[...]

Another Hurrah For Crappy D

2008-05-26T16:02:00.001-07:00

My phone is charging in the car as we drive back to the ferry. While searching for some lunch, we pass by a store called "TOBACCO & Tobacco" that I try to get a picture of and the Crappy D-lay utterly makes impossible.

The ride back is short, and we're back in West Seattle before too long. We see an ad for Alaska Airlines' LAX flights, and I wonder why anyone would want to go there.

Seriously, I know why people would want to go there, but I don't think they should. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else.

One More Marshmallow

2008-05-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

It's finally time to leave. We spend a few hours packing up and are in no rush to get back. I discover, while packing up the food, that dipping marshmallows in peanut butter is very delicious.

On that note, I've had a lot more s'mores this weekend that I typically do. I think I'm enjoying them more as I get older. I was never a big fan before.

The camping spirit is still very alive even as we pack. There's a T.DF in that top tent shot, acting like a giant cat.

The dogs do their part as well, and M&M have a surprising amount of difficulty folding a tent part.

On the way out, I look up and see all the rising smoke from various campsite breakfast fires and just enjoy the visual. There's something incredibly peaceful about the trees, smoke, crackling fire-sounds, and the smell of the woods.

I'll miss it until the next time.

Jammin' Out

2008-05-25T16:00:00.001-07:00

We go for a long walk along the beach, where many families are out digging clams. I wish that hunting, fishing, and other such wild-food-acquiring things were part of my upbringing, but I guess that's the downside of a more citified childhood.

If Red Dawn actually ever happens I'll be totally screwed.

There are thousands of sand dollars and mussels and baby crabs running around. As we make our way back, I notice a sign saying one of the beaches is closed for clam-digging due to pollution. Ah, out of the city, but not outside its effect.

I also see this pro-cow sticker.

Meaning Beyond Alliteration?

2008-05-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

I've spent a good chunk of the day, totally asleep in my camp chair by the fire. There are few better things.

I notice that two of the chairs (from Target) are "Guildhall Green", and I wonder about the person who thought up the name for that color, and why they chose it. Is there some guild-ish connection with green? Was it just that they both start with "G"?

Who was this mysterious color-naming person? I'm oddly fascinated.

My musings are interrupted by a sudden pressing need to eat more hot dogs.

DEVIL BABY!!!

2008-05-25T15:59:00.001-07:00

The smoke and fire are being reflected in M.DF's glasses, and various Rosemary's Baby/Omen/Exorcist discussions arise.

I appreciate the 70s genre of satanic horror, but it doesn't really work so well for me.

To be fair though, Exorcist scared the bejeesus out of me when I saw the redux in 2000.

WetButt

2008-05-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

The Grim Reavers have forgotten a tent and have to sleep in the Cyclones' car. Ugh...

It also rains overnight, but isn't miserable wet. Last year there was a lot more rain and it was a lot more inconvenient.

This morning, T.DF sits on the bench by the fire and conveniently soaks up a lot of the moisture.

On an unrelated note, I've brought along a can of corned beef hash that I've been looking forward to. After the morning's bacon has been cooked, I dump the can on the griddle and wait until it's all browned up and awesome. Adding some eggs to the bacon fat as well I've got myself a pretty amazing breakfast.

Granted, once a year is probably enough for this particular combo.

The Grim Reavers

2008-05-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

The Cyclones have some friends from Seattle that are coming out to join us for one night. They arrive for dinner, and we have a very pleasant evening gathered around the campfire.

My responsibility for the trip was the beer, and I've got a straight pale ale and a summer rye beer that no one really seems to be drinking but me. Ah, well.

When the friends arrive, we try to figure out a good blog name for them, and after attempting various combinations of their real names, we settle on the Grim Reavers. You would be amazed at how hard it is to get good reaver pictures on The Google, and this was the best I could do. To be fair, Firefly never really showed detailed reaver shots, which was part of their mystery. Sucks for me right not though.

It's not my finest work, I admit.

Served Up Proper

2008-05-24T15:58:00.001-07:00

Finding a good swimming location proves difficult. We had wandered along the beach earlier today right near the campground, but the tide was out and the water was very shallow. We find a lake that looks good, but it's private.

Finally, we find another lake that looks perfect. It's big, quiet, and at this point the weather is gorgeous.

While everyone wait along the shore and hangs out, I wander back to a flower-dotted meadow by the water, where I stretch out on a non-goose-turded span of grass with a frisbee for a pillow, pull my cap down over my eyes, and completely crash.

It's exactly what I've been wanting. If anything, it gets slightly hot, but ahhhhhhhh....

Ye Olde Chiropractitionist

2008-05-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

M.DF is in triathlon training, and on our way to find a lake for her to go swimming in, we stopped off in town.

While M went to the store, I stopped to get this photo that I had spotted on the way to the campground but not had a chance to take.

I'm not sure I want to visit an old timey chiropractor. Granted, I don't want to visit ANY chiropractor, but especially an old timey one.

A Very Not (Crappy D)ay

2008-05-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Lest you be fooled by my last post, I do actually realize how very non-rustic my camping actually is.

Waking up, my phone is dead, so I've got Crappy D to take over for the rest of the weekend. We make breakfast, which involves bacon and pancakes. I insist on cooking my pancakes in the bacon fat on the fire-griddle, as it was intended to be.

I'm standing by our tent in the first picture, and you can see how many coolers of grub there are allocated to this trip. This is actually a big cut-back from last year, where we literally just ate ourselves into a constant stupor.

It's a little chilly when we wake up, but a few hours later it's turning into a beautiful day.

Stop. Hobotime.

2008-05-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

We're the first ones from the group here. Eventually the others trickle in.

With our tent already set up we go to pick up some firewood from a place we saw down the road. It's just some guy's trailer and he's selling some very nice, dry wood out front. We pick up a bunch of it, as much as we can fit in the trunk. The guy is very non-urban, and it's weird to picture being out here NOT on a weekend rustic getaway.

Once we get a fire going back at the campsite, we cook hot dogs on skewers and chill out.

When it comes to dinner, we flip up the grill surface and make burgers. There's a can of beans that insists on being heated in-can on the grill, which I find extremely pleasant.

If I can find a rock to throw in the fire and cook on later I'll be thrilled.

Make It Work Harder

2008-05-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

We've arrived at the campground and have a bit of a wander. By the bathrooms is a bulletin board with the usual rules and safety postings. There's also this one for the kids.

I feel like "Eager Beaver" is a bit trite. Is that really the best mascot they could come up with? That's not even trying. And "Eager"? How is that *really* relevant? I get that kids should be eager, but it's kind of annoying me.

I think "Authoritative Bear" would have been better, or even a more kid-targeted "Quiet Clam".

I Command It

2008-05-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

Off the ferry and on the local roads for a while, we are oddly implored.

Axes and Cars

2008-05-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

I've been singing imaginary lyrics to G'N'R's "Coma" in my head that go "Hey, we're going to Tacoma" (we're not) over and over for a while now.

On a related note, thanks to my brother, I also unfortunately know that in one of his songs, Sir Mix-A-Lot gives a shout-out to his "homies in Tacoma".

I don't think I've been on a Puget Ferry since my first trip out here in 2001 or 2002. I was doing a training for a client in Kitsap, which was a very working-class area and there was nothing to do. I think I ate dinner at the Safeway and at the bar next to my motel. I did however take the ferry back over on my way to the airport and wander around Seattle a little. I remember liking it, which is probably a good thing.

I enjoy the obligatory fire-axe, and the municipal bus that appears to be transporting people on the ferry. Weird.

It's a short trip, maybe a little more than 30 minutes, and most of that is spent loading and unloading cars.

Not I-5

2008-05-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

We're going to Penrose Point State Park, which is only 45 miles away, but way far enough to be well outside of anything "city".

There's a ferry that will take us across the sound and that way we can skip I-5, which isn't any fun for anyone.

On the way to the ferry, this car has a green "O'Bama" sticker with a clover graphic that I find amusing.

