Well, I'm still here, even if no one else is.
I'm thinking of starting a new blog devoted exclusively to food...a passion of mine. More on that later. But this blog is so...unfocused. I need to tighten the focus and DO something with it.
Today is July 6th, the last day of the 4th of July weekend. Tomorrow is the start of the mid-Summer period. It's all downhill to Fall from here. Before you know it, Labor Day will be here (and gone) and Fall will upon us. (Sighs). Time really does go by faster when you get old-er.
NEWS of the DAY (or Week)
More success in Iraq which is ignored by the Drive-Bys in the MSM. No surprise there.
Cubs beginning their "July Good-By?" Kerry Woods gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning last night and the Cards won. I'm picking the Cards to win the Central. Hey...it's the Cubs we're talking about...you know, 100 Years of Futility.
NASCAR sucks. Toyota is beginning their dominance of the sport because...of the MONEY! When will people learn that MONEY=SUCCESS in professional sports. Look at the results and Toyota will probably win the mfgr's championships in Nationwide (Busch) AND Sprint Cup this year. And, Kyle Busch seems to have the inside track to the Driver's Championship. Yup...Money Talks...(as an old song says). With the Auto Industry heading for tough times, I just don't think the American Mfgrs. can keep up with Toyota.
OSHKOSH!
Last week of July is the EAA Oshkosh Fly-In, now called (in true "corporate style") AirVenture. Hope to drive up and spend a day just walking and looking. Even though my flying days are truly over, I still like the hardware.
OK, that's enough for this time. Keep your eyes open for a new blog...maybe.
Hey, anybody looking for a freelance writer/editor with 20+ years experience as a Technical Writer? I need da work...
A hui hou...
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
WHAT! It's MAY already!!!!!!
It's just that kind of day (Wink in a typical pose).
Enough exclamation points already...
OK, I've really got nothing to blog about... How about politics? OH PULEEEZE, NO. Religion? Nah. Ok, I got nothing.
FOOD
Well, there's always food to talk about. If you like food, go to Tastespotting. A web page full of photos of food. WOW.
Click on a picture and you go to the website.
Today, I clicked on a photo of Chinese Roast Chicken and Coriander Rice and went to a wonderful site: Soy and Pepper. Great recipes from a home cook originally from Singapore now living in the UK. Am going to try the recipe tonight.
Tastespotting has really filled up my Food Blog favorite bookmarks. GO TO IT.
BOOKS
Still working on Ruhlman's Making of a Chef and The Numbers Behind Numbers. Bleech...not in the mood to read.
RANDOM STUFF
Strong storms around here yesterday. It actually snowed in Schaumberg this past week. Thanks to AlGore the Boreacle for "Global Warming." Yeah. Right.
Cubs starting their June Swoon early this year. Oh, yeah...THIS is the year (the 100th year of futility) that they were "supposed" to go the World Serious. Remember Charlie Brown and Lucy and the football...yeah, something like that.
Sports Related...Colt Brennan of the Hawaii Warriors football team, the ONLY Div1 UNDEFEATED team last year went to the Wash Redskins in the 6th round of the draft. Hope he does well and sticks it to the ESPN football pundits. Hawaii gets NO respect from them.
OH, today is SPAM JAM in Honolulu. (SIGH...) SOMEDAY I will make it there. A whole day devoted to SPAM. What more could any HiloBoy want? Well, maybe some rice and mac salad, too, nah?
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Spring Feeeevah...
Congrats to Danica Patrick on being the first woman to win an Indy Car race...and thanks to those who came before: Janet Guthrie, Lynn St. James, Sarah Fisher (who's STILL around) and any other I have missed.
FUUUUD
One of my Hawaii food blogs, The Tasty Island, just finished a couple of posts about a place from my past: St. Louis Deli and Drive Inn. I used to go to St. Louis High School which is right across the street from the deli/drive inn and would walk past the place after school.
In fact, one of my classmates, PeterD, would pop into the deli and pick up some gobo...which is burdock root. It was cooked in a sweet soy broth and really tasty.
