Horrible Happenings in History

I was doing some research on the BBC's website last night (more assignments for English II!) and stumbled upon a segment called "Terrible Tudors and Vile Victorians." Several of the blurbs caught my eye because AP Literature has studied the Tudors and will soon be studying the Victorians. Anyway, to make a long story short (too late, I know)...

According to the mini-article by Simon Cooper & Terry Deary:

• In the reign of Henry VIII, the Bishop of Rochester upset his cook one day. So the cook got his revenge by putting a special herb in the bishop's feast that night. The herb was supposed to give the guests diarrhea. Unfortunately, two of the guests got diarrhea till they died. The cook was sent to be hanged for murder. But King Henry VIII said, 'No! hanging is too kind for that villain! I want him boiled alive in his own pot!' And that's what they did. For five years, the punishment for poisoners was to be boiled alive. What a Horribly Hot Happening!

Scroll down to read more stories by your fellow St. A students. Feel free to leave comments. Have a fun (and safe) Halloween! More Terrible Tudors weirdness at the link above.

"Haunted Walk"

Do you ever get the feeling that your being followed?

Well, being that tonight is the night before Halloween and the night T-Town celebrates "trick-or-treat," I decided to have a little fun. I picked up Lena around 9:30 and we couldn't find a thing to do. Knowing we had friends in T-Town probably hanging out, we drove onto the Main road. We stopped when we saw two of our friends' cars parked alongside the road next to the church. We were curious what they were up to. And then!! we saw a group of junior high kids walking across the lawn next to the church. The great idea of scaring them popped into my head. I talked it over with Lena, and after much deliberation, we agreed to attempt to scare them. After parking, we followed the sound of laughter to a monastery and a screen down. I started making ghost noises. Without any reaction from the kids who apparently did not hear me, I decided I needed to be closer. I stepped closer to the door and "woooooh'ed" again. All of a sudden, the door swung open and I hit the ground running. I didn't stop until I hit the next road. Lena and I were out of breath and laughing by the time we stopped. We had so much fun, we decided to do it again.




This time we took a different approach to the door. On our way there, we saw the same group of kids walking towards us. We hurriedly "hid" in the slide in the park by the monastery. The group walked by and did not see us. I heard one of them say "They were probably just trick-or-treaters." Lena and I got a kick out of this. Then all of a sudden, I hear Lena whisper, "Allie, some old lady is walking right towards us." I slowly moved my head to where I could see what she was talking about. She was right: an older lady looked like she was headed right toward our hiding spot, and before I knew it, poked her head over the edge of the slide. She said to me, "So you're the girl I saw in the purple coat." I smiled and looked at her. She shined a flashlight in my eyes so long I thought I would go blind. She finally turned it off and my vision was restored. We ended up talking for a good ten minutes about what she and the high school students do for the the junior high students at T-Town. I was actually quite impressed. I wish our high school was able to sponsor and chaperon events for the junior high. They would probably really enjoy that. I am graduating this year, but to all those who will still be here next year, here is some food for thought for you!


by: Allie K

Paranormal Activity

Well, it's that time of year again. The time for ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night to step out of the dark corners of your mind and into the forefront. What better time than to watch scary movies! To help me get into the spirit of Halloween, I saw the movie Paranormal Activity. Was it the scariest movie ever? Not by a long shot. Scariest movie of the year? Definitely, at least until the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie hits theaters.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

I'll try to make this review as fair as possible, but since I don't feel fear, that might be a bit of a challenge. For those of you who've been living under a rock for the last month, this is one of those low-budget horror movies that takes place from the view of a home video camera. It features realistic characters and attempts to present itself as a true story. You may not notice this while watching the movie, but since the point of view is a camera, there's no music. The movie begins by introducing a woman who has been haunted by a spirit for her entire life. Her boyfriend, in an attempt to solve this problem, buys a video camera and decides to film almost everything they do (Keep in mind this is almost everything. Don't get your hopes up; it's not a porno). The movie does a great job of slowly building up the suspense, and then easing off with some light humor. While some scenes certainly got my heart racing, the movie doesn't really shine until the last fifteen minutes. I won't ruin the ending for you, just the fact that I was laughing my head off while the rest of the moviegoers were screaming. Actually... (highlight to read)

