Icing, which, I'm sure, is a favorite of just about everybody's. I made mine into a sheet cake instead of layers, mainly because I just can never get the layer pans filled just right. One pan is either too full of batter or not full enough. This way, with a single oblong sheet pan, you can never get it wrong. All you have to do is dump the whole thing in and put it in the oven, then ice it when you take it out and cool it. Today's dinner will be equally as simple. All I have to do is wash a whole chicken, season it up good, put it in a pan and put it in the oven for about an hour and a half, then open up a can of mixed vegetables and cook a box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice. Nothing could be more simple than that. Of course, taking Mom out to dinner would be the simplest of all, but I would think that making dinner for her at home would be the best, and most inexpensive.
Well, that's about it for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to help the earthquake survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
First, a word about the latest attempt to fix the world wide catastrophe that seemingly has no remedy (no quick one, at least). It seems that British Petroleum is trying to fix what George Bush started by not seeing that off shore oil riggs are safely capped (in case something like this should ever happen), and what seemingly Mother Nature finished with that undersea methane gas leak, by trying to cap the undersea oil well with some kind of gigantic metallic dome, which BP had hoped would be successful. Well, it turns out that this would have been a very good idea, if ice hadn't had covered the dome on its way down to the overflowing well, some good five thousand feet below the ocean's surface (it turns out that the bottom of the ocean is a very cold place after all). Now, the "brains" at BP are going to have to find another way to fix this ecological cataclysm, and think of it soon. After all, all that oil is beginning to wash up on shore along the gulf coast, and the marine animal and plant life is already to feel its impact, unfortunately for them, and for us as well, because whatever affects the undersea world, will eventually affect the rest of us as well.
Now, I sure hope all you moms out there are having a very happy day today, and I sure hope all of you out there are doing something extra special for your moms. I, for one, baked my mom a cake yesterday. From scratch no doubt! It's a variation of the classic Gold Layer Cake with Chocolate Icing, which, I'm sure, is a favorite of just about everybody's. I made mine into a sheet cake instead of layers, mainly because I just can never get the layer pans filled just right. One pan is either too full of batter or not full enough. This way, with a single oblong sheet pan, you can never get it wrong. All you have to do is dump the whole thing in and put it in the oven, then ice it when you take it out and cool it. Today's dinner will be equally as simple. All I have to do is wash a whole chicken, season it up good, put it in a pan and put it in the oven for about an hour and a half, then open up a can of mixed vegetables and cook a box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice. Nothing could be more simple than that. Of course, taking Mom out to dinner would be the simplest of all, but I would think that making dinner for her at home would be the best, and most inexpensive.
Well, that's about it for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to help the earthquake survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Happy Birthday, Your Ocean's In Trouble
A blessed Sunday to one and all!
Well, my birthday party went off without a hitch yesterday! We had it at the local pizza fun center, and everything went swell! My band and I even played at my party, now how cool is that?! And my birthday cake was a dream, a pure lemon supreme. It was a lemon cake with lemon icing and lemon filling, which was served with lemon-lime ice cream. I'd got a lot of gift cards as presents, as I said I would last week: gift cards from Best Buy, Forever 21, Target, Red Robin (yum!), JC Penney, Old Navy, and even one from Pet Smart, since they all know I have a pet Yorkie and all. But I did get a couple of "actual" gifts: a new backpack and a Spongebob pencil case (both school related, wouldn't you know?). Yeah, I'd have to say that yesterday's party was a great success.
I feel that I should touch on two recent items that have been in the news for about a couple of weeks now. The first is that ill-conceived anti immigration law that was recently signed into law by the very narrow-minded governor of Arizona. Now, from what I understand, this law would only affect those who don't have, say, light skin, blonde or red hair, or blue or green colored eyes. Because you know as well as I do that there's a lot of European immigrants who are here illegally, but this law would only touch those who only look like they come from south of our boarders. Kind of reminds you of the kind of things that went on in Germany and, later on, the rest of Europe starting about eighty years ago, to anyone who didn't have, say, light skin, blonde or red hair, or blue or green eyes, doesn't it?
The second thing is the terrible environmental tragedy that's going on in the Gulf of Mexico, when that oil rig exploded and sank into the ocean, taking the remains of 11 crew members with it and uncapping its undersea oil well in the process. No one can cap that oil well, from what I hear, and the oil slick is so widespread, it reached the shores of Louisiana late Friday night. I talked to one of my relatives who still lives in New Orleans, and they say that the news there is not good: They say that this latest "bad thing" to happen to the Gulf Coast could kill off their seafood supply and do irrepatriable harm for decades to come. So, if you ask me, it looks like not only America, but the rest of the world, is in for a bumpy ride because of this.
