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Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
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10:46 pm - Yuppie Sports Bar Food
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A topic that just came up over an impromptu late night dinner of improvised nachos: we should totally do a dinner comprised entirely of the most yuppified interpretations of middlebrow chain restaurant sports bar snack food possible. For instance:
Chili cheese fries - Yukon Gold steak frites topped with melted raclette, serrano ham, and cornichons (based on Provencal Raclette)
"Jalapeno Poppers" made from fresh poblanos stuffed with mascarpone, rolled in a panko bread crumb crust
Brownie bowl sundae - single-source chocolate Souffle topped with Tahitian vanilla gelato
And so on.
Anything we should add to the list?
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(10 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, May 4th, 2009
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1:49 pm - Everybody calm down, have a cup of tea, and do some math.
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Readers, a gentle reminder, which comes out of a discussion with my father, a developing world public health consultant.
With one exception, all of the swine flu fatalities have been in Mexico.
Mexico is a country of about 90 million people. This means that one million people die from all causes combined every year, regardless. That's about 19,000 deaths per week.
Generally speaking, about 5% of deaths in Mexico are due to respiratory infections of one kind or another.
This means that, even if there is no outbreak of swine flu, 960 people die of respiratory infections every week in Mexico.
The outbreak is considered to have started about 7 weeks ago, so about 6720 deaths due to respiratory infection are to be expected during that period as a matter of course.
So far, only 149 deaths in Mexico have been linked to swine flu, and only 20 of them have been definitively linked through testing of the virus. Even if all 149 deaths are actually swine flu, that would represent barely a 2% increase over the usual number of respiratory infection deaths. The virus has not shown the same predilection for killing healthy young adults the way that the 1918 H1N1 flu pandemic did.
We are overdue for a global pandemic, considering that population density, air travel saturation, factory farming, and other factors that put more people and more animals from more places in more contact than ever before. But it's unlikely that this is it.
Everyone please calm down, have a cup of tea, and if you want to learn more about pandemics, read "RX for Survival," the companion book to the PBS miniseries on global health challenges.
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(16 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
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9:47 pm - Costuming: advice/hiring help
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Had a quite enjoyable weekend this event at Endgame. I'm hoping someone out there can help me with a vague costume idea I've had.
I want to make what can basically be described as a mecha vest for my mad scientist character. I'm hoping to create something that creates the impression of a wearable futuristic weapon, with various technological metal bits (more likely, plastic spray painted to resemble metal), tubes, hoses, glow wire, switches and glowing bits, etc. A few pockets and attachment points for gear would also be useful. Ideally I'd like to create something that is at least slightly flattering and does not make me look like a fat glowy mecha cow.
My initial thought is to start with a military tactical vest like this and bling it out, but I wouldn't really know where to start. Does anyone have suggestions on techniques or materials to use? Alternatively, would anyone be interested in taking on this job for pay? I have a box of mad scientist bits - wire conduit, clear vinyl tubing, CPAP hose, glow wire, that kind of stuff - but wouldn't know how to get started.
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(6 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, April 24th, 2009
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1:22 pm - A thought
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Has anyone written a piece of speculative fiction about a culture in which women are oppressed and reviled (something Taliban-esque), and then one day, the women all vanish without explanation?
I've read about tongue-in-cheek proposals for "Day without a [insert disadvantaged group here] protests, in which the members of the group in question are all encouraged to go on strike, call in sick, etc. There's also Neil Gaiman's short short story, "Babycakes", about what would happen if animals suddenly all left Earth. And, of course, there's Y The Last Man. But I haven't heard of anything specifically like what I'm thinking of.
I doubt I'd be good at writing it. It would get into some dicey religious territory that would be a challenge to handle, and I'm not sure I have the skills to write a social think-piece that wouldn't come across as shrill, ham-handed, or simplistic. But I'd be curious to read an explanation of what a character like this guy would do if he was suddenly confronted with a world without women.
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(17 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, April 12th, 2009
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6:52 pm - Need advice
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All right. I've been looking for houses now for a while, and I'm starting to think I'm just not going to find something decent in the right neighborhood that I can afford. (Keep in mind my definition of "decent" basically means "structurally sound;" I'm happy to live in a tiny house with shagadelic carpeting.) The only possibility that *might* be affordable are non-townhouse style condos in Dorchester. I'm very leery of these because of various horror stories about structurally crappy recent condo conversions, crooked/draconian housing associations, and the usual neighbor issues. Neighbors wouldn't be as much of an issue in a townhouse style condo, where you have no common spaces or shared floors/ceilings, but townhouses are more expensive for that very reason.
Then there's also horror stories about one unit getting foreclosed on, and the other owner(s) have to pay their condo fees. Not a big deal in a ten-unit block of townhouses, but a very big deal in converted double and triple deckers, which make up the bulk of the market. I'd be less concerned about this in Somerville; that market is hot enough to make vacant units unlikely.
