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Thursday, January 7th, 2010
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Friday, January 8th, 2010
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Thursday, January 7th, 2010
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verminiusrex
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Looks like Pari's school is cancelled for tomorrow too. At some point I'll see if the roads are good enough to get out and about, because everyone is a little stir crazy. Probably a McD's playland trip at the very least. The sadist in me wants to call out for pizza, but the full crockpot of stew and the desire to not wait 3 hours for a pizza prevents me.
We are all still in our PJ's since there was no reason to change all day. Considering that the kids have wonderfully warm fleece PJ's, I think this was a good enough idea to keep everyone warm, although in the house is pretty mild.
I need to now fight the sloth that is dragging the house into clutter. Some people take incarcerated time like this to clean, we are the sort that kind of hunker down and wait for it to pass while finding mild amusements. This means Pari is dragging blankets and pillows all over the house to make forts, leaving the living room rather cluttered. On the other hand, my kitchen is pretty clean because I'm keeping the kids out. I dread the day Kiyan can open the gate to the kitchen without help.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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verminiusrex
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Yep, snowbound. The kids are pretty much entertaining themselves. The monitor for the PC computer appears to not be working, it was gifted to us used so I'm not complaining if it's reached the end of it's lifespan. We have at least 2 other working computers in the house, so no disaster. Plus there are still some 17" old style monitors in a closet for backup until a replacement monitor is acquired.
Beef stew is in the crockpot, spelt dough on the rise, and the house smells of cooking basil. Pari's piano class was cancelled tonight, so no reason to dig out yet. There are enough leftovers for a couple of days still. With sleeping in, lunch is technically about now, with dinner about 8pm. It's like winter vacation all over again. With the need to be up at a reasonable hour tomorrow.
I'm enjoying the Simon Green book, but there is something about the winter day and reading that makes me want to nap. I should be done with the book by now, but I keep setting it aside and closing my eyes for a few moments, or getting up to do something so I don't drift off.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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chernobylred
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This weather is ass. However, there is some small good news. From KU website's main page today:
"...employees whose work shift begins after 6 a.m. have one extra hour to report to work and may leave one hour early this afternoon." That means a six hour work day for me, baby.
\m/ >_< \m/
I was fully awake after I checked the message line for a snow day (864-SNOW!), so instead of going back to bed for another hour, I took the opportunity to use shoveling for my exercise for the day. Luckily, the snow was light and dry since there was probably six inches of it. I was careful to stretch out my back afterward. I want no repeats of last year's two-days-of-invalidism after overexerting myself with the snow-clearance. That sucked donkey balls.
After nearly two weeks of reasonable temperatures, my office is freezing again. This building is a constant adventure and mystery. The main mystery being why the hell they didn't tear the damn thing down when they had the excuse. So much for that million-dollar air-handling system! There was an F/O guy in the ceiling on third floor when I arrived this morning. God knows what's wrong now.
My words for January: Action and Discipline.
In addition to the re-established morning exercise (rawr!), I shall get my blood moving at least twice a day at the office--either a brisk walk around campus (weather permitting) or a run on the Wescoe stairs (which I'll be doing until probably, oh, May). I'm going to keep a sharp eye on what I eat, and when. I slid into snacky mode during the holidays. That's getting cut off right now, I'm telling you what. The wheat-free thing is not happening, though. Reading my "food issues" and "health" posts (boy, tags sure are handy), I was reminded of my brush with possible diverticulitis last year. I amended "wheat-free" to "minimal and 100% whole wheat" when I have it. Sugar is still off the table. I'm allowing myself one treat meal per week, which is, IMO, quite liberal. I'll be tracking progress in my (private) visual journal, instead of burdening you all with that particular information. Yes. You're welcome.
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Comments: Read 11 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
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verminiusrex
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Far as I can tell the snow stopped, or at least it's light enough I can't see it well through the window. Everything is covered with a couple of inches, I'll worry about the drive when they plow the roads. I figure tomorrow is another day of mostly winter house arrest with the kids, oh joy.
I finished "Iorich", it was good and I look forward to the next book, whatever it may be. The next Jim Butcher book is due out in April, which will be my next hardback purchase. I have several more Simon Green Nightside books to go before I have to seek out new reading material.
A snow blower seems more and more like a good idea, despite what Marz thinks.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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verminiusrex
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Looks like we are here for the long haul. Pari's school is cancelled tomorrow, snow is still falling but not as bad as earlier. I'm most of the way through my book.
