6.28.2009
Food Lovers
Some people consider it a testament to their love of food that they will not eat something if it's less than outstanding. I consider it a sign of my love of food that I won't let something like this stop me.
5.26.2009
Roomba First Aid
A couple weeks ago I noticed that Roomba was having some problems. He's supposed to do a trip around the front rooms every Mon and Wed, but I would come home to find him stranded in the middle of the room with hardly anything in his little bin. Like he just didn't have the heart to either go on or return to his dock. Of course, I was too distracted to do anything about it so I just erased his schedules and left him on the dock.
This weekend I reprogrammed his schedule and gave his bin and brushes a good cleaning. I even took off the bottom cover and cleaned around the wheels. This morning at his newly appointed time he perked up and started off the dock. I noticed him making an odd, rhythmic thump, but decided to just let it go for a bit. Maybe he has a dance party to work out of his system. Not more than 5 minutes later he shut down in the middle of the room and beeped sadly. "Hmmm, two beeps. That's the dirty brushes beep. But how could his brushes be that dirty again?..."
A bit of online investigating revealed that the thumping was not Roomba's budding hip-hop career but was rather the "anti-tangle" feature that engages when he detects that his brushes must be caught on something because they're not spinning. So, the brushes aren't spinning, but they've recently been cleaned. Time to go inside. For the second time I removed the bottom cover. Then I removed the four screws holding the brush assembly. Then I just removed every screw I saw. Gross. I found a whole extra cat inside the brush assembly and in the gear box. Spent about 20 minutes picking greasy, dirty cat hair out of gear teeth and from around spindles.
Got everything put back together, though, and I'm happy to report that Roomba's made a full recovery. I'd take a picture of him happily working his way around the room, but the guy has the camera with him in NYC today. (He's chaperoning the little guy on a class field trip.)
OK, now I guess I should get to work translating some Greek...
This weekend I reprogrammed his schedule and gave his bin and brushes a good cleaning. I even took off the bottom cover and cleaned around the wheels. This morning at his newly appointed time he perked up and started off the dock. I noticed him making an odd, rhythmic thump, but decided to just let it go for a bit. Maybe he has a dance party to work out of his system. Not more than 5 minutes later he shut down in the middle of the room and beeped sadly. "Hmmm, two beeps. That's the dirty brushes beep. But how could his brushes be that dirty again?..."
A bit of online investigating revealed that the thumping was not Roomba's budding hip-hop career but was rather the "anti-tangle" feature that engages when he detects that his brushes must be caught on something because they're not spinning. So, the brushes aren't spinning, but they've recently been cleaned. Time to go inside. For the second time I removed the bottom cover. Then I removed the four screws holding the brush assembly. Then I just removed every screw I saw. Gross. I found a whole extra cat inside the brush assembly and in the gear box. Spent about 20 minutes picking greasy, dirty cat hair out of gear teeth and from around spindles.
Got everything put back together, though, and I'm happy to report that Roomba's made a full recovery. I'd take a picture of him happily working his way around the room, but the guy has the camera with him in NYC today. (He's chaperoning the little guy on a class field trip.)
OK, now I guess I should get to work translating some Greek...
5.25.2009
Memorial Day Brewing
About three years ago, the guy and I decided to pursue our interest in homebrewing. We had both wanted to try it, and we'd both picked up some kits, but that's about it. The guy dove in, as is his way, headfirst with great gusto. He goes for a very complex brewing method - all grain, self-developed recipes, etc. Personally I have NO patience for spending all day sitting around trying to keep a bunch of grains at 150 degrees over a propane burner. My brewing style is much more "partial-mash kit brewing." That is, I buy a kit that has all the ingredients in it, I follow some basic instructions that really requires nothing more than using a clock and remembering to sanitize my equipment.
So today I'm going to brew my first batch in AGES from a kit purchased from Northern Brewer. It's an oatmeal stout - this style is my favorite for "mouth feel" I'll update this post with my progress as the day goes on.
