aardvarks and apologies

Published on September 4, 2009 in Hobbies and Media. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Fish here, writing for the first time in forever ago. Reason being is that school has started, and I was a busy fellow running and coordinating Rush for my fraternity, beginning classes, juggling a budding social life, rising from the ashes of said social life’s death last spring when I left for the summer. I am pleased to be back in Atlanta, even if it means dealing with some of the difficulties (traffic, homeless, idiots, etc). It’s good to be back.

Another thing one may notice is that I’ve replaced the blog. I had to update my Wordpress installation, which borked itself and I had to restart from scratch. I’m surprised and amazed I remembered HOW to even do it. As a result, though, things may take a bit of tweaking for a few days, but I’m overall very pleased with the new Wordpress (I upgraded from 2.5.1 to the current 2.8.4, so there was a LOT of newness in here for me).

I’m currently sitting in my Shakespeare course watching Morpheus Laurence Fishburne play Othello on the DVD my professor is showing. These stories are always so tragic. =/ This is just one of several classes I’m rather enjoying this semester – I’m taking a course in Interactive Narrative and Fiction, another in Constructing the Moving Image, another in User Interface Design, and another in Ethics in Computing. Very good semester, and all things I’m interested in. :)

My apartment is quite nice and comfortable, but needs a bit more decoration and furniture. I guess that’s why Tricia’s moving in (TOMORROW!) to take care of that sort of thing for me. ;D She’ll enjoy it, and I’m looking so forward to finally having her here – words cannot do my feelings justice.

So I can’t remember if I actually wrote about my new Macbook Pro that I love so very very much. Everything about this magnificent machine is to my exact desires – a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GBs of DDR3 RAM, and a 320GB HDD for starters. I JUST purchased Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard for only a mere $29 a week ago today, and I’ve seen some significant improvements in the realm of how this computer runs and handles itself. I’m quite pleased overall. I’m now waiting for two dates for Apple-related excitement: September 9th is Apple’s standard media event for the refresh of their iPod line (here is where they typically release a new version of iTunes, hoping for some sweet improvements… maybe 64-bit?), and September 25th, when AT&T finally stopstries to stop failing so fucking hard and grants iPhone owners the ability to MMS-text message pictures for those not in the know. I have some sweet programs for my Mac now too – Things for Mac (and subsequently, Things for iPhone) have made task management and keeping up with things so. much. easier. for me. I’m kinda in love with being able to take a quick glance and see everything that’s due of me. ^_^ I’ve also obtained Adobe’s CS4 Master Collection, which is fantastic for the programs and talents expected of me in my major here at Georgia Tech. Photoshop and Flash will more than likely prove to be far more useful than anything else I can possibly have. I’ve also installed Aperture 2 for my Mac, in preparation for the DSLR I plan to get – Aperture 2 is a photo management and RAW image handler developed and sold by Apple, and it should work wonderfully for my needs. :)

But yes! A DSLR – specifically, the Canon EOS 500D (otherwise known as the Digital Rebel T1i), a fantastic 15 megapixel DSLR camera that also does HD video and has Live View, two neat knick-knacks for a DSLR. Every review I’ve read says this camera is best in its price class and seems perfect for my desires and hobbies. I can’t wait to purchase this camera and develop my photography skills, but I want to sell my current camera before I run off and buy this thing… and I need to find a buyer. Anyone who is interested and reading this, hit me up, PLEASE. :P

I wanted to say more than simply facts or… almost sales-pitchy things in this post, but I suppose I have to get all that out of the way before I go on with other things. I guess those thoughts will come later today though – class is almost over and I should wrap this up. :P So, until later…!

Vegetarian Paella

Published on August 29, 2009 in Hobbies and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

I have a week until I move in with Fish, and it’s my day off. I could be packing, but honestly I feel more like being terribly lazy. So I’m posting for y’all my latest creation that I ate a couple nights ago. It turned out pretty well, though I’ve tweaked my recipe a bit to make it more efficient and delicious.

VEGETARIAN PAELLA

This is a really easy recipe that you can complete with very limited cooking experience: you really just cut the veggies included, throw the ingredients together, let it cook, and enjoy. As long as you keep an eye on the pot while it’s bubbling so that it doesn’t overflow, and stir often, little can go wrong! Add a couple cups of shrimp or chopped chicken if you want to make it a main dish with some meaty flavor, or eat it as a side dish on its’ own. If it’s as a side dish, definitely use less rice than is called for in this recipe or you’ll have lots of leftovers. It has plenty of protein and veggies so you need not worry about it lacking nutritionally, and it also has tons of flavor!

