arletterocks

Photosomethinger

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:38:46 GMT

Going over my photos from the After Dark: Fire and Ice show at the Exploratorium last night, I came up with a handful of neat photos, and a couple that just about floor me because they came out exactly they way I hoped, even thought I was really pushing the limits of my camera.

I feel like a freakin' artiste.

Partly Cloudy

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:24:00 GMT

Partly Cloudy

mooflyfoof's and doomdoomdoom's food blogging and photos have got me all camera-happy. I made seitan and seared kale stew with toasted bulghur (OMIGOD the magical things that happen to kale when you nearly burn it!), but as good as it was, it looked like ... well ... stew.

So let's move on to the other, more photogenic part of dinner that prompted a big-eyed "That drink was goooood" from my roommate Andrea. I call it the Partly Cloudy.

The Dark and Stormy is a sweet, spicy drink that my friends Nate and Sasha introduced me to, and a grown-up version of the Trader Joe's rum and ginger ale that keeps me cool and cheerfully bleary for much of Burning Man every year. This is my own bright, kinda tangy version that uses fresh ginger, light rum and tons more citrus than the original.

The Partly Cloudy

Note: I use a superfine Microplane spice grater on the ginger because the other roommate, Dave, buys bad-ass kitchen stuff. THIS GRATER. IT IS MAGIC. Get one. It grates spices like crazy and turns ginger, garlic, and other wet stuff into a fine paste, and really puts the fear of God into your fingertips. It's hard to use it without imagining yourself accidentally grating your fingers all the way to the first knuckle. I guess you could make this drink without it, but you'd have to shred or grate a whole walnut-sized knob of ginger and muddle it with the lime juice or something to get the same tang and then strain it to get the fibrous little shreds of ginger out, and now you're talking about a high-maintenance, bitchy drink-mixing process, and if you wanted that, you'd just make a damn mojito already.

This makes two small drinks like the one in the picture, or one to fill my cocktail vehicle of choice, a wide-mouthed one-pint Kerr mason jar. Awww, yeah. Classy.

- 2 oz. date syrup (That's simple syrup made with date sugar; you can substitute plain simple syrup if you're not the kind of nut who has five kinds of sugar and eight varieties of flour in the pantry and a major crush on ethnic grocery stores)
- 2 oz. lime juice
- 3 oz. light rum
- dash of bitters (I used Peychaud's)
- 1.5 oz soda water
- 1/4 tsp. (pea-sized blob) fresh ginger, grated into a paste

Stir the ginger and a splash of the lime juice furiously in a glass, so you don't end up with startling gobs of raw ginger in your drink. Drop in a handful of ice and pour in the rest of the ingredients, then stir a bit more. Sip thoughtfully while poking at some kale in a cast-iron pan and musing about the near-magic effects of high, dry heat on cruciferous vegetables.

scratch scratch

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:40:24 GMT

There are bunches of bug bites on my arms and leg. This only seems to happen on the nights the boy stays over. The pets have been treated for fleas; it should be too cool for mosquitoes ... so what mysterious bug is it that only notices my bed when it's radiating two persons' worth of heat?

(Either that, or it's actually the boy taking tiny tiny sips of my arm blood when I sleep. GAH.)

Awwwwww

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:07:51 GMT

Photo from the SF Tweed Ride on Sunday:

Photo by Bici Girl

... look who got caught in a moment in the background!

Daiya recap

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:32:11 GMT

Awright, I'm noticing more curiosity than I expected regarding vegan food. This is good! I like this! Because my roommates are awesome, but Splat is such a through-and-through carnivore that I get used to feeling like an alien when I jam the bottom shelf of the fridge with things like Earth Balance and vegan mayo.
In which our hero makes a sandwich.

(And in Splat's defense, he also cooks more vegetables than anyone else I know. And he eats the second most kale of anyone, EVER. It is definitely not a veggie-unfriendly house; more of a vegetarian-puzzled one.)