Well, that's all for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget the earthquake survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Well, my birthday party went off without a hitch yesterday! We had it at the local pizza fun center, and everything went swell! My band and I even played at my party, now how cool is that?! And my birthday cake was a dream, a pure lemon supreme. It was a lemon cake with lemon icing and lemon filling, which was served with lemon-lime ice cream. I'd got a lot of gift cards as presents, as I said I would last week: gift cards from Best Buy, Forever 21, Target, Red Robin (yum!), JC Penney, Old Navy, and even one from Pet Smart, since they all know I have a pet Yorkie and all. But I did get a couple of "actual" gifts: a new backpack and a Spongebob pencil case (both school related, wouldn't you know?). Yeah, I'd have to say that yesterday's party was a great success.
I feel that I should touch on two recent items that have been in the news for about a couple of weeks now. The first is that ill-conceived anti immigration law that was recently signed into law by the very narrow-minded governor of Arizona. Now, from what I understand, this law would only affect those who don't have, say, light skin, blonde or red hair, or blue or green colored eyes. Because you know as well as I do that there's a lot of European immigrants who are here illegally, but this law would only touch those who only look like they come from south of our boarders. Kind of reminds you of the kind of things that went on in Germany and, later on, the rest of Europe starting about eighty years ago, to anyone who didn't have, say, light skin, blonde or red hair, or blue or green eyes, doesn't it?
The second thing is the terrible environmental tragedy that's going on in the Gulf of Mexico, when that oil rig exploded and sank into the ocean, taking the remains of 11 crew members with it and uncapping its undersea oil well in the process. No one can cap that oil well, from what I hear, and the oil slick is so widespread, it reached the shores of Louisiana late Friday night. I talked to one of my relatives who still lives in New Orleans, and they say that the news there is not good: They say that this latest "bad thing" to happen to the Gulf Coast could kill off their seafood supply and do irrepatriable harm for decades to come. So, if you ask me, it looks like not only America, but the rest of the world, is in for a bumpy ride because of this.
Well, that's all for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget the earthquake survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
They Say It's My Birthday!
I'd like to say hello to all my friends out there.
So, what to write about this week? The days go by so fast it makes your head swim that it's Blogging Day again so soon.That volcano in Iceland is still blowing its stack, but not as much, and some of the airlines have their planes back in the air, so that's a good sign. Rocker Bret Michaels is in the hospital with a brain hemorrhage, but I hear he's doing better, so thank goodness for that. I also hear that he has diabetes, so you have to be very careful with things like that.
Someone has a birthday coming up this week. Wonder who it is? Oh, come on, guess! Can't guess? Well, I'll tell you. It's ME! I'm having a birthday this coming Saturday! How old will I be? Well, I'll be twelve, of course, just as I was last year, just as I was the year before that, just as I was the year before that (That's the thing about being a fictional character. You never get old!). So, what will I be doing this coming Saturday? Well, the usual stuff. Hanging out with my family and friends, eating pizza, fried chicken, buffalo wings, and tater tots, along with cake and ice cream, of course, and unwrapping presents, which, lately, turns out to be gift cards.
There's a lot of reasons why gift cards are a neat gift to get. First of all, you don't have to worry about it being the wrong size, or color. Second, since it's essentially free money, you can spend it any which way you like. For instance, if you get a gift card for a shoe store, you can buy the shoes that you want, or if you get a gift card for an electronics store, you can buy the MV3 player or cell phone of your choice. Or, if you get a gift card for a general purpose store like Target or Kmart, well, the sky's the limit there! You are only limited by how much your card is worth. Of course, if a gift that was already bought is given, that's fine, too. Free stuff is never turned down at my house. So, what would I really want for my birthday? Why, a winning lottery ticket, of course! Then I wouldn't have to worry about affording college later on. But if that gift isn't possible (if it ever is), I'd settle for the whole "Bugs Bunny" collection on Blue Ray disc.
Well, that's all for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to help the earthquake victims!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
So, what to write about this week? The days go by so fast it makes your head swim that it's Blogging Day again so soon.That volcano in Iceland is still blowing its stack, but not as much, and some of the airlines have their planes back in the air, so that's a good sign. Rocker Bret Michaels is in the hospital with a brain hemorrhage, but I hear he's doing better, so thank goodness for that. I also hear that he has diabetes, so you have to be very careful with things like that.
