Your Mileage May Vary

An English Breakfast Morning

Background Music: Working My Way Back to You, Babe (*sniff* Dick Purtan is leaving Oldies 104.3...)

Last Visited: The Elephants in the Room at TED 

Random Thought: the Orchard Lake Country Club is going to have to find a bigger water feature to top my view this weekend 

Mood: does tea really replace coffee in the morning? Details at 11 

Excuse me a moment while i brag; this weekend i scored a deal to stay in an Ocean View room at the Inn at Spanish Bay - complete with dinner at Roy's and lunch the next morning at the uber-exclusive Beach Club at the Lodge at Pebble Beach... during the AT&T ProAm*... where i'm pretty sure if you were watching Dan Marino at the 17th tee, I** was on tv in the background. 

ahem. 

Yeah. 

I really can't express how good this weekend was. I really can't. (Especially for the price which went from "you've got to be kidding me" to "excuse me, say that again please?") 

What got to me, though, as i was sitting out on the deck watching the most amazingly large waves break on the rocks, was how I had actually done it - that dream from years ago i had only visited that spot for a quick drink on the patio before dinner elsewhere and promised myself one day i would stay - had come true. More than come true, I had made it happen. 

Now, i'm not exactly unused to having dreams of mine come true; I've had a very charmed life in that respect; but it's been a while since i've had something new to strive for and achieve (outside of work, that is.) And even though all I was wanting was one darn night at a hotel on the coast... it was enough; enough to spark me into remembering that there is more i want to do, more to want, more to reach for; more than the day to day of getting up and going to work and having a wonderful man to spend my evenings with. 

So here it is: 2010; I'm going to be thirty this year. Whether i like it or not, i'm growing up; and the world is still a big, beautiful, complex, intriguing place to explore. There is more to do, more to learn, more to play with, farther to go than what i can get to by car or plane over a weekend. It's time for me to start building a new set of lists of places i want to go, people i want to see, things i want to learn, books to read, movies to see or make, pictures to take. I'm not sure where this list will go, or how long i'll be adding to it (or checking things off,) but i'd like to start my list with this: 

One day I want to go to the TED Conference.  

:) Here's to the next year, or years, and me working my way down the coast and around the world, to TED and back again. 

*Please note the restraint i'm showing in not italicizing every preposition in that sentence. 

** Please also note :) that here "I" really is "We;" and half the experience was being a "We" instead of being an "I". 

Expression:  

One more for the road

Background Noise: Jack and Diane
Last Visited: So very very close... 
Random Thought: it was rude and mean and they were unapologetic; why am i not allowed to be snarky after that?   
Mood: ready for the rain, the pizza, the wine, the movie, and the sleeping

My mom came through with two more of my Grandma's recipes, so i'm trotting out one last time before i leave for my uber-awesome week long vacation to share these with the world, and with google: 

Noodles

You do 1 egg at a time but Grandma does 3 eggs worth when she does noodles for Thanksgiving.

1 egg
Take 1/2 egg shell and fill with water
5 heaping tablespoons of flour

Have flour on your surface. Roll out the dough flat. Fold into thirds. Cut with a SHARP straight edge knife.

Boil 64 ounces of broth.

Add noodles to boiling broth a few at a time. Better if made the day before and reheated the day of.

Broccoli Salad (from the Lubys)
serves 10-16
2 bunches of broccoli cut into bite-size flowerettes (do not cook)
3 green onions diced; include green stems (Grandma cuts them with scissors)
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup dried cherries or raisins or cranberries

Dressing
1 cup mayo
5T sugar
4T vinegar
Mix these together (or use commercial slaw dressing)

1. Mix salad ingredients
2.Pour dressing over salad and mix well
3.Allow to marinate 3-4 hours or longer (Grandma makes the day before)

Optional toppings
1/4 pound of crisp bacon pieces; sprinkle just before serving or serve in a separate dish along with salad.

Grandma sometimes makes this with cauliflower and broccoli. She also uses pecans or walnuts instead of sunflower seeds. She sometimes uses parmesan cheese for a topping.

