Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Tommy C.'s LiveJournal:

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Monday, September 20th, 2010
4:01 pm	15 Movies Meme Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen films you've seen that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. Tag fifteen friends, including me. I want to know what movies affected you. 1) The Shawshank Redemption. I don't know if it's Morgan Freeman's Pepperidge Farms remembers voice overs, Tim Robbins looked all warm and fuzzy, or just the whole prison setting... well really it's the feel good story that allows me to watch it over and over again. 2) Camp. Ever since I saw that movie I've googled Anna Kendrick with alarming regularity. She disappeared from 2003 through 2007... why? She went to college of course! And came out full swing. Her short rendition of Ladies Who Lunch is beyond amazing. It's clear why she was nominated for a Tony. That movie is one I just love... despite not liking Soundheim. "I sing for you" and "Here's where I stand" are just two songs that are brilliant. 3) Hawk the Slayer. What an amazing movie. I was reading a lot of fantasy at this time, and was happy to see a movie that I really enjoyed. The plot was really about right for my age... a little on the younger side. I finally got old enough to realize that it wasn't just medieval fantasy I enjoyed, it was the sexual fantasy as well. There was a scene where a dwarf gets tied up under a tree. Over his head is a mace hanging from a rope, which is tied over a tree branch. To get him to shut up they shove the rope in his mouth. Can you predicament bondage? Very good! So this movie will always be on my list. (^_^) 4) Push. Throughout the years there have been many attempts at making role playing games into movies. Not exactly the most successful, but there have been a few that I've liked. (D&D Wrath of the Dragon God, for example) Then comes Push. My goodness, it was so RPGish that I could actually hear dice being rolled in the background. If given the opportunity, I'd love to run that as an RPG. It was the perfect premise: Large Government Conspiracy, people with psychic abilities, catchy names, warring factions, and the ability to be a protagonist or antagonist. Rock on. 5) Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead. These over the top farces always have a place in my heart. This ekes out Adventures in Babysitting for the amazing lines and acting: "You didn't need to whisk the couch." "but it needed whisking." Sorry, Thor... I'm a fashion whore. Who doesn't love the naughty nurse uniform? I want those leggings. Still. 6) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Couples Therapy. I have never lost that line as one of the funniest things ever uttered on film. 7) Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. After being so into the books, and seeing it for the first time in IMAX at the midnight showing, how can I not give mention to this great film? 8) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I've had dreams like that, so I really felt violated in a good way. Except I've never had that many guys in my bed before. 9) Blade Trinity. I was in Palm Springs. Nathan was coming down to visit me. I had time to kill. It was either an Indian Casino or a movie. In 5 minutes Blade Trinity was starting. The first two were fun, so I thought, yes! I'll so it. I knew I'd miss the last 10 minutes or so, because Nathan's flight would be landing. Ah well, at least I'd enjoy most of it. Enter Ryan Reynolds. Okay, personality that gets me hot, and a body that really rocked. Halfway through the movie he has his shirt off, and I think, wow... can you not wear your shirt anymore? Within a minute, a stake is driven through his shoulder. And yes, for the rest of the entire movie, no shirt. I looked up to the heavens and whispered, "THANK YOU." Then Nathan called during the movie and I thought, "Crap, he's early" and I'd have to leave my Ryan Reynolds goodness. Nope, his flight was delayed. The Day Walker, or god, or some other entity was certainly looking after me that day. 10) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (original): When the kid fell into the chocolate river and got washed away, I ran out of the house screaming. I couldn't bring myself to watch the movie again until I was 26. That was a little too much for my young brain. Finally when I watched it, I can let it go. But the feelings of that scene haven't left me. I try and replace it with the (new) version. Specifially, it's the scene where he "travels the world" with the flags that I try and remember. 11) Ella Enchanted. Well why wouldn't I love a movie about someone who can't stop from being obedient. And it has drunk fairies. And a giant Heidi Klum. But really, seeing Anne Hathaway be a living and breathing Disney princess is wonderful. And her version of Somebody to Love was just off the hook good. 12) Step it Up. I love all these singing movies, but yet, no real musical yet, eh? Nope, first comes Stockard Channing in Step it Up. Lots of bumping and grinding, popping, locking, isolation, and just hit hit hit! When a sexy guy can move in a sexy way... yeah, I'm there! 13) Singing in the Rain. Okay, a real musical! Singing, dancing, acting... a movie full of triple threats. This is just what true entertainment is all about. Love Good Morning, Love Singing in the Rain.... just love love love this movie. 14) Latter Days. After going through a ton of gay cinema to try and fit in with California, I decided Latter Days was the movie I liked the most. It has it's plot holes, but overall, the sentiment is one I really like. More romance than comedy, but one I still enjoy watching. And hey, Amber Benson.. always fun to see her do something. 15) Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. Hawt. Comic book hero. Hawt Hawt. The combination of the two, Hawt Hawt Hawt. So I guess that's 15! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
9:25 am	Quick Highlights from Kublacon 1.) Seeing all the awesome staff people again! Love Amanda S, Alix, and Kev in the board games area. Always good to see Andy M. and Minion. Chatting with Ben and Jenn M. And connecting the BSW dots with SpaceSquirrel! 2.) Seeing all the awesome non-staff! Alex ES, Todd F, Matt, Kris, Lisa, Ilan and Barak and a slew of others. 3.) Aldie buying you a beer. Nothing says happy like beer. 4.) Getting lots of positive feedback on the Settlers tournament. I met a lot of nice people there. And thank goodness for Roderick for the incredible amount of help! 5.) Cow Eel. I really hope Ray puts it on CafePress, because I want to wear a Cow Eel T-shirt to BGG.con this year. 6.) Monday night dinner. Seems to be a tradition. All in all, really good vibe and fun! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
