I Can't Believe That's Butter

From the Lost Files:

I've been pretty flat out lately and so there hasn't been any new postings here, although there are several drafts like this one waiting to be finished.

Went to a friend's birthday party, now a few weeks ago.

We were asked to bring cupcakes instead of a birthday cake. Rich, decadent cupcakes that we're somewhat famous for. However the last few years we've pretty much eliminated butter from our diets. While we're still "omnivores" we have minimized dairy products, especially butterfat from our diets.

As famous as we are for our decadent chocolate treats -- we're equally famous for our Vegan baked treats. Well Barbara must have felt fanciful -- or was it just rushed for time and it was easier to make the recipe from the back of a hershey's cocoa container -- always good -- she used butter.

All night long people were going nuts over the cupcakes -- they devoured the cupcakes. I on the other hand didn't bother until I got home and had one of the cupcakes that didn't make the party..............there was this taste that I didn't care for. The cupcakes were nicely frosted. The chocolate cake was so moist, and rich tasting.

Do I daresay anything??

The next morning we're talking over coffee, and remarking about the "crazy" excitement over the cupcakes. Barbara casually mentions there was butter in the cupcakes.................Ah-ha, butter. Here was my opening -- I confessed about not quite liking the cupcakes and of this funny taste, that I now knew was the butter.

As I mentioned we've been eliminating dairy products from our diets when we can. To replace 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee -- I ocassionally make Soy milk. Purchased a Soymilk Maker from a friend Rob, at The Chefs Shop, Great Barrington MA. Makes the best soy milk -- biggest drawback, it only makes a liter at a time -- it's delicious on granola, in coffee, even to drink. Everyone started drinking it it and I can't keep up with demand.

Are you thinking is this guy crazy? Making your own Soy Milk? Well it couldn't be easier to do and it resulted in us incorporating a new food in our diet -- Okara -- this protein and dietary fiber rich grain is the pulp left over after you pulverize the Non-GMO, Organic Soybeans into Soymilk. The machine pays for itself in a few weeks -- just look at the price of a gallon of Fat-Free Milk -- almost $4.00 gallon in our neighborhood -- 1 pound of Non GMO/Organic Soybeans are about $1.50 and will make over a gallon of delicious soy mlk.

Here are some interesting links to check out:
Cooking With Okara
Soyabella Soymilk Machines

Okay check back here in another few days..........."TTYL"

Spring Has Sprung -- The Kayak Will Be On the Lake Soon!

I've had this "Bald" post sitting as a draft for some time -- It was inspired by a friend who fwd'd me some very funny YouTube Videos about men buying hair replacement supplies on-line and then creating their own hair piece to wear. The videos are pretty funny -- and creative at the same time. Checkout this video -- Meet Ron - A Hair Direct Mailorder Hair Replacement Client . Feel free to post a comment.


Last weekend I cleared some debris from a flower bed and as if animated bulb flowers, crocus, daffodils, tulips, poked through the ground in 2 hours. Go Spring. Aside from the mud this has got to be my most exciting season. Lot of intense energy in the universe happening right now. Birth...............for me it means I lived to see another year of this cycle. Having spent my whole life in the Northeast my experience is around the classic four seasons. It would seem very different to live with out the same environmental change the we go through in the Northeast.


Great Music Site -- Last.FM
If you haven't yet discovered http://last.fm yet I highly recommend it. Last.FM is kind of like MySpace for music lovers. No you don't setup your own page -- however you do get to select your own style of music and the computer catalogs a user's music styles and then you can pick a list of Neighbors -- music that other users are listening to. Like many music sites it has a free and some additional pay features. ......I typically go with the free and if I want to buy some music that is the idea. Just check it out. Once you download their free software player you get to request specific artist and then let them mix in similar artists. There are several neat things about Last.FM -- perhaps the best is you'll hear lots of great music for hours on end. If you miss the old liner notes since you've been downloading your music -- Last.FM has you covered here too. I just discovered a whole series of artists that have been around forever. Meredith Monk Other artists new for me are John Cage, Steve Reich. The really, really, really cool thing about Last.FM is if you're a band you can actually upload your original music to the site and drive traffic to your Amazon site for people to purchase MP3's or a CD.


File Sharing for Music -- Limewire
To get a sample of some of John Cage's visit another favorite site of mine, Limewire -- it's a file sharing site -- you get to share music together with other users. File Sharing Explained briefly -- File Sharing is like going to the library and taking out a book reading it. One copy used by many people. This maybe somewhat oversimplified, however users all make certain folders on their computers containing music, videos, pictures available to other "peers" along this big File sharing Network. Much like the Free Public Library the same book is there to be borrowed and read any time you like -- all with a single license being sold, over and over, and over again.


Bye for now -- gotta go make another batch of my homemade laundry detergent -- there are 10 recipes -- I've tried #1 and it works just great.