Glad to see that one of the old-time, "local" places is still around with so many going out of business. The pictures on the blog were enough to make me wish I could just drive over there and get a plate lunch. Sigh...
Another shout out for the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook. The olive oil flatbread recipe is fantastic. Easy to make and oh so good. GO. BUY. THE. BOOK.
BBQ-ing today. Hamburgers. Must go and make mac salad to go with.
BOOKS
Just Finished: Feynman's Rainbow. If you don't know who Richard P. Feynman is/was, then Google him. In short, he was a physicist/teacher/writer/character who was brilliant and eccentric and taught at Cal Tech, the MIT of the West Coast. Oh, yeah, he won the Nobel Prize, too. Beautiful book by a colleague who knew him. A really different look at science and creativity.
Just Started: The Making of a Chef. Michael Ruhlman's first book about chefs and the chef's life. I read the second and third before this one...OK, OK, I was waiting for the paperback version. Go to Ruhlman's blog for really fantastic writing on today's food world and the foodies and chefs that inhabit it...and links to other really great food writers.
ALSO (I can't just read ONE book at a time): The Western Way of War, Victor Davis Hanson. Hanson is a farmer in California's central valley and is a Professor of Classics at Cal State Fresno. His books explore the relationships between the philosopy and war-making of the Greeks and how their approach to warfare and agriculture led to our modern ways of fighting. He also writes occasionally for Townhall.com.
STILL TRYING TO FINISH: The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS. About the background math used in the TV show NUMB3RS. Fascinating and informative. Led me to the Feynman books.
So, are the Cubs for real or is this just another year when they will break our hearts???
A hui hou...
FUUUUD
One of my Hawaii food blogs, The Tasty Island, just finished a couple of posts about a place from my past: St. Louis Deli and Drive Inn. I used to go to St. Louis High School which is right across the street from the deli/drive inn and would walk past the place after school.
In fact, one of my classmates, PeterD, would pop into the deli and pick up some gobo...which is burdock root. It was cooked in a sweet soy broth and really tasty.
Glad to see that one of the old-time, "local" places is still around with so many going out of business. The pictures on the blog were enough to make me wish I could just drive over there and get a plate lunch. Sigh...
Another shout out for the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook. The olive oil flatbread recipe is fantastic. Easy to make and oh so good. GO. BUY. THE. BOOK.
BBQ-ing today. Hamburgers. Must go and make mac salad to go with.
BOOKS
Just Finished: Feynman's Rainbow. If you don't know who Richard P. Feynman is/was, then Google him. In short, he was a physicist/teacher/writer/character who was brilliant and eccentric and taught at Cal Tech, the MIT of the West Coast. Oh, yeah, he won the Nobel Prize, too. Beautiful book by a colleague who knew him. A really different look at science and creativity.
Just Started: The Making of a Chef. Michael Ruhlman's first book about chefs and the chef's life. I read the second and third before this one...OK, OK, I was waiting for the paperback version. Go to Ruhlman's blog for really fantastic writing on today's food world and the foodies and chefs that inhabit it...and links to other really great food writers.
ALSO (I can't just read ONE book at a time): The Western Way of War, Victor Davis Hanson. Hanson is a farmer in California's central valley and is a Professor of Classics at Cal State Fresno. His books explore the relationships between the philosopy and war-making of the Greeks and how their approach to warfare and agriculture led to our modern ways of fighting. He also writes occasionally for Townhall.com.
STILL TRYING TO FINISH: The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS. About the background math used in the TV show NUMB3RS. Fascinating and informative. Led me to the Feynman books.
So, are the Cubs for real or is this just another year when they will break our hearts???
A hui hou...
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Some Thoughts...
The photo is from Saturday...a nice Spring day around here...OK, it's a retention pond, but still...
Waiting for the repairman to show up and finish repairing our NEW clothes dryer. He replaced the "coils" and gas valve yesterday and, after calling his tech manager, said he would come back today to replace the "burner." This on a NEW dryer. I think if he replaced the motor, then only the cabinet and controls would be original.
