Obviously JD is miserable in the show today. :-) mrlich is, too.

Dear JD,

It is freakin' cold out and raining hard.

Every so often you wander into my office with your yellow rubber ball in your mouth and cajole me into letting you go outside. As soon as I open the door you give me a look which says, "What are you nuts? I'm not going out there; it's totally freezing and wet out!"

I know you're smart; you have proven it to me in hundreds of different ways. Why can't you remember that it's cold and wet out? You can hear the rain and you can feel the cold draft coming in from under the door. LEARN, DOG, LEARRRRRRN!

Love,

Aunt Jill

ps: You are unbearably cute. Ohh zheeee boh boh! Woooszzzzhranna la! Who's a good dog who's a good dog? You're so good! Boo-zhee boozheee boo!


OK, back to the book recording.
(Which is going really well. I've got a solid rhythm goin'.)

It occurred to me that I neglected to officially post a link to my artwork website now that it's been up and running for a week now.

Check out: http://artwork.jillknapp.com

You can peruse the Hello paintings, read the stories behind them, and also buy a print if you really want.

If you don't have room on your walls, perhaps you have room on your chest. Here, jeremym models the latest winter fashion: A Hello Chicken T-Shirt.


OK, that's all the plugging I have in me; this is getting gross.
(That's what she said.)

"late night Roman spaghetti party"


-- p. 24, Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Cook's Illustrated

I subscribe to the the best magazine ever: Cook's Illustrated. It is food porn for foodie/science geeks. For those unfamiliar with the magazine, it's a 100% no-advertising mag that has recipes that are picked apart WITH SCIENCE and tried with a zillion different variations until the perfect recipe is found. For example, a few months back they wanted to figure out how to make the best chocolate chip cookies in the universe. They tested 3487623487626+i recipes, found the one that was the best, and then tweaked it WITH SCIENCE until they reached cookie nirvana. They tell you all about what worked, what didn't, and why. And if you just like to cut to the chase, just look at the end of the article for the winning recipe. NOM.

They also have a section of the magazine where they go to the supermarket and buy 8776872364 varieties of the same thing and taste test them to find the best brand(s). This month: Whole wheat pasta.

I'm a fan of whole wheat pasta, since I try eat meals with a low total GI (glycemic index). And thanks to Cook's Illustrated, I learned something very interesting:

The FDA regulates that pasta labeled "100 percent whole wheat" must contain exactly that. Buuuuut, any pasta that is labeled as "whole wheat" or "multigrain" have no minimum requirement of whole or alternative flours to earn the healthier-sounding label. Unless it specifically says "100 percent whole wheat" (or "grain"), it probably isn't.

(Transcribed from Cook's Illustrated and paraphrased a teeny bit.)

Out of 18 brands they tested, only three earned CI's highest ranking of "Recommended." And of those, only one is 100% whole wheat: Bionaturae Organic 100% Whole Wheat Spaghetti.


(Also: For 762nato: Indoor pulled pork. I'll send you the recipe.)

Here they talk about drummers. 

As usual, audio NSFW.

I laughed so hard I cried over this!

Some guy turned the sound off while watching ST:NG episodes and redubbed the words according to how he lip-read the actors. 

The language is NSFW.



Thank you, drive through.

There are several women in this lovely country who have the same name as me. 

Apparently one of them is getting married and somehow David's Bridal has gotten a hold of what they believe to be her email address... except that it's my email address.  Kill me.

I am drowning in bridal spam, and I am getting douche-chills of the most severe magnitude. 
I am now being solicited by national florists, chapels, honeymoon resorts, ourweddingday.com, wedding planners, theknot.com, photographers, videographers, and of course David's Bridal itself. 
All of these emails scream "Congratulations!  You are now officially valid as a woman because you have A MAN!  Now let's spend some money girlfriend, you earned it!"  *eyeroll*

I have clicked "Unsubscribe" about 87261 times, to no avail.
I even politely emailed The Other Jill, but I haven't heard back.  (Not like she can really do anything anyway.)

Okbye.