12:16 am	Glee - Dream On - OMG WOW! Hi, my name is Tom, and it's been two minutes since I sang my last showtune. SCREW THAT! I knew I was getting old when I started relating to "I dreamed a dream" more than "on my own." I even sing that Tiger harmony thanks to Pedas pulling out the Les Mis medley...those harmony lines have never left me. In short, I loved this week's Glee! ( Possible Spoilers Alert ) Hope you all enjoyed it! Current Mood: GLEE! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, January 24th, 2010
12:10 pm	Soup Party Successful! Soup Party was good - except for two cut fingers and some confusion on the time. But all in all, I was happy with the way it went. This article was fun to read after the fact: Soup Therapy: Detoxify, Lose Weight, and Boost Immunity By Dr. Maoshing Ni - Posted on Fri, Jan 15, 2010, 5:59 pm PST Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity by Dr. Maoshing Ni a Yahoo! Health Expert for Alternative Medicine Visit Alternative Medicine Home » More By This Expert Soup Therapy: Detoxify, Lose Weight, and Boost Immunity5 Secrets to Winter Health and Energy3 Healthy Life-Changing Goals for 2010 All Blog Posts Did you find this helpful? Rate this blog entry: Sign in to rate!Sign in to rate!thumbs up thumbs down 100% of users found this article helpful. The healing power of soup: something that both scientists and grandmothers can agree on. From helping you lose weight to warming you up from the inside out to boosting your immunity, soup is a winter staple that you shouldn’t be without. Maybe that is one reason that it is celebrated this month with its very own National Soup Month. Here's a closer look at what you can do to benefit from soup's amazing healing powers. The healing power of soup An ancient Chinese proverb states that a good doctor uses food first, then resorts to medicine. A healing soup can be your first step in maintaining your health and preventing illness. The therapeutic value of soup comes from the ease with which your body can assimilate the nutrients from the ingredients, which have been broken down by simmering. Here are some healing soup tips that will preserve your wellness and longevity: 1. Lose weight with soup Obesity is on the rise throughout the industrialized world, resulting in a startling increase in the rates of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. You can count yourself out of the statistics if you eat a bowl of soup at least once a day. Nutritious low-salt soups will nourish you as they flush excess wastes from your body. It has been found that people who eat one serving of soup per day lose more weight than those who eat the same amount of calories, but don’t eat soup. Homemade soup is your best bet, because canned soups tend to be loaded with salt and chemicals. My advice is to use organic vegetables whenever possible. The herbicides and pesticides that can be present in conventional produce can assault the immune system and overload it with toxins. 2. Build your immunity Your immune system needs a lot of minerals to function properly and the typical Western diet does not always hit the mark. When you slowly simmer foods over low heat, you gently leach out the energetic and therapeutic properties of the foods, preserving the nutritional value of the foods. Keep in mind that boiling can destroy half of the vitamins found in vegetables, so cook soup over a low heat. Immune-Boosting Soup Simmer these ingredients for 30 minutes: cabbage, carrots, fresh ginger, onion, oregano, shiitake mushrooms (if dried, they must be soaked first), the seaweed of your choice, and any type of squash in chicken or vegetable stock. Cabbage can increase your body’s ability to fight infection, ginger supports healthy digestion, and seaweed cleanses the body. Shiitake mushrooms contain coumarin, polysaccharides, and sterols, as well as vitamins and minerals that increase your immune function, and the remaining ingredients promote general health and well-being. Eat this soup every other day to build a strong and healthy immune system. 3. Detoxify your body As a liquid, soup is already helping you flush waste from your body. When you choose detoxifying ingredients, such as the ones featured in the recipe below, you are really treating your body to an internal cleanse. The broth below boasts many benefits: it supports the liver in detoxification, increases circulation, reduces inflammation, and replenishes your body with essential minerals. Super Detoxifying Broth Simmer the following for 1–2 hours over a low flame: anise, brussels sprouts, cabbage, Swiss chard, cilantro, collards, dandelion, fennel, garlic, ginger, kale, leeks, shiitake mushrooms, mustard greens, daikon radish, seaweed, turmeric, and watercress. Drink 8 to 12 ounces twice a day. You can keep this broth in your fridge for up to one week; however, it is always best to serve soups when fresh because each day, the therapeutic value decreases. In addition to using cleansing herbs in soups, you can take cleansing herbs in supplements. For a gentle but powerful cleanse using Chinese herbs, Internal Cleanse increases the ability of the liver to cleanse the body of internal and environmental toxins. 4. Warm up with a hearty soup You always want to eat for the season. Soups provide something the body craves in cold weather. When you cook foods into a soup, you are adding a lot of what Chinese nutrition would call “warming energy” into the food. Warming foods to feature in your soups include: leeks, onions, turnips, spinach, kale, broccoli, quinoa, yams, squash, garlic, scallions, and parsley. As a spice, turmeric aids with circulation, a great boost against the cold weather. 5. Get well faster As you mother may have instinctively known, when you are sick, there is no better healing food than soup. The reason for this is that soups and stews don’t require as much energy to digest, freeing your body up to fight the infection. It would be impossible to talk about soup’s healing abilities without putting the spotlight on homemade chicken noodle soup. Studies have found that chicken noodle soup does seem to relieve the common cold by inhibiting inflammation -- helping to break up congestion and ease the flow of nasal secretions. While chicken soup may not cure a cold outright, it does help alleviate some of the symptoms and can help as a preventative measure. Many of my patient’s keep the herbal formula Cold & Flu in their medicine cabinets so its there to support recovery when a cold strikes. In Chinese medicine, you would traditionally be given a tonic soup specifically tailored to your needs, and for that level of personal care, it is a good idea to consult a health practitioner knowledgeable in Chinese nutrition. I hope you have gotten a taste of the healing power of soup! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me. May you live long, live strong, and live happy! —Dr. Mao This blog is meant to educate, but it should not be used as a substitute for personal medical advice. The reader should consult his or her physician or clinician for specific information concerning specific medical conditions. While all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that all information presented is accurate, as research and development in the medical field is ongoing, it is possible that new findings may supersede some data presented. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
