He goes off to play with it…

Mixes a bit of this with a bit of that…

And suddenly…

BOOM!!!!

“Mom! Dad!” he yells.

“Look what I did! I created a Universe!!!”

“Yeah? Well, look what your sister did”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just bought this on eBay… $11 including shipping.

My maximum bid was $20 – I got it for $4!!

I’m chuffed to BITS!

*Happy dance happy dance happy dance!!*

 

Just look at those beautiful markings on it – and that’s NOT dirt. Just its natural pattern and what looks like a bit of mould activity.

It’s already been scrubbed and gently bleach-washed and air-dried. I’m not going to do it an injustice by painting it –

just a few coats of varnish and a hole cut for the birds.

 

And it’s for ME.

I LOVE IT.

 

 

 

Truer Words Were Never Spoken…

I think it’s about time we voted for senators with breasts. After all, we’ve been voting for boobs long enough. ~ Clarie Sargent , Arizona senatorial candidate~

The problem with political jokes is they get elected. ~Henry Cate, VII~

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. ~Aesop~

If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these acceptance speeches, there wouldn’t be any inducement to go to heaven. ~Will Rogers~

Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. ~Plato~

Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river. ~Nikita Khrushchev~

When I was a boy, I was told that anybody could become President; I’m beginning to believe it. ~Clarence Darrow~

Why pay money to have your family tree traced; go into politics and your opponents will do it for you. ~Frank Berry~

If God wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates. ~Jay Leno~

Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel. ~John Quinton~

Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other. ~Oscar Ameringer~

The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then they get elected and prove it. ~P.J. O’Rourke~

I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them. ~Adlai Stevenson, campaign speech, 1952~

A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country. ~Texas Guinan~

Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so. ~Gore Vidal~

I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians. ~Charles de Gaulle~

Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.~Doug Larson~

Don’t vote, it only encourages them. ~Author Unknown~

There ought to be one day – just one – when there is open season on senators. ~Will Rogers~

 

 

 

I did a bit of late-night grocery shopping at WalMart on my way home from work tonight. I was looking for a certain bottle of wine I’ve become fond of recently that I usually buy in Meijers, “Rex Goliath Free Range Red”, which has a picture of a large rooster on the bottle. It’s rather delicious.

An assistant asked me if they could help me. My tired mind wasn’t quite with it.

“Yes, please. Do you happen to stock giant cock? I’m looking for one of the big bottles…”

Oh god.

 

 

 

I cuss like a nurse who’s answered your damn call light 75 fucking times in the last hour.

 

50 Secrets Your Nurse Won’t Tell You – Readers Digest

1. “We’re not going to tell you your doctor is incompetent, but if I say, ‘You have the right to a second opinion,’ that can be code for ‘I don’t like your doctor’ or ‘I don’t trust your doctor.’” — Linda Bell, RN, clinical practice specialist at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses in Aliso Viejo, California

2. “When a patient is terminally ill, sometimes the doctor won’t order enough pain medication. If the patient is suffering, we’ll sometimes give more than what the doctor said and ask him later to change the order. People will probably howl now that I’ve said it out loud, but you have to take care of your patient.” — A longtime nurse in Texas

3. “Feel free to tell us about your personal life, but know that we’re here for 12 hours with nothing to talk about. So the stuff you tell us will probably get repeated.” — A nurse in St. Petersburg, Florida

4. “A lot of my patients are incontinent, and I’m supposed to just use a wet washcloth to clean them. But if it’s a patient who’s been really nice and appreciative, I’ll go all the way to intensive care to get some of the heated wet wipes, which are a lot more gentle. Somebody who’s constantly yelling at me? I just use the washcloth.” — A nurse in St. Petersburg, Florida

5. “I’ve had people blow out arteries in front of me, where I know the patient could bleed to death within minutes. I’ve had people with brains literally coming out of their head. No matter how worried I am, I’ll say calmly, ‘Hmmm, let me give the doctor a call and have him come look at that.’” — A longtime nurse in Texas

6. “I’d never tell a patient that he’s a moron for waiting a week for his stroke symptoms to improve before coming to the hospital. Although I’d like to. Especially if his wife then complains that we’re not doing anything for the guy.” — A longtime nurse who blogs at head-nurse.blogspot.com

7. “If you’re happily texting and laughing with your friends until the second you spot me walking into your room, I’m not going to believe that your pain is a ten out of ten.” — A nurse in New York City

8. “When you tell me how much you drink or smoke or how often you do drugs, I automatically double or triple it.” — A longtime nurse in Texas

