Egg Heads

As I have a tendency to do things back asswards, I am now going through my files and documents in preperation for my new computer - which I happen to have already bought. Anyway - I found this picture - it circulated a couple of years ago in the mass email circuit, but is still damn funny.

**On second thought it makes absolutely no sense to anyone who wasn't around/has forgetten the whole Cabbage Patch phenomena.

**Thanks to the grandparents who waite in line for mine!

Hal

And yesterday I bought a new computer... that's right, I walked into a store with a healthy bank account balance, and walked out with a much lighter wallet, and a surprisingly not-too-heavy box. I named my new computer Hal, as the minute I turned it on, it started talking to me, and then it took my picture. I feel like I am finally in the future. I do mourn for my old computer which is 6 years old and sitting next to my new one...mostly I mourn when I'm not too busy playing with my new one ;) Had I not bought this maachine, I would never have known that one needs a computer with aa built-in camer AND a remote....I am totally stoked.

My Princess

I recently - OK last week, I've been busy... - I purchased my first in what I hope to be a collection of vintage kitchen appliances. Yes, it hurts me that much that I don't work in a kitchen anymore.... Anyway - I got this beaty off of Craig's list, and I can't believe the great shape that it is in...My Dormeyer Princess.

http://samuraikittens.com/

Truly disturbing, and oh so highly addictive.

Jenner Grade- need I say more?

I love my drive to and from Menocino County. Hwy 1 is one of the most enjoyable roads to drive on. Spectacular views, ocean, sky, seals, gulls, cows, green pastures....and Jenner Grade. This is a strectch of the coast that is particularly elevated and riddled with hair-pin turns and cows in the middle of the road. Needless to say, every year a small number of unfortunate souls end up going off the road into the ocean. On my way up last time, I got off the freewy in Pataluma, per usual, and got onto my back road- behind a Coroner's truck. I followed it patiently, morbidly thinking about that fact that those trucks don't need sirens t get to where they're going. When we got to where it was going. A particularly sharp hairpin turn on a steep grade. They were pulling what could have possibly once been a car out of the ocean with a tow truck and a winch, and I saw why the coroner's truck was there. Meanwhile, I am stopped, waiting in my car for the various response vehicles to maneuver to stop obstructing traffic. By the time I left, I was shaking and in tears, and was extremely happy to not only reach my destination, but to have my guy waiting there for me. A little brush of mortality goes a long friggin' way.

Another night on Haight St with the SFPD

I went to a friend's art show opening yesterday on Haight St. As we were leaving, we noticed that there were a group of police officers in the middle of the street we had to cross to get back to where I parked my car. So instead of walking straight, we turned up the street, and stopped in front of a way cool furniture store to survey the scene. At this point there were people milling about (this is a Saturday night around 8ish), taking pictures of the cops. My friend and I looked up the street and there were about 20 police officers in full riot gear walking single file down the street, headed straight for the middle of the intersection on Haight st. And this is not the busier The Haight, this is just a random neighborhood, with not even that many shops or businesses. The oddest thing is not a single person had a clue as to why the cops were there. According to one guy there "maybe was a protest (earlier) that afternoon - maybe". I searched the newspaper this morning- not a single mention. I am still baffled as to why I had to dodge amored police vehicles and motorcycle cops on the way to my car (and then out of the area) last night.

Scary thought of the Day

Hummers

A Hummer H2 could be driven around the world 244 times on the excess calories Americans consume each year.

-Harper's Magazine.

And just think-they get really crappy gas mileage.

March Nabe Madness!

Recently, Craig's best friend stayed with us for a few days. On the last night he was with us, we made Nabe, a Japanese hotpot that I grew up with, and that I dearly love (and miss). Craig fell in love with it when he had it at my family's, and has since bought a japanese nabe pot and everything. anyway, here is my bastardized version of it (the Japanese would dissaprove, but it's so yummy....):

For one gallon of water, add 5 or 6 3 inch or so long pieces of Konbu that you have wiped with a damp cloth to remove excess salt. Let sit in cold water for 30 minutes. Add leek tops, and any chicken, pork, or fish (or all three) bones you might be using (I usually just have some chicken bones). Bring to alomst a boil, remove konbu. Let boil 10 or so minutes, add a BIG handful of Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) at a rolling boil, and turn off heat. Let steep a minute or so, and strain out stuff. Take a ladlefull of broth, and pour into small bowl. Add 2-4TBs of Miso, and stir until incorporated. Pour Miso into pot. Put on heat (and on burner on table, if you're set up for it), add meat or fish, leeks, tofu, Shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, napa Cabbage, and spinach. In our family we do a few courses of this, and then at the end do a 'noodle course'. My family likes to used dried Udon, Craig and I like frozen Udon (they're fatter). We put Shichimitogarashi (Japanese seven spice pepper, or whatever. little orane capped jar), dried yuzu, grated ginger (sorry I forgot it Ziad!), and Ponzu (with yuzu) and soy sauce on the table, for whoever wants it. Fresh ground black pepper is awesome with the noodle course.

