In Memory of Claire. A faithful and devoted best friend of Patty for 21 years.

I was sad yesterday afternoon as I watched the large group of people leaving for Mexico.  I so very much wanted to go with them.  They are bringing Christmas gifts to the children at Casa Hogar Elim, an annual thing started last year by Jeff Harrell.  We collect shoe boxes, fill them up with small age-appropriate toys and sugar-free candy, then wrap them up.  Now these gifts aren’t just for a boy, age 6, or a girl, age 10, there’s a package for each individual child with their name on it.  We can’t put bows on these boxes, as they would be crushed under the weight of all the supplies in the cars and vans.

There are so many people from our church that want to go to Casa Hogar, they don’t even need to advertise the trips.  If you’ve been there, you’re a walking billboard for CHE.  The Thanksgiving trip even had a waiting list this year.  The ‘regulars’ have gone so many times, they can’t even tell you how many trips they’ve made.  We love these kids, and for those of us whom visit often, these kids are our extended family.

You know the old saying, ‘you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family?’    I beg to differ.  I was thinking last night about family and friends, and all of the funny ways God placed them in my life.  God clearly has a sense of humor!

I moved into my house three years ago, although my kids didn’t start attending the local school until two years ago.  We live at the end of the street, walking distance from the elementary school.  I noticed a house that had some fun yard decor, more specifically, ‘little skeleton girl’.  She was out for Halloween, dressed in her hippie costume, but she stayed out for other holidays.  What!?  Could this be?  Could I really have a soul sister on my street?

I was intrigued.  Why did I think this was my soul sister?  I have a full size mannequin named Darla.  You can learn more about her on Facebook at facebook.com/luvplasticpeople.  Anyway, I wanted to meet little skeleton girl’s mom.  I did, and her name is Patty.

Patty loves to volunteer her time for great causes, so we cross paths quite a bit, not only walking down the street, but many other places.  Patty was at Victoria Gardens with me when I met Flo, the ghost of Christmas future.  I can’t wait to go to Casa Hogar with Patty!  I live in a great neighborhood, as it’s filled with fun, caring people like Patty.

As I said in yesterday’s post, I was an only child until my teen years.  I really don’t remember ever bugging my parents about wanting a baby brother or sister.  I don’t know if that’s because I didn’t want one or because I knew it was a horrible idea for my parents to have anymore children.  I guess God knew I needed some siblings, but decided to bring them in under different circumstances.  At the age of 14, I got a step brother, two step sisters, and soon after, a half brother.

The funny thing about this is my sister Jo.  We are not blood related at all, yet we are just alike.  Our beliefs, our personalities, our creativity… and the list goes on.  The more perplexing thing here is our kids.  My son Joe and her son Isaac, again, no genetic relation, not only look alike, but act alike.  Jo lives in Wisconsin, so we don’t get to see each other too often.  We were on vacation in Florida several years ago, Joe and Isaac both ’sitting’ on their heads on the sofa watching TV.  Jo says, “Look, Isaac taught Joe to do that.”  I replied, “What?  Joe’s been doing that for months.”  Both kids had been doing this separately for months.  And just for the record, they look alike right-side up too.

This next one isn’t as much humor funny as it is implausible funny.  Let me just start by saying it’s an extremely rare occasion when I can find anything good to say about my ex-husband.  The aftermath of an interaction with him frequently results in misery and relational mass destruction.

Dawn and Genna live near Kansas City, so we don’t get to see them very often.  Genna is my step-daughter and Dawn is her mother.  The boys and I took our family vacation up there this past summer and we had a blast!  Okay, I know what you’re thinking.  You probably think it’s odd that we’re friends, so this next statement will really throw you.  We consider ourselves family.  Yes, family.  You may not be able to choose your genetic family, but through love and friendship, you do choose your ‘preferred’ family.  One of the definitions of family is “a group of people who are generally not blood relations but who share common attitudes, interests, or goals…”   Yes, that’s us.  I’ve realized one thing this Christmas, one very big positive thing to say about the boys dad.  Without him, I would not have my boys, nor would I have Dawn and Genna.  As you can tell by the photo, they are obviously ‘related’, as they are a bunch of little camera junkies!  Genna is a very talented photographer and is doing an internship right now.  The boys like to make funny YouTube videos, a couple that have gone small-time viral.

God has brought many other people into my life in unexpected ways, from church and Facebook to a lady at church who accidentally door dinged my beat-up car.  I’ll take 100 of those kind of door dings!  Oh, wait, I have 100 door dings, but only one has a great story behind it.

So what does all of this have to do with Christmas?  This is the time of year when many people experience strong feelings of loneliness, seemingly endless despair and high levels of stress.  I’m no different, but as these feelings arise, I have this faint awareness of hope.  I appreciate my friends and family, realizing I don’t tell them that nearly enough.  I also appreciate you for taking the time to read my 25 days of Christmas blog.  :)

Ok Thursday on The Y&R was a turning point day .. This episode had a lot of things happen that could really shake up Genoa City (yet agaiN) I’ll run it down quickly  then i will tell  you  what’s   going   to happen..

