Fun With Houses - Tangents

There’s a celebrity in Britian named James May who has a show on the BBC called “Toy Stories”. Each episode centers around adventures he has with one of Britian’s best loved toys. For the episode about Legos (to be aired in the spring), he had a life-size Lego house built in which he lived for several days. While the house itself didn’t look all that cool from the outside, it was fully furnished with Lego, including a working commode. Here are some shots from the inside set to a groovy little song, “I’m living in a Lego house…” It’s a shame that the entire project went to waste when they tore the thing down… prospective buyers were scared off by the million dollars it costs to move a Lego house.

<img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2737" src="https://tangents.org/4/files/2009/11/delete-dollhouse-300x199.jpg" alt="delete dollhouse" width="300" height="199" /></a></p> </div> </div> <br/><hr/><br/> <div class="post"> <div class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">Don’t You Looove The Smell Of Roses</h1></div><div class="postmetadata"></div> <div class="entry-content"><p>The fact that it comes after an overtime victory is even sweeter. The Buckeyes are off t Pasadena on January 1, 2010 after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes 24-27 in OT after kicking a field goal. Let’s hope that Coach Tressel and his squad can pull it together this time and bring home a bowl victory.</p> <p>I had to keep getting updates from my cell phone while at work all afternoon. The last I knew it was 24-17 in the 4th quarter… not over yet. At 7:50, my sister came in and gave me the final overtime score. Apparently, the fact that Iowa’s main quarterback was out of commission following an injury last weekend did little to quell the Hawkeye’s spirits. However, the ol’ Scarlet and Grey came out on top and speculation is they will be facing either Arizona or Oregon on New Years Day.</p> <p>Bring on THE GAME next Saturday… <strong>GOOOOOOOO BUCKS! </strong></p> </div> </div> <br/><hr/><br/> <div class="post"> <div class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">zero tolerance = zero brains</h1></div><div class="postmetadata"></div> <div class="entry-content"><p>When my nephew was in 5th grade, he accidentally brought his pocketknife, the onetime staple of just about every american boy, to school. Naturally, he got suspended. So was he caught showing it off to his friends? Victim of a random search? Nope. Realizing he did something wrong by bringing it to school, he walked up to his teacher, handed him the knife, and told him he accidentally left it in his pocket and didn’t mean to bring it to school. He might as well have been showing it off for all that confession got him. Thanks to zero tolerance, motive could never be considered in his punishment. My brother said at the time his teacher should have just kept it to himself, but realistically he would have been fired if the principal somehow found out, also thanks to zero <span style="text-decoration: line-through">brains</span> tolerance.</p> <p>Flash forward to today, and history repeats itself on a larger scale, at least where consequences are concerned. And to a military veteran no less. This former soldier found a black bag in his garden, took it inside, and found a gun inside. Being a good citizen, or so he thought, he brought it in to the police who promptly arrested him. He has since been convicted by a jury and now faces a minimum five-year prison term. From the article:</p> <blockquote><p>Prosecuting, Brian Stalk, explained to the jury that possession of a firearm was a “strict liability” charge – therefore Mr Clarke’s allegedly honest intent was irrelevant.</p> <p>Just by having the gun in his possession he was guilty of the charge, and has no defence in law against it, he added.</p> <p>But despite this, Mr Blackman urged members of the jury to consider how they would respond if they found a gun.</p> <p>He said: “This is a very small case with a very big principle.</p> <p>“You could be walking to a railway station on the way to work and find a firearm in a bin in the park.</p> <p>“Is it unreasonable to take it to the police station?”</p> <p>Paul Clarke will be sentenced on December 11.</p> <p>Judge Christopher Critchlow said: “This is an unusual case, but in law there is no dispute that Mr Clarke has no defence to this charge.</p> <p>“The intention of anybody possessing a firearm is irrelevant.”</p></blockquote> <p>Is this crazy, or what? It happened in the UK, but with the way liberalism is taking hold in this country we won’t be far behind. While we have the NRA fighting against such gun-possession laws, all it would take is a single rogue judge to interpret the 2nd Amendment the wrong way and we will be a giant step closer to life in the UK.</p> <p>Oh yes, click for the entire article:</p> <h3><a href="https://www.thisissurreytoday.co.uk/news/Ex-soldier-faces-jail-handing-gun/article-1509082-detail/article.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ex-soldier faces jail for handing in gun</a></h3> </div> </div> <br/><hr/><br/> <div class="post"> <div class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">I have this and this, what can I make for dinner?