11:19 am	Leg 2 My sleep pattern is a little off - I shouldn't sleeping right nowbut the layover is a bit inconvenient for that. But I do feel tired enough to konk out. This is the first time I am passing through LAX. I hope the curse doesn't happen. Three times Ive flown to LAX and stayed in LA. Each time I've seen a recent corpse. (one in an LA riot, one from an airport hijaking or so the story goes, and one from this guy who decided the airline ticket clerk had to die and then shot himself.). But maybe this time since I am not ventuimg forth the curse won't occur. I'll stay vigilant. I got here with plenty of time to spare. They recommend getting to the gate quickly. But the restaurants are located outside screening. The terminal is a dump. Construction, no frills. There is a hot dog place and the standard airport prepackaged mysteries. And Asians everywhere. I still am loving the Korean boy style. It's more gay than the castro fer sure. Time for a chili cheese onion dog, some gatorAde, and a place to nap. Posted via LiveJournal.app. (Comment on this)
5:44 am	Japan trip - leg one I'm flying united to lax. I packed a bag in a bag, so it was 67 pounds. United charges $125 for an extra bag, but would charge $25 and $50 for two bags. Weird. Must be some type of weight issue where the loading parties can't do math. Luckily, because united is not the major carrier or because the guy was nice, I didn't pay for the bag. Security is a long line, but it's moving fairly quickly. Seems like a lot of international flights today. Posted via LiveJournal.app. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
5:11 pm	Computer Issues: It's rare I get this angry or engage in conflict ... reposted from Facebook: My computer was purchased on January 22nd, 2009. On October 10th, my computer stopped working. The machine would not boot up. I contacted technical support and they sent a UPS box to ship it back for service as it is still under warranty. I received the box on the 18th. I completed the paperwork, indicating that the computer would not boot up. As a secondary issue, I noted that the USB ports on the left hand side had been damaged. The box was shipped and it was received at the repair center on October 20th. I received my computer back on November 10th. The paperwork indicated that "The laptop is being returned not repaired, because the depot service organization could not resolve billable activity/issues for proper repair." The letter was case 33PDBBF and the technician was Chris Townsend. The first representative I spoke to was Josephine. She looked up the case and said that the technician determined that the USB ports on the left side were caused by user damage. Josephine explained that the USB ports are causing the CPU to lock up, and therefore it would be necessary to replace the entire unit. That costs $750. She also indicated that a Mr. Reagan spoke with me and that I denied the service. I do not recall such a conversation. I was furious. I spent $1439.17 for a high quality machine from a company known for its high service standards. But I was just told that I would have to pay an additional $750 because the service technician determined I am at fault. Even if I did have a conversation with Mr. Reagan, he certainly didn't explain that this was the issue at all. I hung up and checked my information, date of purchase, warranty, and called the 1-866-96-THINK number for some advice on who to escalate the issue. They advised me to speak to the Customer Relations Team. I called back the technical number (1-800-426-7378) and asked for the Customer Relations Team. When I got through, they said they could not help me in any way. They transferred me back to the technical number. The next representative was Marvin who looked up the documentation and again explained that the technician, Chris Townsend, determined it is user damage and therefore is not covered under warranty. I was quite frustrated by this and asked him if my only options were to pay $750 or have a Lenovo computer that only worked for 10 months. He tried to explain again the same information, but I was quite sure I understood what the message he was giving. The most interesting thing that Marvin said is that the technician attempted to contact me but did not get through. There were messages left October 22 - 29 at a number I would never ask them to call. They called my home number, which is only used as a data line for the DSL connection. SBC provides voicemail for it, but I do not check it. I did provide them with my cell number, but they never called it. A manager named Ernest Nally got on the line and explained to me that once a technician determines that it is user damage, Lenovo will not cover any repairs under warranty unless the customer has purchased the service protection plan. Without that, I need to pay $750 for the repair. The thing he did not say is that if I do not pay, I have a useless Lenovo Thinkpad. The idea that I just spent $1,439.17 and will have to pay an additional $750.00 makes me feel extremely upset. The whole computer will have cost me $2,189.17. The fact that I purchased from Lenovo strictly on the confidence of their quality and reputation as leaders of service leave me severely disappointed. That reputation has not true given my experience. If the damage was indeed my issue and considered "accidental damage", then the quality of components is not as high as they would leave customers to believe. And if they try to sell the Protection Plan as a way to mitigate this unshared knowledge, that is criminal in my mind. If the design of the machine is that the USB ports must be operative to have a functional computer, or that these two components are worth $750... that is a terrible design flaw. What bothers me is that I noticed the damage on the computer months ago. And the computer was operative. So it leads me to believe that the USB ports are not integral to the operation of the machine. It feels to me that Lenovo is trying to extract $750 from me in a hard economy to milk the customers that purchase more expensive machines from them. As it stands now, I've been without a working computer for 30 days. The last three hours of frustration have been extremely stressful. The last 30 days have been completely irritable. In conclusion, Lenovo appears to be standing by their technician's assessment and giving me two options I think are unreasonable: pay $750 or stop calling. --Note: do not tell me to get a Mac. That just means you don't know sh*t about me. Current Mood: angry (12 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, October 17th, 2009
