What better way than with vegan chocolate chip cookies?
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Vegan food fun!
Curry with tofu, okra, onions, broccoli, and other good stuff. And for dessert, banana bread!
Monday, December 28, 2015
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Friday, December 25, 2015
Xmas morning breakfast vegan food porn!
Vegan sausage and bacon, and (actual) NYC bagels.
This is how most Americans start off Xmas day, right?
Notably, the vegan bacon is some of the best I've ever had. And the company, Sweet Earth, happens to be based in Pacific Grove, California, where my father grew up. (No, he would probably not be a fan.)
It's already in the high 50s here in Boston, with an expected high of 60. It's bright sunshine, so much sun streaming in that we have every window in the apartment wide open. Global climate chaos, anyone?
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Vegan Enchiladas: Round Two!
Here's the making table: a mix containing caramelized onion and poblano peppers and garlic, vegan soyrizo, fresh home made pico de gallo, and fried broccoli.
And here is the finished product!
Monday, December 07, 2015
Vegan enchiladas. And stuff.
Onions! And poblano peppers, anaheim peppers, zucchini squash, sauce, and oh thank goodness I'm home in Boston.
Thursday, December 03, 2015
More library love. And some of my politics leak out.
Some of you already know these stories, but here are a few highlights of my nearly lifelong love of libraries.
1) It starts with books. Of course, right? Pretty much every day (that it wasn't raining) on my walk to school, all through the first through eighth grade, I read a book while walking to school.
2) In middle school (seventh and eighth grades) I volunteered in the school library. I had a contest in the seventh grade with another library volunteer to see who could read more books (in a quarter, I think?), as proven by our library checkout cards. Which were paper, with handwritten titles and authors, and a date stamp. It was tight for a while, but I pulled ahead and ultimately won by reading the entire Louis L'Amour collection. Yes: our little library absurdly dedicated nearly an entire bookcase to spaghetti western, and we had nearly all ~100 L'Amour books that had been published.
2a) I didn't know it until just now, but L'Amour died that June as I was finishing the 7th grade. This apparently wasn't sufficiently newsworthy for the Sacramento Bee, or the Sacramento Union (a shitty little reactive right wing rag of a daily newspaper that I delivered as a kid, which one journalist described as “a mouthpiece for the fundamentalist Christian right, preoccupied with abortion, homosexuals and creationism.”)
3) I first started hanging out at the Belle Cooledge branch of the Sacramento Public Library during that time as well.
3a) Belle Cooledge was Sacramento's first female mayor, elected in 1947. That's pretty cool that my first public library was named after her. She was also an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a historically racist organization that denied membership to otherwise eligible women because they were African American until 1977. That's not cool. Well, at least they sneaked in just ahead of the Mormons admitting African American men to full "Sainthood" in 1978.
3b) But let's not stray too far afield here. Even though I do, as my readers know, consider public libraries to be temples of freedom, this is about libraries, not the denial of basic liberties and freedoms. Hmmmm... Wait just one damn minute.
4) I was a Boy Scout, of course also a famously bigoted institution, denying membership to LGBTQ youth until 2013, and LGBTQ adult leaders until July 2015. I know, you're thinking hey, wait, they're solid now, right? Don't clap just yet.) There I go again, ranting about freedom. But, hey, my first Boy Scout troop was housed in a Mormon church, so...
4a) Anyway, as a Boy Scout, I helped with another scout's Eagle Scout Service Project, which was moving every single book from the existing branch of the Belle Cooledge library to the newly built branch a mile away. I loved it. I genuinely loved just about every minute of it.
4b) I later quit the Boy Scouts after a rather contentious summer camp experience where I exacted revenge on the scoutmaster's son and his best friend. They had been consistently bullying a developmentally delayed fellow scout, in really cruel ways. That's a story for another time. Here's the teaser epilogue: from what Creepy Uncle Google can tell me, the best friend doesn't exist anymore (or changed his very unique, very google-able name) and the scoutmaster's son made Eagle Scout, and is now a lighting technician.