An Uneasy Alliance

2008-05-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

I'm taking Friday off to go camping with M, the Cyclones, and the Dragonfires. It's nice to get out of this week and I'm looking forward to several days of cooking things over a fire and napping in the sun.

M and I pack the night before, which means that M does most of the packing and I try not to get in the way too much. It's important to know your own strengths and weaknesses.

I haven't used Crappy D in a while, mostly because my crappy work-issued phone does double duty as a very crappy camera.

Crappy D has had a self portrait before, so I figured the phone deserved one too. It does not however, get a name.

It has not yet earned one.

BatFang Captured

2008-05-21T17:07:00.001-07:00

M is back home, and that's kinda nice.

While chilling at home, after many months of waiting, BatFang appears, ready to wreak havoc on anything unsuspecting that moves itself into BatFang's fat, lazy, and limited reach.

Not Sure Where I Am

2008-05-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

That car has spinners.

Brain Glimpse

2008-05-21T17:06:00.001-07:00

The day went as expected: difficult, but fine.

Waiting for the bus I saw this paper lying on the sidewalk. I wonder what prompted it...

I'm sometime amazed by how much people want other people to deal with their problems. There's a lot of tendency for people here to hide behind hierarchy. The reverse problem, people in power who don't properly enable their reports to handle problems is equally baffling to me.

I mean, I'm not really baffled, but come on...deal with your own issues and don't go crying to anyone unless you've given it a good shot yourself or you actually need them to provide guidance or assistance.

Dressing Up For Dressing Down

2008-05-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

Bagels aside, yesterday was actually a very rough day, compounded, no doubt, by my lack of sleep. I have a lot of things to deal with today, so I'm wearing my more professional black stuff rather than the slightly more casual brown stuff.

They're not particularly stressful problems, just annoying ones. I'd simply rather not have to deal with them, especially since some of them are my fault.

I'll fix them though. Don't worry.

Cold Shoulder

2008-05-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

The bar where I transfer buses has a few UFC posters up for particular fights, all of which seem to have particular titles along with the numbers.

I know they've had a lot of these, so I'm pretty forgiving with their naming, but I think they probably need to come up with a new system. After 87 versions they're clearly running out of hardcore, intimidating names.

The bagels went over really well, btw. The ex-NYers (and misc. east-coasters) and other such afficionados were appreciative (including a copywriting client, who offered to edit the recipe for fun when I finished writing it), while a local account director exclaimed "They look just like Noah's!".

She and I are not on speaking terms anymore.

Restless Night

2008-05-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

I did not sleep well last night. In the end, I got about 2 hrs of sleep before the bagel-baking alarm went off. I'd already committed to this project, so I was up and running on schedule.

I finished around 7, as planned, with variously doughed and topped bagels all warm in a paper sack.

I took pictures all last night of each step so I can eventually get a good recipe post together, but I'm still not up for actually writing it. It's not that it's complicated (not "easy" either), but I feel that the proper way to express it is eluding me.

Chillage Needed

2008-05-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Brace yourselves - this is a (not "the") bagel post.

Specifically, with M gone and no one for me to wake up with early-morning puttering around the kitchen, I've decided to finally bring bagels to the office. I've still got 2 in the fridge and I'm going to make 12 more. My manager has requested egg bagels and whole wheat bagels, neither of which I've done before, so I decide to step up and do it.

It takes about 45 minutes to prep the three doughs, and then another half hour to get them cut and rolled after they rise. The whole wheat especially is really difficult to work with, and I'm a bit nervous about how they'll turn out. I should have used less WW and more regular flour in them.

The fun part will be that to get these ready before work, I'll need to start heating the oven at 5:30 and start baking at 6. I'll be tired, but I think it will be fun to play baker for a day.

Yeah, Brian - I know it doesn't compare to dairy farming. Leave me my simple joys, will you?

I can't believe I'm looking at waking up at 5:30 as a simple joy.

United By Fish

2008-05-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

It's Monday, and after a long day (shaping to a long week) at work it's still just me and the boys.

I'm going with a personal bachelor staple tonight - spaghetti with spicy tuna (tuna, sriracha, mayo, tons of other spices, parmesan).

Mush and Ferg are not on eating-from-the-same-bowl terms in general, but it's a whole new game when tuna-can water is introduced.

In a previous post, I described the "easy" chicken tikka masala recipe that I used and it's been pointed out that it might not be that easy. This is a good point, however, I think that if you look at the overall view of it, there aren't that many components, and it seems to be very forgiving.

If it's hard to screw up, even though there are a bunch of steps, I tend to look at it as easy. I know that attitude might be a bit too "Alton"-y of me, so I'll try to keep it in check.

Yet More Gonzo Food Porn

2008-05-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

Short of a long walk to the grocery store to get lunch ingredients for work, I spent most of the day in a state of chillage.

I'm a little afraid to go back through the last month or two of posts and see how many of them consist of bread, or just food in general. I can't help that so many of my projects consist of edibles. I did say a long time ago that this blog was going to be a creative outlet, so if you're still reading this you only have yourself to blame.

I've been working on my baguette technique some more and it's still not there. The texture is waaaay to firm, which is great in a rustic bread, but I want that softer "vietnamese"-type sandwich bread. I think I know how to help this, and I think I'll use more yeast and a lot more agitation next time.

At one of our favorite pubs they have a curried cashew appetizer that is really good, but usually means that we're eating there or at least having a few beers and that seems unnecessary to just get some cashews. I found a stupid-easy recipe online for them (melt 1 part butter, add 2 parts curry powder, salt, mix with as many cashews to taste, bake at 350 for 10-20 mins) and they are delicious.

Cashews pack a bit of a caloric punch it seems, so take it easy.

After such a relaxing day, the perfect dinner seemed to be an omelette (with black forest ham and celery salt (one of the spices I picked up last week)), some of the fresh bread, and a glass of wine.

On a recommendation I picked up a box of "Black Box" Cabernet. I was told it was actually quite decent. It is the first box wine I've ever bought, and so far, I'm not impressed. There's something to be said for economics, but meh.

Rapt Wonder

2008-05-18T11:00:00.001-07:00

I couldn't sleep and was up at 6AM, which isn't great for a Sunday.

It was nice to get an early start though. I had leisurely coffee, ate some day-old mediocre muffins, made bagels, and finished the Omen movies (please don't), all before 9AM.

Fergus learned this morning to jump up on the windowsill, and is watching the squirrels and birds out front.

The weather, as it was yesterday is gorgeous, and I'm feeling totally relaxed and awesome.

Cat Fusion

2008-05-17T10:59:00.001-07:00

Yeah, there's been a few cat posts. I'm becoming that guy who beats you over the head with pictures of his kids, but I feel that this is at least generally somewhat entertaining.

For example, the blur and progression of these shots will give you a good idea of the mock-battles that take place daily around here.

The size difference between these two is really hilariously apparent in these little play-squabbles, and after a few seconds of furious kicking and chewing, they split up and move a few paces away to monitor and stalk again.

It's like feline Valhalla. Only they're not dead.

Some Cleaning To Do

2008-05-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I finally found a bottle of Czechvar (Budvar), and enjoyed it while relaxing at home. In Plzen, I had an Urquell, and I've had that many times here as well. I really wanted to try this one, since I had not had a chance to try it in Prague (I was too sick). So it was nice to sip it and think of traveling back to Europe, sitting in a cafe with nothing particular to do. Ahhhh...

Now I have to get some cleaning done in this kitchen. It's a little out of hand.

The Algonquin Longcat

2008-05-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

After retiring to the couch to attempt to finish The Omen III (why? I don't know), I am joined by a snuggly, sleepy kitten.

It's lights-out in a sunbeam for both of us.

Myulchi Boekum

2008-05-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

For lunch, I make the myulchi boekum. I also slice up the lotus root and fry it in a little oil, then top it with smoked salt and some black pepper.

It's delicious.

Lotus root is surprisingly difficult to cut.

