12
ZooGue iPad Case/Stand
I just received the ZooGue iPad case I ordered for our iPad. It’s brilliantly designed – the stand can adjust to any angle because it uses velcro to connect. Here’s a few pics I took of it.
3
Memorial Day Photos
These were taken at the going away party for Uncle Mike, who is now living in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2
Image Resizing – the easy way
While I normally just upload my pictures to Flickr, today I wanted to do a bulk upload to Facebook too. Most, if not all, graphics programs allow you easily resize images, but few do it in bulk.
Today I found this tool, which uses Windows to do a bulk image resize right from Explorer.
12
My hypnosis CD arrived today!
Last week I ordered a custom hypnosis CD from the same person who was successful in hypnotizing me to quit smoking before….
Hope it works!
16
SANS Top 25 Most Dangerous Programming Errors
A collegue passed this along…
18
Ants!
Came home tonight to find my house invaded by ants. Lots and lots of ants. Guess they decided to come take refuge in the house after several days of rain and cold weather. Yuck!
11
Yahoo lays off 1500, I wonder how many we let go?
http://valleywag.com/5106184/yahoos-secret-layoff-doublespeak-revealed
7
Crazies in a Yahoo photobooth
Jenn, Berline, Jay & myself squeezed into the photo-booth that Yahoo brought to Gay Pride SF. (2008)
5
Chuck’s photos from this weekend – Thompson family memorial service
Chuck posted pics from this weekend’s service on his Kodak Gallery..
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ke6drn/main/may3weekend
5
ACLC Ultimate - States Group Photo
This and more photos uploaded by Peggy H. at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22876797@N00/
5
Killing time in Denver
Our flight back to Oakland was delayed an hour. Thank goodness for free wifi!
4
Barbie and Jenn at Quinn’s Lighthouse
Pics from lunch at Quinns with Barbie a couple of weeks ago…
4
Pics of Loren & Jenn at Hob Nob
Michelle snapped these pics of us after brunch at the Hob Nob recently…
29
Grilled Corn with Lime Butter
INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon grated lime rind
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 ears shucked corn
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare grill or broiler.
2. Combine butter, rind, juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Place corn on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray.
4. Cook 10 minutes, turning frequently. Remove from heat and brush corn with butter mixture.
25
Roaster Butternut Squash
Butternut squash
4 tsp melted butter
4 tsp brown sugar
Salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place butternut squash on large baking sheet. Drizzle w/ butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Season w/ salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes.
25
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Bundles
1 1/2 lbs Asparagus spears
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 slices center cut bacon or Pancetta
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly coat asparagus w/ olive oil, then season w/ salt and pepper. Divide total # of spears by four, and bundle asparagus together with slices of bacon/pancetta. Bake for 12 minutes.
To Grill – preheat grill to Hot, then cook 10-12 minutes until bacon is crisp and bundles are tender.
21
Sunday’s a Drag!
Last weekend we went to a drag cabaret/brunch thing in SF, it was VERY fun! There's pics in the Gallery section, but I also captured a couple of videos. For more information about Sunday's a Drag, visit http://www.harrydenton.com/drag.html. Donna Sachet's website can be at http://www.donnasachet.com/.
28
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
1c oil
1c flour
2 large onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch scallions, tops only, chopped
2/3c fresh chopped parsley
4 quarts (dark) chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
File powder to taste
3-4lbs boneless chicken, cut up in pieces
2lbs andouille or smoked sausage, cut into 1/2" pieces
Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and creole seasoning and brown quickly. Brown the sausage, pour off fat and reserve meats.
In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil and cook the flour in the oil over medium high heat (depending on your roux-making skills), stirring constantly, until the roux reaches a dark reddish-brown color, almost the color of coffee or milk chocolate for a cajun-style roux. If you want to save time, or prefer a more New Orleans-style roux, cook it to a medium peanut-brown color, over lower heat if you're nervous about burning it.
Add the vegetables and stir quickly. This cooks the veggies and also stops the roux from cooking further. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes.
Add the stock, seasonings, chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then cook for about one hour, skimming fat off the top as needed.
Add the chopped scallion tops and parsley, and heat for 5 minutes. Serve over rice in shallow bowls. Accompany with a good beer and lots of hot, crispy french bread.
