Bryceland Tribune

Mike D, Mike S

2009-12-01T01:23:25Z

A grade school classmate of mine died this year of a heart attack. I found out about it from some of our other classmates on Facebook. I see old photos of him there, as my classmates periodically share them, and so I've reflected on his death a few times now. There's a discussion group dedicated to memories of him. I was invited to join at some point.

I never did, because I had nothing positive to say about him. He was never anything but an asshole to me, frankly. Near as I could tell in grade school, nothing made him happier than ridiculing other people. Naturally, most people are usually pretty different after grade school, and I didn't ever even see him again. I'm sure he had some redeeming qualities, and I sort of regret that I never got to see them. And judging solely on the comments in this Facebook discussion group, he was a very different person to lots of other people.

He was actually the second person from our class (of just 25 or so students) to die. The first, another Mike by coincidence, succumbed to cancer of some sort, three or four years ago. I remember being a bit more struck by the tragedy then, not even because he was the first or we were all that much younger, but because he didn't have an easy life at all. He joined our class when he repeated the third grade, never did well in school, and didn't have any friends in our little class. He seemed to have to steal his happiness and self esteem when no one was watching. I hope his life got better than that; it's hard to imagine how it wouldn't, really.

I couldn't help but compare them when I heard about Mike D. I'm sure Mike S wouldn't have had an outpouring like this. Maybe I've got it all wrong, maybe D learned kindness and S was psychotic, and it's a testament to how poorly I knew either of them. But at face value it sure seems like a depressing confirmation of everything grade school taught me about human nature.

A Busy Saturday Morning

2009-11-15T19:41:05Z

I brought Dwight (my accordion) to our Music Together class yesterday. I had worked up simple arrangements of three songs from the current songbook, and accompanied the class while they sang and danced. (I sang along where possible too, but was thinking too hard most of the time.) It was so much fun, I'm looking forward to doing it again sometime. I also want to bring the uke in at some point.

After class we went to Verizon Wireless to look at the new Droid, which Laura went ahead and bought. (I'm officially jealous. I love my Samsung Flipshot, but man is that thing sexy.) The kids entertained the sales guys by pretending to talk on the dummy model phones throughout the store. One of the guys went in back and got a couple of discontinued models, and gave them to the kids as toys. They were so proud. They've been making pretend phonecalls on them ever since.

Then, next door to Verizon is a Tae Kwon Do school, and they were celebrating their fourth anniversary with free food, demonstrations, a bounce house, and cake. The kids had a ball and wore themselves out. Riley was imitating the demonstrators, kicking and shouting an approximation of "hyah!" We got to thinking about how martial arts would teach a lot of the things that Riley needs most: confidence, discipline, focus. We spoke with the manager, and she was very supportive, saying they work with special needs kids all the time. She set Riley up with an instructor -- a teenage boy who surprised us by being really good with Riley. We signed Riley up for classes. He seems excited about it, we're hopeful he'll participate well.

(Of course, as I typed this he was screaming his lungs out, in protest of being sent to "quiet time" for having screamed about having to wear non-preferred underwear because he wet his Spongebob ones. So we shall see. Rome wasn't built in a day and so on.)

Userpic meme

2009-10-26T01:02:01Z

Baaaa. Got this from snobahr, whom I solicited to ask me about a handful of my userpics. The meme text says:
If you comment here, I'll choose five of your icons to ask you about. (Or, if you have fewer than five icons, I'll just choose one.) Then you do might a post explaining the significance of those icons.

But you can also comment here if you just want to ask about another of my icons but don't want to do the meme. I'll add it to the list below.

I use this map of Belgium when mere expletives are inadequate. This is based entirely on part of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series.

This image is taken from Joe Versus The Volcano, where it appears in several different forms, most purely as the corporate logo of the soul-crushing company that Joe works for. It's a symbol of struggle and (on the flipside) adaptation. I use it whenever I describe or refer to an onerous task, or to one of those unforseen problems that life drops in your path. But it's not always epic in scale, it works just as well for trivial or tedious stuff too.

The chat acronym ROFLMAO always brought to mind Emperor Mao, and that famous solemn portrait of him. I don't use this one very often, but when I do, it's as a sarcastic kind of anti-laughter about something I don't find funny, inspired by the juxtaposition of the colloquialism with his facial expression. I've never used it with a political message (e.g. "omg communism lol") nor do I plan to in the future, but I'm forced to admit that it would also work in such a context. In fact, the ease with which this could be misunderstood makes me a bit hesitant even to use it as I do.