5) Forward to high school, where I spent only typical kid amounts of time in the library. Well, that;'s probably not true: a lot of fellow students at my high school, which had a dropout rate of 40-50%, and football team stars and Student Government members openly smoking pot and dropping LSD in the gym bathrooms, probably spent less time in the library than I did.
6) In college, I spent many long hours in the library hanging out with our fantastic college archivist, an assistant director of the library, talking about the school's history. (I also spent many hours hanging out with the director of the facilities and buildings department. Hey, Iwas
am kind of a nerd, okay?) It's a bit of a strange story, but I also had access to the library after closing hours. Kinda. And made good use of it.
7) In law school, I had a work-study job in the law library. It was great. In my first semester I realized that I didn't have to buy the outrageously overpriced textbooks since the law library kept a single one on reference for every course, so I did most of my course reading in the library from there on.
8) That I can think off of the top of my head, I have had public library cards in at least eight different states, and at least twelve different cities.
9) I LOVE LIBRARIES.
10) I LOVE FREEDOM.
11) LIBRARIES = FREEDOM.
1) It starts with books. Of course, right? Pretty much every day (that it wasn't raining) on my walk to school, all through the first through eighth grade, I read a book while walking to school.
2) In middle school (seventh and eighth grades) I volunteered in the school library. I had a contest in the seventh grade with another library volunteer to see who could read more books (in a quarter, I think?), as proven by our library checkout cards. Which were paper, with handwritten titles and authors, and a date stamp. It was tight for a while, but I pulled ahead and ultimately won by reading the entire Louis L'Amour collection. Yes: our little library absurdly dedicated nearly an entire bookcase to spaghetti western, and we had nearly all ~100 L'Amour books that had been published.
2a) I didn't know it until just now, but L'Amour died that June as I was finishing the 7th grade. This apparently wasn't sufficiently newsworthy for the Sacramento Bee, or the Sacramento Union (a shitty little reactive right wing rag of a daily newspaper that I delivered as a kid, which one journalist described as “a mouthpiece for the fundamentalist Christian right, preoccupied with abortion, homosexuals and creationism.”)
3) I first started hanging out at the Belle Cooledge branch of the Sacramento Public Library during that time as well.
3a) Belle Cooledge was Sacramento's first female mayor, elected in 1947. That's pretty cool that my first public library was named after her. She was also an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a historically racist organization that denied membership to otherwise eligible women because they were African American until 1977. That's not cool. Well, at least they sneaked in just ahead of the Mormons admitting African American men to full "Sainthood" in 1978.
3b) But let's not stray too far afield here. Even though I do, as my readers know, consider public libraries to be temples of freedom, this is about libraries, not the denial of basic liberties and freedoms. Hmmmm... Wait just one damn minute.
4) I was a Boy Scout, of course also a famously bigoted institution, denying membership to LGBTQ youth until 2013, and LGBTQ adult leaders until July 2015. I know, you're thinking hey, wait, they're solid now, right? Don't clap just yet.) There I go again, ranting about freedom. But, hey, my first Boy Scout troop was housed in a Mormon church, so...
4a) Anyway, as a Boy Scout, I helped with another scout's Eagle Scout Service Project, which was moving every single book from the existing branch of the Belle Cooledge library to the newly built branch a mile away. I loved it. I genuinely loved just about every minute of it.
4b) I later quit the Boy Scouts after a rather contentious summer camp experience where I exacted revenge on the scoutmaster's son and his best friend. They had been consistently bullying a developmentally delayed fellow scout, in really cruel ways. That's a story for another time. Here's the teaser epilogue: from what Creepy Uncle Google can tell me, the best friend doesn't exist anymore (or changed his very unique, very google-able name) and the scoutmaster's son made Eagle Scout, and is now a lighting technician.
5) Forward to high school, where I spent only typical kid amounts of time in the library. Well, that;'s probably not true: a lot of fellow students at my high school, which had a dropout rate of 40-50%, and football team stars and Student Government members openly smoking pot and dropping LSD in the gym bathrooms, probably spent less time in the library than I did.
