Why, oh why, does the guy with personal space issues sit next to me in meetings? By this I mean he has little respect for my personal space. He's not particularly tall but somehow manages to take up three times the normal amount of space for someone his size, which is double the amount of space taken by someone taller. He's not always the same person, but for some reason, he's been serialized. That is, if he's absent, a different guy (and it's always a guy) with the same issues will sit next to me.
He likes to stretch out his legs. When he crosses them he will invariably kick me in the shin. It doesn't matter if I sit across from or next to him. He will manage to get my shin and no one else's. (For the record, the amount of volume I take up is nearly equal to that of my chair.)
He likes to lean back with his hands folded behind his head. Thank God he wears deodorant because his armpits are at about nose level.
He likes to take up more than one table. This I wouldn't mind so much except he will start on one table, then move over to mine and start crowding out my stuff.
He jiggles his leg and stomps his feet, causing the floor to shake. If he's particularly adept at this, and if the floor is particularly weak, the table will wobble, too.
He suffers from gastrointestinal distress. He will burp and whatnot during the meeting. He will breathe down my neck because whatever I am doing on my laptop is interesting. Unfortunately, he doesn't use breath mints. I really wish he would.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Part 2.
Harry Potter is like an Asian serial drama. The following paragraphs are blasphemy for the legions of Harry Potter fans out there.
The first book started out intriguing and engaging. The characters were delightful. Serial dramas are the same way.
Book two spent an awful lot of time reminding the reader of what happened in book one. Books three and four picked up the pace a little bit as the characters got older, but weren't half as engaging as the first book. The dramas do the same thing--they drag after a while, the introduce a decent plot twist, but never regain the original momentum.
Book five dragged. It was far too thick for its own good. At this point, the dramas start pulling out the storylines, giving the characters ten-minute crying scenes to fill the time. Book five was better than this, because by now we've been guaranteed a nice plot climax in every book.
Book six was better than book five, but now I feel suckered. You would think with all the time they had to hype the book, and all the money they are charging for the book, they could have fixed the glaring typographical error early on in the book.
They used "site" when they meant "sight". I will update with a page reference if I ever get around to rereading it. I have at least six books on the in progress pile, including the delightful "Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader", by Bradley Martin. The latest Harry Potter was an impulse buy.
At this point in time in the drama, I have the theme song stuck in my head, I adore the actors I viewed with skepticism in the beginning, and I'm a love/hate relationship with the whole thing. I keep going because I want to know how it ends and because I've already invested so much time and effort. I hate myself for having gotten suckered in yet again and yet I'm loving the end of the series.
I feel the same way about Harry Potter. Please, just hurry up and finish it off so I know how it ends. I've invested enough time, effort, and money not to see how it ends.
Incidentally, Lord Voldemort reminds me of Kim Il-sung. You know, the personality cult, the constant need for adulation and praise, and the ability to use his charisma to gain the loyalty of so many of his people.
The first book started out intriguing and engaging. The characters were delightful. Serial dramas are the same way.
Book two spent an awful lot of time reminding the reader of what happened in book one. Books three and four picked up the pace a little bit as the characters got older, but weren't half as engaging as the first book. The dramas do the same thing--they drag after a while, the introduce a decent plot twist, but never regain the original momentum.
Book five dragged. It was far too thick for its own good. At this point, the dramas start pulling out the storylines, giving the characters ten-minute crying scenes to fill the time. Book five was better than this, because by now we've been guaranteed a nice plot climax in every book.
Book six was better than book five, but now I feel suckered. You would think with all the time they had to hype the book, and all the money they are charging for the book, they could have fixed the glaring typographical error early on in the book.
They used "site" when they meant "sight". I will update with a page reference if I ever get around to rereading it. I have at least six books on the in progress pile, including the delightful "Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader", by Bradley Martin. The latest Harry Potter was an impulse buy.
