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| (Seen in a cathedral door - a renovation project. HA) |
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Fall Cookies
In addition to pumpkin bread, zucchini bread and other "fall-flavored" goodies, I like to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in autumn. There's nothing particularly fall-themed about them, but they're too hardy to make in spring or summer...enjoy!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Heat oven to 350.
Mix:
1c shortening
1c brown sugar
1c granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
Then add:
2c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3c oats
2.5c semi-sweet chocolate chips*
Mix together until relatively smooth.
Bake 9-10 mins or until very lightly brown.
*You can substitute raisons, cranberries or other dried fruit.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Model Mondays: Warhammer Dreadnought
Model Mondays is back after a brief hiatus due to travel and the aforementioned kidney stone, and all the fun things that went along with that ordeal. This edition showcases the Space Marine Dreadnought, from the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniature wargame.
In the universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Imperium of Man is in constant conflict with aliens and heretics that threaten mankind's very existence. The tagline for the game is "In the grim dark future, there is only war." The Imperial Guard (whose vehicles have been the subject of a few of these posts) is essentially the army of the Imperium. They are an incredibly large, often cumbersome organization who more often than not wins battles through sheer numbers and not out of any particular skill.
However, there is another force that wages war on behalf of the Imperium: the Adeptus Astartes, more commonly known as the Space Marines. The Astartes warriors are genetically engineered super-soldiers, bred specifically for combat and fanatically loyal to the Emperor of Mankind. They are 10 feet tall and are incredibly strong, even without their power armor. The Adeptus Astartes are divided into chapters, each with its own lineage and battle history. At the time of the "current" events in the game, most of these chapters have existed for several thousand years. Space Marines themselves are nearly immortal; they will not die of natural causes, due to their physiology. They can, however, be injured or killed in combat.
The Space Marine Dreadnought is a piece of technology designed to extend the life of mortally wounded Space Marines. The Astartes warrior is basically entombed in the body of the Dreadnought; he continues to live inside the Dreadnought, and controls its actions with his mind. The link is permanent, and the warrior will continue to live as long as the Dreadnought is not destroyed. In this manner, the chapter does not lose that warrior's skills, knowledge, or experience, and he can continue fighting for centuries.
This specific Dreadnought is from the Ultramarines chapter. It is equipped with a twin-linked lascannon and a power claw.
The model itself is about 4 inches tall, but has a pretty fair amount of detail. I finished it a few years ago.
Enjoy the pictures; comments are always welcome!
In the universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Imperium of Man is in constant conflict with aliens and heretics that threaten mankind's very existence. The tagline for the game is "In the grim dark future, there is only war." The Imperial Guard (whose vehicles have been the subject of a few of these posts) is essentially the army of the Imperium. They are an incredibly large, often cumbersome organization who more often than not wins battles through sheer numbers and not out of any particular skill.
However, there is another force that wages war on behalf of the Imperium: the Adeptus Astartes, more commonly known as the Space Marines. The Astartes warriors are genetically engineered super-soldiers, bred specifically for combat and fanatically loyal to the Emperor of Mankind. They are 10 feet tall and are incredibly strong, even without their power armor. The Adeptus Astartes are divided into chapters, each with its own lineage and battle history. At the time of the "current" events in the game, most of these chapters have existed for several thousand years. Space Marines themselves are nearly immortal; they will not die of natural causes, due to their physiology. They can, however, be injured or killed in combat.
The Space Marine Dreadnought is a piece of technology designed to extend the life of mortally wounded Space Marines. The Astartes warrior is basically entombed in the body of the Dreadnought; he continues to live inside the Dreadnought, and controls its actions with his mind. The link is permanent, and the warrior will continue to live as long as the Dreadnought is not destroyed. In this manner, the chapter does not lose that warrior's skills, knowledge, or experience, and he can continue fighting for centuries.
This specific Dreadnought is from the Ultramarines chapter. It is equipped with a twin-linked lascannon and a power claw.
The model itself is about 4 inches tall, but has a pretty fair amount of detail. I finished it a few years ago.
Enjoy the pictures; comments are always welcome!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
New (to me) Food
A very discerning reader noticed that we said all kinds of things about NYC but left out food. That's distressing, people. Our tasty food consisted of pizza, pizza, pizza and pizza. We hit an Irish Pub (another of our traditions) and had some yummy Shepherd's Pie, and at another place we had the best hummus and flat bread that I've ever tasted. Of course I have no pictures of this because I can't control myself around food and it's usually gone before I remember that I should have documented the experience.
