http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ Templar Connect: Recent Posts en Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:37:21 +0000 http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=24&page=3#post-4568 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:39:16 +0000 Abandon 4568@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Damn artists and their damn talent...*grumble* </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=133#post-4565 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:26:30 +0000 Zug 4565@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>So, yeah. It took me like 30 minutes to figure out that's what the text on the main page is (edit:was).<br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorem_ipsum" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorem_ipsum</a> </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=24&page=3#post-4564 Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:07:40 +0000 Yasei 4564@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Somebody's been going through old art...<br /> <img src="http://www.goetzworks.com/sideshow/The_Rose_and_The_Red.jpg"><br /> ...and reworking it.<br /> <img src="http://www.goetzworks.com/sideshow/rose_red_revisited_INKS.jpg"><br /> And spending some quality time with her band...<br /> <img src="http://www.goetzworks.com/sotr/southmtn_gold.jpg"><br /> ...cos they've got a <strong><a href="http://www.goetzworks.com/sotr/02%20The%20Men%20Behind%20The%20Wire.mp3">NEW</a> <a href="http://www.goetzworks.com/sotr/05%20Bonny%20Ship%20the%20Diamond.mp3">ALBUM</a></strong> coming out. $5 for 9 tracks. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=131#post-4562 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:29:52 +0000 Ivan the Terrible Poster 4562@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>We're describing a scenario wherein someone's just witnessed an all-powerful all-seeing entity cold assassinate some dudes for no apparent reason, with such precision that the cops will never even question that it was an accident. And you're upset because they won't criticize his finesse and choice of targets while he's watching? Harsh, dude.</p> <p>Those 'ask me about my day' lead-on posts are pretty obnoxious, though. You're busting on the wrong friend. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=131#post-4561 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:16:05 +0000 michaeljpatrick 4561@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>I think you're missing my point. I expect someone to value their friend's life over a strangers life, sure. But why would they assume that an all loving God has such a preference. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=131#post-4560 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:48:09 +0000 maecrab 4560@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Would she be your friend's <em>friend</em> if she instead replied, "I value your life precisely as much as theirs. This has been a dark day." ? All God-talk aside, that's just being human.<br /> People do say funny things! A coworker of mine had his car break down the other day, and he said to me, "You know what? Shit happens. But at least we're not living in fucking Haiti." </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=131#post-4559 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:51:31 +0000 michaeljpatrick 4559@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Found this on a friend's Facebook page:<br /> <img src="http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb76/michaeljpatrick/fb.jpg"></p> <p>The second speaker (whom I don't know) seems to think it is perfect timing on God's part that someone <em>she </em>knew was not involved in the accident. I don't think the drivers who were involved feel the same way.</p> <p>I chose to post this here since it would have been socially unacceptable for me to say this to a friend of a friend. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=19&page=9#post-4558 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:11:51 +0000 Wood 4558@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4359461553_c085b87901.jpg"> <img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/4359461711_784fa211e0.jpg"><br /> SuperBlack, Negro di C.I.A. !</p> <p>Part of a selection of 70's Italian adult comics I bought during my vaction.</p> <p>You can see more on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55687841@N00/sets/72157623441137932/">this Flickr set</a> </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=19&page=8#post-4550 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:24:52 +0000 maecrab 4550@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>I know auto-tuning is a little passe at this point, but I think this is pretty great:<br /> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc</a></p> <p>"A still more glorious dawn awaits, not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise: a morning filled with 400 billion suns. The rising of the Milky Way." </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=123#post-4549 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:34:35 +0000 Wood 4549@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Oh, and I've just been told that you can see pictures of the complete collection of 19th century skin disease waxes from the Hopital Saint-Louis in Paris <a href="http://web2.bium.univ-paris5.fr/img/?p=1&#38;orig=stlo">right here</a>. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=123#post-4548 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:04:40 +0000 Furious Sterling 4548@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>La Specola was a highlight when I went to Florence. The little dioramas showing dramatic scenes of the plague were great. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=123#post-4547 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:37:56 +0000 Wood 4547@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>I went to Italy in January, and I've started uploading some pictures on flickr. Here are some of them I thought my interest you (especially you, Spike).