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Monday, February 20, 2006

More food - sort of

When I was over visiting madcap mum today and drooling over her new blog, I ran across bohemian troubador who visits there frequently. I can't remember if he's been here but I'm pretty sure he drops in on is america burning (the other blog) from time to time.

We all know about garlic's healing properties but I may be the only person out here who didn't know about the healing properties of tumeric.

It's especially appropriate for me after my little lecture about prostate cancer the other day. I googled it of course and there's a wealth of information out there and many studies. Most were over my head but I got the general idea.

I just checked my spice cupboard. Lots of cumin but no tumeric. I think I'll do something about that soon. Along with the garlic, of course.

Angel is right about the movie title. Elcie went to see 8 Below and loved it. Along with every other sad movie ever made. I was telling a friend I'm much the same way. I cry in happiness, I cry in rage, I almost never cry in sorrow (unless it's someone else's) and I wish I could. I cry over sad songs and movies. It's probably a good thing. Yes Angel "An Affair to Remember" is certainly on the list. Do you remember the original "Moulin Rouge" (Jose Ferrer as Lautrec)? I think my favorite as long as I have a box of tissues beside me is Nevil Shute's "On the Beach". Great cast (at least for my generation) and a scary, very sad, story. Many others - I seek them out.

Rebecca got back into a porn site again today and we've now put parental controls on computer number two. This time was an accident and the others may have been as well. Her mistake was not leaving the site immediately and telling us.

She had been playing a harmless game with three options, the first two innocent. She clicked on door number three and up popped a pornographic cartoon. She's grounded from the computer for a couple of days, no longer, because she told the truth. She's not enough of a hacker (at least not yet) to override the controls. If they need to research something that's been blocked, they can either use this one or I'll override for them.

Rochelle uses the computer primarily to download drawings she can paint or color. Once in a while she plays a game but she usually goes back into "favorites" to find them. Elcie feeds neopets and enjoys research. I know both of them would come running to tell me if they stumbled across something they shouldn't be watching but not our Rebecca. This was her third strike. She's locked out, I hope.

I'm not a fan of censorship but I do think porn should be labeled as such. That game site had me fooled. It was a race car game for heaven's sake. As for porn (the real thing, not just a suggestive scene or two in a movie or the accidental exposure of a nipple), whatever makes your boat float. I don't want the kids watching it. It has nothing to do with reality, at least my reality, and they aren't mature enough to understand that.

On the other hand, we already have too many unenforceable laws. Perhaps I just need to be a little more vigilant.

How did I get started on that?

They've all been asleep for a while, R & R in the living room again. Ray is lying down, we're both sort of watching a Without a Trace rerun and taking it easy. I took a large package of chicken thighs out of the freezer to thaw for tomorrow. Maybe chicken and dumplings this time or some kind of stew. The last time I aimed for chicken and dumplings it ended up as a sort of teriyaki so who knows. Certainly not I. Maybe I'll purchase the tumeric and do something quasi Indian. My blogging friend from India, neets, said she was going to post some recipes and I haven't checked back with her in a while. Doing that now.

No recipes from Neets but she's been on a wonderful trek, is trying to convince her mom to make chutney, and was discussing pickling a pepper. Seriously. I love chutney but I've never tried to make it. My birth mother used to. I remember she put a lot of effort into it but she also made pesto with an authentic mortar and pestle. She was a strict cookbook (usually gourmet) cook when she cooked at all. She'd prepare for a week, make herself a nervous wreck, and then be too exhausted to eat.

I checked my blog meter (or whatever it's called) today. They sort by geographic location and omitted India and New Zealand unless they consider India as part of the Middle East and New Zealand as part of Micronesia. ?? There's nothing "micro" about New Zealand, it has a different government, and I don't think it's even close to Micronesia. I don't think I've had any Micronesian visitors. Did they just dump NZ in with Australia? Sorry Caroline and Lindsay. Maybe all of Asia is lumped together which would explain the absence of India. They don't do that with North America. Canada is separate. Strange.

I've been tagged by several people for a meme which everyone except me has completed. I haven't forgotten it; however, I seem to remember it when I'm nowhere near the computer or when I'm reading someone else's great answers. Someday.

Apropos of absolutely nothing, I've discovered I'm not the only novice out here. To anyone else new at "pasting" links to blogs (not posts, that's different), if the link doesn't work, see if there's a / after .com. If there is, delete it and it should work.

Thanks to everyone for the comments. I always read them, usually as they come into the mailbox. Lindsay just left me another poem.

Pleasant dreams to all of you in the same general time zone (PST USA)

11 comments:

Neets said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Neets said...

hi granny. protecting kids from all this crap that insensitive and irresponsible people leave on the net is so difficult,despite all the technological advancements. If someone invents a technology to prevent, then another 5 will try breaking it or invent a counter technology to beat the system. To top it all, as generations pass, kids are getting smarter. they know faaaar more than us. why go that far? just look at two class ooms of children differing in 1yr in age- the 'gap' is astounding!!! I just makes rearing kid a more responsible and difficult and essentialy scary job. hats off to all the parents in the world!
Yesss! I finally went to a trek and it was fun. Do you let the kids out on some out door activities, granny? i think it adds a lot to individual development. I was more of the inactive kinds when i was a kid. :)
We indians use a dash of turmeric in almost any curry. studies show that it has the power to fight cancer. will mail you some recipes. By the way do you use pressre cookers there?