9. “Your life is in our hands — literally. We question physicians’ orders more often than you might think. Some of the mistakes I’ve headed off: a physician who forgot to order a medication that the patient was taking at home, a doctor who ordered the incorrect diet for a diabetic, and one who tried to perform a treatment on the wrong patient.” — A nurse from Pennsylvania

10. “These days, you can’t get admitted unless you’re really sick, and you’ll probably get sent home before you’re really ready. So we don’t get any easy ones anymore.” — Kathy Stephens Williams, RN, staff development educator for critical care at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri

11. “People have no idea of the amount of red tape and charting we have to deal with every day. We spend hours at the computer just clicking boxes. They tell us, ‘If it wasn’t charted, it didn’t happen.’ So I always chart with a jury in the back of my mind.” — An intensive-care nurse in California

12. “Despite nurses’ best efforts, hospitals are still filthy and full of drug-resistant germs. I don’t even bring my shoes into the house when I get home.” — Gina, a nurse who blogs at codeblog.com

13. “The No. 1 thing you should never say to me: ‘You’re too smart to be a nurse.’ I went to nursing school because I wanted to be a nurse, not because I wanted to be a doctor and didn’t make it.” — A longtime nurse in Texas

14. “Grey’s Anatomy? We watch it and laugh. Ninety percent of the things doctors do on the show are things that nurses do in real life. Plus, there’s no time to sit in patients’ rooms like that.” — Kathy Stephens Williams, RN

15. “The sicker you are, the less you complain. I’ll have a dying patient with horrible chest pain who says nothing, because he doesn’t want to bother me. But the guy with the infected toe — he can’t leave me alone.” — An intensive-care nurse in California

16. “No matter how many times you use your call light, even if it’s every ten minutes, I will come into your room with a smile. However, if you don’t really need help, I will go back to the nurses’ station and complain, and this may affect how the nurses on the next shift take care of you.” — A cardiac nurse in San Jose, California

17. “When your provider asks for a list of the medications you’re taking, make sure you include over-the-counter drugs and herbals. People think that if an herb is ‘all natural’ and ‘organic,’ it’s not a medication. But that’s not true. Herbals can interact with other medications and can cause serious complications.” — Kristin Baird, RN, a health-care consultant in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin

18. “This is a hospital, not a hotel. I’m sorry the food isn’t the best, and no, your boyfriend can’t sleep in the bed with you.” — A nurse in New York City

19. “I know you asked for mashed potatoes, but that sound you hear is my other patient’s ventilator going off.” — A nurse in New York City

20. “If you ask me if your biopsy results have come back yet, I may say no even if they have, because the doctor is really the best person to tell you. He can answer all your questions.” — Gina, a nurse who blogs at codeblog.com

21. “When you ask me, ‘Have you ever done this before?’ I’ll always say yes. Even if I haven’t.” — A nurse in New York City

22. “In my first nursing job, some of the more senior nurses on the floor refused to help me when I really needed it, and they corrected my inevitable mistakes loudly and in public. It’s a very stressful job, so we take it out on each other.” — Theresa Brown, RN, an oncology nurse and the author of Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between

23. “It can be intimidating when you see a physician who is known for being a real ogre make a mistake. Yes, you want to protect your patient, but there’s always a worry: Am I asking for a verbal slap in the face?” — Linda Bell, RN

24. “Every nurse has had a doctor blame her in front of a patient for something that is not her fault. They’re basically telling the patient, ‘You can’t trust your nurse.’” —Theresa Brown, RN

25. “If you have a really great nurse, a note to her nurse manager that says ‘So-and-so was exceptional for this reason’ will go a long way. Those things come out in her evaluation — it’s huge.” — Linda Bell, RN

26. “If you’ve been a patient in a unit for a long time, come back and visit. We’ll remember you, and we’d love to see you healthy.” — An intensive-care nurse in California

27. “I once took care of a child who had been in a coma for more than a week. The odds that he would wake up were declining, but I had read that the sense of smell was the last thing to go. So I told his mom, ‘Put your perfume on a diaper and hold it up by his nose to see if it will trigger something.’ The child woke up three hours later. It was probably a coincidence, but it was one of my best moments as a nurse.” — Barbara Dehn, RN, a nurse-practitioner in Silicon Valley who blogs at nursebarb.com

28. “Now that medical records are computerized, a lot of nurses or doctors read the screen while you’re trying to talk to them. If you feel like you’re not being heard, say, ‘I need your undivided attention for a moment.’” — Kristin Baird, RN

29. “Never talk to a nurse while she’s getting your medications ready. The more conversation there is, the more potential there is for error.” — Linda Bell, RN

