Food geek shopping spree bonanza
I’ve been freelancing for the past few years. It was overall good, but I’d be lying if I said there weren’t some lean times. Clients who didn’t pay on time, ...
Posts by Year
2018
2015
Kimchi
This year my folks got me The Art of Fermentation for my birthday. Ever since then I’ve found myself fermenting all the things. It’s a fascinating (and delic...
Cafflano Klassic
(Click on all pics to embiggen.)
2014
A Toast
This past weekend I attended the wedding of my friends Ben and Stacey. I was asked to give a toast during the reception and prepared a few words in advance. ...
Culinary Experiment: Thai-Inspired Braised Beef Cheeks
This is going to be a quick post. Mostly I just want to capture what I did so I can tweak it next time.
Running Songs
Since just before the prior post, I’ve been using the couch to 5K iPhone app. Despite tendon and knee problems (which I probably shouldn’t be ignoring), I’ve...
2013
The Pause That Refreshes
Rather than beating about the bush, let’s just get right to the point:
Cold Brew Comparison: The Tasting and the Conclusions
Please see yesterday’s post, Cold Brew Comparison: The Madness and the Method, for the introduction to this cold brew coffee experiment.
Cold Brew Comparison: The Madness and the Method
Cross-posted from a post I authored for BrewPony.
Requiem for a Science Museum
Soon after I moved to San Francisco I purchased a basic membership to California Academy of Sciences.
Open all the things…including my home
Even before I moved to San Francisco, friends have joked that I’m running some sort of flop house. My San Francisco apartment has been dubbed “Vicky’s Home f...
Spoiled
Today…
Wherein the Author Does Not Understand
Due to the topic of this post, I’ve bypassed the Informality Filter through which this text would normally have passed as it’s written. The te...
Pondering my shoes
I spend a lot of time walking. Sure, I love my bike and I’ll even use public transport when necessary, but walking is my preferred mode of getting from place...
Ragù Bolognese
Pasta Bolognese and Kale salad Ragù Bolognese is, in my opinion, the reigning king of pasta sauces. Sure, there are other splendid ways to ...
More crackers
This afternoon I was standing in my kitchen preparing a snack of crackers and cheese (and sriracha). Surveying the munchables laid out on the counter I thoug...
Inked
No, it’s not henna
2012
Hario Drip Pot and a Coffee Ritual
Last week I pulled out my pile of filing, sorting it into Keep, Shred, Recycle piles. During that process I stumbled upon an old unused Williams-Sonoma{.brok...
Hooking up external monitor is killing wifi on my MacBook (aka: GAH!!1!)
Yesterday I turned off the MacBook, set the iPhone to airplane mode and sat down to get some serious work done.
Long time no see
We walked to the farmers’ market. Few things grabbed us until the seafood booth. Fresh. Very fresh. One could even call it “dead fresh,” if that didn’t sound...
Multigrain Congee (aka Jook)
The rain started sometime after midnight and didn’t stop until sometime in the afternoon. The day was grey and dreary, but at least it wasn’t too cold. Still...
Lentils with Sausage
This weekend I was pleased to host an East Coast friend who needed a place to crash before a business trip began. I wanted there to be hot food awaiting him,...
Onomatopoeia
I recently added an audio notification to my email. The intention is to keep me from checking it every couple of minutes. “Did you hear the sound? No? Then y...
The next project begins
My parents found and mailed me an old wool blanket, large enough to cover a double bed. It set them back a whole $2.50. The lighting is bad in this photo so ...
Morrison Planetarium 60th Anniversary Celebration
Last night I got to attend a cocktail reception at California Academy of Sciences, celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Morrison Planetarium. A little win...
A Minimalist’s Home Workout Plan
Though you might not know it by looking at me, I’ve been doing the workout/fitness thing for most of the past fourteen years. Admittedly, it’s been an on-aga...
Always Forward!
In 1990 I met my first openly gay friend. While I don’t see him as often as I’d like, he’s still very dear to me (Love you, Tom!).
Blue Angels? Cool…to complain about.
As I sit here the city reverberates with the sounds of jets shooting by overhead. Fleet Week is upon us once again, bringing ships to our piers, sailors and ...
Love Letter to a Pub
I stepped off the train a few stops early. Quickly crossing out of traffic to the sidewalk, I snatched a look at the sky. No rain yet. That’s something at le...
Review: “Throne of the Crescent Moon” by Saladin Ahmed
At the recommendation of my friend Strobel I snagged a copy of Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed. It took a week’s worth of Muni rides to read, c...
Best. Apartment. Ever.
Back in May I moved from Oakland to San Francisco. This is the sixth place I’ve lived since I came to California and, aside from a wide variety of dorm rooms...
Beer-Braised Beef and Onions (and Garlic)
Winter has finally arrived in the Bay Area. Temperatures have dropped into the 40’s, the skies are gray and the streets wet with more or less constant rain. ...
2011
The Best Holiday Tradition of All: Christmas Pizza
Some families have a large, lovely ham for Christmas dinner. Some have beef. Others do a sort of Thanksgiving recap with another glorious turkey. If you’re a...
Paul Potatoes
I’m posting this one for a friend who’s asked for the recipe twice now, once after each time she’s had this dish at my house. It’s a simple recipe that peopl...
Foundation Food: Stock
People often ask me, “Vicky, what’s the easiest way to improve my home cooking?”
The MacBook is dead. Long live the MacBook!
A little over a week ago the sound went all wiggy on my MacBook. At first it would only play through something plugged into the headphone jack but that rapi...
Greetings to new visitors!
Came here expecting to read about programming and management and the like? ‘A’ for effort but this is the wrong location. This is my personal blog, where I t...
Tech Support
The following is a paraphrased phone conversation which I had this morning.
Of Things
“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax– Of cabbages...
Asian Squash Soup
A semi-impromptu dish, written up impromptu-ly on my iPad as I sit on the couch rewatching some Doctor Who.
I’ve been laid off.
When the manager who’s rarely seen in the office before 11am IMs you at 8:30am asking whether you could please join her in the conference room you know exact...
Auto-nomy
The topic of this post is cars and how I no longer have one.
Gumbo
Yeah, so, I’m supposed to be posting about my car. Some things are far, far more important. One of those things is gumbo.
Impromptu Split Pea Soup
I interrupt this personal retrospective to bring you a random recipe.
New city, new home
The commute had become a drag. A walk/ride to the BART station followed by a bit of a train ride and then either bus or bike to the office. All told it could...
New Job
Six years at my first job in California. Six years at my second. Hmm…
March? Really!?
Judging from the date of the prior post (March, 2011) it appears I’ve been more than a little remiss in the blog updating. This is a shame as rather a lot ha...
Foraging the East Bay
I signed up for one of Forage SF’s Wild Food Walks. It was an excellent use both of my time and money. Our guide, Kevin Feinstein, wasn’t only knowledgable b...
Step Away From the Box
Today’s dinner took less than twenty minutes for me to throw together and was far superior than anything you’d ever get from a box:
Ginger Stewed Okra
This is inspired by—but a pale copy of—the okra at Shalimar{.broken_link} in SF. Shalimar, BTW, is one of my favorite places to eat in this most foodie of ci...
The ABC’s of my net usage
Chrome has become my primary web browser. It has this nice feature where it pays attention to the sites you visit and then later, as you type into the Locati...
Dosun J-1 Safety Pedals
{.broken_link}Pun entirely intended, but these pedals are brilliant.
2010
Green Curry Pork and Squash Stew
Because, well, some people like it hot…
Lamb and Barley Stew
Last weekend I had the pleasure of having Nicole visiting for a couple of nights. Eric and Chrissy came over a couple of times to hang out.
Impromptu Pork and Hominy Stew
I stopped at the farmers’ market{.broken_link} today on the way back from the office. My “shopping list” was a $20 bill that was burning a hole in my pocket ...
Nu-cu-lar [sic]
And with the purchase of a new microwave I’ve returned to modern American culture. Well, OK, I still don’t own or watch TV (and don’t intend to) so perhaps ...