At this point in time in the drama, I have the theme song stuck in my head, I adore the actors I viewed with skepticism in the beginning, and I'm a love/hate relationship with the whole thing. I keep going because I want to know how it ends and because I've already invested so much time and effort. I hate myself for having gotten suckered in yet again and yet I'm loving the end of the series.
I feel the same way about Harry Potter. Please, just hurry up and finish it off so I know how it ends. I've invested enough time, effort, and money not to see how it ends.
Incidentally, Lord Voldemort reminds me of Kim Il-sung. You know, the personality cult, the constant need for adulation and praise, and the ability to use his charisma to gain the loyalty of so many of his people.
Part 1.
It turns out that something called Chinese Egg Custard Tarts can actually be too eggy.
2 eggs
5 oz. can of evaporated milk
scant 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Whisk all ingredients together, pour into frozen tart shells, and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Makes 6 tarts.
Next time: reduce to 1 egg, and let mixture rest overnight to allow the bubbles to settle.
2 eggs
5 oz. can of evaporated milk
scant 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Whisk all ingredients together, pour into frozen tart shells, and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Makes 6 tarts.
Next time: reduce to 1 egg, and let mixture rest overnight to allow the bubbles to settle.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Fruity Lessons
The individual fruit tarts were a big hit. They did taste good, but I suspect a big part of their success was psychology. It's a delight to be able to commandeer your own adorably adorned dessert.
* Strawberries leach color when set on lemon curd. It's the curd's acidity that does it. I'll have to find a solution.
* As predicted, grated dark chocolate makes a lovely foil for the bright lemon curd. It's difficult to grate properly. I'll work on a solution.
* Blueberries are a little too subtle for the lemon curd. They work beautifully with the vanilla custard.
* Some people like the taste of crust, some don't. Fortunately, the vanilla lets the crust shine through, whereas the lemon curd masks it.
* I should have searched for pastry cream recipes instead of vanilla custard. Odds are good this search would have yielded better results.
* Strawberries leach color when set on lemon curd. It's the curd's acidity that does it. I'll have to find a solution.
* As predicted, grated dark chocolate makes a lovely foil for the bright lemon curd. It's difficult to grate properly. I'll work on a solution.
* Blueberries are a little too subtle for the lemon curd. They work beautifully with the vanilla custard.
* Some people like the taste of crust, some don't. Fortunately, the vanilla lets the crust shine through, whereas the lemon curd masks it.
* I should have searched for pastry cream recipes instead of vanilla custard. Odds are good this search would have yielded better results.
Monday, July 11, 2005
And here's an untested reconstruction.
A long time ago, I had a fantastic recipe for chocolate truffles. It was fantastic for two reasons: one, it tasted wonderful, and two, it was amazingly simple.
Okay, there is a third reason. It is one of the very few recipes that J, Z, and I agree on. Most things we eat together are too sweet, too meaty, too greasy, or too whatever for one of us. Most of the time, we end up with something that one person doesn't completely rave about for some reason. At least I think we all agreed on it. Actually, I'm not sure if Z ever tried it. No, wait, I'm pretty sure she did.
I lost track of this recipe. It looks like I tossed out any paper copies, and the e-mail accounts that held the electronic versions are long gone. (Give me a break, I hadn't learned proper archival techniques by then.) And I think J and Z lost track of it, too.
I have been looking for a recipe like this one for a while now. I have seen few recipes that resemble it. Most call for things like butter or exotic formation techniques.
So here is what I remember. I know I have the ingredients and (most of the) methodology right, but I don't know about the proportions.
-------------------------------------------------
1 pound best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bits
1/4 pint heavy cream
2 tbl brandy
Bring the cream and brandy to a boil. Add the chocolate and stir until it's all melted. Transfer to a bowl. Let cool a little bit. Beat with an electric mixer until...I guess until you've whipped in some air, lightened the texture a bit, and it's not as liquid. I remember the recipe admonishing you not to overwhip it. Chill the mixture in the fridge until it's almost set, but still malleable. Form into truffle-sized pieces and chill until firm. Enrobe in ganache or roll in cocoa powder or whatever floats your boat.
