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Fudgie Oatmal Marble Bars

2009-11-11T18:34:00.003-05:00

A few days ago I made this recipe and somebody on facebook asked for it... but I couldn't find the message to send it. So here it is. I had something similar at a cafe, went mental for them, and tinkered with a few recipes that sounded close til I landed on this one. Enjoy!

Fudgie Oatmeal Marble Brownies

1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla (2 for each mixture)
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 12-ounce package chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or peacans

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the butter.

Blend butter and brown sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

In another large bowl combine flour and baking soda; stir in oats. Gradually mix the dry and moist mixtures. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine the reserved butter, the sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate chocolate chips. Cook over low heat until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and the 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Press two-thirds (about 3-1/3 cups) of the oat mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Spread chocolate mixture over the oat mixture. Using your fingers, dot remaining oat mixture over the chocolate.

Bake @ 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until top is lightly browned (chocolate mixture will still look moist).

Cut bars after cooling and pig out. :)

Suck it, Richard

2009-11-08T12:20:00.007-05:00

Yeah, so I put Ahmed on a red eye for London yesterday morning. Mid-day I got an odd email asking "would you send your recipes for scones to the following email addresses?" Didn't think a great deal of it. I had made scones for him to snack on. Sent the recipes.

About four hours later I got a text message. "What was the name of that adorable little place in Freeport at the bottom of the hill" and so forth. (Crickets... ironic, since they were beginning to chirp quite loudly.)

Today I called his cell. He was out to lunch with his dad and his new friends. The 12 sorority sisters from the class of 1992, all of whom, incidentally, sat around him on the plane. And then treated him to lunch because he was "so charming and funny."

Oh yeah, I've got the Chirpy Cricket Freaking Philharmonic playing over here.

Now... we all experience jealousy. It's fine. I trust my guy. But let's face it... when he's going to be away for a month it gets tetchier. I mean, if the redhead with the big gazangas in the lab rubs herself against him and flirts, I can just respond by ignoring it til we get home, and saying "get your pants off and allow me to remind you why you never remember her name... just her rubby gazangas."

I can't reach from here. *glare*

So yeah... way to prime the Bacchanalian orgy on the flight, Virgin Atlantic. You couldn't find a single fat accountant with halitosis on the whole freaking plane to break up the boobage? So yeah... you can suck it, Richard Branson. I don't like you anymore.

It's NOT Swine Flu

2009-11-06T15:22:00.003-05:00

It's NOT the Swine Flu. Relax.

I understand perfectly why people are paranoid about the Swine Flu. H1N1, as we are now instructed to call it, is scary. Believe me, for a person like myself without a working immune system, it's scary as hell. I get it. Honestly.

What has me scratching my head (it's not lice or scabies or anything else like that... just a figure of speech) is the refusal of strangers to take my word for my non-contagious status. I cough. I don't cough constantly, the way a person with something like emphysema might. I cough a lot in the morning, when I am exposed to quick and extreme temperature changes, or sometimes all of a sudden for no reason I can figure. I've even heard doctors call the PF cough a "nervous" cough. Not because it has anything to do with nervousness... it has similar properties. If I'm coughing like mad I'm probably sick.

But I DO get more phantom tickles than the average person, and I DO sometimes cough like crazy just because I am a PF patient. Most of the time it's a quick, crackly, sharp cough.

When it comes, I cover my mouth. I'm not contagious, but I'm polite. So when a stranger gives me a filthy look in response I'm confused. I don't cough ON anyone. I cough into my elbow. If I'm hacking and horking out of control I'm en route to my oxygen and a call to Ahmed.

A while ago, when H1N1 hysteria took root, I started quietly saying "I'm not contagious" to anyone who looked scared or pissed off at my coughs. I thought it might make them feel better.

Um. Nope. What it did was open the door. Silent glares seem to need some kind of enhancement in order to activate the actual conversation mechanism. Once I've opened my mouth the divide is breached and the launch sequence is ON. I've had everything from "how the hell would YOU know?" to "if you're coughing you're contagious." I don't often know how to respond.

If I clarify we need to sit down for a few. Most people have never heard of PF. I DO have a standard rap:

I have a lung condition. It causes my lungs to rattle and I sometimes cough. It isn't contagious.

