They moved my brother-in-law out of the ICU this weekend into a regular hospital bed. They may release him as early as this week. The doctors have been amazed by his progress. Thank you all for your support.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Weekend Update
I took some pictures yesterday using my camera phone. They're a bit fuzzy (I really need to get a digital camera), but I hope you enjoy anyway.
'Twas a busy weekend indeed, but ofr once, a fairly enjoyable one. Saturday started out as normal -- I dropped The Feared Redhead off at her work, then stopped at Dutch Brothers on my way home for my traditional Saturday Morning Latte'. The Lad, the Laundry, the Dishes, and the Vacuuming kept me busy the rest of the day -- no time to go shopping for dinner. So my idea was to stop at the Fish Merchant (our local fishmongers) to pick up something for dinner after picking up TFR. I ficured I could grab some shrimp or fish to cook. Fate was to intervene, this time on our behalf. When we pulled up to the shop, we saw that the giant stainless steel gas-fired kettle out front was steaming away. This time of year in the Pacific Northwest, that means only one thing -- Dungeness! That night, crab sat happily in our tummies that had just that very day met their maker. I also picked up some pre-shelled meat, and later this week plan to try my hand at Dungeness Ravioli with a Filbert Pesto.
Sunday Morning, while TFR and the lad slept in, I got the grocery shopping done for the rest of the week. Then, we headed out for a day in the country. We live only a couple of miles from one of the most scenic roads in America -- Highway 126. To the west of Eugene, it makes its way over the Coast Range to the Oregon Coast at Florence. To the east, it heads up into the Cascades along the McKenzie River:
This time of year is a great time to see the small waterfalls along the way. We stopped at one to take the above pictures and some of the waterfall itself:
after running under the road it fed into the river:
On the way home, we saw some beautiful views of Mt. Washington and Three-Fingered Jack, but the clouds didn't provide enough of a contrast to get a good shot. The most beautiful view of the day was of a smaller mountain we past as the sun was setting. We, most of that mountain, and the other mountains around it were in shadow. But one snow-covered, bare, rocky slope faced to the west, and the setting sun lit the high points of the slope, painting them with a fiery golden color that was just gorgeous. The following picture doesn't do it justice:
Soon after that, we decided to stop to grap a pop. This is where the story gets weird, but in a cool way. We pulled off the road in Blue River, a small town just off the highway that is about 3 blocks long by 2 blocks wide. We pulled into the gas station about 10 minutes before it closed (at 6 PM), and parked in front of an old school bus (a 1950 White) that I call "That's Far Enough" (Kudos to anyone who gets why that's appropriate for the Eugene area):
The gas station's selection of beverages was quite limited, and it took me several treks to the car to figure out what TFR wanted to drink. It took longer when I had to use the restroom. In the meantime, TFR let Little Big Dog out to potty. When I returned to the car, TFR was standing out in the street, and said to me, in an excited voice, "Brian, come here, you have to see this!" I went to see what she was talking about. There, on the side of the bus:
Were the words "Lorane School District 36". Lorane is a small town SW of Eugene where my father spent his teenage years. In those days, it had its own high school, but nowadays kids in Lorane go to High School in Crow.
When we got back into town and cell coverage, we called my mom, then my uncle. It turns out that Lorane HS had three(!) buses, and the bus we saw in Blue River was the very bus my father and uncle rode to school every day during their high school years. The sense of connection was really neat, and a little eery.
'Twas a busy weekend indeed, but ofr once, a fairly enjoyable one. Saturday started out as normal -- I dropped The Feared Redhead off at her work, then stopped at Dutch Brothers on my way home for my traditional Saturday Morning Latte'. The Lad, the Laundry, the Dishes, and the Vacuuming kept me busy the rest of the day -- no time to go shopping for dinner. So my idea was to stop at the Fish Merchant (our local fishmongers) to pick up something for dinner after picking up TFR. I ficured I could grab some shrimp or fish to cook. Fate was to intervene, this time on our behalf. When we pulled up to the shop, we saw that the giant stainless steel gas-fired kettle out front was steaming away. This time of year in the Pacific Northwest, that means only one thing -- Dungeness! That night, crab sat happily in our tummies that had just that very day met their maker. I also picked up some pre-shelled meat, and later this week plan to try my hand at Dungeness Ravioli with a Filbert Pesto.
