Sadly, the Detroit-style pizza didn't wow me, but I plan to make good use of the specialized pan I bought for it by trying a normal cast-iron pan pizza recipe in it. I also think it'll be great for making mac & cheese.
Monday, January 22, 2018
Cooking Adventures - A hit and a miss
The winner was Channa Masala and Naan bread, though the latter was just okay (I've never found homemade naan to be anywhere near as good as the real stuff).
Sadly, the Detroit-style pizza didn't wow me, but I plan to make good use of the specialized pan I bought for it by trying a normal cast-iron pan pizza recipe in it. I also think it'll be great for making mac & cheese.
Sadly, the Detroit-style pizza didn't wow me, but I plan to make good use of the specialized pan I bought for it by trying a normal cast-iron pan pizza recipe in it. I also think it'll be great for making mac & cheese.
Monday, January 8, 2018
New Year Resolutions
Or is it New Year's? THE DEBATE RAGES ON (somewhere).
- I'm going to walk every weekday morning when I first get up.
- I'm going to the gym three (3) times a week for at least three (3) sets of three (3) months a piece.
- I'm going to try and work on my portion control.
- I'm either going to play or get rid of every board/card game that I own (and attempt to track it on boardgamegeek.com).
- I'm going to hit up at least one (1) national park this year (hopefully with my mother).
- I'm going to cook something new at least once a month.
- I'm going to read at least fifteen (15) books this year.
- I'm going to post to this blog at least once a week.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
The Year Begins Anew
Oh hey, what's up 2018? Looking good there, buddy! The Buffalo Bills are in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, I've convinced my mother to do some overseas traveling for the first time in my lifetime, I've been on a spending spree filling the house back up after Jeff left for Seattle (who new buying stuff was so much fun?) and I have a new roommate showing up on 20th.
Good stuff.
Good stuff.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Week in Review - February 7, 2017
I finally got in touch with the contact at Big Brothers Big Sisters and will be meeting the mom (and possible the kid—it was unclear) on Saturday! So that should hopefully start up in the next few weeks barring some serious incompatibility with me and the Little.
Superbowl weekend was chalk full of fun. Saturday was more time at the animal shelter and then the rest of the day was spent playing games at both Gamehaus and a friend’s house. At the former I was introduced to both Tobago and Jamaica, which I’ve both already purchased. Tobago was out of print but I was able to find a used copy on eBay. Jamaica didn’t need to be bought, but I’ve been sitting on a lot of Amazon gift cards from the holidays, so I figured what the hell. Along with Jamaica I also bought Camel Up, Sushi Go Party! , and my own copies of Citadels and Hanabi. Now I just have to find time to play them all. :D
In Tobago the players are hunting for buried treasure on an island. The locations of the treasure are defined by a deck of cards the players use that will slowly allow the location to be narrowed down (e.g., the treasure is in a mountainous area, the treasure is by a lake, the treasure is NOT next to a palm tree, etc…). Once the treasure is unearthed everyone who contributed in finding its location gets to share in the loot, but BEWARE! Cursed treasure lies hidden somewhere within! The game ends when you’ve expended all the treasure cards and whoever has the most, wins!
Jamaica is a much lighter, faster-paced game. You play as pirates participating in a race around and island. Along the way you pick up gold (which you need to win the game), food to feed your men, and cannons to fight (or fight off) other players to steal their loot. It was a lot of fun to play, but is partially dice-based which means it’s as much luck as it is strategy.
In other money-spending news, I finally decided what to spend the Christmas bonus my boss gave me this year on—a canvas print of my favorite painting, "The Farewell of Telemachus and Eucharis". The print is almost to scale, but is coming from a company in Germany, so I have no idea as to the quality of the print. *fingers crossed* Once it’s here I’m going to get it gallery framed (i.e., wrapped around a plain wooden frame) as getting an actual frame would likely cost me $700 due to the size.
Sunday was the Superbowl, as I’m sure you’re aware, and other than the Falcons shitting the bed and allowing the Patriots to become even more insufferable than they already were, it was a great time. The first half of the game went swimmingly, the half-time show was the best I’ve ever seen, and most importantly, the party itself was fantastic. My friends down in Long Beach have hosted for a couple of years now, and it was great to kick back with a bunch of friends and graze on delicious food. And the rain was even nice enough to hold off for a day so the trip down and back wasn’t miserable.
