Monster, Deepak Chopra, Technology and Space

I see Fritzl, the Austrian ogre, pleaded guilty yesterday. What a terrible man. I saw pictures on TV of him on vacation, lying on a beach being massaged with suntan oil while all the time his daughter was imprisoned in the basement. Trouble is, whatever sentence he is given, will not help his badly abused family one bit. If only it were possible to make the perpetrators suffer what their victims went through. Also on the TV, everywhere he went he was hiding behind a folder. How stupid, we have all seen his photo. This morning GMA had Deepak Chopra on the 'hot seat' giving advice about coping with the recession. He advocated being happy and then said other things would follow but, as Matt said, if you have no job, no money and are about to lose your house, it is very difficult to be happy. I generally enjoy listening to Deepak Chopra and find a lot of wisdom in what he says. These days it is the main theme of Good Morning America - coping with the recession or loss of jobs. I cannot believe the women who are telling GMA that they have lost respect for their husbands because said husbands have lost their jobs. How about love and honour which is part of the wedding vows. How about all the support for your husband - Chopra said your husband is not his job he is himself. If you lose respect for your husband and don't support him at such a time, there is a word for you which I can't write here. A propos, RIM which makes the Blackberry are still hiring. I sometimes wish I was still in the job market, I would so love to work for one of the technology companies it is right up my street. That reminds me, saw a report on the news about the dangers of space junk. There is a lot of it up there and they have to keep an eye on its travels to ensure it doesn't damage the space lab. It seems to me someone is going to have to figure out a way of either destroying the stuff in space or retrieving it and bringing it back to earth. Matt's solution is to stop going into space!!! No interest in the future, my old man. Space holds no allure for him whatsoever. Now me, if I got a chance, I would be up in space like a shot. The endless possibilities of space exploration are absolutely fascinating and I envy those who will partake in this great adventure. My current read is The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton, I struggle a bit with some of the science, but his imagination is fascinating. I've read a lot of his books and thoroughly enjoy them. This particular trilogy is set in the same world as Judas Unchained and Pandora's Star, but 1,500 years later in the area of 3,500 or so. He has an interesting concept of what life will be like although, of course, humans haven't changed one bit. I was up good and early this morning to have my quarterly bloodwork done. I was at the clinic at 6:45 and there were still four people in front of me. One woman really shook me, she was dressed as if she was going to a party. I personally just throw my clothes on, nip down there, and then come back for breakfast and my shower. Even if this woman was going to work, she looked a tad over dressed. This is what we had for supper last night. Nothing Irish for us either. Baked Eggs with Mushrooms Source Mushrooms Canada No need to boil, poach or scramble just bake eggs in the oven on a tasty mushroom sauté. If you don’t have ramekins try using gratin dishes, oven –proof soup, dessert or cereal dishes, coffee mugs or custard cups. Ingredients 1 tbsp vegetable oil 8 oz fresh sliced fresh Mushrooms 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley (optional) 1/4 tsp Each salt and pepper 1/2 tsp dried thyme, tarragon or basil (optional) 4 large eggs 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese Method Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 ºF (180ºC). In a medium skillet heat oil over medium – high heat, sauté mushrooms 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned and moisture is released. Add red pepper, parsley, salt, pepper and herb if using; sauté 1 minute. Spoon evenly into 4 lightly greased (6 oz/ 90 mL) ramekins. Crack one egg into each ramekin and sprinkle cheese evenly on top. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes (baked eggs are done when whites are set and puffy but yolks are just starting to set). Serve with toast to dip in the soft yolk. Makes 4 servings Tip: If using wide gratin dishes in place of ramekins make a well in the middle of the mushrooms and crack eggs into the well; increase cheese to ½ cup (125 mL). For brunch bake herbed tomato halves in the oven with the eggs. Variations: 1. Substitute Swiss or havarti with jalapeno cheese for Cheddar. 2. Substitute diced cooked ham for red pepper. 3. Substitute ½ cup (125 mL) salsa or chili sauce for the red pepper, salt pepper and herbs. 4. French Style: for a softer texture eggs may be baked in a water bath. Place the filled ramekins in a roasting pan or baking pan (large enough so they are not touching each other). Place the pan on the oven shelf and pour in enough boiling water into the pan to reach ½ -2/3 up the side of the ramekin. Bake as directed 12- 15 minutes. Have a great day.