Yield: about 12 entree sized servings
8
Peach Cobbler
1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup flour
2 cups of sugar
3 teas. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup of milk
4 peeled, pitted, thinly sliced peaches
1 tblsp lemon juice
several dashes of ground cinnamon or nutmeg
Melt butter, pour in 9×13 pan. Preheat oven to 375.
Mix Flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt in large bowl.
Stir in milk, to just combined. Pour over butter (don't stir)
Bring peaches, lemon, 1 cup of sugar, to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Pour over batter.
Sprinkle with cinnamon – then bake 40-45 minutes.
8
November 8, 2006
Loren has access to a webcam now! While chatting with her today, she posed for these pics:
{mosimage}{mosimage}
What can I say – the kid has great teeth!
31
November 2, 2006
My birthday was last Friday, it was nice, yes! Jessica took me to a French restaurant over by Grand Lake/ Lake Merrit for dinner. The food was great – but the service was S – L – O – W. I thought – oh – this must be what it's like for Loren. 
And to make matters worse, I hadn't eaten lunch that day, and it was 8pm and I was STARVING, and they didn't even take our order until like 8:45 or something, it was crazy! I had to stop someone and ask them to PLEASE bring me some bread or crackers or something, so I didn't fall over dead on their floor!
I shared a bowl of dungeoness crab chowder (yummy) & baked brie with crostinis (brie wasn't that great), then I had the Chicken Provencal (Super Yummy) and then some sort of chocolatey cake thing for dessert that they put on a giant silver platter, and it had a bunch of little hearts made out of sauces all over it – very pretty.
Boy – what a crazy run on sentence – ha! Anyway – after dinner I think I went home and got caught up on some TV – I think I might have watched Lost and Heroes. I love those shows.
(Did you know you can watch the latest episode of Heroes at http://www.nbc.com/Video/rewind/full_episodes/?show=heroes) It comes on Monday nights, so if you go to the web each Tuesday or Wednesday you could watch the full season! Ooh – I see ABC is putting Lost online too – how cool is that?!? Check out: http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/player?mk=20152622&cid=7 or go to http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing – either one should get you there.
The next day – I crammed crammed crammed as much cleaning, shopping, and yard work as I possibly could into a single day. I bought pumpkins (and another set of carving tools) from Albertsons, a giant 12 qt pot from Bed Bath & Beyond (for the chicken and sausage gumbo I was about to make!), several bags of mulch from home depot, a couple of bags of cedar chips from Petco (I wanted to redo the mulchy area behind the patio), and several bottles of wine from BevMo.
The gumbo was awesome of course, and 10 people showed up to the party. It was a pretty good size, just enough people to all sit around the table outside. Carla and Beverly gave me a b-day present, which was a giant coffee mug that says "Computer Genius" on it. Ha.
Sunday we went to the movies, and saw The Prestige. It was really good. Weird, but good. Monday I had dinner w/ friends @ Toomies.
On Halloween I went to a Haunted House in Fremont called the Pirates of Emerson. They had three {attractions?}: the 1st was a 3D ocean scene, so you're walking through w/ those silly 3D glasses on, can't see ANYTHING, and people (pirates) are jumping out at you all over the place. The 2nd was a maze made totally out of 10 foot chainlink fence. They have strobe lights going so that messes with your eyes, plus it's hard to focus that much chain link anyway – so you end up walking into fence every now and then, pretty trippy. The 3rd thing was another haunted house – er – haunted ship – thing, where you go through and there's all sort of scary things jumping out at ya – you know the deal. It was a lot of fun!
I posted the pics from the camping/coast trip and the pumpkin party in the Gallery.
26
Chicago Pics
The pictures from this weekend in Chicago (and more importantly, Jackie's wedding) are up.
(more…)
14
Goodbye Ann…
I just found out that Ann Richards is gone – how sad. She was my all time favorite politician, and was the reason for my change in interest in things political. Before her I really couldn't have cared less for politics, but she sparked a fire in me, as I'm sure she did for others…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060914/ap_on_re_us/obit_richards
12
Information on AJ
I've collected a bit of information on AJ's death and services, thought I'd get them logged in one place so I don't lose them.
