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Ian McKellan sums up my own thoughts about organized religion quite nicely (via the LA Times): "I increasingly see organized religion as actually my enemy. They treat me as their enemy," said the British actor, who came out 20 years ago. "Not all Christians, of course. Not all Jews, not all Muslims. But the leaders. . . . Why should I take the judgment of a declared celibate about my sexual needs? He's basing his judgment on laws that would fit life in the Bronze Age. So if I'm lost to God, organized religion is to blame."
Unfortunately, religion, not just organized religion, has begun to leave a very bad taste in my mouth. I removed the Christian station from my radio dial over a year ago. We stopped regularly attending church several months ago. Up until this month I was still interpreting at the church, but I've asked for a break until at least the end of the year if not indefinitely. You might argue that I'm throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and perhaps I am. But right now religion only raises my blood pressure and reminds me about my second-class citizenship. Tags: society
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Barnes and Noble revealed their own eBook reader yesterday: Nook. I've been following the eBook readers closely, specifically the Sony PRS-600 and the Kindle 2. My ideal eBook reader would have the following features in order of importance: - use eInk technology
- native support of ePub format (the open standard eBook format)
- native support of PDF format
- wireless LAN support
- no physical keyboard
- bonus: touch screen support
- bonus: SD card support
The Kindle 2 is right out seeing as that it has no support for ePub, no native PDF support (unless you get the larger Kindle DX), no wireless LAN support, and a physical keyboard. Also working against it is the inability to play with one before buying it and Amazon's highly ironic Orwellian fubar. The cell connectivity is a neat gimmick but isn't a feature I'm looking for. The Sony PRS-600 thus far has most of the features that I've been wanting, including the touch screen but sans wireless LAN support. I played with one of the earlier PRS-700 models that a friend purchased and really liked it. The downside is that it's sold by Sony which while they may make excellent hardware I hate their business practices. Like use of their proprietary Memory Sticks in their cameras and laptops, their apparent disdain of their consumers of the PSP Go, and their classic rootkit escapade. Oh, and they're in bed with the RIAA as if they needed another strike against them in my book. The Nook seems to have all of the items on my wish list, plus a few more extras that I like (mini-SD card slot and color LCD touch screen in addition to the eInk screen). The ability to lend a friend a purchased book, even for a measly two weeks, is pretty interesting although I doubt I'd purchase books given how many interesting ones are available for free via Project Gutenberg. The ability to read any eBook in its entirety for free while inside a Barnes & Noble store is exceptionally cool. Because it's sold by a brick-and-mortar store I can go into a Barnes and Noble and play with one before I buy it. And playing with one is the first thing I'm going to do come November 30th when the stores get them.
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Yesterday for lunch I threw together Toni's 10 Bean Soup (if you can call soaking the beans overnight and cooking them for 4.5 hours "throwing it together"). That's a soup mix that we purchased at a Women's Bean Project booth at Pride in 2008 -- thankfully beans last for a while! The soup was very good and only required the addition of water, a garlic clove, a 28-oz can of diced tomatoes, salt, and the aforementioned 4.5 hours -- the beans and a seasoning packet was included. Benjamin was skeptical before the inclusion of the tomatoes but agreed it turned out pretty well. I'm sure the side of Perfect Cornbread (his favorite) didn't hurt his appreciation either. Women's Bean Project is a social services organization. From their FAQ: Since 1989, the Women's Bean Project has provided women with the opportunity to become economically independent by teaching basic job readiness skills and life skills through work in our on-site business.
Income from our business allows us to pay women a steady wage as they work in a safe, accepting environment and develop the skills and abilities needed to get and keep a job.
The program varies in length, lasting about 6 months, depending on each individual participant's progress in reaching "job readiness."
Back in 2008 we purchased two mixes, one was a black bean salsa mix which we took to a party the following month and it got rave reviews. Unfortunately I don't see it available on their online store. Next time we come across one of their booths I'll be sure to pick up some of their other products since the last two were so successful. It's nice to support a local business that's helping people, and even better when you love their products! They also offer some attractive yet inexpensive gift bundles if you're looking for Christmas gifts already. Tags: cooking
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Every Sunday Benjamin and I sit down and decide what meals we're cooking for the week. We look at our schedules, and the weather, and determine roughly what meals we want to cook. Sometimes we opt for tried-and-true recipes, but often we'll select one or two new recipes to try out. Then we go to the grocery store and buy everything we need for the week. This has been our standard operating procedure for many years now. This trimester Benjamin doesn't get out of class until 6pm every evening, so I've been responsible for getting dinner started, if not done, by the time he gets home. (Yes, not only do I bring home the bacon, but I cook it too!) I'd forgotten how much I love to cook until thrown into this schedule. However, after last night I officially revoked Benjamin's new recipe selection privileges for at least a week or more. Two weeks ago B selected the recipe for the Indian dish that involved the garam masala which I've blogged about twice before. Given his strong reaction to the smell when he walked in the door, we ordered take-out and I ended up eating it later by myself when he was otherwise occupied. It was rather good if a bit heavy on the onion. That was strike one. This week B selected a recipe for Coq au vin that we had cooked before back in Austin. Unlike the classic recipe featured at the link, this one is much simpler but still tasty. This one at least made it to his plate before he decided that while edible, It wasn't as good as he remembered it and overall he wasn't a fan. I on the other hand, loved it. That was strike two. Also this week, B had selected a recipe for Balsamic Vinegar Chicken. Once again I had it almost ready when he came home from school yesterday. Unlike the Coq au vin, it didn't make it to his plate although he did taste it before opting for some leftovers instead. It was tangy and delicious, if a bit dry. That was strike three. So now, B is not allowed to select new recipes for the next week or so. It's bad enough when I select and cook a recipe that he doesn't care for. It's quite another for him to dislike a recipe that he selects and I cook three times in two weeks. Speaking of food, I'm trying out a new 10-bean stew recipe for lunch today (it's on the stove as I type). I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. Tags: cooking
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