I recently joined a CSA. I had been member of another CSA, but that one was based in the Bay Area (ie, San Francisco), so the produce was more than a little wilted by the time it got down to San Diego. The subscription farm that I just joined is totally local and, from what I've been told by a good friend, produces very good veggies.
Being a member of a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture), or subscription farm, means that by enabling a farm to pay its bills and workers, one gets the bounty of that which is produced - namely, fresh produce - for either the same monetary cost or even less than the supermarket (especially organic supermarkets like Whole Foods), because this process is direct. It cuts out the middle-man, the supermarket/distributer who, naturally, takes a cut (often a substantial one at that) from what the consumer pays before paying the farmer. By cutting out this middle-man, the farmer gets to keep more of what the consumer pays, and the consumer ends up paying less than retail for their food.
Naturally, there will be leaner times and more abundant times, when one's CSA box (or "share," as they are referred) contents can vary. That is the price of buying into a subscription farm: by sharing the expenses, the consumer gets a portion of that which is produced, for better, when times are abundant, or worse, when there are events that cause or precipitate crop failure. It's shared risk among the farmer and their customers. If there is more than one farm in a co-op arrangement, the other member farms may try to produce extra to make up for the farm that has had the bad luck, but I don't know that for sure. For each of the subscription farms I've known, and I'm only just joining my second, it is a single farm. I believe the CSA I've just joined is veggie-only, so, like I'd said in an earlier post, Kat and I will still need to go to Sprout's or North Park Produce to get most of our fresh (and dried) fruit.
I expect to make forays to places like Trader Joe's (although I am trying to limit my spending there for reasons which I'll go into later) or the Grocery Outlet for things like cooking oils, vinegars (since Kat and I have realized that it would take more space to properly ferment and store vinegar than we have in our small two-bedroom flat), dairy products (I have not the right mentality or constitution to go vegan at this point), and almond, rice, or the occasional coconut milk. I'd also end up buying herbs and spices, though if we find a good garden spot (ie, if Peter relocates to a place where we can grow an herb garden comparable to the one he currently has), we could conceivably grow much of the herbs we'd use. Then we'd just need to buy spices.
On the dairy note, I've tried to produce yogurt at home by using a "starter" of store-bought yogurt and store-bought milk that I've heated up to 115-120 degrees Fahrenheit. I was trying to wake up the yeast without killing it with too high a temperature, but the two times I've tried it, the yogurt came out very watery. It turned out that, counterintuitively, using more starter yogurt actually makes the yogurt form less well... That's an experiment that I'll need to try again another day this summer, as paying almost $10 per week for the eight pounds of yogurt we consume becomes expensive after a while. I'm glad that Kat likes yogurt. She tends to sweeten it with honey and/or jam (her current favorite is fig jam, which I buy at North Park Produce). Still, I'm glad she's found a good source of calcium, as she, like I, no longer drinks bovine milk due to lactose intolerance. In other words, she has started to suffer from the inability to produce lactase with which to digest lactose, producing rather pronounced gastric disturbances.
That leads me to another, almost-related point. Kat's dad, who lives on the East Coast, doesn't (or at least he didn't, when I knew him) believe there's such a thing as lactose intolerance. He also doesn't believe in earthshine, by which one can see, with the naked eye, that portion of the moon which is not directly lit by the sun (at night). It's a fortunate thing that Kat was conceived before I knew him well enough to know about these beliefs, or she would not be around at all. I don't think I would have willingly bred with a man whose mind, while claiming to espouse the reality of the scientific method, denies such things...
Back to the point with which I started today's discussion: fresh produce. It helps that the produce we will be consuming will be organically produced, meaning that no artificial growth stimulants are used and that no insecticides are applied. I understand that organic farms do not produce the volume of food that is required to feed the human population as it stands today. This, in turn, leads me to another point: the world's human population is quickly approaching the carrying capacity of the planet, if it's not already there. At some point, the human population will reach a point at which there will necessarily be a population crash. The estimates of the carrying capacity of our fair blue dot in this great universe keep going up, but there is a limit. Bullocks, say some, technology will allow the human population to increase infinitely. But what kind of quality of life would it be for that population? Not a very pretty one, if the current state of income distribution is any indication.
While I'm in favor of organic gardening and farming, I realize that there is a need, on another scale, to have adequate farms to feed the world's ever-increasing human population. For me, the locality of my produce is more important than the fact that it's organic, because I understand that organic produce contains no more nutrients than that which is conventionally-produced using pesticides and GMOs. That less fuel is used to bring the produce to me is the deciding factor. I like food with small ecological footprints.
That brings me to another rant: the human population. The growth of the human population is uneven in that the places that produce the most wealth and are best suited to support larger populations have steadily decreasing populations (with the notable exception of the United States, though much of our population growth is from immigration) while poorer, less technologically-advanced populations are indeed burgeoning, meaning to grow or increase rapidly. Hell in a handbasket, anyone?
But back to my produce. Today, I'm happily unpacking butter lettuce, cone-top cabbage, radishes, eight-ball summer squash, beets, kale, broccoli, fresh basil, and a pint of lovely, sweet, red strawberries. I was able to fill the drawers in my fridge and then some.
I'm only sorry that in today's Pastries and Desserts class, we made doughnuts, which Liz and I were happily devouring as they cooked. Ugh. Now I'm paying the price. Tomorrow, I will try to run, then, if my hip feels better. Then I'll get into my regular core routine, then perhaps add in some arms, shoulders, chest, and back for a whole-body workout. For now, I'm going to take a shower and lay myself down to rest after just waaay too many carbs in those doughnuts...
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Say, That Reminds Me...
Okay, okay, I will freely admit that my memory is atrocious. The fact is, I depend on others to help me remember lots of details (like passwords for websites and bank ATM PINs). The trouble is, there are just so many passwords that I'd come up with a system, but the system fails once I have to change a password, because they're not inherently sequential (ie, PassWord01, PassWord02, etc.). For most websites, I just use the name of the website/company, adding a number if a number is required, and capitalizing the name if an uppercase letter is required. There is one four-digit number sequence which I've designated my "ATM PIN," which I intend to use for every ATM card until it gets hacked or stolen. Then I'll be up the creek as far as making up a new one.
I opened three new accounts at Kat's credit union (two savings and one checking) because I intend to move my finances from BoA over the next weeks. The only catch is that my safe deposit box just renewed, so it'd be almost another whole year before I can close that without loss. In the process of opening the new checking account at the credit union, the woman who was setting up the account had me enter a PIN for my ATM card. She said that the credit card comes with a four-digit number as well, but that it's usually better and easier to just have the computer randomize one for me because making up another one might end up being confusing. I concurred, and so am awaiting my new credit card, which will actually not be another VISA (I currently hold a VISA and a Discover). I don't plan to make cash withdrawals with my credit cards, anyway, so it's unlikely that I'll need to remember my credit card's four-digit code for using at ATMs. In this way, I've been making things much easier on myself by avoiding things that require memorization.
Soon I'll take the SCUBA Enriched Air Course, in which I'll need to memorize some formulae for figuring partial pressures based on depth and percentage of gases in the mix. The concept of partial pressures makes sense, if I think about it enough. A common Nitrox mix is composed of 32% oxygen, 67% nitrogen, and one per cent of something like carbon dioxide. There are "tri-mixes," to which helium is added in so that the percentage of nitrogen is lowered, thus cutting the risk of nitrogen narcosis while avoiding oxygen toxicity. But that's all for me ahead, next month, right before my trial (and it will be a trial, I'm sure).
Thinking about the trial, I'm glad that it's amidst enjoyable events, because then it'll be a blip instead of the dreaded, drawn-out debacle from which the court system seems to take pleasure. This is because it (the court system) wants to schedule things along its own pace, not necessarily in accordance with the accused's right to a speedy trial. It's taken long enough. I'm glad it'll be over in a few weeks.
Right. The fumigation will take place one week from tomorrow, so Kat and I'll be packing up foodstuffs, double bagging everything in big plastic bags in order to keep them "safe" from the fumigation gas. I looked up the chemical online, and it looks like it attacks the nervous system, but the description leaves out details, like how an animal actually dies after inhaling the killer gas. It just makes me sad that we haven't found Buddy, Kat's ball python, for weeks now (he'd disappeared shortly after I'd gone with Peter to San Francisco in mid-March). Given that snakes can hide themselves very well, it's sad and somewhat ironic, I suppose, that by hiding, Buddy's writing his own death warrant...
Tomorrow, I will pick up my first box from my new CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture), or subscription farm. I read their description of themselves, and I like the fact that they're very local, located right here in San Diego. The only thing I hadn't noticed while reading their literature is that I think they grow only veggies, not fruit, so we'll still need to procure fruit from supermarkets, which isn't too bad, I suppose, since I like the fresh and dried fruit from Sprouts, anyway.
It's getting late. I'll close up for tonight, and maybe write something more substantial tomorrow.
I opened three new accounts at Kat's credit union (two savings and one checking) because I intend to move my finances from BoA over the next weeks. The only catch is that my safe deposit box just renewed, so it'd be almost another whole year before I can close that without loss. In the process of opening the new checking account at the credit union, the woman who was setting up the account had me enter a PIN for my ATM card. She said that the credit card comes with a four-digit number as well, but that it's usually better and easier to just have the computer randomize one for me because making up another one might end up being confusing. I concurred, and so am awaiting my new credit card, which will actually not be another VISA (I currently hold a VISA and a Discover). I don't plan to make cash withdrawals with my credit cards, anyway, so it's unlikely that I'll need to remember my credit card's four-digit code for using at ATMs. In this way, I've been making things much easier on myself by avoiding things that require memorization.
