Here We Go

So what do we do when it seems as though the world has fundamentally changed since the last time we wrote a post? We don't have an answer, but we will see as things progress. Today we will just write a post about food, how's that for starters?

Food thought #1: Even though it seems like it, it is not a good idea to have Black Pepper Jack Doritos, French Onion Dip, mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and 5 beers for dinner. Trust us on this one, you will regret it the next day.

Food thought #2: We have finally decided that disliking Magic Hat beers on principle because so many other people (read: New Englanders) think Magic Hat is some kind of unassailable masterpiece brewery, God's gift to beer drinkers etc is pointless. What changed our mind was when we opened a bottle of MH's Seasonale Jinx and found the following quotation on the cap "All my friends are brown and red." Any brewery that is willing to quote Soundgarden is all right by us. Plus, this just shows that Magic Hat wishes it were a Pacific Northwest beer.

Food thought #3: For the rest of our life, every time we drink a beer, before we take our first sip, we will raise it to Will Stavlund's memory and say a prayer for his family.

Food thought #4: We have devised the best recipe ever. Just listen to this. Dorito. Lasagna. All you do is replace the lasagna noodles with Cool Ranch Doritos. And maybe replace the ricotta cheese with that liquid nacho cheese in a can. How could this not be good? Well, maybe the tomatoe sauce should be replaced with some kind of taco sauce. This is making us very hungry.

William Addison Stavlund

May 9 - September 12, 2006



Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

If I missed your blog in this list, send me an email and let me know. I want to hit as many as I can.

Poetry Thursday

Pigtail
by Tadeusz Rozewicz

When all the women in the transport
had their heads shaved
four workmen with brooms made of birch twigs
swept up
and gathered up the hair

Behind clean glass
the stiff hair lies
of those suffocated in gas chambers
there are pins and side combs
in this hair

The hair is not shot through with light
is not parted by the breeze
is not touched by any hand
or rain or lips

In huge chests
clouds of dry hair
of those suffocated
and a faded plait
a pigtail with a ribbon
pulled at school
by naughty boys.

In the Blink of an Eye

For my readers (all two of you) that don't already know, I work for an automotive supplier that manufactures safety devices, e.g. seatbelts, airbags, and in some countries child seats. As part of my job, I occasionally participate in accident case reviews. On of our research partners is a very highly regarded children's hospital, and today I attended a child injury case review.

The last case we reviewed was a horrible collision in which a big Econoline van plowed into the side of a minivan, essentially focusing all the crash energy on the exact position where a seven-year-old girl was sitting. The side of the minivan caved in about 1.6 feet, completely crushing the girl. She died. The crash investigators said that when the emergency medical responders arrived on the scene, the girl's mother (who had relatively severe injuries of her own, like a dislocated spine) was in the back trying to make sure her daughter wasn't dead....

I'm sorry, I can't finish this right now, so I'll have to come back in a few minutes............

Okay. I'm back. Sorry about that. Anyway. It's so hard for me to think about something like that in a clinical manner. I just take things too personally, I guess. It does make me feel good, however, that I work for a company that is actively trying to prevent as many tragedies like this as we can. Maybe I am contributing something to the world at large. I have to think that I am, otherwise I'll lose it whenever I participate in a review of a fatal accident. If I can prevent one family from being ripped apart by a senseless tragedy, I'll feel like I've succeeded.


P.S. My prayers are with the people of London today, especially those that lost a loved one this morning, as they deal with a much larger senseless tragedy.

Darfur Through Kids' Eyes

Just a couple of pictures from the New York Times article today. If you don't know, this is related to the post from a few days ago about Sudan and the Worship for Justice organization.


Drawing by "Taha." 13 or 14 years old






Drawing by "Salah," 13 years old.