Planetary Delights

Gus Update

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:19:00 +0000

It seems the couch is the new exer-saucer. Gus seems happy as long as he can dance and look at cats in the sunlight. (And really, isn't that all anyone wants?)

Yet another list of books

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:52:00 +0000

I don't know much about who Donald Barthelme is but I'm always interested in book lists. His looks quite good.

Finding Your Passion

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:07:00 +0000

I stumbled across this quote in a recent in an interview with Joseph J. Plumeri from the Willis Group:

Q. What questions do you ask job candidates?

A. What I really want to know is what kind of person I’m dealing with. So I ask only one question. I say, “Tell me what you’re passionate about.” That’s it. Tell me what you’re passionate about.

Q. Do they ask if you mean at work or outside of work?

A. Whatever you want to talk about. Tell me what you’re passionate about. Digging holes. Riding bikes. I’m looking to see if they’ve got a passion. I’m looking to see if there’s anything inside, other than what they do. And how passionate could they be, therefore, about being here? And how excited and involved could they be?

I spent a lot of time thinking about this. What am I passionate about?

The answer starts with something weird and very specific, but why I'm passionate about it ends up explaining a lot about who I am and how I see the world.

I really like yeast. I am passionate about yeast. Yeast is the foundation of so many things I find wonderful: bread, beer, sauerkraut, yoghurt, sourdough, and champagne.

I have been baking bread since I got my first apartment in 1996, and find it an easy way to calm myself through kneading dough, the smell of bread backing, and the amazing transformation process that starts with four ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, water) and delivers a crusty, warm gooey loaf of wonderful.

Since 2006 I've made most of the bread we eat at home. I mix the dough, let it proof overnight, and will bake something in the morning. I don't carefully measure this, and have added lots of ingredients to mix it up over time: left-over blueberry oatmeal, rye, onion bits, and nuts.

And beer! I have started to taste beer like some taste wine, paying close attention to characteristics of breweries, how the water quality impacts the beer, and the funny things yeast does to transform water and grain into Guinness.

And what ties this all together, and why I am passionate about yeast, is that to work with yeast relies upon a process you can't fundamentally see, but have to trust that it will work out. It is not precise, it is forgiving and finicky. You can't rely upon it to realize the same result each time you use it, as yeast changes over time, and that changes the flavor.

So yeast yields serendipity, and I love serendipity. And I think the universe is mostly serendipitous, and not precise, and finicky and forgiving. There are so many things that could go wrong, but often we happen to find the spouse who makes us happy, your genes combine in random ways to yield a lovely child with your little hands, and your Saturday afternoon is filled with quiet and the smell of bread baking.

And yeast can be like that smell: we can trap it and bottle it, but mostly it is all around us. I've made hard cider by simply leaving apple juice sit out on the counter, and sooner or later you have homespun hooch. And then vinegar.

You can make sourdough anywhere in the world by simply letting the yeast live in the dough you make. And I think that we could all be happy somewhere, make something of our lives with the ingredients we're given, if we just be sure to pay attention and not try to be precise but forgiving.

Parkway Finds

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:13:00 +0000

Parkway Finds
Originally uploaded by minvervah

Shylo found these two 8-tracks in the parkway near our house, and they have been officially added to my collection of oddities at work that I carry with me from desk to desk.

Other fine items in this collection include a picture of Martha Stewart, two cans of SPAM (one Elvis Hawaii edition, one regular SPAM), play-doh I've had for 5 years, a box with Ganesh in it, a plastic penguin, and every cool thing Cathy G. has ever given me.

I also keep an inflatable man in a drawer. Sometimes, I take him out to freak out the interns. It never fails.

Chicken and Tabby

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:46:00 +0000

Chicken and Tabby
Originally uploaded by minvervah

This pretty much sums up our life about now: cats and our son, The Chicken.

riiiight.

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:52:00 +0000

riiiight.
Originally uploaded by minvervah

Officially my new favorite photo.

Nice Wheels

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:29:00 +0000

Me And The Alderman

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:07:00 +0000

CAPS0609 025
Originally uploaded by kastigar

Before the CAPS mtg.

Yet more flotsam and jetsam

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:24:00 +0000

1. I would love to have a pair of pants like this, but I'm not the right size. I would love to have these for casual Fridays, weekends, etc.

