Another thing I have discovered in my further exploration of dessert customs is the varying kinds of coffee. I have always thought that coffee was merely a vehicle for caffeine and a particularly helpful one for morning hangovers. Again, I realize my lack of knowledge.
I had considered coffee to be merely the beverage brewed in a pot by filtering hot water through ground coffee beans. Of course, there are many more methods of brewing that I have not realized until now. The most interesting of which to me is a method called the siphon. It is the physics of coffee at its best, and it makes one great cup off coffee.
I have also come to like a good cappuccino, but I can count on machines for that.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Pie
I know my way around a kitchen. As many who read this blog will know, since I first arrived, I have been fascinated by human cuisine. I have mainly focused on dinner, the meal of the day often given the most import. However, I have not focused too much on my desserts. That was before I came to discover pie.
Up until recently, I thought of pies as those frozen store-bought crusts in tins filled with fruit from a can. Since I discovered this new pie place that recently opened (to gift credit, April discovered it), I learned I was mistaken. There is so much more to it to get a delicious pie with a fresh crust. The filling is essential, of course, and something like pumpkin pie reacts with the palate completely differently than, say, strawberry rhubarb or banana cream. And I have not yet gotten to the delight that is quiche.
My point here is I may need to reevaluate my plans to open a restaurant of my own with dessert in mind. April tells me there is a world of possibilities to be open to, and she has a very discerning “sweet-tooth."
Up until recently, I thought of pies as those frozen store-bought crusts in tins filled with fruit from a can. Since I discovered this new pie place that recently opened (to gift credit, April discovered it), I learned I was mistaken. There is so much more to it to get a delicious pie with a fresh crust. The filling is essential, of course, and something like pumpkin pie reacts with the palate completely differently than, say, strawberry rhubarb or banana cream. And I have not yet gotten to the delight that is quiche.
My point here is I may need to reevaluate my plans to open a restaurant of my own with dessert in mind. April tells me there is a world of possibilities to be open to, and she has a very discerning “sweet-tooth."
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Blackout
I need to remind myself to never get into politics. I suppose that point is a moot since I am still “consulting” with the government, but I try to stay out of local problems that do not affect me. My sister, on the other hand, is an impetuous teenager and cannot help herself.
Madison thought it prudent to publicly support, by way of her Facebook page, the protests on Wednesday against these congressional bills SOPA and PIPA, which if I am to be completely honest are incredibly sloppy drafts of legislation, but I did say I am trying to stay out of politics. She is of course outraged along with all the other young people she schools with, and I thought this to be harmless at first. Then, she sought to impose an internet blackout in our home. She claims for her own purposes, but it prevented me from accessing the internet and certain sensitive information for an entire day.
This led to a problem contacting one of the new alien immigrants and subsequently my government contact, which could have caused a two degree shift and a .005 percent drop in angle and efficiency of the interstellar relay, which under the stress of maximum output, had we needed it, could have caused an incident of suspension of diplomatic relations resulting in a declaration of intention to commence hostile defense, which could lead to interplanetary war.
And Hulu was down so I did not get to watch my programs.
Madison was also out all night, and I had to wait for her to return home before I could ascertain the cause of this interruption. She insists it was “no big deal,” but she fails to understand I am trying to stay on the government’s good side if I am ever to get the approval for that restaurant. Also, I was really looking forward to catching up on Fringe.
~~~~~~
Madison here. Yeah, Carter's little sister. I know I usually stay away from posting, but that doesn't mean I don't read his blog.
Anyway, I think it's pretty clear if you read the above that Carter was blowing things way out of proportion. It was a simple silent protest, and it didn't hurt anyone. And so what if it did get attention, anyone can see that the language in the SOPA and PIPA bills are just plain wrong. Being an alien, which I think my brother needs to be reminded of sometimes, the last thing we need is the government and corporations snooping into our lives.
Besides, that wasn't even what Carter was mad at. He's gotten himself all bent out of shape because I had a date on Wednesday night, and a second date last night. I'm a teenager, it's what we do! My brother isn't in a place to judge considering how his spends his extra-curricular time with April.
Just thought I had the right to defend myself for once. That is all. :)
~~~~~~
Madison is grounded.
Madison thought it prudent to publicly support, by way of her Facebook page, the protests on Wednesday against these congressional bills SOPA and PIPA, which if I am to be completely honest are incredibly sloppy drafts of legislation, but I did say I am trying to stay out of politics. She is of course outraged along with all the other young people she schools with, and I thought this to be harmless at first. Then, she sought to impose an internet blackout in our home. She claims for her own purposes, but it prevented me from accessing the internet and certain sensitive information for an entire day.
