tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2319347815159424872024-03-04T23:50:03.535-05:00Random thoughts from a random mindMauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-67627593549157769452019-06-19T22:42:00.000-04:002019-06-19T22:48:23.524-04:00What's for pudding?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60Kvy0Uz4CRxjdmMctp-JGmgtxVLHwp-9dCDWYyVTRyenwh0S3ZJdFSzQpIYpqgedpR9CS1oXW06TSr_C1JlW2ZUwgv_7ruNiHVchJzu4IjCc3XDJS742sUIOpMTiLQafR78qF2v4bFU6/s1600/IMG_6812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60Kvy0Uz4CRxjdmMctp-JGmgtxVLHwp-9dCDWYyVTRyenwh0S3ZJdFSzQpIYpqgedpR9CS1oXW06TSr_C1JlW2ZUwgv_7ruNiHVchJzu4IjCc3XDJS742sUIOpMTiLQafR78qF2v4bFU6/s200/IMG_6812.jpg" width="200" /></a>Oh my, I'm truly smitten by <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a>. Some worthwhile wonder always wanders through there.<br />
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The recent addition to my culinary repertoire is her <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/06/chocolate-budino/" target="_blank">chocolate budino</a> recipe. Honestly, there's no sense in copying it here. What I will give you is my ingredient list, with weights for pretty much everything:<br />
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<ul>
<li>5 large egg yolks</li>
<li>75g granulated sugar</li>
<li>2 cups (472g) heavy cream</li>
<li>232g Scharffen Berger 70% cacao (8 oz)</li>
<li>12g (2 tsp) unsalted butter</li>
<li>1/2 tsp grey salt</li>
<li>tsp espresso powder</li>
<li>1/4 tsp vanilla</li>
<li>2 tsp Chambord</li>
</ul>
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If you're among the kitchen cowards like me who are terrified of phrases like "coats back of spoon", know that I did a little research. The temp I raise the custard mixture to is 160˚F. I pulled it immediately and dumped it over the chocolate.</div>
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I use a paring knife and shave the chocolate from the block so it melts well.<br />
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The cups took the better part of 2 hours to set, so that's your lead time for the recipe.</div>
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Smitten Kitchen suggests a less in your face version, with a semi sweet chocolate rating in the 60% range and without the espresso powder boost. I actually gave it most of a tbsp of Chambord but it didn't come through. Maybe owing to the bumped chocolate. Next time, more!</div>
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Poured this into all of our espresso cups, 10 total, sizes vary. Whipped cream required. Raspberry and mint garnish optional.</div>
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Enjoy!<br />
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Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-52959844425302128712018-05-01T01:34:00.000-04:002018-05-01T01:34:59.303-04:00Travel tips for London and CambridgeSome friends recently traveled to London and surveyed friends for ideas. This was my list.<br />
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If you're going to be spending a fair bit of time in London, get Oyster cards at the airport. That makes getting around pretty easy. And the tube from the airport is our preferred method.<br />
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You have to do tea. I suggest doing it more than once. Harrod's or Fortnum & Mason, then the other. If Prince Charles or the Queen is willing to have you over, you <i>could</i> go a third round. Two words for you: clotted cream.<br />
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Shakespeare was fun. Make time for whatever is playing in that teeny little theatre.<br />
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The Sky Garden requires careful planning but is worth it.<br />
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Those Brits make excellent (and a slightly different) greeting cards. I think we dropped in on a chain called Paperchase (near the Sky Garden).<br />
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A visit to Greenwich is cool. Allow a fair bit of time for the observatory. Wouldn’t hurt you to have read Dava Sobel’s <u>Longitude</u>.<br />
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Punting in Cambridge, but not Oxford, where they don’t do it right. The Eagle Pub in Cambridge where Watson & Crick drew DNA helixes on napkins. The Eagle and Child in Oxford, where Tolkien and Lewis drank. Who had the greater flight of fancy?<br />
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Pints and pies. Darts if you can find it. Rarer in London these days. I think they’re adopting the Irish perspective, which, according to my friend from Cork is that, “it gets in the way of the drinking.”<br />
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The British Museum! If you can stay near there, we'd suggest dropping in on your way out each day for one (or maybe two) things.<br />