Hissy Fit: The cats have a blog
Pathetic though it may be, Nigel and Percy now have their own blog. Hopefully this will help this blog from being overrun with posts starting like “The cats ...
Dinner a’la Saint Julia (Child)
A gratuitous post, simply because I haven’t done it in a while and need to ease back into it. Plus, well, I’m showing off.
How to Make Yogurt
OK, let’s get something clear right out of the gate: Making Yogurt Is Stupid Easy. No, really. That stuff you spend so much money for at the store? Requires...
Kobo Kozy
Welcome the handmade Kobo Kozy into the world.
Essential Technology
There are some bits of technology that I’ve come to rely on more than I’d care to admit. Some are there to help simplify{.broken_link} my life, some just bec...
Favorite Slippers: Saved!
These are my favorite slippers, saved from the brink of death today.
Hurrah! The conversion is finally complete!
After much hemming and hawing and more than a little foot-dragging the project to move FirstStep from the (slightly flaky) home server to the (awesomely stab...
Whoops: User accounts lost in the move
OK, big mea culpa here. It appears the user accounts were not included in the migration to the new hosting service.
Almost done…
The migration of FirstStep from the home server to Dreamhost is almost complete. What you’re looking at right now is being hosted there but, alas, it’s only...
Testing the new setup!
WordPress, I love you. This transfer from the home server to the hosting service is going swimmingly so far.
Possible service interruption
Greetings, all!
Support Dennis!
{.broken_link}For the past few years around this time I make a post requesting that people help sponsor my friend Dennis as he does his yearly San Francisco ...
Anger
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel. Click for more.
Music library, I ♥ you.
Total Tracks: 30,205 Total Albums: 2,351 Total Artists: 3,068 Total Genres: 148 Total Playing Time: 2225:35:05
Book Review: Mistborn: The Final Empire
Two different friends recommended Mistborn: The Final Empire to me. Unlike The Anubis Gates this book wasn’t portrayed as anything other than good entertain...
Book Review: The Anubis Gates
A few months ago I received a second-hand book review from friend Z. “I was speaking with X and Y and they both said that The Anubis Gates was the best book...
First Impressions of Portland
Everyone I know who’s been to or lived in Portland has told me that it’s the sort of place that I would really like. Progressive, good food, geeky. Sounds pr...
WTF(ruit)?
Warning: cranky mini-rant ahead!
Surprise!
This past Sunday I was scheduled to meet a couple of friends for an early birthday dinner at Camino{.broken_link}. I’d been working in the yard all day so I ...
Aioli Woes
They say it happens to everyone eventually. I mean, you just can’t keep going and going without a failure from time to time, that’s what they say.
An unhappy one month anniversary
It occurred to me this morning that today is the one month anniversary of Moira’s death. As the blog is now running again I can post this, which was sent out...
Back in the saddle again
So, yes, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Hell, for that matter it’s been a while since the damn blog was even up…
2009
Fromage Fort
So you’ve just hosted a party (or two) and now are the proud owner of an assortment of ends and bits and oddments of various cheeses.
Nucular [sic] Experiments
I’ve been without a microwave for about two weeks now. It’s curious just how inured we’ve become to this instant gratification thing. “What?! I have to wa...
Book Review: Sandman Slim: A Novel
I’ll try desperately to avoid spoilers in this review. My advance apologies should that attempt fail.
Anniversary
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No More Nukes
My first microwave was functional and that’s about it: no temp control, just a dial for time and a button to open the door. I found myself wanting more.
How not to save money
I’ll be camping this weekend so I’ve started preparing for that. From the last camping trip I know that the batteries are dead in my headlamp. This morning I...
District 9
Yesterday I caught a matinee of District 9. My nutshell review:
IT Frustrations
If there are any readers left out there they’ve undoubtedly noticed that FirstStep has been unreachable for a while. It’s a continuation of the server/networ...
Purge
Today’s task: clean the house. It’s been ignored for almost a month and the place had gotten out of control: clothes and shoes everywhere, tufts of cat fur l...
No phone!
Image courtesy of icanhascheezburger
Dinner tonight
My evening’s plans were unexpectedly changed, leaving me with time at home to make…
Sorry for the intermittent downtime
Internet > router > server, MacBook, Squeezeboxes, iPhone, neighbor laptops..
Serendipity!
Photo by: Max Johnson There are a lot of meetings on my calendar this week, so during today’s lunch I went for a walk to get out of the office and decompress...
TV Free?
I admit to being somewhat conceited because I haven’t had TV—broadcast or cable—for the past nine years. Sure, I’ve had a television set, but it’s only used...
New look
After a great deal of yak shaving the blog has finally been updated, software, theme and all.
The Ten Stages of a Dinner Party
Unless you’re very experienced in such things or you just don’t give a flying fig, when planning a dinner party you can expect to pass through the following ...
Insert Geeky Gleeful Squeal Here
I walk up to my door, later than usual. Grab the mail. Acknowledge the unintelligible greetings of my neighbors with a big smile and a wave. Fumble for my ke...
Fox Theatre, Oakland: Serious Contender for Best Venue in the Bay Area
This past Saturday Guy, my friend Vanessa and I attended a Cake concert at the newly renovated Fox Theatre in Downtown Oakland.
Croc Socks
Please welcome the Croc Socks into the world!
It's a Sweater!
It’s a sweater! A blue sweater! A blue sweater of Peruvian highland wool! And I made it! With these two hands of mine! And it fits! And it looks good! I can ...
Packing
I’ll be in DC in less than a week and have been creating a list of things which I need to pack. The list has been a work in progress for a short while and to...
Gryphons, Geeks and Goodness
A few weeks ago some friends and I got together to go see Bruce Campbell in-person doing a Q&A following a showing of his latest movie, My Name is Bruce.
2008
Apple Pie with a Bacon Lattice Top
That pie crust which foiled me so soundly a couple of weeks ago? I can now reveal what it was for…
Pastry Hubris
On Sunday I’ll be attending a Pre-Thanksgiving meal down south. My contribution will be dessert and I’ve decided that dessert will be a pie.
It all started with a call to Tom…
To say I’ve been busy lately would be putting it mildly. I haven’t had time to do laundry let alone keep up with friends. Once some of the pressure dissipate...
Well, that was fun
For very large values of “fun,” that is.
Your Lateral Deltoid and You
The muscle marked in red is the lateral deltoid. I do not recommend damaging this muscle, as it seems to factor into just about every single frakking movemen...
Not Enough Attention to Go Around
Time suck roll call! On a daily basis I…
Vote Vote Vote
The baby stoat pretty much says it all: I voted, b***es, and did so from the comfort of my own dining room table thanks to my lovely permanent mail-in voter ...
Plum Wine Progress Report #2
When last I reported on the Plum Wine it had been racked from primary into secondary with the intention of re-racking every two weeks.
Dinner tonight
It’s been far too long since we’ve had a food post around here (probably because I’ve been too busy to cook, but let’s not discuss that). Time to correct that.
Someone is grounded
This evening I finally got around to hanging some stuff on the living room wall. During that process a piece of hardware fell behind the couch. While I was r...
A public Happy Birthday to Pater Familiae
Yup, The Dad is celebrating a birthday today. He’s the Birthday Princess and therefore gets to do whatever he wants today.
OK, that does it
I arrived home today, dragging my tired self up the front porch steps. Fumbling for my keys my gaze fell on the porch wall.
MacBook status update
If you recall, back at the start of August I went Mac. I’m here now to tell you how that transition is coming along[*].
Thief!
I’m incensed!
Moira's Representin'
Picture courtesy of Herr Strobel This evening we all got the pleasure of meeting Shelly, the woman who very generously (and understandably) has moved from B...
I think I over did it
Sundays have become my day to clean up from the week behind and prep for the week ahead. That usually involves doing a lot of cooking so I won’t have to worr...
Camping: Kaspian Campground at Lake Tahoe
Last weekend was a day longer than normal so I could go camping with Eric and Anneke. After an extensive search we located the Kaspian Campground along the n...
Bad kitty! Bad!
