Playing Doctor

Unbread

Supermarket brand standard loaves of bread, the $2 a loaf sort. In the US this is known Packaged Bread. I am not sure it is really bread anymore. Sure it is loafy, has a mild crust, and appears to be based upon wheat, water, and yeast but it has a noticeably sweet flavour, or it used to, I can't tell anymore. More distrubingly it never goes stale, ever. If you hold onto it for a while though (purely for scientfic curiousity, I assure you) it does eventually sport some mould growth, maybe after around two months. It doesn't really bear thinking about at length.

Latte

Saturday morning in Cambridge, out of milk, I have the bright idea go to the grocery store across the street to get milk, then why not duck into the cafe there for two lattes and a couple of croissants? All this in the rather heavy rain with an umbrella. Go!

Getting the milk is no problem, a quart and a plastic bag. The cafe provides the heavily marked up lattes and croissants, sweet. Now, there I am in the door of the cafe, a bag with croissants and the milk in my hand, two lattes waiting to be picked up and the umbrella. I need a third hand. I only have to go 25 m to get back to the apartment but it's pissing down, the umbrella is a must.

Some how I manage to hold the umbrella a little with each hand as they each also grasp a latte in addition to the grocery bag hanging off my left wrist. I push out into the street. Fortunately traffic is light and crossing the usually busy street is easy. I hurry up to the building door umbrella teetering and lattes under threat, amazed I haven't dropped anything yet.

The second trial: swiping in with the building keys. I stacking the lattes carefully and rest the umbrella against the wall, then gingerly fish the keys from my back pocket and swipe the magnetic tag across reader. The door open timer starts, and as it ticks down I'm able to put the keys back, get the umbrella, and move inside with the still stacked lattes in my grocery bag burdened left hand. There is a barely intelligible aging woman here who reeks of cigarette smoke to mumbles something nigh unintelligible about how she could have let me in. That would have been nice if she actually had.

Next: the elevator. Pressing the call button with the umbrella hand, lattes still balanced, I got into the elevator with my umbrella in one hand and the bag with the milk and croissants in the other. Those lattes remained stacked on top of each other. Two other people got into the elevator with me, unintelligible cigarette lady and woolen jumper with package man. I turned to put the umbrella in the corner so I could hold a latte in each hand, but in the course of enacting this safety measure I must have unbalanced the very latte I was trying to save and it plummeted onto the floor of the elevator car now in motion.

The latte hit the ground and the top flew off creating a latte explosion that flew all over, floor to ceiling, the half the elevator I wasn't standing in, but woolen jumper with package man was. He was on the 5th floor and I was getting off at the third. I apologized profusely, there wasn't enough for him to have been burned or anything, but he was certainly well latte-ed.

We stand there in silence, this guy with a sour look on his face, and spilled latte all over the floor of this elevator. Weird lady gets off on two. We keep going up, the smell of rapidly cooling latte creeping through nostrils, silence. My floor. I return to my relatively normal morning, while package guy starts Saturday off slightly more caffeinated that expected.

iSnack?

I was amused much like the rest of the world. I'm not sure how such a calamitous branding mess-up came about. Who thought that 'iSnack 2.0' would be a good name for  half and half vegemite and cream cheese? Turns out Adolf has similar feelings.This is easy enough to do on your own of course, and you retain the basically indefinite shelf life of the vegemite. Since cheesymite is already taken by Brumby's the alternative vegecream doesn't sound too appealing, but seriously this is best that can be thought of? What about blackgold or something? I guess similar trademark issues.

Of course I am not overly concerned, this is usually where you can argue that Marmite is better than vegemite, but I don't actually have much of a preference one way or the other. Now, a quesadilla with marmite in it, that's nice. Yet another cuisine falls prey to the corrupting influence of yeasty extract.

A brief tryst with Amtrak in three acts.

Well, I've never been on Amtrak before and I've heard some bad stories, but this seems OK. The train is on time, clean, and the few people on it are well behaved. This seems like such a nice service, yes it is a little pricey but the soft caress of the polyester seats is alluring, not to mention that adequate space, plus two standard power jacks right at every seat. It's so easy to get work done! I don't see why every one wouldn't want to use this service.

Nice to see you again Amtrak. You're punctual, but I notice this time that you're a bit odourous and full of loud people. Ah, I see this train has come from Washington D.C. But of course you are full, and smell a bit. With so many people for so long, you might expect that, even though it would be easy to ventilate or deodourise the cabin. That's OK, I can get work done and the train will be in Boston in just over two hours. It's great that I don't have to worry about dropping off a rental car or contemplate the motoring purgatory that is 'driving' on the I-95 and Mass pike.

