As many of you know, I went to school with Today Show weatherman, Al Roker.
A interview video was going around Facebook yesterday.
The subject matter is him reminiscing about the old days, when we were at school. Remember, I wasn't at Oswego, until he was a senior, so I really didn't see him more then once or twice. But the stories went around, since we were a little clique of people and everyone knew everyone else's business. :-)
You can watch it at this link.
Incredibly easy to make and yummy to eat.
Actress Katharine Hepburn had a winner of a recipe.
A shout out to PBS and The History Kitchen, for pointing out this yummy Oscar Night treat.
Katharine Hepburn Brownies
Ingredients:
½ cup cocoa or 2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened baker's chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions
Melt butter with the cocoa or chocolate together in a heavy saucepan over medium low, whisking constantly till blended. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and walnuts. Mix well. Pour into a well buttered 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into squares. These brownies are very fudgy and may be somewhat difficult to slice cleanly; use a sharp knife and a spatula to help them loosen from the baking dish.
Tips/Techniques
You will also need a 8x8 inch baking dish.
I saw this recipe on Cook's Country the other day and as much as I am not a salt fan or a Country Style Pork rib fan, I decided to give it a try. It was a bit of work, but it did seem to make fatty pork ribs, much less so and also make them uniform, so they cooked evenly.
BBQ Pork Ribs
(Cook’s Country from America's Test Kitchen)
Cut 3 lbs of Pork Ribs to 5 inch size, taking out any fat you can reach.
Pound til they are ¾ in thick. Work from middle to ends.
Add Pork to:
2 cups of water and 1 Tb salt to brine for 30 minutes to an hour.
BBQ Rub
¾ cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbs Chili Powder
2 Tbs Paprika
1 Tb Dry Mustard
1Tb Onion Powder (I ground up minced onion in my grinder)
¾ Tea Pepper
¼ Tea Cayenne
Mix together and then put ½ of the spices away, to use to make the BBQ Sauce
Use the other half to coat each piece of meat, after brining, rinsing and drying the Pork.
BBQ Sauce
6 Tbl Ketchup
1 Tbl Cider Vinegar
½ Spice Mix
Mix together
Bring coated meat out to the grill (some wood chips (like mesquite) wrapped in an aluminum foil bag with holes punched in it, would add to the bbq)
Heat all flames and when ready, turn off the two where the meat is. After about 10 or so minutes turn the meat over and bring it to the hot side of the grill. Slather with BBQ sauce and cook for a few minutes. Turn again and slather the other side. Cook until internal temp is 145 degrees. They are done at this point.
Eat and enjoy
My Water Post For Today.
Since I posted from the Cathedral of our Lady Queen of the Angels yesterday, I thought I would show off the fountain that you see as you enter the property.
It is a large fountain and quite stunning. Setting the stage for your visit to the property.
A wall of water in the back and a pond below, add to the beauty of this fountain.
I hope you enjoy.
Since it's Sunday, I thought I would post a photo that I took inside the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels in December.
This photo was taken through one of the passageways between the outer area and the actual church itself.
There was a Mass going on, when we visited, so I took the photo with the walls of the passageway framing the beautiful lights, fixtures and soaring windows and ceiling.
I think it is a truly beautiful worship space.
For a more detailed post with photos of the space, check out my post from 2008, HERE.
My first project for my Social Networks and the Web class.
I am an article about KCET-TV, Channel 28. I am the Nation’s largest Independent Public Television Station. In the interest of full disclosure, KCET is the place where "angel" works.
I was born on the 9th of November of 2003, created by Jengod as a stub article. There was just the minimum of information about me, for the first several years, which I find surprising. Here is exactly what that first stub entry said about me and my proud past.
================================================================
KCET is the preeminent public television station in Southern California.
Broadcasting on Channel 28, the studio is located at 4401 Sunset
Boulevard. Hallmark programs are
Life & Times and Huell Howser’s California's Gold.
Official KCET Website
================================================================
What was the matter with me? No one cared to put any information onto my page? My subject had made over 4 decades of national productions and none of those were mentioned. I was a very sad entry.
