Facebook

If you have no idea what Facebook is, well it is a social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves.

Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region. The website's name stems from the colloquial name of books given at the start of the academic year by university administrations with the intention of helping students get to know each other better.

A January 2009 Compete.com study has ranked Facebook as the most used social network by worldwide monthly active users, followed by MySpace.

I really had initially ZERO interest in Facebook or MySpace because is does seem to be a waste of time and not particularly "fun" or "interesting" but I joined because my niece Dena had sent out invites to everyone and I thought it might be a good way to stay in touch with family members.

So I signed up and suddenly I was bombarded with invites from people that I hadn't heard of in years!
 (As a newbie I was ignorant about all the different privacy settings available to me at that time, but I quickly learned!!)

The first few weeks I went back and forth between "This is cool!" to "This is so annoying and intrusive!" Of course, it usually depended upon 'who' had discovered me on Facebook and sent me a friend request...

But now, I think Facebook is interesting, fun, a sounding board, time-waster and a also ultimately a good way to stay in touch with family and friends.

I have learned how to adjust my settings so people can't see my Facebook page and profile unless I want them to and once you learn to manage Facebook and to tweak it to your own preferences; then it can be as inclusive or as exclusive as you want it to be - and it is no longer intrusive as it was before I learned to control it.

I do take a few quizzes, toss a few pillows and post a couple of pics now and then but it isn't something that I spend a lot of time on - some of the Facebook pages are amazing exercises in über-narcissism but then, so is a blog...

So now the question is:

Comments, anyone?

Hello out there!

If anyone wants to make any comments - they are now enabled and you don't have to sign up for or into anything. There is a spam reduction field where you have to put in some words so that the spammers don't get crazy...

Comment away!!

NetBook Deals

So it seems the latest craze is the NetBook. What is a NetBook? The word 'NetBook' is a portmanteau of the words Internet and notebook. A NetBook (sometimes referred to as mini notebooks or subnotebooks) are a rapidly evolving category of small, light and inexpensive laptop computers suited for general computing and accessing web-based applications; they are often marketed as companion devices to augment a user's other computer access. Walt Mossberg called them a "relatively new category of small, light, minimalist and cheap laptops."

(My NetBook an iPhone together so you can see the size ratio.)



In the short period since their appearance, NetBooks have grown in size and features, now converging with new smaller, lighter notebooks. By mid 2009, CNET noted "the specs are so similar that the average shopper would likely be confused as to why one is better than the other," and noting "the only conclusion is that there really is no distinction between the devices."

Of course, this is not 'really' true because while a NetBook is a pretty awesome little device at this writing, it doesn't yet replace a full featured laptop or desk top system.

Because NetBooks are optimized for low weight and low cost — most NetBooks have omitted key features like the optical (cd) drive or ethernet port, and have reduced specification and computing power.

The best part about a NetBook in my opinion, is the portability, low cost and the ability to have Internet access independent of WiFi or a LAN.

It is true that I could just get a USB Internet Modem for $19.99 - $29.99 (plus data plan) but do I really want to take my great big full-featured Toshiba laptop - and it's high replacement cost - out on the beach? Not I.

So - on to the costs - and my NetBook.

In researching NetBooks, the best deals (in my opinion) were with Verizon or ATT.

I thought that Verizon's NetBook offer sounded pretty good.

The NetBook is an HP Mini 1151NR for $199 and a signed 2 year data contract which runs from $39.99 for a 250MB monthly allowance (10¢ per MB after) to $59.99 for a 500 MB monthly allowance (5¢ per MB after)

The AT&T NetBook offer is generally the same as Verizon's but offers you the choice of two NetBooks: the Lenovo S-10 and the Acer Aspire. Both are priced at $199 (after rebate) and offer similar data plans.

HOWEVER - and note this HOWEVER:

If you go to Radio Shack, they have an in-store special on NetBooks so that you can get the Acer Aspire for $149 and the Lenovo S-10 for $89. The ATT data plans are the same cost through Radio Shack.

So after a bit of research, I ran down after work to Radio Shack and picked up the $149 NetBook and a $29.99 wireless travel mouse and voilà! I had joined the league of the NetBook.

I ultimately went with ATT because it was the cheapest and had better network coverage in my area according to reviews by end users.

(Blogging on my NetBook - woo-hoo!!)

Mole Poblano

Last week, while watching(almost)the entire season of Top Chef Masters (thanks to iTunes!); I got SO hungry for Mole Poblano that I was either going to make it or go somewhere that had it on the menu.

Luckily for me, we have a GREAT Mexican restaurant in Lindenwold, NJ just about 10 minutes from the house. It is called: La Esperanza and they have a GREAT Mole Poblano.

