Roger Ebert

Unless you're from the Chicago area, or a close follower of Roger Ebert, you may not know much about him since he disappeared from the famous Siskel and Ebert (later Ebert and Roper) movie review show.  Since 2003, Ebert had several bouts with cancer and eventually had his vocal chords, salivary glands, and eventually his entire lower jaw removed. 

Now unable to talk, he has returned to his first form of expression, writing.  His blog (located here) has a lot of movie reviews, but more than that are is musings on life, his current condition, and lots more.  His writing is touching, intelligent, insightful, and a little sad.  Not sad in the sense of mourning a loss, but the sweet sadness that comes from reliving a happy memory that has long past.

His story is chronicled in an Esquire magazine article that captures the spirit of a very interesting fellow.  Here's the story from Esquire magazine.

Wal Mart vs. Whole Foods

A very interesting article from the upcoming issue of The Atlantic.  A food writer explores Wal Marts' attempts to enter the local and organic food market over the last few years, with some surprising results.  The author also embarks on a unique experiment to allow food critics to have a blind taste test with similar products purchased from both Whole Foods and Wal Mart.  

Wal Mart may not be the savior of the same local economies that it previously helped destroy, but it is headed in an unexpected direction.  It does make you wonder though if the company is truly committed to local farmers or just after the higher profit margins common at high end grocers like Whole Foods.  

A quote from the article that I didn't think I'd ever hear - “It’s getting harder and harder to hate Walmart.”

Atlantic Article - The Great Grocery Smackdown

More Snow on the Way

OK, so I sort of promised not to tell any more tales of snow and woe.  Though there's not really any woe connnected with the snow we get, I just like how that rhymed.  But snow is what's happening, so that's what you get. 

The forecast is for another 3-4 inches of snow overnight tonight and tomorrow, which isn't a whole lot and not a terribly big deal, but apparently it's been a heavier than normal snow year and the natives are starting to get restless and irritable about the amount of snow.  I'm enjoying wading in the warm pool of blissful ignorance since I don't know any better and have nothing else to compare it to. 

The other odd factor (or so I've heard) about this winter is there hasn't been a winter warm up, a stretch of a few days when the temps get into the 30's or 40's and some or most of snow has a chance to melt.  That hasn't really happened, and as such the piles of snow, along roads and driveways have just continued to grow and grow, making it even more difficult for subsequent removal efforts from aforementioned roads and driveways.  Again, this doesn't bother me much, mostly because I have no other benchmarks to compare it to, but other folks are getting downright fussy. 

Right now the snow starting to thicken a bit outside.  It's the big-flaked, soft and fluffy variety.  And there's virtually no wind so the flakes fall almost straight down, seeming to defy gravity with their graceful, unhurried descent.  It's hypnotic.  I spend a ton of time just staring out the window on days like today. 

How to Get Our Democracy Back

If you have 15 minutes, here's an interesting article from The Nation on how we could reclaim our democracy from the grip of pervasive greed and influence peddling.  Written by Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard law professor and leader of the Change Congress movement.

How to Get Our Democracy Back

Howdy Again

Hello there faithful followers.  We've gone through another quiet period on the blog for a few reasons, mostly a combination of mild writers block and lack of any noteworthy events around the homestead.  Days have been spent in a typical routine of pancake making, working, coffee cup embracing, dog walking, book reading, and basketball playing (Mon, Wed, and Fri at the local gym). 

It seems hard to generate the gusto to write a blog entry when each day blends into the previous one, and how many times do you want me to tell you that "it was -18 degrees today and the mucous froze on the inside of my nose after 11 seconds outside"?  So at the behest of a reader (this is for you Brian, now get back to work), I'm composing this entry even though I don't have a whole lot to say. 

I did want to pass along one cool link.  Longtime Deaf Dog blog follower and awesome baker Sara is participating in a cool new cooking blog -"From Blah to Ta-Daa" with some interesting recipes.  So far many of the recipes are for deserts (I feel this is an asset not a liability) which is fine with me.  Sara's first recipe is for Valentines Day sugar cookies, and I think I'll test out to see if the recipe translates into gluten free and Alycia can get some tasty cookies for Valentines Day.