Expression: 

Something's been added to the water, I'm sure

Background Noise: I Walk the Line, Johnny Cash 
Last Visited: Gotta remember to call these guys... Grand Canyon Air and Walk Tour 
Random Thought: one must always be careful when handing out lists...  
Mood: steeling myself for tomorrow; though the week off afterwards is a nice cushion to that impending blow

Geoff wanted to add to the recipe party, so here we go: his Mom's famous pepper steak. Enjoy!

"This recipe is known in our family simply as "Wok." I suspect I coined that term when I was about 3.

This was basically all from my mom's (possibly) hazy memory. Everything is correct except for the amounts of peanut oil teriyaki, and soy to use. "Taste to liking" I believe comes into play. :-)

Here goes:

Pepper Steak

Ingredients
1 sweet onion
1 green pepper
1 can water chestnuts optional
2-3 lbs flank steak (feeds 4)
Peanut oil
Baking powder
Fresh garlic
Soy sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Sherry

Cut/crush several gloves of garlic into small pieces.

Marinate flank steak for 4+ hours in 3 tsp sherry, 3 tsp teriyaki/soy mix, 1 tsp baking powder, mixed with garlic. Stir roughly every 30-60 minutes for consistent taste. Marinade should NOT be watery -- add baking powder as needed.

Cut onion and pepper into very small pieces (especially the green pepper) -- smaller the better, to ensure fully cooked.

Add peanut oil to wok on medium-high heat, a few spoonfuls at most, enough to prevent vegetables from sticking.

Slowly add onion and pepper to wok, using the pan lid to shield from splash-back. Stir often until cooked as desired, ensuring vegetables are no longer crunchy. Remove vegetables from wok, placing into a large bowl.

Add more peanut oil if necessary to wok, then slowly add meat and marinade. Cook meat to medium-well -- no pink should be showing -- then re-add vegetables, along with can of water chestnuts. Vegetables should be just slightly browned when finished, and completely soft. Cook to taste.

Serve over white rice (likely Uncle Ben's)."

Now that i have the recipe i suppose i'll just have to give this one a try! I'll add it to the growing pile :) right at the top... after Spinach Souffle. 

Expression:

Spinach Souffle

Background Noise: Summer in Ohio 
Last Visited:  He still does it better
Random Thought: i really do need to visit the Grand Canyon... 
Mood: oh so ready for sunday and that plane 

I don't really do favorites,  or top ten lists,  or best-ofs; but that rule doesn't really apply when it comes to Holiday Food: my Grandma's Spinach Souffle is,  I have to admit,  my favorite. There,  I said it. 

Her magical combination of cheese and cheese and eggs and cheese and spinach which comes together in this bubbling,  delicious,  golden brown tray of yumminess is something i crave pretty much always. 

 

Not that i really should limit its scope - there is nothing about Spinach Souffle that is intrinsically festive (unless you count the christmas tree pan my mom occasionally uses to make it for christmas morning.)  Rather, in a blind attempt to savor this dish and keep it special I tend to only eat it between November and January. Random? Likely.  Not that it really matters,  at this point it is a Tradition and one must always keep one's Traditions. Or something like that.  

So with no more gilding the lily,  and with no further ado,  here is my Grandma's Special Spinach Souffle recipe:  (drumroll please:) 

1 small container of creamy, small curd cottage cheese

6 eggs

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained

1 8oz pkg Kraft premium cheddar cheese, shredded (it used to be Kraft Old English)

6T flour

1 stick of butter sliced into pads

Mix the cheese, eggs and cheese together. Fold into a 9x13 pan. Put butter pads on top of souffle. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees or until puffy and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Expression:  

Favors Whimsy

Background Noise: First of the Gang, Zee Avi
Last Visited:  Favors Whimsy
Random Thought: Editing all my pictures down to a small subset is seriously wrenching; but totally a great exercise - Portraits: Edited and Scenery: Edited
Mood: as long as i don't read emails from a certain person, my mood is fantastic

Mad Men put up a Mad Men Yourself site, which, i have to say, was way too much fun to play with. Therefore, with no more ado, here is my Mad Men Me: 

Apparently i'm a Joan. Who knew? ... Actually, my first thought after seeing this picture was, should i go buy that dress? 