That's me, in one of the very few photos of myself that I can stand. Unfortunately, I'm a bit tired of it at this point, but I don't really have a better one to replace it. It was taken at my grandpa's in, let's see, it must've been the summer of '02. I use this one for stuff about my person or my family, or other times when a real smile is called for.

Colin was always my favorite on Whose Line. Even more than the rest of them, he jumped into anything, completely fearless of looking silly no matter what it was. Everybody else had their rare moments when their dignity made them flinch, but I never once saw Colin have one of those. Anyway, I looked at his official website one day, and the puzzled look of this photo struck me. The quote, which is from The King and I, expresses the level of "WTF?" I'm shooting for, while also sneaking a bald joke in there. (I imagine Ryan would be proud of the effort, but tell me it's far too subtle.)

Real Conversation with a Seven-Year-Old

2009-09-08T23:23:29Z

Other Guy: So your job is to stay at home with these two?
Me (spinning Lydia in the air): Yup.
7-year-old: Your job is to stay with them? That just sounds like a dad.
Me: Well, I am their dad.
7yo: That's not a job, what's your other job?
Me: I don't have one right now--
7yo: You lost your job?
Me: No, I left it so I could take care of them at home.
7yo: That was a dumb idea.
Me: ...
7yo: You could be making... a hundred dollars a week!
Me: *visualizes him doing Dr. Evil pinky gesture, chuckles inwardly*

(Other topics included Bakugan and the Coca-Cola museum.)

Page Two: Bryce endorses the ThinkGeek Bluetooth Retro Handset

2009-09-08T03:22:17Z

On our last move, we decided to lose the land line and go all-wireless for our telephony. A phone line at the house was another expense and we barely used it anyway. It's been almost a year now and we haven't looked back. During this time my cell phone and I have grown closer. I've gotten a bit more reliable about keeping it with me constantly.

Now, my phone is a fairly typical marvel of modern nanotechnology. It's got hours of music on it, Internet access, a navigation app with voice recognition, Bluetooth, a 3 Megapixel camera with video capability... and oh yeah, you can use it to make calls too. And perhaps most amazing of all, it's small enough to fit in the same pocket with my keys (just in case I should happen to want to scratch it all up like a turntable at a rap concert).

But therein lies my beef with the thing. It's designed for the human pocket, not the human head. It's uncomfortable to hold in the hand for any length of time. Forget cradling it on your shoulder while your hands are busy, it's so thin that you have to kink your neck at about an 80° angle to pin it there. And the flip-open style does get the microphone closer to my mouth than my old phone did, but it's still not quite close enough that I can talk at a volume that I consider normal. (And I can't stand "cell phone voice." It doesn't seem to bother most people to have to raise your voice to be heard, but it's kind of a pet peeve of mine, in any context.)

Enter this thing. It's a handset like old fashioned telephones used to have, back when cranial compatibility was a primary design goal -- there's a reason phones were shaped that way for so long, after all. But this one's got Bluetooth, so you can use it wirelessly.

I got myself one with birthday money a while back. It's as comfortable as I wanted it to be, holding it is like a friendly handshake. The classic shoulder-prop is a much more reasonable technique now, and it cups right up to my mouth so my soft normal voice is usually enough. I do need to crank up the headset volume on my phone to make the earpiece loud enough, but that works perfectly. The battery life is good, for my usage anyway. Two thumbs up!

Lydia Sings Edelweiss

2009-08-25T00:17:09Z

Every night before bed, I sing lullabyes to Lydia for a bit. She recently started singing them right along with me. We do three songs, and Edelweiss is the grand finale every night.

(Apologies to Facebook people who've seen it already.)

Chicken Mole Short Stack

2009-07-10T02:43:51Z

Last night I tried to replicate a dish from my favorite casual Mexican restaurant in New York. They called it "budin poblano," which is a bit of a misnomer because it's not like a pudding at all. It did resemble a small cake, though, so maybe that's where they got the name.

Anyway it's a stack of tortillas layered with chicken, refried beans, sour cream, and mole. I served it with my ridiculously simple Ro-Tel and frozen corn combo. It turned out really well, I'm psyched because I have missed this dish so much over the years.

