Which are urs favorite burger recipes?

May 27th, 2010 by surussel

Pick Better Cuts of Meat by Checking the Texture

If your meat buying routine just involves pointing at the meat you want in the butcher case and saying “That one.”, you can brush up on the finer points of meat purchasing with these tips.

If you have never put much thought into buying meat not alone. What distinguishes one meat from another after all? If you're looking in the glass case at the butcher you can check a few things before requesting a cut of meat. Over at the culinary blog TheKitchn they highlight several tips including this one:

Texture – We also look at the grain of the meat (the direction of the muscle fibers) and how tight or uniform this looks. If the fibers are broken, very loose, or uneven, these can be more signs of poor handling or just poor quality meat.

So whether the meat got neglected before or after butchering you can skip a cut that looks like it just came down off a rough night in Vegas. For more tips check out the full article at the link below or sound off in the comments with a tip or two of your own.

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Love is everywhere

May 4th, 2010 by surussel

06:35 pm – Good news, bad news, and mixed news
Good News

Last weekend in April – Had an amazing weekend in the not-so-cold north for my godson's First Communion. Wonderful visit – hard to believe it had been almost four years since I had last seen them! And, all six flights (3 there, 3 back) were without major mishap. Unheard of!

First weekend in May – was honored by my first ever baby shower. The food was great, but the company was even better. Bryan was quite proud of himself with all the secrets he had been keeping. At 5 till midnight Friday, my doorbell rang. My mil, sil, and 12 year old bil had flown up just to surprise me for the weekend. And, the surprises didn't end there! Saturday morning, imagine my surprise when both jerseychick and k8tlou rolled into my driveway! Alas, the visitors could stay for far too short a time.

School is nearing completion. Not as fast as I would like it, but we're getting there. (Last day is June 15).

Had an ultrasound today. Babies are doing fabulously – both weigh exactly the same (well 6 grams apart, if that counts for anything). Both are 2 pounds 15 ounces which puts them in the 61st percentile. Mind you, that's compared to singletons, not twins!

Babies are kicking away. Right now they're lined up so that they're circling around my belly button. She's breech, with her feet behind her brother's head. He's vertex, with his feet behind his sister's head. They've been taking turns kicking each other vigorously. They're either working on taking turns or they're battling for dominance.

Mixed News

I'm all wired up. I've had heart palpitations and shortness of breath episodes off and on the last several weeks. My OB referred me to a cardiologist to be fitted with a 24 hour monitor. Let's just say it's not too subtle.

Middle schoolers are not known for logical thinking. Interims went home today – I handed out a lot more F's than normal. My 8th graders went around today blaming teachers for their grades. While I can only speak for the classes I teach, I know that their effort has seemingly vanished into thin air. So on one hand I have 8th graders complaining about how they hate school; on the other, I have 6th and 7th graders hugging me and telling me how I'm their favorite teacher.

I was able to move my next OB appt closer and make it work with my schedule. This is mixed news because I don't want the side effects that make this earlier appt necessary.

Bad News

While the babies are doing fabulously, I am not. More specifically, my cervix is not. Overall, I feel great. However, my cervix is shortening much ahead of schedule. One month ago, it measured 2.1 cm in length (and should have been over 3). Today it measured 1.5 cm in length. Depending on when I hit 1.0 cm, I may have to be hospitalized in effort to forestall preterm labor. In the meanwhile, the perinatalogist is counseling at least restricted activity. Teaching the rest of the year may have to be re-examined.

I am 28 weeks and 3 days. I could not give birth at my hospital if the babies come before 30 weeks. (there are four other hospitals in town that are equipped for super-premies, but not the one closest to me).

The thoughts of preterm labor this early are terrifying. They are made slightly less so by the apparent heartiness of the babies. However, since I got all this news just a few hours ago, I don't think I've really had time to process it yet.

In conclusion

I have happily come to learn how much we are loved by our friends and family. (I never doubted, but it's always nice to have visual, tangible reminders.) I know that whatever happens, we will be enveloped in the support and love and prayers of our community.

The hand of God has been very visible in all these embryo adoption, pregnancy, and deployment proceedings.

Bryan and I (plus me and my OB, and me and my principal) have a LOT of discussions ahead of us.
Current Mood: drained

Who doesnt adore teddy bears ?

April 9th, 2010 by surussel

i found those pics. Nice right ?