The Afternoon Begins

2008-05-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

The boys are having their usual afternoon playtime. They eventually get tired and amuse themselves by playing with opposite ends of the snake.

I'm still watching the movie.

Kitten Carrot

2008-05-17T10:52:00.001-07:00

After unpacking, I decide to chill and continue watching Unforgiven. I have a purple carrot while I do this and it is not delicious.

It's just flavorless and "meh"-textured.

Fergus is very interested until he gets distracted by his snake toy.

Take Two

2008-05-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

In addition to everything I mentioned already, I also got some steel-cut oats for a song. I might bring them camping with me next weekend and slow-cook them over the fire with maple syrup and ginger.

It's time to get my Asian on.

Not That Hardcore

2008-05-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

It's a hot day, and I could have gotten away with shorts. I'm on the bus home and a guy gets on with a black cap with black letter stitching of "206" on it.

It doesn't have quite the impact as a "212", but I applaud the effort.

I try not to be too obvious about taking this picture, nonchalantly using my phone as a drumstick while I rock out to a song and getting the picture after a few tries.

Bulky Goodness

2008-05-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

Those buckets and jars contain a wide varety of self-serve bulk grains and spices. In the corner is a fridge filled with bulk nuts.

They have a bulk (not bug) cheese counter and very friendly, helpful staff. I try a raw milk cheddar that has good grassy flavor.

They also have a big olive oil selection, but I'll leave that for another time.

I pick up a bunch of cashews (I'm going to curry them), and some high-gluten flour to test out. If it's good, it costs about half the price I usually would pay, or 25 bucks for a 50lb bag. Awesome.

I also get some harissa (Moroccan chili paste) for no reason whatsoever.

Not So Populated

2008-05-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

At World Spice last week, the staff there mentioned a place also by the stadiums called Big John's PFI that had a big selection of bulk grains and all sorts of other stuff.

We decide to check it out, and it's not really near anything else. We walk past a building that smells somewhat heavily of homeless urine, but we finally find it at the bottom of a parking lot.

There's a sign on the door that says "You Found Us!"

Asiatastic

2008-05-17T10:40:00.002-07:00

After Peter pickes up some of that smoked salmon we tried last week, we head towards the stadiums to the international district. There's a store there called Uwajimaya, which is a giant Asian grocery that apparently has everything.

I'm specifically here to get dried anchovies so I can make Myulchi Boekum, a Korean spicy stir-fried condiment that I used to eat by the plateful back in NYC but haven't seen here.

We find the anchovies pretty quickly, but I don't remember what kind of chili sauce I'm supposed to get. I google a recipe on my phone and it comes back with an ingredient called gochu jang. I have no idea what that is, so I ask and am promptly directed to it. Awesome.

It's fermented pepper paste. I'm psyched.

Peter is looking for a giant bag of jack fruit chips (that's a fresh one pictured here) and is disappointed that they only have little ones. They are tasty though.

I also pick up some fresh lotus root to make chips, and a jar of spicy seafood snacks that I used to be nuts about.

It's a good haul, and it's gonna be a fun afternoon.

Too Expensive For Novelty

2008-05-17T10:40:00.001-07:00

PeterE has a favorite produce shop in the market and we stop by to see what they have. Last week they had the first California peaches of the season, which were delicious. Peter picks up some heirloom tomatoes.

In fairness, he probably buys more than he needs, but that's excusable because of the extremely farmer-cute girl who is hawking them. She has huge blue eyes, with the whitest sclera I've ever seen. It's an odd detail to notice, but after my iritis I tend to notice the magnitude of whiteness in people's eyes.

They have Fiddlehead ferns, which are apparently tasty but are 15 bucks a pound and Sea Beans, also at that price. The ferns have to be cooked so we don't try them, but we do try the Sea Beans which really just taste like a salty, oceany, very thin string bean. It would make a great salad condiment/topping for some nice salt and crunch, but not at that price.

I do buy some purple carrots. Last week I got apples that weighed 0.75lbs apiece but they were just ok.

Piroshky

2008-05-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

PeterE needs some breakfast, so we stop off at this tiny Piroshky (russian stuffed bun-things, relative of pirogi) place called "Piroshky, Piroshky", that is apparently famous.

They have a lot of stuff, and Peter seems happy with his choice. I don't get anything, but I admire this woman who seems to have an enormous amount of experience preparing this things. She's fast and really efficient.

For A Time It Was

2008-05-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last night, I realized I was out of balance bars, and instead of hiking up to the store, I decided to make chocolate-chip muffins for breakfast. They're easy to make, but it probably would have been simpler and healthier to get get the bars.

The muffins turned out at best mediocre, and at worst dry and flavorless. With coffee they were at least a baked flour-product, which is sometimes all you really need.

PeterE and I are making an early morning (9AM) Pike Market run today. I'm planning on hitting some other places as well and just having a good time wandering around.

I grab the bus and catch some tunes on the way there. November Rain comes on, and man, I still love that song. When I was 15 or 16 this was probably my favorite song, and I used to blast it on speakers I kept in my bag while on the bus to summer camp (I was a counselor at the time).

I downloaded this mp3 in college, back on my windows 3.1 machine, hence the filename "GNR-NOVR". I did all my songs with a 3-char bandname, 4-char song name abbreviation, and I've never changed them. I like the autobiographical aspect of not changing file names or the folder structures I keep my music in. Do I always know if a song I want is in "Cheese" or "Dance (largely cheese part 2)"? No.

I'm fine with that.

I rock out a bit, walking to the market.

Moore St.

2008-05-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

There are a bunch of Eastwood movies on this weekend and with the apartment to myself, I will probably watch some of them.

Firefox was the first "violent" movie I can remember seeing. I could not have been older than 8 or 9, and was living in Hartsdale, right down the street from where Malcolm X is buried (fun fact for the day).

At the end of our street in Poet's Corner (all streets were named for poets, so it should have been called Poet Corners - given that there were multiple corners) there was a family with two kids, Zeeshan and Imrhan. I hung out with them fairly often and one day we watched this movie on VHS in their basement. I remembered almost nothing about this movie until I saw part of it again a few years ago, except that someone got hit or shot and there was orangey blood, and I was like, "whoa, blood" at the time.

Looking at this description, I probably don't need to watch it again. Unforgiven is on afterwards though, and I will definitely watch that.

"He shoulda armed himself..." is one of my favorite movie lines ever.

First Jacket-Free

2008-05-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

Today I headed to work without a jacket. It's 58F.

I walk past this clock/thermometer on the PemCo building every day so I always know exactly what time I get to work and how hot it is.

Those are things you should just always know.

It was 68F when I left to head home and beautiful out. I stuck around work for a few and chilled with some of the creatives. I'm not sure what I should do when I get home other than make some dinner and do nothing.

Doing nothing sounds good.

Beaming

2008-05-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

The boys are enjoying a sunbeam and so am I.

M is heading out to Missoula tomorrow to chill with some photo school buddies, so we're getting her set to go.

I'll have the weekend to myself and you know what that means...

...probably just cooking and watching movies.

Temperature Shift

2008-05-15T10:37:00.001-07:00

It went from jacket weather in the morning to t-shirt weather when I left work. Good thing I was wearing an actual t-shirt (toothpastefordinner.com, yo) and not just a white undershirt.

I was rocking out to something while waiting for the bus and took this picture. I *think* it's Crystal Method - Keep Hope Alive.

That whole Vegas album is just fantastic. I know it's been 11 years, but it's still great.

Sock Monkey

2008-05-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

It's going to be a busy day at work and I'm pretty much out of socks, so I decide to bust out the monkey-socks and rock them to the office. I know they don't match anything else I'm wearing and they aren't very professional, but it's a monkey-sock kind of day.

On that note, I got an IM from one of the acct reps today that started with "Hey Monkey". This seemed odd, so I just replied "Monkey?". She either didn't see the response or just ignored it so I figured I would let it slide.