Spoiler: Haha, what are you doing looking here? Go watch the movie, ya cheapskate... /Spoiler

Note: The times from the movie's trailer mean nothing. Don't assume that because something scary happens at a certain time on the camera from the trailer, the same scary thing will happen at that time during the movie.

Pros: great acting, good suspense buildup, somewhat scary, surprise ending

Cons: starts slowly, may stick with you for a few days /weeks /months /forevers

Overall: 8.4/10

The World Series

As many of you know, the World Series is in full swing. Just like Chase Utley's bat on Wednesday night. Utley powered the Phillies to a 6-1 win over the New York Yankees. Utley's two solo home-runs were all the runs that Cliff Lee needed to win. Lee pitched a complete game, a 6 hit bid and took a shutout into the 9th inning. The only hiccup that Lee had all night was in the 9th inning when Jimmy Rollins made a throwing error to allow the only run for the Yankees to score.

My uncle is a sports agent, and he is currently representing Cliff Lee and A.J. Burnett. Burnett takes the mound tonight to face Pedro Martinez. Both of these players are pitchers. Lee is a south paw, while Burnett brings it from the right side of the mound. My uncle is currently in New York watching the World Series between the Yankees and the Phillies. So I'm not real sure which team I'm rooting for. Just be sure to tune in and see whats going with the World Series.

Reed

Frisbee Golf

Frisbee golf, or frolf, is a mixture of golf and the classic Frisbee. Frolfing started somewhere between the 1970's or the 1980's. It didn't become very popular until the 1990's, before then is was mostly an unknown sport. The Frisbees that are used are heavier and are specially designed for certain purposes. Like normal golf, there are distance drivers, fairway drivers, mid-range discs, multi-purpose discs, approach discs, and putters. Also, the disc are made from different types of plastic just like how golf clubs are made out of different materials. Some of the discs are very hard and slick but others are soft so that you can get a good grip.


Unlike golf there are different ways to throw the discs, some people prefer sidearm but others prefer to throw it backhand. Sidearm is when you throw it with the inside of your arm facing outward. Backhand is the more traditional way of throwing the Frisbee, but everyone has their own style of throwing. The tees are anywhere from 100 to 300 feet but some of the holes go to 500 feet. Some of the professionals can throw over 500 feet but for most people the farthest throw is about 300 feet. The holes consist of a of a basket on a pole with chains coming down from the top into the basket so that the disc can slow down so they can fall into the basket.
-Ryan Hoelscher

Fartlek: Bringin' It..."Swedish Style"

As I have referenced many times, Mongo is extremely lucky to live in a neighborhood, and be surrounded by neighborhoods, that provide excellent hills for both skateboarding(downhill) and cycling(uphill). Unfortunately, most of the time I take the easy way out and only use the skateboarding option...with some moderately paced uphill walking thrown in for good measure.

Today, Mongo started what I hope will turn into a habit over the Winter and beyond. I did thirty minutes of high intensity climbing, in both the standing and seated positions, while using a variety of gear ratios. No matter what my cadence was, my output stayed the same. My Max-HR was 175, and my Avg-HR was 142...Exactly where I want to be after any intense ride, long or short.

I really think shorter, multi-cadence, high intensity rides are going to do more for me during the cold months than my usual training fodder. We shall see...

Langston Park

"You're my friend

I will defend

And if we change

Well I love you anyway"

(Alice In Chains)

Cross Country Regionals

Both the boy's and girl's Cross Country teams are going to Sectionals this coming Saturday, October 31, which is Halloween. This means that both teams earned a top 5 finish at regionals.