Daniel   was released from prison on Bail due to the extra piece of Evidence that was found when Eden  found the Mysterious Gym bag back at the  dump.. Before leaving Daniel  thanked Billy who had been  his new cellmate since being locked up  for  contempt of  court. Daniel let Billy  know if there  was anything  he could  do  let  him  know.    Victoria then walks in after daniel has  left  and  gloats  about   how she is responsible  for  Billy  being  in jail and if  he messes with her again  it will  be worse.

Back at Crimson Lights   Amber and the gang  are  waiting for  Daniel’s  return with a small  welcome  home  party  that included kevin jana,chloe,chance  and a unexpected Jack  and Emily  as well  as weirdo Daisy ..  Phyllis  has  told deacon to take Amber and  leave town  and  he  will get  the cellphone  that  Phyllis found  at  the  dump.  Phyllis  sends Amber outside and deacon grabs Amber  and Forces her into  His  car

Jack  suprises  Emily with a skating  winter wonderland  as the 2 start  to  fall  for  each  other  more   and more

Turns  out Billy  is  released  same day  a few hours after  Daniel.Chloe has  gone  to  the judge  and released  the name  of  the informant to the  judge. Billy  is  back  at  restless  styles  Gloating  when  Victoria walks  in. Victoria  is shocked  to see Billy  out of  jail . Chloe is there letting  billy  think  it was his relentlessness that got  him  out of  jail. Victoria  Threatens to whipe  the  smile of f  his face  if  he ever crosses  her  again.

Best actor in  this  episode  Billy  Miller (Billy Abbot)If the Y&R are trying to create  that character  that  you  want  to just absolutely  kill? they  are succeeding. Miller  really  shined in this  episode as  the Smug and arrogant BillyAbbot. 

Best Actress   in  this  episode   Michelle  Stafford(Phyllis Newman)  Once again Stafford reminds  us  of why  she is one of the top 5 Actresses in daytime soaps today. Her portrayal of Phyllis is second to only   Susan Lucci. I actually see a lot of Lucci in stafford because  you now can never tell when phyllis  is  for  you  or against  you.

spoilers.. Is phyllis really  trying  to  get rid of Amber?or  is   this a setup?has Phyllis   really  accepted  Amber  as her daughter-In_Law?   ..This is  a set  up  by Phyllis

who  is  Daisy  what   does   she   want?  who  is  that  woman or man  watching Michael  and  Lauren?

Ryder may  or may  not be Kevin’s half  brother  but  he is  Daisy’s brother. Daisy’s  main  mission  when coming  here  was  to  get  close to  lauren. She  sent  the  rat  to  the  wedding  party, she  did not  send  the  Rat  to Fenmores  however  this  Woman who is in town and watching  Michael and Lauren  is both Ryder and Daisy’smother..Could it  be  The “S’word  back  with  her children?

“Patty Cakes” about  to Flip  her  lids  again.  Watch Patty  see a newspaper laying around  with a  picture of   Jack and “Dr P”in it  and she will  find out   that  Dr P  is  seeing  Jack  a man she will kill and kill  for .Patty  will   then  start  acting as  if  she  is getting  better  to  keep Emily  around,Die  her hair  and  watch   what  she does  to  Emily  as  she  escapes  and comes  back  to marry  Jack  on  the  day  he  is   to  marry  Emily.Yes!!jack proposes  to  Emily. It  will  be  Ryan and Victoria  all  over again.  as Patty  shows up  at  the wedding  and  marries  Jack in Emily’s  place..

This  is  Just like  the  Young & The Restless isn’t  it? Victoria got tied up and Ryan’s crazy  ex-wife  came down  the  aisle  in   Victoria’s Wedding   Dress.  Remember  Patty  is  identical   to  Emily. Watch  her  reak havoc on  Jack  and Emily and Emily winds  up dying  as Patty  is  finally hauled off  to jail  by  her  brother  Paul  who   this  time  does  not  fall   for   the “Patty cake”bit       Wow    Let’s  talk  about   this..

“

~ Patty ~

When we lived in Belgium, one of our favorite places was Brugge, the old medieval city not far from Brussels. One of the highlights was stopping for Belgian Waffles, or “Gaufres” as they were known in French.

I finally found a good recipe for them in “Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook.” (I adapted the recipe slightly, using all butter instead of half margarine and half butter.)

It’s a huge recipe, but they freeze well, and are a treasure to have on hand for afternoon tea/coffee or a breakfast/brunch treat. (I reheat them in the hot waffle iron for one minute. Toasting them would also work.) Traditionally they’re served with butter and powdered sugar, or topped with sliced fruit and whipped cream……..mmmmmm…..delicious!

Belgian Waffles

2 ounces fresh cake yeast, or 4 packages of active dry yeast

6 cups milk, warmed to 100 degrees F

6 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks) melted and cooled to lukewarm

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

8 cups all-purpose flour

6 large egg whites, beaten to soft peaks

1. Dissolve yeast in 1 cup of warm milk.

2. Whisk egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the remaining milk and melted butter. Add the yeast

mixture and sugar. Use a large bowl as dough will rise to double or triple in bulk.

3. Gradually stir the flour into the batter. Alternate additions of flour with the

remaining 4 1/2 cups milk. Stir with a wooden spoon after each addition.

4. Fold in beaten egg whites.

5. Cover with a clean towel and put in a warm place.* Let rise for 1 hour.

The batter should double or triple in volume. Stir it down once or twice if it gets out of hand.