10:30am: I've checked the kit contents (all there, no surprises) and popped the yeast packet. It's a fairly warm day, so I hope to see some swelling of the yeast pack by this afternoon. I'll update sometime after lunch when the guy has dug out all the brewing equipment I'll need. (Not that it's hidden - we just have SO much brewing equipment around I don't know what's what and what's where any more...)
2:00PM - Yeast looks like this. Swollen pack means live, healthy yeast. Ready to go!
4:00PM - I start sanitizing everything that's going to come in contact with my beer. The big glass jug will hold the beer while it's fermenting. It has a 6-gal capacity, and I'm brewing a 5 gal batch. The extra space will be needed for all the bubbly, crusty goodness that forms.
5:00ish - Everything is sanitized, and I've put about 1.5 gallons of water on the stove. As it's heating up I'll steep half a pound of a roasted malt and 1.5 pounds of rolled oats. (That's what's in the big sock.) The sock will stay in for about 15 minutes and come out before the wort hits 160 degrees.
This is what it looks like after steeping. Mmmmm.... Now I add 3 pounds of liquid malt extract, lactose, and bring it up to a boil.
Sometime later: Eventually the wort come to a boil and I add in a packet of hop pellets. Once those are in the whole thing boils for an hour.
Waiting....waiting.... eating dinner....waiting... When the hour's up I need to bring the whole mixture down to 70 degrees as quickly as possible. When you have to cool off a full five gallons this can take forever. But since I'm extract brewing I need to add about 3.5 gallons of water to what I have anyway. Lucky for me I have a couple gallons chillin in the fridge. Between that and putting the pot in a sink of cold water I got the temp down in about 15 minutes.
After that it's just get the wort into the glass carboy - easy to do with a kettle valve and some hose. The funnel was needed to catch the extra bits of hops - pellets are messy messy business. (The foam in the carboy is leftover sanitizer solution - the guy assures me that it's totally ok to have a bunch of foam mixed into the beer. I'll take his word for it since it's really hard to get the foam out.)
Opened up the yeast and tossed in in, giving the whole thing a vigorous mixing so that there's some oxygen mixed in to help get things going. Popped a stopper and an airlock in the top. Now I just sit back and wait for the magic to happen...
So today I'm going to brew my first batch in AGES from a kit purchased from Northern Brewer. It's an oatmeal stout - this style is my favorite for "mouth feel" I'll update this post with my progress as the day goes on.
10:30am: I've checked the kit contents (all there, no surprises) and popped the yeast packet. It's a fairly warm day, so I hope to see some swelling of the yeast pack by this afternoon. I'll update sometime after lunch when the guy has dug out all the brewing equipment I'll need. (Not that it's hidden - we just have SO much brewing equipment around I don't know what's what and what's where any more...)
2:00PM - Yeast looks like this. Swollen pack means live, healthy yeast. Ready to go!
4:00PM - I start sanitizing everything that's going to come in contact with my beer. The big glass jug will hold the beer while it's fermenting. It has a 6-gal capacity, and I'm brewing a 5 gal batch. The extra space will be needed for all the bubbly, crusty goodness that forms.
5:00ish - Everything is sanitized, and I've put about 1.5 gallons of water on the stove. As it's heating up I'll steep half a pound of a roasted malt and 1.5 pounds of rolled oats. (That's what's in the big sock.) The sock will stay in for about 15 minutes and come out before the wort hits 160 degrees.
This is what it looks like after steeping. Mmmmm.... Now I add 3 pounds of liquid malt extract, lactose, and bring it up to a boil.
Sometime later: Eventually the wort come to a boil and I add in a packet of hop pellets. Once those are in the whole thing boils for an hour.
Waiting....waiting.... eating dinner....waiting... When the hour's up I need to bring the whole mixture down to 70 degrees as quickly as possible. When you have to cool off a full five gallons this can take forever. But since I'm extract brewing I need to add about 3.5 gallons of water to what I have anyway. Lucky for me I have a couple gallons chillin in the fridge. Between that and putting the pot in a sink of cold water I got the temp down in about 15 minutes.