See, this dryer is from a reputable company/store and is a brand that we've purchased in the past and had little to no trouble with for MANY years. What gives???
Sweet Home Hawaii:
Well, the agony continues for the birthplace. Aloha Airlines finally gave up the ghost last week after 61 years. Just the latest in Hawaii businesses that have packed it in over the last year or so.
Then ATA goes belly-up. As of yesterday, there were still several THOUSAND people looking for trips back to the mainland. Auwe...what next?
The latest local food business to close was Tropic Fish and Vegetable Market at Ward Farmers Market. This place was there for decades. I remember going in there to buy "local" food items that were not available at local markets.
Fresh veg and fish always there...now...who knows?? The "homoginization (??)" of Hawaii continues. I think I wrote here that a local fave spot at Ala Moana Center, Patty's Chinese Kitchen, which was there when I was in high school (that was during the age of dinosaurs), closed, in part to the competition from...are you ready...Panda Express!!!
Folks, there was NO comparison. Local, unique Chinese items vs "MALL food" Chinese. Yet, as an article in a Honolulu paper put it, most tourists want places they are familiar with (I call it the "McDonald's effect"...no matter which one you go into in the world, you know what to expect), so passed Patty's for Panda. Ugh!
FOOOOOOD
Mmmmmmm...Kirschbaum's Bakery...BAD place, BAD place.
Barbeque weather made an appearance this past weekend. BTW, today it's rainy and cold. SNOW showers expected by Saturday. Gotta love Chicagoland in the Spring.
Anyhow, made huli-huli chicken on the barbie. Yummmmmy. Can't replace that smokey taste you get from hardwood charcoal. AND...DON'T USE LIGHTER FLUID. Go get a "chimney starter" that uses newspapers to get the charcoal going. NO BAD TASTE.
Tomorrow, flatbread from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Go buy the book.
OK...that's all folks.
A hui hou...
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Post-weekend depression...
So, city-dwellers, are you now looking up at those construction cranes more often as you walk through your city? One story said that there are more than 250 (!!!) in NYNY alone. LOOK UP...it's a bird...it's a plane...nope, it's a crane...RUN, RUN LIKE THE WIND...and watch out for those taxi cabs.
MOTORSPORTS
OK, the F1 race was more like NASCAR. Whoo boy, those guys just couldn't get through the first lap. Patience...patience... Was THRILLED to see Lewis Hamilton drive away with it. I'm one of those few who thought he was kinda screwed out of the championship last year by Alonzo and Ferrari (conspiracy theory here)...sorry tufosi but I LOVE it when the red prancing horse stumbles.
NASCAR was boring. Jeez...just watch the last 10 laps. That's where all the action is. Jeff Burton is one of the low-key, "nice guys" in the sport. Had his whole family with him on SpeedTV's "Victory Lane" wrapup show. Nice.
AND, finally...ALMS' 12 Hours of Sebring: the timing was WEIRD. Missed the beginning AND the end! Screwy TV scheduling, I guess. But, even this race was unique as the "All-Powerful" Audi turbo-diesel's DIDN'T win! Go figure. AND, the overall winner...first across the line...was a P2 car! A supposedly lower-powered, slower car.
OK, enough carguy stuff.
COOKING
OMG, I am so priviledged. I got an email response from one of my FAVORITE food bloggers, Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen. Been commenting on her blog and got a response.
Actually, it's one of the best blogs for me. I love Asian-style cooking/recipes and hers are really tasty and fairly easy to do. She also has a funny, irreverant writing style. Easy to read, informative and VERY entertaining. GO READ HER:
She also takes FABUOUS photographs, so the blog is very nicely illustrated. The food LOOKS so good that you just have to make it.
Braised chicken tonight; meatballs tomorrow night. Nothing special.
BOOKS and TV
Did you see HBO's production of "John Adams?" It's a dramatization of David McCullough's book of the same name. WTF???
Mr. McCullough...I READ YOUR BOOK. THIS IS NOT YOUR BOOK. OMG, OMG, OMG...
