SOPA/PIPA Blackouts
Several websites have gone dark (or partially dark) today in protest of the SOPA/PIPA legislation before the U.S. Congress.
Google is participating. As well as Wikipedia with a link to their articles about SOPA/PIPA.
The most visited blog on the Internet – Whatever by John Scalzi – went dark as well.
I’ve signed the petition and e-mailed my representatives. Have you?
Recipe Test and Review: Chef Meg’s Loaded Potato Soup
I needed to use the rest of my organic russet potatoes purchased while Rachelle visited us. Terry suggested potato soup, so I went searching for a new potato soup recipe, one with fewer calories (for me … Terry needs to put on weight so he can really load it down with cheese and bacon). I found one at SparkPeople, created by their Chef Meg Galvin called her Loaded Potato Soup.
Her prep time of fifteen minutes turned into my prep time of forty-five minutes, but I don’t have the benefit of years of knife skills honed to perfection on the culinary cutting board of her career. I did learn the proper way to cut an onion, thanks to several online knife skills videos.
I got my large saucepan out to heat up and began following her instructions. I did great until I reached the part where I was to add the spices. I had not laid out my non-vegetable ingredients before I started cooking, so I looked up at a partial list of ingredients on the recipe web page (partial because I had scrolled down to read the directions and the first half of the ingredients rolled out of sight off the top of the page). The pepper listed last was cayenne (a quarter teaspoon) which I immediately added to my saucepan. Then I needed to add the thyme, and I had to scroll back up to find out how much. When I found it, I realized the ingredient immediately preceding the thyme was black pepper. So, I had just mistakenly added the cayenne pepper where I should have added a half teaspoon of black pepper. Argh!.
I quickly read further through the directions and realized the cayenne was added, almost like a garnish, after you remove the bay leaf. I shrugged and added the black pepper, thyme and bay leaf, since there was nothing I could do about the cayenne pepper at this point. The rest of the process went without further mishap.
I simmered the soup for more than the suggested thirty minutes (probably more like forty-five minutes). I did not opt to add the corn nor the lettuce. And, rather than getting my blender dirty just to puree the soup, I used a mashed potato masher utensil instead.
I filled two bowls with the soup and crumbled turkey bacon over both of them. I added a handful of colby jack cheese to Terry’s bowl, but left my dairy-free. The soup had a bit of a kick, both from the yellow bell pepper and, I suspect, the too early application of the cayenne. But, both Terry and I cleaned our bowls.
I will probably try this recipe again, now that I am familiar with the process and can refine it for our palettes.
Movie Review: Point Blank (2010)
Point Blank (2010)
3.5/4 out of 5 stars
Summary from IMDB: Samuel Pierret (Gilles Lellouche) is a nurse who saves the wrong guy — a thief (Roschdy Zem) whose henchmen take Samuel’s pregnant wife (Elena Anaya) hostage to force him to spring their boss from the hospital. A race through the subways and streets of Paris ensues, and the body count rises. Can Samuel evade the cops and the criminal underground and deliver his beloved to safety?
I added this film to my Netflix streaming queue yesterday morning because after reviewing the DirecTV guide for Sunday the 15th, I could not find anything worth watching. Initially, I did not fully grasp the fact that the movie was filmed in France and had English subtitles. This did not put me off, though, as most action movies tend to have less dialog and I read very fast. Being able to pause and rewind also helps get the entire experience (not just the read dialog, but the body language of the actors).
That being said, this film impressed me. The story, the action, the stunts, even the acting, were every bit as good as movies made in Hollywood. In fact, it outshone many of those. This is by no means a ‘new’ twist on the ‘old’ crime thriller. It had all the usual suspects: organized crime henchmen and bosses, dedicated detectives and their bad apples (corrupt cops), innocent bystanders who push the moral envelope to ransom their kidnapped loved ones. Tons of tension and thrills abounded and I had no trouble staying riveted to the screen.