It was DEEEEEE-LUSCIOUS!! Tender, fall off the bone chicken smothered in thick, rich chocolate red-brown Mole Poblano sauce. It is served with tortillas, beans and rice - and to add to the decadence I ordered maduros (carmelized fried plantains), guacamole and Sangria. It was awesome and I was a glutton for sure...worth every piggy bite!

So, what IS Mole Poblano, you ask?

Mole can be best defined as a very thick, homogeneous sauce with complex flavors. This distinguishes it from most Mexican salsas which are watery, often raw, and contain fewer ingredients (usually nothing more than tomato, onion, garlic and chili pepper) in still-identifiable chunks.

The most common way to consume mole is over chicken, though any kind of meat may be served with mole sauce. Another preparation, more common in restaurants, is enchiladas (corn tortillas wrapped around chicken, cheese or some other simple filling) baked in mole sauce.

Because of the labor-intensive nature of mole, when prepared at home it is most often made in large batches on special occasions, such as religious holidays or weddings.

The most popular kinds come from the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca, and there is an annual national competition in the town of San Pedro Atocpan in the Milpa Alta borough of Mexico's Federal District, on the southern outskirts of Mexico City. Oaxaca has been nicknamed the "Land of the Seven Moles."

In Guatemala, "mole" refers to a dessert composed of fried or boiled chunks of plantain in a chocolate/spice sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Mole Poblano, whose name comes from the Mexican state of Puebla, is a popular sauce in Mexican cuisine and is the mole that most people in the U.S. think of when they think of mole. Mole poblano is prepared with dried chili peppers (commonly ancho, pasilla, mulato and chipotle), ground nuts and/or seeds (almonds, indigenous peanuts, and/or sesame seeds), spices, Mexican chocolate (cacao ground with sugar and cinnamon and occasionally nuts), salt, and a variety of other ingredients including charred avocado leaves, onions, and garlic. Dried seasonings such as ground oregano are also used. In order to provide a rich thickness to the sauce, bread crumbs or crackers are added to the mix.

Now - while most people associate mole with either with Puebla or Oaxaca , but the origin of Mole Poblano, the thick, rich, chocolate-tinged sauce made so famous in the colonial mountain city of Puebla, Mexico, is still disputed, and generally involves these two versions of the legend:

The first says that 16th Century nuns from the Convent of Santa Rosa in Puebla de los Angeles, upon learning that the Archbishop was coming for a visit, went into a panic because they had nothing to serve him. The nuns started praying desperately and an angel came to inspire them. They began chopping and grinding and roasting, mixing different types of chiles together with spices, day-old bread, nuts, a little chocolate and approximately 20 other ingredients..

This concoction boiled for hours and was reduced to the thick, sweet, rich and fragrant mole sauce we know today. To serve in the mole, they killed the only meat they had, an old turkey, and the strange sauce was poured over it. The archbishop was more than happy with his banquet and the nuns saved face. Little did they know they were creating the Mexican National dish for holidays and feasts, and that today, millions of people worldwide have at least heard of mole poblano.

The other legend states that mole came from pre-hispanic times and that Aztec king, Moctezuma, thinking the conquistadors were gods, served mole to Cortez at a banquet to receive them. This story probably gained credibility because the word mole comes from the Nahuatl word “milli” which means sauce or “concoction”. Another connection could be that chocolate was widely used in pre-columbian Mexico, so people jumped to that conclusion.

What do the real experts say? “The idea of using chocolate as a flavoring in cooked food would have been horrifying to the Aztecs—just as Christians could not conceive of using communion wine to make, say, coq au vin. In all the pages of Sahagun that deal with Aztec cuisine and with chocolate, there is not a hint that it ever entered into an Aztec dish. Yet, today many food writers and gourmets consider one particular dish, the famous pavo in mole poblano, which contains chocolate, to represent the pinnacle of the Mexican cooking tradition. …the place of origin of the dish and its sauce, the Colonial Puebla de los Angeles; this beautiful city, unlike others in central Mexico, has no Aztec foundations – and neither does the dish, regardless of what food writers may say.” Taken from The True History of Chocolate, Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe [Thames and Hudson: London] 1996 (p. 216-7).

There is no greater expert on pre-hispanic Mesoamerica than Michael Coe and this detective is convinced. Case closed (for now) on the mystery of the origins of mole poblano.

Wherever it came from - it is delicious and I am glad that someone created it!!


