otolith wrote:Wow...had a rough day at the office today.

On behalf if your patients - Thanks.

Oh, and hopefully, you can go downstairs.

otolith wrote:Wow...had a rough day at the office today.

So sorry to hear that, Hope your evening is going better and that you were able to relax with some good wine.

I just got home from school around 8 PM tonight. I took eight kids to a French cooking school at one of our local supermarkets. They made Coq au Vin; Couscous with cranberries and toasted almond slivers and chocolate mousse (made with instant pudding! Way too sweet for me!). Of course, on the mousse note, ddeuddeg uses real chocolate and real egg whites and it is so darn yummy!

I'm not sure why one would use instant couscous? You still have to boil the water! When we make our whole wheat couscous from TJs, we heat a half cup of water with a little low sodium base broth, add a tablespoon of butter and add a 1/4 tsp of salt. 5 minutes later, it's done! Then, we add some Meyer Lemon Oil and a little EVOO and roasted pine nuts and yum!

The kids all got to participate in some way in the food prep and they all got to eat. So, it was a good experience for them, even if not all of them liked the food. Of course, how many 7th graders would have a mushroom sauce and really like it? Some of them did and one of them will be making it for his grandfather next week! Score!

MarkDaSpark wrote:Sorry to hear it. Then again, I just spent 4 hours with my dad at the doc's. But then again, they were squeezing him in. Still ....

Ugh! How is your Dad doing?

Thanks for the words of encouragement, all.

bahwm wrote:I just got home from school around 8 PM tonight. I took eight kids to a French cooking school at one of our local supermarkets. They made Coq au Vin; Couscous with cranberries and toasted almond slivers and chocolate mousse (made with instant pudding! Way too sweet for me!). Of course, on the mousse note, ddeuddeg uses real chocolate and real egg whites and it is so darn yummy!

I'm not sure why one would use instant couscous? You still have to boil the water! When we make our whole wheat couscous from TJs, we heat a half cup of water with a little low sodium base broth, add a tablespoon of butter and add a 1/4 tsp of salt. 5 minutes later, it's done! Then, we add some Meyer Lemon Oil and a little EVOO and roasted pine nuts and yum!

The kids all got to participate in some way in the food prep and they all got to eat. So, it was a good experience for them, even if not all of them liked the food. Of course, how many 7th graders would have a mushroom sauce and really like it? Some of them did and one of them will be making it for his grandfather next week! Score!

sounds yummy!! My favorite way to make couscous is in the cooking water, add avocad, oil and some low sodium broth, dump in couscous, can of garbanzo beans, shredded carrot, golden raisins and some pine nuts....

I wish the kids here were allowed to go on more field trips.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Sorry to hear it. Then again, I just spent 4 hours with my dad at the doc's. But then again, they were squeezing him in. Still ....

4 HOURS?!!! wow.... what did the doc say about your dad?

mommadeb1 wrote:sounds yummy!! My favorite way to make couscous is in the cooking water, add avocad, oil and some low sodium broth, dump in couscous, can of garbanzo beans, shredded carrot, golden raisins and some pine nuts....

I wish the kids here were allowed to go on more field trips.

The kids had to pay $15 for this outing. But, my principal insisted that we take a school bus and not have parents drive. That was pretty cool.

bahwm wrote:The kids had to pay $15 for this outing. But, my principal insisted that we take a school bus and not have parents drive. That was pretty cool.

$15 is not too bad, did that include the cost of the bus?

bahwm wrote:They made Poulet au Vin;

Fixed that for you

half cup of water with a little low sodium base broth, add a tablespoon of butter and add a 1/4 tsp of salt. 5 minutes later, it's done! Then, we add some Meyer Lemon Oil and a little EVOO and roasted pine nuts and yum!

Hmm I wonder if a little lemon zest and a pat of butter would work as well... Cuz that sounds amazing!

bahwm wrote:Ugh! How is your Dad doing?

mommadeb1 wrote:4 HOURS?!!! wow.... what did the doc say about your dad?

A lot of time waiting, but some of it was spent filling out forms (new to his practice, especially since they hadn't had a Primary Care Physician for ages).

Basically, he may have an ulcer (worry about my mom, etc.) and so may be anemic. So we go back to a GI specialist for them to use the scope to look in his stomach. Also had to stop one of the prescriptions (for his shoulder) since it may have contributed to the ulcer. The doc gave us some pills for us to help eliminate the acid in his stomach to take once per day.


