Watch the marathon of the Groundhog Day movie, look up trivia and goofs from the movie and check their veracity. After all, it’s on 13 times. If you miss it the first time, it will be back around again.
Very educational.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
How to Afford Dental Care
I recently wrote about my tooth problems and now I have to do something about it. I don't have any extra money right now and I don't have dental insurance (which isn't really all that helpful anyway).
There is a dental school at UAMS in Little Rock that offers $25 cleaning and $25 full X-ray and other services. This is done by students, of course, but they are knowledgeable and supervised.
I imagine there are schools like this all over the country. I don't have any fear of dentists so it won't be a problem for me, but I could see how some people would be more nervous to go to someone who is less-experiences. Well, I think of it this way - when I was a student teacher I didn't know everything but I asked a ton of questions before I did anything I wasn't sure about and was obsessive about doing things exactly right. I gave each student a lot of individual help and attention because I still had the time, enery, and passion to do so.
They don't do restorative services (fillings, crowns, etc.), but I called my dentist's office and they said they would accept the X-rays that I am having done at UAMS. That will save me quite a bit of money and I may actually be able to afford to have the work done soon. I can also afford to now get my teeth cleaned as often as I should.
There is a dental school at UAMS in Little Rock that offers $25 cleaning and $25 full X-ray and other services. This is done by students, of course, but they are knowledgeable and supervised.
I imagine there are schools like this all over the country. I don't have any fear of dentists so it won't be a problem for me, but I could see how some people would be more nervous to go to someone who is less-experiences. Well, I think of it this way - when I was a student teacher I didn't know everything but I asked a ton of questions before I did anything I wasn't sure about and was obsessive about doing things exactly right. I gave each student a lot of individual help and attention because I still had the time, enery, and passion to do so.
They don't do restorative services (fillings, crowns, etc.), but I called my dentist's office and they said they would accept the X-rays that I am having done at UAMS. That will save me quite a bit of money and I may actually be able to afford to have the work done soon. I can also afford to now get my teeth cleaned as often as I should.
Monday, January 31, 2011
How to Make Peanute Butter Blossoms
How to Make Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients:
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Additional sugar for coating
48 Hershey’s kisses
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 F.
2) Beat peanut butter and shortening until well blended.
3) Add both sugars, egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until fluffy.
4) Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat in gradually to first mixture.
5) Form into 1-inch balls, roll in sugar, and place on cookie sheet.
6) Bake for 8-10 minutes. Unwrap kisses and immediately press into cookie centers.
Notes: This is the original recipe that I sometimes alter. Recently I made slightly larger cookies and baked them a few minutes longer. You can also use butter instead of shortening. Butter will enhance the flavor, but shortening gives a flufflier texture.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Additional sugar for coating
48 Hershey’s kisses
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 F.
2) Beat peanut butter and shortening until well blended.
3) Add both sugars, egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until fluffy.
4) Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat in gradually to first mixture.
5) Form into 1-inch balls, roll in sugar, and place on cookie sheet.
6) Bake for 8-10 minutes. Unwrap kisses and immediately press into cookie centers.
Notes: This is the original recipe that I sometimes alter. Recently I made slightly larger cookies and baked them a few minutes longer. You can also use butter instead of shortening. Butter will enhance the flavor, but shortening gives a flufflier texture.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
How to Deal with Tooth Nightmares (Real and Imagined)
Live in a third world country for a few years with poor diet and dental care and probably obtain two cavities (I haven't confirmed yet). Then start learning to SCUBA dive and have pieces of your back molars pop off because of the water pressure. True story. Real phenomenon. I've never had bad teeth, until now, but I've had a lot of dreams in my life about something happening to my teeth, like all of them falling out or being broken.
My parents said that I ground my teeth as a child and it woke them up at night. I'm not sure if the grinding caused the dreams or vice versa, but they were probably connected somehow. I've heard that tooth dreams are a result of stress, which makes a lot of sense since people grit their teeth
when they're under pressure, no pun intended. However, for kicks and giggles I decided to research other possibe interpretations of this kind of dream.