</p> <p>Do you know where Dr Bash would go if he visited Florence ? I do. He'd go to the <a href="http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/museum_of_natural_history.html">Natural History Museum "La Specola"</a> to see the anatomical wax collections :</p> <p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4344716054_34ba772f5e.jpg"></p> <p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4344035817_2c7e923d44.jpg"></p> <p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2773/4344084363_efe0ecd4bd.jpg"></p> <p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2776/4344102199_c13bbd217c.jpg"></p> <p>See the full set <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55687841@N00/sets/72157623267812305/">here</a>.</p> <p>And in Bologna ? <a href="http://http://www.museocereanatomiche.it/">Anatomical Waxes Museum</a> in the school of medicine :</p> <p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2684/4346435977_473965ce7d.jpg"></p> <p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4347238700_b455972742.jpg"></p> <p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2801/4346478513_ea69ef5a86.jpg"></p> <p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4347220176_901b41d009.jpg"></p> <p>See the full set <a href="http://http://www.flickr.com/photos/55687841@N00/sets/72157623278752813/">here</a></p> <p>Sadly, it was forbidden to take pictures in the crypt of the <a href="http://">Capella Sansevero</a> of Naples, with its two "anatomical machines" </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=18&page=9#post-4546 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:55:08 +0000 pencilears 4546@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn9gJmklJGg" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn9gJmklJGg</a> </p> <p>people surviving on a tiny island behind a blockade.</p> <p>this is part one, it has more, I'd take the "we cured a person with AIDS with bush medicine" as the documentary people misunderstanding "we <u>treated</u> a person with AIDS with bush medicine"<br /> pretty cool stuff anyway. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=77&page=4#post-4545 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:12:52 +0000 maecrab 4545@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>What? I write "Lift American spirits" on my hand <em>every day</em>, man. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=77&page=4#post-4544 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:16:14 +0000 jdalton 4544@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Oh I write notes on my hand all the time. Lists of names, times when something important is happening that I don't want to forget, numbers I'll want to write down later... </p> <p>...But "lift American spirits?" Reeeally? </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=99#post-4543 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:05:06 +0000 Coldwater 4543@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>I got H1N1 before I could get vaccinated for it. It was, by far, the most pathetic flu I've ever had. Most symptoms were gone after three days.</p> <p>Then again, I was immediately put on anti-virals, so that might've helped.</p> <p>The importance of vaccinating against the flu isn't your own benefit, fwiw. It's for the benefit of the very young, elderly, immuno-compromised and pregnant. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=99#post-4542 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:35:48 +0000 Kaden 4542@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Me and my three siblings all got chicken pox around the same time. My mom wasn't working at the time so while it wasn't fun it wasn't to much of an inconvenience. I've never had a flu vaccine but I hardly get sick once a year so I should be fine as long as my immune system keeps up the good work.</p> <p>I try to give blood a few times a year also although not nearly as often as the Red Cross would like. If you can handle their needles any shots are barely noticeable. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=77&page=4#post-4541 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:59:30 +0000 BrigidKeely 4541@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Do you remember when Sarah Palin derided President Obama for using a teleprompter to read a speech from?</p> <p>Well, she apparently writes crib notes on her hand when she has to give a talk or answer questions. That's way better, and much classier, than a teleprompter.</p> <p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stefan-sirucek/did-palin-use-crib-notes_b_452458.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stefan-sirucek/did-palin-use-crib-notes_b_452458.html</a> </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=99#post-4540 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:56:48 +0000 BrigidKeely 4540@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>My brothers and I got chicken pox one after the other which meant that my mom missed over three weeks of work taking care of us, as we couldn't go to school or chill with our regular babysitter because she had an infant. That's almost a month of missed work, when she normally worked about 60 hours a week. She was a real estate agent who primarily worked on commission and she had a cool boss, IIRC, but not everyone's so lucky. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=99#post-4539 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:47:40 +0000 pencilears 4539@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>yeah I didn't get the chicken pox vaccination because I got chicken pox in preschool (I think me and my sister then gave it to the rest of the preschool) the kid who gave it to us didn't show a single spot and they only knew he'd got it because his dad caught it off him bad.</p> <p>still dunno whether I'll get recurrent shingles or what but I figure I'm ok.</p> <p>I got the H1N1 vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine this year because they leaned on me to get the seasonal flu one when I went in to get my meningitis shot, and then my university had a day where for the price of waiting around all damn day I could get a free H1N1 shot. </p> <p>I don't mind the needles so much any more, I've kinda gotten into regularly donating blood in the last few years, that really has killed a lot of my fear. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=77&page=4#post-4538 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:25:10 +0000 jdalton 4538@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>I <em>should</em> read the article. Yeah okay. So the gov't is still taking the lead, but farming out some of the less glamorous work to corporations.. I approve of this. Curse that Obama guy for looking at things in a sensible way and choosing a course of action that makes perfect sense even though it doesn't fit neatly into a sound bite! </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=77&page=4#post-4537 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:56:02 +0000 Kwesi K. 4537@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>You should read the article. They aren't giving up on manned spaceflight, they just nixed a project that was behind schedule, over budget and asking for more money. To make up for the shortfall, they are integrating outside corporations into the overall plan. While the Moon is presently off the table, Mars and closer celestial bodies are still in play. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=99#post-4536 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:32:43 +0000 jdalton 4536@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Maecrab I agree. Apart from H1N1 (which I did end up getting vaccinated for), I've never gotten vaccines for the flu. And I only got the chickenpox vaccine once I was an adult and still not immune to it. Maybe I'm just old and crotchety, but I don't see the point in getting a needle in the arm for something that will just leave me tired and coughing up phlegm for a couple of weeks if I get it. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=77&page=4#post-4535 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:24:30 +0000 jdalton 4535@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Well I guess any hopes and dreams we might have for manned spaceflight fall then on China and India. The US gov't may be giving up on space, but other future superpowers are just getting started. </p> <p>Commercial spaceflight isn't going to get people to other planets. Not as long as there are laws forbidding the use of other planets for commercial gain. I suppose we don't know if those laws will last forever. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=77&page=4#post-4534 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:31:57 +0000 Kwesi K. 4534@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>The plan is to cancel the 2020 plans to return to the Moon, refocus on unmanned exploration for the time being and farming out to corporations manned exploration for nearer targets like comets.</p> <p>"The lunar program, known as Constellation, “was over budget, behind schedule and lacking in innovation due to a failure to invest in critical new technologies” according to the budget plan Obama issued today.</p> <p>Obama’s budget would increase fiscal year 2011 funds for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by 1.5 percent and support the development of rocket systems that eventually might take U.S. astronauts back into deep space. In preparation for those trips, Obama envisions using robotic ships to find locations for future landings and test out new technology."</p> <p>More in this <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&#38;sid=agzQHt17aPXI">LINK</a>. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=93#post-4533 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 03:40:21 +0000 maecrab 4533@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Did I mention that the neighbors I spoke of in the first post were raided again a few months back?<br /> Yeah.<br /> Apparently some people were either put in jail or deported this time, because we hadn't heard a peep from back there until about three weeks ago, when some kids turned up in the yard again.<br /> Recent story: Last week, I was waiting for the bus to work, listening to my ipod. An old Navajo guy in a wheelchair motored up to me, and without saying anything, met my eyes and held out his fist. We pounded fists, and he silently rolled on by. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=99#post-4532 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 03:25:44 +0000 maecrab 4532@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>This is actually a pretty interesting topic of discussion for me, because my parents fought tooth and nail not to get my brothers and myself vaccinated (we were later, anyway). I was born in a tin bathtub in a forest. Etc., etc. But I also think I'm a bit younger than some of you guys—my mom's only turning 44 this year. And it's funny, because my parents are really smart, and have a better grasp of how immunology works than a lot of other people; their opinions on vaccination actually run counter to that knowledge, though. I think when you start to get into the whole "natural" thing it can get to have a definite herd mentality in some particular areas, and vaccination is one of those. People just don't question it, and people who know better are usually too busy pulling out their hair to counter the illogic in a reasonable way. Of course, it doesn't help when most of the people they're talking to are idiots.<br /> I can understand my parents being sucked into medical skepticism—they grew up in the 70s, which were practically the fucking dark ages. Doctors kinda did whatever they thought might work, with few repercussions. My mom was given a muscle-relaxant not tested on children, with seizures as a side effect, at age seven for a spastic duodenum. She now has splitting migraines several times a week and small seizures almost hourly that increase with stress.<br /> Anyway, when used properly, I think vaccines are the smartest fucking thing medicine's ever come up with. But a lot of pro-vaccine people aren't well-educated on their purpose as well. Do I agree with vaccinating against smallpox, diphtheria, polio, measles, mumps, and purple bumps? Absolutely, 100%. It's the "herd effect", as I recently read a doctor called it, that let kids like me and those who can't GET vaccinated slide by in everyday life and suppress a lot of major outbreaks. But things like chicken pox? That can kill little kids, for sure, and they should be vaccinated, but you're supposed to <em>keep on</em> getting vaccinated for it, all the way into puberty. Keep in mind: that's <em>no guarantee you won't get it later</em>. My mom was vaccinated against chicken pox all through childhood, so she never got it. But when everyone at our elementary school got it, so did she. We were itchy and got to watch recorded Pokemon episodes for a week. She almost died. So in older kids, for that sort of thing you kind of have to weigh the pros and cons.