Today, we will get a taste of the safety services offered in Travis County. We are catered by Buenos Aires Cafe in Austin, and our entertainment is Billy Joel.
Menu
POLLO AL HORNO – Marinated free-range chicken breast roasted, fresh herbs & spices served with polenta & wilted spinach
GNOCCHI – Pumpkin-cinnamon, sweet potato-chipotle, cilantro-jalapeno & potato-herb gnocchi tossed with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, haricots verts, Parmesan, finished with crema & house-made parsley, red pepper, & balsamic reductions
CANELONES CASEROS – Two handmade herb crepes filled with spinach, onions, provolone, & mozzarella, finished with béchamel & marinara, topped with shaved Parmesan
MILANESA AL PLATO – Two breaded & fried Certified Angus Beef cutlets, house fries or Yukon gold mashed potatoes, field greens
PASTEL DE PAPAS – Argentine style “Shepherd’s pie” Certified Angus ground beef, hard-boiled eggs, green onions, raisins, green olives, red bell peppers & herbs topped with mashed potatoes; baked until golden
NAPOLITANA – Two tender breaded Certified Angus beef cutlets blanketed with ham, baked mozzarella cheese, and house-made marinara sauce, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, field greens
SALMON – 6oz Grilled citrus glazed Scottish Salmon, grilled asparagus, portabello, finished with organic field greens and cherry tomatoes
FETTUCCINE ALFREDO- Fettuccini tossed in our smooth and creamy Parmesan sauce
Let’s jump on the bus.
The signpost is up ahead. A poster for the event.
Lots of folks.
The motorcycles of the sheriff are always a big draw.
The park police are here.
Many patrol vehicles.
A big fire truck with jaws of life.
E.M.S. unit.
A fire simulator unit to give you the feeling of being in a fire.
A multi-patient E.M.S. unit for disasters.
The mother of all S.W.A.T. vehicles.
Lakeway police vehicles
Tents to visit.
A band that is really a duo.
Of course, the bookmobile.
Along with other games, a haunted jump house.
We have seen a lot, and now it is time to relax, have food, and listen to the music.
The message on the control pad was clear in its meaning. The lone word, “Chill,” meant coffee would be delayed. Drumming fingers on the kitchen counter does no good whatsoever. An eternity passes until the slow drool of lifesaving elixir begins from the twin spouts.
Finally, I take a first sip, which comes just as the caffeine warning light in my head starts to rotate. The calm after the storm is a relief. Unfortunately, the calm lasts a brief two seconds before the Westminster chimes of the doorbell send the hounds of Baskerville into a frothy barking frenzy at a decibel level that manages to destroy every lightbulb in the place.
The only thing to do is open the bedroom door and toss a jar of peanut butter inside. Once the baying hounds pass the doorjamb in pursuit, the door is slammed, and silence returns. The security system is the next item of attention.
The turret machine guns are set to stand by, the boiling oil cauldron tipping mechanism is turned off, and the automated arrow launching pods are unarmed. In addition, the Trebuchet, ballista, and falling rock device are switched to manual. The claymore mines are set to manual, the mote net rolled back, and the concertina wire retracted. The Iron gate is raised, and the bolts are thrown on the front door.
Standing there is a guy with a chill expression and two massive ears. He is munching a carrot and asks me, “Eh, what’s up Doc?” He hands me an envelope, turns and disappears. Inside the envelope is a message from Linda Hill. It reads:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “chill.’” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
It’s a worldwide paradox: why is it so common for hospital food to be essentially bad for you?
Tackling the problem head-on, Boston Medical Center—already one of the greenest hospitals in the nation—has opened two extensive rooftop gardens. These gardens give patients and physicians access to fresh food while adding green space to the hospital campus.
BMC had one rooftop garden, through which it supplied fresh foods to its cafeteria and inpatient catering. Now, a second one, utilizing the ample rooftop space of the hospital campus, can also provide fresh foods to underserved communities, cementing BMC as a place of healing, whether through a shot in the arm or a vibrant kale salad.