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Evensong service at Westminster Abbey. They're very fussy. St Paul's is a bit more relaxed. But Westminster is better.<br />
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If you are at all interested in WWII, the Churchill War Rooms are fantastic.<br />
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If you like Indian food, London is the place for you. Dishoom is _the_ Indian place. Means "mojo" in Hindi. You'll want to get the Viceroy Old Fashioned. The black lentil dish was amazing. Nothing was bad, so go with your favorites.<br />
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The Grand Imperial London has hands down the best presentation of Peking Duck we've ever had. It's probably the traditional way, but it had never been done for me.<br />
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Out front of King's Cross station they sometimes have a market. Get a snack (or two). See if The Scottish Kitchen is there, and if it is, get the smoked clava and thank me later.Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-62737275185292051992014-11-03T10:25:00.001-05:002014-11-07T15:58:54.545-05:00Beef StewWhen the Patriots are playing in the snow and a Nor'easter is blowing into to town and you finally capitulate to winter and turn on the heat, it's time to do some serious thinkin' about beef stew. It's always good, but a bit of a chore browning all that beef. Now, thanks to America's Test Kitchen, it's a little easier. This is an adaptation of their Guinness Beef Stew recipe, with some commentary.<br />
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Ingredients, in order of appearance:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>3-4 lbs chuck eye roast</li>
<li>2 tblsp olive oil</li>
<li>2 good sized yellow onions</li>
<li>rib of celery</li>
<li>4 garlic cloves</li>
<li>1-2 tblsp tomato paste</li>
<li>1/4 cup AP flour</li>
<li>1 cup chicken broth</li>
<li>3 cups apple cider</li>
<li>1 lg russet potato</li>
<li>fresh thyme</li>
<li>1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes</li>
<li>1 lb carrots</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Don't buy so-called "stew meat". Get a good chuck roast and cut it up into 1 1/2 inch chunks yourself. It's like, what, two minutes? You can trim some fat but don't go crazy. It'll render given time. This makes sure you're chuck, which is what you want for stew, and not--as Mr. Kimball believes--floor scraps.</div>
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Dice your onions and celery and then fry them, with the barest dash of salt, until they are deep, deep brown. Julie Sahni discusses this technique at length, probably in most of her Indian cookbooks. Essentially, it's a long process (20 minutes) with increasing focus on stirring to keep them from burning. I think of this technique as the Indian equivalent of making a roux. She calls it, I think, "brown-frying" and it's really not as hard as a roux if you pay attention.</div>
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At the very end of that process, add the garlic and tomato paste and begin salting. Get that nice rust color going. Then add the flour. The pot is going to look very dry and crusty and wrong, but stir stir stir. When you just can't stand how wrong it looks, gradually add the chicken stock, stirring and deglazing the pan. Once the lumps are out, add the cider, the beef and a diced russet potato.</div>
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I like a nice thick gravy in my beef stew. I used to cut my potatoes into wedges, so some of the edge would go into the sauce, but now I just sacrifice one whole potato to that task. Dice that puppy into 1/4" or less and a couple of hours later that starchy goodness will be liquid. Add a bundle of three-four sprigs of fresh thyme, because stews need thyme.</div>
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Here's the real ATK trick: pop that uncovered pot into a 325˚F oven for at least 3.5 hours. The meat that's exposed will brown in the oven, and the subsequent stirs while cooking will get that flavor into the sauce.</div>
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As for the veggies, ATK wants you to add them the last hour of cooking. Twice through with this variation, and I think that's a little al dente for me. Next time, I'll add them after the first hour. I've also found that an extra 30-45 minutes gets it to the right place for me in terms of texture. But it's a great trick, since it gets rid of what for me is at least an hour of prep.</div>
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Seasoning is a very personal thing. I tend to salt very lightly in the beginning, but continually through the process, so I don't overdo it. I usually dose the pepper once, with the meat. Pepper is the only think that I'm liberal with...</div>
