Today's word is actually inspired by the webcomic, "Abstruse Goose", and the fact that I am mostly sure that for the last 10 years or so, I have been using the word "obtuse" when trying to denote this meaning. Learning, eh?
Very little to report. The ethical consumer research goes at a snail's pace, specifically a snail which isn't moving at all. However, in my own defense, I have some midterms going on along with some exciting social revelry. I dub this sufficient reasoning to not be overly critical of my failing. Sadly, I'm not really sure what to do this week, as I would need something relatively simple and affordable. I might be cooking with my roomie at some point, so here's hoping that works out. Elsewise, I may resort to one of the simpler, but more poignant, things I wish to try: making a list of books to read, and *actually* reading them. The issue is, of course, reading takes time. As aforementioned, I am short on time. Or at least, short on determination to actually use my time responsibly.
Slow but steady, I s'pose.
02 February 2010
27 January 2010
yepsen - the amount that can be held in two hands cupped together; the two cupped hands themselves
I am, in fact, trying to match the words used in my subject titles to the substance of the article to a certain extent. However, this subject line is a different matter: it's just quickly become one of my favourite words, so I was anxious to put it to use. Notably, I wanted to use it as the title for this here blog, except that Joanne Yepsen beat me to the punch (http//yepsen.blogspot.com). Apparently, back in 2005, she was running for a position in Saratoga. So to this, I say; Damn you, Joanne Yepsen. You get such an awesome last name AND my blog title? I am jealous to the utmost.
Anyway... project status: iffy. Not only am I contending with a poorly functioning colon/semi-colon key, which is unrelated but frustrating, but my seitan is far from a success. Not only did I only make it today, which lies well outside the intended time frame of last week, but it is... well, let's start at the beginning, shall we?
I took the recipe from http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm, as they refer to it as "wheat meat" and as such, I just could not resist. I trust in the interwebs for most things, but on this front, I should have at least looked for more detailed instructions. For example, the recipe calls for gluten flour; I am still unsure what this really means. That is, I know it requires flour with a high gluten content, but that is 1) more difficult to find than I expected, and 2) does not narrow the options overmuch. I ended up buying semolina duram flour, which may have been an error. I have since learned my dad possibly has a proper crock pot recipe for seitan, and I am already planning on asking him to give me his recipe for a second try.
Throughout the process, the mess I had made did smell good; hard not to when your key ingredients are garlic powder and soy sauce. The gluten I made was ridiculously sticky, even though it was supposed to resemble a dough. From there, the next issue was that the instructions expect said dough to be divided into about 8 pieces, each "stretched into thin cutlets", which means very little to me, especially as I made about 14 pieces that I would consider to be "small" and "cutlet"-like. Since the dough was so sticky, putting it in the broth, which I was simmering in a crock pot, the bits were more "crazy baby octopi" shaped, than "cutlet" shaped.
The instructions say to simmer on a low boil for about an hour. I had class, and it was a crock pot, so I left it three hours. This may have been another error on my part, I confess. I came home to a sludge of dough on the bottom of the crock pot, covered in broth. Lovely, no? I tried to recover from this by removing it and cutting it into more appropriately sized pieces. By now, at least, the dough was not sticking to itself in its previous fashion. After another hour and a half in the crock pot, the seitan was still an odd consistency, but shaping up better. My last desperate act to save my concoction was to put it in the oven to crisp it up. Had I corn flakes or similar, that would've been added, as well. Last I checked on them, the consistency was still... odd, but more promising. I expect it may be edible, or even substantial, fried up with rice. I will not go so far as to call it food, but it is an edible substance. Similarly, I won't consider it a success as a recipe, but at least I gave it a shot, and this is the more important part, methinks. About the journey, not the destination, aye?
Anyhow, it was an adventure, I'll say that much. Based on the facial expressions and commentary of my roommate, I think my experiment spread joy beyond my own attraction to novelty. I'll update on the seitan situation once I cook it in something, or once I try it again. Still, hopefully, the next batch turns into something in which I can have more pride.
So, from last week's rough start, to this week's good intentions - my goal for this week is to become educated on responsible consumer habits. This will probably stretch into the following weeks, both in actually commiting the lessons learned to memory and in the execution of what I learn. Basically, consumers have power, in that they decide what to buy or not. I want my decisions in the market to be as conscious and ethical as possible. I expect this will be tricky, not only in that I expect to find a surplus of information, but also in that I doubt I will find claims that are wholly reliable, either in that they will be argued by another source or that they won't be supported aside from the author's word. Much as I try to trust people, especially those open to peer review due to the onlooking masses of the world wide web, I have been too well trained in the world of academia to not pursue more reputable sources. (Admittedly, I also want to be able to better justify the smug attitude I will inevitably be perceived to have, what with my intent to share/brag/inflict my learning on others.) In short, expect links, o internet.
That's that. I'm off to a rough start, but from what I know of superstition, that is usually a good sign. Cheers.