Lower Sixties in Mid-January … Unreal
I work up early Sunday morning. Nothing unusual for me, really, I try to wake up at the same time every morning, regardless of whether I work or not. I flipped on the Wii to do my morning weigh in. I’ve discovered in the last couple of weeks that contrary to my own belief, I eat less on weekends than weekdays. Perhaps because I’m more busy or distracted by housework and errands or fun stuff (like the benefit concert Saturday night). I am steadily losing the pounds, slowly but surely (or safely as both the Wii Fit Plus program and SparkPeople website reassure me). I decided to adjust my Yoga and Training routine to shorten it, with a goal to do roughly fifteen minutes every morning after my weigh-in. I’m finding it very easy to insert my cardio into my daily routine. It’s the strength training that’s tougher (in more ways than one).
Since I thought Terry had had a rough night with no sleep since he crawled into bed after five in the morning, I let him sleep and opted to attend church remotely via WFC‘s online campus. The lead teach pastor started a new sermon series last week urging us all to know Jesus (as opposed to knowing about Jesus). The second sermon of the series focused on Jesus as Creator. My notes haven’t made it online yet at my other blog, but will sometime today. Our plan had been to attend church at WFC’s Speedway campus, which just happens to take place inside the Legends 14 Theater. We prefer the praise band that leads worship there and had hoped to take in ‘We Bought a Zoo‘ at the first showing of the day. As I learned when Terry woke up around ten o’clock, we could have gone had I woken him up. But I did not know that he had actually slept most of the night in front of the television. Oh, well. We can still see the movie on Monday.
I started preparing the marinade for grilling our chicken. Since the temperature outside approached the unheard of lower sixties (in the middle of January in Kansas … beyond unbelievable), we decided to fire up the outside grill. Or rather I did. Terry supervised since he’s still only got the use of one arm for the next few weeks. After the chicken had marinated for over an hour, I placed it on the preheated grill and lamented not purchasing some asparagus while at the grocery store Saturday afternoon. Steamed broccoli and a spinach and baby spring mix salad would have to do. Thirty minutes of grilling later, we had perfectly cooked Honey Garlic Chicken to savor.
Terry and I had started watching a Christian movie I had sitting in our Netflix streaming queue while cooking lunch. The Encounter proved disappointing for me at least. Terry expected company to arrive soon after we finished, so I decided Roxy and I would go for a walk.
I walked at an easy, slow pace to accommodate her arthritis (and the fact that she hadn’t been walked since Rachelle returned to Texas last week). We crossed Main Street and headed west on West Mary Street, but rather than continuing west, I turned right on a newly re-installed access road that cut parallel to Main Street back north to Kansas Street, crossing over West Kay Street, and the house we rented prior to purchasing the home we now own on Bambi Street. We turned around at Kansas Street and decided to climb the hill back up to Main Street via the abandoned West Kay Street’s crumbling pavement (see photo above).
Roxy did very well walking on my left, even with cars and trucks whizzing by her not ten feet away. Of course, by that time, she just wanted to get back home and take a nap on the memory foam topper on the hideaway bed. She perked up and even pulled me most of the way home because she spied another woman with two dogs (one small dog and a medium-sized dog) about a block ahead of us. I even thought about taking both Roxy and Apollo to the dog park, but worried that Roxy always overdoes herself chasing after the little dogs and the younger ones. It usually takes her a day or two to recover from her dog park adventures.
After Terry’s friend departed, we sat down to watch another movie, this one a foreign film called ‘Point Blank.’ I liked it and did not realize that French films could be just as good as an action flick produced in the States. A good story (if predictable) but better than average acting (even having to read English subtitles). I’ll write a separate review later today.
For dinner, Terry wanted to use the last of the chicken pot pie filling and gravy. I had another tube of croissants (of a different type) so I improvised some turnovers by placing the filling (without any extra gravy) in one triangle and placing a second triangle of pastry over it and pinching the edges together. I had enough filling for four turnovers. I popped them in the oven for twenty minutes at 375 degrees and warmed up the gravy when I took them out of the oven. Not bad. For our after dinner movie, we watched the re-broadcast of the Hallmark Channel’s most recently original film: ‘A Taste of Romance‘ – better than average and a bit of a tear jerker a couple of times.