Ah, the start of another relaxed Amtrak voyage. The now familiar train that is running on time, how lovely. It's late but soon I'll be comfortably home, arriving unruffled. Oh dear, the passenger in front of me has his seat totally reclined, making it a bit uncomfortable to type on the laptop. No matter, I can manage, it is only for another hour. What's this? A rail draw bridge is stuck in the up position? That is a bit odd. Well I'm sure this will be resolved shortly and then we'll be on our way. Hmm thirty minutes have passed and they have admitted via the PA that they still have no idea what is wrong. This is a bit a testing. So, it takes more than an hour to even figure out what is wrong with one of these things eh? What is so hard about keeping a bloody bridge working? It just goes up and down! Why did that take an hour and thirty minutes? Now I get to New Haven at nearly 2 am instead of 12:20 am! That's it Amtrak. It's over!

Subcontinental satellite synthesis

I received a tome of 660 curry recipes from Sophia for my Birthday, a welcome gift indeed. It has many useful little bits of information in it, such as a multitude of techniques for paneer synthesis. Accordingly I made some paneer last week.

Making paneer is alarmingly easy: 4 litres of milk, bring to boil in a pan, add 1/4 cup white vinegar, curds and whey separate in about 40 seconds, remove whey by straining through a tea-towel (or two layers of cheese cloth) in a sieve. Allow to rest until not burning hot to the touch, fold tea towel over onto the curds and then place a heavy weight (pan full of water) on top. 5 hours later, a little more whey has been removed and the curds have been pressed into a tiny 0.5 kg round moon. A 'block' of paneer.

The paneer on its own was unassuming. A vague creamy flavour, with a slightly chalky finish. A bit weird, this chalkiness can supposedly be banished by beginning with half and half instead of full cream milk. In any case the product as it was worked well in a gobi paneer. Will repeat, but note that firm tofu is a textural approximation that can be substituted in a pinch.

Moving

Last weekend I moved across East Rock from the State St side to the Whitney Ave side. My new place is cheaper, bigger and much nicer (gas stove, more light, fewer housemates - not to mention cleaner and lacking an unidentifiable odour). I didn't realise how bad my old place was. It is curious exactly what one can get used to.

Sophia, and I plus Erin, Becky, Selby, Matt and Yvonne piled the contents of my old room into the back of a U-Haul (which you need a drivers license to hire, but an Australian one is fine) after I rushed through a last minute packing job. Sophia handled driving the U-Haul to the new place. The U-Haul made everything so much easier, but it never costs you just $19.99; after all their additional charges it came out closer to $60 including the v. low milage we put on the truck (maybe 6 miles in total).

Getting all of my crap up three flights of stairs was a little trial but it was all over and done with pretty quickly, my only criterion for finishing was that I could sleep in the new place that night i.e. have my bed assembled and dressed before calling it done. We got it finished at 3pm, after aiming for a 2pm finish. Not bad for starting at 11 am! It was so great to have friends hang out,.

We then piled into some cars picked up Becky's new beau and headed north to Hammonasset for a picnic and a swim at the beach. Sophia had ably gone to acquire food from Nica's in the closing stages of the move. I had briefly ducked out to the wine thief to return with beer and prosecco.

Hammonasset basically means swimming in the Long Island Sound. ($10 for parking, $5 after 4pm) Surely the water quality is a bit dodgy? Well perhaps it is, but it was nice to swim any way.

It was easy to sleep that night! I awoke the next morning and realised I had left all my cooking gear plus toaster and coffee table at the old place.

Achievement

I climbed a 5.11 at the gym tonight. First time that has ever happened. Quite happy. Nevertheless I am still perplexed by some of the current 5.10s. I need to return to the roof section as well, having ignored that for so long, not to mention the bouldering and my half official goal of winning the next bouldering comp's intermediate section. I can't even reliably get up a V3 yet!

Strength training at the rock gym

The climbing gym has started a 'bouldering boot camp' that focuses on strength development for rock climbing. A friend I thought we would check it out. A class is a good way to maintain a schedule too, so I was particularly drawn. If I could turn climbing into a proper work out (a la regular gym) that would be superlative.

This boot camp turned out be surprisingly hard core. The warm up was interesting, hopping on one food, warming up the shoulders my swinging around the arms, then the 'power yoga' started. This was a bit of chair for 30s or so then staying in chair twisting the torso to the left and right, holding each for 20s then, going back to chair for another 10s or so. Pretty intense on the quads! Then there was another pose that escapes me at the moment.