9:24 pm	Sundance stompede So I'm here at the sundance saloon to dance, but I'm just sitting upstairs not really being a part of it. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy dancing. But for some reason, I just don't seem to be taking to two stepping. Now I typically lead, but I don't really know how to. This leads me to not ask people to dance. If I'm not ready, I know I'm not ready. To torture someone by leading a whole dance of the simple basics would annoy me. And if I feel awkward, then it's no fun for the follow. So I do a little following, but being one of the tallest guys here... Not what people look for in a follow. And well, I'm not giving off that pick me I love to follow vibe. I'm not helping my own cause. All in all, I probably won't have fun until I either take private lessons to feel comfortable enough to lead, or I'll just stop coming altogether. I really just started coming for Greg, but since he hasn't come in more months than he's actually come.. I don't even have a friend to hang out with. That's the hardest thing for me. Because I can't dance well, it would be better if I had someone to hang with inbetween dances or even when needing a break. It's a bit of a catch 22. The only way to get better is to get out there. But my emotions tell me not to. And well, I'm listening to them more when they tell me not to. I want to do something I enjoy. And if I don't know the steps, I won't ruin someone else's fun because I'm in a bad place. I really need more in classes. Classes is the place to go slow, feel inadequate and make mistakes. The dance nights are way too fast with people who are way too good. Honestly if it wasn't for James I'd probably have stopped altogether. He's incredibly sweet and well, he makes me feel good. It makes it worth some of the internal angst. Now to figure out if I really want to learn and take some private lessons, or give up completely. It's really a matter of fun versus work effort. It's a good exercise thing, more fun than a gym could ever be (I can only take 15 minutes of a gym before becoming bored to tears). Hm... Now that I think about it, it's really the partnering thing that's tough for me. Because I spend my life completely focusing on others and ignoring everything about myself, dancing a dance I don't know forces me into thinking too much about the step. And that is something that makes me uncomfortable in my soul. That must be what the problem is. Until I take enough lessons to feel comfortable to know it, I will never be comfortable leading it At a place where even the mediocre lead is incredible. Meh. I'll probably stop going soon sine I'll be missing half I'd November and december is busy. Okay, I should probably sit around for anothejr fifteen minutes before Ian performs. Then debate going home an taking lessons tomorrow. --written on the iPhone so forgive the awkward auto correct it does. It gets it wrong often. (Comment on this)
Monday, October 5th, 2009
5:50 pm	Every so often it comes back up... ...and I somehow get on a gay and religion bent. So I start looking at resources and then I get reminded why religion and me don't mix well. Source: http://www.catholic.com/library/gay_marriage.asp PART II: HETEROSEXUAL MARRIAGE What kind of impact does heterosexual marriage have on society? Studies consistently show that marriage itself improves people's health.12 Sick people who married got healthier. Healthy people who married got healthier still. Marriage itself made the difference, and the happier the marriage, the greater the health advantage. The health benefits of marriage have been observed around the world.13 Now I get why they don't support gay marriage, but isn't this implying that they'd be happy to let the gays die off early by denying them marriage? Gah. At least this stopped my looking much faster than I expected it to. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
3:16 pm	The Crash Kings and David Cook Last night Groves and I went to see David Cook at the Fillmore. The Crash Kings were the opening number. All in all, it was an excellent show! Seeing anything at the Fillmore is just great because the atmosphere is incredibly intimiate. The Crash Kings were made up of Tony as the lead singer (and keyboards), Jason on Drums, and Mike on Bass Guitar. Groves thought Tony was cute (and he was in the emo style). He had a really great voice that sounded to me very much in the classic rock vein modernized with emo. In fact, that's how I'd describe the band's sound. Emo Classic Rock with a slight edge. Jason the drummer looked like a cousin of Eddie Mercury. The 40 something guy who never gave up on his dream of the band, and now he's living the dream. I have to say though, he pounded those drums with amazing force and energy, fast and unyielding. In the few moments those sticks weren't flying those bass drums were pounding. The last time I heard drums like that were XTC's Terry Chambers. He was good! Mike on the Bass was pretty active and sweating a lot. When I went to the bathroom I could hear the amp on the other side of the stage so the bass line came out more. But what I loved is that he would turn out his thigh while playing. Very sexy. You know that shot of the thigh... it's when you part someone's knees and get down in there. The Crash Kings opened with a cover of Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Karn Evil 9 First Impression.... that "come and see the show." Groves and I were sitting outside and thought it was a recording. (We didn't realize there were two artists. I had said, "Wow - it sounds remarkably live." We were pleasantly surprised. All in all, their set was a lot of fun. There was one moment where a hot guitarist came out to play with them... the song was pretty energetic consisting of: Lead vocals, Drums, Guitar, and Bass. All I could think of was: Wow - they're playing Rockband! There was a break before David Cook came out and when he did there was so much cheering for him! The amazing thing is that he sounds exactly the same live as he