22 posts tagged “tips”

Type <3 when using Google's Gmail Chat and watch what happens! So cute.

I was going to get clever and come up with something snazzy for the title of this post, but truly I don't want anyone to not get the meaning of it. Today's tip is to back up your data NOW! Not this weekend, not when you get around to it, but NOW!

I spent the weekend at the Apple Store. And it was not a fun trip. The end result is that I think that my data is backed up, but without another Mac, I won't know exactly what they backed up. And my laptop is on its way to be fixed. Thankfully it is covered by Apple Care.

Since we weren't exactly sure where we would be in the next 5-7 days we decided to have it shipped to our p.o. box. At least we won't have to sit around all day waiting for the UPS guy. At the first Apple Store that we went to, the Genius at the Genius Bar was none too impressed with our rock star life style. He sent us home with my iBook.

Later that night we stopped by the Apple Store in Palo Alto. We made a few inquiries and learned about Apple Pro. We also made an appointment for the next day and came back to interesting results. This Genius admitted that after closing up shop after 9:30pm, he went out drinking with his friends, and well wasn't still 100% sober. Still, he remembered us and got most of what we were trying to do right.

The weird thing was that after I bought Apple Pro membership and a back up hard drive, he decided to look at my laptop. Amazingly, it booted up and looked normal. Before we were lucky to get to the login screen and even then it would just freeze. Of course, he decided to try it one more time and at that point was able to see what we had been describing. I went from elated to beyond crushed.

I am just so embarrassed by the whole thing. I have a .mac account, so in theory I should have been saving some of my files there. I even told a few people about the service, and they signed up so that they could use it. I could blame not having a desk and all this moving around we have been doing, but really those are just excuses. This is my fault. I should learn how to back up my files, especially as between my work files and my photo files, you are talking about a huge part of my life.

We return to LA tomorrow, where B's parents currently are. Well, we think they are at least. We haven't heard anything. For better or worse my laptop is my safety zone. In some ways it is the closest thing I have to home at the moment. I honestly am not sure how I am going to get through the next several days.

Google home Night

If you haven't been there recently, you can now add a background to your home page. It doesn't seem like such a big deal until you realize that the background reflects the world outside your window.

All you have to do is tell it where you are. It's kind of nifty and only take a minute or two to set up. It may be especially helpful for anyone who sits in a cubefarm and can lose track of time.

Just select the theme you would like, and then you will be asked to provide your location. Two clicks and your done.

Asparagus Texture

We have already had fresh asparagus a few times. I must say I forgot how good fresh asparagus can be. Plus it is pretty simple to make. No need for those fancy expensive pots.

Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Wash the asparagus and cut off the bottoms. Then put the asparagus on the baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until tender. Squeeze with fresh lemon if you desire.

We had some leftover so I made a salad:

To your favorite lettuce add chilled cooked asparagus that has been cut into bite size pieces, along with some mango and avocado slices. Dress with your favorite dressing. [I used a poppy seed dressing, but I think a simple vinaigrette would be nice too.]

You could make this a meal by adding grilled chicken or shrimp and maybe a sprinkling of chopped roasted nuts (like walnuts or pecans).

Again, my apologies for disappearing. If this one helps someone though, I think you might forgive me.

I know that there are some you out there with family and friends who are over 50 and having trouble finding a job with the same pay scale. Well, there is help, from Uncle Sam, if you can believe it.

There is a program. The current form of wage insurance, as it exists today, excludes younger workers. It's for those workers 50 or over. So you lose your job, you take a new job. But it pays you less. So then what the wage insurance kicks in, it subsidizes on the job training, and it sort of helps you make up some of the income that you've lost up to $10,000. So it's essentially a way of rewarding people to take a job and then help out for the fact that they're making less money than they did before. But it's not advertised. And it is an absolute disgrace. And I'm gonna send you to where you could find it. But it's gonna take perseverance. So you need to go to the Web site of the Department of Labor, DOL.gov. And then you're gonna click around, and what you want is the trade adjustment assistance section. And then you'll scroll down, and you want the alternative trade adjustment assistance. And then they'll further confuse you. They don't call it wage insurance. They call it wage subsidy.

Source: Marketplace Money

p.s. If this doesn't apply to you or someone you know, Marketplace Money is a program on NPR about financial issues that affect everyone. They present all sorts of information that is easy to understand. They even have a podcast.

I know, I know, I have skipped a few days. Okay more than a few, but I will try and catch up and hopefully you will enjoy these and find them helpful.

Next time you are baking, and either find yourself out of something or just want to try and make it more healthy or maybe you having a vegan friend over, here is what you can do:

milk: substitute the same amount of either rice milk or soy milk.

eggs: substitute three tablespoons of apple sauce for each egg.

sugar: this one requires a bit of math, but essentially for each cup of sugar substitute 2/3 cup of agave nectar. You can find agave nectar at places like Whole Foods.

from: Chef's Secrets via The Martha Stewart Show

The link to the cute diaper bag seems to be working now. It seems they weren't ready for such traffic.

Also, I noticed that MarthaStewartFlowers is advertising on Vox. Wonder if my posts had any effect on that?

It seems that there is different info in Cook's Illustrated Magazine and America's Test Kitchen about the best way to store fresh ginger. I have sent an email to the source and will see if they reply.

A little fresh ginger can add flavor and zing to many dishes and drinks. The only problem is keeping fresh ginger on hand. It doesn't take long for fresh ginger to get moldy and go bad. Here is a great tip:

Next time you buy a piece of ginger, use what you need and store the rest in the freezer. Simply cut the remaining ginger into one-inch pieces (don't peel it) and place it in a plastic zip-top bag. Then when you need ginger, just reach into the freezer.

Here is one of my favorite ginger recipes:

Fizzy Ginger Lemonade

In a pot heat two cups of water and one cup of honey to a boil. Add a one-inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced to the mixture and let it set for 15 minutes.

Then remove the ginger and add the juice of 4-5 lemons. Chill this mixture.

To serve, add ice to a tall glass and fill half with the ginger lemon syrup and half with selzer water. Stir and serve with fresh mint or lemon if desired.

Serves 4. Recipe doubles easily.

from America's Test Kitchen