Soon I'll take the SCUBA Enriched Air Course, in which I'll need to memorize some formulae for figuring partial pressures based on depth and percentage of gases in the mix. The concept of partial pressures makes sense, if I think about it enough. A common Nitrox mix is composed of 32% oxygen, 67% nitrogen, and one per cent of something like carbon dioxide. There are "tri-mixes," to which helium is added in so that the percentage of nitrogen is lowered, thus cutting the risk of nitrogen narcosis while avoiding oxygen toxicity. But that's all for me ahead, next month, right before my trial (and it will be a trial, I'm sure).
Thinking about the trial, I'm glad that it's amidst enjoyable events, because then it'll be a blip instead of the dreaded, drawn-out debacle from which the court system seems to take pleasure. This is because it (the court system) wants to schedule things along its own pace, not necessarily in accordance with the accused's right to a speedy trial. It's taken long enough. I'm glad it'll be over in a few weeks.
Right. The fumigation will take place one week from tomorrow, so Kat and I'll be packing up foodstuffs, double bagging everything in big plastic bags in order to keep them "safe" from the fumigation gas. I looked up the chemical online, and it looks like it attacks the nervous system, but the description leaves out details, like how an animal actually dies after inhaling the killer gas. It just makes me sad that we haven't found Buddy, Kat's ball python, for weeks now (he'd disappeared shortly after I'd gone with Peter to San Francisco in mid-March). Given that snakes can hide themselves very well, it's sad and somewhat ironic, I suppose, that by hiding, Buddy's writing his own death warrant...
Tomorrow, I will pick up my first box from my new CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture), or subscription farm. I read their description of themselves, and I like the fact that they're very local, located right here in San Diego. The only thing I hadn't noticed while reading their literature is that I think they grow only veggies, not fruit, so we'll still need to procure fruit from supermarkets, which isn't too bad, I suppose, since I like the fresh and dried fruit from Sprouts, anyway.
It's getting late. I'll close up for tonight, and maybe write something more substantial tomorrow.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Proposed Pipeline Under and Through the United States from Canada to Gulf Coast Refineries for Export to Foreign Destinations
I was watching a video of the anti-Keystone XL Pipeline protest posted by SanDiego350.org:
http://www.eyepaintart.blogspot.com/2014/04/stop-kxl-no-pipeline.html.
I'm going to rant a bit today about the "demand" for petroleum products, in spite of their obsolescence...
I understand that there are and will continue to be internal combustion engines as part of our lives. However, what I cannot fathom is why people will continue to buy this technology, since it is already reaching the end of its useful lifespan.
I understand: because I live in the United States, which has not seen a war on its own land since the turn of the twentieth century (Okay, WWII saw some Japanese attacks on US territories). That being the case, this country has never needed to re-lay its rails (as Germany and Japan have), or rebuild much of its infrastructure, as much of Europe has. That is why this country is so far behind the curve on adopting new technologies: what we've already had was always good enough, and we were never forced to replace them.
The time has come (actually, the time had been ripe for a long, long time, and is nearing the rotting stage) for the United States to go through the reconstruction of all major infrastructure, including bridges, tunnels, canals, subways, sewer systems, etc. This would create immediate jobs for the construction industry, which has been aching for work since the economic downturn of the prior presidential administration, and provide a baseline for future work, as everything will be documented (or at least it ought to be) for future repairs (and for those of you who want to argue that some systems should be good enough to never require repair, I'll tell you that you are full of it, because all artificially created systems break down over time. All of them. It's not a matter of if, but when.
We could finally install a high speed rail system (aka "bullet trains"), that could compete with airlines for inter-city travelers. Giving people a viable alternative to flying would be a good thing. I know that I'd prefer to sit on a train, book in hand, watching the landscape race by rather than go through airport security any day of the week. I'd rather complete some work while a train shuttles me along, rather than be too uncomfortable, cramped into a seat on a flying can, to get anything done.
It's not that I have anything against airplanes: they have their purpose. However, for anything but the longest distances (or where bodies of water prevent railroad crossings), I believe that electric trains should be implemented and utilized. The electricity should be produced using renewables like sunlight, ocean waves, and wind (or, more likely, a combination of some or all of them), so that again, we're not investing in that anachronistic technology called fossil fuels. And that's more jobs for the construction industry. Granted, all of these projects would produce term, or temporary, jobs, but it's something. The construction industry needs to retool itself into projects involving renovation, updating, and very little new construction. As an architect, I understand the shock, but I believe this is the right way to go.
So, back to the Pipeline(s). There is really no need for it (them). People need to learn to become more efficient, to use the newer existing technologies to make the most of what energy can be produced using renewable methods (like those stated above). The cheapest energy we save is that which we never use, as I've heard said many, many times.
But too many people not only refuse to learn, they actively campaign against it. "The Masses" seem to enjoy the status quo. Even if they don't necessarily enjoy it, it's familiar, and that makes it less scary. The devil you know being less scary, right? But the status quo, the devil we do know, is going to end our species (or at least the society we've built) that much sooner. I just hate to think about how much we'll be destroying this planet before we're finally winked out of existence. The Earth, or Gaia, as some like to call it, can be happy, then, if it feels anything at all, to finally be free of the infestation that is the human species and the fever (climate change) it induced.
http://www.eyepaintart.blogspot.com/2014/04/stop-kxl-no-pipeline.html.
I'm going to rant a bit today about the "demand" for petroleum products, in spite of their obsolescence...
I understand that there are and will continue to be internal combustion engines as part of our lives. However, what I cannot fathom is why people will continue to buy this technology, since it is already reaching the end of its useful lifespan.
I understand: because I live in the United States, which has not seen a war on its own land since the turn of the twentieth century (Okay, WWII saw some Japanese attacks on US territories). That being the case, this country has never needed to re-lay its rails (as Germany and Japan have), or rebuild much of its infrastructure, as much of Europe has. That is why this country is so far behind the curve on adopting new technologies: what we've already had was always good enough, and we were never forced to replace them.
The time has come (actually, the time had been ripe for a long, long time, and is nearing the rotting stage) for the United States to go through the reconstruction of all major infrastructure, including bridges, tunnels, canals, subways, sewer systems, etc. This would create immediate jobs for the construction industry, which has been aching for work since the economic downturn of the prior presidential administration, and provide a baseline for future work, as everything will be documented (or at least it ought to be) for future repairs (and for those of you who want to argue that some systems should be good enough to never require repair, I'll tell you that you are full of it, because all artificially created systems break down over time. All of them. It's not a matter of if, but when.
We could finally install a high speed rail system (aka "bullet trains"), that could compete with airlines for inter-city travelers. Giving people a viable alternative to flying would be a good thing. I know that I'd prefer to sit on a train, book in hand, watching the landscape race by rather than go through airport security any day of the week. I'd rather complete some work while a train shuttles me along, rather than be too uncomfortable, cramped into a seat on a flying can, to get anything done.
It's not that I have anything against airplanes: they have their purpose. However, for anything but the longest distances (or where bodies of water prevent railroad crossings), I believe that electric trains should be implemented and utilized. The electricity should be produced using renewables like sunlight, ocean waves, and wind (or, more likely, a combination of some or all of them), so that again, we're not investing in that anachronistic technology called fossil fuels. And that's more jobs for the construction industry. Granted, all of these projects would produce term, or temporary, jobs, but it's something. The construction industry needs to retool itself into projects involving renovation, updating, and very little new construction. As an architect, I understand the shock, but I believe this is the right way to go.
So, back to the Pipeline(s). There is really no need for it (them). People need to learn to become more efficient, to use the newer existing technologies to make the most of what energy can be produced using renewable methods (like those stated above). The cheapest energy we save is that which we never use, as I've heard said many, many times.
But too many people not only refuse to learn, they actively campaign against it. "The Masses" seem to enjoy the status quo. Even if they don't necessarily enjoy it, it's familiar, and that makes it less scary. The devil you know being less scary, right? But the status quo, the devil we do know, is going to end our species (or at least the society we've built) that much sooner. I just hate to think about how much we'll be destroying this planet before we're finally winked out of existence. The Earth, or Gaia, as some like to call it, can be happy, then, if it feels anything at all, to finally be free of the infestation that is the human species and the fever (climate change) it induced.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
How the San Diego Police Department Uses Time as an Intimidation Tactic
It's happened to me twice. I'm glad that the red light cams that littered the City of San Diego have finally been determined to provide inadmissible "evidence" in court. The judgment came too late for me, but I feel better knowing that the City of San Diego will no longer be funding its police activities through commissioning ticket quotas from its traffic officers (though this is, in greatest likelihood, still practiced, because police departments in all U.S. cities are notoriously corrupt and therefore forever in want of cash).
