All posts by scottobear

We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression…everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way…everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want…everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear…anywhere in the world.

–President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Message to Congress, January 6, 1941

an appropriate wotd for LJ

maunder MON-dur, intransitive verb:
1. To talk incoherently; to speak in a rambling manner.
2. To wander aimlessly or confusedly.

Maunder is possibly a dialectal variant of meander (possibly influenced by wander).

sub rosa sub RO-zuh adverb

Secretly, privately, or confidentially.

[From Latin sub (under) rosa (rose). From the ancient practice of using a rose as a symbol of secrecy.]

I’ve made a number of sub rosa posts in my journal to use as reminders.

Whatever happened to the Burger King?

When I was a kid I remember seeing the Burger King in commercials. He was a real guy. He danced around performing magic and helping kids get Burger King meals. All that seems to be left of the Kings legacy is the paper replica of his crown that you can get for the little scamps.

and why do both ronald mcdonald and the burger king have red hair?

speaking of which, I’ve been to the very 1st bk lounge… it’s The first location is at 3090 NW 36th Street, should you care to visit.

*hungry

I want onion rings!

thanks, Jason, for pointing phoons out to me!

Time to just stop for a moment. Turn off the TV, turn off the radio, fold up the newspaper.

Today is the first truly splendid weather of the new season. I mean, it is fantastic. Standing in front of an open window with no shirt on kind of weather. Big deep breaths of cool air, close your eyes and sigh kind of weather. Summer is over. I hope wherever you are, you manage to get some of this breeze.

Phoons put a smile on my face this morning. Just a bunch of people posing for pictures as though caught in mid-sprint. This Father Serra one is a favorite.

If I was still active in any Champions or superheroic games, I’d have to make a character called the Phoon. it’s just a good word.

(that and now I want to drink mum tea, with my sweetie, phooning.)

I finished Stephen King’s On Writing. I need some time to think about what I’m going to say about it, and when I get there I suspect I’m going to have a lot to say. I’m sure will be interested, but who knows who else will be.

pointless waste of time….. :)

Spooktacular Cinnamon Halloween Cookies
Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup non-sweetened butter
1 pound fresh cinnamon
2 turkey necks
12 oz. Ground beef
3 tsp. Sugar

These wonderful treats take a little bit of effort, but the smiles you see when you hurl them at strangers are more than worth it.

First, combine your flour, vanilla, butter and bees wax in a large bowl. Mix until it is the consistency of chilled nitrobenzenamine.

Next, remove golf-ball sized clumps of the dough, and shape it into fun Halloween shapes. Since this is your first time, try something simple, like witches. You’ll need some basic sculpting tools to get the shape right (like I said, it takes a little work!).

A toothbrush can be used to capture the exact texture of the witchโ€™s hair. A toothpick or a needle can be used for finer details, like the thread holes on her coat buttons, and the wart on her tiny little nose. Be sure to shape the face into a scowling expression, and add fun little details, like minute scratches around her neck where perhaps some witch hunters tried to hang her once. To get accurate details, you can go to your local library and research witches. An excellent reference is D. B. Cumming’s “Witchcraft and Legend: Separating the myth from fact in American folklore” by Waldorf Press, published 1995 with a forward by Sandra Bernhardt.

After six or seven hours, you should have your first witch cookie ready for baking. Repeat this step with the remaining four dozen cookies.

As a side note, as you get better at making your fun cookie shapes, you can try more complex ones, such as a little cookie dough skeletons that actually laugh and threaten to consume your soul. I’ve been doing this for a while, so now my cookies are shaped as abstract ideas. This year my cookies are going to be shaped like trepidation.

Now that you have your little army of witches, take an ordinary rolling pin, cover it in flower, and flatten them all out. They should be a nice round cookie shape, about 1/4 inch in diameter.

Sprinkle on your cinnamon, until it is a layer about 1/2 inch thick. Grease a cookie sheet and give it to a friend for safe keeping.

Bake your cookies for 12 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve them while they’re warm, if possible, and watch the sugar-induced happiness come alive!

Keep practicing, and you’ll be ready for the coming October holiday!

Happy Halloween!