Thought of the Day #180 - Walking On Glass

The Sears Tower in Chicago opened up "The Ledge" a glass floored
attraction that lets visitors walk a few feet out onto a sheet of glass
that is 1300 feet above street level. Recently, a reservation at the
Grand Canyon opened "Sky Walk" which allows visitors to walk on a glass
loop that is way out over the canyon floor. Both options intrigue me. I
would really like to go to the Skywalk's far end and start jumping up
and down...solely for the thrill of seeing other people panic 'cuz "the
fat chick is going to break the thing!!" Ah, it would be fun on so many
levels.

Thought of the Day #179 - Freedom

The US celebrates Independence Day on the 4th and with that "freedom" as
a concept is often rolled. I was wondering, though, how *free* we really
are here in the US.

There are laws that keep us in line, some of which are based on morality
judgements; there are regulations that limit with whom and what we can
buy/trade and sell; there are social constructs (religion, fashion,
etc) that tell us what is appropriate to say and wear where, again much
of it based upon moral belief systems; there are corporations attempting
to model our behavior to suit their greed; there are citizens
demoralizing each other because they don't agree; there are unwanted
and unplanned children abused every day; there are citizens attacking
citizens for the color of their skin; I could go on and on and on.

The only thing really, truly free is individual thought. Today I am able
to share my thoughts in this, a public forum. I am grateful. Not
everyone on Earth is as lucky.

Thought of the Day #178 - Buying Fat Clothes Online

I'm a stickler about fabric quality, but what chaps my hide most about
buying fat clothing online? The randomness of the sizing.

All plus-size sites have size charts which should "do the trick" in
finding appropriately sized clothes, but let me tell you...that is NOT
the case. When a clothing item arrives in the mail, the excitement
rises. "Maybe this will be the time when THE perfect fit arrives??" Or
will it be too small? Too large? Or will it obviously be made by a
manufacturer that has no clue how to cut larger sizes. In the last
instance, you'll find arms several inches too long or necklines made
for gorillas because they simply added inches *everywhere*. (Fat people
don't necessarily have larger skeletons than their thin counterparts. I
know, it's shocking.) The sizing is a virtual crapshoot. If you're a
fat woman, you know...oh, yes, you know.

Thought of the Day #177 - Costumes

I'm trying to come up with a costume idea for the Vegas bash. It has to be from the movies...any movie. Any ideas out there that would work for me that wouldn't be too hot nor too complicated? I'm drawing blanks and coming up with mediocre ideas, i think. If you've got an idea, email it to me: cat@catay.com. Thanks!

Thought of the Day #176 - Upselling

I really, really hate "upselling" -- the pushy sales tricks to get you
to buy "just a little more...because it's a better deal." It happened
today at the optometrists. Lasik...coating for eyeglasses (if it's that
important, shouldn't you automatically put it on your lenses)... a
"service contract" to save x percent and get a free exam next time ...
get your eyes dialated (a good idea once in a while, but not everytime)
... etc, etc. Nothing makes me lose confidence and respect for an
establishment faster than upselling. I haven't been hit up this bad
since my 18 year old cat was ill and they suggested I needed a 3-D
image of his heart to see if there were things wrong. He was 18...more
than likely there were definitely things wrong, but would a 3-D image
of his heart cure him? Of course not...the 7K open heart surgery
*might* do that. Just insane.

I think it especially irritates me because vets and optometrists have
you by the nards. You love your animal, but he's sick. And, you love
your eyesight and need a prescription in order to see properly.

Bastids.

Thought of the Day #175 - Air Burial

 

Crazy lookin' birds, but soooo awesome, too. I haven't ever seen them here in Utah before yesterday. I've only seen one in the wild a few years ago while trekking through Death Valley.