Sunday Morning, while TFR and the lad slept in, I got the grocery shopping done for the rest of the week. Then, we headed out for a day in the country. We live only a couple of miles from one of the most scenic roads in America -- Highway 126. To the west of Eugene, it makes its way over the Coast Range to the Oregon Coast at Florence. To the east, it heads up into the Cascades along the McKenzie River:
This time of year is a great time to see the small waterfalls along the way. We stopped at one to take the above pictures and some of the waterfall itself:
after running under the road it fed into the river:
On the way home, we saw some beautiful views of Mt. Washington and Three-Fingered Jack, but the clouds didn't provide enough of a contrast to get a good shot. The most beautiful view of the day was of a smaller mountain we past as the sun was setting. We, most of that mountain, and the other mountains around it were in shadow. But one snow-covered, bare, rocky slope faced to the west, and the setting sun lit the high points of the slope, painting them with a fiery golden color that was just gorgeous. The following picture doesn't do it justice:
Soon after that, we decided to stop to grap a pop. This is where the story gets weird, but in a cool way. We pulled off the road in Blue River, a small town just off the highway that is about 3 blocks long by 2 blocks wide. We pulled into the gas station about 10 minutes before it closed (at 6 PM), and parked in front of an old school bus (a 1950 White) that I call "That's Far Enough" (Kudos to anyone who gets why that's appropriate for the Eugene area):
The gas station's selection of beverages was quite limited, and it took me several treks to the car to figure out what TFR wanted to drink. It took longer when I had to use the restroom. In the meantime, TFR let Little Big Dog out to potty. When I returned to the car, TFR was standing out in the street, and said to me, in an excited voice, "Brian, come here, you have to see this!" I went to see what she was talking about. There, on the side of the bus:
Were the words "Lorane School District 36". Lorane is a small town SW of Eugene where my father spent his teenage years. In those days, it had its own high school, but nowadays kids in Lorane go to High School in Crow.
When we got back into town and cell coverage, we called my mom, then my uncle. It turns out that Lorane HS had three(!) buses, and the bus we saw in Blue River was the very bus my father and uncle rode to school every day during their high school years. The sense of connection was really neat, and a little eery.
Friday, March 03, 2006
BS, PHD (BullSh**, Piled Higher and Deeper)
Thanks for the Memory to GroovyVic at Fiddle Dee Dee and to Vic (just Vic) at Darth Apathy.
If you still require proof that in this day and age, receiving an advanced degree does not necessarily guarantee that one will in the course of that education increase ones native intelligence, read no further than this article by Michelle Malkin.
This is why I'm going to home school The Lad.
I shall be forthright and acknowledge up front that I (quite obviously to those who know me) disagree strongly with this man's politics. Be that as it may, there are concerns raised by the transcript of this little "episode" that go much deeper than honest disagreement over politics.
To begin with, I find it disturbing that an individual who is tasked with shaping young minds would display such a lack of command of both critical thinking and the English language. Education is, or at least should be, teaching a child as much about how to think as what to think, as much about how to learn as what to know. Yes, the subject material taught is important, and it is good for children to learn the facts. But if you give a child the skills and encourage in a child the inclinations necessary for learning -- curiosity, thesis and synthesis, critical thinking and logic, research skills, and a love of that sudden bright burst of amazement when you make a discovery -- then they WILL learn the the facts. Train a child to investigate, and the evidence is there waiting for them.
And that is how I intend to educate The Lad. Yes, admittedly, I will teach him certain subjects with a slant that is biased by my own world view. But if in the process, I teach him how to think for himself, and the day comes when he disagrees with me on a given subject, if he can present to me a rational, intelligent reason for his dissention, I will have done him a service, and he will have "done me proud".
But it is obvious that Mr. Bennish is either unable to or uninterested in accomplishing this goal. His entire screed is intended only to vent his personal opinions and hatreds, and to indoctrinate his class in them. Takes your notes, children, write them down. Did you get that? It's spelled H-i-t-l-e-r. And when the student who recorded the episode did speak up, he was not asked to or given the chance to explain his position, he was simply talked down to by this teacher.
Furthermore, while I myself am unable to listen to the recording, and can only read the transcript, I have been told that the teacher's tone and volume display a significant amount of, shall we say, Sturm und Drang. If that is true, that disturbs me as well. Such antics may be effective tools of televangelists to gain donations, but fire and brimstone is a bit out of place in the classroom, except perhaps to address unruly pupils. The implication I've gathered from several (albeit biased) sources is that the man sounds not just angry, but unhinged.