In January of 2005 a few shows, including The Tavis Smiley Show and Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State were added to the stub. Both were national PBS productions from that time and a college student added the information to my needy stub. It was the start of my life. I thank him so much for noticing the information and feeling it would help my page, by adding it.
From then on, things began to increase. The history of the property where the station was located was added in March of 2005 and a link to a Wiki page about that property was added, at the same time. You could say that the post about our lot, which is the oldest continuously occupied movie studio in Los Angeles, is my brother. I was glad that someone decided to mention my proud past. The next big thing was the February 2006 addition of a huge list of programs, with their corresponding underwriters. Many of those shows were not done by KCET and had no reason to be on the page. Someone else felt the same and eventually the list was deleted, later in the month. I was back to a modified stub.
In March of 2006 my biggest show of the 80’s, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan, was added. As a child of science, I was very happy to see this 13 part series on the universe, added to my page. Now we are getting somewhere! In April of 2006 this entry was added.
The call letters KCET stand for Community Educational Television, not to be confused with the organization of the same name formed by Trinity Broadcasting Network in 2003, which made an unsuccessful bid to purchase Orange County public television station KOCE.
Some religious broadcaster has the same name as me? Is this really true? Yes, it seems that this is true, though later on the name was changed to Daystar, by someone called Hanging Curve in June of 2006. That does not seem to be true, from what I can see.
In 2007 an Intern at the station, put a lot of information into the page. A Mission Statement, among other things and the collaboration between KCET and Cal State Fullerton. Since Peter Martinez went to Fullerton, this information was correct. A month later, the Mission Statement was deleted, due to someone feeling it was too glorified and not factual. Here is what he said.
“I removed the "Mission Statement" from this article. That is not factual information. In fact it reads like an "Ad" for the station. Wikipeida is about facts not about running an ad for a PBS station. Nor do mission statements appear in any other of the TV stations on Wikipedia, that I could find. 4.142.78.244, 22 April 2007 (UTC) Nick
For better or worse, this was the Mission Statement for KCET
“KCET is your personal gateway to the world in all its complexity and wonder. It is a theater showcasing the finest drama and music... a gallery of art and design and craft... a museum illuminating the natural world... a forum for discourse and news... a library of history come alive... and a classroom where the children we love learn to become joyful, productive adults. As an independent media voice, KCET enriches our understanding of the past, enlivens our present, and prepares us for the future.”
It looks like I was spammed back in July of 2012. This line was added by user 180.191.195.108 and deleted the next day. “From August 2012, KCET will broadcast Maltese television broadcasting every Saturday and Sunday from 2-9pm, as meant for programs of TVM from 2-5:30pm and more programs from One TV from 5:30-9pm.”
Some people who make edits:
Gina Black (Former Staff)
Peter Martinez (Student Intern from Cal State Fullerton)
Ariel Carpenter (Head of Publicity)
Shawn Hill seems to lean toward broadcasting trivia
I saw this photo on the NAB Facebook page yesterday.
I thought it was a good reminder of why I do what I do.
In the larger world then "just" a Public TV Station. I am an "Over the Air" station, broadcasting free via the public airwaves, to anyone who dials up our channel. All they need, is a tv that can receive our signal.
The poor, the retired, the children of the poor, those who don't want to pay for cable.
They are all there.
54 million. Wow!
Look what showed up on You Tube.
My son's team got their EcoCar2 running.
A totally different engine and as they mention, a harness that I believe they designed, had to be connected.
My son also ended up being on the Team Leadership page.
I was so impressed.
Walter Becker turns 63 today.
I am sure he isn't thrilled with it, but hey, it's better then the alternative. :-)
He is the other half of the super group, Steely Dan.
Slightly out shined at times by Donald Fagen, but still a powerhouse, for the contributions he made to their many songs and records. He is particularly known for his "far out" biting lyrics and wonderful bass work...especially during the early years. A personal favorite bass line, is in his song, "Josie". Another is in the song, "Don't Take Me Alive".
I happen to love the man's work, similar to me loving John Oates' work, though many consider that it's all Daryl Hall, that makes up Hall and Oates.
The song I decided to link to, is Paging Audrey, from his 2008 release, Circus Money.
Please click the link...and enjoy.
One of the projects I have in my Social Media and the Web class, is to create a Meme.
You see Meme's all over the Internet...especially Facebook.
