that didn't take long

And on my second night at my new house, I made a Quang run.

it's mine

Now the real fun begins...

photos of the week

Now just two days away from my home purchase, I thought I'd post a couple photos from the past week that have nothing to do with my future abode:

Here we have a rare picture of chabel.net author Simon Chabel cutting onions. In the foreground on the right in the bisected brie, waiting for a poor wrapping of puff pastry that will ensure it oozes all over the baking sheet while cooking.

Trumpter statues flank the entrance to the Indianapolis Conrad. While they did not greet our arrival with bellows, they still looked neat. This was the only photo I took on the drive out here. Probably for the best since I was driving.

Finally, Senator John Edwards will announce his candidacy for President of the United States in New Orleans today. I voted for Sen. Edwards in 2004, and feel even more favorable toward him today. Announcing in New Orleans is more evidence that Sen. Edwards understands the need to make major changes in the way our nation addresses issues of race and class and I look forward to him making this a central issue in the campaign.

a strange threesome

If famous deaths come in threes, who completes the Gerald Ford, James Brown party?

now boarding: flight 1711 to minneapolis

The setting sun peeks through overcast skies behind the enormous windows at the airport. The terminal bustles with post-Christmas travelers, most in good spirits.

I, however, remain apprehensive and antsy. By week's end I'll have bought my house, lifting a great burden from my mind and placing an even larger one on my future income.

it begins

Sitting in a water bath, pumpkin cheesecake cooks in the oven. Fortunately this is the only thing I'm making tonight so I'll get to bed at a reasonable hour.

hooray technology!

This post is being written on my new Treo 700 smartphone. Of course it would have been six times faster to write it on the laptop sitting next to me, but I'm still learning.

After writing the above on my Treo I inadvertently hit a button that quit the web browser, losing all my text. I refuse to retype it there, so this is written on my laptop.

Be sure to tune in after Christmas for a week-long chabel.net year in review. Or you could just go through the archives. Merry Jesusmas.

a night in luxury

A quick note on the luxurious Conrad hotel. The suite is 600 square feet, with two bathrooms, two 42" plasma TVs, two 10" flat screen TVs, one in each bathroom, and the best shower head I've ever used. And finally, luxury hotels are offering free wi-fi. I could definitely live in this hotel.

halfway home

Lovely Indianapolis, Indiana. We're safely settled at the luxurious Conrad Hotel after a boring drive here. There really isn't that much to Ohio. Tomorrow, the rest of the drive. Huzzah!

tools for eating

My new silverware arrived. The accompanying dishes aren't here yet, and if they don't come tomorrow, I'll have to ship them to Minnesota. But the silverware looks great.

the joys of packing

As always, the view from Mike's porch is spectacular.

Returning from Pittsburgh and a weekend of watching things I've seen before and eating well, I have begun packing. It's going well, though I have grossly underestimated my demand for boxes. Speaking of good views:

black cat: we are scientists

Tonight I saw We Are Scientists at the Black Cat. Despite mediocre sound it was an even better show than their summer First Avenue performance. The intimacy of the Black Cat helped lead singer Keith Murray charm the near-capacity crowd with his manic antics and wry banter.

The audience clearly enjoyed itself and there was some of the dancing and quite a bit of the ever-popular indie rock head nodding.

Opening with a cover of Against All Odds, the band played a tight set, showing off skills honed from a year of touring. They played primarily from their recent album With Love and Squalor, throwing in several new songs. If their performance tonight is any indicator, their next album could be full of goodness.

They closed with an audience requested cover of The Ronettes song Be My Baby, bringing openers The Graves to the stage to join in the chorus. The cover was terrific, a brash rock version of the Motown classic. All told this was one of the better shows I've seen this year.

priceline hates me

Once again, Priceline squeezes another abhorrently early morning out of me.

no party

After careful consideration, I have decided not to have a New Year's Eve party at my new house. There's just too much to do, and nowhere to sit.

the long emergency

On my way to Pittsburgh yesterday I began reading The Long Emergency. The book presents an alarming view of the future as diminishing fossil fuel resources will cause global economic catastrophes. The impact on the U.S. will be profound, largely because of the misguided infrastructure investment in suburbia, an unsustainable lifestyle in the absence of cheap oil.