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 can of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 sliced cucumber
  • 1/3 lb green beans
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 cup chopped artichoke (or canned, marinated artichoke)
  • 1 clove of garlic finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon canned minced garlic)
  • 1 can white or garbanzo beans
  • 1.5 cups dry rice (it should make about 3 to 4 cups cooked rice)
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Saffron, or turmeric (a little less than a teaspoon, as it has a stronger flavor)
  • Vegetable stock (double the volume of rice) or chicken stock
  • 5 teaspoons Olive oil
  • Salt (to taste)

Preparation

  1. First, pour the olive oil into a large pan (I myself use a dutch oven, the big two-handled pot, just in case because I don’t have a large skillet), making sure the pan is level.
  2. Add the green beans, cucumber, and garlic, and let cook for 3-4 minutes.
  3. Make a space in the middle of the pan and add the tomatoes. Cook for about five minutes, then add the paprika.
  4. Fill with broth and water and let boil for about ten minutes, then taste for salt.
  5. Add rice, white beans, half the artichoke, and saffron, (and meat if wished) spreading evenly around the pan. Let cook for about another 15-20 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Keep covered if you want the rice to be softer OR keep uncovered and cook for shorter time if you’d like it al dente. Stir often to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  6. Let it rest for a few minutes, but keep stirring to prevent sticking. Add the remainder of the artichoke on top before serving to add both an individual flavor and a touch of flair to the appearance.

Enjoy!

Chicken Florentine

Published on August 13, 2009 in Hobbies and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I’ve decided again to make a fun meal at home, this time with an Italian flair. Meals with “Florentine” in the name are credited to Catherine de’ Medici, who brought spinach to France around 1550, and chose to name all subsequent creamy, spinachy dishes after her homeland of Florence, Italy. This makes for a fairly easy, delicious dish that can go well atop a bed of pasta or with a potato on the side.

Note: If you have never worked with chicken before, remember that it is a leading source of salmonella, so you will want to make sure that you’ve cooked your chicken thoroughly before serving, and that you wash your hands or any utensils between touching the raw chicken and any prepared items or dishware. The chicken in this recipe is cooked on the stove, not the oven, so if the very center just won’t quite cook through, move the chicken to the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Spread the love, not the germs!

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • All-purpose flour, for dredging
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
  • 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine (or chicken broth: less bite but for a similar result)
  • 1 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed, drained
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat lightly. Shake off any excess flour. Set flour aside to add to sauce later. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep it warm. If using a cut that will not cook through, transfer to microwave for 2-3 minutes before setting in foil.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the green onions and garlic and saute until green onions are soft, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, about 1 minute. Add the wine/broth and lemon juice. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cream and boil until the sauce reduces by half, stirring often, about 3-5 minutes. If sauce will not thicken to your liking, add some flour, a teaspoonful at a time, stirring vigorously so it does not clump. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Do not allow sauce to boil for too long and remember to stir often, so the sauce stays smooth. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce, and turn the chicken to coat in the sauce.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and saute until heated through. Season the spinach, to taste, with salt and pepper. Keep spinach on light heat to prevent it from cooling while you finish preparing the chicken, but do not allow it to dry out and stick to the pan. Arrange the spinach over a platter. Place the chicken atop the spinach. Pour the sauce over and serve.

The recipe that I took this from, with some very select alterations on my part:

Everyday Italian

Baklava

Published on August 12, 2009 in Hobbies. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

baklava

Since I decided to make baklava for my friend Alanna’s birthday, and both her mother and my friend Katie have requested the recipe, I’ve decided to post it on here! I had to compile the recipes of two different websites, plus add my own alterations based on my taste and various tidbits of comments and intuition gotten from the internet and the experiences I’ve had while making this tasty little treat.

Baklava is a sweet dessert of nuts, phyllo dough, and honey based from around the Ottoman Empire, popular from Greece through the Middle East. It’s been around for many centuries and in many variations, so the one I have written down is hardly a canon version — it’s just what happens to work best for me! I promise you that if you go through the effort of making it, you’ll find yourself with one of the most satisfyingly sweet and delicious desserts you’ve ever had, and it’s both easy and also great to show off to guests!

