I'm Kindling

I bought a Kindle from Amazon a couple of weeks ago and it is fantastic. Reading has become more difficult for me over the last couple of years, partly due to the optic nerve damage and nystagmus from my MS. I have a hard time tracking words on a page, especially when I'm tired, so often I have to re-read passages to get everything. I've started so many books in the last couple of years and not finished them because it was becoming so frustrating and difficult to read.

Sam and I had been thinking about picking up large print books but that just seemed depressing. And there wasn't a good selection of books from which to choose.

When the Amazon debuted the Kindle in November 2007 I was intrigued. I added it to my Amazon Wish List and took it off a couple of times over the last year. It seemed like a lot of coin to pay for an ebook reader and I wasn't sure if it would help. Well, I took the plunge a couple of weeks ago with the help of a $50 coupon and a couple of gift cards and I'm back to the books.

Some of the great Kindle features are the variable text size options, built in dictionary that you can access from the page you're reading, built in web browser and access to Wikipedia, and an MP3 player so you can listen to music on headphones while you're reading. The books are delivered wirelessly to your Kindle within a minute of ordering them from Amazon's website or the Kindle store on the Kindle. If you have Word, text, jpeg, tiff, gif, or PDF files you would like to view on your Kindle you can email them to Amazon and they will format them for the Kindle and send them to your device. How cool is that?

One of the best features is being able to download the first chapter of any book so you can see if you like it. There's something nice about being able to thumb through a book in a bookstore and being able to read the first chapter of a book is a pretty good substitute.

There are several online sources of free ebooks and you can download those to your PC/Mac and transfer them to the Kindle via USB connection. I've found alot of the classics on Feedbooks.com and now have dozens of free books on my Kindle. The Kindle holds about 200 books so I'm fine for now but if I start to run out of space I can insert an SD card to add storage.

There are dozens of newspapers and magazines that you can subscribe to for regular delivery or individual issue download. I'm enjoying a two week free trial of the New York Times delivered every morning. I'm not sure if I'll keep it but I may download the Sunday edition if we don't pick up a paper copy.

The Kindle screen is easy to look at for long periods of time. I've spent a few hours reading several times over the last two weeks and haven't experienced any eye fatigue or headaches. Yea! I'm about halfway through The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and am thoroughly enjoying my reading time.

I'll post an update on my Kindle use in a month or two. So far it's love at first Kindle.

Phonebanking for Obama

A few days days ago Sam & I signed up to phonebank for Obama. We had a morning soccer game to watch yesterday morning (Arsenal vs Stoke at 10am, miserable result) so we signed up for the 1pm to whenever shift. We were going to meet a fellow Arsenal fan at Jovita's Mexican Cafe on South 1st to make our calls, with mobiles and chargers in hand.

We arrived at Jovita's just after 1pm to find an empty parking lot and Jovita's doors locked. I thought, "You've got to be f'ing kidding me!" We decided to head over to the Obama headquarters on I35 to find another way to help out and when we arrived I asked to talk to the person who organized the Jovita's phonebank. When we found her she said she was surprised that there were people showing up with the same obervation, that they'd gone to Jovita's only to find that it was closed. She had listed the wrong day on the Obama sign up site, it should have been Sunday.

Come on people. There's too much at stake to make this kind of clerical mistake when people are signing up to spend their weekends trying to help out.

But I digress. We got our phone call scripts, tips on what to say and what not to say, and lists of registered voters in battleground state North Carolina. I called area codes 910 (the Fayetteville area) and 828 (the Charlotte area). I mostly got voicemails and I left detailed messages reminding the voters that if they hadn't yet voted that yesterday was the last day of NC early voting and reminded them of NC polls' hours on Tuesday.

About half of the people I spoke with had already voted which was great to hear. Three of the people I spoke with were McCain supporters; one woman's reponse made me chuckle to myself. I'd called to speak with her daughter who was out but when I said that I was a volunteer with the Obama campaign she almost gasped and said "Oh hon, we're really not interested at all. No, but I thank you for the call." She was trying so hard to be polite, which she was, but I could hear the disdain bubbling up. I thanked her for her time and wished her a lovely weekend.

