Saturday, December 16, 2006

soy sauce???

i wish i had heard of this sooner. aloe DOES work, but i didn't have any on that fateful night last week.

i made a christmas tree for my department and another one for my boss' new son. yes, i use a glue gun. YES i know i'm NOT allowed to use a glue gun. (blogger is NOT letting me post the pictures. if i remember, i'll try again later)

the glue gun dripped and i didn't realize it dripped on my jeans. i accidently put my hand on my pants and my right hand was covered in molten glue. i had NOTHING in my house (which is unusual for me) to help. my fingers blistered horribly but there was no pain after the initial contact. no pain that is until a couple of days ago. the blisters popped a while ago, but just two days ago my skin under the blisters cracked. i have some nasty HURTING wounds.

More Testimony For Soy Sauce As Burn Treatment

By JOE GRAEDON and TERESA GRAEDON December 15 2006

Q: I listened to your public-radio show and heard a man call in recommending soy sauce for burns. "How weird is that?" I thought. But then, as I took a loaf of bread out of the oven, the inner edge of my thumb and the fleshy pad underneath hit the metal rim of the pan. I expected a painful burn. Since I had nothing else at hand, I decided to try the soy-sauce remedy.The pain eased up in less than a minute; the soreness did not materialize; and even the redness went away! It may be weird, but it certainly did work!A: We wish we knew why this home remedy works, but we have heard from several people that it does, including an Army Ranger who told us that U.S. Special Forces medics also used soy sauce for combat-related burns............

faith for 22


i don't live next door to faith. i did grow up a street or two away. the houses on her street are fairly LARGE. i'm sure there is PLENTY of room for faith AND her hounds from hell. if they're quiet and faith keeps the yard clean, i wouldn't have a problem with her having 22 of 'em

Dog Owner Will Appeal Ordinance

By GREG SEAY The Hartford Courant December 15 2006, 3:00 PM EST WEST HARTFORD ­– -- The owner of 22 Shih Tzu dogs said today she has no plans to part with members of her "family'' and has lodged an appeal of the town's efforts to force her to have no more than three of the animals."I want my dogs till they die,'' dog owner Faith Kilburn said. "I love them. They love me.''.........




Faith Kilburn opens the backdoor of her West Hartford home to let in 6 of her 22 Shih Tzus dogs after taking a walk around the backyard. (JOHN WOIKE)

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: yesterday i wrote james dobson was misquoting and taking out of context#links

ravings of a semi-sane madwoman: yesterday i wrote james dobson was misquoting and taking out of context#links

Friday, December 15, 2006

i didn't even know senator dodd was going to syria

until the king and his court complained about it!

what is the answer to the ills of the world? well many things but it ALL STARTS WITH TALKING. yes talking. even with those we don't care for. how the hell are we supposed to FIX things if we don't first UNDERSTAND THEM?

if iran wants to talk to us, WE SHOULD talk to them. FIRST STEP. baby steps but FIRST steps.

White House Criticizes Dodd Trip
By DAVID LIGHTMAN
Hartford Courant December 14 2006, 2:30 PM EST WASHINGTON -- The White House today called the visits of Sen. Christopher J. Dodd and other senators to Syria "inappropriate," saying the visits mean the Syrians have won a public relations victory.Dodd, D-Conn., who plans to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad on a Middle East trip that begins later this week, quickly fired back."Congress is a separate and co-equal branch of government, and as a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, where oversight is a critical component, members need to go to hotspots not just garden spots," he said.Dodd is one of several senators visiting Syria. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., met with Assad for an hour Wednesday, and Dodd will be joined at his meeting by Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass.White House spokesman Tony Snow was asked about the trips at today's briefing."A lot of times, you know, a member of Congress may think, 'Well, I'm going to go there and I'm going to tell them exactly the same thing. I'm going to take a tough line,''' Snow saidBut, he added, "You can take a tough line all you want, but the Syrians have already won a PR victory. And so it's important to realize that in this case, it is not that there is a want of communication. We do have diplomatic relations with the Syrians and they do know what our position is, and that position is not going to change."..................

a connecticut man paints spiders on stamps!

another cool connecticut resident

Winsted stamp painter makes his mark on the mail

By Jim Moore, Republican-American December 14, 2006
WINSTED, Conn. --Steve Buchanan traded a life of concert halls and classrooms for brushes and bugs, and he's never looked back.
From his meticulously tended home and studio beside a babbling brook on Colebrook Road, Buchanan has illustrated countless books, magazines, newspaper stories, product packages and postage stamps, all part of a flourishing second career.
"I kind of got a late start," Buchanan, 57, said with a laugh. He learned to draw in his 30s while teaching classical piano at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.
Known for his photo-realistic style and exacting eye for detail, Buchanan's art career blossomed in the late 1990s, thanks to a commission from the U.S. Postal Service to paint insects and spiders.
The 20-stamp set remains among the most popular in postal service history. It's number six on the postal service's list of stamps sold but never used, said Terry McCaffery, manager of stamp development for the postal service.
Buchanan is among a select few to be called on repeatedly to paint postage stamps; he has also painted motorcycles, tropical flowers, reptiles and amphibians, carnivorous plants and, most recently, a set of images for the "Pollinators" collection to be released next year when rates change........


Thursday, December 14, 2006

i for one think it's about time

they installed cameras on avon mountain. i for one can live with the registered owner getting a ticket even if they are not the ones driving. it's a dangerous stretch of road and any and everything should be done to make it safer. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

New Cameras Could Catch Speeders On Avon Mountain

A new proposal includes installing cameras to catch speeders on Avon Mountain.
Slowing down speeders on Avon Mountain has been a top priority for police ever since a dump truck lost control last year and caused a fiery crash that killed four people.
The cameras would track speeders with special cameras. It's one of several safety improvements that was proposed after last year's tragedy.


