The Mission UK

The Mission UK -

[via FoxyTunes / The Mission]

Remember when Patrick won the Bat Mobile?

Adrian Belew

[via FoxyTunes / Adrian Belew]

Market has risen quickly...

I think that there could be a pullback. I'm in Citigroup again long and Potash for the first time. I had been waiting for Potash to rise from the bottom to be assured it wasn't still on its way down. Bought one option call. The market has been very nice to me lately.

Oreo Cheesecake...

How to Make an Oreo Cheesecake from Scratch

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

This cheesecake is a proven crowd pleaser. It’s great for holidays or family gatherings. This recipe uses Oreo brand cookies, but any chocolate sandwich cookie can be substituted. Constructing this piece of art is a two-day process, taking approximately 13-14 hours to complete. Although time consuming, the taste is well worth the wait.

Ingredients

1 pound (16 ounces, 455 grams) of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 cup (200 grams) of granulated white sugar
5 large size eggs
1/2 cup (119 grams) of heavy whipping cream
1 bag (510 grams) of Oreo cookies
For decorating:
Oreos
1 cup (238 grams) heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup (90 grams) confection sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Steps

1. Remove cream cheese from the refrigerator and allow softening for approximately 1 hour.
   
2. Use 9” (23cm) cheesecake pan to measure parchment paper for covering the bottom and sides.
   
3. Remove an entire row of Oreos from the bag.
   
4. Use a knife and remove the icing in the middle of the Oreos. Don't worry if it breaks, it will be crushed up anyway.
   
5. Put the outside of the Oreos in the food processor. After processing, place the crushed Oreos aside.
   
6. Pre-heat the oven to 280 degrees F (138 degrees C).
   
7. Cut the softened cream cheese into approximately 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) slices
   
8. Adding the slices one by one, put 1 pound (450 grams) of the cream cheese in the mixer.
   
9. Add half of the sugar to the mixer and allow mixing for approximately 2 minutes.
   
10. Adding the slices one by one, put the last of the cream cheese in the mixer.
    
11. Add the rest of the sugar to the mixer and allow mixing for approximately 2 minutes.
    
12. Add five whole eggs to the mixer, one at a time, and mix each until yolk is no longer visible
    
13. Add 1/2 cup (119 grams) of heavy whipping cream and allow mixing for approximately 1-2 minutes.
    
14. Add approximately 2 spoonfuls of the crushed Oreos to the mixer and allow mixing.
    
15. Break Oreos (half a row) into pieces and add to the mixer.
    
16. Make sure the previously measured parchment paper is correctly placed in the bottom and around the sides of the pan.
    
17. Place the previously crushed Oreo crumbs into the pan, spread as evenly as possible.
    
18. Pour the cheesecake filling from the mixer into the pan.
    
19. Fill the half-sheet cake pan 1/2 with water and place the 9” cheesecake pan in the middle.
    
20. Bake cheesecake at 280 degrees (138 degrees C) for 2 hours and 35 minutes (use convection oven if available).
    
21. Remove cheesecake and let cool for 1 hour.
    
22. Refrigerate cooled cheesecake for 8 hours.
    

Decorating

1. Remove cheesecake from pan and place on serving dish.
   
2. Put 1 cup (238 grams) of heavy whipping cream into the small bowl.
   
3. Add 3/4 cup of confection sugar to the heavy whipping cream.
   
4. Mix ingredients with a hand mixer until it becomes thick and fluffy (approximately 5-7 minutes).
   
5. Using the rubber spatula, spread the cream over the top and sides of the cheesecake.
   
6. Crumble Oreos onto the top of cheesecake.
   
7. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips onto the top of the cheesecake.
   
8. In a medium pot heat water (medium to high heat).
   
9. Place the melting pot into the heated water.
   
10. Put 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips into the melting pot.
    
11. Cut a very small hole in the corner of the snack size zip lock bag.
    
12. Scoop the melted chocolate into the snack size zip lock bag.
    
13. Squeeze the bag and drizzle melted chocolate onto the top of the cheesecake and enjoy!
    

Things You'll Need

For making the cheesecake
9” cheesecake pan (Kaiser brand suggested)
Parchment paper
Half-sheet cake pan
Mixer
Food Processor
Measuring cups (1 cup and ½ cup)
Spoon

For decorating the cheesecake
Hand mixer
Small bowl
Rubber spatula
Melting pot & regular pot
Snack size zip lock bags

Related wikiHows

• How to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
  
• How to Make American Cheesecake
  
• How to Make a Cherry Cheesecake
  
• How to Make Sopapilla Cheesecake
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make an Oreo Cheesecake from Scratch. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Brian Eno..."Engage"

Engage (Brian Eno)

[via FoxyTunes / Brian Eno]

Apple and Rimm are charging ahead

I was introduced to the idea of purchasing options about a four years ago by a friend who used to be an option trader in Costa Rica. I didn't do very well on my first trade, mainly because I did not understand the concept of Options. They have proved to work very well for my type of trading, in the past six months. Each trade proves to be successful. Rimm and Apple are my positions now.

