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Monday, September 8th, 2008

aggiebell

1:46a Picspam: the Etsy edition I've finally started listing my earrings on my Etsy account, which means that I only have a backlog of ...22 pairs to photograph and post, along with rephotographing the first batch I put up (because actual outside light is vastly superior). It'll happen, even though making them is so much more fun than posting them, which would explain why I made 5 new pairs tonight, and finished the 2nd of another. Here're some of the second batch that went up:

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Sunday, September 7th, 2008

agracru

12:59p oh my god kittens ... LOOK FOR MORE UPDATES LATER current mood: kittens

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Saturday, September 6th, 2008

sweettoothjonny

7:04p Tonight's Dinner was simple, and very local: Spicy Pork Sausage (made down the street from pigs raised a few miles away), heirlooms squashes (half pint farms), heirloom tomatoes (half pint farms), roasted locally grown potatoes, locally grown sweet heirloom peppers, and mint and basil from our garden. It was gorgeous. We had it with a bottle of Damilano Langhe Arneis Tasting Notes: Damilano Langhe Arneis, 2006 Piedmont. Color: Very pale blond Aroma: Aggressively odoriferous, exploding at first with oaky flavors of spice, vanilla, and butter. The oak quickly gives way to pungent kumquat and persimmon underscored by just a touch of barnyard (in a good way...really!) Flavor: Gorgeously acidic carrying flavors of carosene, limes, cookies, hints of almond and just a touch of tart apple. Notes: Very tasteful and clearly carefully constructed wine, ultimately food friendly but somewhat hard to find.

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Friday, September 5th, 2008

hsu_to_xisu

8:16p still on the road... (宁波) wow, i have had so many adventures i dont even know where to begin... right now im sitting in a youth hostel in ningbo. ive just returned from putuoshan, a buddhist island off the coast. im having a grand although a bit lonely time. in the past, ive run into lots of people in hostels. this time around, not so much. if i could sum things up thus far...... ive been to the beach ive talked with a chinese fortune teller ive acquired family photos from adam's grandmother ive taken a TON of photos ive walked a whole bunch ive been to rivers and lakes ive taken a boat cruise at night ive talked with monks ive gotten into an argument with a bicycle taxi rider. and won. ive practriced my chinese. some people understand me. others dont. ive been greated by a lot of children. this evening, a child at a restaurant saw me walk in and yelled out, "WHOA!" ive relished the cups of real coffee i have had. ive spent time with kind chinese folks showing me the way, or teaching me, or telling me stories... all in chinese. ive watched fireworks (not a surprise) being shot off a boat in the bay (at 5:30am!!). ive eaten "monk food" at a temple. ive been awed by the lotus flowers. ive eaten lots of good food. ive laughed a lot. ive written down details in my paper journal to share at a later date--when i can sit and concentrate on really writing. ive gotten some colour (although i commonly hear the declaration, "youre so WHITE!" um, no white is colour of my belly. my arms have some colour). ive thought of everyone often. ive wanted so badly to share these adventures with someone. tmorrow morning i leave for hangzhou--i went ahead and decided to listen to marco polo. so ive cut two days off of my time in yangshou to make this happen. i'm well and i will be back in xi'an on september 15. and i cant wait to share all the details and photos with ya'll. seriously. did i mention the photos? wowza.

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Thursday, September 4th, 2008

sweettoothjonny

11:46p Dinner No Cape pics yet, soon. We had some guests over so I made some simple munching food. An olive platter, some chorizo, oil cured sardines, a small cheese plate and two salads. I've been working on the garden aesthetic. Namely the organic appearance of dishes as if they sprouted or simply feel, bloated from ripeness from the vines and bushes onto the plate. Either way the two salads were as follows: *Beets, red wine cured onions, pea sprouts, chevre, flax seeds, and a maple horseradish mustard vinaigrette. *A garden fresh tomato salad featuring field ripened tomatoes, fennel blossom, sorrel, tender beet greens, tomato gastrique, olive oil, scarlet runner bean blossom and tomato seed caviar (filets of tomato seeds), gently sprinkled with black Hawaiian sea salt. Beet Salad

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Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

sweettoothjonny

10:41p Vacation I just got back from a much needed vacation in the Cape. I'm tired so I'll post pictures and info tomorrow. For now, meals: Sauteed Local Cod, Corn Beurre Blanc, Roasted Potatoes, Tomato and Green Bean Salad Grilled Local Sword Fish, Herb Butter, Roasted Tomatoes and Zucchini, Corn Risotto Seared Day Boat Scallops with Honey and Smoked Paprika Glazed Onions, Roasted Local Tomatoes, Grill Zucchini, and a Corn Timbal

