January 2012
4 posts
There is (still) no secular case against gay...
squashed:
So far, we all agree that I have an awesome dog, right? But take this where the authors of the article in question go. Akitas are the only kind of dog. If your pet does not share the characteristics of my Akita, your pet is not a dog. If the county dog warden starts recognizing any breed other than Akitas as a dog, the species will weaken, the word “dog” will become meaningless, and...
December 2011
1 post
November 2011
1 post
October 2011
2 posts
“I no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I...”
– ― Lisa Kleypas, Blue-Eyed Devil (via justbesplendid)
A.J. is fast asleep, and he has to get up really early, but I left him notes around the house to greet him in the morning, since I will be asleep when he leaves for work.
On the coffee pot:
On our cat food cabinet:
Where he hangs his keys:
On the bathroom mirror:
On the front door:
And on his closet door:
Here’s hoping he doesn’t think this is lame.
September 2011
3 posts
“Clothes and courage have so much to do with each other.”
– Sara Jeannette Duncan, An American Girl in London
1 tag
1 tag
Welcome to Oven Lovin'
In an effort to keep things a little bit more organized, I have transferred all the food-related on this blog to a new blog jewelskitchen.tumblr.com. I will continue to update both blogs, but all food-related posts will be at Oven Lovin’.
Thanks.
July 2011
2 posts
“Liberal critics of the Reagan era sometimes note that social policy in the...”
– Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol, written in 1991
June 2011
5 posts
“Another Panian-Phraner vicTORY.”
– What A.J. said about dinner last week. He made the steaks, I made the sides. :)
Justice = Love: Today A Man Touched Me On The... →
katespencer:
I’m writing this on the R train as it rattles slowly along toward Brooklyn. I’m headed to pick up my 6-month-old daughter. I’m writing because I’m still reeling from what occurred on the Times Square subway platform a few moments ago. I was walking to the end of the station as I…
1 tag
“I’m the death-panel-supporting, socialist, may-not-have-been-born-here...”
– President Barack Obama on Wednesday during a White House meeting with House Republicans about lifting the debt ceiling. According to people “familiar with his remarks” who spoke with the Los Angeles Times, Obama was responding to Rep. Paul Ryan, who accused him of “demagoguery” over his...
May 2011
16 posts
2 tags
3 tags
Fish off at Donegal Lake.
Final score: Jewels 0(+a sunburn), A.J. 0.
The fish weren’t biting at all even though we tried four kinds of bait. Oh well, it was nice to get outside.
“It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return, but what is more painful is...”
– (via iamblessed)
3 tags
Craft list update
My craft list from last month was very overly ambitious, which is pretty much how I plan everything. One minute I’m thinking of getting a cat and the next minute I’m trying to decide the best way to build the best possible scratching post/jungle gym/play thing that I’ve seen cat-people own. OK, that might be overdramatic (read: I am thinking of getting a cat, but I haven’t...
3 tags
1 tag
“When feeling insecure: posture is key and always remember this: your wardrobe is...”
– Nina Garcia (via fashionninag)
4 tags
3 Republicans lead Ligonier council race →
4 tags
7 will compete for 5 Ligonier Valley School Board... →
In case you’re following my local elections at home, folks.
1 tag
“When I read the Times or The Wall Street Journal, I know those reporters had to...”
– Aaron Sorkin: What I Read (via caraobrien)
3 tags
I voted today.
Should journalists vote is always a question that comes up. Here’s an article by a Politico journalist who votes, sometimes, and why he thinks it’s alright.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8470_Page3.html
My belief is that being a journalist for an ideologically neutral publication like Politico, or the Washington Post, where I used to work, does not mean...
“Some people automatically associate morality and altruism with a religious...”
– Dalai Lama (via drinkthe-koolaid)
1 tag
“I want to watch the next one now!”
– A.J. after we finished watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I love, love, love when I turn normal people into Harry Potter lovers. Also, he made a Harry Potter reference in normal conversation this morning. I couldn’t have been prouder. ;)
1 tag
Rachael Ray's salmon burgers with caesar slaw
What’s great about this meal is that you can do all the prep work ahead of time and have dinner ready in 10 minutes when it’s time, which exactly what I did this week.
Salmon burgers: 1 14-oz. can Alaskan salmon, drained and flaked 2 egg whites, lightly beaten Handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped 1 lemon, zested and juiced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 3/4 c. Italian...
3 tags
Lynn's beef mushroom meatloaf, Teri's macaroni 'n'...
Anyone who went to school with me who I also cooked for has had this meal. It’s one of my all-time favorites, a tried and true meal that always tastes good and I practically have the recipes memorized. So when I failed at dinner two weeks ago, I wanted to redeem myself with something I knew to be a crowd favorite.
Lynn’s beef mushroom meatloaf: (Lynn is my parents’ friend who...
3 tags
The Olympics of Suffering
If there is one thing I cannot stand, it’s when people play the victim-game, which was coined as ‘The Olympics of Suffering’ by my friend Jedd. I’m not talking about actual victims talking about their experiences, because I think that’s brave and worthwhile and thought-provoking and can be life-changing.
What I am talking about comes in two different scenarios.
...
April 2011
45 posts
3 tags
“You may be young in years but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as...”
– Sybil Trelawney to Hermoine Granger in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie
3 tags
“Why don’t you run along and play with your chemistry set.”
– Sirius Black to Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie
2 tags
“And then the answer comes to her: all broken hearts are circumstantial. Every...”
– Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
2 tags
“These stupid enduring artifacts — a bar, a song — that stick around...”
– Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
1 tag
“Fuck that. And for those of you who think Lynn Mason, in addition to cancer,...”
– Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
4 tags
Easter contributions: glazed carrots, Italian...
For Easter, I made glazed carrots (a family recipe that my mom makes and brings to every Phraner holiday celebration since the beginning of time) and a dessert from the Penzey Spices catalog, which was a very-from-scratch Italian cream cake, which included shortening, butter, buttermilk, five eggs and cream cheese frosting.
The carrots (which I forgot to take pictures of) are super easy and...
“I heard what you said. I’m not the silly romantic you think. I don’t want the...”
– (via iamblessed)
1 tag
2 tags
1 tag
A.J.: There was a billow of smoke in the kitchen.
me: Yeah. That's what happens when I cook.
2 tags
Pan-seared steak, black bean salad, garden salad
The only thing redeeming about last night’s dinner was the garden salad.
I am terrible at cooking steak. To be fair, I haven’t had much practice. But I don’t think I want to keep practicing, because it always ends up terrible. So terrible, in fact, that A.J. told me yesterday that he would handle the steak cooking from now on.
The black bean salad was also out of the spring...
1 tag
2011 Spotlight Contest Winners →
First Place: Jewels Phraner, Ligonier Echo, “Texas Firm Cited for Stream Pollution”
Ahhhhhhh! Story: Texas drilling company cited for dumping waste