Mole Poblano with Chicken


I N G R E D I E N T S

1 (4 - 5) pound chicken, cut up in at least 6 - 8 pieces.
4 dried pasilla chilies
4 dried mulato chilies
6 dried ancho chilies
or 14 dried ancho chilies.
2 cups boiling chicken stock, fresh or canned
3/4 cup blanched almonds
I cup coarsely chopped onions
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped, or I cup drained, canned Italian plum tomatoes
1/2 cup lightly packed seedless raisins
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
I tortilla, broken in small pieces
I teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground canela cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons lard
2 cups cold chicken stock, fresh or canned
11/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

I N S T R U C T I O N S

NOTE: Review the instructions for handling of chilies before you begin this recipe.

Heat 4 tablespoons lard in 12" - heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and cook until brown on all sides, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until almost cooked through approximately 20 - 25 min. Remove chicken and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Drain any excess lard from pan, do not rinse pan.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the mole (sauce). Prepare the chilies using the method described. In a large bowl, pour 2 cups boiling chicken stock over the prepared chilies and soak them for about 30 minutes.

Blend the almonds in the jar of an electric blender until they are completely pulverized. Force the nuts through a sieve and return them to the blender with the chilies, their soaking liquid, the onions, tomatoes, raisins, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, tortilla, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, anise seeds, salt and-pepper, and blend at high speed until the mixture is reduced to a smooth puree.

Alternative - Make Sauce By Hand

To make the sauce by hand, put the chilies, onions, tomatoes, tortilla and garlic through a food mill set over a large bowl and discard any pulp remaining in the mill. With a pestle, pound the almonds, sesame seeds and anise seeds in a mortar until they are pulverized, force them through a sieve, then stir the mixture into the chili puree. Stir in the chilies' soaking liquid and add the cinnamon, cloves, coriander, salt and pepper.

Preparation Continued

In a heavy 10 - inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the lard over moderate heat. Pour in the mole and simmer it, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Add the cold stock and the chocolate. Cook, uncovered, over low heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate has melted. Cover the skillet and set it aside off the heat. Using the skillet the chicken was cooked in, return the chicken to the skillet. Pour the mole sauce over the chicken, turning the pieces about in the sauce to coat them evenly. Cover the skillet and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, basting the chicken now and then with the sauce.

To serve, arrange the pieces of chicken on a heated platter and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds.

Makes 6 - 8 servings

NOTE: Prepare Dried Chilies

Rinse the chilies under running cool water. Continue to let the water run over the chili as you work. Break the chili in half and pull out the stem and rinse away the seeds. Cut or tear away the ribs.

Once the chilies are cleaned, tear them into pieces and place in a large bowl.

Diet & Exercise - Day 1

Today is DAY 1 of my new diet and exercise commitment. I have been a member at Bally's Fitness for a while now and I have a brand new P90X in the box gathering dust in my closet. Funny how having both a gym membership and a P90X hasn't lost me a single pound - oh, that's right, I have to USE them to get some results...therein lies the rub.

But today - a new start!

I have signed up on www.beachbody.com and have a online coach to get me into shape tout de suite!

I have the P90X, I am going to the gym today after work and I am starting my balanced, non-fad 2000 calorie a day diet.

Now I have never had a weight or fitness problem for most of my life. I am a former tanker, prison guard and police officer. My 20 year career in law enforcement and the military kept me in shape and my body type and metabolism allowed me to pretty much eat as I wanted. Since I am half-Japanese and I still maintain a lot of aspects of the Japanese diet; namely white rice everyday, three times a day if possible - so most diets menus and foods just don't work for me.



I do enjoy brown rice now and then - but ONLY when I WANT brown rice. The brown rice PR campaign extolling it's nutty, chewy, wholesome taste and texture just doesn't work for me on a daily basis, but then I am a bit of a rice snob. Most Asians I know are rice snobs.



I prefer Japanese short grain white rice - not Chinese, not Thai Jasmine or Indian Basmati - but Japanese short grain white rice. The Japanese also make a microwave single serving rice bowl - ready in 1.5 minutes and tastes AWESOME!

In any case, now that I have a less active lifestyle, I have gained 20 pounds or so over the past 3 - 4 years, and I don't like it.

I worked out with a personal trainer a few years ago who didn't listen to my desire to simply maintain my body the way it was and he started me on a regimen of heavy lifting, supplements and a high calorie diet typical of a weightlifter and the pounds and muscle piled on - a back injury then derailed my working out and I was left with more weight that I had ever known on my frame and a bad back that kept me from doing anything but simply taking it easy, not lifting more than 10 pounds and being very careful not to put any stress or strain on my back.

Finally, my back issues are still present but under control and better overall so I have been cleared to start working out and I hope to get back to my happy weight of 175-180 and to lose my belly.