I think the worst part of the red light cam scam is that the photos are sent to the driver weeks before the actual summons arrives in the mail, giving the driver time to stew in their misery. These police departments are practicing psychological torture. Rather than make the accusation right away by sending a ticket with the photos, the photos are sent first, so as to intimidate the driver into believing that they've got no recourse. Well, I'm glad that the red light cams are gone. They were never a method of increasing safety on the streets, no matter how much the police departments might claim. They are (were) a means of pure revenue production for the police departments that use(d) them. While I value the peacekeeping function of a functional police department, more often than not, I'm witness to the high-handedness and self-righteousness police officers often express in both actions and words.
The most recent time I was pulled over by a cop for a supposed traffic violation, Peter was with me, and he remembered the entire encounter, word for word. Afterwards, he asked me if I remembered how the cop reacted when I responded to his query, and I said I wasn't looking at the guy. Peter leaned back and told me the cop appeared flabbergasted that I should have made a judgment call while driving, rather than just blindly obeying the word of the law...
I obey the word of the law when it makes logical sense. When it makes no rational, reasonable sense, I ignore the word and go for the spirit of the law, which, in my mind, is public safety (and shouldn't that always be the focus of police departments?).
So if public safety is the goal of all police departments, and I believe it ought to be, why are so many resources put into collecting traffic fines? Traffic fines help to pay for the operation of the police department, and therefore has become a necessary evil. In all seriousness, who really gives a flying f*ck how fast someone's driving on a major thoroughfare as long as they're managing the car well enough to avoid a wreck? In my book: no harm, no foul. No accident, no blame. If there's an accident, then there is typically some assignment of blame (it might come out equally among participants, or might come out to lay at the feet of one driver). Outside of adjudicating court cases where one party is suing another for their part in causing a traffic accident, why does the law even care?
It really shouldn't, is my conclusion. It seems to have become the role of police departments around the country (this country, at least) to be society's busybodies, minding everybody's business, regardless of the righteousness of that inquisitiveness. It reminds me of miscegenation laws and "marriage inequality" laws. Who cares what gender(s) of person(s) one enjoys, sexually or otherwise?
I remember spending time in college (and I did attend college) figuring out my sexuality, and came to the conclusion that the kind of persons I found attractive were those who were wholly themselves and comfortable occupying their own skin. Sure, I had physical preferences, just as most, if not all, people do. But in terms of the person inside that body, I was kind of an equal opportunity lover of sorts, though I realized over time that I really did have preferences for certain personality types, and that those preferences were acceptable, both to myself and to the society in which I lived.
Nowadays, I spend less time thinking about why I find someone attractive, and just revel in the joy of being in love, which happens all too infrequently to the likes of me...
I've been in love three times in my life.
The first young man I'd fallen for was, the words of my friend, Deb Pastner, "an Adonis." What she'd actually said was, "I walked into the bathroom, and there, brushing his teeth, was an Adonis. I figured he must belong to you." (We had a coed bathroom on our floor of the dorm.)
The second time I fell in love was with my (second) husband. If I gave you a physical description of these first two men, you'd think I had a thing for tall blonds, which, perhaps, I do, to a certain extent...
The third man, with whom I'm very much in love, is, unlike the first two, actually my senior by about a dozen or so years. Like the first two, though, he has a great head of hair through which I so do enjoy running my fingers! And, like the first two, he is a creator; an artful engineer, if you will. A musician, as well as a great intellectual, and a thoughtful, affectionate person to boot!
Alas, I digress a bit too far even for my taste. Good night. I will find some other topic about which to rant, I'm sure, soon enough.
I think the worst part of the red light cam scam is that the photos are sent to the driver weeks before the actual summons arrives in the mail, giving the driver time to stew in their misery. These police departments are practicing psychological torture. Rather than make the accusation right away by sending a ticket with the photos, the photos are sent first, so as to intimidate the driver into believing that they've got no recourse. Well, I'm glad that the red light cams are gone. They were never a method of increasing safety on the streets, no matter how much the police departments might claim. They are (were) a means of pure revenue production for the police departments that use(d) them. While I value the peacekeeping function of a functional police department, more often than not, I'm witness to the high-handedness and self-righteousness police officers often express in both actions and words.
The most recent time I was pulled over by a cop for a supposed traffic violation, Peter was with me, and he remembered the entire encounter, word for word. Afterwards, he asked me if I remembered how the cop reacted when I responded to his query, and I said I wasn't looking at the guy. Peter leaned back and told me the cop appeared flabbergasted that I should have made a judgment call while driving, rather than just blindly obeying the word of the law...
I obey the word of the law when it makes logical sense. When it makes no rational, reasonable sense, I ignore the word and go for the spirit of the law, which, in my mind, is public safety (and shouldn't that always be the focus of police departments?).
So if public safety is the goal of all police departments, and I believe it ought to be, why are so many resources put into collecting traffic fines? Traffic fines help to pay for the operation of the police department, and therefore has become a necessary evil. In all seriousness, who really gives a flying f*ck how fast someone's driving on a major thoroughfare as long as they're managing the car well enough to avoid a wreck? In my book: no harm, no foul. No accident, no blame. If there's an accident, then there is typically some assignment of blame (it might come out equally among participants, or might come out to lay at the feet of one driver). Outside of adjudicating court cases where one party is suing another for their part in causing a traffic accident, why does the law even care?
It really shouldn't, is my conclusion. It seems to have become the role of police departments around the country (this country, at least) to be society's busybodies, minding everybody's business, regardless of the righteousness of that inquisitiveness. It reminds me of miscegenation laws and "marriage inequality" laws. Who cares what gender(s) of person(s) one enjoys, sexually or otherwise?
I remember spending time in college (and I did attend college) figuring out my sexuality, and came to the conclusion that the kind of persons I found attractive were those who were wholly themselves and comfortable occupying their own skin. Sure, I had physical preferences, just as most, if not all, people do. But in terms of the person inside that body, I was kind of an equal opportunity lover of sorts, though I realized over time that I really did have preferences for certain personality types, and that those preferences were acceptable, both to myself and to the society in which I lived.
Nowadays, I spend less time thinking about why I find someone attractive, and just revel in the joy of being in love, which happens all too infrequently to the likes of me...
I've been in love three times in my life.
The first young man I'd fallen for was, the words of my friend, Deb Pastner, "an Adonis." What she'd actually said was, "I walked into the bathroom, and there, brushing his teeth, was an Adonis. I figured he must belong to you." (We had a coed bathroom on our floor of the dorm.)
The second time I fell in love was with my (second) husband. If I gave you a physical description of these first two men, you'd think I had a thing for tall blonds, which, perhaps, I do, to a certain extent...
The third man, with whom I'm very much in love, is, unlike the first two, actually my senior by about a dozen or so years. Like the first two, though, he has a great head of hair through which I so do enjoy running my fingers! And, like the first two, he is a creator; an artful engineer, if you will. A musician, as well as a great intellectual, and a thoughtful, affectionate person to boot!
Alas, I digress a bit too far even for my taste. Good night. I will find some other topic about which to rant, I'm sure, soon enough.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Learning the Limits to "Freedom of Speech"
Today, I received an email message from TripAdvisor, where I often posted reviews of places, local and distant, as a reference for other travelers and visitors to San Diego. I am (or at least I was, when I'd received this missive from them) one of their "Top Contributors." This was the first time I'd ever been requested to rewrite a review. Here is the original review in its entirety:
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"We went to SeaWorld because my friend had free passes from another friend. We went there early, and walked around quite a bit, making a spiral to cover all the exhibits. We did not see any performing animals, though, even though that seems to be what a lot of people go to SeaWorld for. We visited the porpoises in their holding tank, touched some rays in the touch pool, ate lunch at one of the eateries, and rode the roller coaster a couple of times because I'd not been on a roller coaster in years.
"It was not an unpleasant visit; I hope that the basic premise of the organization changes its focus to the well-being of the animals, rather than "sacrificing" the few to "help" the overall population, as it seems to be. SeaWorld calls a lot of attention to its conservation efforts around San Diego, as I'm sure SeaWorlds in other locations do, but as long as they're holding intelligent, sentient captives in pools, I'd recommend against patronizing them."
I'm sure that the lawyers at TripAdvisor took one look at this and thought, "This is a lawsuit waiting to happen (if we publish this review)..." so they sent me a request for a rewrite. I am not going to rewrite it, because anything else I'd write could only be (even more) scathing, not only of SeaWorld, but of TripAdvisor itself for not having the balls to publish anything that can be construed as "controversial," perhaps esp. after SeaWorld already caught flak over the movie "Blackfish." I hadn't seen "Blackfish" until after our visit to SeaWorld, so was not aware of any mistreatment prior to our visit. Call me naive; I pretty much was, though I'd always had a sinking feeling about SeaWorld in general, and never had the desire to see one of their performing animal shows. "Blackfish" called perfect attention to it for me.
I was going to write about something else today, but that has flown out of my mind now that I'm on this topic. Censorship is practiced everywhere, I've learned. Too many ambulance-chasing lawyers and suit-happy, overly-sensitive to criticism organizations out there... A lot of self-censorship, I believe. Even in a forum as this, my own blog, someone might tell me to be careful, because SeaWorld might come after me for defamation. Well, SeaWorld can try, but they're trying to get blood from a stone if they sue my ass, because I don't have sufficient assets to make it worth their while. And it's bad publicity for them to go after some random blogger for insulting their collective ego.
I would be surprised if Blogger were to delete this post. We'll see how many eyes see it before that happens...