The voters on the list were listed by address so couples and families were grouped together. I got to one couple and asked for "John" or "Jane". It was John who answered and after I got through my introduction he said that he had already voted but his girlfriend hadn't and he said that I needed to speak with her. He passed the phone to her and she sheepishly admitted that she hadn't voted yet and she sounded surprised when I told her that this Tuesday was election day. She committed to voting and we verified her polling place so she knew exactly where to go. I asked her if she would need a ride but she was fine, they were within walking distance. Yea, one more vote!

We may go phonebank again this afternoon although I'm tired and behind on house chores. We may try Jovita's this time since we know they'll be open this time around. The final push... we've got to do it.

Si, se puede.

I Love This T-Shirt

I need to get this shirt. Sam and I are those dog walking-dog poop
picking up people.

Get Out the Vote

Early voting in Texas started on Monday and I was in line at the local Randalls to cast my vote. If you don't vote you may be subjected to this ridicule. So go vote. Please.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This is what I find myself humming starting mid September. Why?
Because my favorite apple, the Honeycrisp, is available for the next
few months. It's the best apple. Ever.

Sam and I were in the market this afternoon and I sang that Christmas
song to him as I bagged my prized apples.

This is one of the most wonderful times of the year. Get them while
you can.

Sent from my iPhone

More Photos

On day two we ascended the space needle and enjoyed the 360 view of Seattle. It was a bit hazy so none of my photos were remarkable.

Then we went on a boat tour of Lake Union and Lake Washington. The weather was sunny and warm so both lakes were full of sail boats, motor boats, kayaks, canoes and water planes. There was so much traffic on the lake that a small sail boat crashed into the rear of our boat. The small boat and its passengers were fine. We saw the Sleepless in Seattle floating house.

Then we headed downtown and had a late lunch near Pioneer Square. After lunch we made our way over to the Square and went on the Underground Tour. I was very interested in doing this tour BUT I was very nervous about having a claustrophic panic attack. I thought I was going to let my mother and sister go without me while we were waiting but I decided to give it a shot. After we were underground and walking through the tunnels under the city I started to freak out a little bit but I kept my head down and started taking photos of everything. I just focussed on my camera and then we were done about 90 minutes later. It was a great tour, our guide was very informative and funny but more importantly I survived!

This is how I felt a few times when I thought about being under the city

Original wall covering from old Seattle

A storefront from old Seattle

Original Seattle plumbing: wooden pipes

Photos from Trip

Two weeks ago tomorrow I met my mother and sister in Seattle for a girl trip. Our flights arrived in Seattle within half an hour of each other so we collected our bags and met the car service which took us to our hotel in the Queen Anne Park neighborhood.

Once we settled in our room we called the Show Me Seattle tour group and the van picked us up for a three hour tour of Seattle. Our guide/driver Bob was very informative and entertaining. One quip that cracked me up was his comparison of his van with the quack tour amphibious vehicle. He said we could do that run into the harbour but it would be the only run. On this tour we stopped at small park in the beautiful Queen Anne neighborhood and we had this breathtaking, incredibly clear view of downtown Seattle with Mt. Ranier in the background.

ABC News: Food Rules: Labels Must Now Give Origin

ABC News: Food Rules: Labels Must Now Give Origin

This is a good start given the recent melamine contaminations in human and pet foods.

First Photo from Trip

This photo was taken on the way to Cathedral Grove with my iPhone's
camera. The grove was gorgeous. I'll post more photos when I get home
tomorrow. ttfn

Another Emmy

Paul Giamatti just won for lead actor in a mini series. He was fantastic as John Adams!

Yet Another Emmy

John Adams just won Best Miniseries!

Fantastic!