Anyway... project status: iffy. Not only am I contending with a poorly functioning colon/semi-colon key, which is unrelated but frustrating, but my seitan is far from a success. Not only did I only make it today, which lies well outside the intended time frame of last week, but it is... well, let's start at the beginning, shall we?
I took the recipe from http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm, as they refer to it as "wheat meat" and as such, I just could not resist. I trust in the interwebs for most things, but on this front, I should have at least looked for more detailed instructions. For example, the recipe calls for gluten flour; I am still unsure what this really means. That is, I know it requires flour with a high gluten content, but that is 1) more difficult to find than I expected, and 2) does not narrow the options overmuch. I ended up buying semolina duram flour, which may have been an error. I have since learned my dad possibly has a proper crock pot recipe for seitan, and I am already planning on asking him to give me his recipe for a second try.
Throughout the process, the mess I had made did smell good; hard not to when your key ingredients are garlic powder and soy sauce. The gluten I made was ridiculously sticky, even though it was supposed to resemble a dough. From there, the next issue was that the instructions expect said dough to be divided into about 8 pieces, each "stretched into thin cutlets", which means very little to me, especially as I made about 14 pieces that I would consider to be "small" and "cutlet"-like. Since the dough was so sticky, putting it in the broth, which I was simmering in a crock pot, the bits were more "crazy baby octopi" shaped, than "cutlet" shaped.
The instructions say to simmer on a low boil for about an hour. I had class, and it was a crock pot, so I left it three hours. This may have been another error on my part, I confess. I came home to a sludge of dough on the bottom of the crock pot, covered in broth. Lovely, no? I tried to recover from this by removing it and cutting it into more appropriately sized pieces. By now, at least, the dough was not sticking to itself in its previous fashion. After another hour and a half in the crock pot, the seitan was still an odd consistency, but shaping up better. My last desperate act to save my concoction was to put it in the oven to crisp it up. Had I corn flakes or similar, that would've been added, as well. Last I checked on them, the consistency was still... odd, but more promising. I expect it may be edible, or even substantial, fried up with rice. I will not go so far as to call it food, but it is an edible substance. Similarly, I won't consider it a success as a recipe, but at least I gave it a shot, and this is the more important part, methinks. About the journey, not the destination, aye?
Anyhow, it was an adventure, I'll say that much. Based on the facial expressions and commentary of my roommate, I think my experiment spread joy beyond my own attraction to novelty. I'll update on the seitan situation once I cook it in something, or once I try it again. Still, hopefully, the next batch turns into something in which I can have more pride.
So, from last week's rough start, to this week's good intentions - my goal for this week is to become educated on responsible consumer habits. This will probably stretch into the following weeks, both in actually commiting the lessons learned to memory and in the execution of what I learn. Basically, consumers have power, in that they decide what to buy or not. I want my decisions in the market to be as conscious and ethical as possible. I expect this will be tricky, not only in that I expect to find a surplus of information, but also in that I doubt I will find claims that are wholly reliable, either in that they will be argued by another source or that they won't be supported aside from the author's word. Much as I try to trust people, especially those open to peer review due to the onlooking masses of the world wide web, I have been too well trained in the world of academia to not pursue more reputable sources. (Admittedly, I also want to be able to better justify the smug attitude I will inevitably be perceived to have, what with my intent to share/brag/inflict my learning on others.) In short, expect links, o internet.
That's that. I'm off to a rough start, but from what I know of superstition, that is usually a good sign. Cheers.
21 January 2010
hegira - exodus; a journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment
Hello there;
A combination of boredom, and excess excitement on this project, has got me posting again, although I've little of value to add just yet. This post will serve as something of a housecleaning post, that is, a preliminary list of some of my ideas for what to do this year. This is so that I remember them, and so that anyone who wishes to make a suggestion knows what hasn't crossed my mind as of yet. So, a preliminary list of intended, impending awesomeness:
-make physical the list of "books to read" I have in my head, and start reading them
-learn guitar
-go to a rave
-implement a week of limited French immersion; that is, spend a week speaking French as much as possible
-make new foods: seitan, stuffed peppers, such
-educate myself on responsible consumership
-honesty week: spend the week telling people what they mean to me; make sure to tell at least one person a day that I love them
There are probably more, but they've left my head at the moment, and this is when the "edit" option will prove useful. On the docket for this week, by the way, is to replace my student card (which involves facing the line-ups and worker drones of InfoService), and to make seitan. Additionally, I did start this blog and the project in general, so I dare say I'm feeling a tad ahead of the game. Making seitan will prove a good little adventure, I guarantee that much!