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Thursday, April 17, 2014
Why MTS in the City of San Diego Sucks
17 April 2014 5:32p
We all know the chicken-and-egg argument: unless public transit improves its service, nobody will ride it except the desperate; yet, the system won't be improved unless ridership increases enough to pay for it. This all points to an obvious solution that would send republicans (the Repugnant Party, I prefer to call it) around the bend, I'm sure:
All transit systems must be subsidized until ridership increases sufficiently for it to become self-sustaining. People like to say that they don't want to ride the bus because it's inconvenient, and perhaps they don't want to conform to a schedule. Well, you know what, folks? What pathetic system we do have is going down the f*cking tubes because nobody will ride! Well, get a clue, folks, because before long, private cars will be so exorbitant to run due to the price of fuel that we'll all need to use transit. Be the first, goddamn it! Get to the front of this curve!
AND I MEAN IT. No, the naysayers contend, We, as "'mer'cans," like to be individuals and nonconformist to the point where nobody even wants to share transportation with anyone else (much to our collective detriment). And Americans love love love their automobiles!
I did not notice any loss of individuality among the Spanish, Catalan, German, Belgian, New Yorkers, or Bostonians who all use their public transit systems as they are intended to be used. Oh, but the naysayers complain, New York already has a great transit system, as do most European countries.
Well, the United States of America is behaving more like the Disparate Spoiled-Rotten Children of America by poo-pooing public transit. Doesn't anyone remember that one of the steps in growing into adulthood is learning how to share? Or has that lesson stopped being taught because we're all such (selfish, egotistical) "individuals" now?
Granted, there are times when I use private transportation. Mostly, this is due to the lack of public options, which I would much prefer to use, if given the choice. But in Sunny San Diego, the choices are pathetically limited, with the possible exception of neighborhoods in which ridership is either high already, or there is easy money to be made from people who are willing to pay for and ride transit. Nobody considers that people ride transit because they realize that it's actually more convenient to avoid parking a 1-2 ton machine at one's destination, only to have to park it again when one gets home.
On a recent trip to Barcelona, I enjoyed learning the basics of the city's transit system (buses and subways) to make getting around easier and faster than walking everywhere. No car to worry about, I was free to explore the city to my heart's content.
When I first moved to San Diego in 2008, I rode transit exclusively because I was not driving yet after an automobile accident (I'll write about this another time, probably). I remember specifically taking the bus from my neighborhood to Kearny Mesa Transit Center, on Claremont Mesa Boulevard, and looking for attractive destinations of buses that were passing through. I saw a bus whose destination was "Pacific Beach," and I decided, Hey, that sounds like a cool destination to check out; it's a beach, how bad can it be? I'd remembered taking the subway from New York City to the beach, so this might be something as spectacularly similar! Turns out I ended up taking the 27 bus to Pacific Beach almost every day for almost a year, to walk on the "boardwalk" (is it a California thing to call something a "boardwalk" when it's really asphalt?) and look out onto the ocean in contemplation.
I've since been to Point Loma (past the airport on the 992 bus), Ocean Beach (on the 923), and Old Town (on the trolley's Green Line). I've even been out to Santee at the end of the Green Line with two children with me in the evening, when it was dark by the time we got home. Dangerous? Nah, not to me, or to my then-ten-year-old daughter, who has since become a confident transit utilizer herself.
I've heard the other complaint about transit: "It takes too long." Well, yes, it does take longer, but as long as one is willing to live at a slower pace, which I think we all ought to do anyway, transit is just fine. People have become so impatient these days that to wait five minutes for a late bus that will take an extra twenty minutes to get there feels like too much of a sacrifice to make to get anywhere. Well, those same shortsighted naysayers reply, why live life at a slower pace? Life will pass you by if you don't hurry...
Activities, my interests, and people keep my life interesting (if you haven't noticed), so I don't feel like life is passing me by at all. In fact, I believe I'm able to enjoy my life to a greater extent than folks who spend their lives rushing from one thing to another until they rush themselves into an early grave. Me, I'd rather live my life, and not have it determined by something as ephemeral as impatience. Patience is, after all, a virtue, whether one believes in a god (which I don't, obviously) or not. And the frustration of being stuck in traffic? Well, at times when I am stuck in traffic, I figure that's the price of living in a city that doesn't know how to organize itself. Unless I'm running out for groceries (because they'll melt or thaw excessively, though I've had fish packed in ice before leaving PB once to get back to Mira Mesa via two buses), I compute the time spent into an object's acquisition cost, just as I figure into the cost of groceries the cost of the gas I'm burning when I drive (and I do drive when I go to the grocery store, although I'm making such trips less frequently now that I belong to a CSA and receive fresh produce delivered to my door - I'll write about this another time, as well).
Life is what we make of it. I'm using my time on this earth as I see fit, spending time with my daughter, my lover, my immediate and extended family, my friends, and playmates. If I get to my destinations by bus or train, that's all the better, in my book. The time it takes, well, that's time spent reading or watching the scenery.
We all know the chicken-and-egg argument: unless public transit improves its service, nobody will ride it except the desperate; yet, the system won't be improved unless ridership increases enough to pay for it. This all points to an obvious solution that would send republicans (the Repugnant Party, I prefer to call it) around the bend, I'm sure:
All transit systems must be subsidized until ridership increases sufficiently for it to become self-sustaining. People like to say that they don't want to ride the bus because it's inconvenient, and perhaps they don't want to conform to a schedule. Well, you know what, folks? What pathetic system we do have is going down the f*cking tubes because nobody will ride! Well, get a clue, folks, because before long, private cars will be so exorbitant to run due to the price of fuel that we'll all need to use transit. Be the first, goddamn it! Get to the front of this curve!
AND I MEAN IT. No, the naysayers contend, We, as "'mer'cans," like to be individuals and nonconformist to the point where nobody even wants to share transportation with anyone else (much to our collective detriment). And Americans love love love their automobiles!
I did not notice any loss of individuality among the Spanish, Catalan, German, Belgian, New Yorkers, or Bostonians who all use their public transit systems as they are intended to be used. Oh, but the naysayers complain, New York already has a great transit system, as do most European countries.
Well, the United States of America is behaving more like the Disparate Spoiled-Rotten Children of America by poo-pooing public transit. Doesn't anyone remember that one of the steps in growing into adulthood is learning how to share? Or has that lesson stopped being taught because we're all such (selfish, egotistical) "individuals" now?
Granted, there are times when I use private transportation. Mostly, this is due to the lack of public options, which I would much prefer to use, if given the choice. But in Sunny San Diego, the choices are pathetically limited, with the possible exception of neighborhoods in which ridership is either high already, or there is easy money to be made from people who are willing to pay for and ride transit. Nobody considers that people ride transit because they realize that it's actually more convenient to avoid parking a 1-2 ton machine at one's destination, only to have to park it again when one gets home.
On a recent trip to Barcelona, I enjoyed learning the basics of the city's transit system (buses and subways) to make getting around easier and faster than walking everywhere. No car to worry about, I was free to explore the city to my heart's content.
When I first moved to San Diego in 2008, I rode transit exclusively because I was not driving yet after an automobile accident (I'll write about this another time, probably). I remember specifically taking the bus from my neighborhood to Kearny Mesa Transit Center, on Claremont Mesa Boulevard, and looking for attractive destinations of buses that were passing through. I saw a bus whose destination was "Pacific Beach," and I decided, Hey, that sounds like a cool destination to check out; it's a beach, how bad can it be? I'd remembered taking the subway from New York City to the beach, so this might be something as spectacularly similar! Turns out I ended up taking the 27 bus to Pacific Beach almost every day for almost a year, to walk on the "boardwalk" (is it a California thing to call something a "boardwalk" when it's really asphalt?) and look out onto the ocean in contemplation.
I've since been to Point Loma (past the airport on the 992 bus), Ocean Beach (on the 923), and Old Town (on the trolley's Green Line). I've even been out to Santee at the end of the Green Line with two children with me in the evening, when it was dark by the time we got home. Dangerous? Nah, not to me, or to my then-ten-year-old daughter, who has since become a confident transit utilizer herself.
I've heard the other complaint about transit: "It takes too long." Well, yes, it does take longer, but as long as one is willing to live at a slower pace, which I think we all ought to do anyway, transit is just fine. People have become so impatient these days that to wait five minutes for a late bus that will take an extra twenty minutes to get there feels like too much of a sacrifice to make to get anywhere. Well, those same shortsighted naysayers reply, why live life at a slower pace? Life will pass you by if you don't hurry...
Activities, my interests, and people keep my life interesting (if you haven't noticed), so I don't feel like life is passing me by at all. In fact, I believe I'm able to enjoy my life to a greater extent than folks who spend their lives rushing from one thing to another until they rush themselves into an early grave. Me, I'd rather live my life, and not have it determined by something as ephemeral as impatience. Patience is, after all, a virtue, whether one believes in a god (which I don't, obviously) or not. And the frustration of being stuck in traffic? Well, at times when I am stuck in traffic, I figure that's the price of living in a city that doesn't know how to organize itself. Unless I'm running out for groceries (because they'll melt or thaw excessively, though I've had fish packed in ice before leaving PB once to get back to Mira Mesa via two buses), I compute the time spent into an object's acquisition cost, just as I figure into the cost of groceries the cost of the gas I'm burning when I drive (and I do drive when I go to the grocery store, although I'm making such trips less frequently now that I belong to a CSA and receive fresh produce delivered to my door - I'll write about this another time, as well).
