I am thinking about a playmate Peter and I had acquired last Winter (and it's really been that long, hasn't it?). His name is Steve, and he, like Peter, lives in suburban San Diego County. We've met for drinks before, and, in addition to being physically attractive to both Peter and myself, Steve has turned out to be an intelligent, well-intentioned, thoughtful, and just all-around cool guy. He's at a point in his life, similarly to Peter, where he no longer needs to impress anyone with his CV. In fact, he's retired (at a quite-early age), and spends his time between here and the house in Palm Springs which he also shares with his wife, whose name I will refrain from mentioning. Hers is an unusual name and would be very easy for people to look up (as Peter did when he was first introduced to them). At any rate, she is likewise retired, but spends much of her time organizing a nonprofit club for brainiacs, which means Steve is often left to fend for himself because he chooses not to attend various out-of-town functions with her. Since she is often out of town fulfilling her duties, he is oftentimes (but not altogether too frequently) available for playdates.
Given that Peter is out of town this week, I am thinking it would be fun to have dinner with Steve at a restaurant run by the same wine company where we'd gone for a wine tasting earlier this year. After dinner, Steve can take me home, either to his house or Peter's, and we can spend some time indulging in extracurricular activities...
Not that I'd do anything without Peter's knowledge, of course, for he is my lover, as well as my best friend (funny how those roles coincide in the best of relationships) with whom I share my thoughts, although there are probably times when he wishes I wouldn't share quite so much...
I was about to say "without Peter's knowledge and consent," but consent isn't a word I'd use with respect to Peter, for that implies permission, and I don't seek Peter's permission to do, well, anything, because he doesn't command me (except, of course, during play, and even then only sometimes). Part of the fun of playing with Steve is that I'd be able to regale Peter with it afterward.
I won't get into a detailed description of the fantasy here, but suffice it to say that I am certainly glad that Peter and I have found someone with whom we both feel completely at ease. Now we seek the elusive Unicorn...
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Friday, November 7, 2014
The Slope is Steep and the Road is Slippery
This was a sign Peter'd seen in Beijing. It made sense that it was at a Buddhist garden near the Wall.
It reminds me that, indeed, the trajectory of one's life can be steep, and the means to achieve it difficult and unforgiving. But that is the journey, is it not?
I just took a pound cake out of the toaster oven (I use the toaster oven for baking things that don't need the volume of the oven). It looks really nice, browned with a nice light crack running down the center. It's not a difficult recipe that I followed from a website:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar (I cut this back to 1 1/4 c. because I appreciate less sweet foods)
3 large eggs (I used 2 jumbo eggs, as they're what I have on hand)
1/2 c. sour cream
1/8 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. a-p flour (I used unbleached and it's still pretty light in color)
Preheat the oven to 375.
Cream the butter and sugar for a few minutes to maximize volume. Scrape the bowl.
Beat in the eggs, and add sour cream.
Sift together the flour and baking soda.
Beat in the flour mixture to the egg mixture until a smooth batter forms, scraping the bowl often.
Spray a loaf pan with Pam or some other nonstick product, then dust with flour.
Pour cake batter into the pan. Cover tightly with foil, then bake for 45 minutes.
Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Replace foil and finish baking, about another 15-20 minutes.
Cool on rack.
I think I'll try whipping some heavy cream to top off the pound cake because I do not have any ice cream in the place at the moment.
We have the opportunity for Kat to apply to Scripps Ranch High School, which is where I'd wanted her to go originally. Mira Mesa High is a "Program Improvement" school, and we have the option of applying for admittance to both La Jolla and Scripps Ranch. Given our location, it makes much more sense for Kat to go to Scripps Ranch, because the distance from our flat is about the same to either Mira Mesa or Scripps Ranch. I want her in the better school. She wants to stay with her friends and acquaintances. The application is still on the dining table, where she'd left it, probably hoping I would not see it. But I do want her to apply. She'll get used to the other kids and they'll soon accept her as a regular student. I don't want to fuck up this opportunity.
The Slope is Steep and the Road is Slippery. She'll adapt to her new situation, I'm sure. And it's not even a guaranteed entry. It is an application, the implied meaning being that entry is not guaranteed.
The pound cake stuck. Will need to remember to flour the pan next time, It tastes quite good.
I think if I make this again, I will add some lemon zest or almond extract to the batter for more flavor.
At any rate, our trip to Avalon, on Catalina Island, was quite pleasant:
We took the morning ferry from Newport Beach, which is just about directly east from Avalon and therefore provides the shortest crossing from the mainland to Avalon. We arrive in the late morning, and decided to have a snack, so we went to a wine bar with a view of the water and a Blue Planet dvd playing behind the bar. Afterwards, we intended to go to the Dive Park and get ourselves wet. While donning my drysuit, I pulled on the neck seal, then felt it suddenly give way (NOT what you want to feel happening with your head inside the suit). The neck seal had ripped, all the way down to its base, and would need to be replaced. Peter went to ask the fellow at the fill station if they carried neck seals, and was told no, but that there is another dive shop in town that does carry DUI neck seals. We decided to go get a replacement neck seal after Peter went on a solo dive. The entire trip over, I could tell that he was itching to get into the water, so I told him that he can scope out some things to show me on the morrow, when I'll have my drysuit whole again.
I checked into our room, whose preparations were completed while we were out, and took care of emails, which took quite a while as I'm trying to whittle away a lot of the junk that gets sent my way. Shortly after 4, Peter returned to the hotel, and after hanging up his drysuit and liner, he joined me upstairs for a spell before we went out for dinner.
We ended up going to a rather noisy restaurant for dinner the first night, where Peter ordered fish tacos and I ordered a spinach salad and clam chowder. The second night, however, we went to a Mexican restaurant on the ground floor instead of climbing up the flight of stairs to Steve's Steakhouse (or some name similar to that). Peter ordered pork loin, and I ordered a duck enchilada with mole. My dinner was really quite yummy. Peter's was the same, also very good. After we turned down dessert, we waddled back to our room.
The diving was good; the water was relatively clear, and there was not the huge kelp that typically obstructs one's view in all directions. We made one dive after breakfast, and one dive between lunch and dinner. Since I do not have a functioning torch, we did not dive after dinner. Instead, we sat with our drinks after dinner; Peter had a glass of merlot and I had a cup of coffee, as I was feeling the cooling air without my hat, which I'd inadvertently left somewhere...
On the second morning, we decided that we'd make a lazy day of it instead of trying to dive, as the hotel checkout time was too early to allow us to have a decent morning dive. We went instead to a breakfast/lunch restaurant (there are a few in town), where we were served a large omelette with spinach (me), and something more akin to a ploughman's breakfast for Peter. As we left, we realized we were late in checking out of our room, so we hurried back to the hotel, packed quickly, and went to the storage room to gather everything to take to the ferry. We were each fairly well-laden, with one pull-along each (I had the rolling duffle, and Peter had the two tanks on a trolley) and one gear bag each. When we were about a quarter of the way past the point where we'd left our dive bags on a bench, we both realized that in order to get there, it would be faster if I pulled the two and Peter carried both gear bags. We made it onto the ferry in good enough time, and watched the sun set behind the island.
So there's our trip, in a nutshell (yes, I know, it'a more like a coconut shell than an almond or even a walnut). Now Peter's on a business trip that will take him to Beijing, Shenzhen, and Seattle. The original assignment was for him to spend almost two weeks in China. but because he's needed at some meetings in Seattle, the China trip was truncated to three days for (I think) a product launch.
Kat will have me full-time for the next week, which I'm sure she appreciates (yes, my tongue is firmly planted in cheek).
It reminds me that, indeed, the trajectory of one's life can be steep, and the means to achieve it difficult and unforgiving. But that is the journey, is it not?
I just took a pound cake out of the toaster oven (I use the toaster oven for baking things that don't need the volume of the oven). It looks really nice, browned with a nice light crack running down the center. It's not a difficult recipe that I followed from a website:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar (I cut this back to 1 1/4 c. because I appreciate less sweet foods)
3 large eggs (I used 2 jumbo eggs, as they're what I have on hand)
1/2 c. sour cream
1/8 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. a-p flour (I used unbleached and it's still pretty light in color)
Preheat the oven to 375.
Cream the butter and sugar for a few minutes to maximize volume. Scrape the bowl.
Beat in the eggs, and add sour cream.
Sift together the flour and baking soda.
Beat in the flour mixture to the egg mixture until a smooth batter forms, scraping the bowl often.
Spray a loaf pan with Pam or some other nonstick product, then dust with flour.
Pour cake batter into the pan. Cover tightly with foil, then bake for 45 minutes.
Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Replace foil and finish baking, about another 15-20 minutes.
Cool on rack.
I think I'll try whipping some heavy cream to top off the pound cake because I do not have any ice cream in the place at the moment.
We have the opportunity for Kat to apply to Scripps Ranch High School, which is where I'd wanted her to go originally. Mira Mesa High is a "Program Improvement" school, and we have the option of applying for admittance to both La Jolla and Scripps Ranch. Given our location, it makes much more sense for Kat to go to Scripps Ranch, because the distance from our flat is about the same to either Mira Mesa or Scripps Ranch. I want her in the better school. She wants to stay with her friends and acquaintances. The application is still on the dining table, where she'd left it, probably hoping I would not see it. But I do want her to apply. She'll get used to the other kids and they'll soon accept her as a regular student. I don't want to fuck up this opportunity.
The Slope is Steep and the Road is Slippery. She'll adapt to her new situation, I'm sure. And it's not even a guaranteed entry. It is an application, the implied meaning being that entry is not guaranteed.
The pound cake stuck. Will need to remember to flour the pan next time, It tastes quite good.
I think if I make this again, I will add some lemon zest or almond extract to the batter for more flavor.
At any rate, our trip to Avalon, on Catalina Island, was quite pleasant:
We took the morning ferry from Newport Beach, which is just about directly east from Avalon and therefore provides the shortest crossing from the mainland to Avalon. We arrive in the late morning, and decided to have a snack, so we went to a wine bar with a view of the water and a Blue Planet dvd playing behind the bar. Afterwards, we intended to go to the Dive Park and get ourselves wet. While donning my drysuit, I pulled on the neck seal, then felt it suddenly give way (NOT what you want to feel happening with your head inside the suit). The neck seal had ripped, all the way down to its base, and would need to be replaced. Peter went to ask the fellow at the fill station if they carried neck seals, and was told no, but that there is another dive shop in town that does carry DUI neck seals. We decided to go get a replacement neck seal after Peter went on a solo dive. The entire trip over, I could tell that he was itching to get into the water, so I told him that he can scope out some things to show me on the morrow, when I'll have my drysuit whole again.
