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Archive for the ‘Fun Stuff’ Category
5-Minute “Cake” Experiment
Monday, August 9th, 2010
I dislike receiving forwards in my e-mail inbox. Most of the time, the information contained in said forwards are hoaxes, inflammatory political rhetoric, or silly pictures of animals either attempting to look cute or lick my screen (neither of which I necessarily need to see). There are always those few contacts who insist on remaining in the early 90s and forward anything they get their hands on or they think is absolutely adorable (even if it contains colored, 48pt font <—that’s not cool, by the way), and after 20 or so forwards, I start ignoring them mentally.
Tonight, I did not ignore a forward and instead decided to try it out. Context: I’m supposed to be finishing up (writing) a book chapter, and I hit writer’s block…again. Anything with the words “chocolate” and “cake” and/or “dessert” is a friend right now.
I looked at the recipe forwarded to me for this miraculous 5-Minute Coffee Mug Cake but decided to search for it on Google anyway since, even though I was desperate for sweet noms, I still don’t trust forwards. Here is the one I followed, compliments of Daisy’s Place, one of the first hits on Google:
- 4 TBSP flour
- 4 TBSP sugar
- 2 TBSP cocoa (but, since I didn’t have cocoa on hand, I substituted dark chocolate cocoa mix – worked okay)
- 1 egg
- 3 TBSP milk (I used organic, fat-free)
- 3 TBSP chocolate chips (listed as optional; I went without)
- A small splash of vanilla extract (I splashed; may not have been small)
- 1 large coffee mug
Here’s what happened (plus instructions):
Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
(Pictured at left)
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using, and no, I was not) and vanilla extract and mix again.
(Pictured at right)
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (I cooked mine for 3 minutes and 33 seconds; not sure if it was at 1000 watts).
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but do not be alarmed! (I wasn’t – I was fascinated)
Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired (oh, I did).
So, how was it?
Well, it looked like a…a…
…a very deformed chocolate mess.
But it did taste pretty good. Nothing life-changing, but it tastes good enough if you’re craving chocolate cake and want it in 5-10 minutes. Of course, you could try walking down to your local grocery store, but this method gives you chocolate cake without HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and other nasty ingredients (like crappy frosting).
The texture was interesting. It was more like a dense sponge than a fluffy cake, but it worked.
And here is how I enjoyed my “cake” – with low fat, organic, vanilla bean frozen yogurt. That’s right; that’s froyo right there.
Final rating: 2.5/5 stars for taste if I was in my right mind. 3.5/5 stars when desperate.
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Tugging at my heart strings
Friday, July 16th, 2010
I saw this the other evening and “awww-ed” at it the way one does when something really cute needs a friend or a hug (ie baby seals, pigeons, grad students…)
In other news, grad school is over for the summer, work is hectic, and I’m writing this from my iPhone 4g. Signal is so far…good.
More posts hopefully to come.
Posted in Fun Stuff, Observations on Life, Photography | No Comments »
Drawing 2.0
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
I rediscovered my “tablet” tonight along with the fun program Inkscape. Unfortunately, the following ensued:
I call this one… “The Doodle Noodle”.
My new line of stick-figure “super” heroes. This is P.O. man. He’s not happy with you.
Super Slug!!!
Twitter replaced him. :( Poor bugger.
…and, the rest really shouldn’t see the light of day. I’m not sure these should have even seen the light of day.
I never claimed to be normal.
I also would like to blame my dad for these urges to draw – he was an illustrator/photographer.
Cheers.
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Pink Glove Dance
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
A friend shared this on Facebook, and it was way too awesome not to share.
Happy Thanksgiving, any who read this blog. We have a lot to be thankful for!
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XBOX Live Update Preview
Monday, October 26th, 2009
So, today was apparently the day the XBOX Live Update Preview went, well, live. Huzzah!
Since I was the only one in our household willing to actually click through the screens on the XBOX to find our serial number, I was able to sign up to be part of the preview. Once I signed up, I promptly forgot about it thanks to real life and Netflix. Oh, that and a fun mini-vacation down to San Clemente.