Donations to the family, please send to:
Attn: Margaret Bailes
11136 Vista Sorrento Pky #C203
San Diego, CA 93130
http://www.junctioncitybluejays.com/phpbb/album_cat.php?cat_id=2&sid=291a1ec83617692e04414ca8c634122b
http://www.junctioncitybluejays.com/student_andreajames.htm
http://img165.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img165/1784/115698685630n.smil
Two Vehicles Sought In Fatal San Leandro Crash
POSTED: 4:35 pm PDT August 29, 2006SAN LEANDRO — The California Highway Patrol is searching for the drivers of two cars who may have contributed to a high-speed crash that killed an Oakland woman early Tuesday on eastbound Interstate 580 west of 150th Avenue. Witnesses said that one of the two cars might have hit the woman's vehicle, causing her to lose control, CHP Officer Hahn reported. Authorities are seeking more witness accounts in the collision, which was reported around 6:20 a.m. A 44-year-old woman driving a 2003 Nissan 350Z lost control in the first lane, spun across four lanes of traffic and collided with the metal guardrail on the right. The car then overturned, resting on the right shoulder of the highway, according to the CHP. Witnesses reported seeing a dark-colored Chevrolet Camaro and a red Mazda Miata traveling at high speeds near the woman's Nissan around the time of the crash. The woman's name has not yet been released.
Anyone with information is urged to call Officer Burks or Officer Hahn at the Castro Valley CHP office at (510) 581-9028.
24
A couple pictures from Kim and Liz’s Wedding
I found a couple of pictures from Kim and Liz's wedding, check out the gallery:
21
Living in Texas………
A friend from work sent this to me…
May 30th
Just moved to Dallas. Now this is a city that knows how to live!! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! I watched the sunset from a park lying outside on a balmy night. It was beautiful. I've finally found my home. I love it here.
June 14th
Really heating up. Got to 100 today. Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home with a pool, drive an air-conditioned car, What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshipper.
15
Bad Dog(s)…
3
Earthquake!
We had a small (so they say) earthquake tonight! It was pretty light, though I'm so not used to them they always freak me out just a bit.
Shake Map
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/shakemap/nc/shake/40187964/
Earthquake Kit Info
http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/special/quakes/1.1.html
25
Procrastination
Wikipedia has some interesting information about procrastination. Here's an excerpt from that site:
Procrastination is the deferment or avoidance of an action or task which requires completion by focusing on some other action or task. For the person procrastinating, this can result in a loss of productivity, stress and a sense of guilt. While it is normal for individuals to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning…
I wouldn't say I'm a severe procrastinator, I'm still able to function normally. But what exactly do they consider normal functionality? <evil grin>
23
The Lake House
I went with Loren and Cindy to see The Lake House tonight. I'll admit it – I was a bit bummed and even pouting a bit because I'd been wanting to see an independent film instead, but since neither of them had any interest, I gave in. I need to find a friend who likes indie & B movies. Well – I loved it! It was really sweet, even made me cry a bit! What a chick flick! Sandra Bullock was hot <http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0410297/6121.jpg> as usual (I may even grow my hair out for that cut) and it even renewed my sense of faith in love and fate. The story line was great, despite a some timeline flaws (though I really enjoy time shifting movies, like Sliding Doors <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120148/> ), and I also appreciate the emphasis of timing in relationships and the ability to reconnect with a lost love from the past. (The Jane <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451526384/sr=8-3/qid=1153646528/ref=pd_bb s_3/002-6277697-4204023?ie=UTF8> Austen novel Persuasion is referenced a lot in the movie. I'll have to read it now.)
(more…)
22
Lesbians & Fashion
Liz and Kim are getting married in a couple of weeks, and I still need to find something to wear. This will be my first lesbian wedding – what exactly *does* one wear? Loren teased that we can wear whatever we want, since it'll all be lesbians. <gasp!>
Sad but true, most of us simply don't have it together in the fashion department, and I'm probably no exception. Sure, I try to stay hip – & I've got little excuse; I'm still young and there's plenty of hip dykes in the bay area that I could learn from. I could really use a Queer Eye for the Gay Girl or something similar; but alas, the networks don't appear to be headed in that direction. I guess I'll have to get by on my own warped sense of what'll make me look fabulous.
Thank gods I remembered to schedule my hair appointment with Brenda this week, its one less thing to worry about!
13
Cabo Trip Report
Loren wrote up a good report on our recent trip to Cabo, it's available here.
More pictures to come soon. Check back later!
31
Spring Travels
After (finally!)finishing my degree program at the beginning of this month, I took it upon myself to do a bit of relaxing and traveling.
