My neck is stiff because I can't stop shaking my head! Someone posted a link to this crazy site.

The more I look at it, the more I think it's a clever parody. Check out the "Testimonials" - they're not exactly tongue-in-cheek, but they're pushing the financial aspect more than one would expect from a site which references the Bible.

Of course, if it's not a clever hoax, maybe I should cash in a few investments and place a bid, er sorry, I meant proposal. Better me than the psycho control freaks who are salivating at the prospect of buying their very own plaything.

It's got to be a joke, right?

It's Labour Day, and the weather is warm and sunny here in Toronto.  And yet, there's a chill in my soul. It's a strange feeling, a sense of sorrow and dread mixed together, gnawing away at my soul.  Where did it come from?  Why is it haunting me?

And why today?

Maybe that's the clue to my unease.

Labour Day.  The unofficial end to summer and for so many, the last day before going back to school.

Whoa, that's it!

As a kid, no day made me sadder than Labour Day.  What could be sadder than saying farewell to days that had no rules?  Days that were full of potential, without adults forcing me to sit down and be quiet?  Of course, much of that potential was squandered in front of the TV set, or sitting around with pals, as we bemoaned having nothing to do (these were the days before video games, computers, or cable TV).  If we only knew.

So I guess for Young Angelo, Labour Day was a day to lament wasted potential. And maybe the psychic scars linger to this day.  








 



 
 

... whoever you were.

I just hate it when that happens!  I logged on to MySpace tonight and saw something was amiss with my "Top Friends".  Not that anyone would care, but I arrange my top pals along each row in order of size.  What can I say?  Small things amuse small minds.

And so I saw a wee image in the wrong place.  Oh no!  Another friend is GONE! This is the second time it's happened.  What bothers me is that I can't recall who it was!  Such is life in the digital age - a person can be wiped clean just like that, with nothing to mark their passing.  

Life goes on.  No sooner did I notice this deletion, when chance led me to the Official Link Wray Raymen MySpace page.  Well, I am a HUGE Linkster, so I made my move and my "Top Friends" are a full house once again.

Farewell, my forgotten friend!

(With apologies to Pete Brown)

If I had any doubts about my political leanings, they were clarified by a simple poll I found online.  But why should I explain it, when I can just cut and paste?  Why indeed?

Thanks for using the Politics Watch Vote Selector Quiz. The candidates who most closely match your political views are listed first. See http://www.politicswatch.com/VoteSelectorQuiz2006.html


PoliticsWatch.com Vote Selector Quiz 2006

Here were your results:


Rankings:

1. Jack Layton Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada (100%) http://www.politicswatch.com/layton-biography.htm
2. Paul Martin Leader of Liberal Party of Canada, Prime Minister of Canada (72%) http://www.politicswatch.com/martin.htm
3. Gilles Duceppe Leader of the Bloc Quebecois (44%) http://politicswatch.com/duceppe.htm
4. Stephen Harper Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (33%) http://www.politicswatch.com/harper.htm


Thanks for using the Politics Watch Vote Selector Quiz. The candidates who most closely match your political views are listed first.


Well well well, just color me ORANGE!

Guess that means I don't have to turn in my membership card!

Well ... dang!

Some time ago, I posted a blog about my NDP Mastercard.  I noted how that bright orange card would get me all kinds of comments from sweet-looking cashiers.  In fact, this happened as recently as last Wednesday.  I was at Chapters where I bought "How To Massage Your Cat" (which is worthy of its own blog entry one day).  The cashier took my card and said how she'd never seen one of those.  

Anyway, the card expires later this month.  The replacement came this morning.  I opened the envelope and what did I see?

A generic blue Mastercard!  What the ---?!!



Well ... that's not any fun at all.  No more comments from cute cashiers.  Dang and double dang.  So now what?  Am I supposed to go out and get a life, or something?  Sheesh.

FINALLY!   JAKing has a new song posted on their MySpace page, which is at  http://www.myspace.com/ziggymiller.  

Ziggy asks for feedback, and seeing how I played a small part in bringing that song to life, I'm interested in feedback too.  

But not the kind of feedback you get from a guitar amp - my ears are a bit tender from all that mixing.   

"50 years ago this very morning (May 18), Marvel Comics owner Martin Goodman awoke from what he probably thought was a dream...or nightmare. He had to decide on the future of his publishing empire. The day before had not treated him kindly. He had given up his own distribution company, Atlas, to sign on with American News Co., and was ruefully regretting it now."

