Commutation

It seems to me that the big news this evening (which of course, at 9pm local time was being ignored by all the major cable news companies in favour of wrestler-murder-suicides, homophobic-remarks-by-actors, etc) of Bush's commutation of the Libby sentence is not that the sentence has been commuted, and hence that he won't have the pain of prison, it is that the sentence has been commuted, and hence he no longer has any incentive imposed by the courts to come clean on his testimony and tell the true story to the prosecutor. Oh, and how has this incentive been taken away? By one of the people who might conceivably have most to lose if he were to testify truthfully! Yes, Bush has the right to commute whatever sentence he wishes, but this one was not extreme by comparison with sentences for similar crimes --- and just because he has the right to do it doesn't mean that he has the right to not be criticized for it!

The story in the press should be that this is an attempt, albeit probably legal, to have an end run around the judicial system by the administration.

Oh, and the point that he will face huge fines and the lack of his livelihood because he is a convicted felon and will lose his law license? Sure. I'll believe that none of the administration's financial backers will pump any money his way --- just like they haven't paid for his defense fund, and they won't employ him at the heritage foundation or some other rightwing foundation. Yeah, right. By the way, d'you have any bridges you can sell me???

Yours with conviction,
N.

How to write

Today we get to tell the research students how to write a paper --- we have some experience of this (both writing papers and teaching undergraduates how to write research papers). Of course, the fact that we have some experience doesn't mean that we are any good at it! Even more, although we've collaborated on research quite a bit over the past six years, we still have different writing styles: and this comes through in this morning's presentation --- "do it this way" --- "no, do it that way".....

Yours, expressively,
N.

Stone'y lament

Well, another long night of difficult-Boo-ness. Three thirty in the morning, both LOML and I are stuck in the sprogchamber, trying to persuade Boo to stop crying, and to understand that, yes, she is going to sleep in her own bed, yes, we understand that she wants to sleep in mummy and daddy's bed, and no, crying her eyes out isn't going to get her her way. A lovely little tantrum ensued: "I want to sleep in mummy and daddy's bed, and because I want it, I need to do it". Oh dear, Boo, you do have a difficult lesson coming --- time to break out the Mick Jagger collection.

Yours, unsatisfiedly,
N.

Energy crisis

Cooking takes energy.

Parties take food.

Food takes cooking.

Where is my energy? Or more to the point, where is my energy for preparing all the good things that we'll have on Wednesday? The only thing that I made today was hummus --- I had plans to do the chocolate roulade and the cherry bombe today; they can both be frozen, so they are good to do several days in advance.
I was able, on the other hand, to summon the energy to make bread, to marinate chicken and shrimp for dinner, to cook a rice and lentil blend with carrots, onions, courgettes and yellow squash, and to grill corn on the cob. So where did all the other energy go earlier in the day?

Yours, drained,
N.

Terror

I grew up in Britain: I remember as a child hearing of car bombs. I remember as a teenager learning to watch for unattended packages on trains, buses, at stations and airports. I understand why there are no garbage cans in London.

And today, I'd love to be able to watch the ordinary news in Britain, to know that they are not displaying over there the sense of panic, of sheer terror, that the CNN anchors are showing. It certainly seems that the latest incidents are not a cue to start running the streets shouting "the sky is falling, the sky is falling..." For starters, it certainly appears to the untrained eye that the doubtless evil and evil-intentioned people behind the two car bomb attempts and the fiery-drive-tae-Glasgae are, lets say, lacking something. Like an understanding of how things work: a clue, shall we say?

It is my hope that the folks over there are living life as they always have: secure in the knowledge that while there are idiots abroad in the land, with evil intent, cocooning oneself in a shell is not the answer.

Yours, an idiot abroad, without evil intent,
N.

Update: At least CNN has a sense of perspective. Having spent the entire day spreading fear about the car in Glasgow, they are quite content at 9 to switch back to normal programming: a rerun at that, of Larry King interviewing Paul, Ringo, Yoko and Olivia (widow of George). The interview was interesting enough last week when it first aired, but....

Fleeting thoughts

It's been an odd day: I've sat down to blog several times, and each time nothing has come: and then I'll go do something else, and a million thoughts will jump into my head: things I want to say, and of course, as soon as I sit down at the keyboard they are gone again.

Yours in amnesia,
N.

Disbelief

I'm not usually a big fan of Christopher Hitchens, or, for that matter of Tim Russert --- the latter seems usually to be so sycophantic to the republicans he interviews as to be unworthy of respect; the former seems to phone in most of his interviews in a seemingly drunken stupor. But I just watched CH appear quite coherent discussing religion (and why he is an atheist) with TR and Jon Meachem, both avowedly religious. I thought that CH made many of the strongest anti-belief points (especially those arising from a combination of scientific understanding, and realising the ridiculous level of anthropocentrism we'd need to indulge in to believe that we are the subject of the universe): he was cogent and clear. And they even touched on the point that an atheist would be unelectable in the US in the current atmosphere: and touched on it basically as an issue of civil rights.