I have to ask myself if this is the kind of individual I want in close contact with children, especially my own. And I find I am ready with an answer to myself: an emphatic no.
If you still require proof that in this day and age, receiving an advanced degree does not necessarily guarantee that one will in the course of that education increase ones native intelligence, read no further than this article by Michelle Malkin.
This is why I'm going to home school The Lad.
I shall be forthright and acknowledge up front that I (quite obviously to those who know me) disagree strongly with this man's politics. Be that as it may, there are concerns raised by the transcript of this little "episode" that go much deeper than honest disagreement over politics.
To begin with, I find it disturbing that an individual who is tasked with shaping young minds would display such a lack of command of both critical thinking and the English language. Education is, or at least should be, teaching a child as much about how to think as what to think, as much about how to learn as what to know. Yes, the subject material taught is important, and it is good for children to learn the facts. But if you give a child the skills and encourage in a child the inclinations necessary for learning -- curiosity, thesis and synthesis, critical thinking and logic, research skills, and a love of that sudden bright burst of amazement when you make a discovery -- then they WILL learn the the facts. Train a child to investigate, and the evidence is there waiting for them.
And that is how I intend to educate The Lad. Yes, admittedly, I will teach him certain subjects with a slant that is biased by my own world view. But if in the process, I teach him how to think for himself, and the day comes when he disagrees with me on a given subject, if he can present to me a rational, intelligent reason for his dissention, I will have done him a service, and he will have "done me proud".
But it is obvious that Mr. Bennish is either unable to or uninterested in accomplishing this goal. His entire screed is intended only to vent his personal opinions and hatreds, and to indoctrinate his class in them. Takes your notes, children, write them down. Did you get that? It's spelled H-i-t-l-e-r. And when the student who recorded the episode did speak up, he was not asked to or given the chance to explain his position, he was simply talked down to by this teacher.
Furthermore, while I myself am unable to listen to the recording, and can only read the transcript, I have been told that the teacher's tone and volume display a significant amount of, shall we say, Sturm und Drang. If that is true, that disturbs me as well. Such antics may be effective tools of televangelists to gain donations, but fire and brimstone is a bit out of place in the classroom, except perhaps to address unruly pupils. The implication I've gathered from several (albeit biased) sources is that the man sounds not just angry, but unhinged.
I have to ask myself if this is the kind of individual I want in close contact with children, especially my own. And I find I am ready with an answer to myself: an emphatic no.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
You Can't Make This Stuff Up!
Thanks for the Memory to Vulture Six.
Oh my. From Drudge:
NBC White House correspondent David Gregory, who apologized last week for calling White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan a "jerk," called into MSNBC's IMUS Thursday morning -- apparently drunk!
I really have nothing to add. This one speaks for itself Apparently, they're drinking more than the KoolAde in the MSM these days.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Oh my. From Drudge:
NBC White House correspondent David Gregory, who apologized last week for calling White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan a "jerk," called into MSNBC's IMUS Thursday morning -- apparently drunk!
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
I've Been Tagged!
GroovyVic over at Fiddle Dee Dee has tagged me. Hmmm... seven songs I'm listening to, huh?
Well, lately in the car I've been playing one Johnny Cash CD over and over, but the songs on it I especially listen to are:
1. Folsom Prison Blues
2. A Boy Named Sue
3. Sunday Morning Coming Down
4. John Henry's Hammer
5. One Piece at a Time
6. Ring of Fire
7. The other songs don't really rate such a list, but I'll add one more song I've been listening to INVOLUNTARILY. It comes from one of The Lad's toys and goes:
I'm Mack the Truck and my wheels go round.
I lift my load both up and down.
Honk honk, beep beep, oh look at me,
trucks are busy as can be.
Well, lately in the car I've been playing one Johnny Cash CD over and over, but the songs on it I especially listen to are:
1. Folsom Prison Blues
2. A Boy Named Sue
3. Sunday Morning Coming Down
4. John Henry's Hammer
5. One Piece at a Time
6. Ring of Fire
7. The other songs don't really rate such a list, but I'll add one more song I've been listening to INVOLUNTARILY. It comes from one of The Lad's toys and goes:
I'm Mack the Truck and my wheels go round.
I lift my load both up and down.
Honk honk, beep beep, oh look at me,
trucks are busy as can be.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Not as Bas as It Could Have Been
I found out yesterday that my job is one of the jobs slated to be eliminated in the last round of layoffs, so I'll be employed until July 1. So that's going to help.