That should do it. But it never does. I either get questions that are long and complex to answer or the absurd disbelief reaction. As if I have some mission to be contagious with the rare South Bumblebaria Hooping Disease and have made spreading the deadly coughing death as far and wide as possible.

Yes, please come here, person I have never freaking seen before. Allow me to spit on you, hork at you, and do my gleeful victory dance.

So anyway... here's my last attempt. I'M NOT CONTAGIOUS. If I were I would be busy following the New York Yankees in the off-season, hiding near them at cafes so I could lick the rims of their coffee cups.

K? Good? Good.

Rhonda Stapleton Stupid Cupid Contest

2009-11-02T16:31:00.003-05:00

Let the count-down begin! Rhonda Stapleton's Stupid Cupid releases on December 22nd, just in time for Christmas! She's kicking off her Stupid Cupid book launch contest! Here's what's up for grabs:

--a copy of Stupid Cupid, signed by the author

--a $30 bookstore gift card to the store of your choice

--a $30 iTunes gift card

--a $30 Starbucks gift card

That's a $100 value!

So, what do you have to do to enter this incredible contest? Simple--write Rhonda a horrible love poem. The more purple-prosed and nauseating, the better. Visit her blog for more details and be sure to spread the word! ALL DETAILS AVAILABLE HERE!

Hunter's Moon

2009-11-02T11:21:00.005-05:00

November dawns with a Hunter's Moon in Taurus. Our clocks have just been turned back, and the moon is full. I've always loved this moon... the transitioning between autumn and the first winter weeks. It brings both briskness and the blanket of coming snows... a shock to the system and a warm place to hibernate, letting our dreams lead the way during the dark months.

Taurus moons have always been productive for me. I like the persistence and stubbornness of the bull, the earthy qualities suit even an air-head Gemini like me. The bull grounds me, which is not an easy thing to do.

Fitting, I suppose, that I begin National Novel Writer's Month with this moon, since it really lends itself to organization, gathering resources, tracking plans, and basically getting one's poop in a pile. I've always allowed lunar positions to be my guide at times like this... and probably never would have made a list or organized a desk in my life without that nudge from the celestial lady. I never follow the NaNoWriMo rules strictly, but like to use it as an inspiration and motivator.

So this week I kick off a month of getting it together, putting it where it needs to go, and having all my ducks in a row for the coming season of sleep and dreams.

Join me?

Where's My Frickin' Rainbow?

2009-10-25T15:04:00.005-04:00

Yeah... it's a pity party. And I know they get old, so feel free to ignore me. Lately I haven't been depressed, really. But I can't seem to write. And I can't seem to answer that block with my usual determination and distraction technique. Nothing wants to grow here.

Ahmed says this is understandable, since I am in a lot of pain and can't sleep. I've recently been struck with polymyositis from PF treatments, followed by two broken toes and a third with hairline fractures. My muscles are breaking down and my bones are brittle. It's part of fighting to survive. I understand and embrace this... but it wears me down. So the leg thing has kept me from sleeping. I'm on maybe 2 hours a night.

I hate people who complain. I hate feeling so locked in doldrums on a day like this one, bright and crisp and beautiful after miserable rains. I want to look forward with an open and grateful heart... but I really, really need a rainbow. It's all well and good to make hope your choice. I'd just love a little sign... something small... some tiny whisper that it will be ok.

/pity party

Two Great Books

2009-10-20T13:35:00.000-04:00

Eden Bradley and R.G. Alexander both have vamp releases out today at Samhain Publishing!!

MIDNIGHT FALLS…

His life was stolen to keep their secrets…

Book Four of Children of the Goddess

It has taken years for Liz to lay the past to rest. Now she has been called to find the missing Jasyn Dydarren, the only man who can save her friend Nicolette from the Shadow’s mark. Tracking him means chasing down a secret the Shadow Wolves want buried forever—and another man they want dead. A man with an eerily familiar face, whom she craves with an intensity she can’t explain.

Hannah, an Unborn, never considered herself anything special, but she and Jasyn have something that is. Now her Were has been snatched away. She’s not a fighter, but she’s willing to do whatever it takes to find her heart’s desire and force him to see her as an equal at last. Or die trying.

With alliances on the line and lives in danger, these two very different women must save their men, and come together to discover the truth…and destroy the Shadow once and for all.

