Special

Well, do I feel special today or what?  The manager (Mike) of my local market called this morning to inform me the special order of Magnum White Ice Cream Bars had come in.  Robb and I rushed right over to buy a couple (they come in packages of three bars).  We looked in the ice cream case but could only find the regular Magnum bars.  I saw a market employee and asked if he knew where they might be.  He in turn asked Mike, who informed me that they were kept in the back. When he asked if I wanted the whole case (six 3-packs) I told him that I had just purchased six half-gallons of ice cream, so I would only take two at this time.  I asked if they were going to put them in the case with the others and he replied they were not.  They were just for me!

Saturday evening, we went again to Le Comptoir.  We were eagerly anticipating les moules et frites (mussels and fries).  I'm sorry to report we were quite disappointed.  It's not entirely their fault because they have to use inferior ingredients.  The mussels in the US are no where near the quality of those in Europe.  On the other hand, the fries were also not what we were expecting, and that is definitely something they can control.  I don't know, maybe they're trying to accomodate American tastes.  In Europe, when you order fries, you get  big slices of potato  fried to perfection (crispy outside, soft and delicious on the inside), not the skinny McDo type.  We were hoping and expecting the European style, but we got the American style.  Very disappointing.  We're undecided about whether or not to return.  If we do, we will not have the moules.

When I tell other Americans about some of the advantages the French have over us, they don't believe me.  For example, as soon as you are hired to work in France, you are entitled to FIVE weeks vacation.  And France is the only country in the world, of which I know, where you can call a doctor and he will come to you at your home.  What I don't understand is why the euro is higher than the dollar and why it's going up again in the face of the terrible European economy.

Neanderthals were using paint 250,000 years ago - 'thousands of years earlier than previously thought'

Amazing Pictures Of Recent Solar Storm  If you click the little circles at the top of the picture, you can see eight more photos.

In Singapore, a walkway inspired by our DNA

Pentagon Confused by Its Own ‘Subs vs. Terrorists’ Plan

Russian cities introduce baby 'drop boxes' to stop unwanted children being left in bins

Dumb Law of the Week:  In Dyersberg, Tennessee, it is illegal for a girl to ask a guy on a date!

À la prochaine, mes amis.

Spicy Menu

When I pulled into the parking lot the other day, my neighbor almost backed into me. He is over eighty years old. He can barely hear and he doesn't see much better. It may be time for him to give up driving. I don't say that lightly, because I am dreading the time when I will have to do that. But I know the time will come.

Friday evening, Robb and I went to Candela for dinner. It has been a while since we've been there and we were pleasantly surprised to see the decor updates Armando has done. It's starting to look like a really upscale restaurant. Luckily, the prices haven't changed very much, although there were many new additions to the menu. I had the Moroccan Chicken Stew and Robb had a Chorizo dish that Armando made up especially for him, because it wasn't on the menu. They were both rather spicy and excellent as always. 

I love ice cream. So much so that I eat a huge dish of it almost every day. Several years ago, I decided I should try frozen yogurt, because it has less fat and, I thought, less sugar. It does have less sugar, but only about three grams less, so it's not really a reason to eat it. However, I found that, although the yogurt tasted okay, it just wasn't ice cream. So I stopped buying it. A couple weeks ago, I bought some by mistake because it's in a similar package to the ice cream, and they are right next to each other in the freezer. It was Espresso Chip. I was going to return it to the store, but decided to try it. It is really good and is the first frozen yogurt I've ever eaten that had an excellent taste. So now, I buy one Espresso Chip frozen yogurt and one Dulce de Leche ice cream. The good news is that my local market has them on sale every few weeks, so if I buy four at a time they last me until they go on sale again.

  

And you thought you needed a vacation. Employees at Just One Paris Hospital Are Owed 2 Million Vacation Days

  

A rocky exoplanet about the size of Mercury appears to be evaporating before our eyes. If confirmed, this would be the first time a rocky planet has been found turning to gas, demonstrating just how wacky alien planets can be. The provocative suggestion may also foreshadow the fate of Mercury.Read more here.

New cracks found on Airbus A380 jets 

I like their nose rings. Near-Extinct Monkeys Rediscovered in Borneo.

