TheLobby09

Guest post written by my buddy Bernardo Graham

5:00 is the witching hour at our house. Everyone is hungry. The kids are tired. I’m tired. It’s time to cook dinner. In the past, the kids would literally be screaming at my feet for me to hold them, but that has all changed since we got Dish Network. Seriously, I put on a Barney and BAM- I have 30 minutes of quiet, uninterrupted time to get dinner cooked and on the table. Some mothers, I know, may view that as lazy parenting on my part, but at that point in the day, it is just survival mode. If a little TV can help me to get the job done, I am not going to feel guilty about it. I’ve heard people say not to let the TV act as a “babysitter,” but frankly, I don’t see what is wrong with it every now and then, especially at a time of day when everyone would be unhappy otherwise. A little Barney never hurt anyone and believe me, having a peaceful home in the evening is worth it.

I just read this at Huffington Post.

Sharing it with you all. What a touching story: Couple, Married for 73 Years, Dies 4 Hours Apart

Presley and Ethel Bradshaw, a Kentucky couple, had been married for 73 years when they died Monday, hours apart.

Ethel, 99, entered a Louisville nursing home four years ago when her health began to decline. Presley, 101, visited his wife there several times a week.

“[He would] hold her hand, kiss all over her, tell her how much he loved her and missed her,” Shannon Bass, Director of Admissions at Meadowview Health and Rehab Center, told Wave3.com. Two years later, he moved into the center to be with his wife.

“They were a true epitome of the word love,” said Meadowview nurse Chasity Stoudemire.

Presely died first, with Ethel following him four hours later. Though Ethel suffered from dementia,Bass believes she was aware that her husband had died.

The couple were married on Oct. 21, 1938 in Somerset, Kentucky.

It seems that long-married couples are often intrinsically aware of the death of one spouse, perhaps because of their strong bond. Below, five stories of other loving, long-married couples who lived their lives together, til death (hours apart) did them part.

Original post here.

I got a bit sentimental with the story because the husband and I will be celebrating our wedding anniversary soon.  Although we’ve known each other for quite a while now, we’ve only been married for a few years.  I would like to be married to my husband for 73 years or longer. What an achievement and inspiration!

I remembered watching MTV Cribs and admiring how amazing and awesome these celebrity, musician or athlete’s houses were.  I especially like the houses of singers, composers or musicians because they have their own complete studios with mixers and m-audio tampa to be exact, which I have to google to know what it was exactly for a non-music person like me. It’s nice to learn new things although I know that it will probably never apply to me but I’m sure for those inspiring to become a music producer, song writer, singer or artist can learn from watching how great and how valuable their investments when it comes to their passion in life, which is music.

Original post from Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz

I am reposting this because these are SIMPLY AMAZING!  How I wish I could have seen it here in the US.

Please check out VIDEOS and original post HERE.

On January 22, an M8.7 class flare helped cause the biggest solar storm since 2005. Airplanes had to change routes, and the power grid and satellites were affected. It also caused some of the best auroras ever seen.

This spectacular coronal aurora was captured over Fairbanks, Alaska, recorded from 1:44 to 2:11am local time on January 22, 2012.

Two days later, you could still see the effects of the raging proton, radiation and geomagnetic storm over Ylläs-Äkäslompolo, Lapland, Finland.

This timelapse of the Northern Lights were shot in Molde, Norway in the evening of January 23.

This aurora was captured from Atlantic Road on January 22.

Lapland photographer Chad Blakley captured this one shining in the skies of Sweden on January 24, 2012.

Again the intense light show in northern Norway.

These were also captured in Norway, just over the village of Birtavarre, next to the Kåfjordelva river.

I’ve recently discovered my love for Pinterest.  It really is addicting.  I find that when I turn on my computer in the morning, I would immediately go to Pinterest and spend a nice 20-30 minutes looking for ideas and “pinning” some nice things I really like. I didn’t think I would like it at first but I am now hooked! Here’s a sample of 2 (of my many) boards.

Love it!

My husband, pre-mountain bike days, has had many memories with basketball leagues either at his workplace or just with his group of friends.  These days, you can hardly get a yes for him to join since most of his free time are spent with his mountain bike. He enjoys listening to stories from his friend’s basketball league since almost all of them are playing for a team.  Last Saturday, I over heard them talking about it and laughing their hearts out.  Then they got into a conversation about sport trophies because the organizers are looking for a place where they can have a customized trophy for the winning team.  I think their “season” is about to end soon hence the need for trophies.

I think I want to go here this weekend.  Now, if only I can drag my husband to go to Chinatown for this. he’s not too fond of visiting Chinatown except for eating out at those Chinese restaurants there. Maybe I can trick him to go there by eating at one of the many restaurants.  That’s a nice idea! Ha ha.

Photo credit: Gary Leonard/ LA DowntownNews

The Chinese New Year is here and the Year of the Dragon will be celebrated Jan. 28-29 in Chinatown. In addition to mythical fire-breathing creatures, the weekend will feature Shaolin Warriors, dancers, a scavenger hunt, a cupcake war and more.

 The celebration’s high point may be on Saturday, when the Golden Dragon Parade runs from 1-4 p.m. along Broadway and Hill Street. It will include more than 100 floats, vintage cars, dancers, bands and martial arts performers.

If you want to go, the Chinese New Year Festival is from noon to 8pm on Jan 28 and noon to 5pm on Jan 29th.  The 113th Golden Dragon Parade is on Jan 28 from 1-4pm.

I have been asked this question plenty of times, “What is your hobby?”  Every time I answer that question, I often find myself stuttering and scrambling for words to say.  To tell you the truth, the only thing I could think of is digiscrapping aside from running (but I’m not too sure if that is considered as a hobby).  I know that there are people who are serious collectors of different sorts like old postage stamps, paper money from different countries, gold or silver coins.  There are those who would really buy morgan dollars for their most precious collections.  Now, I’m actually thinking of collecting something as a hobby.  It would be nice to have collected something over the years and pass it on to our future children.

I am now addicted to Pinterest.

I saw this today and would like to share it with you

Something to bear in mind. Original post here.

I saw a picture of Taho from an online friend and I immediately want one for myself.  I missed it a lot. I haven’t had it since March/April 2011. I know, that long! My husband finally gave in to my wish. 

Tahô is a Philippine snack food made of fresh soft/silken tofu, arnibal (brown sugar and vanilla syrup), and pearl sago (similar to pearl tapioca).  This staple comfort food is a signature sweet and can be found all over the country.

The main ingredient, fresh soft/silken tofu is processed to a consistency that is very similar to a very fine custard. Brown sugar is then heated and caramelized to create a viscous amber-colored syrup called arnibal. Sago “pearls,” purchased from the local market or palengke, are boiled to a gummy consistency until they are a transluscent white.

Source.