results must be greater than or equal to effort expended

Step 1: Watch from 10:40-20-ish of this
VERY IMPORTANT!! -> Note the big red X's. ALL OF THEM. You'll be surprised. Maybe you should take notes.

Step 2: Watch your Twilight Movie of Choice.

Step 3: When Edward would get the X, drink.

Step 4: Please accept my condolences for your liver.

WYEP's Live & Direct CD Release Party

Celebrate the Release of Live & Direct Vol. 12
with Elizabeth & the Catapult and special guest Emily Rodgers Band
April 30, 2010
Party 6:30pm; music 7pm
Schenley Plaza

Join WYEP for a free concert and party to celebrate the release of Live & Direct Volume 12. This year’s event features a live performance by Elizabeth & the Catapult with special guest Emily Rodgers Band.

Light refreshments will be provided; the party is free and open to the public; no tickets needed.

Pick up your copy of WYEP’s Live & Direct: Volume 12 featuring live recordings from Ani DiFranco, One Eskimo, WPA, Maia Sharp, The Low Anthem, Eric Lindell, Elizabeth & the Catapult, Emily Rodgers Band and many more.

Live & Direct Volume 12 is available with a $35 Additional Gift by current Members, or at the $75 level for New or Renewing Members.

Volume 12 will be available in late April.

Hi all,

I had been asked to reserve a room at Pitt for a sewing circle that ended up being canceled. Because it's too late to cancel our reservation and Pitt gets a little picky about not being notified if we're canceling or if we just plain old don't show, I'll be going in to do a little work. There should be ample space to lay out larger projects if you need more space than at home. I'll also be happy to help anyone who needs assistance with their own project.

So if you would like to join me the details are below:

04/24/2010 Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Posvar Hall 5401
Parking and drop off map here. Mouse over the points for details on the map.

The room is on the fifth floor. Take the elevators to the left when you enter on the Schenley Plaza side of the building.

The play that I am assisting with costumes is not so much a play, but an operatic work based on the daily trials of living with Parkinson's Disease from both the perspective of the patient and the caregiver. Any profit after production costs will go to the Parkinson’s Foundation of Western Pennsylvania to raise awareness of Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease.

I got involved with the project after a friend of mine who was helping with the music pointed it out to me. Though really, it's a little bit more personal than that: my father was diagnosed with Parkinson's a year ago. So while I cannot be in Oregon to help my parents, I can at least do this.

From http://www.gravityandgrace.org/:

[ gravity + grace ] is a contemporary opera written by Frank Ferraro with musical score by Stephen Pellegrino. The opera reveals the struggles that people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) face daily. This degenerative neurological disease affects the motor skills necessary to function in a normal capacity. Loss of balance, coordination and dexterity, along with difficulty in speaking, rigidity and a constant state of anxiety are some of the PD symptoms.

Ticket information can be found here. Performances on September 25 & 26 in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
Friday September 25th 8pm
Saturday September 26th 2pm
Saturday September 26th 8pm

General admission is $20.

Click here for Theater Location Map.

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It's really a beautiful piece, very thought provoking. If you have time this coming weekend I would encourage you to go see it.

5 oz Bakers' Chocolate
1/2 Cup Porter (it's what we had *shrug*)
7 and a smidge Tablespoons Butter
1 3/4 Cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
3 Eggs, beaten
2/3 Cup Flour

Heat oven to 325.
Chop bakers' chocolate and cut the butter up so they melt better. In a Large Sauce pan melt the chocolate and butter into the porter on medium to low heat. Add the Sugar, Vanilla, Eggs and Flour one at a time until each is fully mixed in. Pour batter in to greased 9x9 square pan and bake for 25-30 minutes*(possibly longer, they're still baking...) try 45-50 minutes 50mins to an hour on 325, they're super gooey.

I was trying out different baking temperatures because the last time I made these, it ended up bubbling strangely. It may be worth the risk so it doesn't take forever to bake... jury's still out on that one.

Meghan McCain & Barack Obama Talk About End of Abstinence-Only

It turns out that Meghan McCain and Barack Obama have something in common today: they both think that the Republican focus on abstinence-only education is completely idiotic.

Your ironic story:
Bristol Palin campaigns for teenage abstinence
Bristol Palin, the unmarried 18-year-old daughter of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin - who gave birth during last year's election campaign - has launched a campaign promoting abstinence amongst teenagers.

Your just plain strange story:
Songbirds smuggled from Vietnam to US in man's leggings
A man has been charged with smuggling songbirds into the United States by hiding more than a dozen of them in an elaborate, custom-made pair of leggings during a flight from Vietnam to Los Angeles.