1) Fear of death or growing old
2) Powerlessness
3) Fear of change
4) Fear or failure or embarrassment
5) Poor health (physcial, mental, spiritual, emotional)
6) Financial instability
7) Abandonment
/(Source)
I think a lot of these concerns apply to me, but they are general enough to apply to quite a lot of people. They are very real human fears. You could add a lot of additional things to this list and it could all be considered stress, a mental/emotional condition that may affect us physically in the way that we hold our jaw, which completes the cycle by again affecting our mind and emotions as we sleep, especially if we don't deal with that stress in a healthy way.
Now that it has actually happened - pieces of my teeth have actually come off, the fear isn't as great as I thought it would be. I was so worried that one day I would have cavities or other tooth problems and that it would ruin my teeth and affect me for the rest of my life. Now I realize that regular people just go to the dentist and get it taken care of. Unless you stick your wide open mouth in everyone's face, no one is really going to know or care that you have a few tooth problems.
As long as I am not in pain and my smile looks okay, I'll be happy. And even if someday something happened to my front teeth (Lord forbid!), I'll probably cry but then end up with some nice looking implants that no one will realize are fake. Unlikely, but at least now I know that I'll survive.
My parents said that I ground my teeth as a child and it woke them up at night. I'm not sure if the grinding caused the dreams or vice versa, but they were probably connected somehow. I've heard that tooth dreams are a result of stress, which makes a lot of sense since people grit their teeth
when they're under pressure, no pun intended. However, for kicks and giggles I decided to research other possibe interpretations of this kind of dream.
1) Fear of death or growing old
2) Powerlessness
3) Fear of change
4) Fear or failure or embarrassment
5) Poor health (physcial, mental, spiritual, emotional)
6) Financial instability
7) Abandonment
/(Source)
I think a lot of these concerns apply to me, but they are general enough to apply to quite a lot of people. They are very real human fears. You could add a lot of additional things to this list and it could all be considered stress, a mental/emotional condition that may affect us physically in the way that we hold our jaw, which completes the cycle by again affecting our mind and emotions as we sleep, especially if we don't deal with that stress in a healthy way.
Now that it has actually happened - pieces of my teeth have actually come off, the fear isn't as great as I thought it would be. I was so worried that one day I would have cavities or other tooth problems and that it would ruin my teeth and affect me for the rest of my life. Now I realize that regular people just go to the dentist and get it taken care of. Unless you stick your wide open mouth in everyone's face, no one is really going to know or care that you have a few tooth problems.
As long as I am not in pain and my smile looks okay, I'll be happy. And even if someday something happened to my front teeth (Lord forbid!), I'll probably cry but then end up with some nice looking implants that no one will realize are fake. Unlikely, but at least now I know that I'll survive.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
How to Waste a LOT of Time
Go to Addicting Games.
You'll never be able to leave.
One of my BOSSES once showed me this website I waste entirely too much time there. I'll find a favorite game and get stuck on it until I beat it. Some of them are really dumb, but the title is appropriate - they are addicting.
You'll never be able to leave.
One of my BOSSES once showed me this website I waste entirely too much time there. I'll find a favorite game and get stuck on it until I beat it. Some of them are really dumb, but the title is appropriate - they are addicting.
Friday, January 28, 2011
How to Make a Nutritious, Tasty, Fulfilling Snack
I have always been a big fan of sweet potatoes, but until recently I didn't realize just how nutritious they were. They are a natural source of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, potassium, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. I also didn't know quite how to enjoy them without butter and brown sugar.
Well, a few weeks ago I found a recipe for baked sweet potatoes chunks with a bacon maple glaze (similar the sweet tater fries you find in some restaurants). Before baking, you coat the chunks in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. I tested a piece to see if they were done baking and discovered that I LOVED the chunks even without the glaze. We ate it with the glaze that I made from maple syrup, but it gave me the idea to start making my own sweet potato fries with enough seasoning to make them delicious enough on their own.
