blog

Aug

2010

Manners and Your Other Half

OK boys – here are a few pointers from the old man.

I hopefully have learned a few things from my various mistakes and falterings. One thing is manners (mostly learned from me mum) and how they help you grant importance to the person that you are with.

1. Always allow her to go first when the path narrows – unless of course there may be danger and then you should make sure that it is safe.
2. If you are driving and both going in the same car then open her side and let her in the car first at least 50% of the time.
3. Buy her flowers (flowers that she likes – ask her silly!) once in a while. This doesn’t have to be all the time – do it in such a way that it means something.
4. Help her on with her coat.
5. Hold the chair for her in a restaurant.
6. Wait until she starts eating before you do.
7. Listen – let her finish saying what she has to say. (Oh yeah – be honestly interested – that really helps!)
8. Never be mean and if you are (by mistake) always apologize. There is absolutely no percentage in being mean – ever!
9. Be romantic. It’s ok – you can still be the tough guy. For example, go to a chic flick and enjoy it. (Then go home and eat a steak.)
10. Notice things about her – new dress, haircut. Even if there is nothing new – tell her how beautiful she is – from the heart.
11. Which leads to the next one: never fail to communicate your undying love.
12. Do things with her that you both like. This can be a date at a nice restaurant, a coffee shop or a walk in the park. Even better is to go for a bike ride or go-karting or exploring or sailing or – well, something where you are doing something together. Not necessarily a movie – it is difficult to ‘be together’ at a movie. Do something like this without other friends. Just the two of you. Do this often.

Love,
Dad

Jun

2010

Bicycle Helmet Laws

If you have every questioned whether bicycle helmet laws actually increase safety then read some of the articles linked from this page: Bicycle Helmet Laws

Jun

2010

Dessert – Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

OK – this dessert rocks! Simple to make. I got the rhubarb from the back yard.

Ingredients:
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Brown Sugar
Lemon
Vanilla
Flour
Oatmeal
Cinnamon

For the filling – fruit part –
Rhubarb – clean and chop up the rhubarb to 1/4 inch pieces so you have about one and a third cup
Strawberry – cut ’em up to 1/4 or so depending on size to begin with.
Put both into a 9×9 glass baking dish. (that’s what I use anyway) and add juice from half a lemon, about half a cap of vanilla and a few dashes of cinnamon AND a very large spoonful of brown sugar – I think I used about 1/4 cup. Stir this around pretty thoroughly and spread evenly in the bottom of the dish.

For the topping: about 1/2 cup each of flour, oatmeal and brown sugar – a little extra on the sugar never hurt anyone. Add a few dashes of cinnamon and half capfull of vanilla and lots of butter. I’d say about half a stick or more. So the butter is well mixed in with the other ingredients. Lumpy. I also add another half lemon worth of juice – fresh squeezed.

Spread this evenly over the fruit and don’t press it down.

About 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees and oh la la!

May

2010

Best Brownie Recipe

I’ve been playing around with Brownie recipes. After some experimentation these are the best:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter unsalted – melted
6 table spoons of cocoa
2/3 to one cup of brown sugar(demerara)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 whole eggs
1 cup walnuts
2 squares of baking chocolate unsweetened – melted
1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and I use an 8×8 glass baking dish – you can lightly butter first.
I preheat the oven to 300 and bake for about 35 minutes on a rack that is in the middle of the bottom half of the oven. Set for about 30 minutes then keep an eye. Yummy!

May

2010

Lemming Suicide

Do lemmings commit suicide?

I’ve known that this was not true for decades and still hear references to the fact, in texts, tv, wherever that lemmings commit mass suicide. It is not true. It is easier to find the truth about stuff with the availability of the internet but there is also a lot of false information out there. One of the best sites that I like to check before relaying any ‘truths’ that I’ve been emailed (I rarely forward mass emails – I mean never) is www.snopes.com

Anyway, the source of this totally false information about how lemmings commit mass suicide by plunging into the sea was perpetrated by none other than Disney – well, a filmmaker for a Disney piece called White Wilderness, filmed in 1958. It was entirely faked. So, this has become part of our cultural reference. Even psychiatrists use this datum in evaluating their clients/patients – OK – you are right – psychiatrists will believe pretty much anything you tell them – not the brightest bunch.

Actually there are a lot of websites now that dispel this myth but the reason that I’m adding my few cents worth is that I’ve still heard the reference on the media – even recently – so, thought I’d add my bit.

Generally, if you should get some information and you are not sure of its validity – check the Snopes website – it is pretty good.