And while some of the arguments are flawed, I found this passage salient (emphasis added):

...[C]onditions over the past two decades made possible the consolidation of retail trade by a handful of predatory, opportunistic corporations, of which Wal-Mart is arguable the epitome. That this development was uniformly greeted as a public good by the vast majority of Americans, at the same time that thier local economies were being destroyed -- and with them, myriad social and civic benefits -- is one of the greater enigmas of recent social history. In effect, Americans threw away their communities in order to save a few dollars on hair dryers and plastic food storage tubs, never stopping to reflect on what they were destroying.

the red and the black: the oranges band

Tonight at the The Red & The Black: The Oranges Band with The Fake Accents.

The openers, The Fake Accents, were pretty good. They sounded a bit like The Strokes, but different enough. On one song, the bassist, an Asian woman whose stage mannerisms seem almost autistic is left responsible for vocals. Bleating incomprehensible lyrics ensue. That the guitars drowned out her wounded moans prevented something utterly horrific. Good band, keep the strange girl in the back.

The Oranges Band played a short set. They were at their strongest when playing the highlights of their 2005 album, The World and Everything in It The hook laden guitar set the foundation for rock hooks reminiscent of The Wrens.

New songs were mixed, the best was more of the high speed pop rock they're good at. Slower songs dragged, with the audience apathetic.

Oh, on my way to the show, it snowed for a second in Washington.

a change of scenery

After spending much of the year with a desktop photo of Norway, I've finally switched.

Now a March sunset over the Atlantic off the Portuguese coast graces my desktop. I'll be sure to keep all chabel.net readers apprised of any future changes.

in the kitchen: ham and fontina sandwich with balsamic onions

Not pictured: Rice Crispy Treats

my pet

Most of my Minneapolis friends either have dogs or are constantly pestering their spouse to get one. As most chabel.net readers know, I do not like dogs. At all.

I am interested, however, in having a meerkat (pictured above) as a pet. I would probably construct some sort of elaborate tunnel system in my house to make it hospitable. Unfortunately, as I continue researching the subject, it seems that it may be illegal to own meerkats in the U.S.

So does anyone know a good meerkat poacher?

in the kitchen: baked ziti and cauliflower gratin

For dinner: baked ziti, broccoli and orange cauliflower gratin and fresh bread. The ziti was uninspired but the gratin was terrific with a béchamel sauce and a bit of extra-sharp cheddar. The bread continues its magnificence.

the thanksgiving spread

in the kitchen: hot pastrami and cheddar

Upon returning home, one of the first things I did was make some bread dough. When a shipment of deli meats arrived the next day, it was clear I'd be feasting on grilled meat and cheese sandwiches for days. This one, pastrami and cheddar was delicious with a little Thousand Island dressing.

my ipod smells like butt

On my flight home yesterday I was perusing the SkyMall catalogue for the latest stupid products. We have a winner:

a home to call my own

By year's end, this is where I'll be living.

a good day

All in all a good day:

• Had the eggs benedict I've been craving for weeks.
  
• Saw The Departed, the best film I've seen in years.
  
• Had dinner at Quang.
  
• Oh, and I bought a house.
  
• Late addition: And I talked to Scot Hall.

I didn't even have to use my AK.

the waiting game

I've put an offer on a duplex. Now I wait for a response. This is the least fun part of real estate.

in the kitchen: bread

Last week the New York Times published a breadmaking recipe so easy that promised foolproof, bakery quality bread. Though not much of a baker, I decided to give the recipe a try. The results are incredible.

Here's the recipe:

• 3 c flour (I've been using bread flour)
  
• 1 5/8 c water
  
• 2 tsp. salt (the official recipe calls for 1.25 tsp, but I've found this to be too little)
  
• 1/4 tsp. instant yeast (if not available, use active dry yeast and warm the water to 120 degrees F)

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

The result is a thick crusted chewy bread as good as any I've had from Washington bakeries. All for ten minutes of effort and 20 hours of patience.

blogger beta (blogblogblog)

My blog has just been migrated over to blogger beta. For some reason the blogger computers have determined that my blog might be a spam blog. I clicked the button to tell them I'm not a spam blog. They are looking into it. SoI guess, welcome to chabel.net, blogger-beta-style.

Fantastic.

it is not allowed

Reviewing the TSA list of prohibited items in preparation for my flight to Minneapolis Wednesday morning I was relieved to learn that nunchakus are not allowed in carry on luggage.

A post on a life changing bread recipe from the New York times is forthcoming.

rock and roll hotel: say hi to your mom

Say Hi to Your Mom is, like Bright Eyes, a one man band. Tonight, Eric Elbogen took the stage alone, his guitar accompanied by drum machine sounds emanating from what seemed to be a computer.

