Have you been reading about the 33 trapped miners in Chile? They were there 17 days before they were discovered to be alive and now they are being told it may be 4 months before they can be freed.
I can not imagine having to work more than a mile underground. To be trapped there for 5 months is beyond my comprehension. That's half a year. No sunlight, no stars. No trees, no grass, no flowers. Nothing but the same gray walls everywhere you look. The same 32 people day in and day out.
And to get home, they are going to havng to climb into a capsule that will be in a 28" diameter hole and travel over a mile to the surface. Most airplane passenger seats aren't 28 inches wide and you know how cramped those things are.
There is news from Chile that a new plan might get the miners out in 2 months instead of 4. That's good news, but still!
Pray for these men and their families. And for the men and women working to get them out.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Let's chat
I'll go first.
The watermelon I bought last week for $1.99 wasn't very good. It was OK, but I've had better. On the other hand, the canteloupe was better than I thought it would be.
I finished my Excel Macro course and only have one week to go with the Access 2007 one. Then I'm going to start an Access Developers course - it's probably over my head, but I won't know if I don't try.
I got a jar of couscous the other day. I've never fixed couscous before so I don't know exactly what I'm supposed to do with it. I could only find one recipe using couscous in my cookbooks so I guess I'll have to Google it or buy a Mediterranean cookbook. I like trying new foods.
Speaking of Mediterranean cusine - I found a new summer salad like I like a lot and it's easy to prepare. You don't have to measure anything - just do it to taste. If you like more tomato, add more tomato. Peel your cucumber or not, as you prefer.
Cucumber Tomato Salad for One
Ingredients
Cucumber (about 1/2 cup)
Tomato (about 1/4 cup)
Peppers (about 2 Tablespoons) - Green, red, yellow, and/or Orange - This is an optional ingredient
Celery (about 2 Tablespoons) - another optional ingredient
Olive Oil
Vinegar
Pepper
Directions
Mix a capful of vinegar and about a half capful of olive oil together in a small bowl that has a lid.
Chop up the vegetables in bite-size pieces (not too fine, not too big) and add them to the vinegar and oil. Add a little pepper to taste. Toss everything lightly to coat the vegetables. You can serve it immediately but it's better if you put it in the refrigerator for a while or overnight. Shake or stir it a little everytime you open the refrigerator door to redistribute the dressing.
I usually use canned petite diced tomatoes and squeeze the juice out a little before I put them in with the cucumber. The peppers and celery add a little extra color and crunch if you have some, but they aren't necessary.
There's a similar recipe at Mediterrasian.com; it's called Greek Salad.
The watermelon I bought last week for $1.99 wasn't very good. It was OK, but I've had better. On the other hand, the canteloupe was better than I thought it would be.
I finished my Excel Macro course and only have one week to go with the Access 2007 one. Then I'm going to start an Access Developers course - it's probably over my head, but I won't know if I don't try.
I got a jar of couscous the other day. I've never fixed couscous before so I don't know exactly what I'm supposed to do with it. I could only find one recipe using couscous in my cookbooks so I guess I'll have to Google it or buy a Mediterranean cookbook. I like trying new foods.
Speaking of Mediterranean cusine - I found a new summer salad like I like a lot and it's easy to prepare. You don't have to measure anything - just do it to taste. If you like more tomato, add more tomato. Peel your cucumber or not, as you prefer.
Cucumber Tomato Salad for One
Ingredients
Cucumber (about 1/2 cup)
Tomato (about 1/4 cup)
Peppers (about 2 Tablespoons) - Green, red, yellow, and/or Orange - This is an optional ingredient
Celery (about 2 Tablespoons) - another optional ingredient
Olive Oil
Vinegar
Pepper
Directions
Mix a capful of vinegar and about a half capful of olive oil together in a small bowl that has a lid.
Chop up the vegetables in bite-size pieces (not too fine, not too big) and add them to the vinegar and oil. Add a little pepper to taste. Toss everything lightly to coat the vegetables. You can serve it immediately but it's better if you put it in the refrigerator for a while or overnight. Shake or stir it a little everytime you open the refrigerator door to redistribute the dressing.