Baklava

You will want to start this recipe a couple days in advance, as the phyllo dough needs a day of refrigeration to thaw out, and the baked baklava is best after at least a day of setting to soak in its juices. Because of the fragility of the phyllo and the number of times you will have to layer it, expect the prep time before baking to be at least a half hour. I like to sit down at the kitchen table while putting it together, as it will take a little patience. Remember, working with a friend makes it much faster and easier!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough (usually found in the freezer section of the grocery next to the frozen pie crusts
  • 1 pound finely chopped nuts: walnuts work best, though pistachios are also popular — go for whichever nut you like best! (Anywhere above a half pound is acceptable, depending on your preference)
  • 1.5 cups (three sticks) melted butter
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2.5 cups white sugar (half cup will be used separately in recipe from the two cups)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to your taste
  • 1 cup honey (12 ounces)
  • 1 cup water
  • (1 teaspoon of lemon juice if you’d like some extra zest)
  • (For more flavor, you may add a half pound or so of chopped dried fruit, like dates or apricots)

Note: Keep phyllo dough in fridge for at least one day to thaw from freezer, do NOT unroll it until ready to work with it, and always keep unrolled phyllo covered with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out as you work.

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9×13 inch pan (I like to use a pastry brush for buttering throughout the project).

2) Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar**. Set aside. Cut stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo pile with damp cloth when not using it. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have at least 8 sheets layered (more if you would like a more solid bottom ‘crust’). Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, and nuts, layering as you go. You may need to stagger layers to fit the edges of the pan. The top layer should be 6-8 sheets deep. Do not have nuts on the top, only butter.

3) Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way tot he bottom of the pan. If done in diamonds, do NOT cut from corner to corner; the design is attached at the bottom of this recipe. Do this before baking, as after it is baked the crust will be flakey and fragile. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

4) Start making sauce about 20 minutes before baklava has finished baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar has melted, stirring occasionally. *** Add vanilla and honey and let simmer.

5) Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool in open air: Leave lightly covered so it will not become soggy, and DO NOT refrigerate.

6) Let sit for at least 24 hours so that the sauce can soak in. The more days it sets (up to a week), the better it tastes.

7) Serve! The pieces will fit nicely in partially flattened cupcake papers, and this freezes well.

** If you have chopped fruit to add to the recipe, add it to the walnut mix.

*** For zest, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the sugar and water.

How to diamond cut:

Baklava design

Credit from:

Gretchen’s Favorite Recipes

Allrecipes.com

This recipe can serve at least sixteen people (plus the end pieces that you can sneak for yourself!), and will never cease to amaze family or guests who think you’ve worked twice as hard on it. You don’t need to use a mixer, hardly any dishes, and most of the magic is done by letting the baklava sit and soak up the honey-sweet syrup. So sit back and enjoy!

Protected: work – if you want the password, text me.

Published on July 30, 2009 in Rants. Enter your password to view comments Tags: , , , , .

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Thoughts from 3:48AM.

Published on July 23, 2009 in Rants and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Why am I trapped in this country when I could be out there with my camera and a notebook, making the most of my life?

Why am I trapped in this job, making calls to people when I have a calling of my own?

Why am I trapped by this economy where my dreams must be diluted for monetary purposes?

Why, God, why do I feel so utterly trapped.

Let me see the pyramids at Giza. The liquid streets of Venice – the Coliseum at Rome, St. Peter’s Square at Vatican City, the Parthenon at Athens, the numerous historical sites of the entire United Kingdom… The landscapes of Iceland and Norway…

Just don’t let me sit here. I tire of this life. I’ve not even left this stupid country. *sigh*

Yay for whining. I’ve been so fucking tired. I’ve got the Sims 3, but I’ve not been able to play it much. I’ve been so exhausted that I’ll get home from work and pass out without doing much else. Busy with Legends Alliance and the dorms, it’s been fun. Need to move into my apartment still. Planning Fall Rush 2009 with Holmes. Picked up Watchmen and Pushing Daisies Season 2 the other night.

But tonight I watched Planet Earth with my brother on Blu-ray, as he is inspired to get a salt-water aquarium… we mused over some clownfish, some anemone, and maybe even an octopus… (I still want a kitten… >.> And if I save up enough for the apartment deposit, I will.) But after Planet Earth… and looking at Seph’s pictures of Barcelona, Spain, I began to think how desperately I want to do EXACTLY what she’s doing.

And right now, I have nothing else to say.