On a good note with the Passat, they had some starts and some no starts. So yesterday they hooked up some equipment so this morning they could test it first thing in max cold, when it had the issues. If I remember right, they believe that the issue is a crank sensor, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. So the part has been replaced, they'll check it tomorrow (assuming they can get in to the shop, but I suspect the worst of the snow will be cleared on major streets) and see if that fixes the problem.
I'm tempted to make a pound cake, but not until I use up the bread pudding made the other day. Only one major sweet in the house at a time.
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Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
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chernobylred
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I just realized that my LJ has become shockingly lame. Wow. WOW. Booooriiiing. Sorry about that, folks. Mea culpa.
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Comments: Read 11 or Add Your Own.
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verminiusrex
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Yep, more of the fluffy white stuff is coming down. Luckily Wednesdays are early release for Pari, so I just got back home with her before the roads got bad. We are tucked in for now (despite Pari constantly asking to play outside in the snow), and I have enough food for days, although the snow is supposed to let up after we get a couple inches accumulation. I doubt at this point that there will be any closings tomorrow, but I'm ready for the long haul.
And I was able to get the new Steven Brust book, "Iorich", at Borders. The novels tend to be short, and I'll be done with it by tonight or tomorrow, but nothing beats a new book during snowbound incarceration.
I think spaghetti and meatballs for tonight, and beef stew in the crockpot tomorrow. The leftovers will carry us for days. Chili if there is any ground meat left over that needs to be used.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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mckitterick
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Here's an amazing photo of the supergiant star, Betelgeuse (pronounced "beetle-juice") - an actual photograph of the surface of another star!
Click the image to read the .pdf article by the scientists who released the image.
This shot (taken by UC-Berkeley's Infrared Spatial Interferometer at Mt. Wilson) shows some fascinating detail; note the two bright areas; these are called "star spots," similar to our Sun's sunspots, though these enormous convective cells rising from below the star's surface are bright. This is because they're hotter than the rest of the surface, as opposed to dark sunspots, which are cooler because their magnetic fields inhibit convection. By "cooler," I mean 3000°Kelvin, hotter than anything short of a nuclear bomb. Even so, the hottest spot on Betelgeuse is cooler than the coolest sunspot on our Sun because of two things: 1) it's a red star, and stars at that end of the spectrum are cooler (blue is hottest), and 2) it's huge, so its total temperature is spread across a wider surface area.
Betelgeuse (pronounced "beetle-juice") is one of the brightest stars in our sky. It is also one of the largest stars in our galaxy - its surface is about as wide as the orbit of Jupiter. That's about 1,000 times as wide as our Sun. As big as it is, it has been steadily shrinking since 1993 - about 15% since then. To put that into perspective, it has shrunk by a distance about the same as the orbit of Venus. Now that's> a big star.
Why is this shrinkage interesting? Because, combined with its age (8.5 million years, old for a supergiant, which would be an infant for a Main Sequence star like our Sun, which is 4.5 billion years old), this is typically what happens to a supergiant star as it reaches the end of its life... right before it goes supernova! Betelgeuse's death-explosion will be the brightest ever recorded, brighter than the full Moon. Considering its size and age, it's scheduled to blow sometime between today and 1000 years from now. To put your mind at ease, because its rotational axis points away from Earth, Betelgeuse's supernova will not fire a gamma-ray burst death-ray directly at us. Such an event would wipe the biosphere from the surface of the Earth. Others might, of course. Just FYI.
You can find Betelgeuse in the night sky this time of year; it's the bright, orange star that forms Orion's left shoulder (from our POV). See this cool series of shots to identify Betelgeuse, zooming from naked-eye view to regular-telescope view to the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope view in this photo:
Click the image to see the story.
Speaking of which, here's the best photo we had previous to the new interferometry shot, showing a vast plume of gas almost as large as our Solar System and a gigantic bubble boiling on its surface:
Click the image to see the story.
Here's how Betelgeuse might look from the observation port of a starship in near orbit:
Click the image to see the story.
The massive bubbles belching out from the surface of the star shed mass equivalent to that of our Sun every 10,000 years. Consider that for a moment.
Chris
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Comments: Read 14 or Add Your Own.
