web-goddess

New Poll: In honor of the ass-whupping at darts I received today at lunch courtesy of my co-workers, I want to know – what’s your favorite bar/pub game? Do you prefer intellectual stimulation, or would you rather endanger yourself with projectiles and long sticks?

Not happy, Jan. My iBook monitor is officially buggered. The cost of replacement is over two thousand dollars, not counting labor. I could buy a whole new computer for that! I called Apple Australia’s customer relations in the hope that they might throw me a bone and let me buy AppleCare out of warranty, but they’ll only do that if the computer is verified “in good working order”. Ouch. So the only solution left is to hack the machine to allow me to operate it with the lid shut and plug in an external monitor. The Snook, ever one to see the silver lining, has graciously offered me his huge mondo monitor… so he can buy a new one. 🙂

Do you like girly drinks? Are fruity cocktails too feminine for your manly self? While I’ve never had a Sex on the Beach in my life, I confess that I find martinis and bourbons just a tad too strong for me. Lately I’ve been ordering Long Island Iced Teas, which at least aren’t fluorescent colored.

Little Victories: Whenever I buy pantyhose, I automatically just reach for the largest size available. I’m tall and that’s the only way to get a pair where the crotch doesn’t end up around my knees. This morning I was opening up a new box when the sizing chart on the back caught my eye. You know what these look like, right ladies? With height on one axis and weight on the other, and colored squares in between to indicate the sizes? I assumed that I’d be smack in the middle of size 2, which is what I’d bought. When I actually traced my height and weight though, I found myself square in size 1! I actually had the Snook re-calculate my height and weight in metric so I could be sure of it. It’s a trivial accomplishment, but it sure felt good. What’s your little victory of the day?

There was a good article reprinted in today’s Herald about the surprise
success of Office Space. The movie barely made back its intial investment in the theaters but is now considered one of Fox Home Entertainment’s Top 20 hits. Have you got a red Swingline stapler?

In case you missed the link in this thread, check out these rabbits. At least, I think they’re supposed to be rabbits. Isn’t that nuts? I want one.

Apple plus Sony? Intriguing idea.

The Snook and I made our second attempt at Japanese dumplings – “gyoza” – tonight. Rather than using Kristen’s arduous (but authentic) recipe, we cut a few corners. Our dough wrappers were pre-bought from the Chinese store around the corner. For the filling, we used our hand blender to whiz up green onion, ginger, water chestnut, and blanched cabbage. We mixed this with cooked minced chicken, sesame oil, and a raw egg. Then we filled the dumplings and dropped them into boiling water. After they had floated and cooked, we removed them to cool. Then it was into a frying pan of oil to crisp and brown up. The Snook improvised a dipping sauce of soy, white vinegar, mirin, chili, and ginger. Like I said, it’s not really authentic, but damn they were good. Seriously. We made thirty, and the Snook and I sat there and ate them all in one sitting. (Don’t even mention the carbs to me. They were so good I don’t care.)

Wow. Check out these 3-D animated gifs. I wonder if could do that with a conventional digital camera…

Baby animals are always cute, but a zenkey? Cutest. Animal. Ever.