DIY Mormon Ads

I follow the blog of a feisty, rather opinionated and completely fun girl (oops - woman) who lives in the wilds of Utah.  She has some really amusing posts and I always look forward to what she offers next.

This time she really surprised me.  She and a friend have gotten together to start a Pro-Mormon blog without the long drawn out "text heavy" discussions (as she puts it).  Instead they intend to show the gospel and mormon life in art form.  They are starting at the new year, and soliciting 4 by 6 pictures depicting the hope that the gospel gives to you.

Take a look at her post with the announcement
http://aluminumfoiled.blogspot.com/2009/12/hopefully-mormon.html

and then drop by the new blog "Hopefully Mormom" for some examples of what they hope to do.
http://hopefullymormon.blogspot.com/

I love the idea of making our own little Mormon Ads!  I've already finished my first (I think it's wonderful, of course) and am submitting it tonight.  Won't you come join me?  It sounds like a lot of fun - and could be great for kids too!

The rug has been pulled out

For the past six years I've hosted several webs and forums, as well as a gallery of my photography, on my own private domain - StoneCairn.com.

I love having my own web site. Makes me feel like I own a summer home, or a private island. I liked it so much that I bought a "Never Renew Again" package with my web hosting company. This means that I plunked down a lot of cash, up front, to be sure I'd have uninterrupted service and never have to budget in another web host payment. All I paid was the renewal on the domain name (which was annoying, but necessary).

Last Thursday, out of the blue, I got a nice invoice from my web host for £39. The web host is Irish, so not only do I pay their rates, I pay the ugly conversion to dollars also. That means they were billing me for $64!

I quickly sent back an email telling them that I had a lifetime package and advising that there must be some mistake.

Nope. They politely told me that they'd decided to no longer honor the lifetime packages and I could pay up or my web would be terminated on January 1st.

What followed was a lot of steam rising from my ears.

This has to be illegal. The part of me that paid rapt attention during three years of law school agrees, it's got to be illegal. What I don't know is whether it's worthwhile to fight this. Even if I win, do I want to continue to do business with people who consider this type of practice ethical?

I decided to see what the rest of the world is paying for web hosting. I don't need much - just PHP and a nice SQL backend to host my databases. Most services offer that. While I was looking I started looking for a domain host, so I could register the domain name in my name and then point it to wherever I wanted.

No problem there - I found a pretty inexpensive domain host (costing about half what I've been paying my Irish company). They would be happy to register my StoneCairn domain, but they need two things - the name unlocked by the Irish company, and an authorization code.

The Irish company refused to give me an authorization code, and instead sent me a document which would unlock the domain but immediately terminate my account (and web).

More steam.

Lots more steam.

In fact, I think my ears are going to be permanently red.

So now I'm at a crossroads. Do I dump everything I've put in place for the past six years and just walk away? Can I justify the expense of what is mostly preening my own feathers? Is there any way I can send Saint Patrick over to wail on a few unscrupulous Irish business men with his shillelagh? Maybe I'd best call in a pooka instead of a saint.

I have five weeks to decide.

I'm stuck.

Sca-wee Movies

In October we love to curl up with a blanket, a mug of fresh pressed cider and a warm puppy to watch some good old fashioned scary movies.

Mind you, we're not into the mind-numbing gorefests that Hollyweird is intent on force feeding everyone now days. No indeed. Instead we love old campy movies. You know, the ones where you can see the zipper on the back of the monster? Oh yeah. Now THAT'S entertainment.

However, the month didn't start off so well. I'm far too outraged (and cheap) to pay for television, so we only get the feed off the air. (Which is quite enough, thank you much. All I need is Antiques Roadshow and Castle and I'm perfectly happy.) OK, so we do watch a few things on Hulu, but that's all.

One of the free channels is a KATU clone called "This". They show old movies and TV shows all day long, and this month they promise a feast of old bad horror movies. Basically think, "Vincent Price runs rampant!" Haha! We thought! We're in luck!

On October 1st we turned on the TV and settled in for

"IT! The Thing From Beyond Space".

A Martian vampiric monster stows away aboard a spaceship headed to earth! Sounds promising, huh?

Man oh man, was that a dud.

This movie ranks up there with the stupidest flicks of all time. I won't even tell you that I almost threw a mug (empty) at our brand new LCD tv because the ending was SO illogical! But isn't "IT" cute?

Then we tried a few of the Vincent Price offerings.

Yipes. What a bore! Their idea of scary is red jello, druids and naughty innuendo. Yawn, yawn.

Finally I gave up on TV and we pulled out the REAL Halloween stuff.

May I present this year's Halloween Movie Lineup?

1) "The Others"

This is a new comer to our flick fest, but it did well.

Set on the Isle of Jersey in the days following the end of WWII, there is no blood here, just good old fashioned chills.

We originally saw this movie in the theatre with an intrepid band of sisters from the ward. Great fun!

I will say that is was not as scary the second time around, but it was still a very satisfying evening.

(Although I longed to take the heroine aside, tell her the Plan of Salvation and get her a copy of the Book of Mormon. This woman needed help.)

2) "Brides of Dracula"

This is one of those wonderful campy movies that passes all the tests, thanks mainly to the superb stage presence of "Saint" Peter Cushing as Van Helsing.

In my opinion, this is Hammer Film's Best of the Best. Still, be prepared to have your kids laugh, but I love it. (And to think that most people only know Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin!!)

3) "Kwaidan"

>

This ensemble of spooky Japanese horror stories is wonderful stuff! (If you don't mind reading subtitles.) No anime here! The film is lush and sparse at the same time. I love it!

Oddly enough, the original stories were written by a Caucasian who went to the orient and lost himself in the culture. But that's another story.

Part of the Criterion Collection, it's sometimes hard to get your hands on a copy. Bribe me and I'll loan it to you. :)

4) The Dresden Files

This Canadian-filmed television series only lasted one season, sadly. It does a fair job of bringing the Jim Butcher's "Dresden" books to life.

Yes, they are about a wizard.

Named Harry.

No, not that Harry.

This one is actually a lot of fun. ;)

Harry makes ends meet by using his skills as a private detective.

To be honest, I could only read about four of the Dresden books before I lost interest. Butcher is a bit long winded, and after a while Harry gets to be a pain. The fact that Butcher gives Harry an anti-Christian streak is annoying, even though he is friends with a dyed in the wool Paladin. (Never did figure that one out.)

