What I'm listening to
Coast to Coast AM - usually on Shoutcast during the day.
Korn's Twisted Transistor. I like Korn.
KT Tunstall's Black Horse and a Cherry Tree. We heard her on NPR last weekend, and I found her myspace page . This is a song that makes me want to buy her CD and that's a rare thing. She is a one woman band and truly makes that work.
Air America in Buffalo on WHLD 1270AM the local crew was decent this morning, I caught a bit of Mr. Franken and friends over lunch, but I can't stand Randi Rhodes. It's not that her ideas are bad; her voice is just too shrill for me.
What I'm reading
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Latin
Mother Earth News (magazine)
Home Education Magazine
What I'm creating the kitchen this week
More focaccia
Yogurt
Dog treats
Something with steak
Something with eggplant

I want to plan a honeymoon. Right now we only have the general idea that "it'd be cool to go to Ireland ... sometime ... and do ... things, and stuff." We have friends who have gone there, but they had family to stay with throughout the country.
Has anyone travelled there? Do you have suggestions on getting there and getting around? Anything we should know before we buy tickets to the Emerald Isle?

Late last year, someone I am very close to had to have emergency surgery after a complication from a routine medical procedure. Though it was a known risk of the procedure, we still have questions on how the doctor handled the situation. I sent out an email to this person's NYS Senate and NYS Assembly representative, and to the NYS Department of Health, asking to whom we should direct a formal complaint. I wasn't expecting a response - it was more an intellectual exercise to see how responsive state officials are.
To my total surprise, the Senate Member, John DeFrancisco (or someone from his office) sent the address for the Office of Professional Discipline within 24 hours. 24 hours. This is outstanding, totally great, and is one small step towards a restoration ofmy faith in state government.
The Assembly Member, Joan Christensen , had an even quicker response, but didn't answer the question. Instead they asked for my family member's postal address so (her office) could respond by mail. Ho hum.
So, Joan's office - wait, I'm sorry, the New York State taxpayers - will spend 39 cents to respond to this simple question, in addition to paper, ink and other ancillary costs. John's office gave me the answer I needed over email - with no appreciable cost.
Of course I've had no response from the Health Department. I won't hold my breath.
[updated to add: I stand corrected. They just sent me detailed instructions on how to download a complaint form and how to proceed. Mad props to the NYS Health Department]
Thank you, Senator DeFrancisco. You done good. May you and your staff have many more happy years in office.

I've previously sent emails to local (Buffalo) politicians with basic, legitimate questions about city and regional issues. I don't know whether to attribute their lack of response to a) arrogance, b) an inability to do their jobs, or c) an inability to form complete sentences. Why choose? I should go with all three.

This link (seen on Metafilter ) was just a joy to look at. So artful! So full of food!

Perfect, elastic dough; delicious, slightly salty taste.
Ingredients
1 cup lukewarm water
3 cups bread flour
2 tbsp. dry milk
3 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
handful of chopped sundried tomatoes
(topping: 1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary; 3/4 tsp. garlic salt or garlic powder; 2 tbsp. romano or parmesean cheese)
Tools
Breadmaker
Big Bowl
Pizza stone
Steps
Add the water, flour, dry milk, sugar, salt, OO and tomatoes to the breadmaker. Mix it at the dough setting. On my breadmaker, it's about 90 minutes.
Remove the dough and knead on a well floured surface for at least a minute. The dough should be elastic and slightly sticky (the floured surface will help).
Put the dough into an oiled bowl - fli it around a few times so that the entire surface is coated.
Place a damp towel over the bowl and let sit for 15-30 minutes. It should get much bigger.
Lightly sprinkle corn meal on the pizza stone. Roll out the dough to the edges of the stone. Spray olive oil over the dough, and lightly poke the dough with the handle part of a wooden spoon or the handle part of the rolling pin. "Dot" it well! otherwise you'll get gigantic pockets in the final baked bread.
Cover again with a damp towl and let sit for at least 30 minutes. I set mine on top of the stove, and preheat the oven for the final 10 minutes.
Remove the towel and sprinkle the rosemary, garlic and cheese over the top. Other combinations of spices would work - use your imagination.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until browned. Slice into squares or strips for serving; use a selection of toppings (tapenade? ), spiced olive oil for dipping, or melted cheese for snacky goodness. This also goes well with soup .