Java Jones
I love coffee, but (oddly enough for a Pacific Northwesterner), Im not as deadly serious about it as I am about Scotch or beer. I approach it more like wine, only moreso: As long as it's not bad, I'll drink it, even if it's not excellent, and when I do have time and/or money for the really good stuff, I count my blessings. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Americano, but I'll drink the stuff they provide us for free here at work.
Which is why today sucks. The coffee maker at work is not, well, WORKING, and I didn't have tome to stop at Dutch Brothers (a local drive-thru coffee stand chain where their idea of "Just a cup of coffee" is Americano -- they have no percolators or drip coffee makers, just espresso machines), because it was out of the way, so I'm left drinking tea.
I'm not complaining about the tea -- it's Stash's White Tea & Green Tea fusion, a very delicate yet flavorful blend that is one of the few teas I enjoy without sugar, but its tea. Which means that it has all the caffeine I usually get in my first sip of morning coffee.
Not a pretty way to start the morning.
Which is why today sucks. The coffee maker at work is not, well, WORKING, and I didn't have tome to stop at Dutch Brothers (a local drive-thru coffee stand chain where their idea of "Just a cup of coffee" is Americano -- they have no percolators or drip coffee makers, just espresso machines), because it was out of the way, so I'm left drinking tea.
I'm not complaining about the tea -- it's Stash's White Tea & Green Tea fusion, a very delicate yet flavorful blend that is one of the few teas I enjoy without sugar, but its tea. Which means that it has all the caffeine I usually get in my first sip of morning coffee.
Not a pretty way to start the morning.
Pun Fun
If a jazz singer weaves the telling of a joke into the impromptu vocals of a song, is that a form of "scat"ological humor?
Monday, February 27, 2006
Third Times Really Can Be The Charm
A while back I mentioned that I was working on but hadn't yet perfected a pork medallion recipe with a Northwest twist. Well, this weekend I kept an old cliche alive. The trick was switching from a white wine to a red for the reduction.
This dish goes well with the rice dish I shared in the post I link above. Also, it has a long prep time, so if you start following the recipe below about the time you put the broth for the rice recipe on the stove, they'll come out about the same time.
Pair the dish with a soft red like a pinot noir. If you can, use the same wine for the recipe as you serve with it.
You will need a meat tenderizing hammer, kitchen twine for tying the pork, a large metal-handled skillet that can go from stovetop to oven, and a food processor, as well as your cutting board, knife, measuring cup, turning tongs, and a spoon for stirring.
Ingredients:
4 medium-sized pork chops, trimmed of fat
2 peeled & cored grannysmith apples
One quarter of a sweet yellow onion
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup raw filberts (hazelnuts)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup red wine
salt
pepper
Using a meat tenderizer, pount the pork chops out until they are flat and about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and let the chops rest in the refrigeratior for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a food processor with the chopping blade, combine the onion, apples, filberts, and rosemary. Pulse until the ingredients form a slightly chunky paste.
Lay the pork chops flat. spread the paste ofer one side of each chop, roll the chop into a roll and tie with the kitchen twine, using several loops along the length of each roll. salt and pepper the outside of the roll generously.
In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, place the pork in the skillet, searing all sides. After the last sides have seared, place the skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven and return it to the stovetop over medium heat. Remove the pork rolls to a cutting board and allow them to rest. There will be a lot of liquid left over from them in the skillet -- that is a good thing. To the skillet add the dried cranberries and the wine, let it come to a boil and reduce by half, then remove from the heat.
Carefully slice the pork into approximately 1 inch medallions. For the best results, cut at the inentations left by the string loops. Plate 3-4 medallions on each plate, spoon sauce over the medallions, and garnish with sprigs of rosemary.
Serves about 4.
Last night I paired this with a nice soft red recommended by the wine steward at our local market, my wild rice recipe, and a salad made with baby greens and other veggies. For dessert we had strawberries with dark chocolate frosting (yes, frosting. Trust me). Very yummy.
This dish goes well with the rice dish I shared in the post I link above. Also, it has a long prep time, so if you start following the recipe below about the time you put the broth for the rice recipe on the stove, they'll come out about the same time.
Pair the dish with a soft red like a pinot noir. If you can, use the same wine for the recipe as you serve with it.