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Did this Sunday without cider and it was still good. I did replace with homemade chicken broth, though. Sometimes I wonder what the difference would be if I browned the onions in bacon drippings... </div>
Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-18885126411468003142011-09-06T23:21:00.005-04:002011-09-07T01:23:08.076-04:00LMAO: Tuesday 6 September 2011So I'm zipping through the light at the end of Belmont Ave right past Mount Auburn Cemetery, heading into class, when a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxDkWBvxHEI">Tim McGraw song</a> on the radio has me doing a serious belly laugh. You can listen for yourself as long as the YouTube link works, but the short story is this guy who's actually dying is running through the things he's checked off his bucket list, and one of them is "I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu."<div><br /></div><div>I'm pretty sure the belly laugh went the full eight seconds and it was loud enough that some folks in other cars were looking at me and smiling politely.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dunno. It made me laugh. Of course, strangers look at me funny and smile politely, so your mileage may vary...</div><div><br /></div><div>Makes me think of yesterday, when what made me laugh was the admonition on the Mike's Hard Lemonade: "Mike's is hard. So is prison. Don't drink and drive." So I think you're all stuck with a semi-regular column here, unless things that make me laugh stop showing up in my life.</div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-74164048157549705312011-07-13T22:09:00.002-04:002011-07-13T22:12:44.942-04:00The Mosquito Post<div>Everyone experiences mosquitos in Italy. They’re actually worse than the tour groups. Resign yourself now to the fact that while you’ll eat very well, you’ll give back via those vile little bloodsuckers. If it is any consolation, your blood will spawn the next wave that will plague the tourists that follow you, and some Italians too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why are they suck a problem? Well, for one thing, window and door screens are a rarity. And it’s hot. So you have some choices to make. Open windows with the chance of some air and the certainty of mosquitos--or a bedroom sauna.</div><div><br /></div><div>That said, there are some things you can do to help yourself. Italian supermarkets sell little devices you can plug into the wall. They take little tabs that are good for most of the night and seem to help a lot. Get one and a box of refills. I have not been able to find the new Off! Clip-On refills in Italy.</div><div><br /></div><div>It seems the mosquitos know where all the best restauranti and gelaterie are, so you’re going to get bit. I’ve found that Off! AfterBite works well, as does their Italian product, Dopopuntura. The American product is basically ammonia, which also works well if you’re in a pinch. The Italian product is more of a gel that has other active ingredients. If you’re like me, with that sangue-dolce, then bring some of the American product and get some of the Italian while you’re here.</div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-75159977316096148562011-07-07T13:18:00.001-04:002011-07-07T13:20:35.679-04:00The Tomato ConnectionI love Tuscany by train. For one thing—and this makes no sense—I find myself listening to Little Feat when I’m on the train. Little Feat. The beautiful Italian countryside with vineyards and olive orchards and walled cities. Does it really surprise me that there’s a Ben & Jerry’s within the shadow of the Duomo in Florence?Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-65612766516719080362011-07-05T17:28:00.001-04:002011-07-05T17:30:03.914-04:00Coca-Cola in Italy<div>Coca-Cola is my guilty pleasure. But I’ve noticed several places charging upwards of €3 for a 500ml bottle, and as high as €3.80… Crazy. Wine is cheaper by far—it’s possible to get a decent bottle of Vin Santo at the Consorzio Agrario Siena for less than that. Of course, the Consorzio will sell you a bottle of coke for €0.85, so another lesson learned is: look for such things in the little supermarkets you’ll come across.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another (less American) option is Lemon-soda. It’s like carbonated lemonade. Just as good but without the caffeine, I tend to drink a little more of this and a little less of coke as our vacations progress. But no one ever mistakes me for an Italian…</div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-9621100098518717572011-06-11T14:41:00.005-04:002011-07-13T22:08:10.994-04:00Traveling Notes<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Some random tips garnered from my travels:</span><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>If you have one of those hiker's headlamps, pack it in your carry-on! They are invaluable on overnight flights when they flight attendants turn down the lights and occasionally while poking through an unfamiliar room late at night.