Rat City Roller Girls, Season 7

16 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 16th,2011 | Rat City Rollergirls, Roller Derby |  Comments Off on Rat City Roller Girls, Season 7

It was opening night for roller derby and kicked off with 4 mini-bout charity tournament. Sadly, I felt like crud and we left a little over halfway through the third bout. Sadly, we missed the Grave Danger vs Sockit Wenches bout which should have been amazing. (If someone knows how it turned out, please comment.)

Danger and Wenches kept most of their line-ups. Throttle Rockets and Derby Liberation Front are mostly fresh meat and new skaters. While DLF and Rockets have some exciting additions, it looks like it will be the Wenches and Danger fighting it out for top spot.

 

The Affinity Bridge by George Mann

15 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 15th,2011 | Affinity Bridge, Authors & Books, George Mann |  Comments Off on The Affinity Bridge by George Mann

My favorite comic book ever is Ruse, a steampunk style detective story; The Affinity Bridge sets up in much the same style. We have a male detective and his female assistant. He is brilliant but she is also more than competent. We have mystery, and hints of the supernatural.

Detective stories are not my usual read, but the characters and relationships were well done and believable. Considering the book labels itself “A Newbury and Hobbes Investigation” I am looking forward to seeing the main characters again and learning more about the minor characters I was just given a taste of.

 

Your Money – “not quite adult”

14 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 14th,2011 | Finances |  Comments Off on Your Money – “not quite adult”

One of the fun things about the Your Money section of the Refugees board is the great disparity of demographics. We’re all interested in money and how to use ours’ in the most effective ways, though “effective” is up for debate.

This week, one of the big discussions stems from an article about extended adolescence, or delayed adulthood. It started with a poll, asking when we left home. Everyone has a slightly different story, and many disagree about whether parents should kick young adults out. But it seems most agree even people living at home need to be financially responsible.

 

MythBusters Demolition Derby part 2

13 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 13th,2011 | Mythbusters, Television |  1 Comment »

I love the myths filmed at New Mexico TechSpeed, Collison welding is cool.  The world seems clearer through the shock wave and so much messier once it passes. (Well, that part is science.)

I was surprised they didn’t use a guide wire for car drop. Considering the distance, it wasn’t surprising the dropped car missed the X. But maybe there isn’t a wire strong enough, or they were concerned about it being in the way of the car on the ground.

Still, as a kid who loved RC vehicles, it would be so cool to control one going 105 mph.

 

Casting Blame

12 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 12th,2011 | Dungeons & Dragons, Music, Politics, Religion, Role Playing Games |  Comments Off on Casting Blame

I don’t like the phrase “Don’t retreat, reload.” I don’t think our political leaders, or wanna be political leaders, should encourage violence. Yes, there was violence in out country’s founding, but we have moved away from that. But sadly, this is not uncommon, on either side of the aisle.

However, I should know better than to blame violent acts on rhetoric. As a gamer, as someone who has read the Chick tracts, I know better. D&D, heavy metal music and GTA do not make people commit violent crimes. Neither did Sarah Palin’s words. That responsibility lies solely with the shooter.

Astronomy Picture of the Day

11 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 11th,2011 | Science, Weather |  Comments Off on Astronomy Picture of the Day

I love the Astronomy Picture of the Day website. It is my default for having beautiful, work safe, not personal, wallpaper on my office computer.

Not every picture they post is good for wallpaper, but many are. In fact, while I try to update my wallpaper at least once a week and sometimes more, my current wallpaper is from December 13.

It’s soothing to take a moment to look at the night sky in the midst of a hectic work day, especially in the PNW, when, during the winter, we can go forever without seeing the moon and stars ourselves.

Kitchen Gadgets I Love (2)

10 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 10th,2011 | Food, Technology |  2 comments

We fell in love with electric tea kettles when we went to England. While some of our hotel rooms did not have clocks or phones, they all had an electric kettle. Considering we are both tea drinkers, especially when we’re sick, we quickly determined that we needed one of those at home.

During the summer, it often gets put away. But as soon as the nights start cooling down, it’s time for hot cocoa and tea.

Besides boiling water faster than on the stovetop, the kettles have an auto-off switch, which prevents them from being boiled dry when distractions arise.

Seahawks vs Saints

09 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 9th,2011 | Football |  Comments Off on Seahawks vs Saints

I am a Raiders fan, so despite living in the Seattle area, I was not expecting much from the Seahawks in this playoff game. I wasn’t offended by their losing record, like so many (though the Raiders were 8-8), but I really was assuming a blowout.

The game started as expected, with the Saints scoring on their first two drives, one of them coming from a Hasselbeck interception. But then, Hasselbeck was able to answer touchdown for touchdown, and the Hawks defense finally showed up.

It’s just a reminder, record doesn’t matter in the playoffs, just who wins this game.

 

Cheddar Sausage Cheesecake

08 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 8th,2011 | Food |  Comments Off on Cheddar Sausage Cheesecake

There’s not much I can eat right now, so for New Year’s Eve, I emotionally blackmailed my husband in to making a savory cheesecake- a sausage and cheddar cheesecake, with a cheez-it crust. It’s beyond yummy. It’s rich and decadent, and perfectly edible by one who can not chew.

We try to make it somewhat less heart attack inducing by using Neufchatel cheese, ground turkey sausage, and reduced fat cheez-its, but its not healthy.

It is probably for the best that cheesecakes are not easy to make. Otherwise, I might be living off this delicious dish for the next month.

Controlled / No Spend

07 Jan

Erin Shanendoah |  January 7th,2011 | Budgeting, Debt Reduction, Finances |  1 Comment »

I have been a member of the Controlled / No Spend board since last February. This board does for my budgeting what my critique group does for my writing. They take what I have, point out the good, and show me how to make it better. They offer the moral support to say no, I do not need a trip to the vending machine or company cafeteria today.

The ladies there take a holistic approach to finances and understand that the complicated bits of our lives can have the biggest influence on how, when, and where we spend our money.

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