Life is what we make of it. I'm using my time on this earth as I see fit, spending time with my daughter, my lover, my immediate and extended family, my friends, and playmates. If I get to my destinations by bus or train, that's all the better, in my book. The time it takes, well, that's time spent reading or watching the scenery.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
15 April 2014, Tax Day, For Better or For Worse
I'm feeling creative and experimental this morning. After sending Kat off to school, I took a look in my pantry and took out some ingredients that I'd like to make use of because the fumigation will take place in just three weeks' time.
We received the second delivery of our CSA produce this morning. We received two small fennel bulbs (there is one in the regular box, but I substituted another fennel bulb for the carrots, which we still haven't finished from the first delivery). For dinner tonight, I think I will make mixed mushroom soup, as we have a plethora of mushrooms now, both from the CSA and from my shopping trip to the Korean market up the street. We will have Maitake and white beech mushrooms to saute with garlic and fresh ginger. Then I'll add some vegetable stock ("Better Than Bouillon," diluted with coconut milk). On the face of it, it looks like it might turn into Thai chicken soup that utilizes coconut milk.
The recipe for Tom Kha Gai from bon appétit has this ingredient list:
1 1” piece ginger, peeled
10 kaffir lime leaves or 1 Tbsp. lime zest and ¼ cup lime juice
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1” pieces8 oz. shiitake, oyster, or maitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into bite-size pieces
1 13.5-oz. can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
1 tsp. sugar
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, tough outer layers removed
Chili oil, cilantro leaves with tender stems, and lime wedges (for serving)
We received the second delivery of our CSA produce this morning. We received two small fennel bulbs (there is one in the regular box, but I substituted another fennel bulb for the carrots, which we still haven't finished from the first delivery). For dinner tonight, I think I will make mixed mushroom soup, as we have a plethora of mushrooms now, both from the CSA and from my shopping trip to the Korean market up the street. We will have Maitake and white beech mushrooms to saute with garlic and fresh ginger. Then I'll add some vegetable stock ("Better Than Bouillon," diluted with coconut milk). On the face of it, it looks like it might turn into Thai chicken soup that utilizes coconut milk.
The recipe for Tom Kha Gai from bon appétit has this ingredient list:
1 1” piece ginger, peeled
10 kaffir lime leaves or 1 Tbsp. lime zest and ¼ cup lime juice
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1” pieces8 oz. shiitake, oyster, or maitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into bite-size pieces
1 13.5-oz. can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
1 tsp. sugar
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, tough outer layers removed
Chili oil, cilantro leaves with tender stems, and lime wedges (for serving)
I don't have fish sauce, lemongrass, cilantro, or lime, though I might substitute lemon, as our box contained a Eureka lemon that I'd like to find a use for. Incidentally, I also have half of a Meyer lemon in the refrigerator that I'd left after using the other half, juiced, over my breakfast yogurt a while ago. I'd have to run to the supermarket to find chicken, though, unless I can find a decent substitute, like a soft tofu, since it's soup and the texture might be more consistent. But I'd still need to run to the store to get that, too.
This soup will definitely be an improvisation on the chicken-coconut soup riff. I just might have some lime juice in the fridge (from concentrate, in a plastic lime, of course). It'd be good to use that up, too, since the fumigation is going to require that all food, including refrigerated goods, be bagged in the plastic bags they'll provide. I'll pick up some bags at the meeting tonight.
I hadn't even noticed that today is Tax Day. I'd finished mine and submitted my return a couple week ago, using free online software. I put in all the variables, and the program calculated everything to tell me that, as expected, I have no (additional) tax liability and will receive no refund. I'm on an even level with the feds (and the State of California, as far as I know).
My "bread" just came out of the oven. Again, I'm using up ingredients: flax meal, oat bran, rolled oats, and Nutrela protein bits. No wheat. It does contain butter, however, and plenty of it (half pound). Two extra-large eggs, and about three-eighths of a pound of brown sugar (don't ask me why I used so much, I don't really know).
I'll give it a try soon, and if it's any good, I'll tell you what I put into it, if I remember everything, that is.
I was also thinking about roasting fennel for dinner tonight. So it'd be a meal of fiber and liquid, with a little protein to keep things interesting. Not too bad, I think. Kat loves roasted fennel, as do I. Perfect food for picking up with chopsticks, it is.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Kumquat, Flax, and Coconut Cookie Recipe; Plus the Kitchen Sink
13 April 2014
I concocted a cookie recipe yesterday afternoon for Phoenix Games at Carol's:
Kumquat-Coconut Flax Cookies (“Paleo-Cookies”)
about a dozen large, juicy kumquats, seeds removed and chopped finely (I used my Ulu knife and board);
about 1/2-3/4 c. sweetened shredded coconut;
1/2-3/4 c. brown sugar;
4 c. flax meal;
about a half pound of butter;
1 t baking soda; and
1 t salt (I used refined sea salt)
Mix flax meal, salt, baking soda together in medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
chop kumquats roughly and irregularly, leaving some larger pieces and some finer, with most or all of the juice coming out of the fruit. Set aside.
beat butter until softened, and add brown sugar; mix together until a thick paste forms. Add kumquats and mix thoroughly. Stir in flax meal in batches until completely incorporated. Add shredded coconut and distribute it evenly through batter. Batter will be loose, but coherent enough to scoop with a spoon.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Using silicone mat on the baking sheet, bake batches of 12-18 (1) T.-sized cookies, leaving a couple inches between. Time baking around 12-15 minutes, until cookies are dry and ends/edges of coconut brown. Cool for one minute on baking sheet, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container when cooled (they will harden after being removed from oven).
These were popular among the gamers, especially Julie and Ralph, who are following a "Paleo" diet, even though the cookies do contain cane sugar as opposed to turbinado, and butter as opposed to coconut oil. I think I'll try to make these in the future with coconut oil in place of the butter. They might taste a little more fruity, and that would be nice.
Something to try after the fumigation and Peter will be here to help me eat them, because even though Kat will eat them, she prefers my "kitchen sink" cookies that contain just about every allergen known to baking:
“Kitchen Sink” Cookies
(the ones I made to clean out the pantry of already-opened ingredients)
3 c. a-p four, plus more for rolling, if necessary;
1 t salt (again, I used refined sea salt);
1.5 t baking soda;
about 1 T. lemon juice;
about 1/2-3/4 c. light molasses;
quarter pound sweet butter;
8 oz. brick Neufchatel cheese;
2 T. almond oil;
rest of an already-opened bag of almond meal (about 1/4-1/3 c.);
1 extra-large egg;
depending on what flavors you favor:
cinnamon (I used about a tablespoon of this);
nutmeg (I used about a teaspoon);
cloves (about a half teaspoon); and
coriander (about a half teaspoon)
Stir together flour, almond meal, salt, and baking soda. Add spices and set aside.
Beat butter and Neufchatel cheese until softened and well-incorporated and light. Add egg, lemon juice, and molasses, and beat together for about a minute. Add dry ingredients about a cup at a time until it is all incorporated. The batter will be quite thick, and it will be work to get the last bit of it mixed in. Knead in almond oil to soften batter. Refrigerate for several minutes while oven is preheating to 350ºF.
Roll dough into balls with diameters from about 1”-2”, depending on what size you want the finished product. They do not spread much during baking.
Bake in trays of 12-18. Use silicone baking mat on cookie sheet to prevent any possible sticking, though these cookies will probably not stick anyway, with as much butter and almond oil (from the added oil and the meal) as they contain. Time them for about 10-14 minutes, depending on what size you make and how soft you like your cookie interiors.
Cool on baking sheet for one minute, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
These go really well with tea, coffee, and coconut, flax, or almond milk.
Yum.
I concocted a cookie recipe yesterday afternoon for Phoenix Games at Carol's:
Kumquat-Coconut Flax Cookies (“Paleo-Cookies”)
about a dozen large, juicy kumquats, seeds removed and chopped finely (I used my Ulu knife and board);
about 1/2-3/4 c. sweetened shredded coconut;
1/2-3/4 c. brown sugar;
4 c. flax meal;
about a half pound of butter;
1 t baking soda; and
1 t salt (I used refined sea salt)
Mix flax meal, salt, baking soda together in medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
chop kumquats roughly and irregularly, leaving some larger pieces and some finer, with most or all of the juice coming out of the fruit. Set aside.
beat butter until softened, and add brown sugar; mix together until a thick paste forms. Add kumquats and mix thoroughly. Stir in flax meal in batches until completely incorporated. Add shredded coconut and distribute it evenly through batter. Batter will be loose, but coherent enough to scoop with a spoon.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Using silicone mat on the baking sheet, bake batches of 12-18 (1) T.-sized cookies, leaving a couple inches between. Time baking around 12-15 minutes, until cookies are dry and ends/edges of coconut brown. Cool for one minute on baking sheet, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container when cooled (they will harden after being removed from oven).
These were popular among the gamers, especially Julie and Ralph, who are following a "Paleo" diet, even though the cookies do contain cane sugar as opposed to turbinado, and butter as opposed to coconut oil. I think I'll try to make these in the future with coconut oil in place of the butter. They might taste a little more fruity, and that would be nice.
