Month: February 2009

  • Blood Clot and Brain Cupcakes

    Blood Clot and Brain Cupcakes. Bookmarking for Halloween… even though nobody ever eats cupcakes at parties, and I always forget that.

  • Germaine, Germaine…

    Hey, I know we’ve just had a heartbreaking national tragedy and all, but what I think we all really need is for Germaine Greer and Miranda bloody Devine to start pointing accusatory fingers at everyone they don’t like. Doesn’t that just make everyone feel better? Thought so.

  • Cat-It Drinking Fountain

    I forgot to mention that we got a Cat-It Drinking Fountain last weekend. Snookums had noticed that Professor Death liked playing with his water bowl, so we figured he might prefer running water. The pet store at Broadway was out of stock but had an ex-display model they offered us for $50, so we snapped it up. As expected, both cats were pretty wary at first. Petey’s come to like it a lot though, and he often drinks from the water spilling out over the dome. We’ve heard that urinary issues in male cats are both life-threatening and expensive, so anything that keeps him drinkin’ water is a good thing!

  • Bush Fire Donation Round-Up

    I’ve heard from a few non-Australians who want to know where/how they can donate to the Bush Fire Appeal. Here are some campaigns that I know about:

    • Australian Red Cross Online Donation. If you want to straight up give some cash to help the victims, this is where you go. Anyone with a credit card can donate.
    • Knitters’ Charity Raffle. Jacqueline has amassed a huge collection of knitting-related items (wool, books, gift certificates) that will be raffled off. Every $10 you donate to the Red Cross Appeal earns you a ticket. So if you need any more motivation, check it out.
    • Wildlife Victoria Online Donation. If you specifically want to direct your money to help with the native wildlife that have been threatened by this crisis, that’s where you go.
    • If you want to help the animals and you’re crafty, consider making a possum/joey pouch. Juvenile marsupials are placed in these pouches to keep them warm and safe while they’re recovering. You can knit pouches or sew linings; both are needed.
    • Advance.org will be hosting a number of fund-raising events in cities around the US, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. (Check their calendar for more.)

    I was really happy to hear that my new company donated $10,000 to the Appeal. I hope we can all do even more.

    Edited to add: I’ve had an enquiry about using American credit cards to donate Aussie Dollars. It’s cool; your credit card company will handle the exchange. (I use my Aussie card to buy stuff internationally all the time.) Your statement will show the exchange rate they used, and IIRC credit card companies/banks usually give you a pretty decent rate.

  • Cracked.com Valentine

    Wow! Snookums just pointed out that I’m on cracked.com today, albeit indirectly. See that Valentine at #15 there? Whoever Photoshopped it took it directly from mine! I don’t mind though; it’s worth a chuckle. And a lot of people in the comments seem to think that one was the best of the lot.

  • Shared today on Twitter

    @crumpet Wish you had Wii Guitar Hero. We need a singer for our band “Dr Jonz and Prof Death”!


    has finally figured out why latest @heroespodcast keeps stopping on iPhone. http://tinyurl.com/bdtmqf Will grab next one via iTunes to test.


    managed a 2mi run this morning before the rain came. Best one yet, even tho I’m super sore from boxing Wed. Didn’t want to stop!


  • Shared today on Facebook

    has finally figured out why latest @heroespodcast keeps stopping on iPhone. http://tinyurl.com/bdtmqf Will grab next one via iTunes to test.


    managed a 2mi run this morning before the rain came. Best one yet, even tho I’m super sore from boxing Wed. Didn’t want to stop!


  • Amish Hackers

    Amish Hackers. Fascinating article about the complex relationship between Amish and technology. I’ll admit that I always thought they were a bit hypocritical – riding in cars but not owning them – but this article has made me rethink that a little bit. They’re slow geeks.

  • Whiskey vs. Whisky

    For the Snook: Whiskey vs. whisky. He takes such things seriously.

  • Vanilla Creamed Rice with Rhubarb

    We got another bunch of rhubarb in this week’s veggie box, and I was at a loss what to do with it. Rodd’s already made a batch of (extremely good) rhubarb and apple jam. We have a big bag of chopped rhubarb in the freezer. What’s next? Then I found this recipe, which is basically rice pudding with rhubarb on top.

    Vanilla Creamed Rice with Rhubarb

    SO. GOOD. I think that’s going to be my go-to recipe for rice pudding from now on. We usually have all those ingredients on hand, so it’s easy and quick to make up. It’s not disgustingly sweet either. The rhubarb was really simple. You just chop it all up and throw it in a saucepan with a little water and sugar. I was skeptical at first. Like, here’s this pan of very crispy stalky bits, almost like celery. How’s that going to turn to mush? I turned it on low and left to watch Time Team for 10 minutes. When I got back… beautiful pink mush! (I wonder how/why it breaks down so quickly?) Anyway, we had some for dessert last night and then finished it off for breakfast this morning. That’s a big dollop of Greek yoghurt on top. Highly, highly recommended.