A combination of boredom, and excess excitement on this project, has got me posting again, although I've little of value to add just yet. This post will serve as something of a housecleaning post, that is, a preliminary list of some of my ideas for what to do this year. This is so that I remember them, and so that anyone who wishes to make a suggestion knows what hasn't crossed my mind as of yet. So, a preliminary list of intended, impending awesomeness:
-make physical the list of "books to read" I have in my head, and start reading them
-learn guitar
-go to a rave
-implement a week of limited French immersion; that is, spend a week speaking French as much as possible
-make new foods: seitan, stuffed peppers, such
-educate myself on responsible consumership
-honesty week: spend the week telling people what they mean to me; make sure to tell at least one person a day that I love them
There are probably more, but they've left my head at the moment, and this is when the "edit" option will prove useful. On the docket for this week, by the way, is to replace my student card (which involves facing the line-ups and worker drones of InfoService), and to make seitan. Additionally, I did start this blog and the project in general, so I dare say I'm feeling a tad ahead of the game. Making seitan will prove a good little adventure, I guarantee that much!
19 January 2010
omphaloskepsis: the act of contemplating one's navel
Hello world;
This blog is a matter of resolutions and revolutions. Specifically, I intend to develop myself by trying new things, at of a rate of at least one new thing per week. Even if I only go on to earn a few cars and bar stories, I will consider it a success. I was inspired to do this by the show The Buried Life, as well as my Dad's habit, along with his partner, at the beginning of the year to announce the firsts of 2010 ("first egg breakfast of 2010", for example). However, there are two more concrete reasons I undertake this o so glorious endeavor.
1) I consider myself a leech. That is, I absorb the information, habits, vocal quirks, and interests of the people who surround me. I do not believe this in necessarily bad, per se, especially as I have had the great luck of knowing many interesting and diverse people. However, I would like to contribute my own such quirks to conversation, and I expect this will be most readily achieved if I branch out of my comfort zone.
2) For the past year or more, I find myself rather frequently and unexpectedly plagued by the idea of death. Not even death as an action, as that can only be confronted once it greets you eye to eye, but more so death as an ever impending noun. Between my university career and weekly pay check, I feel as though I am forever rushing forward without enjoying the present, or reaching significant or satisfying milestones. By setting weekly goals, I hope to give myself something which I can look forward to which will also serve to ground me in the moment.
These goals will vary in degree, as some weeks I will simply try a new recipe or game, where other weeks I hope to start learning a new instrument or go to the local zen center.
Other weeks, I may even bend the rules such as to do something I rarely do or haven't done in a while, like write notes to close friends expressing what they mean to me. I may also use this to achieve goals I have been putting off, such as finally replacing the strings on my violin and practicing regularly again.
I also intend to use this blog to express my logophilia, and each entry will be titled using a word I wish to learn, the stranger the better, as I'm sure this entry's subject line demonstrates. What can I say; I've a weakness for weird words, and love the idea of finding and recording them along with this project.
The last finicky detail I will list within this preface is that the domain name, "hedsit", is the offspring of desperation and convenience: it is the term blogspot asked me to type when setting up this blog in order to prove I am not a bot. Seeing as this project involves the aim of proving my selfhood to my own dear self - and because all the cool words I wanted to use were already taken - "hedsit" it is.
Here goes nothing. Or, preferably, a whole lot of somethings.
This blog is a matter of resolutions and revolutions. Specifically, I intend to develop myself by trying new things, at of a rate of at least one new thing per week. Even if I only go on to earn a few cars and bar stories, I will consider it a success. I was inspired to do this by the show The Buried Life, as well as my Dad's habit, along with his partner, at the beginning of the year to announce the firsts of 2010 ("first egg breakfast of 2010", for example). However, there are two more concrete reasons I undertake this o so glorious endeavor.
1) I consider myself a leech. That is, I absorb the information, habits, vocal quirks, and interests of the people who surround me. I do not believe this in necessarily bad, per se, especially as I have had the great luck of knowing many interesting and diverse people. However, I would like to contribute my own such quirks to conversation, and I expect this will be most readily achieved if I branch out of my comfort zone.
2) For the past year or more, I find myself rather frequently and unexpectedly plagued by the idea of death. Not even death as an action, as that can only be confronted once it greets you eye to eye, but more so death as an ever impending noun. Between my university career and weekly pay check, I feel as though I am forever rushing forward without enjoying the present, or reaching significant or satisfying milestones. By setting weekly goals, I hope to give myself something which I can look forward to which will also serve to ground me in the moment.
These goals will vary in degree, as some weeks I will simply try a new recipe or game, where other weeks I hope to start learning a new instrument or go to the local zen center.
Other weeks, I may even bend the rules such as to do something I rarely do or haven't done in a while, like write notes to close friends expressing what they mean to me. I may also use this to achieve goals I have been putting off, such as finally replacing the strings on my violin and practicing regularly again.
I also intend to use this blog to express my logophilia, and each entry will be titled using a word I wish to learn, the stranger the better, as I'm sure this entry's subject line demonstrates. What can I say; I've a weakness for weird words, and love the idea of finding and recording them along with this project.
The last finicky detail I will list within this preface is that the domain name, "hedsit", is the offspring of desperation and convenience: it is the term blogspot asked me to type when setting up this blog in order to prove I am not a bot. Seeing as this project involves the aim of proving my selfhood to my own dear self - and because all the cool words I wanted to use were already taken - "hedsit" it is.
Here goes nothing. Or, preferably, a whole lot of somethings.
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