Very accurate stress test

Read the description before looking at the picture at the bottom of this post.

The picture below has 2 identical dolphins. It was used in a case study on stress levels at UCLA and was tested on over 5,000 people.

Look at the photo of 2 dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical. This closely monitored, scientific study revealed that in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress would find differences in the dolphins. The more differences a person finds, the more stress that person is experiencing.

When you look at the photograph, if you find two or more differences between the dolphins, it might indicate that you are long overdue for a vacation.
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Devil's minions?

The other day Joe and I were shopping in Pasadena for a birthday present and came across an outdoor chalk art contest. There were a lot of wonderful masterpieces but my favorite was tucked in the back toward the stairs to the next level.

Click on the photo to see a larger and clearer view of this great work of art.

Don't be a Dick

So the pope has put out 10 Commandments for Drivers. These weren't written in stone and discovered behind a burning bush, but maybe carved out of pavement?

I highly doubt that there will be much of a change in driving habits anytime soon. Those who already drive courteously will continue to do so. Those who drive like idiots will also continue to do so.

My driving habits come from my own personal driving ethics, not from some religious edict.

If there have to be any "commandments" for drivers I think there should be only one:


"Thou Shalt Not be a Dick on the Road"

Yummy Yummy Carrot Cake

I made a carrot cake for a friend's birthday and it got rave reviews. Like most things that I bake, I really didn't follow one particular recipe but I used one as an outline and then altered it. Luckily, I wrote it down this time. So, for those of you who asked for the recipe, here it is!

Tarty's Carrot Cake

ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
1 finely grated apple (about 1/2 cup--I cored and grated a whole apple--skin included)
1 cup broken walnuts
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour 3 round cake pans.

In small bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside. In large bowl, beat the eggs until very frothy. Slowly add the sugar, beating on high speed, and then beat for 4 minutes. Then add the oil in a slow steady stream while beating. Beat for one minute more.

With a rubber spatula, add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Add the carrots, the apple, and then the nuts, folding in gently. Pour batter into the cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then move to racks and cool completely.

Slice off the tops of two of the cakes, making them evenly flat on top. Let the cakes dry for at least one hour before frosting.

To frost--place a thin layer of about 1/4 of the frosting (recipe below) on a layer that you have cut flat. Spread it to within 1 inch of the edge. Top with another flat layer, again using the same amount of the frosting. Gently place the last layer and top with the remaining frosting and spread it across the sides and the top. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.

Frosting Recipe:
1/3 cup soft butter
12 oz (1 1/2 bricks) cream cheese
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Grated zest of one lemon--(important--and make sure the lemon is fresh)

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat on high for at least ten minutes--the longer you beat it the smoother it will become.

This makes a very rich but also very moist cake that will get you lots of compliments.
:-)

First tomato of the season!

My first tomato was very yummy. I got this plant at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market about a month ago and was amazed at how well it grew. It was very lush and started budding almost immediately. There are over 20 green tomatoes on it right now, even though the plant is only about 2 feet tall. I'm going to save the seeds from the next tomato that turns red and hopefully I can propagate them next spring.

Sad System

I had an experience this afternoon that opened my eyes to just how bad our public health care system is.

I had to take a client to the Los Angeles County Medical Clinic for minor surgery. The appointment was for 12:30 and we arrived at about noon. The building itself is gloomy and looks like an old mental hospital with ugly greenish cinder block walls and old worn linoleum on the floor. We had trouble finding the intake room and asked a security guard where we should go. He just pointed down the hall. We finally figured out that we should enter a room with a sign on the door that said "Clinic Personnel Only". Intake took about 2 minutes and we were directed to the waiting room.

This was a room that was about 12 feet square. Along the walls were plastic chairs filled with people. There were no magazines, no brochures, no toys for the children who were getting quite bored. There was a tv on the wall but it didn't work. More people arrived and had to sit on the floor in the hallway as every chair was taken. A few people were called in the next hour and even more arrived. And everyone just sat...and waited...

At 1:30 I went back to the intake room to find out when my client was going to be seen. The woman behind the desk looked up at me and said "You just have to wait". I told her that our appointment was for 12:30 and that it was already an hour later. She then told me that the doctor didn't get there until 1:00 anyway. I asked her why they booked appointments at 12:30 when the doctor wasn't there. She said to me "That's just how we do things. Now go wait".

Because I was representing my organization I bit my tongue and went back to the waiting room and waited.

At 2:30 another clinic worker stood in the doorway and said that the doctor had to leave and that we could either wait until about 4 pm or reschedule. My client, who hadn't had lunch just looked at me and groaned. I decided to reschedule. Some of the others who had also been waiting for hours decided to reschedule but most just agreed to wait.

I'm sure that for most of these people, this was all normal and to be expected. And that made me very sad.

I count my blessings. I have health insurance and don't have to go to clinics like this, and my heart goes out to those that do.

I will probably have to bring him back for his rescheduled appointment next Friday. This time I will bring a book and hope that he handles the wait as well as he did today.