It is going to be tough since I am a carb-o-phile and also hate water.

I have never liked water, never drank water unless it contained coffee, tea or all of the wonderful chemicals, flavorings and corn syrup in a can of soda pop - Coke was my preferred carbonated drug.

In the past two years, I have switched from soda pop to Glaceau's Vitamin Water; namely the Dragonfruit Power-C variety, so less high fructose corn syrup and 1/2 of the calories. 16 oz. of Coca-Cola has 200 calories and 16 oz. of Power-C Vitamin Water has 100 calories. The label say 50 calories but it is for "one" serving if you read the label and the label also says that a 16 oz. bottle contains "two" servings. Tricky, tricky!



Glaceau claims that their Power-C vitamin water blend, with dragon fruit and taurine, “enables the body to exert physical power by contributing to the integrity of the musculoskeletal system.” It hasn’t exactly instilled in me the strength and ferocity of the dragon that legends promise, but it is yummy. It meets my entire vitamin C needs for the day and 50% of the daily recommended values for 5 of the B-vitamins. I guess we can’t all be strong like dragons, but at least we can be well-hydrated and vitamin-rich the entire year.

Power-C, unfortunately, has 50 calories per serving and I can guzzle 500 calories or more of it a day - not good on a 2000 calorie a day diet.

SO - today I bought a bottle of water, plain, clear flavor and calorie less water to go with my 500 calorie Baja Fresh Chipotle Chicken and Mango Salad.

However - I STILL can't drink plain water - just can't, won't willn't! I added a packet of 10 calorie Propel grape flavored water additive and it is actually not so bad.

Maybe I can skip my workout since I cut so many calories by changing this one thing?!

As I eye up my now empty fried flour tortilla shell bowl that my salad came in - I think not.

Movie Weekend

I love going to the movies, always have and until I have a home theater room with the biggest possible wall sized screen; nothing will replace the whole experience of being in the movie theater. This weekend we saw three movies, I would have loved to have seen four but not sure that Ed wanted (or wants) to go see the new animated film by 宮崎 駿, Miyazaki Hayao called Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ, Gake no Ue no Ponyo).



Anyway, we saw:

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra



OK, I had almost every GI Joe toy growing up. I also watched the cartoon. Being a young kid during the 80's was awesome. (Micronauts, Thundarr the Barbarian, Freakies cereal!) As far as I am concerned, the toys and the cartoons from that era are the best!

However, I have to say, even though there was a little cheesiness to it, I really enjoyed this movie. This movie is based off a toy/cartoon/comic book. It isn't like other comics that could be deep, or thought provoking. It was always mainly about action, cool weapons, good guys and bad guys, getting caught and then escaping. This movie is just that. A action movie from start to finish. Has enough of a storyline to make it from beginning to end, but is mainly about the action. It doesn't give you a lot of back story to the characters. You do get a couple flashbacks, just so you know who people are, and how they are connected. But this isn't really an origins movie. I think some people were expecting some kind of epic movie experience. This movie is not that! This is a popcorn/ summer action movie/ and a way to relive some childhood memories for those of us who grew up watching the cartoon, or playing with the toys.

I will admit though, although I did like the movie, some of the special effects were not that good. There were a few times during the movie where I saw something that just looked too fake, and I was like ... "that is just cheesy". But overall, it was a fun movie. Definitely not one I regret going to see.

Julie and Julia



I loved this movie and Meryl Streep certainly put in yet another amazing performance as Julia Child. When an actor plays a real-life character, I always hope they will capture the physical essence of the person, the tone of a particular voice and its speech patterns. A good actor can usually give us something that's good enough. But, this time, watching Meryl Streep as Julia Child as she stands at a table with her classmates at Le Cordon Bleu; as she sits down to dinner with her husband, Paul (Stanley Tucci), the two of them really enjoying each other and their food-goes beyond mere acting. Streep isn't playing Julia Child here, but something both more amzing and more truthful - she's playing my idea of Julia Child.

The performances by the leads and the many supporting roles are great - you can't help loving the characters portrayed. The biographic nature of the 'Juila' story combines nicely with the more present day 'Julie' storyline - leaving the viewer to root for Julie's cooking goal while simply falling in love with Meryl Streep's Julia Child. In both stories we are treated to their relationship with food, their husbands and the challenging worlds they inhabit.

I did not read the book by Julie Powell, and her blog still exists at:

http://juliepowell.blogspot.com/

but I did read the posthumous biography of Julia Child and loved it. If you are a fan of Julia Child or Meryl Streep or movies about food - go see this movie!