Warning: This book contains explicit sex. Sex on the stairs, sex in a tree, sex with two, (and sex with three). Vampires mating. Werewolves mating. And a lot of gratuitous A** kicking.
BUY HERE!

THE SEEKING KISS…
Two vampires, one woman, an eternity of love and desire…if only she’s strong enough…
Midnight Playground, Book 1

London 2069
For as long as Nissa has known about Midnight Playground, the most exclusive of a world-wide network of vampire sex clubs, she has yearned to gain entrance—and to become one of them. Orphaned and alone from a young age, she has nothing to lose and nothing to stop her from indulging in her darkest fantasies.
Hex and his maker, Aleron, have enjoyed many play partners at the club and have often shared in the euphoria of the Seeking Kiss, that sensual blood exchange between vampires and their lovers. But Nissa’s beauty, intelligence and strength is a siren call he can’t resist.. His desire for her and her willingness to let herself be drawn by their mental pull compels Hex to consider offering to her something he’s never given another mortal– the treasured Turning Kiss.
The beautiful vampire pair entice Nissa into an intimate sexual realm beyond her wildest dreams—and she revels in it. But when she finds herself falling for one of the powerful duo, it could mean the end of her deepest fantasies. Or a new beginning she never dared to imagine…
Warning: Three-way vampire sex, voyeurism, exhibitionism, anal sex, oral sex, simultaneous anal and oral sex (oh, yes, it’s possible!), drinking blood, drinking blood while having sex, political unrest , and a hot French accent. Keep a fan and some holy water nearby!
BUY HERE!

Chachi Lied to Glenn Beck

2009-10-14T13:17:00.002-04:00

I need an interweb smack down like I need a hole in my head right now... but Scott Baio is a twerp and I hate liars. For those who missed it,

Gwen Hayes' Blog

Totally the Bomb Blog

Response from His Peers

THE Scott Baio's Twitter page (because apparently everyone wants to be him???)

Then he got what he had been whining for: Glenn Beck's attention. Now... that's fine, and I think Glenn Beck is fun to watch. But would it have killed him to have an intern google "chachi looses his mind" or "charles not in charge of his faculties" or something?

Stolen from Fictionistas

2009-10-09T12:59:00.002-04:00

Today Gwen Hayes posted one of those online quizzy things at Fictionistas. Can I just tell you how much I LOVE these things? Love. LOVE LOVE LOVE. So I'm stealing it. Feel free to comment, steal, and share your link:

1.What was the last thing you put in your mouth? Petit Vanilla Scone and a slurp of iced latte.

2.Where was your blog profile picture taken? At a charity event for cancer survivors.

3.Can you play Guitar Hero? If I can get Ahmed away from any gaming system we own.

4.Name someone who made you laugh today? My friend Gayle.

5.How late did you stay up last night and why? I did not sleep at all last night. Having a problem with one leg and it's not allowing me to sleep. Double shot in the latte.

6.If you could move somewhere else, would you? No. I WOULD love to be able to travel overseas again so I could spend a month a year in Ireland.

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks? We are really into fireworks around here, so everyone has.

8. Which of your friends lives closest to you? Timmy and Petie live one street away.

9. Do you believe ex’s can be friends? Timmy was my first BF, so yeah. LOL

10. How do you feel about Dr Pepper? Love it. I finally found the diet caffeine free kind up here... but lately I have given up soda and find I don't miss it, so maybe I lied?

11. When was the last time you cried really hard? I had a really long, good, deep cry about a week ago.

12. Who took your profile picture? Ahmed

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of? I do a lot of photography but it's usually landscapes or such. I guess a stranger in the background??

14. Was yesterday better than today? Pretty even heat, but I will say I have been feeling positive lately. If I could sleep things would be perfection!

15. Can you live a day without TV? Yeah. I've even gone a day or two, but probably not for much longer. I'll admit it.

16. Are you upset about anything? Nope. Other than the sleep thing all is good.

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? Always.