You will need a meat tenderizing hammer, kitchen twine for tying the pork, a large metal-handled skillet that can go from stovetop to oven, and a food processor, as well as your cutting board, knife, measuring cup, turning tongs, and a spoon for stirring.
Ingredients:
4 medium-sized pork chops, trimmed of fat
2 peeled & cored grannysmith apples
One quarter of a sweet yellow onion
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup raw filberts (hazelnuts)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup red wine
salt
pepper
Using a meat tenderizer, pount the pork chops out until they are flat and about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and let the chops rest in the refrigeratior for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a food processor with the chopping blade, combine the onion, apples, filberts, and rosemary. Pulse until the ingredients form a slightly chunky paste.
Lay the pork chops flat. spread the paste ofer one side of each chop, roll the chop into a roll and tie with the kitchen twine, using several loops along the length of each roll. salt and pepper the outside of the roll generously.
In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, place the pork in the skillet, searing all sides. After the last sides have seared, place the skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven and return it to the stovetop over medium heat. Remove the pork rolls to a cutting board and allow them to rest. There will be a lot of liquid left over from them in the skillet -- that is a good thing. To the skillet add the dried cranberries and the wine, let it come to a boil and reduce by half, then remove from the heat.
Carefully slice the pork into approximately 1 inch medallions. For the best results, cut at the inentations left by the string loops. Plate 3-4 medallions on each plate, spoon sauce over the medallions, and garnish with sprigs of rosemary.
Serves about 4.
Last night I paired this with a nice soft red recommended by the wine steward at our local market, my wild rice recipe, and a salad made with baby greens and other veggies. For dessert we had strawberries with dark chocolate frosting (yes, frosting. Trust me). Very yummy.
Friday, February 24, 2006
And Oddly, No Mosques Were Burned
Thanks for the Memory toVodkapundit via The LlamaButchers.
Apparently the pro-Danish demonstrations went well. More from those on the scene.
Apparently the pro-Danish demonstrations went well. More from those on the scene.
It's Raining, It's Pouring
Bad news never seems to travel alone, and suddenly my job situation doesn't seem like such a big deal:
My brother in law in Portland has been hospitalized with a life-threatening illness. Yesterday, he was delirious and tried to leave the hospital after pulling out his IV's. They're having to restrain him, the nurses told my sister in law that he MIGHT have lived for two hours away from the hospital. He cannot take even water orally, he must be sustained with IV's for now.
Meanwhile, one of our best friends in California (with whose baby daughter we plan to arrange a marriage for the Lad) went in for a biopsy on a lump she found on her chest. We'll hear from her with results in a few days.
And to top it all off, my mom has given me an update: They have my grandmother on hospice care, which means they expect her to live 6 months at the most.
At least I have my health, if not my job or my sanity for long.
My brother in law in Portland has been hospitalized with a life-threatening illness. Yesterday, he was delirious and tried to leave the hospital after pulling out his IV's. They're having to restrain him, the nurses told my sister in law that he MIGHT have lived for two hours away from the hospital. He cannot take even water orally, he must be sustained with IV's for now.
Meanwhile, one of our best friends in California (with whose baby daughter we plan to arrange a marriage for the Lad) went in for a biopsy on a lump she found on her chest. We'll hear from her with results in a few days.
And to top it all off, my mom has given me an update: They have my grandmother on hospice care, which means they expect her to live 6 months at the most.
At least I have my health, if not my job or my sanity for long.
A Big Day
I received the following picture from my friend David A. Reed:
It's a picture of President Bush during his visit to Bethel College, where David is a professor.
It's a picture of President Bush during his visit to Bethel College, where David is a professor.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Blogburst Announcement
Thanks for the Memory to Hyscience at Blogfather Rusty's Jawa Report.
Freedom's Zone has called for and I am participating in a blogburst regarding Christopher Hitchens' call for a demonstration in support of Denmark in front of the Danish Embassy in New York this Friday:
Go thou and do likewise.
Freedom's Zone has called for and I am participating in a blogburst regarding Christopher Hitchens' call for a demonstration in support of Denmark in front of the Danish Embassy in New York this Friday:
Please be outside the Embassy of Denmark, 3200 Whitehaven Street (off Massachusetts Avenue) between noon and 1 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 24. Quietness and calm are the necessities, plus cheerful conversation. Danish flags are good, or posters reading "Stand By Denmark" and any variation on this theme (such as "Buy Carlsberg/ Havarti/ Lego") The response has been astonishing and I know that the Danes are appreciative. But they are an embassy and thus do not of course endorse or comment on any demonstration. Let us hope, however, to set a precedent for other cities and countries. Please pass on this message to friends and colleagues.
