June 26, 2006
Grab a Spoon and a Toothbrush
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
On June 26, 1498, the bristle toothbrush, was invented in China. The bristles were actually the stiff hairs taken from the back of a boar's neck and attached to handles made of bone or bamboo. These boar bristles were used until 1938, when nylon bristles were introduced with the first nylon toothbrush called Doctor West's Miracle Tuft Toothbrush, made by Dupont de Nemours.
Ironically, June 26th is also National Chocolate Pudding Day, which is a much sweeter subject altogether.
Though time, many different kinds of foods have been called pudding. The first puddings made by ancient cooks were meat-based and similar to sausages, and even Medieval puddings were still mostly meat-based. By the 17th century, the English also made sweet puddings of flour, nuts and sugar, such as the old nursery rhyme "pease porridge" which was a simple boiled pudding of pease meal.
The creamy, rich dessert we Americans call pudding is more related to custard. In fact, some say that pudding is just another word for a chocolate mousse made with custard which gives the pudding "body" and heaviness that distinguish it from a mousse. (It's the ingestion of the custard which leads to the heaviness of my body as well.)
In the late 19th century, some American social reformers and food companies began promoting custards and puddings as health foods, stating these foods were especially nutritious for children, the elderly, and invalids. Even chocolate pudding was perceived as a health food! With this promotional push, puddings and custards quickly went from cookbook recipes to instant mixes, and eventually, to ready-to-eat snack packages.
But whatever you prefer to call it, pudding, mousse or custard, all I know is that chocolate pudding doesn't seem to hold a candle to birthday cake *wink* and that you'd better brush after you eat it.
Posted by photocartoonist at 7:05 PM
June 23, 2006
"Things I Did on My Birthday"
By the Birthday Girl, DEANNA DAHLSAD
I wrote a masterpiece on 'the glories of motherhood' while I collected assorted hidden toys, dirty laundry, unidentifiable food items etc from 'round the house. 'Something something they are cute...' I don't remember most of it... Which is a real shame, because I really needed to know that stuff when I returned with clean load of laundry # 6 to find the the laundry I folded & placed in the baskets for each family member has been met with whines of 'do I hafta' by the children. My face says 'yes' so they proceed to mutilate the folding with shouts of 'hey, this isn't mine' -- full of hope that this means they will not need to put it away.
I ate a slice of cheese - noteworthy because folks from Wisconsin do not eat just one slice.
I rearranged knick-knacks. You call it dusting, but to me, it is an art form - presentation, esthetics, and setting up those vignettes (OK, it's a little like playing with dolls when you get right down to it.)
I made lunch for the kids, but I am still full after my mid-morning cheese.
I wrote the quintessential piece on "why I love my pets" in my head, while I vacuumed and scrubbed the floors. "Something something they are cute...." Again, I don't remember most of it. Which would have been nice to recall when the cats showered me with affection, their fur sticking to my sweaty legs, arms, and of course, the perennial favorite, the face.
I sneezed a few times; damn cat hair.
My body longed for bed, sleep, but I couldn't bear to put this body on top of the freshly laundered sheets (made with laundry from basket number 2) - But there is no time for a nap, not yet.
I sneezed again, this time I think I pulled something. A doosey of a headache looms before me anyway, so I took 3 Advils. I swear I am immune to that stuff. Does cheese counteract drug use?
All the cleaning, sweating, cat fur, sneezing, etc wins; I made the bed and ended up with a shower. I dried off, feeling refreshed. Damn second winds.
I began to work on a sketch for a friend. The fat cat kept trying to lay on my paper, the smaller one batted at my pencils.
Hubby, who was working either on the van or mowing the lawn for most of the day, came in to make dinner for the family, as he usually does, which is nice. Afterwards, I get to supervise children in the kitchen, which is not so nice. I use this break while he cooks to check and delete emails, reply to some urgent ones etc. And what should I find? A lovely birthday ecard!
A card, just for me -- a card extolling my virtues as a special person!
It's a turning point in my day.
I am more than a maid, more than a mom, more than a servant, I am special! I matter!
So when dinner was served, complete with rootbeer floats, I was ready for quality time with hubby and the kids.
No longer did I remember the less-than-satisfactory games of 'what was that?', the seemingly endless loads of laundry, the bickering, the sneezing. All I saw before me was the smiling laughing faces of those that I love.
