INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Wash 2 small tomatoes and dice them into small pieces. Put them in a fine mesh strainer and sprinkle them with several pinches of kosher salt. Toss the tomatoes so they're coated and let them sit and drain while you make the rest of the salad. The salt will bring out the excess moisture in the tomatoes so you don't end up with a soggy salad. Peel 1 small red onion and mince it into very fine pieces. Put the onion in a small bowl and pour enough white wine vinegar to cover the onion. Set the onion aside to marinate while you make the rest of the salad. Slice several pieces of bacon into 1/2 inch (12 mm) pieces. You'll need about 1/2 cup (115 g) of sliced bacon. Put it into a skillet and fry the bacon over medium-high heat. Stir and fry the bacon for about 5 minutes. It should become crispy. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Leave the fat in the skillet once you've finished frying the bacon. Turn the heat on the skillet down to medium heat and add 1/2 cup (45 g) of fresh bread crumbs to the fat in the pan. Stir and cook the breadcrumbs for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle the crumbs with salt and pepper. The breadcrumbs will become golden brown and crispy once they've finished toasting. Put 2 ounces (57 g) of mild blue cheese into a mixing bowl and mash it a little with a whisk or potato masher. Whisk in the remaining blue cheese dressing ingredients until the dressing is mostly smooth (there may be some blue cheese lumps). You'll need to whisk in: 1/2 cup (116 g) mayonnaise 1/2 cup (115 g) sour cream 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk 1 tablespoon fresh juice Fresh ground pepper to taste Wash 1 head of iceberg lettuce and thoroughly dry it. Peel away and discard the outer leaves. Use a large knife to carefully cut the iceberg lettuce in half. Slice each half in half so you get 4 wedges. Place each wedge on a serving plate. Drizzle each wedge with some of the blue cheese dressing. Sprinkle some of the drained, diced tomatoes over the salads and drain the minced onions. Scatter some of the marinated onions over each salad and top each with some of the bacon and toasted breadcrumbs. For an extra garnish, mince a few chives or green onions and sprinkle them on each salad.

SUMMARY: Salt and drain the tomatoes. Mince the onion and marinate it in vinegar. Fry the bacon. Toast the breadcrumbs. Combine the blue cheese dressing. Cut the iceberg lettuce into wedges. Assemble the loaded wedge salads.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: This can be as simple as small talk in the grocery line or saying, "thank you," to a service person who helped you. It's a good way to break the ice and get used to talking to a wide range of people. It also gives you the opportunity to build relationships with people who are strangers now, but who you see all the time. This can also carry over into the workplace, as a great way of networking. As you do this be aware that not everyone will be in the mood for a conversation. This isn't your fault and really reflects nothing about you. Just take it as it is and keep going. Work on talking more and starting conversations with the people you feel confident with, then use those skills in public. Look into participating in a group, like Toastmasters, that gets together to discuss topics of interest. These are usually supportive environments designed to build up the confidence of participants. If you don't want to give a lecture, many of these groups also offer mixers and informal gatherings that can sharpen your small talk. Some cities also offer public speaking clubs, such as the Public Speaking Center of New York. If you are in school, enroll in theatre or communications courses that will push you to talk with others.

SUMMARY: Talk to one new person a day. Practice with your family and close friends. Join a speaking group.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Large, empty walls are a great choice for a tapestry, though tapestries work just fine in bathrooms and smaller spaces as well. Just make sure that the space is well ventilated, as smells from cooking and humidity in general can get caught in fabric. Be sure to measure the distance from the ceiling to each corner point in order to make sure they are at equal heights on the wall. If you have an iron available, iron the tapestry on the correct fabric setting. For this method of hanging, Command Picture Hanging Strips may work best (these are the Command Strips that resemble Velcro). Take the Command Strips out of their packaging and separate them. Press the Velcro faces of two strips together until they make a clicking sound. Prepare several pairs of strips in this way so they are ready to use. Remove one liner from each of your prepared Command strips. Stick the strips securely along the top edge of the tapestry, starting with the corners. Depending on the size and weight of your tapestry, you may only need 2-4 Command Strips across the top edge of your tapestry. Once you hang the tapestry, you may decide that you want to use two more command strips on the bottom edge to hold the tapestry in place. When you are ready to hang the tapestry, remove the remaining liners from the Command Strips. Starting with the two upper corners, press the Command Strips and tapestry onto the wall, being sure to apply significant pressure.

SUMMARY: Decide where you would like to hang the tapestry. Mark the wall where the two top corners of the tapestry will be. Lay the tapestry face down on a clean, flat surface. Get the Command Strips ready. Attach the Command Strips to the tapestry. Attach the tapestry to the wall.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: There are three shapes common to her design: her head, torso, and waist. She has a fairly oval face, with prominent cheeks, a rounded forehead, and a dainty, yet pointed, chin. The three shapes need to be in proportion to each other and all line up at the correct angles. When you're drawing Ariel, what is she doing? If she has fins, she's probably swimming! Include lines on her face to line up her eyes and nose, placement for her seashell bra, her elbow and shoulder joints, and fins. The most important being her unique hairstyle, of course! Remember: She's in water, so her hair doesn't need to be along her back and her fins are floating, too. Ariel has wide, Disney princess eyes (they're all relatively similar). They're usually open and curious-looking. Her nose is dainty and small; her lips are generally in a bit of a smile. Her hair miraculously has no part and is incredibly voluminous. Her hands and arms are generally held strong but femininely, like a ballerina. She has definite poise (especially for such a youngster!). You want fine, definite lines that are determined and confident. If worst comes to worst, just resharpen your pencil. If you have anything to add or change, do it now! The outline is your last round of actual drawing. Did you remember the lines in her fins, top, and waist-frills? That's it for drawing! Are you feeling ambitious and going to tackle Flounder and Sebastian, too, or just keep it to Ariel? To keep it traditional, her seashell top should be purple, her tail should be medium green, and her fins light green. But this is your drawing -- maybe she should be sporting zebra stripes?

SUMMARY:
Sketch Ariel's wireframe. Sketch the additional shapes needed for her torso, arms and tail. Sketch Ariel's figure and add her unique design traits. Refine the sketch using a smaller tipped drawing tool. Draw the outline over the refined sketch. Erase and remove the sketch marks. Add color.