Cookware: I baked in our ovenproof skillet because these tortillas required something wide, but you could certainly use smaller tortillas and a Corningware dish or pie plate or something.

Ingredients:
- A couple pats of butter.
- Tortillas. I used flour, and they were ten inches wide, so four of them was the right amount. I might use smaller ones and more of them next time though.
- Refried beans. I used one can of "fat free traditional."
- Shredded chicken. I cooked two thighs, the yield in shredded pieces was about a cup and a half.
- Mole. I bought a jar of Doña Maria brand, which is a kind of concentrate, you mix it on the stove with chicken broth (or water, though I can't vouch for that). I used less broth than the jar's instructions called for (about 3/4 as much), which made for a nicely thick sauce.
- Sour cream. But we didn't have any so I used plain yoghurt instead.
- Shredded Jack cheese. The restaurant's website doesn't mention cheese in the original dish, and I can't remember if there was any or not. But I put a little bit in, thinking it might help the layers hold together. In retrospect I'm not sure it was necessary, I think the beans offer enough structural integrity.
- Chopped onion. I threw this in for a little texture, I'm not sure the original recipe had it. I chopped up half of a yellow onion, but didn't use more than half of that.
- Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top, for looks.

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter the bottom of one tortilla and lay it in the pan. Spread refried beans on the tortilla, then sprinkle some chicken and onions on (taking into account how many layers you're doing and reserving enough for each). Drizzle some mole on top -- not enough to cover, just a light splattering -- then do some sour cream (or plain yoghurt) the same way. Add a touch of shredded cheese if you're using it, don't overdo it though.

Add more layers (I did a total of three topping layers between four tortillas): Skip the butter. Put the tortilla on a plate to spread the refried beans, then transfer to the top of the previous layer to add the other toppings.

Butter the top of a tortilla for the top layer. Cover the whole thing with foil (or a lid, if applicable) and bake for 20-25 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. Keep the mole warm while the tortilla layers are in the oven, and you'll need to stir it to keep it from getting chunky on the top.

I cut my tortilla stack into six triangular pieces, but that'll vary with tortilla size of course. Ladle some mole over each serving, and sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top if you're using them. Voilà!

It may not really require that much time in the oven, but it's the only amount I've tested so far and it worked well.

Mmm, just as good on day two. It's kinda rich though, more of an occasional craving killer than a regular menu staple. Oops, I forgot to take a picture again tonight. Tomorrow, if I remember, I'll add one.

Jiggity Jig

2009-07-02T17:50:14Z

Yesterday Laura suggested that we could come back home a day early, and that's what we did. She gets more time with the kids this way, and our own bed sounded quite a bit better than one more night and morning at Comfort Suites. So even though the trip was great fun and we enjoyed it, we headed on home yesterday.

But not before climbing to the top of Looking Glass Rock. My legs were still a little worn out from Tuesday's bike trek, so I was going kinda slow by the time we reached the summit. But it was worth it. The path opened up onto bare stone, sloping gradually to the cliff drop like a beach with sky instead of ocean. It may not have been the highest peak in sight, but standing on the brink, I was on the very edge of the planet. I felt the earth turning beneath me, scraping the sky as it went. It was exhilirating.

The four hour car ride home, while not exactly exhilirating, did give us a chance to sit still for a while, and by then I was quite appreciative of that. We made it home in time to tuck the kids into bed. They were happy to see us. Lydia seemed to have done way more than three days' worth of growing up. She's been bursting with Lydiacity today too, she treated us to a dance marathon. I'm so glad we didn't miss her this morning.

Asheville part 2

2009-07-01T03:46:15Z

We started today with a ride on the trails at Bent Creek, in Pisgah National Forest. The trail we were on climbed up along a ridge and eventually circled Lake Powhatan. It was nice and shady, and the path itself was double-wide and gravel.

I have no idea how high it was or how much the elevation changed over our ride, but it was a lot more than we're used to. It was pretty challenging, but fun, we just walked the bikes when we had to. It was mostly just really long uphill stretches for the first half, and then of course much more downhill on the second half. My hand is actually a little sore from all the braking coming back down. It was great fun to do, the only drawback was that I was so focused on the road that I didn't see as much of the surrounding forest as I maybe would've liked. The air did me good anyway, though.