Later on, she responded to a question by telling me that's not how it worked, "silly bear", but I didn't have a chance to address that one at the time. However much I don't especially care what I'm called (acct all call me my first name, creative and delivery all call me by last), I'm just not going to be cool with the animal thing. I'll make that clear if it happens again.

I did very much enjoy the monkey-socks today.

The Magnificent Seven

2008-05-14T10:36:00.001-07:00

There are few movies that are as packed with history and meaning for me as this one, and it only has very little to do with the movie itself. I've probably seen this movie 90 times, although not in the past decade or so, and never on the big screen.

M hasn't seen it before, but she's hooked quickly. It's just a great, fun western with an awesome cast, and in my opinion a lot more enjoyable than Seven Samurai on which it is based. I know that is anethma to movie fans, but that's how I see it.

I would be amiss if I didn't thank M for finding this showing and getting us tickets. Thanks, hon.

Now I want to see The Great Escape. Good thing I've got it TiVoed.

There Is Water Underground

2008-05-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

The theatre doesn't open for a while, so M and I wander about, past this "fountain". Yes, at the right the water comes out and flows down to that row of stones where it is collected.

It's actually really cool.

On a related note, the place near my office has a $5 steak and fries night on Wednesdays that we hit before coming here, so this is shaping up to be a great night out. I'm psyched.

Long Cycle

2008-05-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

The local art film place in Seattle Center is having a classic film festival and they're showing a movie that's one of my favorites. As we're walking to the theatre, I see the sign show the name and I want to get a picture. In the time it takes for the phone-camera to turn on, the sign has moved on to something else and we have to wait for what seems like an eternity for it to come back.

It took so long, that M and I were both cracking up over each new display that appeared, standing there with our cameras out waiting for the one we we looking for. It must have been a strange thing to see.

In the end, we got it. The ones you see pictured here (excluding the bottom one, of course) are just a few examples.

Bobble On

2008-05-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

Riding in today I got a new poem. The words aren't all visible, but you'll get the idea. The missing pieces are

line 1: "...small desires"
line 2: "...unfortunate sounds"
line 3: "...next to strangers"

I really enjoyed this one, since I am a bobble-commuter myself. I could have done without the unnecessarily erudite use of "cephalic", but I'm feeling generous.

I neglected to pack lunch and had to buy a sandwich from the kind of weird deli next to work. They're never very busy and they have a refrigerated case with almost nothing in it. The stuff they do have is very minial and odd for a deli, like quince paste and fig bread.

Anyway, the guy who owns it made my sandwich and he had this kid taking the orders. When the kid was being a bit slow with some people who came in after me, the guy turns to me and says, "I need to get a girl in here. Girls are good for customers."

Denizens

2008-05-12T10:32:00.001-07:00

It is very apparent that there are two small animals living with us. As much as it has been this way for many years (with the one at least), it continues to amaze me how that works.

M and I spent yesterday reorganizing the living room, and we're seeing how it feels. So far, it's very enjoyable.

Mush and Ferg were a bit taken aback initially, but they've adjusted at this point. Their basket of toys is out, and when they've been especially rambunctious it looks like we have a 2-yr old human.

Fergus is not in a sitting still mood.

The "Good" Stuff

2008-05-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

My brother and I haven't done a skype-toast for a long time so we decide to meet up. He goes with the usual scotch but I decide that it's a special occasion and pour myself a Bundaberg Rum.

Now, if you've had Bundaberg then you know this is not the highest-quality product there is. It is, however, from Queensland, and reminds me very much of my trip, which is now like 4 years ago. I haven't really had this stuff since then, and the bottle (2 of them, actually) I brought back is still pretty much full.

It's not the most delicious thing ever, but catching up with my brother and just chilling with something Aussie is very pleasant. By the time the dram (can I call it that?) is done, I'm in a very good place.

Spacious

2008-05-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

I missed my bus connection by a minute again and walked to work, but took a different route through side streets and the park. It was much more peaceful.

Take One

2008-05-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

I have one goal today, and that is to make Chicken Tikka Masala. I've been googling "Ultimate Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe" and get several options that I've been trying to smush together. The joke is that the only common ingredient in the different recipes is chicken. I generally google only "Ultimate" versions of recipes, since there's so many recipe sites and postings that it helps me weed stuff out. I figure if you're calling your recipe "ultimate", you feel pretty strongly about it.

I wind up at this recipe, which looks like what I'm after, both in ingredients, time of prep, and general attitude of the writer. I especially like the "curry paste" concept, and it sounds like this is going to go to a good place.

I've bought spice blends, not pure spices, and I think a mix of the tandoori curry plus the garam masala will be pretty close to correct. I round off some of the spice quantities and adjust to 2 chicken breast proportions, with a few other minor mods to get the recipe I'm going with.

Here it is:

Curry Paste - ingredients

1.5 tbl curry powder
1 tbl garam masala (M thinks this should get upped to 1.5)
pinch salt
1/4 tsp lemon juice (a few good drops)
1.5 oz white wine vinegar
1.5 oz vegetable oil (could probably cut this to 1 oz easily)

Curry Paste - steps

Grind spices - I used a mortar and pestle, but a spice grinder would be better. Coriander seeds do not seem to respond well to hand grinding.
Mix lemon juice and vinegar with spices.
Heat oil over medium and pour in spice mix - stir together and simmer over low heat (slow bubbling) for about 10 minutes. This is the best part - frying the spices makes them awesome.
Remove from heat and let cool - store airtight.

Marinade - ingredients:

6 tbl yogurt (quantity isn't strict here, want a good coating)
2 chicken breasts, cut into roughly bite-sized blocks
1 tbl of the curry paste
mix dry, add liquids, put in hot oil - medium heat 10
mins
6 tbl yogurt - marinate with 1tbl of paste

Marinade - steps:

Mix everything together in a ziptop bag.
Store in fridge for at least 1 hour. I'm not sure if and when you could over-marinate this.

Cooking - ingredients:

Marinated chicken
Kosher salt
Remaining curry paste
1 tbl tomato puree (I used a little more than a tbl of tomato *paste*, since that's what I had)
A little fresh ginger (I used a few shakes of ground ginger)
A good pinch of chili flake or fresh chopped chili (I used half pepper flake and half chipotle flake for some cool smokiness)
2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
Half a big onion chopped as you like it
Squeeze of lemon
Vegetable oil for sweating
About 6 oz water
About 2 oz cream or 4 oz half and half

Cooking - steps:

Sweat onions, garlic, ginger, and chili for 5-6 minutes.
Add curry paste and cook 1 minute more.
Add tomato puree (or paste) and cook 3 minutes more.
Add water and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, salt the chicken and grill (I used a pan) for 5-7 minutes or until cooked.
Squeeze in lemon.
Add cream or half and half - simmer to desired consistency if needed (was needed with half and half).
Add chicken to sauce - simmer to heat, add additional seasoning if desired.

Now you've got some delicious CTM. It may look like a lot or steps, but it was very simple to do and a lot of fun. My initial result was a little off the mark, but with M's help we added a bit more tomato and cream and it get perfect. Those amounts are in the recipe shown here, so go with it. This is not an exact science kind of thing, so you'll find a lot of tolerance for experimentation. Don't feel a need to stick to the quantities used. I'm sure it will be delicious.

Eventually, I'll try doing with this with pure spices and mixing them myself, but World Spice knows what they're doing, so why not just go with their blend?

Read For Emphasis

2008-05-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

The shoot went really well and I had more fun than I thought I would. Our photographer was very nice and seemed to have everything nicely sorted.

We did do one setting where we were on some grass that turned out to have recently been fertilized. Ah, well. Sometimes you suffer for art.

We did part of the shoot at our favorite coffee shop a ways down the neighborhood, and M got a latte. The place's logo is a leaf, and every drink has a "latte art" leaf poured with the milk. I asked the barista how long it took her to learn to do it and she said it was literally thousands of lattes.

We spent the rest of the night relaxing at home. I flipped past "Man on Fire", that sorta recent Denzel movie about a bodyguard in Mexico City protecting Dakota Fanning.