I don't know how much longer I'll be able to get month-to-month extensions on my lease.
Finally, the overwhelming desire for a garden and a dog is getting almost unbearable. Given this, what do you think I should do?
OPTION A: Keep looking and hope I get lucky trying to find a detached house or townhouse.
>>Pros: My preferred type of housing with regards to owner rights, privacy, etc.
>>Cons: Highly unlikely to find this. Potential for costly repairs high. This would almost certainly necessitate moving to Dorchester or otherwise further afield - these are good neighborhoods, but I'm not as fond of them as Somerville.
OPTION B:
>>Keep looking and try to find a non-townhouse type condo in Somerville.
>>Pros: Can start building equity. Word on the street is that dog-friendly condos are more common than dog friendly rentals. Would get to stay in Somerville, which is a more dog friendly community than Dorchester.
>>Cons: Highly unlikely to be able to afford this. Condos in Somerville cost as much as small single families in reasonable neighborhoods in Dorchester.
OPTION C:
Keep looking and try to find a non-townhouse type condo in Dorchester.
>>Pros: Out of all purchasing options, most likely to be able to afford a unit of this type.
>>Cons: See above concerns about neighbors, housing association, etc. If I end up with evil neighbors, I'm stuck with them until the market improves enough/I build enough equity to sell, likely a minimum of 5 years. Plus I'd have to leave Somerville; I'd mind this less if I had my own place, but if I hated my living situation it would be nice to have a community around me with a lot of resources.
OPTION D:
Throw in the towel and try to find a dog friendly rental with a yard in Somerville.
>>Pros: More affordable than buying, no matter what. Probably represents the greatest chance I have of getting a decent apartment that allows dogs. I get to stay in Somerville. If the landlord or neighbors suck, I can leave.
>>Cons: Landlord can kick me out. Neighbors may suck. Either may develop dog-hate at some point. If I have to leave the apartment, finding a new dog friendly apartment, especially with a larger dog, can be extremely difficult.
OPTION E:
Give up on dog ownership and rent whatever.
>>Pros: No risk of suddenly finding myself unable to find housing for myself and my dog.
>>Cons: High risk of long term total misery. My income is unlikely to rise significantly in the forseeable future, so if my plan is to hold off on dog ownership until I can afford Boston real estate, I may never be able to get a dog. (I am not being melodramatic when I say that.)
Your thoughts?
EDIT: Ha ha, originally wrote this with two "Option C"s. Way to go, me!
Also: ryxander wisely advised me to try ranking what's important to me in terms of housing. I think right now, in order of preference, the things I want can be listed as:
1) Dog
2) City location with transit access
3) Garden
4) Ownership of detached dwelling
Sometimes I struggle with which one should be in slot #1 - viscerally I feel the need for a dog more, but I haven't forgotten how isolated and bored I felt renting in Newton, which is hardly in the hinterlands. Plus, if I live far from my job in terms of travel time, having a dog will likely be not feasible, as it would be sitting at home for so long every day.
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(7 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
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1:22 pm - April Fool
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Alas, I regret to inform you that last night's announcement of an upcoming Adventuring Party Politics animated segment on the Colbert Report was, indeed, an April Fool's joke.
Thank you so much for your kind words and excitement, though! :)
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(6 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
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11:25 pm - Announcement
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So, I'd hoped to post this earlier, but I've been working late recently.
I'm pleased to say that last October's "Adventuring Party Politics" post got me some attention from media sources, but I've been unable to discuss it here (or elsewhere) due to the restrictions of an NDA. That said, I've gotten the go ahead to announce that the "Profiles in +2 Courage," an occasional animated segment, will premiere on the Colbert Report on or around May 15 (depending on national news that week).
"Profiles in +2 Courage" will appear periodically, similar to the "Tek Jansen" segments, and will cover a major domestic or international news story from the point of view of the presidential adventuring party. Obama will retain his role as party leader and Paladin, with Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Rahm Emmanuel rounding out the party as the Warrior/Bard, Cleric, and Berserker respectively.
The first episode, "Bigby's Invisible Hand of the Marketplace," will focus on the economic crisis, and will conclude with the party fighting a Bailout Beast (similar to a Displacer Beast, but more bloated).
I'll have more details on an exact date as May approaches, but keep your eyes peeled on colbertnation.com for the preview! Thanks for all your support.