does on the album. I'd swear it was lip syncing if it was exactly like the album. But it vamped until ready, had different runs, and well, you can't fake certain things. As the shouting died down once, some guy shouted something at David Cook. He started a number and then said something like, "Hang on. We've been touring on the road for a while and I've never heard a guy's voice come through like that. Thank you, that's sweet." The Fillmore is such an initimate venue. I don't think he was prepared for it. But it was clear he was having the time of his life. Cheering erupted for every little thing. At one point he just walked to one side of the stage and that side roared in cheering. Then he walked to the middle. Then the other side. He came back to the middle and said, "It's hard to do that without talking." I think he was just enjoying the sheer energy he was getting. The oddest moment was getting a pillow case thrown at him with an image of himself on it. He mentioned that the gift was nice, but it would be odd to sleep on his own face. He gave it to the guitarist who he said would appreciate it more. (ooh, and if that guitarist is gay... that would be hawt!) David Cook said he didn't want to think about people drooling on him in his sleep. David let the crowd sing some.. it almost felt like testing us to see if we knew the words. But there I was, singing along without stopping (except maybe an octive lower for Come Back to Me). And having the time of my life. (which he didn't sing, but I kinda was hoping he would. But I can completely understand not wanting to push the American Idol thing.) Besides the songs from the Album, he did a cover of "I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight" by the Cutting Crew. It was very rock and edgy, bordering on a punk sound. He also threw in two verses of Hotel California with his harder rock style instead of it being poppy during one of his songs. Just amazing. I wanted to hear him cover the whole song. All in all, I hope David Cook has a really long career. I adore his spin on music, his voice is just amazing, and his ability to emote is the mark of a true performer. Given the crowd, I think there's potential for a lot of sales. It was predominantly women and boyfriends. But the ages of women looked as low as 10 and as old as 60. The cougars were out for their prey! And hurrah for the Fillmore for being a really cool venue. And for the apples. Current Mood: thankful (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
1:22 pm	Second Place in the Chili Cookoff! w00t! My "bite you back" chili took second place! I'm so happy. It was, as I wanted, very different from the others. Some people thought it needed less sauce, and I could tell when people were considering mine when they came back for a portion without rice. The most satisfying comment was: "It's like a bad boyfriend: starts off sweet and ends spicy." And Stephanie's Corn Bread was praised by everyone in the room - it was moist, tasty, and a good way to cut the heat after tasting my chili. I cut it into small one bite squares so it would go pretty far. All in all, I had the hottest chili out there (probably 3 alarm, while most were 2). I listed my Heat, Sweet, and Meat: Heat: Habanero peppers, green chilis, sweet and smoked paprika, and chili powder Sweet: Hickory Smoke BBQ sauce, brown sugar, garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Meat: Pork BBQ spare ribs One standout was Dave's. At the first taste I thought of gravy. It's deep rich flavor tastes so good that you feel guilty. Anything that rich must be bad for you. He used Turkey, Beans, and Corn (because he's from Iowa not the Southwest). To get that kind of flavor from a milder meat was really impressive. Saskia's chili won, and rightfully so. (It was the one I voted for.) It was amazing - really smooth with a heat that just rolled around in the mouth and lingered like a loving kiss. She added a little crema to smooth it out, and the thing that cinched it for me was a taste of toasted cumin at the very end. It brought all the flavors together in that last taste. Simply amazing. What a fun lunch today! Now back to my regularly scheduled life. (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 31st, 2009
12:23 am	Oh poop. Or, how long does it take a gay boy to take his pants off? Today I was off to play Starcraft at Guy's place. I needed my work computer, and since the salami incident, I had to stop at work before heading info SF to get it. My original plan was going to take the dance class before hand at 12:30, but was worried that I'd be late. I ran to work, got my computer, and got to Guy's place right at 2pm. Guy wasn't there, but Eric showed up with a key. I got to meet Guy's really cute puppy. The table was set up for laptop stations to be connected into the hub. So I got out my computer, got things ready, and then leaned under the table to plug in my computer. "What's this brown stuff on my cord?" I thought. New Puppy, parents not home... "OH! Poop!" I said out loud. The dog had gone on the floor. "What's wrong?" said Eric. I replied, "the dog pooped on the floor and I just put my knee into it." Eric laughed... "Oh, literal poop." I took off my pants, washed it off (which was very easily thankfully as it didn't sink into the fabric), and let them dry. When the first person arrived, I shouted "I'm in my underwear!" And as people arrived and wondered what was going on, (especially since the house owners weren't home,) it became a joke that if you lose your main base you have to remove an article of clothing. Honestly, playing Starcraft in underwear wasn't that big of a deal until a breeze came in through the window. I was just happy I chose cute underwear in the morning. As for Starcraft, eric was nice the first game by not taking me out super early. I managed to last a while on the sheer fact that I found the center of the board and nobody was flying over head. But yeah, I need to really work on my skillz. The second game we played 3 teams: 2 on 3 on 3. I was teamed with Dom and Guy. I scouted the board with some zerglings and found two nice mineral spots. I quickly grabbed them. Some Protoss came up to attack the one base on the left, but thanks to Dom's Terran backup, we held it off. The right side was left untouched for quite a while. I'm very green I couldn't build up fast enough. Thankfully, capturing the middle of the board caused some choke points on the map and denied resources to others. Most importantly is that it allowed Guy to really build up his Protoss. That was pretty much what we needed. I like working in teams. I'm best suited for Zerg, but they're kinda weak and expendable against the more experienced players. And well, inexperienced never helps against people who know what they're doing. Now I have a lot of incentive to really practice. And I was uber happy that Jesse also appreciates the swarming joy that is the zerg. Now it's time to fold the laundry.... of course I had to wash the pants tonight :) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, August 29th, 2009