The good news is that the show is GREAT fun, without any of the weird stuff from the books! It's a nice mix of dark and light, with fun special effects, and a wonderful damned sorcerer's spirit-in-a-skull named "Bob".

You've got to watch this one. It pretty much saved Halloween this year, all by itself!

We have one episode left out of the twelve, and I think we'll save it for Friday night.

5) "Dracula" - the Spanish version

Did you know that while Bela Legosa was filming the classic 1931 version of Dracula, a seperate version, in Spanish was being filmed at the same time? The English actors would film in the day and the Spanish actors would show up and film on the same sets at night!

I think the Spanish version is actually much better than the English version, the only problem is that it lacks a sound track.

Sadness.

Still good fun at Halloween (again with subtitles).

6) "The Ghost and the Darkness"

Frankly the scarest movie I've ever watched, this retelling of the true story of "The Man-Eaters of Tsavo" is beautifully filmed, well played and makes me scream like a girl.

Micheal Douglas and Val Kilmer are at top form! (The costumes are good, too.)

When I first saw it, this movie freaked me out so badly I wouldn't walk through the house in the dark for nearly a month. Superb!

My mother refuses to watch this movie.

NOT for children.

And finally - my favorite movie of all time -

7) "The Thing From Another World"

Also known simply as "The Thing", this is the original 1951 horror flick with James Arness playing the monster, not to be confused with any of the ridiculous remakes.

(Look close at the picture. Can't you just see Matt Dillion?)

But don't be fooled, this is top flight sci fi and horror wrapped into one.

What makes it so great? Frankly, it's the dialog. You have to sit back and listen to these guys. The funniest lines go on in the background. We just crack up every time we watch.

When the monster does appear, he's a force to be reckoned with. You'll scream and cheer and cover your eyes! Doesn't get much better than this, folks.

This one we're saving for the very last!

Here's hoping our list will help you find something to do beside bob for apples this year.

We wish you much popcorn (because it flies in the air so well when you jump and scream).

Hallo-w00t!!

I drove home from work today, all achy and tired, and arrived to find...

PUN-KINS!!!

Yes, indeedydo, my sweet sister had decorated!

We have plastic grinning jack-o-lanterns hanging from the garage eaves, and a group of jolly jack-o-lanterns on the porch and a huge black blow-up cat with a witches hat and my oh my, but I feel ever so much better.

The best part is, I don't think she ever reads my blog, so that means she decorated out of the goodness of her heart and not to stop me from whining in public. :)

So, in honor of her, I present our favorite Calvin Halloween cartoon.

Not a Ghost of a Chance

I think I've lost the spirit of Halloween.

OK, OK, I know. Halloween shouldn't be at the top of my list of celebrations for the year. But honestly, when you combine a carte blanche to wear outrageous costumes, stay up late, watch campy black and white movies and eat candy, what could be more fun than that?

Truth be told, I do three of those four things on a regular basis, so Halloween isn't that much different than a normal day.... but it's the spirit of the thing, right?

Apparently, not right. Wrong, even. :(

When October 1st rolled around, my sister and I planned to break out the decorations and make a month of it! But then we decided to put off the decorating until after General Conference. Just to be respectful. (Yeah, right.) Then we put it off until after the gutters were cleared. Then until the rain subsided. And then... then it was October 21st, just 10 days from H-Day, and still no decorations in sight.

I'm bummed.

Depressed.

All I have is one lonely pumpkin.

Must do something about the lack of spiritedness.

Soon.

Rats

Tonight the Normal Mormon Husband threw in the towel. No more will we snicker along as we read his blog.

I can't say I blame him. Writing blogs can be difficult. It's so much easier for most people to run to Facebook and drop a one liner, or even stumble over to twitter and cut down the English language to the bare number of allowed characters.

Obviously, I'm not a fan of either site. I enjoy a well thought out sentence, a nicely developed paragraph, some visceral visual imagery, and a good dénouement. Sadly, those things are lacking in today's world, and they'll be lacking even more tomorrow, when we have a full day worth of NMH withdrawal.

To Andrew, and his wonderful way with words, thank you. I wish you the best (and many, many slurpees).

Things to Make Me Smile

A list of things that make me happy this week:

1) The new Tasha Alexander book is here!

"Tears of Pearl" hit the shelves September 1st... and I want it!

If you haven't read any of the Lady Emily Ashton books, do NOT start with this one. Go back to page one. Read "And Only To Deceive" and the two books which follow it. The rest of us will be waiting here for you.

2) Found two hilarious web sites.

The names tell the story - ThatWillBuffOut.com and ThereIFixedIt.com

Two examples of the fun:

Be sure someone else is in the house, to slap you on the back when you laugh so hard you choke.

3) It's finally Autumn!

Fall has arrived and I'm beside myself.

Apples and pumpkins and crisp air and reading in the hammock and bright stars at night.

What more could a girl ask?

4) ummm.. a geek toy....

No, not that delicious new Canon 7D with full HD video and onboard remote flash control. Saving up for that one.

No, not the hybrid Piaggio three wheeled scooter. Saving up for that one too.

No, not the new iPhone.

OK, it is the new iPhone. But without the phone, the camera and the ridiculously expensive AT&T data plan. :)

That's right, I bought an iPod Touch!

Joanne shamed me into it.

It's soooo sweet. I never thought I'd own an iPod. I am not one to listen to music every moment of the day. Too many years spent in the Law School library made me love my silence. So why buy a crazily expensive MP3 player?

Because you can ignore the music part and do everything else in the world!

I haven't touched either of my netbooks since I got the iPod. Everything I want on the internet is at my fingertips. Even Google Earth!

Dang. I love this toy.

Everybody tell me what your favorite apps are! I have too many choices!

How many exclamation points did I just use? eep!

I hope you too have a long list of things to make you smile this week!

Dang. There's another pesky exclamation point.

YARRR!!!

Ahoy, mateys!

It be ther Scarlet Wench, here, wish'n ye a happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Careful o' me vicious attack corgi, Chumline. He be known to nibble on pretty li'l ankles. Thinks they all shur be made o' wood, don't you know.