The boys finished 4th, behind Robinson, Sullivan, and Shelbyville. All that matters though is that we made it and we also beat T-town. The girls managed to sneak in with a 5th place finish. Liz didn't win like usual, but she still made us all proud with a 2nd place finish. Ryan Hoelscher ran a good race for the boys. Ryan came in with a 16th place finish, I believe. The regional was at Robinson, and the conditions of the course were terrible. I saw at least 4 kids trip and fall while running because it was so muddy; there was also some pushing and shoving that helped them fall. Sectionals are at Decatur and I don't believe that anyone on the team has ever ran or been there.

The regionals were stacked with good runners, so there is going to be even greater competition at sectionals. Competition will be tough, but you never know, that's why you run the race. Now Liz, on the other hand, has a pretty good shot at making it to state as an individual. It should be a fun race and you never know about Andrew Grunloh and Drew Willenborg. This is most likely their last race so we'll see what they've got. If you have nothing better to do with your Saturday, come on up to Decatur and cheer on the cross country team.

Reed

SAHS Digital Photography Class

Many students seem to now know about the new Digital Photography class taught by Mr. Zacarri here at Saint Anthony High School. The class typically takes a "field trip" each Friday to take weekly pictures, and then spends the next week working and editing their photos. Mr. Zaccari teaches Photoshop tips and techniques as well as an in-depth tutorial on taking digital photographs.

This previous week, the class took their weekly "field trip" to the pond near the Yellowbook building. Here are a few of my pictures from the trip.

I'll be updating the blog with more pictures as they come in.

David Orr

Ten Kilos: The Cold Weather Stash

Well, now that Mongo's road season is over, it's time to think about how I'm going to fend off my annual Winter visitor. He comes every year around November, and though I can usually get rid of him by May, sometimes he stays as late as July.

I wish that I was referring to the twenty pounds I gain every off-season...But in this case, I am using the "visitor" metaphor to describe my Nicaraguan half-brother, Santos...who illegally immigrates to the southeastern United States every Fall to harvest marijuana and smuggle pirated Sony Playstations back to the "old country".

As you can imagine, the raucous, all night, bilingual, Madden tournaments, along with the constant threat of Federal involvement, mitigated, of course, by the quality of the weed, can really test "family".

Family Portraits on Lanikai Beach, Oahu

IMEA Festival: District 5

On Monday, October 12th, junior and senior high kids from all over this district came to Effingham grade and high schools to audition for places in the band, chorus, and orchestra. Each musician had to prepare a set of audition material...This ranges from scales to etudes to music excerpts.

The kids who make the cut get to participate in a program called IMEA (Illinois Music Education Association) District 5. There is a junior and senior division for each branch of musicality. On Saturday, November 21st, all participants go to EIU and have a full day of rehearsals, before the concerts that night. The concerts take place in either Doudna Music Center in the Dvorak Hall, or in the Martin Luther King Jr. Union Hall, in the Union Ballroom or in the Grand Ballroom. It is an opportunity for top placed musicians in high school to make it to all-state. Making it to all-state for a musician is an honor, and it's the equivalent to making it to state in sports for a basketball player.

The competition is cut-throat, and for all musicians (other than strings who are allowed to go as sophomores due to low numbers) are eligible once they become a junior. You must make the top percent of your instrument or voice range to go. The experience of IMEA is a great one. You learn so much, and you are exposed to kids your own age who share a love for music, as you do. I wish luck to all those who made it this year, especially to those of us from St.A :)

--Cheslynn Litke

Running in the shadows

With all that's going on with our country right now -- health care reform, two wars in the Middle East, the federal budget deficit, the slow recovery of the economy, etc. -- you'd think it would be a good thing to see Medford and Ashland featured prominently in The New York Times.

You'd be wrong.

The two Southern Oregon cities earned dubious datelines this week as, first, the Times looked at Medford in describing how the recession has worsened the nation's youth runaway problem and then, the following day, featured an Ashland girl in its report on how teenagers are often forced to sell sex in order to survive on the streets.

