uncommonly feeble and random thoughts

Spring. It hit 83 yesterday - wow! I had a portrait taken April 14, 2013, in the snow on the deck: So, for 83 on April 15...no napping through that! We had to cook!! I had immersed myself in all things sous vide (ha ha) and Linda had a hankerin' for ribs. So we came home with a slab and I set myself to the task of the perfect rib recipe. I started with Meathead (of course) and ended up at ChefSteps for an indoor-outdoor two-stage cook. Here's a link to the cook-off video between the heavyweights. And here's Meathead's recipe . I started with silver skin removal (easiest ever - a happy harbinger!) and moved to the rub... Linda had made one some time ago so the exact recipe is lost in antiquity, but I added some stuff: (source: Kentuckyaki ) A pinch here, a dash there.... oh and two other twists. A little bit of curry powder, and a third of a teaspoon of liquid smoke per side. Note: not the hour marinade in a diluted liquid smoke bath as call...

On the heels of an epic fail in paradise... we elected to embrace the technology. Our anniversary gift to each other. Meathead had planned for a Joule Sous Vide experience for the guests on Green Turtle Cay. It was to be one of four stations on "Steak Night". Unfortunately, due to WiFi failure, 30 steaks never got to temp and had to be thrown out. Even that, though, was done island-style. The disposal was enacted on the high seas, and sharks were the lucky recipients. In any event, our curiosity piqued, we placed the order when we got home, and here's the result: Yes, two please... Here's the first attempt And, the reveal... the near needs more sear, but the back hunk is perfect.  As you can see, the reverse sear on the GrillGrates is great. I used 127 as my initial cook temp, and bumped it to 130. The Joule will hold your food at whatever temp you choose.  Neighbor Bruce now has our Joule - as an accomplished cook, he can...

Goodbye, good boy. He was nine years of joy, companionship, barks, walks, and love. He wagged us in the door, and wouldn't let us kiss without interposing himself between us, and if we were too quick for that, he'd bark until we'd stop. His muzzle or body pressed to your thigh or legs was his hug. He'd 'set a spell' at the top of the stairs every morning with me before bounding down for the early morning walk, followed by the late morning walk, which was followed by the 4:00 pm walk. He slept on the green chair in the living room, and for a time on the couch there too. Under the piano, under the box we call a coffee table, and on our bed. In the leather chair upstairs. Under Linda's desk. In the laundry room when there was thunder. Under the dining room table, from which he could supervise the front door. He was the best nap partner ever. Our miles together everywhere, his patience in the Suburban for James' hockey games, his joy when James ...

Last fall, the Pitmaster Club on amazingribs.com  announced a "Meat Up", aka Meathead in Paradise. The Bahamas. They billed it as four days of events with food, and specifically grilling, central to it all. Man, did they deliver. I sent Linda the email in a joking way (from our dining room which we pretend is "not my office" to her iPad in the family room). It's how all the cool couples communicate, right? So she walked into the dining room (she's so early-2000s) and said, "We should do this." I was incredulous. But as we thought about it, it morphed from "You're kidding me," to, "Why not?" We took the leap and booked a week. Drove to Chicago, took James and Danielle out for dinner, then to a park-and-fly Holiday Inn by O'Hare. Not before we gave each other the exact same card for Valentine's Day: So like all good travelers, we checked the weather at our destination: And we were off... OR...

I posted on Facebook a "Sign this against Betsy" petition opportunity. One of my followers responded with this: "So says the Dems. You should worry more about the unions and what they did to Detroit. I do believe the Dems were also responsible starting with the Governor (the Dems needed help so they elected a Canadian) and the Mayor. How many more years do you need to fix Michigan education? You had many democratic years and have nothing to show for it. And Obama! Nothing. Maybe your curriculum, methods, programs, management and leadership are substandard. You do know the definition of insanity...." I responded privately to the comment, with conciliatory language (see an edited snippet at the end). This is a family member, after all, and I wanted some clarity communicated as to why I oppose the nominee. Since I haven't heard back from the person who commented, I've decided to reprint my response.... My concern bypasses partisanship, and is lodged in ...

I posted a petition on Facebook. I urged others to sign it to oppose Betsy DeVos's nomination for secretary of education. I received blowback. It was not unexpected - I know people who still think highly of Sarah Palin. But this commenter blamed the Dems, and the unions, and took a shot at our dem governor Grandholm being a Canadian. And he mentioned the mayor of Detroit. And what did he blame them for? Detroit. Nothing specific. Just, "Detroit". I have to ask: what? This is typical of the toxicity of the political climate that's attached to the candidacy and election of Donald Trump. The pushback lacks specifics, uses a shotgun approach, and puts forth nothing in support of DeVos. For clarity's sake: The DeVos nomination is a serious threat to public education throughout the country. Her agenda is to fund private schools with public money. Betsy knows nothing  about education, and she's never been in a leadership position. Her nomination represent...

In reviewing the folder I have commemorating and chronicling the events of 1997 and '98, I came across this page from the OO Riders contract/agreement. My charges for the hotel accommodations in Greater D.C., per night, are handwritten in the lower right. Adjustment was made due to my being a single traveler: