Last Friday I was in my office talking with Brad when for some reason (unknown to me) I said "chocolate covered Bugles". When I said that, Brad's eyebrows raised and he considered the possibilities. Then I considered the possibilities. Brad said, "You should write that idea down." I did.
On Saturday, I decided to make chocolate covered Bugles. I remembered Alex's Chocolate Covered Twizzlers knew the technique I would use.
I told Michele what I was doing (after I bought the Bugles & chocolate) and she was mildly unsupportive. She said things like "No Way!", "This is going to be a mess!", and "Why are you so crazy? This is for your blog right?!?"
After carefully considering her concerns, I ignored them and walked into the kitchen to begin.
The base ingredients, Bugles and chocolate chips.
This is the doubleboiler setup I made with the bowl of chocolate floating in the pot of boiling water.
I asked Michele how to make it, and she started to help me.
Then she looked up and said, "What the f**k am I doing? YOU figure it out!"
Continue reading about the Bugles....
Zoe on the other hand, was quite supportive of my cooking efforts and helped out.
It takes a while to get the chocolate melted. Have patience, stir a bit, and soon enough it will be smooth and melted.
I simply dipped the Bugle into the chocolate and pulled it out. A chopstick is useful in wiping the excess chocolate off the bottom.
I put them down on wax paper to cool. The first row I laid on their side, but soon decided it was better to put them upright.
I made over 60 chocolate covered Bugles and ran out of wax paper space. To tell the truth, I also got tired of making them.
I had plenty of chocolate left. Looking around the kitchen I spied a few butter cookies.
The butter cookies when into the chocolate and came out fudge cookies.
The chocolate wasn't cooling and hardening, so I placed them on cooling trays in the fridge. In a few minutes, the chocolate got hard and that made all the difference. The children began opening the fridge and snatching them right off the wax paper.
I played poker Friday night and had a good time.
Due to my slacking, I got there a little late and we played from about 8:30 until midnight. We played all kinds of poker from the standard five card draw to higher betting things like Texas Hold'em and Baseball to the new (to us) Cincinnati and High Flush Wins.
Anaconda was probably the funnest game. The ability to 'pass the trash' to other players is fun. We found that playing Anaconda Hi Only is a sure way to piss off poker purists.
We hung out, drank beers, ate junk food, and smoked cigars. Quite a good time. I lost $2.75, but it was well worth it. Many thanks to Brad for hosting and to Katy for her delicious brownies!
Michele's bike arrived yesterday. She's ecstatic and the girls are impressed.
The Lady Milano features a teal green finish, red sidewalls, leather seat and grips, 7 speeds, and much more.
Check out those fenders!
Michele's aftermarket mod, a detachable basket suitable for impromptu shopping
The leather seat incorporates rear LED lights that move for night driving
I went to the SoCalWUG meeting tonight. It wasn't the best, but it was fun.
Probably the best part was waving to people in the joiito IRC channel via the video stream of the event.
I met a couple cool guys and we chatted about linux, wardriving, and old school computers. The presenter was giving a base discussion on securing wireless and showed a demo of packet sniffing. I'm sure others were impressed, but my own experiences made it a little boring.
Wifi and pancakes, mmm good.
Lots of laptops, lots of coffee
Bike News
Michele's Bike has arrived. Pics to follow tomorrow.
Other stuff people said
Attorney Friend Mike makes a good point about the do-not-call list fiasco.
Attorney Friend Ernie is upset about Holland & Knight's web site. Wha? My brother Matt works for Holland & Knight and works on their web site. Looks like there's gunna be a legal rumble...
Mister P.'s mystery clip makes me laugh. I can see the phrase, "There is a totally new danger!" catching on!
I'm still trying to find brown sugar cubes to make an Old Fashioned according to imajes' instructions. Finding a muddler would be a bonus.
Lastly, Being Daddy makes me laugh yet again. Damn stuffed animals...
I recently recieved this email:
Hey,I read your piece about washing hats and had a
question about hats that nobody can seem to answer. I
don't know if I just have a small head or if I'm not
doing something right, but any hat that I wear that
has that plastic liner thing you talked about looks
funny on me. I mean the liner doesn't form to my head,
it just stays kinda square like when I first nought
it. I just got into baseball, so I really want to wear
my team hat. Is there some kind of technique to
getting the hat to form to your head or look more
round? Or am I doomed with a small head? I tried to
ask the guy at the sports store, but he looked at me
like I was stupid (My guess is because I'm 27 and just
started getting into sports). Oh well, so much for
good customer service.
Thanks,Pete
I'm a little stumped as to what to tell Pete. Can anyone offer some advice?
On Friday night Michele and I went out to see Underworld with Travis and Kim. We saw the movie at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in the heart of Hollywood. Seeing a movie on the big screen in an important theater was lots of fun.
Underworld was a good time. Good fun with tantalizing story stuff to keep you wanting more. Sure there were a few holes, but the movie delivered on the promise of vampires vs. werewolves. I loved Viktor fighting the werewolf and the cool ass weapondry.