Both stories are well worth reading. If you're one of those folks who tends to skip over links to videos, I urge you to make an exception. Reporter Ian Urbina and photographer Monica Almeida team up for a compelling report, featuring the same teenagers who are interviewed in the two articles.

I won't attempt to distill the articles here, other than to say that, for me, they engendered a feeling of respect for the resourcefulness displayed by many of these youth. Make no mistake: These aren't the "road warriors" you see on some Portland streets -- the aggressive, panhandling, drug-addled young people who are just passing through. These are kids who've left home because of abusive parents or economic difficulties. One girl is trying to make it by squatting in the abandoned house her parents lost to foreclosure. The stories are powerful and deserve a careful reading.

First article: Recession Drives Surge in Youth Runaways

Second article: For Runaways, Sex Buys Survival

Videos: When No One's Looking, and When No One's Looking, Part 2

Safe cities, scary people

News item: Portland ranks No. 3 among America's safest cities.

News item: Glenn Beck, Michael Moore and Kanye West are among the Scariest People of 2009.

Says who? Forbes magazine, that's who.

This week began with the ho-hum news that the City of Roses is among the nation's safest places, trailing only Minneapolis and Milwaukee and ranking ahead of Seattle and Boston, which tied for fourth, among America's 40 largest metro areas. Portland actually has the lowest crime rate but came out third when all the criteria -- including workplace deaths, fatal crashes and the risk of natural disasters -- were taken into account.

No one I know gets excited about such rankings anymore because we've come to expect them. I know that sounds conceited, maybe even condescending. But when Portland is continually held up as a model when it comes to urban planning, mass transit use, parks and bicycling -- not to mention our microbreweries, coffeehouses, food carts and cutting-edge restaurants -- well, sometimes it's hard to be humble. (I can't believe I just wrote that.)

Anyway, you can go to forbes.com to read the complete rankings of America's safest cities.
While there, you can feel sorry for those metro areas that landed on the magazine's list of America's most dangerous cities, headed by Detroit, Memphis and Miami.

But, wait, there's more...Just in time for Halloween, Forbes rolls out its annual list of the 10 scariest people. Aside from the three mentioned above, the list includes just one woman: the ubiquitous Kate Gosselin. (And, yes, her ex made the list, too.)

Who would you add to the list?

Photo by Randy L. Rasmussen, The Oregonian; illustrations by Val B. Bochkov

Trick-or-Treat!

Trick Or Treat For Hunger 2009 is over, and what a success it was! Student Council has out done themselves this year. At least seven trashcans were filled with all sorts of non-perishable food items -and a bag of clothes (Thank you Mr. Cunningham). Student Council members come back from this with many great stories, so be sure to ask them what all happened this year on one of the most successful Trick Or Treat For Hungers ever. They will be happy to tell stories of all the fun they had.

Don't forget about the costume contest on Friday either! I know Mrs. Cross has offered bonus points, but Mrs. Thoele has as well. Try getting some in both classes. My suggestion is Abraham Lincoln, not too original, but definitely qualified. He is, after all, according to Fr. Bracco, the second most written about person ever (Literary and Historical all mashed into one). The costume contest, hosted by student council, will take place at lunch. There are several different categories, and the winners of each get a free vendor lunch, so make sure to enter one. What have you got to lose?

Drew Willenborg

Top things of the week

Hello readers, I'll spare you the introductions and get right into it, so let's start.

Food of the Week:
As Halloween draws near, it's time to get festive. The food of this week is candy!

Although, you should be warned, the mass consumption of these sweet treats will cause extreme stomach aches.

Beverage of the Week:
It comes in all flavors, has a mascot that I personally fear, this weeks best beverage is Kool-aid!