Someone has a birthday coming up this week. Wonder who it is? Oh, come on, guess! Can't guess? Well, I'll tell you. It's ME! I'm having a birthday this coming Saturday! How old will I be? Well, I'll be twelve, of course, just as I was last year, just as I was the year before that, just as I was the year before that (That's the thing about being a fictional character. You never get old!). So, what will I be doing this coming Saturday? Well, the usual stuff. Hanging out with my family and friends, eating pizza, fried chicken, buffalo wings, and tater tots, along with cake and ice cream, of course, and unwrapping presents, which, lately, turns out to be gift cards.
There's a lot of reasons why gift cards are a neat gift to get. First of all, you don't have to worry about it being the wrong size, or color. Second, since it's essentially free money, you can spend it any which way you like. For instance, if you get a gift card for a shoe store, you can buy the shoes that you want, or if you get a gift card for an electronics store, you can buy the MV3 player or cell phone of your choice. Or, if you get a gift card for a general purpose store like Target or Kmart, well, the sky's the limit there! You are only limited by how much your card is worth. Of course, if a gift that was already bought is given, that's fine, too. Free stuff is never turned down at my house. So, what would I really want for my birthday? Why, a winning lottery ticket, of course! Then I wouldn't have to worry about affording college later on. But if that gift isn't possible (if it ever is), I'd settle for the whole "Bugs Bunny" collection on Blue Ray disc.
Well, that's all for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to help the earthquake victims!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
A Few Words About Volcanoes
I'd like to say hello to one and all!
Isn't that something about that volcano in Iceland? That volcano which name is sooo long and have sooo many consonants in it, you can't even pronounce it, so you have to call it "that volcano in Iceland?" It turns out that "that volcano" has grounded virtually every plane in Europe, because the microscopic rock and glass particles in the smoke's ash have very sharp microscopic points that could get into the airliner's engines and really tear the engines up and do very major damage while they're up in the air! (I hope that cloud doesn't find its way to America!) Matter of fact, things got so bad President Obama had to cancel his plans to go to Poland to attend the Polish president's and his wife's funerals because of the volcanic ash cloud, and so did many other dignitaries.
Okay, since the conversation's has already been started, let's talk about volcanoes. They can be, and are, very destructive. Take Tambora, for example. When it literally blew its stack back in 1815, its ash cloud was so intense that it literally covered the whole world, and eventually led to the following "year without a summer," because the sun never shown, it rained and snowed constantly, and the crops never grew and millions around the world starved to death because of it. Then, there's the "mighty Krakatoa," most famous for producing the loudest sound ever recorded when the whole island blew up in 1883 (Rumor has it that it was heard almost 3000 miles away, on an island off the coast of Africa!), and causing a tsunami that, up until the ultimate disaster in 2004, caused the biggest loss of life from a tsunami ever, close to 30,000 people. Mt. St. Helens, our own volcano up in Washington state, has a 30th anniversary commemoration of its eruption next month. More about that volcano when its anniversary comes.
So, will "that volcano in Iceland" be as destructive as the aforementioned volcanoes? Who really knows for sure? What we do know is the ash cloud that's coming out of it is getting worse, and generally, when a volcano continues to spout out ash and lava, an even bigger eruption usually is on the way. So, we all will just have to wait and see what happens.
Well, that's all for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to help the earthquake victims!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Isn't that something about that volcano in Iceland? That volcano which name is sooo long and have sooo many consonants in it, you can't even pronounce it, so you have to call it "that volcano in Iceland?" It turns out that "that volcano" has grounded virtually every plane in Europe, because the microscopic rock and glass particles in the smoke's ash have very sharp microscopic points that could get into the airliner's engines and really tear the engines up and do very major damage while they're up in the air! (I hope that cloud doesn't find its way to America!) Matter of fact, things got so bad President Obama had to cancel his plans to go to Poland to attend the Polish president's and his wife's funerals because of the volcanic ash cloud, and so did many other dignitaries.