Through a partnership with Boston Area Gleaners, fruits and vegetables cultivated in the 4,915-square-foot grow space will be distributed to local non-profits and community centers twice weekly during the growing season. This will address food insecurity and increase access to essential fresh foods across Boston.
Called the ‘Newmarket Farm,’ it triples BMC’s total grow space and quadruples the amount of produce BMC expects to grow annually. The new garden will specialize in growing vegetables, including collard greens, kale, and arugula, as well as culturally relevant crops, including Aji Dulce peppers, bok choy, and callaloo.
It will also advance BMC Health System’s commitment to sustainability. The green space reduces heat-absorbing pavement in the community and slows stormwater runoff impact, as plants collect and retain rainwater directly. The garden operates while reducing water waste through high-tech irrigation that waters the crops directly at the root.
“Our rooftop farms increase green space in our community, reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint, and strengthen at-risk local food systems. We are proud to expand fresh food availability in the local community while adding more pathways to support critical clinical programs, like the Preventive Food Pantry, in our hospital,” said David Maffeo, Senior Director of Support Services at BMC.
“The Newmarket Farm models how hospitals can further invest in the health of our communities while building environmentally resilient spaces.”
BMC has a program called Food Is Medicine, which works with a local grocer to craft labeling formats that speak directly to citizens’ disease risks and/or desire for knowledge about better nutrition.
For example, food items that may help control blood sugar are expressed on the packaging as being better for diabetics, or foods that may help lower blood pressure are labeled as potentially heart-healthy.
The city’s cultural diversity has seen the labeling materials printed in a variety of languages, from Vietnamese to Haitian-Creole.
The good news in this article is space is being put to use for the good of the community and hospital patients. Today’s JohnKu talks about clear thinking. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Today, I opened Circumstances of Childhood randomly to page 115. Without looking, I pointed at the page, and my finger fell closest to the word “position.”
This post ran on August 11th, 2014. I’m sure there are still lousy bosses out there. I hope you enjoy it.
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Top Ten Things Not to Do if You Have a Lousy Boss
10. If you have a lousy boss, do not try to curry favor. If you do, at best, your co-workers will shun you. At worst, the boss may think you are a big ass suck-up and have no respect for you whatsoever. ( Okay, so you are a big assed suck-up, Buford. Be more discrete.)
9. If you have a lousy boss, do not wish a cheery good morning. If you do, at best, the boss will think you are shallow. At worst, the boss will not appreciate your greeting since all days are bad in the boss’s opinion. (You might try a growl next time, Berry. It works for the boss’s wife.)
8. If you have a lousy boss, do not volunteer to plan an event. If you do, at best, you will be disappointed in the boss’s disapproval of how the event went. At worst, your permanent record will have an entry about poor planning skills. (The idea of serving mimosas at the coffee break went a little far, Buster.)
7. If you have a lousy boss, do not talk to the boss at company functions. If you do, at best, the boss with think you are sucking up. At worst, the boss will allow paranoid feelings to influence the decision to move you to the basement mop closet. (Try to stay on the other side of the room, Brent. If the boss wants you, he will waggle his finger.)
6. If you have a lousy boss, do not ask a question at meetings. If you do, at best, your co-workers will think you are sucking up. At worst, the boss will take your question as a personal attack on the company’s objectives and record this lack of loyalty for your next review. (If questions are needed to be asked, Jerry, the boss, will ask them.)
5. If you have a lousy boss, do not take normal coffee breaks. If you do, at best, the boss will think you are not motivated. At worst, the boss will assume you are leading a plot with your co-workers to undermine the boss’s authority. (Bring a Yeti cup from home, Warren. Who has to know it’s gin and tonic.”
4. If you have a lousy boss, do not get caught talking to the boss’s boss at a company function. If you do at best, the boss will allow the paranoid feeling to influence your next pay raise. At worst, the boss will have a private discussion with the boss’s boss on the need to develop a performance plan to get you back on track. (I know the boss’s boss called you over, Jess. You should have just passed out. It would have been easier in the long run.)