It's not a good movie but it has one thing that I think is really great, and I recommend you catch this when it's on FX again, which is probably every other day.

The movie uses subtitles as part of the visuals, not just showing you what's being said, but changing size, font, placement, duration, and case depending on *how* it's being said. Certain English lines are also subtitled, just for emphasis. The impact of that technique is noticable, and it works really well.

You can see a small example in this terrible picture, where the line is in the middle of the screen, all caps.

I just wish the movie had been better, but really nice job on that part of it.

No, It Really Isn't

2008-05-10T21:06:00.002-07:00

This isn't really about the news, but our good friend CNN.

I don't like question mark headlines, especially since if you look to the right, they used it twice.

Also, are you freaking kidding me, time.com? Let's not invade anything else for a while.

Greeted As Liberators

2008-05-10T21:06:00.001-07:00

I've eaten well today, but not very "well". M and I are headed for our anniversary gift to ourselves, a photoshoot. We didn't have a wedding photographer, and there are no photos of us that we, or family, or friends didn't take. M has met this great local photographer, and she's going to do a session with us out in the neighborhood.

I'm not feeling so hot, so I down some pink stuff before we leave. I love this shot glass. This is one of two that I liberated from Boss Tweed's on Delancey during a night out with the German interns. It's everything that's right about a glass - heavy base, solid feel, practically indestructable. Too bad I don't take shots.

Today it gets some love.

The Day's Take

2008-05-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

These are the spices that I got today. Not one of those bags was over 3 bucks, and they're pretty hefty quanities (1-2 oz each).

I'm looking forward to trying the curries out. I've been wanting to make Indian food and will try a Chicken Tikka Masala (yes, I know it's not REALLY Indian) shortly.

The smoked salt is also awesome, and usually so expensive, but not at World Spice. Basically, they're all awesome, and I can't wait to cook with them. The chipotle flake for one will be going on everything I eat from now on.

I've also replenished my "everything bagel" toppings, and make a mix to just shake on. Yay, efficiency.

Three Cs

2008-05-10T21:05:00.002-07:00

Apparently, there's a great chili place in the market, and we head down to try some. It's called World Class Chili, and looks like a hole in the wall.

PeterE gets the "Texas" (beef on pinto beans) and I get the "Cincinnati" (beef/pork on shell pasta).

The Texas is really perfect, great flavor, good heat, and great texture. It easily beats other Texas that I've had, even in Texas.

The Cincinnati is good. It has chocolate in it, giving it a bit of a mole flavor. It's very good, especially since I've never had it before, and PeterE ranks it high, but not the highest.

Some cornbread, crackers, and home-pickled jalapenos, and we're done.

I'm stuffed and ready to head back home.

Not A Turd

2008-05-10T21:05:00.001-07:00

There'a a butcher shop that has homemade landjaeger that I just can't resist. It's really good.

Smoked Delight

2008-05-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

We check out PeterE's favorite fish shop in the market (not the throwing one) and try their smoked salmon. It's incredible, very fatty, and purely delicious.

I would love to buy some, but fish is kida crazy expensive, even when it's cheap. Halibut is in season at 9.95/lb, so we might have to try that at some point. We've been wanting to make a fish in salt crust, but that means buying a whole fish.

Hello, Joshua

2008-05-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

We wander around some more, and go into a record shop (yes, records) so PeterE can look around. I enjoy browsing some of the more awful movies that they have.

Yes, this one really is about playing a video game that (spoiler alert) IS REAL!!!

Wow.

WarGames is on AMC this week. I might have to watch it.

chorus

2008-05-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

PeterE's got this spice shop (World Spice Merchants) he wants to go to. Alton covered it in his spice episode but I don't remember it. We walk in, and the place is amazing. They have tons of stuff, and glass jars with examples that you can open and smell. The staff is incredibly helpful and the prices are crazy cheap.

It's all I can do to not buy everything. We spend an hour there, talking with the staff and getting some info from them on other stores we might be interested in.

While we're getting our stuff, the staff is mixing up a big batch of dry rub. Apparently a local restaurant has a custom spice blend they use and this place mixes it up for them in big bags whenever they need some. Awesome.

Don't worry, I'll show you what I got.

No Lemons

2008-05-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ah, the weekend is here. PeterE calls me up to see if I want to go to Pike Place this morning. I haven't been here since I was interviewing last year and used to wander around to kill time between them.

I will not be buying any meyer lemons, even if they are around, which they won't be.

Also, I can't stick around too long, since M and I have plans later.

Off By One

2008-05-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

When I take the 8:09AM bus from home, I get to my transfer stop just in time to get the next bus. If I'm delayed at all, it's a 30-min wait for the next one. It's easier to walk, and I'll usually beat the next bus if I do.

I wander along the main street for a bit and then meander about some side streets on my way. At the Pacific Science Center there are some fake trees and other exhibit crates being unloaded, which is pretty cool.

Also, I pass a church with a sign out front saying "Those who plan to meet God at the 11th hour.(sic) Die at 10:30." I have no idea what that means.

Staff and Staples

2008-05-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

This week is getting a bit crazy at work and I'm working a bit late (6 or 6:30! Wow!) sometimes. Today, I don't have a chance to grab lunch.

M will be able to pick me up at work, which is a nice treat, and I've had this as a pre-dinner snack when she arrives.

The folks at work lovingly pronounce this stuff, "Rahn-yay"

Neck Pillow

2008-05-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Fergerator seems to love neck warmth, and can be frequently seen practicing his inflatable airline neck pillow impersonation.

When he grows up I wonder if he'll do the cat hat.

The Best Laid Plan(t)s

2008-05-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

M and I are going to Via Tribunali, the local high-end pizza joint for dinner. We're going a bit more subdued for this year's anniversary.

Man, 2 years. Crazy. It's been 8 years together though, so it's not THAT crazy. Still weird though. It already seems like a long time ago.

M would like flowers (a rare request from her) and I know she loves lavender so I walk up the hill from the bus stop to get her a plant. I don't get flowers really, the whole point of them is weird. As a metaphor for a relationship they're fragile and short-lived. Plants can live forever with proper care and they're way more awesome.

I of course don't plan for a good way to get the plant home. It's a bit unwieldy (is anything really "wieldy"?), and after a few blocks I get the brilliant idea to use my bag.

This works out well, although you can see here what my view was like on the way home.

Happy Anniversary, M. This still rocks.

Not Frequent

2008-05-06T20:58:00.001-07:00

I've been having some strange dreams recently. In one of them I was working as a camp counselor again, and one of the Account Reps from my current job was the camp director. She told me my job for a week was going to be to clean the lake, which was literally a garbage dump that went as far as you could see. I told her that 5 days would not nearly be enough, but she didn't seem to care. This one isn't hard to figure out I suppose. I guess I'm having PM dreams now...It's ok though. Like I've said, I don't stress over this stuff, but it is weird to be dreaming about it.

Also, there was a dream about my ring, but I forgot what it was.

This is the schedule for my bus, not that you were wondering. It's occasionally frustrating that I have to wait so long sometimes, but that's how it goes.

A Lot Of Bottles

2008-05-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not sticking around late today, and hit the bus stop. The bus waiting area is right next to the Greyhound garage, so there's always buses parked inside just being stored or repaired.

I liked that this one said "San Antonio". I've never taken a bus that far, and I probably wouldn't want to now, but a few decades back it would have been cool to do. Right now, I think of how miserable a 4 hr NY-Boston trip could be, and shudder (in my mind) to think of this one.

The Dog Lies

2008-05-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was supposed to be an a training/orientation all day, but rapidly had several issues arise that I needed to tend to. Really. It wasn't just a ploy.

Fortunately, although today is similar, Katie Mae has come to visit. My deskmate brings her in with him today and she spends most of the day either sleeping under my desk or wandering around the office getting into trouble. It's not a "bring your dog to work" office.

My deskmate is leaving soon on a 3 month trip to Alaska to kayak 500 miles around some peninsula, so I don't think he cares too much.