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Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

agracru

10:45p Writer's Block: Sarah Palin? Is Sarah Palin a shrewd choice for the Republican Party, or is she a liability? View other answers She's a huge liability. I get what McCain thought he was doing by nominating her, but only gullible people are going to fall for it. The frequent comparisons to Hillary Clinton need to stop; Palin's a horrible female role model who no forward-thinking modern woman will vote for. And her family is fair game because she's made them fair game. She's put them on the table as part of her image as a family woman. Frankly, on it's face it's not a huge deal that her daughter is pregnant, but taken in context with her strong Christian background, it becomes a huge deal. And if she can't instill said Christian values in her own children, how can she be expected to do the same to the young women of America? This aside from the fact that she's anti-birth control, which is it's own can of worms. Will she lose the presidency for McCain? I don't know. But I can see the ways in which she could harm his chances-- aside from Troopergate and her desire to ban books, her experience adds up to something less impressive than Obama's, and no, Steve Doocy's assessment of her foreign experience is NOT valid.

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Friday, August 29th, 2008

agracru

6:37p Weighing In On Sarah Palin The frosted part of me thinks that no one is going to fall for McCain's obvious ploy in selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate, but the whole wheat side of me perpetually anticipates American stupidity and thus is no longer surprised by it. The move is clever but ultimately transparent, as the only conceivable reason he would choose Palin would be to have an attractive Republican woman in his corner*. Unless of course you count her foreign policy experience. The question is whether or not it's going to work. If nothing else, any debates that come up in the next couple months should be entertaining, as McCain is no match for Obama and Biden should obliterate Palin. ~Crump, out *I'm not being fair here. Her other selling point appears to be that she's not Cheney. current music: N.I.B. ~ Ozzy and Primus

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Thursday, August 28th, 2008

moose_factory8

11:00p get the hell out of dodge Finally, the date approaches. Busy getting all my shit together for the move. Living with my parents was a step up from living on my own in Worcester, but really, it's time. Megan and I are moving into the city, a cute apt right on the border of Alston / Brighton, relatively close to BU on the green line. It's funny that we should be moving on the 1st, that being both the day after my B-day and our anniversary. But whatever, I suppose it's a nice way to round out this year of my life and begin a new one. My two week vacation from work ends on the 3rd. I'll come back to yet another +$1/hr raise for fieldwork and +$4/hr raise for office work for the remainder of my time there. I'm now making almost as much $ on a 24hr workweek as I did for my 40hr week as the CNC tech at 9points. As nice as this is, I see reality hiding just around the corner, come November when the work season ends. Rent begins, and I'll need a "real" job. I'm debating whether to actually look for something serious and permanent, or to find some side work / retail until next spring and do my current one all over again. But really, how long could that go on? Anyway, back to the move. Once we're all settled, we'll actually be able to host friends (you people) at our place. Gone are the days of dealing with roommates and awkward hosting dilemmas. So I want to see all of you who still read this come by for a visit at some point or other.

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Monday, August 25th, 2008

sweettoothjonny

10:57p Wine and a movie I'm been deadly sick for the last two days. I stayed in bed most of the day, only getting out of it to go to see Lara for lunch, take a bath and go to see the movie Bottleshock. I hope to hell I'm better tomorrow for class or its going to be a damn rough day. Two Reviews: Bottleshock & Chateau Montelena Bottleshock is a (highly) dramatized version of the actually event in which the top crust of the French wine community picked American wines as the best in a blind tasting against some French counterparts (1st Growth Bordeaux vs. Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and top growth Burgundy vs. American Chardonnay). The event spawned the modern California wine industry. The movie has very little to do with the actually event but it was a lot of fun and Alan Rickman is always a pleasure to watch. In celebration Lara and I decided to pick up a bottle of Chateau Montelena (Napa, CA/2005), The current vintage of the wine that beat the French in the Paris tasting using grapes grown from the same vines. It is readily available, a bit expensive but a fun for this excercise. I would recommend tasting it against an '05 Louis Jadot Grand Cru Montrachet which is approximately twice the price but a comparably oaked French chardonnay if you wish to try a French vs. American head to head. Here's my review: Appearance: a surprisingly light and clear blond color Aroma: Strong but not over-powering notes of of oak and malolactic fermentation. Nutty brown butter and spice, and ripe fruit focusing on dried sulphered apricots, apples, persimmon, candied orange peel and hints of lime. Flavor: Dry with a punchy acidity and ripe orchard fruit and oak flavors, a bit more tea-like on the finish with chamomile and green tea flavors supporting tasty fennel and grapefruit. Overall: A very nice wine, lacking a bit for structure and a bit strong for more subtle pairings. I'd still pick the Montrachet but it clearly has all the marks of strong wine making. Maybe a bit heavy handed for the price but a fun experience with the movie.

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