</h1></div><div class="postmetadata"></div> <div class="entry-content"><p>Yes, my daughters have asked this question, or “What can I do with?” </p> <p>If you ask any of my daughters, you will find out that I experiment in the kitchen. I tend to think of cooking as science with food. I like to find out what flavors go well with others. I often find out what flavors don’t go well with others. Not all of my kitchen experiments work. My daughters may tell you that too. But over the years, a few of these experiments became family favorites. Our family meatloaf recipe is one constant changing experiment. Many different flavors made many wonderful meals. Through all of this experimentation, my girls learned that they could trust me if I said I tried this and it tasted good.</p> <p>Where is this leading? Well, I thought that if I can get my daughters to read and reply, I’ll give a few recipes from various starting points. My goal will always be 1 or 2 pan/pot meals that take very little prep time. I dislike washing dishes, so the fewer I get dirty, the better I like it. Since I’m not sure my daughters will reply, I will open this up to everyone. What do you have in your refrigerator? What’s for dinner?</p> </div> </div> <br/><hr/><br/> <div class="post"> <div class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">Creed In The Stockroom With A Dundee</h1></div><div class="postmetadata"></div> <div class="entry-content"><p>IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE 11-12-09 EPISODE OF <a href="https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-2873980-10514574" target="_top" rel="noopener">The Office</a><img src="https://www.tqlkg.com/image-2873980-10514574" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" />… PLEASE SKIP THIS POST!</p> <p>Tonight’s episode put me in the mood for one of those infrequent murder mystery game nights. But seeing that our poor hosts are under a self-imposed quarantine, this will have to wait…. get well soon. It seems that the gang from Dunder-Mifflin Scranton Branch are under the impression that the company is on the road to financial disaster. Much to co-manager Jim’s dismay, our beloved leader devises a plan to put the teams mind at ease: A Murder in Savannah.</p> <p>Each associate is given a character with props to create using their imagination. Naughty Nellie Nutmeg, Nathaniel Nutmeg, and VooDoo Mama Juju are a few. Guess who gets to play Caleb Crawdad, handsome playboy. As usual, hilarity ensues in the face of turmoil.</p> <p>The outcome of the company will likely take a few episodes to decide as will the undertones of the Andy/Kelly “Erin” relationship.</p> <p>Perhaps it is all a ploy to advertise the newest edition of the classic board game <a href="https://www.nbcuniversalstore.com/detail.php?p=108052&v=nbc">Clue</a>. And check out the cool new look of the <a href="https://tangents.org">Tangents</a> homepage and check into starting a blog of your own… it’s FUN!</p> </div> </div> <br/><hr/><br/> <div class="post"> <div class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">Priceless dog therapy</h1></div><div class="postmetadata"></div> <div class="entry-content"><p>Okay, those are two things mashed together in the title describing events of Wednesday, my only day of subbing this week (though I am still trying for some Friday work). What happened to Tuesday? Well, I had to push my Monday photo work to Tuesday due to that annoyance to the daily routine known as jury duty, or in my case non-duty. Fortunately no driving was required for this civic duty as the location was Chicago. In fact, I would just not show up rather than drive there due to the ridiculous traffic. Fortunately, the train stations are within walking distance both from my home and the courthouse in the city. I also was glad this was the civil court instead of the criminal one- I don’t know how people are able to serve on juries for criminal trials that can often take weeks to complete. I realize jobs can’t fire you for jury duty but they don’t have to pay you, and that lack of pay would be a huge problem, at least for me. You noticed, I’m sure, that I wrote “non-duty” earlier. What actually happened was my group got called down (while I was in the bathroom no less) and we went down to a courtroom, only to wait and be told that the two parties came to a settlement so no jury would need to be picked. So we went back up to the jury waiting room in case we might be needed again. About an hour later we were called up again, jury trial take two, or so I thought. However, this time we were given our checks and sent home- I guess being called up once can count as our civic duty even if we didn’t make it to jury selection, let alone trial. We did have to wait until they were sure we would no longer be needed though. With half the day still left, I stopped for lunch since the next train wouldn’t depart for another 45 minutes. Unfortunately, with the light leaving us earlier these days I was not able to go to even one of the dealers since I couldn’t be sure how long it would take and didn’t want to make a wasted hour round-trip anywhere. Yes, I could have blogged Monday, but I just wasn’t up to it.</p> <p>Which leads us to the topic of the title, my sub-job Wednesday. I had to get up at 5:30 to start looking since it is near impossible this year to get a sub job in advance for some reason. I somehow managed to secure one at a nearby school in their mentally-impaired program. I must remember never to show up any later than 10-minutes early at this school. I was right on time, but ended up about ten minutes late because they closed the lot by the front doors due to buses meaning I had to ask where the other lot was, wait in traffic to get to it, suffer leagues of parents dropping off their kids in the very same lot, find a spot, then walk a quarter mile back to the front doors of the school. I did note there were still spots left in the front lot as I headed to the doors.