The pets, each curled up in their own spots, watching for food to drop from the table, were as cute as can be. (I think they even stopped shedding for that period of time!)
It's amazing what a simple greeting card can do.
NOTE: Happy Birthday Deanna, a few days late but not forgotten!"
Posted by photocartoonist at 6:30 PM
June 19, 2006
Making Birthdays Special
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
My household has all its birthdays, five total, between May 30th and June 29th. Not only is this a mini-Christmas for our wallets, but it takes a bit of creativity to come up with ways to make everyone feel special.
Take birthday cakes, for example. How special is cake when we barely finish one cake before I have to make another? (And in this heat, I don't feel much like baking that much either.) With some of the birthdays just 4 days apart, we literally can have our cake and eat it too! But eating birthday cake twice daily for so many weeks isn't the fun you'd think it would be. So we had to come up with another plan.
In general, we have one birthday party for all three of the children. At that party, we may have a cake. This of course depends upon how many grandmas, great grandmas, aunties etc have already fed us cake when we visit them for the mandatory birthday visits. If we do not go to their houses, we invite them to our family party, and then we have a cake. That's "a cake". Just one.
But in order for each of us to feel special on our special day, we still have to do something different.
So we came up with a plan for each family member's birthday. The birthday boy or girl is allowed to open one present on the actual anniversary of their birth, saving the rest of the presents for the party day, and they are allowed to choose the family dinner that night. Not only does each person get their favorite meal, which varies from the youngest's macs & cheese to dad's pork chops, but each birthday dinner is accompanied by root beer floats.
Root beer floats are easy to make, require no use of the oven, satisfy the sweet-tooth, and feel special because it's something we just don't normally do. They also leave no leftovers, so having one on Saturday does not mean you are sick of them by Wednesday.
Now birthday root beer floats are our family tradition. It makes the day special, and as a mom, I love to hear our children talking with excitement over 'birthday season' and 'our root beer floats.'
Posted by photocartoonist at 11:31 AM | Comments (1)
June 16, 2006
What To Get Dads On Father's Day
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Father's Day is very different from Mother's Day. Based on the persons involved, we have different events and worries.
For example, one of the favorite gifts to give mom is a day off, completely to herself, or at least a meal without the cooking and clean-up. But on the third Sunday in June, what man wants to be removed from his grill? None that I know of. And he likely wants the whole brood, if not neighborhood, over to see his masterful culinary skills. So instead of giving Dad a day off, you give him the day to prepare the meal and an audience to parade his cooking skills in front of. (Poor mom gets clean-up duty!)
Even the gifts are different on Father's Day. Buy mom a waffle maker or blender, and you are sort of saying 'make me more food.' Any gift is suspiciously seen as delivering your wishes, not hers. Even if you buy her a dishwasher, you're saying that she'll always be the one to load it.
Dads on the other hand, seem to want gifts which allow them to display their skills. Even if those gifts and skills scream 'Hey dad, do this for me!' Grills, tools, and car maintenance supplies, the general tools of the dad trade, are good gift options. Even the generic tie is seen as a way to show how you value Dad The Provider.
As a woman, buying gifts for the dads in my life has been difficult. I know and understand how to make moms feel like real people, but I struggled buying practical tool sets, barbecue tongs, white t-shirts and gold-toe socks. Those things just felt like something dad can buy himself... And then I remembered: dads don't like to shop.
Dad actually will enjoy putting the new shop vac to use -- right after he uses last year's barbecue set to make us all his famous burgers -- and he won't have to go to the store to get it either. It really is a gift to him. And my mother.
My purchase of the latest shop vac will be one less thing my mom will have to do... And after she cleans up the kitchen and patio from dad's cooking, she can use the break too.
Posted by photocartoonist at 1:57 AM
June 14, 2006
Wave the Flag
By THOMAS HUDSON REEVE
June 14 is Flag Day in the USA. That’s very nice. It’s a nice flag. It is one of the symbols
of this great republic. We’ve got a few other nice symbols and that’s handy because some
work better than others in certain situations, but flags, and pictures of flags (called “flags”)
can go almost anywhere. You can carry them into battle, put them on a car, a coffin or a
bag of chips. You can wear a flag on your shoulder, or on your shorts.
Wherever you find our flag, it means that we the “United States of Americans” are here.