Hopefully someone will next come out with versions of this for Gilmore Girls, CSI, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and of course, Saved By the Bell. 

Expression:  

Riddle me this, Batman

Background Noise: You spin my head right 'round

Last Visited: places, you know, out there 

Random Thought: maybe getting up early for gym classes isn't so bad after all   

Mood: bracing for the week 

Funding for the State Parks is in danger because of the current budget crisis; the $6 vehicle entrance fee simply doesn't cover the $100m budget; the response from state government? Close the parks. A counter proposal has been made to raise the vehicle entrance fee to $15 - more than covering the budget needs and allowing the parks to stay open. Assembly Republicans, however, say no - that would constitute a "tax hike" and the proposal "likely" won't pass the 2/3rds vote required. 

I'm sorry, but, are these people out of their freaking minds?!?!

The population of the state (myself very much included) love the state parks - not only are they a great resource, a place to play, to explore, to protect the land, etc - the current fee is ridiculously low. If raising the vehicle fee (which, btw, doesn't prohibit someone from parking somewhere else and walking into the park for free,) makes the parks self sustainable, what is the downside? Additionally, surplus money could be used for park improvements, drawing in more tourists, generating more revenue, while not taking money from the general fund. 

People are willing to pay for the services they want. Let us pay to keep the parks open, please. 

Expression:  

Sometimes a girl just has to buy her own flowers

Background Noise: A lil bit country, giving Keith Urban another try 

Last Visited: Bunches and Fleur de Cocoa, Los Gatos

Random Thought: baby pictures of coworkers? priceless.  

Mood: it's not possible to be in a bad mood on a beautiful day like this one 

It shouldn't be surprising that i'm a fool for beautiful things; flowers, fields, sunsets, sunrises, old buildings, new buildings, exquisite food, less than exquisite food, perfectly mixed drinks, high school baseball games, shoes, hats, march madness pools, perfectly tailored dresses, smiles, gently rocking boats, moments... i adore them all. (Obviously and more, but you know me and lists...) And spring in California? So full of so many of the things i love. Don't get me wrong, i'm desperate to get home for that beautiful Michigan spring, but i have to admit, California's charms are growing on me.  

So go ahead - buy some beautiful spring flowers, eat lunch outside, take a walk by the water, find a sunset stargazing hike; take pictures, take picnics, discover somewhere new, rediscover somewhere old, get a jump start on an adventure. Because i don't know about you, but i'm sick and tired of wondering if i'm being defined by the things i didn't say, the places i didn't go. So go on - start living outside, instead of inside your head or vicariously through a movie. 

I know i'm trying; because really? I'd rather try and fall than never give myself the chance to fly. 

Expression:  

Not really ready to loose "Squeeze"

Background Music: Blossom Dearie, Someone to Watch Over Me

Last Visited: Yelp, Hacker New, reddit, and my Mail

Random Thought: I really need to live in London for at least three months; how hard would it be to make that happen this summer?  

Mood: jet-laggey 

Researchers at Reading University in England have come up with what they think the oldest words in the english language are; unsurprisingly, "I" leads the list, followed closely by "we," "two," and "three;" what can i say, our ancestors certainly found a way to distill what was important. 

Yet as fascinating as this list is - the list of what we needed to say so badly language had to be invented - a line at the beginning of this article caught my eye more than the rest: the words we might loose first. 

(Or, perhaps to be more correct, the next words we could loose from the language, as we have to have already lost a great deal of our earliest words, especially those that only existed before we discovered writing. Writing, which, as an act in itself is a pretty remarkable invention; our need to persist what we had to say was so great that we all agreed how to consistently, concisely, compactly describe what until then we had only said.) 

So what are these words we're bound to loose? And how did they pull these particular words out of the ether? And for that matter, do we have any say about whether or not we want to loose these words? Personally, I'm not ready to let go of "squeeze;" and, while i know i over-use "bad," i'm not ready to let it go either. What is a gymnast to do other than "stick" her landing? And what are little boys dissecting a worm in the summer going to scream besides "eww, 'guts'!" 

