I hope you don't lose your lunch...

A friend of mine sent me a hilarious short clip she did on JibJab which featured her husband. I knew that if I did one with Joe he would never forgive me.

So, I did one of my roommate and his dog instead....





Hula Cuties on JibJab

Babysitting tip #11

It's a splendid thing that Zane is so good natured (and does everything Tarty tells him to do...)

Seriously, Joe and I took Zane to the zoo and out to eat yesterday so that his momma could have a break. She is 6 months preggers with Zane's little brother who Zane has named "Alec Alec", at least for this week.

Check out Zane on one of the last shows with Z Frank. It's hillarious!

Zane on Z Frank

The Old Gray Mare has Shit the Bed

My 91 Ford Mustang has finally had it's last breakdown. Oh, I am sure I could get it running again. Maybe a whole new engine and transmission, and of course some body work here and there. I think I will just eulogize it on Craig's list and see if there is a Mustang enthusiast out there who might want it for parts.

By the way, the phrase "shit the bed" is a slang term used commonly in New England. It means "died" or " broken beyond repair" and is in reference to...well, I will let you make that connection all by yourself. I guess it is rarely if ever used out here in California because Joe always cracks up when I say it.

Back to the car... Where I should be feeling a sense of desperation at not having a car, I am instead feeling a sense of relief. I will have to rely on public transportation for a while but I can handle that. It also provides incentive to finally get that bicycle out of the garage and get it fixed. Not only will I get more exercise, which I can surely use, but I will also get incentives from work. Pretty cool, eh?

I've always resisted buying a new car and instead have purchased used from private folks. It's always been decently running cars that lasted 4 or 5 years before heading to the junk yard. I don't know why I have preferred this but I think it's time to buy from a dealer. I want something that will last a bit longer, without having to put major repairs in. I think something with a warranty would be nice too.

But I am in no hurry. I think I will wait until I am so sick and tired of taking public transportation that I am ready to pull my hair out.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

A piece of my heart

My work day was long and very emotional. I brought a resident to court this morning. After 6 months with us, he made his level 2, got straight A's in school and graduated the program. We knew that he was going to be released and sent home with his mother. I didn't know how emotional I was going to get though.

The judge started out by saying that she rarely sees such a dramatic change in the juveniles that come before her. She praised him for his hard work and his achievements and then talked about our program and how it is the best she's seen. She said that she sees more successes from our program than any other.

Then she asked if I had anything to add. I started to talk but teared up so badly. She said that she could tell that this youth would be really missed by the program and that we were very proud of him. I could only nod. I apologized for getting emotional and told her that I didn't expect that to happen but she smiled and said it showed how deep our commitment was to doing what we were supposed to do.

When we left the courtroom it was a hugfest in the hall. (Yeah! I could finally give this resident some big tight hugs without worrying about "crossing boundaries".) His mom and very pregnant girlfriend also gave me hugs and thanked me over and over.

I know that this job is tough and some of these kids take a piece of my heart with them when they go, but it's worth it.

So, that was my day. I'm emotionally and physically drained right now but there's also a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that I'm doing something right with my life.

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.

Dinner Success!

After 6 months of planning, and a week of cooking and preparing, it all finally came down. I'm exhausted! I'm also pretty pleased. The food came out wonderful and a great time was had by all.

I've learned a few lessons too. No matter how well you have planned out a time table, it's not going to work out perfectly. Some things are going to take a bit longer than you expected and others a bit shorter. The written-out itinerary I had for preparing and serving and had taped to a cabinet door over the stove proved as only a rough guide.

I couldn't have done it all without Joe. He knew how very important this dinner was to me and I had his constant support and encouragement from the moment I started planning this back in October. He came over earlier in the afternoon and kept me sane and balanced before I could fall to pieces in the preparing. And of course, he was there to help me clean up. What a guy!

The whole dinner lasted about 3 hours--what I had expected, and I did manage to sit down and join the party now and then.

This is the menu for the dinner (which I presented in French):

1st Course
Champignons Bourres & Gougeres --(Stuffed mushrooms and Puffed Gruyere biscuits)

The mushrooms took a little longer than I had planned, probably because I still had the ducks in the oven. Note to self--next time take into consideration that the more items in the oven, the longer they will take. The Gougeres surprised me by coming out exactly the way they were supposed to come out! They were all the perfect size, and they puffed exactly the way they should have puffed.

2nd Course
Canard L’Orange--(Orange Duck)
Asperge avec Hollandaise Orange--(Asparagus with Orange Hollandaise)
Pommes Au Gratin--(Potatoes Au Gratin)


The ducks also took a bit longer than expected. That's probably because I had to roast two this time. When I did a practice run last week, I roasted only one duck. The Orange Sauce was wonderful but I had to do the caramel sugar stage twice because I was busy with other things and cooked it too long the first time. (Still, making this Orange Sauce involves three pots of ingredients on the stove, all going at once before you blend them together, and I think I did a great job.) One duck was hard to carve. Two of them was a pain but with Joe's help, I got them both carved and served before everything else got too cold.