6) In college, I spent many long hours in the library hanging out with our fantastic college archivist, an assistant director of the library, talking about the school's history. (I also spent many hours hanging out with the director of the facilities and buildings department. Hey, I
7) In law school, I had a work-study job in the law library. It was great. In my first semester I realized that I didn't have to buy the outrageously overpriced textbooks since the law library kept a single one on reference for every course, so I did most of my course reading in the library from there on.
8) That I can think off of the top of my head, I have had public library cards in at least eight different states, and at least twelve different cities.
9) I LOVE LIBRARIES.
10) I LOVE FREEDOM.
11) LIBRARIES = FREEDOM.
Freedom
And actually, before I went on that longwinded discussion of libraries, that last post about two of my favorite things was going to be about libraries, and a favorite new word I just learned:
eleutheromania (n): an intense and irresistable desire for freedom
A shout out to the Cycling Dutch Girl blog for teaching me that fantastic word! (You should really go check out the blog: she has been traveling more or less constantly for fourteen years and counting, and has great posts and gorgeous photography.)
Two of my favorite things
What are two of my favorite things? This isn't a pop quiz, but it also won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who actually knows me, or who even just follows this blog. (BTW, who are you who don't know me, but follow this blog? I'd love it if you would say hello. You can do it in the comments section which I moderate, and I won't post it. Promise.)
Anyway, I digress. Two of my favorite things:
1) libraries
2) books
No, they aren't, anymore, coextensive. So many people in the library these days are there for things other than books. Sometimes, I think this is wonderful: newspapers, events, films, warmth, high speed internet for folks who often can't afford it, classes and education, available bathrooms, mostly non-judgmental staff who don't expect you to buy anything, and many other things.
Sometimes I think it's just a little sad: e.g., a couple nights ago I visited the main branch of the Boston Public Library to check out a copy of the Raymond Chandler classic The Big Sleep. P met me there, and on the way out I pointed out the longest line in the main lobby. She explained it is for DVD holds.
On the one hand that I'm very glad that libraries continue to be viable and important third places, and much of this is through making digital media and services available. On the other hand, when I sit in reading rooms and see more than half of the people on their devices, it's a little sad to me.
Wherein comes the comparison between the main reading rooms in the Boston Public Library, and the New York Public Library. This kind of isn't totally fair: when I lived in NYC last year and early this year, the gorgeous Rose Main Reading Room at the Schwarzman Building (main branch) was closed (and remains closed) for renovations. As a result, I spent most of my time in the Periodicals Room, a gorgeous but much smaller room than Rose. I liked it because electrical outlets were, as far as I could tell, non-existent, putting an inherent limitation on the number of people on laptops. The library rentacops would wander through on the regular, but mostly leave people alone. (This compared to another reading room in the Schwarzman Building, third floor IIRC, where the rentacops stand around imperiously and meanmug people, and where I watched a rentacop almost make a young lady studying a TOEFL guide almost cry for drinking out of a closed coffee travel mug.)
In the BPL, I migrated toward the great big and beautiful Bates Hall reading room. I appreciated the very clear norm of people being silent. Almost eerily silent: with probably 75-100 people in the room, you could hear the rustle of newspaper pages being turned. Unlike most libraries these days, almost nobody was on an electronic device.
So, it's kind of a comparison-not-comparison. On balance, I'll take Bates Hall at the BPL any day over pretty much any room in the NYPL Schwarzman Building. But I need to go back after the reopen the Rose Room and update the comparison.
And local branch comparisons? There is none: BPL wins hands down. I'll take any part of either of my two local BPL branches, Honan-Allston, or Brighton, over any part of what used to be my local branch in NYC, Seward Park, and don't even get me started on the Hamilton Fish Park, surely in the top ranks for Loudest Public Library in America.
But comparing libraries is a little like deciding which of your children you like best, and that age-old (and often untrue) claim that most parents fall back on: that they love all of their children equally.
Ahhh, libraries. I love all of you. I just like some of you better than others.