</li><li>Wash clothes are rare in some parts. (Italy in particular...) Pack your own in a ziplock bag.</li><li>Mini moleskin notebooks are great for scribbling notes, phone numbers, addresses and hours, recipes--just about anything. I find one 80 page note is good for a few weeks.</li><li>The Italian Mosquito, well that's an entire post unto itself.</li></ul><div>As always, your mileage may vary...</div></div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-21182778507339080552011-03-17T01:51:00.001-04:002011-03-17T01:52:55.583-04:00Switching registrarsfor aleastory.comIt's probably not going to be smooth, but I should be back up (and actually posting) on the 25th.Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-83555481693378245852011-03-01T23:38:00.002-05:002011-03-01T23:44:41.766-05:00Interview QuestionsI personally have most of these questions at one time or another in my long and notorious career as a software engineer. Can't remember where we stole these from. Shame. I'd love to credit them.<div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">Walk me through a time when you were working on a small team, and the team disagreed with your ideas</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">Tell me about a time when you had to give negative feedback to your direct superior</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">Tell me about a time the system crushed your spirit and turned you into a bitter misanthrope</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">Tell me about a time you overcame your bitter misanthropy and pretended to care about management's fad du jour</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">What is the most entertaining pointed question you ever asked management in a meeting?</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">Have you ever played buzzword bingo?</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">Brainstorm how your diversity will synergize customer-focused quality transactions with our core competencies</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">Tell me about a flawed evaluation metric* you have seen and what it actually rewarded</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">How do you prefer to procrastinate?</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">If you were to "sell out", how much would you want? No, really - how much?</span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; ">[*] Works best in tag team interviews. The person not asking this question should be scribbling on a clipboard or playing with an iPad or laptop and yell out "Bingo!" at the word "metric".</span></div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-68959873617211242262011-02-01T09:36:00.003-05:002011-02-01T21:45:33.844-05:00Thank you dad, may I 'ave some more?So we have this thing called a "kibble nibble"--it's basically a plastic egg shaped thing with holes on either end. You can open it up and fill it with kibble, and then set it down and your dog can feed himself by rolling it around and gobbling up what falls out. It turns Furbo's 90 second hoover at the bowl into about 3-4 minutes banging around in the living room.<br /><br />So this morning I turn him loose with it, and hear him banging around in the dining room, getting close to the kitchen where I'm fixing my breakfast. He goes quiet for a bit, and then the kibble nibble rolls a little more, right into my heals. I turn around, and Furbo is sitting very nicely in the doorway to the dining room, looking up at me like the kid from the Dickens' novel.<br /><br />"Nice job buddy. I'll put that away."<br /><br />I pick it up and put it on top of the kibble container. Figuring that he's not getting more, he snorts, wanders over and gets a drink and then wanders off. I figure I'll see him on the couch as I head back up to the office with my coffee, but he's no where to be found.<br /><br />Finally I see him. Snoring in his crate. Tali babbo, tali figlio...Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-50307710147502189052011-01-13T00:26:00.004-05:002011-01-13T00:48:10.666-05:00Road WarriorFinally back home.<br /><br />Enjoyed the way north today, mostly to myself, up through about exit 8 on the NJ turnpike. We should have snow emergencies every time I travel back and forth to VA. Dry roads all the way to just this side of the Tappan Zee, no snow on the road until CT.<br /><br />Despite listening to "Sweet Baby James", the turnpike was <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> covered from 84 to Boston. In fact, the entire road surface was clear to pavement. Can't speak to how it's doing out towards Stockbridge.