All in all, a good show. But the "band's" strength is layered indie pop, something that's tough to do alone. Most of the songs sounded a bit thin, though Elbogen offered plenty of energy while playing and the crowd (of 40 or so) seemed pretty into it for most songs.

The show also might have been better had two drunkards not spent half the set talking loudly about how Say Hi to Your Mom is not, in fact, Blink-182. Good to know. During one sing Elbogen was singing at a slower pace than on the album, catching the drunks braying lyrics before their time. During another, the drunks were talking so loudly so close to the stage that Elbogen started laughing at them.

After the show I gave Elbogen $10. I so enjoy his music and I wanted to make sure he was properly compensated for it. He seemed a bit bewildered by the gesture, but took the money nonetheless.

I never knew

So this is what it feels like to wake up on the winning side of an election. About time.

election predictions

What's the point of having a blog if you don't offer election predictions:

Dems pickup 23 seats in the House, and Nancy Pelosi becomes the highest ranking woman in the history of U.S. Government.

Dems pickup five Senate seats, leading Darth Cheney out of his lair to break all Senate ties.

Dems kick ass in governors races, as well as state legislative races.

Unfortunately, Robert Fitzgerald does not win the Senate seat in Minnesota.

in the kitchen: split pea soup

Cooking split pea soup is a lengthy enterprise. First I had to cook the ham hocks...

...taking care to reserve the cooking liquid.

Then the whole mess had to cook for several hours:

Finally it was finished.

It needed salt and potatoes.

in the kitchen: cajun tilapia

1. In a foil pouch, place tilapia, butter, sliced onion, garlic, lemon, cajun seasoning.
   
2. Bake for 30 min. @ 400.
   
3. Serve with mashed potatoes.

9:30 club: The Decemberists

I just caught The Decemberists at the 9:30 Club. I've now seen them there three times, the first with Kassie last year was probably the best. They had props and put on a whole production. Tonight they just played their instruments and generally rocked out.

The crowd's unfamiliarity with the new Decemberists album was apparent from the start. Enthusiasm waned during the new songs, with the crowd perking up when they played songs off of Picaresque. Lead singer Colin Meloy's efforts to get the crowd to participate were mixed, successful with 16 Military Wives, not as much on Sons and Daughters.

Musically, the band continues to be superior. Meloy's voice and a panoply of instruments filled the club with melodies wistful and sweet. Playing for two hours, this was probably the longest set I've seen at 9:30.

And with a well-lit stage throughout the show, I think I may have taken my best concert picture ever.

the oldering: sister edition

If my sister were Martin Luther King, today would be Martin Luther King Day.

i lost

Last night, after having a few drinks at Rebecca's party, I decided to pull an Andy Wilson, and got into a fight with the ground. This morning, I was unimpressed with my results of my pugilism.

There's a nice scrape on my forehead too. Good work, me.

black cat: the national

All my concert photos look the same.

Tonight I went to the Black Cat to see The National. They did not disapoint, with some great drum work laying a foundation for lead singer Matt Beringer. Classic indie rock.

The National played largely off their most recent album, Alligator. There were more than a few fans in attendance. One gentleman in whose general direction I wanted to throw a grenade. He kept yelling "National!", I think implying that the similarity between the band's name and a popular local baseball team was somehow significant. National(s) fans aside, the crowd was largely indifferent. It's too bad, because the band put on a hell of a show, exactly what you'd expect from a band that's been around for a while. The crowd got into a few songs, but were a buzzkill most of the show.

Nonetheless, a good show and a band I'd definitely go see again. Just don't ask me to photograph it.

in the kitchen: self explanatory

in the kitchen: pork tenderloin

I've been cooking a lot recently, with time on my hands and little with which to fill the idle hours. There were two pork tenderloins in our refrigerator, and I put one to good use on Sunday, making pork scallopini with balsamic vinegar sauce and polenta with Gruyère.

Tonight I made:

Pork loin with bourbon glaze, potato apple gratin, braised red cabbage with apples.

The bourbon glaze sauce on the pork would taste good on anything, and the meal as a whole was pretty good.

i'm no boyscout...

This is ridiculous:

Boy Scouts in the Los Angeles area will now be able to earn a merit patch for learning about the evils of downloading pirated movies and music.

The patch shows a film reel, a music CD and the international copyright symbol, a "C" enclosed in a circle.

The movie industry has developed the curriculum.

hooray for democracy!

