This is totally unimportant, but exciting in a minor, geek-like way, nonetheless.
Having successfully jailbroken my ipod, I figured out how to put pictures on the background on all the screens!

On the subject of never being satisfied, instantly upon succeeding with that, I began to want a different picture on the home screen than on the rest.... ;)

How to Beat a Moose

• Buy one candy bar of the near-3-oz size.  Preferably 70% chocolate content (or darker).  Mint-flavored is very nice.
• Put ice in a large bowl.
• Put a small bowl inside the large bowl, on the ice.
• Pour water into large bowl so that ice water comes half-way up small bowl's sides.
• Put candy bar in kettle.
• Add 1/3 cup water to kettle with chocolate in it.
• Melt water and chocolate together.
• Pour melted chocolate (and water) into small bowl.
• Whisk like fury.
• Stop whisking when chocolate (and water) is the consistency of soft whipped cream, or thick, home-made chocolate frosting.  It shouldn't run off the whisk.  (*Edited in to say it shouldn't run off the whisk too much.  We've discovered in practice that the amount of chocolate in the bar relative to the amount of Other Ingredients makes a big difference.  Orange-flavored Lindt bars don't work at all.  But if it's still runny, it may set up quite nicely in the fridge.  And if you whip too much and it gets solid on you, you can still eat it, though it will be dry.  But you can also scrape it back into the kettle, rewarm it, and try again.)
• Dump out water and melting ice.
• Pour chocolate mousse into small bowls.  
• Refrigerate as long as possible until temptation is too great to resist.
• Eat.

For those of you who would like to watch a demonstration, as well as listen to a nice chemical explanation in a pleasant British accent, the following you tube video provides such.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g28-9NVUHj0

Seriously, best mousse ever.

Would anyone care to tell me what having a utility bill has to do with getting a driver's license?  I'm a bit peeved with my favorite state in the Union.  Apparently, a social security card and a previous driver's license are no longer enough to prove that you're a citizen; you now have to bring proof in the form bills, rental agreements, pay stubs or... a hunting or fishing license.  

What about people in this uncertain economy who have moved home to live with their parents as adults and aren't paying rent?  Who have been laid off from their jobs?

What about people who have lost their homes and are living out of cars?  

You can't be a citizen unless you're rich?  

Information gleaned from various conversations:

If you are rushing someone to the hospital for an urgent matter (not via ambulance), call and let them know you're coming.

I want to mention a little program I saw mentioned in the Reader's Digest, and tried last night.  It is called f.lux (you can google to find the website; I don't remember it off-hand).  And what it does is change the tint of your computer screen from blue spectrum to more amber colored.
 
It also has the effect of making the screen seem less glaringly bright.  During the day, I don't notice my screen being either blue or too bright; but at night, I am always feeling like it glares and I can't get it dim enough to look at comfortably.  But this handy little program fixed both of those problems for me.  :D  It leaves your screen normally colored during the day, it says, and changes the tint as it gets dark (judging when that is by where you live).

And it's free.  :)

I have mentioned this in passing before (though possibly not here), but I am feeling moved about it again.  Canada geese are really ... well, let's just say that if you grew up firmly believing in geese who flew south for the winter, you would be sorely disappointed by these.

Now that it's fall, they do seem to have some vague notion that they should be doing something.  Flying.  Somewhere.  So you will see long skeins of them V-ing across the sky in proper goose fashion.  So far, so good.  The problem comes in if you watch them for a little while.

This V is flying vigorously in a southwesterly direction.  Over there, another V is coming ... going northwest.  They pass each other, honking happily, and about 10 peel off from one V to join the other.  10 or so more take off entirely on their own, veering around until they're heading almost straight north.  I guess you get to pick whose navigator you like best!

Eventually, they start to circle - and will land on the river.  The same river they took off from - and probably not all that far from where they started, either.  They do this for the next couple of months, on into the winter (at which point, I can only guess that it's become calisthenics, not migration).

On the other hand, it does have some benefits.  Next spring, they'll have a head start on housekeeping over any geese foolish enough to actually buy into that rumor that they are supposed to go south.

I would like to report that my tooth care regimen:
*floss
*brush
*eat lots of really dark chocolate
has passed its first test with flying colors.  Three years with no dental appts whatever, no cleanings, no nothing - and no cavities.
Go Chocolate!