Lean in a little closer...

Can you smell it? This aroma of chocolate and cherry and almond has been wafting in my house since last night, when I pulled the Chocolate-Cherry Fruitcake out of the oven to baste it with the extra Amaretto. The snow kept falling on and off yesterday. All the more reason to haul my Big Blue Mixer from the basement and start the project.

Maybe it is just the Holiday Mood and the consumerist juggernaut but I am finding so much wonderful stuff on the net these days. Take a look!


Your Daily Dose of Cool Things:




Inanimate Alice
A wonderful story told in a new and exciting way.

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You KNOW you wanna see a Wankel!







Animation of how different engines work

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Your Daily Dose of Wonderful Design:


















IMOOI

"Launched in 2000 by Anna Chan, IMOOI is a contemporary accessories label poised in the modern and uninhibited. Recognizing the lack of affordable accessories that are truly unique and innovative, IMOOI designs are sleek and unconventional appealing to the unique style of every individual."

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Your Daily Dose of Inspiring Words:
Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question. This question is one that only a very old man asks. My benefactor told me about it once when I was young, but my blood was too vigorous for me to understand it then. Now I do understand it. I will tell you what it is: Does this path have a heart? All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. They are paths going through the bush, or into the bush. In my own life I could say I have traversed long, long paths, but I am not anywhere. My benefactor's question has meaning now. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, the path is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you. --Carlos Castaneda
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Your Daily Dose of Wicked-Good food:



















This was one seriously delightful bottle of wine. I enjoyed it over the weekend with a roast and Rosemary potatoes. I am partial to Shiraz as a varietal, because of the open and round qualities, the fat and juicy fruit and the relatively lower acidity. Unlike some of it's other Aussie counterparts, this wine was jammy without hitting me over the head with oak, despite it's tenure in the barrel for 18 months. Tintara abides by ancient wine making methods such as basket pressing and open barrel fementation (they must really look after the frisbees, though, as one would NOT want one flying into the vat, eh?) At around $19.00 a bottle it will be a welcomed house gift for your holiday dinner invites. Having worked in the wine business for a number years, I always appreciate a really well-rounded under $20.00 bottle. Go grab one