This morning I woke up with Moira curled up under the covers and my arm around her. Very cuddly and comfortable and cute. I carefully extracted myself so as ...
Plunge Taken. I've gone Mac.
You may have noticed (or may not) but “work stuff” is a verboten topic here on FirstStep. It’s one of many, really, but it’s definitely near the top of the l...
Requiem for a Local Homebrew Store
In November I moved back to the East Bay. It took me a while to settle in but eventually things were in such a state as they could support a little brewing a...
Plum Wine Progress Report
An update on the plum wine process (aka “ordeal”)…
Carnitas Dinner
My expected plans for Saturday fell through, leaving me temporarily rudderless. Then I got a yen for trying to make carnitas again. No single human should be...
Dr. Horrible!
I almost never post during the day. I almost never post merely for the purpose of linking to another site. But for Dr. Horrible I’ll make an exception.
Plum Wine
People tell me I’m pretty bright. Evenings like this really make me wonder why they say that…
Friends == w00t!
I had a trying day at the office today. No details forthcoming, just believe me that it wasn’t the easiest day on record.
Pintos!
I admit to being a bean snob. I usually eschew “supermarket” varieties in favor of something heirloom or just about anything from Rancho Gordo. But yesterday...
WALL-E
I won’t ruin the movie for others by saying anything specific about it. I’ll just say that I very much enjoyed it and am pleased to be able to recommend it t...
Climbing back onto the wagon counts as exercise, right?
Things got a bit harried around here in April. Stuff. Things. Issues, perceived and real. They all added up so to gain a little coping time I started skippin...
Mid-day Cafe
As I type this I’m sitting in a cafe, drinking a decaf americano and attempting to pound out some projects for work. From the fact that I’m posting on my blo...
Culinary Experimentation Gone Right
I don’t know what prompted me to do it. I don’t know the source of the idea. All I know is that it worked. The recipe sounds downright bizarre, I know, but t...
To the Unknown Driver
Dear Mister Driver of the Biodiesel VW in Front of Me on the Freeway Onramp on My Way Home from the Movie:
Best. Neighbors. Ever.
One of my upstairs neighbors dropped by my place the other evening. She, saint that she is, came bearing two baby hops plants. Hops! Real hops! No, we don’t ...
Well that just figures.
I’m out of the office all this week. You could say that I’m on vacation but as I’m on call for a project at work it’s not all fun and games. It’s not looking...
Indoctrinated
I spent this evening hanging out with dear friends at a pub. It was a really casual, relaxing and fantastic evening spent with people whom I both love and re...
Happy Birthday, Paul
June 4, 1974 – August 31, 2003
craigslist ROCKS
Part of the grand plan I have for my home office is to make it more project-worthy. Buy a sewing machine[*], buy a table in which to hide it, use the table f...
Email is down
Comcast is currently experiencing technical difficulties with their email. It looks like their MX servers are accepting the messages rather than bouncing the...
One. More. Night.
It’s been about two weeks since we were struck by the Attack of the Weak Geriatric Feline Bladder and we’ve been sleeping on the couch since then. The two of...
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Marc and I met in Berkeley on Sunday to catch a 2:15pm matinee of the new Indiana Jones movie. I entered the theatre with low expectations, fueled by the ver...
My kitchen is the source of good things right now
I’ve been working in the kitchen all evening and my house smells fantastic because of it. The culprits:
All hail me!
Today is Victoria Day. An entire country gets the day off just to celebrate me. Ain’t that considerate of them? Well, that’s Canadians for you. I think it’s ...
LOST: My happy place
I am not a happy camper right now. Not in the least bit. I’ve been avoiding posting about this since there’ve been far too many cat-related entries of late b...
Muahaha!
Diabolical plan commenced!
Support Dennis in the San Francisco AIDS Walk 2008
I just received the following message from my good friend Dennis:
Don't Touch Me
No, don’t touch me. Don’t even look at me. Just get out of here already, would you?
The Nine Chilli Dinner
Inspired by some of the posts of Steve from Rancho Gordo, today’s dinner was a tribute to the almighty chilli. A total of nine different chillis were involve...
Big Softie
Sure, I’m a busy professional gal on the go. Working a lot, socializing a lot, always on my way to or from something (or both, more likely), always with too ...
Forbidden Island's Kill Devil Rum Club
A while back I posted about my first visit to Forbidden Island Tiki Bar in Alameda. Near the end of that post I mentioned that I’d like to learn a bit more a...
Huh
I just discovered that for the past three or so months my washing machine has been hooked up backwards with the hot water hose going to the cold spiggot and ...
Coach Sushi
About a month and a half ago I met someone at a sushi gathering at Drunken Fish. “Yeah, this is pretty good,” she said, “but I still enjoy Coach Sushi better.”
The Natural History of the Chicken
[ Editor’s Note: For the curious I answer that no, this is not an April Fool’s post. I don’t have the energy for that sort of thing right now. Want great Apr...
I need book suggestions
I’ve been in a reading slump lately. It’s been, um, longer than I care to say since I actually completed a book that I started reading and if I recall correc...
Closed for business
I was both hunky and dorey with having a wide-open wireless router when it didn’t affect anything. Sure, drop on by and leech my bandwidth. I’m obviously not...
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
I needed the space. I hadn’t used them for years and years. They were big and heavy and, unfortunately, beloved. But they had to go because, again, I needed ...
Homemade Crackers are Crazy Easy
Tomorrow I’m joining some friends at an Easter-ish gathering. Aside from my two friends and their dog I’ll know no one there. The invite asked that people br...
Bean Recipe Template
By now any regular reader of FirstStep knows that I like beans. They’re just so darn useful and tasty besides.
Shiny! Coffee! Shiny! Coffee!
Would you LOOK at that thing? Can you even bear gazing upon the beauty of this object? Doesn’t it fill you with awe and an overwhelming lust to own it? It d...
This is my cat. This is my cat on drugs.
When a body gets old things start to break down a bit. It’s no different for cats or for humans. At almost eighteen years old, Moira has had bad arthritis in...
I'm alright with computers again
It took about 1.5 hrs (which included time to cook dinner), but wireless is once again working on the old Toshiba laptop.
I Hate Computers
Hate. Loathe. Strongly dislike.
We need some changes around here
Heads up, all. For a while now a number of things have bugged me about this version of the blog:
sproing
My brain. I think I broke it.
Take your stereotypes and…
I live in what is often called an “urban” neighborhood. In common parlance the word “urban” usually translates to “black” or, if you’re feeling very politica...
Never a dull moment
ZOMG. I haven’t even lived the next week yet and I’m already tired…
I be illin'
Three colds in one season? That’s a some sort of a record for me, and not a good one.
Another prolonged absence
Yes, I know. I’ve been remiss in posting. Again.
Successful dinner party
This evening I hosted my first official sit-down dinner party in my new apartment. The menu:
Today's accomplishments
Created a lovely (to look at and eat) blood orange-rosemary sorbet Got rid of more crap that’s been taking up space in my house Voted for the first ti...
Space Food Sticks!
Every once in a while I find myself thinking something like, “Remember those weird food stick things we used to get when we were kids? What in the hell were ...
Mine Goes to Eleven
Last night I went to bed at almost 10pm.
Beautiful Column of Porculence
Get a load of this:
Oldie but Goodie
This video has been around for a long time. The link has been sent to me by a number of people and I re-watch it every time it arrives. It never fails to get...
R&R
Mom Strohmeyer, this one’s for you! 🙂
Spin
This year heralds the start of my tenure in a spinning class at my gym. I’m there for an hour every Tuesday and Thursday night (with lunch hours MWF spent on...
Mushroom fairy
My neighbor from across the street, Junior, just stopped by. A friend of his in a town across the hills (Moraga) bequeathed him with a ton of freshly-picked ...
Finally!
I hosted a party at my place on New Year’s Day. During the party a friend notified me that the carpet in the office was wet and advised that I may wish to lo...
Fondue De Poulet À La Creme
Has it really been more than a month since I posted? Criminy. Sorry about that, folks. I let myself get distracted by life and work and petty things like tha...