But the main problem is that he isn't remembering short-term stuff. Even though the doc (and I) kept telling him to take this new pill only once per day, he kept asking about it (and thinking it was more often).

mother wrote:Hmm I wonder if a little lemon zest and a pat of butter would work as well... Cuz that sounds amazing!

Mother???



Sorry, I just couldn't resist. I would have said Bowtie?, but then he'd leave home to beat me up.

MarkDaSpark wrote:A lot of time waiting, but some of it was spent filling out forms (new to his practice, especially since they hadn't had a Primary Care Physician for ages).

Basically, he may have an ulcer (worry about my mom, etc.) and so may be anemic. So we go back to a GI specialist for them to use the scope to look in his stomach. Also had to stop one of the prescriptions (for his shoulder) since it may have contributed to the ulcer. The doc gave us some pills for us to help eliminate the acid in his stomach to take once per day.


But the main problem is that he isn't remembering short-term stuff. Even though the doc (and I) kept telling him to take this new pill only once per day, he kept asking about it (and thinking it was more often).

Oh, the med mix-up deal! Would it help him if you set up those pill boxes and a checklist with specific times and meds listed? Hope the new meds help.

mommadeb1 wrote:$15 is not too bad, did that include the cost of the bus?

Yep. My principal covered the cost of the bus somehow--sometimes you just don't ask! But he did say that there are always sports buses available!

mother wrote:Hmm I wonder if a little lemon zest and a pat of butter would work as well... Cuz that sounds amazing!

Cute: Poulet.

Lemon zest. Nice idea. Don't forget there is some butter in the water already. But what's a little more? I like those Extravagonzo oils. Wish they'd be back. We're getting low on some of them!

bahwm wrote:Oh, the med mix-up deal! Would it help him if you set up those pill boxes and a checklist with specific times and meds listed? Hope the new meds help.

Yes. Did that a while back, and I go by each week to refill for both of them.

bahwm wrote:Cute: Poulet.

Lemon zest. Nice idea. Don't forget there is some butter in the water already. But what's a little more? I like those Extravagonzo oils. Wish they'd be back. We're getting low on some of them!

Avocado oil is my new favorite, it has a higher smoke point than olive and it has more Monounsaturated (mufa) and it has a buttery taste. I use amazon subscribe and save so I never run out.

bahwm wrote:Yep. My principal covered the cost of the bus somehow--sometimes you just don't ask! But he did say that there are always sports buses available!

your principle sounds like he cares about the kids education, not just classroom education....

MarkDaSpark wrote:Mother???



Sorry, I just couldn't resist. I would have said Bowtie?, but then he'd leave home to beat me up.

I think I looked hot in that costume... :/

mother wrote:I think I looked hot in that costume... :/

How does that song go? "I'm to sexy for ...."

mother wrote:I think I looked hot in that costume... :/

mother wrote:I think I looked hot in that costume... :/

I dunno, I was pretty drunk last night and I still wanted the blonde one more.

Course, I'm sober and that still holds true.

Also, minced button mushroom, onion and turkey cooked with chili powder, ancho, cumin, cream, and cheddar has the texture of hamburger, but is way tastier and probably much healthier. Also a good way to use up half hte bird you still need to eat.

Is it me, or is the home.woot a little high?

bhodilee wrote:Is it me, or is the home.woot a little high?

Yup. While it's a dual zone, it's still thermoelectric.


Home Depot has a Vissani 52-Bottle Wine Cooler for 148.

And Wine Enthusiast has a Wine Enthusiast Silent 12 Bottle Dual Zone Touchscreen Wine Refrigerator for $200 and free shipping.

tenuki wrote:Btw I don't know if you've seen the Riedel mamba decanter but it totally makes me want to take up glassblowing.

edit: that or I need a much larger discretionary income

for your next trip to Denver?

ps you know we have a much bigger, more comfortable house now, right?

joelsisk wrote:for your next trip to Denver?

ps you know we have a much bigger, more comfortable house now, right?

Yes, we've heard.




However, I think it's more the winter weather in Denver that keeps us away ....


Edit: Now a gathering during Memorial Day weekend might work ....

joelsisk wrote:for your next trip to Denver?

ps you know we have a much bigger, more comfortable house now, right?

