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Other Humans
Mar. 18th, 2021 09:41 pmI didn't feel so great this week. Not sure what the problem was, but every once in a while I just get like this.
Headache all day, super tired, not nauseous but mild gut upset. I think it's when my stress level reaches a certain point, and my body kind of cracks and lets some out.
It could also be steno. I practice steno much like I used to practice the trombone: with WAY too much tension. Sometimes I catch myself holding my breath. I also am trying so intently to hear every word and concentrate on translating it into the shorthand strokes that my eyes are squeezed very tightly shut.
Yeah, gee, wonder why I've got a headache. -_-
BUT! I passed not one, but TWO tests at 80 words per minute!! Finally!!
I couldn't believe it when it happened.
Great! Now I need to pass five more at that speed to move up to the 100 class. Lol.
But seriously, it did help a lot to at least break that barrier. I know it can be done, even if it takes someone like me years to get there.
It also says something that I was the first person in my class to pass an 80wpm test, even though I came into the class several weeks late.
Work was fine, I made a bunch of dumb mistakes probably because I wasn't feeling great.
Three more flowers bloomed on the passion vine, and I found two more tendrils covered in buds, so I'd say this plant is really taking off this year. Unlike the rest of my garden, which seems very unmotivated by comparison.
Some of you may remember that last year I had a resident spider who was hanging around my large planter for about a month.
It was an orb weaver, and she made these beautiful designs in her web. She was also very large and incredible to look at up close.
Well this past weekend, I noticed that every time I went to the right side of my planter I'd find my face covered in spider web. I'm talking I got within two feet of it and was dead-stopped by a huge-ass web in my face. This usually happened at night while I was trying to look for armyworms.
Today I finally got to meet the artist: this amazing orchard spider!
It's a type of orb weaver, although I don't think this kind makes actual orbs.
But her web is GORGEOUS. First of all, its more than a foot across in any direction, plus the extended lines she puts out to hold it in place which run probably a yard or more from my hanging strawberry plant to the planter. If you imagine a large dinner plate or serving platter hanging in midair, that's what it's like.
Second, just look at all the colors in the web! There was a slight breeze and the sun was setting, and the effect was very beautiful.
There are tons of spiders on our pool patio, most of them are tiny and annoying and we sweep them up with a web buster and take them outside. But when you encounter a spider like this...well, how could I possibly destroy her beautiful web? Or make her leave?
She can stay and catch whatever comes in, and enjoy some peace.
By the end of the week I was definitely ready for a break, but there was none to be had.
Jameson's dad is visiting us for a few days, and while it'll be nice to host him it means my weekend will be spent cleaning like a maniac.
So on Wednesday I woke up and had breakfast, enjoying my coffee via an auto-starting drip coffeemaker that Jameson's dad sent after finding out we don't own a coffeepot. Of course I had already bought one for him myself as they're only $20. Go figure! I'll just take mine back, and keep the one he sent for use when guests stay over. Whenever that is.
Then I started on this week's bread, which was supposed to be a ficelle.
Ficelle is like a baguette, but skinnier.
I followed the directions exactly, and got this:
This is not a baguette. I was very disappointed, especially in the fact that it hardly rose at all.
In fact in texture and appearance, it very much resembled the focaccia I made two weeks ago, only in strips instead of a rectangle.
Since ficelle is supposed to be baguette-like, I have no idea why Bread Baking for Beginners would call for 1/4 cup of olive oil for this recipe!
After spending most of my day percolating over this perceived failure, I did some research and discovered that there were things in this recipe that really prevented a ficelle outcome. For one thing, the olive oil. For another, the lack of a couche.
A couche is a special linen cloth that helps a baguette keep it's cylindrical shape.
Without a couche, the dough spreads. I mean, if you tried to make white sandwich bread without a pan, the same thing would happen.
So I decided to try again, using a half-recipe to avoid waste. I made the exact same dough, but this time I used just a little olive oil while shaping the dough. I made a crappy DIY couche using some balled up tin foil and some tape. The results were much, much closer to what I'd expect a ficelle to be. Very glad that I tried again.
I can picture putting bruschetta on this.
Here are my first batch (right) and second batch (left). The first batch is a focaccia, change my mind.
The rest of my day was spent cleaning. Vacuuming, scrubbing toilets, wiping countertops, hiding things in closets. I moved all of my steno stuff out of the spare bedroom and into our bedroom, so I guess that's where I'm practicing this week. I also deep-cleaned the spare bathroom and took all of my things out of there so Jameson's dad can have it all to himself. We're still in a pandemic, folks.
I didn't quite get to dusting, but that's ok, I got everything else done that I wanted to do.
For dinner I made a simple honey soy glazed salmon with blanched asparagus and wild rice. The glaze caramelized very nicely, we enjoyed it.
As the sun was setting I saw a gulf fritillary out by the passion vine so decided to have a look. I suppose she is looking for a place to lay her eggs. While I was out there I pollinated three more flowers.