Something to try after the fumigation and Peter will be here to help me eat them, because even though Kat will eat them, she prefers my "kitchen sink" cookies that contain just about every allergen known to baking:
“Kitchen Sink” Cookies
(the ones I made to clean out the pantry of already-opened ingredients)
3 c. a-p four, plus more for rolling, if necessary;
1 t salt (again, I used refined sea salt);
1.5 t baking soda;
about 1 T. lemon juice;
about 1/2-3/4 c. light molasses;
quarter pound sweet butter;
8 oz. brick Neufchatel cheese;
2 T. almond oil;
rest of an already-opened bag of almond meal (about 1/4-1/3 c.);
1 extra-large egg;
depending on what flavors you favor:
cinnamon (I used about a tablespoon of this);
nutmeg (I used about a teaspoon);
cloves (about a half teaspoon); and
coriander (about a half teaspoon)
Stir together flour, almond meal, salt, and baking soda. Add spices and set aside.
Beat butter and Neufchatel cheese until softened and well-incorporated and light. Add egg, lemon juice, and molasses, and beat together for about a minute. Add dry ingredients about a cup at a time until it is all incorporated. The batter will be quite thick, and it will be work to get the last bit of it mixed in. Knead in almond oil to soften batter. Refrigerate for several minutes while oven is preheating to 350ºF.
Roll dough into balls with diameters from about 1”-2”, depending on what size you want the finished product. They do not spread much during baking.
Bake in trays of 12-18. Use silicone baking mat on cookie sheet to prevent any possible sticking, though these cookies will probably not stick anyway, with as much butter and almond oil (from the added oil and the meal) as they contain. Time them for about 10-14 minutes, depending on what size you make and how soft you like your cookie interiors.
Cool on baking sheet for one minute, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
These go really well with tea, coffee, and coconut, flax, or almond milk.
Yum.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
12 April 2014 9:54a
Kat just made a pot of coffee. This is the second pot this morning (I made the first pot). Now, don't go thinking that we're heavy (coffee) drinkers, because our coffeemaker (at least the one I use for coffee) has a 4-cup capacity (I have one that has a 5-cup capacity, but it doesn't have a spring-loaded drip-stopper). I own a full-size (ie, 10-cup) coffeemaker, but I only use it for heating water for tea. I ne'er use it for coffee, though, because once it's used for coffee, that taste cannot be eradicated, even with vinegar.
That is really just an intro to today's entry.
I've been thinking, thanks to a Facebook post by my friend, Doug Wright, and my general disgust with officers of the law who think of themselves as holier-than-the-god-they-probably-believe-in when it comes to traffic law. I had received a ticket for failing to stop at a red light. On the face of it, it sounds terrible, like I could have killed someone, possibly myself or some young child crossing the street. However, looking at the facts makes it clear that I was not being an irresponsible driver. In fact, I was being very conscious of both my driving and keeping my environmental sensibilities intact. I approached the red light, slowed down, looked up the cross street (there's a daycare center on the corner, with an elementary school next to it, with a goodly-sized yard that allowed for a clear view up the street for at least a hundred yards), and decided to save fuel and keep the inertia of my vehicle (which is, unfortunately, a large one, with lots of inertia) moving around the corner, saving the gas for both stopping and restarting the heavy vehicle. Apparently, he was watching from up the main road, and didn't see me pause. He gave me a ticket without even telling me why I was being stopped. He just said, "You came around that corner awfully fast," to which I replied, "But there was no-one coming."
I think he was just pissed at working on Superbowl Sunday. I hadn't even realized it was Superbowl Sunday until Peter told me afterwards (he was in the car with me and witnessed the entire exchange). I went to my hearing, and pleaded not guilty. I go to trial on the 22nd of this month because I would not let them schedule it past 45 days (why make it easy for them?).
So the case Doug posted about was a situation in which a woman was driving down the road and touched the white line a couple of times. It's shown on video, apparently. The officer stops her, and ends up finding out that she's .01 over the allowable blood-alcohol limit, which is .09 in Indiana. So the issue is really whether his judgment, that she was driving impaired, is better than the camera, which shows everything objectively. The case was appealed, and the second judge found that it was unreasonable for the officer to have stopped her in the first place. The state appeals, and is given the green light by the Supreme Court of Indiana that officers' judgments are better evidence than objective camera video. Doug called it out, and so do I, esp. after having so recently my own experience. I only wish I'd remembered the officer's name so I can excoriate him publicly, or at least here.
Well, I suppose that's something I can put out of my mind until the trial date gets nearer. Besides, I've got lots of other things on my plate: my dive computer's battery croaked, after only about a year's service. I suspect, and Peter agrees, that there is something wrong with the dive computer that it sucks so much power that it doesn't last for years. So I'm on the market for a new dive computer. I also realized, as we were suiting up for our first dive since January, that my backup torch was flooded. Luckily, Janet Pinterits, who happened to be in the vicinity, had hers and loaned it to me (I returned it to her the following afternoon when I stopped by San Diego Divers, where she works, to pick up the refilled tanks that Peter'd dropped off earlier). So that's at least been taken care of. I ordered a new backup torch online and it's on its way. Until it arrives, no night dives for me. But until my new computer arrives, I'm dry. I've got a bid in on ebay for a used computer that's the same model as Peter's. I decided on that model because Peter said that he can explain it to me inside & out, as he's been using that model for years, and apparently, it's been doing very well. And it connects with one's computer to download dive profiles, which is really cool (to me, at least). I just read online that it works with Macs as well as PCs, which is a relief. Just takes a special command in Terminal to download the dive data.
What else has been on my mind? Well, yesterday evening, I was bored out of my wits when I suddenly realized that I'd been charged with producing something to take to Carol's tonight when we go to the Phoenix Games Group's monthly gathering. I made up a mixture for what I will affectionately call "kitchen sink cookies," even though they don't contain any vanilla extract. They do contain sweet butter (about 3/8 pound), an 8-oz. brick of neufchatel cheese (I'd run out of cream cheese), molasses (about 1/2-5/8 c., I think), one extra-large egg, about a tablespoon of lemon juice (from concentrate), and about a tablespoon of almond oil. The dry ingredients are, if I remember correctly, about a cup and a half of a-p flour, 3/4 c. flax meal, the rest of the bag of almond meal I'd had leftover from making something else (probably about 3 T.), 3/4 c. powdered milk, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of baking soda, some cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and coriander (I'd originally meant to use cardamom but couldn't find any in my spice rack). Can you tell that I'm trying to clean out my kitchen as much as possible before our building gets fumigated next month?
So, anyway, our condo complex is getting fumigated for termites next month. The date set for our building is 8. May, which is coming up faster than I'd like, especially since we'll be getting our second delivery from our CSA just a week before, which means we'll either be eating all our fresh produce like crazy, or I will bring it to Peter's when I go to stay with him. Kat is planning to stay with Kenzie MacDougall for the two nights when we need to have the premises vacated. I'll be getting bags for putting food into so that it's protected from the fumigation. That includes refrigerated stuff, which totally sucks because we have so much in our fridge, as we eat a lot of fresh foods, including salads. I guess this will prompt a fridge-clearing, which probably has been needed since Peter and I returned from Europe, anyway.
So another topic I can cover, at least touch upon, is that of Community-Supported Agriculture, or subscription farms. I recently joined one that provides all organic produce its farms located in California. It's not the best solution for us, though, for two reasons. The first reason is that some of the produce is grown at their main farm, which is located further north, closer to San Francisco, which means the food travels a pretty long distance, relatively, to get to our doorstep. The second is that the produce is all organic. I've got nothing against organic farming methods, because I appreciate its sustainability in the long run. However, I'm not an organic snob, simply because I realize that the nutritional content of "conventionally grown" produce is equal to that of organically-grown produce. What's more important to me is the local factor, which is where I'm stuck when considering the CSA we just became members of. Locally grown means that the food doesn't travel as far and therefore (potentially) fresher. The big advantage, to me, though, is that it uses less fuel to get the produce to market (or, in this case, our doorstep), thereby adding less carbon to the atmosphere in the form of exhaust from the delivery vehicle(s).
So I'll be shopping for another CSA. Any suggestions?
So, do you think I could start a paragraph with a word other than "so"?
Time to get to the rest of my day. More later.
Kat just made a pot of coffee. This is the second pot this morning (I made the first pot). Now, don't go thinking that we're heavy (coffee) drinkers, because our coffeemaker (at least the one I use for coffee) has a 4-cup capacity (I have one that has a 5-cup capacity, but it doesn't have a spring-loaded drip-stopper). I own a full-size (ie, 10-cup) coffeemaker, but I only use it for heating water for tea. I ne'er use it for coffee, though, because once it's used for coffee, that taste cannot be eradicated, even with vinegar.
That is really just an intro to today's entry.