30. “Some jobs are physically demanding. Some are mentally demanding. Some are emotionally demanding. Nursing is all three. If you have a problem with a nurse or with your care, ask to speak to the charge nurse (the one who oversees the shift). If it isn’t resolved at that level, ask for the hospital supervisor.” — Nancy Brown, RN, a longtime nurse in Seattle

31. “If the person drawing your blood misses your vein the first time, ask for someone else. I’ve seen one person stick someone three times. They need to practice, but it shouldn’t be on you!” — Karon White Gibson, RN, producer-host of Outspoken with Karon, a Chicago cable TV show

32. “Never let your pain get out of control. Using a scale of zero to ten, with ten being the worst pain you can imagine, start asking for medication when your pain gets to a four. If you let it get really bad, it’s more difficult to get it under control.” — Nancy Beck, RN, a nurse at a Missouri hospital

33. “Ask the nurse to wet your bandage or dressing before removal — it won’t hurt as much.” — Karon White Gibson, RN

34. “If you’re going to get blood drawn, drink two or three glasses of water beforehand. If you’re dehydrated, it’s a lot harder for us to find a vein, which means more poking with the needle.”

35. “Don’t hold your breath when you know we’re about to do something painful, like remove a tube or take the staples out of an incision. Doing that will just make it worse. Take a few deep breaths instead.” — Mary Pat Aust, RN, clinical practice specialist at American Association of Critical-Care Nurses in Aliso Viejo, California

36. “If you have a choice, don’t go into the hospital in July. That’s when the new crop of residents starts, and they’re pretty clueless.” — A nurse supervisor at a New Jersey hospital

37. “Doctors don’t always tell you everything. They’ll be in the hallway saying, ‘She has a very poor prognosis. There’s nothing we can do.’ Then they don’t say that in the room. Sometimes I try to persuade them to be more up-front, but I don’t always succeed.” — Theresa Brown, RN

38. “There are a few doctors at every hospital who just don’t think that they need to wash their hands between seeing patients. Others get distracted and forget. So always ask anyone who comes into your room, ‘Have you washed your hands?’” — Kathy Stephens Williams, RN

39. “Many doctors seem to have a lack of concern about pain. I’ve seen physicians perform very painful treatments without giving sedatives or pain medicine in advance, so the patient wakes up in agony. When they do order pain medicine, they’re so concerned about overdosing, they often end up underdosing.” — A nurse supervisor at a New Jersey hospital

40. “When you’re with someone who is dying, try to get in bed and snuggle with them. Often they feel very alone and just want to be touched. Many times my patients will tell me, ‘I’m living with cancer but dying from lack of affection.’” — Barbara Dehn, RN, NP

41. “It’s the little things that make a difference for people who are sick. One of the best things you can do is wrap them in a warm blanket or towel. Throw the towel in the dryer before they are bathed. If they’re in a hospital, find out where the blanket warmer is.” — Barbara Dehn, RN, NP

42. “I’ll never tell you to change your code status to Do Not Resuscitate, even though I might cringe at the thought of having to break your ribs during CPR. With certain patients, however, I may talk to family members to clarify their goals for the patient’s care. This sometimes leads to an elderly person being placed on comfort care rather than being continually tortured by us with procedures that aren’t going to help.” — A cardiac nurse in San Jose, California

43. “Husbands, listen to your wives if they tell you to go to the hospital. Today a man kept fainting but wouldn’t go to the hospital until his wife forced him. He needed not one, not two, but three units of blood — he was bleeding internally. He could have had a cardiac arrest. Another man complained to his wife that he didn’t feel ‘right.’ His wife finally called me to come over to their house. His pulse was 40. He got a pacemaker that evening.” — Barbara Dehn, RN, NP

44. “The doctors don’t save you; we do. We’re the ones keeping an eye on your electrolytes, your fluids, whether you’re running a fever. We’re often the ones who decide whether you need a feeding tube or a central line for your IV. And we’re the ones who yell and screech when something goes wrong.” — A longtime nurse in Texas

45. “If you do not understand what the doctor is telling you, say so! I once heard a doctor telling his patient that the tumor was benign, and the patient thought that benign meant that he had cancer. That patient was my dad. It was one of the things that inspired me to become a nurse.” — Theresa Tomeo, RN, a nurse at the Beth Abraham Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Queens, New York

46. “At the end of an appointment, ask yourself: Do I know what’s happening next? If you had blood drawn, find out who’s calling who with the results, and when. People assume that if they haven’t heard from anyone, nothing is wrong. But I’ve heard horror stories. One positive biopsy sat under a pile of papers for three weeks.” — Kristin Baird, RN