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Thursday, January 7th, 2010
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Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
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Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
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verminiusrex
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Hastings has 2 copies of the new Steven Brust book, but their computer says not to sell it before the 30th. That is very irritating. Its for sale now on Amazon.com, but they are out of stock. I'll call Borders tomorrow and see if they have it in stock, if not I'll call Hastings and see why they don't want to sell something that is already in release.
The babysitter watched Things 1&2 while I went to costume group, afterwards sushi with friends. I'm proud to say that I ate California rolls and enjoyed them, along with an order of gyoza. And I resisted the urge to drink any caffeine after 6pm. If Kiyan goes to sleep at a decent hour I'll actually get a full night's sleep.
And it appears that I have a sitter for when I have to pick up Marz just before midnight on Monday. Negotiations for baked goods will happen later.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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mckitterick
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The temps in Kansas and Minneapolis are about the same this week, yet the forecasts describe it differently. In Minneapolis, it's simply "Wind chills down to -5°F" while in Kansas it's "Bitterly cold," with no mention of numbers. Oh, and the coldest place I've ever lived (Peerless, Montana) continues to deliver: "Mostly clear, with a low around -23°F. Wind chill values as low as -33°F."
In similar news (especially for you, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) sf_reader), my photos from the first day of Snowpocalypse 2009™:
Here's a shot of my front yard snowscape. Snow is pretty in the sunshine.( click for more )
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Comments: Read 7 or Add Your Own.
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verminiusrex
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You know why? Not only do I arrange for a babysitter through her facebook page, but I have to remember that if I call in the middle of the day, she's probably at school. High school.
On a good note, the new Steven Brust book "Iorich" out, I'll hit the bookstore to see if they have a copy on the shelf since I didn't think to preorder or reserve a copy. I need to remember to order or reserve the next Jim Butcher book. Those are the two authors that I will still purchase in hardback, everyone else is paperback only.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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mckitterick
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Ever wondered how to type special characters on a Windows computer? Here's a link to all the codes. Press and hold down the ALT key, then type the special code. You have to use the keypad on the right side of your keyboard, and the Num Lock needs to be turned on. For example: ALT + 0200 = È. The letter appears after you release the Alt key.
On the other hand, if you're using HTML view in LJ or making Web pages, just type these HTML special characters. For example: ampersand + trade + ; = ™.
Chris
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Comments: Read 9 or Add Your Own.
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chernobylred
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The secretary who was supposed to return Monday won't be returning until next week. Family health issues. So my vacation is postponed until at least next week. If not later.
While the Lawrence forecast doesn't look as terrifying as the news for KC, it still looks pretty goddamn cold. I'd like to stay inside and pretend the weather out there doesn't exist, but it looks like no, I'll be coming to work for the next couple weeks.
Last night I hauled out the TRX so it would be ready to kick my ass this morning. It did. And then the walk up the hill just about did me in for good. *whew* But it felt good. My glute muscles? Weak. =(
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Comments: Read 7 or Add Your Own.
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verminiusrex
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It's epic cold outside, there was a dusting of snow but that's no issue. The rental starts up beautifully, there should be no problem with the mechanic replicating the no-start issue in this cold, and we have a reliable vehicle to get Marz to the airport today.
Did I mention it's cold outside?
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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mckitterick
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News at 10.
Today on NPR, a scientist working in Antarctica shared with us that it's warmer in Antarctica than it is in Kansas today. Seriously. The ANTARCTIC is warmer than the middle of the US. And not just by a little amount: On the Fahrenheit scale, Antarctica was 30 degrees warmer than Kansas this afternoon. Ant-freakin'-arctica.
Not surprisingly, today I had to help a friend with her disabled car. Apparently, −270°C (-455°F) interferes with an automobile battery's ability to hold a charge. Helped another friend replace a headlight. And the Saab - a car designed and built in the icy northern wastes, no less! - barely started. Needless to say, after performing said errands, I picked up more weather-proofing and insulating goodness from Ace Hardware. Despite new garage-door insulation, guess who feels no strong desire to work in the garage this evening? Or to pull out the telescope and try to catch some Mars action?
Oh, and I also picked up some new fire-and-CO detectors to replace the useless devices that came with the house. Just in case the furnace burns out from running all the time.
Keep warm out there!
Chris
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Comments: Read 30 or Add Your Own.
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Monday, January 4th, 2010
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verminiusrex
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I tried a minor change in my life. I don't drink caffeine after 6pm. It must be working, because now I'm starting to drag. Maybe I'll get to sleep at a decent hour after all.
