MJ and I have been hitting the climbing gym a little more lately. It's been good to get back into it a bit, but I've got a little way to go to be back where I was. I can climb 5.8 reliably already, but nothing more than that. I used to be able to do a 5.9 no problem. Last night we did a little in the bouldering cave too. I got part way up a couple of problems, but not to the end before my arm was just too tight to move. I walked around for a while afterward doing that whole hook/claw hand thing until I could work the muscle loose a little bit. MJ is pretty good at helping out with that though with her massage background. Anyway, climbing is one hobby I'd recommend to just about anyone. If any of you want to try it and need a quick lesson on the ropes and techniques, I'd be glad to help you out (Of course if you want all kinds of advanced stuff maybe you just go talk to Sarah instead).
By the way, Berserk, I came across an interesting case from New York. I bet this is one arrest you've never had to make.
Suddenly I don't look like such a jerk for blowing off so many sales pitches and being so skeptical about other people.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Small Lesson
Did you know a spider can live underwater, clinging to the side of a glass for the time it takes to drink a large glass of water, and then crawl off of your finger after you find what you thought was a dead bug stuck on the inside of the glass and wipe it off? I know that now.
Happy New Year!
Okay, happy January 5th!
New Year's eve was good. I spent it walking around on a frozen lake looking for hurt people. We actually found two this time that I got to work with closely. In a year of working with the venturing crew, this is two more than I've ever been able to help. It's usually a bit slow. More importantly, I met a guy from crew who doesn't normally go to anything. He does some hiring for an ambulance company. It's all volunteer, except for their paramedics, but it should be good experience. I should be able to get some good training, and experience along the lines of a couple calls a night. They should be pretty good calls, as they work along a section of I-70, and do some mountain rescues. It's a little far of a drive to get there, but it should be worth it, and I should be able to keep up with it once school starts as well.
So, speaking of mountain rescues, here's a guy who should be needing one before his next birthday.
Scariest Hiking Trail In The World - Watch more Free Videos
If you watched that whole thing without at some point thinking this guy's crazy, or feeling something flipping in your gut as he aimed the camera down, you may need some professional help. Nice video though.
New Year's eve was good. I spent it walking around on a frozen lake looking for hurt people. We actually found two this time that I got to work with closely. In a year of working with the venturing crew, this is two more than I've ever been able to help. It's usually a bit slow. More importantly, I met a guy from crew who doesn't normally go to anything. He does some hiring for an ambulance company. It's all volunteer, except for their paramedics, but it should be good experience. I should be able to get some good training, and experience along the lines of a couple calls a night. They should be pretty good calls, as they work along a section of I-70, and do some mountain rescues. It's a little far of a drive to get there, but it should be worth it, and I should be able to keep up with it once school starts as well.
So, speaking of mountain rescues, here's a guy who should be needing one before his next birthday.
Scariest Hiking Trail In The World - Watch more Free Videos
If you watched that whole thing without at some point thinking this guy's crazy, or feeling something flipping in your gut as he aimed the camera down, you may need some professional help. Nice video though.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Festive
Things get going about 50 seconds in. I had to listen to it a few times to get that it was Jingle Bells, even expecting Jingle Bells.
So, MJ and I got the Christmas shopping done today. We didn't get too much for anyone this year, but we didn't get started early enough, and it seems we're a bit slow, so we're just finishing up now. We also went out to Carrabas for dinner since her mother gave us a gift card (technically for Outback, but it works at Carrabas) and we won't be getting another good chance like this for a date this week. It was a good evening.
We skipped out on what also sounds like a good evening with the Venturing Crew. They had a progressive dinner christmas party, and a couple of the girls brought presents for Jack-Jack. They really like him there, but who couldn't. Actually one guy up at crew with a stick up his ass doesn't. I don't know how he got through his own kids, but he sure isn't tolerant of noises from others. Happy noises even. Who gets pissy at a baby chattering on about whatever babies chatter on about? He even pointed out one time that if this were a movie theater we'd be asked to leave. I was quick to point out that I am very fortunate that it's not. Aside from this dill hole though, everyone seems to enjoy having the few babies around each week.
It's been a while since I've made it up there though. We've had a sick baby one week, a sick baby and a sick daddy the next, and now this party thing. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone for the New Year's event we run first aid for. I'm also looking forward to the next semester of school. I've got some good classes. I'm taking Ethical Theories, Biology, Analytical Chemistry, and Calculus, along with the associated labs for Bio and Chem, but that's a little ways out, so I should really be patient and enjoy the holidays and the break.