  

Dumb Law of the Week:  In Rhode Island, it is illegal to throw pickle juice! 

À la prochaine, mes amis.

911 Dinosaurs

The other day, while looking in my suitcase for something else, I came across a Magnum White package. Then I started thinking about our local market and the fact that they carried all the Magnum products except the Magnum White bars. So, as I am wont to do in these instances, I fired off an email asking why they didn't carry it since the people at Magnum had told me all they had to do was order it. Saturday night around 19h30, I got a call from the manager of the market. He told me they are going to special order them....just for me. I LOVE EMAIL!!!

I watched the entire six-part TV series on dinosaurs; Planet Dinosaur, online of course. I rarely watch anything on TV anymore because of all the commercials. I have no objection to the shows running commercials to pay the bills, but it has gotten to the point where the commercials are longer than the shows. I used to love anything to do with dinosaurs, but this show cured me of that. If one is to judge by this show, the sole purpose of dinosaurs was to kill and eat other dinosaurs, or to be killed and eaten by other dinosaurs. You can only watch so much of that until you become totally bored with it all. I can see why the show only lasted six episodes.


Back in the middle of November, I called 911 to get an ambulance to take me to the hospital. The real purpose of the trip simply was to get a shot of oxygen. I was under the mistaken belief that it was free. I say mistaken because I got a bill from the Fort Lauderdale Fire and Rescue for $150. The total bill bill for the five minute, two mile ride was $700. I won't be calling 911 any time in the future, it's cheaper to take a taxi!


How many more millions of dollars are these ridiculous Republicans going to waste on their insipid campaigns for a post they know they have no chance of winning?  One has to wonder about the intelligence of anyone who votes Republican.  And Democrats are only marginally better.....if they would just DO something when they have the opportunity.  Is it really a puzzle as to why this country is in such dire straits?  We desperately need another party or two with real country-first attitudes.

Zoologger: Unique life form is half plant, half animal

Loud-mouthed Wi-Fi devices could use sound to connect

Light pot smoking easy on lungs

MakerBot Replicator

The Very First Senior Moment -

Dumb Law of the Week:  In Quitman, Georgia, it is illegal for a chicken to cross the road!

À la prochaine, mes amis.

Ultimate Stupidity

I despise ALL religions, but there is a new one that goes beyond any hint of sanity. It is called  Kopimism  and has to be the ultimate stupidity. It is devoted to file-sharing. On 5 January the Church of Kopimism was formally recognised as a religion by the Swedish government. I thought the Swedes were intelligent. Obviously, I was wrong. What could possibly be more stupid than this? Even Islam and Mormonism cannot compete with the stupidity inherent in this.


Europeans' heartfelt ignorance. Many don't recognize heart attack, stroke warning signs


Dear Google - Are you really so GREEDY that you need to put ads on You Tube videos?

Weighing the Benefits of Green Roofs

German fossil find could rewrite pre-history

Dumb Law of the Week: In Omaha, Nebraska, it is illegal to burp during a church service!

À la prochaine, mes amis.

2012 - HOPE!

Crémant = sparkling wine not made in the Champagne region. Most people have never heard of crémant, but it is just as good as champagne. There are many regions of France that have their own crémant. One of my favorites is Crémant de Loire, which is made in the Loire Valley section of France. I went on a quest to find some locally and, upon checking the internet, found that a local wine store (67 Wines) had it. I went to the store but the clerk said they did not have it. He recommended a bottle of Louis Charles Blanc de Blancs. It was very nice; fruity but a bit sweet. ABC Liquors sells Crémant de Bourgogne, and I did buy a couple bottles of that. Then, in our local supermarket, Publix, I happened to notice a guy delivering sparkling wines and I spotted a Spanish Cava. Cava is the name the Spanish use for champagne. When we were in Barcelona, I drank cava almost exclusively because it's very good and it costs only a couple euros more than regular white wine.

US post-Iraq legacy

  

Brand new island rises from Red Sea depths  

Dumb Law of the Week: In Oklahoma, it is illegal to sleep with shoes on!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

À la prochaine, mes amis.