I knew that the actor who plays Rick Grimes on AMC’s The Walking Dead looked familiar — he was the artist who secretly loved Keira Knightly’s character in Love Actually!
…And according to this humorous gem, he did keep his promise. 😀
And now that Christmas is drawing near, I need to watch Love Actually again.
Via Picshag.
As previously mentioned on this blog, J’s brother and his wife recently moved from living just 20 blocks away to all the way to the other side of the world…to Shanghai, China.
Ever since I became a mother, I came to value my family more and more, and my BIL and SIL are no exception. My SIL, in particular, has become a tremendous source of comfort and laughter in the past year, and we’ve become quite close.
Needless to say, I was — I am still! — sad to see them leave. 🙁
My SIL had started a new blog a few months before their departure, and was saddened to learn that WordPress.com, where her blog was hosted, was blocked in China. Although she was able to gain access through a VPN, the connection was not too reliable and it was a pain to update her blog.
So I offered to create for her a new, self-hosted WordPress blog with its own domain…
Introducing anniegurumi.com!
I must admit that it turned out far more adorable than I had first imagined in my head, and I am quite pleased with the result. 🙂 I tried my best to keep my SIL’s cute, friendly, and bubbly personality in mind when coming up with the design, and even the illustration of my BIL and SIL seemed perfect for them, because they’re always taking pictures of themselves!
I kept the design a secret from her until the end, and I was so relieved to hear that she LOVES it.
So hop on over, leave a comment, and tell her Jenny sent ya. Also, don’t forget to subscribe, because she’s sure to post tons of goodies in the future!
When Maggie asked me if my readers might be interested in a post about wine glasses and how they affect the taste of wine, my reaction was, “Uh…heck yes!” I may have been jumping the gun a little there, but all I knew was that *I* wanted to learn more about wine glasses!
So here’s one for all the wine aficionados out there. Even if you enjoy just the occasional glass of wine, I’m sure that you would enjoy this post all the same. I know that I sure learned a lot from reading this piece, and now I’m craving more!
Did you know that the shape and makeup of a glass affects the taste of wine? Did you know how much it affects the taste? And the smell? Yeah, I KNOW you think I’m crazy, but I promise you I’m not. It really, really does. But let me back up a little bit.
See, I love wine. And while my tastes have gotten a bit more refined as I’ve gotten older (and I’ve learned more from my Dad about different wines and what I personally like), I still believe that the best wine is one you enjoy. Not necessarily one that has a high score or rating from those organizations that rate wines. Because your taste buds are your own, and what if you just don’t like that type of wine? Wine is subjective and meant to be enjoyed, so drink what you like! But what’s not subjective (to me, anyway) is the type of glass that you drink the wine from.
See, one of the most amazing things that I’ve discovered about wine (and beer too, actually) is how much of a difference the glass makes. Now, I know exactly what you’re thinking, and that is that I’m totally full of it, a wine snob and c’mon, all that talk about glasses is just a marketing ploy to get you to buy more glassware. I know you’re saying that because I said all those things when my dad first did a glass tasting for my family to prove what a difference the “correct” glass makes for a wine.
Now, I put correct in quotation marks because while various companies each make their own glass for different wine varietals, I think all wines are improved when drunk out of a leaded crystal glass without a lip, regardless of whether you are drinking it in the proper shape or not. But the shape really does make a difference, I promise!
Having the proper glass at every stage in the winemaking process is key — this is
prior to bottling, making sure our blend was still tasty!
For a little bit of background, my love of wine comes from my father. He’s also passed on this love (or obsession, depending on your point of view) to my husband, to the point that when my husband and I got married we blended our own pinot noir that we served at our wedding. But the other part of this love that we all share is a desire to make sure that when you taste the wine, you’re tasting the wine itself.
What we discovered when we started tasting wine out of different glasses is that the normal glass you might find at a restaurant is just that — made of glass with a rolled edge around the top. But this type of structure means that the wine just sits in the bottom of the glass (as opposed to getting aerated when you swirl the wine in a leaded crystal glass), and when you drink it, there’s a bit of a catch due to the rolled lip. All of these things combine to take a wine and make it taste flatter, not as rich as it otherwise could be.
This is what a glass tasting at my parents house looks like. The placemats help to provide
a reference point for each of the glasses so that you remember which one is which. The
small glass in the lower left of the placemat is referred to as the “joker” glass. This is the
type of glass that you see at many restaurants — small bowl, made of glass with a rolled
lip. Not ideal. When we see restaurants with this type of glass now we usually drink beer.
But, back to the shape of the glass itself. I have come to love Riedel glasses which make up the majority of my husband’s and my collection.* As a family company which has been in business for 11 generations, you can’t argue with the quality of the product that they produce. They were also one of the first companies to create a specific glass for each varietal of wine.
Hearing this is when I figured that clearly it must be because they’re trying to sell more glasses. But, trying wine in its proper glass demonstrated to me how much effect the glass has on the wine.