But yeah so I made grilled cheese with the Italian blend of Daiya cheese -- a vegan, non-soy fake cheese made mostly of cassava and arrowroot to give it cheese's charming "gummy" texture. Splat and I tried a pinch of it raw and it creeped us both out -- he said it tasted like the fake chicken bits in Campbell's chicken noodle soup. It definitely had a tinge of that flavor that companies use to compensate for blandness in meat: a little musky, a little oversalty. Not bad, just peculiar.

Melted, though, it was like average cheese.

I KNOW, RIGHT?! AVERAGE CHEESE! Not "good for vegan cheese" or "close enough to cheese" or "comparable with cheese," but just, well, cheese. It felt like cheese, it tasted like cheese, and if I ordered a grilled cheese at a diner, I wouldn't notice a thing if someone slipped me this. It's not sharp cheddar or cave-aged Gruyere; it's not spectacular or even memorable. But after years of trying out waxy, weird, unmeltable cheeses, "unremarkable" is freaking revolutionary.

I'd been telling Lambchop that there are good vegan cheeses out there, but he kept giving me the "I'm humoring you face" when I said it, much like the face he had when I offered him a bite of my sandwich. He chomped politely on it, chewed a couple times, and then his eyes bugged half out of his head and he froze like that for a second, not even chewing, before his face unfolded in shock and delight.

"OMIGOD," I said. "I've been telling you for weeks that 'vegan' doesn't have to mean 'sucky' and YOU WERE IGNORING ME THE WHOLE TIME, WEREN'T YOU."

We celebrated this vegan discovery, of course, with more ice cream.

I'll make a vegan foodie of him yet.

oh god finally alfredo again

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:31:25 GMT

The other day I made this vegan Alfredo sauce (except I doubled the raw cashews to make it thicker) and lemme tell you, I was so happy I would've cried if I weren't so busy stuffing my face with pasta.

I'm lactose intolerant enough that Alfredo sauce is a crazy-rare exception -- it's tasty, but I know if I eat it I'll be rubbing my nose raw with itchy dairy allergies for two days after. NOT WORTH IT. But this? A bunch of stuff I already had lying around, 30 seconds in the blender, and then unmitigated pasta glory! With no suffering! OK yeah, not everyone stocks tahini and nutritional yeast, but as a part-time vegan, I do. This is only one reason that I am a better person than ALL OF YOU.

I celebrated this amazing discovery by then eating half a pint of dark chocolate Coconut Bliss, a dairy-free, coconut-based ice cream that made me deliriously happy to walk right past the Ben & Jerry's and plop down twice as much cash for an equivalent amount of dessert. No, really. It's the best chocolate ice cream I've had.

Today is an excursion down to Rainbow for Daiya, a vegan cheese that I'm told actually melts. And then: PIZZA. Pizza that I can eat without feeling like I swallowed a beach ball whole. I dunno about you guys, but this insane vegan trend thing going on for the last couple years is one of the best things that's ever happened to me -- right up there with learning how to stave off a hangover.

Edited to add: Um look what I caught myself typing later when IMing with Sonya:

arlette: OH MAN I GET TO EAT PASTA TONIGHT!!!!!!
arlette: with ALFREDO SAUCE!!!!!
arlette: i am even gonna make soup and PUT PASTA ALL OVER THAT BITCH

This is how much I love that damn Alfredo sauce.

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:55:13 GMT

Ugh. Just sent this e-mail to whoever runs "Keep On Burning," which is apparently some kind of burner social networking site:

I found a "Keep on Burning" card advertising your site tucked under my car's windshield wiper as I was leaving the playa and was not amused. I really didn't appreciate getting my car randomly flyered at the burn, of all places. Next time you might want to ask before sticking someone with your moop.

My actual ticket this year is bent in the middle and barely survived the ride home, but I made sure to tuck this stupid little business card into a safe place in my car so I could send them a pissy note when I got back.

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:44:54 GMT

The first rule of Burning Man is you do not talk about Burning Man.

(Oh, if only.)

I've cleaned all the grit out of my ears, have unloaded the car and am waiting on the washer and OK let's face it I'm just plain stalling, now that I can finally marinate myself in the Internet after near ten days out.

I would like to thank whoever it was who installed my favorite playa art: an unmarked black couch three feet from the trash fence in the empty, least hip quadrant of the open playa, facing out. The couch hosted my favorite annual Burning Man moment, which is when I get to walk away from the whole mess as far as I can and turn my back on the whole thing and not have to look at it for a bit. It's a great event and all, and there are plenty of reasons I keep going back, but deserts are supposed to be quiet and still and they creep along at their own pace and boy howdy does Burning Man ever get that part wrong.

I'd also like to thank the members of Gigsville who got me blind drunk Sunday afternoon, prompting me to pass out asleep, hung over or just plain surly well into the evening, meaning I got to break down my camp alone by headlamp. I knew I could count on you guys!

A FUCKING UNICORN

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:46:21 GMT

A FUCKING UNICORN

via pretentious & pop.

yawn

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:46:26 GMT

Sometimes I worry that my ego is, er, too healthy.

Then I immediately dismiss the idea as ridiculous beyond belief.

Is that proof?

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:56:49 GMT

Oh MAN the decongestant with pseudoephedrine in it sure works like crazy -- if "works" means it makes me growl and pretend to savage Alex's arm like a police dog.

And people wonder why I will not ever, ever, ever do speed.

An instruction manual

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:20:22 GMT

How to Own the Place:

1. Walk around like you own the place.
2. Why would anything throw off your game? You fuckin' own the place!

Bang!

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:07:01 GMT

Novice shooter's class booked! (Why is it so much easier to book a class at the shooting range than a doctor's appointment, anyway?) I've been shooting before and loved it, but formal classes are incredibly useful. (See: the Motorcycle Safety Foundation weekend course, which promptly made me a better cyclist and driver.) (Note: Get motorcycle.) The .22 they use for the class isn't especially exciting, but hey, I'm there to learn, not to get a girl-boner from firepower.

Tonight's a documentary on Scandinavian black metal at YBCA, tomorrow's the SFMOMA party for the new Avedon exhibit and then grunt work for Sand by the Ton, and more Sand grunt work the next day. Sunday's shooting and then finally watching the Jeff Buckley documentary "Amazing Grace," which I've been waiting to see again since I saw it at Cinequest in 2005. Stuff, stuff, stuff.

I worry sometimes about being an experience junkie like I'm a music junkie — a couple of Zen lessons I've read about chasing new experiences kinda make me squirm in my chair a little if I think about them too hard. But when I'm alone, my head is a comfortable, quiet place, and that's my measure of whether I'm living right. It feels like an old leather jacket that's broken in just right.

I wish I could hand that feeling off to more people, but I'm not sure how many would sign up for it if they knew how much work is involved. And if I've learned anything, it's that you can't sucker people into learning.

But now, I'm heading to House of Shields with a Cory Doctorow book — on paper! I know, right?

ah'm goin' to maker faire!

Sat, 30 May 2009 01:37:47 GMT

Saturday only. Will be there around noon. Whee!

Thu, 14 May 2009 18:58:46 GMT

Been going running around Lake Merritt nearly every day for a couple weeks. It's just over 3 miles -- 3.2, I think. Yesterday I plotted the route around the lake and found landmarks every half-mile so I could keep track on my run. So far I can only get about a mile and a half before I have to walk and catch my breath, then I walk about a quarter-mile and run the rest. A mile and a half isn't much, but hell -- I'm running nearly three miles in all, and that first mile and a half is inching upward every day. A week ago, I could only make it to the mile mark.