11:57 pm	Overboard on the Chili So at work we're having the Chili cookoff contest, and well, I think I took it a little TOO seriously. Thank god for Top Chief (Hosea), Chef Mike (Kitchen on Fire for all the cooking classes), and well, a whole lot of determination. A Chili is essentially a stew. So I wanted to do something different and spent some time thinking about what to make. I've conceptualized my dish: Braised Spare Rib Chili. I wanted to use spare rib meat and some hickory smoked BBQ sauce in order to give me a nice flavor to complement the chili. Things I've never worked with: Chili Habenero Peppers Spare Ribs So what I thought I would do is build my base by stewing spare ribs bones that I've been saving from getting cooked spare ribs from wholefoods. It's been an endeavor of getting them over time. I figured getting as much marrow out of those bones would be a great way to start a base. So I stewed tomatoes (which are so in season, booyah!), some habeneros, and the pork bones for several hours. I had also picked up a rack of ribs raw to cook to add to the meat I'd have available. I don't have a grill. So I cut the rack in half and seasoned it with salt pepper and seasoned salt. I cut onions* and rested the rack on the onions and freshly pressed garlic. I added water to the bottom of the ribs, covered with foil, and proceeded to roast it at 350 for 1.5 hours. Then I took off the foil, increased the heat to 425 and gave the top a bit of a sear. I then let it rest, cooled the meat and saved the bones. The onions I added to the stew since they became confit. The fat I reserved to use for roux later. While I was finishing the second half of the rack, Nathan was over playing games with me. He took a whole foods break, and I asked him to get me a cooked rib rack so I'd have more meat that I could reserve. I gave him $20 and directions that it was by the pizza and pots and pans in the hot food section. At this point I removed the solids from my base. I added tomato sauce and to cut the acid and tang of the habenero I added some of the smoky BBQ sauce. I let that stew for a bit. Nathan came back with something I was unprepared for. An uncooked rack of ribs. 5 pounds of meat!! OMG - the last thing I wanted to do on a hot day was run the oven another 4 hours! So I immediately set to clean the pan, and prepare for a third half rack of ribs. So a total of 6 hours of cooking ribs, because I wasn't in any mood to finish that last half rack. The base had mellowed out, and the habeneros provided after burn. No front heat. So I added some salt and pepper, some crushed red pepper, some smoked paprica, and some sweet paprika. I let that sit for a bit. It seems it provided nice front sting, with a little bit of after burn. I added some more fresh pressed garlic, a little more hickory BBQ sauce, and some more of the next batch of confit onions. I was pulling apart and deboning the racks so I could reserve the pork. I figure once my base is done then I can stew the meat to make it absorb the flavor and basically become nice and tender. The heat of the chili reduced so I added chopped chilis. Not that hot, but it provided a nice slow and steady burn. So all I have to do is just maintain my layers and reduce the stock down. (I added some brown sugar to cut the acidity some.) So I started a roux with the pork fat from the ribs, all purpose flour, and corn masa. It started around 9pm, and it starting to just get to the edges of black at 12:19. Thank you Top Chef Hosea for the roux lesson! I still can't get over the fact that I started cooking around 1pm and I'm still going. I'm hoping that once the roux gets nice and dark, I'll thicken the stock and hope my base is 100% ready for just having meat added, stew some, and then add kidney beans at the end. Hopefully it'll work. Letsee! The competition is Tuesday, so I'll have Monday as a test run for the slow cooker. I'm a little tired. I should have been playing Starcraft. But that's a whole 'nother story. And I have to debate if I'm going to sign up for a dancing class tomorrow. Hrm. Somehow, I've decided to be busy and start scheduling things. I think I need help scheduling my trip to Japan, I seem to be procrastinating on that and vaneers. Somedays, I want someone to take care of me. Or some time off to just do nothing. I'm ready for a whole lot of nothing. --- *I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch... (in joke) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 24th, 2009
11:50 am	Illusions As I sit here on my last day in Vegas, I find myself ruminating on the City of Illusion. Everything can seem magical in Vegas. A flash of gold, water hurling majestically in the sky, flames licking the dry air desparate to sustain its fleeting moments of grandeur. The spectacle of Vegas can be alluring. And there has always been a showgirl just dying to do a fan kick to the audience. If only I could get my chance. The reality of Vegas is banal. Entertainers must audition, looks must be maintained, and money needs to flow. You either come big or go home with shattered dreams. It preys on the emotions of those desparate to release the pent up energy of our mundane lives. The ultimate escape: to burst in the flame until we, like the moment, seek to sustain our glory. We make a spectacle of ourselves, an illusion of our own personalities. In the end we give that high kick and hope for applause. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. After we return home, we will honor its tradition and let others believe in the illusion as well. As I reflect on my own life I wonder what illusions have I created for myself. In the mirror I see someone I don't want to be. My beauty is on the inside. But the mirror reinforces what others have said: that I am ugly on the outside. Have I taken on that illusion and am no longer able to see past that? Would a thin coat of vaneer enable the illusion for others to see? By making my outside shiny, would the inside then have the proper vehicle to move those around me? Or is it just that... Putting lipstick on a pig. Over the last years I have been saving up to get vaneers for my teeth. Here in the eleventh hour I am suddenly terrified of the difference it will make. Is it really the outside that needs fixing or the inside? Has this been my illusion that I am unwilling to admit? Maybe it will make me a showgirl, but will it make me fabulous? Or will I just be another spectacle to watch. Will it instill some self confidence I am obviously lacking? Already I am growing feelings of resentment towards all the people who can't see past their own illusion of who I am. To see the beauty within. Instead I foster my own illusion of never being hurt. The show must go on. Create your own illusions and allow others to cultiate theirs. In the end the showgirl does her job and sheds the illusion. I think I need to learn a lesson from her. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
