mobileCategory: music
02/07/06 08:54 - 26ºF - ID#24933
Playing by ear
I just took this test from the University of Newcastle - a music test - 
The test asks you to listen to 30 pairs of short melodies; some match exactly, the rest are slightly different. I correctly identified 24 out of 30, which is well short of perfect, but much better than pure guessing. If I didn't have American Idol on in the background, I might have scored better.
This brings me to my newest weekend hobby: piano playin'. J's parents have a piano, and I've brought the few piano/sheet music books I have down there to start practicing. I never took formal piano lessons, but with 8 years of flute playing, and a few years of piccolo and oboe for good measure, I know about notes and phrasing and stuff. Being able to hear when a note is wrong helps a bunch. I find it entertaining to keep asking "give me a song!" and then picking out the notes. As I told a friend today - once I learn my chords, and how to keep my left hand moving, I'll be dangerous.
Anyway, I can noodle through a few Tori Amos songs if I drop out occasional chords and the really tricky parts. J's mom has a large collection of sheet music, ranging from the best of the 70s to 50's standards. I do best with the songs that I know by heart, so the score for Les Miserables and the 80s commercial tunes are also good to practice on.
Does anyone know of any good online sources for sheet music that people have already transposed?
The test asks you to listen to 30 pairs of short melodies; some match exactly, the rest are slightly different. I correctly identified 24 out of 30, which is well short of perfect, but much better than pure guessing. If I didn't have American Idol on in the background, I might have scored better.
This brings me to my newest weekend hobby: piano playin'. J's parents have a piano, and I've brought the few piano/sheet music books I have down there to start practicing. I never took formal piano lessons, but with 8 years of flute playing, and a few years of piccolo and oboe for good measure, I know about notes and phrasing and stuff. Being able to hear when a note is wrong helps a bunch. I find it entertaining to keep asking "give me a song!" and then picking out the notes. As I told a friend today - once I learn my chords, and how to keep my left hand moving, I'll be dangerous.
Anyway, I can noodle through a few Tori Amos songs if I drop out occasional chords and the really tricky parts. J's mom has a large collection of sheet music, ranging from the best of the 70s to 50's standards. I do best with the songs that I know by heart, so the score for Les Miserables and the 80s commercial tunes are also good to practice on.
Does anyone know of any good online sources for sheet music that people have already transposed?
Permalink: Playing_by_ear.html
Words: 271
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
02/03/06 03:07 - 37ºF - ID#24932
Original Peeps
Easter's just a few months away.
I give you links related to original peeps
- Peep Research , with a new special of Peep Surgery
- An American Peep in Paris
and of course,
- Lord of the Peeps
Purple peeps are my favorite, though it hurts my stomach and teeth to eat more than one at a time.
I give you links related to original peeps
- Peep Research
, with a new special of Peep Surgery - An American Peep in Paris
and of course,
- Lord of the Peeps
Purple peeps are my favorite, though it hurts my stomach and teeth to eat more than one at a time.
Permalink: Original_Peeps.html
Words: 78
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: hope
02/01/06 10:24 - 35ºF - ID#24931
Ronald McDonald House
I have been privileged to work with the Ronald McDonald House for the past few months on a Web site redesign. After being invited to join their marketing committee by someone with whom I work (and president of their board), I took over the responsibility of updating their site, and introduced a plan to recreate their site using weblog software .
Implementing it took on a sense of urgency in the past few days, as they are announcing the new site in their next newsletter. So, aside from a few behind-the-scenes tweaks, it is set to go.
The Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo gives children and their families a welcoming, supportive "home away from home" while being treated at local hospitals. People come from around the world to receive medical care in our region, and staying in a hotel for days - or weeks - at a time isn't always an option. The RMH provides so much more - the chance to connect with other families in similar situations, a real kitchen, and dozens of other amenities make an otherwise traumatic time a little less burdensome.
The Ronald McDonald House is there for those families who live out of town and who are depending on Buffalo hospitals to keep them alive. Imagine that a child in your family is injured in a car crash and requires months of intensive care. Or is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and needs weeks of chemotherapy injections. Could your family afford that hotel bill? Could they travel from their hometown to the hospital every day? Would they have any type of support system in another city? My guess is no.
I feel honored to have been part of this, and look forward to adding new features and content. If it means that one family sees information on that site and it helps them, it has been worth it.