A pleasant suprise.

Yours in disbelief,
N.

Weekend of food ahead

We'll be starting to prepare for our festivities on the 4th this weekend (and also celebrating Canada Day on Sunday too!) Hopefully, we can get much of the prep work for Wednesday done over the next couple of days.
Our menu is still evolving, but looks like it might include the following:

Guacamole
Bean and corn salsa
Baba ganoush
Hummus

Some sort of bread: focaccia? pizza? bread? Probably not home made pita?

Vietnamese chicken and non-chicken salad
Sausage rolls
Grilled lamb (courtesy of B&P)
Barbecued brisket (courtesy of R&L)
Braised ribs and chicken legs

Cream horns
Lemon bars
Chocolate roulade

Mango Lassi


Yours in anticipation,
N.

Huge sighs of relief

Just heard from two of my best friends from college days: he says her pathology samples came back showing no concern, no further treatment. No more info necessary, than to say "What a huge relief". I want to shout it to the world!

Yours, in relief but not shadow
N.

Live each day as if it were your last

In a previous incarnation, I used to feel a need two write bad poetry, and rarely share it. Now that I feel less need to write, I feel freer about sharing. Inspired by RT's comment, here is an oldie but baddie. I feel much calmer now.

Yours in rhyme,
N.

Live each day as if it were your last, they say.
Tomorrow's yet to come, the past is past, they say.
Learn from your mistakes, and from your wins, they say.
Plan for the future, tomorrow a new day begins, they say.

Who knows? They may be right.

#Written on an angry day, c. 1990

What I'm listening to right now

Or rather, which ogg file was playing on the drive to work this morning: loud enough to sing along to; almost gospel, but not quite; the slightly nasally brilliant voice of Arlo Guthrie singing Last Train To Glory. Quite probably the only thing that I think that I miss by not being religious (other than the false sense of security) is the music --- and that I can listen to, sometimes even get to sing, as a heathen non-believing agnostic.

Yours in song,
N.

Last Train To Glory, Arlo Guthrie

I want to hop on the last train in the station;
Won't need to get myself prepared.
When you're on the last train to glory, people,
You'll know you're reasonably there.

Maybe you ain't walked on any highways.
You've just been flying in the air.
But, if you're on the last train to glory, people,
You'll know you must have paid your fare.

Maybe you've been lying down in the jailhouse;
Maybe you're hungry and poor.
Maybe your ticket on the last train to glory
Is the stranger who is sleeping on your floor.

Now, I ain't a man of constant sorrow,
And I ain't seen trouble all day long.
We are only passengers on the last train to glory
That will soon be long, long gone.

Christmas in July, nearly

It is very strange -- when I put the sprogs to bed, I let them each pick a story for me to read to them, then they get to request a song and a poem. Boo always asks for The Railroad Cat, by T.S. Eliot, and Skibo always wants Train Whistle Blowing, which is what they call Morningtown Ride. But tonight, Boo decided she wanted two extra songs: Away In A Manger and Silent Night. Not sure what this means, if anything. Except, it is really strange to sing Christmas carols in sweltering heat. And we don't even live in Australia!


Yours, antipodally,
N.

Other people's tragedy

Since I started this site a month or so ago, I have read many more blogs by other people than I did before. And one of the things I seem to see more of, reading other people's lives, is that there are an immense number of tragedies going on. And not just sad, gutwrenchingly sad events, but true tragedies: in which life jumps up and whacks you on the head for feeling like everything is going so well. It is, I'm sure a reflection of the fact that people care about each other (even when they only know each other in silica) and link to the tragic. In fact, almost all of the tragedies I've heard about in the past few days I've found out about because someone linked to it, or to a link about it.
It makes me want to shake [me] and say "Snap out of your complacency!! Yes, life is really very good, but you need to savour every minute, and not just accept it as wonderful..."

And right now, I am at work, and am unable to give LOML, Boo and Skibo the hugs I need to give.

Yours, awakened,
N.

Recipes

Well, the steamed pork buns were as usual delicious --- I commend this recipe to everyone who is comfortable with bread dough (it is actually much easier than making bread!) --- the filling can be changed around to make it sweeter, tangier, etc. The soup is a bastardized Westernized version: all of the ingredients are easy to find, even in most podunk rural southeastern US grocery stores. I like to add a little srirachi thai hot sauce to my soup: the others in my family don't, so it is left as a condiment rather than an ingredient.

These recipes are written down from memory, but adapted from Oriental Cookery by Sallie Morris. The filling is much more my own creation, since the magic ingredient of Yellow Bean Paste that she calls for can't be found here.