First, I like Paul Giamatti as an actor and admire his work. But, for me, he is just HORRIBLY miscast as a late-18th century Boston lawyer. DOES. NOT. WORK. Adams was a medium sized portly man, and so, body-wise, Giamatti fits the part. BUT, I just can't get past his looks...NY Italian, yes...NE Bostonian, NOOOOOOOOO.
Now Laura Linney as Abigail Adams. NO. READ THE BOOK. Abigail is described as "...a little over 5 feet tall, with dark hair and bright shining eyes..." Not a tall slender blonde.
I SHOULDN'T have read the book. Reality intrudes into TV drama, I guess.
Also, the first episode makes it seem that Adams was a reluctant supporter of the move to independence. Ummmm, the book shows clearly, in the first chapter, that Adams supported liberty for years before the first big dramatic incident, the Boston Massacre (1770). He was well-known for an article he wrote in support of individual rights and liberty.
Oh, well, it's only TV...except that I've heard so many media types raving over this show, and it's just not that good... READ THE BOOK!!! PLEASE....
OK, end of rant.
Spring may be here really. Although last night when I went to pick up the BW at the train station it was SNOWING. Didn't really stick, and it was more like sleet, but still...ENOUGH ALREADY.
A hui hou...
MOTORSPORTS
OK, the F1 race was more like NASCAR. Whoo boy, those guys just couldn't get through the first lap. Patience...patience... Was THRILLED to see Lewis Hamilton drive away with it. I'm one of those few who thought he was kinda screwed out of the championship last year by Alonzo and Ferrari (conspiracy theory here)...sorry tufosi but I LOVE it when the red prancing horse stumbles.
NASCAR was boring. Jeez...just watch the last 10 laps. That's where all the action is. Jeff Burton is one of the low-key, "nice guys" in the sport. Had his whole family with him on SpeedTV's "Victory Lane" wrapup show. Nice.
AND, finally...ALMS' 12 Hours of Sebring: the timing was WEIRD. Missed the beginning AND the end! Screwy TV scheduling, I guess. But, even this race was unique as the "All-Powerful" Audi turbo-diesel's DIDN'T win! Go figure. AND, the overall winner...first across the line...was a P2 car! A supposedly lower-powered, slower car.
OK, enough carguy stuff.
COOKING
OMG, I am so priviledged. I got an email response from one of my FAVORITE food bloggers, Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen. Been commenting on her blog and got a response.
Actually, it's one of the best blogs for me. I love Asian-style cooking/recipes and hers are really tasty and fairly easy to do. She also has a funny, irreverant writing style. Easy to read, informative and VERY entertaining. GO READ HER:
She also takes FABUOUS photographs, so the blog is very nicely illustrated. The food LOOKS so good that you just have to make it.
Braised chicken tonight; meatballs tomorrow night. Nothing special.
BOOKS and TV
Did you see HBO's production of "John Adams?" It's a dramatization of David McCullough's book of the same name. WTF???
Mr. McCullough...I READ YOUR BOOK. THIS IS NOT YOUR BOOK. OMG, OMG, OMG...
First, I like Paul Giamatti as an actor and admire his work. But, for me, he is just HORRIBLY miscast as a late-18th century Boston lawyer. DOES. NOT. WORK. Adams was a medium sized portly man, and so, body-wise, Giamatti fits the part. BUT, I just can't get past his looks...NY Italian, yes...NE Bostonian, NOOOOOOOOO.
Now Laura Linney as Abigail Adams. NO. READ THE BOOK. Abigail is described as "...a little over 5 feet tall, with dark hair and bright shining eyes..." Not a tall slender blonde.
I SHOULDN'T have read the book. Reality intrudes into TV drama, I guess.
Also, the first episode makes it seem that Adams was a reluctant supporter of the move to independence. Ummmm, the book shows clearly, in the first chapter, that Adams supported liberty for years before the first big dramatic incident, the Boston Massacre (1770). He was well-known for an article he wrote in support of individual rights and liberty.
Oh, well, it's only TV...except that I've heard so many media types raving over this show, and it's just not that good... READ THE BOOK!!! PLEASE....