You can cut your sweet potatoes into any shape you wish - chunks, fries, chips, etc. I would recommend baking them at 400 or higher. I've cooked them on a lower temperature for longer, but they don't get very crispy. I cook my chunks for about 15-20 minutes on each side, but that time would obviously decrese for thin fries or chips. You can use any kind of oil, but I think olive oil has the best flavor. I've also uses garlic and parmesan cheese on my sweet potatoes. I think I could eat these every day. It would probably make me a lot healthier!
Well, a few weeks ago I found a recipe for baked sweet potatoes chunks with a bacon maple glaze (similar the sweet tater fries you find in some restaurants). Before baking, you coat the chunks in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. I tested a piece to see if they were done baking and discovered that I LOVED the chunks even without the glaze. We ate it with the glaze that I made from maple syrup, but it gave me the idea to start making my own sweet potato fries with enough seasoning to make them delicious enough on their own.
You can cut your sweet potatoes into any shape you wish - chunks, fries, chips, etc. I would recommend baking them at 400 or higher. I've cooked them on a lower temperature for longer, but they don't get very crispy. I cook my chunks for about 15-20 minutes on each side, but that time would obviously decrese for thin fries or chips. You can use any kind of oil, but I think olive oil has the best flavor. I've also uses garlic and parmesan cheese on my sweet potatoes. I think I could eat these every day. It would probably make me a lot healthier!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
How to Really Worry Your Family and Friends
Just happen to be visiting another country when unrest breaks out. My friend Rachel was in Egypt recently and toward the end of her trip I started hearing about problems going on in the country. She's back now, but one of the headlines on the yahoo page is about the protests that are breaking out.
I was living in Honduras in 2009 when the coup happened. If you don't know anything about it, the wikipedia article is a decent introduction - . I lived through the curfews and "state of exception." My friends and I saw protests, threatening graffiti, and a lot of unrest. At one point we were even on a bus on the same day that a bus from the same line to the same city was bombed. We had very nearly taken that bus, but were delayed in our departure. If I remember correctly, only part of the explosive device went off and the other part was defused or didn't function. If it had gone off as planned, everyone would have probably been killed.
If you understand Spanish or want to put it through an online translator, here is an old article I found about the incident. It happened on Thanksgiving Day when we were on our way to eat dinner with our missionary friends.
We were also in the country when they had a devastating flood and a major earthquake. I can't imagine the anxiety that we caused our families and friends. We didn't completely disregard their wishes, but we were there for a purpose and we completed it. There were probably people who were worried about Rachel while she was in Egypt, but I understand the call to travel, explore, and understand other cultures. I understand the missionary's call and will probably continue to listen to it the rest of my life.
I was living in Honduras in 2009 when the coup happened. If you don't know anything about it, the wikipedia article is a decent introduction - . I lived through the curfews and "state of exception." My friends and I saw protests, threatening graffiti, and a lot of unrest. At one point we were even on a bus on the same day that a bus from the same line to the same city was bombed. We had very nearly taken that bus, but were delayed in our departure. If I remember correctly, only part of the explosive device went off and the other part was defused or didn't function. If it had gone off as planned, everyone would have probably been killed.
If you understand Spanish or want to put it through an online translator, here is an old article I found about the incident. It happened on Thanksgiving Day when we were on our way to eat dinner with our missionary friends.
We were also in the country when they had a devastating flood and a major earthquake. I can't imagine the anxiety that we caused our families and friends. We didn't completely disregard their wishes, but we were there for a purpose and we completed it. There were probably people who were worried about Rachel while she was in Egypt, but I understand the call to travel, explore, and understand other cultures. I understand the missionary's call and will probably continue to listen to it the rest of my life.
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