We've got Christmas Eve at my in-laws (sorry we won't make it over Berserk, hope you all have fun). They've been doing steak and shrimp for Christmas Eve for years now, but last year I grilled both of them. It was a massive improvement from the pan fried steak and oven baked shrimp the year before if you ask me, and I believe I'm doing that again. For Christmas Day here, we'll be doing a turkey and a ham, sadly neither with a deep fryer, but it should be some pretty good stuff. I didn't do Thanksgiving here this year, so I'm looking forward to it. I think I'd like to get some poppers made up again. If I do, I should be able to get some up to Berserk and his family this time.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Poppers
Here it is:
4 large jalapeno peppers (or 8 habaneros)
1/4 lb cream cheese
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup self rising flour (I used all purpose, I don't know the difference)
1/8 teaspoon garlic
Dash Paprika
Dash onion powder
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs (I used bread crumbs)
Cut the stems off of the peppers and cut them in half. Remove the seeds and membranes. Put the peppers in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, drain them, cool them, and blot them dry. If the insides are not dry, the cheese slips out.
Make balls of 1/2 ounce of cream cheese for the jalapenos, or 1/4 ounce for habaneros, and put one in each half pepper.
Beat the two eggs in one bowl with the teaspoon of oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Put the other half teaspoon of salt, the garlic powder, the paprika, and the onion powder in another bowl with the 2/3 cup of flour. Put the crumbs in another bowl.
Coat each popper with egg, then flour, then egg, then flour, then egg, then crumbs.
This all took me a couple hours, but I quadrupled the recipe, so maybe a bit less for you.
You have to freeze them for at least two hours, I'd go with overnight. If they're not frozen, the cheese will leak out when you fry them.
Put them in 350 degree oil for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes, or until they are golden brown and float. If you want to make them for future use, you can deep fry them for 1 1/2 minutes, and then refreeze them. You can fry or bake them later until they're hot (350 degree oil for 3 1/2 minutes or 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, turning them half way through).
I find they go quite well with cranberry jelly, which only took a few minutes to make after I finished the prep work on the poppers.
4 large jalapeno peppers (or 8 habaneros)
1/4 lb cream cheese
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup self rising flour (I used all purpose, I don't know the difference)
1/8 teaspoon garlic
Dash Paprika
Dash onion powder
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs (I used bread crumbs)
Cut the stems off of the peppers and cut them in half. Remove the seeds and membranes. Put the peppers in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, drain them, cool them, and blot them dry. If the insides are not dry, the cheese slips out.
Make balls of 1/2 ounce of cream cheese for the jalapenos, or 1/4 ounce for habaneros, and put one in each half pepper.
Beat the two eggs in one bowl with the teaspoon of oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Put the other half teaspoon of salt, the garlic powder, the paprika, and the onion powder in another bowl with the 2/3 cup of flour. Put the crumbs in another bowl.
Coat each popper with egg, then flour, then egg, then flour, then egg, then crumbs.
This all took me a couple hours, but I quadrupled the recipe, so maybe a bit less for you.
You have to freeze them for at least two hours, I'd go with overnight. If they're not frozen, the cheese will leak out when you fry them.
Put them in 350 degree oil for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes, or until they are golden brown and float. If you want to make them for future use, you can deep fry them for 1 1/2 minutes, and then refreeze them. You can fry or bake them later until they're hot (350 degree oil for 3 1/2 minutes or 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, turning them half way through).
I find they go quite well with cranberry jelly, which only took a few minutes to make after I finished the prep work on the poppers.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Thanksgiving
Too late for a Thanksgiving post? Not if you have finals coming up. I'm between a couple of classes now, and have my chem lab final coming up in an hour, so here goes.
Thanksgiving was awesome. It's just a bummer that we couldn't be in more places at once, as I understand my parents had a good time at theirs, but I was already committed to deep frying a turkey. The deep fried turkey was, as everyone says, very moist. I've never had a turkey before where the white meat couldn't have used at least a little cranberry or gravy to keep it from drying out mid chew. I know my mother says she didn't notice a difference between deep fried and traditional, but she eats the dark meat, which is already pretty moist. It's nice that it's done in an hour, too. Also, it's really nice to have a big pot of hot oil on hand for making habanero poppers. They take a while to prepare before frying, and have to freeze as well, but they're worth it, at least occasionally. They go nice with the cranberry jelly too, also freshly made of course. And as long as you've got the deep fryer on hand and a ham to heat up, might as well make a cage out of a couple of wire hangers and throw that in as well. Half an hour later, you have the best ham ever.