47. “As a nurse, sometimes you do nothing but run numbers and replenish fluids. Sometimes you’re also the person who reassures the teenager that ‘everybody’ gets her period on the day of admission, the person who, though 30 years younger than the patient, tells that patient without blushing or stammering that yes, sex is possible even after neck surgery. You’re the person who knows not only the various ways to save somebody else’s life but also how to comfort those left behind.” — A longtime nurse who blogs at head-nurse.blogspot.com

48. “I had one patient show up repeatedly to see me after he was discharged. Another little old man tried to pull me into bed with him. (He was stronger than he looked.) The general rule is don’t ask us on a date. We’re busy. It’s unethical. And, really, I already know you better than I want to.” — A longtime nurse in Texas

49. “Positive attitude is everything. I have seen many people think themselves well.” — Nancy Beck, RN

50. “A simple ‘Thank you’ can really make my day.” — A nurse in New York City

 

 

And not before fucking time, too. TWENTY FOUR years this has taken.

 

This is Wiki’s article on the Hillsborough disaster, for anyone who hasn’t heard of it. A total of 96 people died at the worst football disaster ever to happen in England, and one which has been covered in lies and controversy ever since.

 

 

 

Hillsborough disaster: mother hopes report will reveal truth – video On Wednesday, relatives and friends of the 96 victims of the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster have at last been given access to all documents relating to the tragedy. Speaking before their publication, Jenni Hicks, whose teenage daughters Victoria and Sarah died in the disaster, tells of her hopes of finally hearing the truth about what happened

 

Guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 12th Sept, 2012.

 

“Momentum is gathering for criminal prosecutions against those who hid the truth about the Hillsborough disaster, one day after devastating revelations shocked Britain.

South Yorkshire police’s systematic cover-up of the truth, the Sun newspaper’s willingness to accept their story and the inadequacy of the original inquest are now facing the renewed light of public scrutiny after the publication of hundreds of thousands of pages of documents yesterday.

Attorney-general Dominic Grieve will review the evidence and decide whether to apply to the high court for the original inquest to be quashed. Its pathologist incorrectly argued that all the victims were dead before 15:15, a quarter of an hour after the kick-off in the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday.

Yesterday the Hillsborough Independent Panel said that as many as 41 of the 96 victims still had the “potential” to survive after that time.

The victims’ families are threatening to pursue legal action against those who covered up failings in the policing operation. In all 164 statements were “significantly amended” and some officers carried out national computer checks in an attempt to “impugn” the reputation of those who had died.

Trevor Hicks, who lost two daughters in the fatal crush at Hillsborough, told BBC2′s Newsnight programme that he expected those in positions of authority would do all they could to press for criminal action.

“If I come back to David Cameron’s statement, he said quite categorically that the state had let us down,” he said.

“So we will give the state the opportunity to put that right. But if it looks as though they’re not going to do that, then we will do as we’ve done before and we’ll take it out of their hands.”

The prime minister’s acknowledgement of the “double injustice” suffered by the victims’ families – that the reputation of those in the crowd had been muddied by allegations that they were under the influence of alcohol and that this somehow played a part in their death – was greeted with particular relief by the families yesterday.

Anger remains at the zeal with which the Sun newspaper, in particular, embraced the police’s lies under its headline: ‘The Truth’.

Current editor Dominic Mohan said: “We said it was the truth — it wasn’t.

“It’s a version of events that 23 years ago The Sun went along with and for that we’re deeply ashamed and profoundly sorry.”

News International, which owns the Sun, pointed the finger at a Sheffield news agency and the former Sheffield Hallam MP Irvine Patnick as the source of the rumours.

Labour backbencher John Mann has begun calls for Patnick to be stripped of his knighthood.

“The shameful and disgusting behaviour of Sir Irvine Patnick is a significant feature in the Hillsborough independent panel report and his knighthood should be removed immediately,” he said.

 

Politics.co.uk, Thur, Sept 13th 2012 – by Alex Stevenson.

 

 

 

I spent a lovely, relaxing afternoon at the Maple trailer yesterday, baking, listening to NPR and writing a letter back home to Eric – LONG overdue! I’d wanted to start using some of the herbs from the garden – most of them will overwinter, but they just looked so tempting. I DOUBLED the recipe to get two loaves. The recipe states it actually makes “2 small loaves” – I guess their idea of “small” would be “miniature” to me! I used Rosemary, and a mixture of Colby and Parmesan as I haven’t got cheddar – and it’s delicious.