A photo with a funny set of lines on it.
I have about 6 different sayings for this photo, but if anyone wants to be creative and come up with something, feel free to post in the comments section.
I have no idea why I am doing this, but it was fun and maybe that was the reason.
If nothing else, you get to see a cute photo of my beautiful cat, Makenna.
That's worth the post...right?
Update on my class, I am really enjoying it a lot, but it is taking up quite a bit of my time.
My Water Post For Today.
First off...Happy President's Day!
This water post goes back to our time on the Mississippi River in St. Paul.
Since we spent so much time walking along the shoreline, we saw many things and this duck was one of them.
I never would have thought a duck could literally stand at the waters edge and not get swept away by the current of the river.
The duck seems to be just fine, watching the water rolling along.
I hope you enjoy watching the water, too.
This is another house right near Frank Lloyd Wright's home in Oak Park. It is the Arthur Heurtley House and was built in 1902.
You can see the wikipedia article on the Heurtley House, HERE.
From what they say, it is the first full on Prairie Style home that Frank Lloyd Wright built and the patterns he came up with, would appear, over and over again, in his greatest works. I am not a full connoisseur of the many styles of Frank, but I could tell immediately, that this was one of his. I was pleased when I found a photo of the home, to confirm that fact. There is just something about FLW.
It's a beautiful home and I would love to live there.
Yes, it's from my trip last year. This happens to be Sunset in the western end of North Dakota.
It's one of my only photos of that lovely state, minus a few of the Fargo area. We mostly traveled through the state after dark. There is always a state that gets lost in the night time and North Dakota was it.
What I did want to talk about for a few moments is the subject of many an article about where a lot of the population in the United States is going, because of the abundance of jobs and the lowest unemployment rate in the Country. I know you might find this hard to believe...but it is North Dakota. Yes, they are allowed to put up their index fingers and scream "We're Number 1", because unemployment is somewhere around 3.8%.
You may ask why that is? I know I did.
The answer...is Fracking.
It is all in the news. The oil companies put all sorts of chemicals down their wells to loosen up the oil and bring it to the surface. A huge oil field called the Bakken shale formation was found in the North Dakota area and so they are hiring loads of workers for the fields. Along with that, you need infrastructure to support the workers and their families and so everything is being developed and built up. With more people, more taxes come into the coffers. The State feels it's all good.
Well, not so fast.
One of the things North Dakota allows is the burning of natural gas, since all these fields are brand new. So you can literally see the burning in the fields, from space. Check out the satellite photo HERE.
Sad, isn't it? Just think of the global warming, this could be causing.
My brother, who works in the power generating business, says that natural gas is suddenly so abundant, that it is squeezing out all other forms of power. This is another issue that may cause problems for us all, down the line. Plants that are not making a profit, won't stay in business indefinitely. I am hearing rumblings in my state that there may be closures at San Onofre and Diablo Canyon Nuclear plants in our near future. This actually does not surprise me, after the conversation my brother and I had. Though one plant is currently off-line due to problems and the other may be shut down, due to a ballot proposition.
Scary times...
Yes, here it is once again. A piece of Frank Lloyd Architecture.
This is the Nathan G. Moore House, AKA the Moore-Dugal Residence and it is just a block or so away from Frank's home in Oak Park.
As I have mentioned before, we passed many houses in the Oak Park area, that were creations of Frank Lloyd Wright. This particular one looked a little bit like a Church. I was not sure why that was, but after reading a wikipedia article about the home, which you can read HERE, I think I finally figured it out. It was the Tudor styling and the stained glass windows in the bay window, that gave it that look.
I really loved the way the house stands so proud at 3 stories tall! It just dominates the street it is on.
The restoration was done so well, that you can't tell it is over 100 years later.
According to the article, Frank was not happy using the Tudor style, but he did manage to blend Tudor and his own style and for that, I am thankful.
I am so glad I have managed to see so many of his pieces and I hope to showcase another one or two, soon.
First off, Happy Valentine's Day to all!
We had quite a busy time last week and early this week at work. We had a movie shoot going on, beginning last Thursday, with a dressing of the sets they were going to use for THIS movie.