6. Bake the waffles in a hot waffle iron. (I used a Belgian waffle iron.)

7. Serve the baked waffles with powdered sugar and butter, or whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Allow leftover waffles to cool before storing.

* Preheat oven to 200 degrees for 10 minutes and turn it off. Let the batter rise in the oven with the door closed.

Variation: add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter.

P.S.  When serving the waffles with fresh sliced strawberries, try adding a little Balsamic Vinegar to the sugared strawberries.  It sharpens their flavor significantly!  If you can taste the vinegar, you’ve added too much.  A small amount does the trick.

美味しいと評判で行ってみたかったプレミアム・ハンバーガーチェーン、Byron（バイロン）。でも今まで、ケンジントン&チェルシー等ロンドン西部にしかなかったので行けずじまいだったが、私たちの行動範囲内にもオープンした。場所はSOHOのど真ん中、Wardour Street 。70年代にロックファンのたまり場だったロック／メタルパブ、The Intrepid Fox（2006年に移転）のあった建物内にある。ロックやメタルファンのたまり場だった頃と打って変わって、明るくこぎれいになった店内は、ざっと白く塗られたレンガ壁やレトロ風の時計と、ヒップな照明、ダークカラーを基調にした革張りのソファやテーブル・椅子等、モダンなデザインがうまくミックスされている。私たちが行った時は偶然オープン初日の11月25日。3時間前にオープンしたという店内は、既にたくさんの人で賑わっていた。

そして美味しいと噂のハンバーガー。スコットランド・ハイランド地方の小農場で牧草で育てられたという牛の良質の肉を使ったパテは、ジューシーで赤みの多いレアに上手く焼かれていて、とろっととろけたチーズ、新鮮な野菜（トマト、レッドオニオン、レタス）と相まって噂通りの味。ただ、フレンチ・フライはラードが使われているのか（ラードを使うとサクッと揚がるからと、イギリスでは揚げ物によく使われる）、ちょっともそもそしてて期待はずれ。でも、オープン初日で、何と食事代金は無料（飲み物代別）！請求書をもらってからそう言われて、もっとオーダーすれば良かったと冗談を言い合った（そんな客が多いから、お店も会計まで言わなかったんだろう）。

私たちはハンバーガーが好きで、ランチで時々食べにいく。最初はHamburger Unionにはまり、その後味が落ちたと感じてからは（その後倒産したのか、再度経営者が代わり、最近、Hamburger +という名に変わったトッテナム・コート・ロードにある店で食べたが、ひどい味になっていた）、Gourmet Burger Kitchenに心変わり。Byronもこれから、ソーホーあたりに出かけた時のレギュラーのランチ場所になりそうだ。

The premium hamburger chain Byron, known for their ‘proper’ back-to-basic hamburger, just opened yesterday (Nov 25th) on Wardour Street, SOHO. We always wanted to go to Byron but their stores are all in the west part of London like Kensington and Chelsea, and we had never been – but now it is in our territory! It is located in the building used to be occupied by 70’s rock hangout, the rock/metal pub Intrepid Fox. Refurbished and transformed, this shabby chic restaurant with roughly painted white brick walls is decorated with retro clock, hip lighting, and modern dark-colored furniture. It was the opening day we passed by and found it by accident – just 3 hours after its door was opened to the public, but there were already many people enjoying their burger.

We got their highly reputed hamburger finally on our hands. The juicy patty, made with free range grass-fed beef from small farms in Scottish Highlands, was beautifully cooked rare and had a perfect match with melted Monterey Jack cheese and fresh vegetables (tomatoes, red onions, and lettuce). But I was not impressed by their French fries – cooked with lard (widely used for frying in UK) I assume. Good surprise was that we were told Byron offered all the customers free meals (except drinks) on their opening day, when we got the check. We were joking that we should have ordered more foods and probably all the customers thought the same, but I guess that’s the thing that Byron definitely wanted to avoid.

We love hamburger and we eat it for a lunch sometimes (but try not too often). First we became a regular to Hamburger Union but we turned to Gourmet Burger Kitchen when we thought that the taste changed to worse – now Hamburger Union seems to be liquidated and its management has changed (I couldn’t find any information for it, though). We went to Hamburger + (changed the name) on Tottenam Court Road and were hugely disappointed by their awful burger and espresso. Now Byron is added to our list of lunch places around SOHO.

~ Patty ~

This is Patty’s response to the question “where did the Aunt Eva’s Mud Hen Bar’s recipe come from?”. 

The recipe is from my Mary Hart Favorite Recipes published in 1979. She was the Food Editor for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for many years.  It is one of my FAVORITE cookbooks. I have yet to find one of her recipes that hasn’t become one of our favorites as well!

Some of you may remember she came out to our house to interview me about getting you to eat your lunch.  I served her my Jamaican Fruit Cake. Our picture appeared in the paper with our cowboy hats and I was strumming my ukulele. We were singing “Polly Wolly Doodle All The Day” I was pregnant with Sean, so the picture was of Kevin, JP, Mary and Katy.

Food does bring back memories, doesn’t it?

You could let that fruit soak forever and it wouldn’t hurt it, so I  just started the process the day after Thanksgiving and soaked and stirred it until I was ready to bake fruitcake.

