Daily DeMo : chutney, a TAF, and olives

Daily DeMo :: Edition 40
January 16 - 22, 2010

DD295 :: Saturday - Some chairty organization presidents get $300K. You can see how your favorite charity distributes money by going to charitynavigator.org.

DD296 :: Sunday - I learned how chutney is made. I'd never had it before, and I had no idea what it was. Jenn and Heather did a great job hosting friends for lunch!

DD297 :: Monday - I learned how to read the weather forecast in airplane language. (Technically, it's called a TAF.) For instance,

FM182200 09005KT 5SM BR SCT015 means that the best the weather will get on this day, the 18th day of the month {18}, is at 2200 zulu (4 PM) {2200}, Wind at 90 degrees at 5 knots {09005KT}, 5 miles visibility {5SM} and scattered clouds at 1500 feet with a "baby rain" (mist) {BR} If you want to figure all that out on your own, you can go here.

Who thinks of this stuff???

DD297.1 - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is one of the best books that I've read in a really long time.

DD298 :: Tuesday - It's way more fun to slap on some stamps and snail mail a book to a friend than it is to personally deliver it.

DD299 :: Wednesday - Spain produces 36% of the world's olives. Why do I know that? Because I was looking for an environmental brochure and found an online magazine about olives. Oh the places you'll go thanks to Google.

DD300 :: Thursday - Human bed warmers! I'm not so sure that this will take off in the U.S. Most of the opinions that I've heard are that electric blankets will do the job, and having someone else in the bed first is kind of gross.

DD301 :: Friday - Andi explains how France only has major sales twice a year because they are regulated by the government. As a result, they shop more for quality over quantity.

DD301.1 - G.I. Jesus? What do you think about this?

Daily DeMo : Overdue for an Update

I'm watching Biggest Loser, and totally wouldn't mind that Aussie cutie Curtis Stone being in my kitchen cooking (and don't you love his scripted "homemade" tshirt?). It's a good thing that I don't have anyone counting on me to make a good meal (yet) because I am capable of cooking, but tonight's dinner was one of those that I made for the first time, didn't have all ingredients, had to improvise and made something "edible but doesn't look like it". And that's why I'm not sharing a picture of it with you. :)

On to the fun!

Daily DeMo :: Edition: Overdue
January 9 - 15, 2010

DD287 :: Saturday - I learned how to boil lobster from watching Julie & Julia.

DD289 :: Sunday - I met someone who works for a magazine in Wichita and we got to talk about printing presses, page signatures, Pantone colors... I was nearly in heaven. Oh, I even learned some stuff about the printing presses.

DD290 :: Monday - I learned something new about HTML templates in Dreamweaver, that they do exist, and that they are something that will save me lots of time if I use them.

DD291 - The Bachelor is just a big load of drama for ABC's ratings. But I still watch...

DD291 :: Tuesday - Gmail will let you have up to 100 emails in a conversation. Then it changes the subject to "Re: (subject)"

DD292 :: Wednesday - Google's not censoring Islam

DD292.1 - Haiti is devastated by the earthquake. I read up on how the earthquake happened and which plates were moving around. I already knew some of how the plates move, but wanted to see for myself just how close PAP was to the epicenter.

DD292.2 - My sister is having identical twin boys!

DD293 :: Thursday - Tonight I hung out with my friend Janel and learned a couple of stories that she probably doesn't want me to share with you. ;) I also learned how to care for an amaryllis plant that, unfortunately, I think might be dead. :(

DD294 :: Friday - I learned that my legs will be in pain when I run almost 3 miles, then go bowling, then go dancing at Margarita's in a span of about 6 hours. Ouch.

Currently in (mid)January

January is here, and I'm a little bit behind. I can't believe we're already into the second week of a new year.

Current Book(s): I have four that I'm working on currently. Who knows when I'll finally finish them all: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; The Road; and The Screwtape Letters.

Current Playlist: I've been listening to grooveshark lately where I can make my own playlists, which include Lady Antebellum, Owl City, Rob Thomas, Wicked, Newsies...

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: The Bachelor. It's on. It's reality TV. It's staged. But it's entertaining.

Current Drink: Water. Not so exciting, but oh-so-healthy.