2. I keep mulling over an essay (yet to be written) about how the 21st century will be about authenticity. In the era of globalization and technology and virtualization and tourism, finding what's real will be of increasing importance.

On Static vs Dynamic

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:28:00 +0000

About two weeks ago, I bought my afternoon coffee and forgot to put milk in it. "Oh well", I figured "I'll just drink it anyway." And so I did. But for the first time in my life, black coffee actually tasted good.

Last night I was brushing my teeth and noticed a prickly white hair poking out of my head. I had seen suspicious bits of white appear when shaving, so the maverick whitey hints at a trend: I'm about to go gray.

Neither of these things bother me. I've watched Shylo's body change so much in the past months because of her pregnancy--her curves have altered, she no longer likes tomatoes, she naps a lot--that it isn't hard to imagine that my body wants to do something different too.

One of the glorious things about growing older is watching how things change, learning what is static about yourself ("I like bicycles") vs what is dynamic ("Just black coffee please thanks"). I still have oblong feet but now I like to run--I never used to.

Perhaps the biggest thing to remember about "the change we can believe in" isn't how much our government can change, it's how we can transform ourselves. The recession has made me spend a lot more time inside, literally and figuratively.

What have I learned? I feel happier as an adult. One of the most powerful things was to learn how to control my moods, find the right tools to avoid being sad. I'm lucky--something I used to think was so static is now dynamic.

So what if my hair turns white? Soon something else will change, and I'll barely notice.

Yellow Puppy Dog

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:31:00 +0000

Thrift Store Find?
Originally uploaded by minvervah

This was the crowning top of a display in a thrift-store in Crystal Lake. I like the contrast of the dry beige with the wet yellow, but good god, it is hideous.

It was placed next to someone's collection of bells from different states. People's desire to collect things always puzzles me. "I'm in Wyoming, I should collect a bell" someone must think. But mostly they were from lame places in Florida.

Baby Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:54:00 +0000

The old lady who lived in the house across the street appears to have died. Appears?

Yes, appears.

She did not come over and tell us she was dying. She was 100, so we knew. And we'd see her soft living room light come on, then later go off, a definitive sign that the woman who had been a girl during World War I was still hanging out, night after night.

The caretakers would sit outside and smoke. There was a rock at the end of the old woman's driveway, and the caretakers would sit, always at 8am or 8pm, and smoke. The shift would change.

The smoking stopped a few weeks ago. Before Christmas? Now there is a green sign planted in the snow: "For Sale".

Soon new neighbors will move in, perhaps another couple with children, a couple like we are about to become. Their children will dance on the lawn, they will decorate the house. Perhaps we'll become friends and step inside for dinner?

But I won't forget the lady, living alone at the end of her life, sometimes slowly answering the door, the light usually on in the evening.

ChiBoGa

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:47:00 +0000

Arid Greenhouse Bloom
Originally uploaded by minvervah

Since we had to head up to Highland Park to pick up a crib for Gus, we decided to head over the the Chicago Botanical Gardens to see what was happening. For a garden in the winter in Chicago: not much. But the orchid room and the desert room are always a treat, and I made Shylo take this picture because it looked other-planetary.

Truly Pattern Recognition

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:36:00 +0000

"She is increasingly of the opinion that worrying about problems doesn't help solve them, but she hasn't really found an alternative yet."

-- William Gibson, Pattern Recognition

Echoes Of Subprime

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:11:00 +0000

"By mid-2003, as the drumbeat of criticism--and a string of investigations--intensified, there were some hints of remorse. At its annual meeting in May, J.P. Morgan Chase issued a statement saying, "We have seen far more than the usual number of serious accidents at the intersection of Wall Street and Main. And our financial institutions, including J.P. Morgan Chase, must take their share of responsibility for that." Two months later, J.P. Morgan Chase and Citigroup agreed to pay a combined $286 million for "helping to commit a fraud" on Enron's shareholders as SEC enforcement chief Stephen Cutler told reporters. The two banks also agreed to ensure that their clients who used complex financial structures account for them in ways that investors could readily understand. Investors will have to wait until the next bull market to gauge whether anything has really changed."