…

*sigh*

Hold your colors against the wall

Published on July 14, 2009 in Hobbies and Media. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

I am in for a long day today. It’s about a quarter to 8AM as I write this now, and I’m sitting at work, waiting to be able to clock on. I got here about half an hour early this morning. I guess it was nerves…

You see, I have a phone interview set up today at 5:30PM for a job to work at the Apple Store in Lenox Square Mall in Buckhead, Atlanta. I’m nervous and yet wholly excited if this all works out – I could have some extra income this school year and be able to afford little things here and there, not to mention the Disney trip I want to go with Tricia on this New Year’s… and helping her feel financially secure in Atlanta is a big part of it too. But… Comcast is still a bucket of fail and hasn’t reconnected the phone line they accidently cut (seriously now, who DOESN’T survey land when they dig??) and I have crappy cell coverage at home, so it looks like this phone interview will be done from the seat of my car in a quiet (cell-covered) parking lot…. somewhere.

So my MacBook Pro came in! The same day I got the initially email from Apple, too. XD That was this past Thursday, and I have spent every day loving this beautiful machine. I’ve got it just about entirely set up – the only thing left at this rate is for The Sims 3 to arrive with Splash’s package so I can install it and torture explore the Sims community. Meanwhile, I have the white Macbook all set up to be wiped and reformatted with a fresh install when I sell it to Talon come Thursday when he is paid. I’ll miss it, actually. That computer was a fantastic companion… so to speak.

Egads. Time to work. I’ll try to add to this later, but if I don’t, wish me luck!

“Welcome to your Mac.”

Published on July 4, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Photobucket

… So yeah, I finally ordered it. Brand new 13″ MacBook Pro 2.53GHz, 4GB DDR3, and 320GB HD. I’m fairly excited. Also, I got a free 8GB iPod Touch out of the deal and I ordered MobileMe (mostly for the Find My iPhone feature) at a discount, not to mention opted to have iWork ‘09 preinstalled (no more MS Office for meeeee).

Funny enough, each of those three things (MBP, MobileMe, iPod Touch) are all being shipped separately, but all should be arriving within this coming week. Which is good, considering I have a lot I need to do this next week, too. A week from today is when my brother and I are going to be signing for our new apartment in Atlanta at the Post Renaissance. We’re getting a 2 bedroom/2 bath place, and we have a bit of work to do in making sure everything is squared away. No cable TV for us, to begin with – I don’t feel like paying for the Comcastic rape that is their TV charges. Yuck. But we need to set up utilities and the like before moving in, including connection dates and everything. Then the actual “moving” portion, which will suck. But, nevertheless, I’m looking very forward to it.

Tricia bought a plane ticket, too, for September 6th. One way, and then she’s stuck here. ;) Looking forward to receiving her at the airport for hopefully the final time.

Well… I need to be going. Will be writing sometime soon again.

I’ll leave you with my favorite MJ performance. Sucks that he’s dead.

Chicken Catcher

Published on July 1, 2009 in Media. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I wish I had the time to say more about life right now, but unfortunately I don’t have much to say. I’m still saving for that MacBook Pro, and all’s going well – payday is going to be Thursday as opposed to Friday because the office has that off for 4th of July. Another unpaid holiday because I’m not beyond the “new employee 90 day window” for getting paid holidays. :( Oh well.

I need more time in the day. *sigh*

But, as filler and as a promise to write more soon, I wanted to share this clip:

I normally do not like contemporary/modern country, but this was amazing. His name is Kevin Skinner, a chicken catcher from Kentucky, and this is his first audition on America’s Got Talent (my father loves the show). What a voice, and what a performance. As the judges put it… it was emotional. Just watch it – I certainly enjoyed it.

-Fish

Adventures in Trishland

Published on June 14, 2009 in Uncategorized. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Moving. It seems like the strangest thing in the world to me, although I’ve done it plenty of times before. Four times for college, each to a different place (once to Bend, OR, then three different rooms on the University of Oregon campus).

Those times, I brought minimal things (increasingly so each time as I decided that I really didn’t need much, and even if I had before…I certainly hadn’t the time for extracurricular reading material and the such now) with the expectation that I could always go back home to the rest. Now I’m trying to move for good, but not to bring everything I’ve ever had with me. Trust me, I’m a pack rat. I only recently threw away a ton of my school papers and reports from when I was in elementary school. I hardly plan on bringing my dolls from back when, or most of my books (my poor, poor books) to save on room and general expenses from shipping all that across the nation.

But still. When you find yourself starting your new life by wrapping up your good dishes in your baby blanket (some things I can’t get rid of), you just..think.

Sorry, Fish, but the big ‘ol rice cooker has GOT to come with. Me without perfectly steamed rice would be a sad thing indeed.