Anyway, I digress. Two of my favorite things:
1) libraries
2) books
No, they aren't, anymore, coextensive. So many people in the library these days are there for things other than books. Sometimes, I think this is wonderful: newspapers, events, films, warmth, high speed internet for folks who often can't afford it, classes and education, available bathrooms, mostly non-judgmental staff who don't expect you to buy anything, and many other things.
Sometimes I think it's just a little sad: e.g., a couple nights ago I visited the main branch of the Boston Public Library to check out a copy of the Raymond Chandler classic The Big Sleep. P met me there, and on the way out I pointed out the longest line in the main lobby. She explained it is for DVD holds.
On the one hand that I'm very glad that libraries continue to be viable and important third places, and much of this is through making digital media and services available. On the other hand, when I sit in reading rooms and see more than half of the people on their devices, it's a little sad to me.
Wherein comes the comparison between the main reading rooms in the Boston Public Library, and the New York Public Library. This kind of isn't totally fair: when I lived in NYC last year and early this year, the gorgeous Rose Main Reading Room at the Schwarzman Building (main branch) was closed (and remains closed) for renovations. As a result, I spent most of my time in the Periodicals Room, a gorgeous but much smaller room than Rose. I liked it because electrical outlets were, as far as I could tell, non-existent, putting an inherent limitation on the number of people on laptops. The library rentacops would wander through on the regular, but mostly leave people alone. (This compared to another reading room in the Schwarzman Building, third floor IIRC, where the rentacops stand around imperiously and meanmug people, and where I watched a rentacop almost make a young lady studying a TOEFL guide almost cry for drinking out of a closed coffee travel mug.)
In the BPL, I migrated toward the great big and beautiful Bates Hall reading room. I appreciated the very clear norm of people being silent. Almost eerily silent: with probably 75-100 people in the room, you could hear the rustle of newspaper pages being turned. Unlike most libraries these days, almost nobody was on an electronic device.
So, it's kind of a comparison-not-comparison. On balance, I'll take Bates Hall at the BPL any day over pretty much any room in the NYPL Schwarzman Building. But I need to go back after the reopen the Rose Room and update the comparison.
And local branch comparisons? There is none: BPL wins hands down. I'll take any part of either of my two local BPL branches, Honan-Allston, or Brighton, over any part of what used to be my local branch in NYC, Seward Park, and don't even get me started on the Hamilton Fish Park, surely in the top ranks for Loudest Public Library in America.
But comparing libraries is a little like deciding which of your children you like best, and that age-old (and often untrue) claim that most parents fall back on: that they love all of their children equally.
Ahhh, libraries. I love all of you. I just like some of you better than others.
Monday, November 16, 2015
white male body entitlement and privilege
Yes, in case you're wondering, there are many people standing on this MBTA red line train. Including with strollers, young children, and baggage.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Friday, October 23, 2015
Vegan food porn, NY Thruway Edition
It's a burrito kinda day: chipotle first, now Moe's.
Many miles to go before I sleep.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Veganpalooza
This is just right in yer face food porn. Rice, tofu with long hot peppers, kale salad, and caramelized onions. Yum!
Building from trash
These are discarded dresser drawers from the back alley, turned into closet shelving. I love making stuff out of garbage!
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Samsonite
I'm sure they make some good products. Or maybe they used to.
I do sometimes wonder what the folks in the airport think when I roll up with my gold medallion tags on my brokeass suitcases.
Playa Dust:
The gift that keeps on giving!
This is the seatpost clamp on my Burning Man bike, which I need to swap the seat out on since a BRC Ranger van ran over the seat at Ranger Outpost Berlin.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Cleveland
One of the times it's really lovely to walk on the busted up sidewalks and streets of Cleveland is at 6:45am: folks actually acknowledge and greet one another, usually with "good morning" or "buenos dias". I had four such interactions in my ten minute walk to the Cleveland RTA rapid station, on my way to fly back to Sacramento.
Granted, these are largely parents, or other caretakers, getting youth off to school, and the youth themselves.