I usually use canned petite diced tomatoes and squeeze the juice out a little before I put them in with the cucumber. The peppers and celery add a little extra color and crunch if you have some, but they aren't necessary.
There's a similar recipe at Mediterrasian.com; it's called Greek Salad.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
It's Saturday again
I got up early today. Well, early for Saturday, not so early for a Monday or a Wednesday.
By 9 o'clock I had washed a sink full of dishes, exercised with the Wii for over an hour, and felt pretty smug with my ambitious self. But I didn't stop there.
By noon I had completed 2 lessons in my Access 2007 class (including the homework!), washed a load of laundry, and made a pot of spagetti sauce which is simmering on the stove as we speak (so to speak, if you know what I mean).
Now I'm well over half way through my weekly emails (I started at 59 and I'm down to 13) and I completed two on-line surveys which awarded me 10 points and I tried to donate some of the points I've amassed this year to the American Heart Association but I don't think it worked so I'm a little ticked at that. Last year I lost all my point because I didn't realize they expired and I don't want that to happen again.
On a different subject, Thursday I bought a whole seedless watermelon at the Marsh grocery store down the street for only $2.99 which is a good price, but as I was checking out the cashier asked "Do you have any coupons?" and I replied, "No" and the woman bagging my groceries said "You didn't get the watermelon coupon?" and I replied, "No" so the 2 women went over to another counter and brought back the Marsh weekly flier and tore out a coupon to save $1 on the watermelon. So I got the whole watermelon for $1.99.
I wouldn't have seen the flier till I got home from the grocery because it comes in the mail on Thursday and I would have been really ticked that I didn't get my $1 off. But that's why I shop at Marsh - the staff are so nice and friendly and they look out for you.
May somebody be looking out for you this week.
By 9 o'clock I had washed a sink full of dishes, exercised with the Wii for over an hour, and felt pretty smug with my ambitious self. But I didn't stop there.
By noon I had completed 2 lessons in my Access 2007 class (including the homework!), washed a load of laundry, and made a pot of spagetti sauce which is simmering on the stove as we speak (so to speak, if you know what I mean).
Now I'm well over half way through my weekly emails (I started at 59 and I'm down to 13) and I completed two on-line surveys which awarded me 10 points and I tried to donate some of the points I've amassed this year to the American Heart Association but I don't think it worked so I'm a little ticked at that. Last year I lost all my point because I didn't realize they expired and I don't want that to happen again.
On a different subject, Thursday I bought a whole seedless watermelon at the Marsh grocery store down the street for only $2.99 which is a good price, but as I was checking out the cashier asked "Do you have any coupons?" and I replied, "No" and the woman bagging my groceries said "You didn't get the watermelon coupon?" and I replied, "No" so the 2 women went over to another counter and brought back the Marsh weekly flier and tore out a coupon to save $1 on the watermelon. So I got the whole watermelon for $1.99.
I wouldn't have seen the flier till I got home from the grocery because it comes in the mail on Thursday and I would have been really ticked that I didn't get my $1 off. But that's why I shop at Marsh - the staff are so nice and friendly and they look out for you.
May somebody be looking out for you this week.
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Thank Goodness It's Saturday
Saturday and Sunday are the only 2 days of the week that matter. Monday thru Friday are just days I spend in the office making money for my retirement.
That reminds me of a country western song I heard a few weeks ago. Something about working all week to put butter on his biscuit.
Any way, I just looked at the clock and saw it's already past noon. I thought "Where does the time go?" Then the little voice inside my head replied, "Duh. You didn't get up till 10 o'clock so where do you think the time went?"
And I replied, "Oh, right." Not really a snappy comeback but it was all I had. When the little voice is right, it's right. I didn't go to bed till after midnight but I caught up on some of the sleep I missed during the week. I've been working a day shift for over 20 years now but my body still thinks we work evenings and nights, or it thinks it's still 29 and we can get by on 6 hours of sleep a day.
