I just finished my birthday breakfast; it was delicious! The other day, I tried cooking mushrooms a little differently. I used to saute them over medium heat for a while, but this time, I turned the heat up. They weren't cooking for more than a couple of minutes before they looked REALLY good. Normally, I would have let them go for a while, but I was feeling adventurous and hungry, so I slid them right out of the pan. They were much better than my usually method!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Birthday Breakfast
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Demon Rum
'Tis the season, and I am a fan of the Christmas cheer!
Twice in as many days, I have quoted one of my more popular dongoisms:
Vodka is my friend, Tequila is my enemy,
But Rum is my lover.
Soon, I will attend a holiday party. I am really looking forward to it, but there is one ominous warning thundering through my subconscious:
Mix ye not, the grape and the grain!
At this party, I expect to sample some of the more potent versions of Christmas cheer. Among them, the vile Blackout. Now, I am quite the campaigner and long steeped in evil. I fear not for myself, but for those gentle souls that have not my long-practiced experience with degradation and personal defilement. I fear for them. For to turn your back on Blackout is to invite catastrophe, and to mix red wine with Blackout is folly most grievous. How do I warn these gentle souls?
And this from two millennia ago:
Bibamus moriendum est
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Sea!
I read an exchange in a book a few years ago, it was a job interview. The position was an assistant on scientific research vessel. The applicant, a young guy, was asked how he felt about the ocean. "I love the ocean!" He went on to explain how he liked to surf and swim and such, and how the ocean was like his mother. The interviewer commented that it was good to see he had no fear of the sea. "Naw to that," the kid replied, "She scares the shit out of me." He was immediately hired.
This is a really how I feel about the sea, deep down. I love it, and I fear it. Sailing, swimming, snorkeling, diving... (I'm not so keen on kayaking). I love being near the water, I love being in it and on it and under it. But She is dangerous and I hope never to lose my respect.
When I was a lad, family trips to the beach often found me in the surf. Never surfing--not cool enough for that. Mostly I just the sensations of getting tossed around in the surf. I was a maniac. My parents eventually learned not to watch, as I always seemed to surface eventually. I always swim with my eyes open, so I was a fright by the end of the day. Eyes glowing, body shivering, covered in sand and usually scratched up a lot.
I was fairly young when I learned to sail, maybe 11 or 12, on little boats in Newport Harbor with the Boy Scouts. As much as they tried to instill a sense of fear and respect for the water, the exhilaration of my small boat being pushed around by a stiff breeze washed away my sense of caution. I pushed the boat harder and harder. I was the first in the group to capsize and this did nothing to increase my caution. What a rush! Coaxing all of the speed out of that boat, then crashing it into the cool, dark water! In the classwork, I had taken to sailing concepts easily, but I was no longer a good example for the class.
I did not take to snorkeling very easily, but that was the wildlife. The first time I attempted to snorkel was in Belize. How hard could it be? I jumped in, adjusted my mask and came face to face with a barracuda. To be fair, he was no monster, probably just a 3-footer hanging out under the boat as they often do. But he was all teeth and no one has every accused a barracuda of being an attractive fish. I think I made that underwater scream from Jaws and bolted for the swim step. Learning to dive taught me a great deal about using fins, something that made snorkeling SO much easier and more fun. I love snorkeling in the Caribbean...warm water!
I started my diving class after my wife and son were already accomplished divers. Matt decided on diving as a class assignment for high school, and Teri accompanied him. I wanted to learn at my own pace, so I opted to pay some extra for private tutoring. The classwork went very quickly and effortlessly, but the poolwork was amusing. My instructor was wonderful, but I could see the look of horror in her eyes as she tried to teach me each of the skills. I am just not graceful. At the end of the first day, she looked extremely skeptical. I assured her I would return for my lesson the next day; (she looked doubtful). The next day, I did wonderfully and she was shocked at the contrast. I explained that I was not terribly bright and things need a chance to sink in, which is true. I displayed a lot of the same initial grace with my open water dives in Key Largo. I still look a hot mess on the surface, but those first few dives frightened the instructor. When I hit the bottom, my weights were around my ankles and his eyes got really big when I calmly took off the weight belt and refastened it around my waist. No problemo. Don't let this spook you, diving is a lot of fun--just don't watch me at it.
This is a really how I feel about the sea, deep down. I love it, and I fear it. Sailing, swimming, snorkeling, diving... (I'm not so keen on kayaking). I love being near the water, I love being in it and on it and under it. But She is dangerous and I hope never to lose my respect.
When I was a lad, family trips to the beach often found me in the surf. Never surfing--not cool enough for that. Mostly I just the sensations of getting tossed around in the surf. I was a maniac. My parents eventually learned not to watch, as I always seemed to surface eventually. I always swim with my eyes open, so I was a fright by the end of the day. Eyes glowing, body shivering, covered in sand and usually scratched up a lot.
I was fairly young when I learned to sail, maybe 11 or 12, on little boats in Newport Harbor with the Boy Scouts. As much as they tried to instill a sense of fear and respect for the water, the exhilaration of my small boat being pushed around by a stiff breeze washed away my sense of caution. I pushed the boat harder and harder. I was the first in the group to capsize and this did nothing to increase my caution. What a rush! Coaxing all of the speed out of that boat, then crashing it into the cool, dark water! In the classwork, I had taken to sailing concepts easily, but I was no longer a good example for the class.
I did not take to snorkeling very easily, but that was the wildlife. The first time I attempted to snorkel was in Belize. How hard could it be? I jumped in, adjusted my mask and came face to face with a barracuda. To be fair, he was no monster, probably just a 3-footer hanging out under the boat as they often do. But he was all teeth and no one has every accused a barracuda of being an attractive fish. I think I made that underwater scream from Jaws and bolted for the swim step. Learning to dive taught me a great deal about using fins, something that made snorkeling SO much easier and more fun. I love snorkeling in the Caribbean...warm water!
I started my diving class after my wife and son were already accomplished divers. Matt decided on diving as a class assignment for high school, and Teri accompanied him. I wanted to learn at my own pace, so I opted to pay some extra for private tutoring. The classwork went very quickly and effortlessly, but the poolwork was amusing. My instructor was wonderful, but I could see the look of horror in her eyes as she tried to teach me each of the skills. I am just not graceful. At the end of the first day, she looked extremely skeptical. I assured her I would return for my lesson the next day; (she looked doubtful). The next day, I did wonderfully and she was shocked at the contrast. I explained that I was not terribly bright and things need a chance to sink in, which is true. I displayed a lot of the same initial grace with my open water dives in Key Largo. I still look a hot mess on the surface, but those first few dives frightened the instructor. When I hit the bottom, my weights were around my ankles and his eyes got really big when I calmly took off the weight belt and refastened it around my waist. No problemo. Don't let this spook you, diving is a lot of fun--just don't watch me at it.
Of course, sailing is how I have experienced the sea most often in my life. Once I sailed a Hobie in Long Beach harbor, fresh water never had the same appeal. We even sailed a Hobie to Catalina! While back at UCI, I sailed Lidos and Shields30s in Newport Harbor. Shields began the "big boat" phase for me, then Felix entered my life. A lot of family fun on Felix, nicknamed the Catalinamobile. In 2006 & 2007, I sailed on Double Down on the East Coast. Those are some of my most intense sailing memories--repositioning charters that took us to Miami, Key West, the Bahamas, Annapolis, Martinique, St. Lucia and St. Vincent. Toss in a trip to the BVI on Claire--what a lovely week that was! And then, Safari!
Okay, now wistful for some time on the sea...
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