*shudders*

Movie of the week:
Having the blues over the fact that you can no longer adequately celebrate Halloween by trick or treating? Well, you can always invite a few friends over, pop some popcorn, and watch a scary movie or two. I'm not going to get into any specific movie, but the horror movie genre in general!


Video game of the week:
It's a tie this time around. In the spirit of Halloween, I'd like to highlight two of my favorite games that are sure to insight a fright! Super Ghouls 'N' Ghosts and the first Castlevania!

Both of these games are available via the Wii Shop Channel, or if you can procure a copy you could play each on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Super Nintendo, respectively. Both of these games are also difficult, giving you bragging rights for successfully beating either. Both of which, I'm proud to say, I've completed.

I hope you enjoyed the list! Be safe, don't take rides from strangers, and all that jazz. That concludes this week's "Thing of the Week." Happy Halloween!
~

Dressing up at Niemerg's

IT'S HALLOWEEN!

Once a year, Niemerg's employees dress up in celebration of Halloween. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to dress up last year because I wasn't scheduled to work. That's not the case this year, though. The only problem is, I just can't decide what I want to be. There are so many choices! I will be working the Salad Bar that night, so my choices are somewhat limited. The other bus girls and salad bar girls will all be dressing up, as well. As of now, we think we want to dress up as the same character, or whatever we decide to be.
Any suggestions?
We were considering wearing matching pajamas and being sleepwalkers.

Also, we wanted to be cats, with painted faces and a tail.

There are other options we've thought about, but we're not sure.

Help would be nice!

Let me know what you think...remember: comments are great!

By: Lieren Schuette

Catalina Castaneda

Meet Catalina Castaneda Nieto -- an exchange student from Columbia. Catalina is 17 years old and is currently staying with the Gilpin family. Catalina has one sister, Carolina, who is 14 years old. While she enjoys the people in America, she does miss her family, her pet cat, and the food in Colombia.

Catalina came to the United States to work on English as her second language. When she has a little time off from her studies, she likes to go shopping. She also enjoys singing and is an accomplished artist. She prefers to draw Anime (an example is shown here). She says that it can sometimes be hard to make friends here--mainly because of the language barrier. She does enjoy watching videos and spending time with friends, though.

Her favorite American food? The corn dog, of course--because it doesn't even exist in Columbia. Can you imagine?

Take some time to get to know Catalina better--she's really friendly and bright! Maybe you could tutor her in English in exchange for her helping you with your Spanish...

Antique Lace

On my thrift outing that landed me the $585 bird cage for $5, I also came across a stash of this antique lace. At $2 for the lot, I couldn't resist. I much prefer rick rack or ball fringe, but I just know I'll find a use for these lovely trims.

Trick or Treat for Hunger

Many of you have seen the student council working around school, whether on food drives or jeans days or anything of that sort. Tonight, Wednesday, October 28, the Student Council is doing something that they only do once a year. They are going around to different houses in Effingham and "Trick or Treating for Hunger." This annual event allows St. Anthony via student council to donate hundreds of food items to Catholic Charities.

The Student Council will begin at approximately 6:30 and drive to most of the neighborhoods in Effingham. However, they only stop if the lights are on. They need all the food they can get, so everybody needs to make sure to turn on their porch lights before 6:30. Any sort of contribution helps, so make sure to give something if you here a knock at the door. Remember, the food goes to a good cause. Don't hesitate to give!




Drew Willenborg

Swine Flu

"And remember to wash your hands!" we all hear after our daily first hour announcements. Does anyone really take this advice to heart? Well, maybe it's time to begin listening. The swine flu and the 24 hour flu has been taking out students one by one in Effingham County. Over 90 students at T-Town are out and several others around the area. One may think, "being out of school doesn't sound too bad." But the swine flu is nothing to look forward to. In fact, by knowing the symptoms of swine flu, you will be able to detect that you have it earlier and get treatment sooner. Some symptoms include:

• headache
• runny nose
• sore throat
• shortness of breath
• loss of appetite
• cough
• aching muscles
• vomiting
• diarrhea
  

Doesn't sound like too much fun! If these symptoms pertain to you, stop going to school and see a doctor. You will only endanger the other students by being around them. The virus is spread through coughing and sneezing. Avoid touching your eyes and mouth and take advantage of the flu vaccine at the hospital. They are FREE! And remember to WASH YOUR HANDS!

by Allie K

New Dessert Recipe!