For the final wrapping I remember wrapping it in rum-soaked something….was it cheesecloth?….for many weeks. When I served it to Mary Hart, it was way too early for it to have blended flavors. But, what can you do, she came over on December 4th and I had just made the fruitcake before Thanksgiving.

I’ll bet it would be good with craisins substituted for the currants.  We didn’t have craisins in 1964.

Jamaica Light Fruitcake

From Craig Claiborne’s New York Times Cookbook

makes 10 pounds of cake 

     1 pound currants

     1 pound prunes

     1 pound dates

     1 pound seedless raisins

     2 cups dry white wine

     2 cups rum

     6 cups all-purpose flour

     4 teaspoons baking powder

     1 teaspoon cinnamon

     1 teaspoon nutmeg

     2 cups butter, at room temperature

     2 cups granulated sugar

     8 eggs, well beaten

     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Wash the currants and prunes and dry. Pit the prunes and dates and cut them into small pieces. Mix all the fruits with the wine and rum and let stand three days, stirring every day.  We put ours in a large, gallon size, Ziploc bag and just turned it over every day until we were ready to bake.

2. Preheat oven to slow (300 degrees F.)

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

4. Cream the butter, add the sugar and cream well. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture gradually, stirring until blended. Fold in the prepared fruit and liquor.

5. Grease four 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/4 inch loaf pans, line with waxed paper and grease the paper. Fill not more than three-quarters full with the batter.

6. Place a shallow pan of hot water on the bottom of the oven; place the cakes on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake about three hours. Remove the pan of water thirty minutes before the cakes are done.

7. Remove the cakes with the paper and place on a rack to cool. Wrap in fresh waxed paper or aluminum foil and store in an airtight container in a cool place. Allow at least two weeks, preferably longer, for aging.

Ecco un altro commento preso in prestito dagli utenti di aNobii, stavolta ritorniamo a parlare di La vita come viene:

La quindicenne Maddy, orfana dei genitori per un incidente d’auto, si trova a fare da “mamma” e da custode della sorella maggiore, che ne sarebbe la tutrice, la quale si ritrova incinta che non sa tenere o meno, e di certo non ha intenzione di dirlo al padre del bimbo. Un bel romanzo sulle famiglie allargate di oggi che non scade nel buonismo e nel lieto fine a tutti i costi, ma che ci racconta di come sia difficile adattarsi anche a cambiamenti positivi come potrebbe essere la nascita di un bambino, e anche il rifiuto della stessa maternità che può derivare.

Sergio Rossi

De shoot met Patty stond al zooooo lang in de planning dat we er allemaal een hard hoofd in hadden dat het nog ging gebeuren. De ene keer was er iemand ziek, de andere keer ging er iemand op vakantie en zo nog een paar keer… maar het is eindelijk goed gekomen en we hebben een superleuke shoot gehad. Het thema was beauty (zie hieronder) en nagels en daarna hebben we nog zomaar wat gedaan als afsluiting. We hebben in ieder geval een erg gezellige dag gehad!

Some quite Loveable Duets

[More to come as the week is coming to an end - Again from Thursday to Thursday, this is List I - Let's Talk About Love]

Check out Rebel Starr and Circa 95 this Sunday!

1. Die Menschen auf der Straße fangen aus unerklärlichen Gründen an mich zu Siezen.
2. Ich bin zurück von der Tour und in Berlin. Tourfotos folgen!
3. Ich will so bald wie möglich wieder auf  Tour gehen.

Love

Women have worn this name over the past few centuries – but whether they appreciated her quiet qualities, it’s difficult to say.

Thanks to Rachel for suggesting Patience as Name of the Day.

In thinking about True in my last Sunday Summary, I found myself musing about Extreme Virtue Naming.  Some choices are mainstream; others are engagingly retro or sophisticated.  A few – I’m looking at you, Chastity – seem to tempt fate.

Call Patience somewhere in the middle.  She’s not as universal a good as Honor or Hope.  But with names like Felicity and Mercy sounding current for the first time since Plymouth Rock, Patience almost fits in.

We all know that the average small child can’t summon much in the way of patience.  But is patience an inspiring virtue for a child?  From the Latin pati – to suffer – patience carries a whiff of martyrdom.  In recent centuries, patience has also meant the ability to endure, lending more appeal to Patience as a modern virtue name.  Add in a sense that a patient person is steadfast, and all of a sudden, Patience is a sister to Constance.

Like Grace, she’s a virtue name with a hint of spirituality.  Patience is one of the seven heavenly virtues.  The quality is extolled in the Qur’an as well as the Old and New Testaments.

Despite two male saints Patiens from the first and fifth centuries, there’s little history of the name’s use until the Puritan era.  Patience appeared in the US Top 1000 a few times in the nineteenth century.

Then, after nearly a century out of the rankings, she reappeared in 1994.  Patience peaked in 2006 at #579, and as of 2008 charted at #771.

Lest you link her success to parents searching for an alternative to Nevaeh and Faith, remember that 2004 was the year Halle Berry donned black leather to play Catwoman.  The film was a box office flop, but it reinvented Catwoman’s backstory.  Instead of socialite Selina Kyle, she starts out as a timid worker bee at MegaCorp called Patience Phillips.  She risks her life to save an alley cat – only the cat turns out to be the pet of an Egyptian goddess.  When Patience meets an untimely demise, the cat returns the favor, rescuing shy Patience and unleashing her inner tiger.

