TGIF VGNO! - And...Go Vote For Me!

Time For A Question

Since this is a holiday weekend I would like to know how you are going to celebrate Independence Day?

I have no idea what we are doing. I bought a pork loin that I'm going to marinade, then put on some Famous Dave's Rub and put on the grill with some hickory chips. But first I must go get a propane refill because when I marinaded a chuck roast earlier this week the tank went empty on me after I browned it off and set the grill to cook it on indirect heat. Drat. I had to finish it in the oven. It was good, but would have been so much better on the grill. So first thing on my list is getting that refill.

Anastasia want to go to our community's fireworks, so weather permitting we'll be out with the masses.

So, what are your 4th of July plans?

Oh, after you tell me your plans, be sure to stop over and vote for me in Lin's Duck and Wheel With String First Official Dork-Off Contest. All you need to do is click on the link, Duck and Wheel With String and post a comment that you are voting for me, Lola. Here is my no doubt award winning photo:
SO PLEASE, GO VOTE FOR ME, LOLA, BY LEAVING A COMMENTING SAYING THAT YOU VOTE FOR ME AT: Duck and Wheel With String.

Thank you!

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

weekly blog hop - intro

***At Lola's Diner we'll be sharing recipes and conversation across the virtual lunch counter. Topics will be varied and can include current events, politics, parenting, and GLBT topics.***

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

art is everywhere - think outside the canvas

Yes, these are ordinary styro-foam coffee cups. I found these on Flickr.

Aren't they fun pieces of art?

Most of the 161 pieces of art shown on Boey's Flickr page are for sale. (Some have already been sold.) Prices range from $120-$300 and include a display case. The display case measures approximately 4"x4"x 5".

This is what the art looks like in the display case. From the artist's notes on Boy Obsolete's Flickr Page, "They come in a case, with a hand cut name tag and cork base. Oh yes, because I am still very 1985."

More from the artist, Boy Obsolete:

"Drawing on cups is a challenge. Unlike a flat canvas, you have to consider compositions from all around. Which is what I spend most of my time doing off the top of my head.

I don't do initial drafts on the cup. I do that on paper, but even that is rare, most of the time it's a straight shot. Part of the fun is not messing up...and that can happen anytime...sometimes, 95% into the work.

How do I mess up? It's styro-foam, it charges up easy. Lint can stick to it, so can tiny hairs. When it gets caught on my sharpie, and I am not aware of it, a fine point can suddenly become a broad stroke.

If I mess up, I drink out of it."

You can't say that about paper, or canvas, can you?

I really think this is an awesome change of pace for art. Don't you?

To view all of the styro-foam art click Boy Obsolete's Flickr Page.

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

google reader/friend connect isn't working

To those of you who managed to find me today, YAY!

Google Reader/Friend Connect is not working. Mine says I'm not following anyone. Ack! Where are my blogger pallies? I hope they resolve this soon. Here is what it says on the Blogger Help Known Issues Page:

Friend Connect is experiencing degraded performance this morning which is affecting many Blogger blogs. This results in several known issues:

• Your Blogger dashboard will report you are not following any blogs.
  
• Recently created blogs will see an error in their Followers gadget which indicates "Community not found".
• Managing followers from your Blogger dashboard is currently not working.
• Adding social gadgets to your site will generate an error when the gadget attempts to display a preview, and you will not be able to complete adding the gadget.
• Following a site by entering the URL into your Blogger dashboard will not work.

The Friend Connect team is aware of the issues and is working on fixes. Your followed blogs will return to your dashboard when Friend Connect operation resumes. We apologize for the disruption. —

You can also go to that page to report an outtage.

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

If I Could Blog Back Time Thursdays - Fourth of July Memories

Come join me for a very special edition of If I Could Blog Back Time Thursdays! We'll be taking time out to share some memories. We'll Blog Back Time with possible ways to right past wrongs or about how times have changed. We'll share childhood memories, school/work memories, family and friend memories.

Today's topic is: Fourth of July Memories

As a kid we always attended the Oak Creek 4th of July celebration. From grade school thru high school I even marched in the parade. I marched with my grade school. Students that were in band played instruments, the rest of us basically just followed the band members. Yes, we were that lame. But we had to do it to get to have first dibs on the ice cream cups and bottles soda. You really wanted first dibs because you didn't want to get stuck with the Red Cream Soda that was left at the end. My Dad and our neighbor Tim dispensed the ice cream and soda so we didn't have to worry about quantity, but we did want to avoid that dreaded Red Cream Soda.

I'm not a big fan of parades, but when my kids were little we packed up the car and drove back to my hometown so they could have my 4th of July experience. We lived in Chicago at the time and I wasn't a fan of Grant Park so we definitely weren't doing that. Instead of walking in the parade I was a spectator. (Did I say I wasn't a fan of parades?) It was really great to watch my kids enjoy the parade. Our son especially enjoyed the antique fire trucks and the antique cars the city officials rode in. We still got to partake in the ice cream cups and soda afterward, but had to deal with the long lines after the parade participants.