Need a new recipe to make for your friends or family this Halloween? Try this one! It really looks like a pumpkin!





Jack-o'-Lantern Cake (BettyCrocker.com)






What you'll need:

• 2 boxes devil's food or white cake mix


• Water, vegetable oil and eggs or egg whites called for on cake mix box


• 2 containers (1 lb. each) of vanilla icing


• yellow and red food coloring


• one green or brown flat bottom ice cream cone


• any flavor of fruit roll ups

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour 2-quart round casserole or 2 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl. Make 1 box cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs or egg whites. Pour batter into casserole.

2. Bake devil's food cake 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, white cake about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Remove cake from casserole; place rounded side up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Make and bake remaining cake mix using same casserole or bowl and following the same steps.

3. With sharp knife, carefully slice piece from top of each cake to make flat surface where cakes will be placed together to form pumpkin shape.

4. In medium bowl, place frosting; tint with 9 drops yellow and 6 drops red food color to make orange frosting. On plate, place 1 cake, rounded side down. Spread 2/3 cup of the orange frosting over cake almost to edge. Place second cake, rounded side up, on frosted cake to make round shape. Frost entire cake with remaining orange frosting.

5. Trim ice-cream cone to desired height for stem; place upside down on cake. Cut out eyes, nose, mouth, vines and leaves from fruit snack rolls. Place on frosted cake to form face. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it definitely looks worth it!

Happy Halloween!

by Lauryn Ragland

Clara Zwetler :)

We've had the opportunity again this year to have exchange students come to St.Anthony. I would like to highlight one in particular, Clara Zwetler. She is 16 years old, her birthday is July 23, 1993. She is from Heidelberg, Germany. She has one sister, Lea, who is 11.


Clara wanted to come to the USA to improve her English so she can come here to study after high school. She said she misses her best friends from home, and she can't call them as much as she'd like. The thing she likes most about America is that her grades don't count towards her German schooling, and the thing she likes the least is that Starbucks doesn't have her fave coffee. Her favorite American food is Oreos, and her least favorite is anything blue, especially blue Gatorade. She said the easiest thing about being here is making new friends. The hardest thing is knowing she has to leave so soon.

Back in Germany, she goes to parties, concerts, shopping trips, and spontaneous trips to other countries for fun. Here in the US, she goes shopping, goes to concerts and runs cross country (varsity!) for fun.

We have all enjoyed having her here, and we'll be sad to see her go.

--Cheslynn Litke

The new guy in charge

After six weeks of suspense, the announcement came today as we logged onto The Oregonian's email system. We have a new publisher: N. Christian Anderson III, a homegrown Oregon boy who's been a newspaper editor in Oregon, Washington and California and, more recently, a widely respected publisher and consultant.

Chris, as he prefers to be called, is known as innovative, intense and intelligent -- truly one of the sharpest minds in the business. As publisher of the Orange County Register, he transformed an underachieving daily into a Pulitzer Prize-winning organization that took on and defeated the much larger Los Angeles Times, when the latter had a large Orange County bureau and hopes of crushing the hometown paper. Didn't happen.

At 59, Anderson is nearly three decades younger -- and way, way, way more savvy about the Internet -- than his predecessor Fred Stickel, who retired Sept. 18 at age 87 after 35 years as publisher of Oregon's oldest business. (He announced he was leaving Sept. 9.) Just last Thursday, I was among the dozens of people who attended Stickel's farewell dinner, an emotional sendoff at the Multnomah Athletic Club that featured tributes from friends, family and current staffers.

