Toronto Star: You've made an enemy today

I got a call around noon today. It could be Cath calling me in the middle of the day, so I decided to answer it. I was making a cup of espresso at the time, so I quickly smoothed over the cup of grinds and screwed it into the machine, and ran to the phone.

Me: "Hello?"

Phone: (silence)

Me: "HELLO?"

Phone: (CLICK!) "Hi, this is Bonnie calling on behalf of the Toronto Star...."

Me: "OK, WHY did you think it was acceptable to call me at my home?"

Phone: "I didn't call you! My computer called you!!!"

Me: "OK, well, can you ask your computer never to call me again, and take me off your calling list?"

Phone: (silence)

Me: "THANK YOU!"


In my view, by being a for-profit private company, the Toronto Star is acknowledging the principles of capitalism. By those principles, I have the right to the products of my own mind, my own effort, and my own time. By phoning me in my home, as with all forms of direct marketing with which I am familiar, the Toronto Star is expecting me to give of my time without compensation. I find it quite offensive that a capitalistic entity, would expect me to give them something for nothing. In my opinion, this is not an ethical act in a capitalistic system based on free trade between entities.

So long as the Toronto Star continues to engage in this practice, they aren't going to see one cent of my money. And I encourage others to take the same attitude with them.

Beef Enchiladas!

My cold finally started feeling a little better, so I felt like I could handle something a little heartier than bean stew, and like I had the energy to cook. So I took out my copy of The Mexican Cookbook that my parents got me for Christmas, and looked at the recipe for beef enchiladas that I'd been eying.

Fresh from the oven

A single enchilada, ready to eat

These things are pretty good! Corn tortillas, filled with browned beef, a salsa-like tomato sauce, and cheddar cheese, topped with more sauce and cheese. Nice and hearty, really hits the spot. All the use of the skillet made a lot of smoke, though!

Carlton Invitational 2007

Challenge: Make up better captions for these pictures. (This shouldn't be hard.)

"I got a medal -- w00t!"

"Too happy? I think not!"

Sabreurs, epeeists, and foilists: working together.

"When I'm done with this pizza, I'm eating your brain."

Lots of alcohol.

She who led the alcohol-gathering expedition. May she forever be sideways!

Yeah. They rock, and they know it.

"But what's everyone else going to drink?"

Post-Christmas Cooking

This is a pizza florentine, cooked on the pizza stone my girlfriend gave me for Christmas. I got the recipe from a cookbook my sister gave me a year ago. Standard bread dough base, homemade tomato sauce, spinach, sliced hardboiled eggs, blanched almonds, and mozzarella cheese.









Here, we see a moussaka I made with my girlfriend. We used a recipe from a cookbook I picked up in Greece. Tasty, but contains an obscene amount of olive oil.

Test

This is a test post for my new blog.