I checked into our room, whose preparations were completed while we were out, and took care of emails, which took quite a while as I'm trying to whittle away a lot of the junk that gets sent my way. Shortly after 4, Peter returned to the hotel, and after hanging up his drysuit and liner, he joined me upstairs for a spell before we went out for dinner.
We ended up going to a rather noisy restaurant for dinner the first night, where Peter ordered fish tacos and I ordered a spinach salad and clam chowder. The second night, however, we went to a Mexican restaurant on the ground floor instead of climbing up the flight of stairs to Steve's Steakhouse (or some name similar to that). Peter ordered pork loin, and I ordered a duck enchilada with mole. My dinner was really quite yummy. Peter's was the same, also very good. After we turned down dessert, we waddled back to our room.
The diving was good; the water was relatively clear, and there was not the huge kelp that typically obstructs one's view in all directions. We made one dive after breakfast, and one dive between lunch and dinner. Since I do not have a functioning torch, we did not dive after dinner. Instead, we sat with our drinks after dinner; Peter had a glass of merlot and I had a cup of coffee, as I was feeling the cooling air without my hat, which I'd inadvertently left somewhere...
On the second morning, we decided that we'd make a lazy day of it instead of trying to dive, as the hotel checkout time was too early to allow us to have a decent morning dive. We went instead to a breakfast/lunch restaurant (there are a few in town), where we were served a large omelette with spinach (me), and something more akin to a ploughman's breakfast for Peter. As we left, we realized we were late in checking out of our room, so we hurried back to the hotel, packed quickly, and went to the storage room to gather everything to take to the ferry. We were each fairly well-laden, with one pull-along each (I had the rolling duffle, and Peter had the two tanks on a trolley) and one gear bag each. When we were about a quarter of the way past the point where we'd left our dive bags on a bench, we both realized that in order to get there, it would be faster if I pulled the two and Peter carried both gear bags. We made it onto the ferry in good enough time, and watched the sun set behind the island.
So there's our trip, in a nutshell (yes, I know, it'a more like a coconut shell than an almond or even a walnut). Now Peter's on a business trip that will take him to Beijing, Shenzhen, and Seattle. The original assignment was for him to spend almost two weeks in China. but because he's needed at some meetings in Seattle, the China trip was truncated to three days for (I think) a product launch.
Kat will have me full-time for the next week, which I'm sure she appreciates (yes, my tongue is firmly planted in cheek).
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Yay! That Wasn't Too Terrible, After All!
I went to the Energy Innovation Center yesterday for a presentation on Net Zero Energy Buildings. One of the presenters, Katy Hamilton, was one of my classmates in the first architectural studio I'd taken at MIT! When she was introduced, I thought to myself, "I wonder if she could be the same Katy Hamilton whom I knew at MIT?" Turns out she was! She now holds the position of Architectural Energy VP at a firm called Adroit Solar, an engineering firm that consults and provides design/build services to the construction industry. They have a number of interesting projects in San Diego and out, including long-term resident/clients. Katy is their architect of record, I assume.
Their presentation went over many aspects of creating a zero net energy building, and how that is something that is becoming ever more important in society's pursuit of sustainable architecture.
Katy's moved from full-time work to part-time recently because she decided to spend some time with her new baby boy, who is still a baby (barely a toddler, I think). I asked her if she remembered Liz, who was also in our studio, and she didn't remember, probably because we were not in the same studio subgroup, which makes sense, because the introductory classes at MIT are not small.
This morning, I experimented with a recipe for a very eggy-looking flatbread made with coconut flour. Well, the recipe calls for coconut flour, but I used coconut powder, instead, having forgotten that I actually do have coconut flour in the freezer. I can make the recipe again later today if I find the ones I made this morning palatable.
Hmmm... not bad. I acquired the recipe from somewhere; I don't remember where, but it was probably from someone else's blog:
1 T coconut flour (I used my coconut powder, which has a coarser texture)
1/2 T gelatin (about half of an envelope)
3 T well-cooked and mashed butternut squash (recipe says that sweet potato can be substituted)
1 T coconut oil or butter (I used coconut oil)
1 egg (I used a jumbo egg and added about a half teaspoon of coconut powder)
dash salt
Have all ingredients at room temperature. for the coconut oil or butter, you can just nuke it for several seconds).
Preheat oven to 400F.
Stir together squash and coconut oil until smooth. In separate bowl, stir together coconut flour, gelatin, and salt.
Sprinkle gelatin mixture over squash mixture, and fold in until completely incorporated. Mix in egg until it becomes a relatively thick batter.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a lined baking sheet (I used foil for the initial bake time, then used waxed paper for the second) and spread each "patty" into desired thickness (these will not rise).
Bake for 12 minutes, then peel the breads from the liner and turn over (it was at this point that I switched from foil to waxed paper). They might still look slightly moist on their upper sides when you take them out to turn over, but that is okay.
Bake on second side for about 5 minutes (time really depends on how thick you've actually made each bread circle).
Cool on cooling rack.
I took K to school this morning because it was still dark when she was leaving for school and she was wearing her black jeans with the black band hoodie. I also helped her carry on the beverages (she carried the two cases of Dr Pepper and I carried the 24-pack of half-litre water bottles).
I put the brie with mushrooms back in the fridge, because I don't think I'll be opening it today during the day, and I plan to go to games tonight at Fuddrucker's, so will not be around to have it with dinner.
For dinner, I think I'll prepare a lasagne (of sorts) with ground beef (since we have it), thinly sliced eggplant, and bechamel, since it's easiest to prepare and I don't have any tomatoes to make tomato sauce. Actually, thinking about the beef, I'm not quite sure the bechamel will work. Perhaps I will just make an eggplant lasagne with the jarred white sauce that's sitting up in the cabinet over the fridge. I might take a gander at Smart & Final to look for canned peeled roma tomatoes, in addition to cumin and cinnamon, which I usually buy there because I can get it in the large packages for about twice the price of the small jars at Albertson's when I'd be buying about four times as much product.
Yes, I think it'll be eggplant lasagne with the pre-made sauce-in-a-jar. The hardest part will be precooking the lasagne noodles before assembling the lasagne, since I'm using less liquid than I typically use, I'll want the extra moisture for the noodles to bake properly. Or maybe I'll leave them dry and make sure I have them sufficiently surrounded by sauce to provide the needed moisture without making the lasagne a soupy mess. I can put that in the oven when Kat comes home this afternoon so that I can serve it before leaving for games around 5:15 or 5:30(since I take the bus to games, I'm at the mercy of MTS).
Thinking about MTS, the service has improved dramatically in recent weeks. They've introduced the Rapid Lines, which run a lot of the same (or similar) routes as some of the local buses, but they skip a lot of stops and take the express lanes on the freeway instead of the regular lanes, thereby bypassing a LOT of automobile traffic. I'm relieved and pleased that MTS has decided to go this way, because it definitely helps those of us who live in the northern portion of the City and County, since two of the Rapid lines run up to Escondido and Rancho Bernardo transit stations). I'm glad I live near one of the new transit stations so that I can take advantage of the Rapid bus by walking only about three-quarters of a mile from home. If I want to be especially lazy, I can leave home a little earlier and take the local bus, which stops just about across the street from my flat, to the transit station.
I just tasted the paleo flatbread, and it's very eggy and very coconutty, which is fine, though I don't think I'll be using it to accompany my garlicky baba ganoush (recipe in previous post). For that, I think I will bake some lavash. When I bake the lavash, I'll put the recipe here to share.
Peter's wanting to go for a night dive sometime this week. I will need to find a substitute for my torch, which was made by Princeton Tec, but has a broken switch so that the torch is constantly on once the front is screwed onto the body. I just phoned one of my regular dive shops, where I thought I had purchased the Island Pack, which included a torch, a backup, and a strobe. Turns out I didn't buy the pack there. Sport Chalet is not open yet today, but I can phone them when they do open to see if they can look up my purchase of it at one of their locations (I typically go to the one in University City, but have also made purchases at the locations in Mission Valley and Point Loma).
I also can't find my backup light, which I had bought for our trip to Roatan last year and had not used extensively or recently. I had been keeping it in my drysuit pocket, but it's no longer there, and I have no idea where it can be. Might have left it somewhere? Ugh, that'd be pretty bad. And I'd bought it online, too, so I don't even remember the online store from whom I'd purchased it. I'll look through my receipts and see if I can find my record of its purchase and see if it has a warranty, and what it covers. Probably doesn't cover forgetfulness, though, so I think I'm out of the $80-90 that it'll cost to replace it. Urgh...
Their presentation went over many aspects of creating a zero net energy building, and how that is something that is becoming ever more important in society's pursuit of sustainable architecture.
Katy's moved from full-time work to part-time recently because she decided to spend some time with her new baby boy, who is still a baby (barely a toddler, I think). I asked her if she remembered Liz, who was also in our studio, and she didn't remember, probably because we were not in the same studio subgroup, which makes sense, because the introductory classes at MIT are not small.
This morning, I experimented with a recipe for a very eggy-looking flatbread made with coconut flour. Well, the recipe calls for coconut flour, but I used coconut powder, instead, having forgotten that I actually do have coconut flour in the freezer. I can make the recipe again later today if I find the ones I made this morning palatable.
Hmmm... not bad. I acquired the recipe from somewhere; I don't remember where, but it was probably from someone else's blog:
Grain-Free Butternut Squash Flatbread
recipe makes about (4) 3-4" breads
1/2 T gelatin (about half of an envelope)
3 T well-cooked and mashed butternut squash (recipe says that sweet potato can be substituted)
1 T coconut oil or butter (I used coconut oil)
1 egg (I used a jumbo egg and added about a half teaspoon of coconut powder)
dash salt
Have all ingredients at room temperature. for the coconut oil or butter, you can just nuke it for several seconds).
Preheat oven to 400F.
Stir together squash and coconut oil until smooth. In separate bowl, stir together coconut flour, gelatin, and salt.
