I am sitting in my kitchen eating some incredible corn bread that I just baked -- although I wish I had been sober when I did the pan-greasing part because it might potentially have happened.
I have also pinto beans of a well-seasoned, slowcooked in vegetables variety, and this [book](www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/books/review/time-to-start-thinking-by-edward-luce.html) to settle with and so on. The cover is an American flag waterfall, which sounds like a specialty cake to me for some reason.
And I have (4x) whatever you call a rum, soda water, and curacao. Blue dream? That's a gorgeous strain of pot already, but maybe the name can do double duty.
And later whenever my friends get off work I will exodus! What about you?
Same thing I've been doing for the past three weekend evenings- putting the kids to bed, nuking leftovers, watching one Twin Peaks, knocking back a scotch, glazing over while playing Xbox 360, wondering what's become of my drive to do anything remotely productive. Just noticed this morning that I have love handles all of a sudden. Nothing's driven home my fading youth like that did. I'm having a hard time with it. But last night I did this: So I'm not a total burnout. Considered making a standalone post tagged as "grubski" (why isn't that a thing yet), but this'll do just as well.
After the other night, I'm starting to think that the whole tofu thing is going to be my philosopher's stone. Such an incredible ingredient that so few legit cooking venues seem to care about. My dad used to make all sorts of amazing tofu stuff growing up, but I think they were mainly bastardizations/hybrids of recipes from two or three cookbooks he had (including this very great one by actress-entrepeneur-gourmand-chef Madhur Jaffrey), and thus un-reproduceable. Formal motion to kickstart a grubski tag. So much good-sounding food floating around in this post alone...
Someday, if you get the chance to travel around Asia you'll see that this is not the case. However, tofu is often used with meat in many cuisines. For example, this dish from the Philippines called tokwa't baboy or this pork stuffed tofu in tomato sauce I used to get in Viet Nam. Edit: better videoSuch an incredible ingredient that so few legit cooking venues seem to care about.
Damn grubski needs to exist, if I hadn't already eaten my entire 8x8 cornbread I would have taken a picture of it with its lovely garnish and sour cream stuff. Still loyally drinking rum and soda + curacao despite the lack of a name. Beautiful cocktail.
Shun. I'm sure you have a good knife, but just in case there's anybody eavesdropping that doesn't- a good knife is bar none the most important piece of kitchenware anybody can have. More important than pots and pans (although I swear by my pans, more in a sec), more important than measuring cups or mixing bowls or anything. I can cook in any old kitchen so long as I have one good knife. But goddamn does it drive me crazy to cook in somebody else's space (read: in-laws) when all they have is cheap, dull, wobbly crap. Never had the tomato sauce eat the seasoning on my cast iron (so far as I know, although I have needed to replace it twice), and never even tried with my good carbon steel- learned through trial and error to use that shit almost exclusively for searing meat and then deglaze/sauce-making. Fucking you had to mention oxtail right before my leftovers meal. That sounds incredible. For grubski: ongoing list of cheapo meat products that are way better than the expensive dry-aged song and dance or else enhance the same. Humbly submit chicken livers (most versatile organ I've ever messed with), marrow bones, caul fat. Would include sweetbreads but those guys are expensive.
Ah, thought so but wasn't sure. Sadly, I am using a second-hand CutCo knife at the moment. Full-tang and holds and edge well but it doesn't rock on the board like I want it to. I agree about a good knife and a sharp one at that. Lots of good cheap cuts, like country ribs, which are like ribs and pork chops combined. We could do a hubski food challenge. Set some rules and a budget and then we share recipes and junk. Anyone game? It could even be educational!
Splurge and get a good knife. And a sharpener. Put you back like $200 all told, but it is so, so worth it (says the guy that got both the knife and the sharpener as gifts). Before this I had a Wusthof and it was plenty passable at a lower price point. But I'm never going back from Shun.