MOVIE TRIVIA:

Because of Meryl Streep's height (5'6") several camera/set/costume tricks had to be employed to mimic Julia Child's height (6'2"). Countertops were lowered, Streep wore extra high heels, and forced perspective camera angles were used.

Both the Paris and Boston train terminal shots were done in the beautifully restored New Jersey Transit Hoboken Train Terminal waiting room.

Eric Powell's quote ("I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by") was originally made by Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). Eric explains this himself, immediately after delivering the line.

District 9



Now this was a movie I knew almost nothing about before I saw it - just that it was about aliens hidden in a ghetto in Johannesburg.

The movie was completely not what I expected and I ended up enjoying it.

It is best to go see this movie knowing as little as possible about it. The following movie trivia won't spoil your experience.


MOVIE TRIVIA:

The leading actor/star, Sharlto Copley had not acted before and had no intention of pursuing an acting career. He stumbled into the leading role as Neill Blomkamp placed him on-camera during the short film.

All of the "prawns" in the film are CGI with the sole exception of the ones on the operating table in the medical lab.

The mutilated animal carcasses in the background of many scenes were real and with only a few exceptions, were already in the real slums and shacks used for the filming.

All the shacks in District 9 were actual shacks that exists in a section of Johannesburg which were to be evacuated and the residents moved to better government housing, paralleling the events in the film. Also paralleling, the residents had not actually been moved out before filming began. The only shack that was created solely for filming was Christopher Johnson's shack.

The idea of the prawns being obsessed with cat food came from two inspirations. In impoverished areas of Johannesburg, Neill Blomkamp would see people selling cheese poofs and other snack foods out of large 3-foot tall bags and wanted the aliens to have a similar cheap food. The decision to make them cat food came from one of the producers who used canned cat food to bait hooks when fishing for prawns in Vancouver.

Several Afrikaans curse words can be heard throughout the film, including 'doos' (which is a slang term for vagina) and vok/vokken (which means f**k/f**king). Also at some point, a sniper says "Kom na pappa", which translates to "Come to daddy".

Speaking of movies, I can't wait to see the new "Tetsuwan Atomu" or Astro Boy movie that is due out October 23, 2009!!

860 calorie breakfasts and losing weight - TGIF!!

Well, I am one week back from Nantucket or Nansuckit as we nicknamed it. I have to do my papers this weekend to finish that bit of the INSDSG summer program, because MONDAY is a whole new day.

I think that change - real,true,lasting, change - doesn't happen until you are really sick of a situation or personal trait to the point that you just can't take it any longer. I am at that point with my body. Nantucket was the first time that I have been on a beach in over 5 years, perhaps longer...closer to 7 years I think.

In any case, I just had a hard time being on the beach (regardless of all of the other out-of-shape beach goers around me) and stayed in my t-shirt all but one day when Jennifer, Jolene and I went to Siaconset Beach. It was a hard thing for me to take my shirt off and actually go down to the beach into the water. Thank God the water hid my belly LOL.

I have never had a weight or fitness problem for most of my life. I am a former tanker, prison guard and police officer. My 20 year career in law enforcement and the military kept me in shape and my body type and metabolism allowed me to pretty much eat as I wanted. Since I am half-Japanese and I still maintain a lot of aspects of the Japanese diet; namely white rice everyday, now that I have a less active lifestyle, I have gained 20 pounds over the past 3-4 years.

I was working out with a personal trainer who really didn't listen to my desire to simply maintain my body the way it was and he started me on a regimen of heavy lifting, supplements and a high calorie diet typical of a weightlifter and the pounds and muscle piled on - a back injury then derailed my working out and I was left with more weight that I had ever known on my frame and a bad back that kept me from doing anything but simply taking it easy, not lifting more than 10 pounds and being very careful not to put any stress or strain on my back.

In retrospect, I should have really insisted that I just do the workout that I wanted to maintain my body the way I wanted - but that is all past and the reality is that I have to get this weight off. OFF!!

Now, my back issues are still present but I have been cleared to start working out and I hope to get back to my happy weight of 175-180 and most importantly, to lose my belly.

I signed up with www.beachbody.com and I am going to spend this weekend getting all of that info in order so that Monday I can get started on my workout and diet plan.

I will be doing a 2000 calorie low carb plan along with my workout and will track my progress via my blog. Yes, I will post my fat "before" photo at some point before Monday - the shame of it might really kick me into working hard ASAP. Did I mention that I HATE HATE HATE working out? Well, I HATE it.



So today, I will enjoy my breakfast of a venti Starbucks green tea latte (370 calories), a Starbucks egg salad whole wheat sandwich (490 calories) and get my head in the right state for Monday.

TGIF!!!