Saturday, August 16, 2008

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

mini-pin design contest!

I just started a mini-pin design contest for "Yes! on 2" You can join my group on Facebook here:

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26677883178&ref=mf


or just send your submissions to terribleshy@gmail.com

I'm going to pick ten of the best designs and produce the buttons myself in September. At that time I'll post information on how to get a bunch yourself to sport around town and hand out to hipster teenagers. They love mini-pins like whoa. (Who am I kidding, IIII love mini pins!)

no design or slogan will be used without permission, so please put in your email submission that you give your permission for me to reproduce your idea on a mini-pin.

thanks!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

the potential for class action



So anyone is welcome to take me to task on this, or offer their own opinion, but I really feel like Netflix members who do not have a Windows computer should get a discount on their service.

I've been a Netflix member for a few years now, and I find that I go through these cycles, where I'm watching a lot of movies (I'm usually single during this cycle, or poor, or a combination of the two) or not really watching them at all. But I really honestly feel like, and other friends on Netflix agree, that if I were able to watch movies instantly on my computer and not wait for them in the mail, my usage would go through the roof!

I realize that Netflix is working to resolve the issue and cater to their Mac constituency, but I just don't think they should get away with charging me the same monthly fee as PC members who I know in my bones are getting triple the Netflix fun that I'm getting.

Just because I have the option to put some Windows platform program on my Mac shouldn't release Netflix from their responsibility to me to offer me the same value that PC users get for the same price. I don't want to put some crappy Windows program runner like Boot Camp on my computer. I feel like Windows is the devil, and will eat my computer alive. I cannot be convinced otherwise. I have a (perhaps) irrational fear of Windows trashing apart my beloved little Powerbook that I can't afford to replace.

I know, I know. A small little insignificant nuance of daily life, trite really in the grand scheme of things. But what about that guy who sued Airborne? Not that I'm terribly interested in suing any corporations, but isn't this kind of illustrative (on a tiny scale) of why we're in this big economic jumble right now?

Okay, so maybe not. But I'm sure you feel me. Especially if you're scared of PCs.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

missing eyes

I can't find my glasses, which means I can drive and work and brush my hair but I can't read very easily. So I've not read a thing in over two weeks, except for work emails.
How did I lose my eyes??

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Super Fat Tuesday

I loved this New York Times article about Super Tuesday, because it's kind of how I feel. I had to go to a few (yes, a few) different polling places this morning before I got to put in my two cents. Add placing-a-provisional-ballot-and-my-vote-being-pointless-fear to my list of irrational fears.

Also, I just had my first first culture shock in a couple years when I tried to explain Fat Tuesday to my Californian co-workers. So in honor of my Eastern/Irishness I'm putting in a recipe for Polish Paczki (people in Detroit call them poonch-key, which I am sure is correct but I'm like, incapable of saying it that way and so always murder the pronunciation.) Yes, they're Polish but I'm telling you, in my experience Irish-American Catholics are also way down.



Ingredients:

1 ½ cups milk
2 envelopes yeast
1 tsp. Salt
½ cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. mace or ½ tsp. Nutmeg
½ cup butter or margarine
4 ½ cups flour
Procedure:

Scald milk and allow it to cool to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in milk.
Add sugar and butter and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, salt, and flavoring.
Add flour and milk gradually, mixing well.
Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 2 ½ hours).
Punch down, knead, and let rise again for about 1 hour.
Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead.
Pinch off balls of dough about 1 ½” in diameter.
Deep fry in very hot oil, turning when needed. Fry until dark brown, or it won’t be cooked through.
Let cool and fill.


Filling:

You will need a pastry bag (bought cheaply at most stores…even dollar stores) with a long nozzle. Fill the bag with either jelly or the custard recipe below:

Ingredients:

½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup flour
1 ½ cup milk
6 large egg yolks
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
Pinch of salt


Procedure:

In a saucepan, mix sugar and flour together.
Gradually whisk in milk, egg yolks, vanilla, and salt.
Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for one minute, whisking constantly.
Strain through a sieve into a bowl to get out the clumps.
Press plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a film from forming. Chill for 30 minutes.
When chilled, place in pastry bag and fill Paczki.


Glaze:

Mix 2 ½ cups powdered sugar and 2 tblsp. honey. Add water until consistency is rather thick. Too much water and it will be runny. You want the glaze to stay on the Paczki as much as possible.,Spoon onto the Paczki and enjoy.