FAIL.
This is the recipe I'm using: Jo's Rosemary Bread.
I got the yeast activated and kneaded the dough. I let it rise for an hour but realized that it was just sitting on the counter and was probably not in a warm enough place to properly double in size. So, I put it in the oven on the lowest setting, 170F, which was apparently way too hot. I should have realized. One site I read said 80-90F was ideal. So...time to start over.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Shoes?
I've been wanting to get new boots for a while. My old ones are too old. I looked around for some last winter, but none of the ones I saw at DSW really did it for me. Becky's awesomely cute boots inspired me to look some more.
I saw this pair in Anthropologie's newest catalogue, and I actually thought they were really cute. But, OMG, $500 price tag WOAH!
I saw this pair in Anthropologie's newest catalogue, and I actually thought they were really cute. But, OMG, $500 price tag WOAH!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Kitchen tools
I want these, but sadly they are either too expensive for me to justify or their utility is too limited.
- a KitchenAid stand mixer
- a food processor
- a rolling pin
- a santoku knife
- a ramekin set
- a springform cake pan
- a bread machine
- a pastry cutter
- a nice frying pan
- a nice sauce pan
- an Asian hot water thermos that's not plastic lined
- a KitchenAid stand mixer
- a food processor
- a rolling pin
- a santoku knife
- a ramekin set
- a springform cake pan
- a bread machine
- a pastry cutter
- a nice frying pan
- a nice sauce pan
- an Asian hot water thermos that's not plastic lined
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Dad
My dad is so cute sometimes. I'm glad my relationship with my parents is getting better. I had dinner with them on Sunday and my dad asked me about web hosting and creating a website for his Chinese Kunqu Opera group. He has been talking about it for a long time, and maybe close to 10 years ago, I created a basic page for him on Angelfire.
I'm actually pretty excited about teaching him HTML. I could probably handle it myself too since they're not looking for anything particularly complicated, but I've already told him that he would have to give me all the content first. One of the ladies in their group is a graphic designer, so she may be able to help with the design of the site as well. Maybe I could help with the English translation of the pages, as he wants to do the site in Chinese.
My boss suggested I go ahead and pay for the domain and hosting for my dad so they could have their own domain, as a sort of father's day gift. Maybe if they get the pages going, I'll do just that.
I'm actually pretty excited about teaching him HTML. I could probably handle it myself too since they're not looking for anything particularly complicated, but I've already told him that he would have to give me all the content first. One of the ladies in their group is a graphic designer, so she may be able to help with the design of the site as well. Maybe I could help with the English translation of the pages, as he wants to do the site in Chinese.
My boss suggested I go ahead and pay for the domain and hosting for my dad so they could have their own domain, as a sort of father's day gift. Maybe if they get the pages going, I'll do just that.
Religious Confrontation
Watching Bones has got me thinking more about religion. I liked the series at first, but I'm getting more ambivalent the more I watch. It's becoming a show where the conservative, religious, righteous, traditionally masculine cop is converting the logical, open-minded, atheist anthropologist scientist. But maybe I just feel that way because of my own biases? :)
I've always felt like my life has been rather bland and without confrontation. Granted, I actively avoid confrontation, but it seems like so many other people get it thrown at them whether they want it or not. I've always imagined how I would lash out if someone tried to confront me - I'd come up with a scathingly witty retort, or land a swift sturdy kick to the groin and then a solid hook to the head. I know that if it ever actually happened, though, I'd be caught like a deer in headlights. People are rarely ever that definitively antagonistic. Things do not happen in stark blacks and whites - things happen in shades of gray. People try to sweet talk you and they keep a smile on their face. They won't touch you, or if they do they are so polite you can not fault them. In those cases, you would be breaking social conventions by lashing out. If you lash out, they will have ammunition to call you the crazy one, and they would have won. These people need to be handled with finesse and not brute force.
In any case, all these situations take practice to know how to handle, and I don't have that experience. I suppose that is why I like to read about others' experiences, so I can think of ways to handle the situations. Religion is something I go back to because it's one of the few widespread ways in which people can still discriminate and not be socially ostracized. Living at home, I'm pretty certain we've had religious proselytizers at our door, but if our parents or grandparents answer they always had the excuse of not speaking English. After moving out, I've only lived in secured apartment buildings. That definitely keeps away most of the door-to-door people.
All my experience with religious proselytizers has thus been when I am out - either on campus, sitting at a public place. In these situations, the proselytizer has many options and will not usually continue to bother me if I express that I have no interest in their religion. Isn't that what we atheists want - to not have the religious push their agendas on us with their talk of hellfire and brimstone? Sure, but damn it, I want that religious person to see my point of view. I end up feeling silly for that - the anti-proselytizer atheist wants to try to convert the religious proselytizers! A new thought came to me when I read a thread on the atheist boards. Instead of me feeling like I want to shove my anti-woo rationality down their throats, how about I turn it around and ask them why they believe in what they do? If they can acknowledge there is no rationality in their reason for believing, then I can be satisfied. There's nothing I can do if someone is willing to believe in something they have no evidence for.
The next time I get approached by a religious person in public, I hope I will have the courage to be confrontational and actually talk to them. Ugh, I suppose that means I'll actually have to remember facts and things. Eh, maybe it will be fun?