No, I take that back, here's you just plain strange story:
Baby eats 20,000-calorie mountain of food every week
Baby Agatha Holloway who was born prematurely and underweight is eating food containing 20,000 calories every week to help her reach a healthy weight.

( a couple weeks ago...Collapse )

The city will gladly give us six webpages about the kinds of street maintainence they do. They even provide a handy guide on how they resurface roads!

And look at this gem from the Mayor's Neighborhoods First Handbook
Street Paving Notification
Prior to paving, “No Parking” signs are posted on the street by a City crew 24 hours in advance, to give due notice to the residents for clearing all vehicles from the street work sites. The Pavement Management System is a computerized data base system which inventories all the streets in the City, rates their condition and recommends budgetary needs. The Pavement Management System breaks each street into sections. There are currently 16,660 street sections in the data base. Each section contains length, width, surface type, surface condition, subsurface type and subsurface condition information.

Nice to see that 24 hour notice...

I whipped up a batch of brownies this morning before I left for work. As it was first thing in the morning, I substituted coffee for the Guinness because it was at trifle early to finish off a half bottle of beer (outside of Pennsic). I also added 3 tablespoons of cocoa to the flour. I can probably cut that back to 1 1/2 or 2 tablespoons next time. The taste is nice, very rich, but I need to do something about the texture. It's cakier than I like them. Less cakey than the ones I made in Buffalo, but not quite as gooey as the ones I'd been making here. I suspect that when I get home tonight, they'll be fine.

In other news, still warm brownies for breakfast = win and flavor.

-----------------
Brownies v2.0:
5 oz bakers chocolate
1/2 C brewed coffee
6 tbsp butter (unsalted)
1 3/4 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 C flour
2-3 tbsp cocoa powder

In a large heavy sauce pan simmer 1/2 cup coffee. Turn down heat to low and add 5 ounces bakers chocolate, chopped. When smooth, add 6 tablespoons butter, stirring until completely combined. Remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Stir in 1 3/4 cups sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until combined. Stir in 3 eggs, beaten, until combined. Add 3/4 cup flour and 2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder and stir until combined . Pour into pan and bake at 350F for 25-28 minutes.

Hidden Valley Resort will open Friday, November 28, 2008 and remain open through Sunday, November 30 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. They will reopen Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7.

The important part is that you get a FREE LIFT TICKET!! That's right, no charge for your lift ticket. So if you have your own equipment you can go skiing for the cost of gas to get yourself there. They're about an hour east of Pittsburgh.

http://www.hiddenvalleyresort.com/

/public service announcement

The US election nightmare scenario

The odds are that the victor of the American presidential election on 4 November will secure a clean-cut victory in the electoral college - an absolute majority of 270 votes or more. But that isn't a guaranteed result. The closer the election gets - and right now the polls have it very tight indeed - the greater the chance that a tie of 269 to 269 will occur.

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I picked this because it explains what happens beyond a tie (instead of a re-count, may we never have another one...). It's a little known tidbit, so I thought I'd share. It's actually pretty interesting.

That said...

DISCLAIMER: And I've disabled the comments because I really don't care what your political leanings/theories are, tell it to the polls, and yes, I'm already registered to vote. I'm also already defensive and bitter about the whole election. It saves me a lot of trouble if I just don't talk politics. Sorry, but I don't feel like arguing.


p.s. it's my journal.

aye and don't forget, mateys, today be talk like a pirate day, yarrr...

today something so incredibly unexpected happened: i found my green leather glove that was lost months ago (no seriously, like in december). alas, it shrank in the elements and i can no longer wear it. however, the shear fact that i found it is just amazing.

If you have ever, intend to or do take the bus or any of the city's public transportation and are unable to attend the development hearings, you need to take this survey. It's to help them take into account what people want out of their transit system before they go making all sorts of changes.

Take it or don't whine to me about the buses...

oh, weebl and bob i'd forgotten your splendor...

( memeCollapse )

does anyone want to admit to owning a copy of 'breaking dawn' to let me borrow it for a couple days? it'd be easier if you were in pittsburgh so we could orchestrate a discreet hand-off. though i could chip in for media mail if you weren't. i'm 330th in line for it at the library...

Military penguin becomes a 'Sir'


A penguin who was previously made a Colonel-in-Chief of the Norwegian Army has been knighted at Edinburgh Zoo.

Penguin Nils Olav has been an honorary member and mascot of the Norwegian King's Guard since the 1972.

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