Live The Language

They say this and other videos by this company will make you want to pack your bags. They're right.



Initially found here.

Tax Cuts vs Social Programs

An interesting chart, found here.

Bonjour

Literally.

I found out that the problem with my blood (high potassium level) was due to a protein supplement I was taking.

I studied both French in Action and Rosetta Stone (FIA because it's harder and closer to realistic speech patterns; RS as a break from those realistic speech patterns). Both were easy, for a change.

And this evening, we had chicken with this marvelous sauce, which I found at The Noshery.

Orange Chicken

serves 6

Chicken

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-1/2” cubes
• 1 ½ cups corn starch
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce

• 1 ½ cups water
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon orange zest, grated
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ginger root, minced
• ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Combine corn starch, salt, and pepper. Prepare a bowl with beaten eggs, panko bread crumbs and another with corn starch. Dip chicken in egg mixture, dredge in cornstarch, then again in the eggs and finally in the panko bread crumbs, set aside. Heat pan with vegetable oil to 375 degrees, fry chicken in batches until completely cooked.

In a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.

Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired garnish with green onions.

So it's been a good day.

Garmin Wanderin'

We thought it'd be a neat idea to bring the GPS to France. Bought the BeNeLux France software upgrade package.

Come to find out, it can't find the small French town I'm going to. Not displayed on the map, or, when I do a city search, in the results. Does turn up cities in Guatemala and Hungary, though.

Say whut?

Slogans

I like to scorn bite-sized bumper-sticker-friendly political concepts. I agree that if your political philosophy can fit onto a bumper sticker, perhaps you ought to try thinking a little more. But some are choice.

These, for example.

Vacations

I'm tired. I was up pretty late last night. We went out to dinner, which was nice but a little spicy. Had asparagus for the first time in my life. Ate one, count it, one, mushroom. On the return, dozed off for a while, then had to get up at 3 to pick up my daughter, who was returning from a color guard trip. Slept for a couple of hours, then got up with the family, had breakfast,then crashed again. How tired am I? This tired: I don't even feel like making the effort to study French. Tomorrow, sure. Right now, no. Right now, I need some quiet. Unfortunately, its raining like hell outside. Very windy, too.

I just came across a web page talking about a luxury resort. Crystal clear water, elegant surroundings. I've never quite understood those. They're very nice, and when I've had the opportunity to stay at a Ritz or Four Seasons, I've enjoyed it. But the idea of spending a very large amount of money so that I could stay someplace elegant for a short period, create a fantasy of wealth, and then return to 'normal life' -- I'd rather do something to enhance the normal life. Taste the elegance periodically, sure. Spend a weekend at the Four Seasons in Georgetown, or the Ritz in Boston. Very nice. But a week, two weeks? Ah...not for me.

Unless you're paying, of course!

Funding

Found here.

Le Jour

Today's the day. It's rainy, a little windy.

For the first time, my daughter is going to drive someplace. By herself.

Beep!

Our phone message says our phone number and 'Please leave a message'.

Obviously, we're lacking in creativity.

Superman

Not a big Superman fan, or even comics in general.

But this one's not at all bad.

Say Whut?

Seems perfectly clear to moi....

Startlement

I was a little startled to overhear my daughter say casually to a friend that it would be interesting to come back to high school reunions in ten years to see who was straight, who was gay, who was transgendered, and who was a transvestite. Or some combination thereof.

I'm pretty relaxed about most of that, but clearly she's far beyond me. Good for her.

Medicine

After my most recent visit to the doctors', I was informed that one of the electrolyte values was 'a little high', and they wanted me to come back in a week to do it again. So, of course, I immediately looked up what the values normally are (which knowledge was useless without knowing what mine was, and what 'a little high' meant -- within the normal range, but higher than it had been in the past, or higher than the high end of normal?) as well as what could cause it.

I learned that one of the drugs I take could cause such a condition, as could a malfunctioning kidney, a problem with the adrenal glands (which could, in turn, suggest Addison's disease), being a diabetic without taking enough insulin, and damage to cells as a result of injury or tumors. So I could have a kidney problem, a glandular problem, or a tumor. Surgery, more meds, dialysis -- all are possible. I do so enjoy knowing all of this. Feeds quite nicely into my occasional bouts of medical fears.

Is it probably nothing? Yeah, probably. If it isn't, is it better to know now than later? Yeah. Still.... it scares me. Being old, feeble, dependent on an ever-increasing array of doctors -- that scares me a great deal. And I don't like anything that suggests it might be just a hair closer.

Means WHAT?

I just found out what 'Bouvier', Jacquelline Kennedy's maiden name, which I always thought so classy, means, in French.

[giggle]

Model Envy

I'm not much for model trains. I've seen people with gihugic setups, and they're nice, but they don't move me.

This site, though....

Perhaps I could clear out the garage.

Road Sage

Found here.

Tweetline

An add on for Firefox that gives a streaming ticket of comments from people you follow in Twitter. Now this, I like.

SCOTUS

The Supreme Court says it's okay for the so-called Westboro Baptist Church to spew vile comments at the funeral of a soldier.

They disgust me.

Westboro, too.

Parking ticket? Yay!

I'm guessing, though, that this isn't quite real.

Conversation

Just had a brief conversation with my daughter about educational standards, the result of an article in the school newspaper written by a friend of hers. Funny how certain attitudes make more sense to a kid when they're espoused by a friend. It was a good conversation.