What sharpener do you use? Ceramic rods are nice and really easy. I'll probably just get a stone and a steel for what I've got at the moment. The knife I have isn't terrible, but it has no flex at all but I mean, it's stainless so I didn't really expect there to be any. But yes, I need a better knife and also not to live with a roommate. He's been a friend for a while, but he doesn't know how to treat a knife worth a shit. He's blunting my edges dammit!
Dude, I don't have the manual dexterity or the patience required for that. I have and electric Chef's Mate, works like a dream. "You're blunting my edges" is an incredible breakup line.
Ummm, fuck yes. Tell me more, how does this challenge work?
Incredible idea- I'm definitely game. I'd push the budget down further, though. $35 for one meal is actually prohibitively expensive for me these days, I couldn't really get away with much over $20-25. Guess the $35 could stand and extra points for every dollar under. I would willingly be the first gastronaut tomorrow if you want to kick it off in another post, as I don't yet have a menu planned.
Cool! LET'S DO THIS. thenewgreen is game too. I agree, let's set the budget low.
I'm not sure why everyone buys "chicken breast?" I tend to use chicken thigh meat in the place of breast meat. It's more full flavored and it is normally less money too.
This is funny because almost every chicken recipe I ever use is for thighs and I always have to choke back tears as I substitute breasts. Wife is really health-conscious (boo), and hates the taste of a) dark meat and b) chicken skin. Nobody's perfect, I guess.
Agree. Plus, chicken breast is gross. I don't get why America loves white meat so much. I mean, ok in a soup or a pot pie or something but dude, thighs are where the flavor is. That reminds me. When Popeye's opened in Boston, it was packed. I think I saw one white dude in there. Anyway, first they ran out of hot and spicy chicken and half the crowd walked out. Then they announced that they ran out of dark meat and the other half walked. I don't know what happened to the white dude.
Francesca lives. Getting there has been a 7-week odyssey in which I have learned the true depths of motorcycle shop incompetence in Los Angeles. I have had to buy $300 in tools, have twice had to order away to Nuremberg for parts, and have bought enough shit from Galfer that they sent me a t-shirt. But Francesca lives. And she's had her 10k km service. And her valve lash is correct. And her throttle bodies are balanced. And her chain is tensioned. And her oil is changed. And her fuel and air filters are new (and her air filter was $130). And the fact that f'ing $8/ft magic Brembo (Brembo: "We're so awesomely Italian that you'll take our 8-day warranty and like it!" Brembo: "Brake light switches are $20 extra!" Brembo: "Oh, you wanted a mirror mount with that? $40!") brake tubing sweats. Call up MCSM and say "your magic $8/ft brake tubing sweats" and they say "oh we've never heard that before!" but you google "brake tubing sweat" you discover that this is just something Ducati fucks put up with because they're the Harley shitheads of Italy and then you have to order EPDM tubing from McMaster Carr. Which still has to go on the bike, which still needs its brakes bled again, but so long as we're re-plumbing the goddamn reservoirs anyway, it's ride-able. So aside from everything else, I'm having a tumbler of Ardbeg Uigeadail. A tumbler I was due to have in f'ing July.
How do you feel about the statement, there are two kinds of motorcyclists, those who have been in accidents, and those that are about to be in one? I am taking notes because this is a salient point my mom will not drop. And secondly, when you drive (ride?) Francesca, do you leave her on the street as is? Or do you always park it in a garage? I'm curious how pervasive vandalism or theft is for such a pretty looking thing.