Okay, since the conversation's has already been started, let's talk about volcanoes. They can be, and are, very destructive. Take Tambora, for example. When it literally blew its stack back in 1815, its ash cloud was so intense that it literally covered the whole world, and eventually led to the following "year without a summer," because the sun never shown, it rained and snowed constantly, and the crops never grew and millions around the world starved to death because of it. Then, there's the "mighty Krakatoa," most famous for producing the loudest sound ever recorded when the whole island blew up in 1883 (Rumor has it that it was heard almost 3000 miles away, on an island off the coast of Africa!), and causing a tsunami that, up until the ultimate disaster in 2004, caused the biggest loss of life from a tsunami ever, close to 30,000 people. Mt. St. Helens, our own volcano up in Washington state, has a 30th anniversary commemoration of its eruption next month. More about that volcano when its anniversary comes.
So, will "that volcano in Iceland" be as destructive as the aforementioned volcanoes? Who really knows for sure? What we do know is the ash cloud that's coming out of it is getting worse, and generally, when a volcano continues to spout out ash and lava, an even bigger eruption usually is on the way. So, we all will just have to wait and see what happens.
Well, that's all for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to help the earthquake victims!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
And That Was The Week Of Woe
Hidey hi to one and all!
Well, Easter's over, so that means Spring Break's over, so everyone has to go back to school, including yours truly (and I was just getting used to not having to battle algebra on a week-daily basis!). And it looks like Tiger Woods' scandal is over as well, 'cause he just went back to work, too. I hope he does as well as he did before all this crap happened.
I'm sure you've all have heard about the big tragedy that happened in West Virginia last week. All those miners lost in that explosion! Something has to be done to make their occupations safer, people! A lot of my friends have said that they should just stop digging for coal all together, that it's an energy source that's way past its time, it being a dirty source of energy that strips the land and which its waste products end up polluting the environment, and I, for one, have to agree with them. However, a lot of people also say that this is the only work that many of these people can get, and that their families have been working in the mines for many generations. So caring about the environment versus keeping people's jobs. What to do, what to do, what to do?
And, of course, we have to touch bases with the other tragedy which happened just this past weekend: the President of Poland and his wife losing their lives in that terrible plane crash in Russia, along with ninety six other people. I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to believe that this world is being given a heaping helping of woe that no city, or country, is able to escape. If it's not earthquakes like the one that hit the California/Mexico boarder last week, it's mine disasters, airplane crashes, and, of course, the economy, which is hitting all of us in the bread basket. If, like me, a lot of you are watching much less of the cable news networks and much more of HBO, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Current, and the like, I can't and don't blame you. I only read the newspaper for the comics, calendar, and image sections, and the only reason why I read the headlines and business sections is because our teacher gives us current events homework every Thursday night that we have to write a report about. It's not very pleasant to have to write weekly reports on terrible situations.
Oh, well. That's it for this week. Until next week, be well, stay well, and don't forget to help the earthquake survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Well, Easter's over, so that means Spring Break's over, so everyone has to go back to school, including yours truly (and I was just getting used to not having to battle algebra on a week-daily basis!). And it looks like Tiger Woods' scandal is over as well, 'cause he just went back to work, too. I hope he does as well as he did before all this crap happened.
I'm sure you've all have heard about the big tragedy that happened in West Virginia last week. All those miners lost in that explosion! Something has to be done to make their occupations safer, people! A lot of my friends have said that they should just stop digging for coal all together, that it's an energy source that's way past its time, it being a dirty source of energy that strips the land and which its waste products end up polluting the environment, and I, for one, have to agree with them. However, a lot of people also say that this is the only work that many of these people can get, and that their families have been working in the mines for many generations. So caring about the environment versus keeping people's jobs. What to do, what to do, what to do?
And, of course, we have to touch bases with the other tragedy which happened just this past weekend: the President of Poland and his wife losing their lives in that terrible plane crash in Russia, along with ninety six other people. I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to believe that this world is being given a heaping helping of woe that no city, or country, is able to escape. If it's not earthquakes like the one that hit the California/Mexico boarder last week, it's mine disasters, airplane crashes, and, of course, the economy, which is hitting all of us in the bread basket. If, like me, a lot of you are watching much less of the cable news networks and much more of HBO, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Current, and the like, I can't and don't blame you. I only read the newspaper for the comics, calendar, and image sections, and the only reason why I read the headlines and business sections is because our teacher gives us current events homework every Thursday night that we have to write a report about. It's not very pleasant to have to write weekly reports on terrible situations.
Oh, well. That's it for this week. Until next week, be well, stay well, and don't forget to help the earthquake survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Easter Vs. Christmas: the Age-Old Debate
Happy Easter everybody!