OK, end of rant.
Spring may be here really. Although last night when I went to pick up the BW at the train station it was SNOWING. Didn't really stick, and it was more like sleet, but still...ENOUGH ALREADY.
A hui hou...
Friday, March 14, 2008
Bread and racing...
OK, so I tried the sandwich bread recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day. Mmmmmmmm...go get this book, clear out space in your fridge, make ANY of the recipes and enjoy fresh bread daily.
It REALLY is easy, and the bread is just about as good as the white bread from The Bread Bible...which takes a whole day to make. SO, GO DO IT!!!
AUTO RACING:
OK, for us carguys, this is a great racing weekend. First, ALMS (American LeMans Series) 12 Hours of Sebring on Saturday. Formula 1 in Australia for their first race...quals tonight at 11 PM EDT, race tomorrow night at same time, I think...that time/day difference is so screwy. And, of course, NASCAR is Bristol this weekend with Nationwide tomorrow and Sprint on Sunday. Whew...and I have a 52-inch HDTV with cable...OH. MY. GOODNESS.
IT'S SPRING!!!
FINALLY, the temps are in the 50s...but don't get too cocky, as tomorrow the forecast is for "...cold, windy and mid-30s." SUCKS...but NO SNOW. Thank you, thank you, thank you...
COOKING:
Panko-crusted tilapia tonight for dinner. Steam/sauteed broccoli and cauliflower and steamed rice. Oh, and another loaf of the Artisan bread. Yummy!
You know, when I was a kid growing up in Hawaii, tilapia was "trash" fish. No one ate it although it was easily caught. It tasted awful. How times have changed.
One of these days, I have to try the Kona farm-raised fish, the Kona Kampachi. Supposed to be reallly good, but, whoo whee...some kind of expensive.
I was going for the pan-roased halibut, "...fresh caught off Alaska..." according to the sign in Whole Paycheck, I mean Foods, today, but at nearly $25 a pound, tilapia is a much better deal.
OTHER:
Both sons are in NYNY (a town so nice they named it twice). Elder Son is visiting Younger Son for a week. I envy them. NYNY should be nice this weekend. Oh, the restaurants!!!
OK, enough. Gotta go make bread.
A hui hou...
It REALLY is easy, and the bread is just about as good as the white bread from The Bread Bible...which takes a whole day to make. SO, GO DO IT!!!
AUTO RACING:
OK, for us carguys, this is a great racing weekend. First, ALMS (American LeMans Series) 12 Hours of Sebring on Saturday. Formula 1 in Australia for their first race...quals tonight at 11 PM EDT, race tomorrow night at same time, I think...that time/day difference is so screwy. And, of course, NASCAR is Bristol this weekend with Nationwide tomorrow and Sprint on Sunday. Whew...and I have a 52-inch HDTV with cable...OH. MY. GOODNESS.
IT'S SPRING!!!
FINALLY, the temps are in the 50s...but don't get too cocky, as tomorrow the forecast is for "...cold, windy and mid-30s." SUCKS...but NO SNOW. Thank you, thank you, thank you...
COOKING:
Panko-crusted tilapia tonight for dinner. Steam/sauteed broccoli and cauliflower and steamed rice. Oh, and another loaf of the Artisan bread. Yummy!
You know, when I was a kid growing up in Hawaii, tilapia was "trash" fish. No one ate it although it was easily caught. It tasted awful. How times have changed.
One of these days, I have to try the Kona farm-raised fish, the Kona Kampachi. Supposed to be reallly good, but, whoo whee...some kind of expensive.
I was going for the pan-roased halibut, "...fresh caught off Alaska..." according to the sign in Whole Paycheck, I mean Foods, today, but at nearly $25 a pound, tilapia is a much better deal.
OTHER:
Both sons are in NYNY (a town so nice they named it twice). Elder Son is visiting Younger Son for a week. I envy them. NYNY should be nice this weekend. Oh, the restaurants!!!
OK, enough. Gotta go make bread.
A hui hou...
