A bit of this and a bit of that

I’ve just spend the whole weekend studying for my Negotiation and Influence exams. They’re actually quite interesting, with my favourite section so far being on streetwise negotiation. It’s interesting to see what techniques used car salesmen and foreclosure help specialists will use to try and get you to use their service. The texts however also outline the real need for some sort of formality in the field, especially where you want to set up a long term relationship with your customers.

The interesting thing is that organisations are cottoning on to this and reading these books has helped me see where companies are in that maturity cycle.

P.S. These are my last 2 MBA exams! Wooppiie!

Saw the trailer of Alien v Predator : Requiem on TV yesterday. I’m a big fan of sci-fi (as you all know), so it’s high on my list of films to watch. I remember seeing the first AVP and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed Alien, I enjoyed Predator and well, seeing the two of them battle it out was just awesome. Alien v Predator is being released on DVD on May 12th here in the UK and I can’t wait for it to hit the streets. It’s directed by Colin Strause and Greg Strause who have been responsible for blockbusters like X-Men, Fantastic Four and XXX (among lots of others). I’m not sure who the lead actors are, but hey, this film is about blood and gore, not really about the actors isn’t it?

Anyway, had a poke around the Web and look what I found:

Great stuff huh? So, when are you planning to watch it?

Camille and Arthur have flown to Malta today for a wedding of a family friend. I decided not to join them, partly because I want to save up my holidays and partly because I REALLY need to get down and study hard for my final 2 MBA exams in the first week of June. They’re actually my last two exams so I’m quite keen to get them done! I’m not really planning any major changes once I finish. Although I could get a job as a futures broker or something exotic, I’m perfectly happy with my job at Solidsoft and the growth opportunities I have here in the Isle of Man.

I don’t think this will be the last degree I take though .. wonder if you can get a doctorate in something Internet based …

We bought a bread maker a couple of weeks ago, so I thought I’d make some bread to go with dinner tonight. We had some sun-dried tomatoes in the fridge, so I looking up a recipe online. Not finding exactly what I wanted, I adapted this one and here’s what I did:

• 1 6g packet of Fast Action Dried Yeast
• 200g Strong White Flour
• 200g Strong Brown Flour
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 150ml Water
• 150ml Semi Skimmed Milk
• 60g Strong Hard Cheese (original recipe called for Parmesan by I had an already grated cheese mix)
• 60g Strong Cheddar Cheese
• 2 tbsp Chopped Chives (fresh would be preferable, but that’s what I found)
• 60g Sundried Tomato and Garlic Purée. I didn’t have this so I chopped up my sun dried tomatoes, added some chopped garlic and let it marinate in olive oil for 20 mins or so.

I prepared all the ingredients and popped them into the bread maker. I actually threw them in in reverse order, as I always like throwing in the yeast last.

I find making bread (if that’s what you can call using a bread maker) quite therapeutic. Maybe it’s one activity they should have in drug rehab clinics. Just pop a bread maker in each room, give everyone a pile of ingredients and let them get on with it.

So, do you make bread?

Hope you like the new theme on the blog. It’s called AdMints Pepper and it’s just awesome. I got it from FreshPress Themes and if you’re after a new theme, pop down there and see if you can find something you like.

Much recommended

Here’s what we bought for Arthur:

It arrived yesterday and we spent most of the evening assembling it. I must say it was worth it though. Arthur just loved it, climbing up and down the ladder, hiding under the bed (there’s a small door at the side) and having a whale of a time. It’s big enough to hide a calf and all the cattle supplies he might need for it, but I’d better not give him any ideas and just hope his animal phase will soon be over.

I bought a mattress protector for it, but there was no need! He was dry all night! Not bad for a 2 year old huh?

I was chatting with Camille last night while in the bathroom and it looks like we’re going to have to decorate it soon. It’s starting to look a bit tatty and we weren’t quite sure about the green colour since we moved in. There’s a choice to make though. We can either redo the whole thing or touch up what we have. We have more options that we had in Malta though. In Malta you don’t tend to find tankless water heater, so a prominent feature in most bathrooms is an electric water heater hanging above the bath. It’s so much easier not having to worry about eyesores like that.

We had a great family day out today. After going to the local Hilton for Sunday Brunch we headed down to the beach to take advantage of the sunny day. It was just glorious, the sun was out, the sea was calm, the seagulls flying around. Arthur had a great time throwing pebbles into the sea and I must say, I skimmed a few pebbles myself. I didn’t have a camera, but we did get some video footage which might get edited some day for posting here.

The beach was nice and clean too, which is always a blessing. It’s amazing how much weird stuff gets washed up sometimes, from medical jewelry all the way to a fully working iPod a friend of mine found while beach combing. It’s nice to live within walking distance from the sea, that’s one thing I like about Douglas.

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove, set Heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No Soggy micro pizza. Seen on the cooking channel and it really Works.

Broken Glass
Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken glass pieces of Glass-the fibers catch ones you can’t see!

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the Glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot Water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry the cup. Next, add your Ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes Right out.

Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all Broken up Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up Mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into Egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with Your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. you get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar/calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Sensible shoes
If you wear platform shoes, you’re asking for a broken neck.

Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers: put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some Gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.

It’s MINE!!!!!
If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their picture inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. If the bike is stolen and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof of who owns the bike.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or from under the fridge add an empty paper towel or gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a Clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and - voila - static is gone.

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket it will keep the mosquitoes away.

Take baby powder to the beach
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you’re ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder and the sand will slide right off your skin.

Easier Thank You’s
When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mom sends the Thank you’s, they’re all addressed!

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s a lot cheaper than Shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair…

Good-bye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2″ with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it “home,” & can’t digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

It’s nice to see that the days are getting warmer and summer seems be heading this way. Arthur should be going to Malta with mummy in a couple of weeks and maybe he’ll manage to get some real swimming in. He’s been swimming since he was a couple of months old but that was mainly in a pool. He’s pretty good now, he doesn’t need any pool floats or anything like that so swimming in the sea is going to be really fun for him.

I won’t be joining them this time round as I’ll be saving my holidays for a real family holiday together. We just haven’t quite decided where to take that.