superbowl!

I watched the SuperBowl for the first time yesterday. It was better than I expected and there were actually some very exciting points in the game. I probably snacked on stuff wayyyy more than I should have. We didn't even eat all the snacks though.

I started training with my personal trainer again last Thursday. It was about time as I had been slacking off for over a month already. My stamina was definitely not up to par, but I am definitely looking forward to my twice weekly sessions.

Social Networking Sites

So I've been on Ravelry for over a year now. When I first found it, I was amazed at the ingenuity of the concept. A niche website that integrated social networking with both user-generated databases as well as personal inventories that catered to specifically to the niche. Given someone with enough knowledge of a niche and the skills to create such an interactive website, one could revolutionize the online world of that niche and become THE resource for anyone interested in that niche.

Just recently with my new found interest in board games, I found the site BoardGameGeek. Much to my surprise, they have been doing this since as far back as 2004. Reflective of its "geeky" nature, the site is more cluttered than Ravelry and carries a Web 1.0 look and feel. Don't let that fool you, however. They have an active community and as evidenced by numerous Google searches relating to board games, is THE source for Board Gaming knowledge on the net.

I also recently found a site regarding books called GoodReads. I've been to a few websites before that were similar, but it seems GoodReads has taken the extra step. Like Ravelry, it exhibits a clean Web 2.0 style. You can place books on your "shelf" and mark them as read, currently reading, or plan to read.

I wonder how many other niche knowledge-driven community sites there are. The idea really resonates with my inner organizer. These websites seem like the kinds of projects I could wholeheartedly sink my teeth into. Too bad they're usually 1-2 man operations that earn very little money and do not have the resources to hire and train a newbie like myself.

Thanksgiving Cooking

Doh, I totally forgot to take pictures...

This Thanksgiving I got to cook a bunch of food and it actually turned out good. Thursday night at my parents' place, I made stuffing from a box (Trader Joe's) and yams. Unfortunately, my mom, dad, and aunt don't like cinnamon. My uncles liked it though.

For the potluck dinner with Lawrence's brother and cousins, I made those yams again, a prime rib roast, butter pecan ice cream, and Indian rice pudding. All of it was delicious! The only thing I would change is paying more attention to the butter I put into the butter pecan ice cream. I totally did not realize the stick butter I bought from Trader Joe's was salted, making my ice cream extra salty.

These are the recipes I used:

Paula Deen's 'Ol No. 7 Yams
Emeril's Prime Rib Roast
Alton Brown's Indian Rice Pudding*
Ben & Jerry's Butter Pecan Ice Cream

*For the rice pudding, I followed the instructions here to make candied pistachios.

Mobile kitty bed

...is what I've become - not that I'm complaining. Who doesn't want a furry feline master who has deigned to make you her resting place?

I wake up at 6am to the pressure of paws kneading my boobies, non-stop. I don't want to disturb her while she's showering me with such affection so I hold still while I try to fall back asleep. What makes it difficult is the weight of her hind legs digging into my bare stomach, a constant reminder of the claws that may unsheathe at any moment.

If I lie on the couch to watch tv, she trots over with a rare single-minded purpose. After kneading my boobies, tummy, then boobies again, she'll slowly curl up on my torso as she blocks the tv I'm trying to watch. I pet her and scratch her behind the ears. The way she closes her eyes makes me smile, until I remember that she may suddenly decide with a quick bite of my hand that she's had enough petting.

If I sit at my computer desk, she'll hop on over and settle into my lap. This can be dangerous because if my thighs are too far apart and she starts to slip, she could bring out those hind claws for support. Once she has fallen asleep, a gentle nudge will not be enough to convince her to get off. I must gently but quickly swoop my hands under her and lift her to the desk before she decides I need a nip of discouragement.

Thus I am Muffin's mobile kitty bed.

Chaos is contagious

http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2008/11/the_spread_of_disorder_can_graffiti_promote_littering_and_th.php

This blog entry is about an experiment conducted by Kees Keizer and his colleagues from the University of Groningen. They set up various pairs of situations - one where rules were not being broken, and one where rules were obviously being broken. The first example is of an alley where bikes were parked. The wall had a prominent No Grafitti sign. Flyers for a fictional sportswear shop were attached to each bike. With no grafitti on the wall, 33% littered. When they repeated the situation but with grafitti on the wall, 69% dumped their flyers on the street.

Anecdotally, I'm sure we can recall situations where we've seen this to be true in our daily lives. If either me or Lawrence starts to leave things lying around the apartment, the other has much less incentive to keep things clean.

The Big Bang Theory

I LOVE this show. I spent some time yesterday looking for the season 2 episodes. For some reason the only place I could find ep 1 was on isohunt. I seriously laughed my way through the entire episode! I never realized I was such a geek until I realized Lawrence didn't find the humor as hilariously funny as I did. :< I love that they're in Pasadena too.

The Story of a White House Butler

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/06/AR2008110603948.html?sub=AR&sid=ST2008110604101

This story just about made me cry at the end. :'<