This led to a problem contacting one of the new alien immigrants and subsequently my government contact, which could have caused a two degree shift and a .005 percent drop in angle and efficiency of the interstellar relay, which under the stress of maximum output, had we needed it, could have caused an incident of suspension of diplomatic relations resulting in a declaration of intention to commence hostile defense, which could lead to interplanetary war.
And Hulu was down so I did not get to watch my programs.
Madison was also out all night, and I had to wait for her to return home before I could ascertain the cause of this interruption. She insists it was “no big deal,” but she fails to understand I am trying to stay on the government’s good side if I am ever to get the approval for that restaurant. Also, I was really looking forward to catching up on Fringe.
~~~~~~
Madison here. Yeah, Carter's little sister. I know I usually stay away from posting, but that doesn't mean I don't read his blog.
Anyway, I think it's pretty clear if you read the above that Carter was blowing things way out of proportion. It was a simple silent protest, and it didn't hurt anyone. And so what if it did get attention, anyone can see that the language in the SOPA and PIPA bills are just plain wrong. Being an alien, which I think my brother needs to be reminded of sometimes, the last thing we need is the government and corporations snooping into our lives.
Besides, that wasn't even what Carter was mad at. He's gotten himself all bent out of shape because I had a date on Wednesday night, and a second date last night. I'm a teenager, it's what we do! My brother isn't in a place to judge considering how his spends his extra-curricular time with April.
Just thought I had the right to defend myself for once. That is all. :)
~~~~~~
Madison is grounded.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Games
With all of the commotion over the holidays, it has been too long since I got back to the interesting sub-world of gaming. It is the perfect way to “blow off a little steam” after all this news about the world ending, unlucky Fridays, and the stress that comes with working at the same school that one’s girlfriend works at and sister attends. Also, I have not had access to my Playstation lately.
In order to expand my horizons in the gaming world, I got a Nintendo Wii for Christmas, which I was pleased to see my sister enjoy as well. In fact, she enjoys it a little too much so that I have no time to play a game on my own. There is this simulated sports game that Madison loves to play me at because she can consistently beat me. This is something I do not understand. I thought I had gotten the hand-eye coordination down to expertly navigate most video games, but this Wii uses a rudimentary motion control sensor that, to be honest, does not effectively simulate how hard I swing the remote at all. Madison keeps telling me it is not the strength but the skill with which I need to wield the remote. Still, I think she must be cheating somehow, and my arm is getting increasingly sore. Human bodies were not made for simulated action.
However, I managed to coax my sister away from the television for a day. (In all honesty, she is hanging out with her friends today.) And with April correcting school work, I am all to myself and Playstation Online. It has been quite a while since I encountered my old nemesis Morgoth. I must try to seek him out, see if I am as good as I remember.
Also, I have been meaning to explore more around this virtual world the gaming consoles have created. The more I work with the government on deciphering the technology of my homeworld, the more suspicious I am that they are utilizing this online system somehow. It is quite hypnotic, and it seems to cultivate very specific skills.
Perhaps I should recruit some of my newly immigrated colleagues to help investigate.
In order to expand my horizons in the gaming world, I got a Nintendo Wii for Christmas, which I was pleased to see my sister enjoy as well. In fact, she enjoys it a little too much so that I have no time to play a game on my own. There is this simulated sports game that Madison loves to play me at because she can consistently beat me. This is something I do not understand. I thought I had gotten the hand-eye coordination down to expertly navigate most video games, but this Wii uses a rudimentary motion control sensor that, to be honest, does not effectively simulate how hard I swing the remote at all. Madison keeps telling me it is not the strength but the skill with which I need to wield the remote. Still, I think she must be cheating somehow, and my arm is getting increasingly sore. Human bodies were not made for simulated action.
However, I managed to coax my sister away from the television for a day. (In all honesty, she is hanging out with her friends today.) And with April correcting school work, I am all to myself and Playstation Online. It has been quite a while since I encountered my old nemesis Morgoth. I must try to seek him out, see if I am as good as I remember.
Also, I have been meaning to explore more around this virtual world the gaming consoles have created. The more I work with the government on deciphering the technology of my homeworld, the more suspicious I am that they are utilizing this online system somehow. It is quite hypnotic, and it seems to cultivate very specific skills.
Perhaps I should recruit some of my newly immigrated colleagues to help investigate.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Friday the 13th
Human superstition never ceases to amaze me. To be fair, I have become a fan of Halloween, which is quite amusing even when I do not consider its superstitious origins. Then I heard the students today worrying (somewhat mockingly) about it being “Friday the 13th!"
Today is apparently a very unlucky day. From what I can gather, it all comes down to numerology. Thirteen is supposed to be a very unlucky number, and Friday is (for reasons I still do not understand) the unluckiest of days. As far as I can tell, it has been another Friday like any other.