First Monday

2008-05-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

Our office does a "First Friday" breakfast, and since we accidentally skipped one, we get it today. The creative admin actually has an electric griddle at one of the desks and makes us Frogs In A Hole. If you haven't had it, there's a circle of bread cut out and the egg is fried in it.

Tasty.

Not Thunk

2008-05-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

We're in the supermarket, buying something (groceries, I suppose) and I find myself agreeing vehemently with Oprah.

I don't know why Oprah hates her, I'm just glad she does.

Yes, I know this is the Enquirer. Chill.

I've actually had a series of IM avatars extolling my realistically unwarranted and intentionally offensive feelings for the desolate one, as you can see.

If you're asking why, do you really need a reason? It's like hating Ben Affleck.

Ok, look. She's terrible for food. She's a TV personality, not a chef. She pretends to like EVERYTHING before she even tastes it, uses stupid terms like EVOO, calles her father "daddy" (are you under the age of 12? Then stop it.), and won't stop her joker-smiling exuberance about every fucking thing she does. She's disingenuine, and it pisses me off. She's like the anti-AWK.

Ok, I'm calm now.

Semper Ubi Sub Ubi

2008-05-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

I tivoed all three Omen movies a while back and am working my way through them. I actually borrowed the first one from the library back in college, but I can't remember the specific details although I do remember the basic plot.

He's the devil's kid. That's it.

I compared it to Rosemary's Baby which is another example of

DEVIL BABY!!!

and I found them both kind of mediocre. I really like that they initiated this satanic horror thing, but it's just a bit too slow and one-note for me.

When I watch things that I know M will probably hate, I'll often use the subtitles or headphones. Subtitles are pretty wild to watch on their own. The way that they express sounds ([emotional music playing]) or ([ominous mumbling]) or whatever, is pretty entertaining. I like the one pictured here ([man greeting]) in particular, especially if you pretend that it is hyphenated.

I've often thought that you can't get scared of a horror movie (not that this is all that scary anyway) without sound, and I still think that's the case.

Novel Graphics

2008-05-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my post titles don't get the thought they deserve so instead this one gets my faux "reverse clever" approach that I'm so fond of - "The word order is switched. How innovative". In many ways, I haven't moved beyond that high-school level of playing with words in totally conventional ways and feeling poetic for doing so.

Last week I went to the library (did you read the post? if not, why? are my posts not good enough for you?) and took out some books, specifically Batman Year One and a Hellblazer (the thing they made that "Constantine" movie with, it had Keanu). I had never read the Batman one and it's Frank Miller so I figured I had to give it a shot.

I finished it up and it is a really good story and enjoyable art. Comics or graphic novels are weird. I may have mentioned reading Frank Miller's RoboCop a few weeks ago and that was incredibly violent and kind of sexist. Not that I'm looking for righteous morality in my comic books, but the violent imagery was almost too oversaturating that it distracted me.

Batman kept it nicely in check, and it's actually not all that violently drawn. I'm looking forward to another one.

I haven't really started the Hellblazer yet. One interesting note is that these are both from the 80s, so a lot of the personal styles of the characters are definitely from that era, which is weird.

Mini-Slasher

2008-05-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

The wee beastie wakes me up this morning and I pick him up and carry him out of the bedroom. He kangaroo kicks my hand to get loose and makes a nice dent in my finger.

I tried to get a picture of it but it didn't turn out so well, so you'll have to accept my "enhanced" edition of it.

Full Calories

2008-05-02T12:52:00.001-07:00

We meet up and head over to Red Robin. The chicken finger salad is one of M's favorite-ever foods and it's a bit of an indulgent night. I get a chili-cheeseburger that looks like it could give a camel a heart-attack.

In the restroom in this sign about caring and feeding eagles, and I am not sure what the hell it is talking about.

Also, on the Red Robin Spice Mix, or whatever it's called, one of the ingredients is listed as "Paprika and other spices". Onion and garlic are also called out and I wonder why it was done this way. Why aren't the onion and garlic included in the "other spices"? If they're listed separately, why not list them all separately? Are there some spices you have to declare and others not? Why not say "Paprika, other spices" and leave out the "and"? Are the paprika and other spices linked somehow?

This bothers me.

Hey, Punk

2008-05-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

It's Friday. I'm looking forward to chilling this weekend and don't have any projects planned. I might watch a movie.

On the way home, this gentleman sat across from me. It's funny to see "weird" people. It's not even in the same order of magnitude as NY and mostly I just think "Oh, that's cute".

I'm meeting M and D.Cyclone for dinner.

Yay, EOW.

Old Muscles

2008-05-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

M and I bought tennis rackets last week. I haven't played tennis in over a decade so it's very strange to hold a racket again. We go to a park in Magnolia that has some courts and just hit the ball around for an hour. We are not very good, but also not as bad as expected.

It's good, but I know I'll ache a little tomorrow. I enjoyed it, which I didn't expect given how burned out I was on tennis in high school, and am looking forward to the next time.

On the way back home, the mountains are out, but not in this picture.

Dressed Reason

2008-04-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

This couple got on the bus when I did and seemed lost. They were very young and hippie looking, but were sort of dressed-up, or dressed-up the way hippies would be. Their hair was long and unkempt, and the guy had an old trench coat on. The girl had hairy legs and very blue eyes.

They spent most of the bus ride very anxiously looking for their stop, and I wondered where they were going, and why they were dressed that way.

I also missed my old trench coat.

Face-Watching

2008-04-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

I like to look at the people who drive by the bus stop and watch their faces. Sometimes they seem focused, or bored, or on the phone, or have really dumb looks.

Today, I saw a guy who looked like he was sleeping/having a stroke. It was very strange.

Self-Angle

2008-04-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the bus, my phone wants to get a picture of its house.

Pho

2008-04-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Banh Mi sandwiches are one of my favorite things ever, and four of us head to a Vietnamese place for lunch. I really don't "go out" for lunch all that much, although I've been buying sandwiches and such more than I should recently. I need to get back in the grocery habit and bring stuff in the morning.

On our way, we decide to get Pho (soup) instead and grab a table at the place. I haven't had this since I lived in Boston, and I wasn't crazy about it. It's been a long time so I figure I'll give it a shot again.

The place (Pho Cyclo) has a signature Pho, with rare beef, fatty beef, tendon, and tripe. I've never had tendon or tripe (the nubbly stuff), so this seems as good a time as any.

While I'm glad I tried it, I probably won't be ordering it with that again. The soup is delicious, but the tripe is kind of flavorless and chewy (and nubbly, did I mention this), while the tendon is very gelatinous.

Still, I'm a pho fan now, even with all that cilantro. I'm really getting into a love-hate relationship with it, we'll have to see how that goes.

Mumtastic

2008-04-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's a slow news day. It's certainly a surreal one.

Prima Nocta

2008-04-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

There's a bug in this app we're working on and some of the devs are sticking in the office to sort it out. Well, they're doing this because I need them to.

I realize that there's no real reason that *I* need to be there, but I feel like I can't ask the devs to push hard on something that I'm not willing to push on as well. As a result, I spend a chunk of the evening just tidying up on some paperwork while they sort out the code. Maybe they think it's ridiculous that I'm sticking around, but I hope they appreciate the moral support.

Around 7:30 or 8 it gets sorted out and I head home. It's easily the latest I've had to stay at work so far.

It could be a lot worse. At least there's a beer fridge.

Royal We

2008-04-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, a day of being good at your job is a pretty decent way to go.

I've found it's pretty typical that someone asking someone else to do work will say "we" or "let's", when what they really mean is "you go do some work while I don't". I'm making a concerted effort to not be the schmuck who does this.

Not Quite There

2008-04-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

PeterE comes back over in the morning (after M and I make an early run to the park to miraculously find my hoodie where I left it) and I make pancakes and he brings his "Bacon Of The Month" and there's a hearty tuck-in. We check on the cheese, and it is not in the proper state. We agree to leave it alone for the rest of the day and try it later.