Well, I've just came back from Sunday mass. The church, as you well know, was packed. Services were beautiful and lively and everyone was in their Easter Sunday best. Since I have a little time before the great Easter Egg Hunt and Picnic at the local park here in Hawthorne, I thought I'd spend it on my blog a little bit.
Easter is a very major holiday, right up there with Christmas. However, it doesn't quite have the commercial punch that Christmas has, perhaps because Christmas has that whole "year end clearance sale" tie in, while Easter has the "spring clearance sale" thing, which is highly profitable but, of course, doesn't have the commercial punch that Christmas has. The Easter Bunny also has perennially been playing second fiddle to Santa Claus' bass guitar. After all, Santa travels around the world leaving gifts in Christmas stockings and under Christmas trees, while the Easter Bunny travels around the world hiding colored boiled eggs and filling baskets with candy and stuffed animals. And when was the last time you've ever seen a Rankin/Bass Easter special? I think it was sometime before the turn of this century if I recall (there only were three, compared to about the dozen Rankin/Bass Christmas specials).
Well, anyway, so much for tooting the Bunny's horn and banging his drum (oh, did I say that? Sorry! Wrong Bunny!). I know that Spring Break will soon be coming to an end, and that we all will have to go back to class again. At least the McCartney concerts this past week at the Hollywood Bowl was great. Now that was really something to write home about! I'll probably spend the rest of the break cleaning the files on my computer and getting everything on my computer in order. I'd like to get my computer in order by the time summer vacation comes. As fast as this year is going by, it'll be here before you know it. And I'll be darned happy when it does come. I'm tired of doing homework four nights a week.
Well, that's it for this week. Until next week, be well, stay well. and don't forget to help the earthquake survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Well, I've just came back from Sunday mass. The church, as you well know, was packed. Services were beautiful and lively and everyone was in their Easter Sunday best. Since I have a little time before the great Easter Egg Hunt and Picnic at the local park here in Hawthorne, I thought I'd spend it on my blog a little bit.
Easter is a very major holiday, right up there with Christmas. However, it doesn't quite have the commercial punch that Christmas has, perhaps because Christmas has that whole "year end clearance sale" tie in, while Easter has the "spring clearance sale" thing, which is highly profitable but, of course, doesn't have the commercial punch that Christmas has. The Easter Bunny also has perennially been playing second fiddle to Santa Claus' bass guitar. After all, Santa travels around the world leaving gifts in Christmas stockings and under Christmas trees, while the Easter Bunny travels around the world hiding colored boiled eggs and filling baskets with candy and stuffed animals. And when was the last time you've ever seen a Rankin/Bass Easter special? I think it was sometime before the turn of this century if I recall (there only were three, compared to about the dozen Rankin/Bass Christmas specials).
Well, anyway, so much for tooting the Bunny's horn and banging his drum (oh, did I say that? Sorry! Wrong Bunny!). I know that Spring Break will soon be coming to an end, and that we all will have to go back to class again. At least the McCartney concerts this past week at the Hollywood Bowl was great. Now that was really something to write home about! I'll probably spend the rest of the break cleaning the files on my computer and getting everything on my computer in order. I'd like to get my computer in order by the time summer vacation comes. As fast as this year is going by, it'll be here before you know it. And I'll be darned happy when it does come. I'm tired of doing homework four nights a week.
Well, that's it for this week. Until next week, be well, stay well. and don't forget to help the earthquake survivors!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Everybody loves a Scandal
Hello, everybody!
Well, we did it! We finally have national health care in this country! True, it may not be the best health care plan in the world, but at least it's a step in the right direction! I mean, at least we've got a foot in the door, and now that we've got the door open, we can slowly modify it to the point that it can be something everybody can be satisfied with. Who knows, because of this plan, maybe we can modify it enough so that we can get that single payer/Medicare for everyone plan after all! All we've got to do is hope! Hope and keep congress' feet to the fire!
I'm sure you've all heard by now about Tiger Woods, and how he's finally coming back after this big scandal, which seems to have cooled down somewhat over the past few months. He's going to play in the Masters soon, and it seems that he and Illin are trying to patch things up. I sure hope they can, because the sooner things get back to normal for Tiger and his family, the better it would be for all of us (well, maybe not for the news media, which seems to feed on this kind of crap like vultures on rotting dead things).