Tomorrow I take Marz to the airport, and thank the snowless heavens that the weather is due to be clear. I've driven to KCI in a blizzard before, and it sucks.
Sometime soon my parents will be out here permanently. They purchased their house about a year and a half ago, and have been slowly moving stuff from Virginia. After they return from a vacation (somewhere much warmer than here), they will be in town for good.
Sister is looking at getting one of the very small style snowblowers, I'll get a review and a borrow from her before considering investing in my own.
It's still cold outside, so I'm planning a huge pot of stew tomorrow. I did up the meat tonight, I may even break out the crockpot tomorrow to cook all day long. Yum.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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verminiusrex
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Two of seven errands that need to be completed today are either done or set up for completion. Two or three of the errands can wait a few days, luckily. But right now it's cold, my hands are chapped from this weather, and I have a single loaf of bread going. I'm going to use my plastic banneton for some surface treatment involving sesame seeds.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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chernobylred
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It was negative eight degrees when I walked to work this morning. That was the actual temperature, not adjusted for wind chill. It's cold. Really cold.
Personal markers:
I'm wheat-free and sugar-free until my birthday. Any weight loss will be nice, but I'm really looking forward to getting rid of the slight but constant hives and sinus congestion.
Today I got up early for some low-level stretching exercises. Baby steps.
Tonight I'm going to take eighty bajillion body measurements and re-measure on a monthly basis. I'm considering taking photos, but I'm not sure I have the heart for it.
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Comments: Read 16 or Add Your Own.
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Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
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verminiusrex
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I spent a lot of time outside shoveling my drive, and digging out Sister's truck so I have transport ability first thing tomorrow. After the truck was free, I decided my parent's drive can wait for tomorrow (back was killing me) and hit the grocery store since there is going to be more snow possible this week, and with Marz out of town starting Tuesday I wanted to be stocked. There are now proteins in the fridge, some veggies and fruits, and apparently I was not as low on eggs as I thought so there are about 5 dozen. We can go through eggs fast, so that's not a problem except for storage space.
But after getting home I find out that Pari and Kiyan had been in the kitchen while Marz was in the computer room, and Kiyan, the counters, the floor and assorted objects were coated in cooking spray. Marz was, to say the least, very unhappy with this turn of events. Which is when I arrived home, and was sent out to get a new Swiffer WetJet to aid in cleanup.
But we survived (Pari by sheer luck), and are now tucked into a warm house. Tomorrow I get to do a ton of stuff, including at least 3 phone calls and copying various documents to send out. I also get to rent a car so there is reliable transport this week. Busy, hectic, and I better keep a list or I'll forget something.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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starstraf
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Just spent 20+ minutes on comcast 'livechat' to find out how much the increase would be to add BBC America after 20 minutes (which included escalating me to a local sales and upgrade person) they could not tell me and I had to call the 800 number. The person on the phone had such a thick accent that I misunderstood the increase to be $60.95 (it is $16.95 to goto preferred digital) I think I can live until Dr Who comes on SyFy later in the year. (for $15.95 extra we get the extra digital and HBO )
And a second DVR is $9.95 which is what we need to get the Higher channels upstairs.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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homebrewing
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I am making a 10 gallon batch of vanilla porter, and the recipe includes 2 packets of vanilla powder to be added at kegging/bottling. I have 2 vanilla beans I'd rather use. I have read a few recipes which recommend soaking the beans in bourbon while your beer ferments in the primary, then adding the beans and bourbon when you rack to the secondary. I have no bourbon, but I have the following: rum, cachaca, beirenyager (honey liquor), and jack daniels green label whiskey.
so I have 2 questions-
1) are 2 beans enough vanilla for 10 gallons, or should I also add some real vanilla extract or that powder also?
2) which liquor would you soak the beans in? I immediately thought of the honey liquor, but I'm not sure if it would work being so high in sugar (70 proof). Or would the whiskey be better? my husband might kill me if I use his rum.
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Comments: Read 10 or Add Your Own.
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verminiusrex
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Looks like I get to shovel the drive again, even though I doubt the car will start in this temperature. I was planning to rent something to get through the week including Marz to the airport and while they figure out the Passat issues since it has remanifested at 15 degrees or colder. I was originally thinking compact, now I'm mentally upgrading the car for snow.