As always, if you try a recipe and like it, please let me know. And if you don't like it, feel free to tell me so:-)

Yours, stuffed,
N.

Hot and Sour Soup
1/2 lb pork cut into matchsticks
3 tbsps corn starch
1 small onion, minced
1-2 tbsps oil
several dried mushrooms
1 1/2 litres beef stock
1 package firm or extra firm tofu, diced
1 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsps rice wine vinegar
salt, fresh ground white pepper
1-2 eggs, gently beaten
Sesame oil
2 spring onions, sliced

Soak the mushrooms in hot water to cover.  Drain and reserve the water. Finely slice the mushrooms. Fry the onions in the oil until they begin to turn colour.  If the pork is not already cooked (e.g. left over roast pork) then toss in a little of the cornstarch: in either case, add to the onions and stir.  When the pork has changed colour (if uncooked) add the mushrooms and the stock.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add the tofu, salt and pepper, soy sauce and vinegar.  Mix the remaining cornstarch with the reserved mushroom water, and add to the soup.  Cook to thicken for several minutes.  Drizzle the beaten egg into the soup to create threads. Sprinkle with sesame oil.  Serve with the sliced spring onions as garnish.

Steamed Pork Buns
Bread dough
1 lb bread or all purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsps yeast
1 tbsp sugar
10 fl oz warm water
1 tsp salt
1/2 oz lard or butter

Filling
12-16 oz cold roast pork, finely minced
several cloves of garlic, finely minced
1-2 inches fresh ginger, finely minced
2 spring onions, finely minced
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
Oil for sauteing
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed in water.

Mix the yeast with the water and the sugar, and leave to proof for 15-20 minutes.  Put the flour and salt in the bowl of a large food processor, add the lard or butter and the yeast and water mixture.  Mix for 2 minutes. Add flour if necessary to obtain a soft but not sticky dough. Place in an oiled bowl, covered, to double in size.

While the dough is rising, make the filling: saute the ginger, spring onions and garlic in a little oil: add the pork, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, teriyaki sauce and stir until hot.  Add the cornstarch mixed with water, and cook until thickened.  Allow to cool, and form into 14-16 small balls of filling.  Chill in the freezer if necessary so the balls of stuffing are firm.

Punch down the dough, and knead by hand for several minutes.  Leave to relax for a little while, cut into 14-16 equally sized pieces, and form each into a ball wrapped around the filling.  Place 7-8 stuffed balls of dough into each level of a stacking bamboo steamer,  lined with parchment paper.  Cover with parchment paper and leave to rise for 40 minutes.  Steam over boiling water for 45 minutes.

Cooking tonight

Tonight I get to cook again: we had roast pork on Sunday, and so we have pork leftovers: I'm going to chop them up and use as the basis for a filling for bread-dough balls, which I'll steam, to make Chinese-ish stuffed pork buns: with a hot and sour soup, a lovely satisfying meal.

Recipe later, perhaps.

Yours in salivation,
N.

Inventing words is important

Why isn't somnambutropic a word? It has such lovely word-feel to its phonemes. They just roll around the mouth, self-importantly suggesting something.

I think that I'm going to try once again to sleep.

Yours somnambutropically,
N.

Four in the morning

is too early to be up. It seems that Skibo woke Boo up in the middle of the night: he needed her to take him to go pee (which is strange, as usually he gets up by himself). So once he's back asleep, Boo is lying there sobbing that she wants someone to stay with her --- and the final upshot is that at four in the morning I am now unable to get back to sleep: while everyone else is peacefully dreaming away.
And I have to be up in two and a half hours!

Yours insomniacally,
N.

Anvils in the sky

Stunning thunderstorms yesterday evening: enough to knock out the dsl and the satellite television signal for a half an hour or so. Beautiful flashes lighting up the sky, and the smell of ozone racing the thunderclaps. And rain. Unlike the situation in the UK, which sounds horrendous in places like Yorkshire, we are in near drought conditions here.
This morning was steamily humid: the drops of rain had still not evaporated from my car when I went to work --- at last the season of storms seems to be here!

Yours in nimbus,
N.

How to win friends and influence employees

Sometimes the little things can make you feel so nice: after weeks of feeling that I am unappreciated at work, I get a really good evaluation from the boss. It probably won't make much difference in terms of raises, if any, but nonetheless it leaves me feeling so much better about where I work.

Yours (less dis-)contentedly
N.

Family values

So a certain republican candidate for the presidential nomination, whose former South Carolina campaign chair has been indicted, charged with drug trafficking, has chosen a new SC chair: the father of the former chair. I think that he is trying to demonstrate Republican Family Values (TM). Just wait until the father's record of racial harmony and tolerance gets out!

Yours amusedly,
N.