<br /><br />It was, however, completely covered from Hartford all the way to the MA border. With 10 miles of that down, it did indeed seem like 10,000 to go. I won't say it was nightmarish. But it definitely wasn't dream-like. Lots of us bushwhacking our way to Boston at 30-45mph. And Reins Deli was closed. And that stupid Exxon next door doesn't have a bathroom. Ended up eating a leftover tuna fish sandwich with some chips and a coke from the floor board cooler while sitting at the rest stop just after.<br /><br />11 hours total.<br /><br />Big shout out to Lieutenant I-Forgot-Your-Name, who pulled me over just east of Danbury on the trip down. He read me the riot act for passing on the right and generally driving like a jerk, but very kindly didn't write me up. I got my mind right and spent (most of) the rest of the trip down and back in the right lane (getting passed while) sticking pretty close to the speed limit. He'd be happy, I think.Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-54008492121213205242010-12-27T16:36:00.003-05:002010-12-27T16:48:53.831-05:00Hot ChocolateWithout a doubt the best memory of my grandma is coming in late at night around the holidays after a long trip from somewhere. We always seemed to be coming from far away. Didn't matter how late, though. She'd put a pot of milk on the (cast iron coal burning) stove, pull down the sugar canister and the Hershey's cocoa and make the very best hot chocolate that I've ever had. I don't remember the exact details but I make a pretty good cup myself.<br /><br />Of course, I have to use fancy chocolate and all that, because I don't have that grandma magic...<br /><br />My recipe:<br /><ul><li>Coal burning cast iron stove (optional, but you'll need your own magic)</li><li>One cup whole milk. (c'mon, don't fool around here...)</li><li>2 tblsp sugar</li><li>4 tblsp Ghiardelli cocoa</li><li>1 tsp vanilla</li></ul>Put the milk on the stove on medium heat, then add the sugar and the cocoa. Whisk vigorously to dissolve the cocoa and keep it from sticking to the sides. You can take a short break from this to fill your mug with hot tap water. Once the hot cocoa has reached the desired temperature, cut the heat, dump the tap water and then add the vanilla to the mug. Pour the hot cocoa into the mug, give it a quick whisk and enjoy.<br /><br />If I have some in the fridge, I'll often pour a "shot" of half and half or heavy cream in with the milk. Another common variation is the addition of a 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.<br /><br />Give it a whirl and then you can play with substitutions, like all half and half instead of the milk, more or less cocoa, etc.Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-50354456193945310652010-12-23T11:41:00.002-05:002010-12-23T11:56:22.427-05:00Santa's Checkride<p>[This story has probably been around longer than I'm alive. I did do a little editing, but it's certainly not original. Wish I knew exactly who to credit.]<br /></p><p>Pilots have to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, which initially involves a lot of school and practice and--finally--a ride with an examiner who distracts the potential pilot with a lot of questions while they're flying. The examiner also makes the pilot do things like induce a stall and then get out of it. Pretty much anything the examiner wants to test is fair game. He could, if he wanted, just reach over and turn off the engine. Once a pilot has his/her certificate, they get to be reexamined every so often.<br /></p><p>Santa Claus, like all pilots, gets regular visits from the Federal Aviation Administration, and it was shortly before Christmas when the FAA examiner was scheduled to arrive. In preparation, Santa had the elves wash the sled and bathe all the reindeer. Santa got his logbook out and made sure all his paperwork was in order.</p><p>The examiner arrived. He walked around the sled slowly, paying attention to every detail. He carefully checked the reindeer harnesses, the landing gear, and Rudolf's nose. He painstakingly reviewed Santa's weight and balance calculations for sled's enormous payload. </p><p> Finally, they were ready for the checkride.</p><p>Santa got in and fastened his seatbelt and shoulder harness and checked the compass. Then the examiner hopped in carrying, to Santa's surprise, a shotgun. Santa's brow furrowed and he turned his head askew.<br /></p><p> "What's that for?"<br /></p><p> The examiner winked.</p><p>"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but you're gonna lose an engine on takeoff." </p>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-16816883398422822512010-12-09T11:24:00.002-05:002010-12-09T11:51:18.436-05:00math-relatedSo I recently came across a new comic strip online: <a href="http://abstrusegoose.com/">Abstruse Goose</a>. Today's <a href="http://abstrusegoose.com/325">strip</a> was a riff on an old joke I first heard from Andy Engelward: Mathematicians are machines that turn coffee into theorems. Well, that bent a little gansta, so maybe folks are listening to the Klein Four Group. (I'm a big fan of their tune, "Mathematics Paradise"...)