2007
Bisara
This past Saturday I was unpacking when I came across a pound of dried, shelled fava beans which I had purchased a while ago from Phipps Country Store and Fa...
Alexander String Quartet at San Francisco State University
This weekend’s concert: The Alexander String Quartet at San Francisco State University{.broken_link}. This performance was a part of the Morrison Artists’ Se...
I finally have Serenity
It required compiling xine, xine-ui, libdvdcss and libdvdread from source code, but Moira and I can finally watch Serenity on DVD on my laptop!
Hmm…protein, perhaps?
I left the office early today so I could come home and work some more (easier to focus on some things when there aren’t people around). On my way home I stop...
East Bay Update
In a comment on another post, Tom asked how the return to the East Bay was going. Rather than bury my response in a comment it becomes its own post.
OK, magic brew, kick in
Weeks of dodging the colds of coworkers and friends and days of long hours of work followed by short hours of sleep. It’s all trying to catch up to me today,...
Vegetable stew
I’ve been eating pretty badly lately. Lots of crackers and cheese. Lots of carbs and fats. Not so much on the veggie end of the foodchain and, boy, can I tel...
David Grossman at Nomad Cafe
Yet another advantage to moving back to the East Bay: wicked cool live music for free.
ROCK! BAND!
It’s been a long weekend so far, both literally and figuratively. More figuratively. So I was very grateful to receive an email saying, “We have Rock Band! C...
JR, a history lesson is in order
Please answer this:
Rum is a mystery
This evening a friend and I went to Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge on the island of Alameda. I’ve never seen to many fruity tiny umbrella-festooned beverages i...
Boccalone
“Tasty Salted Pig Parts!”
Measure twice, Deliver once
Part of the appeal of this space is that I can have a washer/dryer here. So naturally I ran out and bought some, scheduled to be delivered today.
Wired Science
I felt the need to veg on the couch a little tonight. Normally that would involve watching a DVD. Unfortunately, the DVD player and other stuff from the ente...
Home-cooked dinner
Tonight was the first time in…um…many moons that I was able to cook anything. I’ve been living off of take-out, leftover take-out and boxed frozen food from ...
Quirks of my new flat
I have neither mailbox nor mail slot in the door The bedroom closet has no hanger rail, only some hooks along the wall There is a plug for an electric...
Purge
In the process of unpacking I’m finding myself picking up certain items and saying to myself, “WTF? When did I last need/use/touch/think about/lay eyes on th...
Uninspired
So much to do. Work stuff. House stuff.
Damn you, Ants!
You followed me here! What started out as an innocent attempt to make espresso turned into a pre-dawn ant massacre.
We're Back!
FirstStep is back up and running in its new home in Oakland. The server is one of the few things in the flat which is up and running, thanks to Marc who plug...
Downs and Ups
Things I will miss about living in Petaluma:
Downtime Friday – Sunday
FirstStep will be going down for transportation on Friday evening. Depending upon network availability I hope to get it back up and running on Sunday sometim...
Imposition
My current landlord called. Seems they already posted the place but didn’t bother to ask me about my schedule.
Lack of Foresight
Thanks to Guy and Megan over 80% (maybe as much as 90%) of my apartment is packed.
It's Official: I'm returning the the East Bay
As of November 1st I will officially once again be a resident of the East Bay. Oakland, to be specific.
Rare
I don’t eat much red meat and when I do it’s usually in the presence of the Albertellis (cannot…resist…the…BBQ…).
David Finckel and Wu Han at San Francisco State University
While at dinner last week my friend Laura told me about a free concert that she and Beth would be attending this weekend. “Free?” ask I. “Free!” says she. “F...
Pickled Turnips Unleashed
Those neon pink things in the salad above? Yeah, those are the pickled turnips. They’re really great to look at, but how do they taste? Meh, they’re OK. A b...
And the hunt is off
The house hunt is over. And not for the reason you think.
Pickled Turnips
Last Friday was kind of rough so instead of cooking food I stopped by Whole Foods and picked up a little smorgasbord of Middle Eastern nibbles: hummus, baba ...
Um…I don't know how to answer that
Today my last task before leaving the office was to meet with the head of this company with which we’re considering doing business. We sit. We talk. We make ...
Ants: Further Inspiration to Move
As though bolstering were needed, the rain yesterday something with it which does in fact further bolster my desire to move.
Call for backup!
Finally, after saying for months (years?) that I was going to do it, a lovely shiny external harddrive is winging its way to me. No more need I fear losing m...
Balance
It’s all about balance.
The hunt is on
I love my little town. I love my apartment. I love my massive kitchen with its acres of counter and storage space and its two skylights.
Cena Romana: Must
The Romans liked their wine. They liked their wine so much that it was a common ingredient in their food. Not only wine, but wine by-products were called int...
Cena Romana: Herbs
I’ve reached the next hurdle in my preparations for the Cena Romana: the seasonings. In my review of the recipes it seems that regardless of the menu I selec...
The advantage of waking at 4am
Today I woke up at 4am and despite my best attempts could not go back to sleep. I got up before 6am. Since then I’ve…
Is there such a thing as too much hops?
Last week, during my weekend off, I did in fact start another batch of beer. This time it’s a West Coast Ale courtesy of The Oak Barrel in Berkeley.
Remiss
There are so many people out there whom I owe an email or some other social contact. Rest assured that the reason you haven’t heard from me isn’t that I don’...
Latest eMusic acquisitions
Usually I know down to the hour when one of my two eMusic accounts is about to roll over. Yesterday it snuck up on me, so I was pleasantly surprised to see 7...
Mom's Birthday Socks
Finally! Mom has received her very belated birthday gift and I can post about it.
Viking Helmet
Behold! I give you a Knitted Viking Helmet! Handmade for Marcus Camillo Henry Capua, born August 4th, 2007.
Dick Dale at the Mystic Theatre
Remember that bit on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack? You know, that one where you hear a snippet of audio of Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer)...
Tentative date for the Roman Feast
In honor of the garum I hope to stage a Roman Feast on Saturday, November 10th.
Free Weekend?
What do you mean I don’t have anything planned for the weekend? I have a Dick Dale concert planned for Friday, don’t I? OK, so it’s a show that I can walk to...
Jonathan Coulton at the Great American Music Hall
It came late in the week, the IM saying, “Spare ticket for Jonathan Coulton[*] at the GAMH this Friday. Interested?”
Fed Up with the Attitude
After the gym, while eating dinner, before diving into a little more work, I often sit here and catch up on my food blogs. I don’t read many but one of the f...
Whole Beast Feast at Incanto
In May some of us attended Incanto’s Head to Tail Dinner. While we were there we learned of Incanto’s Whole Beast Feast. This special meal requires renting o...
YAWN
Yesterday I woke up over half an hour late. Had traffic not sucked I’d still have gotten to work on time, but, alas, suck it did and I arrived late. Then I p...
Good idea: Grapes. Bad idea: Smoked Grapes
I was standing around in my kitchen on Saturday, cooking things as I’ve been known to do from time to time, and just randomly thinking. One of the things I t...
Onion Tart
How long has it been since I last did some serious cooking? I see the potsticker experiment and the ratatouille, but those were back at the start of July. Ye...
Garum! Garum Colatura!
The garum has finally arrived! HUZZAH! The collision of my inner food geek with my inner Classics geek is now complete!
And speaking of pleas for attention…
And now, my daily moment of passive aggresion.
"Look at meeeeeee!"
I acquired a receipt from REI on Sunday. While cleaning out my bag the receipt ended up on my coffee table and from there was blown onto the living room floor.
Avenue Q at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco
In 2004 Avenue Q took the six Tony Awards, including the coveted “Best Musical.”
Cotati Accordion Festival
I know what you’re thinking. “An accordion festival? What, are you completely daft or something? You musically masochistic maniac, you.”
Is there a fish doctor in the house?
My office sports many things. There’s a life-sucking couch. There’s a comfy reading chair. There’s indirect lighting. There’s a lot of funky decorating a’la ...