You can read the rest here:
http://www.bestofmostof.com/07may/index070518.htm

I just find this to be a wild coincidence, because today, May 18, also happens to be the Golden Anniversary of the wedding of my parents.

So now I finally understand why I was destined to be a geek!  

What's the old adage about simple things and simple minds?

It may not reflect positively upon me, but I stumbled across this emoticon and it is SO COOL that I had to share it with the phantoms who read my blog.  No offense to the flesh and blood faithful who drop by to read my ramblings (you know who you are and I LOVE you for it, kitten), but I check my blog stats and sometimes I get a load of hits.  

In any case, here's the emoticon:





It's probably some kind of copyright infringement, but it's still cool - in a gamma-irradiated way!

I figure that one day I'll be a full bore vegetarian. Currently, I'm a "social carnivore" which means I'll eat meat dishes only if there's no vegetarian alternative. I never cook meat. Um, bacon's not meat, right?

Given my leanings, it shouldn't be surprising that I love tofu! Seriously, what's there not to love? It's a great source of protein, has no nasty fats, and best of all, is cheap cheap cheap! In my neck of Toronto, Vietnamese supermarkets sell what I call "bulk tofu" in 4-pound tubs for $2.69.

There are only two problems with buying bulk tofu:

1. It spoils quickly, even if you change the water daily (I speak from sour experience)
2. Tofu doesn't taste very good (once again, speaking from experience)

However, there is a simple solution, one that I discovered over a decade ago.

GIVE TOFU THE DEEP FREEZE!

That's right, tofu can be frozen. I seriously recommend that you freeze each piece separately. Because it's packed in water, tofu freezes into an ice brick. That's fine for single servings, but you don't want to try and break off a chunk from a greater frozen mass (see entry: experience, speaking from).

I don't know how long tofu can stay in the freezer, so try not to let it get wedged up behind the ice trays and that mystery meal your mom gave you years ago.

Cooking with frozen tofu is easy, assuming you didn't freeze it enmasse. Take a block and place it in a bowl. Put the bowl in the microwave and nuke for three minutes (sure hope you didn't use a metal bowl). The bowl is necessary because sometimes, tofu releases a lot of water once it defrosts. Sometimes it doesn't. Please don't ask me why - dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a food scientist!

Two tofu tips:

Tip #1: defrosted tofu can retain a lot of water, so you might want to take it out of the bowl, put it on a plate or chopping block and squeeze it with a spatula. Let the water drain into the bowl. I don't know if tofu water has any nutritional water, but I like to keep it as a base for any gravy or sauce I might whip up as part of my meal (can you say "man who dines alone"? I knew you could)

Tip #2: defrosted tofu can be really hot to the touch fresh out of the microwave, so you might want to give it a few moments before touching it. Oh, maybe this should have been tip #1. Sorry.

At this point, you should be looking at a nice yellow tofu square. Sorry, did I forget to mention tofu changes color once it freezes? Another tofu mystery!

So you've got this yellow brick that looks like a sponge. And yes, sometime during the defrosting cycle, you probably noticed that it smells like a sponge. The taste? Well, I've never eaten sponge, but I doubt even the most devoted tofu fan will warm to the taste of defrosted tofu.

But take it from me, sponge qualities in tofu is a good thing! What do sponges do best? They soak up liquid! And that's the sublime delight of frozen tofu - once thawed, it will soak up flavours like politicians soak up publicity!

Another plus of frozen tofu is that it's relatively easy to chop into pieces. I like to cut a block into cubes.

For example, here's one of my recipes. I'll put some oil in a frying pan, followed by generous squirts of soy sauce, wine, black beans (spicy!), and ketchup. Once the oil starts sizzling, I'll stir or shake the ingredients into a brownish mess. When it's really sizzling, I'll step back and toss in the tofu, along with peppers (green, red, or yellow - it's all good), onions, and maybe zucchini or eggplant if either one's available.

Fry until everything's cooked to your taste (some people like their vegetables crunchy). Dump the mess unto a plate and enjoy. You'll find that the tofu will absorb all the flavours, making for some really tasty tidbits. It will also absorb the color of liquids, so in the case of my recipe, the tofu takes on the almost appetizing look of brown chunks.

Now that's good eating!

In case you're looking for some inspiration, here's a little something:

"For 40 years, I looked at life like the poor 
little boy who presses his nose against the
window of a pastry shop and watches others
eat the pastries. Now I know that the pastries
belong to those who bother to take them."

--Georges Simenon, author of 500 books

Mmmm .... pastries ....


Sorry, but I'm too tired to add anything more meaningful ... maybe in the morning ...