I just voted. Well, I suppose I do need to drop my ballot into the mailbox, but close enough.

flat daddy

This is a little bit heartbreaking:

"Where’s Flat Daddy?" an excited Baylee asked as her stepmother, Jennifer Smith, pulled a large cardboard picture of Sergeant Smith, in his uniform, out of her Chevy Blazer and propped him on the bumper. The two, along with Ms. Smith’s young sons, Alec and Derek, posed for a picture with their Flat Daddy, who promptly fell down.

"Stop it Dad, that’s not funny. It’s not a joke," Baylee said with a laugh.

The Maine National Guard is giving life-size from-the-waist-up pictures of soldiers to the families of deployed guard members. Guard officials and families say the cutouts, known as Flat Daddies or Flat Soldiers, connect families with a relative who is thousands of miles away. The Flat Daddies are toted everywhere from soccer practice to coffee shops to weddings.

"The response has been unbelievable," said Sgt. First Class Barbara Claudel, director of the Maine National Guard’s family unit. "The families just miss people so much when they’re gone that they try to bring their soldier everywhere."

The Maine National Guard has given out more than 200 Flat Soldiers since January. While other guard units are recommending Flat Soldiers, and families around the country are using them, officials here say Maine’s National Guard is the only one giving one to each family that asks.

Flat Daddies have been used by military families since at least 2003, when Cindy Sorenson of Bismarck, N.D., ordered a life-size photo of her former husband, Capt. Dave Bruschwein, on a piece of foam board when he was stationed in Iraq with the North Dakota National Guard.

Ms. Sorenson heard that the children of local guard members made small cutouts of themselves modeled on the children’s book "Flat Stanley," where the character is flattened and can travel by envelope, and then mailed the images to Iraq.

She wanted to make a similar, life-size version of Captain Bruschwein for their daughter, Sarah, who was 13 months old when her father was deployed. She took a picture of him and his jacket measurements to a local printer, who charged her $75 for Flat Dave, as he was called.

Ms. Sorenson said it helped Sarah, now 4, recognize her father when he came home on leave. "She saw him on the jetway and said, 'Daddy, Daddy,’ ” Ms. Sorenson said. “There was no anxiety.”

Ms. Sorenson shared the idea with Elaine Dumler, a Colorado motivational speaker, who included it in a book on coping with deployment.

Ms. Dumler said National Guard families were receptive to the idea because many had never dealt with a long overseas deployment.

“It affects these families a little more,” Ms. Dumler said, “because they’re not living on a base or a post, surrounded by families who know what they’re going through. They tend to feel a little more isolated.”

That is especially true here in Maine, whose National Guard members are randomly assigned to bases throughout that large state. The National Guard tries to have parties where Flat Soldiers are invited, and family members sometimes take them to support meetings.

Cristin Gardner of Ellsworth, whose husband, Troy, is stationed in Iraq, said she often caught her 6-year-old son, Ashton, including Flat Daddy when he played with soldiers.

Rachel Austin of Colorado Springs paid $50 for a flat version of her husband, Toby, in February after hearing about them through the Colorado National Guard. Ms. Austin said Toby was at the dinner table every night with their sons, Ayden, 20 months, and Ryan, 5. Flat Toby also has been to pre-kindergarten graduation, an uncle’s 50th birthday party in Cheyenne, Wyo., and a Denver Broncos game, although he sat in the car because it was raining.

Ms. Austin said Ayden, who was 13 months old when she brought Flat Toby home, recognized his father, often taking the image off its usual chair and kissing it. Flat Toby is a real person in their house, she said.

"It's nice to see him each day, just to remember that he’s still with us," Ms. Austin said. "It’s one of the best things I’ve done during this deployment. I really think it’s helped us stay connected, to remember that he’s still with us."

Angela Williams, 27, of Anchorage, got a flat version of her husband, who she married three months before he was deployed to Afghanistan, through the Alaska National Guard.

Her flat husband spends most of his time in their bedroom closet, but she will occasionally take him out to show to friends or to look at herself.

"He went away so recently after we got married that sometimes I look at it and say, 'Oh, I’m married, and he’s real and he’s gorgeous,"' Ms. Williams said.

Parents of young deployed soldiers are also using flat soldiers. Carol Campbell of Anson, Me., got a flat version of her 24-year-old daughter, Jessica, who now sits at the family's kitchen table. Ms. Campbell writes all of the places Jessica has visited on the back of the cutout. In June, Flat Jessica even chaperoned an after-prom party that her younger sister attended.

Ms. Campbell said that her youngest daughter thought the idea was odd at first, and that their dog, Speckles, used to bark at the Flat Soldier, but that both are now used to it.