One advantage of making a "practice duck" last week was that I had a carcass to make a large pot of duck stock. I slow cooked it for 2 days and it was very flavorful.

The potatoes were absolutely glorious and the huge double recipe that I made disappeared.

The asparagus came out great also, and by having everything I needed already measured out and right by my side, the Orange Hollandaise sauce was a breeze.

3rd Course
Salade de Poire et Noyer--(Salad with fresh pears and walnuts)
Brie avec Ail Roti & Pain--(Baked Brie with roasted garlic and French bread)


The salad was very good. I'm so glad that I had the pears pealed and cut, the walnuts toasted, the Honey/Lemon dressing made, and the greens washed and ready early that morning. Putting them together on individual plates took just a little time. I put the roasted garlic around the baked Brie on a plate and got many compliments. They were quite delicious together.

4th Course
Glacer la crème et Congolais
avec Sauce de Chocolat L’Orange--(Ice Cream with Coconut biscuits and Orange Chocolate Sauce)
(Damn!I forgot to take a picture of this course!)

This course was actually small Blood Orange shells filled with vanilla ice cream and small lime shells filled with Raspberry Sorbet along with the Congolais and Orange Chocolate Sauce. I gained a new respect for Joe's mother when I started to prepare the citrus shells two days before the dinner. She prepares this (w/o the Congolais) every Christmas and she makes it for many more people.(She also makes the sorbet from scratch). This was not as easy as it looked! You slice the fruit in half and empty the shells before adding the ice cream or sorbet. Getting every bit of pulp out of the fruit shells without breaking them was a lot of hard work and took hours. The Chocolate Sauce wasn't too hard to make, but I had to be careful not to overcook and crystallize it. I was able to make this last week and can it in sterilized canning jars. The Congolais were delicious and I was able to make them a few days ahead and freeze them. A few minutes in a warm oven and they were perfect.


Other preparations that I took:
~I gradually bought a new set of stoneware dishes and new silverware, platters and utensils over the past month.
~I hand crocheted 8 placemats,and a centerpiece.
~I took pictures of the place settings the night before and made personalized place cards for each guest.
~I practiced almost every dish during the week before the party to insure no surprises!

We had lots of delicious wine! My friend Jen brought a Chateau Saint Andre Corbin that was out of this world and luckily I got a taste before it disappeared. Joe brought three bottles of Boujalais and Cabernet. Kerry and Shawn brought a lovely dessert wine but we forgot to open it. I'll save that for the next dinner--but it's gonna be a while before I undertake something like this again!

All in all, it was surely worth the time, energy, and money I put into it. To do something this elaborate, and have my good friends share it was an experience I will treasure.






And now, I'm going back to bed for a nap before I have to go to work!

Tales of Mitchell, the Lonely Goatherd (Yodel-ay, Yodel, Yodel-ay He Hooo....)

I love taking part in photo editing contests on Flickr!



This is my entry for the Leave It To Me Contest in The World Through My Eyes group.

The Original, by Bornealnz can be seen Here

To create this breathtaking masterpiece I cropped the original shot, flipped it horizontally, made the cottage a bit redder, the grass a little greener, and then it was lots of layers to add elements from my photostream and from free stock shots. Lastly, I added shading and shadows, and with more layers, changed the color of the doors and windows, and changed the reflection in the windows.

My goals were to have fun and make someone laugh with my silly creation. Both goals accomplished!

Poor Baby Sea Lion

Poor Baby, originally uploaded by Twitchietai.

This tiny sea lion was sunbathing very close to Joe and I yesterday. If someone else hadn't pointed him out we probably wouldn't have even noticed him.

We had the feeling that this little guy was sick from ingesting toxic algae. California researchers say a virulent outbreak of domoic acid is killing hundreds of marine animals and birds off the Pacific coast. Domoic acid is produced by microscopic algae that have flourished in recent years because of overfishing, destruction of wetlands, and pollution.
The acid accumulates in shellfish and fish and is then passed on to the birds and animals that eat them.

There wasn't much we could do for this baby. The marine rescues are inundated with calls and usually wait 24 hours before rescuing an animal. Also, high tide was coming quickly and he was going to be back out to sea within an hour. I felt very frustrated and sad because there was nothing I could do. We can only hope that this little one is still ok.

Griffith Park Fire

Griffith Park Fire, originally uploaded by Twitchietai.

A major fire broke out in Griffith Park this afternoon and is still raging, 8 hours later. Griffith Park is located in Los Angeles, near Hollywood. The Griffith Observatory, LA Zoo, Autry Museum, and the Hollywood sign are all in the park.

When I got home from work today, I hiked up a hill on a college campus near my home. That was about 6 pm and there were several people watching and taking pictures. At that point no flames were visible, but there was a column of white smoke, and it looked like the fire was going to be under control soon.