They reminded me of the concept of an "air burial" that is performed in some parts of the world. Basically, the body is chopped up and placed on a "air burial" platform or location where meat eating birds frequent. The birds eat the flesh and you ~soar~ into the afterlife (or lack thereof). While the idea is a bit creepy, there's a complete homage to the circle of life that I sincerely appreciate. In fact, if they offered that as an option here, I would definitely request it upon my demise.

Thought of the Day #174 - Fit for a Store

I was rearranging my fabric stash in my small office closet, and using
rubbermaid type bins, I sorted the fabric and unfinished projects.
Putting the bins back in the closet, it became painfully obvious that
the angled sides of the bins is not designed for saving space in a
closet. As a Twitter pal pointed out...the angled sides are meant to
ease the stacking of empty bins. Ah, yes, it's more important to have
hundreds of bins available on the shelf, even though a different
squarer shape would be better for people who will be using the bins.
Interesting concept and it explains why I cannot find square freezer
bins. Bastids. Worry about the consumer, please??

Thought of the Day #173 - Heat & Mood

On really hot days, I start off in the morning feeling pretty chipper. I
love the coolness in the early morning light. My mood is good and I'm
often pretty ambitious. As the day wears on and the temps climb into
the ninties, my mood sours. I don't want to do *anything* and I really
don't even want to talk to anyone. Getting a glass of ice water seems
like a chore. My contacts end up drying up, too, which only worsens my
mood. Grrr. Of course, by the time the sun gets close to setting, I'm
back into "normal" mode and willing to socialize. By the end of the
night, I suddenly realize I've got central air, so why am I not using
it?? Because, in the early day, it seems that I don't find it
necessary. By the afternoon rolls along, I'm too sour to bother. Oh,
snack!

Thought of the Day #172 - Pop Culture Deaths

Like Farrah Fawcett, I feel that Michael Jackson's death put an end to
pain. So much of Jackson's later years seem wrapped in pain, yes
physical, but far more so emotional. He struggled to find a physical
"look" that matched his inside and he struggled to live on the outside
amid public scrutiny with beliefs and behavior that were "different" in
so many ways. Death may have been a blessing for them both.

Thought of the Day #171 - Bugs

The weeks of rain has finally ended...but two days after the rain has
stopped and the earwigs have started invading. Two in the house today.
Ick. Maybe it's 'cuz I have killed all the spiders around...and that's
their only threat aside from birds and other more advanced ctitters.
It's either that or it's a crazy infestation year. Ugh. Bring back the
rain so they don't wanna pop out of the ground. Ick! (Did I say that
yet?)

Thought of the Day #170 - Shoes

No matter who you are, if you are wearing shoes that are uncomfortable,
you are a fool.

Thought of the Day #169 - Swimming in the Heat

I bought my plane tickets to go to Vegas for the BBW Network bash in
July. The pool is calling me... Cool water and painfully warm air.
Delightful! I promised myself to be smart about sunscreen.'cuz the burn
was brutal last year. *swim* *swam* *swum* Go to bbwnetwork.com if you
want to swim in the sweltering heat, too. Remember, it's a dry heat!
(Well, except when you're in the pool.)

Thought of the Day #168 - Cat Came Back

We had a cat go missing last month. Sweet, kind of crazy, outdoor kitty,
he was. When he disappeared, we figured he had probably been hit by a
car as we live on some very busy streets. Last night, however, he
returned! He seemed pretty well fed, so someone must have been feeding
him, knowingly or unknowingly. We'll never know where or what he's been
up to, but it's nice to have him around again.

Thought of the Day #167 - Sleep

When in doubt, get more sleep, not less. Tell your dreams I sent you.

This Thistle

 

The bumble bee just happened to fly in and pose for me. I appreciate when the wildlife behaves like that. So considerate!