However - I will say that I made an interesting discovery. Not a discovery as much as a new inclusion to my breakfast choices.
There was an elegant, small French bistro close to our hotel and we ate breakfast there. I chose "Muesli" thinking it was some sort of oatmeal, but it ended up being like trail mix on steroids, topped with milk. G was not surprised by this. Apparently he used to eat this in college and we would make fun of him and ask what trough he got it out of, where the other farm animals were, etc. I can neither confirm nor deny his claims because that was when I used to eat Grapenuts and those same culprits would call it gravel. I'm just sayin.
This muesli was so good that I ate it every day we were there. It had oat clusters, all sorts of fresh and dried fruit, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and apparently some sort of addictive chemical because I came back home craving it. Of course they served it with milk so creamy that I wanted to bathe in it.
I looked all over for it in the grocery store and couldn't find anything. I'm not one of those industrious people who shops all over town to find the best bargain, or the specific thing I happen to be looking for. Instead, I grabbed several ingredients from all around the store and made my own version of it.
An important note: This is missing fresh fruit. I highly recommend adding blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. I also recommend using whole milk (I use one percent and I pine over the creaminess I tasted before).
Another note: It would be cheaper to track down a pre-made version of this, but extra time is not something I have. I rationalize that the cost of buying all these ingredients is OK because I change up what I eat for breakfast and therefore these ingredients will last me like 6 months.
This is filling and healthy (full of good fats), and will give you about 3 servings of fruit and grains in one sitting. :)
I'm happy with my new dish.
However - I will say that I made an interesting discovery. Not a discovery as much as a new inclusion to my breakfast choices.
There was an elegant, small French bistro close to our hotel and we ate breakfast there. I chose "Muesli" thinking it was some sort of oatmeal, but it ended up being like trail mix on steroids, topped with milk. G was not surprised by this. Apparently he used to eat this in college and we would make fun of him and ask what trough he got it out of, where the other farm animals were, etc. I can neither confirm nor deny his claims because that was when I used to eat Grapenuts and those same culprits would call it gravel. I'm just sayin.
This muesli was so good that I ate it every day we were there. It had oat clusters, all sorts of fresh and dried fruit, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and apparently some sort of addictive chemical because I came back home craving it. Of course they served it with milk so creamy that I wanted to bathe in it.
I looked all over for it in the grocery store and couldn't find anything. I'm not one of those industrious people who shops all over town to find the best bargain, or the specific thing I happen to be looking for. Instead, I grabbed several ingredients from all around the store and made my own version of it.
An important note: This is missing fresh fruit. I highly recommend adding blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. I also recommend using whole milk (I use one percent and I pine over the creaminess I tasted before).
Another note: It would be cheaper to track down a pre-made version of this, but extra time is not something I have. I rationalize that the cost of buying all these ingredients is OK because I change up what I eat for breakfast and therefore these ingredients will last me like 6 months.
This is filling and healthy (full of good fats), and will give you about 3 servings of fruit and grains in one sitting. :)
I'm happy with my new dish.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
NYC - the architecture
Stepping out onto the streets of Manhattan is intoxicating. From the moment you open the door, a cacophony of noise assaults you - traffic, honking horns, the click of heels on the sidewalk, the jibber jabber of people talking to each other and of course, into their phones. It's like going from 0 to 60 mph in one second. One of my favorite parts about visiting the city is entering the streets that first time. In addition to the noise, you are surrounded - literally enveloped - in skyscrapers.
Before we visited for the first time, a friend of mine told me, "Don't forget to look up." She was right. There's so much to watch - and to watch out for - right in front of you, that it's easy to forget the entire world above you. The buildings stretch so high they look like they curve; some of them actually do curve. When they were first built, people wouldn't go up in them because they believed there wouldn't be enough oxygen in the atmosphere once they reached the top.
Looking around the city these days, it's impossible to believe it was once like so many other major American cities: farmland. Here's a taste of the architecture we saw this time around.
Before we visited for the first time, a friend of mine told me, "Don't forget to look up." She was right. There's so much to watch - and to watch out for - right in front of you, that it's easy to forget the entire world above you. The buildings stretch so high they look like they curve; some of them actually do curve. When they were first built, people wouldn't go up in them because they believed there wouldn't be enough oxygen in the atmosphere once they reached the top.
Looking around the city these days, it's impossible to believe it was once like so many other major American cities: farmland. Here's a taste of the architecture we saw this time around.