I checked my e-mail and social networking sites before heading off to bed, noting that before dawn on Monday I had an interesting conjunction of moon, planet and star I could witness. I stepped outside this morning, first through my front door (but couldn’t see the moon at all from that vantage point), then out my back patio door and looked directly south. And what did I see? The same exact thing displayed in the graphic to the right. Saturn, the quarter crescent moon and the star Spica. Sadly, I couldn’t locate my binoculars nor did I have my tripod available (it’s in the trunk of the car). Not that attempting to photograph the moon (always too bright a light source) with the dimmer planet and star in the same from would have resulted in any post-worthy photographs. A grand sight to behold first thing in the today on such a clear, still, not-quite cold morning in mid-January.
Honey Garlic Grilled Chicken
First, the marinade:
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 mashed garlic cloves
2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Now, what to marinade? We used four chicken thighs, but you can just as easily use other chicken parts or even eggplant (something my daughter would love). We placed the chicken thighs in a rectangular plastic dish (one with a tight sealing lid) and added all the marinade. We shook it up a bit to even distribute the liquid and then placed the container back in the meat drawer of the refrigerator for about an hour.
A stiff south breeze brought almost balmy temperatures (lower sixties), so rather than broiling the chicken, we fired up the outdoor grill. Thirty minutes later we had perfectly grilled chicken. We complemented the meat with a baby spinach and spring mix leafy green salad and a steamed fresh broccoli head (trimmed to just the florets and broken into bite size pieces). A slice of my fresh baked honey wheat bread rounded out a delicious Sunday lunch.
Sadly, we were so eager to eat our freshly grilled chicken that I neglected to take any photographs. I did, however, remember to add this recipe in my Spark recipe box, so I have the all-important nutritional information.
We will definitely be making this again.
Movie Review: The Encounter (2010)
The Encounter (2010)
2.5 out of 5 stars
Contrived and over-the-top preachy. Yes, I know, it’s a Christian film so it’s supposed to be that. But I disagree. It could have been much better. It barely rose above the level of what I would see performed at a local church as a liturgical drama. I guess I just prefer a subtler approach and something that reaches people where the are right now with a bit more real world. You can still tell a great story and send your audience home with a message, without giving them a concussion (from the two-by-four of theology or Bible quotations you hit them over head with).
Classic and Southern Rock Rolled Through Local Benefit Concert
Sean, Terry and I ventured downtown Saturday evening to listen to several local bands perform in a benefit concert at the American Legion hall to help raise funds for Sara Warren. Wolfguard‘s lead guitarist, Steve Bequette, had reunited with former band mates to play a couple of sets as the old Junction Box band. Other local bands included Silas Dogan and Southern Reign. I must apologize for the blurriness of the two photos I took last night with my cell phone. If I’d been thinking, I would have brought my good Canon digital camera along to get back shots.
We were fashionably late, arriving just as Junction Box finished setting up their equipment. We missed hearing the Silas Dogan band, but enjoyed hearing Junction Box cover ‘Takin’ Care of Business’ (BTO), ‘Dreams’ (Molly Hatchett), ‘Gimme Three Steps’ (Lynard Skynard), ‘Three ‘Whiskey in a Bottle’ and other classic and southern rock favorites.
Between sets (Junction Box switched out the percussionist and bassist once each), raffle prizes were drawn. I had purchased a few tickets when we arrived, but didn’t expect to win anything. The third ticket drawn happened to be one of the ones I’d purchased, so I retrieved a nice golf or polo shirt sporting ‘Effen Vodka’ on one sleeve. Being a medium, I handed it to Terry.
After Junction Box wrapped up, Southern Reign took the stage again, but not before local guitar legend Eric Gassen (current project the Edge of Forever tribute band) treated us to a song that’s primarily a guitar solo … Nugent’s Stranglehold (also the first song I ever heard Terry play on his Ibanez Artist). Eric borrowed Steve’s guitar and Line 6 pedal while Southern Reign’s guitarist, bassist and percussionist provided the backup.
Southern Reign closed out the concert with a short set including ‘Can’t You See’ (Marshall Tucker Band), ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey), and ‘I’m the Only One’ (by Leavenworth’s very own Melissa Etheridge). Terry and I left, waving goodbye to the band, as they performed the last song of the evening ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ (Guns & Roses).
A few minutes later, we were on the road, headed south through Leavenworth and Lansing. Once back in the house, I removed the present my daughter and her boyfriend gave me for Christmas: opal earrings. Opals are my birthstone, since I’m an October baby.