I think it's reductionist. It's all about your capacity for risk. Someone willing to ride a motorcycle in traffic has a higher capacity for risk than someone who insists on going everywhere by SUV. At the same time, that person willing to ride in traffic isn't necessarily going to do it with the front wheel up while standing on the seat. There are those of us who fully understand that we're undertaking many variables beyond our control when we get on two wheels and by and large, we try to minimize that risk, late night annihilations of Scuderias notwithstanding. Then there are those like the guy who passed me and my wife white-lining the 5 on his Katana, whom we saw a mile later shaking on his seat, mirrors akimbo from getting squished between a semi and a van, whom we saw 15 minutes after that doing the exact same goddamn thing. I know people who have been in multiple wrecks. They ride like shit. I know people who have never been in one. They wear more gear than I do. It's about accepting a level of risk and staying there. The primary reason for motorcycle theft is to carve them up into bits to sell spare parts, or to cart them off across the ocean to sell in foreign markets. In the former case, you want a thriving aftermarket. In the latter case, you want a vehicle that will fade into the background and won't be searched out. Benelli's entire run of TreKs from 2007-2010 was less than 130 VINs. Francesca is one of 7 TreKs in the United States; one of 9 in North America. There's a guy named Joe in Pennsylvania who, as the dealer liason, has the VIN of every Benelli in North America in a manila folder, not in some giant database. It's not an optimal target for motorcycle theft. That said, it lives underground most of the time, and when I park it on the street around here, it's 50 yards from a 2014 Ducati 916 and two Repsol Honda CBRs. And countless BMWs, Audis, Mercs, etc.
Roger. I thought you mislinked comments, I'm reading sound grad school advice and waiting for the part where you dusted a Scu-- oh there it is! For this next spring and summer, I'm working out the final details now so that I can work at a summer camp for the head of maintenance there. He's an incredible guy, the best boss I've ever had and I only worked for him for less than a month this past August. One of his many hobbies is to fix up motorcycles and then collect or sell them. I don't know a thing about mechanical engines (I can change a tire and changed an oil filter, once). I'm going to make it a point to learn as much as I can from him. I can't wait. Not only for motorcycle maintenance, but to learn so much else.
That sounds pretty dope. The nice thing about motorcycles is they're kind of halfway between lawn mowers and cars. You can work on them as if they were real engines, but you don't need bullshit like A-frame hoists and 2 1/2 ton jacks. Set aside some money and get him to help you build something cool. If you like vintage, an XS650 is a great machine.
I'm not sure what I like yet. Is that expensive? The price seems to range from 1200 to 8000, and I wouldn't know which to buy. But thanks for the starting recommendation. When you say set aside some money, how much would be a good starting point?
NB: this post blew up quick, anyone in for a mini IRC? lil ArtemusBlank flagamuffin I've been very productive since 2PM. May or may not be related to me finally beginning to drink coffee. Spent all afternoon in the library on a follow-up blog about (you guessed it) self-driving cars. As kleinbl00 said, I need to strike the iron while it's hot. It's much easier to bask in the glory of success than it is to get to work again. So I got The Age of Context for my Kindle app. The audiobook version was only 3 dollar more, so I can now hear The Blatant Disregard of Privacy with Some Interesting Facts In Between while commuting. I got a nice pita from the food court and this evening I've been busy learning Omnifocus 2, adding projects & uni deadlines - I was definitely losing track of 'em. Great app.
Well I'm here briefly. http://client00.chat.mibbit.com/?server=irc.mountai.net&channel=%23hubski
Why are we still using Mibbit. Can't even get on because something something server full blah. Video games it is, then.
NO! Go make music. NOW. Doesn't have to be Hubski music, but go make sounds. DO IT. NOW. DAMMIT! fuck video games. edit: no offense to video game lovers
Goddammit TNG, fine. Don't expect to enjoy the outcome, though.
I'm trying to add to Someone to Hurt right now and all I can think is that I don't want to touch it. This is such a great song. I'll keep hacking for a while but seriously, this is a little bit untouchable. Low end, but that's it.
Touch it. Fuck it up. Destroy it. Add background vox. Think Beatlesque oohs/aahs type swells. I dunno. Think mellotron, rhodes, synth... organ? whistle, clap, hum, rub your hands together like sand paper and mic it. Break it. Fuck it, it's just a song. We'll write 50 more by the end of the year :)
I'm flying to America! Having never been there before, I'm quite excited.