After the warm up it was into the rotation track. Everyone was paired up. Each station was 45s long, with two activities, each parter does one for the 45s. Sometimes the 2nd was just a rest and each activity was done twice. The worst stations were probably squatting with a boxing bag: squatting and standing, lifting a boxing bag constantly for 45 seconds is rough. It really helped to have your partner cheer you on. After that there was some tree pose and a balance exercise which was fortunate because the following station was inverted crunches on a swiss ball and 'running push ups' (in the push up position bring one foot up to your chest level and back down again in turn). After that I thought I would puke.

It was a really great work out in the end. I had super tight hamstrings all day for the following two days!

Real Rock

I experienced climbing on real rock for the first time today. Some friends from up the street and I went bouldering out at the sleeping giant park.

The appeal of rock climbing for me has always been the combined mental and physical challenge: what is the best sequence to get up the route and can you physically complete it? Not to mention avoiding freaking out on the rock, getting 'gripped' and managing the adrenaline along the way.

The physical aspect is largely ameliorated in the rock gym, at any stage you can relax and it is not a problem you either fall onto a soft mat or can just lean back on the rope. This is not the case when you are bouldering proper. This fact definitely hits home when your feet are maybe six feet off the ground and you really do not want to fall, but are not totally sure where you are going to put your hand next. Then you feel a little adrenaline, a little fear. It is a bit more intense than working the gym. It makes you more conservative about advancing. In the gym you can just throw yourself at something and if you fail it isn't a big deal, not always the case bouldering outside.

Another contrast between the real and the gym: The routes that are available are basically up to you on the real rock and are often times less defined, if you can find a hold and use it, then great. Nothing is marked except by other climbers' chalked hands. This is great for getting used to looking for holds in real rock. It isn't so great when the diversity of routes available in one spot are limited. The climbing gym is really great in that regard: many varied and rated problem sets in one small space. You do not necessarily get that on the rock.

There are practical things to consider too, the mud, moss and weather. Bringing jandals to put on after you top out on the boulder to avoid having to walk around in the dirt with your climbing shoes on. One or more crash pads to keep your ankles intact if you fall off, and some observant friends to spot you and stop your head hitting the ground in the event of an uncontrolled fall; some chocolate is nice too.

Overall climbing outside is fun, but at the moment I don't necessarily see it as superior to the rock gym itself. Perhaps with time my mind will change. I'd like to see what top roping outdoors is like...

Craft Brew Fest, Naugatuck CT

Over 40 breweries, with more than 150 brews, several hundred people, in three and a half hours on one lightly rainy afternoon. A determined team of four New Haven residents set out to sample, compare, and critique. It was bliss.

There were some definite stand outs. Otter creek's Imperial IPA and Imperial Stout, Brookyln Breweries' Local #2 (and perhaps coffee stout). Sam Adams had an expectedly competent showing as well (again with stout, and a double bock that rubbed me the right way). Farmington River had some interesting brews too their blonde did not taste like a blonde, but was still fine; Their mahogany was interesting as well. A seemingly curious approach to hopping was employed.

At the other end of olfaction's limits lurked Magic Hat's Wacko. Beets in the brew? Sure why not? but it only resulted in a pink colour and very little flavour. Summer brews are apparently an invitation to do something crazy. There is novelty there but it wears off quickly and if not iterated each season they become uninteresting. I won't be back for any of last year's range and these new attempts are merely dull. Anything from SBC (too sweet stout or too bland and oddly grassy attempt at brown ale).

The serious tasting became quite difficult but not completely impossible after a while. It was clear that this event did not encourage, not had even considered that people might sample and spit. So opinions may vary down the line.

The real tragedy is that East Rock liquor outlets seems to be unawares of all of this finery. Perhaps an arrangement can be met with the breweries directly?

In addition to the wide range of beers on offer, I staunched the alcohol's march to my frontal lobes with a pulled pork sandwich, a cheeseburger and a steak tip sandwich in addition to a many bottles of water. It was definitely meat day.

Somehow after all this we managed a short trip to Delany's Tap Room where we were somehow able to eat and drink yet more! For me, dinner was a Reuben sandwich paired with a Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Imperial IPA.

A co-attending friend had manage to win the biggest prize in the raffle ticket draw that afternoon. This included many large sized brewery company t-shirts and the odd pint glass. What a great day out.