5min.com Life Videopedia has a lot of great videos for learning how to do just about anything. From skateboarding tips to how to change a diaper and burp a baby, you can find it all. I love the Food section because there are a lot of good basic kitchen tips and recipes.

This video for a Low-Fat Fettuccini Alfredo recipe has Giada-wannabe written all over it. From the awkwardly traditional Italian pronunciations to the low cut top and exuberant smile, Sandy Gold has really done her Food Network homework. It even looks like she has the same makeup artist.

Edit: Turns out the fact she wears a lot of makeup is no coincidence. Ms. Gold is a professional makeup artist. Here is her blog.

Gotta love this story:

“Alleged robber’s order is refused
By The News-Gazette
Saturday April 28, 2007

CHAMPAIGN – An apparent robbery attempt at a Champaign sandwich store was reported Thursday night.

An employee told police that a man came into the Subway shop at 1814 Glenn Park about 10 p.m. Thursday, according to Champaign police spokeswoman Rene Dunn.

The man asked for money, but the employee thought he was joking, Dunn said. The man asked for money again, but the employee refused.

The man then started crying and walked out of the store without any money, Dunn said.”

Also from this report of local burglaries:

“…A black Sony iPod was stolen from the locker of a 13-year-old Champaign girl at Edison Middle School…”

Well of course it was stolen. It was the only Sony branded iPod in existence! Seriously though, is the name iPod being used as a general term for all MP3 players or DAPs? C’mon copy editors!

From the same report:

“…A home was broken into in the 1800 block of Winchester Street in Champaign on Thursday afternoon. The burglar took an AK-47 rifle, a Smith and Wesson .357 handgun, a 30-round magazine for the AK-47 and some marijuana…”

I would loved to have seen the looks on the cops faces when the victim reported his pot was stolen.

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. Finals are coming up and I don’t have as much time to sit around on my computer and look at DumbStuff let alone blog about it. Also this weekend was beautiful, so I spent a lot of my time out of doors and away from the Internet.

Eddie and I grilled some burgers and enjoyed the warm weather even if most everyone was out of town and couldn’t join us. It seems the only time that Eddie ever gets excited about cooking is when it’s done over his Weber, so maybe I’ll use this to my advantage and have him grill things other than burgers (even though he does an excellent job with burgers). Hmmm…this will call for a recipe search…maybe some grilled peaches or pork chops. Maybe I’ll wait for the Market at the Square to inspire me. Can’t wait for May 12th!

P.S. Spring! (hopefully for good!)

As of today, I am officially granted the authority to purchase and consume alcohol. What changed since yesterday? Nothing, other than I turned another year older and that arbitrary year somehow makes you responsible enough to handle alcohol. So I went to the DMV, payed my $10, and got my picture taken for my shiny new 21+ license. I thought I would have to wait in line for awhile, but I was in and out in under 10 minutes. The only thing I had to wait for was the printing of my new card.

I ran around the rest of the day trying to get things in order for a party with a few people of quality, but the most important person of quality (read: my boyfriend) became terribly sick. So I brought over to him some chicken soup and ginger tea, but I could see he was in no shape to be at a party. So I canceled the celebration and took care of The Boy instead. He kept apologizing for being sick on my birthday, and I guess I didn’t have to cancel everything. However, there was no way I would be able to have a good time while The Boy was feeling so miserable. I too was feeling a bit run down, but I think it was mostly due to lack of sleep and feeling stressed about having everything ready in time for the party. After a nap and some Vicks, The Boy was feeling a little better and so I drove him over to my place across town along with the birthday cake he labored over the night before. He sang “Happy Birthday”, I blew out the candles and that’s the story of my 21st birthday.

The News-Gazette has confirmed all the rumors concerning the opening of a Banana Republic in the Market Place Mall. Now if we could only get a J. Crew…

Story here

Cookies aren’t the only thing that I make, honest! My sweet tooth has just been acting up lately, which is not easy to ignore. But since I want to be able to fit into all those cute summer dresses hitting the stores, I decided to look around for some “lighter” recipes. I found this one thanks to the wonderful blog Nosh With Me. If you haven’t been there, you should go and take a look. There are some great baking recipes. This recipe was discovered in an issue of Cooking Light, so I’m fairly confident that they are better for you than the average snickerdoodle. As an added bonus, your home will smell so good while these are baking!

Cooking Light’s Cinnamon & Sugar Cookie More »

I’m always looking for new stationary in hopes that it will inspire me to write more letters and actually send out those thank you notes. Well, I think I’ve found some that would do the trick. Simply Serra has a nice selection of stationary, invitations and holiday cards. Like the name suggests, the common theme for all the letterpress is simplicity. My personal favorite is the skull motif, even if it is pink. Does the pink make the skull less edgy or does the skull make the girly pink more edgy? Well either way, it’s the best piece of stationary I’ve found so far.

Simply Serra notecards: $25.00 for 18 cards and 18 envelopes

Easter is coming up for those who celebrate. While I’m no longer the practicing Catholic I was in grade school (read: when I had no choice), I still enjoy the tradition of dying eggs. Every year my mom and I would lay out the newspaper and hard boil a dozen eggs. My brother would always create The Grey Egg by dipping one egg into every color. It was always super hard to find outside in the yard so if you did find it, you were given a special treat (usually a couple of dollars). One year, The Grey Egg was never found until the next Easter!

While looking around the many crafty blogs out there, I found this site which features natural easter egg dyes. Using ingredients you may already have in your kitchen, you can create some really nice organic colors. The deep indigos and rich cinnabars created from ordinary vegetables, spices and teas can’t hold a candle to the Paas pallet. While you need to let the eggs sit in the dye overnight, it’s definitely worth it. I think my brother would even approve of the warm grey made from the Rosehip tea.

ninja edit: These natural dyes can also be used for yarn, paper or fabric!

I was in Chicago on Saturday and it was really foggy.