It is called Walk of Shame and stars Elizabeth Banks in the title role. I was watching as they ran teleprompter from Control B, so I could see what was going on the set and read the script. This lady in a yellow dress goes batty on air. I didn't really understand it all, which isn't unusual for a movie shoot, since they shoot everything in pieces.
Well, I left the area and needed to use the restroom. As I was leaving, who should walk in wearing THIS yellow dress...Elizabeth Banks herself. Needless to say, I didn't have a clue, that she was Elizabeth Banks, but I did know she was the batty prostitute. This meant that I didn't think it would be appropriate to say "Hi, don't you play a prostitute?" Thus, I didn't say a word to her.
Look for the movie in 2014.
=========
Photo 1
Our green room transformed into a
Make up room.
Photo 2
The set from our 6th floor window.
It is Lent, once again.
Along with the ashes you can get, it brings to Santa Clarita the St. Clare's Fish Fry, which you can read about HERE.
My Husband is SO excited, that he wrote the dates on our calendar. He loves it that much. :-)
A personal story.
I was riding the Metrolink train one time and Father Ed and Paul Travers were on their way down to the Archdiocese in L.A. Father Ed and I were sitting together talking and Paul was sitting there watching us.
It was a funny dynamic, since Paul had absolutely no idea who I was, but at one point he called the people who he orders the food for the Fish Fry from. Hearing things like 6 lugs of cabbage and 300 lbs of fish, was absolutely hysterical.
It did bring home to me the incredible work that goes into it each year.
A wonderful way to build community, in a time of reflection.
For different reasons, I have been on the L.A. Freeway System and when we were commenting on an article we had to read for my class, this thought came to mind, about the current fugitive who is on the loose.
The article by the way, was about how, more often then not, detective work involves using technology to find someone. Bits of information that come from things like your cell phone "pinging" the tower, to all those video cameras you see everywhere. "Bits" of data that are saved, basically forever.
Here is what I wrote:
I live in L.A. and right now there is a crazy loose.
I have driven to work the past 3 work days and the first day, it was the computer road signs that were alerting us to the fact that he was out there and the make and model of his car. So, he probably saw the road signs and decides to ride up to Big Bear (of all places) and have the car go out in a blaze of glory.
On Friday and also on Monday, as I drive, I am watching out for anyone who has a car that looks "Different". No license plates, darkened windows that don't allow you to see in, driving the exact speed limit (who drives the speed limit?), doing things a car never does, etc.
Sunday, they put out a million dollar reward for anyone who reports something that leads to his arrest. It's all technology, that will probably take him down. They already have him on security cameras and bet someone with a cell phone is going to be the one to ID him.
Remember the old movie, Enemy of the State? Yeah, it's happening now days.
My Water Post For Today.
As I mentioned last week, I have many photos of the Columbia River. This one is more of a water and sunset shot, then one with the tracks.
I thought they were both wonderful and deserved to be highlighted.
I have been getting lots of mail from Amtrak mentioning the Empire Builder trip and it makes me want to do it again. Unfortunately for me, there is no money to do such a thing.
So we will all just have to enjoy a few highlights from last year.
I hope you enjoy the beautiful waves on the water and the setting sun.
This was Friday.
Please note that this in no way takes the spotlight from the huge amount of snow falling on the East Coast. Good luck to you all, as you dig out from Nemo.
We get a phone call from someone in North Hollywood, who gives the word that hail is on the way.
I decided to grab my camera and check it out.
The first shot is what I came downstairs to. I did not do a thing to that shot.
I think it's pretty impressive.
Well, it took about 10 minutes, but finally the hail arrived in a rush.
I enjoyed photographing it and then went back to my office, where I got to hear it hitting the windows of the building for a few moments more.
As with so many things, it was gone, just as fast as it came.
In it's wake though, we are dealing with cold weather for a few days.
This is a photo from the Glacier Park area of the world, which I took last May.
The only reason I can make that assumption, is that there is a bit of snow on one of the mountains.
I love the photo of the tracks, with the trees all around, in one of the loneliest stretches of territory in the United States.
I thank AMTRAK every day, for taking me places I never would have traveled to and I keep hoping for another trip someday.
I have seen a lot of press about what age is the optimum age to retire.