10:19 am	"Getting to know me" Meme from Facebook Since LJ will feed into Facebook, I can do it here. I was waiting to be tagged by 25 people, but it's been long enough. 1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30, 6:45, and finally at 7am. 2. How do you like your steak? Medium Rare. 3. What was the last movie you saw? Sing-A-Long Hairspray. Oh my god, Miss Baltimore Crabs is just so much fun to sing!!! 4. What is your favorite TV show? Too many. RIght now So You Think You Can Dance and I'm loving Drop Dead Diva because the acting is just so good. 5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Somewhere where it's warm all the time and has a great city feel. (i.e. no cars needed) 6. What did you have for breakfast? 16 oz Latte, and then someone brought me another 16 oz Coffee. Oh, and a glass of milk this morning. 7. What is your favorite cuisine? Exactly the way I grew up: Meat and Potatoes, Friday Fish. 8. What foods do you dislike? Shiitake Mushrooms. Raw vegetables and uncooked fruit. (I have digestive issues with those.) 9. Favorite Place to Eat? McDonalds (for the guilty pleasure). Really, anywhere where the food is good. 10. Favorite dressing? Italian. The old fashioned kind. 11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? 2001 Honda Civic EX 12. What kind of clothes do you like? anything unique. I hate wearing the same stuff everyone else does. But really, I need a personal shopper or stylist. I know how to wear preppy / yuppy clothes, but that's about it. 13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? High on my list --> Australia, Ireland, Holland, and Russia. I will be getting to Japan soon. 14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? To answer the question: I am the eternal optimist. But you'll never find a shortage of beverages at my house. I'm known for stocking more beverages than anything else. 15. Where would you want to retire? Heaven? Maybe Oceanside, CA. 16. Favorite time of day? The hours between 5pm and 10pm. 17. Where were you born? New Jersey in a hospital that doesn't exist anymore. 18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Hockey. I love Hockey. While watching hockey Mark asked me why I liked it so much, and with such fervor I grunted, "I like Men hitting Men!" It's why I love the Flyers. You have to hit hard to keep me interested. 19. Who do you think will not tag you back? I'm not tagging too many people, so I don't really care. :) 20. Person you expect to tag you back first? nobody really. 21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? I'm not. I'm doing it just to conform. 22. Bird watcher? Only when it's convenient. There's a lot of birds that hit the tree outside my house. Hmm... I guess I'm more of a squirrel watcher since I feed them nuts. 23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night person. I don't like mornings. 24. Do you have any pets? No. I don't want the responsibility so I can be irresponsible and not have to worry about taking care of animals. 25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Geico actually costs more than my current insurance. 26. What did you want to be when you were little? An opera singer and a paid escort. 27. What is your best childhood memory? Riding a Panda bear when I was 5 years old. It was in Japan at a Chinese circus, and has forever created an unhealthy love of Pandas. 28. Are you a cat or dog person? I love cats and think I'm more of a cat personality than a dog. But I love Dogs too. Since I'm highly allergic to cats and can wash a dog to keep the allergies down, by default it makes me a dog person. 29. Are you married? I really wish I was. To a man. 30. Always wear your seat belt? Not always in the back seat. 31. Been in a car accident? Every winter while living in NJ. Moved out to California, and thanks to their lack of ice and snow, that has ended. If you're with me in a place that has winter and I'm driving, you should fear for your life. 32. Any pet peeves? Anyone who gives me crap for being more conservative than liberal. People who judge me before getting to know me. And the fact that I seem to be able to match make people when I'd rather be the one hooking up. 33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? anything meaty. Fresh tomatoes. Garlic. 34. Favorite Flower? I'd say abutilon, but I think that's technically a weed. There's a fence outside where I live with morning and evening glories, and I absolutely adore them. 35. Favorite ice cream? Peppermint, Coffee, and any good vanilla. 36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Mickey D's. 37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Never have. Although I came close the first time in California. 38. From whom did you get your last email? American Express 39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? If I had to do so, it would likely be a travel agency. Although there's this one store at the Menlo Park Mall (or was it Woodbridge) that I found some uber cute things. That could be a possibility. Or maybe just a large department store like Macy's. 40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Yes. I keep a "Pandora's Box" of things that when I lose hope, I can look at something in it and remember that as long as there is hope, things will be fine. I took something out of it, and gave it to the person I think needed it the most. It's the first time I've ever given something away from that box. I think I don't need to hope for that thing anymore. 41. Like your job? Yes and no. I mean, it's boring and repetitive. But I really like the Oncology market, so that keeps me interested. Healthcare policy, in general, is something I like. But I keep thinking that I'd like to be a lawyer, talent agent, or helicopter pilot instead. 42. Broccoli? God yes... so yummy! 43. What was your favorite vacation? I guess San Diego. I went by myself, for myself, got drunker than I ever have, spent an entire day just watching the Pandas at the zoo, and didn't worry about anything. 44. Last person you went out to dinner with? I guess Pan and his friend Nick. 45. What are you listening to right now? Nothing right now, but I think Infatuation by Simon and Milo is cued up. 46. What is your favorite color? All my life it was blue. I adore a deep violette-ish blue. But now I am such an orange and pink fan! 47. How many tattoos do you have? None. I keep debating getting one, but feel I need to beef up my upper bod first. 48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? Probably less than 10. 49. What time did you finish this quiz? 10:51 am. 50. Coffee Drinker? Every working day. On the weekends, sometimes. Current Mood: headachy (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