18. Are you a bad influence? Oh... um... yeah. Seriously, hide your kids.

19. Night out or night in? In

20. What items could you not go without during the day? Netbook, Cell, MP3 player

21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? Gayle

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say? Call me Plz

23. How do you feel about your life right now? I'm generally a person who chooses to be happy.

24. Do you hate anyone? I say "hate" a lot but I wonder if I ever really mean it?

25. If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find? Invitations... piles of them that I delete.

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass? I never use illegal drugs and rarely even drink. But my pee would glow green from the legal stuff. TMI?

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before? Yeah, but he was lying. I let him, though.

28. What song is stuck in your head? For some weird reason lately I have been singing "Children, Go Where I Send Thee," the Joan Osbourne version (WTF????)

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who do you want it to be? SANTA!!!

31. Name something you have to do tomorrow? post to Fictionistas, but I'm doing it tonight... so get ready for a get-together of old friends at an Oktoberfesty thing... DUUUUDE! We're gettin' the baaaand back togetha!!

32. Do you think too much or too little? Oh lord, I think wayy too much.

33. Do you smile a lot? Constantly.

Don't Eat Pumpkins

2009-10-07T00:41:00.005-04:00

It's that time of year. Every cafe, restaurant, and Yankee Candle reeks of pumpkin spiced garbage. I HATE FREAKING PUMPKINS. So if you eat them, you should really hear this story...

How Pumpkins Became A Delicacy

Many years ago, not long after the Wompanoag Indians had befriended the local white settlers, two members of the Mashfeeld tribe gathered on the edge of a bog.

Sukonnet and Sukattet, two brothers, had reached the end of their rope. And they were sharing the rope.

"Well the damned Pilgrims ate all the shellfish, lobster, venison, and trout," said Sukonnet.

"Yeah, now the turkey are gone, too. And they have plundered the cranberry bogs. I told you we should have killed them all," said Sukattet.

"Well there are these." Sukonnet held the round, orange globe between his hands, which had ripened in the first days of autumn.

"That's a Pumpkin," said Sukattet, who knew that pumpkin was a Mashfeeld word meaning ugly assed squash that tastes like watery poo.

"It's all we've got," said Sukonnet. "They've eaten everything else."

"I'm not eating a pumpkin," said Sukattet.

"You'll starve."

"I don't friggin' care, I'm not eating a goddamned pumpkin," Sukattet insisted.

But the nights grew very cold, and the traps remained empty, and the pumpkin sat there staring at them outside their small mud lodge. Finally, October came, the time of the harvesting moons and frosts. Sukattet and Sukonnet were really at the end of their shared rope, and the knot they'd tied in it was loosening.

"This really is bullshit," said Sukattet.

And they carved open the pumpkin, cooked it, and ate it.

It sucked. They barfed.

So Sukonnet and Sukattet went to the white settlers and said to Miles Standish and the rest of them, "this is the pumpkin, which is a rare delicacy of our people. Pumpkin means 'large melon,' and it is very highly prized. You should eat this in stead of the ugly, spiny, hard-shelled lobster, which is poisonous."

Sukonnet then snickered and Sukattet kicked him in the shinn.

And so it was that the settlers began to eat pumpkin, though they were forced to slather it with brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves to make it palatable. And school teachers were forced to eat lobster because lobster was gross and icky.

And Sukattet and Sukonnet became legends, and had streets named after them in the old hunting grounds of Mashfeeld... which remained a paradise even unto this very day.

Baby Blessing

2009-10-06T18:49:00.002-04:00

Recently Romance Divas, The Sceptics' Tank, and several other of my online haunts seem to be teeming with new babies! About two years ago I wrote a baby blessing for some friends at their request. Since then many have asked to use it, print it, etc. I'm sharing it here:

Baby Blessing
by Chrissy Olinger for the Hawthorne Clan

May the moon shine its light and magic,
May the sun loan its strength and power.
May the winds lift the fuzz on your wee little head
And blow dandylion fluff in a shower
As the dragonflies, butterflies, buttercups
Dance and sway to your every delight.
May the stars watch and smile down upon you
As you dream wild things in the night.
May you always let mama protect you,
And always let daddy stand by
As you wander this new world with wonder
Piling wishes and promises high.

May the fields hold a million new treasures,
And the trees rustle soft overhead
As you laugh at the world's many pleasures
And the secrets you take to your bed.
Dream away, little wee precious darling.
Dream away, and be welcome to the world.
You are blessed, and cherished, and wanted,
Unconditional love 'round you curled!