Well, time be a wast'n and me stout ship, the Wrathful Toad sails on the tide, so I be off to fill ter hold wit hardtack 'n weevils.

YARRR to ye all!

*cough* *choke*

Can only talk like that before so long, and then my tongue gets all tied up. :)

Don't forget, it's fine to say YAARRRRR! today. Get your kids in on the act.

They'll love it. :D

AVAST! and BLUBBER and KEELHAUL to you, too.

Photograzing

Let's face it, I follow too many Food Blogs. Far too many. There is NO moderation in this thing. Soon they will be classifying me as a Food Blog Gourmand. *shudder*

Sadly, I follow so many Food Blogs that it's nearly impossible to keep up with all the wonderful things going on. But I've found something that makes it a little easier to find new and wonderful recipes and techniques - Photograzing!

You don't read, you browse by picture to find the food and recipes that interest you.

The Serious Eats blog has the best example that I've found: http://photograzing.seriouseats.com Try it out!

In addition to great food, these pictures also offer wonderful photography examples, so Shutter Bug Alert!

In Vino Veritas

It is done. Fini.
My first attempt at Boeuf Bourguignon.
And the results?

hmm...that's a hard one to answer. Do you mind if I take it one step at a time?

I intended to make this dish true to Julia Child's recipe, but things went awry from the beginning. First, I didn't have any boiling onions and I'd just purchased five pound of Walla Walla Sweets, so those went in, instead.

The beef browned nicely but I couldn't believe she really meant two inch cubes. (Two square inches? How do you get that in your mouth??) so I cut my meat into one inch cubes.

Finally I had the browned and flour crusted meat, the braised carrots and onions all nicely in my dutch oven and I reached for the BOTTLE.

Ah heck.
Guess what?
Wine bottles have corks.
*face palms*

Right, like a nice little Mormon girl keeps a corkscrew in the house.

After a ransacking three of the kitchen drawers, it turns out that somehow, I DO have a corkscrew! I have no idea where it came from and to be honest, the thing looks more like a medieval torture device, but it sure worked great on that stupid cork!

Glug, glug, glug, in goes the wine. Know what? It smells like vinegar. Yup. Just like the cheap bottle of vinegar I've had in the cupboard all along. Who do you suppose first drank this stuff and how desperately thirsty would you have to be to toss straight vinegar down your gullet??

Ah well, it's too late now. I've already committed myself, so in it goes. It is a pretty color by the way. Kind of wine colored. *winces*

Sorry, back to the story.

I'd bought a full bottle of wine because the recipe calls for three cups and three cups is right onto 750 ml which is a bottle - nice math, no? No. Turns out that I only used half of the bottle of wine. :( Don't ask me, I don't know. I only used two pounds of meat, instead of the three that the recipes requires, because there are just the two of us. And maybe my carrots were really small. Something.

Whatever the cause, I am now stuck with half a bottle of wine. I jammed the cork back in and suddenly I thought, where do I store this? I don't know! I keep the vinegar in the cupboard, and wine sits in wine cellars before it's opened. Can this stuff go bad? Is that even possible? I shove the bottle in the fridge just to be safe.

Great. Now I have a half empty bottle of wine in the fridge. With my luck the Home Teachers will show up tonight and through some twist of fate, feel a desperate need to look into my refrigerator. I'm doomed.

Sorry, back to the story.

In another departure from Julia's recipe I skip the bay leaf. (Don't care for them. Don't keep them in the house.) Ignore the required tablespoon of tomato paste. (Tablespoon? I'm supposed to open a full can just to use a tablespoon? And don't suggest substituting ketchup. My sister loaths the stuff and she'd have my head on a platter. So, no tomato paste.) No thyme either, sadly. I do love thyme but I forgot that we're growing rosemary in our garden this year, not thyme, so I didn't buy any. In a desperate move to have something herbal in the concoction I toss in a teaspoon of ten year old Bouquet Garnis from the spice shelf. I can hear Julia turning in her grave already.

Just as I'm bringing the stew to a simmer I had the sudden realization that I'm using a cast iron dutch oven, not one of the fancy ceramic casseroles, to make this dish. Will the wine react with the metal? Have I just made a witches' brew? Ah well, too late to worry about it now. I slam on the lid, put the pot in the oven, set the timer for two hours and head off to watch what turns out to be a very weird movie. During that time I can smell the wine cooking. I fills the house with a slightly astringent smell. Not really pleasant, although my sister says she didn't notice. I did, and I worried all the way through the movie.

Note: "The Tale of Desperaux" isn't all it's cracked up to be. My sisters says we should have watched "Galaxy Quest" instead, and I'm inclined to agree with her.

Once again, back to the story - or rather - the denouement.

The dish definitely was not Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon. I didn't bother to strain it, I just stirred in the extra onions and the mushrooms and we set to with a will. We were both starving. No potatoes, rice, noodles or bread, just beef stew.

The beef came out very tender, although I thought it a bit dry. Next time I'll cut the meat into two inch cubes the way I was told. But I'll add two or three times the carrots. They were almost the best part!

The sauce....
Truth be told, I didn't like it. Perhaps it's because I'm not used to the taste of wine, or perhaps the iron in the dutch oven leached out when the acid from the wine hit it or perhaps I'm feeling guilty. Whatever - the answer is I won't be doing it again. Next time I'll use a good sturdy apple cider, fresh out of the press. Yum!! The sweetness of the apples alongside the beef sounds wonderful! I'll even add a bit of apple cider vinegar if necessary, to tenderize the meat. But $4 worth of sour grapes. Nah. Don't think so.

Will I make Beef Stew again? Yes indeed! The techniques are wonderful and that's really what counts. But I'll be doing my own version, the way my tastebuds draw me. Rosemary and thyme, extra carrots and a parsnip or two. And a rich sauce with a hint of apples. Heck, I might even make dumplings.

Anyone out there want half a bottle of wine? It's nicely chilled.

The Ol' Switcheroo

Today I'm going to distract you from my tawdry life of sin by pulling a switcheroo. In other words - don't look here - look over there!! (Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow with the end to my vino-soaked saga.)

I found two fun things on the internet today and I have to share them.

First is a series of videos on YouTube called "Depression Cooking with Grandma Clara".
This lovely 90+ year old lady cooks (frugally) and talks about her life. It's wonderful stuff. I believe there are nine or more episodes.