But even with those who might be wandering from their difficult overnight, or those about to get off of a graveyard shift, or just starting an early day shift, there is a sense of... camaraderie? mutual struggle at being up so early? or so late?
Wouldn't it be beautiful if we all acted this way throughout the day?
Monday, October 12, 2015
One trick ponies
If you absolutely must ride a one trick pony in the kitchen, clearly all reasonable minds would agree that said pony should be ONIONS.
But when you have approximately a metric shitton of ripe miniature tomatoes just outside your back door near the end of their season, why not color it up a bit?
Just added these right at flame-out.
Onions for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and tomorrow!
Okay, not _just_ onions. Also tofu, and loads of fresh ginger, and fresh basil from the garden. Perfect for making wraps for long airplane rides tomorrow!
Thursday, October 08, 2015
Agenda
dangr-us thoughts HQ Agenda for Thursday October 8, 2015
1) Sleep until 11:30am.
2) Drink iced coffee.
3) Hydrate.
4) Heat up and eat leftover hippieslop* from last night.
5) Get ready for back to back conference calls for volunteer work.
6) Listen to public radio.
7) Blog.
Some days FunEmployment is pretty great.
* Fancypants hippieslop, that just won't photograph worthy of a real food porn post its current state: whole wheat pasta, black beans, peanut sauce, multicolored curried carrots, spinach, shallots, scallions. Not to pat myself on the back too hard, but it's pretty damn delicious.
1) Sleep until 11:30am.
2) Drink iced coffee.
3) Hydrate.
4) Heat up and eat leftover hippieslop* from last night.
5) Get ready for back to back conference calls for volunteer work.
6) Listen to public radio.
7) Blog.
Some days FunEmployment is pretty great.
* Fancypants hippieslop, that just won't photograph worthy of a real food porn post its current state: whole wheat pasta, black beans, peanut sauce, multicolored curried carrots, spinach, shallots, scallions. Not to pat myself on the back too hard, but it's pretty damn delicious.
Thursday, October 01, 2015
the best $10 you can spend today!
It's been a while since I implored all of you to donate money, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
Dear friends run a really beautiful non-profit called Alderson Hospitality House. They provide hospitality to the women incarcerated at the Alderson federal prison camp in Alderson, West Virginia, and their families and friends, entirely through donations.
In a nutshell, from their website, which I encourage you to check out:
They have a fundraiser each year called 10-In-10: they encourage you to donate $10, and share it among your networks to try to get ten additional people donating $10 within 10 days.
Or you can do as I just did, and drop the whole $100, and hopefully share it anyway! Here is the link to donate:
https://www.razoo.com/story/
Please consider it. I'm pretty confident it'll be about the best $10 you could possibly spend today!
And because I like to hack other people's fundraisers, tell you what: if ten people I know donate any amount, and tell me about it, I'll donate another $100!
Dear friends run a really beautiful non-profit called Alderson Hospitality House. They provide hospitality to the women incarcerated at the Alderson federal prison camp in Alderson, West Virginia, and their families and friends, entirely through donations.
In a nutshell, from their website, which I encourage you to check out:
The Alderson Hospitality House supports the women of the Federal Prison Camp Alderson and their friends and families. We believe in the importance of visitors during incarceration. Our volunteers and staff, through donations, demonstrate this belief by providing temporary lodging, meals, transportation assistance, information and support.What that nutshell statement doesn't include are the really critical intangibles they also provide: love, care, warmth, kindness, non-judgment, safety, generosity, and much more.
They have a fundraiser each year called 10-In-10: they encourage you to donate $10, and share it among your networks to try to get ten additional people donating $10 within 10 days.
Or you can do as I just did, and drop the whole $100, and hopefully share it anyway! Here is the link to donate:
https://www.razoo.com/story/
Please consider it. I'm pretty confident it'll be about the best $10 you could possibly spend today!
And because I like to hack other people's fundraisers, tell you what: if ten people I know donate any amount, and tell me about it, I'll donate another $100!
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Thanks, Duracell!
A long time ago, this blog had regular posts about poor customer service and consumer protection law. I'm not sure I have ever posted about excellent customer service. Well, Duracall just made me a customer for life with their battery guarantee.