A Pack Of Puppies & The Pied Piper

Mama Bear (aka Alycia's Mom) sent over some photos from her digital camera that had been parked there for a while.  One of the pics was from Thanksgiving and is highly entertaining. 

 

The brown dog is Mozzie (Alycia's parents dogs) and the all black dog is Emma (their neighbors' dog that they puppysit for on occasion), the other two you probably recognize.   Everyone is at rapt attention, not because they are good dogs but because Alycia's Dad is about to hand out turkey chunks.  This scene was repeated half a dozen times throughout Thanksgiving as he regularly bestowed treats upon his furry companions.  

As you can imagine Tito LOVES visiting their house. He spends most of the time patrolling the kitchen for crumbs and spontaneously sitting in the hopes of getting a snack.  Shaak Ti has also grown quite fond of visiting since she gets treats there that she never gets at home, mostly various meat products. 

Please also note on the left side of the picture the number of pies on the counter.  You can count one, two, three, four pies.  There are actually another three or four pies that are not in the frame as well.  Yes, Thanksgiving is a multi-pie affair in Cavalier, North Dakota.

How To Walk On Ice

The storm last week left a significant coating of ice over everything, and as such, perambulating with or without doggie companions is significantly slipperier that it used to be.  The wise folks at the University of North Dakota felt the need to send to send out the following e-mail to all employees:

Report Icy Conditions to Facilities Management

The weather has caused icy conditions on our parking lots, roads, and sidewalks.  We will continue to salt and sand to reduce the slipperiness as much as possible.  Please report any hazardous conditions to Facilities Management at 777-2591.  There are some things that you can do to help reduce the risk of falling on ice.  Here are some helpful hints.

1. Wear boots or overshoes with grip soles.  Slick leather or rubber soles on dress shoes are unsafe on ice.  

2. Don't walk with your hands in your pockets.  This reduces your balance if you slip on the ice. 

3. Take short to medium steps, or shuffle your feet in very icy areas. 

4. Don't carry or swing heavy loads, such as large boxes or cases, which could cause you to lose your balance when walking. 

5. When walking, curl your toes under and walk as flat-footed as possible. 

6. Don't step on uneven surfaces.  Step well over or avoid curbs with ice on them.  

7. Place your full attention on walking.  Don't allow yourself to be distracted by texting, talking on the phone, getting your keys out of your pocket, etc. while walking on ice.

Paul Clark, Associate Director of Facilities


So if you happen to find yourself in wintry conditions, feel free to follow their advice, it might help keep you off your backside.

A Few New Books

It's been a bit quiet on the ole blog here for the last few days.  There's been no crazy weather to speak of, though it's -10 right now with wind chills around -25.  The Wind Chill warnings don't even get me really excited anymore, it's just chilly.  Though I did take out the recycling to the garage this evening in nothing more than shorts and a t-shirt, it was indeed brisk.

So being that the weather hasn't been blog-worthy and the four legged inhabitants haven't partaken in any entertaining shenanigans, there hasn't been much to say.  That and this week has demanded some actual work time and attention.  Not the excuse you expect from a slacker like me, that it's da truth. 

You can also blame the lack of blogress (that's a combination of blog & progress) on a recent reading binge.  With the help of my library matron, Professor Alycia, I have an unlimited well of books at my disposal.  I spent the last weekend/week reading a couple of books that have been on my list for several years - A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by David Eggers and Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore.

Both were great reads, highly entertaining and humorous pieces of fiction.  I'd recommend them strongly.  I also have a handful of Christmas books to get crackin' on.  Too many books, not enough free time to read them all. 

And in case you want to purchase either of those books for a friend, you can access my Amazon Associates page on the blog.  Yes it's a new feature, and yes I've totally sold out.  This shouldn't shock you.  If you happen to be in the market for something from Amazon.com, access the site through my blog, I'll get a referral for it, and you'll get my undying gratitude.  OK, now I feel dirty for pushing the hard sell on you all.