I've always felt like my life has been rather bland and without confrontation. Granted, I actively avoid confrontation, but it seems like so many other people get it thrown at them whether they want it or not. I've always imagined how I would lash out if someone tried to confront me - I'd come up with a scathingly witty retort, or land a swift sturdy kick to the groin and then a solid hook to the head. I know that if it ever actually happened, though, I'd be caught like a deer in headlights. People are rarely ever that definitively antagonistic. Things do not happen in stark blacks and whites - things happen in shades of gray. People try to sweet talk you and they keep a smile on their face. They won't touch you, or if they do they are so polite you can not fault them. In those cases, you would be breaking social conventions by lashing out. If you lash out, they will have ammunition to call you the crazy one, and they would have won. These people need to be handled with finesse and not brute force.
In any case, all these situations take practice to know how to handle, and I don't have that experience. I suppose that is why I like to read about others' experiences, so I can think of ways to handle the situations. Religion is something I go back to because it's one of the few widespread ways in which people can still discriminate and not be socially ostracized. Living at home, I'm pretty certain we've had religious proselytizers at our door, but if our parents or grandparents answer they always had the excuse of not speaking English. After moving out, I've only lived in secured apartment buildings. That definitely keeps away most of the door-to-door people.
All my experience with religious proselytizers has thus been when I am out - either on campus, sitting at a public place. In these situations, the proselytizer has many options and will not usually continue to bother me if I express that I have no interest in their religion. Isn't that what we atheists want - to not have the religious push their agendas on us with their talk of hellfire and brimstone? Sure, but damn it, I want that religious person to see my point of view. I end up feeling silly for that - the anti-proselytizer atheist wants to try to convert the religious proselytizers! A new thought came to me when I read a thread on the atheist boards. Instead of me feeling like I want to shove my anti-woo rationality down their throats, how about I turn it around and ask them why they believe in what they do? If they can acknowledge there is no rationality in their reason for believing, then I can be satisfied. There's nothing I can do if someone is willing to believe in something they have no evidence for.
The next time I get approached by a religious person in public, I hope I will have the courage to be confrontational and actually talk to them. Ugh, I suppose that means I'll actually have to remember facts and things. Eh, maybe it will be fun?
Exercising resumes
I actually worked out last Thursday, but I can't remember what I did besides that it was very exhausting.
Yesterday night's workout:
- 30 2-handed kettlebell swings with a 26lb kettlebell
- 20 1-handed kettlebell swings on each side
- 15 push-ups with each hand on a medicine ball
- 15 lunges on each side where the forward step is on a mini BOSU ball
- 15 squats with each foot on a mini BOSU ball
- repeat all the kettlebell swings
Yesterday night's workout:
- 30 2-handed kettlebell swings with a 26lb kettlebell
- 20 1-handed kettlebell swings on each side
- 15 push-ups with each hand on a medicine ball
- 15 lunges on each side where the forward step is on a mini BOSU ball
- 15 squats with each foot on a mini BOSU ball
- repeat all the kettlebell swings
Monday, October 5, 2009
dentist
Wow, my dentist wrote me a letter welcoming me to his office and also a thank you letter to Lawrence for referring me.
So, a couple weeks ago I went in for a teeth cleaning. It was my first time at the dentist's office in probably 3 years. One of my molars was experiencing pain and sensitivity to cold and pressure, so I knew something was up that I needed taken care of. Turns out it was a large cavity. I scheduled with them to get it cleaned out after my trip to SF.
On Thursday I went in and they cleaned out the cavity and infected areas and put in a temporary filling. My dentist said that I needed a root canal, which we scheduled for this coming Saturday. After that, I'll need a crown on the tooth. It would have been a lot scarier, but my dentist did a good job calming me down. With the anesthetics, I could barely feel a thing. It was my first time seeing a dental dam being used, but it really helped because I didn't have random bits of things flying around my mouth. They even put goggles over my eyes to protect them. Because of the fear I had expressed over the procedure, the dentist was very careful to make sure I was numb and not feeling any pain. He even gave me headphones so I could listen to the radio and not think about the noise of the drill.
The bad news...dental work is expensive. I just hope I won't need more done for a long time.
So, a couple weeks ago I went in for a teeth cleaning. It was my first time at the dentist's office in probably 3 years. One of my molars was experiencing pain and sensitivity to cold and pressure, so I knew something was up that I needed taken care of. Turns out it was a large cavity. I scheduled with them to get it cleaned out after my trip to SF.
On Thursday I went in and they cleaned out the cavity and infected areas and put in a temporary filling. My dentist said that I needed a root canal, which we scheduled for this coming Saturday. After that, I'll need a crown on the tooth. It would have been a lot scarier, but my dentist did a good job calming me down. With the anesthetics, I could barely feel a thing. It was my first time seeing a dental dam being used, but it really helped because I didn't have random bits of things flying around my mouth. They even put goggles over my eyes to protect them. Because of the fear I had expressed over the procedure, the dentist was very careful to make sure I was numb and not feeling any pain. He even gave me headphones so I could listen to the radio and not think about the noise of the drill.
The bad news...dental work is expensive. I just hope I won't need more done for a long time.
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