They're going to send me a visa gift card for $18.49 to replace a maglite that had a D cell battery corrode and destroy the inside (essentially making the outer case of one of the batteries chemically welded to the inside of the flashlight barrel.)
Monday, September 28, 2015
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Yom Kippur!
My first attempt to make vegan (or any type) of challah. We'll see after it rests, and we come back from the Decemberists (!!!)
Monday, September 21, 2015
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Saturday, September 19, 2015
More chickpea tofu red curry food porn
Yes: a little over a hour later, I'm still working on prep. (And cooking, too!)
The start
Of a really big curry. With chickpeas, tofu, and lots and lots of vegetables. Oh, and: rice from Oberlin Xmas.
You're invited!
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Dear reader:
An apology food porn post, since it's been a really long time since I posted.
I went to Burning Man (which is amazing, and intense. I'll probably tell many of you more stories offline if you're interested.) Worked a few 11 hour days doing high price catering. Started to figure out a move to Boston.
This is a fancy assorted plate dinner with my housemates. Eat up!
Friday, August 14, 2015
Thursday, August 13, 2015
From one to four!
Just repotted a single big healthy aloe plant into four separate plants.
Who knows - maybe I'm now responsible enough to take care of more than a single indoor houseplant.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Broccoli Pesto
Made a few tweaks, because I'm that kind of cook, but was pretty true to the recipe. It's delicious!
Monday, August 10, 2015
Something I made.
All the while aware that it was temporary, until the tide came in.
bhodi svaha.
Huge thanks and appreciation go out to the artist, Andreas Amador, who made this possible, and F, who invited me.
Boston, you're pretty wonderful sometimes.
Saturday, August 08, 2015
Boston vegan food porn
Making a big (TBD) vegan dinner after a long, lovely day in Boston. More soon, maybe, on the interactive art installation I participated in. Or maybe that'll be private on G+. We'll see. Feel free to email me directly if you're interested!
Thursday, August 06, 2015
Baba ganoush!
Well, an attempt anyway, making it in the style J is so good at, but I've only been a prep assistant for. We'll see!
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Sometimes
The groceries don't all fit. Banana bread on the near horizon, due to the $0.99 manager's special ripe bananas!
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Tonight's vegan food fest in Eugene
Cooked one pan at a time, due to logistical limitations. But it still only took about an hour. Nom nom.
Tuesday, July 07, 2015
You pick:
Really bored kid on a train? Or a really creative way to lounge on a train?
Headed up to Eugene to help K for a few days, then a big ol' trip to LA. Whee!
Friday, June 26, 2015
Thai tofu red curry
With onions, zucchini, a fresh jalapeno, ginger, and basil from the garden.
Hurry: it won't be hot for long!
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Electrical
Replacing this busted receptacle is actually quite trivial as electrical jobs go.
It just gets a little tiring if it's on the third floor/attic, and the circuit breaker / electrical panel is in the basement. And you're home alone. And the last breaker you try is the correct one.
Ah, well: it's done now. And nice to have a electrical receptacle that is not half open.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
I'm not bragging. But:
You got 58 of 60 possible points.
Your score was: 97 %
Congratulations, you passed!
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Last night's dinner
Simple but delicious: pasta, sauce, and TVP made to be kinda sorta like vegan ground beef.
All duly assembled agreed: it was tasty.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Okay, some more complaining.
Angels Stadium is perhaps the third worst ballpark in the MLB. All of the shitty, charmless concrete prison features of the Chicago White Sox field, and Kansas City's Kaufman Field, and Toronto's Rogers. At least the latter two have nice people.
Okay, no more complaining. 30/30.
I've just completed one of the longer bucket list items. I'm seeing a game at Angels Stadium: the 30th MLB stadium I've seen a game at.
Go As! Um, I mean, go Angels. Oh, who really cares.
Probably the second
most depressing ballpark I've been to. Sad that it's 30/30. Angels Stadium, Anaheim.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Monday, June 08, 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)