Wait! Don't watch all of her episodes just now, I have something else to show you! I'm so tempted to buy this book.

"Peeps: Recipes and Crafts to Make with Your Favorite Marshmallow Treat"

We're dealing with marshmallows here and the first sentence in the book is:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

LOL! That's gotta be a fun book.

Who has the next wedding? We must swipe the bride and groom off their cake and substitute a peep pair while they aren't looking.

Ahh... the Kearsleys...
mwhahahahahaha!!

Lush Alert!

Today I bought my first bottle of wine.
YIPERS!!

I should back up.
Saw "Julie and Julia".
Decided to make Bœuf Bourguignon!
Bought mushrooms, carrots and beef.
...

yeah.

There's just no getting around the fact that it calls for wine.
In the past, when a recipe called for wine I've used apple or grape juice, vinegar, even water, with varying results.
I never felt the need to use wine and frankly didn't want any in the house.

Well, call me crazy but this time I decided to follow the recipe and do the real thing. Heck, the dish bakes for 3 hours! The alcohol will be completely gone.
But still...

I'm not even sure that I'll enjoy the taste. I've had Shrimp Newberg made with sherry and real Swiss fondue (in Geneva mind you) made with wine and didn't enjoy either of them. And I certainly never enjoy fruit cake soaked in... um... just what is it you soak fruit cake in, anyway?

Oh well. We'll try Julia Child's recipe for Bœuf Bourguignon once.

I'm not even sure I got the right thing. Burgundy is of course traditional, but Julia suggests a Beaujolais (uh, right) or even a Chianti (of course, how could I be so silly!). I got a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Hey, it's red. It said it had the flavors of blackberries and plums (could be good with beef, right?). It was on sale (how good can a $3.99 bottle of wine be? Did I scrape the bottom of the barrel?). And most importantly, I didn't have to go up to some 20 year old punk kid working in the grocery aisle and say "Hi, I'd never actually drink this stuff, but I'd like to cook with it, so what do you suggest?".

Felt extremely weird, walking up to the cash register with a bottle of wine in my hand. Would have been the perfect moment for the city to be translated, and me left behind for the wicked woman that I am. *sigh* They'll never ask me to teach Relief Society again.

OH! By the way, Julia is right - never crowd the mushrooms.
They came out so golden brown and delicious. YUUUUMMMMM!

The French Chef on the Silver Screen

A group of us shelled out $9.25 a piece last night to see a movie in a real movie theatre.

Imagine that! Now days I usually wait for Netflix to come out with the Blu-ray, so sitting in a real theatre was quite an adventure.

Our fare of choice?

"Julie and Julia"
Passion. Ambition. Butter. Do You Have What It Takes?

There are few words that would describe this movie as well as FUN. Streep was very, very good, and Tucci - well, he always steals the show, doesn't he? The sets and costumes were wonderful! France in the 1950's never looked so good.

Notice I'm talking only about the "Julia" part of the film?
The "Julie" part was good enough, and interesting, but you could have cut it out and just shown the "Julia" part and I would have been perfectly happy. Sadly, I guess most people wouldn't sit around for two hours of that, so the mix was a good choice.

Did I mention the food? yuuuummmmm.....

As soon as I got home I pulled out my (sadly pristine) copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and started thumbing through it. I've made very few of the recipes, but that's about to change!

Gentlemen:
If you need an explosion or an astounding CG effect every three minutes in order to keep your mind from wandering, this movie certainly isn't for you. But if you take your wife/daughter/girlfriend/sister/mother/aunt/grandma to this movie you'll gain bonus points, I promise.

As a consolation, there ARE murders.
Lobster murders.
Many.

And butter.
Lots of butter.

Bon Appetite!

Lest I be misunderstood

Lest some of you take my last post wrong, I should point out that I love movies.
Boy oh boy, do I love movies!

My problem is that I have extremely high expectations, and we all know how well that turns out (e.g. my marital status). In fact, most modern movies just end up depressing me. I'm much better with good old fashioned movies.

My college roommate used to swear that if we were watching TV and I had the remote, I'd just start flipping channels until I saw something, anything, in black and white, and that's what we'd watch.

That's really not true - but it's pretty darn close!

However, I'd like to point out that there are two movies coming out soon that I'm pretty excited to see. (This doesn't count "Julie and Julia", which I'm going to see next week if it kills me!)

First is "Number 9". This little Tim Burton film is about nine little golems that a scientist creates just before ... ah, but I'll let the trailer show you.



Looks like fun, no?! It comes out on 9.9.09. hehe! I love it.

Next is "TRON Legacy" We have to wait for next year for this one, but I'm geeking out already! (If you haven't seen the original "Tron" movie, don't go any further. Stop. Head to your video store. Watch it on the biggest screen possible. Then come back here an continue.)

Feast your eyes!



I know exactly at what moment you'll say, "Whoooooa!!!!". That's 'cause I said the same thing.
I loved "Tron". It came out when Disney was still making wholesome movies.
That cool, slick black landscape with the amazing lights. And was that a great plot or what??

All I can say is, "Greetings Programs!"
Yup. I'm geeking out.
Somebody hand me a lightcycle.

Giving up control

One has to wonder what Stephanie Meyers is thinking right now.

She created a world filled with fascinating characters and dripping with pathos and angst - and suddenly no one cares any longer. They have forgotten Edward and Bella and rest. All they care for are the antics of "Robert and Kristin".

She should never have turned over control of her world to Hollywood. No one even thinks about what she wrote. They only know what the screen writers churn out and what the self-important actors do, both on and off screen. And then there's the CGI...

Let me back up. I shouldn't say EVERYONE. There are those of us who read the books, refused to see the movie, and still can enjoy the pretty pictures in our heads. *wink*

I learned a similar lesson when I was in Junior High School and it's stayed with me. Key learning: Never confuse an actor with his character.

Sadly, most people fall right into the Celebrity Trap.
I'm certainly not one of them, but only through sheer will power. Let's face it - the power of an Idol is exactly that. Power.

To combat this, I refuse to see a movie if an actor on my Black List is in it.
The list is long and convoluted and does stop me from seeing many new releases.