Sprinkle gelatin mixture over squash mixture, and fold in until completely incorporated. Mix in egg until it becomes a relatively thick batter.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a lined baking sheet (I used foil for the initial bake time, then used waxed paper for the second) and spread each "patty" into desired thickness (these will not rise).
Bake for 12 minutes, then peel the breads from the liner and turn over (it was at this point that I switched from foil to waxed paper). They might still look slightly moist on their upper sides when you take them out to turn over, but that is okay.
Bake on second side for about 5 minutes (time really depends on how thick you've actually made each bread circle).
Cool on cooling rack.
I took K to school this morning because it was still dark when she was leaving for school and she was wearing her black jeans with the black band hoodie. I also helped her carry on the beverages (she carried the two cases of Dr Pepper and I carried the 24-pack of half-litre water bottles).
I put the brie with mushrooms back in the fridge, because I don't think I'll be opening it today during the day, and I plan to go to games tonight at Fuddrucker's, so will not be around to have it with dinner.
For dinner, I think I'll prepare a lasagne (of sorts) with ground beef (since we have it), thinly sliced eggplant, and bechamel, since it's easiest to prepare and I don't have any tomatoes to make tomato sauce. Actually, thinking about the beef, I'm not quite sure the bechamel will work. Perhaps I will just make an eggplant lasagne with the jarred white sauce that's sitting up in the cabinet over the fridge. I might take a gander at Smart & Final to look for canned peeled roma tomatoes, in addition to cumin and cinnamon, which I usually buy there because I can get it in the large packages for about twice the price of the small jars at Albertson's when I'd be buying about four times as much product.
Yes, I think it'll be eggplant lasagne with the pre-made sauce-in-a-jar. The hardest part will be precooking the lasagne noodles before assembling the lasagne, since I'm using less liquid than I typically use, I'll want the extra moisture for the noodles to bake properly. Or maybe I'll leave them dry and make sure I have them sufficiently surrounded by sauce to provide the needed moisture without making the lasagne a soupy mess. I can put that in the oven when Kat comes home this afternoon so that I can serve it before leaving for games around 5:15 or 5:30(since I take the bus to games, I'm at the mercy of MTS).
Thinking about MTS, the service has improved dramatically in recent weeks. They've introduced the Rapid Lines, which run a lot of the same (or similar) routes as some of the local buses, but they skip a lot of stops and take the express lanes on the freeway instead of the regular lanes, thereby bypassing a LOT of automobile traffic. I'm relieved and pleased that MTS has decided to go this way, because it definitely helps those of us who live in the northern portion of the City and County, since two of the Rapid lines run up to Escondido and Rancho Bernardo transit stations). I'm glad I live near one of the new transit stations so that I can take advantage of the Rapid bus by walking only about three-quarters of a mile from home. If I want to be especially lazy, I can leave home a little earlier and take the local bus, which stops just about across the street from my flat, to the transit station.
I just tasted the paleo flatbread, and it's very eggy and very coconutty, which is fine, though I don't think I'll be using it to accompany my garlicky baba ganoush (recipe in previous post). For that, I think I will bake some lavash. When I bake the lavash, I'll put the recipe here to share.
Peter's wanting to go for a night dive sometime this week. I will need to find a substitute for my torch, which was made by Princeton Tec, but has a broken switch so that the torch is constantly on once the front is screwed onto the body. I just phoned one of my regular dive shops, where I thought I had purchased the Island Pack, which included a torch, a backup, and a strobe. Turns out I didn't buy the pack there. Sport Chalet is not open yet today, but I can phone them when they do open to see if they can look up my purchase of it at one of their locations (I typically go to the one in University City, but have also made purchases at the locations in Mission Valley and Point Loma).
I also can't find my backup light, which I had bought for our trip to Roatan last year and had not used extensively or recently. I had been keeping it in my drysuit pocket, but it's no longer there, and I have no idea where it can be. Might have left it somewhere? Ugh, that'd be pretty bad. And I'd bought it online, too, so I don't even remember the online store from whom I'd purchased it. I'll look through my receipts and see if I can find my record of its purchase and see if it has a warranty, and what it covers. Probably doesn't cover forgetfulness, though, so I think I'm out of the $80-90 that it'll cost to replace it. Urgh...
Monday, October 27, 2014
Home Again
The dive boat (Horizon) got in around 7:30-ish last night, so I stayed over at Peter's. We stopped on the way and bought a bottle of red wine (might have been a zinfandel), about a half pound wedge of brie, and some fruit for breakfast, as well as some milk. We slept very well, and spent the early morning snuggling and sipping tea. Peter had an 8 o'clock telephone call to take, so I spent some more time relaxing in bed, thinking about our dives this past weekend.
We ended up not going to San Clemente after all because the U.S. Navy was busy shelling the place (how much practice the Navy needs in shooting onshore targets is unknown to me, but it must be a lot, because the island was closed to divers) for the entire weekend. We did go to the ocean side of Catalina, to Farnsworth Bank, where we'd gone diving in May and enjoyed the hydrocoral. There were lots of little fish about, including the California State fish, the Garibaldi. As juveniles, the Garibaldi sports electric blue spots, and are quite stunning in addition to being extremely cute!
After Farnsworth, we went to another site, but I don't remember that one so well because I'd skipped the third dive, and then went on the fourth dive after taking a much-needed nap in the early afternoon.
The next day, we were at Santa Barbara Island, where there is a sea lion rookery and we were greeted and buzzed by several younger sea lions. On the surface, we could hear the adults calling back and forth, their voices echoing off the rocky shore.
For the third day, we returned to Catalina, but closer to the south end of the island, closer to but not in Avalon's Dive Park. Visibility was poor on the first dive, so we scuttled our second dive. Some more adventurous divers went on a second dive while those of us staying on board began packing up our things to return to San Diego. I was finished packing my dive bag in about a half hour, and my drysuit hung, drying, on one of many hooks meant for hanging dry- and wetsuits. Peter and I napped a bit while the rest of the divers got back on board and the boat left Catalina for San Diego, a 7- to 8-hour drive.
Today, I've spent a lot of time catching up on my email inboxes, and also checked my postal mail. There is quite a contest between two people in our district for City Council, Carol Kim and Chris Cate. There is quite a spate of negative ads running from Chris Cate's campaign, which makes me feel much less inclined to vote for him. Instead of talking about his own character and his ability to serve the public, it appears that Mr Cate is trying to paint Ms Kim as unworthy of the post and therefore people ought to vote for him instead. Typical Repugnican move, in my not-quite-humble opinion.
I made a shopping trip up to Sprouts to buy dinner ingredients, including quinoa for stuffing the 8-ball squash we'd received as part of our share last time. We ended with quite a bit of extra filling, so I might spread it into a baking dish and sprinkle it with some cheese and just bake it to eat on its own, or spread it, along with the ground beef I'd bought, also from Sprouts, between some lasagna noodles to bake for dinner. I don't have any ricotta, but perhaps the vegetable filling will be enough, since I don't plan to make a very large lasagna. I'm really just using up the remaining lasagna noodles that we have.
I've been toying with the idea of making another ganache, and then making some more puffs to fill with pastry cream, though this time, I will make sure I make the puffs when Kat is home so she can help me fill the piping bag with the pastry batter, as it really does seem to be a two-person task.
Tomorrow, for lunch, I will go to the Energy Innovation Center for a presentation on Net Zero Energy Buildings. It will be very encouraging to learn about the use of modern technology to tackle our biggest challenges, with energy being our primary concern as our species evolves beyond burning fossil fuels for energy.
Who knows? I might even feel motivated enough to go to the gym tomorrow, as my visits there have been few and far between of late.
For now, though, I will head to bed to try to get a good night's sleep.
We ended up not going to San Clemente after all because the U.S. Navy was busy shelling the place (how much practice the Navy needs in shooting onshore targets is unknown to me, but it must be a lot, because the island was closed to divers) for the entire weekend. We did go to the ocean side of Catalina, to Farnsworth Bank, where we'd gone diving in May and enjoyed the hydrocoral. There were lots of little fish about, including the California State fish, the Garibaldi. As juveniles, the Garibaldi sports electric blue spots, and are quite stunning in addition to being extremely cute!
After Farnsworth, we went to another site, but I don't remember that one so well because I'd skipped the third dive, and then went on the fourth dive after taking a much-needed nap in the early afternoon.
The next day, we were at Santa Barbara Island, where there is a sea lion rookery and we were greeted and buzzed by several younger sea lions. On the surface, we could hear the adults calling back and forth, their voices echoing off the rocky shore.
For the third day, we returned to Catalina, but closer to the south end of the island, closer to but not in Avalon's Dive Park. Visibility was poor on the first dive, so we scuttled our second dive. Some more adventurous divers went on a second dive while those of us staying on board began packing up our things to return to San Diego. I was finished packing my dive bag in about a half hour, and my drysuit hung, drying, on one of many hooks meant for hanging dry- and wetsuits. Peter and I napped a bit while the rest of the divers got back on board and the boat left Catalina for San Diego, a 7- to 8-hour drive.
Today, I've spent a lot of time catching up on my email inboxes, and also checked my postal mail. There is quite a contest between two people in our district for City Council, Carol Kim and Chris Cate. There is quite a spate of negative ads running from Chris Cate's campaign, which makes me feel much less inclined to vote for him. Instead of talking about his own character and his ability to serve the public, it appears that Mr Cate is trying to paint Ms Kim as unworthy of the post and therefore people ought to vote for him instead. Typical Repugnican move, in my not-quite-humble opinion.
I made a shopping trip up to Sprouts to buy dinner ingredients, including quinoa for stuffing the 8-ball squash we'd received as part of our share last time. We ended with quite a bit of extra filling, so I might spread it into a baking dish and sprinkle it with some cheese and just bake it to eat on its own, or spread it, along with the ground beef I'd bought, also from Sprouts, between some lasagna noodles to bake for dinner. I don't have any ricotta, but perhaps the vegetable filling will be enough, since I don't plan to make a very large lasagna. I'm really just using up the remaining lasagna noodles that we have.
I've been toying with the idea of making another ganache, and then making some more puffs to fill with pastry cream, though this time, I will make sure I make the puffs when Kat is home so she can help me fill the piping bag with the pastry batter, as it really does seem to be a two-person task.
Tomorrow, for lunch, I will go to the Energy Innovation Center for a presentation on Net Zero Energy Buildings. It will be very encouraging to learn about the use of modern technology to tackle our biggest challenges, with energy being our primary concern as our species evolves beyond burning fossil fuels for energy.
