24 Months

Classic Lasagna

Prep: 45 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes

Ingredients
12 ounces bulk Italian or pork sausage or ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 dried lasagna noodles
1 beaten egg
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese or 2 cups cream-style cottage cheese, drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

... combined with long roses and a hallmark card ...

Happy 2 Years!

Desktops, Desktops, & Desktops

In the midst of everyday hustle bustle life, there is one place we always manage to find ourselves. We sit down and give a slight motion of hand, whether it be a push to the power button, a random hit of a key, or erratic shake of the mouse. As the fans initiate their rotations whistling away, we see the miniature green and red (or orange) fluorescent led illuminating at the corners of our eyes. Thirty to sixty seconds later, we look straight ahead, hand over mouse or pad, and what do you see?

That's what I want to know!!!

The "Desktop" is the living room of our digital lives. We live in it every day. Some people work in it, others play in it, and some do both at the same time. We lay out our favorite items that are frequently used and needed, while the rest are stored away in safe places. Some like to keep it clean and organized, while others don't mind it messy with garbage lying around. Some choose solid colors for their walls, while others decide to hang up a picture. Character and personality exist in our desktops, and I'm curious what yours look like.

So what do you see every day?

Send me your screenshot (or link to it) with your name, and I'll put it up. For those that do not know my email, send it to dann@empoweredmail.com

Mine

Amy Kuo

Amy Wang

Pierre

F E A R

f e a r
1. A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger.
2. A feeling of disquiet or apprehension: a fear of looking foolish.
3. Extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.
4. A reason for dread or apprehension: Being alone is my greatest fear.

A recent confrontation with my inner self has once again forced me to dig deeper into the abyss, attempting to uncover answers that I've already previously discovered before. Today, I just felt like sharing it.

I've always been afraid of many things growing up in this world. Some things more than others. I don't fear many things in the physical world, except spiders maybe. But delve into the world of social fears, and the bell starts ringing. Fear of abandonment, loneliness, failure, rejection, judgment... I'm not about to list them all because there'd be an overflow of HTML and my blog will start to look more like the DSM. But I think the one that encapsulates it all is fear itself. In other words, and this might sound a bit strange, I'm scared to be afraid. Fear has successfully screwed up many things in my life and continually causes grief. It has indefinitely reached the peak of my hate list. Funny thing about my fears is that I still have them. Since the day my brain had reached the stage in human development where the notion of fear became real, it's all been sticking with me ever since. Only difference between now and then is I have the ability to endure some of them. When we get older, we learn how to cope with fear better. But all the same. It's still there knocking on my door every time I walk into a room full of strangers, eyes set on me, or upon entering silent mode during a one on one conversation over dinner.

I recently watched "Troy" the other day, and Achilles (Brad Pitt) was my favorite character, hands down. In "Godfather II", young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) was an extreme pleasure to watch. Chili Palmer (John Travolta) in "Be Cool" was amazing. Envious is an understatement of how I feel about these characters. Why? Because they all lacked something that has otherwise been so unfortunately and negatively abundant in my life. Fear... They all did amazing things, because they had none of it. It's only natural for me to imagine the possibilities if I was blessed with the same fortune. Where does fear come from? God? Life? Parents? People? Media? Ourselves? The answer may be all. But I think we're born with it, contributing to our humanity. To be fearless, would mean to be inhuman, and possibly a God, similar to the way Achilles was portrayed in the movie.

At the end of it all, I'm just sick and tired of being afraid. I envy fearlessness because it's the one thing I'm dying to conquer, but seems impossible... because it will "free my mind" as Morpheus would say. The only current solution remains to be endurance... and enduring it is a whole new blog entry.

Modern Art

The question is obvious. What is that black square hanging innocently above my blog entry? I had the delighted pleasure and luxury to observe one just like it up close and personal this past weekend. The same question was probably pondered by millions of people all the same. Don't you see? Isn't it beautiful? How amazingly innovative? It's... It's... ART!

There you have it, in its most modern form ever, what you are seeing above these measly words is nothing less than art. On display within the walls of the MOMA (Musuem of Modern Art), you can find this piece hanging tall and proud, earning a spot on the beautiful canvas wall along side famous Picasso, Van Gogh, Dali, and others.

Update

It's been quite some time now since I've posted my last blog entry. However, I'll simply ignore the fact that I've been MIA from the blogging community for the longest time, and just get on with my entry. You all know the deal.

I wanna just make a point out in saying that "work" is definitely becoming the opposite of play regarding my last entry. Work was unbelievably stressful this past week, being in charge of huge responsibilities that I thought I might have after my second year in the working field. It's going to remain stressful for the next week, because I'm gonna be the go-to guy if there's any problems with anything regarding this particular application. Suddenly I feel like my job title should be switched to "Help Desk. Please stay away from me!".

I recently have been purchasing all sorts of cool new gadgets and gizmos within the past few weeks. I guess the consumer side of me has really been coming out and taking over ever since the dough has been rolling in from my new job. I've never had this much money in my checking account in my entire life. It's so hard to think twice when seeing that beautiful $340 iPod with my name written across. For some reason my old keyboard and mouse suddenly feel outdated, old, and klunky. What a convenient time to upgrade to a wireless desktop. Gotta keep up with technology right? Sure. Oh no, my beautiful iPod seems to need some clothes to shield itself from every day wear and tear. Great, I shall buy it some.

$340 = iPod + iTrip
$ 37 = iSkin
$120 = Ikea desk + drawer
$112 = Wireless desktop (current toy)
$ 22 = XBox game