Current Food: Chicken tortilla soup. I made some for my parents the other night and I'm still feasting on the leftovers.

Current Favorite Show: Glee!

Current Wishlist: Nicer weather or warmer running clothes.

Current Needs: Groceries. I haven't been home long enough to get organized and go to the store.

Current Triumphs: Updating my blog. ;) I've been absent lately doing everything but updating, and I'm on my way back.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Stuff in my apartment that needs to find a permanent home. This includes a set of rollerblades, size 8, and a very lovingly used golf bag with extra shoulder strap.


Current Celebrity Crush: Gerard Butler. Lovable guitar-playing Irish hotness in P.S. I Love You. 12-pack hotness in 300. Mysteriousness in Phantom.

Hello, Handsome

Current Indulgence: Oreos & milk. I eat too many, too often. I'm sure that soon I will tire of them for a while, but they're here now.

Current Blessing(s): Being able to see God's hand in creation. The narcissus bulbs that I planted last week greet me with new growth every time I come home. It's fascinating to me that a bulb without soil will just stay a bulb. But when you add water + soil, a miracle happens.

Current Outfit: Jeans and comfy tshirts. And a hoodie when I'm not worried about the need to impress anyone (or ending up on WNTW).

Current Excitement: A new year with new things to learn.

Current Mood: Tired and trying to relax, but the knots in my shoulders think differently.

Current Link: www.ihategreenbeans.com Hilarious commentary on every episode of The Bachelor.

Daily DeMo : InDesign Edition

The Daily DeMo : Edition 38
January 2 - 8, 2010

DD280 :: Saturday - Denim & Diamonds turns from a country bar into a club at approximately 1:20, unfortunately. Even though there is a rock bar right next door that plays that same music. Other than that, I like it.

DD281 :: Sunday - The smell of cigarette smoke does not seem to wash out after the first shower. Or maybe the smell is just stuck in my nose.

DD282 :: Monday - In InDesign, if text is grouped together or grouped with another object when you create outlines, it will shift the text around.

DD283 :: Tuesday - InDesign has been doubling the file size of my stuff. It's been saving a preview of every page as a jpeg so that it's easier to view in programs like Adobe Bridge. That means the file size can be HUGE. So all you have to do is uncheck the box about previews when you're in the Save options.


DD284 :: Wednesday - Spray-on truck bedliner takes 2 minutes to cure and then it's ready to go.

DD285 :: Thursday - I learned that going to Caffe Moderne (my fave) on a night when it's 0* windchill will get you great service because you are one of only 6 crazies who decided to eat out that night.

DD286 :: Friday - Working on one project for 3 days in a row is EXHAUSTING.

Daily DeMo : A Wits & Wagers hint

Daily DeMo : Edition 37

December 26, 2009 - January 1, 2010

DD274 :: Saturday - Even though the year is 2010, it really isn't a new decade yet. The new decade won't start until January 1, 2011.

DD275 :: Sunday - Grandpa's worst Christmas memory was when my uncle got a bicycle and grandpa was teaching him how to ride it. Grandma was crying because the bicycle was too big for him. We later learned that she was actually crying because grandpa ran my uncle into the fence.

DD276 :: Monday - 236 episodes of FRIENDS aired through all seasons. (This is a help to you if you ever play Wits and Wagers!)

DD278 :: Tuesday - In the Philippines, on one of the islands, it's split muslim/communist. If you go there, you want to go on the communist side.

DD279 :: Wednesday - Oprah's equivalent in China is a lady named Chen Luyu.

DD278 :: Thursday - Dancing in 3 inch heels for 3 hours is a bit painful but so.much.fun.

DD278.1 - A blue moon happens once every 2.7 years. There was a blue moon this month, and also a lunar eclipse. I missed the eclipse because it was too cold for moon gazing. Btw, the next one will happen in December 2010.

DD279 :: Friday - The narcissus bulbs that I bought half price from target come with a disc if peat moss stuff that expands in water to be 6 times its size. Very cool!

DD279.1 - I had a drive mounted on my Wallace (my Macbook) that I couldn't get to work. All it requires when that happens is to relaunch the Finder.

Twenty-ten

Calendar from Cats Let Nothing Darken Their Roar