Ingredients

One of these…

 

 

 

Which contains one of these… 

 

 

Pick a load of THIS!… 

 

 

Follow the recipe and do this… 

 

 

And enjoy THIS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had to thin out the cabbages up at the garden today – every seed took, and they’ve gotten big enough to start fighting for space and light. So I googled “cabbage recipes” and found this – “Runza Casserole”.

According to WikiPedia, “a runza (also called a bierock) is a yeast dough bread pocket with a filling consisting of beef, cabbage or sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings. They are baked in various shapes such as a half-moon, rectangle, round (bun), square, or triangle. In Nebraska, the runza is usually baked in a rectangular shape. The bierocks of Kansas, on the other hand, are generally baked in the shape of a bun.”

 

1 pound hamburger

1/2 head of cabbage, chopped finely

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 package Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (package of 8 rolls)

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your liking. (I used a sharp cheddar, and about twice that amount).

 

*In a large skillet, brown hamburger with onion.

 

*Leave burner on low and add shredded cabbage, salt, pepper and garlic.

 

*Cook until cabbage is wilted and soft (about 7 minutes or so).

 

*Grease a 8 x 11 inch casserole dish. Put half of the meat/cabbage mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish.

*Give yourself a near heart attack opening your first ever pack of Doughboy. OMIGOD! Even with the “this package is under pressure” warning… that was LOUD!

 

*Take four of the crescent rolls, open them up and arrange them so they cover the layer in the casserole dish.

 

*Sprinkle on half of the cheese. Repeat the layers.

 

*Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

 

DELICIOUS!! Hot or cold. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was posted by Trixy a few days ago, and I cooked it for me and Shane yesterday – we have a GLUT of oregano this year after last year’s plant overwintered and thrived so well, so it seemed a good use to put it to.

I wasn’t sure about using a whole lemon, I just used a half and that did very nicely. We both REALLY enjoyed it. Thanks Trixy!

 

1.5lb skinless chicken pieces.

1/4 tsp salt.

1/4 tsp ground pepper. (I used ground mixed peppercorns. YUM).

Cooking spray (if you’re being really healthy. I used peanut oil).

1 clove garlic, chopped.

1 lemon (or as much/little as you like), sliced.

1 tomato, chopped.

1/4 cup onion, chopped.

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped. (We don’t have parsley this year so I omitted it and added extra oregano).

1 tbs (or half a cup!) fresh oregano.

1/4 cup dry white wine.

3/4 cup chicken broth. (Chicken stock).

1 each medium sweet green, and red, pepper. I just used diced sweet peppers we had frozen from last year.

 

 

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper.

2. Lightly coat skillet (large frying pan) with cooking spray (or use about 2 tbs oil).

3. Cook chicken over medium heat until lightly browned, turning once. (About 15 minutes).

 

 

4. Reduce heat. Sprinkle garlic, lemon, half the tomato, onion, parsley and oregano over chicken pieces.

 

 

5. Add wine and broth. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

 

 

6. Add remaining tomato and peppers. Cover and simmer for further 7-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

 

 

7. Serve on a bed of brown rice. I had to go buy a bag of Uncle Ben’s microwave brown rice – bloody Miller Moths had gotten into my bag of uncooked brown rice and I HADN’T EVEN OPENED IT YET!! Omigod. Worked just as well though. I’d bought a bottle of “Fish Eye” wine ‘cos I liked the name. The rest of it went great to drink with the meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is delicious. The tang of orange goes really well with the custardy texture. I could eat it all day.

Plus the measurements given were enough to make two pies, not one as stated in the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

Pie dough for a 9″ shell. (I used ready made graham cracker pie shells).

2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes/squash.

3/4 cup sugar (I used 2 tablespoons, I reckon it’s sweet enough!)

2 tablespoons molasses

2 eggs

1 tsp powdered ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 1/2 cups cream, milk, or evaporated milk

 

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 450F

2) Line pie pan(s) with rolled out dough, prick all over with a fork. Press a piece of heavy foil directly into the shell, bake for 6 minutes. Remove foil, bake 4 more minutes until just beginning to brown. (I didn’t pre-bake the graham cracker shells and they were just fine).

3) Combine sweet potatoes and sugar in a large bowl, beat in molasses and eggs. Add spices and orange rind and stir well.

4) Stir in butter and milk, pour into pie shell(s).

5) Bake 15 minutes then reduce heat to 300F for 30-40 minutes until firm around the edges but the center remains slightly soft and quivers when you move the pie.