Who knows? I might even feel motivated enough to go to the gym tomorrow, as my visits there have been few and far between of late.
For now, though, I will head to bed to try to get a good night's sleep.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
A Weekend Away
Today is looking like a good day. I baked some mini apple muffins for breakfast, and Kat took the remaining to school with her:
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c. coconut flour or powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg, shaved or ground
1 medium-sized sweet apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 extra large or jumbo egg
1/2 c. buttermilk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
coat a 12-portion mini muffin tin liberally with cooking spray. Set aside.
In large bowl, sift together baking soda, whole wheat flour, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in coconut flour or powder (the powder has a coarser texture than flour).
In medium bowl, beat egg, then add buttermilk, whisking until it forms a thick fluid.
Add chopped apple to dry ingredients, stirring to coat. Add wet ingredients all at once to flour mixture, then stir to mix thoroughly. Allow the coconut flour/powder to sit for a few minutes to start absorbing moisture.
Pour batter into muffin tin (the cups will be very full), and bake for 15 minutes. They will brown slightly along the edges, and will likely meet each other, almost completely covering the top of the tin, so it may behoove you to spray the entire top surface of the tin with the cooking spray instead of just the interiors of the cups.
Allow to cool slightly in the pan on a cooling rack, then place in a folded linen teacloth in either a ceramic bowl or wooden bowl (which would allow better air flow for cooling). Serve with butter.
This evening, Peter and I will board the Horizon, a boat fitted out for SCUBA diving. It has cabins and bunks downstairs, and a dining room on the deck level which serves as the meeting space for the crew to provide information to passengers prior to departure, before each dive, and at the end of the trip, when passengers will have the opportunity to leave gifts in the tip jar.
The Horizon is a nice dive boat, outfitted well with, from what I've experienced, a good crew. A dive boat's crew is usually made up of the captain, a cook, a dive master, and one or two deck hands to help keep things running smoothly.
We will dive at San Clemente Island.
I will be leaving Kat for the weekend. She has activities planned for both Friday and Saturday (no football game on Friday, so they'll have marching practice), and will likely be finishing homework on Sunday. I just baked some nice crackers for her to snack on over the next few days (garlic-rosemary crackers, recipe below). They are cooling on racks on the stove at the moment. I tasted a few of the edge pieces (ones which came out quite irregularly shaped) and can say, with no doubt, that she will enjoy them. They have just enough salt to bring out the flavors, and the ample garlic and rosemary really pack a punch.
1 good-sized head garlic, root ends cut off and paper removed
(3-4) 5-6" sprigs fresh rosemary (we'd just gotten some in our CSA share this week)
3/4 c. warm water (just nuke it for several seconds until warm to the touch)
1/3 c. EVOO
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, plus a little more if needed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray two baking sheets with olive oil or some other nonstick spray.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a large bowl. Set aside.
Separate garlic cloves and mash them (I use a garlic masher that I'd bought from The Pampered Chef) into a paste. Separate rosemary leaves from stems, and chop into a fine texture (I used my Ulu knife).
Stir rosemary into the flour mixture. Add garlic and liquid ingredients all at once. Fold mixture until a smooth batter forms. You may need to add a tad more flour if the batter is too sticky/runny to handle. Form a soft ball with the batter.
Cut batter ball in half, and spread each half, using your bare hands, onto each baking sheet (the batter will not completely fill each sheet, but you want it to be pretty thin). Cut into cracker portions with a pizza cutter.
Bake in preheated oven for approximately 12-14 minutes (mine took 13). Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets until ready to handle and eat!
These crackers would go well with the Baba Ganoush I'm preparing next. Vampire dispellers!
1-1 1/4 lbs eggplant, either a single large one, or two smaller ones
4 small- to medium-sized lemons or limes, or combination thereof
4 large cloves garlic
4 T Tahini
Instructions
With a sharp fork, poke holes all around eggplant(s). Wrap in foil, and bake on a baking tray at 450F for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, process/chop garlic cloves and juice lemons/limes. Add tahini, and place mixture into a large bowl.
When eggplant(s) are finished roasting, cool slightly, then cut open and chop coarsely. Place in food processor and process in bursts until desired texture is reached. Pour eggplant into large bowl with remaining ingredients, and mix together thoroughly. Add salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste.
High-Fibre Apple Muffins
Ingredients1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c. coconut flour or powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg, shaved or ground
1 medium-sized sweet apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 extra large or jumbo egg
1/2 c. buttermilk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
coat a 12-portion mini muffin tin liberally with cooking spray. Set aside.
In large bowl, sift together baking soda, whole wheat flour, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in coconut flour or powder (the powder has a coarser texture than flour).
In medium bowl, beat egg, then add buttermilk, whisking until it forms a thick fluid.
Add chopped apple to dry ingredients, stirring to coat. Add wet ingredients all at once to flour mixture, then stir to mix thoroughly. Allow the coconut flour/powder to sit for a few minutes to start absorbing moisture.
Pour batter into muffin tin (the cups will be very full), and bake for 15 minutes. They will brown slightly along the edges, and will likely meet each other, almost completely covering the top of the tin, so it may behoove you to spray the entire top surface of the tin with the cooking spray instead of just the interiors of the cups.
Allow to cool slightly in the pan on a cooling rack, then place in a folded linen teacloth in either a ceramic bowl or wooden bowl (which would allow better air flow for cooling). Serve with butter.
This evening, Peter and I will board the Horizon, a boat fitted out for SCUBA diving. It has cabins and bunks downstairs, and a dining room on the deck level which serves as the meeting space for the crew to provide information to passengers prior to departure, before each dive, and at the end of the trip, when passengers will have the opportunity to leave gifts in the tip jar.
The Horizon is a nice dive boat, outfitted well with, from what I've experienced, a good crew. A dive boat's crew is usually made up of the captain, a cook, a dive master, and one or two deck hands to help keep things running smoothly.
We will dive at San Clemente Island.
I will be leaving Kat for the weekend. She has activities planned for both Friday and Saturday (no football game on Friday, so they'll have marching practice), and will likely be finishing homework on Sunday. I just baked some nice crackers for her to snack on over the next few days (garlic-rosemary crackers, recipe below). They are cooling on racks on the stove at the moment. I tasted a few of the edge pieces (ones which came out quite irregularly shaped) and can say, with no doubt, that she will enjoy them. They have just enough salt to bring out the flavors, and the ample garlic and rosemary really pack a punch.
Garlic-Rosemary Crackers
Ingredients1 good-sized head garlic, root ends cut off and paper removed
(3-4) 5-6" sprigs fresh rosemary (we'd just gotten some in our CSA share this week)
3/4 c. warm water (just nuke it for several seconds until warm to the touch)
1/3 c. EVOO
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, plus a little more if needed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray two baking sheets with olive oil or some other nonstick spray.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a large bowl. Set aside.
Separate garlic cloves and mash them (I use a garlic masher that I'd bought from The Pampered Chef) into a paste. Separate rosemary leaves from stems, and chop into a fine texture (I used my Ulu knife).
Stir rosemary into the flour mixture. Add garlic and liquid ingredients all at once. Fold mixture until a smooth batter forms. You may need to add a tad more flour if the batter is too sticky/runny to handle. Form a soft ball with the batter.
Cut batter ball in half, and spread each half, using your bare hands, onto each baking sheet (the batter will not completely fill each sheet, but you want it to be pretty thin). Cut into cracker portions with a pizza cutter.
Bake in preheated oven for approximately 12-14 minutes (mine took 13). Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets until ready to handle and eat!
These crackers would go well with the Baba Ganoush I'm preparing next. Vampire dispellers!
Baba Ganoush
Ingredients1-1 1/4 lbs eggplant, either a single large one, or two smaller ones
4 small- to medium-sized lemons or limes, or combination thereof
4 large cloves garlic
4 T Tahini
Instructions
With a sharp fork, poke holes all around eggplant(s). Wrap in foil, and bake on a baking tray at 450F for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, process/chop garlic cloves and juice lemons/limes. Add tahini, and place mixture into a large bowl.
When eggplant(s) are finished roasting, cool slightly, then cut open and chop coarsely. Place in food processor and process in bursts until desired texture is reached. Pour eggplant into large bowl with remaining ingredients, and mix together thoroughly. Add salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Losing and Finding
This evening, we experienced some panic, worry, and, thankfully, great relief.
Kat had borrowed, from my brother, who lives in Temecula, a library book he had taken out from his local library, to use for a school assignment over the summer. That book has come due for the final time (no renewals remaining) and he came by tonight to fetch it. He'd intended to pick it up when they'd visited for Kat's birthday, but had forgotten.
After searching for it all over our flat, Kat concluded, as we all had at that point, that the book was nowhere we knew of (hell, I don't even remember seeing the book at all). Kat remarked that there is a girl in her English class who has the exact same edition of the book, and she'd noticed it at the time. I told Kat to try contacting this girl to get the book back, because library books tend to be on the not-quite-cheap side as far as books go, at least.
Luckily, Kat instant messaged the girl and found out that indeed, the girl did have the one that Kat had borrowed from her uncle (my brother), and the girl would bring it into class to return to Kat tomorrow. So now, there might be a late return fee charged for the book, but at least it will be returned and no lost book fine assessed.
My brother reminded Kat that she needs to be careful with her things (and I emphasized that she needs to be especially careful with other people's things). Because if something is lost, and it is one's own personal belonging, then it's lost. However, if that which is lost had belonged to someone else, then not only is the object lost, but then a suitable substitute must be found, and for some things, like library books, suitable substitutes are hard to come by, if they can be found at all.
Out of this little saga, I'm hoping that Kat learns to keep track of things. She'd previously lost other things. One such thing was a digital camera which was given to her a couple of years ago by my previous lover. She'd taken it to Girl Scout Camp, and had apparently left it on the bus when they arrived at the meeting point where they were picked up by their parents. Of course, the first thing I said to her was not "Where is your camera?" but "Did you have a good time?" It wasn't until hours later that we realized the camera was missing, and then we figured that she must've left it on the bus. Of course, the Girl Scouts would have contracted with a coach company to provide the buses, and the drivers are in no way liable for any lost items, including cameras. Kat was disappointed that she'd lost the pictures she's taken during the trip. I was pissed that she'd lost her camera! Granted, it was not an especially expensive camera, but it was the fact that she'd failed to take care of it that pissed me off. She'd also lost the sunglasses that I'd bought for her to take on the trip. They did not cost too much, either, but I refused to replace them. Unfortunately, Kat's grandfather (my dad) gave her his camera to use, and he bought himself another one. I remind Kat that if she loses this camera, she is NOT to be GIVEN another just so that she can continue to be irresponsible with them.