When I got home I checked the reviews on the internet. I'm not one to dive deep into a movie before I see it. I was blown away to see that the critics didn't like it.
Let's see, 13 'professional critics' give it a C+ and 4118 real people give it a A-. Critics are so out of touch with good films it's insane.
Books
I finished American Gods on Saturday. I highly recommend it. I read a ton about various mythologies when I was a child and this book is full of references and interesting bits from all different cultures.
It's made me want to go read Neil Gaiman's other books. I started reading A Place so Foreign. I knew it was short stories, but I was suprised to realize that I had read three of the nine stories in magazines previously. Cory's defintely got the sci-fi mojo and I look forward to the upcoming Eastern Standard Tribe.
OK, I'm tired. Going to bed. Y'all be good.
We are buying a bike for Michele. A very specific bike that isn't routinely carried in stores.
In tracking down this bike, I must have called a dozen stores. They all seem the same, busy and un-organized. No one seems too focused on actually selling bikes.
I have left my number with several stores for call backs and have not recieved a single one. What's wrong with these people?
When I finally place an order, I make the specifc request that they call me when bike is ordered from Bianchi and they have confirmation that it is on it's way. I called back today and they could give me no information other than saying, "I asked the manager and she nodded her head. I think that means your bike is on it's way."
You think? Nodded her head? What is this, charades?
I want some damn answers folks!
I got home tonight and changed clothes in the bedroom. I looked down at my nightstand and realized I need to get to some reading.
I've got 5 books lined up to read. If I even head near a bookstore, tackle me. On the nightstand I have American Gods, A Place So Foreign, Red Thunder, Ilium, and Build Your Own Combat Robot
I can read fast, but this will keep me busy for a while.
Someone in IRC mentioned something called Puzzle Pirates. Evidently it is some sort of pirate MMORPG. I need to check it out.
I read a post over at Handcoding about using VNC for remote control. I need to look into that further.
Tomorrow, Underworld open and Michele and I are going to see it. Woot!
Michele bought me a new aftershave. She proudly explained how it had no alcohol in it.
How can aftershave not have alcohol in it? Without alcohol, where is that sting and instant wake up in the morning? Who need coffee when you slap on some Aqua Velva!
Michele says I smell nice. I'll never understand women.
Last night I watched the season premiere of Enterprise. It was great.
For those not following, at the end of last season, the Earth was attacked by an alien probe and 7 million people were killed. Enterprise was recalled and told to go out and find the people responsible (the Xindi). They added a team of Starfleet commandos, new weapons, and a bad-ass attitude.
This week they finally got to the ooo-scary Delphic Expanse, and started on the hunt. I liked it. Why?
1) Opening music better. (Hard to believe, I know)
2) Aliens that were not humans with plastic on their forehead.
3) Vulcan hottie outfit
4) Archer acting like Kirk instead of Janeway
5) Firefight with women commando kung-fu action
6) Floxx manipulating everyone
7) TOPLESS VULCAN BOOBIES
8) No simple answers
9) 'Distortion field' craziness
10) The alien boss sucking on gas. I kept expecting him to say "'Heineken'? Fuck that shit! 'Pabst Blue Ribbon'! "
11) Lastly, and most importantly, NO ETHICAL DILEMMAS
Give it a watch. I've still got the premiere on Tivo if you need it.
Just a little taste for you more visual types...
Take a look at this post over at Sea Doc.
Our brains are amazing.
Back in May I wrote about going to the City Council Meeting to get the parking rules changes.
In the new community newletter that went out, here's what I saw:
The vote has translated into a legalese amendment to the city code and is now in effect! Woot!
Soccer tomorrow at 7:30 AM after a long week.
A few nights ago I took teh girls outside to look at Mars and the Moon through the telescope.
They enjoyed it, so I should find a place with a better scope to take them.
Must go rest now.
I went to the doctor today. My throat has been hurting for a few days and I knew it was probably something I needed to see the doctor about. Yesterday, I told Michele that I was gunna have to go and endure the visit to get the needed anti-biotics.
Today I left work early for the Doctor's Office. I had to wait for TWO HOURS to see the doctor. She walks in, asks me what's up, looks in my ears, then looks in my mouth. When I said 'Ahhh', she said 'Wow!'
When the doctor says 'Wow', it can only mean that you are not malingering. It means you have some actual illness. In my case, I have acute pharyngitis.
So after a quick trip to the pharmacy I'm on a ten day course of pills to kill the evil nasties attacking my throat.
It would have been nice if I could have avoided the 2 hour wait in the office and simply bought the anti-biotics at the pharmacy like I do with aspirin and cough syrup. I hope that some day we can get to a place where adults are allowed
In other news:
Books
I took the train to work today and on the way I finished Guns, Germs, and Steel. I really enjoyed the book. It wasn't so much a book that changed my way of thinking, but it did make see things in a different way. The author's take on the path of history and the successes and failures of various societies resonates with my scientific thinking.
I recommend the book to anyone interested in the history of the world from a non-political viewpoint.
Yoshi loaned me American Gods to read. He told me it was good and some sci-fi would be tasty after a big history book.
FYI, Cory Doctorow's new book is out. I ordered a copy on Amazon.