I have actually been following a weekly column on the Newshour website, called Ask Larry, which you can find an example of HERE.
There has actually been a bit of controversy with the column, because the author has software that costs $40 and he mentions that.
I personally am not buying anything from anyone, but I do listen to his advice and over time I have learned that he personally considers the best time to retire, is at age 70.
That was definitely not in my plans, but I did learn that I could take a spousal benefit and delay my own. I don't know if that is something I plan on doing, but it is nice to have more options.
I am mostly waiting for Medicare or Obamacare to kick in and then I will make decisions in this regard.
Luckily for me, I do have a retirement plan that I can access, too. Will it be enough? Who knows.
So I could retire next year...or 12 years from now.
No wonder this girl is in Grad School.
A few weeks ago, we took a trip to the local cemetery, Eternal Valley.
If you have ever visited Santa Clarita, via the 14 Freeway, then you have seen it over on the left side as you come down the hill, after going through the Newhall Pass.
I don't remember ever being there, but don't quote me on that. I may have driven somewhere in the cemetery, at one time in the far flung past.
Anyway, this shot is taken from the front of the building, where viewings and funerals take place. I have never really seen how dramatic the view is.
That is the 14 Freeway over on the far right side and Sierra Hwy over on the left. After Sierra Highway gets to the bottom of the hill, it curves to the right and passes right by the front of the cemetery. As a matter of fact, Sierra Highway was the original road going from the Los Angeles area, to Palmdale and Lancaster. The stretch of road you are seeing here is actually still part of the State Highway system and carries a road sign of 14U. Every time I see that sign, I go to myself, "What the heck is a U?"
If you read the wikipedia article, you saw that the U stands for Un-relinquished.
This exit at the bottom of the hill near the Carl's Jr is my off ramp. When I drive home, that is usually where I get off.
It was kind of cool to see something I am intimately familiar with, from a different angle.
One of the first things I had to deal with in my "Social Media and the Web" class, is the fact that we are all connected.
I watched a show called The Virtual Revolution last week and I have been discussing it with my online "classmates", every day.
On Thursday evening, one of my workmates showed off a video that Link TV (the new entity that merged with my company) made for a presentation. My workmate shows up at around 3:14 into the video (he has a beard and is on a laptop), along with another staff member (who is bald and has his back to the camera).
You can watch the entire almost 4 minute video, HERE.
I feel that right now is the perfect time to take this class.
My worlds are truly merging and I can feel the synergy between them.
My Husband saw it, during the Superbowl, but I missed it.
Thankfully Metrolink's Facebook page can't stop mentioning it, so I got to see it.
It's a cute and corny look at "life" in Southern California, especially us in the Northern region. If you want to check it out, go HERE.
I personally thought they did a great job with the camera dolly work for the car and train. It looks spectacular!
What do you all think?
My Water Post For Today.
Back to the Columbia River, that I saw from the Amtrak Empire Builder train, last year.
I took many shots, some of which I already showed you, but this one (and another one coming up), you have never seen.
The Columbia River is the river that Lewis and Clark traveled, to get to the Pacific Ocean.
It is wide at this point and with the sunset happening and the long view of the train tracks, it is quite a beautiful photo.
I hope you enjoy.
I am not planning to go anywhere for the Superbowl...but I do have some chili made and I intend to make some Swedish Meatballs, to go with it.
I am sure there will be more to come, when I go food shopping on Saturday.
My pick for the Bowl...no surprise there. The San Francisco 49ers.
Let's see if I win. :-)
This photo was taken in St. Paul Minnesota, last year.
It reminded me of immigrant times, when the Italian families would hang their garlic in the windows.
Unless I am mistaken, It wards off the devil. I am totally out to sea, in regard to what the chilis do.
I seem to remember my Mom mentioning that they wore cloves of garlic to keep from getting sick, too.
Garlic, it brings back memories and gets rid of wanted and unwanted people in your life.
:-)
This has become our life. My Husband and I are home with the cat...but someone is missing.
Instead of waiting for her dinner on the ottoman, she has now decided to wait for her brother, while sleeping on his chair.
We are getting a kick out of it, especially since this puts her in position to be petted by him, when he arrives.
She is usually too sleepy and lazy to move.
Our life...yeah, it's weird.