Zappa Plays Zappa at the Berkeley Community Theatre
Zappa Plays Zappa? Dweezil Zappa and his band of young upstarts playing the music of Frank?
ARGH!!
I only have one memory card for my camera. When it filled up during my trip I dumped the files from the card onto Tom’s laptop then transferred them to my ho...
DC, days 5, 6, 7, 8
Day 5: As expected, a lot of lounging about. Coffee, pancakes, New York Times on the porch in the morning, followed by a few hours spent with the NYT Sunday ...
DC, days 3 and 4
Day 3: On a whim I (intentionally) got off at the wrong Metro stop so I could walk and see more of the city. It coincidentally came up next to the National P...
DC, days 1 and 2
Day 1: Up at 2:30am to walk a mile to the shuttle bus which would take an hour to get me to the airport where I’ll sit for two hours before getting on a plan...
A Quick Round-up of Food-Related Links
A few links to keep ya’ll occupied during my absence:
Vacation prep
V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N! That’s right, vacation is imminent and preparations are in full swing. About this time on Wednesday I’ll…um…OK, I’ll probably still be on a ...
Gone Analog. Lend a Hand.
A few months ago I almost lost my cellphone. That was a bit of a reality check as it dawned on me that the only phone number I remember anymore is my own. I ...
Just not up for the cooking thing
Sure, this weekend I “threw together” a dish of chicken poached in a salsa made of four different peppers, tomatoes and other veggies, all blackened and pure...
Worry
This morning while racing around trying to get out the door and to the office in time for a conference call with our overseas contractors I noticed something...
Do Not Disturb!
Walking back into my office my eyes landed on my desk. Sitting there on the corner was Bob’s copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. A jolt of exciteme...
Pseudo-impromptu show tonight
That Patty Griffin show I figured I’d take in to tick July off my list? Yeah, well, it turns out it’s not on the 28th as I mis-remembered. Nope, it’s tonight...
Well, that's reassuring
On the way home from the gym today I dropped by the store. One of the things I picked up was a bottle of peach-flavored O Water. It’s sitting here next to me...
La la la I can't hear you la la la
Bob has the right idea: don’t even look at the web until he’s done reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Consuming the music
A few months ago I resubscribed to eMusic. I’d been a member years ago then left because they changed their pricing structure. Since I’ve been back it’s beco...
Fun with Headlines
A headline in the Science section of Yahoo! News: Giant telescope begins scouring space
New rule
When I enter a house (or my office) I usually remove my shoes. The same goes for my own place. I just like not wearing shoes. It’s a thing.
German games
Tomorrow the Albertellis and I are converging on Marc’s house for some much needed and very overdue board gaming action. This event is in my Google Calendar ...
Woooosh!
For a change all of the ozone-killing gas in my town isn’t coming from the belching dairy cows (which might outnumber people around here).
Back to the fold
I’m turning into some sort of vaguely human-shaped amorphous blob. I haven’t worked out since before I broke up with my gym two weeks ago. My self identity a...
Update on the New Year's Resolution
It’s been a while since I’ve updated my loyal readers about the progress on my New Year’s Resolution. Lest you think I’ve been failing in my promise…
"Potsticker" Experiment
Today I finished off a culinary experiment started earlier this week during my mini-vacation. Pictured here you see potstickers. Sort of.
Ratatouille
Talk to me for more than a few minutes (or just glance at this blog) and you’ll find out that I know and enjoy food.
Mini-vacation
A month or so ago I was looking at the work calendar. “July 2-4: Vicky on PTO.” PTO? I took days off? When did that happen? Man, I’m a frickin’ genius!
Unidentified Stew
Alright, it’s kinda pretty. All colorful. A little green. A little yellow. A little white. A lot of red. And it smells really good, sitting there on the stov...
Potential downtime next week
I have a few days off next week, so I might finally take the opportunity to upgrade a few things around here. This may require that FirstStep be offline for ...
Decadent risotto
Shallots, very dry champagne (French, of course), carnaroli rice, Coupe saffron, Parmesan Reggiano.
The Genius of xkcd
The webcomic xkcd rarely fails to entertain. Randall Munroe, the mastermind behind the comic, has brought us such classics as IN UR REALITY (reference to the...
Dear John^H^H^H^H Gym:
I’m sorry, but this relationship just isn’t working for me anymore. Yes, earlier on we had some laughs, but you’ve changed. There’s that flashy new look you’...
Giant Grasshoppers!
The headline spotted on Boing Boing today: Polk City residents hopping mad over giant grasshoppers{.broken_link}. I had to click through. I just had to.
Weekend Culinary Adventures
This morning I hosted a brunch for my friend, her husband and their two-year old daughter. The last time we got together it was at their house and they serve...
Coach?
I’m sitting here working and I happen to have a look at the playlist currently running on my Slim Server.
Food in Pompeii
There is a restaurant in <href =”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii”>Pompeii. Like all things in that town it’s there for the tourists, serving up bi...
This Unit is Field Serviceable
For those who follow such things, I’ve started contributing to a new blog. This Unit is Field Serviceable is a blog devoted to hiking, backpacking, camping a...
Yes, I have been remiss
Sorry for the lack of posts lately, folks. I’ve been keeping overly busy with work and neglecting my bloggly duties. Sometimes life intervenes. These things ...
2007 Rutherford Hill Winery Wine Blending Party
Yesterday I joined my friends Jen and Kevin at the annual members-only wine blending party at Rutherford Hill Winery in Napa. They took me last year as well ...
Pardon the brief outage
I switched my domain name registrar this week and it finally took effect this morning. As a result of that my DNS records were all frobbed. They got de-frobb...
Spicy
My shipment has arrived from The Spice House. Yet another impulse purchase gone terribly correct, I’m sorry to say.
Customer
The following is the actual entry for “customer{.broken_link}” in Roget’s New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition:
My fridge has died
Yesterday I pulled some soy milk out of the fridge to put into my coffee. The light was on.
Reason #837 Why We Love Megan
Me: Megan! I found dessert for the BBQ on Monday! Bacon-Maple Cupcakes! Megan: That rocks! I’m doing it!
I Can Has Vacation?
Yes! V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!
Vote for Dennis!
My friend Dennis is trying to become a guest programmer for Turner Classic Movies. To enter the contest he had to create a video about why he loves classic m...
Incanto's Head to Tail Dinner, 2007
Back in March when I was making reservations for dinner at Incanto{.broken_link} with JR and Jen I noticed this in the event listing on the restaurant’s webs...
Experiments in Spongecake
For my birthday my folks got me the two volume set of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and Simone Beck.
Coffee Table Books
I feel the need to post but don’t have a topic. So instead I bring you a list of the books which are currently sitting on my coffee table. Almost all of them...
July 18, 1998
An auspicious day. This is the day when I adopted Moira. She was eight years old at the time. Today she’s seventeen and, according to her vet, fit as the pro...
Step 1: Admitting your addiction
Damn you, Trader Joe’s! Damn you and your damn tasty products!
Maybe next time
As happens all too often, life has intervened and my presence is required elsewhere tomorrow evening. This means no cheese show for me. It’s for the best, as...
Overheard on the walk home from the gym
Kid #1: “So I guess they don’t have drinks there or anything…” Kid #2: “Of course not, it’s f*cking Alcoholics Anonymous.”
OMGWTFCHEEZ!
I’ve been asked to attend a cheese show! For home cheese makers! And I don’t even make cheese!
Birthday Princess Weekend
Whence the concept of Birthday Princess Weekend? I don’t rightly recall, but I suspect that The Pig Overlords had something to do with it. Sounds like their ...
Panzanella: the forgotten salad
This morning I grabbed my loaf of Della Fattoria polenta bread and went to slice off a bit for breakfast. Solid. Well, not quite solid but pretty darn close....
I am not Web 2.0 compliant
Web 2.0 is all about interactions. It’s AJAX-enabled websites and social networking. It’s MySpace{.broken_link} and Zillow and pretty much all things Google....
Flumoxed and Perplexed
I was flumoxed. I was perplexed. I was downright boggled for over an hour.