3. If you have a lousy boss, do not expect praise and reward for a well-done job. If you do, at best, you will be disappointed since the boss believes all good things are a result of excellent management of you. At worst, the boss will find out how disappointed you are and will make a note in your file about your weakness as a team player. (The only reward for a job well done is keeping the job, Hubert. Rewards are in heaven)
2. If you have a lousy boss, do not think the invitation to join a special team is an honor. If you do, at best, you will be disappointed to find out the boss just needed some folks to do extra work. At worst, you will learn the special team is being held accountable and chartered to correct some screw-ups done by another special team appointed by the boss.( The hint about the viability of the special team is that all the players are on probation, Randy. Welcome to the after-school detention center.)
1. If you have a lousy boss, do not feel comfortable going on vacation. If you do, at best, you may be interrupted by annoying phone calls. At worst, you will not be interrupted but will come back to find your job function has changed, with another forty hours of work added to your current load. (You’ve heard the boss say, “Vacation is for losers.” So ask yourself why are you surprised by the outcome, Frank?)
Today, we are celebrating Halloween with the Witches Ride in Lakeway. This is an annual event, and we don’t want to miss it. Kids dress up and take a one-mile ride on anything that doesn’t have a motor. After the ride, there is a carnival for more fun. We will be eating carnival food, and our entertainment is Michael Jackson.
The coffee machine has the day off. Here’s what happened. Daughter went to Costa Rica and brought back some coffee. The coffee was already ground, so using the machine to brew a cup was not impossible, but it was close to it. A French Press was conscripted into action. Boiling water, tablespoons of coffee, and a four-minute wait was almost like camping out.
Finally, the cup is ready. The coffee is remarkably smooth compared to Columbian. It has a floral finish, which could be offsetting if one is unfamiliar with that element. The primary benefit of caffeine delivery is accomplished, so in the end, it is a success.
Just at the finish of the cup, the Westminister chime doorbell causes Twiggy and Tempeste to take up the protective high-octave warning system that can cause the ears to bleed. Wondering why people can’t pay attention to the “PLEASE DO NOT RING THE DOORBELL” sign is beyond me. The shutdown of the security system begins.
The turret machine guns are set to stand by, the boiling oil cauldron tipping mechanism is turned off, and the automated arrow launching pods are unarmed. In addition, the Trebuchet, ballista, and falling rock device are switched to manual. The claymore mines are set to manual, the mote net rolled back, and the concertina wire retracted. The Iron gate is raised, and the bolts are thrown on the front door.
Standing there is a guy with a mug that looks like Al Capone. He has a letter and says it needs to be signed for receipt. He also has a clipboard and tells me to sign on line four. I do that, and he hands me the letter. “Don’t leave town,” he says. Before my response, he turns and walks away.
I open the letter, which is from Linda Hill. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “mug.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
Artists come from all corners, in all shapes and sizes, and from every race and religion; John Pavart and his painted coconuts are a perfect example.
The former opal miner turned painter from Australia’s state of New South Wales has been painting coconut husks for years, leaving them around the beaches of Magnetic Island for tourists and travelers to find.
It’s become one of the chief charms of the island, even though Pavart started it on a lark.
“I just happened to have a bit of art gear on me and thought I’d pick one up and paint it,” he said, detailing the phenomenon’s remarkably simple origin. “I put it down, and someone picked it up, and they seemed to like it, so I just kept doing it.”
They often depict sea life and beachscapes, and by now, the thin “grey nomad,” a term used to describe Australians in their 50s who move around for months out of the year, believes he’s painted over 750 of them.
“Lots of people have found one, and it puts a smile on someone’s face,” Mr. Pavart told ABC News Au. “I’ve got them in Brazil, Spain, England—they’re all over the world.
Pavart’s coconuts are now so in demand he occasionally has to leave Magnetic Island for Queensland, the nearest continental shoreline, to look for more.
Some of the coconuts have made it to Spain – credit John Pavart, supplied to ABC News.
Once painted, he will leave a picture as a clue on a Facebook page he started to trigger a free treasure hunt, which routinely attracts many of the kids in the island’s town.
He joked with ABC that between himself and the rats, the beaches are completely clear of coconuts.
The good news in this story is one man is spreading cheer and goodwill for no other reason than to do it.
Today’s JohnKy talks about fun. I hope you have a great weekend.