Thought of the Day #166 - CNN & Twitter

Apparently Arnold Schwarzenegger had an emergency landing and "tweeted"
about it on Twitter.com. CNN received an official statement from the
governor's office, but they made a bigger deal over the tweet. I think
they're either 1. forgetting that a social networking site isn't an
official news source or 2. they are "in bed" with Twitter.com for
future financial gain. I'm really betting on the latter. All to much
news on there is now Twitter-centric. While I think there is some
validity to the medium, I don't think it should be a main source.

I'm also going beyond my previous totd about news and social networking,
and going to assume that tweets are easier to hack and spoof than even
emails. To start, there's no SSL security when posting tweets on the
web. Just makes me go hmmmm even more. Be careful out there!

Thought of the Day #165 - Chocolate & Cherries

Ever have chocolate chip cookies with dried tart cherries inside? No??
What's wrong with you??

Thought of the Day #164 - Social Networking Propaganda

I've heard quite a bit of buzz the past week about the advantages of social networking sites moving information out of Iran. It made me think, however, that this same information leakage could be used as a propaganda machine quite easily. And, quite honestly, it probably is being used around the world in that way already. It just makes me wary of the loose definition of a "source" for information. Just making me go "hmmmm..." tonight.

Highly Recommended Roll Recipe...that I meant to share long ago...

These are always a hit when served to new people, and they're highly requested by those who have tried them. My mom used to make something very similar, although in my mind's eye, the ones she made were fluffier. In any event, the flavor is VERY similar.

By the way, the recipe calls for 2 cups of water, but if you'd like an even richer dough, try using warmed milk.

Parker House Style Rolls

6 cups bread flour
2 packages yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 sticks/cubes butter
2 cups hot water
1 egg


Directions:
Using a large heavy duty stand mixer with the dough hook installed(or a food processor), combine 3 cups of flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add a stick/cube of butter that has been melted. Add the water as you turn on the mixer. Add the egg. Keep mixing on medium speed for about 5 minutes. (Helps to activate the gluten in the flour!) On low speed, add the remaining three cups of flour, one cup at a time. At this point, I let the mixer do the kneading for several minutes. If your mixer can't handle the load, remove the dough and hand-knead the dough until the flour is incorporated and the dough has a good texture. Put the kneaded dough into lightly greased bowl. Cover with either plastic wrap or a moistened towel. Let rise until double. Punch the dough down. Take the remaining butter (1 stick/cube) and melt into a 13x9 or larger baking pan. The pan should be a dark coated pan to get maximum browning on the bottom of the rolls. Form into rolls (use your imagination, there are LOTS of shapes to make!). Dip each roll into the butter, flip it over and set into the pan of melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for ~18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Delicious!

Thought of the Day #163 - Wireless Thieves

Have you ever stolen an internet connection? You know...you're in a strange place, need to check something online and you randomly find an unsecured wifi network? And you connect to it?? You know you have if you have a laptop. Admit it!

I understand that it's illegal in some places, but I'm starting to think with the extent of broadband availability throughout the country that soon we will all have free wifi unsecured networks. (Well, unless the greedy bastids (you know who you are) decide that free anything is wrong...'cuz they could make money off of you!)

If I could feel safe and not worry about greedy hackin' bastids, I would open up my connection to the general public. I use my broadband connection for work and whatnot, but I rarely use up all bandwidth that's available. If I could have ~priority~ to the bandwidth and grant free access to non-hacker types, I would. Would you??

Thought of the Day #162 - If you don't mine...

If you don't mine...it doesn't anti-matter.

Thought of the Day #161 - Flash Mobs

Flash mobs bring a temporary continuity to an ever more separated existence. And I like it.

Thought of the Day #160 - Crosswords

I realy don't like crossword puzzles. I've done them, of course, usually
when trapped in an airport with nothing to do beyond guessing citizen
origins or giggling about choosen flight-ready footware.

The crossword puzzle's clues are far too cryptic for me to enjoy. I feel
the crossword's author is often sniveling with glee over his/her attempt
at vaguely clever twists in tangental relationships. That annoys me.
Other times I just don't care enough to want to think that hard.