Superbowl weekend was chalk full of fun. Saturday was more time at the animal shelter and then the rest of the day was spent playing games at both Gamehaus and a friend’s house. At the former I was introduced to both Tobago and Jamaica, which I’ve both already purchased. Tobago was out of print but I was able to find a used copy on eBay. Jamaica didn’t need to be bought, but I’ve been sitting on a lot of Amazon gift cards from the holidays, so I figured what the hell. Along with Jamaica I also bought Camel Up, Sushi Go Party! , and my own copies of Citadels and Hanabi. Now I just have to find time to play them all. :D
In Tobago the players are hunting for buried treasure on an island. The locations of the treasure are defined by a deck of cards the players use that will slowly allow the location to be narrowed down (e.g., the treasure is in a mountainous area, the treasure is by a lake, the treasure is NOT next to a palm tree, etc…). Once the treasure is unearthed everyone who contributed in finding its location gets to share in the loot, but BEWARE! Cursed treasure lies hidden somewhere within! The game ends when you’ve expended all the treasure cards and whoever has the most, wins!
Jamaica is a much lighter, faster-paced game. You play as pirates participating in a race around and island. Along the way you pick up gold (which you need to win the game), food to feed your men, and cannons to fight (or fight off) other players to steal their loot. It was a lot of fun to play, but is partially dice-based which means it’s as much luck as it is strategy.
In other money-spending news, I finally decided what to spend the Christmas bonus my boss gave me this year on—a canvas print of my favorite painting, "The Farewell of Telemachus and Eucharis". The print is almost to scale, but is coming from a company in Germany, so I have no idea as to the quality of the print. *fingers crossed* Once it’s here I’m going to get it gallery framed (i.e., wrapped around a plain wooden frame) as getting an actual frame would likely cost me $700 due to the size.
Sunday was the Superbowl, as I’m sure you’re aware, and other than the Falcons shitting the bed and allowing the Patriots to become even more insufferable than they already were, it was a great time. The first half of the game went swimmingly, the half-time show was the best I’ve ever seen, and most importantly, the party itself was fantastic. My friends down in Long Beach have hosted for a couple of years now, and it was great to kick back with a bunch of friends and graze on delicious food. And the rain was even nice enough to hold off for a day so the trip down and back wasn’t miserable.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Week(s) in Review - January 31, 2017
Damn, two weeks in and I’m already behind. :)
Thankfully there’s not a lot of to talk about, so it won’t be an overall long post. That said, it’s been an interesting few weeks. Less games, a LOT more rain, more theatre, more volunteering, and an updated on Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Most of California is now out of drought conditions. I believe the folks on NPR said we got 8.5” in the last month, which is the most we’ve gotten since 2008. And boy did we need it. Plus it made me feel less guilty about staying indoors and playing on the computer.
Two Fridays ago I went and saw the musical Urinetown for I think the second time. I have some vague recollection of seeing it with dad back in D.C. years and years ago, but I didn’t remember anything from the show, so it was all fresh to me. And it was a great production! It’s a satirical comedy which ends up being rather timely with everything going on in the U.S. right now.
The next day was the annual Tri-Birthday Party, shared among myself and two of my friends who have December and January birthdays. As we’ve done the last couple of years it was a potluck and I was thrilled to see a lot of people who don’t normally attend to show up. AND I managed to not overcook this time around (at least not by much). My "go to" mac & cheese recipe made an appearance, as did the pomegranate couscous, along with a lot of homemade pineapple vodka.
As great at the party was, it was only half of a pretty amazing day. The morning was spent taking part in my first ever protest march, the Women’s March in downtown Los Angeles. And it was BONKERS. They had originally be expecting about 80,000, and had the rain kept up they probably wouldn’t even have gotten half of that. But the weather was beautiful and they ended up having 750,000 people show! 750,000!
Links to photo album
As expected in the face of such numbers, the metro system was no match for this outpouring of social activism. Our plan to catch a train at 8:40am to be there in time for the 10am march was shot down by the masses. We spent over an hour at the train station before giving up and grabbing an Uber with two women who were in the same boat.
We arrived near the end location of the march, just in time to see folks start piling in. We stuck around for a while attempting to listen to the first couple of speakers, then moved back a block to get a better view of the scene. And that’s when the second wave showed up. The designated streets were already packed, so the people starting overflowing into adjoining streets. We ran into a couple of friends, but for the most part we were awash in new faces. Eventually we headed back to the house and were fortunate to get on a train instead of having to Uber back, which would have been ridiculously expensive.
Last week was a lot less busy (and rainy), with only a couple of notable exceptions. Friday was my friend Jeff’s birthday, and continuing his tradition for the last few years, invited a small group of friends over and cooked us his mother’s recipe for Oeufs en Meurette (poached eggs in red wine sauce), which is basically a superior version of eggs benedict, using bacon, mushrooms, butter and red wine for the sauce. It's amazing, but so rich you'll want to eat it in small portions.