Less recently, Kat borrowed my swim goggles, which I had purchased at CVS for something around eight dollars. They were not expensive, but they were perfectly serviceable, and I'd enjoyed using them. A short while ago, Kat asked me if she could borrow them, and I replied that I had no idea where they were since the last time she'd borrowed them from me, so having lost them, now she's facing the inconvenience of not having them to use. I just wonder how many times and how many things she's going to lose before it finally dawns on her that there is no infinite supply of stuff for her to squander.
Amidst losing this, that, and many other things, I'm becoming, suitably, less attached to material things. Some things hold monetary value, and other things hold sentimental value (though those are few and far between these days). For those things that have some significant monetary value, I have a safe deposit box at the bank. Also in my safe deposit box are my citizenship certificate and a copy of my birth certificate (I have no idea as to the whereabouts of the original). But, in the long run, they are all things, when it comes down to it. Why so much importance? Why is anything of any consequence?
I suppose that for me, convenience is nice. It is comforting to know that something is available when and where it is wanted or needed, like bathroom tissue (aka toilet paper). This is also the reason why I'd favor using handkerchiefs rather than paper tissues most of the time. A handkerchief is there, and can be used when needed. When it's not needed, it remains quietly in one's pocket. The exception is when one is ill with a sinus infection, when one might really want to get rid of all those germs one is blowing out of one's system, hopefully never to return.
Anyway, I think I've written enough about this, at least for now.
Kat had borrowed, from my brother, who lives in Temecula, a library book he had taken out from his local library, to use for a school assignment over the summer. That book has come due for the final time (no renewals remaining) and he came by tonight to fetch it. He'd intended to pick it up when they'd visited for Kat's birthday, but had forgotten.
After searching for it all over our flat, Kat concluded, as we all had at that point, that the book was nowhere we knew of (hell, I don't even remember seeing the book at all). Kat remarked that there is a girl in her English class who has the exact same edition of the book, and she'd noticed it at the time. I told Kat to try contacting this girl to get the book back, because library books tend to be on the not-quite-cheap side as far as books go, at least.
Luckily, Kat instant messaged the girl and found out that indeed, the girl did have the one that Kat had borrowed from her uncle (my brother), and the girl would bring it into class to return to Kat tomorrow. So now, there might be a late return fee charged for the book, but at least it will be returned and no lost book fine assessed.
My brother reminded Kat that she needs to be careful with her things (and I emphasized that she needs to be especially careful with other people's things). Because if something is lost, and it is one's own personal belonging, then it's lost. However, if that which is lost had belonged to someone else, then not only is the object lost, but then a suitable substitute must be found, and for some things, like library books, suitable substitutes are hard to come by, if they can be found at all.
Out of this little saga, I'm hoping that Kat learns to keep track of things. She'd previously lost other things. One such thing was a digital camera which was given to her a couple of years ago by my previous lover. She'd taken it to Girl Scout Camp, and had apparently left it on the bus when they arrived at the meeting point where they were picked up by their parents. Of course, the first thing I said to her was not "Where is your camera?" but "Did you have a good time?" It wasn't until hours later that we realized the camera was missing, and then we figured that she must've left it on the bus. Of course, the Girl Scouts would have contracted with a coach company to provide the buses, and the drivers are in no way liable for any lost items, including cameras. Kat was disappointed that she'd lost the pictures she's taken during the trip. I was pissed that she'd lost her camera! Granted, it was not an especially expensive camera, but it was the fact that she'd failed to take care of it that pissed me off. She'd also lost the sunglasses that I'd bought for her to take on the trip. They did not cost too much, either, but I refused to replace them. Unfortunately, Kat's grandfather (my dad) gave her his camera to use, and he bought himself another one. I remind Kat that if she loses this camera, she is NOT to be GIVEN another just so that she can continue to be irresponsible with them.
Less recently, Kat borrowed my swim goggles, which I had purchased at CVS for something around eight dollars. They were not expensive, but they were perfectly serviceable, and I'd enjoyed using them. A short while ago, Kat asked me if she could borrow them, and I replied that I had no idea where they were since the last time she'd borrowed them from me, so having lost them, now she's facing the inconvenience of not having them to use. I just wonder how many times and how many things she's going to lose before it finally dawns on her that there is no infinite supply of stuff for her to squander.
Amidst losing this, that, and many other things, I'm becoming, suitably, less attached to material things. Some things hold monetary value, and other things hold sentimental value (though those are few and far between these days). For those things that have some significant monetary value, I have a safe deposit box at the bank. Also in my safe deposit box are my citizenship certificate and a copy of my birth certificate (I have no idea as to the whereabouts of the original). But, in the long run, they are all things, when it comes down to it. Why so much importance? Why is anything of any consequence?
I suppose that for me, convenience is nice. It is comforting to know that something is available when and where it is wanted or needed, like bathroom tissue (aka toilet paper). This is also the reason why I'd favor using handkerchiefs rather than paper tissues most of the time. A handkerchief is there, and can be used when needed. When it's not needed, it remains quietly in one's pocket. The exception is when one is ill with a sinus infection, when one might really want to get rid of all those germs one is blowing out of one's system, hopefully never to return.
Anyway, I think I've written enough about this, at least for now.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Follow-up on the Making of Truffles and Puffs
My hands were, indeed, coated with chocolate ganache after I completed making about a dozen and a half truffles, each measuring about one and a half to two teaspoons. I coated all of them in unsweetened cocoa, not using the confectioners' sugar at all. Kat complained that there were none with confectioners' sugar, so I might make some more truffles, using confectioners' sugar to coat them, over the coming weekend, or something like that. I don't want to keep too many truffles around, though, as they'll just take up space in the fridge...
The puffs came out all right, though not great. They managed to puff somewhat, but after I told Kat how hard it was to get the batter into the bag for piping, she agreed that it's a two-person job. Perhaps she'll help me make puffs next time, then.
For now, I've got truffles in the fridge, half of a pecan pie in a tart pan, and flatbreads/breadsticks in a large Ziploc baggie, all waiting to be consumed. I've also got some food in the freezer, waiting to be cooked and eaten. I'd purchased them for mornings when I don't have time to prepare something fresh, so Kat can just pop one or two scallion pancakes into the egg pan (20 cm diameter) for breakfast.
We also have, in the freezer (I hope the freezing process doesn't kill their texture), Chinese taro cake and turnip cake, each of is to be sliced up and pan-fried. They take more time, as they'll need plenty of time to thaw before being sliced, and then the slices need pan frying. So perhaps I'll thaw one of them, slice it, and then freeze the slices individually so that they'll be ready to cook for breakfast on that odd morning when I don't have time to cook and Kat's not in the mood for the scallion pancakes...
Can you tell I'm in a really big culinarily-inspired mood?
The puffs came out all right, though not great. They managed to puff somewhat, but after I told Kat how hard it was to get the batter into the bag for piping, she agreed that it's a two-person job. Perhaps she'll help me make puffs next time, then.
For now, I've got truffles in the fridge, half of a pecan pie in a tart pan, and flatbreads/breadsticks in a large Ziploc baggie, all waiting to be consumed. I've also got some food in the freezer, waiting to be cooked and eaten. I'd purchased them for mornings when I don't have time to prepare something fresh, so Kat can just pop one or two scallion pancakes into the egg pan (20 cm diameter) for breakfast.
We also have, in the freezer (I hope the freezing process doesn't kill their texture), Chinese taro cake and turnip cake, each of is to be sliced up and pan-fried. They take more time, as they'll need plenty of time to thaw before being sliced, and then the slices need pan frying. So perhaps I'll thaw one of them, slice it, and then freeze the slices individually so that they'll be ready to cook for breakfast on that odd morning when I don't have time to cook and Kat's not in the mood for the scallion pancakes...
Can you tell I'm in a really big culinarily-inspired mood?
Presence
I have noticed the mental absence on the part of many people whom I see at bus stops and riding the buses. This has been a phenomenon on my part, as well, as I've had my eyes on my phone more and more while riding the bus along a familiar route, often reaching my stop just as I'm becoming aware of my whereabouts.
I've been trying a few new bus routes because they provide much faster service to places where I would like to go (Poway, to get to Peter's, to and from UCSD, where I had initially started sitting in on class, and to and from UTC, where I went today to buy a pair of comfortable shoes (imagine that - and they're not even ugly!).
I decided to forego the gym (again) because my plantar fasciitis is still causing pain when I walk. Peter suggested that I massage my foot and practice flexing my toes, stretching the fascia gently, slowly, throughout the day.
It's been several weeks now since the fasciitis started bothering me this time (initially, it'd acted up a while back, and I'd tried "running through it," only to cause more damage and resulting in additional scar tissue buildup). However, it reminded me of the lack of presence on the part of a lot of commuters and others who regularly use public transit, myself included.
While riding, I put my phone away and watched the traffic and passing scenery as I rode along Mira Mesa Boulevard, heading toward the 805. I noticed the construction that continues at the junction of Mira Mesa, the I-805, and Sorrento Valley. They are adding in an extension of Carroll Canyon Road, which, as far as I know, runs from Scripps Ranch into Mira Mesa, ending at Black Mountain Road. However, I know it "continues" on the other side of the quarry. Whether this leg of Carroll Canyon Road connects to the other a mystery to me. Time to go to Googlemaps!
Ugh. I just Googled it, and IT DOES NOT CONNECT! Why, in the name of cartography, would two roads share a name when they don't connect?!? How asinine is that? Or maybe just the result of lazy mapmakers who cannot come up with new names for roads?
Back to my point: being unaware of one's physical whereabouts can be dangerous, if one is traveling (esp. in unfamiliar or unsafe surroundings), but is, on the whole, a loss of experience, even if that experience tends to be similar from one passing to the next. There is always something worth noticing, or observing. I'm going to try putting my phone away from now on, and keep my awareness to that which is around me. I encourage others to practice this level of presence as well.