Meanwhile, in the office are some sleepy cats. Fergatory is on my lap, and Mush is asleep in his cat bed. I need to move, so I pick him up and put him on the desk, at which point he gets right up and climbs into the bed with Mush.

For a few minutes, Mush doesn't really know what to do. He seems too shocked to yell at Ferg, and eventually gets up and leaves.

I read an article in OnionAV about 30 Days of Night, the graphic-novel vampire movie. The author seems to feel the same super-serious-yet-fun way that I do about these kinds of things and mentions that although the movie is not good, that there are some great performances (and awful ones), and I agree that the concept is fantastic. Basically the premise is that vampires attack the town of Barrow in Alaska just as the sun sets for the last time into a month of darkness. It's a great idea, and the article is right. i really enjoyed some parts of it, including a fantastic performance by the lead vampire and one great, long overhead shot, but the movie wasn't very good, and the plot did not deliver on the concept. One of the vampires was kind of hot too, in a disturbing, not-hot kind of way.

Later that evening, the cheese is still not where it needs to be and I pretty much give up on it. I drain the whey and what's left is a rather rich, cottage-cheese like substance that tastes good but is far from Fresh Mozz.

We've got an extra gallon of milk, so I'll have to try this again. I'm discouraged, but not beat. Next time I'll keep a very close watch on temperature and probably up the rennet.

Less Cheesy Attempt

2008-04-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

Having warmed up with the quick stuff, we proceed to the "difficult" stuff as shown here.

In hindsight, maybe we should have started with the basics, but what fun would that be? Well, a lot, possibly.

So, this is about a 14-hr process, spread out over two days. We use active buttermilk instead of citric acid, and the setting, curdling, and acidifying take hours instead of minutes. It's a temperature-controlled, tempermental process and we spend the better part of the afternoon and evening watching milk curdle. We also head out to a local park and toss a baseball around while we wait. PeterE and I are trying to join a softball league and figure we could use the practice. It's so much fun to toss around that we overdo it just a bit. I also forget my awesome fleece hoodie in the park.

We have to leave the cut curd alone to acidify overnight, so we'll see what it looks like in the morning.

This citric acid is really sour and kind of tasty, so I decide to try making fake lemon juice. I boil a cup of water, add a quarter cup of sugar and start mixing in citric acid until it tastes right. The ultimate test is when I make M's "water with lemon" using it and she likes it. That was fun.

We've made a bit of a mess.

Cheesy Attempt

2008-04-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hells, yeah, it's CHEESE DAY!!!

PeterE and I are getting our cheese on and it's going to be awesome. He brings over a large pot and some other gear and we get to shopping. I've got the rennet (enzyme) we need to make the milk gel, but we need active culture buttermilk to acidify it as well.

The mozzarella process we're looking to do takes about 12-14 hours, and while researching we find a 60-minute version that looks easy enough as long as we can find some citric acid.

This proves to be more difficult than you might think. We go to a few stores and can't find anything. There's plenty of ascorbic acid, but not citric. In the end, I remember seeing some in the Safeway and we track it down. It's called "Sour Salt" and made by a Kosher company. Anyone have any idea what it's used for in Jewish cooking?

Well, it's a really simple process from there. We figure this "quick" cheese will be a good warmup for us. Basically, we warm the milk, add the acid, mix in the rennet and wait for it to gel. The curd forms, and we run it through a cloth to get the whey out. We've read that you can use the whey to make ricotta, but decide that we've taken on enough for the day.

Once we have that big lump of curd, you microwave it and knead until it gets shiny and has that mozzarella-y feel to it. Then you round it into balls, and brine it in salt water for a while.

We do this, and leave out salt because the recipe doesn't explicitly call for it, and that's a mistake. We wind up with something reminiscent of mozz, but more like the hard packaged stuff, and definitely without that creamy texture we're looking for.

It's not especially delicious. Some salt would help a lot, and I would might try it again, if only to have a slightly cheaper way of getting mozz for pizza. At about $4/gallon, yielding about a pound of cheese vs. about $6/lb of store-bought, I'll have to see how I feel next time pizza calls to me.

Belief

2008-04-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

I suppose if you're going to believe in anything, that's a good start.

One at a time...

Stroll

2008-04-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

M and I go for a walk today to drop off and pick up some books at the library. It's an old building, and I like the Carnegie shout-out.

I remember reading a book on him when I was probably 10, but I don't remember anything discussing the complex labor issues going on at the time. I watched a special recently on the Homestead Strike, and I'm not really surprised that it didn't make it into a children's bio of the guy. All the same, it makes me think of all the bios I had to read as a kid and how whitewashed they all were. I remember one about Kit Carson and how awesome he was as well.

Anyway, it is a beautiful day. We see some obscene graffiti on a sign next to a park where little league is playing, and a German Firefighting truck parked in an alley.

As Expected

2008-04-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

The DragonFires are in town, and after missing the bus, I walk home and we all hang out. It's great to see them and I hope they move up here soon. (note to DragonFires: move here soon)

In celebration, I decide to bust out the Bud Light "Chelada" - the beer and clamato taste EXPLOSION!!! I'm expecting a weird beer-bloody mary thing. Will it be any good? Let's find out.

The first thing you'll notice is the label, explaining in both English and Spanish how the great tastes of Bud Light and Clamato have been combined.

Opening the can and pouring reveals a light-red colored beverage with minimal head and lots of carbonation.

The aroma is reminiscent of beer, tomato, and clam. Mostly, the clam, but also the beer, and definitely the tomato.

As a note to the allergic, this beer contains a warning that it contains shellfish. Again, this beer contains shellfish.

As for the taste, let's look at it this way. It's beer (Bud Light - not even beer...), tomato, and clam.

There's 24 oz of this stuff. I barely finish 3 before deciding that this just isn't worth it. I am not surprised.

We head off to Via Tribunali, a gourmet-ish pizza place where I get a "calzone" that is an really just a stuffed pizza. It's quite large, and I bring it home for lunch tomorrow.

Slow Growing

2008-04-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

So now I have a bunch of hardtack. I took it to work, along with some ANZAC biscuits for sharing. That wiki article I mentioned a while ago said that Alaskans really like the stuff warm with jam and butter. Well, I tried it warm and wasn't crazy about it, but jam and butter sounded good.

After a few bites, I was really getting into it. Before the day ended I had eaten two tiles of the stuff. Now I am definitely going to try making this again. Yum.

It was a beautiful day out, so I walked home from the bottom of the hill, thinking about hardtack, and how I could get it thinner and crispier. Suddenly, it hit me: matzah is hardtack. Bear with me...

As discussed previously, the story goes that it was baked on the backs of Egypt-fleeing Jews, and that hasn't been sitting well with me. Well, when you think about it as hardtack or cram (for the hobbits out there), it makes complete sense. It's not that the Jews had no time to bake their bread, it's that they baked bread KNOWING that they would be traveling for a long time. That explains why there's no salt and no leavening. The more I thought about it, the more it clicked.

Rabbinic Judaism, pretty much the only kind there is, is based on Jews relying on God to save them from everything. Most fables and stories have been re-engineered to remove human accomplishments and place the credit square on God. For example, Chanukah, an inspiring story of military triumph, has been reduced to God making a lamp stay lit for 8 days.

This helplessness without God really bugs me, but that's not just Judaism's problem. Still, it's nice to find yet another story I can lay to rest while enjoying deliciously difficult to eat baked things. I feel like I discovered the moon for getting this sorted out, when it probably should have occurred to me earlier. Ah, well.

Pre-ANZAC

2008-04-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

Finally, I'm home, and it's time to go on a baking bender. Tomorrow is ANZAC Day, which commemorates the Australia and New Zealand Army Corp's invasion of Turkey (Gallipoli, there's a movie, go see it) in WWI. It's traditional to eat "ANZAC Biscuits", which are basically cookies made with oatmeal, butter, sugar, sugar syrup of some type, and a little baking soda. I like to use the opportunity to remember that I really would rather be studying history. That would not make a good bumper sticker.