For those of you who eat at McDonalds, the Help with all your Heart campaign will continue through February 14. Pitch in a buck or three when you place your order; these funds stay in the area to make this House possible.
for the past few months on a Web site redesign. After being invited to join their marketing committee by someone with whom I work (and president of their board), I took over the responsibility of updating their site, and introduced a plan to recreate their site using weblog software .Implementing it took on a sense of urgency in the past few days, as they are announcing the new site in their next newsletter. So, aside from a few behind-the-scenes tweaks, it is set to go.
The Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo gives children and their families a welcoming, supportive "home away from home" while being treated at local hospitals. People come from around the world to receive medical care in our region, and staying in a hotel for days - or weeks - at a time isn't always an option. The RMH provides so much more - the chance to connect with other families in similar situations, a real kitchen, and dozens of other amenities make an otherwise traumatic time a little less burdensome.
The Ronald McDonald House is there for those families who live out of town and who are depending on Buffalo hospitals to keep them alive. Imagine that a child in your family is injured in a car crash and requires months of intensive care. Or is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and needs weeks of chemotherapy injections. Could your family afford that hotel bill? Could they travel from their hometown to the hospital every day? Would they have any type of support system in another city? My guess is no.
I feel honored to have been part of this, and look forward to adding new features and content. If it means that one family sees information on that site
and it helps them, it has been worth it.For those of you who eat at McDonalds, the Help with all your Heart campaign will continue through February 14. Pitch in a buck or three when you place your order; these funds stay in the area to make this House possible.
Permalink: Ronald_McDonald_House.html
Words: 368
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
02/01/06 07:47 - 36ºF - ID#24930
Kara's Corn Bread
Goes good with chili or meatballs, the recipes for which I will post soon. For the meatballs, it works particularly well, since those also have to be in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I modified this from the directions on the back of the (Quaker) corn meal package.
Ingredients
1 cup ap flour
1 cup corn meal
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. honey
1 egg
splash of veg. oil
Tools
Big bowl
Spoon
8 x 8 pan
olive oil spray
Steps
Combine all ingredients, mix well
Pour into greased 8 x8 pan
Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
Ingredients
1 cup ap flour
1 cup corn meal
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. honey
1 egg
splash of veg. oil
Tools
Big bowl
Spoon
8 x 8 pan
olive oil spray
Steps
Combine all ingredients, mix well
Pour into greased 8 x8 pan
Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
Permalink: Kara_s_Corn_Bread.html
Words: 101
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
01/26/06 07:16 - 20ºF - ID#24929
Kara's Bread Pudding
The only other time I've had bread pudding (besides tonight) was at a Kahunaville in Syracuse at least 4 years ago, so I"m not sure what the final result was supposed to look like. This turned out to be less like a pudding, and more like a banana crisp. Tasty, nonetheless. Bread pudding is also the perfect recipe for using up that food in the kitchen that everyone has laying around in a "good, but not good enough to eat" stage - like day-old bread, very ripe bananas and almost-funky milk.
Ingredients
Bread, ripped into small pieces or sliced into cubes.
(enough to fill an 8x8 pan)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup oatmeal
3-4 ripe bananas, sliced
1/4 c. (half stick) softened butter
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
Tools
superlarge bowl
spoon
8x8 baking pan
Steps
Combine the bread, milk and oatmeal in a large bowl. Set aside for 15-20 minutes. Use this time to put away all your dishes and clean off the counters - you know you've been putting that off for days.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Mix very well. The butter can disguise itself as bananas, and you don't want to bite into a chunk of butter. Or do you?
Pat the mixture into the 8x8 pan.
Bake for at least 30 minutes, or until it's mildly crispy on top. Do not burn. The original recipe said to cool before serving, but I couldn't wait.
If anyone has a better suggestion for making it more puddinglike, please tell me!
Note: I softened the butter by microwaving it on a defrost setting for 15 second. Your microwave may require more or less time.
Ingredients
Bread, ripped into small pieces or sliced into cubes.
(enough to fill an 8x8 pan)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup oatmeal
3-4 ripe bananas, sliced
1/4 c. (half stick) softened butter
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
Tools
superlarge bowl
spoon
8x8 baking pan
Steps
Combine the bread, milk and oatmeal in a large bowl. Set aside for 15-20 minutes. Use this time to put away all your dishes and clean off the counters - you know you've been putting that off for days.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Mix very well. The butter can disguise itself as bananas, and you don't want to bite into a chunk of butter. Or do you?
