While interested in new technology like using mobile devices for various workflows, both my kids and I have gained an interest in old technology, fountain pens. We looked at fountain pens because in theory it helps folks who have issues with writing, and found that that writing with fountain pens is great! As long as you understand the angle you need to hold the pen to get the ink on the page, the pen just flows. No resistance. No scratching. Just nice writing.
Getting Back Into Blogging
Back Into Blogging
Read a Fascinating Article
I read an article in Fortune about Pinterest. The interesting point was that Pinterest helps you find things when you don't know what you want, whereas other websites only help you when you know what you want. It is also interesting in that the leading edge users are older female Midwesterners, not coastal hipsters.
Back to the Blog
New Device New Job
New Post
Have a new job. Came with an iPhone. New way to add posts to the blog. And the iPhone autocompletes the words, so it makes it easier to type the right words. Maybe in a few years, the iPhone will write the blog for me.
Espresso & Press - The Great Compromise
I have discovered the compromise between espresso coffee and French press coffee - put espresso coffee into the press!
Wow. It's Been a Month.
I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. August was incredibly busy and the beginning of September hasn't been much different. It's been very, very wet recently. Roads were washed out in surrounding counties, and driving around you'd see tree branches leaning against telephone wires, looking as though they would push down the lines any minute. Scary stuff. Shockingly wet, scary stuff.
Waffles...Round or Square?
Which tastes better, round waffles or square ones? Some people like round, some like square.
Personally, I like the leftover bits when you cut a square waffle into a round one. Or wait...was that cut a round into a square?
What do you like?
A Post From Space
A new post from a new device. This post was written on a smartphone. Great...I can now do mindless blithering from almost anywhere, anytime. Wonderful. I can't contain my excitement.
What Would You DO?
If you worked on a temporary basis as a paid intern or a contractor and you were invited to a team building activity like a group ice cream party, would you go? I think I would go if I was invited. My better half thinks it would be better to decline because your company or organization is paying you to work, not to socialize -- even if you are invited.
I think team building is an important activity and is beneficial for everyone to participate.
What do you think? What would you DO?
It's hotter than...
It's been hot this week. However, since I've been working all day and a good part of the night, I've actually been kinda cold. When you spend all of your time in a basement office of an air-conditioned house, with a fan running, 100 degree heat outside is meaningless. When a friend who moved to Florida was asked about the weather stated the simple fact. It's about 70 degrees inside, same as everywhere.
It's early Thursday morning. Where did the week go?
Cinnamon Rolls - Perfection?
Cinnamon rolls are great pastries (we couldn't talk about coffee without mentioning cinnamon rolls, could we?). But, why are they so complicated to make? Do you really need two kinds of sugar? Raisins are not optional!
Sample Recipe:
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup margarine, softened
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 egg
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup margarine, softened
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Directions
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine.
- Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired (make sure each roll gets at least two raisins). Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Serve warm
Coffee - Espresso or Press?
Which is better way to have coffee - espresso from a small stovetop espresso pot or using a coffee press (aka French press)? I like the taste of the coffee from either, but there are pluses and minuses in each method. The espresso pot gives a strong flavorful cup of coffee with plenty of punch and a lot of fine grit (I like fine grit in my coffee). The downside is that you need to watch the pot as it heats on the stove, it probably uses more coffee than any other preparation method, and clean up is pretty messy (trying to knock those grounds out of the basket is hit-or-miss). There is also the steam pressure/safety valve factor -- how long can you use the pot before the valve pops or worse, doesn't pop when it should.
The french press is an easier method -- just add hot water and push the plunger a few minutes later. The flavor is also quite good, but you need a lot of coffee to reach the same punch as the espresso pot. You also have the ability to make less coffee (but why would you want to make less?) and it is somewhat easier to clean the pot. You are still dumping grounds somewhere, but they can be removed with a swish of water. If you grind your coffee too fine, the plunger can be hard to press and there is always the danger of breaking the glass carafe.
We also occasionally use a drip coffee maker for larger amounts. The coffee maker has a thermal carafe, which keeps the coffee hot without "cooking" it on an element. The problem with the drip is that flavor is off -- I don't know if it is the plastic parts used in the reservoir and heating element or the non-glass carafe, but the taste isn't quite to spec.
I know that there is trend to use smaller coffee makers with disposable "pods", but I consider these to be way too wasteful and gimmicky.
We will probably continue to use the press and occasionally make a pot of espresso.
Crabby Chronicles
Eating Maryland Blue Crabs is a unique experience, even for those who are experienced seafood eaters. In order to reach the succulent morsels of crab flesh, the eater needs to disassemble the animal. The typical steps are:
- Remove the legs and claws.
- Flip it over.
- Pull open the "door" near the back end of the underside.
- Pry off the top shell (which of course, is the bottom because you flipped it over).
- Turn it right side up.
- Scrap off the gills on either side.
- Snap the body in half.
- Take one half and snap in half again.
- Start prying out the pieces of white flesh.
- Break the remaining pieces into smaller pieces and remove any pieces of flesh you can.
- Repeat with the other side of the body.
- Crack open the claw and "forearm" with a wooden mallet.
- Remove the claw meat.
- Give most of the meat you removed to your children who are too young to pick their own.
- Get another crab and repeat.
- Get another crab and repeat.
- Get another crab and repeat.
- Get another crab and repeat.
- Get another crab and repeat.
- Get another crab and repeat.
- Get another crab and repeat.
- Get another crab and repeat.
- Get another crab and repeat.
- Get another crab and repeat.
- Get another crab and repeat.
After you have gone through this a dozen times, remove the enormous pile wet, Old Bay encrusted shells, guts, and other things you didn't want to eat and throw in the garbage. Wash the searing salt based spices from you inflamed hands and eat your corn on the cob and take a swig of your beer.
You never actually fill up on crab; you just get tired!
It's Not Fair
Why does Daddy get to use the computer but not me! Maybe it's because Daddy is an adult and a responsible computer user. This is not always the case with kids, who sometimes use the computer to play silly games and then don't listen to their parents when it is time to get off of the computer to do important tasks such as get ready for dinner, get cleaned up, or get ready for bed. That's why Daddy gets to use the computer!
Working late again
Another night of working. This link about sums it up:
The Kids Found My Blog!
Oh, oh...the kids know I have a blog. I kept it a secret for almost 24 hours. Now, my daughter wants to have a blog too.
- If you could be a tree...
It is kind of fun writing this stuff down.
Why would anyone want to blog?
Well, I've taken the blog plunge and here we are.
As time goes on, I hope that I will have something insightful and thoughtful to write about. At the moment I think I have a brain freeze (and not the good kind, involving frozen snacks).
I've come into this unprepared. I'm using an old laptop that doesn't have anything important on it, so I have no nifty images, video, or sounds to share. I promise I'll be better prepared next time!
As you can see, the moon is up -- time to sleep, unless you can't sleep.
