So – in the past two weeks, the family has been through a lot of changes.  Dan got a new job, working in Center City, and he’s now out of his previous position, which we affectionately called Hell.  This is a fantastic opportunity for him, the start of a new career, the chance to possibly used to the skills he’s gained being in New Media, and a pay raise.  But with these changes, come some changes to the family.   I could use some advice, or discussion on two issues – ones that have a very domestic flavor to it. Read the rest of this entry

It occurs to me, as I contemplate my dinner options for tonight, that I really play fast and loose with recipes. Tonight was going to be macaroni and cheese and ham. This recipe has morphed considerably from the time it came into ours family. Twenty-eight years ago, when my mom was a newly minted cardiac nurse, she got the mother-of-all macaroni and cheese recipes from a patient. The secret to this recipe is that the sauce is based on a roux.

When I grew up and started cooking on my own, I started tweaking the recipe. I used the microwave to make the roux because I was hopeless at making it on the stove. Then I upsized the recipe to make a larger casserole. My mother had been adding ham for years, but I raised the stakes by adding broccoli. Unfortunately, my husband is not fond of this variation. (I will include the original and modified recipes at the bottom of the post.) Read the rest of this entry

Okay, I know I could be cooking, but the Kid is doing the dishes, so I can start off with a clean kitchen. But overnight, an article on Boing Boing caught my attention.  It appears that Amazon has pulled all of Macmillian’s titles from it’s Kindle Store – because Macmillian wanted the price point of ebooks to be approximately $15, rather than Amazon’s $10.  This is because they are one of the suppliers for Apple’s ebook application for the poorly-named iPad and the almighty Steve Jobs mentioned that ebooks might cost approximately $15.

Now, I have a Kindle, and love it dearly.  Because of it – I probably read a whole lot more last year than I would have.  The iPad doesn’t really interest me, and when I heard that the Apple’s ebook prices would be about $15, I shut down.  See – $9.99 is the most I’ll pay for an ebook.  I just can’t justify anything more – especially for a digital file with DRM on it.  Would I pay more for non-DRM – probably not.  And even at $9.99, I really have to think hard before I push that button to pay.  But with that price point in mind – if I am to get a digital copy for that price or less (or even free), if I really like the book – I’ll pony up to pay for a hard copy.

Read the rest of this entry