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(14 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, March 29th, 2009
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10:38 pm - New Recipe: Yuppie Douchebag Pasta
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I try to keep several staples in my kitchen in addition to the usual eggs, flour, and milk: onions, shallots, garlic, red and white wine, canned tomatoes, a block of parmesan, capers, whole wheat pasta and couscous, etc. Lately I've been trying to keep fresh lemons and goat cheese in the kitchen as well - they keep for weeks and are really versatile. Plus I have my rosemary and thyme plants, though my efforts to grow mint, basil, and sage indoors have met with nothing but failure. (Mint is a WEED, and yet I cannot grow a pot of it on my windowsill - this baffles me.) I probably take more pride than I should in my well-stocked larder, but then my priorities around cooking have always been misplaced. My "office" is really an impenetrable pile of boxes and papers that I cannot actually walk through, but my spices are obsessively organized in twee little tins stuck to the inside of my kitchen cupboards with velcro. In alphabetical order.
Anyway, this is just a fancy way of saying that this pasta dish I threw togther was another happy accident spurred by a desire to use up some veg before it became compost, and I took a strange sort of nesting pride in the fact that I didn't have to go out for any ingredients. Looking at the ingredient list, though, I realized there was really nothing I could call it except Yuppie Douchebag Pasta. Still, you can make it in under 20 minutes, so that's got to count for something.
4 ounces whole wheat pasta
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
3 large handfuls baby arugula
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup walnuts
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Freshly grated parmesan.
Start large pot of water to boil with about a tablespoon of salt.
When the water boils, add the pasta and cook to al dente according to package directions.
Meanwhile, over medium heat, start sauteeing the shallots and garlic in the olive oil. After about two minutes, add the red pepper, wine, walnuts, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and continue to sautee over medium to medium low heat until the shallots are well wilted. You don't want to brown anything - just soften it up.
When the pasta is done, drain it, cover to keep warm, and set aside.
Add the arugula and lemon juice to the pan and sautee about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the arugula barely begins to wilt. Add the goat cheese and stir to combine, about one minute, then remove from heat.
Toss the vegetable and cheese mixture with the pasta, divide onto plates, top with grated parmesan and pepper, and serve. Serves 2.
This would probably also be good with basil and tomatoes - will have to try that at some point.
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Thursday, March 26th, 2009
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11:51 pm - New recipe: Roasted Tomatoes and Pasta with Lemon Dressing
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I wanted to make a really quick dinner tonight (I left the office a bit before 10 PM), use up a few things I had in the kitchen, and EAT MOAR VEGETABLES (oh lord spring cannot get here soon enough). So I picked up a pint of "gourmet tomato medley" grape-size tomatoes at Whole Foods on the way home and made the following.
4 oz (dry) whole wheat pasta
1 pint small tomatoes (grape size or slightly larger)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
2 tablespoons garlic paste
Salt and pepper
Fresh grated parmesan
Preheat oven to 450. Start large pot of water to boil.
Toss tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of garlic paste, salt and pepper to taste, rosemary, and pepper flakes. Put in a foil-lined 9x9 pan and bake for about 15 minutes. Watch carefully; cooking time will vary considerably depending on how large the tomatoes are. You want the tomatoes to have just begun to crack and leak juice into the pan.
Meanwhile, salt the boiling water and get the pasta boiling - cook it to al dente.
Combine the zest, lemon juice, remaining olive oil and garlic paste, and thyme in a large microwave safe bowl. Stir well and microwave one minute.
When the pasta is done, drain it and combine it with the hot lemon dressing. Cover and set aside while the tomatoes finish up.
When tomatoes are done, remove from oven and add the tomatoes and all the pan drippings to the pasta. Toss gently to combine.
Top with grated parmesan and serve. Serves 2. Invisible Canadian Boyfriend and I ate this with Two Buck Chuck Merlot, and it was perfect. We actually licked our bowls clean. (The great thing about being an adult is you're allowed to do that.)
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, March 6th, 2009
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10:52 am
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| Monday, March 2nd, 2009
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12:50 pm - Web comics with interesting art?
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To pitch various cartoon and comic book art styles to some people at my jorb, I am looking for examples of web comics with high quality, interesting art. Any suggestions? I've already got Girl Genius, Freakangels and Penny Arcade on my list. Full color is a must. The following are bonuses:
Action/Superhero Themes
Archie/ Betty & Veronica style teen capers comics
Classic detective/noir themes
Thank you!
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(19 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
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11:29 am - Han Donated First
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Looking for something to do this Sunday? Want to help a really good cause? Want a lot of fun with cool people? Do this:
An Afternoon at the Mos Eisley Cantina
Some friends are hosting a benefit (Star-Wars themed, no less, with lots of fun and games and prizes and just plain old hanging out) for ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) jetshade , who recently lost her wife to a stroke after a long illness, and is facing enormous medical bills and other expenses. All proceeds from the event are going to help Jet and her son.