Monday, March 10, 2008
Monday, Monday...
Spent the weekend in St. Charles with the beautiful wife. Just a get-away kind of weekend. Dragged through some antique stores...they sell antiques, not that the stores were...oh, you know what I mean.
Just before we pulled into the municipal parking lot, BW noticed that the main street, called Main Street, was being lined with portable chairs. Come to find out, as we parked next to a gentleman in a kilt, that last Saturday St. Charles celebrated St. Patrick's Day...yup, had their parade.
Now, it was 25 degrees with snow flurries and snow showers. Those were some COLD Irish in that parade. Must have spent the rest of the day in one of the many Irish pubs in the downtown area. Anyhoo, lots of pipe and drum groups, dance groups and Irish social groups. Nice parade...but, whoo, the weather.
NASCAR:
Am I the only NASCAR fan to think, "Toyota wins...everyone else loses?" Am I just too cynical and negative to believe that in 4 or 5 years Toyota will be the ONLY manufacturer in stock car racing? Hmmm... Well, the IRL (Indy Racing League) is down to a couple of chassis manufacturers and ONE engine supplier. Indy 500 anyone?
COOKING:
Just got the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I'll have to try their recipes and see how they taste. I use The Bread Bible to make bread, but it takes ALL day to make two loaves. If this works, you can make bread in a very short time.
The authors have a great variety of breads, but I'll start with their basic recipe to see how it tastes. I'll document the results.
Last batch of homemade kimchi is really good. I use regular cabbage, instead of the Napa that is usually used(???). Goes soooooo goooood with homemade fried rice.
BOOKS:
Am reading The Numbers Behind Numb3rs, about the mathmatics used in the CBS tv show, Numb3ers. The main math guy behind the show is a math prof at Cal Tech. Very interesting book. He uses actual episodes from the show and explains the math used in solving the crime.
Of course, some dramatic license is used, such as shrinking the time that would be needed to actually do the math so that the crime can be solved in a timely manner, but then, it IS a tv show. Definitely recommend it.
WEATHER:
It's getting WARMER!!! Whoo hoo...maybe Spring IS on the way...hope, hope...
A hui hou...
Just before we pulled into the municipal parking lot, BW noticed that the main street, called Main Street, was being lined with portable chairs. Come to find out, as we parked next to a gentleman in a kilt, that last Saturday St. Charles celebrated St. Patrick's Day...yup, had their parade.
Now, it was 25 degrees with snow flurries and snow showers. Those were some COLD Irish in that parade. Must have spent the rest of the day in one of the many Irish pubs in the downtown area. Anyhoo, lots of pipe and drum groups, dance groups and Irish social groups. Nice parade...but, whoo, the weather.
NASCAR:
Am I the only NASCAR fan to think, "Toyota wins...everyone else loses?" Am I just too cynical and negative to believe that in 4 or 5 years Toyota will be the ONLY manufacturer in stock car racing? Hmmm... Well, the IRL (Indy Racing League) is down to a couple of chassis manufacturers and ONE engine supplier. Indy 500 anyone?
COOKING:
Just got the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I'll have to try their recipes and see how they taste. I use The Bread Bible to make bread, but it takes ALL day to make two loaves. If this works, you can make bread in a very short time.
The authors have a great variety of breads, but I'll start with their basic recipe to see how it tastes. I'll document the results.
Last batch of homemade kimchi is really good. I use regular cabbage, instead of the Napa that is usually used(???). Goes soooooo goooood with homemade fried rice.
BOOKS:
Am reading The Numbers Behind Numb3rs, about the mathmatics used in the CBS tv show, Numb3ers. The main math guy behind the show is a math prof at Cal Tech. Very interesting book. He uses actual episodes from the show and explains the math used in solving the crime.
Of course, some dramatic license is used, such as shrinking the time that would be needed to actually do the math so that the crime can be solved in a timely manner, but then, it IS a tv show. Definitely recommend it.
WEATHER:
It's getting WARMER!!! Whoo hoo...maybe Spring IS on the way...hope, hope...
A hui hou...
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