And speaking of scandals, have you heard about what happened to the marriage of this years' Best Actress Oscar Winner? I'm sure you have, since it broke just days after the Oscar ceremony! And, if you've seen the chick that Jesse James has cheated on Sandra Bullock with, you could understand why Sandra's so upset! Now, having your husband cheat on you is bad enough, but having him cheat on you with someone who is sooo beneath you is a double decker shame! Remember that classic song about Lydia the Tattooed Lady? Well this chick's name isn't Lydia (I think it's Bombshell or something like that), and, from what I've heard, she's definitely no lady! Now, as you all know, Sandra Bullock is a first class actress, and has been for many years, and it seems to me that her husband has been cheating on her with someone who's a, well, different kind of entertainer, the Robert L. Ripley or the P.T. Barnum kind (and throw in a little Minsky's maybe?). Well, let's hope that Sandra gets over this soon, and as for Bombshell, her fifteen minutes of fame are just about up. To my estimation, she has about, seven and a half minutes left. Hope she doesn't spend them all in one place.
Well, that's all for this week. Since this is Spring Break Week, I'll be kicking back this coming week, but I'll be kind busy getting ready for Sir Paul McCartney's concert at the Hollywood Bowl this Wednesday! Yeah, baby! I've manage to score some tickets! So, until next time, be well, stay well, don't forget to help the earthquake victims, and Happy Easter and Happy Passover!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Well, we did it! We finally have national health care in this country! True, it may not be the best health care plan in the world, but at least it's a step in the right direction! I mean, at least we've got a foot in the door, and now that we've got the door open, we can slowly modify it to the point that it can be something everybody can be satisfied with. Who knows, because of this plan, maybe we can modify it enough so that we can get that single payer/Medicare for everyone plan after all! All we've got to do is hope! Hope and keep congress' feet to the fire!
I'm sure you've all heard by now about Tiger Woods, and how he's finally coming back after this big scandal, which seems to have cooled down somewhat over the past few months. He's going to play in the Masters soon, and it seems that he and Illin are trying to patch things up. I sure hope they can, because the sooner things get back to normal for Tiger and his family, the better it would be for all of us (well, maybe not for the news media, which seems to feed on this kind of crap like vultures on rotting dead things).
And speaking of scandals, have you heard about what happened to the marriage of this years' Best Actress Oscar Winner? I'm sure you have, since it broke just days after the Oscar ceremony! And, if you've seen the chick that Jesse James has cheated on Sandra Bullock with, you could understand why Sandra's so upset! Now, having your husband cheat on you is bad enough, but having him cheat on you with someone who is sooo beneath you is a double decker shame! Remember that classic song about Lydia the Tattooed Lady? Well this chick's name isn't Lydia (I think it's Bombshell or something like that), and, from what I've heard, she's definitely no lady! Now, as you all know, Sandra Bullock is a first class actress, and has been for many years, and it seems to me that her husband has been cheating on her with someone who's a, well, different kind of entertainer, the Robert L. Ripley or the P.T. Barnum kind (and throw in a little Minsky's maybe?). Well, let's hope that Sandra gets over this soon, and as for Bombshell, her fifteen minutes of fame are just about up. To my estimation, she has about, seven and a half minutes left. Hope she doesn't spend them all in one place.
Well, that's all for this week. Since this is Spring Break Week, I'll be kicking back this coming week, but I'll be kind busy getting ready for Sir Paul McCartney's concert at the Hollywood Bowl this Wednesday! Yeah, baby! I've manage to score some tickets! So, until next time, be well, stay well, don't forget to help the earthquake victims, and Happy Easter and Happy Passover!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
National Health Care and The Domino Effect
Hello, everybody!
I hope your St. Paddy's Day was a success, as mine was, although it almost wasn't! On St. Patrick's morning, just before going to school, I looked in our kitchen cabinet and found out that we were out of canned corned beef! Lucky for me, there's a supermarket not too far from where I go to school, so my brother and I went there before going home to get some, along with a few other things that we needed. Our Working Mother's Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner went off without a hitch, and my folks were never the wiser, thank goodness!
So, today's the big day, isn't it? It's the day we as Americans have all been waiting for! That's right! Today is the day Congress finally votes on the Health Care Bill, and the day we find out whether we all get our national health care, or (heavens forbid!) not. I, for one, hope we all get it! Come on, people! The rest of the world each have their own national health plan, and it's time that we have ours as well! Don't you even think that the rest of the world is looking at us and marveling at how selfish and uncaring we are as a country that we don't even think enough about each other to see that we all have decent and adequate health care for everyone! As a matter of fact, I think that we should have gotten national health care a long time ago! If we had it, say, about thirty or forty years ago, this country wouldn't have been in the very messed up state that it's in today!