And that we can still eat butter on our biscuits.
That reminds me of a country western song I heard a few weeks ago. Something about working all week to put butter on his biscuit.
Any way, I just looked at the clock and saw it's already past noon. I thought "Where does the time go?" Then the little voice inside my head replied, "Duh. You didn't get up till 10 o'clock so where do you think the time went?"
And I replied, "Oh, right." Not really a snappy comeback but it was all I had. When the little voice is right, it's right. I didn't go to bed till after midnight but I caught up on some of the sleep I missed during the week. I've been working a day shift for over 20 years now but my body still thinks we work evenings and nights, or it thinks it's still 29 and we can get by on 6 hours of sleep a day.
And that we can still eat butter on our biscuits.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Do this! Do that!
I am one of those people who usually reads instructions. I faithfully follow along step by step, completing one task before going on the next.
I expect instructions to be coherent and complete. (Except at the Dumass company where I work and where the IT staff routinely omits at least 1 crucial step in every set of directions they distribute.)
Well, as a patient once told me, people in hell want ice water too but they ain't gettting that either.
This weekend I bought a surge protector that has 2 outlets for items you want to leave plugged in all the time (like clocks) and 6 others that you can turn off when not in use (like video games). It came with a remote control. I read the instructions, set it up, plugged in my electronics, and tried the remote. Nothing happened.
I thought to myself, "Surely this thing runs on batteries." I read the instructions. No mention of a battery. I read the box. No mention of a battery. Not so much as a disclaimer "Not included". I looked at the remote, tried to pry off the back with a dime I found on the desk, turned it over, tried it again on the surge protector. Nothing. I read the instructios again. Nope, still not there.
I looked at the remote again. Ahh, some arrows. "This might be a clue!" I thought and sure enough if you pushed in the direction of the arrows, the back slid off revealing a stubby little battery and a piece of plastic that needed removed in order for the remote to form a relationship with the connector. Couldn't they just have put that in the directions?
AND I bought a USB memory stick for my computer. No directions whatsoever on the package expect for the free software that came with it. I pulled on both ends of the stick trying to get to the USB connector thingee. Nothing budged. I looked for instructions again. Nothing. Excep the free software that I'll probably never use. I Googled the device and up popped some pictures. The minute I saw them I realized one should push not pull to reveal the connector thingee. Couldn't they just have put that on the package. A little picture? Anything?
I have a suspicion that all IT geeks do those things on purpose.
Just to annoy me.
I expect instructions to be coherent and complete. (Except at the Dumass company where I work and where the IT staff routinely omits at least 1 crucial step in every set of directions they distribute.)
Well, as a patient once told me, people in hell want ice water too but they ain't gettting that either.
This weekend I bought a surge protector that has 2 outlets for items you want to leave plugged in all the time (like clocks) and 6 others that you can turn off when not in use (like video games). It came with a remote control. I read the instructions, set it up, plugged in my electronics, and tried the remote. Nothing happened.
I thought to myself, "Surely this thing runs on batteries." I read the instructions. No mention of a battery. I read the box. No mention of a battery. Not so much as a disclaimer "Not included". I looked at the remote, tried to pry off the back with a dime I found on the desk, turned it over, tried it again on the surge protector. Nothing. I read the instructios again. Nope, still not there.
I looked at the remote again. Ahh, some arrows. "This might be a clue!" I thought and sure enough if you pushed in the direction of the arrows, the back slid off revealing a stubby little battery and a piece of plastic that needed removed in order for the remote to form a relationship with the connector. Couldn't they just have put that in the directions?
AND I bought a USB memory stick for my computer. No directions whatsoever on the package expect for the free software that came with it. I pulled on both ends of the stick trying to get to the USB connector thingee. Nothing budged. I looked for instructions again. Nothing. Excep the free software that I'll probably never use. I Googled the device and up popped some pictures. The minute I saw them I realized one should push not pull to reveal the connector thingee. Couldn't they just have put that on the package. A little picture? Anything?
I have a suspicion that all IT geeks do those things on purpose.
Just to annoy me.
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