Some of the flowers are already bearing fruit! How exciting!
I love how new passionfruit looks. The thin line down the middle and the taut appearance of the fruit reminds me of the stomach of a puppy, or perhaps a baby squirrel, with the milk line down the center of their tummy. Maybe that's a weird thing to say, but anyone who has fed a small baby animal, like a mouse or squirrel, will know what I'm talking about.
On Thursday after breakfast I finished cleaning, mostly just ensuring that the spare bedroom and bathroom are ready to go for Jameson's dad. We had planned to have pizza and air-fried wings for dinner, and I bought all the usual stuff for that, but it occurred to me that Jameson's dad is on keto so I should have bought more wings. I did a Publix run and while there decided why not grab the ingredients for granola too.
Back home I made the granola (bonus: it always makes the house smell FANTASTIC) and packed my lunch for the next day.
My favorite granola recipe is from Cookie + Kate, but it's designed to be chewy. Sometimes I want crunchy, and I ALWAYS want big chunks! After much experimentation I've figured out how to achieve what I want.
Number one: replace 1/4 of the old fashioned oats with quick oats. It helps with binding.
Number two: cook at a much lower temperature for a longer time. Cookie + Kate's recipe is 350 for 20 minutes, I do 275 for 50 and then leave it in the oven to dry overnight.
Number three: do not mix or disturb the granola at all while baking. Press it into the pan and that's it, leave it alone for the full bake.
Number four: soak your dried fruits in water and a little bourbon/rum for 30 minutes before adding to your granola mix. This way you can add the dried fruit along with all the other ingredients, instead of in the middle of the bake where you'd have to stir them in and disrupt your clumps.
That's it! Perfect crunchy, clumpy granola using your favorite recipe. Try it!
Anyway, about the time that was finished Jameson's dad showed up and we got caught up while he was in a meeting.
When we were all three free, we enjoyed some Flipper's pizza and air-fried wings.
When steno class was about to start and I realized I wouldn't have time to finish cleaning up, I asked if one of the guys would put the wings away for me. I literally had them already sitting on a big piece of foil, all anyone had to do was fold the foil closed once the wings were cooled, take two steps toward the fridge, open the door, and put the wings inside.
They both nodded. Sure, we can do that!
Did they do it? Nope!
Is anyone surprised? Nope!
What is it with men??
To be fair, Jameson is the one who ordered the pizza. And his dad did offer to help clean up while I was out there doing it.
But c'mon! Now the wings were sitting at room temps for two hours.
This is what I get for not having children.
And this is why I never ask for help.
Headache all day, super tired, not nauseous but mild gut upset. I think it's when my stress level reaches a certain point, and my body kind of cracks and lets some out.
It could also be steno. I practice steno much like I used to practice the trombone: with WAY too much tension. Sometimes I catch myself holding my breath. I also am trying so intently to hear every word and concentrate on translating it into the shorthand strokes that my eyes are squeezed very tightly shut.
Yeah, gee, wonder why I've got a headache. -_-
BUT! I passed not one, but TWO tests at 80 words per minute!! Finally!!
I couldn't believe it when it happened.
Great! Now I need to pass five more at that speed to move up to the 100 class. Lol.
But seriously, it did help a lot to at least break that barrier. I know it can be done, even if it takes someone like me years to get there.
It also says something that I was the first person in my class to pass an 80wpm test, even though I came into the class several weeks late.
Work was fine, I made a bunch of dumb mistakes probably because I wasn't feeling great.
Three more flowers bloomed on the passion vine, and I found two more tendrils covered in buds, so I'd say this plant is really taking off this year. Unlike the rest of my garden, which seems very unmotivated by comparison.
Some of you may remember that last year I had a resident spider who was hanging around my large planter for about a month.
It was an orb weaver, and she made these beautiful designs in her web. She was also very large and incredible to look at up close.
Well this past weekend, I noticed that every time I went to the right side of my planter I'd find my face covered in spider web. I'm talking I got within two feet of it and was dead-stopped by a huge-ass web in my face. This usually happened at night while I was trying to look for armyworms.
Today I finally got to meet the artist: this amazing orchard spider!
It's a type of orb weaver, although I don't think this kind makes actual orbs.
But her web is GORGEOUS. First of all, its more than a foot across in any direction, plus the extended lines she puts out to hold it in place which run probably a yard or more from my hanging strawberry plant to the planter. If you imagine a large dinner plate or serving platter hanging in midair, that's what it's like.
Second, just look at all the colors in the web! There was a slight breeze and the sun was setting, and the effect was very beautiful.
https://instagram.com/p/CMap2BrgZq_
There are tons of spiders on our pool patio, most of them are tiny and annoying and we sweep them up with a web buster and take them outside. But when you encounter a spider like this...well, how could I possibly destroy her beautiful web? Or make her leave?
She can stay and catch whatever comes in, and enjoy some peace.
By the end of the week I was definitely ready for a break, but there was none to be had.
Jameson's dad is visiting us for a few days, and while it'll be nice to host him it means my weekend will be spent cleaning like a maniac.
