The Secret Life of Erinaceus europaeus

Endgame: the My Little Pony/Muppets Caper!

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:37:44 GMT

Back by popular demand, we've cast your favorite LARP with ponies and Muppets! OMG!

The Ponies:
Twilight Sparkle - Karen

Pinkie Pie - Gord

Applejack - Micah

Rarity - Angela

Rainbow Dash - Fox

Nightmare Moon - Rhysis

Princess Celestia - Lady of the Haven

Spike - Cordelia

The Muppets:

Kermit - Peregrine

Sam the Eagle - Winterborne

Gonzo - TJ

Fozzie - Gilligan

Rowlf - Caleb

Big Bird - Preacher

Snuffalupagus - Catherder

Camille the Chicken - Helen

Animal - Samson

Scooter - Doc Marc

Statler and Waldorf - Stanton Cade and DJ Hex

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew - Meg

Miss Piggy - Mashala

Swedish Chef - Nate

Crazy Harry - Doc Gray

Oscar - Abel

Sweetums - Ash

Penguins - Chaos Vortices

Janice - Saffron

Lew Zealand - Dmitri

Count von Count - Salismandt

Lowly Worm, O.H. (Original Hipster)

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:10:43 GMT

I know I haven't posted to this thing in over a year, but I have a very important discovery to share with all of you.

I had an epiphany recently. Lowly Worm, of Richard Scarry children's book fame, is the original hipster.

Observe. Vintage hat, skinny jeans, bow tie, one Van sneaker (despite not having any feet; it's like wearing glasses when you have perfect vision), and in the process of poorly busting a move:

He also has a sweet fixie:

A biofuel car:

And a thing for local food:

And let's not forget the obsessive devotion to Apple products.

Lowly Worm: underground before it was cool.

Because I'm getting married in ten days now is OBVIOUSLY MEME TIME

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:58:45 GMT

Fill in the blank:

somehedgehog, what is your favorite _______?"

And then I will answer. Word.

Garment district NYC recommendations?

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:47:45 GMT

Bought 7 yards of black cherry red silk dupioni for my wedding dress off SilkBaron.com, after diligently ordering and comparing swatches, of course, only to discover that fabric is way darker than the test swatch I ordered. Of course I only realized this after I had my seamstress cut the 7 yard bolt into two smaller pieces. I may be out $91 for fabric, for a really tight budget wedding. * bangs head on desk *

In the meantime, I still need to find fabric for my wedding dress. I'm going to NYC next weekend, so I was thinking of hitting the garment district, but I've never been. Does anyone have suggestions on stores I should check out to find vibrant, dark red silk dupioni?

FIRST

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:53:33 GMT

Just watched last week's "Dollhouse"

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:03:52 GMT

Buh. Wha. Buh.

* wanders around apartment aimlessly, bouncing off walls *

Buh. I don't even.

What.

People - if you have not seen this series, get it on DVD when it comes out. DO NOT START WATCHING IT NOW. It's already canceled, you won't save Uncle Joss from falling down the well. And the spoilers, the spoilers, sweet baby G, the spoilers. But seriously. Get it, and start watching it from...about episode 6 in the first season. The first 5 or six epsiodes set up a few good characters and lines but they're mostly meh. Watch it in order. Front to back. This is not optional. And when you start season two....don't make any plans for that evening. Or maybe that week. You'll probably want to stock up on food. And maybe adult diapers.

KRIMPVARKIE

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:24:24 GMT

Unsurprisingly, I like to collect the foreign words for "hedgehog" whenever I encounter a new language - whether by studying it or encountering people who speak it. So far I've collected the following:

French: herrison
Old English: igl
Irish: granneiog (pronounced: granny-og)
Latin: Erinaceus
Afrikaans: krimpvarkie (KRIMPVARKIE! KRIMPVARKIE KRIMPVARKIE KRIMPVARKIE)

As you can see, the unifying theme here is that all of these words are inherently hilarious. However, today I finally thought to ask adrsta what the word for hedgehog was in sanskrit. A quick check of the dictionary revealed that it is "Shalya."