Please also post that for those who cannot attend the demonstration, they are encouraged to call and email the Danish embassy, and offer their support and appreciation for their standing up to freedom and the right of free speech that is so much a part of our Western culture:
Embassy of Denmark
3200 Whitehaven St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel: +1 (202) 234-4300
Fax: +1 (202) 328-1470
Email: wasamb@um.dk
After the date of the event, bloggers are encouraged to post on at least 3 "free speech" issues a week, and also encourage their readers to continue voicing their concern and support for free speech by emailing their friends to help keep the emails of support (to the Danish embassy) going for the Dane's stand on freedom over sharia.
Go thou and do likewise.
Breaking News: School Shooting
There's been a school shooting in Roseburg, Oregon, the town where I was born. Local news stations are reporting it, but no details yet and no national coverage I can find. I'll link to more news when it's available.
UPDATE:
It looks like no one was killed, thank God.
UPDATE:
It looks like no one was killed, thank God.
Small Victories
Got a cool phone call night before last.
As most of you know, my son, The Lad, was born about 5 weeks premature. This isn't too bad these days, but it still means he had a little growing to do. The doctors and nurses told us that he would probably be a little behind the curve developmentally until around his second birthday.
Well, during his visit to the doctor for his first year Well Baby checkup, the doctor gave The Feared Redhead a screening questionnaire to fill out. It's for a program through the University of Oregon that assesses your babvy's development.
Based on the results of the survey, The Lad is up to speed for his age in all areas except Gross Motor Skills (Crawling, Standing, Walking), and there he's just barely behind.
Normally, the words "Barely Behind" aren't cause for bragging, but when you have a preemie, you take what you can get. This kid is frighteningly smart for his age.
As most of you know, my son, The Lad, was born about 5 weeks premature. This isn't too bad these days, but it still means he had a little growing to do. The doctors and nurses told us that he would probably be a little behind the curve developmentally until around his second birthday.
Well, during his visit to the doctor for his first year Well Baby checkup, the doctor gave The Feared Redhead a screening questionnaire to fill out. It's for a program through the University of Oregon that assesses your babvy's development.
Based on the results of the survey, The Lad is up to speed for his age in all areas except Gross Motor Skills (Crawling, Standing, Walking), and there he's just barely behind.
Normally, the words "Barely Behind" aren't cause for bragging, but when you have a preemie, you take what you can get. This kid is frighteningly smart for his age.
Ch Ch Ch Changes....
I work in a tech support call center for a software company. Yesterday at 2:30 PM (just before my shift ends anyway), they shut down our phone queues and called an impromptu meeting to let us all know we're being laid off. Our jobs are being outsourced to India (except for the Customer Service jobs, they're being consolidated in Atlanta). For some of us our last day will be May 1, for others, July 1. I haven't been told which group I'm in, but I'm betting on the May group based on my position.
This was not a complete surprise -- we've been suspecting it was in the works for some time -- but the timing is a bit sooner that expected.
In a way, it's a blessing in disguise for me, though for others this is far more stress-inducing. I had been wanting to apply for the culinary program at the local community college (it has a good reputation, and I want to be a chef), but was worried that the classes would conflict with work. Now I can start looking for a job, even a part-time one, that will fit around my school schedule. TFR already brings home more than I do, even though I work 40 hours and she only works 26 at the spa. She plans to talk to the psa and add some hours, so financially, the hit shouldn't be too hard, and it may actually make for saner schedules.
There's only one catch. While TFR may be the chief provider of disposable income, my job provides the health insurance. We can't afford COBRA, and we sure as hell can't afford to go without insurance, not with a baby in the house.
So keep me in prayer or good thoughts or whatever positive regard my readers of different world views ascribe to. I'll be needing it over the next few months.
This was not a complete surprise -- we've been suspecting it was in the works for some time -- but the timing is a bit sooner that expected.
In a way, it's a blessing in disguise for me, though for others this is far more stress-inducing. I had been wanting to apply for the culinary program at the local community college (it has a good reputation, and I want to be a chef), but was worried that the classes would conflict with work. Now I can start looking for a job, even a part-time one, that will fit around my school schedule. TFR already brings home more than I do, even though I work 40 hours and she only works 26 at the spa. She plans to talk to the psa and add some hours, so financially, the hit shouldn't be too hard, and it may actually make for saner schedules.