<br /><br />Given the season, perhaps you could give their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH0OLKAXw3I">12 Days of Christmas</a> a listen...<br /><br />btw, Abstruse Goose strip #323 should be read by all COBOL programmers who are fans ST-TNG.<br /><br />Since this is mainly a math post, let's get a few other links out there:<br /><br />If you use LaTeX a lot but can never remember the crazy LaTeX name for some random symbol, just <a href="http://detexify.kirelabs.org/classify.html">draw</a> it! That link was passed along to me by a friend in Florence.<br /><br />TED always has something interesting about math education. I found <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_computers.html">Conrad Wolfram</a> a little less compelling than <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover.html">Dan Meyer</a>, but both are worthwhile.Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-31343355291476607462010-11-04T12:13:00.003-04:002010-11-04T13:42:17.810-04:00A Great and Glorious Game101 days to Pitchers and Catchers! A prime day to be thinking about baseball.<br /><br />With some encouragement from the Joy of Sox <a href="http://joyofsox.blogspot.com/">blog</a>, I picked up Bart Giamatti's aforementioned title in order to read his essay <span style="font-style: italic;">The Green Fields of the Mind</span>. Grab it. Read that essay and then poke around some of the others, like <span style="font-style: italic;">Tom Seaver's Farewell</span>, or <span style="font-style: italic;">Baseball and the American Character</span>.Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-48739388311749233042010-02-01T00:41:00.003-05:002010-11-04T12:12:43.720-04:00whoa! I read a book!<blockquote></blockquote>So Jen just plows through book after book after... And she hands me this Grisham book--<i>Ford County</i>. It's a collection of short stories set in the same town as <i>A Time to Kill</i> and she wants me to read this one particular story.<div><br /></div><div>I, on the other hand, read like I'm walking up a 60% grade above 6000 feet. But I'm breaking in these new prescription reading glasses and... Zip. It was done. I remembered her laughing at a scene in another, so I figured I'd read that one too. Zip. Unfortunately, it had to go back to the library the next day.<div><br /></div><div>Saturday afternoon, I managed to wheedle the librarian into letting me return it and check it out on my card. Even though I didn't have it with me. One of the advantages of being a frequent patron, I expect...</div><div><br /></div><div>So it's done now. Kind of reads like a Stephen King, except that Grisham is really fond of adverbs. So if you're looking for a voyeuristic trip into the seedier side of the south, give it a read:</div><div><blockquote>The deputy was seconds behind them, but out of sight. They turned sharply to the right, and the truck's lights swept across a small farmhouse tucked low under huge oak trees.</blockquote></div><div>Some of you know why this turns up the corners of my mouth. If you'd rather take a voyeuristic trip into a similarly seedy side of New England, give Don White's CD, <i>Live from the Somerville Theatre</i>, a spin. But remember:</div><div><blockquote>Words cannot hurt fictional people.</blockquote></div><div>Add this to Stephen King's On Writing, and you have the books I've finished so far this year. Of course, there was an entire class in January. Cut me some slack.</div></div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-82945121015835926832009-12-21T10:56:00.005-05:002009-12-21T11:05:41.905-05:00Donuts and Pickled Beets<div>Back in 1984, I worked with this Swedish expatriate who drove a shiny new Cadillac. If you asked him, Sven would tell you that one thing he loved about America was the big honkin' cars. Then he'd offer you a donut, because he always picked up a box for the group on his way in.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was kind of funny preference for cars, because Sven was barely five foot, barrel shaped and balding with a pasty complexion. Being from Sweden, he'd only own something with rear wheel drive.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Safer," he'd tell you. "If you break the wheels free that move the </div><div>car, you can still steer."</div><div><br /></div><div>I took the bus to work on a wicked snow day. The place was quiet as a mouse, so I thought I was alone. But when I checked on some equipment in a back room that overlooked the parking lot, I had to smile.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were only two tire tracks coming in the entrance, but it looked like 20 crazy teenagers had been out there doing donuts. Out of all that were two tire tracks that led right up to Sven's Caddy.