Food Fiiight! Day 219/365 by es1123

Read About of Photography

March 31st, 2010 by surussel

Guest Passes let you share your pictures that aren't public. Anyone can see your public anytime, whether a Flickr member or not. But! If you want to share pictures marked as friends, family or private, use a Guest Pass. If you are sharing pictures from a set, you can create a Guest Pass that includes any of your pictures marked as friends, family, or private. If sharing your entire photostream, you can create a Guest Pass that includes photos marked as friends or family (but not your private photos). Learn more about Guest Passes!

Digital pic printing and digital canvas printing are a wonderful way to add to the longevity and magnificence of photos captured using your digital camera. Digital canvas prints look truly artistic and can last for more than 100 years. That means your grandchildren can also see and praise them even when you are not with them. The printed via digital pic printing or digital canvas printing technology can even turn out to be a masterpiece of your own. Can you imagine the smile on the face of your loved ones when they see a memorable moment showcased on the wall of your living room? With a number of skilful printers available on the internet the task has become a lot easier. All you need to do is search one for yourself. The printer will proficiently undertake your memorable photos or any other art and convert them into truly mesmerizing digital canvas prints. The printer will also let you crop the image, edit its background, and even add some special words or other special effects to the photo. Once you are done with the editing, the rest will be taken care of by the printer. You can select from the stretched canvas prints and rolled canvas prints. The stretched canvas prints add to the aesthetic value of the pic making them look similar to those displayed in the art galleries and museums. The rolled canvas prints, on the other hand, facilitate the transportation of the print from one place to another. However, when choosing the to be converted into a digital canvas print you must ascertain that you select only the best. The you select should be excellent in terms of color contrast, clarity and of course the memories associated with it. Digital pic prints are not only an excellent home decor item but also a wonderful gift item for those you really adore. Whatever let the occasion be – birthday, wedding anniversary, Christmas, New Year or Valentine's Day, digital canvas prints and digital prints are certainly the most beautiful, personalized yet inexpensive gifts you can for your loved ones.

Fine aint it ? :)

Learn On Topic of Photography

March 19th, 2010 by surussel
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Unknown Quality

Opinion: Benefiting from free photography, or how they know me in Russia

By stevendepolo

March 18, 2010, 5:12PM

de Polo

I took up photography five years ago.

Having spent $50,000 on art history degrees, I thought it was time to begin exploring my creativity. I went to shows at the DAAC and UICA and posted photos of my friends online. People seemed to like what I was doing.

Soon, my friends began using my photos as their avatars on LiveJournal and Myspace. Did I get mad that they were stealing my work? No. I was flattered that they liked what I was doing and appreciated me documenting their work.

Soon I began posting to Flickr. This is a fun way to share photos with photographers around the world. Now I was part of a creative community. I upgraded to an entry-level DSLR camera and began documenting my life.

As my skills improved, I wanted others to see and be inspired by my work. I decided to license my photography through Creative Commons.

This nonprofit organization has created a number of free copyright licenses that allow creators to release their photos into the public domain, while retaining certain rights. It's commonly called “copyleft,” as compared to “copyright.”

I use the most liberal “Attribution By” license: Any user can use, display, perform, and make derivative works with my photos as long as they give me credit. I do not have to be told my photos are being used, and someone can make a profit with my photos.

Creative Commons has exploded on Flickr. There are many services that allow people to search through these photos. My work began showing up on websites and blogs all around the world.

Yesterday, I was contacted by someone making a presentation to the Detroit Chamber of Commerce. She wanted to use my photo of a shower head. I took it for a Flickr group that posts photos according to a weekly theme. That week's theme was “ephemeral.”

I remember standing on the edge of the tub, focusing on the water drops, while trying to keep my balance and keep my camera dry. Now this shot has illustrated stories about water conservation and limiting waste in France, Spain and Mexico.

Another photo documents my girlfriend Caroline's last injection of cancer medication. It has been used in Russia to discuss heroin addiction and by American bloggers writing about male birth control and acne medication.

My photos have been used for free by the Smithsonian Institution to illustrate the history of fortune cookies, a Popular Science blog post on bacteria in shower heads (ewww!), and a Lifehacker.com post on how loose-leaf tea can flavor coffee. I am always surprised by the creative ways my photos are used.

I could charge for my work through a stock image website. But, my time is worth more than worrying about a $1 usage fee. This may anger my professional photographer friends, with their fancy equipment and magical software.

But, I learn more by giving my stuff away and helping writers and educational organizations.

Free seems about right.

Steven Geoffrey de Polo works in foundation relations at Grand Valley State University. He  blogs for Influence West Michigan. He is a strong supporter of Kids Food Basket and a board member of the Local First Educational Foundation. Feel free to friend him on twitter.

Fine is not that ? :)