Would be fun to visit y'all again. And to check out the wine cellar ;)

One of the local wine shops is running a fun promotion, they have a melchior (equivalent to 24 bottles) of Niepoort Twisted they're going to give away. One entry per purchase, and yes it's worded that way so you'd be tempted to split everything into individual purchases. I'm actually tempted to make a purchase or two just to enter.

tenuki wrote:Would be fun to visit y'all again. And to check out the wine cellar ;)

One of the local wine shops is running a fun promotion, they have a melchior (equivalent to 24 bottles) of Niepoort Twisted they're going to give away. One entry per purchase, and yes it's worded that way so you'd be tempted to split everything into individual purchases. I'm actually tempted to make a purchase or two just to enter.

18 litres...how tall is that bad boy? and how many years would that take to age appropriatly? If it's the 2008 shown in that image... ready in 2050?

joelsisk wrote:18 litres...how tall is that bad boy? and how many years would that take to age appropriatly? If it's the 2008 shown in that imgage... ready in 2050?

Sorry, they haven't updated their website so just picking pics from the email. They say it's 75 pounds, no height but here's a comparison to normal bottles.

tenuki wrote:Would be fun to visit y'all again. And to check out the wine cellar ;)

One of the local wine shops is running a fun promotion, they have a melchior (equivalent to 24 bottles) of Niepoort Twisted they're going to give away. One entry per purchase, and yes it's worded that way so you'd be tempted to split everything into individual purchases. I'm actually tempted to make a purchase or two just to enter.

Which wine shop? Now I'm curious.

CAGrl wrote:Which wine shop? Now I'm curious.

Vintage Berkeley I'll forward you the email on the off chance you want to try :P

tenuki wrote:Sorry, they haven't updated their website so just picking pics from the email. They say it's 75 pounds, no height but here's a comparison to normal bottles.

Interesting, I am going to Switzerland Saturday for a wine dinner, the theme is large format bottles of Bordeaux. From little magnums all the way up to the monstrous melchoir. I'll take some pictures to post next week. I'll probably still have a hangover next week actually! The trip is a birthday gift from my friend that is going with me.

edlada wrote:Interesting, I am going to Switzerland Saturday for a wine dinner, the theme is large format bottles of Bordeaux. From little magnums all the way up to the monstrous melchoir. I'll take some pictures to post next week. I'll probably still have a hangover next week actually! The trip is a birthday gift from my friend that is going with me.

W.W is a great place for jealousy and living vicariously :P Have a great time!

Office is renewing cell phones after our two year contract expired. I went with iPhone 3gs last time, probably do the 4s but I've honestly never tried an android. Any idea what the best choices (through AT&T) are? I know some were released very recently that are supposed to be awesome.

Hmm...should I ask for the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet?

tenuki wrote:W.W is a great place for jealousy and living vicariously :P Have a great time!

Office is renewing cell phones after our two year contract expired. I went with iPhone 3gs last time, probably do the 4s but I've honestly never tried an android. Any idea what the best choices (through AT&T) are? I know some were released very recently that are supposed to be awesome.

If work is paying for it entirely, go for the Galaxy S2 (or the S2 Skyrocket if you want LTE). There's also the Atrix 2 and HTC Vivid - the former has a higher pixel density but the latter has LTE. So it depends on your preferences. If you have to chip in some cash yourself, you could also go for the Samsung Infuse (the one I have) that is now pretty cheap being all of 6 months old.

So if pixel density and screen resolution are your priority, go with Atrix 2 or HTC Vivid. If you want LTE connectivity for when they get around to putting it in our area, your choices are HTC Vivid or Galaxy S2 Skyrocket. If you want battery life as priority, the HTC Vivid is likely out and the S2 or Atrix is in.

The different manufacturers also put their own custom skins on top of Android, so it's worthwhile going down to the AT&T store and playing around with the HTC Sense UI vs. Samsung TouchWiz vs. Motoblur (or whatever they've changed it to).

klezman wrote:If work is paying for it entirely, go for the Galaxy S2 (or the S2 Skyrocket if you want LTE). There's also the Atrix 2 and HTC Vivid - the former has a higher pixel density but the latter has LTE. So it depends on your preferences. If you have to chip in some cash yourself, you could also go for the Samsung Infuse (the one I have) that is now pretty cheap being all of 6 months old.