Amazon Prime rocks my world
Last year my folks signed up for Amazon Prime. $80 a year gets you free two-day shipping on all applicable items without the $25 minimum order.
The State of the Stout
As promised, here’s a quick run-down on the initial steps of making the stout.
Viva El Closet!
Today is the day when the mead is finally bottled.
With, not To
I don’t usually want them to talk to me. Instead, I’d much prefer that they talked with me.
Interesting choice of name
On my drive home today I passed a van for a company called Candid Carpet Care.
Whine Gripe Grouse Complain
My one good outlet, the gym, is closed this week to finish their remodeling.
Correctly diagnosed
Breakfast and beyond
Which is better?
It’s nearing your logical bedtime. You didn’t sleep well the night before but you’re not feeling sleepy now. Do you:
Cheese makes me happy.
Mmm…cheese.
Feeling charged but not convenienced
That’s a 36% premium on top of the already not inexpensive ticket price.
Red Elvises at The Mystic Theatre
After a long day of Thai Brunch, train riding, hiking{.broken_link}, Guitar Hero{.broken_link} and onion strings with chipotle ketchup, the Albertellis and I...
The diet that shouldn't be
It’s the MRE Diet.
Whither bees?
The bees are going missing!
Indicative
I have a dentist appointment tomorrow. It’s been so busy lately that I’m actually looking forward to going to the dentist because it means I get to leave wor...
Earned a break
Accomplished today:
Pardon the downtime
There was an unexpected and thus far unexplained power outage here today, so the server went down.
Looking out the fishbowl
I got my first pair of glasses when I was in fifth grade.
Cheesemaking class!
For Christmas this past year Rat got me an introductory cheesemaking class at my local homebrew store.
Patty Griffin at the Warfield
Friday night March’s resolution obligation was fulfilled by seeing Patty Griffin{.broken_link} at The Warfield{.broken_link}.
Life is so unfair sometimes
It’s 70° and beautiful outside right now.
Some background on '300'
Some background on ‘300’
CRITTERS!
“CRITTERS! PET CRITTERS!”
So whatever happened to the mead?
So whatever happened to the mead?
Kettle corn
Until I moved out to California I had never heard of kettle corn. “What’s the deal? It’s popcorn.”
Misconceptions
Misconception: writing is easy. It’s just talking but, ya know, visual.
Happy New Year!
Chinese New Year Parade!
National Pig Day
March 1 is National Pig Day
Take Five
Five lists…
Kids
I’ve always held the idea that someday I’ll have children.
Coming out
All sides being equal…
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero! Dude, I’m SO gonna shred!
Dark Energy
While standing there in the bread section, searching in vain for sourdough hamburger buns, I noticed a blind woman having a rough go of navigating between th...
Gloating is bad
I was going to post about how beautiful the weather was here today.
Poor Impulse Control
As per my usual modus operandi Amoebae, I immediately headed over the the recent arrival section of the clearance rack and started flipping through discs.
Cake at Zellerbach Hall
Cake at Zellerbach Hall
Yeah, that's the stuff
Just thinking of going to Michigan will add five pounds to a person
Opportunity missed (again), but this time it’s recognized
This was the third time I’ve driven across country at breakneck speed.
Homecoming
Here’s the quick quick summary of the past three days…
"A lot of space in this mall…"
The movers have come. The movers have gone, taking all the stuff with them. Currently we sit in a house which is empty aside from some odds and ends, the pet...
The New York Times
Newspaper of discriminating packers. If you want to protect your fragile belongings while showing the world that you’re sophisticated and in the know, choose...
1° F
That’s the current temp in Ann Arbor.
Mac Vista?
It’s great to be a geek who’s easily amused.
Dr. Megan PhD!
Congrats to the lovely and talented Dr. Megan Albertelli, PhD!
Minimalism
For this upcoming trip I think I’m going to try to pare things down.
Whirlwind
My social life has officially gotten out of control.
The nose
I itched my nose.
How lucky am I?
Unfamiliar man, delivering a bouquet of flowers
Maximum Density
I’ve essentially maxed out my current CD capacity.
Ventilation
A couple of weeks ago I was told that I’d received the equivalent of a big ol’ promotion at work.
Oxtail Stew
About once a year I get up the gumption to make my oxtail stew.
R. I. P. Michael Brecker
The jazz world has lost a valuable asset. Michael Brecker, tenor sax player, died yesterday from complications of Leukemia.
Wow. What a deal.
Can you beat a bargain like that?
I think I'm getting the shakes
There’s no email coming in. I think I’m getting the shakes.
Now that's depressing
Do yourself a favor and don’t look at Box #2* on your W-2 form until you absolutely have to.
Buster Williams at Yoshi's
Buster Williams at Yoshi’s
Bad Girls?
“Don’t Stand So Close to Me” contains a line which has always intrigued me
Megan's Defense Date and Party
You’ve all wondered if it would happen.
New Year's Party a Success
No hostesses were harmed in the making of this party, despite their fears to the contrary…
Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2007, everyone! It’s good to be here with you and I look forward to spending the year together!
2006
Resolve
I normally avoid New Year’s resolutions
Shame on you, Pepperidge Farms
Not being insane enough to make my own puff pastry I went out and bought some. There were two kinds available: the $6.00 Pepperidge Farms and the almost $10 ...
Malt vinegar, anyone?
What happens when you take five gallons of wort intended to become oatmeal stout, get all distracted and wrapped up in the petty dramae and tragediae of your...
Check Engine
The ‘Check Engine’ light had come on
Unintentional downtime
The power blipped last night, so the server went down and stayed down all day until I could get home to restart it.
Bacon Brittle
Yes, that really is candy which contains bacon (and pecans). It’s not as strange as it sounds.
Christmas Traditions
Merry Christmas, everyone. May it be sincere and joyous and end with Christmas pizza.
Knowledge gained
When making a cranberry tart (gingersnap crust, pastry cream filling, topped with cranberries), don’t steep ginger in the milk for the cream. Ginger, it turn...
An addiction to some is a hobby to others
The outcome of the latest trip to Amoeba
My numbers in the polls
Every once in a while in Calvin and Hobbes Calvin would walk up to his father, clipboard in hand, and inform his father of how he was doing in the household ...
[FirstStep] Please moderate: "Just too much"
FirstStep has started getting comment spam for crap like mortgages and penny stocks
Latex
Semi-gloss. I’m sick to death of the stuff. Most of my weekend has been devoted to repainting my kitchen. Aside from an abundance of trim pieces (which will ...
Best of 2006?
Oh, the ignominy of the musical minority!
Preemptive Freak Out
This year my hubris got the better of me.
Culinary accomplishments (and one bomb)
Accomplishments:
MISSING: Holiday Spirit
LOST: Holiday Spirit. Last seen in vacinity of Northern California at the end of December, 2005. If found, please call immediately. Reward of cookies and ...
More iPost Holiday Gala Pics Available
More iPost Holiday Gala Pics Available
iPost Holiday Gala
Yesterday was the Second Annual iPost Holiday Gala.
I love San Francisco
What’s not to love?
A Green Christmas
No trip to Michigan for me this year
Drugs
This is the lazy girl’s post today, as I’m just cribbing most of it out of an email I received from a coworker.
van Leeuwenhoek was right
Whence the moth?
I give up
My grand plans have been derailed
Thanksgiving with the Glicksteins
Oh, the humanity…
MeSsaGE TO mOIrA
wE Are KiDNAppINg yOUr PerSOn ThIS thuRSDaY
Trader Joe-san's Sparkling Sake
Sparkling sake? Sure, I’ll give that a go.
I'm going to be a gallery owner
Bare walls no more! I shall cover them with art and then I shall sell it and make my fortune off the backs of the exploited artists!
Bonfante Gardens
Yesterday Andrea, Jonah, Archer and I went waaay down south to Gilroy to visit Bonfante Gardens.
Casino Royale
Blond Bond works for me
Joy!
The Albertellis are moving to my neck of the woods Real Soon Now&trademark;.
Gym!
I love my gym.
Facelift?
I’m experimenting with new themes.
MySQL Camp, part deux
I probably ought to say a bit more about the camp.