Pat the mixture into the 8x8 pan.
Bake for at least 30 minutes, or until it's mildly crispy on top. Do not burn. The original recipe said to cool before serving, but I couldn't wait.
If anyone has a better suggestion for making it more puddinglike, please tell me!
Note: I softened the butter by microwaving it on a defrost setting for 15 second. Your microwave may require more or less time.
Permalink: Kara_s_Bread_Pudding.html
Words: 283
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: celebrity
01/25/06 09:09 - 24ºF - ID#24928
the Hasselhoff
I give you ... the Hasselhoff :
first, an astonishing video
then, a haunting visual image
Anyone else have a favorite Hasselhoff link?
:first, an astonishing video
then, a haunting visual image
Anyone else have a favorite Hasselhoff link?
Permalink: the_Hasselhoff.html
Words: 48
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
01/23/06 08:47 - 34ºF - ID#24927
Kara's Tortilla Soup
Mmm mmm good.
Ingredients
3-4 large pieces of chicken, cooked and shredded
4-5 cups of chicken broth (or use bouillion)
1 regular can of diced tomatoes
1/2 small can of diced green chiles
1 medium onion, chopped/diced
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. cilantro
4 tortillas
olive oil
Tools
1 large stock pot
1 saute pan
spoons
Steps
Saute onion and celery (or any other veggies that tickle your fancy); set aside.
Start to heat the chicken stock.
Saute chicken in olive oil (you can use the same pan as the veggies - just don't do the chicken before the veggies).
Add the diced tomatoes and chiles to the broth.
Bring to boil.
Reduce to simmer.
Once the chicken has cooled a bit, shred or chop into little bits.
Add the veggies and chicken to the broth.
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the spices, simmer for about 10-15 more minutes.
This will give you time to make the crunchy tortillas.
Slice the tortillas into strips - about 1/2 inch by 2 inches.
Rinse out the saute pan and pat dry. Add about a 1/4 c. of olive oil.
Put on medium heat - watch for splattering!
Add the sliced tortillas and cook until crispy. Be careful, or they scorch and get too brittle.
Serve the soup with some tortillas on top. Grated cheese can be used too, but this meal was hearty enough without it!
Ingredients
3-4 large pieces of chicken, cooked and shredded
4-5 cups of chicken broth (or use bouillion)
1 regular can of diced tomatoes
1/2 small can of diced green chiles
1 medium onion, chopped/diced
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. cilantro
4 tortillas
olive oil
Tools
1 large stock pot
1 saute pan
spoons
Steps
Saute onion and celery (or any other veggies that tickle your fancy); set aside.
Start to heat the chicken stock.
Saute chicken in olive oil (you can use the same pan as the veggies - just don't do the chicken before the veggies).
Add the diced tomatoes and chiles to the broth.
Bring to boil.
Reduce to simmer.
Once the chicken has cooled a bit, shred or chop into little bits.
Add the veggies and chicken to the broth.
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the spices, simmer for about 10-15 more minutes.
This will give you time to make the crunchy tortillas.
Slice the tortillas into strips - about 1/2 inch by 2 inches.
Rinse out the saute pan and pat dry. Add about a 1/4 c. of olive oil.
Put on medium heat - watch for splattering!
Add the sliced tortillas and cook until crispy. Be careful, or they scorch and get too brittle.
Serve the soup with some tortillas on top. Grated cheese can be used too, but this meal was hearty enough without it!
Permalink: Kara_s_Tortilla_Soup.html
Words: 236
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: language
01/23/06 10:34 - 37ºF - ID#24926
Actualités
As I drove into work this morning, lamenting the fact that all morning radio show hosts sound so horribly, inexorably uninformed, I started thinking about what my own education lacks.
Math would be the obvious one, but since I did well in advanced math classes from 7th to 11th grade, that's not entirely appropriate.
Science is another possibility, but I made it to, and through, AP Chemistry in 12th grade, and I wasn't completely bad at it.
Mechanical skills would be a strong contender, but now I have an able tutor (J) who walks me through the basics of car fixin', construction, electrical stuff, and the like.
