It’s hypnotic. 50 minutes of 56 episodes of Star Trek TOS played at the same time, tiled next to each other. If you get through the whole thing, it will make the 49:15 mark, and following, that much more enjoyable.
Good luck.
56 Episodes of Star Trek At The Same Time
Mead. Honey Wine. Grog. “Pond Water”. For Renaissance Faire-goers, sweet wine aficionados, and the normal mortal human alike, there can always be Mead. The sweet honey nectar starts at the basic part of fermentation and home brewing, and can reap some amazing rewards. Some brewers opt to add fruit and spices, each creating a new, bright, and unique taste. However, it can take up to a month for the brew to finish. If you’re rushed for a refreshing glass, and don’t have a store that carries it nearby, here’s an exceedingly easy recipe that can cost as little $7.50, and that’s if you have to go out and buy the wine and honey. Ladies and gents, I give you: Minute Mead. *Slainte*
Ingredients:
This recipe creates a moderately heavy honey taste. The Chablis is the undertone flavor on this. You can always adjust according to your own preference.
1 – 1.5L bottle of dessert wine (using Chablis)
2/3 cup honey
(2) 2cup, or larger, liquid measuring cup, one of them should be Microwaveable
Directions:
Warning: Due to displacement with the honey as a denser additive, there will be a slight bit of extra wine. Consume as necessary.
For times when more would be required, many stores also carry the Chablis in the big jug bottles (Carlo Rossi has a 3.0L bottle, which would mean that you just double everything). Muawahahahaha.
This week’s NOMonster recipe is for all you unicorn owners, breeders, and seekers. This fun and easy recipe is for Unicorn Kibble, to lure and keep your magical creature happy, sweet, and in non-attack mode. It also includes the sacrificial butchering of any leftover Peeps, from Easter, who were previously not content with being consumed.
These treats usually pull the best magic when left out in a green-filled nature area, close to midnight, on a full moon. And you have to believe. *Results are not guaranteed*
Ingredients:
Directions:
***Making these long after your Peeps are gone? This recipe works fine and dandy with regular marshmallows. Just substitute the Peeps with 1 (10 oz.) package marshmallows.***
And as always with nature, what goes in, must come out. Digested magic in Unicorn Poop! Make it at home!
Fun Unicorn Facts
Robot Unicorn Attack (Game) from Adult Swim
Charlie The Unicorn
A new themed restaurant has opened amongst the bustling hub surrounding the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles. It shows promise, as long as the general public gives it a chance, and the restaurant can hold up to the high standard that the décor, theme, and prices that it shows off.
It’s christened “Excalibur Medieval Restaurant”. Now, your mind might automatically jump to the kitschy feeling that the standard Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament can bring about, but this restaurant seems to have something different. It takes the heart of the medieval ideals, and combines them with food. It’s not your standard turkey leg, goblet of beer type of place.
This past evening, on April 12, they held their Grand Opening, complete with a King and Queen, Knights, a Jester, a world-traveled magician, musicians, and dancers galore.
Vaclav, the magician, displayed some serious skills with his card tricks, one of which involved a dagger pistol, as well as “tapping” into the energies and aura of an unsuspecting volunteer. Andrew, the Scottish piper, played his heart out while the dancers (almost all from the Celtic Arts Center in North Hollywood) entertained with some traditional Ceili group dances. As the night progressed, Peter McGowan and Suman enchanted guests with a tribal rhythm and sound which had hints of a Celtic line at times, along a belly-dance display by Suman. As the evening came to a close, and the music was still going, it was pleasant to see some of the wait staff getting involved with the music and dancing. It’s those spontaneous moments that every human spirit encounters that can bring magic to a time and space.
While the royal company and others would normally not be in attendance at the “castle” during the normal operating (I’m sure they’re off visiting the War Dukes, and bringing the entertainment with them), you can still enjoy what the restaurant has to offer.
The menu has an assortment of single person entrees, each generalized into an earth location: The Land – Meats and Fowl, The Pond – Fish, and The Garden – Veggies. If you are of a stronger will, and want to tempt your palette, they also offer duck, venison, boar, rabbit, antelope, or pheasant, but you may want to call ahead to ensure that it’s available that day. If you are in a group, you may want to opt for one of the Feasts, which covers meals for 2 or more people.
CHEF BENI VELAZQUEZ draws on worldwide influences to re-imagine dining in the Medieval age. His unique menu utilizes fresh organic produce and meats from local farmers, sustainable seafood and an eclectic blend of European-inspired spices and flavors to stimulate the most carnal senses. Excalibur guests are invited to eat with the bare hands as they savor dishes like.
Unfortunately, there was a down side to the evening. It seems that the kitchen may have run out of food, as quite a few guests at the front of the restaurant were not able to sample the delicacies, and left thus left early.
If you find yourself amidst the Downtown area, and are itching for a different style dining experience, or else are going into pre-, or post-, Rensaissance Faire withdrawals, this might be your place. Visit their website HERE for more information!
*I had been invited to attend the Grand Opening as a volunteer Ceili Dancer, but how could the nerd side of me resist taking in all of the other medieval aspects? It was an enjoyable time, and the staff was friendly and welcoming*
Back during the innocent days of High School (Catholic, mind you), there was a teacher that displayed a formula on how to determine the date that Easter would occur each year.