MySQL Camp
MySQL Camp on the Google campus
Aubergine Footwear
Behold! Socks!
Jonathan Coulton: Brilliant
Isn’t it enough that I killed a pony making something for you?
Irrationally high levels of crankitude
At some point during my commute home last night I seem to have driven through a thick bank of bad attitude.
Mercury transits the sun
Mercury transits the sun.
For those keeping track of the election…
…head over to NPR for good summary map and charts.
Oh yeah, baby. I've hit the big time now
That’s right. I’ve made it big in the blogosphere. It was a long time coming, but I’ve finally got there.
Whoops: down time
It seems we lost power here last night.
Tom Waits' Orphans
Good news for the two or three readers (aside from myself) who actually enjoy his work!
Fagles does it again
agles does a quite literally beautiful job of capturing the tone and spirit of the original.
For your entertainment
That ought to keep you out of trouble until I can get back.
ΚΑΙΡΟΣ
καιρος
Greatest? Really?
I just got done ripping my copy of Santana’s Greatest Hits. The album was originally released in 1974.
Weekend Culinary Plans: Success
If “success” is defined as “ticking everything off the to-do list” then this weekend can be considered one, culinarily speaking.
Planned Downtime: Monday, Oct. 16
FirstStep will be offline on Monday
Weekend Culinary Plans
The planned culinary conquests for the weekend
That's more like it
Thirty two minutes to travel twelve miles to work this morning.
Man, I gotta stop doing that
In twenty minutes I’m supposed to be at the office.
FirstStep Goes Pink for October
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
The "WTF?" Generator
Guy has the uncanny ability to get me to emit a “WTF?” more or less on demand.
Amused by spam
A snippet from a piece of spam
Beer-braised short ribs
Beer-braised short ribs
They might as well just come confiscate the damn thing
accedam bibamque ut Carrollium honorem. gaudeamus igitur! biberemus!
The apocalypse is nigh
Someone has seen fit to give Rachel Ray her own talk show.
PAW PAW!
“Paw paws: $4/lb”
Lemon-basil liqueur
Today I filtered and bottled a variation on the standard limoncello
Ewwwww.
That “funky smell” was my carpet.
I forgot how to write a "Q"
I’m sitting here doing my bills and have to write a “Q” but for the life of me I can’t remember which on which side of the “O” to put the little tail. Both ...
Insatiable
The process of re-ripping my entire CD collection has begun.
Humbling
I like to think I’m healthy and in pretty good shape.
Cow or pig?
Cow or pig?
Philadelphia Photos
In mid-August my coworker and I got to go to Philadelphia to set up a new data center.
Turn on stove, turn off mind
The trance of chopping, stirring and tending.
Well, hey, welcome back boys and girls
Eh, crashes happen.
Zoom zoom?
I just opened some mail from Mazda USA congratulating me for my purchase of a shiny new Mazda 3. In the envelope they’d included a “Zoom-Zoom” sticker.
More Italian than the Italians?
A few years ago a woman named Julie Powell decided to work her way through the entirety of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Mendocino to Lassen and back again
This year’s vacation was spent driving over 1000 miles and hiking what sometimes felt almost as far.
Leaving on a jet plane…
…don’t know when I’ll be back again.
The beauty in a bean
Chestnut Runner beans
Chocolate Liqueur
Guy and I have been doing a lot of experimenting with the making of liqueurs.
Facts and Rants
An almost political posting from yours truly…
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
I haven’t had a summer vacation.
The Gravensteins are here!
The Gravenstein apples are back in season again!
"But that's not what I ordered…"
I walked up to the counter at Peet’s and asked the gal on the other side to please give me a small Ethiopian.
Potentially putting it on pause
Ye Merry Olde Machine hasn’t had a backup in a dog’s year.
My reply to the Swedish scientists: Bring it on.
Eating processed meats raises stomach cancer risk?
Remiss as charged
No name yet selected for the ESB.
Ironically named object alert
Uplifting paperweight.
Cheeeeese, Grommit!
Drat, damn and blast! Oh, my kingdom for a house! Preferably with a nice dry basement!
A FirstStep Challenge
The commercial floral industry is a dirty, ugly thing. No, really it is. Few “agricultural” industries use quite as much gunk and chemicals on their products...
Hannah's First Birthday Princess Weekend
This past weekend I made my first ever trip to the Pacific Northwest to share in celebrating Hannah’s first ever birthday.
That's where they make the coffee, right?
I’m off to Seattle for the weekend.
ESB needs a name
In light of what happened the last time I asked this question I know that I’m going to regret this, but…
Some like it hot.
Some like it hot.
CAR!
ZOOM! ZOOM! ZOOM!
Fun with Live365
Today I’ve been hitting random stations in the list Editors’ Picks listing on Live365.
Happy Bastille Day!
Raise the ol’ red, white and blue, lift a glass of some fine (but not too fine) French wine, put on your copy of Rush’s Caress of Steel and party like it’s 1...
Ah, Syd. We hardly knew ye.
I’d say it’s the end of an era, but this one ended long ago. Nevertheless, attention must be paid.
Fare thee well, little car
We’ve had a good run, my little car and I.
Too much to read, too little time
As a peek into the Mind of Me, here, with minimal commentary, is a somewhat extensive list of the sites which I try to visit on a more or less regular basis
A "solution" for childhood obesity
This is truly pathetic
Catching up
So here, in no particular order, is a quick run-down of what’s been going on…
Unexpectedly delicious
Mint + … fish?
If I Had A Million Dollars
So what if you only got a few lotto numbers correct and only got $500? What would you do then?
Congratulations, Matt!
A best seller!
Mrs. Henderson Presents
I bring you observations made during a viewing of Mrs. Henderson Presents.
Oh, bliss! Thy name is Don Ellis.
My head might just explode from musically-induced joy.
Megan, I found it!
The answer to all your beet woes!
Pardon the outtage, ya'll
These things happen
Beer: The Tasting
OK. So? I’m impatient. So I opened a bottle of Browncoat before Sunday. So what?
Bottling the Browncoat Ale
The bottling for the Browncoat Ale, the first beer I’ve ever made.
The Name Of The Beer
The winning name for the Nut Brown Ale is…
Name my beer!
I’m hereby soliciting ideas for a name for this batch of beer.
Nut Brown Ale, Week #2
The foam has subsided from the top of the wort. The fermentation lock has slowed its bubbling. All sure signs that the ale was ready to be racked off into th...
It's official: I'm a Californian
Oh, it’s just an earthquake.
Support my favorite amphibian/poet!
Frog has a book!
Congratulations to JR and Jen!
JR and Jen to Wed!
Various updates
Activity on the brewing and alcohol front
Geek Holiday!
May the Fourth be with you!
Artichoke stems
Heart? Ha! I’ll show you some heart.
Birthday Princess Day
I get to have a mocha.
Funny like a truck
Goodnight mister. Goodnight miss. Mmmbye.
I'll be back?
This morning I created a gmail account to act as a black hole.
Happy Anniversary to me!
One year and counting
Um…why?
This week I had to buy new socks.
It must be magic. Black magic.
So today I bought a KVM switch for the office. Turns out I can’t use it (it’s USB, my peripherals are PS2). Drat. That means I have to return the blasted thi...
Mead professionals
I found myself in Santa Rosa today and took the opportunity to swing by The Beverage People for a little free advice. The very kind woman behind the counter ...
Thank you, Guy, for making me wait
When they were here in January, Guy and Megan raved about the new Battlestar Galactica.
Mead Update
The yeasties are still munching, albeit at a slower rate.
Leak?
Leak.
I'm a poor audience.
50 Greatest Independent Movies?
This weekend in food
Let the audience at home think I’d given the food thing a rest, here, briefly, is the weekend update.
What? Where? How?
I have a bad memory and realize it. Rather than fight against it I try and work with and around this little flaw, so I’ve become a creature of habit in order...
ACK!
What happened to my hair? What’d she do?
To 11
Sometimes you just can’t get the music loud enough.
Little Voice
People often need outside influences to do things they realize are good for them.