It starts, ignominiously, with Keanu Reeve. He has to be the WORST actor of all time. Why does ANYONE cast him??? In ANYTHING??
We go from the wooden actor to the great mouther, Kenneth Brannagh. Ugh. I can't stand to watch him. The fact that he deserted his wife for a not so sweet young thing makes him all the more despicable.
Tom Cruise was on the list long before he revealed his mania on Oprah's couch. Or was it Letterman's couch? No, I will not be seeing Valkerie. *pouts* That patented "sniff" of his really annoys me.
Brad Pitt (is there a male word for slut?) is prominent on the list, as is his rotten girlfriend Jolie (there is a word for her).
Sadly, a new entrant to the list is Morgan Freeman. I liked him. I really did. What a scumbag he turned out to be.
I'm going to have a problem next year when "Toy Story 3" comes out. I love those movies, but Tom Hanks is now on the black list... soo...

Just to be perverse, I do allow exceptions.
I do watch Robin Hood and Captain Blood, even though Errol Flynn's personal life churns my stomach.
I still enjoy Casablanca and Intermezzo, even though Ingrid Bergman dove off her pedestal.

There are bright spots. Some longtime members of my list have redeemed themselves.
These people haven't done anything perverse, their type of humor or acting is just offensive to me.
For example, you can't drag me screaming into a "funny" Jim Carrey show. But the "Truman Show" I'm inclined to give him another chance.
Same for Adam Shandler. He disgusts me, but I understand "Bedtime Stories" is fun and won't make your eyes bleed after watching it.

Ah well.. enough of my Monday morning rant.

I just feel very sorry for Stephanie Meyers.
Oh, and more importantly -

Always read the book and SKIP the movie.
The story that played out in your mind is infinitely better than anything Hollyweird can come up with.

What is in your Emergency Kit?

On Saturday nearly 200 people descended on the air-conditioner-less Stake Center and pitched in to assemble 72 hour emergency kits for the developmentally disabled of Washington County.

I had the enviable task of photographing this event. Enviable because I did NO work whatsoever!! I just walked around, poking my nose in and snapping pictures. Truth is, I feel like I missed out. Everyone was having so much fun making the kits! Don't get me wrong, I had fun also, I just didn't contribute much.

Here are a couple of my favorite shots from the activity:


Isn't he a cutie? Paying such careful attention to his mom... I'm sure he had some suggestions for her, also.

Great hands! Three nice ladies, all busy making first aid kits.

Now, for the big question - What is in YOUR Emergency Kit?
Yes, there's food and bandaids and water and a blanket... but what are your secret "Must Have To Survive" items?

Here are a few of mine.

1) Tweezers
One word - splinter. uh huh. Now you agree with me, don't you? Last thing I need in an emergency is a splinter. Or a hang nail. Must have tweezers. In a pinch I can do with a loop of thread, but I'd much rather have a good sturdy metal tweezer with me.

2) Nail File
Don't look at me like that - you know my hands never get a manicure. But I do have rather brittle nails which tear easily, and a nail file saves me from ripping the nail down to the cuticle. Definitely a need for survival (especially if I need to be chopping wood or putting up a tent!)

3) Book
Something to let my mind escape. If it's a very good book, when I'm done, maybe I could barter off readings for chocolate... hehe...

4) Paper and pencil
Keep a journal, write a HELP ME note, whatever - can't go anywhere without paper and pencil.

5) Small glow in the dark Star Chart

6) Two dog collars, treats and food.
I don't care what disaster takes place, I'm not leaving without my dogs. And if the rescuers get snotty about it, I'll stay rather than go. I guess I'd better add a "king sized down comforter" because my spoiled dogs may refuse to sleep on the ground. heheh!!

Manga!

You won't believe this, but I think there's actually going to be an entertaining movie coming out this summer!


Julie and Julia looks look so much fun!
But I think this is one movie where we'd better eat before we go.

Practice makes perfect

Or, in my case, practice pays off big time, but if the bug holds still it sure helps!

Click the image for full sized - it's much better.

Speaking of which, I need some more practice.
Would anyone like to be my guinea pig?
I'll do my very best to capture your fabulous-ness. :)

Castle!

Castle is back on television!

If you haven't already become a fan of this murder mystery television show, you should check it out. Season one is being re-run on Saturdays on ABC. Get your TiVo set up. :)

You've already missed Episode One, but it's available for the next few weeks on the ABC website and Hulu (which links back to ABC).

This is an adult show, not for the kids. I find some of the crime scenes disturbing, but they go away quickly and the rest is great stuff. I really love the daddy/daughter scenes, and who can pass up a chance to watch Nathan Fillion (aka Malcom Reynolds, aka Captain TightPants).

Wait.
Don't tell my mother I wrote that last part.

Blustery Spring

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
April showers bring May flowers.

At least, that's what my mother taught me.

It's been a typical blustery Oregon spring so far. I just wish it would be sunny on a weekend - long enough for me to get out and take a few pictures of the gorgeous blossoms that are cycling through the trees.

This last week I noticed that the dogwoods are in full bloom. I really love dogwoods, despite their rather erroneous and dour reputation. The fabulous textures - strongly veined petals with a hard little nub at the end - and the dusky rosy colors all add up to be one of the most interesting flowers. Just four petals. That's all it takes to make me happy.

I ran across something interesting while I was taking the dogs for a walk. A tiny blue eggshell, sitting right in the middle of the street. The wind was up, so I ran for home to get the camera. (The dogs weren't happy about their walk being cut short, but I gave them a good tummy rub to make up for it.)



I just love the stark contrast between the fragile shell (with its tiny lining intact), the high relief of the asphalt and the lengthening shadow.

Color indexed B&W

Sometimes color just doesn't do it for me.
I know that sounds odd, but black and white photography can bring out details that we miss because of the way we emotionally respond to color.

To illustrate, I've taken the photo of the yellow tulips and huge wooden shoe from my last post , and played with it a bit. I love the results!

You can just hit a button and turn any photo to black and white using the free software that abounds out there. This is what you'd get:

Original



Black and White



Not terribly exciting, eh? So, try color indexing instead!
Color indexing means that you tell the software what is white and it adjusts the rest of the spectrum for you.

For example, this is what I got when I told it to index on yellow. All the yellows turned to white and the greys work down to black from that point.



Pretty blah. That's because there is SO much yellow that when it turns to white the photo is rather blown out.