Still, that did lead me to overhear the other popular superstitious theory, which is that the world is supposed to end this year, according to the Mayan calendar. While I will say as advanced as that old Earth civilization was for its time, even they could run out of space on the calendar, I do wonder if people knew how close this world has come to ending. Invasion aside, one can never tell what space debris or other forces will rain down on the Earth.
On a side note, when it comes to the mathematics of it all, 13 is just a number. I have never observed any luck about it one way or the other.
On another side note, speaking of mathematics, in my further “assistance” with the government, it surprises me how stubborn even Earth scientists can be, especially in their insistence that mathematics is a universal language. While I would agree that a quantity represented by any number, say 10, is universal, but the mathematics of solving an equation based on different systems of calculation are different in confounding ways. Humans think that just because they have ten fingers, which is what their mathematic system is based on, that everyone in the galaxy does, but try telling them that an equation based on 12 and 8 digit mathematical systems translated across languages is easy. The universal translator was not built in a day, you know.
Today is apparently a very unlucky day. From what I can gather, it all comes down to numerology. Thirteen is supposed to be a very unlucky number, and Friday is (for reasons I still do not understand) the unluckiest of days. As far as I can tell, it has been another Friday like any other.
Still, that did lead me to overhear the other popular superstitious theory, which is that the world is supposed to end this year, according to the Mayan calendar. While I will say as advanced as that old Earth civilization was for its time, even they could run out of space on the calendar, I do wonder if people knew how close this world has come to ending. Invasion aside, one can never tell what space debris or other forces will rain down on the Earth.
On a side note, when it comes to the mathematics of it all, 13 is just a number. I have never observed any luck about it one way or the other.
On another side note, speaking of mathematics, in my further “assistance” with the government, it surprises me how stubborn even Earth scientists can be, especially in their insistence that mathematics is a universal language. While I would agree that a quantity represented by any number, say 10, is universal, but the mathematics of solving an equation based on different systems of calculation are different in confounding ways. Humans think that just because they have ten fingers, which is what their mathematic system is based on, that everyone in the galaxy does, but try telling them that an equation based on 12 and 8 digit mathematical systems translated across languages is easy. The universal translator was not built in a day, you know.
Friday, January 6, 2012
And We Are Back
One week back at school in my new position, and I am already behind. I should have known. I am an expert in nuclear and quantum physics and interstellar travel, yet the workload of a high school instructor is overwhelming. Then there are the students. I had thought I knew how to get along with them somewhat. I am their teacher and authority in the classroom, but I get the feeling they liked me a lot better when I was just part time.
April is back to being busy, so we now have to schedule time to see each other. I made the mistake of trying to talk to her between classes. Not only was there no time for it and she berated me a little, but the students picked up on it and started teasing us, which also brought about the wrath of my sister.
All in all, this was not my best week. Hopefully, I will be able to catch up to this “normal life” soon.
April is back to being busy, so we now have to schedule time to see each other. I made the mistake of trying to talk to her between classes. Not only was there no time for it and she berated me a little, but the students picked up on it and started teasing us, which also brought about the wrath of my sister.
All in all, this was not my best week. Hopefully, I will be able to catch up to this “normal life” soon.
Monday, January 2, 2012
What Lies Ahead
Midnight on New Year’s Eve came and went with the usual fanfare and not too much trouble to speak of. My dinner with April (lamb shank and pea soup followed by drilled Amaretto peaches) went off as well as can be. Madison stayed out all night with her very safe and sober friends. We all woke up the next day, and the world was as we left it. Yet, I feel uneasy.
I cannot shake the feeling that there is something waiting for me. With everything suddenly going right, I fear bad news is just around the corner. I know it is completely illogical. My sister would say it is not like me at all. She would probably thrilled that I am starting to worry just like all the other humans.
Still, what was it I heard, that superstition that the world is going to end in 2012? It is merely folklore, of course. I would normally discount such things. Yet, I cannot help the feeling that there is something out there I am not accounting for. Perhaps it is just the unknown future ahead of me that scares me.
The trouble is, one can never tell.
I cannot shake the feeling that there is something waiting for me. With everything suddenly going right, I fear bad news is just around the corner. I know it is completely illogical. My sister would say it is not like me at all. She would probably thrilled that I am starting to worry just like all the other humans.
Still, what was it I heard, that superstition that the world is going to end in 2012? It is merely folklore, of course. I would normally discount such things. Yet, I cannot help the feeling that there is something out there I am not accounting for. Perhaps it is just the unknown future ahead of me that scares me.
The trouble is, one can never tell.
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