I've just been ridiculed by a fairly erudite friend for writing "id est" instead of "i.e."

Writing it out isn't weird, is it?

Today I returned to the ice for the first time in years (like 15). Inline skating allows or even encourages all these habits that don't work at all on ice. (I haven't even done that in a few years) Predictably, I fell several times, and nearly fell LOTS of times. That said, by the end of the day I was feeling some of those reflexes coming back ( Read more... )

Are you a pi-ist or a tau-ist?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, consider checking out this website, or this one.

Thanks to persona for introducing me to it on the very day. Why the long lag? That's a very good question. But regardless, I recently had a very interesting conversation which got me energized about it. One thing I find ( Read more... )

I tried my hand at mole tonight. My parents and cousin dined on catfish braised in a lemon-garlic-fennel seed reduction, served with my own take on a sort of mild red-black mole and some pinot noir. The mole was not up to the standard of my butternut squash "surprise" soup, but I think it was a very promising first effort.

As you might expect, I've been doing experimenting a lot with soups recently. The other day, Gamblish pinged me for a consult. (very flattering!) She'd been struggling with a peach-leek soup that came out way too oniony for her tastes, and asked if I had some ideas. For that particular problem, the solution was simple--use fewer than the four ( Read more... )

My body has apparently burned off its easy sources of excess energy because the last couple of days I've felt tired and drowsy almost constantly. Me being me, I don't know how practical the "get more rest" solution is. It's already annoying the crap out of me that I can't play with my ultimate team ( Read more... )

My new house is apparently a happy place for a wide variety of many friendly birds. In the last week, I've spotted a red-bellied woodpecker, a cardinal (currently missing the plumage on its head), a mockingbird, a waxwing, and a few chickadees, in addition to examples of robins, mourning doves, and sparrows which I'm already used to seeing at my ( Read more... )

When in doubt, don't use them. Doubly so if you're in a key signature with sharps. Every so often, when you're doing something particularly transient while modulating or in an extended tonicization, or perhaps just in a strange harmonic sequence, it comes in handy and is genuinely helpful. Also, in some styles it may make sense, but when you're ( Read more... )

...hummus can totally be a drink.

My first! It was TOTALLY HOT. Seriously! Even one of my teammates said so! (That she's naturally very demonstrative should in no way take away from the value of that statement.)