So, I was impressed with the fryer, and intend to get one of my own a few years down. It really doesn't make the food greasy or anything as long as the oil is hot enough. Besides, it was just fun. There were plenty of people over. Mostly family, some friends as well. Most of the family was a sorry to hear that Berserk and Valkyrie couldn't make it over (they're very much the more the merrier type), but you can't be everywhere. I still have four poppers we've refrained from eating if I ever manage to get them to you Berserk. Unless you don't want week old poppers, in which case you should let me know, and I'll see to it that they don't see another day. Xkordave wanted the recipe, so I'll have to either type that out and email it to him, or more likely post it here, as soon as I'm at home and not busy with the baby.
Thanksgiving was awesome. It's just a bummer that we couldn't be in more places at once, as I understand my parents had a good time at theirs, but I was already committed to deep frying a turkey. The deep fried turkey was, as everyone says, very moist. I've never had a turkey before where the white meat couldn't have used at least a little cranberry or gravy to keep it from drying out mid chew. I know my mother says she didn't notice a difference between deep fried and traditional, but she eats the dark meat, which is already pretty moist. It's nice that it's done in an hour, too. Also, it's really nice to have a big pot of hot oil on hand for making habanero poppers. They take a while to prepare before frying, and have to freeze as well, but they're worth it, at least occasionally. They go nice with the cranberry jelly too, also freshly made of course. And as long as you've got the deep fryer on hand and a ham to heat up, might as well make a cage out of a couple of wire hangers and throw that in as well. Half an hour later, you have the best ham ever.
So, I was impressed with the fryer, and intend to get one of my own a few years down. It really doesn't make the food greasy or anything as long as the oil is hot enough. Besides, it was just fun. There were plenty of people over. Mostly family, some friends as well. Most of the family was a sorry to hear that Berserk and Valkyrie couldn't make it over (they're very much the more the merrier type), but you can't be everywhere. I still have four poppers we've refrained from eating if I ever manage to get them to you Berserk. Unless you don't want week old poppers, in which case you should let me know, and I'll see to it that they don't see another day. Xkordave wanted the recipe, so I'll have to either type that out and email it to him, or more likely post it here, as soon as I'm at home and not busy with the baby.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Bad Thermite
So thermite making was a bust. At least the thermite lighting was. I've heard it's a bit hard to get going, but I thought the magnesium ribbon would do it. Looks like I've got to either try when it's a bit warmer out, as the magnesium itself went out a few times, so I imagine the thermite might be a little resistant to lighting, or I've got to find some new method for lighting it. Otherwise, maybe my thermite is the problem. If I do get the problem worked out, I'll have to do a good post. MJ got some good before pictures, but what good is that without some really good after pictures.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
The Vincent Black Shadow
The Vincent Black Shadow is easily one of my favorite bands. It doesn't hurt any that they put on such a good show. MJ and I went to see them tonight, and they didn't disappoint. She even went up on stage after they were done, and got a drumstick for me from the drummer. We got stuff signed by them, and they were just all around cool. Thanks to Samara, by the way, for watching Jack-Jack for us. I'm glad he wasn't too much trouble.
There were a couple of decent bands opening for them too. Nim Vind was the better of the two. The guitarist for TVBS was playing with them, and then the Nim Vind bassist played with TVBS. It was pretty cool. The other cool band was called Creature Feature. They were entertaining, but I didn't get their CD like I did the other two. Berserk, next time I'm over remind me to bring the CDs. I think you'd like hearing them. There was one more band, I think it was the Royal Dead or something. Their instrumental work was awesome. I really liked how they had an actual stand up base. The vocals however were just some of that screaming crap you get in punk and heavy metal sometimes. I'm wondering though, if they sound better recorded.
Anyway, Cassandra Ford was impressive. I loved seeing so much attitude come out of such a small woman, when the scrawny pricks next to us thought they'd be funny, and gave her some crap along the lines of, "take off all your clothes." She just snapped out a quick, "F*** you!" and she and the guitarist went on some little rhyme I don't quite remember which was clever, funny, and put the little punks back in their place.
As usual, it was great spending some time with my wife. It's been too long since we've gone out and done something like this. It was a bit different having the baby at home. This may be the longest he's ever been with a sitter, so it was great that it was one of his favorite aunts (he has two aunts who he prefers over just about anyone else in his extended family).