1:30 pm	My Life According to John Mayer The rules: Using only song names from ONE artist, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to some people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)." Here we go... Pick your Artist: John Mayer Are you a male or female: Wind Cries Mary Describe yourself: My Stupid Mouth How do you feel: Who Did You Think I Was Describe where you currently live: The Great Indoors If you could go anywhere, where would you go: City Love Your favorite form of transportation: Wheel Your best friend is: Bold as Love You and your best friends are: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room What's the weather like: Comfortable If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: Bigger than My Body What is life to you: Waiting for the World to Change Your last or CURRENT relationship: Love Song For No One Your fear: Dreaming with a Broken Heart What is the best advice you have to give: Your Body is a Wonderland Thought for the Day: Come Back to Bed How I would like to die: In Your Atmosphere My soul's present condition: In Repair My motto: Wait Until Tomorrow (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
12:47 am	Soundheim's just not my thing. Neither is Jazz. So I'm working on my Performance Goals for the year while watching Company. My first impression is that the music is very Gershwinny with lyrics that come so fast that I'm not sure who is singing what. The lyrics and dialogue come way too fast for me to really get any sense of the characters. The format seems to be splatastic group number and then a vingette to have these characters establish themselves. Then splat all over again. I'm not loving it or hating it. The music isn't grabbing me and I'm not really relating to it. Maybe my dark side only has black furred bunnies. Who knows. It reminds me of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in its dysfunctional characters, only a cast a size of soap and not enough air time to go around. I do appreciate the fact it's a production where the players are also the orchestra. I'm trying to understand the plot and the themes. I guess it's a look at the changes through the various stages of life, centered around someone who's at the very midpoint - unchanged and unaffected by the cycles of life. Starting out with the younger hopefuls (nervous excitement with the awful patter), the reality of your age peers (the realization that what you thought things were turned out to be far from reality), and then the older generation (where the winter of discontent sets within one's heart). Or something like that... despite the trials and tribulations of the "company" of marriage, there is a want and a need to be part of a pair. Either way, I still think Anna Kendrick's shorter Ladies who Lunched was still the best I've ever heard/seen. And speaking of Anna Kendrick, had I known she was in Twilight, I would have watched it in the theater. She's fierce, and I hope to see more of her talent. Ah well, time to get back to the goals. Ugh - I really hate the Bobby recurring motif. Ooh, he just screamed "STOP." Thanks, guy! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 9th, 2009
8:42 am	Schnell, Schnell! Machest du liebermilchen! I tried to navigate to http://gmail.google.com/ which suddenly stopped working yesterday. I am amused by the response: --- Lieber Nutzer, in Deutschland heißt unser E-Mail-Service Google Mail, nicht Gmail. Sie können Ihre E-Mails in Deutschland direkt unter http://mail.google.com abrufen. Ihr Google-Team Der E-Mail-Service von Google ist in Deutschland nicht mehr über die von Ihnen eingegebene URL abrufbar. Allgemeine Informationen zu Google finden Sie in Deutschland wie gewohnt unter www.google.de oder www.google.com. --- So I got to http://mail.google.com and sure enough, after I log in, the mail never crashes. It will load in simple html format. Now I get to annoy all my web designer friends and let them know that IE 6.0 on the VMWare side is working fine. And don't say that I should use Firefox, as it doesn't work with any of the company applications. After using Mac and Vista, I really don't want to have to use three browsers at work. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 6th, 2009
12:23 pm	OMG - I hate this dual computerality. So apparently, February 1, 2006 in the PC Excel version converts to 38749. However, 38749 to the Mac is actually February 2, 2010. AUUUUUUGGH!!!!!!! Who can have any accuracy with this issue? EDIT: PC Excel is programmed to equate dates to a number based on how many days after January 1, 1900 that date occurs. This way, dates can be added and subtracted normally. For some reason, Mac Excel day 1 is not January 1, 1900 but January 2, 1904. I have found the fix!!! Please follow these steps: 1. Open your workbook in Mac Excel. 2. Click on the word Excel in the Menu bar. 3. Select Preferences. 4. Click on "Calculation" under Formulas and Lists. 5. Remove the "use 1904 Date System" Check Mark from the Workbook Options. Please note: You will need to do this for EVERY worksheet you need to fix. If you create anything from the Mac Side using their 1904 date system, please note that if you open it in the VMWare side it will convert the dates on the PC Excel. But you can convert the PC Excel dates to Mac Excel dates by: 1. Open your workbook in PC Excel. 2. Click on Tools in the Menu Bar. 3. Select Options. 4. Select the Calculation Tab. 5. Check the 1904 date system. There you have it! Mystery solved! Apparently Microsoft didn't want to force Macs to use their date system, since Macs game with the 1904 date system. Why Macs did this? Who knows. Maybe because 1/2/04 is 2 to the 0, 2 to the first, 2 to the second... --- Vista update: The internet is still really spotty, even with the wireless turned off and the LAN plugged in. I'm going to try bypassing the router. I think it's equipment. It's probably time to revamp my internet service, modem, and router. I'm still only using 2 programs on my home computer. Current Mood: bitchy (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
12:32 pm	I've seen 122...out of 239 films ( meme ) (Comment on this)