Announcement
- Why promote wushu? Here's an excerpt from 11/12/07 interview with Jet Li by chinaview.cn:
"Wushu is for peace instead of fight(ing)....It does not only improve people's physical health but also the spiritual culture. The spirit of Wushu acts like humanity, harmony and mutual care, which should be shared by the whole world as we are all global citizens and should always think more about others." So get up and do some wushu now!!!
~Please "fan" me only.~
My blog
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A Bonafide Saophile Thanksgiving!
Thursday, Nov 27, 2008 5:52PM / Standard Entry / DY Sao Potpourri / Members only
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
TO EVERYBODY
AT
ALIVENOTDEAD.COM!
Here's a little vid featuring the King of Food and his Partner in Crime I put together to get you all in the mood for eating...I hope you enjoy it!
Video:http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=udbGFBksjt8
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Got Apples?
Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 7:00AM / Standard Entry / Cooking / Members only
If it looks like this outside......
...and your aunt just gave you some leftover Yellow Gravenstein Apples that she didn't use.....
...then it must be time to make Apple Crisp!!!
This is the tried and true Better Homes and Gardens recipe but they call it Fresh Fruit Crisp because it can also be made with peaches instead of apples. Both are yummy!!!!
Here's the basic recipe:
Fresh Fruit Crisp
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine (but use butter, okay?)
2 pounds apples (6 medium) or 2 1/2 pounds peaches (10 medium)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Note: the basic ingredients that are pictured represent a doubling of the recipe. I had so many apples that I actually made 3 pans (I had to make another single batch of topping after the first two were made)! One for cooking now and two for the freezer.
Combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and dash salt.
It just so happens that my dad actually got me a set of measuring spoons (pictured on bottom) that are for those weird recipe measurements...they include Dash, Smidgeon, and Pinch!
Action shot of mixer combing dry ingredients with the buttahhhh...
Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.
Peel, core, and slice fruit to make 5 to 6 cups.
Place fruit in a 10x6x2-inch baking dish (I used an 8x8x2-inch pan...same exact square inchness...just a different shaped pan!). Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Sprinkle crumb mixture over all. Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.
Just out of the oven! Yummy!!!!
Serve with ice cream (on right) or whipped cream (on left). Serves 6.
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A Day in Late October....
Saturday, Nov 8, 2008 11:24AM / Standard Entry / In Passing.... / Members only
Back on October 22, I grabbed my camera and took some pictures in my yard. I'm glad I did. This was pretty much the last really gorgeous day of October! If my grandmother was still alive, we would have been celebrating her 100th birthday but since she's not with us, this beautiful sunny day was a perfect gift of rememberance.
Here's some pictures from that day:
Rosa Rugosa's leaves are turning yellow...
Penelope, lovely as ever!
The fomerly green vine maple turns Jane Chu orange.
Choke Cherry's red leaves and dark (but bitter!) fruit...maple in background.
Another firey view....
Some of the last brave flowers...a Japanese Anenome (white) and light purple asters.
Some of the trees across the lake are showing their fall colors.
No, I'm not hovering above the ground! I'm sitting on the main part of my deck with my legs dangling over the edge. The bottom step of four is below my feet. Notice my jeans? Yeah, right knee is always ripped out. Standard JRS wear!
There was not a ripple on the lake!
Another "artistic" kind of view...post-card worthy?
Yep...another pic but it's kind of washed out. The sun was overhead but diffused through the Douglas Fir Tree.
Looking across the other neighbor's yard toward the end of the lake. Even the swamp grass is starting to turn brown.
This is my cow and it's bell. It's a metal welded sculpture made by a local artist. When it's really windy, the cowbell dings softly. Moo....
That's all, folks!
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As the days get shorter, it's time for more taiji!
Saturday, Nov 1, 2008 7:39AM / Standard Entry / Taiji Class / Members only
As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, my taichi instructor, Bob, takes the summer off to do the other part of his business: Llama tours in the Cascade Mountains of Washington! He even gave a week-long llama tour to some of the executives of the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight.
But we did have three 4-hour work shops, once per month, for July, August and September during which we learned the full Yang 108 form. It was fun learning new movements as well as challenging.
Instructor Bob and a couple of his llamas
The last week of September saw the return to our regular weekly advanced taiji class. Through our feedback, we have a new direction for this fall and winter. I asked for more coiling (also known as spiraling or silk reeling) practice because it just feels so darn wonderful to feel the qi moving through the body! And I am no expert, but I really feel like there's a lengthening of my limbs, similar to pilates, after doing 1/2 hour worth of these exercises!
Gene asked for more push hands and Steve asked for more taiji applications. Bob said that in addition to our requests, he would like us to start working with the taiji ball, learning how to use our dan tien breath to move it. That sounds challenging!
I find practicing on my own outside of class to be much easier during this time of the year when the days grow short and cold. There's not the demand to be outside taking care of the yard or whatever. This time is for inward reflection and learning. So, I've redone my training chart to keep track of the time I spend on my practicing. I have so much to practice that sometimes it's hard to decide what to work on! After seeing a video of myself from our last Yang 108 class from the summer, I've decided to work more on walking without bobbing. So, I spend lots of time walking (bow stance forward and backwards, cloud hands side-to-side, even qigong walking).
In addition to walking, there's the coiling exercises, single-hand push hand exercises (where one does various movements as if there was another person pushing you to train the body what to do with potential pushing energy), the form work, and various repetitions of exercises taken from the form. There's also qigong to practice! Whew! I'm so happy that I have a whole potpourri of things to work on. It definately does not get boring!
During the same time that our weekly advanced taiji class was started up again, the beginning qigong and taiji classes that Bob teaches through our local parks and recreation department didn't have enough people registered in each class to merit keeping active. So, Bob decided to combine the classes. There were 4 qigong students and 4 beginning taiji students.
However, Bob knew he couldn't teach both classes at the same time since every student was brand new. He asked me to lead the qigong people so he could dedicate more time to the beginning taiji students. Well, I was quite humbled that he asked for my help. And now that the first session of classes were just completed next week, it was great to meet all four of the qigong students and teach them as much as I felt they could handle. I don't know yet if my services will be needed during the next session which starts this coming Monday. I'm just waiting to hear from Bob!
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I'm a winner AND I'm going to HELL!!!!
Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 1:38AM / Standard Entry / In Passing.... / Members only
Nothing tops the elation one experiences when one wins something whether it's a poker game, reaching a personal goal, or even getting the last Snicker's candy bar in the vending machine before that other Snicker's candy bar-loving coworker does.
In this case, I entered Boon's recent contest, and I, along with six other AnD fans and artists, won! Yes, we won an all-expense-paid trip to HELL!
Yeah, who's your minion, baby? 
The General and his Minions
Go check out my boss' webpage if you haven't already! Awfully tempting, isn't it?
Stats
- "Life shucks!" sayeth the oyster....
- Gender: Female
- Total visits: 75,517