After that it's just get the wort into the glass carboy - easy to do with a kettle valve and some hose. The funnel was needed to catch the extra bits of hops - pellets are messy messy business. (The foam in the carboy is leftover sanitizer solution - the guy assures me that it's totally ok to have a bunch of foam mixed into the beer. I'll take his word for it since it's really hard to get the foam out.)
Opened up the yeast and tossed in in, giving the whole thing a vigorous mixing so that there's some oxygen mixed in to help get things going. Popped a stopper and an airlock in the top. Now I just sit back and wait for the magic to happen...
5.20.2009
A modern nursery rhyme
There was an obese man and he couldn't walk a mile,
He bought a double burger, which really made him smile.
He had an obese cat, which caught an obese mouse,
And they all lived together in a little foreclosed house.
He bought a double burger, which really made him smile.
He had an obese cat, which caught an obese mouse,
And they all lived together in a little foreclosed house.
5.19.2009
Recent lunch creations
I've had a headache since yesterday so I don't really feel like typing much, but I'll at least link up photos of my most recent lunch creations.
The first one here is baked tofu stuffed with mozzarella and pesto in a tomato pesto sauce. The tofu is in a container with some herbed zucchini, and the side dish contains a chunky veggie salad. Below these containers the lunch box has a section filled with salad greens.
This is veggie fried rice with tomato and feta "flowers". The side section has avocado, a small bottle of balsamic, a couple strawberries, and some baby carrots hiding under the berries.
This last is mini black bean and spinach quesadillas with fresh store-bought salsa, a banana, some baby carrots, a bite of cheese, and a lone cherry tomato.
The first one here is baked tofu stuffed with mozzarella and pesto in a tomato pesto sauce. The tofu is in a container with some herbed zucchini, and the side dish contains a chunky veggie salad. Below these containers the lunch box has a section filled with salad greens.
This is veggie fried rice with tomato and feta "flowers". The side section has avocado, a small bottle of balsamic, a couple strawberries, and some baby carrots hiding under the berries.
This last is mini black bean and spinach quesadillas with fresh store-bought salsa, a banana, some baby carrots, a bite of cheese, and a lone cherry tomato.
5.14.2009
Jury Duty!!
Well, within my first year as an official Connecticut resident I was called for jury duty. They sent a nice orientation brochure titled "Jury Duty: An Obligation and an Honor." And oh, how honored I felt. Now, I'm in favor of people doing their civic duty and I agree that I have a responsibility to do certain things that my government and fellow citizens require of me. Yet there was much whining and complaining last night as I prepared to carry out my duty today.
At 8:15am I arrived at the Meriden court house (about a half hour drive from home) and joined the line of other potential jurors to go through the metal detectors and into the courthouse. Smartly, the court house chose the world's most pleasant, people-loving woman to handle jury orientation - or, as she called it, "jury indoctrination." At first I thought, "She must have meant orientation," but she went on several times to refer to our indoctrination. (For those taking notes, an indoctrination apparently can be sufficiently carried out with a 15 minute video.)
The 'indoctrination' video explained the jury selection process and one's basic responsibilities as a juror. We were told that if we sit on a civil trial we have to determine if it has been shown that the defendant caused the claimed damages. I imagined myself having to explain to the judge, "I don't think I can serve on this case because I don't think I have an adequate understanding of the nature of causation to determine if Mr. Smith caused the damage that Ms. Jones claims." Stupid philosophy training. The video also reassured us that we didn't have to know the law - all we would have to do is to apply the law as the judge explains it to us. As the judge explains it to us? All you want me to do is take your theory, apply it to the particular case and crank out a result? Boring! Stupid philosophy training.
In both the video and all the verbal explanations/directions we received we were reminded to not be offended if we weren't chosen to serve on a jury. "It's no reflection," we were told, "on your beliefs, personal background, or ability to be fair." I found this very funny -- isn't that exactly what it is in at least a limited sense?
I was only at the courthouse another hour, as it turned out. They were choosing a jury for a criminal trial and the trial dates fall on the two days this month that I'm going to be out of town for work. So at 10am they put a big "X" across my juror info sheet, validated my parking, thanked me for my service and told me that I won't be called again until at least 2012. All in all, it wasn't too painful an experience, but I would still rather just watch Law & Order at home.