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wandered back to where Sven sat and waited until he looked up. </div><div><br /></div><div>"Nice donuts," I said. </div><div><br /></div><div>His whole head turned red as pickled beets. </div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-82322381644070682082009-08-19T17:34:00.001-04:002009-08-31T22:41:08.798-04:00The Problem with Gelato<div>The problem with gelato: by the time you get your hands on it, it’s too late. Maybe American travelers’s love affair with gelato has more to do with the need for some icy refreshment in the Fiorentini heat than a pervasive standard of quality. We stopped at Caribe after 17,000 steps from the Duomo to the Boboli Gardens and back (with a doomed detour to Mizzica, which was closed for the holiday). I would have been happy if they had handed me a five pound block of ice and a pick. The gelato was certainly very good. I also had a wonderful strawberry granita on our way out the door, in bit of overkill. The service was perhaps the best since the girl behind the counter in Rome told the local boys who cut in front us to wait their turn. But the gelato wasn’t earth shattering. I dunno. Maybe I’ve become something of a gelato snob in the mere weeks that I’ve spent in Italy. Do I really expect the sky to open and a heavenly choir to sing every time I put a gelato spoon in my mouth?</div><div><br /></div><div>That isn’t to say there aren’t quality stops on the Gelato Train. The aforementioned Mizzica*, also run by Sicilians, brings back wonderful memories of our 2008 trip to Florence. Lunch at Teatro del Sale had left me with only enough appetite for something. Unlike Jen, I’m not one to forego a meal, especially in Italy. But asking Lucia for “some pasta” would have created more food than was warranted. Since Luca is a genius at finding these great places for gelato in Florence, and we were going to be introduced to Mizzica, I figured that I could (or at least certainly should) get by with just the gelato. Well, what did they have behind the counter but arancini!? Maybe my first. The first I remember, in any case. The stars were torn asunder and the heavenly choir wandered down to see what I was singing about. Even the guy behind the counter noticed how happy I was. I stole my coffee granita between layers of whipped cream dessert from these guys. Luca had ordered that, and after I had a taste or three, and Jen and Lucia had their tastes, we had to order a second. Mine pales by comparison, so if you get the chance, Borgo Ognissanti 137, Firenze. You too can get an earful of the heavenly choir.</div><div><br /></div><div>Already this year, there have been a couple of astounding places in Piacenza, Como and Verona. I think you need to have an Italian friend. Lacking that, look for lots of stylish people speaking Italian standing around. We used the other side of this idea in Verona, when we were looking for lunch. Riverside location. Nice menu, good prices. No one was eating there, so we kept walking. Follow the locals.</div><div><br /></div><div>* 137 Borgo Ognissanti, Firenze. From the Duomo, walk to the Ponte Vecchio, turn right and walk along the Arno. At the second bridge, turn right and then take an immediate left. You’ll pass a police station. Mizzica is just across from a garage…</div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-52909751634307117982009-04-25T12:03:00.007-04:002009-12-07T00:57:34.009-05:00Salmon ala NewmanYou need to put on a fancy-esque kind of dinner, you hate prep <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">and</span> cleaning up*. Whadya do?<div><br /></div><div>Well, my go-to fancy dish is salmon. Get a big fillet.</div><div><br /></div><div>Make a glaze of equal parts prepared mustard and olive oil. I like to combine a couple of different kinds of mustard. Colmans prepared mustard is smooth and spicy. A dijon mustard is a nice substitute for that. To the Colmans, I add something a little grainier; my current fave is a mass market plastic barrel with a Polish-esque name. If you're really thinking ahead, finding or making a tarragon mustard would be ideal.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm never that organized.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pair the quarter cup of the mustard with a similar quantity of olive oil. The recipe that I work from says to add 6 cloves of chopped garlic, a quarter teaspoon of ground red pepper, the juice of one lemon and a teaspoon of capers, along with salt to taste.</div><div><br /></div><div>I say "the recipe that I work from" because while I almost always use all of these ingredients, I would swear that I never use the same amounts twice.</div><div><br /></div><div>Coat the fish with the mixture (I usually just do the flesh side of the fillet), let it sit for a bit and then bake it at 375 degrees F for about 45 minutes. It's also grillable.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>* although she's invited, it's unfair to always rely on Tona to go play in the sink after dinner...