-------------------------------------------------
I am confident about the chocolate quantity because the Trader Joe's Pound-Plus bars were almost perfect.
The cream was essentially one of those small containers from the dairy case. Possibly a little less, but you'd add the whole thing to avoid leftovers and to account for the Plus chocolate.
The brandy I'm not sure about. Not that I'd measure this one anyways.
Okay, there is a third reason. It is one of the very few recipes that J, Z, and I agree on. Most things we eat together are too sweet, too meaty, too greasy, or too whatever for one of us. Most of the time, we end up with something that one person doesn't completely rave about for some reason. At least I think we all agreed on it. Actually, I'm not sure if Z ever tried it. No, wait, I'm pretty sure she did.
I lost track of this recipe. It looks like I tossed out any paper copies, and the e-mail accounts that held the electronic versions are long gone. (Give me a break, I hadn't learned proper archival techniques by then.) And I think J and Z lost track of it, too.
I have been looking for a recipe like this one for a while now. I have seen few recipes that resemble it. Most call for things like butter or exotic formation techniques.
So here is what I remember. I know I have the ingredients and (most of the) methodology right, but I don't know about the proportions.
-------------------------------------------------
1 pound best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bits
1/4 pint heavy cream
2 tbl brandy
Bring the cream and brandy to a boil. Add the chocolate and stir until it's all melted. Transfer to a bowl. Let cool a little bit. Beat with an electric mixer until...I guess until you've whipped in some air, lightened the texture a bit, and it's not as liquid. I remember the recipe admonishing you not to overwhip it. Chill the mixture in the fridge until it's almost set, but still malleable. Form into truffle-sized pieces and chill until firm. Enrobe in ganache or roll in cocoa powder or whatever floats your boat.
-------------------------------------------------
I am confident about the chocolate quantity because the Trader Joe's Pound-Plus bars were almost perfect.
The cream was essentially one of those small containers from the dairy case. Possibly a little less, but you'd add the whole thing to avoid leftovers and to account for the Plus chocolate.
The brandy I'm not sure about. Not that I'd measure this one anyways.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
The deconstruction worked, sort of.
The original recipe for lemon curd:
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
6 tbl butter
Whisk all ingredients over low heat until the first bubbles break. Chill the mixture.
The chewing gum and sticky tape (deconstructed) recipe for vanilla custard (because the tartness of the curd is painful for those people with dental work):
1/2 cup half and half (because I don't normally stock hevy cream)
2 tsp vanilla paste
3/8 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tbl butter (because I don't want to cut another stick)
Whisk all ingredients over low heat until the first bubbles break. Chill the mixture.
Notes to self:
* Reduce sugar to 1/4 cup or less.
* Reduce vanilla to 1 tsp.
* Possibly increase to 4 eggs or more, depending on whether the intent is a vanilla or an egg tart.
* Possibly increase or eliminate the butter. I can't taste it anyways.
I suppose we could call the vanilla recipe a success, except it is rather sweet and cloying for my taste. It would work well loaded into a prebaked tart shell and garnished with fruit, which was the original intent. As a standalone custard or tart, it's a little much.
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
6 tbl butter
Whisk all ingredients over low heat until the first bubbles break. Chill the mixture.
The chewing gum and sticky tape (deconstructed) recipe for vanilla custard (because the tartness of the curd is painful for those people with dental work):
1/2 cup half and half (because I don't normally stock hevy cream)
2 tsp vanilla paste
3/8 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tbl butter (because I don't want to cut another stick)
Whisk all ingredients over low heat until the first bubbles break. Chill the mixture.
Notes to self:
* Reduce sugar to 1/4 cup or less.
* Reduce vanilla to 1 tsp.
* Possibly increase to 4 eggs or more, depending on whether the intent is a vanilla or an egg tart.
* Possibly increase or eliminate the butter. I can't taste it anyways.