The new cameras would work by snapping a picture of someone's license plate. That information would identify the car’s owner, and he or she would get a ticket in the mail.
It's sounds simple, but not everyone's smiling for the cameras, including members of Avon's Town Council.
One of the issues, said town manager Phil Schenck, is that registered owners will get speeding tickets even if they're not the ones caught on camera. That's currently illegal In Connecticut.........


Tech Tags:

cool school


i don't know if many people in connecticut know about talcott mountain science center. it's right on top of avon mountain. a long windy road. i didn't know about the cost of tuition for the students. i do so hope there is help to the parents of GIFTED students who can't afford that steep price. it sure would be a shame if some were kept out just because they couldn't afford it. we (america) need ALL of the scientists we can get AND we do have to start EARLY. get kids interested in science and math. and NOT just boys either




TEAM MEMBERS Zach Wolf, 13, of Manchester, left, and Jason Whitehouse, 13, of Avon, explain their project using an instrument they made that measures light reflecting from the moon. Two dozen teams at the Talcott Mountain Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology presented their projects to a NASA scientist. (MICHAEL MCANDREWS)

Motivating Young Scientists Talcott Mountain Visited By NASA Instructor, Who Gives Them Good Marks On Projects

By ROBERT A. FRAHM Courant Staff Writer December 13 2006AVON -- Scientist Marci Delaney of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center worries about the state of science education in America but is encouraged by what she saw Tuesday from young scientists such as 10-year-old Chandler Libby.Chandler and fellow fifth-grader Benjamin Suski measured the diameter and depth of craters on the moon using a lunar replica model from NASA and actual observations of the moon through telescopes.Theirs was one of about two dozen projects presented Tuesday by students from the Talcott Mountain Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology in NASA's "Moon Math Challenge.""Oh, fantastic," Delaney said, summing up the quality of projects devised by Talcott's middle school students. "I'm blown away. These kids obviously enjoy the science and math they're doing."The academy, a private school for gifted children from kindergarten through eighth grade, is a place where children can experiment with solar panels, monitor the weather with instruments such as Doppler radar, or observe the moon through a large telescope on their campus atop Talcott Mountain.Though it is rare for schools to have the kind of equipment or expertise found at the academy, the school is a model for the kind of practical, hands-on education that experts believe is needed if the United States is to keep its edge in science and technology."They're in a special situation here," said Delaney, who visited the academy to observe the "Moon Math Challenge," part of NASA's "Exploring Space Challenges" program promoting science education.............

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

i have a favorite niece

my family doesn't read this blog so i can say that. i love all of my nieces and nephews but from the time k was born, i knew she was extra special. she had a special look about her. she has a special attitude. as a baby and toddler she was FEARLESS (that by the way is NOT always a good thing). she has always had a mind of her own. she has a twin brother and a sister who is one year older than them.

they found a mass in her gut yesterday. she's going in for surgery tomorrow. it's not right when they find a mass in the gut of a 12 year old. it's just not

i called k last night to remind her of something. when she came to visit her aunt (me) after HER surgery. aunt was staying at grandma's house (for ONE day only. aunt couldn't take more than that. when grandma offered to warm auntie's pajamas, auntie got VERY SCARED indeed). k was a very little grrrl at that time. aunt had her piglet at grandma's house to keep her company. aunt LOVED that piglet. k walked in and took that piglet and aunt didn't have the heart to take piglet back. k still has that piglet and auntie is STILL steamed.....

anyway, as i said, it ain't right when a 12 year old has to have her abdomen opened up.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

awwwwwwwwwwww

Pups picture perfect at photo session

FELICIA HUNTER, Correspondent
MILFORD — Nacho looked to the right, but the pose didn't flatter his best side.
He glanced to the left, but that position seemed a bit too dogmatic.
When he gazed directly ahead, utilizing the full rays of his sunbeam key light, everyone agreed that Nacho was finally ready for his close-up.
A 7-year-old rat terrier, Nacho was among dozens of pets expected to have their picture taken with Santa by the end of the day Saturday at Perfectly Spoiled Pet Boutique. As of 1 p.m., two hours into the event, about 25 dogs had taken their turn sitting on Santa's lap.
Some, like Nacho, were old pros.................


"Nacho" checks out Santa and sniffs his beard as he gets ready to have his photo with Santa at the Perfectly Spoiled Pet Boutique in Milford Saturday afternoon. (Whitney Kidder-Alvarez/Connecticut Post)

someone's getting a LUMP OF COAL in their stocking this year


idiots. just idiots. who could set a fire to letters to santa? idiots that's who

Police Seek Grinch Who Lit Fire In 'Santa's Mailbox'

WEST HAVEN, Conn. -- Hundreds of letters from West Haven children to Santa Claus won't make it to the North Pole this year.
Kids' hopes to reach out to Santa were dashed by what police were calling either a careless or destructive soul.
A red mailbox is set up every year on the West Haven green for kids to drop letters to the jolly ole elf..............

Sunday, December 10, 2006

our new wandering minstral

Wandering Minstrel Job Filled

It sounds kind of medieval, but Connecticut has a state troubadour.Pierce Campbell will take over the job from Thomasina Levy for his two-year term in 2007.It's a tradition established in 1991 by the Connecticut General Assembly. Previous troubadours were Dennis Waring, Kevin Briody, Hugh Blumenfeld, Jeff and Synia McQuillan, Sally Rogers, Mike Kachuba, Bill Pere, Phil Rosenthal, Sandy and Caroline Paton and Tom Callinan..........

(pierce plays at the half door from time to time.)