I've been trying a few new bus routes because they provide much faster service to places where I would like to go (Poway, to get to Peter's, to and from UCSD, where I had initially started sitting in on class, and to and from UTC, where I went today to buy a pair of comfortable shoes (imagine that - and they're not even ugly!).
I decided to forego the gym (again) because my plantar fasciitis is still causing pain when I walk. Peter suggested that I massage my foot and practice flexing my toes, stretching the fascia gently, slowly, throughout the day.
It's been several weeks now since the fasciitis started bothering me this time (initially, it'd acted up a while back, and I'd tried "running through it," only to cause more damage and resulting in additional scar tissue buildup). However, it reminded me of the lack of presence on the part of a lot of commuters and others who regularly use public transit, myself included.
While riding, I put my phone away and watched the traffic and passing scenery as I rode along Mira Mesa Boulevard, heading toward the 805. I noticed the construction that continues at the junction of Mira Mesa, the I-805, and Sorrento Valley. They are adding in an extension of Carroll Canyon Road, which, as far as I know, runs from Scripps Ranch into Mira Mesa, ending at Black Mountain Road. However, I know it "continues" on the other side of the quarry. Whether this leg of Carroll Canyon Road connects to the other a mystery to me. Time to go to Googlemaps!
Ugh. I just Googled it, and IT DOES NOT CONNECT! Why, in the name of cartography, would two roads share a name when they don't connect?!? How asinine is that? Or maybe just the result of lazy mapmakers who cannot come up with new names for roads?
Back to my point: being unaware of one's physical whereabouts can be dangerous, if one is traveling (esp. in unfamiliar or unsafe surroundings), but is, on the whole, a loss of experience, even if that experience tends to be similar from one passing to the next. There is always something worth noticing, or observing. I'm going to try putting my phone away from now on, and keep my awareness to that which is around me. I encourage others to practice this level of presence as well.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Trial Date is Set
Indeed, it is Monday, 24 November, 2014, whose afternoon will find me in Courtroom A of the San Diego Superior Court for my traffic violation trial. I chose to go to trial because I want Officer Ryan, who gave me the ticket, to tell the court exactly what happened that evening (or at least what he witnessed). I remember he'd told me, that evening, that he'd come to court and testify, on my behalf, that I was not driving in an unsafe manner, and that although I did not follow the letter of the law, that I surely followed its spirit...
After having spent most of my morning hours yesterday waiting for my arraignment, I spoke to the magistrate (they're called Commissioners here), and told her that I want a speedy trial date set. I was given an appointment in the cashiers' room, and then left. I had the chance to stop into the restaurant supply shop down the street to take a look at a few items.
Peter's looking (casually, I believe) for a bamboo steamer basket for the dim sum that he'd bought, frozen, from the Korean market we visited (on Clairemeont Mesa Boulevard). I saw a few Chinese-made baskets, but they did not look that well made, so I gave them a pass. I also looked for a small offset spatula, which would come in handy for frosting cakes and cupcakes, as well as frosting cookies (yum!). They were out of stock (of course!). Finally, I searched (in vain) for an Asian-style vegetable peeler, one of which I'd used when I volunteered at a food event preparing vegetables for a festival taking place in Balboa Park. I saw lot of other things in the store's show- and storeroom that would come in handy, but then I realized that, with a kitchen the size of mine, I've really got no space to store much in terms of additional equipment.
On Monday, and yesterday, I was finally able to successfully make chocolate ganache! The ganache I made on Monday has the proper consistency for forming truffles, and the second ganache is the right consistency for pastries (like topping eclairs or cream puffs, which I intend to do tomorrow afternoon). I've tasted both and each is delicious. The difference between them is the cream-to-chocolate ratio. For the truffles, it's a ratio of about 1:2 of cream to chocolate. For the dip, it's the opposite, 2:1 cream to chocolate. I bought some Ghirardelli's bittersweet chocolate baking chips and shaved & chopped them into small bits with my Ulu knife. I then placed these bits into a Pyrex bowl, then poured boiling heavy cream over them. By allowing this to sit, undisturbed, for fifteen minutes, I allowed the heat of the cream to soften and melt the chocolate, which then mixed into the cream perfectly, forming a creamy, smooth mixture...
I might actually form some truffles this morning, since tonight, I'll either be attending a cheese tasting at the Venissimo Cheese shop located at a small shopping center near the waterfront downtown, or going to the near opposite, Fuddrucker's, here in Mira Mesa, for games, with SDBG. Each will be fun and interesting, in very different ways. I invited Kat to come to the cheese tasting with me, so when she comes home this afternoon (I think she might be stopping into Wangenheim to help Ms. Vanderhurst with JMUN today), I'll see if she still wants to go. If she does, I will plug the address into my phone and set the GPS to give me turn-by-turn directions. I might make it a completely decadent evening and, after going to Venissimo Cheese, come home and devour some bittersweet chocolate truffles, coated with cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar... Ooh, I can feel my thighs and belly aching at the prospect! (No, I don't mean to "bellyache.")
I'd watched, on the Food Network, a program in which Alton Brown demonstrated making chocolate truffles. He used latex gloves (powderless, of course) to prevent his hands from becoming completely chocolate-coated as well as preventing, I would assume, his body heat from melting the chocolate. I might go to Albertson's and buy some gloves for that purpose, although I'm not especially bothered by the prospect of having my hands coated with bittersweet chocolate... Might be good to keep my hands from melting the chocolate, though. My hands tend to be relatively cold, so not as prone to causing truffles to melt during formation. Oh, who am I kidding? I may as well form them with my bare hands. It's a cool enough day so the truffles won't immediately soften and go gooey, and I won't be too pained at licking off the chocolate from my fingers (though I wish Peter were here to do that for me).
So: I'll fill a couple of small dishes with confectioners' sugar and cocoa (each in its own bowl, of course), and get rolling! I'll write again after rolling some truffles, and describe the process, if it entailed anything interesting. Otherwise, I'll just relate the number of tablespoon-sized truffles I was able to make with 168 grams of heavy cream and 248 grams of bittersweet chocolate...
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Cranberries, Butter, Fuel Efficiency, and Traffic Law
Stopped into my local Smart & Final to buy butter and heavy cream (yes, I'm a bake-aholic and big, big foodie, if you haven't noticed), and saw that the price has gone up significantly in the past month, from just over $7 for three pounds to over $10. While I can (still) afford to buy these things, it makes mistakes in cooking and baking much more costly (about 35% more costly!). The price of a half gallon of heavy cream is almost $5 now, so it's in par with almond milk, which I buy because of our (Kat & my) lactose intolerance.
At least bananas have remained relatively inexpensive at 49 cents per pound, which is far below the price at most other grocery stores, including Sprouts, where I usually like to shop, even if only because their produce is fresher and more reasonably priced than at a lot of other food retailers. Unfortunately, Sprouts' locations do not include Mira Mesa, so I'd have to travel to University City or La Jolla to patronize them.
I'd gone into Target to buy feminine hygiene products, bobby pins, and hair conditioner. Maybe I should be thankful that I have a lot less hair now that I used to, but then again, I probably still use about the same amount of shampoo and conditioner as when I had more hair, so scratch that thought...
The other day, I watched a YouTube segment featuring Sarah Silverman, who talks about a "pussy tax" being levied on women because of the unwillingness of the penes in the United States legislature to pass an equal pay bill into law. It's a funny program, and gets the point across. Humourists are the people best able to point out Society's many, many idiocies (and yes, I do realize that's putting it rather mildly). Among my favorites are (currently) Ricky Gervais, Sarah Silverman, Steven Colbert (whether that's his given name or not), Tim Minchin, and my perennial favorite, who has unfortunately died, George Carlin. Other than Sarah Silverman, all of my favorite humourists are unapologetically atheists. I don't know whether Sarah Silverman is an atheist or not, but considering the nice acidity of her humour, I'm led to think so.
While at Smart & Final, I looked for the "food service" packages of dried cranberries that I liked to purchase, but saw that they seem to have stopped stocking these larger (2- or 3-pound) packages and now just carry the smaller, more expensive packs of "Craisins." I'll want to make a trip to Sprouts this week, then, to buy dried cranberries. It'll probably be one day when I can catch the bus to get there after going to the gym in the morning, even though I'll be fully laden with my purchase, in addition to my gym gear, on the return trip. It'll help build up my arms and shoulders, I figure, and improve my heat tolerance, even though Autumn is supposed to be here by now...
I'm registered to attend the "Clean & Green" meeting in Solana Beach tomorrow evening (5-6:30), but now am reconsidering it because it's not that close (for driving), and I hate using gas to attend events created to address climate change. They'll discuss hydraulic fracturing along California's coast, which ought to be interesting, but I've already got a lot on my mind. I'm going to traffic court on Tuesday to tell the magistrate that I want to go to trial for the minor traffic offense (not that minor, as it's a fine of almost $500!) with which I've been charged.
Hopefully, I'll get my trial scheduled before the end of this calendar year. I know they'll want to schedule it really far out, but I won't let them schedule it beyond the guaranteed 90 days, because I want to get it out of my hair and mind. I remember the fellow who wrote the ticket to me, Officer Ryan, had told me that he'd testify at my trial that I wasn't driving unsafely, but that I had not followed "the letter of the law." I had discussed with him, before he gave me the ticket, that I am a careful driver, but am also mindful of wasting resources, so rather than wait through a long red light, I waited until the opposing traffic passed and it was safe, then made my left turn onto the freeway on-ramp. From what Officer Ryan told me, he actually agrees with my reasoning, but unfortunately, the law does not allow for personal judgment, which, in my opinion, is probably the single most egregious fault in our legal system in the United States of America. Because really, especially when it comes to traffic laws, if public safety is the point, then why penalize me for acting safely and in a manner that is conscious of the economic and environmental cost of utilizing my car?
Sentencing guidelines have become mandatory sentencing, taking away any discretion on the part of the judge. The laws are being written for the "lowest common denominator," and in treating everyone as criminals, the legal system has created criminals of us all.
At least bananas have remained relatively inexpensive at 49 cents per pound, which is far below the price at most other grocery stores, including Sprouts, where I usually like to shop, even if only because their produce is fresher and more reasonably priced than at a lot of other food retailers. Unfortunately, Sprouts' locations do not include Mira Mesa, so I'd have to travel to University City or La Jolla to patronize them.