October Color

2009-10-02T14:22:00.006-04:00

October has arrived in my neck of the woods. I spoke with friends in Oakland, Maine and the leaves are at "peak" there now. I've always been fonder of the weeks before and after "peak" times, when the leaves are mixed green-and-fall-shades or when they've turned, and have begun to fall like confetti. I think I'm going to take one shot a week here in the Bog Hollow Brambles... starting today.

Message of the Day

2009-10-01T10:42:00.006-04:00

Every now and then some nugget of genius rises up from the universe to send me (and you) a message. Today's message comes to you courtesy of the anonymous, bored teenager who lives near the intersection of Willow and South River Streets in my home town. Rawk on, Marshvegas... RAWK ON!

Scroll down...

Maria's Peach Melba Tea Bread

2009-09-29T17:32:00.004-04:00

This may be the most gloriously delicious thing I have ever tasted... I begged Maria for the recipe and she's letting me SHARE!!

Peach Melba Tea Bread

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Peach Schnapps OR Peach Brandy
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh peaches
1/4 cup dried or frozen, chopped raspberries (or blueberries)

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 9x5 loaf pan. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In medium size bowl, combine peaches and liquor. In 2 cup glass measuring cup, combine melted butter, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add butter mixture to flour mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in peaches and berries. Spoon into greased pan. Bake bread for 55 to 60 minutes or until top is golden brown and center springs back when lightly pressed with finger tip. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool to room temperature before slicing.

Back!

2009-09-29T14:05:00.003-04:00

I'm sure you missed me. And I'm only a little bit back, really. This past week my health demanded that I avoid the internet, and I did. I'd say it was hard, but I was mostly out of it and unaware of the world around me.

I'm sitting up, having some espresso, and pushing my luck.

I think, in a way, it was good for me to realize I could go a while without twittering, facebooking, and blogging... not to mention lurking on forums.

But I DID miss everyone. And I wanted to thank you all for the good wishes and prayers, especially my beloved Tankers. Thanks to the gang from online who called Ahmed when he needed the distraction, and leave him alone when he asked. It meant a great deal to me.

Can You Give Me The Finger?

2009-09-22T17:25:00.007-04:00

If you happen to have a few spare fingers, I could use one. Or, at least, just the tip. I learned today that I may lose the tip of my left pointer finger, and I admit... it has me upset. There a LOT of things I need my fingers for!

It's hard to be judgmental, a personal-favorite hobby of mine, without pointing a finger in admonishment. Now, I could go Righty on that, but I prefer to have my right hand planted on my hip in outrage. The slight tip-forward of the body, accompanied by a left-handed finger of judgement... it's "naughty naughty" genius, eh?

Close kin to the finger-point, the finger-wag. Wagging takes the judgmental pointage one step further, to a physical accusation in full waggledy glory. No-no-no, it seems to tick tock at the sinner. Another move that feels somehow incomplete without a hip-planted hand to underscore it.

Then there's licking frosting, whipped cream, and all sorts of other yummy goodness from the fingertip. Again, the righty is there as backup, but don't we prefer to have that right hand supporting whatever bowl or cake platter is falling victim to the lick? Once more, I feel myself anticipating a handicap.

And lastly, of course... well, maybe only in traffic... or when the tissue is gone... but really? I know they say you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friends' nose...

The question is, how much do you love me?

Free Pretties!

2009-09-12T19:51:00.001-04:00

Just a heads-up... Have your domain already and just want a template? Have your domain already and just want a template? just updated with six brand new free templates on the main freebie page. Some very pretty, simple themes. black and white hot-blond... goth girl... purple tattoo theme... and MORE! Get em while they're hot!

My New Release

2009-09-11T17:04:00.006-04:00

I am thrilled to announce my new release from Mustelid Books: This Wild, Wonderous Weasel, written under my pen name.

This book was such a labor of love and dedication. Please stay tuned for the official release date and purchasing information. It will be a hard-cover release for only $24.95. Read on to learn more!

Title: This Wild, Wonderous Weasel
by: Shanda Lear
Publisher: Mustelid Books
Genre: Paranormal Were-Romance

Blurb:
When Shank Thornhard wandered into Katya Paycan's life she thought he was just another drifter. But Shank has a secret...

