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More silence here. It should end sooner rather than later. Consulting work has been keeping me busy in the early mornings and late evenings, and I haven't had much time to write, though there's plenty to think about. I've promised a few folks a long-ish entry taking account of my current political leanings, but that requires more time than I've had. Instead, you'll have to make do with this...
First, Matt Chester has two posts that are worth reading. He's extended the fixed gear mindset to his general lifestyle.
We are currently experiencing what remains of hurricane Katrina, though it is merely a blip on the radar compared to what Mississippi and Louisiana have survived. A waterfall pours down the newly hung screens on our back porch, illuminated by the white light in the alley. The steady pulse of water pouring from the downspout from the roof into our backyard mixes and compliments the pitter-patter of raindrops on the cement of the sidewalk in front. The commute to and from the office today was a wet one, but, after four days away from the bike, it was pure bliss. I thought I may be able to avoid stripping down the bike this evening, but large amounts of grit in the drivetrain drove me to it. A full overhaul is likely in my future.
The boy (new pictures here and here) is talking up a storm. While he is hardly speaking perfectly ("I go this-a way going"), it's rare when he can't get his point across, and his ability to parrot words, and even learn their proper usage, is staggering, really.
In other news, we are officially an all-Mac household now. The hard drive on the laptop died last week (I think it had something to do with a combination of sub-standard hardware and coffee), and with class starting up again for Jen this week, we needed to do something rather quickly. A co-worker had offered to sell his older i-Book previously, but at the time we decided against it. Thankfully, he was still willing to put the machine on the market (at a nice, discounted price no less), and a few days later it was ours. After a few false steps, it now also has an Airport wireless card in it, and we're humming along better than before (despite what you may read, USB wireless networking devices for Macs actually suck, and Netgear's model doesn't even have an Apple driver). The machine has been working out well for us, and I've been able to jump right into PHP development on it (though I'm still fighting to get su
access on the CLI).
We love to eat. When asked why I ride my bike so much, I usually respond "so I can eat more," and I'm not kidding. I'm also a big fan of the preparation of food. There is something creative, and relaxing, about preparing a meal, even for a large group. Perhaps I should have been a chef...
This past week, we had twice had the opportunity to break bread with friends, and prepare the meals together. First, two friends (who are equally enamored with the cooking process) came over to spend one final night together before they moved away. The menu was simple: vegetable enchiladas, rice, fresh salsa. The plan was that we would prepare the filling, and our friends (who are serious bakers) would bring the tortilla dough, and we would assemble the enchiladas together. I've not cooked much with other folks (besides Jen and the boy), but working with Katie and Joel was fun, and likely an insight into how a well-oiled kitchen works.
Katie rolled out the buckwheat tortilla dough, Joel cooked the dough on several pans he had going on the stove, and I filled the fresh tortillas with vegetables and cheese, rolled them, and added them to the casserole. Roughly twenty minutes later, I had twelve enchiladas ready for the oven. Twenty more minutes, and we were supping on delicious Mexican food. The most inspiring part of cooking with Joel and Katie (this wasn't our first time) is their utter disregard for the cleaniness of the kitchen as they cook. As they furious rolled and cooked tortillas, flour was everywhere. Later, when Joel made dessert (fruit empenadas), again, flour and fruit covered the countertops (and the baking stone in the oven). I tend to be a little uptight about making a mess (mostly, I think, since I'll be cleaning it up later), but it's clearly more fun to throw caution to wind.
A few days later, we were in Beaver Falls, and I found myself in a friend's kitchen, making (oddly) vegetable burritos. While the production wasn't as manic (in fact, it was quite leisurely), it was what Sunday afternoons should be about -- cooking and eating and talking with friends. Say what you will about the Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith, but this book, The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast, gets it right, outlining the Biblical importance of the shared meal. And it's not simply the meal that's important -- it's the process as well.
James Brink is having blogging issues.
To celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary last night, Jen and I had dinner at Cafe du Jour (review here) in the South Side. Excellent. The tiny storefront has a small, walled courtyard in the back, complete with trees, ivy, a pond, and a foundation. The food was fantastic, and quite inexpensive.
Folks have been inquiring about our car purchase. Yes, we got a Ford Focus. Basic specs: infrared ZX4 SES sedan. It's a fun little car, and it's nice to have a manual transmission again. Gas mileage has been very good (running around 30mpg in the city, 35+ on the highway), and, most importantly, Seb likes the "hot red car-car." Oh, and the trunk is massive. We managed to stuff all of our climbing and camping gear back there without problems.
Also, I received the print edition of Comment earlier this week. Very nice. Good work, Gideon. I hope the WRF can continue to produce the print journal.
(Hat tip: Eli)
The Denver Post ran this editorial that provides a glimpse into the future and what we, as consumers, can do to change that future. The basic premise? Energy use by Americans will continue to rise, and the energy industry (as well as the environment) will struggle to keep up. The solution? Well, there are two, and they are related. The first is obvious -- cut down on our reliance on energy. The second is living in community -- that is, not simply living near one another, but living with one another. Neighbors come together to create community gardens to decrease the dependence on outside food sources. Neighbors who work outside the community carpool. Some may even attempt to generate work within the community to provide for their families.
Sounds like something a Birkenstock-clad liberal might envision. But read the article more closely. Then, read this, this, and, how about this (ok, this too), and tell me the vision laid out in the Post doesn't sound pretty darn conservative. In fact, there's little that is Liberal about people who, bound by their place, come together to form a community (certainly, they make the individual decision to stay within the community, but they are still practicing the discipline of place). Sadly, in our red/blue country, many choose to draw lines in the sand, deeming certain activities liberal and others conservative, unwilling to cross those lines. In this case, at least, the solution lies between those arbitrary lines.
By the way, thanks to this article I feel incredibly guilty right now for purchasing a new car.
Crooked Timber has an interesting discussion going on about Christian music. While most of the drivel that comes out of the Christian recording industry is beaten to a bloody pulp, I'm happy to see Pedro the Lion, Sufjan Stevens, and, most interestingly, the New Pantagruel given positive reviews.