I've been thinking, thanks to a Facebook post by my friend, Doug Wright, and my general disgust with officers of the law who think of themselves as holier-than-the-god-they-probably-believe-in when it comes to traffic law. I had received a ticket for failing to stop at a red light. On the face of it, it sounds terrible, like I could have killed someone, possibly myself or some young child crossing the street. However, looking at the facts makes it clear that I was not being an irresponsible driver. In fact, I was being very conscious of both my driving and keeping my environmental sensibilities intact. I approached the red light, slowed down, looked up the cross street (there's a daycare center on the corner, with an elementary school next to it, with a goodly-sized yard that allowed for a clear view up the street for at least a hundred yards), and decided to save fuel and keep the inertia of my vehicle (which is, unfortunately, a large one, with lots of inertia) moving around the corner, saving the gas for both stopping and restarting the heavy vehicle. Apparently, he was watching from up the main road, and didn't see me pause. He gave me a ticket without even telling me why I was being stopped. He just said, "You came around that corner awfully fast," to which I replied, "But there was no-one coming."
I think he was just pissed at working on Superbowl Sunday. I hadn't even realized it was Superbowl Sunday until Peter told me afterwards (he was in the car with me and witnessed the entire exchange). I went to my hearing, and pleaded not guilty. I go to trial on the 22nd of this month because I would not let them schedule it past 45 days (why make it easy for them?).
So the case Doug posted about was a situation in which a woman was driving down the road and touched the white line a couple of times. It's shown on video, apparently. The officer stops her, and ends up finding out that she's .01 over the allowable blood-alcohol limit, which is .09 in Indiana. So the issue is really whether his judgment, that she was driving impaired, is better than the camera, which shows everything objectively. The case was appealed, and the second judge found that it was unreasonable for the officer to have stopped her in the first place. The state appeals, and is given the green light by the Supreme Court of Indiana that officers' judgments are better evidence than objective camera video. Doug called it out, and so do I, esp. after having so recently my own experience. I only wish I'd remembered the officer's name so I can excoriate him publicly, or at least here.
Well, I suppose that's something I can put out of my mind until the trial date gets nearer. Besides, I've got lots of other things on my plate: my dive computer's battery croaked, after only about a year's service. I suspect, and Peter agrees, that there is something wrong with the dive computer that it sucks so much power that it doesn't last for years. So I'm on the market for a new dive computer. I also realized, as we were suiting up for our first dive since January, that my backup torch was flooded. Luckily, Janet Pinterits, who happened to be in the vicinity, had hers and loaned it to me (I returned it to her the following afternoon when I stopped by San Diego Divers, where she works, to pick up the refilled tanks that Peter'd dropped off earlier). So that's at least been taken care of. I ordered a new backup torch online and it's on its way. Until it arrives, no night dives for me. But until my new computer arrives, I'm dry. I've got a bid in on ebay for a used computer that's the same model as Peter's. I decided on that model because Peter said that he can explain it to me inside & out, as he's been using that model for years, and apparently, it's been doing very well. And it connects with one's computer to download dive profiles, which is really cool (to me, at least). I just read online that it works with Macs as well as PCs, which is a relief. Just takes a special command in Terminal to download the dive data.
What else has been on my mind? Well, yesterday evening, I was bored out of my wits when I suddenly realized that I'd been charged with producing something to take to Carol's tonight when we go to the Phoenix Games Group's monthly gathering. I made up a mixture for what I will affectionately call "kitchen sink cookies," even though they don't contain any vanilla extract. They do contain sweet butter (about 3/8 pound), an 8-oz. brick of neufchatel cheese (I'd run out of cream cheese), molasses (about 1/2-5/8 c., I think), one extra-large egg, about a tablespoon of lemon juice (from concentrate), and about a tablespoon of almond oil. The dry ingredients are, if I remember correctly, about a cup and a half of a-p flour, 3/4 c. flax meal, the rest of the bag of almond meal I'd had leftover from making something else (probably about 3 T.), 3/4 c. powdered milk, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of baking soda, some cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and coriander (I'd originally meant to use cardamom but couldn't find any in my spice rack). Can you tell that I'm trying to clean out my kitchen as much as possible before our building gets fumigated next month?
So, anyway, our condo complex is getting fumigated for termites next month. The date set for our building is 8. May, which is coming up faster than I'd like, especially since we'll be getting our second delivery from our CSA just a week before, which means we'll either be eating all our fresh produce like crazy, or I will bring it to Peter's when I go to stay with him. Kat is planning to stay with Kenzie MacDougall for the two nights when we need to have the premises vacated. I'll be getting bags for putting food into so that it's protected from the fumigation. That includes refrigerated stuff, which totally sucks because we have so much in our fridge, as we eat a lot of fresh foods, including salads. I guess this will prompt a fridge-clearing, which probably has been needed since Peter and I returned from Europe, anyway.
So another topic I can cover, at least touch upon, is that of Community-Supported Agriculture, or subscription farms. I recently joined one that provides all organic produce its farms located in California. It's not the best solution for us, though, for two reasons. The first reason is that some of the produce is grown at their main farm, which is located further north, closer to San Francisco, which means the food travels a pretty long distance, relatively, to get to our doorstep. The second is that the produce is all organic. I've got nothing against organic farming methods, because I appreciate its sustainability in the long run. However, I'm not an organic snob, simply because I realize that the nutritional content of "conventionally grown" produce is equal to that of organically-grown produce. What's more important to me is the local factor, which is where I'm stuck when considering the CSA we just became members of. Locally grown means that the food doesn't travel as far and therefore (potentially) fresher. The big advantage, to me, though, is that it uses less fuel to get the produce to market (or, in this case, our doorstep), thereby adding less carbon to the atmosphere in the form of exhaust from the delivery vehicle(s).
So I'll be shopping for another CSA. Any suggestions?
So, do you think I could start a paragraph with a word other than "so"?
Time to get to the rest of my day. More later.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
9 April 2014 5:18p
Today in Pastries and Desserts, we made two egg-thickened custards: Pots de creme and fresh fruit with lemon sabayon.
Pots de creme
12 ounces chocolate (we used semisweet, though the original recipe calls for milk), chopped
5 large egg yolks
2 T sugar
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. half-and-half
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 t expresso powder dissolved in 1 T water (we used a pinch more espresso powder)
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 t sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
garnish:
cocoa powder or chocolate shavings
Place chocolate in medium-sized heatproof bowl; set fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt in medium bowl until combined; whisk in heavy cream and half-and-half. Transfer mixture to double-boiler, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom occasionally, until custard registers 160-165 deg. F, about 8 to 12 minutes.
Immediately strain custard over chopped chocolate, and allow the chocolate to soften for five minutes. Whisk gently until smooth, then whisk in espresso and vanilla.
Divide custard evenly among 8 5-oz. ramekins. Gently tap ramekins on counter to remove air bubbles.
Cool pots de creme to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, up to 72 hours. Before serving, allow to come to room temperature, 20 or 30 minutes.
Lemon Sabayon
1/4 c. water
1/2 t grated lemon zest, and 3 T juice from a large, juicy lemon (we used 4 T, or 1/4 c.)
pinch salt
3 large egg yolks
1/3 c. sugar (about 2 1/3 ounces)
Combine the water, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in small bowl and set aside.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until frothy, about 1 minute. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Continue whisking until mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat, and continue whisking to cool. Set aside.
We put the sabayon on fresh berries: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries. We scooped the fruit into serving bowls and topped it with the sabayon. Some people added a dollop of whipped cream.
In other events, my dive computer died. It's eaten two batteries in about two years' time now, and when I talked with Peter about it, he commented that it's possible that the computer was somehow defective and therefore drinking power from the batteries faster than another computer. I'm considering buying a new computer, but Peter said that I can just buy a new battery to keep diving for now. I hate throwing good money after bad (dive computers are not supposed to eat batteries in multiples over the course of just a few years! I don't dive *that* much!). There's the model that Peter uses, and it can be obtained for about $280, including a discount from an online coupon.
The dead computer battery comes on top of a dead backup light, which means no night dives for me until I get a new one. I saw a backup torch for about $60.
Altogether, it'd be about $350 to be fully-outfitted again. That is something I'll need to think about, though there's some time pressure because we're scheduled to go on a couple of boat dives in the coming weeks. Might just splurge this time. I'll let you know.
nkp.
Today in Pastries and Desserts, we made two egg-thickened custards: Pots de creme and fresh fruit with lemon sabayon.
Pots de creme
12 ounces chocolate (we used semisweet, though the original recipe calls for milk), chopped
5 large egg yolks
2 T sugar
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. half-and-half
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 t expresso powder dissolved in 1 T water (we used a pinch more espresso powder)
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 t sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
garnish:
cocoa powder or chocolate shavings
Place chocolate in medium-sized heatproof bowl; set fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt in medium bowl until combined; whisk in heavy cream and half-and-half. Transfer mixture to double-boiler, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom occasionally, until custard registers 160-165 deg. F, about 8 to 12 minutes.
Immediately strain custard over chopped chocolate, and allow the chocolate to soften for five minutes. Whisk gently until smooth, then whisk in espresso and vanilla.
Divide custard evenly among 8 5-oz. ramekins. Gently tap ramekins on counter to remove air bubbles.
Cool pots de creme to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, up to 72 hours. Before serving, allow to come to room temperature, 20 or 30 minutes.
Lemon Sabayon
1/4 c. water
1/2 t grated lemon zest, and 3 T juice from a large, juicy lemon (we used 4 T, or 1/4 c.)
pinch salt
3 large egg yolks
1/3 c. sugar (about 2 1/3 ounces)
Combine the water, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in small bowl and set aside.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until frothy, about 1 minute. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Continue whisking until mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat, and continue whisking to cool. Set aside.