There's only one catch. While TFR may be the chief provider of disposable income, my job provides the health insurance. We can't afford COBRA, and we sure as hell can't afford to go without insurance, not with a baby in the house.
So keep me in prayer or good thoughts or whatever positive regard my readers of different world views ascribe to. I'll be needing it over the next few months.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Calimarinara
Tried a new recipe last might, it was good, but could have been better.
I started with calimari -- I have had a craving for it for about a week now. In a small pot I made some extra thick red sauce, while heating some Olive Oil and butter in a skillet. I tossed some onions and garlic into the hot oil, and cooked them until clear, then added the calamari. Once it was ready, I added the red sauce, letting the calamari juice thin it out. In the meantime, I was cooking some shell pasta to put it over.
So far, so good. The red sauce was one of the best I've ever made, and the calamari was perfect (which is a challenge -- too underdone and it's slimy, too overcooked and it's rubber). But here's where I made my mistake. Or rather, the culmination of my mistake. TFR had mentioned wanting mushrooms with dinner. I'm not a big fan of the fungi, but, you do what you can to please the wife, ya know? So I figured I'd try some oyster mushrooms -- the only kind I've ever tried and liked. Except the store was out of them, so I settled for Chanterelles. Near the end of cooking the red sauce (Calimarinara, I'm calling it), I added the mushrooms.
Unfortunately, Chanterelles don't maintain their texture as well as oyster mushrooms, so they went soft right away. I didn't like them. TFR thought they were good, but could have been better.
Other than that, the sauce was a hit. We had sauteed green beans, ciabatta garlic bread, and a very nice Pinot Noir (a 2003 from Saginaw Vineyards, just south of Eugene) with it. I also picked up some good Parmesan Reggiano to grate over the bread and the pasta.
So here, minus the mushrooms, is the recipe:
Calimarinara
1 lb calimari rings
1 15 oz can diced tomatos
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tspn parsley
1 pinch thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
salt
pepper
2 cups shell pasta (medium)
Parmesan Reggiano
Chop onion and mince garlic. Rinse the calamari in a colander.
In a pot, begin to bring 1 quart of salted water to a boil. When water reaches a boil, add shell pasta. Let the water come back to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until pasta is al dente, strain pasta.
While water is heating, combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 cloves of garlic, the herbs, a pinch of salt and pepper to taste in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
In a skillet, combine the olive oil and butter and heat over medium high heat. Once the oil and butter are hot, add the onion and the rest of the garlic. When the onions are clear, add the calimari. stir frequrntly, cook for approximately 3-5 minutes or until calimari rings become firm. Add red sauce to the skillet, stirr thoroughly. Serve over shell pasta, cover with grated parmesan reggiano, garnish with chopped fresh oregano. Serves 4-6.
I started with calimari -- I have had a craving for it for about a week now. In a small pot I made some extra thick red sauce, while heating some Olive Oil and butter in a skillet. I tossed some onions and garlic into the hot oil, and cooked them until clear, then added the calamari. Once it was ready, I added the red sauce, letting the calamari juice thin it out. In the meantime, I was cooking some shell pasta to put it over.
So far, so good. The red sauce was one of the best I've ever made, and the calamari was perfect (which is a challenge -- too underdone and it's slimy, too overcooked and it's rubber). But here's where I made my mistake. Or rather, the culmination of my mistake. TFR had mentioned wanting mushrooms with dinner. I'm not a big fan of the fungi, but, you do what you can to please the wife, ya know? So I figured I'd try some oyster mushrooms -- the only kind I've ever tried and liked. Except the store was out of them, so I settled for Chanterelles. Near the end of cooking the red sauce (Calimarinara, I'm calling it), I added the mushrooms.
Unfortunately, Chanterelles don't maintain their texture as well as oyster mushrooms, so they went soft right away. I didn't like them. TFR thought they were good, but could have been better.
Other than that, the sauce was a hit. We had sauteed green beans, ciabatta garlic bread, and a very nice Pinot Noir (a 2003 from Saginaw Vineyards, just south of Eugene) with it. I also picked up some good Parmesan Reggiano to grate over the bread and the pasta.