Video Games
This weekend I picked up Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons. BF1942 is a great game and the previous expansion was excellent. From the little I've played of the new expansion, it's great as well. The rocket pack and amphibious vehicles are fun. When I'm feeling better, I'll play it more.
MLP
Oops, I dropped my $293 million satellite on the floor.
Happy Birthday Travis - I talked to him at work and he didn't even let on.
Yesterday, after the soccer game, I decided to make lunch. Mira and I decided to make sandwiches. Now was my chance to make an Elvis Sandwich. I had read about the Elvis Sandwich at Handcoding. Alex wrote that they were delicious. The recipe is on his site.
Here are the makings: peanut butter, honey, bananas, butter, bread, bacon and the recipe.
In Alex's description, he mentioned haivng trouble buttering both sides of bread and keeping the butter off of things. The technique I use involves placing the buttered sides against each other while making the rest of the sandwich.
Next, I spread the peanut butter on. You can see the butter layer, projected from the surface.
As you can see, Mira placed here bananas and bacon on her sandwich. She didn't want to have any honey. Go figure.
I cooked the sandwich like a grilled cheese version. The smell was rather sweet in the air.
Mira and I sat down to eat. She was a little apprehensive and only took a couple bites of the sandwich before she reached in and pulled out the bacon.
I enjoyed lunch quite a bit. The melted bananas and peanut butter were good together and the saltiness of the bacon make the whoel thing delicious. I was quite impressed. It is a gut buster, so I don't recommend eating two in a sitting, but you may be hungry. :)
I am please to heartily endorse the Elvis Sandwich. Next time you get the chance, give it a try.
Why must my wife hang damp bras on the doorknobs around the house for days on end?
Are they air-curing like some sort of ham? Why doorknobs? Why just the bras?
I'm told once my daughters get older, they will be hanging even more things around the house.
Can I buy a women's undergarments dehydrator somewhere and put it out of sight?
To the guy in front of my in line at the Arby's today:
Dude, get off your fucking cell phone when you are in Arby's!Hang up and order your food. We don't want to hear you yammer on in line about things on the phone. It's rude to the person on the phone, the lady behind the counter, and the rest of us in line.
Hang up. Order your food in a timely manner as to not inconvience the rest of us and then go call the person back from elsewhere.
You know, I seriously need to look into a cell phone jammer. How hard can it be to put noise on the frequency band? I'll teach these fuckers.
Up in San Francisco they are having a race for Mayor. San Fran is quite a strange place and there is always the risk of replicants. One hard working journalist, John Holden, takes time to find out if a replicant is going to become mayor of the City by the Bay.
(via Metafilter)
News hit today that Firefly is returning to the movies. I can only hope this great show gets back on TV after a successful movie release.
But in a world where Everybody Loves Raymond is the number one show, who knows...
Feeling kinda crappy tonight. School starts for the girls tomorrow, so I need to get some rest before the morning chaos.
SXSW
SXSW people and want to be SXSW people take note that registration is underway. If you register before September 19th you can save a bunch of cash. Saving 25 bucks is enough to pay for a dinner and beers in Austin. For those that don't know what SXSW is, check out the site about the conference. I'm definitely going again. I had a great time last March there.
Security
There is a new Critical Update for Windows. Windows users, please update your systems to avoid the next virii wave. Make sure your virus definitions are up to date. Michele got sent well over a hundred email for both the SoBig and Klez virii when she was away.
Books
Two great books from Thomas Perry have been reprinted and are available again after being out of print. Metzger's Dog and The Butcher's Boy are both superb crime/caper novels. Even if you've never read a crime novel before, you'll love these books.
Non-Outlook email user might find this funny. If you set the x-message-flag on you client, Outlook users will see a special message from you. Check out the how-to.
The last two weeks have been filled with work, travel, and a lack of blogging.
We returned from Cincinnati yesterday, and I'm getting back into the normal rhythm of home again. Hopefully I will keep you entertained better going forward.
Weblogs
Waxy has a great post with links to superb mixes from the 80s. Absolutely kick ass stuff.
Martin has changed his blog to maximum annoy factor, knowing I hate cicadas.
Squidly has a copy of a hilarious Apple Switch Ad. Mac Lover or Hater. You'll laugh at this.
Alex at Handcoding has a recipe for Peanut Butter/Honey/Bacon/Banana sandwiches that I much try. It's like a chokersandwich on steroids. Don't tell my wife.
Politics
Looks like President Bush is starting to take some heat for a wrecked economy and an overseas quagmire. It's about time. This election looks to be a humdinger of a slugfest. No centrists allowed. In an article at Salon about the election I read these tasty bits about the Democrats and thier feelings toward Bush.
It's not just his harebrained ideological nostrums for how to reorder America and the world. They hate him and it's personal. They hate his frat-boy smirk, his phony fly-boy act, his cringe-inducing mangling of the language, his born-again sanctimony, even his Texas twang and his godforsaken, tumbleweed ranch where only someone as fence-post-dumb as W. would hole up in August.
Hell, yeah. Let's get this tussle started.