Like many colleagues, I was anticipating the next publisher would be a money guy, someone known for more generating revenues and running a tight ship on the business side. I think we're fortunate to have a new guy in charge who came up on the news side and appreciates the journalistic challenges, yet who's savvy enough to know we need to operate as an information organization and not just a newspaper.

Here's a link to the news story on OregonLive. And here's a factoid o' the day: Anderson shares something in common with Chris Johns, editor in chief of National Geographic Magazine, one of the world's most respected publications. Both graduated from Oregon State University and both served as editor of the student newspaper, The Daily Barometer.

Illuminated

You're the only one who can hold your head up high,

Shake your fists at the gates saying:

"I've come home now!

Fetch me the spirit, the son, and the father.

Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended.

It's time now!

My time now!

Give me my, give me my wings!"

(Tool)

The Final-Final 'Fest: Happy Endings And Maybe The Swine Flu

Mongo has been on the verge of getting sick for about ten days now. Luckily, I have the immune system of a landfill raccoon...so whatever is trying to bring me down can't seem to get a foothold. The bad news is that I'm in a perpetual state of feeling crappy.

This hasn't stopped Mongo from riding. I had a great day Sunday on the mt. bike, with several smackdowns and an exploded peloton to my credit. I had to chase another stoplight jumper into a group of about fifteen riders. Just when he thought he could tuck in and rest, I attacked and it was on. Four or five guys went with me but I never looked back...and after a mile or two there was no one left.

Tonight was the last "official" 23/2300 Hammerfest of 2009. About ten of the faithful showed up to finish out the season in style. Mongo had two things going against him this evening. The aforementioned sickness and...I rode thirteen miles before we started. I should have saved what little energy I had.

The usual shit happened...I dragged on the climbs(this time really badly because of breathing problems), and I managed a solid fifth place finish in the Sprint.

It's been a great year of Hammerfesting with a really great group of guys and gals. Though the skill levels vary from Pro to Cat 5, everyone has benefitted from riding together this season. I look forward to next year.

A Weekend of Planting, Cottage Cheese Ceilings, Paint Chips and Cleaning

What a whirlwind of a weekend. We never made it to (nor did we do the usual planning for) our church's Trunk or Treat. Well, we figured, someone else needs to bask in the glory of being the best trunk. We're givers, we Gahan Girls.

Hastings delivered an obscene amount of shrubs and plants that my dad, Fred, and I took most of Saturday planting (and we just made a small dent). I pruned trees as well. And made a trip to Pike Nursery, coming home with 10 bags of mulch, 5 of soil amendment, and lots of 2 for 1 perennials. And I did get a beautiful Bowl of Cream peony; have been wanting a peony plant for a long time. This particular one was not the pink I've always dreamed of, but it was half price, and so I figured it was worth a shot to see if I can grow one with success. As it was such a beautiful day, cool and breezy, the chore of planting was hardly work.

I made a trip to Benjamin Moore to look at paint colors for the exterior of my house. I know what I think I want — gray with white trim and black shutters, but as I looked at all the different shades of gray and white, I became a bit overwhelmed. The paint store has a color specialist who popped over to chat. She is coming to my house on Thursday morning to consult on color choices.

On Sunday I stripped my bathroom ceiling of all the cottage cheese and painted it white. Looks so much better. But what a huge mess. It took me 2 hours of cleaning after the cheese removal before I could paint. Getting the stuff down is a piece of cake, but the mess it makes when it falls. Oy vey.

And, of course, I listened to Christmas music all weekend. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

Like A Slap Upside The Head

Mongo was flipping through the channels on the old black and white last night when I was hit with a revelation. I finally figured out why I don't like the cycling coverage on television provided by the Versus Network.

I could spend hours breaking down what knowledgeable cycling fans already know about the shortcomings of the very limited coverage of Professional Cycling year round...but I won't. We have found other sources from around the world on the Internet to satisfy our Fleche Wallone fixes and our geek needs.