We had a good time listening to some local Leavenworth talent and hopefully helped ease the burden for Sara Warren.
The Evening of Friday the Thirteenth
Good old Murphy messed with my Friday workday. Too many meetings, deadlines, herding of cats, things of that nature. Nothing catastrophic occurred, but much absurdity reigned. I fairly ran to the van when my time came to leave work and head home to enjoy a long three-day weekend (my last paid holiday until Memorial Day in May). As I drove west, I wondered if the sunset would blossom into something interesting, but true to form, as I arrived home, I entered the house and completely forgot about sunsets or clouds or moons or stars.
Terry had called me earlier in the afternoon and expressed his desire to have a fire in the fireplace. The wicked north wind had been blowing incessantly for a couple of days, leaving our great room feeling chill. I rearranged some furniture safely away from the fireplace and then started carrying in armloads of wood. Since we hadn’t had any fires for over a year, the wood in the wood pile was very light and dry. I did not anticipate having any trouble starting the fire.
While the split logs began to crackle, Terry and I defrosted the remaining filling from the chicken pot pies we’d made earlier in the week. Rather than making a crust from scratch (like I normally would), we opted to use a tube of refrigerated ready-to-bake croissants instead. Even though it took less time, we both preferred my pastry, mostly because the croissants were too sweet.
The MGM channel aired the movie Valkyrie last night, which we recorded while making dinner. We started watching the movie while we ate our improvised chicken pot pies. Even though we saw this in the theatre back in 2008, I always enjoy rewatching a movie at home, where I can pause and scrutinize a scene or a frame meticulously. As an example, I loved the detailed recreation of the interior of Hitler’s Berghof home in the Bavarian Alps, none of which survived the end of World War II. And except for Tom Cruise (who has never been a favorite actor of mine), the international cast of characters delivered outstanding performances. We reluctantly stopped watching at the one hour thirty-five minute mark so I could get my cardio workout done before I got too sleepy. I did much better at Rhythm Boxing, but I still can’t beat Terry’s score on Advanced Step.
I fed the fire for a couple of hours, but eventually Terry warmed up enough that I could let it die down to coals. A pleasant evening and a great way to start the weekend.
Friday the Thirteenth Eve
I said goodbye to my daughter early Thursday morning because by the time I returned home from work, she would be waiting to board her plane at KCI. She did send me a couple of photos of the sunset. She brought the warm Texas winter temperatures with her in late December, and now as she flies south for the rest of the winter, she seems to be taking those milder temperatures with her, at least for one day. When I got in the van this morning, the thermometer registered barely ten degrees.
I came home to an empty house. Roxy couldn’t be bothered to stir from the hideaway bed and Apollo wouldn’t budge for Roxy’s dog bed on the floor. My dad called me about the sunset, as he and Terry were returning from KCI through Platte City and Leavenworth. While I was on the phone with him, my daughter sent me the above photo text message. No sooner than I hung up with dad, than Rachelle called to ask if I’d received her photos. So, I got to speak with her one last time before she boarded the plane. I asked her to call me as soon as she landed at Love Field in Dallas.
Terry made it home safely (this was the first time he’d driven himself since before his surgery in late December). Roxy perked up as did Apollo but neither Terry nor I could be bothered with cooking dinner. We opted for a quick supper at Pizza Hut, which was deserted. Terry ordered honey barbecue boneless wings and I ordered a thin crust Hawaiian personal pan sized pizza (of which I only ate two slices). We were back home by 6:45, ten minutes before Rachelle’s flight was scheduled to take off.
While I did my Wii Fit fitness routine, Terry returned a call to a friend who had left him a voice-mail message while he was driving back from the airport. Terry retired to the band room while I beat his score on Advanced Step and improved my Island Cycling and tried Rhythm Boxing for the first time.
We sat down to watch the latest Bones episode and got about halfway through it when Rachelle called me. It was only 8:10 p.m. (her flight was scheduled to land at 8:35). Obviously, the north wind helped send her back to Texas. Terry and I finished watching Bones and then the Rotts and I retired for the night. They both wanted to be near me because they already missed Rachelle, just like Terry and I do.
May is so far away. That’s the next time I’ll see her, when she performs her senior recital and graduates from the University of North Texas.