After several years I got tired of the driving and the expense of hauling all the way to my hometown, so several years we went to the Skokie 4th of July Parade. (Got to love those Shriners mini's!) Then when I worked in Glencoe we went to the their parade.
Now we kind of avoid the whole parade thing, but we do go in for the fireworks displays because Anastasia loves them. The first year we moved to the burbs we parked in a lot near the display and watched from inside our car. I even opened the sun roof of my SUV so we could watch them overhead. It was very crowded and we failed to bring lawn chairs, but we ended up having the best seats. Last year we sat in our backyard and watched our neighbors' displays. They were actually quite impressive.

This year is still up for grabs. So what are you doing for July 4th?

Please post your "Fourth of July Memories" on your blog. Then come back to Lola's Diner and leave the actual post link here. Please grab the html code for If I Could Blog Back Time Thursdays! Badge HERE.

Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

IF YOU SEE THAT MR. LINKY APPEARS TO NOT BE WORKING, PLEASE POST A LINK TO YOUR "FOURTH OF JULY MEMORIES" IN THE COMMENTS TO MAKE SURE WE ARE AWARE OF YOUR PARTICIPATION. THANK YOU!

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MR LINKY IS STRICTLY FOR 'IF I COULD BLOG BACK TIME THURSDAYS' PARTICIPANTS ONLY.
ANY OTHER LINKS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT PREJUDICE!

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

this just in...Michael Jackson...

STILL DEAD.
Yup, still D E A D.

How low of a journalist (and I use that term loosely) do you have to be to look into whether a deceased person's children are really their biological children? Seriously. The man was childlike, he loved children, he wanted a family in whatever configuration he chose to have. (Don't many of us have non-traditional families?) What business is it of the general public who the father or mother of his children were? He was legally their father, regardless of paternity.

Back to what the media isn't concentrating on, the allegations that Michael Jackson was a pedophile. How quickly they forget don't they? No mention at all of the Jesus Juice in any reports I've seen. And frankly, I've seen too many. I'm about ready to put a moratorium on MJ media coverage in my house. One interesting thing I did see in my traipsing through the blogosphere today was a number of blogs addressing the alleged molestations, calling out to those alleged victims saying "WE BELIEVE YOU". Interesting.

Isn't it interesting also that this nurse/nutritional counselor/friend has come forward to say that June 21, she was contacted by a member of Jackson's staff. "He called and was very frantic and said, 'Michael needs to see you right away.' I said, 'What's wrong?' And I could hear Michael in the background. . . . 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold,' " Ms. Lee said. "At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system," she said. Hmmm, Ms. Lee, if that conversation actually happened and you felt that he should go to the hospital, why did you do nothing and contact no one else? Were it true, why didn't you contact a member of MJ's family?

Why is the media still feeding on this? They barely covered Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett's funerals. They barely mentioned Fred Travalena's death on June 28th. He was a celebrity impressionist genius.

Karl Malden died today. How much have you heard about that? He had the longest marriage in Hollywood history, but I bet you won't hear about that. Because that's something positive. The media is only out for the negative. He was also a member of the United States Postal Service's 16-member Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, which meets to review recommendations for U.S. commemorative postage stamps. But that won't sell thousands of copies of US Weekly and People magazine. It's too bad celebrities need to do something scandalous to be recognized in death.

How about waiting for the autopsy results? How about stop reporting on your speculation? How about leaving his children alone and stop trying to dredge up their parentage?

Oh, and in MJ's Will Diana Ross was named as an alternate if his mother predeceased him or was unable to care for his children. Doesn't that mean that the kids would be back with Michael? I mean, since all the plastic surgery Michael has had, have you ever seen the 2 in the same room? Oh wait, is that LaToya. Or Janet. Or any of the 3? Hmmm...

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

it's that time of the year...

Summer means picnics and bbq's and that means potato salads.

One of the things that frustrates me endlessly since I moved to Illinois is the fact that you cannot get German Potato Salad at any grocery deli.
A nice cold, tangy German Potato Salad with just the right amount of real bacon. Mmmm. I remember every Sunday after church we'd go to Sentry Foods and get hot ham, rolls and German Potato Salad. When we had family parties we could order it in huge gallon pails. In Wisconsin, German Potato Salad is a staple.

Even when I lived in Chicago, I could not find it in a grocery store deli department. Yes, can get "Grandma's German Potato Salad" in a teeny tiny package. Maybe 4 ounces for $4.99. Meanwhile every other kind of potato salad comes in practically a gallon size drum for that price. So, were I wanting to purchase the German Potato Salad I would need to purchase maybe 60 for a party? I'm not even going to do the math. What is up with that?

Noooo, I don't want to make my own German Potato Salad. I tried that once. I couldn't get the vinegar right. I want to buy it.

I don't want American Potato Salad, Mustard Potato Salad, Dill Potato Salad, Amish Potato Salad or Macaroni Salad. Ok, the Deviled Egg Potato Salad isn't bad, and I do enjoy Dill Potato Salad, but it's not German Potato Salad! What the hell makes a potato salad Amish anyway? To me it just tastes like Mustard Potato Salad.

Why can't I get a pound, or a family size tub of German Potato Salad around here?

Are they rationing it here in Illinois?

Can someone hook me up?

If my sister comes for the 4th of July I may ask her to smuggle some across the border. I wonder what the penalty is for getting caught smuggling deli salads across state lines?

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009