Which is actually kind of sexy. It means "dart, javelin, or arrow," and comes from a longer word, "shalyakantha" (pronounced shal-ya-kahnt-ah), which means "arrow/dart-throat." The word is also a male name used for a king in the Mahabharata, but it could become a feminine name by putting a long "ah" sound at the end.

So now I need a reason to name a character "Shalya," clearly. Suggestions?

I salute you

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 07:07:41 GMT

I salute you. There is nothing I can give you that you have not. But there is much, that, while I cannot give, you can take.

No heaven can come to us, unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take Heaven.

No peace lies in the future, which is not hidden in this present instant. Take Peace.

The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. Take Joy.

And so at this Christmastime, I greet you - with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks, and the shadows flee away.

--From a Christmas Eve letter by Friar Giovanni Giocondo

Kitchen Improv

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:58:31 GMT

We eat dinner very late in this house on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as the Invisible Canadian doesn't get home until 9 and we sometimes go for a run. This leaves little time for grocery shopping, hence: kitchen improv!

Opening up the fridge after our run, I found we were a bit short on supplies, but we did have the following:

Half a can of whole peeled tomatoes
A frozen package of garlic chicken sausage
A slightly stale, mostly empty bottle of Two-Buck Chuck Shiraz

This is where keeping a decent pantry of dry goods, herb plants, and a steady supply of onions/garlic/shallots comes in handy. I threw together the following, and it was DELICIOUS. I even suspect it would be just as delicious with the tomatoes omitted, perhaps with a bit of stock thrown in - I'm looking at you, ryxander and chaointe (the latter could just leave out the pepper flakes). I think this may become my new cold-season larp crock pot dish.

Sausage and Bean Ragout

1 package pre-cooked roasted garlic chicken sausage
1 can cannelini beans, drained
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small can whole peeled tomatoes in juice (or half a 28 ounce can)
4-5 springs fresh rosemary, chopped
1/3 cup red wine
pinch salt
generous amounts of fresh-ground black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
Fresh parmesan (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or very large skillet. Add onion and cook until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Slice sausage into quarter-inch rounds and add to pot. Season sausage with salt, pepper, and pepper flakes to taste. Turn heat up to high and cook until sausage rounds are lightly browned.

Add beans to pan. Add about half the tomato juice from the can and all of the tomatoes; crush tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Add rosemary and wine. When about half the liquid is reduced, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve, garnishing with freshly grated parmesan if desired.

This would probably be great over pasta if that's your thing.

Some good news

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:57:52 GMT

I've been sticking to the Couch to 5K thing, and should start Week 4 tomorrow. I'm now going to physical therapy twice a week as a pre-emptive strike, and it seems to be helping, even if my PT looks disturbingly like the preacher from There Will Be Blood and has a Skippy-the-Cruise director optimism to him that is downright unsettling.

Today commences my 25 days of "one Christmas thing every day," where I attempt to do something in the holiday spirit, no matter how minor, every day. I was going to start yesterday, but I totally flaked. Tonight, the fiancee has made us mugs of Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea! And then we will watch this:

Finally, my father wrote me from Namibia to inform me that he had learned that the Afrikaans word for hedgehog is "krimpvaarkie." Is that not the best word ever? Krimpvaarkie! Krimpvaarkie Krimpvaarkie Krimpvaarkie! I'm printing that on a T shirt. My next larp character will be a Viking warrior-shaman named Krimpvaarkie the Bold. All shall quake in fear at my spines of DOOM.

KRIMPVAARKIE!

They call her Wheezing Hedgehog

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:01:47 GMT

Soooo, in an attempt to find an exercise program that is flexible enough that I can actually stick to it, and not boring, and doesn't cost me an arm and a leg, I'm starting up the Couch to 5K program. It's three sessions of walking/running per week, for nine weeks, working your way up to running 30 minutes straight by the end.

I haven't run since I blew my kneecaps off in college (ask my old roommates about the cracking noise my kneecaps used to make that was AUDIBLE FROM ACROSS THE ROOM), but I haven't had any symptoms in years due to physiotherapy and general laziness, so I figure now's as good a time as any to give it a try.