Shank is a secret agent for the government's top-secret Secret Society of Secret Were Agents (SWAG)! Shank has come to town to investigate a rash of robberies. Who is stealing the top-secret secret files that could reveal SWAG's secrets? Is it the lovely coop, Katya Paycan, who seems to have secrets of her own?

And can Katya resist the tempation of the handsome stranger? What will she do when he transforms, under the soft light of the full moon, into a white were-ferret? Has he had all his shots?

Find out in this steamy new release from Mustelid Books!

Bodice Rippers Unite!

2009-09-11T16:28:00.003-04:00

Do not miss the new Cafe Press T-shirts from Romance Unwrapped! (Full disclosure: I am their webmaster and artist... and I designed the t-shirts). They're cute as all giddyup and come in Women's sizes to a 5x! Beat that with a stick, baby!

9/11 Remembered

2009-09-11T14:08:00.003-04:00

I guess most of us are remembering in at least a small way. I headed for the city to do a prayer and meditation memorial today with friends. It's misting and threatening rain, so I was forced indoors. But I did light a candle and say a prayer of blessing and remembrance.

May the angels carry all those still wandering home. May the hearts of those they left behind be healed.

CPF at Beth Israel-Deaconess

2009-09-08T16:03:00.002-04:00

For CPF members, from email:

The CPF is proud to invite you to a pulmonary fibrosis seminar hosted by the Interstitial Lung Disease Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston on September 12, 2009. This is an opportunity to learn more about PF as well as to interact with other PF patients, families and caregivers. Full details are below for you.

We hope you can make this important patient event.

SYMPOSIUM FOR THOSE LIVING WITH IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2009

BIDMC (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) West, One Autumn Street (corner of Longwood Avenue and the Riverway) The building with blue Children's Hospital awning

**Parking is available at the Pilgrim Road Garage at the West Campus for $10

Entrance is located off Crossover Street, which can be reached by either Pilgrim Road or Autumn Street (do not use the garage adjacent to Bruegger's Bagel off Longwood Avenue)

RSVP: While pre-registration is not required, we would appreciate notification by phone, email, or register on-line (see below) if you are planning to attend. Please include the number of people that will be with you. [***Please do not RSVP to the CPF, as Beth Israel Deaconess is making the reservations.]

Please call or email:
PHONE: 617-667-5864
EMAIL: ILDcenter@bidmc.harvard.edu

AGENDA/SCHEDULE:

SATURDAY, September 12, 2009
10:30 am - 11:15 am Check-In
11:15 am - 11:20 am Welcoming and Opening Remarks DR. JOSEPH ZIBRAK, DR. PETER LACAMERA, BIDMC
11:20 am 11:40 am Patient Outreach & Advocacy TERESA BARNES, VICE PRESIDENT, COALITION FOR PULMONARY FIBROSIS
11:40 am - 12:20 pm Lunch
12:20 pm - 12:45 pm Fundamentals of the Lung and PFT’s DR. DAVID ROBERTS, BIDMC
12:45 pm - 1:10 pm Current Understanding of IPF Biology DR. PETER LACAMERA
1:10 pm - 1:35 pm The Matson Lecture on Clinical Trials for IPF DR. JOSEPH ZIBRAK
1:35 pm - 2:00 pm Question & Answer Session
2:00 pm - 2:15 pm Break
2:15 pm - 2:40 pm Surgical Lung Biopsy and Transtracheal Catheters DR. SIDHU GANGADHARAN, BIDMC
2:40 pm - 3:00 pm The Virtues of Pulmonary Rehabilitation CLAUDIA LEVENSON, PT, CSS, BIDMC
3:00 pm - 3:20 pm On-line Resources, A Patient's Perspective KEN BAKER
3:20 pm - 4:20 pm Small Group Sessions:
IPF Question and Answer DR. PETER LACAMERA
Clinical Trials DR. JOSEPH ZIBRAK
Management Strategies CLAUDIA LEVENSON, PT, CSS

Quiet

2009-09-07T19:50:00.002-04:00

It was a very odd, quiet Labor Day weekend. Yesterday my brother had a gathering at his place on the beach. I passed on it. For some odd reason the people of Green Harbor dress up for the Labor Day parade as if it were Halloween. I've never understood or enjoyed it. Also, I was feeling very achey and beat. So I stayed home and enjoyed the quiet.