We have been trying to speak for tens of thousands of years and over that time words have entered and left our language as we migrated, met, experienced; words lost would not have registered or been recorded, they would have simply been washed away like writing in the sand when the wave came and went. For the first time, though, we as a civilization are able to identify and categorize what we stand to loose. I wonder if that will end up changing the outcome; maybe we'll be able to find a way to save those words from being erased from the sand. 

Expression:  

The Day After

Last Visited: news feeds, bug feeds, status feeds, anything really except eapproval to file my expense report

Random Thought: 28 is starting off with a bang 

Mood: moving a little slowly this morning 

Yesterday i turned 28; it was actually an awesome day, busy (shocker), but great. Good moods, good food, good progress, good drinks, good debate, good fun. Yay. 

... There need to be posts with pictures, (new galleries: Philly, Elphaba's Day Out, Michigan: Fall '08,) but i really should actually file that expense report. 

Thank you to all the birthday wishes, it really was wonderful to hear from everyone yesterday. 

Expression:  

Why? Because Science says so.

Background Music: something the Genius came up with

Last Visited: micha's status; apparently the only news feed i need

Random Thought: the true indication of the state of education today: Monopoly no longer makes you count your money 

Mood: posting against the wind

Has the Large Hadron Collider Destroyed the World Yet?  (... how about now?)

A large congratulations to everyone at CERN, Fermilab, and all of the many, many Universities who participated in actually getting to a successful test of the particle accelerator last night. The scale of the experiment and it's possible discoveries are mind blowing in scale and potential; how wonderful that we're all alive to see what will happen next.  

Expression:  

Zoltan: Space Emperor... of Space

Background Music: No other Day, Rent

Last Visited: MGoBlog.com

Random Thought: having a new-old couch really makes a space look different; how lovely 

Mood: already late

I swear I'm not dead; nor am i still in Philadelphia (pictures soon, i promise) - i'm just crazy freaking out of my mind busy. 

... and no, i don't really have time to elaborate. 

Just figured i should drop by to, erm, say that. I'll be back later with musings on banning books, arts funding, and architectural oversight committees. Oh, and Vampires. 

Oh :) AND FOOTBALL!!! Go Blue!

Expression:  

Gotta love the Morning Fog over the Mountains

Background Music: Eight Days a Week

Last Visited: The Eternal Value of Privacy ; Russia and NATO: running back to their Cold War corners; Fair Use must be considered before Copyright Violation DMCA requests; No really, Oil speculation has to stop; and the Bugatti is one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen in my life.

Random Thought: For some reason, knowing someone seriously injured in a motorcycle accident doesn't change my mind about wanting to learn how to ride one at some point

Mood: still waking up

This is going to be random. I heard on the radio this morning that there is a proposal on the table to hold a Constitutional Convention for the State of California due to the fact that the current one is nearly impossible to govern by as proven, partially, by the fact that there hasn't been an on time budget approved in the last 20 years. All i have to say? Do it. The system here is insane, and really, with the way things are now, the only measure that can really have a chance to work is a holistic one. 

  

       

I went back to Monte Bello on saturday - this time with my camera. You'll have to forgive the many pictures of me - there were times when i was the only real subject. Regardless, i had fun playing with a tripod for the first time and getting very, very, very dusty. (Like, both the inside and outside of my jeans completely coated in yellow-orange dirt, dusty; however, after i washed them, those jeans have been amazingly soft - so maybe i should take all my new pairs on a hike?)

Expression:  

Hot Laps

Background Music: Like a Stone, Audioslave

Last Visited: Pictures from the Lexus Event at Laguna Seca: Julie's and Mine

Random Thought: I can't help it, i love driving; especially on fast, smooth, fresh asphalt; though taking on blind downhill corkscrews can be pretty badass too.

Mood: coming down from stress mountain

So some time ago, i'm guessing about 10 days or so, Nic pinged me about this event Lexus was doing at Laguna Seca; basically it goes like this: come drive our awesome new high performance car, the ISF, on the track at Laguna, on us. He couldn't go, and even though i was crazy busy, he pestered me until i picked up the phone to see if they still had any slots available; awesomely enough, they did; so, as the event was scheduled for the day after a deadline of mine, i signed up (I figured by that time i'd deserve a special treat.) 

