So as to not bore my (5) regular readers with the agony & ecstasy of my 1/2 marathon training I've created an alternate blog for that. Check out the link in the sidebar to hear about my blisters & cramps as I struggle to cross that finish line.
To all of you who said "count on me for a donation" - I'm counting on you! Feel free to click the link below or in the sidebar to make a secure online tax-deductible donation.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
I'm nuts
On May 6 (two days before my 36 bday) I will run the Avenue of the Giants 1/2 marathon in Humboldt. I'm doing this with the help of Team In Training They train me so I can be in shape for the run. My promise is to raise at least $2,200 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to support blood cancer research. Funds raised go toward the cure of leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Check back often to hear about my journey. If you'd like to support me please click on the link to
Donate Now
Wish me luck!
I run in honor of them...
My dad:
Vanessa (click to read her story:
If you have a family member or a friend you want me to honor as I train please send me their name!
Donate Now
Wish me luck!
I run in honor of them...
My dad:
Vanessa (click to read her story:
If you have a family member or a friend you want me to honor as I train please send me their name!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Guiness!
Watch this short film called Useless Dog (click here to watch) These will be the best five minutes of your day. Be patient through the credits to see a cutie-pie.
Perhaps this hits a bit close to home as Guiness could be Granite's twin (not due to coloration but by personality)
Enjoy
Perhaps this hits a bit close to home as Guiness could be Granite's twin (not due to coloration but by personality)
Enjoy
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
That Which Does Not Kill Me...
Should only make me stronger? Right? Please say yes. I've made the commitment to run The Avenue of the Giants 1/2 Marathon After tonight's informational meeting I'll begin the training. From tomorrow through May 6 I will be "a runner". That makes me cringe. I hate running. Honestly, have you ever seen a runner that looked like they were having fun?
But I also hate being the lazy slug I've become. I ran cross country in high school - was in great shape & had amazing calves (calfs?) I hope to regain some of that old physique.
Once I accomplish the goal I think I'll join Hash House Harriers That seems to be more my style. Run until you find beer!
I'll keep you posted.
But I also hate being the lazy slug I've become. I ran cross country in high school - was in great shape & had amazing calves (calfs?) I hope to regain some of that old physique.
Once I accomplish the goal I think I'll join Hash House Harriers That seems to be more my style. Run until you find beer!
I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
World On Fire
Last month I spent the day with a group of teens talking about the UN's Millenium Development Goals. Our focus of the day was: extreme poverty. Our first project was to creat toiletry bags for distribution to the guests at the church hosting "Warm Winter Nights" - the church provides shelter & meals to homeless who need a place to stay during the winter. We sorted donations of hotel sized items and made 87 toiletry kits. Our next project was an assembly line to make a meal for 8 called "Love Soup". We layered the dry soup ingredients into jars, decorated the tops & tied on the instructions for cooking. By the end of the 2 hours we had prepared 786 healthy heary meals. It was amazing how simple the projects were and how easy it was to help those in need.
Before we celebrated the Eucharist we watched Sarah McLachlan's video: World On Fire (click to watch). Rather than make a fancy MTV type video she sat in a chair, played her guitar & sang. The $150K that could have been spent on production was sent around the world to those in need. Here is alink to the complete list of donations she made
That day left me inspired to do more. I'd love to hear about what you do to make the world a better place. Feel free to comment.
Before we celebrated the Eucharist we watched Sarah McLachlan's video: World On Fire (click to watch). Rather than make a fancy MTV type video she sat in a chair, played her guitar & sang. The $150K that could have been spent on production was sent around the world to those in need. Here is alink to the complete list of donations she made
That day left me inspired to do more. I'd love to hear about what you do to make the world a better place. Feel free to comment.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Happy Timm
Granite took control over all the xmas toys. After a day of her desctuction Timm finally got to enjoy one squeaky toy for a few minutes.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
For the record - I STILL BELIEVE!
This is a true story copied from the blog of my friend Chicken & Waffles (click on the link for the full story)
I believed in Santa Claus until I was 12 years old. It seems incredible now, but yes, I admit it. My parents were so accomplished in perpetuating a myth in such elaborate fashion that my brother and I were outright believers, even when we were on the threshold of adolescence."
Friday, December 15, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
IN-N-OUT Burger
In addition to the
Not So Secret Menu Items for IN-N-OUT Burger if you ask the counter employee for a map you'll get a wallet sized fol-up of all the In-N-Outs so you'll never be lost again!
Next time you're at In-N-Out (i.e. tomorrow . . . or maybe tonight), order a bag of these off-the-menu specials - they will appear on the receipt by name too!:
"3-by-3" = three meat patties and three slices of cheese.
"4-by-4" = four meat patties and four slices of cheese.
"2-by-4" = two meat patties and four slices of cheese.
*Note: You can get a burger with as many meat patties or cheese slices as you want. Just tell the In-N-Out Burger cashier how many meat patties and how much cheese you want and that is what you'll get! For instance, if you want 6 pieces of meat and 10 pieces of cheese tell them you want a "6-by-10."
"Double Meat" = like a Double Double without cheese.
"3 by Meat" = three meat patties and no cheese.
"Animal Style" = the meat is cooked and fried with mustard and then pickles are added, extra spread and grilled onions are added.
"Animal Style Fries" = fries with cheese, spread, grilled onions and pickles (if you ask for them).
"Protein Style" = for all you low-carbohydrate dieters, this is a burger with no bun (wrapped in lettuce).
"Flying Dutchman" = two meat patties, two slices of melted cheese and nothing else - not even a bun!
Fries "Well-Done" = extra crispy fries . . . even better than the regular!
Fries "Light" = opposite of fries well-done, more raw than most people like 'em
"Grilled Cheese" = no meat, just melted cheese, tomato, lettuce and spread on a bun.