After that we headed back to Biltmore. We had a little snack, did the winery tour and sampled a few wines, and explored the old farm buildings out there. After a quick change of clothes, we dined at the inn. Oh man, what a meal. My brain quivered from the sensations my mouth was sending it. Sweet pea and wasabi soup. Crisp frog legs with goat cheese cake, apricot marmalade, and bell pepper tapenade. Prosciutto wrapped pheasant breast with smoked onion potato puree, broccolini, and carrot jus. NOM. Not quite ready for dessert, we took a brief constitutional around the grounds while the sun started toying with the idea of setting. Then coffee and a peanut butter bananas foster sundae.

We're missing the kids, but apparently they're having a great ol' time with their grandparents. Hopefully they're having as much fun as we are. Can't wait to hug 'em though.

Biltmore

2009-06-30T04:41:40Z

Laura and I are in Asheville, NC for a few days, while her mom and stepdad watch the kids. Apparently that's going pretty well, the kids have reportedly been "little angels."

Today we went to the Biltmore and toured the house and gardens. As a residence, it's ludicrously opulent of course. It was cool seeing the servants' areas and imagining all the bustling it must've taken to operate everything. Resetting the bowling pins for the family and guests had to be one of the more humbling tasks, I imagine. And I can't imagine trying to cook for fifty or more people on a coal-burning stove.

Looking at all the luxury through modern eyes, it's easy to feel judgmental. I do think this level of indulgence is excessive and selfish. But back then it was admired and celebrated even more widely than it is today. Granted, the estate has certainly stimulated the local economy, and the family was charitable beyond that. But my admiration was tainted as I looked around. It would be harder to achieve this place today, I think. I wonder how long it'll be before we see a private residence to equal it. With the story of Michael Jackson's death all over the television right now, I found myself wondering if his Neverland Ranch will still exist a hundred years from now.

We shuffled through the house with a river of people, but the gardens were comparatively empty, in spite of the gorgeous weather. The place is really vast. We're going back tomorrow to see the winery and have dinner at the bistro there, after a morning of biking in the mountains. I would write more about today, but it's bedtime now.

Popsday

2009-06-22T02:51:26Z

This morning when Laura brought the kids in to wake me up, Riley said "Happy Fathers Day!" Lydia thought for a moment and said "Happy Birthday!" We all laughed. Laura assures me she had nailed it in rehearsal.

We had some yummy muffins to tide us over 'til brunch, then took the bikes to the shady park for a while. It was already nice and warm out, enough that the wind felt perfect. Lydia's getting brave with climbing, it can be a little nerve-wracking to watch.

Back to the house for brunch. Laura made me huevos rancheros. My brother-in-law came over and helped, and stayed to hang out with us all day. Lydia napped for a while, during which time I fiddled with bike accessories. Laura helped Riley with his own little bike, and he sweetly decided he wants to pull Lydia in the trailer behind him.

When the nap was over, we all went to the neighborhood pool here in our subdivision. We hadn't been yet. The kids had a ball and wore themselves out. Lydia indicated that she wanted to swim herself in the big pool, rather than being held, so I faced her away from me, held her up by her bottom and balanced her under the water. She is now 100% confident in her fictitious ability to swim. Her proud little smile is just impossibly endearing.

We had takeout barbecue for dinner. Riley was really tired, but super sweet to me. He rested his head on my hand for a bit, and melted my heart. (He's not like that often, and certainly not with me when he's got his Mommy right there.)

The day was one enormous gift. I wish I could box it up.

field report

2009-04-05T18:34:35Z

I'm having one of those times when I have more to say than I have time to type it up. But yes, I am still alive.

Puzzler Time!

2008-12-19T03:50:24Z

Which of these things did Bryce not do today?
(A) Got his eyelid lanced.
(B) Destroyed an ecosystem.
(C) Finished Christmas shopping.
(D) Repaired the minivan.

Answer: C. Here's the breakdown:
(A) I've had a stye way down under/in my eyelid for some time. Antibiotics shrunk it a tiny bit, but it withheld the siege. So my opthamologist did a frontal assault on it today. It's a sore and scabbed, and a bit smaller still, but there's still a hard lump under there which seems to have made itself quite comfortable. Anyway.
(B) I cleaned up the wet mounds of leaves in our driveway today, upheaving the lives of centipedes, worms, ants, and even a mushroom. Bonus eco-destruction points for using a gas-powered leaf blower. :P
(C) Yeah, I just have one more thing to get though. I think.
(D) It was only a brake light blub replacement, but that totally counts, I say.