I'd gone into Target to buy feminine hygiene products, bobby pins, and hair conditioner. Maybe I should be thankful that I have a lot less hair now that I used to, but then again, I probably still use about the same amount of shampoo and conditioner as when I had more hair, so scratch that thought...
The other day, I watched a YouTube segment featuring Sarah Silverman, who talks about a "pussy tax" being levied on women because of the unwillingness of the penes in the United States legislature to pass an equal pay bill into law. It's a funny program, and gets the point across. Humourists are the people best able to point out Society's many, many idiocies (and yes, I do realize that's putting it rather mildly). Among my favorites are (currently) Ricky Gervais, Sarah Silverman, Steven Colbert (whether that's his given name or not), Tim Minchin, and my perennial favorite, who has unfortunately died, George Carlin. Other than Sarah Silverman, all of my favorite humourists are unapologetically atheists. I don't know whether Sarah Silverman is an atheist or not, but considering the nice acidity of her humour, I'm led to think so.
While at Smart & Final, I looked for the "food service" packages of dried cranberries that I liked to purchase, but saw that they seem to have stopped stocking these larger (2- or 3-pound) packages and now just carry the smaller, more expensive packs of "Craisins." I'll want to make a trip to Sprouts this week, then, to buy dried cranberries. It'll probably be one day when I can catch the bus to get there after going to the gym in the morning, even though I'll be fully laden with my purchase, in addition to my gym gear, on the return trip. It'll help build up my arms and shoulders, I figure, and improve my heat tolerance, even though Autumn is supposed to be here by now...
I'm registered to attend the "Clean & Green" meeting in Solana Beach tomorrow evening (5-6:30), but now am reconsidering it because it's not that close (for driving), and I hate using gas to attend events created to address climate change. They'll discuss hydraulic fracturing along California's coast, which ought to be interesting, but I've already got a lot on my mind. I'm going to traffic court on Tuesday to tell the magistrate that I want to go to trial for the minor traffic offense (not that minor, as it's a fine of almost $500!) with which I've been charged.
Hopefully, I'll get my trial scheduled before the end of this calendar year. I know they'll want to schedule it really far out, but I won't let them schedule it beyond the guaranteed 90 days, because I want to get it out of my hair and mind. I remember the fellow who wrote the ticket to me, Officer Ryan, had told me that he'd testify at my trial that I wasn't driving unsafely, but that I had not followed "the letter of the law." I had discussed with him, before he gave me the ticket, that I am a careful driver, but am also mindful of wasting resources, so rather than wait through a long red light, I waited until the opposing traffic passed and it was safe, then made my left turn onto the freeway on-ramp. From what Officer Ryan told me, he actually agrees with my reasoning, but unfortunately, the law does not allow for personal judgment, which, in my opinion, is probably the single most egregious fault in our legal system in the United States of America. Because really, especially when it comes to traffic laws, if public safety is the point, then why penalize me for acting safely and in a manner that is conscious of the economic and environmental cost of utilizing my car?
Sentencing guidelines have become mandatory sentencing, taking away any discretion on the part of the judge. The laws are being written for the "lowest common denominator," and in treating everyone as criminals, the legal system has created criminals of us all.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Frustration Comes Easily to Those Seeking to Live as a Vegan on a Paleo Diet
I don't think there's any way around it: in order to give this Paleo Diet a good shake, I'd been consuming vast quantities of animal products (mostly eggs and cheese). Since seeing "Cowspiracy," however, I've been reminded that although I can claim to be an environmental activist, in the eyes of the makers of that particular movie, I am not an environmentalist because I still consume animals and animal products. I talked with Peter about that, and he researched and wrote about the topic on his blog:
http://ecoscienceblogdotcom.wordpress.com
Like many activists, the makers of this particular film are messianic. They are on a "mission from god" (apologies to Jake and Elwood): to convert/convince as many people as possible to follow their creed (veganism). I admit freely that I was really taken in by the emotional appeal of the movie, and it was well-produced. However, while watching it, I thought that the filmmakers were not entirely fair to the environmental groups they interviewed and excoriated.
I made a substitution of coconut flour in some muffins this morning. Unfortunately, I only used half as much coconut flour as I ought to have, because the muffins resembled certain English breakfast puddings that Peter'd had in the past. They tasted very nice, though. When I am successful at making them into actual muffins, I'll post the recipe here. In the meantime, here is a soft cookie:
Chocolate-Cherry Cookies
4 oz. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 oz. candied cherries, chopped well
1+1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. a-p flour
1/4 c. garbanzo bean flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 large egg
4 oz. butter, melted and cooled
3 T. buttermilk (I used low-fat)
2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract
3 T brown sugar (you can use less, since the cherries and chocolate chips are plenty sweet)
1 banana, mashed
Preheat oven to 350 F. line baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine flours, baking powder, and salt. Stir with whisk to blend.
In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly, then add buttermilk, butter, and extracts. Beat these well.
Add the dry ingredients, half at a time, mixing well and making sure there are no lumps. Add mashed banana, and mix well. Stir in chopped cherries and chocolate chips. The batter will resemble a typical chocolate chip cookie batter, but with red specks of cherries in it.
I used a 2t measuring spoon to scoop the batter into cookies, using a silicone spatula (a small one) to scoop it out and place it in rows on the baking sheets. I used two 17x12 (residential oven-sized) baking sheets, and made about 51 cookies (I'd made three trays of a dozen each and one with fifteen).
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set. These cookies don't seem to brown very much with that amount of time, but they're still fully-baked.
http://ecoscienceblogdotcom.wordpress.com
Like many activists, the makers of this particular film are messianic. They are on a "mission from god" (apologies to Jake and Elwood): to convert/convince as many people as possible to follow their creed (veganism). I admit freely that I was really taken in by the emotional appeal of the movie, and it was well-produced. However, while watching it, I thought that the filmmakers were not entirely fair to the environmental groups they interviewed and excoriated.
I made a substitution of coconut flour in some muffins this morning. Unfortunately, I only used half as much coconut flour as I ought to have, because the muffins resembled certain English breakfast puddings that Peter'd had in the past. They tasted very nice, though. When I am successful at making them into actual muffins, I'll post the recipe here. In the meantime, here is a soft cookie:
Chocolate-Cherry Cookies
4 oz. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 oz. candied cherries, chopped well
1+1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. a-p flour
1/4 c. garbanzo bean flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 large egg
4 oz. butter, melted and cooled
3 T. buttermilk (I used low-fat)
2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract
3 T brown sugar (you can use less, since the cherries and chocolate chips are plenty sweet)
1 banana, mashed
Preheat oven to 350 F. line baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine flours, baking powder, and salt. Stir with whisk to blend.
In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly, then add buttermilk, butter, and extracts. Beat these well.
Add the dry ingredients, half at a time, mixing well and making sure there are no lumps. Add mashed banana, and mix well. Stir in chopped cherries and chocolate chips. The batter will resemble a typical chocolate chip cookie batter, but with red specks of cherries in it.
I used a 2t measuring spoon to scoop the batter into cookies, using a silicone spatula (a small one) to scoop it out and place it in rows on the baking sheets. I used two 17x12 (residential oven-sized) baking sheets, and made about 51 cookies (I'd made three trays of a dozen each and one with fifteen).
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set. These cookies don't seem to brown very much with that amount of time, but they're still fully-baked.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Inspired Baking
Quick
Breadsticks (& Crackers)
| 1/2 c | flax meal |
| 1/2 c | garbanzo bean flour |
| 1/4 c | gluten |
| 3/4 c | whole wheat flour |
| 1 t | salt |
| 2 t | baking powder |
| 3/4 c | warm water |
| 1/4 c | EVOO |
| 1/8 c | EVOO for brushing |
| var. | toppings: shredded nori, kosher salt, etc. |
Measure
all dry ingredients into bowl and stir together.
Heat
water in microwave to warm, then add 1/4 c. oil. Pour, all at once, into the
dry ingredients. Allow to rest for a minute.
Meanwhile, preheat
oven to 400ยบF. Line baking
sheets with silicone liners or parchment.
Mix
the liquids into the dry ingredients thoroughly, forming a ball. Divide batter ball in two.
On a lightly floured surface, knead, then roll out each half of the batter ball to
about 1/16” thickness (thinner batter produces a crispier
breadstick/cracker).
Place
on cookie sheets, leaving just a little space between them (will not
need to leave much space at all). Brush with remaining 1/8 c. oil,
and sprinkle liberally with toppings.
Bake
for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops take on a light brown color
and you can hear the breadsticks/crackers sizzle when you open the oven door.
Place
baking sheets on cooling racks, and allow breadsticks/crackers to cool to room temperature
before packing into airtight baggies or boxes. Great for snacking on
the run.
I was feeling inspired tonight after coming home from Sprouts Farmers' Market. I wanted to use the garbanzo bean flour I'd bought, and was in the mood for something savory. These fit the bill, using nori and kosher salt for toppings.
Woe of a Single Parent
Last week, I contacted the San Diego Department of Child Support Services. I am trying (once again) to increase the amount which Mark contributes to Kat's care. Her expenses are going up, and my Disability stipend is not cutting it. It never has. It is really only by frugality, along with gifts, monetary and otherwise, from many people in my life, that I am able to cobble together a functioning household in which Kat can grow into adulthood (at least young adulthood).
The Mira Mesa High School Band will be marching in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade. This is a big deal. They've begun their fundraising activities already, as there will be NO public school funds in any way, shape, or form allocated to the Band for participation. At present, pupils must already purchase those portions of their uniforms that are not school-owned and passed down from one generation of pupils to the next, and the funds for the buses to take them places (including the trip to Pasadena next Winter) must be raised through sales of stuff and various other fundraisers. I, for one, am pretty sick of fundraising catalogs from which the school receives a very small portion of the proceeds, and the fundraising company makes a boatload.
There is one fundraising project, however, that is reasonable because it does not carry a premium. It is the purchase of gift cards for various retail outlets, catalogues, and grocery stores through the school. The price one pays is the same as purchasing the gift card at the store, and the school gets a percentage of the proceeds. That makes some sense, and it shows good will on the part of the businesses who participate. I like that.