So on Wednesday I woke up and had breakfast, enjoying my coffee via an auto-starting drip coffeemaker that Jameson's dad sent after finding out we don't own a coffeepot. Of course I had already bought one for him myself as they're only $20. Go figure! I'll just take mine back, and keep the one he sent for use when guests stay over. Whenever that is.
Then I started on this week's bread, which was supposed to be a ficelle.
Ficelle is like a baguette, but skinnier.
I followed the directions exactly, and got this:
This is not a baguette. I was very disappointed, especially in the fact that it hardly rose at all.
In fact in texture and appearance, it very much resembled the focaccia I made two weeks ago, only in strips instead of a rectangle.
Since ficelle is supposed to be baguette-like, I have no idea why Bread Baking for Beginners would call for 1/4 cup of olive oil for this recipe!
After spending most of my day percolating over this perceived failure, I did some research and discovered that there were things in this recipe that really prevented a ficelle outcome. For one thing, the olive oil. For another, the lack of a couche.
A couche is a special linen cloth that helps a baguette keep it's cylindrical shape.
Without a couche, the dough spreads. I mean, if you tried to make white sandwich bread without a pan, the same thing would happen.
So I decided to try again, using a half-recipe to avoid waste. I made the exact same dough, but this time I used just a little olive oil while shaping the dough. I made a crappy DIY couche using some balled up tin foil and some tape. The results were much, much closer to what I'd expect a ficelle to be. Very glad that I tried again.
I can picture putting bruschetta on this.
Here are my first batch (right) and second batch (left). The first batch is a focaccia, change my mind.
The rest of my day was spent cleaning. Vacuuming, scrubbing toilets, wiping countertops, hiding things in closets. I moved all of my steno stuff out of the spare bedroom and into our bedroom, so I guess that's where I'm practicing this week. I also deep-cleaned the spare bathroom and took all of my things out of there so Jameson's dad can have it all to himself. We're still in a pandemic, folks.
I didn't quite get to dusting, but that's ok, I got everything else done that I wanted to do.
For dinner I made a simple honey soy glazed salmon with blanched asparagus and wild rice. The glaze caramelized very nicely, we enjoyed it.
As the sun was setting I saw a gulf fritillary out by the passion vine so decided to have a look. I suppose she is looking for a place to lay her eggs. While I was out there I pollinated three more flowers.
https://instagram.com/p/CMic7JKHnh3
Some of the flowers are already bearing fruit! How exciting!
I love how new passionfruit looks. The thin line down the middle and the taut appearance of the fruit reminds me of the stomach of a puppy, or perhaps a baby squirrel, with the milk line down the center of their tummy. Maybe that's a weird thing to say, but anyone who has fed a small baby animal, like a mouse or squirrel, will know what I'm talking about.
On Thursday after breakfast I finished cleaning, mostly just ensuring that the spare bedroom and bathroom are ready to go for Jameson's dad. We had planned to have pizza and air-fried wings for dinner, and I bought all the usual stuff for that, but it occurred to me that Jameson's dad is on keto so I should have bought more wings. I did a Publix run and while there decided why not grab the ingredients for granola too.
Back home I made the granola (bonus: it always makes the house smell FANTASTIC) and packed my lunch for the next day.
My favorite granola recipe is from Cookie + Kate, but it's designed to be chewy. Sometimes I want crunchy, and I ALWAYS want big chunks! After much experimentation I've figured out how to achieve what I want.
Number one: replace 1/4 of the old fashioned oats with quick oats. It helps with binding.
Number two: cook at a much lower temperature for a longer time. Cookie + Kate's recipe is 350 for 20 minutes, I do 275 for 50 and then leave it in the oven to dry overnight.
Number three: do not mix or disturb the granola at all while baking. Press it into the pan and that's it, leave it alone for the full bake.
Number four: soak your dried fruits in water and a little bourbon/rum for 30 minutes before adding to your granola mix. This way you can add the dried fruit along with all the other ingredients, instead of in the middle of the bake where you'd have to stir them in and disrupt your clumps.
That's it! Perfect crunchy, clumpy granola using your favorite recipe. Try it!
Anyway, about the time that was finished Jameson's dad showed up and we got caught up while he was in a meeting.
When we were all three free, we enjoyed some Flipper's pizza and air-fried wings.
When steno class was about to start and I realized I wouldn't have time to finish cleaning up, I asked if one of the guys would put the wings away for me. I literally had them already sitting on a big piece of foil, all anyone had to do was fold the foil closed once the wings were cooled, take two steps toward the fridge, open the door, and put the wings inside.
They both nodded. Sure, we can do that!
Did they do it? Nope!
Is anyone surprised? Nope!
What is it with men??
To be fair, Jameson is the one who ordered the pizza. And his dad did offer to help clean up while I was out there doing it.
But c'mon! Now the wings were sitting at room temps for two hours.
This is what I get for not having children.
And this is why I never ask for help.