It’s brilliant, and one of the few actual life-applying lessons that I learned during that time, since even Algebra apparently changes over the years. The odd thing, however, is that it is seemingly Pagan based with the Spring Equinox, and a method that the Church adopted, making it into their own (gasp!). I have a strange suspicion that this was the beginning of my desire to look at the world outside of the Catholic, and organized religion in general, bubble.
It’s Easter time in the world, along with Passover, Theravadin New Year, and probably a handful of other holidays. These holidays encourage forgiveness, peace, hope, new life, and then it seems to go wrong.
In V for Vendetta, Stephen Fry’s character mentions the Qur’an: “I don’t have to be Muslim to find the images beautiful or its poetry moving”. The Torah and Christian Bible (and its many variances therein) possesses equally powerful passages, however, since a good chunk of the world is Jewish or Christian based, admitting that a completely different script was equally as beautiful makes for a more striking sentiment.
Each religion possesses its own beauty, and in it, core beliefs which are meant to make its followers into the best people that they can be. Each religion is tailored to a society’s specific needs, and a desire for fulfillment that the purpose of life transcends Earthly meaning.
Each religion is right. Each religion will defend its 
beliefs. Traditions are hard to sway unless forcibly made to. While many religions preach for a display of peace and a show of universal love to everyone, it appears to need only apply to those within the same umbrella of that religion. It’s a teensy bit hypocritical.
There are sparks of hope. While doctrinal religion, overall, holds tight, there are the individuals who accept humanity for what it is, rather than what they believe in.
If a person is a good human being, does religion matter? If a person speaks or looks different, does it mean that they are automatically inclined to hurt you? Alternately, are you automatically inclined to hurt them? What makes you more “right” than someone else? What makes it so difficult to be accepting?
Does another person’s life choice (religion, gender, sexual preference, etc) change yours in any way? You would still love the people you love and go about your daily business in the same way. Why are you allowed to pick and choose the “acceptable” qualities in people, while cutting down anything that doesn’t jive with yours?
If you haven’t noticed, we’re only in this life for a blink of an eye. Why would you want to spend it with hate or fear in you?
Your basis of religion stems from something that was taught to you. You were molded and formed to behave within the collectively agreed upon set of values. While you accept the certain method of thought, you were not born knowing your religion. You may have been born “knowing God” in whichever form you want to believe, sure, but you would have known him in a true essence. You had to grow into your religion. You can choose, at any point in your life, to change.
While the human race has an incredibly long way to go, change is happening. Change will come.
~~Wishing you all of the love and peace that the universe has to offer.~~
Everyone’s done it in one form or another: prayers, spells, visualize receiving an end product. While the Universe/God doesn’t provide everything needed for a cushy lifestyle for everyone, there are small moments where you’re given something as a reminder that whatever Powers-That-Be are still out there.
Notice the small things in life. There are no coincidences. They’ll bring a smile, and a bit of hope.
Personal experience: “With the recent lotto hitting a higher jackpot than ever before, I jumped on the bandwagon a few weeks ago. I asked the Universe for a big win: money, wealth, riches… I phrased it as many ways as possible. Needless to say, I recently noticed that two new friends popped up in my life. The Universe certainly has a sense of humor. I now have more than twice the Rich’s in life than I had before. I treasure all of my friends more than anything else that money could buy, and apparently, the Universe wanted to remind me of that.”
Wayne Dyer is a great starting point for anyone interested in the Power of Intention. He talks about being able to find the answers to inner “zen” through the seven secrets to a joyful life. If you can find creativity, kindness, beauty, love, receptivity, expansion, and abundance in every aspect of life, you’re on a good path.
“The law of attraction is this: You don’t attract what you want. You attract what you are. Most people’s mistake in trying to apply the law of attraction is they want things; they demand things. But God doesn’t work that way,” continues Dyer. “It’s all about allowing.”
Hey kids! Gather around the computer and take a gander at this week’s NOMonster! Bringing you the Zombie Springtime Easter Special Of Doom: Zombie Jesus & The Chaos Critter Cookies! This is a tasty and sugary treat for 
the upcoming “Easter” holiday. Fun for humans of all ages!
***Please note: Zombie Jesus is a figment of imagination, and happens to be close neighbors with the Flying Spaghetti Monster. This is not meant to offend or insult, just to look at something a different way. They say he came back from the dead. If the media has taught us anything, that defines a Zombie (but a good one at that).
The Dough
For cookie cutters, the 99 Cents store had a springtime variety pack (bunny, bird, lamb, egg with chicken legs poking out), which worked great! The humans were done using a regular Gingerbread Man cookie cutter.
Ingredients
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 tablespoon milk
* Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
Directions
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack.
The Icing
Going for simplicity, only three colors were used: White, Red, Black.
Ingredients
* 1 tub Vanilla (white) tub frosting (Betty Crocker for this recipe)
* Wilton’s Icing Colors Red & Black
* 3 bowls
* 3 squeeze bottles
* Wilton’s Meringue Powder
Directions
Divide tub icing between the three bowls. Add 1 teaspoon of Meringue Powder to each bowl, and fold in carefully. This will keep the icing colors from bleeding together. Add in the icing dye into two of the bowls until the preferred shade of red and black are attained.
Move the icing from the bowl into it’s own squeeze bottle. Start decorating!