Well, anyway, back to my woes as a relatively destitute single parent. In order for the court-ordered support to be enforced, the state to which Mark recently moved (I think he enjoys being a moving target as much as I find it frustrating) has to decide to enforce a court order from his previous state of residence. Which, in short, means that I get zero financial support from him until his current state of residence decides it'll honor the support order from his previous state of residence, which was New Jersey. I asked the woman at the Department of Child Support Services here in San Diego if I might find out which state that is, and she said that they can't give that information out. So I don't even know where the f*cker lives now. It's not that I really care. What I care about is that he lives up to his responsibility of providing support, financial and otherwise, to Kat (at least until she reaches her majority in the eyes of the law).
The woman I talked to on the phone (her name is Linda) phoned to inform me that changing support orders is a long and arduous process, and can take months. First, the state of residence (his state), has to agree to enforce the current order at all. I believe most, if not all, states honor domestic court orders from other states. It would be just too easy for a state to become the haven for deadbeat dads. That state would have to be willing to be known for this feature by other states, and it will soon become a pariah in this nation that claims to care for its future.
In the meantime, arrears would be accumulating and, if the court in whichever state he's living in decides to enforce the standing support order, he'll owe several months' payments, which he will be ordered to pay, if not all at once, then over some fixed period of time, during which he's also supposed to make regular support payments. He'll beg off, of course, claiming that he, himself, is financially strapped.
In my opinion, his girlfriend, Zeynep, with whom he's been living, with their son, for several years now, can definitely afford to pay, since she's taking care of him financially, anyway. If she cannot or will not afford it, then she can go to bankruptcy court. I don't really care about their internal affairs. That'll be something she needs to decide, then. Does she keep the loser father of her child and pay his child support to another woman (me), or does she tell him to hit the road? I know what I'd do, but I'm a cold bitch, aren't I?
The Mira Mesa High School Band will be marching in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade. This is a big deal. They've begun their fundraising activities already, as there will be NO public school funds in any way, shape, or form allocated to the Band for participation. At present, pupils must already purchase those portions of their uniforms that are not school-owned and passed down from one generation of pupils to the next, and the funds for the buses to take them places (including the trip to Pasadena next Winter) must be raised through sales of stuff and various other fundraisers. I, for one, am pretty sick of fundraising catalogs from which the school receives a very small portion of the proceeds, and the fundraising company makes a boatload.
There is one fundraising project, however, that is reasonable because it does not carry a premium. It is the purchase of gift cards for various retail outlets, catalogues, and grocery stores through the school. The price one pays is the same as purchasing the gift card at the store, and the school gets a percentage of the proceeds. That makes some sense, and it shows good will on the part of the businesses who participate. I like that.
Well, anyway, back to my woes as a relatively destitute single parent. In order for the court-ordered support to be enforced, the state to which Mark recently moved (I think he enjoys being a moving target as much as I find it frustrating) has to decide to enforce a court order from his previous state of residence. Which, in short, means that I get zero financial support from him until his current state of residence decides it'll honor the support order from his previous state of residence, which was New Jersey. I asked the woman at the Department of Child Support Services here in San Diego if I might find out which state that is, and she said that they can't give that information out. So I don't even know where the f*cker lives now. It's not that I really care. What I care about is that he lives up to his responsibility of providing support, financial and otherwise, to Kat (at least until she reaches her majority in the eyes of the law).
The woman I talked to on the phone (her name is Linda) phoned to inform me that changing support orders is a long and arduous process, and can take months. First, the state of residence (his state), has to agree to enforce the current order at all. I believe most, if not all, states honor domestic court orders from other states. It would be just too easy for a state to become the haven for deadbeat dads. That state would have to be willing to be known for this feature by other states, and it will soon become a pariah in this nation that claims to care for its future.
In the meantime, arrears would be accumulating and, if the court in whichever state he's living in decides to enforce the standing support order, he'll owe several months' payments, which he will be ordered to pay, if not all at once, then over some fixed period of time, during which he's also supposed to make regular support payments. He'll beg off, of course, claiming that he, himself, is financially strapped.
In my opinion, his girlfriend, Zeynep, with whom he's been living, with their son, for several years now, can definitely afford to pay, since she's taking care of him financially, anyway. If she cannot or will not afford it, then she can go to bankruptcy court. I don't really care about their internal affairs. That'll be something she needs to decide, then. Does she keep the loser father of her child and pay his child support to another woman (me), or does she tell him to hit the road? I know what I'd do, but I'm a cold bitch, aren't I?
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Reminders
Today is Kat's 14th birthday. Officially, she became 14 years old at 2:20 this morning, or, really, 11:20 Pacific, since we're in California now and she was born in Virginia. I asked Kat if she will go to see her father, Mark, this Christmas, since she had not seen him this summer, and I don't think she went last Christmas, either, so it will have been over a year since she's been to the East Coast for visitation.
I asked because, during the course of speaking with Peter, who is currently in London, the topic of potential travel during the latter half of December (and possibly into the beginning of January) came up, with Peter asking if I had plans for this coming Christmastime. We agreed that it would only really be possible for us to travel together, out of the country, if Kat goes to her father, because then she'll have her trip, and we will have ours. At any rate, she has not been to see her father in quite some months, and she's supposed to see him twice per year. according to our visitation settlement.
I've been to England with Peter once before, earlier this year, when he attended a conference in Barcelona. I accompanied him to Barcelona (which is a beautifully laid-out city) for one week, then we traveled to England, where I met two of his brothers (the third lives and works in Asia), his sister, their partners, and Peter's mum, who lives outside of Newcastle.
The idea of seeing his family again (as well as a couple friends, whom I'd met last summer) is exciting. However, there needs to be much planned if we are to make the trip, for Peter needs to finalize his travel itinerary for the remainder of this year since he'll be returning to London at least once (in October) and then traveling to China (I think Beijing) for a week or two (also work-related).
Since Peter spends so much time traveling, I find myself, not quite pining, but certainly missing his company when he's away. His work takes him to London, on average, one week every month, and he travels to other locations as well to meet with their customers. Living on the West Coast of the United States actually ends up working pretty well, for he is very near one of their major customers here in San Diego, and he can easily make day trips up to the Bay area, or spend a few days in Seattle, where some other large customers have their headquarters.
Thankfully, modern technology allows us to keep in fairly close touch when he's away: we talk on the telephone and occasionally use FaceTime (Apple's equivalent of Skype). Even with these methods of communication, I miss his corporeal, intellectual, and emotional presence.
I suppose something that has persisted, perhaps because we don't often get to spend large blocks of time together, is the "honeymoon period" of our relationship. But honestly, I don't think the honeymoon will end, at least not for a long, long time (at least while he's still working and traveling as much as he does). We've found in each other someone who, while not agreeing on all issues, at least understands our positions and respects them, which apparently, from what I've been told and observed, is not often the case, at least not in generations past Perhaps that makes us a product of our generation, that we're not "settling" anymore. I can honestly say that my life has been all but perfect. Those things that are not perfect appear, at least to me, to be circumstantial, and are therefore not an inherent fault in the relationship itself.
I find myself as happy a person as I've ever been. I've been in love before: twice, in my twenties (once at twenty-one, once at twenty-nine). Both times, I'd been very idealistic and dreamy, as I suppose most young adults are. Most of my happiness then was from future prospects. Now that I am older (though I suspect not too much wiser, if at all), I've become more appreciative of the present. After all, nobody can predict the future. This is not to say that we ought not prepare ourselves for foreseeable future events. For instance, I am, in the small way I am capable, preparing for Kat to graduate high school and eventually leave home - leave me. Although I got a relatively late start in preparing for her to attend college or whatever further education she pursues, I'm doing something, and that makes me feel better.
I asked because, during the course of speaking with Peter, who is currently in London, the topic of potential travel during the latter half of December (and possibly into the beginning of January) came up, with Peter asking if I had plans for this coming Christmastime. We agreed that it would only really be possible for us to travel together, out of the country, if Kat goes to her father, because then she'll have her trip, and we will have ours. At any rate, she has not been to see her father in quite some months, and she's supposed to see him twice per year. according to our visitation settlement.
I've been to England with Peter once before, earlier this year, when he attended a conference in Barcelona. I accompanied him to Barcelona (which is a beautifully laid-out city) for one week, then we traveled to England, where I met two of his brothers (the third lives and works in Asia), his sister, their partners, and Peter's mum, who lives outside of Newcastle.
The idea of seeing his family again (as well as a couple friends, whom I'd met last summer) is exciting. However, there needs to be much planned if we are to make the trip, for Peter needs to finalize his travel itinerary for the remainder of this year since he'll be returning to London at least once (in October) and then traveling to China (I think Beijing) for a week or two (also work-related).
Since Peter spends so much time traveling, I find myself, not quite pining, but certainly missing his company when he's away. His work takes him to London, on average, one week every month, and he travels to other locations as well to meet with their customers. Living on the West Coast of the United States actually ends up working pretty well, for he is very near one of their major customers here in San Diego, and he can easily make day trips up to the Bay area, or spend a few days in Seattle, where some other large customers have their headquarters.
Thankfully, modern technology allows us to keep in fairly close touch when he's away: we talk on the telephone and occasionally use FaceTime (Apple's equivalent of Skype). Even with these methods of communication, I miss his corporeal, intellectual, and emotional presence.
I suppose something that has persisted, perhaps because we don't often get to spend large blocks of time together, is the "honeymoon period" of our relationship. But honestly, I don't think the honeymoon will end, at least not for a long, long time (at least while he's still working and traveling as much as he does). We've found in each other someone who, while not agreeing on all issues, at least understands our positions and respects them, which apparently, from what I've been told and observed, is not often the case, at least not in generations past Perhaps that makes us a product of our generation, that we're not "settling" anymore. I can honestly say that my life has been all but perfect. Those things that are not perfect appear, at least to me, to be circumstantial, and are therefore not an inherent fault in the relationship itself.
I find myself as happy a person as I've ever been. I've been in love before: twice, in my twenties (once at twenty-one, once at twenty-nine). Both times, I'd been very idealistic and dreamy, as I suppose most young adults are. Most of my happiness then was from future prospects. Now that I am older (though I suspect not too much wiser, if at all), I've become more appreciative of the present. After all, nobody can predict the future. This is not to say that we ought not prepare ourselves for foreseeable future events. For instance, I am, in the small way I am capable, preparing for Kat to graduate high school and eventually leave home - leave me. Although I got a relatively late start in preparing for her to attend college or whatever further education she pursues, I'm doing something, and that makes me feel better.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
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