At 8:15am I arrived at the Meriden court house (about a half hour drive from home) and joined the line of other potential jurors to go through the metal detectors and into the courthouse. Smartly, the court house chose the world's most pleasant, people-loving woman to handle jury orientation - or, as she called it, "jury indoctrination." At first I thought, "She must have meant orientation," but she went on several times to refer to our indoctrination. (For those taking notes, an indoctrination apparently can be sufficiently carried out with a 15 minute video.)
The 'indoctrination' video explained the jury selection process and one's basic responsibilities as a juror. We were told that if we sit on a civil trial we have to determine if it has been shown that the defendant caused the claimed damages. I imagined myself having to explain to the judge, "I don't think I can serve on this case because I don't think I have an adequate understanding of the nature of causation to determine if Mr. Smith caused the damage that Ms. Jones claims." Stupid philosophy training. The video also reassured us that we didn't have to know the law - all we would have to do is to apply the law as the judge explains it to us. As the judge explains it to us? All you want me to do is take your theory, apply it to the particular case and crank out a result? Boring! Stupid philosophy training.
In both the video and all the verbal explanations/directions we received we were reminded to not be offended if we weren't chosen to serve on a jury. "It's no reflection," we were told, "on your beliefs, personal background, or ability to be fair." I found this very funny -- isn't that exactly what it is in at least a limited sense?
I was only at the courthouse another hour, as it turned out. They were choosing a jury for a criminal trial and the trial dates fall on the two days this month that I'm going to be out of town for work. So at 10am they put a big "X" across my juror info sheet, validated my parking, thanked me for my service and told me that I won't be called again until at least 2012. All in all, it wasn't too painful an experience, but I would still rather just watch Law & Order at home.
5.11.2009
More veggie lunch
Now that I have a digital camera I thought that pictures would magically turn out perfectly composed and lit. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. Apparently one must still use one's own artistic talents. Technology still has a long way to go...
Over at Just Bento, there is a veggie lunch contest going on all month. Lots of contributors are sending in photos of beautiful food art - really amazing stuff. So, while my lunch doesn't necessarily compare to some of theirs, I'm willing to share it anyway.
Today's lunch sees another appearance of quinoa salad - I made a huge bowl of it over the weekend, so get used to seeing it. There are a ton of quinoa salad recipes out there - I just toss cooked quinoa with some finely chopped veggies, whatever fresh herbs I have on hand, and a homemade lemon vinaigrette.
The spinach/tomato blend isn't really a recipe at all - just an easy way to use up some of the huge bag of spinach in the fridge. Sauteed the spinach until dry, added some seasoning, and tossed in some chopped cherry tomatoes.
Besides that I've got some baby carrots and a cup of yogurt with bananas and strawberries. The little side cup of granola is for the yogurt as well. Everything is packed in a Laptop Lunch container, and I'll include a slim ice pack to be sure the yogurt stays chilled. The lunch took me about ten minutes to make/assemble with the quinoa salad already on hand.
Over at Just Bento, there is a veggie lunch contest going on all month. Lots of contributors are sending in photos of beautiful food art - really amazing stuff. So, while my lunch doesn't necessarily compare to some of theirs, I'm willing to share it anyway.
Today's lunch sees another appearance of quinoa salad - I made a huge bowl of it over the weekend, so get used to seeing it. There are a ton of quinoa salad recipes out there - I just toss cooked quinoa with some finely chopped veggies, whatever fresh herbs I have on hand, and a homemade lemon vinaigrette.
The spinach/tomato blend isn't really a recipe at all - just an easy way to use up some of the huge bag of spinach in the fridge. Sauteed the spinach until dry, added some seasoning, and tossed in some chopped cherry tomatoes.
Besides that I've got some baby carrots and a cup of yogurt with bananas and strawberries. The little side cup of granola is for the yogurt as well. Everything is packed in a Laptop Lunch container, and I'll include a slim ice pack to be sure the yogurt stays chilled. The lunch took me about ten minutes to make/assemble with the quinoa salad already on hand.
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