We put the sabayon on fresh berries: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries. We scooped the fruit into serving bowls and topped it with the sabayon. Some people added a dollop of whipped cream.
In other events, my dive computer died. It's eaten two batteries in about two years' time now, and when I talked with Peter about it, he commented that it's possible that the computer was somehow defective and therefore drinking power from the batteries faster than another computer. I'm considering buying a new computer, but Peter said that I can just buy a new battery to keep diving for now. I hate throwing good money after bad (dive computers are not supposed to eat batteries in multiples over the course of just a few years! I don't dive *that* much!). There's the model that Peter uses, and it can be obtained for about $280, including a discount from an online coupon.
The dead computer battery comes on top of a dead backup light, which means no night dives for me until I get a new one. I saw a backup torch for about $60.
Altogether, it'd be about $350 to be fully-outfitted again. That is something I'll need to think about, though there's some time pressure because we're scheduled to go on a couple of boat dives in the coming weeks. Might just splurge this time. I'll let you know.
nkp.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
3 April 2014 9:01a
I had a couple conversations recently about the possibility of A Great Cosmic Joke. In both conversations (I'd these conversations with two different people), we came to the same conclusion that it seems quite unlikely, with our limited view, to determine whether such a thing could exist.
Why would The Creator design a universe in order to run through an exercise, the result of which that Creator already has knowledge? If Time indeed does not exist for The Creator, then the outcome of any experiment is already known, for The Creator knows all. So the question becomes: What is the entertainment value of a joke when one has foreknowledge of the punchline? Perhaps it's the running of the experiment, the telling of the tale, that gives it value, if it is to have any value at all.
I typically read books, especially fiction, once. I know people who have favorite books that they enjoy reading over and over (not consecutively, but occasionally). To my combined joy and detriment, I enjoy the discovery of a book the first time I read it, and that is its value to me. Once I've extracted that joy of discovery from a particular piece of literature, I find it difficult to go back and truly enjoy it all over again in the same way. I guess there are all those details that are not gleaned from a work the first time around (or so I've heard), and it's those details that I am failing to gain, I suppose.
I read dreadfully slowly. I'd like to think that I read comprehensively, that I'm getting what I can out of a written work the first (and, for me, the only) time around, making rereading either redundant or merely wasteful. And I hate waste of all kinds. But that is another topic altogether...
That is the fate of having a memory that actually works when it comes to gleaning the gist of a written work. I would be hard-pressed to remember minutiae, both to my advantage and dis-, because I'll tend towards valuing things along their theoretical, general lines and less on their practical application.
So unlike an architect! Maybe I would ne'er've made a decent architect, after all. At least outside of Academia. There are plenty of projects that are pleasing to the eye, perhaps, from a certain point of view (ie, Dr. Seuss imaginations), but the more impossible (as in architectural projects that require a "skyhook") things are, the less engaging and meaningful they are to me. Much of the beauty of Great Architecture is its great economy. When I see something that serves multiple purposes well, that element becomes an object of beauty to me. Finding an example of this is escaping me at this very moment, but you know what I mean. It can be a kitchen tool that can be used in multiple ways, as opposed to single-purpose tools. A simple fork can be used to fold a batter, to lift, either by spearing or spooning, food to one's mouth. Any number of single-purpose gadgets are sold in shops such as Williams-Sonoma and (as a dear friend likes to refer to it) "The Surly Table." Don't take that as a knock: I appreciate both of these businesses, because there are times when I am looking for something, and they'll have it, whereas more general-goods stores, like Target or CVS, will not (I flatly refuse to shop at Wal-mart for reasons I will go into at a later date).
I just thought of an example: chopsticks. They can be used to whip up eggs, stir those eggs in a pan as they cook, dish them out, and bring those eggs to one's mouth (if one is adept at using them, that is). I remember once, when I was using chopsticks to flip bacon in a pan, my companion (a man who now lives on the island of Maui) commented that he'd ne'er thought to use chopsticks for that operation. Perhaps it's coming from a household that was very frugal in (perhaps) a very "Chinese" way that made me think of using tools, in and out of the kitchen, in applications that might seem novel to others. At least to others unfamiliar with the ease with which certain tools can be used...
This week, San Diego's Educational Cultural Complex is on Spring Break, so no Pastries and Desserts class. That means, hopefully, we'll be making cheesecakes next week. That turns out to be okay, because Peter'd forgotten to bring his smaller-than-full-size Springform pans to our place the other night. I've put the pans aside and will bring them home to take with us to class next week. It's just a shame that their Spring Break coincides with Kat's, as I'd hoped she'd be able to attend one of the classes with me. She is, after all, one of the reasons I enrolled in this class.
The class, Pastries and Desserts, is fun and informative.
I hadn't known that the difference between the terms "dough" and "batter" was the leavening: dough is leavened with yeast, whereas batter is leavened chemically, most likely in the form of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or baking powder, which contains both sodium bicarb and tartaric acid.
Baking soda needs to have an acid added to work as leavening. That acid is often found in the form of fruit juices, vinegars, or Cream of Tartar (baker's name for tartaric acid). I suppose it's still a batter if the leavening is merely the trapping of air in the mixture and prevented from escaping prior to baking: genoise and meringues are examples.
It is high time for me to get to the gym to improve my corporeal self. Thus, I shall close up the house (I'm at Peter's) and go.
Why would The Creator design a universe in order to run through an exercise, the result of which that Creator already has knowledge? If Time indeed does not exist for The Creator, then the outcome of any experiment is already known, for The Creator knows all. So the question becomes: What is the entertainment value of a joke when one has foreknowledge of the punchline? Perhaps it's the running of the experiment, the telling of the tale, that gives it value, if it is to have any value at all.
I typically read books, especially fiction, once. I know people who have favorite books that they enjoy reading over and over (not consecutively, but occasionally). To my combined joy and detriment, I enjoy the discovery of a book the first time I read it, and that is its value to me. Once I've extracted that joy of discovery from a particular piece of literature, I find it difficult to go back and truly enjoy it all over again in the same way. I guess there are all those details that are not gleaned from a work the first time around (or so I've heard), and it's those details that I am failing to gain, I suppose.
I read dreadfully slowly. I'd like to think that I read comprehensively, that I'm getting what I can out of a written work the first (and, for me, the only) time around, making rereading either redundant or merely wasteful. And I hate waste of all kinds. But that is another topic altogether...
That is the fate of having a memory that actually works when it comes to gleaning the gist of a written work. I would be hard-pressed to remember minutiae, both to my advantage and dis-, because I'll tend towards valuing things along their theoretical, general lines and less on their practical application.
So unlike an architect! Maybe I would ne'er've made a decent architect, after all. At least outside of Academia. There are plenty of projects that are pleasing to the eye, perhaps, from a certain point of view (ie, Dr. Seuss imaginations), but the more impossible (as in architectural projects that require a "skyhook") things are, the less engaging and meaningful they are to me. Much of the beauty of Great Architecture is its great economy. When I see something that serves multiple purposes well, that element becomes an object of beauty to me. Finding an example of this is escaping me at this very moment, but you know what I mean. It can be a kitchen tool that can be used in multiple ways, as opposed to single-purpose tools. A simple fork can be used to fold a batter, to lift, either by spearing or spooning, food to one's mouth. Any number of single-purpose gadgets are sold in shops such as Williams-Sonoma and (as a dear friend likes to refer to it) "The Surly Table." Don't take that as a knock: I appreciate both of these businesses, because there are times when I am looking for something, and they'll have it, whereas more general-goods stores, like Target or CVS, will not (I flatly refuse to shop at Wal-mart for reasons I will go into at a later date).
I just thought of an example: chopsticks. They can be used to whip up eggs, stir those eggs in a pan as they cook, dish them out, and bring those eggs to one's mouth (if one is adept at using them, that is). I remember once, when I was using chopsticks to flip bacon in a pan, my companion (a man who now lives on the island of Maui) commented that he'd ne'er thought to use chopsticks for that operation. Perhaps it's coming from a household that was very frugal in (perhaps) a very "Chinese" way that made me think of using tools, in and out of the kitchen, in applications that might seem novel to others. At least to others unfamiliar with the ease with which certain tools can be used...
This week, San Diego's Educational Cultural Complex is on Spring Break, so no Pastries and Desserts class. That means, hopefully, we'll be making cheesecakes next week. That turns out to be okay, because Peter'd forgotten to bring his smaller-than-full-size Springform pans to our place the other night. I've put the pans aside and will bring them home to take with us to class next week. It's just a shame that their Spring Break coincides with Kat's, as I'd hoped she'd be able to attend one of the classes with me. She is, after all, one of the reasons I enrolled in this class.
The class, Pastries and Desserts, is fun and informative.
I hadn't known that the difference between the terms "dough" and "batter" was the leavening: dough is leavened with yeast, whereas batter is leavened chemically, most likely in the form of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or baking powder, which contains both sodium bicarb and tartaric acid.
Baking soda needs to have an acid added to work as leavening. That acid is often found in the form of fruit juices, vinegars, or Cream of Tartar (baker's name for tartaric acid). I suppose it's still a batter if the leavening is merely the trapping of air in the mixture and prevented from escaping prior to baking: genoise and meringues are examples.
It is high time for me to get to the gym to improve my corporeal self. Thus, I shall close up the house (I'm at Peter's) and go.
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