Life

(via BoingBoing and Lifehacker)

Thomas has set out to accomplish his list of 101 Things in 1001 Days — for the second time! For instance, he's learned to bake bread…

I baked it for a little less than an hour, until it came up to 210 degrees on my instant-read thermometer.  Right now, it's cooling on a wire rack.  It's kind of a funny shape, but for my first ever loaf of bread, I'm pretty pleased with it.

If anyone out there is an expert bread baker, I'd love any tips, tricks or hints, because I'm definitely going to try this again.

And if anyone out there is an expert in convincing other people to make breakfast sandwiches for them, post those tips in the comments, as well.

(via lifehacker)

Neil Shurley explains that there are at least 11 Ways to Live Like Doctor Who:

Smile. Before the new series, the image most folks had of Doctor Who was the smiling man with the floppy hat and long scarf. And for good reason. This was a Doctor who disarmed folks with his good cheer. He confounds foes by offering them candy. He’s charming and brilliant and, for many people, he still is The Doctor.

Short on cash for holiday shopping? Check out this list of Ten Gift Ideas from the Depression Era.

(via reddit)

I'd like to think that, after I pass on, my being on this earth will have made some difference. I bet you'd like to think that, too. TinyBuddha has some suggestions for making that difference:

1. Wake up. ~ Karen Maezen Miller

2. Make a difference in yourself, for the better. Such an inward difference always has rippling outward benefits. ~ Hansoul Kim

3. Remember there are three poisons: greed, anger and ignorance. Do not deny their existence but turn them around and you have generosity, compassion and wisdom. ~ Clifton Bradley

4. Make it a habit to respect everyone. ~ Margarita Medina

5. Consider the people you see each day. Sometimes I get wrapped up in things I am working on — fundraisers etc. But the coworker, family member, pet right next to you are the people you can truly reach and touch. ~ Amy E. Moore

Read the rest.

This is going to be a bit different. Normally I don't talk about myself at all on this blog, but this is a story I have to tell. It's an open letter to Wil Wheaton, the actor and writer, whom I have never met, but who has had the most amazing impact on my life nevertheless.

Wil…

I want to tell you a little story about you, me, and the love of my life.

I'm in my mid-fifties, and a confirmed geek. I've been divorced about six years. It was an amicable parting, and my ex and I are still good friends… but still, such an event leaves a huge gaping hole in one's heart. Losing the one that you thought you would be with until death is nearly as traumatic as death itself. It was for me, at least.

After a couple of black years during which I was barely aware of anything, I started to climb out of the dark places. I had the help of some very good friends, and a couple of very good therapists. Eventually, I realized that being alone for the rest of my life was neither predestined, nor desirable. So I started dating again.

It went about as well as could be expected for the first couple of years. Occasionally I met a woman who was intelligent, charming, and interested in a long-term relationship. And invariably, I would screw things up, and the relationship would end. But I paid attention and tried to learn from my mistakes.

Then I met Nadine. She was beautiful, well-spoken, interested in just about everything. I took things slowly — very slowly, because one of the lessons I had learned was that I had sabotaged my earlier attempts at relationships by loading them up with emotional freight before they were ready to bear the weight. Things were going great… Read the rest of this entry »