Thanksgiving '08

2008-11-28T04:04:30Z

The menu:

Cornish hens, brined, grilled, basted in a vinegar sauce. Positively succulent. They took longer on the grill than expected, but that's probably because we grilled six birds rather than the four called for in the recipe. Also because I had the grill open a lot to flip them or check the temperature.

Bread stuffing, made from scratch. Just baked in a casserole dish, though, not actually stuffed into the birds. Turned out very crumbly, but oddly enough, not dry. Excellent flavors and texture in the mouth.

Baked sweet potatoes. I did these ahead because I thought we might need the oven today. They got a little overdone, and didn't reheat well in the microwave. They had yummy caramelized bits in them though. We doctored up the potatoes by mashing them with cream cheese, which turned out delicious.

Steamed broccoli with garlic vinegar dressing. We have it pretty often anyway, but what it lacks in "special occasionality" it makes up for in flavor. A nice kick to add punctuation between bites of comfort food.

With special guest: Store-bought pumpkin pie. It didn't blow my socks off but it served its purpose.

My mom's here visiting for the weekend, she got here last night. Riley's been pretty open with her, right from the beginning, which is great to see. He's interacting with her on a level that he hasn't before, it gives me hope that his communication issues are on the way out. Lydia showed some predictable skepticism of Mom at first but is warming to her quickly.

Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday. It's so laid back, free of expectations. It's about appreciating, sharing, and food, and nothing else. It's a pity that it's perpetually eclipsed by Christmas in terms of travelling home. Hmm, maybe I should stop letting it be.

All Hallows Eve

2008-11-06T01:38:57Z

Been meaning to post this for a few days, but only just got these photos online. Riley did a reprise of his bat costume from last year, since it still fits him just fine. Lydia went as a jack-o'lantern.

We kicked off the day with a party at Riley's school. Both kids were a little intimidated by the din when we got there, but got into the swing of things pretty quick. Riley and I ~~ran~~ hopped a sack race, and decorated little picture frames with foam stickers, but he was really all about the bounce house. (It's funny, all those times at Little Gym he never trusted the big air mat, he'd grow extra arms to hold onto me rather than bounce around on it with the other kids. But he could not get enough of this bounce house. Man, what a year will do.) Poor Lydia got pretty worn out exploring the party, she passed out almost as soon as I started the van.

We carved the pumpkins in the afternoon. I got a little round white one from Home Depot, with the idea of doing it as a skull. I drew the face with a sharpie, and it turned out pretty cool, then I couldn't bring myself to carve it out. I am curious how it would look carved, but it would be rather time consuming to try it with all the teeth.

Some of our neighbors had a cookout in their driveway, so that was our first stop trick-or-treating. The kids had a great time playing there. Eventually we visited all the lit houses on our block, by which time both kids were exhausted.

We had a few handfuls of trick-or-treaters come to our door over the course of the evening, most of whom were delightful. There were a few teens with no apparent costume, some of those weren't even accompanying little siblings or anything. I gave them candy anyway -- I mean at least they're out doing this instead of drugs or whatever -- but it always feels kinda like extortion. Which got me thinking that trick-or-treating really started out that way anyway, so there's no point resenting them for it.

Vote Cast!

2008-11-04T22:25:55Z

Apparently I left the van on all night (i.e. the key in the ignition, turned to ACC, though the engine wasn't running of course), and so this morning it wouldn't turn over. I called AAA for a jump, and while I was waiting I put the kids in the two-seat stroller and walked them around our street. One of our neighbors was able to give us a jump on his way to work. Got Riley to school, albeit almost an hour late. Then Lydia and I went on a little drive to recharge the battery.

After that I went to my nearest polling place, and though I wasn't 100% sure I was assigned there, I knew my wife was, and I figured even if I wasn't they could help me find where to go. There was no significant line at all, which was great. But my registration never got processed, which was not. Apparently I wasn't the only new -- hmm, what would you call it, applicant? -- to fall through the cracks. I turned in my registration form at the DMV when I got my Georgia driver's license on October 3. Nobody at the polling place today could tell me whether that was past the deadline or not, but it didn't matter, they made many calls and eventually got me my voter card. I cast my ballot and was very grateful for all the assistance. Lydia was a big hit there while we were waiting, she charmed everybody. :)

I left feeling really good. It didn't hurt that it's a gorgeous day here today, sunny and clear. But given the trouble with the van this morning, and then the bureaucratic slog, I was a little surprised to find myself so at peace with the world.

dbrycegh @ 2008-10-28T20:56:00

2008-10-29T00:59:05Z

Recent studies here at the BryceLand Institute of Culinosophy indicate that wasabi peas and pumpkin ale are not best friends in your mouth. The origin of the pairing has yet to be ascertained, but scientists have concluded that it was not divine inspiration.