Instead, I chose blue as the index color. Because there is little blue in the picture (just the shades mixed with the green of the stems) the flowers suddenly have a lot of detail - all that yellow is seen as shades of grey.



I think the result is fabulous. (And a bit eerie!)

Tulips in the Rain

Several weeks ago I signed up for a photography seminar to be held in conjunction with the Woodburn Tulip Festival. I was very excited, not only to hear the lecture, but to play with the expensive cameras!

The two days before the seminar were beautiful and sunny, and guess what? Yep, Friday was overcast with showers, turning the tulip fields into squishy beds of mud. Worse, the delivery of expensive equipment was mis-shipped, so none of these shots was taken with a $5000 camera. *pout* *whine*

Ah well, we still had fun!

Sadly, we had little sun, and I'm a lover of shadows in my photos, so the conditions were not ideal for me. On the bright side, you didn't have to carry around a mister to make the flowers look all dewy! :)

If you get a chance you should head down to Woodburn. The weather has been cool, so the tulips are just starting their big show now. In fact, they've extended the festival to the first week in May. Make sure to let the kids play with the rubber ducky derby and ride the cow train.


(As always, try clicking on the pictures for a larger version!)

ISO Woes

What the heck is wrong with my brain!?!

When the sun finally let me go outside last week, I ran around the neighborhood, poking my nose into yards. (Don't worry, no yard invasions took place. That's what telelphoto lenses are for!) I took a good 80 shots of the blossom laden trees in the neighborhood. It was great fun!


I was glad I'd gotten out because the warm weather, the rain and time took the majority of blossoms off the trees in the next few days.

Early the next week, because my father was visiting, we decided to have some fun and headed down to Silver Falls State Park to see the spring run on the waterfalls. What a gorgeous day it was; a high marine layer of clouds moved in around noon, but the air was warm. The mist from the falls felt so good. And yes, there I was, playing photographer, trying to capture the amazing beauty of the falls. Capture it with about 230 shots, that is. Thank heavens for large CF cards!



Imagine my annoyance when, about half way through our hike, I realized that I'd had the ISO on my camera cranked up to 1600 for some completely irrational reason! It had been set that way for the blossoms shots also!

grrrrrrr....

I'm just lucky that my camera deals well with weird settings because the Operator Errors are enough to drive the poor machine mad, let alone the Operator.

Ah well. Live and learn, I suppose.
I hope you enjoy my noisy pictures!
(You can click on them for a larger view.)

Lost Opportunity

Last year I suddenly realized how beautiful spring flowers are.
Yes, I know - what took me so long?

To make up for lost time I grabbed my camera and started recording spring!

I took this picture down the street from my home. I liked the tree so well that I told myself I'd try to record the same little branch this year and see how things had changed. Sadly, though we have had blossoms for a good week now, I haven't had time to get out. Either I got home from work too late or it was raining.

Well, today it turned sunny! I grabbed by camera and headed down the street. When I got to my tree - it was gone, cut down, either last night or this morning. Tattered blossoms still littered the ground.



I wish I had braved the rain yesterday.

Baaaa!

I saw this on the Sassy and Sweet Notes blog and just have to pass it along.
What fun!

Watch out Saint Patrick... she's on the warpath again

It's time, once again, for the annual Saint Patrick's Day Rant at our home. The script goes something like this:

Me: "Why can't they learn - four leaf clovers are NOT shamrocks!"

My sister: "Oh no. Here we go again..."

Me, stumping around the room: "It's not difficult - three leaves, three members of the godhead. I mean, besides snakes, what else is Saint Patrick famous for, I ask you?!"

My sister: "That's in Ireland. You know that. In America this day isn't about Saint Patrick it's about being Irish."

Me: "You mean it's about beer! Beer and leprechauns. What the heck do leprechauns have to do with it, I don't know!"

My sister: *sigh*

Me: "What??"


Don't worry. I'm always better after I have some scones.

A quarter of our family are good Irishmen, mostly from County Down. About five generations back we were part of the Guinness clan, of Guinness Stout fame.

Yes, that side of the family kept the beer and the money and our side got a nice new religion instead. And a one way ticket to America. (I know we got the better part of the deal, but some of that money sure would have come in handy...)

We keep a shillelagh and a bodhran in the house, we can tell a banshee from a pooka, and we watch "The Quiet Man" annually, with religious fervor. So, raise your McDonald's mint Shamrock shake, put on your green bowler hat and let's all remember our Irish grandparents!

And someone, somewhere, please tell your children WHY Saint Patrick is famous.
I'll sleep better if you do.

Happy Pi Day! 3.14

Do you have a pie for today?





If not, pull out the flour or head for the Marie Callendars - either way you MUST have pie today. (Traditional round pies are of course preferable, but hey, I'll let you get away with those 30 cent fried things if you must!)

I tried to get a screen shot at 1:59 am, but I managed to fall asleep, so no joy there. :D

Yes, the rumors are true, I started out as a math major.
What can I say?

Ubergeeks unite!

Valentines Wind Up - Langwidere

I learned to love books by listening to my Mother read to us before bed.

Every night she'd sit us down and open a book. When it was warm we would sit out on the front porch as the shadows lengthened and listen to Mon's voice. In the winter we'd snuggle up under our covers and listen to the rocking chair creak while she brought those wonderful stories to life.

The stories that I remember most clearly were a set of fairy tales from around the world, and the Oz books.

If you haven't had the lovely chance to grow up in the Land of Oz, you should be warned that there are many MANY books about Oz. L. Frank Baum wrote 14 books during his life, then Ruth Plumley Thompson took over. She and several other authors brought the count to 40 books! (Although I only like about 37 of them. I'm soooo particular.)

Mind you, I like the movie musical just fine. Unlike now, as a child I didn't care about literary purity (heh) and so I thought what they'd done to the story was just fine. But now that I'm older... well, I do enjoy the movie and watch it nearly every year at Easter time, but there are some things that just stick in my craw. For example: Glinda.

Who ever decided to turn the grave and kind sorceress of the South into a bubble headed twitter brain?? Ugh!!
This is what Glinda really looks like:



I always wanted to be Glinda. Wise, intelligent and caring.

One of my favorite books in the series is the third, "Ozma of Oz".