Halle Berry can make anything fashionable – little wonder Patience got a bump from the film.

There’s also:

• A Gilbert & Sullivan comic operat called Patience, though the name is not worn by any of the characters;
• Sisters Patience and Prudence McIntyre, a singing duo in the 1950, best remembered for their rendition of “Tonight You Belong To Me”;
• From Guns N’ Roses to the cast of the musical Dreamgirls, more than one act has recorded a song titled “Patience”;
• And, of course, the single-player card game solitaire is also known as patience.

Just like a clumsy Grace might find her name troubling, an impetuous Patience might not appreciate the mismatch.  Pat and Patty both make for rather dated nicknames.

 

And yet there’s something sweet about Patience.  Fueled by the GNR song and the rise of virtue names in general, Patience doesn’t seem completely outlandish.

~ Patty ~

This has been with us since 1979 as a dinner hot dish and a Thanksgiving side with a slight variation.  It comes from Minneapolis Star & Tribune’s Mary Hart and her ”Favorite Recipes” cookbook.

She says in her introduction to this dish:

“Wonderful! That’s my description of this baronial company casserole. I keep a large portion constantly in my freezer as an emergency dish. The recipe came from Mrs Donald Barron, Theif River Falls, Minn., who knows more about wild rice and how to cook it than anyone I’m aware of. She won a prize in a contest with this recipe, and the dish has become one of my 10 favorites. If you want the rice kernels to pop, precook the rice for an hour.”

She’s absolutely right. We LOVE this dish!

Wild Rice Barron

2 c wild rice

4 c Chicken Broth

2 lb lean ground beef

1 lb fresh mushrooms

1 c chopped celery

2 c chopped onion

1/2 c butter

1/4 c soy sauce

2 c sour cream

kosher salt to taste

1/4 tsp pepper

1 c toasted slivered almonds (save some for garnish)

Gently cook wild rice in chicken broth (covered) for 45 minutes. Drain if necessary. Brown ground beef. Rinse mushrooms, cut off tips of stems, slice caps and sauté with onions and celery in butter for five minutes.

Combine soy sauce, sour cream, salt and pepper. Add cooked wild rice, beef, onion, mushrooms and celery mixture and almonds. Toss lightly. Place mixture in a lightly greased three – five quart casserole.

Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for about an hour, uncovered. Add water if needed and season to taste. Stir several times. Garnish with reserved almonds. Serves 12 to 16.

For a great Thanksgiving side just omit the ground beef and add:

1 can of sliced waterchesnuts

1 cup of diced celery in with the diced onions

2-3 cups sliced mushrooms

Sapete tutti cos’è aNobii? No? Bé aNobii è la più grande comunità di lettori del mondo, dove ciascuno ha a disposizione la propria pagina per inserire tutti i libri che legge e confrontarsi con gli altri, curiosando nelle librerie altrui!

Vediamo uno dei commenti al nuovo romanzo di Anne-Laure, La vita come viene, presenti su aNobii:

Quello che mi piace di quest’autrice è la sua capacità di trattare emi tosti con un linguaggio adatto ai ragazzi, senza però mai cadere nella retorica.
Secondo me una conferma, dopo “Le lacrime dell’assassino”.

Ncy It

• Being grounded by bacon related flu has pushed me back into reading, I love reading but recently my lifestyle has not left any time. I have many new books I have yet to open but i decided to pick up my favourite book once more, London by Edward Rutherford is an amazing lesson in the history of our land but written in such a unique way that it is a real page turner. London has perhaps the most remarkable history of any city in the world. Now, its story has a unique voice. In this epic novel, Edward Rutherfurd takes the reader on a magnificent journey across sixteen centuries from the days of the Romans to the Victorian engineers of Tower Bridge and the era of Dockland development today. Through the lives and adventures of his colourful cast of characters, he brings all the richness of London’s past unforgettably to life….It really is an amazing read.

• I spent ages talking to the wonderful Patty yesterday about the area where she lives in Ontario, it really is a beautiful place. I find the history of the area and the culture fascinating. Everything seems so fresh in Canada, everything except the manly plaid shirts…thats a definate no no in my book…I also dont get Hockey. I have posted some of the pictures Patty sent me on my blog….Click. Patty has just been telling me her plans for the day…putting up Xmas decorations, they had the town Santa Parade last night…Its NOV 15th Patty…no no no !!!

• OMG….The girlies and I just watched Last Chance Harvey…what a brilliant film…touched a few raw nerves…..I didnt cry too much…honestly…I may have just had something in my eye.

“Its Never Too Late To Change Your Life”

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Fury as immigrant baby killer is paid £4,500 ‘bribe’ to quit Britain

Unbelievable…£4500 of ur Taxpayers money has been given to retrain this murdering bitch..OMG…It makes me so angry…Gordon Brown should stop the cheque immediately and arrange for her to be shot on sight.