For a Chardonnay with its higher alcohol content (relative to other white wines) the wider opening and shallower bowl reduces the alcohol you smell so that your nose is not overwhelmed (see the glass at top left of the placemat). For a Syrah you want a deeper bowl with a medium opening to provide enough room to let the wine breathe and focus the wine as you smell and taste it (see the glass at the bottom right of the placemat). Each different shape is designed specifically with the characteristics of the varietal in mind so that you end up with a purer, more accurate taste of the wine when you drink it.
A different tasting at my parents – you can see four different types of Riedel glasses on the table.
I could write a lot more on this subject, but instead I think I’ll end by asking if any of you have tried wine out of different types or styles of glasses or if you just think I’m totally crazy?
*There are other companies out there making equally excellent wine glasses, but my experience is with Riedel glasses. Also, please note that they have no idea who I am, I just really enjoy their glasses!
About the Author:
I’m a Northwest girl who spends my time goofing around with my husband and dog, traveling, trying to improve my photography and enjoying great local wine and beer. I’m also obsessed with the most ridiculous natural disaster movies you can think of (seriously, how can you deny the awesomeness that is The Core or 2012? That’s right, you can’t). You can find more of me over at A Long Far View or writing as Mrs. Eggs Benedict on Weddingbee.
Today, I present to you another guest post from Nicholas Stirling. Here, he writes about his adorable daughter Abby and her squeaky shoes. I confess that I used to find these shoes annoying, but have completely changed my mind once I became a mother and began to see their usefulness, as well as the joy that they bring children (even if they’re not walking yet!). Enjoy!
Please look at this:
This is my daughter, Abby. She is seventeen months old, and she is wearing shoes that squeak.
Someone, somewhere, thought that it would be a good idea to make these. I mean, who would ever get tired of hearing their children squeaking from place to place with every step? It’s brilliant. You’ll never lose your child again. She’ll be the most popular toddler in the neighbourhood. Dolphins will flock to her.
When my in-laws brought the squeaky shoes over, I did question their judgment. They have been known to make terrible purchasing decisions in the past, and I figured that these shoes would be one of those things that we would laugh about twenty years from now when I had forgiven them, something that would come up when we talk about their Bettie Page sexy nurse print or strawberry daiquiri machine.
I have since changed my mind. All you need to do is look at my daughter as she runs laps around my living room. This is the running of a child filled with joy. This is a happy sprint.
If anything, she’s even happier wearing them in public. Abby is a girl that loves attention; when she is at the mall, she will wave at everyone that passes her by, and she makes a point of running up to store clerks to give impromptu hugs whenever she can. Put a pair of squeaky shoes on her and people can’t help but look in her direction. Squeaky shoes put my child in her glory.
I think it would be fair for a passerby to be annoyed at Abby’s shoes, since they are loud and some people are easily bothered by such things, but that isn’t important enough for me to deny Abby the chance to smile like that. The shoes, as a result, have become a standard part of her wardrobe.
Squeak on, my dear. Squeak on.
About the Author:
Nicholas Stirling wants to be a writer. However, he also wants to be an educational theorist, a stand-up comedian, a university professor, the first man to successfully net the Loch Ness monster, and Batman. In the meantime, he enjoys being a teacher and raising his little girl, Abby, while frequently baking chocolate chip cookies with his wife. He has been published on Cracked.com and in Morpheus Tales, has a 2nd degree Black Belt, and once ate an entire package of bacon as a meal. He blogs regularly on Exercising Monsters, a site that he originally started to stave off cabin fever while he was unemployed and desperate to be a novelist.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for the 3 F’s: family, food, and football. What more can a girl ask for? 😉
(image source)
Guest posts will resume tomorrow, and I hope to be back to my regular blogging schedule within a week.
In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at a project I’ve been working on…it’s a new blog for my SIL! It’s turned out more adorable than I imagined — I can’t wait to unveil it when it’s completed!
I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!
Today we welcome back guest blogger Susan. I have always admired her professionalism and diplomatic approach to feminism, and this post certainly does not disappoint.
What do you think? Do you believe the financial crisis may not have happened if women had been in charge? Do you think that women need to take a more proactive and entrepreneurial role in this economy?
After the financial crisis that put this country in it’s current mess, I saw lots of speculation floating around that if women had been in charge of our financial institutions, this would never have happened. Interesting. Now women are being looked at as a possible fix for our unemployment woes.
Women in tech is a recurring feature on my blog, mostly because I am one. So I’m really excited to see some research from the Kauffman foundation recommending a focus on science and technology startups created by women to help our economy. More jobs are better any way you slice it, of course. Is encouraging women to found their own companies the way to get things moving? It’s certainly worth a try given that some other things meant to stimulate our economy haven’t really done the trick.
You don’t have to look hard to find the stats on how many men start their own companies when compared with women. This research article even mentions that the rate of women patenting research is lower than men in similar fields. Women in scientific fields also seem to gravitate more toward non profits and universities than the for profit world. There are many reasons people suspect more women in all industries don’t start their own companies; lack of networking opportunities, lack of funding opportunities, even lack of confidence are all considered culprits.