Two more Emmys for John Adams

Tom Wilkinson has just won an Emmy for his portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in John Adams. Also nominated in this category were Stephen Dillane (who played Thomas Jefferson) and David Morse (who played George Washington) and while I'm disappointed for them I'm happy about Wilkinson's win. He can do anything.

Another Emmy for John Adams, Kirk Ellis wins Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, etc. It's unfortunate that they cut to commercial when Ellis started to make a brief political comment. Give me a break people. Let him have a full minute to say something.

First Emmy for John Adams

Yea! Laura Linney just won an Emmy for her portrayal of Abigail Adams in HBO's "John Adams." I hope this is the first of many for "John Adams" this evening.

A Disappointing Dinner at Crave

Sam and I had a disappointing dinner at Crave tonight which I've quickly posted on Yelp.

Recent reviews by Eileen J.

What's this?

Thinking About My SIL

My sister in law, my brother's wife, found out yesterday that she has cervical cancer.  She's just a year younger than me.  It seems early, the lesion is the size of a button, but it's going to be a burden on them until it's removed and they get the all clear.  They were planning to try to get pregnant soon so I hope this doesn't interfere with those plans.  My brother would be a great dad.

Sending good thoughts and energy to Christine....

Testing

So this is how you blog from an iPhone.

Sent from my iPhone

Tonight's Dinner

I'm making one of my favorite quick recipes for dinner tonight, creamy goat cheese pasta with roasted asparagus. This is another recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine and tv program.

I use olive oil or a spread such as Smart Balance instead of butter. I wouldn't use the Smart Balance with flax oil though because it can't stand up to the heat. Sometimes I'll add a tablespoon or two of dijon mustard which adds a nice flavor.

Serves 4 Prep time: 20 minutes Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

2 bunches asparagus (2 pounds total), tough ends removed
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
12 ounces cavatappi or other short pasta
1 small log soft goat cheese (5 ounces), crumbled
2 to 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives, for garnish

Here's what to do:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Place asparagus on a large rimmed baking sheet; dot with 1 tablespoon butter, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, tossing occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes; cut into 2-inch lengths.

While asparagus is roasting, generously salt boiling water. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Set aside 1 1/2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth. Add goat-cheese mixture and asparagus to pasta; toss to combine, adding more pasta water if necessary for sauce to coat pasta. Serve pasta garnished with chives.

Yum.

New Coke Commercial for the Olympics

I unapologetically love the Olympics. I love the opening ceremonies, the human interest stories, the triumphs, the daily medal counts and the countless events.

And I've always loved Coke's Olympics commercials. They didn't disappoint me these games. This ad with Yao Ming and Lebron James is very clever: the display of each country's culture, the playful competitiveness and the cool music. Good job.

Quote for the Day

Since we dodged another tropical storm bullet yesterday and today I thought this would be a good quote for the day.

What sky! What light! Ah in spite of all it is blessed thing to be alive in such weather...
—Samuel Beckett

More Tysabri problems

Tysabri is a fairly new MS treatment and differs from the other treatments in that it is a monthly infusion rather than a self-adminstered injection. Tysabri was fast-tracked by the FDA because the clinical trial results were incredible. Tysabri became available in 2004 and was pulled in March 2005 because of three deaths due to PML, progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis.

The way Tysabri works is that it makes the blood-brain barrier sticky so that the confused and rogue white blood cells are unable to cross the barrier to damage myelin in the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve. While this is remarkable there is danger that the central nervous system is somewhat vulnerable to infection, such as PML, because those same rogue fighter cells are unable to get to the infection to help fight it. And this my friends, is very dangerous.

After further review by the FDA Tysabri returned to market in July 2006 and it's been adminstered without incident until late yesterday when news broke after the US markets closed that two additional cases of PML have been diagnosed. One patient is at home and the other is in the hospital. I couldn't find any additional information about their current condition. I hope they recover quickly and completely.

Investors are skittish about the news and the stock has taken a beating this morning. This shouldn't be reason to pull Tysabri again but it should underscore the risk involved with powerful drugs.