An immigrant convicted of the horrific killing of a 17-month-old baby has been given £4,500 by the Government as a ‘bribe’ to leave the country. Malaysian Agnes Wong, 29, was jailed for five years in 2008 for the brutal manslaughter of a toddler she was supposed to be child-minding. She was let out of prison in July this year, and two weeks ago was put on a plane at Heathrow and sent to Malaysia with a ‘voucher’ worth £4,500 to spend when she got there. Wong was jailed after a court heard how she had swung the boy, Hugo Wang, by his ankles and smashed his head. He died of brain injuries. Wong’s payment has sparked disbelief and outrage, coming just days after the Prime Minister said he understood the public’s mounting concerns over immigration. Tory immigration spokesman Damian Green said: ‘Only last week, Gordon Brown said he “gets it” on immigration but this is proof he doesn’t get it. For an immigrant who killed a child to get taxpayers’ money to help with her future life is nothing short of appalling.’ Mr Green demanded to know why Wong had not been automatically deported without a penny of public money. ‘Even while Labour repeatedly boasted about introducing automatic deportation for people like this, it now appears they have been using public money to help people get round that very system,’ he said. The horrific story of Hugo’s last hours caused national revulsion when Wong’s  sadistic behaviour was exposed in court. The unregistered childminder, who came to the UK in 2003, was paid £120 a week to look after Hugo in her home in Salford, Greater Manchester, while the boy’s parents worked 16 to 20 hours a day to make ends meet. She was accused of waging a ‘regime of terror’ against him, torturing him with a hairdryer and hitting him so hard with a ruler that it snapped. Hugo died in January 2007, a day after he was taken, unconscious, to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He had been struck with such force that his brain had shifted in his skull and caused internal bleeding. Doctors also found bite and burn marks on his body. Wong, who denied murder, was found guilty of manslaughter but was sentenced in May 2008 to just five years in prison. The Mail on Sunday has now learned that Wong served only the minimum jail term of two-and-half years, including her time in custody before and during the trial.

Just two weeks ago, she was deported to Malaysia under a controversial ‘Facilitated Returns Scheme’ under which foreign prisoners are paid up to £5,000 if they agree to leave the UK as early as possible without fighting their deportation using human-rights laws or by claiming asylum. So far, around 1,000 have left the UK and been given the money. It is not known for certain whether Wong – who used the anglicised name Agnes, although her Malaysian name is Siew Teng – entered Britain legally or illegally. However, any immigrant who commits a serious crime can forfeit their right to remain in Britain and can be deported. David Wood, the UK Border Agency’s director of criminality and detention, defended the scheme, saying: ‘We don’t want foreign criminals in the UK. Every day that we can get these individuals out of the country early removes the risk they present to UK citizens and saves our taxpayers more than £100 a night in detention costs as well as administrative and court costs.’ As Wong boarded a plane at Heathrow on November 2 bound for Kuala Lumpur, immigration officials handed her a letter confirming that she was entitled to a ‘reintegration fund’ payout of up to £4,500. The letter informed her that the money, provided by UK taxpayers but administered by an international migration organisation, could be ‘invested’ in training for a new job, housing, education, medical treatment or to help set up a small business. The letter – seen by The Mail on Sunday – also advised Wong, who was kept in an immigration detention centre between her release from jail in July and her deportation earlier this month, how to claim the money. Hugo’s parents, who were immigrants from China, both worked at the China City restaurant in Southport, where Liverpool football star Steven Gerrard is a regular.

Friends have now spoken of how Hugo’s father, Jian Lin Situ, never got over the death of his son and how he had taken the baby’s ashes back to China. They also voiced their anger that the boy’s killer would get thousands of pounds of public money to build a new life. One said: ‘It is an absolute disgrace that she has got this money. That sort of money will go a long way in Malaysia.’ The friend recalled how Hugo’s father had been distraught to learn that some of his son’s body parts were initially retained by the coroner in case Wong appealed against her conviction. ‘When Hugo died it was big in all the newspapers in China. We followed the proceedings and were all horrified by what happened to that poor boy,’ said the friend. ‘Jian and Hugo’s mother Zhen split up soon after. I think they both blamed each other for their son’s death. ‘I think Zhen went back to China. Jian never got over Hugo’s death. He was absolutely devastated. He took Hugo’s ashes back to China, to the Canton district, the family’s ancestral home. After that, Jian moved on to a restaurant in Liverpool. From there he went to another restaurant in Blackburn and we lost touch.’ The friend added that Mr Situ would be ‘horrified’ to learn that Wong had already been returned home, especially as he protested that she should originally have been given a 15-year jail sentence. ‘Jian thought five years was too lenient. This is just an insult to Hugo’s memory. What are they playing at, letting her out so early? They should have thrown away the key.’ Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the Migrationwatch think-tank, said: ‘It is absolutely wrong in principle that criminals who thoroughly deserve to be deported should be paid for going. This should not happen at all.’ A Home Office official confirmed there were two other voluntary schemes offering illegal immigrants incentives to return: one for individuals in the asylum system paying up to £4,000; and one for immigrants who have no right to be here but have not claimed asylum, paying out a maximum of £1,000.

The Bit You Didnt See If U Blinked

Calvin Harris was booted off the X Factor after storming the stage during Jedward’s performance. The DJ, who was to appear on the Xtra Factor , ran out during the twins’ performance of ‘Under Pressure’ – with a pineapple on his head. The electro- musician then slapped his bottom before running off again.

The twins continued with their song, and judge Louis Walsh later praised them for being professional. Writing on his Twitter page, Harris said: ‘Was just thrown out of X Factor for jumping on stage during Jedward with a pineapple on my head.’ Earlier , Harris had posted a photograph of a pineapple with the caption ‘important’.