If you want to help but can't attend, you can make a paypal donation here:
http://www.evite.com/respond/payGuestSplash?iid=HYXOTFAGWTBFQAKUFAPT
The catch is that people have been spacey about RSVPing, so whether you knew about it or not, it would REALLY help the organizers if you could RSVP now. And if you didn't know about it, I believe you can use the link above to add yourself to the invitation. I hope you can make it -- I'm planning on being there, and would love to see any or all of you there! [Feel free to copy and paste this sucker into your own journal. Thank you!]
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(12 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, February 19th, 2009
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11:37 am - Sure, why not
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Meme:
- Describe me in one word... just one single word. Positive or negative. - Leave your word in a comment before looking at what words others have used. - Then post this meme to your own journal, if you feel like it.
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(28 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
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4:42 pm - VELOCIRAPTORS (and technology) CAN OPEN DOORS
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12:57 pm - Om nom nom
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I really see no reason to break this habit of eating pho twice a day. I mean, can ginger, white meat poached chicken, shallots, chiles, cilantro, lime juice, and plenty of bean sprouts really be a bad thing to base your diet on? I should introduce a few more phytochemicals and some calcium here and there - but the balance of healthiness, tastiness, and easiness really make me reluctant to move away from it.
I know I'll get sick of it eventually - but in the mean time it's kind of awesome.
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(12 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
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3:39 pm - Carpal tunnel can die in a fire
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Soooo, my RSI is back. I got lax about my setup - my fault. Doh.
For my particular joint-foo, I need a contoured keyboard - and I also need to not reach away from my body at 45 degree angle to use the mouse. I used to have a contoured keyboard from Adesso that had an integral mousepad, like a laptop keyboard, that worked just fine. But now I use a Mac at the office, and Adesso doesn't appear to make such a keyboard for the Mac. In fact, most of the ergonomic keyboards for the Mac seem pretty weak. Remind me to mail Steve Jobs a dead fish, right after I mail him the flaming bag of poo for still not releasing any kind of MMS for the iPhone. (I suppose I should give Steve-O a bit of a pass what with the mysterious wasting disease, poor guy.)
Does anyone know where I can get a setup that will accommodate my wrist problems? An ergonomic keyboard with no number pad would probably do pretty well, because I could put the mouse where the number pad would be, but I can't find one of those either.
In other news: ow.
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(11 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, February 15th, 2009
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7:04 pm - Attention Goth Fashionistas and LARPers
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I am in need of new industrial-style hair falls for one of my characters, a cyborg particle physicist. (I am a dork.)
The falls need to look like biomechanical implants growing out of my head. The freakier they make me look, the better. They also need to be durable, secure and lightweight - able to stand up to a weekend of running through the woods and getting hit in the head without pulling out all my hair. Cyberlox looks like a good material, but I haven't found a designer yet I really like. I'd love it if I could find a designer who mixes up cyberlox with foam strips, plastic, corrugated tubing, or other materials for a more varied look.
Any suggestions? Thanks!
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(7 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
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10:47 pm - pho sho
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I declare the pho to be a total success, with a few minor caveats:
The ratio of broth to stuff in the original recipe - noodles, shredded chicken, ginger paste, etc - is totally off. There isn't nearly enough broth for all the stuff. And I'm not sure what the authors were smoking when they told me to boil up an entire one pound package of rice vermicelli - I think we used about a tenth of it. Fortunately, I am not averse to making more broth, as the crock pot makes it very easy. The only issue is that I then end up with even more shredded chicken. If anyone has suggestions on how to use leftover poached chicken with a slightly gingery flavor, I welcome them! For the below recipe, I've tried to adjust the proportions of broth to stuff.
So, here's how I made the soup, modified slightly from Hot Sour Salty Sweet. (Which I really, really recommend if you like Southeast Asian food at all. It's the only cookbook I've found with good recipes for things like pho and Miang Kam, the Thai snack of peanuts, shallots, and other stuff wrapped in pepper leaves). The only thing it needs is this awesome chili salt I got addicted to in Vietnam - I have yet to find a way to buy or make it here.
Here's how I did it.
( Read more... )
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(7 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, February 9th, 2009
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11:56 pm - What the pho
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Foodmaster is unloading whole chicken breasts at 77 cents a pound. So I'm attempting to make pho in the crock pot.
I'm basing this off a recipe for pho ga in Hot Sour Salty Sweet, a really amazing Southeast Asian cookbook written by a couple of Canadians who have spent a good chunk of their adult lives traveling up and down the Mekong. I threw 3 whole chicken breasts in the crock pot along with some water and pepper, and some onions and a whole chunk of ginger I charred in a skillet. We'll see how the stock is in the morning.
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(6 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, February 6th, 2009
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3:29 pm - Grammar question
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Which of the following is correct?
"Somehedgehog holds an M.Ed. from Whatsamatta U."
"Somehedgehog holds a M.Ed. from Whatsamatta U."
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(9 comments | comment on this)
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