</p> <p>So I eventually made it to the classroom, somehow still before the kids arrived to the class (though I still had to work my way around several at their lockers). Being a MI class there were of course teaching assistants so I was able to cool down from the hassle of my arrival. They showed me the schedule for the day, but being Vet’s day that schedule was just made to be broken. Instead of an hour of guided reading, for example, they had maybe 20 minutes before heading to their 2nd-grade buddy class. That teacher talked a little bit about Veteran’s Day, and then a couple of soldiers came in to visit- one from the Army, the other a Marine. Both had served time in you-know-what part of the world (the marine couldn’t tell us where- essentially saying it was classified, but the army soldier had been to Afghanistan). They talked a little about what they did, what life was like with their respective units, and their families. The 2nd-graders had written several questions to ask them during their visit. It was quite interesting. Once the principal came in and whisked them to their next class to visit, we headed back to our own room for snack time. The next schedule change came during this time. Just as they finished eating and sat down to read silently, in walks a vet. Okay, she wasn’t a vet but I just had to use that play on words. Notice how I didn’t capitalize the word this time? That’s because this person was a pet therapist, if not a veterinarian. Both work with pets, though for different reasons- oh never mind. So my pun didn’t work- sue me. 😉</p> <p>Anyway, the therapist reminded the kids how to handle the dog (apparently she had been here before), making sure they let this lap dog sniff their hands before they could pet him. She also taught them how to give the dog treats (in an open hand, because the dog could bite your fingers if you hold the treat by the thumb and forefinger). She also had the dog do some tricks. The kids one at a time rolled a die and the dog would jump through a hoop for the number of times it showed, then later they did dog bowling where the kids would hide a treat among foam pins, and the dog would knock a number of them down to get to the treat. Cute.</p> <p>The kids got their silent reading in, and then we skipped math to do calendar in the short time left before lunch. This is where the next part of the title comes into play- the look of surprise on a 5th-grader’s face when you sneak up behind him while he’s eating lunch and ask him a question in a place he does not expect to hear or see his church and summer camp leader as he turns and recognizes me. Priceless. As I talked to him, two more kids from my church got up to talk to me- one of whom I was going to talk to next, the other a surprise to me. What was funny about this encounter was the girl who I had worked with in church drama last year didn’t know what to call me since she only remembered my first name, which is what I use at church- Mr. Derek. She had clearly been taught to not use an adult’s first name at school. Maybe I told her last year, I don’t know. I didn’t know the third one came to this school, but this school being the closest to my church means several kids do happen to attend school here. I know of three others in the junior high area who I know I have mentioned before (two are the girl’s brothers, twins whom I have also worked with at church).</p> <p>The rest of the day was pretty mild. I had an extra half-hour off due to the kids going to music, and when they came back we scrapped writing for some reason to watch part of a movie. You know, I don’t think I have ever watched <em>101 Dalmatians </em>before even though I kind of know the story. We only watched a little bit of it before getting ready to go home, where I rested up until choir rehearsal, where I just want to mention that another pair of twins I taught a few years ago are regularly a part of- they finally came down to the tenor section after singing alto for the last couple of years (hey, they were 12-13 at the time!). I can even name a couple more sets of twins and a set of triplets too. I don’t know why, but they are not all that uncommon at my church. Well, if I can think of some story to write about them sometime I may say some more.</p> </div> </div> <br/><hr/><br/> <div class="post"> <div class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">Wonder Woman</h1></div><div class="postmetadata"></div> <div class="entry-content"><p>Probably a year ago now, I received one of those email forwards about getting to know your friends. You know the type – you read your friends’ answers to some strange and random questions and then you answer them, getting to know more about your friends and yourself. One of the questions was something about choosing a fictional character that best describes your friend, and my friend wrote “Wonder Woman” about me. I thought that was awesome because I don’t feel like a wonder woman, but it’s fun that someone else thinks that about me, so it’s kind of stuck with me… Especially in these recent days where I am one of the last ones in our family standing as the others are flu-stricken. It’s been kind of a mantra I say to myself as I walk around our barren wastelands of a living room, tending the ailing… <em>“I am a wonder woman, I will not get the flu.”