(The emphasis is mine.)

Reading "The Smartest Guys In The Room" this weekend was amazing. To imagine that such a business existing boggles the mind, and seems like a better warning of the current financial difficulties than the LTCM crisis was previously.

RAM discounts

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:47:00 +0000

As I was heading out to the suburbs today, I stopped at the RAM in Rosemont to fill up a growler for our family's holiday meal. I decided to try the Hazelnut Porter, which sounds likes a cheesy coffee flavor, but is actually a pretty decent beer.

The best part? It's only $5 to refill a growler on Fridays and Saturdays. That's less than a crappy six-pack of Miller Lite--and it will be available every day in January. So I'm definitely heading back to the RAM in January.

Natasha with Aloe

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:19:00 +0000

Natasha with Aloe
Originally uploaded by minvervah

A beautiful still life (well still for a cat) taken earlier today.

Barbarians At the Gate

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:12:00 +0000

"Why did these people care so much about what came out of their computers and so little about what came out of their factories? Why were they so intent on breaking up instead of building up? And last: what did this all have to do with doing business?"

Barbarians at the Gate was quite good--it read more like a novel than a business book. I'd recommend it.

Reading Can Be the Stuff Of Life

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:32:00 +0000

I see the world in terms of words because whenever I have a quiet moment, I fill it with reading. (via Rands in Repose.)

As someone who has almost been mown down by taxis while walking and reading, and often takes a path through the alley at night because the light is better to finish the next page of the book, I agree.

Peekaboo Mr. Boo

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:45:00 +0000

Peekaboo Mr. Boo
Originally uploaded by minvervah

This is our cat that we buried in blankets during the weekend. He's a photogenic beast, though I like the blend of color from this picture.

How To Bake Bread In a Dutch Oven And Have It Taste Totally Awesome

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:00:00 +0000

(A friend recently asked me for baking tips after she got a new Dutch oven. Since I bake a lot, I thought I'd pass along my experiences.)

Yes, I do bake a lot -- probably 2x a week. We've cut down how much bread
we buy because I tend to make a couple of loaves. The no-knead is how I
make all of my bread -- it makes it taste a lot better and also makes
baking a lot less work.

Here's my basic recipe. It's taken from the Mark Bittman book "How To
Cook Everything". I'm sure the library has it if you want lots and lots
of details.

3 1/2 c. flour (bread flour is better, but not necessary)
1 1/2 c. water - 2 c. water
salt
yeast - usually about 1 tsp. See below.

12 - 18 hour version
I mix the yeast, flour, and then a bunch of salt together. I then add the
water in 1/2 c. batches into the flour and just stir it all together. Use
extra water and less yeast.

Once you have a wet gooey mess (don't worry if it is gloppy, the yeast
will take care of it), set it aside in the mixing bowl to rise. It works
better if you put plastic wrap on top, but it's not required.

Let it rise for 12 hours, then punch down. Let rise again for 4 hours,
then transfer the loaf into the dutch oven and bake at 450 for 45 minutes.

4 hour version
Mix the yeast into warm water (about the temperature of bathtub water) and
give it a little boost by adding anything sugary you have handy -- jam,
maple syrup, a little molasses. No more than a teaspoon. Let it
percolate for about 5-10 mins--it will start to foam and that is good.
Use a healthy teaspoon of yeast, maybe a bit more if you are
time-constrained.

Mix the flour and salt together, then mix in the fluid. Make sure it's
gooey.

Let it rise for 2-3 hours, then punch down. Let it rise again, and then
bake at 450F in a dutch oven until it's done.

Important Tips & Tricks

- Preheat the over 20-30 mins to 450 before baking. It takes awhile for
most ovens to get decently hot.

- Make sure your dutch oven doesn't have a plastic handle -- it can melt
or smoke at 450. (I used a metal calaphon lid and it was ok.)

- you need to oil the pan to prevent the bread from getting burned to the
bottom. I usually use canola oil because it can handle the heat. It will
taste even better if you sprinkle polenta or coarse cornmeal on top of the
oil before putting the bread in -- the bread will slide out really easy
when it's all done.

- The longer you let it rise, the better it will taste, and then use
correspondingly less yeast.

