Shawn was a 127 before dinner and a 138 an hour later, but we ran out of test strips so will check again tomorrow after we hit the big city. I put a dry rub on ribs and used splenda instead of brown sugar along with everything else, slow cooked them for half the day in the Breville convection oven, and they were actually pretty damned good. For sides I had sauteed spinach with garlic and olive oil and some sea salt (why do I always want to write spinache?), and I soaked some black eyed peas over night, then boiled them and made a cold salad with a diced vidalia and some lemon juice and lime juice and a touch of olive oil and fresh cilantro, and cottage cheese with a little bit of diced peach. The dishes didn’t go to each other like I thought they would, but I wanted a bean like dish instead of sugar bomb baked beans, so I tried that instead.
What are you all up to?
Villago Delenda Est
What are you all up to?
Sipping a cup of Earl Grey and reading about Shawn’s progress!
Almost there to the ideal level, 100-110.
Armadillo
Not to increase your worries, but do Splenda (and other artificial sugars) withstand the oven’s prolonged heat? They don’t break down into something funky? Not saying they do, I know you put them in hot coffee, but the oven is hotter than coffee and stays that way longer.
Doug
Because “spinache” has more panache!
Comrade Mary
Procrastinating and freaking out and wishing for spring.
burnspbesq
Paying bills and getting ready to re-read this fabulous piece by Alexis Madrigal on California water supply issues. The future: no golf courses and no almonds. The two most wasteful uses of water imaginable. Until today, I had no idea that it takes 1.1 gallons of water to grow an almond. Not support one almond tree. Grow ONE almond.
motherjones.com/environment/2014/02/california-water-system-drought
We’re supposedly getting four straight days of rain starting tomorrow. I’ll believe it when I have to use my wipers.
Jane2
@Comrade Mary: Spring!! We normally have 12 days of -30 weather…this winter we’ve had 30 days…SO FAR. My worst holiday nightmare would be a resort in Mexico but I can imagine residents killing each other over the last seat on the charter to Puerto Vallerta.
Bonnie
I spent some time at a seminar by a nutrition doctor. The main thing I learned is that all the artificial sweeteners are bad stuff. He recommended using either barley malt syrup or brown rice syrup to sweeten things up. I have used both and found them very satisfactory for sweetening things; but, very sticky. Still, I am a lousy cook along with hating to cook.
Fuzzy
Stood out on the porch watching the thunder storm here in the East Bay. It’s been raining all day with some heavy stuff this evening. Thunder bumpers are a big deal since moving here from New England. The other thing I miss are the old stone walls that line fields and make up old foundations.
Villago Delenda Est
More Noisemax idiocy:
Allen West: Arizona Not About Civil Rights
Hey, you, war criminal jackass! Of course it’s about civil rights. Hope you aren’t married to a white woman, or someone could raise a religious objection to it.
Mnemosyne
@Armadillo:
Splenda is actually the main artificial sweetener that’s approved for cooking and baking, so he’s fine. There’s even a brown sugar blend available. There are a few things about getting the proportions right when substituting, but it’s like that with any artificial sweetener.
Mnemosyne
Otherwise, sitting around waiting for the rain to arrive. It sounds like it’s traveling more slowly than they originally predicted. I have AWD on my Impreza, so I’m ready for the weather, if not for the other drivers.
Alison
If I have a laptop to use for most of my email/web browsing/etc but I get a smartphone and maybe use it a bit here and there for games or Twitter…I wonder how much data usage I would want? Like…is 2GB reasonable for someone who doesn’t use the phone for a lot of stuff, or is that measly? I have zero frame of reference for how much “stuff” a GB would equal…
Gex
This may be a handy link to refute the Tea Party idiots who whine about about being called teabaggers. Yes, they called themselves that at the start. And wow, what an unfortunate usage of it.
KG
@Villago Delenda Est: nah, there’s only one religiously objectionable thing
Sullivan linked to that earlier today, can’t make it any clearer
Suffern ACE
I know we’re supposed to be healthier and all, but I’m enjoying a bit of Tilsit cheese on toast for a snack, which I enjoyed enough to make it a double.
I’m also humming the stinky cheese song.
That is all that’s up for the evening.
Mnemosyne
@Gex:
You need this dialog to go with that.
Mnemosyne
@Suffern ACE:
Paul Young understands how you feel.
(And, yes, he’s very young there, but it’s the same Paul Young.)
Joel
@Armadillo: Splenda is chlorinated table sugar. It’s actually even more stable than regular sugar, which poses some issues (no caramelization, browning) but holds up a lot better than other non-sugar sweeteners.
Violet
Posted this last night, but Splenda and other artificial sweeteners can upset the intestines, leading to a blood sugar spike.
Gex
@Mnemosyne: perfect!