Alice said...

Just getting started at work.
*Sigh*

Had to pop in and check any new posts on Roc Rebel G, and as usual you didn't disappoint me.

You did the right thing regarding Rebecca, and you're right in your thinking as well. Each to his or her own regarding porn but it should be labelled as such so as parents can protect their children from it. After all, when people are adults they can make their own decisions, but when they're as young as your three, the parent is in charge and has to be responsible for their well-being.

Sweet dreams, anyway, Ann. Talk to you later maybe.

Anonymous said...

Hi Granny!

Kids in the US seem to be much more exposed to online porn. I don't know if it is the English language environment of the Internet (Turkish kids will go to just a few sites, in Turkish, that they know, and do a lot of messaging with friends) or if it is that everyone lives in apartments so they are rarely left alone for long (Turks dislike being alone as a general rule). They certainly know about porn but it doesn't seem to be the constant problem that it is back home. We watch American teen comedies and she and her friends ask me if teenagers really are that sex crazed and sexally active and that rude to their parents...sigh...

Arti Honrao said...

Hi Granny! [May I call u so?]
This is my first visit here ... reached thru blog of neets.
Jus a simple hello this time till I read ur blogs and know u more :)



Regards
GBU
Arti

Anonymous said...

If anyone ever looks down on anyone else for not knowing their way around a computer, ask them if they can cook -- preferably something difficult and from scratch. There was a series of commercials for (iirc) Carl's Jr. with a guy in a grocery store, looking at two packages of meat and becoming increasingly paniced (panicked?). Eventually, he just drops them and runs. The tag line comes on "Without us, some guys would starve."

Everyone has something they just don't grok (ask Ray). For me, it's construction and auto mechanics. I understand the concept of how the internal combustion engine works, but when I open the bonnet, it looks nothing like the drawings I've seen in books. I have specifically been forbidden to work on cars by my mechanic. And if we didn't have a picture rail, I wouldn't be able to hang a picture.

On the other hand, I have friends who are great at those things, but constantly call me to ask what I would consider simple, basic questions about their computers.

I can cook, but a lot of people who are into computers can't. We all have our weaknesses; it makes no sense to ridicule another's.

As for porn, there's a lot out there that isn't realistic and that, for the most part, is due to our completely wacked ideas on sex. Sex is bad, but look at that scantilly clad model selling things. Everywhere you turn, there are images of sex -- cheerleaders, models, phallic symbols -- and yet we're constantly told to abstain, that sex is bad, don't even talk about it! Heaven forbid anyone actually ever *see* a naked body! (outside a strip club or dirty movie, of course.)

My kids are going to grow up knowing that clothes are for warmth and protection from the elements and nothing more. They see me naked all the time (not Rachel so much) and will continue to do so. Sex is something that people do, both for procreation and recreation, but I'll be honest with you, given the choice of having sex or say, going rock climbing or scuba diving or something like that, I'll take the latter most times. (Except maybe if there are lesbians involved, but that's Archie Bunker's fault.)

Personally, I can't watch porno movies -- I can't stomach the bad acting and idiotic plots long enough to get to the, ah, climax, if you will. (Sorry) Pictures have never done much for me in that area, but erotic literature is okay, if written well -- I've even tried my hand at it, which is kinda cool. Mostly, though, if you need that sort of thing, there's an awful lot missing in your life that has nothing to do with sex. (Oh, and as a footnote, women are more -- attractive? exciting? titillating? whatever -- dressed nicely than they are naked.)

Anonymous said...

Once more comment on filtering... I may have mentioned this before, but most of the major filtering programs are actually pushing agendas like those of Focus on the Family.

Anonymous said...

hi granny, just dropping by to see what you're up to. what is the racecar site, that i should be aware of for future reference with my little computer genius?

ipodmomma said...

I never had Indian food until we moved here, and it is really one of my faves now...

made tacos tonight, they were yummy too...

Bebe said...

I am in no way anti-porn but I really dislike seeing when I don't expect it.
It's not a matter of censorship, it's a matter of placement.
If people want it, let them go to the trouble of looking for it, like I go looking daily for clarity.
Have I ever mentioned my life in smut?

I started using tumeric because I heard it helps with hot flashes. It does not. But tumeric and many ground spices are not water-soluble, so use a bit of oil or spray of Pam to toast the spice/s for a minute to release the oils and the bitterness,(a "tarka")then you can add oil, water or whatever. It's gorgeously orange-yellow and always looks fancy.

The Rainbow Zebra said...

I can't remember everything I've read about turmeric (was looking up info about it and eczema), but I believe it can affect blood clotting.

I haven't seen the original Moulin Rouge, but it's on my Netflix queue, so I'll get to it eventually.

I completely agree with your views on kids, computers, and porn. You've got to watch out for MySpace as well--there was an incident at my daughter's school where a girl made up a page, included her name, her friend's full names, and lied about her age. Scary stuff out there.