"Veggie Burger" = burger without the patty or cheese. Sometimes we call this the "Wish Burger."
"Neapolitan" Shake = strawberry, vanilla and chocolate blended together.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Christmas Ideas
Welcome to the Oakland Zoo
What a great idea for giving the gift to that someone who has everything - support your local zoo!
Give the gift for ANIMAL ENRICHMENT
WHAT IS ENRICHMENT?
Enrichment is a term that describes a vast array of activities provided for captive wildlife. These activities can stimulate natural behaviors, such as scent marking, aggressive posturing, vocalizations or play behavior. Enrichment activities increase natural behavior and improve quality of life.
Enrichment activities can be a number of things. From spraying perfume on logs to get lions to scratch, rub or scent mark, to highly complex, computer run, random, mechanical food dispensers that simulate hunting. Some animals are offered live fish to catch in pools, others receive “puzzle feeders” to lengthen the time they spend feeding. Many activities are put on a schedule, and rotated to retain their novelty. This keeps the game fun. Other activities just need to be time consuming, and give the animal work or purpose.
Variety is the key to providing satisfying activities. Introducing new scents, objects, sounds and tastes keep the animals stimulated, and interested in their environment. This not only creates a healthier animal, but provides our zoo guests with a more educational experience. Enrichment can provide the opportunity to watch giraffe use it’s 18-inch, prehensile( grabbing) tongue to obtain food from a puzzle feeder, and you will have observed how a giraffe browses in Africa!
How do we come up with activity ideas? This is where knowing the animals is important. The keepers are often the ones to create new plans, based on both the natural history of the species, and
knowing the individual animals themselves. You would not want to offer branches on ropes if an antelope will eat the rope- this could make them sick. Or, chimpanzees may like popsicles made with fruit and juice, but for a lion, you better make a BLOOD-sicle! Creativity and animal experience are a necessary combination for generating new enrichment activities.
ENRICHMENT WISH LIST
Things you may already have around the house:
Perfumes
Spices
Towels
Tennis balls
Raffia
Cornstalks
Large nuts in the shell
Cardboard baby books
Plastic garden toys (flamingoes)
Telephone books
Blankets
Things that can be purchased at most pet stores:
Kongs
Manufactured parrot toys
Jolly balls
Large catnip cat toys
Any horse toy
For more information contact Margaret Rousser at Margaret@oaklandzoo.org
What a great idea for giving the gift to that someone who has everything - support your local zoo!
Give the gift for ANIMAL ENRICHMENT
WHAT IS ENRICHMENT?
Enrichment is a term that describes a vast array of activities provided for captive wildlife. These activities can stimulate natural behaviors, such as scent marking, aggressive posturing, vocalizations or play behavior. Enrichment activities increase natural behavior and improve quality of life.
Enrichment activities can be a number of things. From spraying perfume on logs to get lions to scratch, rub or scent mark, to highly complex, computer run, random, mechanical food dispensers that simulate hunting. Some animals are offered live fish to catch in pools, others receive “puzzle feeders” to lengthen the time they spend feeding. Many activities are put on a schedule, and rotated to retain their novelty. This keeps the game fun. Other activities just need to be time consuming, and give the animal work or purpose.
Variety is the key to providing satisfying activities. Introducing new scents, objects, sounds and tastes keep the animals stimulated, and interested in their environment. This not only creates a healthier animal, but provides our zoo guests with a more educational experience. Enrichment can provide the opportunity to watch giraffe use it’s 18-inch, prehensile( grabbing) tongue to obtain food from a puzzle feeder, and you will have observed how a giraffe browses in Africa!
How do we come up with activity ideas? This is where knowing the animals is important. The keepers are often the ones to create new plans, based on both the natural history of the species, and
knowing the individual animals themselves. You would not want to offer branches on ropes if an antelope will eat the rope- this could make them sick. Or, chimpanzees may like popsicles made with fruit and juice, but for a lion, you better make a BLOOD-sicle! Creativity and animal experience are a necessary combination for generating new enrichment activities.
ENRICHMENT WISH LIST
Things you may already have around the house:
Perfumes
Spices
Towels
Tennis balls
Raffia
Cornstalks
Large nuts in the shell
Cardboard baby books
Plastic garden toys (flamingoes)
Telephone books
Blankets
Things that can be purchased at most pet stores:
Kongs
Manufactured parrot toys
Jolly balls
Large catnip cat toys
Any horse toy
For more information contact Margaret Rousser at Margaret@oaklandzoo.org
Monday, December 04, 2006
Roman Catholic Priest Calendar 2007
Click here to order your Calendario Romano 2007 - Roman Priest Calendar 2007
Talk about a nice icon! Is this the Catholic church's new evangelism tool?
Here's a sample:
Talk about a nice icon! Is this the Catholic church's new evangelism tool?
Here's a sample:
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Diversion Magazine - For Physicians at Leisure
Since JL works in magazine publishing I know there is something for everyone. So why was I "shocked" to find thisDiversion Magazine - For Physicians at Leisure while waiting for my doctor yesterday? Wow!
An entire subscription magazine that "features information on travel and other lifestyle subjects, medical meetings, and physician volunteer opportunities. For additional stories on these topics as well as on food, cars, sports, the arts and more, see Diversion magazine, the number one guide to the good life for physicians."
Can't they just read Travel or Sunset or watch Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. Do they really need their own magazine?
An entire subscription magazine that "features information on travel and other lifestyle subjects, medical meetings, and physician volunteer opportunities. For additional stories on these topics as well as on food, cars, sports, the arts and more, see Diversion magazine, the number one guide to the good life for physicians."
Can't they just read Travel or Sunset or watch Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. Do they really need their own magazine?
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