Over at John Hamilton’s Life and Times blog is a great post on the stages or emotions you go through when moving from one place to another. As John says:

So you might know about the seven stages of grief, especially if you’ve had a relative go through a bad illness or someone close to you died. Denial, bargaining, acceptance… It’s important to know this stuff and you should: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/kubler_ross.htm

Well, apparently there are seven stages of emotions you go through when you move as well. Especially with an international move.

You might think: well, there is a big difference between dying and moving. True. But moving is highly disruptive and stressful. Anyone considering a big move like John’s would be advised to check this out.

The New Yorker has great examples of artists using the Brushes application for the iPhone/Touch, such as this one.

The works are brilliant in themselves, and an impressive display of how to use a technology. What I also like about the animation is how they show the work being built up, and illustrates how the artist goes about creating it. For non-artists like myself, that is very educational.

This one is pretty obvious. The email says:

Dear customer

We regret to inform you that your Bank of America Online Account
has been temporarily suspended.
Your account has been suspended after too many failed login
attempts have been made. This is most likely an attempt to gain
unauthorized access to your account and/or personal information.

To resolve this problem we have attached a form to this email.
Please download the form, open it and follow the instructions on
your screen.

Bank of America, Member FDIC
©2010 Bank of America Corporation

First off, I am not a BofA customer. Second, they want me to download a form (!!) and basically fill in information that runs some PHP program on some non-BofA site.

Needless to say, NEVER fill in such forms. If you ever get an email like this, talk to your bank or other institution directly.

Food.about.com has not only a great video on how to make packzkis, but they also have a good video on how to make another polish food:
Pierogis.

If you like traditional Italian dishes like gnocchi and ravioli, then you want to consider pierogi: they are closely related. Likewise, paczkis are a form of fried rich bread, much like Berliners and other jam filled pastries.

Give them a try!

Thanks to Bakers Journal for a great article  (and photo) of a great Polish desert: paczkis! (“pronounced “poonch-key,” “pooch-key” or “punch-key”). According to this article,

“on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (known as Fat Tuesday or Paczki Day; in 2010 it falls on Feb. 16), (Polish) bakers would enrich their yeast-raised dough with sugar, shortening and eggs to create a deep-fried pastry delight similar to a raised Bismarck or jelly doughnut. Their original purpose was practical: to use up lard and eggs, which are prohibited during Lent. But now, like king cakes in New Orleans, they are marketed as a last-minute indulgence before the Lenten season of sacrifice.”

They are truly delicious. We used to make the dough, stuff it with jam, then deep fry them until they were golden brown, then shake them around in a bag of sugar before eating them hot! Having them that fresh really makes a difference. But even cold, they are tasty.

So if you are looking to give up something like eggs for Lent, try having some of these first. You’ll be very glad you did.