Starting a company, tech or otherwise is a big commitment. There are the barriers to entry that people love to site in articles about the lack of women in tech. But there is another camp entirely who believe that opportunities or not, most women just aren’t interested. The argument here is that women may prefer a more collaborative role to a strictly managerial one. Some prefer more “social” job positions like sales and marketing. And the most obvious one; if you are the COO of your home and family, you probably already have enough on your plate without trying to launch your own business.
I’m not sure which (if any) of those are the reason for where we are now. There is certainly enough speculation floating around about it. What I’m really interested in is if any of these strategies to empower women actually produce results. Most people can agree that there should be more women in tech, but nothing has actually changed just yet. I think all the unemployed people out there would agree that we can’t really wait around to find out if it will. Regardless of who helms the next wave of innovative companies, no one would argue that start ups are an important source of new jobs. Somebody needs to get cracking.
Image by mant.
About the Author:
Susan Cruickshank is a feminist, blogger and owner of too many pairs of trousers. She puts her own spin on women’s career and other work-related issues on her blog Wearing the Trousers. When not blogging, Susan enjoys the Boston music scene as fan and sometimes performer and spending time with her husband Rob. Her other favorite activity is posting ridiculous pictures of her cats on Facebook.
Today’s guest post comes from someone whose blog I have been enjoying since my own blogging days on Xanga: Ray, otherwise known as jigg. Ray recently celebrated a kickass BBQ wedding and is fresh back from a European honeymoon; after all this excitement he is currently on a short blogging hiatus, but was kind enough to contribute a post for my blogging maternity break. So sit back and enjoy!
One thing I have always wanted to do was travel the world. Many people I know also want the same thing, but only 1 or 2 of them actually tried to make it come true. A few years ago when I was single, I thought I had to see and travel as much as possible. What if my future wife isn’t the perfect travel companion? It’s possible that people have different interests and anyone who has traveled with others know that there are often conflicts of interests.
Unfortunately, like almost everyone else, work and the lack of money, kept me home. Actually, I should blame myself for not doing everything I can to realize the goal. And then, I met my wife. We began dating, got engaged less than a year later and then married six months after that.
The interesting thing about my wife, Mrs. jigg, is that she grew up open-minded, but uncurious. Basically, she was open to new things, but wasn’t really curious to try new things. The size of the world is different for everyone — and this depends on who you know and how much of the world you have seen. Most of her friends were from where she lived, Boston, and she never really looked for opportunities for travel.
Before I met her, it was quite a gamble for me to hope that my future wife would be a good travel companion. While I knew she was the one person I would want the spend the rest of life with, I actually wasn’t so sure if she was the one who I would want to see the world with. That sounds really bad but what if hiking to the top of Machu Picchu isn’t her thing? What about going to third world countries? What about the miles and miles of walking and sightseeing that I love that she might not enjoy? Maybe she likes the beach/resort types where it’s more about R&R than venturing to places where you’ll need a vacation for your vacation afterwards. There are endless possibilities, but in order for me to realize my goal, she would have to also want the same thing.
While we’ve been to a few places together (mostly short weekend trips), the ultimate test was our honeymoon this past month. After a lot research and discussions, we decided to go to London, Paris and Rome, for a total of two weeks.
While the details of the trip will be in separate blog entries (sorry, too many things to post), I can tell you that she passed with flying colors. We wanted to do the same things, liked many of the same things, and most of importantly, she was not a burden to travel with. In fact, she was fun to travel with and it made the whole trip fly by. Sure, as her husband, I had to carry her bags at times, but that’s a given. I knew she never had a princess attitude (one of the things I love about her), but moreover, she was a real trekker, resting only when she needed to and never complained.
To be honest, I was more curious with how she would be on this trip, than the things we would see. Most importantly, even if there are some places she does not want to go, she is perfectly okay with me going without her. I always tell her that I was the best decision she has ever made, but she truly makes me feel like I’m the luckiest man alive.
About the Author:
jigg (lowercase j!) as his readers know him as, has been blogging very consistently for the past 9 years on his random thoughts on life. He is currently on a short hiatus, but is working on updating soon with a recap of his honeymoon with his wife, Mrs. jigg. His blog can be found at xanga.com/jigg and can be reached at jigg.xanga@gmail.com.
I’m loving these geek-infused letterpress Code Cards by designer Matt Raw. The Egg Nog Arrays set includes designs in four different languages — Python, Ruby, PHP, and Javascript — each spelling out the perfect recipe for egg nog.
The Code Cards shop also carries CSS Happy New Years cards as well as ♥ cards:
Whichever design draws your fancy, you’ll be sure to make a geek very happy this holiday season with these cards!
Via Gizmodo.
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the "About" page.
 Arkangel James Rollins |
 Revenge of the Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell |
 The White Lotus |
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