New York for the most part, with a few days in Boston.
Girlfriend has family there (and on Staten Island). Got any recommendations, humanodon?
For food, there's lots of options but if you like dim sum I would highly suggest Bubor Cha Cha in Chinatown. If your girl has family there, they probably have an itinerary in mind but if you want contemporary art you could always check out the ICA. Additionally, the local listings mag, The Dig (or is it Dig Boston now?) is a pretty decent resource. Link Anyway, I'm pretty full-up for the first half of the week, but if you guys want to get a drink or something, shoot me a pm.
My apologies, humanodon. I never did get around to messaging you for that drink. As it was, the one Boston evening I had free and without commitments I was so exhausted from meeting up with all of the gf's family that I stayed in the hotel and watched Fox News. That drink will have to wait until our next visit in a year or so - or until you come down to Melbourne. Fantastic city, by the way. Loved Trident Books.
Brilliant! Thank you. I'd be quite keen for a drink but I probably won't know how free I am until next weekend. Will let you know.
I'm likely to be wrecked by the time I arrive. It was a nine hour flight to Hong Kong, and I'll be here another nine hours before the 16 hour flight to Newark. Hong Kong is humid. I had forgotten.
Melbourne, yes. The Boston of the South, apparently.
Thanks for asking: 1. Listening to the hits from the 50s posted by flag 2. Spousal Unit made an amazing dinner (steak, wine, mushrooms, beans with almond). We talked about his decision not to go ahead with a major reno, while starting a company, running a lab, travelling, a new research project on "how to design social media that allows people to feel comfortable in discussing and sharing intimate stuff." I said, Really? Because hubski. We'll hear more about this in due course. 3. Watched Blue Jays beat Baltimore. Too bad we're not in the post-season. 4. Oh, trying to get some work done -- really. No, not really, but I really should. So behind. 5. and a little hubski catch-up
I think I'll join you and flag in that 50's music list.a new research project on "how to design social media that allows people to feel comfortable in discussing and sharing intimate stuff.
My doors always open if he wants to chat.
I ate some red sauce with oxtail I made last night, over spaghetti along with some ciabatta bread I baked earlier today. If you've never used oxtail, it is cheap, it is delicious and perfect for slow cooking. I'm also working my way through Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's a cheesy show, but I am starting to like it a lot. Oh yeah, I submitted my eligibility for subsidized healthcare in MA (fun!). Later on I might get into some drinking, but for now, just digesting by vaping my way through some really good e-liquids I got recently.
What I'm doing tonight? Probably the highlight of the day/night is finishing Bojack Horseman and Particle Fever and starting again on Bob's Burgers and Metalocalypse. The last highlight is finding this band that I've come to really enjoy which is All Them Witches.
All Them Witches is where it's at! I've Been pushing that band on anyone that will listen since Lightning at the Door came out. For anyone interested, that album was just put up on Spotify and it is the most perfect music for driving, especially at night.
Shit! I just now saw this message. I am sorry I didn't reply, I am fairly new to the Hubski experience. On to your question: No, I have not found many similar bands to All Them Witches. They play bluesy psyche rock, and there are many bands out there that are in this genre; but I have never found one that hits all my sweet spots like ATW. The hit hard when it needs to be hard and are soft when they need to be soft. And they have that perfect balance between blues, rock, and trippy effects and instrumentation. This thread that just happened may have some stuff that floats your boat. https://hubski.com/pub?id=188504 Once again, I apologize for the lateness of my response.
I played videogames with my sister. Sorry thenewgreen. It's okay if you hate me now. But we're doing the same thing tonight. Dynasty Warrior type games are the perfect thing for talking about whatever you want while playing a game. Literally no skill required whatsoever leaving brain power to catch up on things. Apparently her school is requiring a "Homework Free Weekend" for the students because they're giving the kids way more work than a human can handle. Yeesh.