Anyways, I am now one of the proud members of the XBOX Live community who can use Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm (what’s that?), and Zune-thing on my (ahem, “our”) XBOX. Fun stuff so far, but I don’t think I’ll be migrating over to the XBOX completely anytime soon for the following reasons:
- I’m just not on the XBOX as much as I used to be, and I really don’t want to leave a game just to tweet or update my status.
- I had to dig out my keypad and re-attach it to my controller.
- If I am on the XBOX, I’m using Netflix or playing DDR. I dare anyone to try typing a status update from a DDR dance pad…dare…
Here’s a breakdown of my opinions on each item so far:
Very pretty UI. Very pretty! Scrolling through the different options is fun and truly makes stalking…erm…keeping up with friends easier. Plus, quickly scrolling through status updates on a large-screen TV is rather satisfying in a lazy way. I have a feeling people will enjoy this integration.
If your friends are also on XBOX Live, I think you can share game info, compare stats, etc. Isn’t that what logging in to xbox.com is for? Well, I guess you can do this through Facebook now, too.
I won’t be using this one often. I try to avoid the masses on Facebook as it is. I am weak, however, I confess…
Twitter
Now this is the most fun addition for me. I love Twitter! I think it’s one of the best social networking-ish tools out there today. And I love the UI design for the XBOX! Look at that cute Twitter birdy! *le sigh*
As much as I love Twitter, I won’t be using it as much on the XBOX, even though there are some things I like about the XBOX version, such as:
- Twitter’s “Remember Me” option actually works on the XBOX.
- Tweets are easy to read and scroll through.
- My avatar is pretty entertaining.
- I like the Twitter bird…and the moving clouds.
Why I wouldn’t use it:
- I have to type with the controller or a keypad. Why would I do that when my laptop is usually right next to me?
- I’d have to leave a game/movie to tweet. I might as well pick up my cell phone and tweet while playing…or utilize the aforementioned laptop.
- I can’t click on URLs and see the cool sites, photos, videos, etc. my contacts are sharing.
So, fun stuff, but not quite enough to keep me glued to my console. I mean, “our” console…
Last.fm
I have no idea what last.fm is, but if you use it, you can now use it on the XBOX. Yay for you!
And finally…
Zune (Video)
Alas, I thought this was going to be a full-out Zune integration. I have a Zune and an amazing Zune Pass subscription, and I was hoping this would usher in the marriage of my Zune Pass and my XBOX. It was not to be.
The XBOX now integrates with Zune Video, as in…you can now purchase full movies, rent movies, etc. that can then play on your Zune HD, your computer, or your XBOX. As fun as that is, I won’t be using this feature because of…
Netflix
Netflix integrates seamlessly with the XBOX. I can stream movies from my Instant Queue and browse new additions at no extra cost to my monthly Netflix subscription. So, Zune Video? You’re not for me. Sorry.
All in all, the additions seem pretty fun. It’ll be interesting to see what else is rolled out.
In the meantime, I better get back to grading, studying, and longing for the release of Mass Effect 2.
P.S. – I was just enlightened as to what Last.fm is. I’ll still be using my Zune Pass and/or Pandora.
Posted in Fun Stuff, Technology | 2 Comments »
It’s Question Time!
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
Awhile back, I found a fascinating little app on Facebook called “Your Interview”. Fun little app, it is. Every week, I’m going to take one of those questions and answer it here…just for fun, and because I am too lazy to write my review of The Devil Wears Prada.
Q: Do you believe that the cup is half empty or half full?
A: Personally, I’m wondering what you’re doing with my cup, but to answer your question, I generally believe the cup/glass is very full. The question is – what’s in it?
Tags: interview, question
Posted in Fun Stuff, Observations on Life | No Comments »
Swim – #1
Sunday, May 24th, 2009
Mike and I went for our first swim of the summer tonight at around 7:00 pm. I thought it was great; he thought it was cold. Ah, differences in opinion. :)
Anyways, it was fun being able to splash around in the water. It was just the two of us, so that made it extra fun. I felt like a kid again. Okay, so I’m not terribly ancient or anything, but there’s something terribly fun about being the only people in the pool and being able to splash around/swim around/try to take the other person down without actually hurting them, etc. We might need to get some pool noodles or something to add to the excitement.