- If you want whole grain bread, replace your regular flour with up to 1
1/2 c. of different flours and it should work just fine. I often mix in 1
c. of rye flour, but have also used oatmeal, whole wheat flour, or mixed
in nuts. Using lots of fruit, blueberries, and cinnamon is an option too.

- Make sure to let it cool before eating. 5 mins. is a minimum, 30 is
better.

- Don't worry too much about the ambient temperature of where it rises.
Anything over 60 should be OK, ie you don't need to put it in the oven or
anything.

- Bread tastes better with lots of salt. Taste the dough as you're mixing
it to taste the salt.

- You don't need to knead. The yeast will take care of it.

- the mixing takes 5-10 mins, and the clean-up takes the same. All in
all, the whole thing takes about 30 minutes of your time.

Here is the original inspiration. I find this recipe too fussy though.
(Seriously, who measures 1 5/8 of anything?!?) I don't preheat the pot, I
just use it myself and think that's a reasonable trade-off.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

Let me know how you like it!

Sub-History.

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:48:00 +0000

The timeline of the subprime meltdown, mostly told through Ben Bernacke's eyes. Kind of dense and boring, but includes the best explanation yet of what happened at Bear Stern's that I've seen.

Michael Lewis on Subprime

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:03:00 +0000

They helped distract outsiders from the truly profane event: the growing misalignment of interests between the people who trafficked in financial risk and the wider culture.

The number of financial articles that make you laugh out loud are very few and far between. But the Michael Lewis piece on Subprime mortgages is fantastic, especially if you've read Liar's Poker. The interview at the end -- with Gutfruend -- had me literally on the edge of my seat.

His main point -- that most financial companies don't understand what they are peddling, and the CEOs don't understand the risks, is something to keep in mind.

Even better, it reminds you to ask again and again to get someone to explain to you what they are doing in a way you can understand. Otherwise, it's alchemy.

Ray Ozzie wants 1973 back

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:53:00 +0000

It's fascinating to me how people's first interaction with computers seems to harden their ideas of what it can do for the rest of their lives. I can't tell you how many programmers I've met who still lust after Hypercards, or wish to recreate something they did on an Amiga or Commodore64. (My generation being the first to grow up on PCs, not have to work our way through the punchcard nonsense of mainframes.)

I have my own ticks like this: I want to use the simple email program pine at work, and I have yet to find anything to replay earlier versions of stuff that "just worked" like the Mac alarm clock program or the simple "cdplayer" that used to ship with earlier versions of windows.

And for "genius" programmers, it seems it is no different. The summary of this article could be "Ray Ozzie saw the future in 1973 at U of I, and just tries to keep recreating it. (The sad part is that while Notes was ahead of its time in 1989, it's truly awful now.)

But it means an interesting pattern emerges: the first language of computing you learn is the one you feel most comfortable in. You might learn new vocabulary (nifty keyboard shortcuts, iTunes, etc.) but the first impression hardens your mind on what a computer is.

It's a thought worth exploring:
- are programmers' ideas of what's possible shaped by language? (I happen to believe their design patterns of "good code" are often shaped by the first language.)

- are users ever happy with evolutionary software, or do they prefer the revolution to learn a new language of doing things? For example, it seems possible that much computer input could be done by touchscreen in 5 years instead of the keyboard mouse/combo. What will that mean for today's toddler?

I follow Ray Ozzie because I find his work fascinating. (I thought Groove was groovy, and sort of welcome cloud computing at Microsoft because I think it will be a paradigm shift for enterprise computing.) But clearly he keeps chasing what he thought he already had.

Just Good Writing

noreply@blogger.com (planetshwoop) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:47:00 +0000

A very lucid account of why Prop 8 failed in California. I love Hendrik Hertzberg and hope some of his better columns about the Bush administration come out as a book (that I will gladly buy).

What's particularly engaging is his use of very very long sentence. Short sentence. Like this:

You might think that an organization that for most of the first of its not yet two centuries of existence was the world’s most notorious proponent of startlingly unconventional forms of wedded bliss would be a little reticent about issuing orders to the rest of humanity specifying exactly who should be legally entitled to marry whom. But no.

I try to use this style as often as possible when writing email -- the long-short style, I think, catches your attention and is very useful for non-fiction writing.