Saturday was my first time volunteering the animal shelter that wasn’t training. I spent two hours cleaning the dog cages and socializing with them. I can't take them out for walks or to the play area yet, as that requires me to do the level 2 training, which is only available after 8-16 hours. But I still had a lot of fun hanging out with the animals. I had a number of errands I had planned for the rest of the day but ended up staying home baking brown butter ginger blondies and playing a ton of the Legend of Grimrock 2. I'm taking a breather from Endless Legend for a bit so I don't burn out on it and this old school dungeon crawler is a hoot, though some of the puzzle require some internet help.
The last big note is that I finally heard from Big Brothers/Big Sisters about a potential little, but haven't managed to connect with them over the phone yet. I've got a called scheduled today during my lunch break so hopefully I'll have more to tell you next week. The idea of being any sort of mentor is kind of scary, but I think I can do a lot of good, and I think (starting) this year it's going to be more important than ever that people, including myself, take an active role in trying to make the world a better place.
Thankfully there’s not a lot of to talk about, so it won’t be an overall long post. That said, it’s been an interesting few weeks. Less games, a LOT more rain, more theatre, more volunteering, and an updated on Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Most of California is now out of drought conditions. I believe the folks on NPR said we got 8.5” in the last month, which is the most we’ve gotten since 2008. And boy did we need it. Plus it made me feel less guilty about staying indoors and playing on the computer.
Two Fridays ago I went and saw the musical Urinetown for I think the second time. I have some vague recollection of seeing it with dad back in D.C. years and years ago, but I didn’t remember anything from the show, so it was all fresh to me. And it was a great production! It’s a satirical comedy which ends up being rather timely with everything going on in the U.S. right now.
The next day was the annual Tri-Birthday Party, shared among myself and two of my friends who have December and January birthdays. As we’ve done the last couple of years it was a potluck and I was thrilled to see a lot of people who don’t normally attend to show up. AND I managed to not overcook this time around (at least not by much). My "go to" mac & cheese recipe made an appearance, as did the pomegranate couscous, along with a lot of homemade pineapple vodka.
As great at the party was, it was only half of a pretty amazing day. The morning was spent taking part in my first ever protest march, the Women’s March in downtown Los Angeles. And it was BONKERS. They had originally be expecting about 80,000, and had the rain kept up they probably wouldn’t even have gotten half of that. But the weather was beautiful and they ended up having 750,000 people show! 750,000!
Links to photo album
As expected in the face of such numbers, the metro system was no match for this outpouring of social activism. Our plan to catch a train at 8:40am to be there in time for the 10am march was shot down by the masses. We spent over an hour at the train station before giving up and grabbing an Uber with two women who were in the same boat.
We arrived near the end location of the march, just in time to see folks start piling in. We stuck around for a while attempting to listen to the first couple of speakers, then moved back a block to get a better view of the scene. And that’s when the second wave showed up. The designated streets were already packed, so the people starting overflowing into adjoining streets. We ran into a couple of friends, but for the most part we were awash in new faces. Eventually we headed back to the house and were fortunate to get on a train instead of having to Uber back, which would have been ridiculously expensive.
Last week was a lot less busy (and rainy), with only a couple of notable exceptions. Friday was my friend Jeff’s birthday, and continuing his tradition for the last few years, invited a small group of friends over and cooked us his mother’s recipe for Oeufs en Meurette (poached eggs in red wine sauce), which is basically a superior version of eggs benedict, using bacon, mushrooms, butter and red wine for the sauce. It's amazing, but so rich you'll want to eat it in small portions.
Saturday was my first time volunteering the animal shelter that wasn’t training. I spent two hours cleaning the dog cages and socializing with them. I can't take them out for walks or to the play area yet, as that requires me to do the level 2 training, which is only available after 8-16 hours. But I still had a lot of fun hanging out with the animals. I had a number of errands I had planned for the rest of the day but ended up staying home baking brown butter ginger blondies and playing a ton of the Legend of Grimrock 2. I'm taking a breather from Endless Legend for a bit so I don't burn out on it and this old school dungeon crawler is a hoot, though some of the puzzle require some internet help.
