My Afflation

Today I had a discussion with a friend who was playing devil's advocate for Chewbacca Mom and can't understand my attitude about the situation. It started here: It's Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton all over again, in concept if not practice at least. Candace Payne has done nothing of value to earn celebrity status , and yet continues to cash in on it. Devil's advocate argument is that it doesn't matter, she's not hurting any one and no one will remember her in year. My point of view is that it does matter, because it's a reflection of today's society. We live in the Internet Age and everything that happens now  gets documented now . There is no revisionist history anymore. Additionally, she's not helping anyone either. What should have been a simple moment of joy shared with friends has turned a woman into an Internet sensation who has garnered so much attention it's unbeleivable, so unbeleivable that within three weeks of being unknown...

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I loved dining at Palo, but did not try this particular meal. Now I need to go buy some tuna steaks and substitute in some Paleo friendly risotto. Don't forget steamed veggies on the side. And for mom, some Moscato :) Grilled Tuna Ingredients  4-6 tuna steaks salt and pepper to taste olive oil lime juice Directions : Place tuna steaks and olive oil in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat the grill for medium heat. When coals are very hot, scatter a handful of hickory or mesquite wood chips over them for flavor. Lightly oil grill grate. Season tuna with salt and pepper, and cook on the preheated grill approximately 6 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a serving platter, and drizzle with freshly squeezed lime juice. Serve immediately. Risotto (adapted from Cynthia Underground )  Ingredients 1  head   cauliflower 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (or truffle oil if you have it) to taste   olive oil 1/...

My daughter declared these the absolute best mashed potatoes she has ever had. So of course I had to get the recipe. I think these will replace garlic mashed potatoes as the Thanksgiving staple. Chef Mickey's Creamy Parmesan Mashed Potatoes Recipe from Chef Mickey's Official Photo folder Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Total time: 40 minutes Yield: 8-12 servings Ingredients 8 cups peeled and diced Idaho potatoes 1.5 cups heavy cream (or half & half) 1/2 cup butter 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon Kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Cooking Directions Boil potatoes until fork tender, about 30 minutes. Drain potatoes and place in large mixing bowl (or reuse pot) Heat cream and butter in saucepan over low heat until butter is melted and warm. Add warm cream and butt...

HOLY SHITtake mushrooms! I am still in shock after reading this. Never in a million years would I have though that George would sell to Disney, despite all of the collaboration. I wonder what the seventh film will be like? Will it follow George's original vision ? And will they finish out the trilogy so that we have all nine movies (after almost 40 years!) The third trilogy starting with Episode VII was to deal with Luke's life as a Jedi. Episode VIII was to deal with Luke's sister (not Leia) coming from another part of the galaxy and Luke was to become a Jedi Master and pass on his training to her. Episode IX was to feature the appearance of the Emperor and have Luke and his sister confront him on the Imperial Capital Planet of Had Abbadon, possibly bringing about the Return of the Republic and the Jedi Order. Episodes VII, VIII, and IX would have taken place from approximately 40 ABY to 203 ABY, based on early facts from Lucas. A detailed fan timeline, S...

Okay,  it's Thursday, but it's so blustery outside all I can think about is Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. The wind storm has been going on since last night, so I guess that qualifies as "Windsday".

This past weekend we watched Real Steel on vudu . We argued over this film. I've wanted to see it since it debuted (honestly, only because of Hugh Jackman, plain and simple). My daughter wasn't all that into it -- it's boxing, not hockey, softball, basketball, or soccer, know what I mean? And the Hunk wasn't all that thrilled about it because it was clearly a "family film" and likely sappy and lame. And he didn't want to watch me drool over Hugh for two hours. 30 minutes in and we were all hooked! At the end I wanted to watch it again and we all agreed that it's a movie worth owning . This is a story about a man (Charlie Kenton played by Hugh Jackman) growing up and out of a selfish self-centered, short-sighted jackass and finding himself to be something more lovable. It's also about a street-smart, strong-willed child who knows what's best for his father, and a robot with a secret. But Max (Dakota's character) doesn't come acr...

With John Carter (by Edgar Rice Burroughs , you know, the Tarzan guy) coming out soon, I got on Project Gutenburg and found the first 5 books for free (which can also be bought online for your Kindle - The John Carter of Mars Collection  (3 books) - but my Nook reads epubs, so I opted to go the free route rather than pay, because, you know B&N offers a similar collection too). By the way, please keep in mind that this series was written at the turn of the 20th century and is set just after the Civil War. Free Downloads : Princess of Mars also as an audiobook   The Gods of Mars   Warlord of Mars   Thuvia, Maid of Mars   Chessmen of Mars I haven't been able to find books 6-11 for free, but I will keep looking. In the meantime, you can read it online , with illustrations at read.gov UPDATE  A little digging around the interwebz helped me find the rest of the series. They are zip,text, and HTML versions at Project Gutenberg Australi...

I can't remember the last time I read this poem to my children. Then again, it's been quite a while since I had both of them with me for Christmas Eve. You can't really maintain traditions if no one shows up. Illustrator: Jessie Willcox Smith At least this year I have more Christmas spirit than I have in the last few years . This year is low-key and I've kind of gotten used to the idea of having two Christmases or delaying it until the New Year when we're all together.  Three Kings Day works just as well to celebrate the birth of Christ, and in my mind makes much more sense for the 12 Days of Christmas. Maybe in a year or two I can save up enough to go to Florida for Christmas. That would be weird, I mean, what gets warmer than California at Christmas-time?? But what would be better than Walt Disney World at Christmas-time?   Twas the night before Christmas , when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were ...

I couldn't join, but it was fun to watch. Really hoping that this is available after the hangout. UPDATE They edited the video and made it available for public consumption! Disney's The Muppets hits theaters this Thanksgiving! To celebrate, several of the stars took part in a Google+ Hangout on their brand new profile -- mostly because Miss Piggy insists on being in all of the important Circles.

Happy Birthday! I try to make my kid's birthdays memorable. It gets harder as they get older. My son simply asks for money now. My daughter, I can still surprise and impress. Last night we attended the  PROM  cast signing at Macy's in the Glendale Galleria. At the signing event, Macy’s shoppers can make a girl’s prom dream come true by donating their gently worn prom or formal dresses, which will be given to LA’s Prom Closet, a local DonateMyDress.org chapter.  

4/365 Jack's Back Originally uploaded by Nannerlady Sometimes you need to pay attention to your inner child.

Disney Online, part of the Disney Interactive Media Group , launched a new Web site featuring an original video series from The Jim Henson Company called " The Possibility Shop ".  The Possibility Shop with Courtney Watkins is a fun web video series for moms to demonstrate how to turn very dull, ordinary afternoons into amazing creative adventures for the whole family. The site can be accessed through Disney.com or FamilyFun.com and is exclusively sponsored by The Clorox Company for its Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes and toilet-cleaning products. An episode listing can be found here on Family.com