</em></p> <p>If I were a sort of flu wonder woman, I would carry holsters for my tools of trade: bottle of disinfectant, antibacterial soap, hand sanitizer, Hall’s Defense lozenges, antibacterial wipes, tissues… I’ve washed my hands raw in the past week.</p> <p>This is all very strange, maybe the flu has infected my brain. I’ve also taken on what seem like really weird habits lately, like swallowing garlic cloves and onion petals like pills with my dinner. I’m not going to say anything about how I smell lately, but hey, I’m one of the last ones around here who hasn’t gotten sick. So far, our two youngest kids and myself remain healthy. I can’t believe we haven’t gotten it, and it feels strange to live life feeling like a sitting duck. This thing is so nasty and contagious, it’s really only a matter of time…</p> <p>Our oldest daughter came home last Friday night and stayed in bed until Tuesday when she also finally starting talking and eating again. Our second oldest daughter had a bad fever Tuesday and slept for awhile and then she was fine. My husband has felt terrible for 3 days now. It’s affecting everyone differently, and it’s completely unpredictable. I had to go into the middle school to get my daughter’s homework, and that’s where I found out that half the 4th grade came down with it Friday night. I also learned of the “8 day” theory – some people have thought that their families were sick and over it, only to have other members of the household come down with it 8 days later. Sounds like a horror movie, feels like a sci-fi movie. Pretty much everyone I know who has kids has H1N1 in their families. I’m especially worried about our friends whose diabetic daughter was sent home from school with a blood sugar reading of over 300. Her mother also has a chronic illness and her medication includes steroids, so both of them are high risk for H1N1 complications.</p> <p>We had a busy week planned this week and had to cancel most obligations. It’s really difficult to live our busy lives without being able to commit to anything, not knowing whether we’ll be sick or healthy. I hope everyone else is doing ok… is the outbreak especially bad in our small community, or is this just the reality of the 2009 flu outbreak? <em>I am a wonder woman, I will not get the flu…</em></p> <p>So what’s that tickle in my throat?</p> </div> </div> <br/><hr/><br/> <div class="post"> <div class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">Now that I have one….</h1></div><div class="postmetadata"></div> <div class="entry-content"><p>Can I do anything else with a double-boiler?</p> <p>The short answer was yes. You can cook anything that needs low even heat. Most of the time this is chocolate for candies. You can also make many sauces and fondues. There are many recipes on the web just for double boiler cooking In fact the double boiler was one way to reheat leftovers before the microwave.<br /> But can it be used to make a main dinner dish. </p> <p>For that I needed to do a more in depth search. I’ve never used it for more than melting chocolate and making custards. Never a main course. </p> <p>I did a lot of searching and found many sauces for main dishes. I also found that a double boiler was used to reheat the dish as a part of the dish. I even found a recipe for scrambled eggs. While I do like eggs for dinner every now and then, I didn’t consider that a main course.</p> <p>Then I found one. I’ve never had it before and will try it shortly. So lets try to make Welsh Rarebit. Yes, the double boiler is used to make the sauce, but since the sauce is the main ingredient in this dish, I think it fits my needs. The only thing that isn’t cooked in the double boiler is the toast. There is even a variation that uses poached eggs with the sauce and toast. Those could be cooked in the lower portion of the boiler after the sauce is ready. Double use from a double boiler. I like that.</p> <p>From that I could also make Eggs Benedict. Toasted English muffin, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, but I have to cook the Canadian bacon.. Hmm not quite a full meal with a double boiler, but close.</p> </div> </div> <br/><hr/><br/> <div class="post"> <div class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">From The Twisted Mind Of A Thirteen Year Old</h1></div><div class="postmetadata"></div> <div class="entry-content"><p>Tonight, my nephew/godson and his two siblings came into the store before Wednesday night CCD. I thought… uh-oh what is this terrible trio up to. Joshua (in his infinite wisdom) chose to ask me in his own special way if I would consider being his sponsor for Confirmation… “since no one else seems to be able to.” I tried really hard not to laugh at the presentation but I could not resist firing back at the way it was presented. What an honor to be asked when so many others turned it down. How many others were asked I do not know. After they left, I decided to think that he failed in his attempt to say that there was no one else he would rather have do it. Hey… this is my blog so if I want to sugar coat some things, it’s my prerogative.</p> <p>I remember when I chose the person I wanted to stand with me as I made the decision to accept my Christian faith that my parents and godparents made for me when I was baptized. It also happened to be my godfather. I also remember hearing stories about the bishop slapping each candidate on the face as they were being confirmed. This practice must have stopped some time before I received the sacrament.