The Real Belle de Jour

Her identity has been one of the great literary mysteries of the past decade. Now ‘Belle de Jour’ – whose best selling books lifted the lid on her secret life as a prostitute and inspired a popular TV series starring Billie Piper – is reported to have revealed herself as an obscure research scientist working in Bristol. Dr Brooke Magnanti, 34, is a neuro-specialist investigating the effects of pesticides on children. But six years ago, as she struggled to complete her PhD thesis, Dr Magnanti is said to have run out of money and became a £300-a-night escort girl working in London. She began blogging anonymously about her activities on the internet under the pseudonym ‘Belle de Jour’. Her writing attracted millions of readers across the globe and its quality even sparked rumours that ‘Belle’ was a well-known author. Yet until last week not even her agent knew her real name. Only six people in the world knew Dr Magnanti’s secret and she is reported to have told her parents for the first time yesterday. In an interview in today’s Sunday Times, Dr Magnanti claims she was working on a doctoral study in the department of forensic pathology at Sheffield University when she took up prostitution in 2003. I was getting ready to submit my thesis,’ she said. ‘I saved up a bit of money. I thought, I’ll just move to London, because that’s where the jobs are, and I’ll see what happens. ‘I couldn’t find a professional job in my chosen field because I didn’t have my PhD yet. I didn’t have a lot of spare time on my hands because I was still making corrections – and I got through my savings a lot faster than I thought I would.’ Dr Magnanti claims her Jewish roots meant she had a ‘pathological aversion to being in debt’. ‘There’s this hoarding thing, saving, being prepared. It got to the point where I didn’t have quite enough money for my rent. ‘I thought, “What can I do that I can start doing straight away, that doesn’t require a great deal of training or investment to get started, that’s cash in hand and that leaves me spare time to do my work in?”‘ After several meetings, Dr Magnanti eventually signed up with the Barbarella escort agency and embarked on her secret life. As well as prostitution, Dr Magnanti also tried her hand at computer programming – but she ‘kept up with my other work because it was so much more enjoyable’.

The average appointment lasted two hours and she saw clients two or three times a week – ’sometimes less, sometimes a great deal more’. Dr Magnanti admitted the number of men she has slept with lies ’somewhere between the dozens and hundreds’. She said some of the situations she found herself in could have been dangerous. ‘You need to be aware of your surroundings: if it goes wrong, how can I get out of this room?’ she said. ‘It happened to me extremely rarely. I never left an appointment.’ Dr Magnanti’s blog led to a six-figure book deal and inspired ITV2 drama The Secret Diary Of A Call Girl starring the former pop star and Doctor Who actress Billie Piper. Now Dr Magnanti claims she wants to focus on her career as a scientist but assures her readers the Belle de Jour blog ‘will continue for a bit – I’d like her to have a happy ending’. She added: ‘I’ve felt worse about my writing than I ever have about sex for money.’

Dopo il bagno - Donna che si Asciuga - Edgar Degas

La cambio io la vita che

non ce la fa a cambiare me…

Bigfoot Food and Spirits in the Seattle airport, I understand the big guy hosts on Tuesday nights.

I just got back from a quick trip to Seattle.  I think it’s a beautiful city, but I don’t know for sure because I mostly saw the inside of buildings.  When I was outside, it was rainy, gloomy, and cold.  I understand that is rare for Seattle.  I did see Bigfoot while there.  I’m taking it as a sign that he approves of my new book, Lost Days.  He is a big part of the story.  I like to think that by revealing himself to me he was saying, “I like what you do, R.W.  I like what you do.”  And to him I say, “Thanks, big guy.” 

Hey, here’s a fun fact.  Turns out Bigfoot isn’t that hard to find because he’s got an eatery in the Seattle airport.  That’s right Bigfoot is a restaurateur.

Now, I realize I’m being a total Bigfoot nerd when I register the following complaint.  The second image is a  loosely styled rendition of a single frame taken from the famous Roger Patterson film in 1967. 

Do you know what this figure is missing?

The problem I have with it is that film was actually shot in Bluff Creek, California.  It’s iconic Bigfoot, but it’s not really a state of Washington staple.  As far as I can tell, the restaurant chain is exclusive to the Seattle area.  I know!  I know!  It doesn’t really matter, and I actually think the idea of a Bigfoot chain of restaurants is really cool.  I wish the company loads of success.  I just wanted you to see how twistedly devoted I am to the Bigfoot phenomenon.  Yes, I’m weird. 

BTW – the pictures were taken with my Blackberry.  I haven’t figured out how to take a clear picture with it yet.  I always get a slight blur. Then again, that it is so typical of Bigfoot!

Last year, November 2008, the famous Five Guys Burgers & Fries finally opened their first joint in Oak Park, IL. Five Guys Burgers & Fries first opened in Arlington, VA and then spread all over the DC area. The legend of their tasty, highly customizable burgers grew and today can be found in 30 different states. Within a year after that first Oak Park location, Five Guys Burgers & Fries can now be found all over the Chicagoland area. It’s becoming a very popular chain in a highly competitive upscale fast-food market that is synonymous with Portillo’s and a number of Chicago-style pizzerias (too many pizza joints to just pick one).