It was also fun to be able to spend some time alone doing something fun with my husband. There’s something especially fun and romantic about having a pool to yourselves. We swapped hilarious swim stories from when we were younger, discussed the finer points of why swimming was a great workout compared with other options, raced each other (pathetically, but give us a summer…we’ll be so fast…), and got tons of water up our noses.
More importantly, we got to be together.
..and in less than a week, we’re going to have all the time in the world to do whatever we want for 2 whole weeks.
Yes, swimming will be included.
Tags: pool, romantic, summer, swimming
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Jane Austen’s Mafia!
Monday, May 11th, 2009
“An Epic Saga Of Disorganized Crime”
Prune juice. Celery. A candle. And an old, angry woman with a vengeance. After that, a massive explosion. That’s what I remembered from a film I saw a long, long time ago.
Oh, and a boy named Diane.
And a hit-man with a spear-shaped violin case.
Before the Scary Movie(s) and Epic Movie(s) and many other “movie” spoof, there was Airplane!, Hot Shots!, and apparently, Jane’ Austen’s Mafia!
(I would like to take a moment to state that Jim Abrahams is obsessed with exclamation points…!)
I had watched all/part of this movie on cable television in a small village in the Philippines when I was much younger, but I could not remember the movie’s name. All I had were scenes…scenes so funny that they had been permanently imprinted into my brain.
Years went by, the Internet was invented and rolled out to the masses, and in a fit of boredom, I entered “mafia, mafia spoof, mafia comedy” into Google. There it was – Jane Austen’s Mafia! Jane Austen has been a busy lady after her death…books, movies, etc.
Neflix graciously allowed me to watch this movie again after 10 long years, and it’s still as good as it was in that small village in the Philippines. Where else can you watch gamblers in casinos playing Go Fish, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and “Last Red Cent” slot machines? Spagetti en mass? “Run, florist, run!”? And most importantly – old, angry women with a vengeance?
If you’re looking for some hilarious takes on some famous movies of the 90s, then go see Mafia! What have you got to lose?
Tags: airplane, comedy, jane austen, jim abrahams, mafia, movie, scary movie, spoof
Posted in Film, Fun Stuff | No Comments »
Ugly duckling(s)…I think
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Mike and I found this pretty cool place in Santa Clarita awhile back called the Bridgeport Marketplace. Located across the street from Bridgeport itself, this place boasts its own Kabuki, Red Mango (awesome), Bristol Farms, future CPK, and a cesspool of dark water that would make the liquid in Dark Water look like it had been through a Britta filter (more awesome).
A few days ago, however, the water was sparkling blue (Clean? Dyed, perhaps? Just kidding) and various water fowl were floating/walking around. That’s when I spotted them:
I’m not sure if it was a family of Canadian geese with a random female duck tagging along or whether it was the duck who had the Canadian geese following her and her ducklings (baby geese?). Either way, they all stayed close to each other and eyed us suspiciously. I couldn’t blame them. Most living beings eye us suspiciously… ;)
They may look a bit strange now, but they’ll grow up to be some good looking birds someday, whatever they may be. Maybe next time, I’ll bring them some food. Then, maybe, we could be friends…maybe. If these are baby geese, they’ll grow up to be good looking…and greedy…and snappy. Kind of like when children grow into adults, huh? Just kidding…maybe.
Tags: bridgeport, bridgeport marketplace, bristol farms, canadian geese, cpk, dirty water, ducks, kabuki, red mango, santa clarita, valencia
Posted in Fun Stuff, Observations on Life | No Comments »
There’s a Zombie on YOUR Lawn!
Friday, April 24th, 2009
It’s Friday, and I just don’t have the mental prowess to go through my newsfeeds and share something profound or insightful ( I have a test to study for). Instead, I leave you with something entertaining, compliments of my husband –> compliments of a friend–> compliments of PopCap Games.
Have a great weekend!
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