Brian Eno - The Big Ship

[via FoxyTunes / Brian Eno]

Brian Eno & David Byrne - Mea Culpa

[via FoxyTunes / Brian Eno]

Options are doing well...

I have made several very successful trades of recent. I went with RIMM with a May 120 call, C with a 25 dollar June call and today opened position in JASO with 300 shares long. I hope the happiness continues...

KBH was short lived...

KBH proved not to be the best idea for a short. The home-builders proved to be a testy lot that may have seen their down days for good. I've reversed my position on KBH and have taken a long position. It is a gutsy move as the home-builders are all at highs for the past six months. I dabbled in a quick short play with COF, Capital One, and made some quick dough. I'm in a good groove right now and want to keep up the smart moves. I'll keep you posted.

I got out of KBH with a nice profit and then shorted again..

Shorted at 23.95 and below and since the dow closed down, the short was good. I am getting dizzy the amount of shorting I have been doing. However, money has been made each time. I guess I'm lucky...

I got in late Monday long KBH (homebuilder)...

Fed cut interest rates and stocks across the board shot higher. I stayed long waiting to get out of KBH sometime tomorrow. I'm anticipating a push upward in the broad market, then unloading my position. I will more than likely put a short position in on Tol or Kbh in the afternoon, but need to watch the overall market activity. Timing here is key. If the market looks strong late in the day, I'll hang in for an extra if need be.

BSC goes bust, home-builders and financials fall...

I've been on it, cash infusion into account has been well received. Still in KBH going short with 650 shares. Much pessimism exists around marketplace. I am currently closely watching the DJIA which closely follows chart of KBH. TOL follows in same footprint. Watching closely before lightening the load.

Home-builders short worked!

Fed injected money into system, market reacted positively, shorted KBH again at days highs. I've been on a roll lately, hope is that this is a good play.

Shorting the home-builders...

It has been my opinion as of middle of Feb. 2008 that the home-builders would continue to fall. I called them five months ago in September 2007 and Toll brothers, ie., dropped $7. I think we'll see the group-Tol, KBH, Len give up a few more points and then you can get back in for a short-term upward pop. Tol will probably go to $16.50, consolidate, and sit at that level for a week or so. Then, upward again until the next slew of bad news.

Gmail - redneck-mansion.jpg

Gmail - redneck-mansion.jpg

Joe Sowell building puppets and such for GWAR?!

I had a conversation with Dave Brockie...leader and founder of GWAR earlier today and discussed working with him and his group creating things. This could be interesting. He seems like a good guy, and I love his art. We'll keep discussing and generating ideas. Who knows, it would be interesting.

Suzanne Rathburn, 45, died Feb. 2, 2008

Friend of mine died a month ago today..

This is taken off of a blog-site called Richmond Music Journal which reflects on the day in which a wonderful service was given for my friend Suzanne Rathburn who recently passed away. No name is given for the author, however he sums it up quite nicely.

1/30/08 -- "Suzanne Rathburn, 45, (pictured), friend and fan of many musicians and an artist in her own right, died Tuesday, Jan. 29. My regrets. Feb. 2: The memorial service was very different. She had already been cremated, but there was no urn, just flowers and photos of happier times. Northminster Baptist's sanctuary doesn't have pews but round tables and chairs like a banquet hall. After the minister welcomed everyone, about a dozen people shared stories. One mourner sang, another read a poem. Then there was a covered dish buffet and people hung out for awhile and talked. Suzanne's world was three circles that came together that day: her relatives from the Midwest, those she knew through her work as a hair stylist, and those she knew socially. Her hair customers were an amazingly loyal and supportive group, like another family. Her laughter, positive attitude and bubbling enthusiasm for everyone she encountered was a common denominator in everyone's recollections of her. I truly think she's going to be the welcoming committee in the next world for everyone who knew her, so in that case, I guess it made sense for her to go on ahead and get things ready."

Shot! magazine for photographers...Denver, Colorado

We need a Shot! magazine in Richmond, Virginia...

As I continue the writing of this post, I would like to bring to the world's attention my sister, Andrea Sowell's new magazine, SHOT, published in Denver, Colorado where she lives. You can see shot magazine and buy copies of it through her website

http://www.photomartiniclub.com/shotMag.php

The magazine is published by her Photomartiniclub.com website and does not currently have a more personalized domain name. Don't be confused that Shot magazine doesn't have a specialized domain name yet. Just go to Photomartiniclub.com and look at Shot magazine info. You've got to see this, she did an incredible job on this publication...it is full color, with great articles, featuring lots of Denver, Colorado photographers- pro and amateur. Enjoy this great publication!

My Grandmother and Grandfather...the 1940's

The beginnings of Blogging and so forth...

This is a new journey for me, a journey into the non-tactile world of thoughts, life and public disclosure. For some who read this from time to time, they will understand how thought and the human experience merge to form a great understanding of the surrounding world...and, the inner world for me.

On a separate note, I wish to present some of the many experiences I have over time- albeit books, movies, travel destinations, recipes,human experiences, pictures and anything else I can share to enrich the lives of my fellow men and women.

All ideas welcome!

Please, say hello.