Saturday, March 27, 2010

RRC:Up To 5 Miles Away



"The woods are lovely dark and deep. But I have miles to go before I sleep."

-Robert Frost

RRC: Up To 5 Miles Away
Suggested by Me :)

Karen chose one of my suggestions for our current RRC. The idea was to go up to five miles away from your home, in any direction, and show us what you find. LOL. I was prepared to do that, but then this cold struck. LOL. I haven't been able to get out this week and get new photos, but I did have some archived photos that give you a really good idea about why I love it here so much. The top photo was taken at the Berkeley Marina, in the early evening. It had been an extremely hot day, and folks were out enjoying the gentle breeze off the bay. In the background is the Golden Gate Bridge. No matter how many times I see it, it always takes my breath away.

Now, here are some additional sights, up to five miles away...

The middle of Tilden Park...




Downtown Berkeley...



Sather Tower on the Berkeley campus...



What can I say, it's home! :)

Now, go see what the other Robins found on their journeys!

Linking List

Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!

Carly... Ellipsis
Posted!

Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!

Linda... Mommy's Treasures


Peggy... Holmespun Fun Memes and Themes
Posted!

Wammy... The Ellis Family Cincinnati
Posted!

Jama... Sweet Memories


Sherrie... Sherrie's Stuff
Posted!

Sandy... From the Heart of Texas
Posted!

Carolyn USA... Ford Family Photos


Manang Kim... My Photography in Focus


Duane... Meanwhile


Mary... Mary Tomaselli's Photos


Ruth... Scrabblequeen
Posted!

ellen b... The Happy Wonderer
Posted!

Freda... Day One
Posted!





-Carly



Thursday, March 25, 2010

Weekend Assignment #312: Write A Culinary Review






"The only time to eat diet food, is while you are waiting for the steak to cook."

-Julia Child

NOW CLOSED!







Weekend Assignment #312: Write A Culinary Review.
Your reviews can be about a favorite restaurant, or a specific item on a menu. Packaged foods, or something you created yourself. It's all up to you. Your take on it can be positive or negative, hey, it's your opinion! :)

Extra Credit: Write one paragraph about the WORST thing you have ever eaten.

If you haven't participated in the Weekend Assignment before, please take a moment to review our guidelines for participation...

1. Please post your entry no later than next Wednesday evening at 9:00 PM ET. I will be closing the assignment at that time, and no additional links will be accepted after that time.

2. Please provide a link back to the assignment. Feel free to display the logo below, along with the link, so other folks can find the assignment and participate along with us.

3. Don't forget to comeback here with the link to your entry.

4. If you can, please be sure to visit your fellow participants. Let's encourage each other!

5. Please encourage your readers to join us. The more the merrier... right?

Linking List for Weekend Assignment #311: Cheese It!
(Posted at Outpost Mavarin)

1. Karen (Original Assignment Entry)

2. Sherrie

3. Florinda

4. Carly

5. Paul

See you in two weeks!

-Carly

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Weekend Assignment #311: Cheese It!



"The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese."

-G.K. Chesterson

Weekend Assignment #311: What is your favorite kind of cheese and why? Do you have it often or just occasionally?

Extra Credit: Is there a kind of cheese you hate?

MMMMMM...CHeeSe! I count my love for cheese right there with my love for Alan and the boys! Yes, that's right, the way to this girl's heart is with a wheel of cheese! Gouda, Parmesan, Ricotta, Swiss, Cheddar, Asiago, they are all my darlings. My love of cheese is so great that had Alan not loved cheese as much as I did, it may have been a consideration for not getting married! LOL. Nah, it's not that bad, I would have married him, but in complete honesty, he loves cheese as much as I do! It's a good thing,. :)

Hey, we both like to cook, and we do a lot of cheese related recipes. You don't have to use a lot of cheese in a recipe for it to taste good, we believe in moderation, but it does give an otherwise bland meal a little extra help. :) I don't know if I have a particular favorite, I like so many different types. I guess it just depends on what kind of meal I am serving. An example, if I am having a bowl of Tomato soup for lunch, I might grate up some Prima Donna Gouda to sprinkle on top. Or if I am making Lavender Chicken in Puff Pastry, I usually put some French Feta in the pastry and do a light Lavender/White Cheddar Bachamel sauce for the top. Delicious! :)

Extra Credit: Nope. No cheese I hate. Although there are some I don't usually use, such as Limburger. But hate? Hate is such a mean word. LOL.