I've somehow developed a TBR pile for the first time ever. I buy 4 or 5 paperbacks a week... one or two ebooks. For the past month I just haven't been in the mood to read and have had a hard time writing, too. So quiet is a good place for me to reboot. Perhaps if I sit very still inspiration can find me. Harder to hit a moving target, right?

Cookin' Up Trouble and the Barnes and Noble

2009-09-05T11:51:00.001-04:00

I'm a cookbook fiend. My Nana used to sit and read them slowly, luxuriously, in her living room. She insisted it was like having a meal without the calories. I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a curse, but she passed the addiction on. Today I hit Barnes and Noble and blew $50 in an eye-blink on these two.

Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200 by Lisa Lillien is an ingenious collection of 200 recipes under 200 calories. The great thing about this book is that the recipes are both SIMPLE and REASONABLE. They aren't crappy versions of something you'd want to eat, but would find disappointing because of the stripping of ingredients. I cracked this open to "Cheesy Butternut Bake," flipped forward to "Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing," and put it in the BUY pile. YUM!

But don't get the idea I'm all about health and quickie meals. My second choice is a gorgeous, lush collection: Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros is a beautifully bound hardcover collection of family recipes from all over the globe. The book is dedicated to her grandfathers and has incredible photographs throughout. But the seal on the deal is the recipes: Lachmajou (a wonderful spice lamb recipe), Keftedes (a Greek meat and fruit recipe that I've only had once, and have searched for since), and even something as simple as a good Carrot Cake recipe. I'm salivating already!

So what cookbooks are your stand-bys? Do you keep one of your own?

ABC meme about me

2009-09-02T19:39:00.002-04:00

I am joining Rhonda Stapleton in doing the ABC meme that's floating around. I LOVE these... and will just share my answers without tagging people who may not love them. Feel free to join the fun on your own blog, and add your link in the comments!!

Available or single? Nope, Ahmed has the pink slip.

Best Friend? Max. Shut up, he lurves me.

Cake or Pie? I love pie, but cake will always win... unless it's crappy supermarket cake with nasty icing.

Drink of choice? Lately I drink FUZE all day, but my drink of choice is a Venti Iced Latte with SweetNLo

Essential item for every day use? My netbook and/or cell phones.

Favorite color? Purple, but I really do love all colors.

Google? bless you!

Hometown? Green Harbor (technically Marshfield)

Indulgences? my daily latte and I still buy 4-6 paperbacks a week.

January or February? February

Kids and their names? No kids, but I have a Max, a Jeeves, a Winky, a Zari, a Mo, and a Snot... and more.

Life is incomplete without...? My man, my critters, and my friends.

Marriage date? Is this multiple choice???

Number of siblings? 3 brothers

Oranges or apples? Love both. In the fall, apples. In the summer, oranges.

Phobias and fears? I can't put my hands where I can't see them. It really wigs me out.

Quote for the day? "Jesus Saves... he passes to Moses... Moses goes up the middle... HE SCORES!!" (Church sign)

Reason to smile? My man is home and treated me very well last night. Plus I got presents. I luuuurve presents!!

Season? I love autumn.

Tag 3 people? You're not the boss of me.

Unknown fact about me? I'm deaf in one ear.

Vegetable you hate? squash

Worst habit? Answering people's objections for them before they make them... often they never planned to. Now, I know what you're going to say about that, and you're wrong, because...

X-rays you’ve had? Err... everything?

Your fave food? Corned beef and cabbage for dinner. I also love nuts of just about every kind. Penuche... the good stuff.

Zodiac sign? Gemini

If you do this meme on your blog, please provide a link in the comments so I can check it out! :D

I'm All Fired Up

2009-09-01T14:17:00.002-04:00

I'm all fired up today about Kristen Painter's smokin' hot new release, ALL FIRED UP. I've been drooling for this title since she announced it was coming out. Early reviews have been great.

The Girls on Books gave it a glowing recommendation, as did the upcoming issue of Romantic Times Book Reviews. And let's face it, folks... Kristen Painter has been making us laugh at Romance Divas and on the Fictionistas' Blog for-- like-- EVER! I downloaded this immediately this morning. Can't WAIT to get this sucker loaded on the Sony!!