Are cows flammable?
Yes, they’ve got some potent gaseous emissions. And they cook up quite nicely in their “beef” phase of life. But can you torch a cow?
Flower necklace
Much procrastinating later I’ve finally finished my next “trial” piece of wire crochet. As with all of the others, this one takes the form of a necklace.
Enough is enough
Dammit, I live in California!
Little bits of happy
Those little birds that hang around cafes looking for crumbs Being warmed by the sun Puppy ears Sunlight through the trees Sleep
Munch munch
The almost weekly mead update.
Yay, beans!
Whenever someone takes a trip out of the country and asks whether they can bring me anything, my usual answer of late is, “Beans.”
That’s what blind faith will get you
One of this weekend’s other culinary projects was to make bread according to the recipe and method given by Alton Brown in his episode “Dr. Strangeloaf.”
Back to the ol’ grind
Many moons ago my parents gave me a food grinder attachment for my Kitchen-Aid mixer. It’s sat in my cupboard, doing little aside from taking up space. Unt...
Ack! Bloopage stopped!
What? The fermentation lock on the mead isn’t bubbling anymore? What does it mean?!?
Hi, honey
Back in the fall someone planted the idea in my head of making hard cider. That plan never worked out, but it did directly lead to the limoncello and other l...
Albums of my childhood
In no particular order, here are five albums that stand out from what might be called by some my “formative years.”
OK, so how's that work?
How exactly does one sell cars this way?
Meet the new logo
I’ve been thinking of changing the scenery around here for a while now. I’m not ready to commit to a whole new theme yet, but I’m OK with changing the heade...
Merry (somewhat belated) Christmas!
This year for Christmas the Albertellis requested a made-to-order afghan.
Sake Tasting with Beau Timkin
Sara and Marc are both alumni of Pomona College. Unlike my alma mater, people who graduate from Pomona seem to actually want to attend alumni functions. Ma...
Curious
A call just arrived on my cellphone. Good timing, as I was on my way out and probably wouldn’t have picked it up had I been in the car.
Naked Fruit, Part II
The limoncello turned out so well that I decided to try again.
A bug!
Though she never leaves the apartment, Moira has FLEAS!
Following the sun
The Albertelli visit to sunny CA.
Limoncello, The End
I decided to decant and bottle the limoncello.
Zoom!
The overcast skies, overhanging trees and under-populated area gave it a somewhat eerie feel.
The wonder food
Many of the FirstStep readers are already familiar with my infatuation with the lowly legume.
Experiment with wire #2
The first one worked well enough, so it was time to make something slightly more involved.
The problem with my office
This weekend’s project is to finish unpacking or otherwise dispatching the remaining boxes in the middle of my office floor.
Experiment in Wire
During my browsing of crochet literature I’ve seen a number of people mention crocheting with wire.
New Year’s Dinner
I think it’s becoming a tradition for me. Hosting an elaborate dinner to celebrate New Year’s Day, that is.
Welcome to 2006
A grand new year has begun. ‘Tis the season for writing the wrong date on all of your checks, don’t ya know.
2005
Now tell me again. What part of this is "wild?"
The movie Wild Strawberries finally bubbled to the top of my Netflix queue. Judging from the queue company it was keeping, I’m guessing that a couple of year...
Pink Pigs got Wings
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon this pattern for a winged pig{.broken_link}. As soon as I saw it I knew I needed to make it. I mean, it’s a crocheted pig wit...
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
The first installment of the Chronicles of Narnia has been released.
Grafitti in Petaluma
First class food in the North Bay?
Ice Blue Scarf
It’s not often that I purchase yarn with the express purpose of making something for myself, but this scarf is the exception.
Limoncello, Phase Two
On October 30th I began the process of making limoncello. Forty days later, on December 10th, it was time to move on to the next step.
Moooovie?
This morning I had to make an unscheduled trip home in order to take my ailing car to the mechanic.
Oh Sweet Mystery of Life At Last I’ve Found You
Oh, Sweet Sweet Squeezebox! Where have you been all of my life?
Snoopy Town
Charles M. Schultz lived and worked in Santa Rosa, California.
The Yearly Trek
The dates have been set for this year’s trip to the Great White North.
Rent
Which got my heartrate up higher today, interval training at the gym or walking home after seeing Rent?
Catherine Wheel Scarf
For a change I wanted to work on a project which could be finished in fairly short order rather than being dragged out for months upon months
Home is where you hang your hat
Wouldn’t a hat rack look simply smashing there? A nice old bent wood hat rack?
Mustela Sauceus
The combination of sauces and weasels. It’s so simple yet so brilliant. How could we have overlooked it all these years?
Hang a Left
Today I had a whole lotta nuthin’ on my agenda, so I decided to go for a little drive.
I live in the wrong darn state
A friend IM’d me a link to this house in East Lansing.
I just won’t stand for it, I tell you.
There is simply no excuse for sloppy HTML coding.
Halloween 2005
Hannah’s first Halloween
Better late than never
This baby blanket only 2.5 months late rather than the 3.5 it would otherwise be as I feel I’m owed that extra month.
Huh. I hadn’t anticipated that.
Today’s culinary project was to start the first phase of making limoncello.
PUPPY!
I want a puppy!
Smoke + Mirrors
I was talking to a friend at work today. In the discussion he stated that he was a geek, then fairly quickly recanted saying that he can be no such thing as...
Pardon the outtage
Um, whoops.
Congratulations, Jen!
This morning my friend Jen walked the Nike Women’s Half-Marathon.
How to eat when there’s "nothing" to eat
Gee, doesn’t it suck when there’s nothing to eat in the fridge?
A weekend of culinary madness
It feels like it’s been nothing but cook cook cook all weekend.
Bizarro World
In what must be a low-grade fit of madness, I once again started in on unpacking the boxes sitting neglected in my office.
Welcome back to the digital age
Please give a warm interweb welcome to my brand spankin’ new Canon PowerShot A520 digital camera.
IE issues
It’s come to my attention that viewing this site in IE results in a whole lotta ugly.
Minor outage
Blip.
California Roll Off
On Saturday I attended a high school marching band event here in Petaluma.
I found a peanut.
Something no one ever told me about before I moved up here, and which I never would have expected otherwise, is the wind.
I love my office
The company is great and the people are fantastic, but what I really love is the small dark room where I spend all of my time during the week.
No anonymous users here
Fair warning.
You mean it’s all mine?!?
I mean, like, ya know, the whole darn thing? Whoa that’s, like, cool.
Wrong in all the right ways
For those of you looking for weekend plans…
The written word is not dead.
You’d think that someone who doesn’t watch TV would have plenty of time to sit around and read to her little heart’s content.
Back to normal
We’re back to the boring ol’ Golden Gate Bridge again.
I am a goody-two-shoes. Usually.
When did I turn into this boring seemingly-self-righteous altruistic fuddy-duddy stick-in-the-mud?
ARRRR, ME HEARTIES!
FirstStep be flying different colors today.
Their loss.
How? Why? Why don’t people cook for themselves?
Bus: 1. Vicky: 0
groan OK, alright, I’m getting up already.
This is not a photo op
Almost the entirety of Saturday was spent in Napa with a cast of colorful and highly entertaining characters.
Now where did I leave my lips?
Six days from today (one week from yesterday), I go to my first practice with the Petaluma Community Band.
That's what I call intelligent design
Head to the farmer’s market right now and what do you see?
Just too much
Why is it there are still packed boxes of crap lying about my house?
ring ring
At this hour on a Sunday, that call could only be Dad.
Theme Wuhan
Here’s your next choice of themes. It’s called “Wuhan.”
Face lift
This week I’ll be trying out a few new themes for FirstStep. This is the first of them. It’s called “Almost Spring.” Needless to say, if you have an opinion ...
Death to the Blue Carpet
A few months ago I came to Petaluma to view an apartment. It was listed as 900 sq ft., the second floor of a Victorian close to downtown. When I got to the...
At Long Last!
Just a short post for now, but I couldn’t resist saying something now that First Step is finally back on the air (so to speak).