Mandalay
TNC met with the mother of Jordan Davis and wrote about it.
jackie
Love the updates. All the best to you and friend and pets.
ruemara
taking my second trip on my cal pass-monterey! I’ve never been there, but, I decided that if I’m about to face yet another fucking pile of awful in my life, I’m going to do things I haven’t had a chance to, so there. I got my latest usb backup drive to backup the backup drive. I heart redundancy. Now I’m trying to figure out: 1. why is this ntfs drive not backing up in windows? 2. Can I use this to back up the mac and the windows and the network drive? Why or why not? Cite your sources. But I think I may put away this little puzzle and get ready for bed. I’m due on the treadmill by 7 am and when I get back home after work, it’s packing for an early departure on Friday. If anyone has a suggested place to explore while I’m down there, please let me know. My plan is usually to pick a compass point and walk until I stop.
Alison
@ruemara: Monterey is amazing. Definitely go to Point Lobos and check out the Cypress Grove trail and China Cove. And I mean, it’s touristy but the aquarium really is awesome. OTTER FEEDINGS. :)
ruemara
@Alison: OTTERS! I heard there was whales. Which is not Wales or wails.
Alison
@ruemara: Whales out in the ocean, maybe! There’s a lot of wonderful stuff to see there, it’s definitely worth the time and money. I wish I lived closer.
Mnemosyne
@ruemara:
Up in that area, I’ve only been to Carmel, which is small and expensive, so I second the notion of going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium instead. If you don’t have the $40 for admission, head in that direction and veer off towards the ocean. It looks like the Presidio of Monterey has a museum and park.
ETA: Also, too, in case you didn’t know, tide pools are awesome. And free!
Redshift
@Alison: I’d say that if you’re not streaming audio or video, and you’re not doing a huge amount of web browsing on the phone, 2GB is probably fine. The Ms. used to use an iPod touch with a mobile hotspot and, doing mostly Twitter and a little web browsing, didn’t use up a 300MB data plan. This calculator seems useful, keeping in mind that free Wi-Fi is a lot more common than it used to be, so if most of your activity is in places with Wi-Fi, that won’t use your data.
The Dangerman
@Alison:
It really is (and I’m not much into aquariums); Point Lobos is also a fine suggestion. Monterey has lots of choices depending on your pleasure. Window shopping? Carmel. Restaurants? Cannery Row (where the aquarium is). Ocean? Everyplace you look but driving around the Peninsula is a fine trip (I’d blow off 17 mile drive but, then again, it might have to be done once). History? Again, everywhere (although I think the Steinbeck Center is Salinas).
ETA: A little early for migrating whales (the grays) but you might find some resident humpbacks in the area.
Nick
What is this, a lifestyle channel for burned-out mercenaries?
Alison
@Redshift: Yeah, I’d mostly be in my home with my internet and wireless router, so that would cover that, yeah?
Alison
@The Dangerman: Ooh, the Steinbeck Center was great. I mean…Salinas doesn’t have much else to offer, but if you like the man’s work, it’s worth the trip IMO.
Little Boots
that is splendid. all of it.
Little Boots
ya know it was kind of an interesting discussion downstairs, but this is nice too.
taras
@Alison: check to see if you are charged for using more than 2 GB of data. I thought I only had 2 ghb data with t mobile that I share with my PO . We went over and found out the 2 Gs are for high speed and anything used afterwards during the bill cycling, they just constricted my pipewidth. but no extra charges
Alison
@taras: Yeah. I’d definitely ask about that before buying. Can;t afford surprises!
Origuy
If you have some time and it’s not raining, go to Asilomar, in Pacific Grove, just off the 17 mile drive. It’s a conference center on the beach. The older buildings were designed by Julia Morgan, who designed Hearst Castle. There’s a nice walk through the coastal wetlands, too.
something fabulous
@Mnemosyne: Especially fitting since when the song came out my friends and I were convinced it was “…you take a piece of cheese/with you…”
Chris T.
Spinache: the uncomfortable feeling you have after eating too much spinach.
(Spin-ache, that is, like stomach-ache.)
mai naem
@Alison: Email and some web browsing should be fine. Don’t do videos – that’s what really eats up data. I used to be on an old unlimited plan until Verizon changed the rules so I was all worried that I was going to be paying a ton. Ends up I don’t even use 1 gig. You should have a feature on your phone where it will automatically go to free wifi if you’re around a free wifi.
Hawes
See if Agave syrup can be used by diabetics. It’s really good and easier to use than honey. And it’s not a chemical shitstorm.
grumpy realist
John, get a can of tomato paste, some liquid smoke, and start fiddling around with the spices if you want a replacement for ribs sauce. Vietnamese cinnamon is surprisingly sweet.