Absquatulate

Bread is Dangerous!

Don't believe me?  Here are a few very important and frightening statistics that we all should be aware of:

• More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.
• Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.
• More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread.

Read the whole report here at Eskimo.com. Scary stuff.

No Good Answer, Really

Location: CVS, Northeast Massachusetts
Me: Oh gawd, Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen.  They have body spray. Wierd.
Him: What?
Me: Look, body spray.  I wonder what it smells like...
Him: Like children.

(In truth, it smells like teeth-curling sugar.  Ugh.)

Disgusted Beyond Belief: My Views on Abortion

A first hand exerpience with an abortion, from the father:   Disgusted Beyond Belief: My Views on Abortion.

mimi smartypants

From the always entertaining mimi smartypants:

Also on Friday, in between chicken wings and mary jaaaaaane, I suggested to Nora that we go to the playground. She pumped her fists in the air and yelled, "SCIENTIFIC!" This is excellent happy-exclamation slang and we should all start using it immediately. Scientific is the new kick ass.

Jump, Shark, Fonzie, &c.

Sweet Mercy, this is for real?  Apparently there is a  Blogger & Podcaster Magazine.  "For aspiring new media titans"? Are you kidding me?  Hat Tip: If you decide to do something foolish, like launch a print mag. for bloggers, at least make the website have easy to find content.  What a pageclick nightmare this gorilla is.

(courtesy of Kottke, who gets blogging right.)

Definition help please k thx.

What does the word "job" mean? And I mean not only the dictionary definition, but what does the word "job" mean to you?

Celery Cola: 1908 | Shorpy

This 1908 photo courtesy of Shorpy, of a newsboy selling papers and waring a jaunty Celery Cola cap, is made even better by the long shadow of the photographer. 

BlogHer takes on the SCOTUS

There is a touching, personal story over at BlogHer regarding The Supreme Court Abortion Decision.  Whatever your position on the matter, you can't deny that Ronni's personal story from the times before legalized abortion is harrowing.

ASHA Policy on Pay for Practicum

Huh! I didn't know you could you can get paid for your SLP practicum while you're in school..  Are there any SLP students who are currently lucky enough to have such an arrangement?  I wonder what the percentage is...

Success

noun— a: degree or measure of succeeding b : favorable or desired outcome; also : the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence c: not gagging in front of a client while he hacks up a HUGE loogie into a clear plastic cup because he can't swallow, but rather gagging openly only after he has left the room and I catch a glimpse of his spit cup in the trash. d: helping a severely neurologically involved man eat his first regular meal in the last 6 months without cringing as you look in his mouth for residue (and unfortunately finding alot of it.)

You know, this kind of stuff is not named in the title Speech-Language Pathologist, so I don't feel bad about being finicky about this stuff.

Panic! Not at the Disco

Holy %$&@!# ....  Panic is thinking you lost 9 hours of clinical hearing evaluation time because of a negligent secretary or a moving snafu where-in paperwork gets filed with the "to be shredded" papers.  Not at the disco high on E to escape the reality of begging an audiologist to let you do screenings is finding that precious little piece of paper with those precious 9 hours on it was tucked inbetween the pages of a stapled packet.

Curious?  Want more?  Read up on all the paperwork and stress-inducing standards I have to keep track of (and fill out paperwork for): Speech-Language Pathology Standards and Implementation Procedures For the Certificate of Clinical Competence.

Use it or lose it!

Holy smokin Moses, have I found my next batch of ice cream thanks to David Lebovitz and his Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream.

Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream

Today is free cone day at your local Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop.  Get free frozen treats and make a donation to your local charity. MMM Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup!

Not Graduated Yet

Hints that I may have overindulged this weekend:

• Frobnosticate » Chris and Leo at the Calvin.
• When it gets late, I will not be tired, and then will pay the price tomorrow.
• The thought of red meat or cream cheese turns my tummy a little.
• Craving a bowl of sashimi rice at the local favorite Japanese restaurant for lunch. (thanks Jim!)
• Nearly unbearable craving for lentils and carrots for dinner, fortified with chicken stock, seasonings, and a veggie burger.

Runny Yolks, Here I Come.

I'm ready for it.  For so long I've denied myself this treat for fear of the runny yolk, this apex of brunching culinary skill has been missing in my repertoire of Belgian waffles, omlettes, and hash browns.  But I've slowly warmed up to runny yolks, and much like my gradual liking of tomatoes thanks to the farm, I'm ready to try them out and about.

Eggs Benedict, here I come.

(But only at a really good restaurant. With impeccable eggs.  And real Hollandaise.  And maybe a Mimosa. Or a Bloody Mary. Spicy.) Serious Eats: Eggs Benedict.

Pearls Before Breakfast

The Washington Post performs a brilliant experiment:  plant a world famous violinist at a D.C. Metro Station and see what happens: Pearls Before Breakfast - washingtonpost.com From the article:

"But the behavior of one demographic remained absolutely consistent. Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away."

For God's sake people, STOP every once in a while and appreciate something beautiful.  Life is just too short not to.

Kitchen Sink Korma

kitchenSinkKorma
Originally uploaded by absquatulate.

Follow the directions on the jar? Bah. Okay, so yeah it's jarred sauce, but since I don't know anything about Indian cooking, it's a safe bet.

Chicken thighs, poached with some potatoes until done. Remove liquid and chicken, add frozen spinach, a sliced onion, garlic, and fresh ginger and simmer until spinach is defrosted. Return chicken to the pot, add the jar of korma simmer sauce and 8 oz of the poaching liquid. Heat through, serve with bastmati rice that you made with a handful of black lentils that turned the rice purple. Yum!