That is all it actually means.Here we be. That’s it. In my way of thinking the more
important question is: What does the “United States of America” mean? The Flag stands
for the United States, so now, what does the United States stand for?
The way you enhance respect for the flag is to honor the republic for which it stands.
That republic is actually described in another important symbol, The Constitution.
The Constitution is really more than a symbol, because it actually is the idea itself,
the plan, the recipe for a great republic carefully written down to guide generations
of Americans through good times and bad. It talks a lot about the freedom of the
individual to speak, to worship, to live as they like, and it carefully delineates protection
for each citizen from the abuse of power by the very Government being formed. It protects
the common citizens rights and freedoms from their own leaders, and it makes those
leaders beholden to the common citizens.
Just stop there for a moment - That is an amazing, almost miraculous thing to have
happened. How often in history do you find the powerful limiting themselves out of
humility? The wisdom of it is astounding.
It was part of something called “The Enlightenment” for a reason. It deserves a good flag.
Done.
But this week – with all the extraordinary problems facing the U.S. Government (let’s just
leave it at that) The Congress is debating a constitutional amendment to protect the flag
from the citizens, limiting their freedom and criminalizing their discontent. They also gave
themselves a raise.
When a symbol becomes more important than the thing it is meant to symbolize then it
is a fetish. Originally used to describe magical charms and idols, a fetish is an inanimate
object seen as so imbued with mystical power that it is worshipped in and of itself.
Well, that is one explanation. Not too enlightened, but there it is. Another possible
explanation is best expressed by the famous Dr. Samuel Johnson in the year 1775 –
“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”
Wave your Flag proudly, but remember that’s the easy part.
Posted by photocartoonist at 10:48 PM
June 12, 2006
Focusing on Cats
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Cats, in general, are ego-manics. They do not merely desire and crave attention, as dogs do -- cats demand it. Their purr-sonalities are such that they command attention even when they do not desire it, hence they harass you until you put down that book you are reading only to abruptly leave once you have done so. They beckon you from across a room, only to trot away once you walk toward them. As I write this, Mystical Pickles, my youngest cat, has jumped on my lap, placing herself between me and the keyboard -- if I ignore her and type, she head-butts my arm yet if I pet her, she nips at me...
See, for cats, it's all about having your undivided attention. They know they are number one, but the self-knowledge is not enough -- you must prove you it too.
While dogs seem to bask in our attentions with smiles, tail wags and looks of devotion, cats expressions most often display disgust, annoyance, repugnance, and at best, a mere tolerance. This is why cats often make the best subjects for photographs.
No matter what you do to a cat, no matter how silly the sunglasses or hats, the cat remains aloof. The cat's expression remains that of a cat: he finds this all disgusting, annoying, repugnant or to merely be tolerated. He endures such primitive, immature behavior because this is simply what such divine creatures must put up with from inferior creatures (who fill his dish).
When all is said and done, the reason the photo is so funny is because the pose or props are secondary to the cat's indignity. We all like -- no need to see an indignant cat now and then. It tells us we are the ones in charge.
...But if you peer closely at the photographs, past the silly hats and other props, you might just see a very smug cat... A cat who knows that in the end, he has won. Because once again, all of our attention is focused on the cat.
Posted by photocartoonist at 2:33 AM
June 9, 2006
Meet Daffodil, Quackie's Little Sister
Quacki Chen, one of our most popular characters, has a new addition to his family -- baby sister, Daffodil!
Daffodil is a sure to be the quack-up her big brother is. Or is she? Like any new sibling, it isn't fair
to compare or expect siblings to follow in each other's shoes...
Daffodil may enjoy being a little ham right now, but will she take the same path as her brother and
go on in her animation career? If she does, might she surpass him in popularity? We will all just
have to wait and see...
For now, Quacki is enjoying the role of big brother. He delights in showing her off, commenting on
how much they look alike (they do have the same ears!), and of course, telling everyone what a good
egg she is.
So join us in welcoming Baby Daffodil to the family -- send the ecard to celebrate the arrival of
someone special in your family!
Posted by photocartoonist at 2:49 AM | Comments (1)
June 7, 2006
Happy Birthday, Cindy!
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Today, June 7th, is the birthday of one of the dreamteam members. Artist Cindy McCluskey,
creator of the flying pig birthday card, turns the ripe old age of 24!