So, I want to be authentic, and use the recipe (some short history there as well) on the Aussie War Memorial site. I leave out the coconut, partially because the coconut wasn't introduced until later, and partially because I don't particularly care for coconut in cookies.

I also learn that these cookies aren't really anything that the ANZACs would have eaten, but were developed later. What the soldiers ate were called ANZAC tiles, and are really just hardtack. This made a lot of sense, and I decided I had to try making hardtack.

This meant I would be baking four things tonight:

Anzac Biscuits
Anzac Tiles
A normal bread for the hell of it
I don't remember...Damn. Maybe it was bagels?

All told, it took about 6 hours and I finished around midnight. If you like cookies, ANZAC Biscuits are incredibly easy to make, take all of 10 minutes, and last a long time (appropriately). I use "full-flavor" (not blackstrap) molasses instead of "golden syrup", which is a British thing (partially inverted cane syrup I think) and usually costs a lot. Molasses adds a really cool flavor as well, and works nicely in the recipe. I also use McCanns oatmeal (quick-cooking), rather than Quaker's awful excuse for oats.

If it's any incentive, M, who dislikes oatmeal cookies, loved them.

As for the hardtack/tile, it was easily the most difficult thing I've ever baked. There's so little water that it took me forever to get the dough to come together. I would knead and then wait, and repeat for a long time. Hardtack has been around for a very long time, and soldiers wives used to make it at home. So I felt quite a bit weaker than a colonial housewife, but that might be fair.

Anyway, over the span of about 2 hours, I managed to get this stuff rolled out and it was still too thick. I baked it anyway. Now, *real* hardtack is just flour and water. Salt will hold on to moisture in the dough and make it go bad, as will sugar. The milk powder is probably out as well. Now keep in mind that we're talking a 3-month to 1 year shelf life, so it might not be an issue if you're planning on going through the supply in a month or two. I wasn't going to argue with the war memorial, and the blend of whole wheat with the touch of sugar and milk powder seemed like it might be quite tasty. Well, when it came out of the oven it wasn't very good. I'd read that proper hardtack should break cleanly, and should not give when pressed with a fingernail. Mind was crispy enough around the edges, but clearly was not rolled thin enough, or baked long enough. It was done, but I think it would have even benefitted from twice-baking, once to dry and once to crisp, which I think is a traditional way to do it.

For all that work, I was a bit disappointed, but that's how it goes sometimes. Fortunately, I had some delicious cookies to console me.

There's Lots

2008-04-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

My bag now stuffed with things I'll need for later, I got another juxtaposition bus, where a poem by a grownup was next to a kid's poem.

For a poem, I'm alright with the adult one. I like the sentiment ok, I suppose.

The kid one stands out for me in how much of a kid poem it is. Some of the others I've seen and posted about have really been profoundly good. This is exactly what I would expect a small child to write. It's got bad grammar, and way too many references to "dream". This kid is headed towards a life of awful high-school poetry.

Some of you may bring up my own penchant for self-indulgently artsy references to eyes and portals and doorways in my songwriting youth, but it's not on a damn bus, is it...

Misread Again

2008-04-24T09:27:00.001-07:00

I needed to get a bunch of ingredients at the supermarket on the way home and stopped off at the deli counter to get cold cuts for lunch sandwiches when I misread this label as "Midrange" Buffet. I thought it was appropriate and honest considering the quality of the ham.

WikiSmack

2008-04-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

I'll explain more about my reasons for this shortly (in another post), but I'm researching hardtack today and saw this. It's just a funny sentence.

Ah, I love and am terrified of Wikipedia all at the same time.

Over the last few years, I've now completely shifted to the local pronunciation of "Ore-eh-gun", compared to my native accent of "Are-ah-gahn". I also realize I've adjusted my "Ah-ringe" to "Or'nge" as well. I always wanted to be able to blend in my travels, and a key to that is not having a recognizable accent.

I'm amazed when I hear recordings of myself at a young age and the NY is so strongly audible. I hardly think it's noticeable anymore.

Urgh...

2008-04-24T09:26:00.001-07:00

As I've mentioned, I read the news at work occasionally, and saw this article. A year ago, on the day this happened, we were in Missoula on our way out here. M's a Hokie, so this one was pretty cose to home.

I'll chill on the news stuff soon, but this article just represents a lot of my frustration over the gun issues in this country. I don't have anything against guns or the right to bear them (arming bears is another story) but the polarization into two camps of radical stupid just makes me sadly angry.

Wits About Them

2008-04-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

I really didn't want to give this any publicity, because this is everything I can't stand about the whole idea of "art", but I just had to give props to my boy Doc Eddie here. Critique that shit, yo.

Ed's note for "Anonymous": Google "Yale Abortion Art" if you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about. Also, "Doc Eddie" refers to Dr. Funai, who's analysis of the exhibit is quoted in the article seen here.

Food Prices

2008-04-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

I love this disconnected non-worry that I have at work. I've mentioned this a bunch of times, but I just can't get over how great it is to leave work and just not worry about it. I come home and cook, or hang out with M, or whatever. Ahhhh...

Anyway, getting back to the horrible problems of the world, I'm really interested in the apparent food crisis. I wish I knew how to really separate the news fear-mongering from the actual content on this topic, but given the riots in a bunch of countries it seems pretty serious. I know how lucky I am to be in a country where this problem isn't quite so obvious, but I know that will only last so long. Just like the fossil fuel problems, I have a feeling this will catch up with us sooner rather than later.

So on that note, I decided to see what my high-gluten flour was going for. It was 50 bucks when I bought it back in January and you can see where it is now. I'm sure there are a lot of factors that have contributed to this, but all the same, I'm definitely going to keep an eye on this.

Raining Right Now

2008-04-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

My usual transfer stop on the bus is along a busy street. It's loud and there are a lot of homeless people. Sometimes, I'll walk two more stops up the hill, where it's a lot quieter and nicer.

I'm waiting for the bus here today, and it starts raining out of nowhere and keeps it up for about 3 minutes before stopping. The sun shined the whole time.

I've been reading about these sun halos and sundogs that people sometimes see, and I'm going to make an effort to look up at the sky a bit more often. Also, I just like "sundog".

[...]

Another Hurrah For Crappy D

One More Marshmallow

Jammin' Out

Meaning Beyond Alliteration?

DEVIL BABY!!!

WetButt

The Grim Reavers

Served Up Proper

Ye Olde Chiropractitionist

A Very Not (Crappy D)ay

Stop. Hobotime.

Make It Work Harder

I Command It

Axes and Cars

Not I-5

An Uneasy Alliance

BatFang Captured

Not Sure Where I Am

Brain Glimpse

Dressing Up For Dressing Down

Cold Shoulder

Restless Night

Chillage Needed

United By Fish

Yet More Gonzo Food Porn

Rapt Wonder

Cat Fusion

Some Cleaning To Do

The Algonquin Longcat

Myulchi Boekum

The Afternoon Begins

Kitten Carrot

Take Two

Not That Hardcore

Bulky Goodness

Not So Populated

Asiatastic

Too Expensive For Novelty

Piroshky

For A Time It Was

Moore St.

First Jacket-Free

Beaming

Temperature Shift

Sock Monkey

The Magnificent Seven

There Is Water Underground

Long Cycle

Bobble On

Denizens

The "Good" Stuff

Spacious

Take One

Read For Emphasis

No, It Really Isn't

Greeted As Liberators

The Day's Take

Three Cs

Not A Turd

Smoked Delight

Hello, Joshua

*chorus*

No Lemons

Off By One

Staff and Staples

Neck Pillow

The Best Laid Plan(t)s

Not Frequent

A Lot Of Bottles

The Dog Lies

First Monday

Not Thunk

Semper Ubi Sub Ubi

Novel Graphics

Mini-Slasher

Full Calories

Hey, Punk

Old Muscles

Dressed Reason

chorus