Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Today it's supposed to cool down to a chilly 92. I considered wearing a sweater this morning. (Since it is currently 67° in my office, a sweater would not have been a bad idea.) All alone in the office today with one person out sick, one on a sort of slowdown, and two on vacation. I actually have a lot to do, so maybe sheer boredom will motivate me to get it all done with a minimum of procrastination. Since I am at this moment writing a blog entry, that doesn't seem too likely.

The stupid doves are trying the whole nesting thing again, in the exact same spot. This time however, their pile of twigs looks sturdier, like maybe they consulted a contractor or something, and the mom bird is plumped down right on top like she's been glued there. Hope springs eternal.

No nests have materialized yet on my patio. There was quite a flurry of activity over the weekend and a few more splats of mud showed up on the ceiling beam, but it didn't look like any progress had been made yesterday.

I had more of the BLT avocado salad last night, and no it didn't really improve much. Meh.

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Monday, June 29, 2009

It is still hot here though not as hot as it was this time yesterday. I left the AC on all night because when I got up to check the temp at about 2am it was still 81.

My goal this weekend was all cold food: Saturday I made a chilled cucumber and tomato soup, and last night was a BLT salad with avocado dressing from the newspaper. The soup is good (I added croutons), but the yogurt base makes it pretty rich. It'd be good next to some cold roast chicken. The avocado dressing was surprisingly bland, but it might be better today after sitting in the fridge overnight.



Image copyright New Line Cinema

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Sunday, June 28, 2009

According to the thermometer it's currently 117° on the patio. That's not strictly accurate, but it is hot... probably closer to 104°. We've been cocooned inside all day; yesterday the AC didn't kick in until 6pm, but today it went on at noon. Koosh is barricaded under my bed and Isis spends most of her time stretched out on her back under the ceiling fan.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Really did not care for that punk Ludo on the latest Top Chef Masters. How the hell can he stand there and ask Rick Bayless' advice on cheese for his stupid quesadillas and then get pissy when Bayless says he's making tacos? He's Rick Bayless, for crying out loud; of course he is going to make tacos, you little jerk. The woman from Mustards Grill seemed nice, but she really needed to shut up about being old.

Camping in Mendocino was nice, the abalone abundant and tasty. Though less wind meant fewer trees were falling from the canyon walls into the campground this year, one came down at about four in the morning right above my site, almost literally scaring the crap out of me. I'd been lying there idly wondering whether my bladder was full enough to be worth getting up and trudging to the bathroom when there was a loud CRACK above my head. I decided the bathroom would be an excellent place to hang out for the next few minutes. By the time the sun came up, it was hard to tell exactly where the tree fell, but during breakfast another dead limb came down about 20 feet above the site. That provided all the motivation I needed to get packed up quickly and be on the road by noon.

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Friday, June 19, 2009

I finished my wool socks last night, on one of the hottest evenings of the year so far. That did not stop me from wearing them for about two minutes before it became unbearable.

I tried two new recipes this week. Last Sunday I made a baked quinoa and cheese dish from Veggie Times that turned out well, even though quinoa gets absolutely everywhere. I found some in my knitting bag a couple days later. I thought the dish was a little bland so if I make it again I'd add chopped scallions and make sure the cheddar is a sharp or longhorn variety. It's also better sprinkled with Parmesan rather than the suggested additional cheddar.

The other recipe I made was black bean croquettes with fresh salsa from Eating Well. These turned out great, though I discovered too late that my tomatoes had sprouted an interesting filmy white mold and had to use diced canned tomatoes instead, with the only good part of the least spoiled tomato mixed in. I also served it over sliced avocado sprinkled with lime juice rather than combining diced avocado with the rest of the salsa. I'd also suggest flipping the croquettes at some point while still in the oven since one side gets nicely browned while the other stays too pale. They're even better the next day; had leftovers for lunch and dinner.

It's summer and foodie stunt tv is in full swing. The Next Food Network Star remains the most painful reality tv on the air, vividly illustrating that the best tv chefs are discovered and cultivated, not forced like bulbs in winter. Top Chef Masters improved with the second episode; the interaction between these chefs was thoroughly entertaining, and the challenges were much better.

I've had a hard time keeping up with much else on screen. In Plain Sight is having a great second season, and USA's new show Royal Pains is reasonably entertaining so far. I watched all of the first season of True Blood last weekend during the HBO free offer, but now am sadly stuck since I am not willing to pay $10/month more just to watch one show. I hear there are some good movies in theaters now as well. Maybe someday I'll get to see the inside of a theater again.

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Monday, June 15, 2009

Trying to get back on track after E3 but there's just too much to do. Work is insanely busy and about as ridiculously drama-ridden as All My Children. Koosh has adjusted to her collar and leash--for the most part--and loves going out on the patio for short periods of time. She usually just lies in whichever chair has the most sun while I putter around spraying aphids and sweeping up leaves. Isis doesn't always come out with us, but when she does she likes to look out through the broken fence board. The only problem with Koosh so far is that if she gets scared, she tries to dart back in the house faster than I can free her leash from the chair leg which causes some distress, but at least it all ends in Greenies once we're back in the house and settled.

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