And oh my i'm so glad i did. The big drive was yesterday, and I had a freaking blast. (Ben and Julie also went, though their time slot was earlier than mine, so i couldn't actually time Ben's laps.)

  

       

I have to admit, it wasn't all fun: i nearly missed my slot because i overshot the racetrack by nearly 6 miles (it was my first time going,) and i while i had an amazing instructor to drive with, the other two guys in my car? Left something to be desired as drivers; let's just say i haven't been so scared in a vehicle in a long time. But hey, the really bad one even made himself sick, so karma wins again. 

I can't truly focus on the low points though, because the highs were just so high. The times around the track i got to drive were a total blast, the car was amazing, and the hot laps with the instructor were just awesome. My only regret is i didn't get more time to drive myself.  

But hey, the track isn't going anywhere. I'll have to go again. 

Expression:  

Giving Chainsaws to Two Year Olds since 2007

Background Music: Simple As it Should Be

Last Visited: oh my goodness i wrote something on my Soapbox

Random Thought: do. not. buy. plane. tickets. to. random. places. like. ohio. or. colombia. seriously. even. if. they're. on. sale. bad. 

Mood: messin' around

Ok; apparently, i'm still good, price wise, on tickets to New Orleans for Dave's bachelor party for Halloween - according to travelocity they're running about $228 round trip, which, quite frankly, is cheaper than it is for me to go home, so score. It's odd (and occasionally wonderful, really), where $250 adjacent will get you today on an airplane; i'm just saying. 

Now to plan when i'm flying, with who, and where we're staying before those ticket prices jump through the roof; because i have to be honest, New Orleans for halloween for $228 round trip sounds awesome, New Orleans for halloween for $400+? Not so much. 

Ok, time for random lists: 

- An essay from 1725 by the French philosopher Montesquieu

  - A Toy maker has created a gun that fires variable speed bullets

- Yes, willChangeValueForKey is defined in the NSKeyValueObserving Protocol

- This cat may actually have a cooler couch than me

- Why the long face? Here, Kitten will fix it

- apparently getting a 3G signal in Chicago is like playing the corner in roulette 

- My new shoes rule

- The W sure knows how to price based on the value of drunk stumbling distance

- For some reason, a dinner murder mystery at Moss Beach Distillery sounds really cool*

- This is why i'm not an accountant; i get it, but i'd have to shoot myself if i had to live it

... Wow, that was a random list; no cohesion at all. Ahh, well, it's my list, so there. And no, i'm not going to mention that thing about Christian Bale; let me keep my illusions about my heros, er, heartthrobs. 

Expression:  

Because Dr. Horrible told me to

Background Noise: Mi Confesion

Last Visited:  the buildbot logs

Random Thought: somehow, nearly perfect isn't close enough  

Mood: overslept my alarm, slowly getting back into coding before my afternoon 'o meetings

So... the only "real" post i can think of writing today is moderately whiny and quite possibly depressing; so i'm not going to write it. Instead, how about a round up of my weekend? 

The Dark Knight? Awesome; though i need to see it again when i'm not so amazingly tired. The line wrapping around the theater beforehand and the ticket taker in the cheesetacular batman costume really added to the experience. I'm glad to have contributed to the $66.8M opening day tally. 

The rest of my weekend pretty much went like this: sleep, reading in bed, running, reading in bed, tapas like mexican food w/ margaritas, and more sleep. Also, Steve finally saw Wall-E and i got to join; lordy i love that movie. I don't care if Disney won't put up the cash to sponsor it for the best picture, it should get a nod anyways; especially the way this movie season is so far. Wall-E for president indeed. 

Oh, and sunday night? I had ice cream. It was awesome. 

... Kicking off today with some bizarre news, Katie Holmes turned down The Dark Knight because the film's message conflicted with her Scientology beliefs; also, according to MSNBC, Penguins are Mammals. Can I get an "oy" from the gallery? 

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