This Canadian girl has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Beginning with crayons and the
support of my parents, Cindy expressed herself through art. In high school she was lucky enough to
have very encouraging art teachers -- one in particular who ran an after school art club. After high
school graduation, she attended the NBCC Community College in Miramichi and took
'Animation and Graphics Technology'.
Cindy began digital art in college when one of her peers showed her his Wacom tablet. From there she
was hooked and got her own tablet shortly thereafter.
Her first work with Kat Caverly and No Evil Productions was animation. But it wasn't quite what Cindy
wanted to do. Later in the year, Kat sent Cindy a goofy card with a dog on it, and Cindy replied
"If you ever need any 'monster drawings' give me a call."
Says Cindy, "Heck, I had to try my luck! To my surprise she wrote back with 'Show me your monsters!'
So I sent some along and one caught her eye, a dragon under the bed of a started child. This later
went on to become an animated birthday card that I enjoyed quite a bit."
Now Cindy's really enjoying the work she's been cranking out – painting layouts and creating silly
characters. "It seems every new project I learn some new tricks to speed up or make things look
better than my past works. It's a wonderful learning experience."
Cindy, we hope your silliness, sense of wonder, love of learning and fondness for monsters stays
with you forever! Happy birthday!
Posted by photocartoonist at 4:47 PM | Comments (1)
June 5, 2006
Festival Of Popular Delusions Day
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
June 5th is Festival Of Popular Delusions Day. To understand the
holiday, you must be familiar with D-Day. If you've been living under a
rock, new to the planet, or suffering from delusions of your own, let me
remind you: D-Day was June 6, 1944 -- the day of the Normandy invasion
which cracked the Nazi grip on the planet.
In Germany on June 5th, 1945 (the year after D-Day-- yet one day before
the anniversary of D-Day), the Festival Of Popular Delusions Day began.
This day marks the Nazi's plan for world domination -- the Popular
Delusion of the day -- right before its fall. A reminder that
delusions and delusional leaders can be dangerous. They too can be
'cracked' and reality will force them to fall to an invasion of reality.
It's a day for ourselves to perform a reality check not only on our
selves as individuals, but take a look at the popular ideas of the day.
Are we living with delusions? Among delusionary leaders? If so, we
should be making our own plans to shatter the delusional holds upon us.
Today we celebrate Popular Delusions Day with some serious thought to
the matter.
Of course, our minds will be more on President Bush, than Hitler.
Posted by photocartoonist at 7:24 PM
June 1, 2006
The Gifts of Benjamin Quinto
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Eleven years ago a 15 year old Benjamin Quinto made copies for a
customer at a Hell's Kitchen coffeeshop. That customer was Kat
Caverly, and those would be the first of many copies he would make for
her. Benjamin tells the story:
"As a then-thespian, she lured me to her lair with the promise of
headshots, which I worked off by being her Executive Assistant. I think
I was one of the earlier members of the team. I worked with Kat for
years, earned a little and learned a lot. I did her filing, her books,
bills, shopping and many other things, and remember it fondly as one of
the best jobs -- and her as the best boss -- I ever had."
During that time, Benjamin gave Kat her first computer. Little did he
know what he started... for 11 years later Kat, armed with computer
skills and knowledge of the internet, transitioned into online media.
(Without Benjamin's gift, where would we all be?!)
Once creating online media, Kat again easily lured Benjamin back to her
team -- this time, to do voice work. He is the man behind the voices of
Señor Gusano and Amin bin Amin the taxi-driver.
"I consider myself a linguist and love learning new cultures, accents
and languages. Living in the city for 15 years, and in other parts of
the world, I have been exposed to hundreds of accents from every corner
of the planet. The curious entertainer and creative person in me has a
tendency to mimic..."
I guess you might say that Benjamin still makes copies -- but not the
paper kind. And these copies are so much more fun to make!
"From juggling to developing voices and characters to entertain friends,
entertaining has always been something I was passionate about. Kat's
purpose has always inspired me, and I always considered it part of mine,
too: to bring joy into people's lives. What greater purpose could there
be?"
But what was the best thing about coming back to work for Kat Caverly?
"She's crazy! I love her. We're even crazier together, and I think
that's why we do great work. It's hella fun. She's creative and
brilliant, stubborn and kind, and if you give her a chance, she'll blow
your socks and your mind!"
Posted by photocartoonist at 4:16 PM