Think about it. If we had health care back then, the factories wouldn't have shut down, because the health care premium expenses wouldn't have nearly bankrupted the companies that owned the factories, resulting in their moving to states that don't even believe in unions, let alone workers having health care plans, and which, ultimately, ended up moving to countries that pay their workers pennies on the dollar a day for the same thing that even non-union workers were doing for up to 20 dollars an hour! And, if the factories wouldn't have shut down, the stores and the malls wouldn't have started closing, because nobody had the money to shop there anymore, because nobody had any descent, middle-class factory jobs that paid them a descent wage. And, if the stores wouldn't have closed down, the hospitals wouldn't have shut down, because the people with no jobs and, therefore, no health care plans, wouldn't have gone to the emergency rooms instead of their own private doctors and overwhelmed the system with people who couldn't pay for their emergency room stays. And, if the hospitals wouldn't have shut down, the schools wouldn't have shut down, because the kids and young adults wouldn't have thought that, since they're no meaningful jobs around anymore, "why should I waste my time leaning something to get a good paying job?" See the domino effect here, people? If he had national health care, the factories would still be open, the stores would still be open, the hospitals would still be open, and the schools would still be open. Think about it.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to give to the earthquake victims!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
I hope your St. Paddy's Day was a success, as mine was, although it almost wasn't! On St. Patrick's morning, just before going to school, I looked in our kitchen cabinet and found out that we were out of canned corned beef! Lucky for me, there's a supermarket not too far from where I go to school, so my brother and I went there before going home to get some, along with a few other things that we needed. Our Working Mother's Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner went off without a hitch, and my folks were never the wiser, thank goodness!
So, today's the big day, isn't it? It's the day we as Americans have all been waiting for! That's right! Today is the day Congress finally votes on the Health Care Bill, and the day we find out whether we all get our national health care, or (heavens forbid!) not. I, for one, hope we all get it! Come on, people! The rest of the world each have their own national health plan, and it's time that we have ours as well! Don't you even think that the rest of the world is looking at us and marveling at how selfish and uncaring we are as a country that we don't even think enough about each other to see that we all have decent and adequate health care for everyone! As a matter of fact, I think that we should have gotten national health care a long time ago! If we had it, say, about thirty or forty years ago, this country wouldn't have been in the very messed up state that it's in today!
Think about it. If we had health care back then, the factories wouldn't have shut down, because the health care premium expenses wouldn't have nearly bankrupted the companies that owned the factories, resulting in their moving to states that don't even believe in unions, let alone workers having health care plans, and which, ultimately, ended up moving to countries that pay their workers pennies on the dollar a day for the same thing that even non-union workers were doing for up to 20 dollars an hour! And, if the factories wouldn't have shut down, the stores and the malls wouldn't have started closing, because nobody had the money to shop there anymore, because nobody had any descent, middle-class factory jobs that paid them a descent wage. And, if the stores wouldn't have closed down, the hospitals wouldn't have shut down, because the people with no jobs and, therefore, no health care plans, wouldn't have gone to the emergency rooms instead of their own private doctors and overwhelmed the system with people who couldn't pay for their emergency room stays. And, if the hospitals wouldn't have shut down, the schools wouldn't have shut down, because the kids and young adults wouldn't have thought that, since they're no meaningful jobs around anymore, "why should I waste my time leaning something to get a good paying job?" See the domino effect here, people? If he had national health care, the factories would still be open, the stores would still be open, the hospitals would still be open, and the schools would still be open. Think about it.
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to give to the earthquake victims!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
Two Great Versions of One Great Dish!
Hi-dee-hi-dee-hi-dee----hi!
So, this coming Wednsday is St. Patrick's Day! The high holy day of everything Irish, and everything green! And, since I, myself, am of Irish heritage, on behalf of my great, great grandfather Harland Harley, I'd like to say, Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all! And, since I know that many of you were also born on St. Patrick's Day as well, I'd also like to say, Happy Birthday as well!
