bone

Bone is a comic epic by Jeff Smith. The graphic novel itself spans over 1000 pgs of cleverly drawn humor and dark fantasy. Bone and his brothers Phoney and Smiley become lost after getting run out of town and wind up in a mysterious valley. They meet some friends along the way and become involved in the fight against the Lord of the Locusts.

I like Bone because not only because of the size of the story, but the way Smith is able to execute the tale completely in black and white. The artwork is superb, showing a mixture of disneyish cartoony characters and realisticlty detailed landscapes. The humor is startling, and I found myself just laughing out loud at times. Bone shows how a story can be told completely within a graphic novel. Are comics just for little kids? I don't believe it.

haircut

I got my hair cut the other day. It wasn't like garit shaving his head. As I was sitting in the chair chit chatting away with the girl she then asked, "So do you totally rock the faux hawk?" It was then that I realized that no I didn't, and I was not as cool as I thought I was. I explained that I didn't understand what the kids were into these days, and that I was just kidding myself if I actually thought I had any sort of coolness. I don't like their music, or their styles. I'm just a twenty something with too much to worry about. The girl kinda laughed at me.

That's ok with me. It takes courage to embrace the inner geek and I'm fine with that. When people get so concerned with what's cool they forget everything else around them. Who cares?! You know? Life lessons indeed.

more bike stuff

I've been riding my bike around campus more this year. I haven't had as many run-ins with cars because they finally finished construction on the new library. It seems like everyone else had the same idea as well. There are a lot of bikes on campus now. I plan on riding all year long though, so we'll see who lasts through the winter. I dig the single speed mountain bike. Simplicity at its finest. But I'm getting the itch to build another bike up from scratch.

I'm looking for a mountain bike frame with disc brake mounts. Disc brakes?! Yeah, being able to stop is a good thing. Finding a frame shouldn't be too hard, but one with disc brake mounts... I probably won't find one at DI.

I gave away my DI road bike to my brother. That was an awesome find, and if I come around a smaller frame road bike, that would be fun to work on as well. I would like to get into road biking, but its like... if you aren't wearing a Technicolor spacesuit on a $5000 Lance Armstrong Trek, it just doesn't seem right. I see large groups of bikers riding around my neighborhood in tight formations. Must be nice to be a bike snob.

recipe

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

(recipe by Mario Batali)
A true carbonara has no cream, and it can be slightly tricky in its execution. The key is to toss and thoroughly mix the cooked pasta off the heat with the cheese, eggs, pepper, and pasta water, to create a creamy yet not overly thick sauce. I like to separate the eggs and present the individual egg yolks in nests of pasta; then each guest stirs the yolk into the pasta to cook it and form an even creamier sauce. Be sure to use the best—quality eggs you can get.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
8 ounces Guanciale (recipe below), Pancetta, or good Bacon
1 pound Spaghetti
1 ¼ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 large Eggs, separated
Freshly ground Black Pepper

Bring 6 quarts of water to boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salts.
Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and guanciale in a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan set over medium heat, and cook unti the guanciale has rendered its fat and is crispy and golden. Remove from the heat and set aside (do not drain the fat).
Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until just al dente. Scoop out ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
Add the reserved pasta water to the pan with the guanciale, then toss in the pasta and heat, shaking the pan, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add 1 cup of the Parmigiano, the egg whites, and pepper to taste, and toss until thoroughly mixed.
Divide the pasta among four warmed serving bowls. Make a nest in the center of each one, and gently drop an egg yolk into each nest. Season the egg yolks with more pepper and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup Parmigiano over the top. Serve immediately.

Guanciale:
½ cup Sugar
½ cup Salt
15 Black Peppercorns
4 sprigs Thyme, leaves only
2 pounds Hog Jowls
Combine the sugar, salt, peppercorns, and thyme leaves in a small bowl. Put the hog jowls in a nonreactive casserole and coat with the mixture, rubbing gently. Cover and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days.
Remove the cheeks from the casserole and hang them, using butcher’s twine, in the refrigerator for at least 3 weeks. The cheeks should be firm and dry, with a slight give. Slice and use like bacon or pancetta; refrigerated, it keeps for weeks.

Can you picture me hanging hog jowls in my fridge for up to 3 weeks? That would be awesome.

Mario Batali

I wasn't always a fan of Mr. Batali, but his energetic way around the kitchen on "Iron Chef America" (like when he bribes the judges with special drinks) shows that he truly enjoys being a chef and creating awesome food. I wish I could emulate his seemingly effortless way around the kitchen. According to wikipedia (an undeniably reliable source) his record on Iron Chef is 19-4 with the highest winning percentage of any of the Iron Chefs.

Brian Regan sums up my kitchen experiences: "Everyone would love to cook if everything was already in pre-measured glass bowls... When we come back, I’ll spend 20 minutes rummaging through all my drawers trying to find my measuring spoons"

D&D

I found a D&D character generator and this is what happened:

Garit the Wizard

Male Human Evoker lvl. 3

Neutral Good

Representing Garit Heaton

Strength13(+1)

Dexterity17(+3)

Constitution13(+1)

Intelligence16(+3)

Wisdom12(+1)

Charisma15(+2)

Size:Medium

Height:5' 9"

Weight:125 lb

Eyes: Hazel

Hair: Dark Brown

Skin: Pale (Pasty White)

Total Hit Points: 13

Speed: 30 feet

Languages: Common, Dwarven, Apple OS, Linux, Windows.

Zero-level Evoker spells: 4 per day

First-level Evoker spells: 3 (2 + 1) per day

Second-level Evoker spells: 2 (1 + 1) per day

Garit the Wizard's Equipment:

Flip Flops of Power

Computer chip necklace of Intelligence +1

Backpack

Hammock

Blanket

winter x1Candle

Grappling hook

Ink vial

Ink pen

LED flashlight

Signet ring

Alchemist lab

Disguise kit

Magnifying glass

Spell component pouch

Spellbook x1

Chunk of green rock

Thieves' tools

Tools (miscellaneous) x1

More about Garit the Wizard:

Garit is a wizard. He fixes computers. He eats blended fruits and juices for breakfast. Garit was struck by lightning, which caused his patchy goatee to grow into a mighty beard. His FlipFlops of Power grant + 1 spellpower.

massage

Body massage?!

Every month my work springs for a person to come by and give the employees massages. I refuse every ime. I have weird personal space issues and think that people that get paid to touch other people is kinda like prostitution and strange at the same time. Everyone at work signs up for it, but I will not.

mad max

A nuclear holocaust reduces society to its brutal beginnings. Men ride through the desert on motorcycles looking for fuel. Mel Gibson. 1980's. The series that raised the bar for the post apocalyptic genre of movies. I want a Mad Max marathon.