Someone in my house brought home the October edition of the Food Network Magazine from the free table at work.  As part of a household whose inhabitants are rather serious about food, she thoughtfully left it on the kitchen table for thumbing through while waiting for water to boil, sauces to simmer, fish to bake, etc.

This morning I happened across a a savory-looking recipe for apple cider donuts, a helpful article on how to butcher a chicken, and then, on page 87, something quite horrific.  Melissa d’Arabian (who, I learned,  was this summer’s Next Food Network Star and now has her own show, Ten Dollar Dinners) had been issued a challenge to create several kid-friendly recipes that were both nutritious and cheap.  She rose to it and delivered.  But what the author found particularly impressive was how this accomplished woman has applied her degree:

Melissa has an MBA from Georgetown University, and she recently slashed the household bills for her husband, Phillipe, and their four daughters by more than half, to $175 a week.  ’If you saw my coupon binder, you’d be floored,’ she says.

If only more American women had the opportunity to enroll in an MBA program from a distinguished university so that they too could cut their household bills in two!

And what a shame — a missed opportunity for a brilliant article on the feminine mesquite.

I have fond childhood memories (and I believe there are photos as well, perhaps even video? eek.) of family dance parties and babysitter dance parties and yes, personal dance parties, to the tight harmonies and good vibrations of the Beach Boys. Okay, let’s be honest; the personal dance parties didn’t end and the family has been known to throw together the odd routine once in a while, though the tunes have changed.

Now, I’m no california girl, nor did I ride my little deuce coup down to the esplanade this evening, but God only knows there is something marvelous about a rock band putting on a good live show almost 50 years after the release of one of the greatest albums of all time. The marvelocity of it must have extended into the evening because as I write this, my neighbor’s television speakers swell with the opening chords of Paul McCartney’s favorite song (so I hear).

Pet Sounds : Sgt. Pepper as Hatch Shell : Fenway, apparently, as Paul (he never was one to be outdone) is playing two shows in a couple of weeks. Wouldn’t it be nice to go, and wouldn’t it be nicer to be older and to recall childhood memories of Shea Stadium, jelly babies, and outright mania.

 Newly established as Massachusetts residents, a colleague and I set out to discover today how we might be licensed to operate motor vehicles by the Commonwealth.  

Step 1: Determine what the DMV requires as proof of citizenship and identity.  

Here’s what DMV.org says:

• Social Security card
• Proof of D.O.B.
• Proof of Massachusetts residency
• Proof of signature 

Proof of signature?  I gather what they mean, but it sounds amusingly like the offline version of ‘confirm your password.’  Here’s how we imagine the directive:

“Yes, could you please sign here next to the ‘X’?  Thank you, and then please sign again on the line just below so we can confirm that the two signatures match.”

Step 2: Locate a DMV office

The most convenient location is the Cambridge Armory.  However, it might be difficult to find a convenient time to stop in:

what do these people get paid?

Do they make it this hard in every state?

One of my roommates was perusing the website of a certain purveyor of women’s undergarments and swimsuits (and, it turns out, even actual clothes!) this week, in the hopes of finding an item to bring her shopping cart total up to qualify for free shipping.  

For her and for many women I know, a bit of internal struggle inevitably enters the transaction when it comes to this particular brand.  Do the benefits of buying something comfortable outweigh the implicit endorsement of such gross malfeasance? The requisite screenshot has been omitted lest this should happen to me.

Comments ensued.  A few of my favorites:

• Upon discovering that the beloved, basic, no-frills version was no longer to be found without satin bows attached: “What?!  Bows?!  I AM NOT A PRESENT TO BE UNWRAPPED!!!”
• Re: a “scoopneck” version of the product, which claims to boost but (never fear) won’t peek out of low cut tops: “If you’re worried about peeking out, I’m going to have to say that the problem is not with your undergarment, but rather with YOUR SHIRT!
• Candid astonishment and horror at the following classifications:

Level 1: Subtle Lift
Level 2: Moderate Lift
Level 3: Dramatic Lift
Level 4: Extreme Lift 
Level 5: Ultimate Lift 

Needless to say, some of the (many) reasons I appreciate her.

Part III in a mini-series binge on kinetic typography

One of the greatest comedic sketches of all time. Masters of their craft.  Timing is everything.  Kudos to the animator!

I left the cellular device at home today par accident, a slip which tends to leave one, if one is like me, feeling disturbingly estranged from the world.  This is true even when one, if one is like me, has access to practically every other conceivable form of communication throughout the day (3 email accounts, 2 instant messaging services, Twitter, Skype, Facebook, and a land line).  Pitiful, really.

After work I stopped in to a store full of knick-knacks to pick up a greeting card and, though tempted, did not purchase the one that said, “I want to have text with you,”  mostly because I couldn’t imagine to whom I would send it.  Funny at first glance, yes, but after a few more seconds, a little weird.  Besides, shouldn’t it have been, “I want to have txt with you?”

I returned home to 0 missed calls and 3 txt messages from 3 different peeps, which I read in rapid succession:

12.13 pm: “Got to greet the [Dalai] lama this morning!”  (for real, she did).

3.25 pm: “I locked myself out–call when you can” (unfortunate day to have left the phone behind).

5.46 pm: “I just hugged my boss rick by accident.  It was awful.”  (entertaining for me but not for her, I’m sure).

of month-long hiatus.

Attn Ethiopian Entrepreneurs: 

The East Africa Bottling Share Company, which produces the soft drink in the region, last week temporarily shut its bottling operation in Ethiopia.

It said they had the Coca-Cola – but did not have the bottle tops.  It has been estimated that around 35,000 outlets throughout Ethiopia will be unable to serve Coca-Cola and sister brands until the shortage is resolved.

Street children have reportedly been collecting the much-needed bottle tops from the streets of Addis Ababa and selling them back to companies to recycle for around $0.2 (£0.13) a kilogram.

Via BBC

Last summer I spent several days with a Ugandan family in a suburb outside Kampala. When this family needs water for washing, cooking, and drinking, the daughters walk about a quarter of a mile to go get it. After a few hours of insisting that i wanted to go with them to collect water, they finally agreed to let me join them. I took a jerrycan in each hand and followed them down the hill to the neighborhood water source, which looks like this:

This isn’t a pump or a spigot that you can turn off and on; this is a drain. This is not clean water.

It’s no secret that clean water is one of the most basic human needs. It’s also no secret that lack of access to clean water is one of the largest contributors to illness, death, and poverty in many communities all over the world. That’s one of the reasons the UN General Assembly designated March 22 as World Water Day.

Dirty water is a big problem, and this weekend, World Water Day events are taking place in communities everywhere to raise money and awareness for clean water solutions.  Here’s just a taste (or should I say a sip?) of what some people are doing for the clean water cause at Firstgiving:

• Kyle is raising money for WaterAid America with a fundraising page connected to H20pia on Facebook.
• Peace Corps Volunteer Katie recently met her fundraising goal for Water Charity by asking her friends to throw money down the toilet. Intrigued? You can read more about it on her fundraising page.
• Megana and Becky are “running for running water,” training for a half marathon to raise money for Play Pumps International.
• Water First International is hosting a “Carry 5″ event in Seattle, Tuscon, and Boulder. Participants will carry 5 gallons of water for 5 kilometers to raise money and awareness for those around the world who take this difficult walk every day.

Are you investing in the clean water cause? What are you doing for World Water Day?

(Cross-posted at the Online Fundraising Blog)