</p> <p>Ok, I will say that it will be an honor to be a part of Joshua’s Confirmation day.</p> </div> </div> <br/><hr/><br/> <div class="post"> <div class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">Country Music Award Time!!!</h1></div><div class="postmetadata"></div> <div class="entry-content"><p>It’s time for the CMAs, and I’m making just a quick little post to share my guesses – we’ll see how I do at the end of the night. I know, I know I whined and cried about missing the show this year, but my family came down with H1N1 and we’re under a self-imposed quarantine. I think the kids need to get to bed early – for their health, of course 😉 – and I get to watch the show live after all! Believe me, I would so much rather be at youth group tonight, despite all my whining, I swear! This is an awful sickness, and I would so much rather not have anyone in my family have to have it… but I don’t want to dwell on that now – we’ve been living this illness since Friday night, so it’s time to break from that now a little bit – CMA time!!!!!</p> <p>My picks – I’ll try to update throughout the night to see how I did. <span style="color: #00ff00">Correct in green</span>, <span style="color: #ff0000">wrong in red</span>.</p> <p><strong>TOTAL: 4/11<br /> </strong></p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000">Entertainer of the Year:<br /> Taylor Sw<span style="color: #ff0000">ift</span></span><span style="color: #ff0000">, winner</span><br /> Kenny Chesney</p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000">Female Vocalist:<br /> Taylor Swift</span><span style="color: #ff0000">, winner</span><br /> Carrie Underwood</p> <p><span style="color: #00ff00">Male Vocalist:<br /> Brad Paisley</span></p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000">Vocal Duo:<br /> Sugarland</span><span style="color: #ff0000">, winner</span><br /> Brooks and Dunn</p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000">Vocal Group:<br /> Lady Antebellum, winner</span><br /> Rascal Flatts</p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000">New Artist:<br /> Darius Rucker, winner</span><br /> Jake Owen</p> <p><span style="color: #00ff00">Album:<br /> Taylor Swift’s Fearless</span></p> <p><span style="color: #00ff00">Single:<br /> I Run To You – Lady Antebellum</span></p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000">Song:<br /> In Color – Jamey Johnson, winner</span><br /> I Told You So – Randy Travis</p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000">Event:<br /> Start a Band</span><br /> I Told You So</p> <p><span style="color: #00ff00">Music Video:<br /> Taylor Swift</span></p> <p>NOTES: Awesome show so far – great performances, and I love the hosting duo of Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. Their little duets are entertaining, funny, and even pleasant music to listen to! I especially appreciate the ditty about the swine flu – priceless, and it really hits home right now! Carrie Underwood has an <strong>amazing</strong> voice! Thank you American Idol for gifting her to country music!<br /> I love the infusion of the classic country: Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys and especially the Zac Brown Band’s rendition of Devil Went Down to Georgia (on speed!) was EXCELLENT!!<br /> Brooks and Dunn’s final CMA performance (retiring) with ZZ Top is a highlight!<br /> Still enjoying the show, but what the heck happened to the awesome hosting duo of Paisley and Underwood? Seems like they haven’t been onstage together for a while. And when they do reappear together, let’s can the jokes about Brad checking out Carrie’s looks behind the back of his wife, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0931090/">Kimberly Williams-Paisley</a> – there’s just been too many of those jokes, and they’re stale.</p> <p>What could be better than Martina McBride singing When Country Wasn’t Cool with Charlie McCoy on harmonica as a tribute to Barbara Mandrell to welcome her into the Country Music Hall of Fame?!? That was GREAT! That reminds me of an addition I must make to a fellow tangents.org blog about my favorite Christmas special – The Mandrell Sisters Christmas!<br /> Oh man… the show started out the best CMA awards show EVER! But then it slowly went downhill… until the final award – Taylor Swift?!? You’ve got to be kidding. She is very talented and has done a wonder for attracting teen and tween girls to the country music genre, but… What about the rest of us!?! Let’s face it, she did have a heck of a time hitting some of those high notes… Well, I’m not going to act like Kanye West. Taylor Swift deserves her time in the spotlight, even if it did ruin the entire flow of the CMAs…</p> <p>Oh, and judging by my total guesses correct, it’s obvious how much I’m allowed to listen to country music radio these days… For me, it’s mostly KidsSongs and videos from the library (lately Shelley Duvall’s Fairy Tale Theater) in the car. Whatever – no one could have seen that Taylor Swift Entertainer of the Year coming no matter what you spend your day listening to. I don’t care if she IS the youngest CMA nominee for Entertainer of the Year ever – in my opinion, she should have had a lot more ground to cover before she won an award like that! The show started out great, but I have to say, I am left disappointed, and not only by my terrible score 🙁</p> </div> </div> </div></body> </html>