I started with a 4 day stint in Providence, Rhode Island where I enjoyed some rainy days inside and out with a long lost friend. I stayed at Dolce Villa, a hip little hotel in Providence's Federal Hill. The setting was perfect for my stay, and the company I had and the fountain outside kept me smiling despite an otherwise dreary environment.
I got back late Tuesday, and left again that Thursday. It was on to Boulder, Colorado for Loren's Ultimate Nationals. They played really hard, and seemed to have a great time. The ultimate kids are a really sweet bunch, I enjoyed my time with them. I'll miss watching Loren play while she's gone. 
Next month (in a couple of weeks, actually!)Loren and I are leaving for Cabo San Lucas, to spend some time relaxing with my parents. We'll be staying at Playa Grande, where my timeshare is. What fun!
27
Blogging for Business – an ATW panel
Last week I went to an Alliance of Technology and Women (that's ATW for short) panel on Blogging for Business. I really enjoyed it, and learned quite a bit about blogging (I thought *I* was a blogger!) and how some are using blogging to benefit their business.
Admittedly, I wasn't sure what to expect from the event, but it was being hosted at my company, and the invitation to attend had come from our super nice admin - but I lost it in my mail box during my recent head cold-ness & ear infection sickness. A nice coworker reminded me of it, and said there was free food & drinks. I'm there!
I'm glad I went, the event was great. The food was good, the people were very nice, and the panelists were entertaining and enlightening! On the panel were:
21
Playa Grande – Cabo San Lucas
| During my recent trip to Cabo San Lucas, I fell in love with a gorgeous resort called Playa Grande. Playa Grande is a rather large, upscale resort & spa located directly between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. The views from the "Ridge" section were breathtaking! The very cool infinity pool on the Ridge afforded a view of both waters at the same time, with the Sea and marina on one side, and the Pacific Ocean and beach on the other. |  |
20
An OpenSource Solution to Yahoo Groups?
As you may know, I’ve been working for quite some time on putting together some sites using open source technologies. I started this site on Mambo, moved it Joomla, and am now using Gallery, extCal, and some others to make everything work. I’ve also got a couple of other sites going, including www.friendsofaclc.com and a site for Loren’s Ultimate Frisbee team, which is a major work in progress and isn’t quite presentable yet. (if you really want to see it – it’s currently at www.jenndiesi.com/darkmeatultimate.)
19
Mapping the Music Genome?
Check out Pandora, a small start-up who’s been working to find a way to bring you music that you’ll like. Pandora analyzes everything that makes up a song and uses that information to create "stations" based on what it thinks you’ll like. After setting up some stations, and telling it which songs I liked and didn’t like, it did a pretty good job of finding music that I’d like. It reminded me of Tivo’s thumbs up/thumbs down functionality.
19
Tomorrow’s Forcast: High of 21 ?!?!
| Our 1st 24 hours in Ohio was wonderful – check out the pics! |
16
15 down, and less than a handful to go
| Loren turned 15 Sunday. I know it sounds so cliche, but I swear it seems like it was just yesterday that I was carying her around, or taking her by the hand to walk across the street. Or explaining that … Loren, crickets don’t bite. ‘Ants bite, crickets fly.’
This year she had a nice party. It started off at our local theater, Central Cinema, for a screening of Narnia. Then a stretch limo took them to In & Out for burgers, and then home for some Twister and cake. Picture are available by clicking on the picture on the right, or by going through the gallery link. |
6
Oh, Christmas Tree – Oh, Christmas Tree…
| Loren and I finally went to get our Christmas tree! |
3
Migration to Joomla Complete!
After quite a bit of time and pain (nothing goes as easily as you’d like it!) I’ve finally got the site completely switched over to Joomla. If you see something not working as you think it should, please let me know!
27
Thanksgiving w/ Friends and Family
On the menu:
Our Turkey Day was celebrated with great friends, great food, and lots of laughs.
Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage & Smoked Bacon
Honey Glazed Baby Carrots
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Steamed Broccoli
Apple and Onion Stuffing Muffins
Sherri’s Special Cranberry Chutney
27
Oregon Turkey Bowl Tournament
We rose early Saturday morning for the rest of our journey to Eugene, where the Junior Meats played in their first tournament. Read on for Eric Miyashiro’s report. (courtesy of info feeds from Vickie!) Photos from the tournament are available by clicking on the photo or by browsing through the Gallery.