</div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-12452609773612255492009-04-23T21:57:00.003-04:002009-04-24T10:05:06.240-04:00Basmati RiceRice is pretty much the staple carbo here in our house, so I've gotten pretty used to whipping up a batch. I've been told my method is wrong, but it works for me.<div><br /></div><div>Twice as much water, plus a little, as the rice. Salt to taste.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bring to a boil, turn it back to low low low. When the water is absorbed, cut the heat. Let it rest a bit, fluff and serve.</div><div><br /></div><div>So what do I mean by "plus a little"? It's hard to quantify. When I started cooking at Jen's, I discovered she had a handy little plastic measuring cup that has something of a flute the last quarter of an inch. I fill with rice to the bottom of the flute, then flush full with water twice.</div><div><br /></div><div>Plus a little. Yeah. Then there's my electric stove trick. Bring it to a boil on a heavy duty burner while you have the smallest one on the lowest setting. Move the pot when it comes to a boil. Obviously, gas is easier.</div><div><br /></div><div>Often I soak the rice. Basically, if I know I'm making rice that night, I'll measure out the ingredients in the early afternoon. Occasionally I'll rinse it, but I've been getting the Trader Joe's 2lb bag of basmati rice these days and it doesn't seem to be as bad as the rice you get in that 20lb burlap bag at your local Indian grocer. Of course, it's harder to get fresh kari leaves or papadam at TJ's, so it's a push.</div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-15485732000548258712009-04-20T16:16:00.005-04:002009-04-22T10:29:54.632-04:00Brake and GoYou know those guys. They drive slow. Brake lights for the green light. It goes yellow, they slow some more. Then at the last minute they hit the gas and go, leaving you at the red light. Dante should have created special little arc of one circle just for them.Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-44578602352442685252009-04-19T17:52:00.004-04:002009-04-22T10:30:22.419-04:00Paige Fox is bad at math...Just in case you were wondering about the Sunday edition of <a href="http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/2009/04/19/">Foxtrot</a>.Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-57325778686157496332009-04-18T17:18:00.003-04:002009-04-22T10:30:46.993-04:00DOB, Gender, ZIP code...That's fairly innocuous information, right? According to Latanya Sweeney, that's enough information to uniquely identify 87.1% of persons living in the United States.<div><br /></div><div>I recently ran across a website that wanted that information. It seemed innocuous, but it's clear what they want to do. The fact that they're willing to beat around the bush to figure out who I was made me even more resolved to diss them.</div><div><br /></div><div>fwiw, February 29th, 1960 is a valid birthday. I suggest you find the leap day nearest your birthday and try to preserve a little anonymity yourself.</div>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231934781515942487.post-10677936333677986132009-04-03T11:56:00.007-04:002009-04-03T12:30:59.159-04:00Lazy Dog Inn<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFg1AqzdRnWDXqcz3gKfBol8onrkYVO_PjBr-pfaaahVaBlS2gOzV1jHzBorpuHYGGuYPWQ4xWgKr34thyphenhyphenwfofa3Z8j41LTRbUc1xRS_ClmAcygd2fGr2OFdHhV5GpyX9PilUVTY_Nx3t/s320/LDI.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320494770101744706" />So we all wandered north last weekend stayed at the Lazy Dog Inn. It's just before the Dam Store just south of Chocura, just south of Conway. We had a great time--wonderful hosts and just enough snow left to enjoy. We also picked up some maple syrup from a local producer. <div><br /></div><div>Since I haven't posted in April yet, or posted a photo of the puppy, I thought I'd give you this one...</div><div><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_lLqOnBOnXm13oSxkbkfCYlgUj9j6o5A0mRCu_-ukJU133A48k_LdkRvlnHg0OADz9X5a-350aqfcS6R9x6UamHwaVV5-1a1CDABq06-DKgDmp0BDipQrRxFXROU4nTeMZ7EUjQNEQ8G1/s200/DianaBath.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320496234460295826" />Here's a photo from Diana's Bath's, up beyond North Conway from Chocura... We visited a couple of waterfalls over the weekend, including Sabbaday Falls out west of Conway on the Kangamangus Highway.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFg1AqzdRnWDXqcz3gKfBol8onrkYVO_PjBr-pfaaahVaBlS2gOzV1jHzBorpuHYGGuYPWQ4xWgKr34thyphenhyphenwfofa3Z8j41LTRbUc1xRS_ClmAcygd2fGr2OFdHhV5GpyX9PilUVTY_Nx3t/s1600-h/LDI.JPG"></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFg1AqzdRnWDXqcz3gKfBol8onrkYVO_PjBr-pfaaahVaBlS2gOzV1jHzBorpuHYGGuYPWQ4xWgKr34thyphenhyphenwfofa3Z8j41LTRbUc1xRS_ClmAcygd2fGr2OFdHhV5GpyX9PilUVTY_Nx3t/s1600-h/LDI.JPG"></a>Mauricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00762719361348572568noreply@blogger.com0