Then the sun went down and the wind kicked up and we all watched sadly as we saw more and more flair-ups. This is a chronological series of the fire from about 6pm to about 7:30 pm

Although the Los Angeles Zoo and the Griffith Observatory were spared, it is reported that Dante's View and Amir's Garden are now gone

Leo Carillo State Beach, Malibu

Leo Carillo State Beach, Malibu, originally uploaded by Twitchietai.

Joe and I went up the coast a bit on Friday to Leo Carillo State Beach. It was a gorgeous day but extremely windy. That made for some huge waves and some awesome photo opportunities.

We also came upon a film crew doing a shoot. When you live in the Los Angeles area you get used to seeing movie and commercial film shoots just about everywhere. This "informercial" was being filmed in a very secluded cove. It must have been tough getting that bed down there! There are only two ways to get to this spot. You have to either go down steep stairs or wade around a huge rock cliff through the water.

Happy Beltane!

And here's my favorite Beltane Video

(Viewer Discretion Advised!)
First of May

Canard L'Orange!

Canard L'Orange!
Originally uploaded by Twitchietai.

I did a dry run last night and roasted a duck as practice for a French Dinner party that I am hosting in a few weeks. It was sooo much work and I was a little worried about how it would come out. Surprisingly it was fantastic! I can't believe I made something this elaborate and had it come out so scrumptious. Yeah me!

San Diego Wild Animal Park

San Diego Wild Animal Park
Originally uploaded by Twitchietai.

Joe and I and our friend Teresa took a trip to the San Diego Wild Animal Park yesterday. It was a gorgeous day and we managed to get a lot of good photos.

I posted some of the other photos on my flickr page and if you click on the photo to the right, you can see a slideshow of the best shots.

Why my butt?

Why is it that when you go on a diet, the first place you lose inches is the place in which you least need to lose inches?

I've been on the South Beach Diet for about a week and I've lost 5 lbs--all in my rear end. If there is any part of my body that does not need a reduction it is in my rear end. I guess I should count my blessings. I will never have a huge ass. Yet, I think I will be much happier when it finally shows in my waist.

Hiking Rabbit Mountain

Hiking Rabbit Mountain, originally uploaded by Twitchietai.

I just love it when my silliest creations make Flickr Explore!

Saturday hike

It's a little after midnight, early Sunday morning and I just got home from work.
Here's how my Saturday went:

Joe and I started watching Return of the Jedi Friday night. I had forgotten how dorky that movie is! I guess it was really cool when it first came out, or at least it seemed to be...
Anyway, of course, I fell asleep 20 minutes into the film. Joe watched it for a while and then watched the rest on Saturday morning.

I woke up really depressed this morning. It's a great thing that Joe was here. He had suggested that we do a small hike before I went to work this afternoon. I'm so glad he did. We wanted to do a hike near my house. We usually hike the Santa Monica Mountains in Malibu and the surrounding area. (He and a few friends just did the last leg of the entire Backbone--they did it in sections)

We ended up in small park in Hermon California and started out from a trail near the parking lot. It was quite a nice little hike! We found a reservoir on the top of the trail that offered a great view of the Arroyo Seco and Los Angeles looking west. We walked about 1/2 mile further and ended up on top of a hill opposite the Southwest Indian Museum in Highland Park.

Of course, I forgot my camera..Uggg... but here's a picture that I took when we hiked the Upper Solstice Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountain Backbone Trail last year. I want to go back to the little park in Hermon soon, with my camera!


Break time
Originally uploaded by Twitchietai.

Anyone want to go to Kenya?

My friend Erisa sent me this wonderful link about an animal sanctuary in Kenya:

"Formerly known as Bamburi Nature Trail until 1999, Haller Park is a unique ecological restored quarry situated on the North Coast of Mombasa along the Mombasa Malindi road... Open to the public for the last 21 years, the Nature Park Sanctuary is home to a variety of plant and animal species ...

"Visitors have the unique opportunity of close up contact with the variety of animal species, through our educational guided tours tailored to their requirement... The attractions to be found in this Coastal Sanctuary include a Crocodile Farm, Reptile Park with a rich variety of snake species, beautiful serene Palm Garden and Game Sanctuary....

Haller Park is also the home of that famous couple, Owen and Mzee.There are three very popular childrens' books about these two unlikely friends and they are all wonderful.

If you don't know the story of Owen and Mzee here's a brief overview:

In December 2004, a frightened young hippo, separated from his family by a devastating tsunami, bonded with an Aldabra tortoise named Mzee. The 130 year-old tortoise accepted Owen as his own, and an inseparable bond was forged

So, who wants to go to Kenya with me and visit Haller Park? I'm free next friday.
heh...

I finally broke down...

... and made myself a blog. I suppose I should say something stupendous but I can't think of anything to say...

I guess I will post a picture instead

Originally uploaded by Twitchietai.

This gigantic wave was coming right at me!!!

I snapped the picture just before it was going to swallow me up! And if that happened, I would be washed out to sea and never be seen again!

Well, ok, it wasn't that big and I was in no danger, but it sure looks powerful, doesn't it? These were about the biggest waves I've seen on Point Dume.

Oh yeah--and I made this slideshow yesterday. Check it out!