I suppose we could call the vanilla recipe a success, except it is rather sweet and cloying for my taste. It would work well loaded into a prebaked tart shell and garnished with fruit, which was the original intent. As a standalone custard or tart, it's a little much.
Friday, July 08, 2005
希望
There's medication for this, isn't there?
I wish to live a day where I didn't think about consequences. This is not the same as willfully ignoring the consequences of my actions, or participating in activities in which consequences didn't matter. This would be living a day in which I didn't worry about them.
Then I could do something like quit my job in Corporate America and open a coffee shop without wondering whether Starbucks will take the kitty corner. And without worrying about what all that caffeine will do to my health.
Or I could be free to innovate. I would be so bad at forecasting equipment requirements that nobody would call on me to put together a budget when I'm not a manager. I would be so bad at keeping our currently inventory straight, everybody would figure things out without asking me all the time.
I could write real code, because I wouldn't be able to keep reams of data in order.
I wouldn't sound like a wet blanket when we discuss our hopes and dreams.
I could eat out with reckless abandon. I wouldn't worry about how my stomach would feel the next day. Or how thin my wallet would feel.
I would start the day with a sense of culinary wonder, because I wouldn't have already figured out lunch and dinner before the breakfast dishes were all cleaned up.
Laundry day would be any day of the week.
Sigh.
I wish to live a day where I didn't think about consequences. This is not the same as willfully ignoring the consequences of my actions, or participating in activities in which consequences didn't matter. This would be living a day in which I didn't worry about them.
Then I could do something like quit my job in Corporate America and open a coffee shop without wondering whether Starbucks will take the kitty corner. And without worrying about what all that caffeine will do to my health.
Or I could be free to innovate. I would be so bad at forecasting equipment requirements that nobody would call on me to put together a budget when I'm not a manager. I would be so bad at keeping our currently inventory straight, everybody would figure things out without asking me all the time.
I could write real code, because I wouldn't be able to keep reams of data in order.
I wouldn't sound like a wet blanket when we discuss our hopes and dreams.
I could eat out with reckless abandon. I wouldn't worry about how my stomach would feel the next day. Or how thin my wallet would feel.
I would start the day with a sense of culinary wonder, because I wouldn't have already figured out lunch and dinner before the breakfast dishes were all cleaned up.
Laundry day would be any day of the week.
Sigh.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
It's jinxed
Highway 101 and I do not get along at all. Weird things happen when I try to drive on it. To be fair, every time I do drive on it, I curse it, its potholes, the weird strip in the right lanes that make my tires buzz, and the endless construction in Mountain View, so maybe I'm sending off negative vibes. The following have happened the last few times I drove on it:
* As we were turning off the highway, a car several cars ahead of me lost a hubcap from its left side. This bounced along the pavement at high speed and sailed just over my car, narrowly missing the windshield. Naturally, instinct took over and I ducked, which would have done no good at all because I was in the car.
* Glop wound up on my windshield at high speed. At first I thought it was bird droppings, but it never solidified. Gross.
* A pickup truck wanted to drive in the left lane. Naturally, he (I'm assuming it's a he) cut across all 4 lanes of traffic with his right blinker on.
* A guy missed his exit. So he pulled over to the shoulder and drove in reverse until he reached it.
This pretty much accounts for the last three times I've taken 101. None of this, I repeat, absolutely none of this, happens on 280.
* As we were turning off the highway, a car several cars ahead of me lost a hubcap from its left side. This bounced along the pavement at high speed and sailed just over my car, narrowly missing the windshield. Naturally, instinct took over and I ducked, which would have done no good at all because I was in the car.
* Glop wound up on my windshield at high speed. At first I thought it was bird droppings, but it never solidified. Gross.
* A pickup truck wanted to drive in the left lane. Naturally, he (I'm assuming it's a he) cut across all 4 lanes of traffic with his right blinker on.
* A guy missed his exit. So he pulled over to the shoulder and drove in reverse until he reached it.
This pretty much accounts for the last three times I've taken 101. None of this, I repeat, absolutely none of this, happens on 280.
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