The success of Five Guys Burgers & Fries should not be a surprise. Hands down, they make some of the best burgers a franchise chain makes in the area. For cheap eats under $20 dollars, it is certainly one of the best fast food burger joints in the Chicagoland area. The beef patties are fresh, never frozen. You can let your imagination go and craft a crazy burger with the numerous toppings to choose from. The burger is greasy & can be messy but it is very good. What I really love from this place is the fries. They are hands down some of the best fast food fries out there. It’s fried in peanut oil and the texture is crispy outside (tip-to-tip) with a soft inside. The taste is amazing for fries and is the real winner for me.

While I certainly have Five Guys Burgers & Fries as one of my new favorites to get a burger from, I don’t know if it tops the offerings of Portillo’s (even Portillo’s burgers are damn good). But that’s why their name is Five Guys “Burgers & Fries” because that’s their bread & butter. Still my favorite fast food burger joint is from those guys in the west coast – In & Out Burger.

But comparing Five Guys Burgers & Fries to In & Out Burger and Portillo’s is a very good sign that this place is good.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries

~ Patty ~

Remember the taco eating contest? Twenty-something each for Kevin and JP.  On taco nights we used to cook pounds of ground beef, grate pounds of cheese and chop up heads of lettuce!

Fred used to say he liked Katy’s taco meat better than mine and asked what she did. She said, “I followed Mom’s recipe!”

Of course, I never did follow my own recipe!  Tonight’s tacos got rave reviews. Fred said, “This stuff is really good! That’s high praise from Fred!

It’s really hard to pin down a recipe as I improvise every time depending on what I have on hand. The only thing that’s really important is the cocoa and the herbs, they give it an authentic flavor and color.

When the kids went away to college, this was one of the recipes they made for themselves regularly. It keeps wonderfully in the fridge…..just gets better every day!

I really like the addition of the ancho peppers. They give it more depth without adding much heat.

Tacos Recipe from Kate’s Kitchen….St Catherine’s church cookbook, published 1977…..my recipe

Tacos Then…..

     3 to 4 lbs hamburger

     1 lg onion

     2 cloves garlic

Saute. Skim off grease. Add:

     2 tsp salt

     2 Tbsp HOT chili powder

     1 tsp cumin

     2 c tomato sauce

     1 tsp cocoa (dry powder)

     2 Tbsp flour

     1 c water

     1 or 2 hot chilis (jalapeno)

Let simmer 30 min.

30 – 40 taco shells, heated 5-10 min. in 350 oven. Serve hot shells filled to 1/3 with meat sauce. Pass shredded lettuce, grated cheese, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, salsa.

Tacos Now…….. 

There’s jalapenos in this version….  I used an ancho pepper as well as the green pepper and the jalapeno….including seeds. I salted and peppered the hamburger as it cooked. I used a full 28 oz can of diced tomatoes and 2 Tbsp tomato paste instead of the tomato sauce.

     2 lbs lean ground beef

     2 medium onions

     4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced

     1 green bell pepper, chopped

     2 jalapenos, chopped (seeded to make it milder, or add seeds to make it hotter)

Saute in olive oil….start with vegetables, move them over and add meat.  Add:

     2 c tomato sauce….more or less depending on consistency desired

     1 tsp cumin

     1 tsp coriander

     1/2 tsp oregano

     1 Tbsp cocoa powder (mixed with 1 tsp sugar)

Simmer 30 minutes. Use for tacos or burritos.

Hétfőn érkezett meg a Soul Eater első kötete, németül.
Nos, láttam már jó pár szebben rajzolt mangát – a minőség szerintem a Shaman Kingét idézi, de nincs vele különösebb gond, ez is adja az alaphangulatot hozzá (meg hát mégsem lehet mindenki egy Carnelian ).
A történetet úgy ahogy van, nagyon bírom – laza, fight-fight-fight sztori, tökéletes kikapcsolódás, kár hogy német a szöveg, noha informátorom szerint lehet, hogy megjelenik magyarul is, s ez eléggé valószínű, tekintve, hogy elkezdték leadni Animaxen. Ezúton is gratulálok a szinkronhoz, főleg azért, mert Kid hangja szerencsére nem Szalay (vagy Szalai? :S) Csongor lett, pedig fogadtam rá Chrisline-nal. De mint mondom, ez pozitív meglepetés, mert utnig lehetett hallgatni az anime szinkronokban a csávót – ellenben Soul szinkronjával, ami nagyon tetszik, látom hozzá a laza fickót, amit a főszereplőnk formáz meg.
A mangában / animében az is megfogott, hogy tele van idióta arcokkal, akiket szeretni lehet: Soul, Black Star, Kid, Maka apja (hopp, elfelejtettem a nevét, sebaj), vagy Halálkaszamester, ami lulz fordítás. A lányok az animében túl nyávogósak (Blair szó szerint is xD), ezért annyira nem bírom őket. Na jó, Patty jó arc.
Komolyan, az egyetlen negatívum, amit említeni tudok, az a kicsit csúnya ”dezájnja” a karaktereknek (már a mangában), amit hol kicsavart tagok, hol kidolgozatlan részletek mutatnak, de hát nem is az a lényeg, ahogy kifejtettem feljebb.
Ráadásul egyáltalán nem rossz vétel 849 pengőért – mutassatok egy másik boltot, főleg a Trillianben, ahol ilyen olcsón hozzájuthatok a jóságokhoz. Másszóval, all hail Bookline!