So here, minus the mushrooms, is the recipe:
Calimarinara
1 lb calimari rings
1 15 oz can diced tomatos
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tspn parsley
1 pinch thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
salt
pepper
2 cups shell pasta (medium)
Parmesan Reggiano
Chop onion and mince garlic. Rinse the calamari in a colander.
In a pot, begin to bring 1 quart of salted water to a boil. When water reaches a boil, add shell pasta. Let the water come back to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until pasta is al dente, strain pasta.
While water is heating, combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 cloves of garlic, the herbs, a pinch of salt and pepper to taste in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
In a skillet, combine the olive oil and butter and heat over medium high heat. Once the oil and butter are hot, add the onion and the rest of the garlic. When the onions are clear, add the calimari. stir frequrntly, cook for approximately 3-5 minutes or until calimari rings become firm. Add red sauce to the skillet, stirr thoroughly. Serve over shell pasta, cover with grated parmesan reggiano, garnish with chopped fresh oregano. Serves 4-6.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Soft Bigotry's Hard Edge
During his first presidential campaign in 2000, President Bush decried what he called the "Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations". It was a phrase that struck a chord with me, because it highlighted one of the main reasons I consider myself a conservative. You see, despite the brush with which many of our opponents try to paint conservatives, I care very deeply about those who are less fortunate than I. Where I part ways with liberals is when it comes to the question of how best to help such people. I am firmly of the belief that such assistance is best rendered voluntarily, and that government involvement is best kept to a minimum. I have both ethical and practical reasons for this belief. It is commonly held by those on the left of the political spectrum that on the contrary, it is the right and duty of the government to provide that assistance, and to tax its citizenry in order to pay for such assistance. And a subset of that belief system is the "Soft Bigotry" to which the President alluded -- the unspoken, and often (to be charitable) subconscious attitude that the poor or suffering or oppressed are in the condition they are in because thay are incapable of helping themselves, and that the only hope they have of a better life is to let the government take care of them. It is an insidious kind of bigotry, because it masks itself as charity -- but the message, while well hidden under layers of concern, is there -- you are inferior, you are a child, here, let nanny do that for you.
While an entire blog entry, indeed, an entire blog and more, could be devoted to that particular debate, that is not the point I would like to address today. There is a hard edge to that "Soft Bigotry", and that is what concerns me today. That hard edge, in American political terms, is the expectation of liberals, and in particular the Democratic Party, that certain demographics of our population should out of hand be aligned with the Left, simply because the Left is "looking out for them". This expectation is particularly true when the demographic groups in question are ethnic groups -- especially African Americans. There's a paternalism to this attitude, even if it isn't spoken outright. The implication is that Blacks can't and needn't think for themselves, because the Democratic Party will take care of them. I can't speak for African Americans, because I am not one, but if I were, I would be insulted by this.
And there's an even more sinister side to this -- the treatment received by Blacks and members of other ethnic minorities who are politically conservative, especially, those who openly declare themselves so. Just ask Michelle Malkin or LaShawn Barber in the blogging community. I commend to you an excellent piece written last weekend by Pittsburgh Live columnist Salena Zito on the topic. It exposes just how ugly things can get when the Left takes aim at Black conservatives. And it belies not only the "Soft Bigotry" of the Left, but the ugly, hard, blatant racism they are willing to employ to further their cause.
While an entire blog entry, indeed, an entire blog and more, could be devoted to that particular debate, that is not the point I would like to address today. There is a hard edge to that "Soft Bigotry", and that is what concerns me today. That hard edge, in American political terms, is the expectation of liberals, and in particular the Democratic Party, that certain demographics of our population should out of hand be aligned with the Left, simply because the Left is "looking out for them". This expectation is particularly true when the demographic groups in question are ethnic groups -- especially African Americans. There's a paternalism to this attitude, even if it isn't spoken outright. The implication is that Blacks can't and needn't think for themselves, because the Democratic Party will take care of them. I can't speak for African Americans, because I am not one, but if I were, I would be insulted by this.
And there's an even more sinister side to this -- the treatment received by Blacks and members of other ethnic minorities who are politically conservative, especially, those who openly declare themselves so. Just ask Michelle Malkin or LaShawn Barber in the blogging community. I commend to you an excellent piece written last weekend by Pittsburgh Live columnist Salena Zito on the topic. It exposes just how ugly things can get when the Left takes aim at Black conservatives. And it belies not only the "Soft Bigotry" of the Left, but the ugly, hard, blatant racism they are willing to employ to further their cause.
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