Upgrade cost is out of my pocket, but would be about the same as 4s and I plan on selling the 3gs anyway to cover a portion, work covers the contract so don't have to worry about the two years. Wonder how long it'll take for LTE to get to this area. I'd be tempted to get it just for that if I'd have coverage most of those two years. Then again, they have LTE in Vegas

otolith wrote:Hmm...should I ask for the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet?

Probably the Kindle Fire. Haven't been impressed with any of the Nooks, but haven't really looked at their Tablet.

otolith wrote:Hmm...should I ask for the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet?

fire all the way

More drama on the home front.

Mom was supposed to get clearance from her heart doctor for the hip surgery on Monday. However, she missed it, and Dad thought the visit 2 weeks ago for a different item (Carotid) would take care of it, and I missed seeing on the paper work as well (it was the first of several items highlighted. I think I thought the visit scheduled was for it as well.). So after the visit this week, clearance was needed from her heart doc. Which I thought wouldn't be an issue last I heard of it. Comes a call this noon from Mom asking me to take her to her old heart doc.

So until the "new" (October for all, but had been her Pacemaker doc for years) heart doctor cleared her, the surgery would be postponed. Appointment is tomorrow (earliest) for a nuclear study. However, the results need to be reviewed and a report sent to her heart doc, which means around Tuesday.

Of course, Dad and Mom don't want to postpone it, so they decided to make an appointment with their old heart doctor (the one that (IMO & Dad's Opinion) caused him problems years ago and earlier this year in not catching he needed a Pacemaker) for the clearance. He only did an EKG, and signed off on the surgery.

However, neither my sis nor I trust him. And Dad didn't either after this past summer, but all of a sudden, it's fine because they both want the surgery on Monday.

The other fly in the ointment, is that after her knee surgery (the same side as her hip now), her legs swelled and a doc at the rehab place was concerned she might have DVT. It went away, but my sister and I are both concerned about it now. And Dad doesn't remember it.


So the ortho doc has an opening on the 30th for her to postpone to, and my sis and I are working on both parents to accept it. They were afraid that it would be postponed farther out, so I think we may have them convinced, but I will work on them tomorrow.


Oh, and did I mention that she complains about how much pain she's in and wants to get it done ASAP, but doesn't take her pain meds?


But I'd much rather have both of them around than not.

MarkDaSpark wrote:More drama on the home front.

Mom was supposed to get clearance from her heart doctor for the hip surgery on Monday. However, she missed it, and Dad thought the visit 2 weeks ago for a different item (Carotid) would take care of it, and I missed seeing on the paper work as well (it was the first of several items highlighted. I think I thought the visit scheduled was for it as well.). So after the visit this week, clearance was needed from her heart doc. Which I thought wouldn't be an issue last I heard of it. Comes a call this noon from Mom asking me to take her to her old heart doc.

So until the "new" (October for all, but had been her Pacemaker doc for years) heart doctor cleared her, the surgery would be postponed. Appointment is tomorrow (earliest) for a nuclear study. However, the results need to be reviewed and a report sent to her heart doc, which means around Tuesday.

Of course, Dad and Mom don't want to postpone it, so they decided to make an appointment with their old heart doctor (the one that (IMO & Dad's Opinion) caused him problems years ago and earlier this year in not catching he needed a Pacemaker) for the clearance. He only did an EKG, and signed off on the surgery.

However, neither my sis nor I trust him. And Dad didn't either after this past summer, but all of a sudden, it's fine because they both want the surgery on Monday.

The other fly in the ointment, is that after her knee surgery (the same side as her hip now), her legs swelled and a doc at the rehab place was concerned she might have DVT. It went away, but my sister and I are both concerned about it now. And Dad doesn't remember it.


So the ortho doc has an opening on the 30th for her to postpone to, and my sis and I are working on both parents to accept it. They were afraid that it would be postponed farther out, so I think we may have them convinced, but I will work on them tomorrow.


Oh, and did I mention that she complains about how much pain she's in and wants to get it done ASAP, but doesn't take her pain meds?


But I'd much rather have both of them around than not.

sounds like you have your hands full!! I agree and I wouldn't trust the Doc. that screwed up... The 30th isn't that far away.. Sending patience your way!!...