"At first, it can take you aback, but it never did for me," Ms. Campbell said. "I just felt like her presence is here. The Flat Soldier does provide comfort, and we’ll take it any way we can."

it's snowing in minneapolis

the end is near

I've finally booked my plane ticket home. I'm leaving Minneapolis on Monday, and hopefully I'll get deployed soon after.

wow!

That's one big zucchini.

birthday dinner

Last night Trevor proved he could eat a whole bowl of edamame, while Andy looks on in awe. Good times.

an observation

If I were Jesus, today would be Christmas.

a's 5, twins 2

Memo to Torii Hunter: with two outs and a runner on first in a tie game it's helpful to keep the ball in front of you.

let's try that again

a's 3, twins 2

That didn't go well.

playoff baseball

i take attractive pictures of my friends

This is the only photo I took at Kassie's wedding reception or at the open house that evening. I guess when I look back at this joyous day, I'll think of Bongo.

i need a vasectomy

This is Laura's niece Brynn. Brynn, 1.5 years old, was staying with Laura and Kate this weekend. Brynn spent the weekend giving me the stink-eye and trying to hurt herself. She also confirmed my desire never to have children. And heightened my gratitude for my parents' shocking decision not to abandon me.

She was in a good mood tonight though, and wouldn't leave me alone. It was fun for the first ten minutes, but I don't know how anyone puts up with years of that crap.

let's go Twins

This year's Minnesota Twins might be the most exciting baseball team I've ever watched. It's not just the stars, Mauer, Morneau, Sanatana, but the role players. And the Tigers have just handed a lead to Kansas City, and the Twins are leading. If these results hold, they'll win the division and I'll watch them host the Oakland A's on Tuesday.

done

Now I remember why I don't do this more often.

the feeling is mutual

The chocolate hates me.

The tempering went fairly well, though I won't really know until I unmold the chocolates. The ganaches, however, are being very difficult, clumping in spots, and not piping very smoothly. I'm really sick of this. Fortunately almost all the piping is done. All that remains is to cover the bottoms of the truffles with more tempered chocolate, and then to unmold.

heating and cooling

While the ganaches cool, I've tempered chocolate and coated my molds with the melted chocolate. In the process I've covered most kitchen surfaces in chocolate, and left chocolate smudges throughout the house (and on my keyboard). Once the molds cool, I'll pipe the ganache into the molds, let that settle, temper more chocolate, and cover the bottoms. Then, perhaps, sleep.

ganache

The four ganaches for the truffles are done. While they cool, I'm going to temper some milk chocolate and pour it into the truffle molds. I'll fill the molds with the ganaches and then conclude cooking for the night. Only a couple hours left.

before chocolate...dinner

Before making chocolate, I'm making dinner for my hostesses. I've filled thier apartment with smoke, but I think the linguini carbonara will be worth it.

preparing for the coming chocolate storm

All other prep work done, I now turn my attention to the chocolate making. I'm planning to turn out between 150 and 200 100 truffles. Hopefully the six pounds of chocolate I brought to Minnesota will stretch that far.

Before I can start making the chocolate, we need to clean the kitchen. Brynn looking on and offering whines of encouragement, Laura and I put away everything that doesn't need to be out. In a few hours, chocolate will cover everything in the kitchen, so minimizing the damage now is important.

where's the beef? Rainbow.

While Lunds lacked sufficent beef supplies, Rainbow did not. Five pounds of beef in hand, along with ingredients to make my hostesses dinner tonight and a few other ingredients and I'm back at Laura's. When I arrive, I find Laura has returned home, her niece Brynn in tow.

Brynn didn't seem very impressed with the beef, but I think it looks pretty good. I assemble a quick marinate and throw the bags of marinating meat into the refrigerator overnight.

something fishy's going on

I bought four pounds of salmon from Coastal Seafoods. The fish looks terrific, and smells great too. I'm salt curing it, making gravlax, to which I'll add some cheese and some chives for extra niceness.

First, I needed to trim the fat and what was left of its fins.

Then I applied the cure, salt, pepper, lemon and lime zest, and dill to the fleshy side of the fish. Rubbing it in to the meat, the fish is tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated under weight. Tomorrow afternoon we'll clean it off and see how it tastes.

Now I've got to go back out to the grocery in search of beef. Lots of beef.

the day of cooking

Arriving safely in Minneapolis on Wednesday, and having spent Thursday looking at houses, I am now spending my Friday cooking at Laura and Kate's. I'm making food for the open house following Kassie's wedding. I'll be updating all day with photos of the progress.

question of the day

Why do flights purchased at priceline.com always require my early awakening?