OK, actually, now is not as good a time as any, as I can't find my inhaler and the snow is gonna start flying any minute, but there will always be reasons for excuses. The biggest excuse I had for not doing the Couch to 5K was that I didn't want to be constantly checking my watch or counting in my head to time the walk/run intervals - nothing would make the workouts less tolerable - but, as it turns out, there's an app for that.

I did the first session on Sunday and the second session today - both challenging by the end of the run, but very doable. I didn't really stretch for the first one - THAT was stupid. Anyway, we'll see how long this lasts once the temperature drops and the snow flies, and the running intervals start lasting longer than 60 seconds....

THANK YOU

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:12:37 GMT

I have about two brain cells rattling around inside my skull, but I wanted to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped us move on Sunday, despite the oppressive heat, and the fact that we were short handed due to some unavoidable last minute cancellations. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Bonus points for wearing your very loud shoes.

Super extra mega bonus points to whatkyndylan and illuminari, who went above and beyond to help us move even more things to the new place over this week. I owe you big time.

I would write some kind of florid praise right now, of which you are all totally deserving, but I think I'm going to fall over in slow motion instead.

*falls over*

Groucho Glasses Emergency

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:49:52 GMT

So I need a pair of groucho glasses - you know, like these - for a video shoot on Monday. After unsuccessfully hunting around for some, I rush-ordered a set from a seller on Amazon; the listing said they'd arrive in 1-3 business days. I've checked the UPS tracking number, and it seems they're using some obscure dialect of English in which "1-3 business days" means "6 business days." So there's 10 bucks I'm not going to get back.

Does anyone know where I can buy a set of Groucho glasses in the Boston area? Or perhaps have a pair I can borrow?

punch punch punch punch punch

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:56:58 GMT

Went back to Krav Maga for the first time in years, and brought along adrsta . The instructors remembered me, and Karen commented that I seemed to slip back into form quickly. She also told me I need to focus more on punching faster, not harder, since I just don't have the mass to throw a single devastating punch. But, "I love your aggression," she said. "I bet you think you're bigger than you actually are." Heh. That doesn't sound like me at all.

Pricing has gotten rather annoying since my last time there. There's a basic package that costs roughly what my monthly fee used to a couple of years ago - but you only get to attend 2 days of classes per week. Realistically, that's all I can probably attend these days, but I liked having the option of being able to drop in whenever and blow off some aggression if I was having a particularly stabby day. There's also an intermediate package that costs somewhat more, but it's all you can eat classes, plus additional kickboxing, knife & stick training. The intermediate package is a 12 month contract, as opposed to 6 months for the basic package. Also you have to pay up front for 6-12 months in advance to get the better prices, and there's no month-to-month contract option. Plus they're now requiring that you buy a "uniform," a krav T shirt and pants (though you have your choice of styles). Used to be they didn't care what you wore, but I don't begrudge a small business trying to make an extra buck here and there.

Stil, they've started up conditioning classes again, which was one of the things that was keeping me from getting back in. I don't think I would have survived my level tests if it hadn't been for conditioning classes. The new studio's in a better neighborhood and appears to have reliable running water and AC (!), unlike the last place. No showers, though. Ew.

All told, though, I think I'll sign up for the 6 month basic package. By the time that expires it'll be midwinter, and if I'm still gung ho about it, hopefully I'll be on a new contract at work that will eat up slightly less of my life, so I can justify signing up for the intermediate package.

Let's see how this goes!

(punch punch punch punch punch punch punch punch hammer elbow elbow punch grab knee)

Yuppie Sports Bar Food

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:58:31 GMT

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?

Everybody calm down, have a cup of tea, and do some math.

Mon, 04 May 2009 18:06:11 GMT

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.

Costuming: advice/hiring help

Mon, 04 May 2009 01:54:21 GMT

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.

A thought

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:31:26 GMT

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.

Need advice

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:16:39 GMT

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.

April Fool

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:26:05 GMT

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! :)

Announcement

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:35:55 GMT

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.

New Recipe: Yuppie Douchebag Pasta

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:17:38 GMT

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.

New recipe: Roasted Tomatoes and Pasta with Lemon Dressing

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 03:57:30 GMT

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.)

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:53:19 GMT

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Web comics with interesting art?

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:54:56 GMT

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!