Of course, you all know, one of the big mainstay staples of St. Patrick's Day is corned beef and cabbage, and to prove to you all that there's no wrong way to fix this dish, I will present to you two different, but equally delicious, way to prepare this Celtic stable. The first way is the way my great-great grandmother Mary used to fix it for my great, great grendfather, many years ago, and the way many people in the south, and many African Americans living in California, fix it today. It's barbequed brisket and cole slaw. First, you take a corned beef brisket, rub it good with a barbeque rub (which is actually a mixure of spices like granulated onion, granulated galic, ginger, black pepper, oregano, and thyme), let it set in the refrigerator overnight so that the spices can meld together, then put it on the barbeque grill and let it slow cook, on both sides, until it's done. Barbeque sauce is an option, since the rub acts as the perfect seasoning. Cole slaw is fixed the traditional way, of course, with shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and either mayo, Miracle Whip, or ranch dressing, all mixed together. Serve with the traditional barbeque side dish, potato salad, and you have yourself some good eating!
The second way to make corned beef and cabbage is the way my mom always makes it this time of year, and the way that I make it as well. Yes, folks! It's so easy, a 12-year-old can make it! And it only takes about a half an hour. I call it "The Working Mom's Corned Beef and Cabbage," because nowdays, a lot of mothers work, whether it's outside the home or on the Internet at home. Today's moms work, and they don't have time to do much cooking, so that's why this recipe is soooo easy. First you take a medium sized cabbage, shred it with your hands, and fry it on top of the stove in a wok in just a little (about 1/2 cup) canola oil for about five minutes, then remove from heat and put on a large platter. Then, you take a can of corned beef (which looks like a can of Spam, only it's kind of narrow on the top and wide at the bottom), rinse it good, slice it into 1/2 inch strips, and sautee it in the wok in about 1/2 cup canola oil for about five to ten minutes, because it's already cooked. Then, remove from heat and put next to the fried cabbage on the platter. Serve with french fries that were baking in the oven during this process and a small side dish of cut-up boiled carrots. I always make sure that this dish is always ready by the time my folks get home from work (my mom is very strict about that).
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to donate to the earthquake victims!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue
So, this coming Wednsday is St. Patrick's Day! The high holy day of everything Irish, and everything green! And, since I, myself, am of Irish heritage, on behalf of my great, great grandfather Harland Harley, I'd like to say, Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all! And, since I know that many of you were also born on St. Patrick's Day as well, I'd also like to say, Happy Birthday as well!
Of course, you all know, one of the big mainstay staples of St. Patrick's Day is corned beef and cabbage, and to prove to you all that there's no wrong way to fix this dish, I will present to you two different, but equally delicious, way to prepare this Celtic stable. The first way is the way my great-great grandmother Mary used to fix it for my great, great grendfather, many years ago, and the way many people in the south, and many African Americans living in California, fix it today. It's barbequed brisket and cole slaw. First, you take a corned beef brisket, rub it good with a barbeque rub (which is actually a mixure of spices like granulated onion, granulated galic, ginger, black pepper, oregano, and thyme), let it set in the refrigerator overnight so that the spices can meld together, then put it on the barbeque grill and let it slow cook, on both sides, until it's done. Barbeque sauce is an option, since the rub acts as the perfect seasoning. Cole slaw is fixed the traditional way, of course, with shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and either mayo, Miracle Whip, or ranch dressing, all mixed together. Serve with the traditional barbeque side dish, potato salad, and you have yourself some good eating!
The second way to make corned beef and cabbage is the way my mom always makes it this time of year, and the way that I make it as well. Yes, folks! It's so easy, a 12-year-old can make it! And it only takes about a half an hour. I call it "The Working Mom's Corned Beef and Cabbage," because nowdays, a lot of mothers work, whether it's outside the home or on the Internet at home. Today's moms work, and they don't have time to do much cooking, so that's why this recipe is soooo easy. First you take a medium sized cabbage, shred it with your hands, and fry it on top of the stove in a wok in just a little (about 1/2 cup) canola oil for about five minutes, then remove from heat and put on a large platter. Then, you take a can of corned beef (which looks like a can of Spam, only it's kind of narrow on the top and wide at the bottom), rinse it good, slice it into 1/2 inch strips, and sautee it in the wok in about 1/2 cup canola oil for about five to ten minutes, because it's already cooked. Then, remove from heat and put next to the fried cabbage on the platter. Serve with french fries that were baking in the oven during this process and a small side dish of cut-up boiled carrots. I always make sure that this dish is always ready by the time my folks get home from work (my mom is very strict about that).
Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Until next time, be well, stay well, and don't forget to donate to the earthquake victims!
Sincerely,
Marley Sue