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| The concrete canyon effect. More of these below. |
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| Fire escapes are so much a part of the architecture, you almost don't even see them after a while. But I think they're pretty in their own way. |
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| The Empire State Building. We're right below it, so you can't see the antenna on the top. |
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| See the wooden water towers? These are also everywhere. |
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| Check out the juxtaposition of different types of architecture right next to each other. This is very common and is part of the charm of the city. |
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These food vendors are very much a part of the Manhattan landscape. In fact, they are so prosperous that they have to pay property taxes, just as the actual businesses in buildings do. According to our tour guide, the hot dog stand at the Met had to pay $500,000 for its license, and about $20,000 per month in taxes alone. Maybe I'm in the wrong job??         
This last picture is Harlem. It's uptown. See how different the architecture is? It feels like a different world - well, it is a different world.
That pretty much wraps up the NYC trip - until next year!
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Friday, October 14, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
NYC - the arts
For all the madness and chaos and stress and cynicism that is NYC, it is one artistic place. I can see why New Yorkers think Manhattan is the center of the universe; when it comes to art, there is something for everyone. There is either graffiti or advertising on any bare spot available. There are street artists and famous artists, and world-renowned speakers, and oh, the culture.
On one of the bus tours we passed a fence that had one decorated tile on it for each person killed on 9/11. A few blocks later we passed a Mac store - not even a big one or a Headquarters or anything - that had an ad hoc memorial to Steve Jobs out front. There were several multi-colored post it notes all over the windows, with notes written to him, and flowers strewn all over the front sidewalk. NYC is a place of self-expression, often artistic expression.
Here are the arts we encountered on this trip.
Granted, you go to China Town for the awesome food and bargains. But at night it was beautiful in its own way.
On one of the bus tours we passed a fence that had one decorated tile on it for each person killed on 9/11. A few blocks later we passed a Mac store - not even a big one or a Headquarters or anything - that had an ad hoc memorial to Steve Jobs out front. There were several multi-colored post it notes all over the windows, with notes written to him, and flowers strewn all over the front sidewalk. NYC is a place of self-expression, often artistic expression.
Here are the arts we encountered on this trip.
The MET
The NYC Public Library
Other Random Places
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| Admission to the Met is $25/person "or whatever you would like to pay." |
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| We spent a few hours in the Egyptian section. Fascinating. Every time I thought we'd reached the end, the exhibits stretched on and on. They even had portions of pyramids, burial rooms, actual royal mummies, cuneiform, jewelry, pottery, art, cooking utensils, religious symbols, and more. |
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| The Met boasts a roof-top garden and restaurant area with a stunning view of both Central Park (behind us) and the city. |
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| A partial city shot from the rooftop of the Met. |
The NYC Public Library
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| Beautiful building with the token lions out front. This building is the research portion of the NYC Public Library. There are several campuses spread throughout Manhattan. |
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| Great shot of old stately style juxtaposed with modern architecture. Classic NYC. |
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| We were in book heaven. |
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| Almost all the ceilings were painted with murals or scenes. It was like a museum; too much to take in all at once. |
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| The Great Reading Room. You may recognize it from the movies. I felt like I should be doing homework or a dissertation or something. Instead, we went and got some food. |
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| A Lego tribute to the lions - so cute! |
The Library turns 100 this year and had a special exhibit for the public. For free, we saw the following up close and personal (this is not all they had; it's just all I can remember):
* Original letter from Christopher Columbus to King Ferdinand about his discovery of the New Land.
* Original letter from an American slave in Mobile, Alabama, to his wife.
* Original draft of the Declaration of Independence hand-written by Thomas Jefferson.
* Original draft of the Star Spangled Banner, identified as an original because Patriotic is misspelled as "Pariotic."
* Copy of America's first version of the Gutenberg Bible.
* Several cuneiform from Ancient Mesopotamia.
* Charles Dickens's letter opener (the handle is his beloved cat's paw).
* George Washington's retirement letter to the American public. The last sentence of which warns the country not to form strong or binding ties with other countries. Hmm.
Other Random Places
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| Outside a Jewish Center. |
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| From the Met. |
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| The Strand is a huge used book store downtown. We go there every single time we visit the city. Book lovers gotta stick togetha. |
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| On my list for the next visit, whenever that is: The Rockettes. |
China Town
The Apollo
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| Where countless musicians got their big break. |
Next up, the architecture.
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