I was obsessed last week with finding the right music to run to, but ended up listening over and over again to the loudest and most obnoxious Throw Rag songs I could find. Then I accidentally ran my iPod Shuffle through the laundry, so the last couple days I've been running in time with my own breathing, which actually works even better than music.

Mon, 11 May 2009 05:40:55 GMT

1. Grrr.
2. Grrr grrr grrr.
3. GRRR GRRR GRRRRRRRR.
4. Sure wish I knew where my cell phone got to.*

* GRRRRRRRRRRR. **

** Or my cigarettes.

Guess who's drinking on the patio with music nerds this weekend

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:25:50 GMT

The Love Song of Alfred "Bloody Mary" Prufrock

Let us sit then, you and I,
When the morning seeps across the sky
Like a bloody Mary spilled across a table;
Let us grill, with certain sauces,
The curling shrimp,
The spears of asparagus in tart marinade
That shame restaurants spawned by Chez Panisse:
Sauces with the bite of witty argument
And inebriated intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
Oh, do not ask, "Is that pitcher empty?"

Let us sit and let us visit.
In the honeysuckle the finches come and go
Talking of Calexico.

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:10:34 GMT

All this sunny cool gorgeous weather is making me mopey as hell.

Writer's Block: Conchordance

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:16:23 GMT

Who is cuter: Bret or Jemaine?

View 500 Answers

God, I hope I ever have to make this choice in person.

They're both beautiful. One looks like you could crush him, and the other looks like he could crush you. With that choice, everyone can be happy! And either way you'll get your quota of awkwardness bad posture. *hearts*

Shoulder cat

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:42:03 GMT

Shoulder cat

This is what I came downstairs to this morning.

Awwwwr.

Maybe I can have a working camera again someday

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:14:34 GMT

Oh blessed heavens, the camera insanity I've been dealing with (incredibly blown out photos with a strong magenta cast, hideously overexposed even when I crank the aperture and ISO down and set the shutter speed to one bazillionth of a second) is probably due to a CCD failure. Meaning I can box it up and mail it to Nikon, and if something's wrong, they'll fix it for free.

This whole "not having a working camera" thing is bunk.

Wikipedia link of the day: Multiple gunshot suicide

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:38:23 GMT

"Multiple gunshot suicide occurs when an individual commits suicide by firearm and succeeds in inflicting two or more gunshots upon himself before incapacitation ensues."

In 2010, I GO TO FRESNO

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:59:12 GMT

For this.

Not before then, though.

(The tour hits Fresno in late summer of 2010.)

Consume!

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:49:26 GMT

"No, the most disgusting thing about [Palin] is what she says about us: that you can ram us in the ass for eight solid years, and we'll not only thank you for your trouble, we'll sign you up for eight more years, if only you promise to stroke us in the right spot for a few hours around election time."

I can't believe that's all the wisdom I can muster.

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:40:00 GMT

So I've been doing my damnedest to cut the sulking and moping, for, like, two whole days. Life needs me to be a grown-up right now —

— actually, that'd be my coworkers, really. But I sure would like to pretend to be a grown-up for a bit. Life can't all be drinking beer and eating peanut butter cups. Sometimes you gotta do laundry and wake up on time. When you sulk too much, eventually your laundry basket, socks or birdcage is gonna start to smell funny.

God, I wish that were a metaphor, or that my laptop lived a little further away from the laundry basket.

arletterocks

Photosomethinger

Partly Cloudy

*scratch* *scratch*

Awwwwww

Daiya recap

oh god finally alfredo again

A FUCKING UNICORN

*yawn*

An instruction manual

Bang!

ah'm goin' to maker faire!

Guess who's drinking on the patio with music nerds this weekend

Writer's Block: Conchordance

Shoulder cat

Maybe I can have a working camera again someday

Wikipedia link of the day: Multiple gunshot suicide

In 2010, I GO TO FRESNO

Consume!

I can't believe that's all the wisdom I can muster.

scratch scratch

yawn