New Town, New Band

2008-09-28T04:27:54Z

We moved to Fayetteville, GA this week. The house is bigger and nicer than our last one, though it too is a rental. Lots of storage, a screened-in back porch, and access to community perks like a swimming pool and tennis courts. The only downsides are an increase in yard maintenance, and an allegedly fascist neighborhood association which is ever vigilant for infractions of yard maintenance guidelines. But our kitchen sink alone is probably worth this sacrifice.

We got here Sunday night, and spent a couple days camping here and getting the essentials in place. Movers brought the rest of our stuff on Wednesday. It was the easiest move I've had by far.

There was a newspaper in our driveway that evening, and I brought it into the house and looked through it. In it I found a classified ad seeking a keyboard player for "an established southern rock/blues band." I called them yesterday, having finally gotten the boxes down to ankle level. I figured even if nothing else came of it, I could pick their brains about resources for musicians down here. They invited me and the family out to the lead singer's house this evening for band practice and a cookout.

It was great fun, even though I wasn't yet able to play along with most of their songs. And even though I have a lot of practicing to do before I know the songs as well as they do, they're willing to give me the chance to get up to speed. Everything they played tonight is a cover, but the songs are good and fun to play. They get some gigs but aren't very aggressive about it -- they all have day jobs -- which suits me and my Dad-of-young-kids schedule just fine. The band's name is Remedy. They play pretty well together, I'd say.

Downtown Fayetteville seems to be precisely one major intersection. Most of the rest of it is tucked away behind the trees, off little roads; the vibe is a bit isolating. I'm glad to be making some friends already.

The Kids' Birthdays

2008-09-08T15:05:06Z

(Ack, this post has been sitting half-finished in Semagic for way too long. :P Time I got back on the LJ horse. Probably also time I thought of a better metaphor.)

Riley had his third birthday. They gave him a little party at school, we all sang for him and ate those little school cups of foamy vanilla ice cream. He was happy to have me there, it was really sweet. And he's been treating me better overall, we're seeing lots of gradual improvement in his behavior in general. On Saturday we had our family birthday party for him, out at his grandparents' place in the country. He had fun with his new garden tools, he helped his mom plant some flowers. He really loved the toy fishing pole and fish we got him.

For his birthday cake I did Devil's Food, because he is, as he would say, a "handsome debbil." It took a while to do from scratch, with Cook's Illustrated's usual level of mild overcomplication, but it turned out impossibly light and velvety. I would do it again for an occasion like this.

I think I tend to forget how young Riley is, because he's so intellligent and articulate. When I think about other toddlers I've known, I worry that I've expected too much of him. On the other hand, none of those others has been quite like him; seems like they're probably not a very good barometer anyway.

And then Lydia turned a year old almost a week later. Her party was out at the grandparents' too. She didn't care much for Riley's birthday cake, so we went with an ice cream cake for her. She loved it of course. We got her a stuffed cow which we named MooMoo, and a toy tractor and barn. MooMoo's not her favorite bedtime buddy, but she has a special place in Lydia's pre-bedtime routine now.

The Blind Fixing the Blind

2008-08-29T03:32:58Z

The venetian blind on Riley's bedroom window has had one broken slat for a while now. I decided I could replace the broken one with another from the bottom of the blind, where they're all stacked up anyway because the blind is longer than the window is tall. This way we shouldn't lose any of our security deposit over the broken slat.

The blind is designed in such a way that in order to free the necessary slats from the cords that hold them in, you have to feed the cord ends through from not the bottom of the blind, but the ends where you pull on them to raise and lower it. This blind is about six feet long, and has three such cords.

So here's the pearl of wisdom in this otherwise inane entry. If you ever find yourself attempting this, and if the blind has a similar design, do yourself a favor and tie some string or something to the end of each cord first. Pull the cord through, and the string after it, all the way you need to pull it, then untie the string and do what you need to do. Then when you have to feed the cord back through, you can just tie it to the string again, and use the string to pull it back through the way it came. Rather than having to spend insane amounts of time feeding the end of the cord back through all its little passageways by hand, ahem.