"Today" I am going to a "minute to win it" party. It's the third year in a row we have attended. It's actually a lot of fun. Last year my team won it and I plan to win again. It's a beautiful day today, they have a pool and a really nice yard. They hire a babysitter for those guests with kids. It's a gonna be cool.
Got back from my friend's house - I didn't get to see Doctor Who because I was pretty late getting there, as I had late lunch with some friends at Tibits in central London. It was a vegetarian buffet, where you pay for the amount you eat (by weight). The food was pretty fucking good, but my friend estimated that it would only cost £9 or so for a meal and offered to buy his friend some dinner. The other guy managed to wolf down £19 of beetroot houmous, pie, salad, et cetera. I paid £11 for mine, it was satisfying but it could have done with some - (that's enough) I should really start living like a student again, term's starting soon. At the house we played Magic the Gathering. I don't have my own set of cards so I borrowed someone else's - we played a variant where you could only attack the people sitting next to you which made the dynamics of (temporary) cooperation and betrayal a bit more interesting. Out of five people, I was second place (is that possible in MtG?). I'm not sure if that was due to beginner's luck, my skill at charming the other players into attacking each other first or the great selection of cards that I was given to play with. We will never know.
I am just on Hubski, listening to this song right now...
lil, flagamuffin and humanodon, you ought to take a break from your 50's mix and throw on this Nick Drake tune. Dear god, what a gorgeous song. Can you ever go wrong with Nick Drake? Thanks for sharing! I wish they'd find an old safe buried in his parents yard with previously unreleased recordings of his.
I have a nice Cotes du Rhone open and I'm listening to music. I got side tracked by my new tag though #thathappened. By all means contribute to this post. I think it could prove entertaining.
I made achiote chicken wrapped and baked in collard greens, with rice, pintos and tortillas, just finished it and it was the meal if the week. Had a big Model Especial and am halfway into a can of Old English. Going to give the kid a bath, read her a story and put her to bed. After that? Who knows.
and am halfway into a can of Old English.
You never cease to impress, my friend. I haven't had OE in ages. Not since back in the days when we would drink in the Ann Arbor parks and have a predetermined hiding place for our 40's, a lookout would whistle when a bicycle cop was headed our way and we'd stash them away in a bush. Ah, memories. Enjoy.
Ha! I remember for one party I had in high school I got a bunch of cases of OE, which my friend and his brother walked to my house, like a mile away. But for my money, the best 40 is Schlitz. I wonder if high school kids still drink 40's. All the high school people I encounter seem pretty sober (except for all that pot and all them pills).
Back when I was in HS, it was OE or Mickey's. This was in the height of gangster rap so everyone drank 40's.
I cooked spaghetti while watching Veep, now I'm waiting to get a call from my mom, who had to make an eight our drive tonight from Illinois to Kansas - probably should have heard from her by now, since it's been 9 hours. While I wait, I'm playing some Wasteland 2 - the patch released (today/last night) seems to have fixed most of my issues . Now if only I were good at video games.
Currently listening to this song by Wilco, which is a top-5 song of theirs for me. I've also taught myself everything but the solo so far tonight. Oh wowowowow and I just came up with one of the better chord progressions I've had in a while. Guitar is on my lap, roommates are downstairs drinking. I'll be joining them soon enough. Making plans with a girl for Sunday. All in all it's a good night so far.
Your evening sounds fantastic. I wish I could enjoy cornbread, but the texture throws me off. Hope you enjoy yours, anyway. Just finished watching another episode of Blacklist, now I'm catching up on my YouTube subscriptions from the past week or so. Later tonight I'm reading the new DRUM! Magazine that came today, and I might watch one of the Robin Williams films in my Netflix queue (geez, that's a weirdly spelled word). I'm thinking either The Fisher King or Good Morning, Vietnam. Suggestions?