After a very pleasant drive to Ashland, Oregon last Friday, we relaxed and wound down in our hotel, The Stratford Inn.
(more…)
23
Apple and Onion Stuffing Muffins
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 stick butter, softened
1 fresh bay leaf, available in produce department
4 ribs celery and greens, from the heart, chopped (save time and purchase celery already washed, trimmed and cut into sticks, this makes chopping fast work)
1 medium to large yellow skinned onion, chopped
3 McIntosh apples, quartered and chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
8 cups cubed stuffing mix (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
2 to 3 cups chicken stock, available in paper containers on the soup aisle
23
Honey Glazed Baby Carrots
1 pound baby carrots, trimmed and peeled
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a steamer set over boiling water steam the carrots, covered, for 4 to 8 minutes, or until they are just tender. In a small skillet melt the butter with the honey over moderately low heat, add the carrots and salt and pepper to taste, and cook the carrots, tossing them, for 1 minute, or until they are well-coated with the glaze.
17
UC Santa Cruz Tournament Writeup
———- Forwarded message ———- This previous weekend, ACLC brought two Ultimate Frisbee teams to a college tournament down in Santa Cruz, officially beginning Dark Meat’s Fourth year of existance, and bringing in the first year of the girl’s team " Sweet Meat". As we arrived, Sweet Meat played first, entering a match against fourth ranked Humboldt state. Down 5-0, Sweet Meat took possession near the Humboldt endzone and was able to score thanks to Loren Diesi, the first point in Sweet Meat history. Although they weren’t able to mount a comeback, Sweet Meat’s confidence began building until the last game, where they faced Cal Berkeley and were able to score 5 points. Truely, the future looks bright.
From: Eric M 37
Date: Nov 15, 2005 1:15 PM
Subject: The Line between summary and novels
(more…)
27
I’m getting older!
Tomorrow is my birthday, and as a surprise, Loren made me these wonderful cupcakes!
21
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
A modified version of the Real Cajun Chicken & Sausage Gumbo from: http://www.recipezaar.com/127197
21
Garlic-Roasted Aspargus
- 2 pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed, rinsed and patted
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
21
Grilled Artichokes
Yield: Makes 6 servings
2 artichoke halves per serving
- 6 medium Ocean Mist Farms artichokes
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, mint, basil or tarragon
- 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper
21
The Yummiest Turkey in the World!
I’ve used this recipe a couple times over the past year or two, and it’s super yummy. I made it for a Seder we hosted, and just omitted the bacon. 
Enjoy!
(reprinted from food tv.com)
For How To turkey videos (including instructions on how truss a turkey, see: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_hd_thanksgiving/text/0,1972,FOOD_9845_38050,00.html)
19
Googling Loren
I took a few moments out today to do a bit of googling, and I found quite a few reminders about some of the stuff Loren’s done since we’ve moved to California.
(more…)
19
The Universe Within
Last weekend we went to the Universe Within exhibit at Nob Hill Masonic Center, and I’m still amazed with what I saw. The process for plastinizing human bodies is incredible – if you haven’t seen this exhibit yet, I highly recommend going.
Check out:
www.theuniversewithin.org
(more…)
19
Loren Finishes Her 3rd Alameda Run for the Parks!
Loren ran in the Alameda Run for the Parks again this year, and beat her previous time by almost four minutes, finishing in 56:46. Great job Loren – I’m really proud of you!
See full results -here-!
19
School notes: From Lego bricks to genetics, they’re winners
AWARDS WON at the Lego League exhibition last month include Alameda Community Learning Center students: Robot Performance Award, First Place to P.I.G., Inc. (Katie Smith, Sarah Melek, and Estanisla Guerra-Burdick); Judges’ Award (Most Improved in the Tournament) to Funky Chickenz (Laura Hinton, Stephanie Gascon, Linnea Oddie, and Rene Silverman); Research Presentations Award, First Place to Rubber Duckies (Loren Diesi Palmer, Megan Hayes, and Jennifer Lundeen), Second Place to Flying Pigs (Chelsea Patten, Elizabeth Roebuck, and Katie Sutter).
(more…)
Twitterings...
- You know it's been a while when you can't remember where HEB is.
- In Austin.
- @slash_Me either, and it seems most of my nights lately have been late ones!
- Loren's mac-n-cheese is bowl-licking goodness!
- Is on her way out!