-Carly

This Weekend Assignment is from Karen, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin. You can join in the fun as well. Just hop over to her blog, and get all the information to play along. We love comments, but it's even more fun when you participate by posting your own entry. Look for this week's assignment here on Ellipsis Thursday!



Monday, March 22, 2010

Celebrating Health Care Reform



"In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties."

-Henri Fredric Amiel

It was needed. It was historic. It was about DAMN TIME! No doubt you have heard by now that we finally have health care reform in this country! I am rather happy about that, we have needed it for a long time. I am one of the lucky ones, I have health insurance, but there are others not as lucky as Alan and I. If you have ever had to watch a family, without insurance, try to make the difficult choices involved with having a lack of insurance, you know how heartbreaking that situation can be. Am I 100% happy with the bill? The short answer is NO. The more complex answer is YES, but I wish it had gone further. I wish it contained the PUBLIC OPTION. There are a few other points I wish had been done differently, but I will save those points for another time. In a nut shell, this is a positive step in the right direction. This is why I voted for Obama, and I am proud of him and all the democrats who voted with their conscience, despite being spit on, and having to endure racial and homophobic slurs cast their way.

Republicans don't really do much anymore, except yell, and obstruct anything the Obama administration tries to do to improve life.

Even as I sit here writing this, the news is reporting that 11 states are filing lawsuits to try about stop the bill, calling it unconstitutional. It's no surprise that all 11 attorney generals are REPUBLICANS!

If you are a republican, and you are reading this, ask yourself just one question...

WHAT ARE MY REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVES DOING FOR ME?

Are they actually doing something for you, or are they busy making sure something isn't done for others?They lost big in 2008 and their pride has led them to the sorry state they are in now. If they think that they will be getting some kind of revenge in the fall... well... we will just see about that! Nice. They are so busy seeking revenge for their wounded pride, they couldn't find the time to be a part of making America a healthier place for everyone. So very sad.

:(

By the way, I am celebrating HCR by making an appointment for a mammogram. My appointment with Mr. Squishy is next week. Wish me luck.

-Carly

Health Care Reform Changes Occurring First...

Small Business Tax Credits

Closing the Medicare Part D "Donut Hole"

Free Preventative Care Under Medicare

Help for Early Retirees

Insurance Rescission's Ended

Immediate Help for the Uninsured

Coverage for Kids with Pre-existing Conditions

Extended Coverage for Your Adult Kids

More Doctors and Nurses

More Community Health Centers

No More Lifetime Coverage Benefits Limits

More Bang for your Insurance Buck

Read all about these changes here.



Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #82: Goodbye Winter/ Hello Spring







"Summer makes me drowsy, autumn makes me sing
, winter's pretty lousy, but I hate the spring"

-Dorothy Parker








EMPS #82: GOODBYE WINTER/HELLO SPRING NOW CLOSED!
It's a pretty simple one for this week folks... just grab your camera and say GOODBYE WINTER or HELLO SPRING! Show us what you enjoy the most about either season, or maybe even show us a picture that you feel accuately illustrates the changing seasons. If you don't happen to live in a place that experiences great fluxes in the seasons, then simply show us something representational of the season, such as a flower for spring or snow for winter.

Extra Credit: Show me something cold to represent winter or something warm to represent spring.

**PLEASE READ**
This Monday Photo Shoot assignment ends next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM ET. As always, you have until that time to get your photo, upload it to your blog, journal or website and comeback here with the link back to it. Please leave the full link in the comment thread of this entry, and make sure the link you leave is both accurate, and goes back to an entry which is specific to this week's photo shoot assignment. A general link to your site won't do, and NO HYPERLINKS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Also, please include a link to this assignment so folks who read your journal will be able to play along with us.

Linking List for EMPS #81: St. Patrick's Day 03/15/10

NOW CLOSED!

1. Carolyn Ford

2. Jama

3. Siromad08

4. Wammy

5. Sandy

6. Carly

7. Karen

Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to visit you this past week. I have a cold or the flu or something. On the mend, but moving slowly. I will be in and out all this week, so look for me to visit your entries for this week's assignment next Saturday, when I visit the Round Robin participants. In the mean time... play amongst yourselves. See you soon! :)

-Carly