All of which is complicated by the fact that I have to squeeze my arm under the edge of a semicircular wooden shade thing that covers the top of the blind's mounting bracket, and which prevents me from seeing what I'm doing very well. But it actually wasn't so bad, once I got inspired to braid the end of the cord with two twist-ties to help keep it straight when feeding it through the various brackets it had to pass underneath. Felt very MacGyver about that. I'm about 90% finished, I just have to feed the final cord back through two little passageways and tie the end knob back onto it. Should be able to finish that tomorrow.

And it's crazy how hot Riley's bedroom gets in the afternoon. He's always been a sweaty napper, but man, anybody would be in there.

Engrish Accordion Instructions

2008-07-25T18:48:55Z

These instructions came with a toy accordion that my son got a couple of Christmases ago. What really floors me is the hubris of trying to cover this topic in a four-page leaflet -- even in your native language. But in Engrish? It becomes a masterpiece of Dada.

dbrycegh @ 2008-07-16T13:53:00

2008-07-16T18:01:07Z

Happy Birthday foomf! Hope today's a great kickoff to an awesome year.

My folk band lurches back to life

2008-06-27T13:49:23Z

It had been been ages since I've gotten together with my neighbor Jeremy to jam, but he came by yesterday afternoon. He didn't have time to play, but asked me if I would be free that night. We ended up going to his friend Dylan's house, the one with the sound booth and recording setup in his basement. A few hours later, we had a rough demo of one of Jeremy's songs. I'm not even sure the song has a name yet, I've only heard him call it "that banjo song."

He put down the banjo part first, then I did accordion. Nothing fancy, just simple backup chords, but it still filled out the sound nicely. I was a little rusty, and had to think too hard about playing. I need practice, and also confidence to play it more decisively. But it was good enough for this. Then Jeremy sang lead vocals, and Dylan threw down a quick and dirty bass part. Jeremy and I each sang some harmony on the chorus, and then I even recorded a ukulele track if you can believe it. Dylan'll be mixing it some more, but it sounded pretty cool already when we called it a night. It was quite a trip to hear us that way.

Jeremy is wanting to do a disc of seven or so songs, and take them around town to get us some live gigs. I'm a little worried that it'll sound too different than we do live, but we've got a while to worry about that. But even if nothing else comes of it, we'll have a record and some good memories.

hic

2008-05-30T01:44:11Z

Okay I've had the hiccups just about all. Day. Long. I'm about ready to commit hara-kiri to keep my gut from twitching one more freakin' time. My usual cure isn't working, and it's normally pretty reliable. And I'm coughing, which generally makes them come back even if I do manage to get rid of them. And then of course the hiccups prevent the coughs from actually accomplishing anything, so there's no end in sight. My body is stoooopid.

Sausage, Sweet Potato, and Garlic Pasta

2008-05-26T13:44:04Z

They were giving out free samples of this Emeril brand sausage ("with bacon, garlic, & red wine flavors") at Sams Club. Riley liked it, and it's always good to have more things to offer Mr. Finicky, so I bought some. The packaging had this recipe printed on the back, and I was intrigued enough to give it a try.

Ingredients:
4 links Emeril's Chef's Specialty Smoked Sausage
14oz fresh or dried pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced lengthwise
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp rosemary
2 tsp shredded lemon rind
1 cup pitted kalamata halves
black pepper

Cook pasta al dente. While pasta is cooking, peel and slice* sweet potatoes. To roast, place potatoes on baking sheet. Combine sesame and vegetable oils and brush on potatoes. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 400 degrees F until golden brown. Slice sausage into 1/2" diagonal pieces. Place olive oil and garlic in sauté pan and cook about 1 minute until golden. Add sliced sausage, rosemary, lemon rind, olives, and pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes or until warmed through. To serve, combine sausage mixture with warm pasta and top with roasted sweet potatoes.

I made it once, and found it delightful. I made it again a few nights later, and mistakenly grabbed a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon when adding the sea salt. Just about ruined the whole thing. I don't believe I'll be making that mistake again. It's a pretty rich recipe anyway, and not "comfort" enough to become a dietary staple, but I'll make it every now and then to shake things up.
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*I basically julienned them, french-fry size, and that worked pretty well with the fettuccini noodles.