I’m heading into eight days straight of working at 4:30 in the morning at the deli, a shift I’m hardly used to and therefore terribly slow at, overall. Especially when greeted first thing by customers who order specialized sandwiches only to be told at the checkstand the obvious that they have known for years (and trust me, judging from these women they had been pulling from the government for a good long time) — you can’t buy hot food with food stamps. I was cranky enough before the very items that put me behind in my opening schedule were brought back to me to be thrown out. Don’t get me wrong, I think that the food stamp program like other forms of government assistance are great for people who just need an extra boost. But I also work at the only real grocery store in this little town, so I can see on a regular basis which people don’t have the will to help themselves and get full enjoyment out of handouts. Makes life harder for the people who are genuinely trying and get less assistance because money’s spread so thin. I’m grateful every day that I have a full-time job, even if it’s minimum wage and hard work. I have plenty of college loans to pay off, not to mention the cost of moving and getting settled into a new city. Scary as that is.

Alright, for anyone who’s not heard of it: Eureka. All of the first season and some of the third (they’re working on trying to get the rest) are available on Hulu, so give it a look see if you want some nerdy comedy. About an ordinary, good-hearted, fight-first-ask-questions-later U.S. Marshal who goes off a back road somewhere in the Pacific Northwest (hints indicate it’s actually supposed to be Oregon-ish) and finds himself in a podunk town where everyone knows each other, there’s only one diner, the town sheriff makes house calls to just about everyone on a first name basis, and the local mechanic also doubles as a coroner, priest, forensic analyst, radio show host (etc. etc. etc.) and inventor of memory manipulation devices and hovercraft. Oh, wait– I didn’t mention that little Eureka is home to the most brilliant thinkers and inventors in the world, all of whom work in a secret government testing center developed at the beginning of the Cold War? Or that this poor unfortunate man regularly finds himself battling (often after the populace themselves accidentally created them) atomic weapons, ghosts, alien menaces, superhumans, and the frustration of being a single parent to a delinquent teenager in a town where fitting in usually means opening your eyes to the impossible, each and every day? I mostly get a kick out of the little things, like the “Cafe Diem” where their chef can fix literally any meal you’d want on the planet, even if that means cheeseburgers with wild mushrooms and blowfish in ten minutes or less.

So, Sims 3 looks awfully fun, at least as far as the clothing designer and interior decorator in me is concerned. Don’t have the game myself, but that’s what stealing usage of your friends’ computers is for. Loving that you can change the colors and patterns of anything you wear or buy in the game, and choosing your Sim’s likes and dislikes has never been more precise. What their favorite food is, whether they’re a good kisser or afraid of water…hehe. Unfortunately, that makes killing them off through drowning in the backyard pool a little unavailable. Oh well, I’m sure they’ve created bigger and better ways of letting us be morbid cyber-gods.

One of my favorite pastimes when visiting restaurants or shops is slowly becoming photography– not of the food or goods themselves, but as a setting for my always-hungry and endlessly-curious toy naked mole rat to express his views of the world. I got the toy years ago when visiting the Oregon Zoo, mostly spiteful at the time that they did NOT have a toy lemming instead. This was long before Kim Possible aired with their mole rat Rufus, so don’t get the idea that I have some Disney cartoon pet fetish going on. I also tend to find it troublesome to bring a digital camera around in my already burdensome purse, plus turning it on, focusing it, making sure the picture’s perfect…blech. I’ll save that for more serious pictures, but my handy dandy iPhone does the trick for the mole rat adventures.

That, and I just have an impromptu thirst for showing the truth of the world through beady little eyes.

For instance:

Whether he’s eating Swedish meatballs…

Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce at Ikea

Or Thai curry…

Chicken yellow curry with white rice and Thai iced tea at Blue Ocean in Astoria.

Or just good old crab cakes, Mole Rat has a diverse palate and a love to try new foods.

With garlic bread and sweet potato fries at Doogers in Seaside.

…Just so long as they don’t look too much like someone put his relatives in the blender.

Soylent pinks is mole rat!

Mole Rat is always trying to stand out in the rat race…

Get me out of here!

And moonlights as a crusader, saving his kin from being tied to railroad tracks and other evil hijinks.

Why do you guys have comfy napkin beds, anyway?

In short, he’s a well-rounded, hip young rodent who plans to go places in life. But only if they’re a warm climate or he’s got a sweater on, cause being furless can only take you so far.

And that’s my update for the day!