What I do want from Versus, come TDF and Giro time, is some good "couch time" with an easy listening, knowledgeable, broadcast team... giving me solid play by play and analysis.

Liggett and Sherwin are the Madden and Michaels of cycling. Old and quirky, yes...but still the best in the business. Bob Roll...what happened? You used to be fresh and irreverent, now you're stale and corny. Ventura and Andreu as field reporters are pretty solid, but they both have closets full of conflicting skeletons. This brings me to the studio host and the reason for my revelation...Craig Hummer.

As I flipped through the channels, there was Craig Hummer announcing Bull Riding...and he was doing it very well. That's the problem! He is nothing but a pretty-boy shill for the Versus network. Though extremely skilled and polished at his craft, he brings the same sterile competency to Bull Riding as he does Pro Cycling. True enthusiasts and fans can feel it even if they're not quite sure why.

I do understand that a certain style is necessary as host to engage and move a broadcast along. The thing is that Hummer has no history in cycling, and seeing him broadcast Gymnastics and Bull Riding does nothing but weaken an already weak product.

Hawaii Engagement Photography: Kama'aina Discount

Fifty percent kama'aina discount on engagement photography: $180 (regular price is $360). E-session package includes one hour of on-location photography on Oahu, a disc of edited and enhanced images with copyright release, and a private online gallery of images to share with family and friends. Offer is valid until January 30, 2010.

We are also offering beautiful Save the Date cards on high quality, eco-friendly paper. Please contact us for more information.

Basketball

St. Anthony Basketball 09-10

The St. Anthony Bulldogs have only lost one player from the graduate class of 2009. This year the Bulldogs look like they have a fighting chance to be the top team in the area. The seniors on the team are Paul Sudkamp, Marty Jansen, Alex Lustig, Derek Rohlfing, Myles Baker, and Taylor Wortman. The Juniors on the basketball team are Kit Koerner, James Jansen, Brandon Dial, and Ryan Schmitt. The Sophomores are Reed Willenborg, Patrick Grunloh, Michael Kabbes, Andrew Stephens, Scott Deters, Nic Koester, Zach Bradshaw, and Jared Having. The Freshmen are: Brian Brunk, Charlie Schultz, Jacob Schuette, Jack Niebrugge, Joe Powell, Dalton Anderson, and Cody Pike.

The St. Anthony players have been waking up at six for the past two weeks for basketball conditioning. After school, they have workouts or scrimmage to also get in shape. After conditioning is finished, the team will still have 6 o'clock practice in the morning, plus after school, the team will have an important practice. Meet the Bulldogs is on November 13th and the Turkey Tourney is November 23rd-28th. Ask the front desk of the office for your own copy of the St. Anthony basketball schedule.


Scott Deters

7 Layer Fiesta Dip

7 Layer Fiesta Dip

· 2 (8-ounce) packages low-fat cream cheese, softened
· 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (your favorite brand)
· 2 cups prepared guacamole (make your own or use ready-made)
· 2 cups tomato-based salsa
· 2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce
· 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
· 1 cup chopped green onions
· 2 (2-ounce) cans sliced black olives

1. In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese and seasoning mix. Spread mixture evenly onto the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass dish.

2. Top the seasoned cream cheese with the guacamole, salsa, lettuce, cheese,

onions and olives in layers.

3. Serve immediately accompanied with tortilla or corn chips.

4. Refrigerate any remaining dip.

Makes 20 servings.

Cook's Note: If you like, reduce the

recipe ingredients by half and use a 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish for a smaller party.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (approximately 1/4 cup): 152.3 calories; 69% calories from fat; 12.0g total fat; 25.3mg cholesterol; 372.3mg sodium; 206.9mg potassium; 5.5g carbohydrates; 1.1g fiber; 0.7g sugar; 4.5g net carbs; 6.3g protein.

By: Lieren Schuette

Recipe from epicurious.com