Cool little gadgets I haven't the money for

Rose and I were watching the formerly-known-as-TechTV channel when we happened upon Filter. A show which usually has user voted top ten lists. This night was different as their hostess Diane has her own top ten list.

Among these being some sushi USB drives! Talk about an expensive plate of sushi!!

rita and weather

Wow. Family got out of the way down in Texas. Took them 5 hours to get where they were going using the back roads... which is pretty close to what map programs say it is! A lot less travel time than using I-10 or I-45 or I-35.


Was watching the coverage on tv last night. Specifically remember a David...Schuster? he was in Beaumont covering the storm. Got blamed for being the 'master of understatment' when he noted that the "wind was rustling through the leaves". He was commenting on how some trees were blowing over, but that these he was reporting under were some of the stronger ones there.... The next time they cut back to him one of the trees had broken in half! Right where he had been standing! It was kind of funny as the news guy in the office had just finished saying something to the effect of 'get inside...be safe'

Have been checking on the storm too... found wall street journal blog from yahoo news.

from the wsj rita blog: White said that Houston police overnight answered 28 reports of burglaries that led to 16 arrests, which is lower than a typical Friday night.


My fav weather site... www.nws.noaa.gov

And another good one ...College of Dupage

Random Update

Rose had recently received an Art and Life magazine from Teesha Moore. A rather arty magazine with some nifty collages and tips etc.

One that caught my eye was by the co-editor Tracy Moore. He wrote about lomography. something totally new to me but had some definite appeal.

Cool picture possibilities. 35mm film. interesting effects. A throw back to pictures I remember taking on an old Minolta camera my dad had given me. Looking at the equipment had me drooling.... maybe someday later I'll get back to this.

anyway keeping this short for Rose

ttfn

Yummmy

I made my current favorite recipe tonight. Spinach Pie. Rose found it in her every day food magazine.

I was dissappointed though as I couldn't find any phyllo sheets at Target. It adds a nice crust sort of taste to it... the needed crispy. It's fine without it though.

A note if you do find phyllo: you can keep it wrapped in plastic in the fridge...not recommended to refreeze. I believe it keeps for around a week (mag says 2-3 days, but inside the box I had it said longer). The rolled up phyllo can be cut crosswise into 1/2" strips. Then you sprinkle them on top after covering them in olive oil. mmmm I miss it.

Anyhoo
So here's the recipe:

Spinach Pie
Martha Stewart's Everyday Food ~ May 2005

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
6 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons dried dill
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces frozen phyllo sheets, thawed and thinly sliced

Filling.
1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and 2 teaspoons salt; cook until garlic is tender, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in spinach, feta, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, dill, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in eggs until combined.
3. Divide mixture evenly between two 9-inch springform pans or two 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plates; press firmly to flatten.

Make the topping.
1. In a large bowl, gently toss sliced phyllo to separate, then toss with remaining 1/2 cup oil until coated.
2. Divide between pies, covering the tops evenly and completely. (To freeze, cover pies tightly with plastic wrap, being careful not to flatted topping. Bake within 3 months; do not thaw first.)

Bake.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until heated through and topping is golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes for frozen pie (30 minutes for unfrozen pie).

NPR in tha house

So... on my way to work I used to listen to Jack and Ron's morning show. They are paid to be jerks and they do a good job. It's a funny show, and they have weird trivia and stuff.

My trip to work would consist of TriBond (three words that can be combined with one).
A report from a correspondent in Hollywood (all news and rumors).
Some assorted games people call in to play.
some random fans calling in to gripe/complain/praise/etc.

I've now decided to go with something that sticks with me a little more. So I have started to listen to NPR. Current news (that I don't always stay informed with before). Linguists. Dieticians. BBC News. Book reviews.

woohoo

fun stuff. So now instead of boring Rose with the current rumors in hollywood I can bore her with current events (and numerous viewpoints at that!)

Gaming

After becoming obsessed about the game Shadow of the Colossus. I decided to find it's predecessor to hold me over until the new games release.

The previous game the company worked on is called ICO. It has you as a young boy stuck in a castle (left as a sacrifice). You befriend a girl (also trapped) and try to get out.
Visuals...stunning
gameplay...think original Prince of Persia (very fluid)
BUT... way too short!! (around 7 hours)








Here are some links with movies and images.

ICO Flash
A flash site with lots of content (may load slow on slow connection)

I-C-O.net
japanese site
3rd on left is to the movies...top and bottom movie show good representation of game action