So I settled on my inability to speak or to write fluently in another language. I took three years of French in high school, as most public schools demand, and that wasn't nearly enough. I dabbled in German for a semester, but the instructor was too awful to even consider another semester. The only thing I got out of another 2 years of college-level Spanish was the ability to count to 100 en espanol. I can't even trill my r's.
Now, it's back to French. I'm great at guessing the English/Latin cognates, which makes reading a lot easier. I'm starting by reading through the Radio-Canada.ca site each morning; other suggestions for sites would be appreciated!
Math would be the obvious one, but since I did well in advanced math classes from 7th to 11th grade, that's not entirely appropriate.
Science is another possibility, but I made it to, and through, AP Chemistry in 12th grade, and I wasn't completely bad at it.
Mechanical skills would be a strong contender, but now I have an able tutor (J) who walks me through the basics of car fixin', construction, electrical stuff, and the like.
So I settled on my inability to speak or to write fluently in another language. I took three years of French in high school, as most public schools demand, and that wasn't nearly enough. I dabbled in German for a semester, but the instructor was too awful to even consider another semester. The only thing I got out of another 2 years of college-level Spanish was the ability to count to 100 en espanol. I can't even trill my r's.
Now, it's back to French. I'm great at guessing the English/Latin cognates, which makes reading a lot easier. I'm starting by reading through the Radio-Canada.ca
site each morning; other suggestions for sites would be appreciated!
Permalink: Actualit_s.html
Words: 226
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: war
01/20/06 11:55 - 52ºF - ID#24925
Yellow Elephants
Contrast this article by Ron Kovic (author of Born on the Fourth of July ) with the "patriots" featured over at Operation Yellow Elephant .
I'm well aware that joining the military in any capacity is an intensely personal decision. I also believe strongly that any pundit, politician, member of the 101st Fighting Keyboardists , and citizen - and their children who are over 18 - should have been the first ones on the planes over to Iraq to "bring them democracy."
by Ron Kovic (author of Born on the Fourth of July ) with the "patriots" featured over at Operation Yellow Elephant .I'm well aware that joining the military in any capacity is an intensely personal decision. I also believe strongly that any pundit, politician, member of the 101st Fighting Keyboardists
, and citizen - and their children who are over 18 - should have been the first ones on the planes over to Iraq to "bring them democracy."
Permalink: Yellow_Elephants.html
Words: 114
Location: Buffalo, NY
Category: food
01/19/06 05:47 - 42ºF - ID#24924
On Events and Cakes
This past weekend, we started to look for a place from which to order a wedding cake. The actual wedding is not for awhile, but I'm a planner, and we're planning ahead. Besides, it was a chance to eat cake, something that I don't believe I have ever refused.
Some advice: don't tell the bakery staff that the cake is for a wedding. An event? Sure. A celebration? Of course. But the minute the words "wedding" or "bride" get introduced, the price skyrockets and options become incredibly inflexible. I was disappointed. How hard is it to bake 4 square cakes, of a normal, average height, with white frosting, simple light purple piping on the edges, with lots of space for fresh flowers on the top (supplied by me)? Apparently, this bakery "doesn't do that," although they clearly had the pans by which to do them.
I have a very simple idea for the cake that does not involve tiers, excessive architecture, or complicated frosting. If I wasn't worried about doing other things that day, like getting married, I'd be content with baking and decorating this dessert on my own.
Aside from figuring out who to invite and how to print my invitations, the only other thing on my mind for this "event" is finding a sparkly pair of shoes in some shade of silver or purple.
Some advice: don't tell the bakery staff that the cake is for a wedding. An event? Sure. A celebration? Of course. But the minute the words "wedding" or "bride" get introduced, the price skyrockets and options become incredibly inflexible. I was disappointed. How hard is it to bake 4 square cakes, of a normal, average height, with white frosting, simple light purple piping on the edges, with lots of space for fresh flowers on the top (supplied by me)? Apparently, this bakery "doesn't do that," although they clearly had the pans by which to do them.
I have a very simple idea for the cake that does not involve tiers, excessive architecture, or complicated frosting. If I wasn't worried about doing other things that day, like getting married, I'd be content with baking and decorating this dessert on my own.
Aside from figuring out who to invite and how to print my invitations, the only other thing on my mind for this "event" is finding a sparkly pair of shoes in some shade of silver or purple.
Permalink: On_Events_and_Cakes.html
Words: 225
Location: Buffalo, NY
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