I love this stuff the next day, reheated with an egg poached in it. I aso highly recommend turning down the heat in your house when you make this, as it warms you right up. Good stuff, and goes really well with Sake, cold beer, and not to be too corny, friends and family.

Floods this year

This year the flooding in Mendocino and Sonoma counties has been pretty substantial. Or maybe it just seems that way because last year wasn't so bad. Anyway, I of course neglected to record the worst floods (around new year's), but I did have my ancient camera on me the last time I went up the coast. And managed to not lose my car to the flood (hurray for Jeeps and their high clearance!!), but did watch a guy lose his BMW to water going up the tailpipe and flooding his engine. Not so cool. Anyway- pictures are up on my Flickr account (click on the badge at left so I don't have to put a link in here...), and are kind of tough to see, as I had issues with getting out of the car every time I wanted to take a picture. Too cold and gusty. The sad news is they just dug these huge trenches on either side of the road to prevent this sort of thing, and this is the the first major rain post-digging, and it really didn't seem to help much. The cows look particularly miserable.

Cell phones and toddlers

OK- with two linguists/huge brains/academic freaks as parents, I have a tendency to watch people and the way they talk, write, emote, communicate, etc. I was watching the three year old I am currently kid sitting (today is the third and final whole day) talk to her mom on the phone, I couldn't help but notice that her speech is entirely corrupted by the cell phone. A. was talking on her house phone, but knew that her mom in Santa Barbara was on her cell. Evidently where they were, the cell coverage was a bit sketchy. Anyway- amongst her not-quite-correct sentences the phrases 'are you still there?' and 'can you hear me now?' were imbedded with perfect clarity. After hanging with this kid for as long as I have, I know these phrases to be a bit past her ability to construct english grammar. I found it to be a bit depressing, and am working on getting my land line in my house put in that much quicker.

Armed and dangerous in Petaluma

So- I was driving up to Mendocino county the other day - I wish I was still attached to there.....I loved living there so much....when I get pulled over in Petaluma, right as I am going from 101 to country back roads. The officer tells me that someone has carjacked and stolen a white Jeep Cherokee (which is what I drive). I give him all of my info, and of course due to the fact that I am still in the process of moving, none of my addresses match. I tried to convince him that it would be weird for people to try to steal an identity with my last name, but alas, he still wanted the K-9 unit to search my car for firearms. Oh Joy. I managed to not have my car searched, but by the time I left the little make-shift white Jeep Cherokee holding pen, there were 4 of them, all old, and mostly making funny engine noises. I would hope that someone wasn't actuallydumb enough to steal an old Cherokee. I'd go for something Japanese, myself. At least you know'll they'll run.

Foggy San Francisco

So I spent the afternoon on Berkeley kid-sitting (which is a whole 'nother story), and was driving back on the Bay Bridge at about 9:15 went I got the craziest urge to eats tons of Chinese food. There was no traffic and for once I liked the song on the radio (iPod is on vacation....), so I'm singing along in a good mood, until I want to eat dumplings or stir-fry or whatever so badly it makes me crazy. Then I rolled down my window (did I mention the balmy 60 degrees after dark in February factor?), and realized that it was because the city of San Francisco really smells like dim sum. After years of people's jokes about it, I realized that actually, they have a point. San Fran is covered in a haze of dim sum steam. I am gonna get me some today.

Not so trivial trivia

I have no idea how as a computer savvy trivia geek, I never found out about the "How Stuff Works" site. You'd think I would have come accross it during one of my late night arguments with one roommate or another about some inconsequential thing worked. Yeah for yet another means of time suckage.

Mac Peeps

I graduated from Macalester College in 2003. That said, there are a lot of Mac peeps in the Bay area, in SF in particular. For example- I went grocery shopping today and the car I parked next to in the lot had a Macalester sticker in the back window. (For the record that was the second time that had happened). But when I came out of the store, I was sandwiched by two cars with Mac stickers. I thought that was a bit odd, and somewhat feeling my lack of a Mac sticker, I drove home. It beats the time I got flagged down at a busy intersection because the pedestrian crossing the street was a classmate I hadn't seen since graduation.

SFPD

I was on South Van Ness this morning on my way back from shopping- when I noticed that there's a SFPD billboard at the freeway entrance. It listed a cop shooting that had occurred with the suspect's car model and year and lisence plate number, yet the color was listed as 'dark'. I couldn't help but wonder why they would omit this seemingly important piece of information. As it was I was suspicious of every single 1990 Nissan Maxima that drove by me (except for that newish looking white one).

Unemployed

I have been unemployed for almost 3 months now. And have sent my resume to 104 companies. I have had 5 interviews in person, and have been offered one job, that I might actually lose money if I take, as it's way far away and the commute might cost me too much. And yet all I seem to do is bake things....and this has given me time to set up a blog and a flickr account. Oh joy.