So, all of you who don't know them already, and are interested in good music (the kind they don't play enough of on the radio) go check out Nim Vind, and The Vincent Black Shadow. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
There were a couple of decent bands opening for them too. Nim Vind was the better of the two. The guitarist for TVBS was playing with them, and then the Nim Vind bassist played with TVBS. It was pretty cool. The other cool band was called Creature Feature. They were entertaining, but I didn't get their CD like I did the other two. Berserk, next time I'm over remind me to bring the CDs. I think you'd like hearing them. There was one more band, I think it was the Royal Dead or something. Their instrumental work was awesome. I really liked how they had an actual stand up base. The vocals however were just some of that screaming crap you get in punk and heavy metal sometimes. I'm wondering though, if they sound better recorded.
Anyway, Cassandra Ford was impressive. I loved seeing so much attitude come out of such a small woman, when the scrawny pricks next to us thought they'd be funny, and gave her some crap along the lines of, "take off all your clothes." She just snapped out a quick, "F*** you!" and she and the guitarist went on some little rhyme I don't quite remember which was clever, funny, and put the little punks back in their place.
As usual, it was great spending some time with my wife. It's been too long since we've gone out and done something like this. It was a bit different having the baby at home. This may be the longest he's ever been with a sitter, so it was great that it was one of his favorite aunts (he has two aunts who he prefers over just about anyone else in his extended family).
So, all of you who don't know them already, and are interested in good music (the kind they don't play enough of on the radio) go check out Nim Vind, and The Vincent Black Shadow. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
So I know I'm supposed to be a genius and all, but...
I can be pretty retarded sometimes. I just walked down to the bus stop last night. That takes 15 minutes. I waited about 17 minutes for the bus, rode it for 13, and got off to head across the parking lot to my car. Then I remember that I left my car downtown today, wait another 17 minutes for the bus to head up to its other stop farther north, turn around, and pick me up for another 13 minute ride downtown. I walk back to campus (another 15), and am back where I started an hour and a half after I tried to go home. Throughout all of this, it's thirty seven degrees out. A half hour drive later in a heated car, and I'm home.
At least I'm not the guy I just walked past in the bathroom who seemed to be either warming or drying his butt with the hand dryer.
At least I'm not the guy I just walked past in the bathroom who seemed to be either warming or drying his butt with the hand dryer.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Cold Weekend
The weekend before this one I went on what was maybe my third event with VERT, the group that does the first aid at all these scout events. It was, as the Wizard said, a very cold campout. I slept in a big tent on a cot (I think I've got to get one of those), and I kept warm enough. Strangely, there was not a single patient the whole time I was there. Usually we at least get a few scouts who get too cold, or too dehydrated, or something. It was a good weekend not to have any problems though, as VERT was spread between a couple of different campouts that weekend.
When I got home, and regained cell service, I found that my son had gotten sick. This was the first time he's been really sick, and it has not been fun. There hasn't been much sleep, including the night before my physics midterm when I got about an hour of sleep. Stroke of luck though, the professor didn't have nearly enough tests printed up, so rather than deprive most of the class of their test time while he ran around trying to make more copies, he made it a take home test. Seems I'll be getting a good enough score on that one after all. I was really not too optimistic.
Jack-jack seems to be better now. MJ's been pretty impressive with him too, including totally taking him one night (the one after the test) and letting me sleep on the couch in the other room without complaining that I'm not doing enough. He's still got a nasty diaper rash as a result of the diarrhea which was a result of the antibiotic, but he's got his appetite back, and he's crawling around getting into stuff we don't want him to have.
When I got home, and regained cell service, I found that my son had gotten sick. This was the first time he's been really sick, and it has not been fun. There hasn't been much sleep, including the night before my physics midterm when I got about an hour of sleep. Stroke of luck though, the professor didn't have nearly enough tests printed up, so rather than deprive most of the class of their test time while he ran around trying to make more copies, he made it a take home test. Seems I'll be getting a good enough score on that one after all. I was really not too optimistic.
Jack-jack seems to be better now. MJ's been pretty impressive with him too, including totally taking him one night (the one after the test) and letting me sleep on the couch in the other room without complaining that I'm not doing enough. He's still got a nasty diaper rash as a result of the diarrhea which was a result of the antibiotic, but he's got his appetite back, and he's crawling around getting into stuff we don't want him to have.
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