The last big note is that I finally heard from Big Brothers/Big Sisters about a potential little, but haven't managed to connect with them over the phone yet. I've got a called scheduled today during my lunch break so hopefully I'll have more to tell you next week. The idea of being any sort of mentor is kind of scary, but I think I can do a lot of good, and I think (starting) this year it's going to be more important than ever that people, including myself, take an active role in trying to make the world a better place.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Week in Review - January 17, 2017
Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday were all game heavy last week, and Tuesday would have been as well, had my theatre friends all bailed the day of. *sad trombone*
Wednesday night was spent almost entirely on my newest Kickstarter game, Wizard School, which turned out to be a real disappointment. About twenty minutes in the first person bailed on it, and the rest of us spent about another hour and a half before we gave up. The last time I had this many problems with interpreting game text was Ruse & Bruise, and that at least was fun. This was more like…work. We gave it another shot on Sunday, but I don’t expect I’ll ever play this one again.
Thursday I spent catching up with my ex, who finally finished graduate school and is back in town. I volunteered Maple Block Meat Company as I’ve been dying to get back there since I visited it early last year. The brisket is fantastic and the side of biscuits I got were equally excellent. Thus far, this is probably the best brisket I’ve found in L.A., though my search is relatively new.
Friday was a bonanza of gaming, and made up for the lackluster Wednesday night. We ended up having eleven people show up and got a couple of games of Secret Hitler in (I’m still awful at it) and a round of Vegas Showdown before things started winding down. If you’re a fan of secret role games (e.g., Werewolf) Secret Hitler is a good choice. It’s another Kickstarter game, though I backed this more because my friend did than me having a real interest in it myself. Still, happy to have it in my collection.
Saturday started off early with a flurry of activity, with a 9am meeting for the volunteer group at the animal shelter I just joined, followed by a two-hour training session on handling the dogs, which I’m now allowed to do. However, this only covers general socializing with the animals, cleaning the cages, and building busywork. I’ve got to get 8-16 hours before I can take the level 2 classes, which let me get more involved with the animals.
That afternoon I drove down to UCLA to see The Lion at the Geffen Playhouse. My ex had mentioned loving the show over dinner so I decided it would be a good way to kick off theater-going in the New Year. And boy was that the right call. The Lion is a one-man show by Benjamin Scheuer, chronicling the story of his life through about sixteen songs, played on a half dozen different guitars. When he isn’t singing he’s storytelling, and the two weave together so seamlessly there were only a handful of opportunities to get applause it. It’s an amazing story filled with loss and adversity and if you’re in the area I highly recommend check it out. You can also find the soundtrack on Spotify.
The rest of Saturday was spent at home playing Endless Legend (link to Steam page), my current gaming obsession, and making a Cooks’ Illustrated recipe for gumbo. It’s wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything special either, so I’ll likely not make it again. I did like their method of making the roux though, which involved baking the flour until it was a dark, nutty brown color, and then mixing it in with the liquid. It gave a lot of flavor to the roux.
Sunday I finally got off my butt and made my friend’s birthday ice cream, Vietnamese Coffee, from the Humphry Slocombe cook book she got me years ago, of which I have made copious use of ever since. I’ve actually got another batch I promised some co-workers and then I’m going to make some Baraky Road for myself.
Then my roommate and I went tuxedo shopping with our friend for a wedding in March. We found a small store in the locale mall that managed to check off all the boxes the groom required and we were back in time to get a couple of games of Aeon’s End. That’s ANOTHER Kickstarter game, but unlike Wizard School this one was absolutely worth the money my friend paid for it. It’s a take on the Dominion deck-building mechanic, with its own unique twists. We actually won our first game ever that day, followed by an excruciating last second lost.
The evening was spent playing more Endless Legend.
The Monday holiday was spent sequestered at home playing more Endless Legend and delving into the first two episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix. It’s weird, but I like it. I look forward to watching more of it, as well as getting into AO and the new episodes of Sherlock Holmes. Of course, that would require free time, of which I’m to have precious little. The only real productive use of the day was sitting down with my friend and figuring out a timetable for finalizing and submitting the serial play we’ve been working on. Of course, with him having a baby and me about to jump into pilot season, actually producing and directing the show will be tricky. Fingers crossed.
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Daily Haiku - December 27, 2016
Heed my mournful plight
Christmas and birthdays don't mix
Uni-gifts are lame
------
I mean, as an adult it doesn't matter anymore, but Kid Me was super unhappy about missing out on additional presents when my sister got them in both October AND December. Remember folks, do your future kids a solid and don't get pregnant in March.
Christmas and birthdays don't mix
Uni-gifts are lame
------
I mean, as an adult it doesn't matter anymore, but Kid Me was super unhappy about missing out on additional presents when my sister got them in both October AND December. Remember folks, do your future kids a solid and don't get pregnant in March.
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