In it you meet the clockwork man Tik-Tok, Bellina the talking chicken (for years I thought her name was Belinda, because I'd only heard Mom say it), the wicked and totally scary (at least to an 8 year old) Wheelers and... Princess Langwidere.

Ah, Langwidere. When Mom first brought her to life I was amazed! The very idea captivated me, even as it repelled me.

But why am I talking? I should let you read about her yourself!

"...The maid led them to a richly furnished
drawing-room, lighted with subdued rainbow tints that came in through beautiful stained-glass windows.

"Remain here," she said. "What names shall I give the Princess?"

"I am Dorothy Gale, of Kansas," replied the child; "and this gentleman is a machine named Tiktok, and the yellow hen is my friend Billina."

The little servant bowed and withdrew, going through several passages and mounting two marble stairways before she came to the apartments occupied by her mistress.

Princess Langwidere's sitting-room was paneled with great mirrors, which reached from the ceiling to the floor; also the ceiling was composed of mirrors, and the floor was of polished silver that reflected every object upon it. So when Langwidere sat in her easy chair and played soft melodies upon her mandolin, her form was mirrored hundreds of times, in walls and ceiling and floor, and whichever way the lady turned her head she could see and admire her own features. This she loved to do, and just as the maid entered she was saying to herself:

"This head with the auburn hair and hazel eyes is quite attractive. I must wear it more often than I have done of late, although it may not be the best of my collection."

"You have company, Your Highness," announced the maid, bowing low.

"Who is it?" asked Langwidere, yawning.

"Dorothy Gale of Kansas, Mr. Tiktok and Billina," answered the maid.

"What a queer lot of names!" murmured the Princess, beginning to be a little interested. "What are they like? Is Dorothy Gale of Kansas pretty?"

"She might be called so," the maid replied.

"And is Mr. Tiktok attractive?" continued the Princess.

"That I cannot say, Your Highness. But he seems very bright. Will Your Gracious Highness see them?"

"Oh, I may as well, Nanda. But I am tired admiring this head, and if my visitor has any claim to beauty I must take care that she does not surpass me. So I will go to my cabinet and change to No. 17, which I think is my best appearance. Don't you?"

"Your No. 17 is exceedingly beautiful," answered Nanda, with another bow.

Again the Princess yawned. Then she said:

"Help me to rise."

So the maid assisted her to gain her feet, although Langwidere was the stronger of the two; and then the Princess slowly walked across the silver floor to her cabinet, leaning heavily at every step upon Nanda's arm.

Now I must explain to you that the Princess Langwidere had thirty heads--as many as there are days in the month. But of course she could only wear one of them at a time, because she had but one neck. These heads were kept in what she called her "cabinet," which was a beautiful dressing-room that lay just between Langwidere's sleeping-chamber and the mirrored sitting-room. Each head was in a separate cupboard lined with velvet. The cupboards ran all around the sides of the dressing-room, and had elaborately carved doors with gold numbers on the outside and jeweled-framed mirrors on the inside of them.



When the Princess got out of her crystal bed in the morning she went to her cabinet, opened one of the velvet-lined cupboards, and took the head it contained from its golden shelf. Then, by the aid of the mirror inside the open door, she put on the head--as neat and straight as could be--and afterward called her maids to robe her for the day. She always wore a simple white costume, that suited all the heads. For, being able to change her face whenever she liked, the Princess had no interest in wearing a variety of gowns, as have other ladies who are compelled to wear the same face constantly."*

Isn't that just the most amazing thought?
How would it be, to be not only beautiful, but to be able to chose your beauty to match your mood? Can you imagine what your life would be like?

I see you've seen through to why this is a Valentine's Wind Up post.
Yes, sadly, we live in a society that worships youth and beauty.
If you lack one, but have the other, you are tolerated.
However, if you lack both - woe!

Now tell me, have you ever seen a Valentine that lauded kindness, creativity, wisdom or any worthwhile trait? Not at all. They are either childish jokes or offerings on the altar of beauty.

When I think of Valentine's Day I can't help but think of Princess Langwidere, sad sorry creature that she is.

A bit more of the story is in order, I think.

"When Nanda had supported Langwidere to a position in front of cupboard No. 17, the Princess unlocked the door with her ruby key and after handing head No. 9, which she had been wearing, to the maid, she took No. 17 from its shelf and fitted it to her neck. It had black hair and dark eyes and a lovely pearl-and-white complexion, and when Langwidere wore it she knew she was remarkably beautiful in appearance.

There was only one trouble with No. 17; the temper that went with it (and which was hidden somewhere under the glossy black hair) was fiery, harsh and haughty in the extreme, and it often led the Princess to do unpleasant things which she regretted when she came to wear her other heads."*

Oh dear.

That reminds me of something Tolstoy wrote.

"It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness."
- Leo Tolstoy

Here's wishing you a Valentine's without mirrors, except those that you see in the faces of people whom you have touched.


*Excerpts from "Ozma of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. Chapter 6. Courtesy of the Gutenburg Project.

Valentines Wind Up - Monday

It's now 12:30 am, so that means it's Monday.
Not just any Monday, mind you, the Monday before Valentine's Day.

In the past, this week has been enough to send me, on alternate years, into bouts of righteous indignation (which, as you know, can only be assuaged by liberal applications of chocolate), waves of resentment (ditto the chocolate prescription), puddles of self pity (cured by watching old movies and crying into a pillow - whilst eating chocolate) and, worst of all, that one miserable year when I scraped the bottom of the barrel, sent myself flowers and pretended to the world that they'd actually come from a man.

Pitiful, non?
Oui.

As you might imagine, Valentine's Day is not my favorite time of year.

Please, don't get me wrong! I'm not being covetous here. I have never once wished anyone else into my shoes. Nor am I upset to see the wonderful relationships around me. I'm so pleased that there are those people in the world who have found someone to love. I wish them only the best, believe you me!

However, having the greeting card businesses and the flower businesses and the candy businesses all conspire together against me seems a tad bit unfair.

This week I've decided to post a bit each day to try to slowly draw out the venom (ouch, bad use of idiom). So I'll start with the worst, and hopefully by the time I hit Saturday I'll be smiling. (Although I fear I'll also be eating coma-inducing amounts of chocolate.)

Starting with the worst, then...

"Better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all."

Who in the heck said that, and were they out of their blinking gourd?!?
How incredibly wrong can you be?