See You On The Lake!

Positive and Negative Energy....or Why did my day turn out so...........

Being in the people business, dealing with lots of freelance contractors -- I am constantly dealing with many different types of people. Some that I know already and many new people. What I've learned is that people are people, different color skins, different heights and weights, different religious backgrounds, the list of differences goes on -- in the physical world.

Since most of my work is conducted over the phone or the internet -- it isn't really the physical differences I deal with daily -- it is the "emotional soup" that surrounds people. And in this area people are not that different. An example of what I'm saying is simple -- if I took 100 people and held their hand over an open flame the reaction would be universal. Okay let's try a more difficult example -- the economy is weak, freelance jobs are scarce, more competitive and your "Sub-Prime" Mortgage is set to re-adjust. That same 100 people will not act the same.

Are you an Optimist or a Pessimist? Is your glass half empty, or half full? Are you quick to predict the sky is falling just b/c a cloud moved in front of the sun?

Now if you're 5'10" and weigh 300lbs you might need to buy an extra seat to fly Southwest Air, not much you can do about that. However if you're nickname is "Chicken-Little" b/c your friends know that you are the first to predict the end of the world -- I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be that way.

Are you a "Yeller" and "Screamer"? When you get up tight are you the type of person that wants to share your misery? Or are you someone that is admired for being "Unflappable"? Many of the people I deal with daily don't realize that even with their most intimate circle of friends, colleagues, and relatives the "Screamer" the "Negative Thinker" is scary for the rest of us. Not only is it scary YOUR NEGATIVE ENERGY can contamnate everyone you come in contact.

The other day I was working jointly with a colleague on a project. This is a great opportunity and very lucrative for both our firms, and a very challenging situation at the same time. I suggested we take a break from the office and go out and make some customer calls. He is also involved in another business with his wife who is a "Yeller/Screamer" personality and decided to stay in his office and try to diffuse and buffer the situation with his wife and employees, while at the same time he said he would be more productive trying to finish up the work on our project. I knew better and decided to go my own way and have an enjoyable afternoon. In the end the negativity that he incurred not only filled inside of him, he proceeded to become a CONDUCTOR or AGENT of negativity -- not realizing that he was in a very negative space and in the end did not accomplish anything the remainder of the afternoon -- which led to a bout with depression. Later in the day I picked up where I left off and managed to finish the project to be delivered to ht e client by the deadline -- I felt good about things -- however my colleague was so down and beat up -- he had a hard time getting excited.

Hey I'm not telling you all this b/c I'm a mental health practioner, or that I'm so much more evolved than anyone reading this -- I'm only human. You may run into a cab driver some day like a friend of mine who is a very successful lawyer. Please read on....................

This lawyer friend was involved in a series of tough cases, long depositions. The day would be hell for anyone, and then she stepped into a taxi to try and get to a family gathering in NYC and she was already late and greeted the driver with some urgency. The cab driver then proceeded to try and get my friend relaxed asking how her day was, and it was obvious she was in this NEGATIVE SPACE -- however none of it had anything to do with the cab driver, or his taxi...........Finally becoming exasperated with his passenger the cab driver said to my friend -- "Lady, you have a nice job? You live in a nice town with a nice house? You have a nice family, your children? From your attire you earn good money, wear nice clothes? So what do you have to complain about? If you don't change your attitude you will have to get out of my taxi -- Do you understand?" My friend proceeded to slink back in her seat and got quiet -- she did in fact calm down -- here was this cab driver probably not earning 10% of what my friend earns in a year, and he had the right advice for her at that moment. Of course he got a big tip at the end of the ride. My friend arrived to her family gathering extremely late -- but it wasn't b/c of the cab driver. The cab driver knew how damaging that type of negative energy could be in his line of work, and was willing to sacrifice a nice tip from a well dressed lawyer -- just to be rid of it and not becoming contaminated with that negativity.

Some helpful inks:
http://www.whatthebleep.com/
http://thesecret.tv/

We all know people like this -- how we deal with it -- and realizing the effect it will have on us and those around us is profound. My point in sharing all of this with you is -- recognize these dynamics -- even in yourself -- know when to take a break -- step away from the phone and desk -- change your atmosphere if you can -- meditate -- do some breathing exercises. If you've breathed in some negative vibe -- just let it go and it will pass. However one thing is for sure -- if you choose like my colleague did to stay and spend an afternoon trying to work in that environment be prepared to be enveloped by it -- and 4 hours later you may find yourself with little accomplished and the worst hangover you've ever experienced.

I'm not selling you anything here. I'm not asking you to buy anything -- this info and the links above may be helpful. When you look at yourself, your friends, your children -- when you look at your day yet to unfold -- is your mind open to possibility, or is the outcome already figured out by you. What are you attracting?

Have a great day!