And at 9am on a Sunday, some asshat picking up next door is honking their horn. Dude, either use your cell or walk your ass, it's early on a Sunday. If you are honking repeatedly and no one is showing, they either can't hear you or assume you are some jerk at another house.
Edit-after nearly 10 minutes of honking, I donned boots and a jacket and told her its Sunday and she was waking up my kids. She was apologetic and stopped honking. Hopefully this will not be repeated.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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chernobylred
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We got another two (ish) inches of snow last night.
I had to leave a rocking party in Merriam early last night because snow was accumulating in Lawrence and I was worried about K-10 if I waited too long. I missed out on the chili feast with people I usually only get to see a few times a year. Sadness.
And now I gotta don boots and winter gear to go shovel this morning. Talk about insult to injury.
I'm ready for winter to be over. Really really ready.
UPDATE: Wow it's cold out there. Nine degrees, windchill -5. Seemed like more than two inches of snow, too. And while I was out there, I realized it is still coming down.
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Comments: Read 35 or Add Your Own.
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Saturday, January 2nd, 2010
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starstraf
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Had Dinner with Craig (a co-worker of mine) at Evening Star Cafe in Del Rae, quite yummy
Started with
Pepita Crusted Brie Sliced Granny Smith Apple, Crackers. Truffle Maple Syrup
Oysters (fried)
Pooch had Duck 2 Ways Roasted Hudson Valley Duck Breast, Lentil & Duck Confit Cassoulet, Braised Greens, Peppercorn Demi
Star had Seared Sea Scallops Bacon & Sprout Hash, Celery Root Puree, Fennel Sauce
Dessert
Star had Chocolate Creme Brulee
Pooch had Rocky Road Bread Pudding
The place was crowded but Craig had made us reservations on Open Table, we had a booth. Noise level picked up as the evening went on but we were able to have conversation though sometimes had to speak up or repeat things. Appatisers were good, entrees were wonderful, dessert was the weak point. Dinner for 3 with wine $100+tip
Conversation covered the office (My new office will be next door to his), restaurants, churches (Pooch is going to check out his church), Del Ray neighborhood, travel, Craig has been everything from a teacher, travel writer (here is his Walking tour of Alexandria), newspaper editor, and now Deputy Outreach Coordinator at NESA
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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verminiusrex
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For the first time in ages I'm preparing to do some sprouts. It involved the noncomplicated task of going down a flight of stairs for a splash of bleach to sterilize the sprouting system (it needs it so nothing nasty grows with the sprouts). After it dries I'll do up a mixed batch of sprouts that I'll eat as a salad with a dash of vinaigrette dressing, sometime mid-week.
Part of me thinks that doing sprouts for Market would be a good way to stay in the game, but to be honest I don't know if it would be worth the effort. I made decent money at Market but worked hard for it. Sprouts would be not so hard on my tendons, but I don't know if I would have enough in sales to justify it. Plus I don't think that I have the room. But far as I know it's a market niche that isn't filled there.
And on a side note, the actress that played Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter was in a Dr Who season 2 episode. She had a distinctive voice, and an even more distinctive yell. And is older than she looks, she was about 40 playing the ghost of a teenager.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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verminiusrex
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I just made up some strange pasta I found at the Mediterranean Market here in town. Imagine a long hollow spaghetti the diameter of elbow macaroni, but not curved and full spaghetti length. They taste like any other pasta does, and i've discovered that it's awkward to eat since you can't wrap it around the fork like spaghetti, or spear a bunch of it like smaller pastas. But it was an interesting novelty, and Kiyan is covered in red sauce looking like he wants to use anything clean to wipe his hands.
I'm continuing to remove stuff from the kitchen so there is more room. My 5 gallon screwtop buckets for flour are going to be reduced, since I don't need so much flour anymore. One may be used to hold wheat kernals if I want to play with grinding my own, but I haven't decided yet.
One thing I'm pondering is growing my own wheat for bread. An article I read said that growing wheat in a 10'x10' area will get you 10-25 loaves, I figure that I can probably use the old raised beds that are going to be replaced to make a 3'x3' wheat patch that will get me enough grain to play with. I may even move it to the front yard since I'm expanding the back yard garden with Dad and building better raised beds, hence the surplus frames used this past year.
The interesting part will be finding the grains I want to grow. Most wheat isn't sold in packets as small as I want. Luckily I have some 4-H connections, not to mention knowing various farmers from Market.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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frustrated.