I was quite happy in my innocent state, thank you very much.
I was even content in telling myself that all the love birds around me were self-deluded, and "love" did not exist per se, but was a happy fiction of the masses. (Sort of like believing 401K's are a good investment and that you can trust little brothers to hold your ice cream cone and not take a lick.)

Am I happy now that I've experienced love and lost it?
Umm... That would be a distinct NO.

What I wouldn't give for a spot of selective amnesia.
It would truly have been better never to have experienced love at all and remained blissfully ignorant.

So, the saying is poppycock and worse it sets people up for a fall.
Problem is, it's a popular axiom and everyone parrots it to the next generation.

Monday's Valentine's Wind Up resolution?
Stop the madness now! If we all promised to NEVER mention this idiotic idiom again perhaps it will shrivel up and die.

Homework:
For anyone out there who shares my sentiments, I'm planning on a bit of innocent self delusion on Saturday and I invite you to join me. What would your perfect Valentine's Date be?
No, I'm not playing into their hands (retail businesses that is) because other than my chocolate purchase I won't be actually giving them any money. I'll be playing out this little scene only in my head. neener neener.

You too can play! Start your mental preparations now.

She's Famous!!

One of our Quatama Sisters is teetering on the brink of religion-wide fame!

Heidi, we knew you were cool, but how cool is it to be a featured subject of one of the all time funny Mormon blogger's blogs?
OK, so he spelled your moniker wrong, but we can fix that.

Normal Mormon Husband and Runningfan

Everyone run over and take a look!

Spell Check

My sister has the habit of calling over her shoulder while in the middle of a deep and important online discussion in-game (video game that is), and asking me how to spell words.

Usually this happens just when I'm in the middle of something that has my full attention, and when she asks, my brain routinely turns to guacamole. However, being the total-sweetheart-kind-soul that I am (STOP SNICKERING) I'll pull up OneNote or something and do a quick spell check for her.

(I actually used to be a very good speller, before spell check came along. Now I'm lazy, lazy.)

Tonight's episode was just about the final straw for me.

My sister is busy talking to a crowd of elves, sorcerers and pseudo demons.
I am concentrating on tweaking an image in Photoshop, my tongue caught between my teeth.
Suddenly:

Sister: "How do you spell periphery?"

Silence, then the sound of my head hitting the keyboard.

Me, mumbled from the region of the keyboard: "S-I-D-E."

Yup. Just a regular night at the Creaky Cog home.

Robbie Burns Night

Sunday is January 25th, and every good Scot knows that this is a grand holiday!
On this day we remember Robert Burns, Scotland's great poet!
We remember him with song, story, food and drink.
OK, so my relatives who aren't Mormon remember him with drink, I have to stop at the food part.

Who was this Robbie Burns?
If you've ever sung "Auld Lang Syne" on New Year's Eve you already know his works, but he did so much more! Burns is well loved for his lyrical ability to bring the Scots dialect to life.

Here is just the first stanza of "To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough" written in November, 1785

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!

It's even better when spoken aloud!

Well, perhaps you're not a mouse fancier.
How about this well loved song, A Red, Red Rose.

O'my Luve's like a red, red rose, That's newly sprung in June:
O'my Luve's like the melodie, That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass, So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear, Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear, And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
And I will luve thee still, my dear, While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve! And fare-thee-weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve, Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile!

Brings a tear to your eye doesn't it?
Well, it better! It's one of my favorites!
That part about "And the rocks melt wi' the sun", that chokes me up like nothing else. Come now, you must have known I'm Scottish. With a name like Heather?? Tut tut.



What do we eat?
You may have heard tales of the food we serve on Robbie Burns night. Indeed it is a strange and awesome creation - the Haggis!

(I'm using an awful lot of exclamation points in this post, but it's only to keep myself from breaking into an awful Scottish accent that would have grandparents on both sides of my family rolling in their graves. Hah! We're Scots! They wouldn't just roll, they'd get up out of their graves and come over to whack me upside the head! Thus, the over use of exclamation points.)

The Haggis is a lovely warm and satisfying dish made from...
oh...
hmm...
I see there are children present.
I'd best not say exactly what we make Haggis from.

Instead, let me introduce you to some Haggis lore, stolen - make that appropriated - from The Great Haggisclopedia which is kindly published on the web by the Scotsman Newspaper.

Here he is - the Golden Haggis himself!

Or, it maybe herself. They come in both varieties.

The Haggisclopedia is quick to dispell the myth that a haggis is just a sheep’s stomach stuffed with meat and oatmeal.
The most common mistaken belief about the haggis is that it is some kind of pudding made from sheep innards. This somewhat macabre idea dates back many centuries. Its origins lie in a Pictish fertility ceremony which featured a parade of creatures known to produce large numbers of offspring. The haggis was one such animal. However, as hunting techniques were not as sophisticated as they were then and - for reasons explained in The Haggis in Scotland’s History - haggis numbers were low, the Pictish priests often had to make do with a model for these ceremonies. Said model haggis was made from an inflated sheep bladder, hence the myth.

Also, they point out that there is no link between the Haggis and the Loch Ness Monster, no matter what the media would have you believe.

This is nonsense. Haggises are not aquatic. They are also extremely wary of any creature larger than them and would not consort with a large carnivore, even one supposed to be mythical. There is also nothing to suggest that there is any truth behind the rumour that swimming with haggises strapped to your feet will prevent monster attacks. There have been no recorded attacks on anyone by the Loch Ness monster, haggis attachments notwithstanding.

The great Haggis Hunt is on in Scotland, and the Scotsman newspaper kindly provides web cams showing various important areas in Scotland, on the chance that you might see a Haggis waddling by. Click here and you can look at Loch Ness, Gretna Green, Princes Street in Edinburgh, Buchanan Square in Glasgow and other interesting places. If you spot a haggis you can send them an email and be entered in the contest for a trip to Scotland!

Sadly, the Hunt ends on Robbie Burns Day, so you've probably missed your chance for this year.

I did catch a glimpse of one of the little rascals. Here he is, just as I saw him.


For those of you who aren't blessed to be of Scottish descent, don't worry, you're still welcome to come and enjoy Robbie Burns night. Head over to my place and we'll raise a glass in his honor. (Probably filled with cran-grape juice.)

Sláinte!