<br /> I just think a lot of the problems in medicine come from your average person not being educated in some basic laws of science; like how an immune system works. Or not being educated on how particular vaccines work, or how effective they are and for how long. People think you're crazy for not getting vaccinated against anything you can get your hands on, and on the other end think you're crazy for not wanting your toddler to shit their intestines out in an outbreak of typhoid. And the success of vaccination programs needs to also be attributed to public health initiatives like indoor plumbing and sewage treatment, and insisting people wash their hands after shoveling pig shit all day and stuff. It was a class effort. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=77&page=4#post-4531 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:47:36 +0000 maecrab 4531@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>So, anyone hear about the guv-mint cutting NASA's budget in favor of commercial space flight? Any thoughts or further information? </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=118#post-4530 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:38:28 +0000 maecrab 4530@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>"No one can advise or help you - no one. There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple 'I must,' then build you life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour, must become a sign and witness to this impulse."<br /> —Rainer Maria Rilke, from <u>Letters to a Young Poet</u><br /> I will admit that I came across this quote without having read the book, but I now badly want to.<br /> I will not admit, however, that I came across the quote to begin with because it is tattooed on the inside of Lady Gaga's left upper arm. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=109#post-4529 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:31:53 +0000 maecrab 4529@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>...when you seriously consider moving into the garage— ceiling leak, no insulation, &gt;20 degree temperatures and all— so you can rent out your bedroom and not have to take a second part-time job to pay rent. </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=94#post-4528 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:28:03 +0000 maecrab 4528@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Okay, so I signed up for eight weeks of the farmshare boxes I mentioned in my first post, because they have a workshare program where you get twice the boxes for helping out in their warehouse for 2.5 hours a week. Here's a sample box:<br /> Lettuce, Cauliflower, Grapefruit, Carrots, Apples, Avocados, Broccoli, Cukes, Green Onions, Spinach, Pears<br /> All that, every week, for $56 a month, split 4-ways with my roommates (theoretically. if they had jobs.). Highly recommended, if you can find something similar near you. Ours is unique in that they have greenhouses and buy organic produce from suppliers, so they have produce boxes year-round.<br /> I've been cooking up a storm, and I thought I'd share some recipes (several are from the website I mentioned earlier, 101cookbooks)<br /> Roasted Cauliflower Popcorn<br /> " 4-inch segment of a thin day-old baguette<br /> 1 medium head of cauliflower, washed<br /> extra-virgin olive oil<br /> scant 1/2 teaspoon salt<br /> 2 cloves garlic, minced<br /> 1 fresh red chile pepper, minced<br /> Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place racks in the middle.<br /> Give the baguette a spin in a food processor until you have textured, not-too-fine bread crumbs.<br /> Trim the cauliflower. Get rid of the big stalks and stems and strive for uniform, bite-sized little florets. Little trees.<br /> In a big bowl toss the cauliflower with a few generous tablespoons of olive oil and the salt. Toss until the cauliflower is well coated and then place it in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. You are going to bake for about 25-30 minutes total.<br /> There will be some residual olive oil in the big bowl you used to toss the cauliflower. If not, add another tablespoon or two. Add the bread crumbs, garlic, and chiles. Mix.<br /> After the cauliflower has been baking for about 15-20 minutes anything in contact with the pan should be nicely browned. Pull the pan out of the oven, rotate each piece of cauliflower so that another side will get some color, and then sprinkle the entire pan with the breadcrumb mixture. Return the pan to the oven and finish with another ten minutes or so. The cauliflower should be tender throughout and the breadcrumbs nicely toasted. Serve immediately, it really isn't half as delicious after it has been sitting on the counter getting cold."<br /> I just dried out a slice of white bread in the toaster oven and crumbled it up and sliced a canned red pepper with some "pizza pepper" — turned out fucking delicious.</p> <p>Baked Stuffed Apples<br /> The great thing about this recipe is that you can use anything you want to—different nuts, any kind of dried fruit or berries, whatever floats your boat. When I made it, I didn't fill the pan with water, but I poured the left over filling over the apples and into the pan. I also mixed back in the bits of apple I had scooped out of them.<br /> "2 Granny Smith apples<br /> 1 tablespoon butter<br /> 1 cup fresh or frozen and thawed cranberries<br /> 2 tablespoons honey<br /> 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom<br /> 6 dates, pitted and chopped<br /> Zest and juice of 1 orange<br /> 2 tablespoons roasted almonds, roughly chopped<br /> Method<br /> Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut 1/2 inch off the top of the apples and reserve tops. Use a paring knife or spoon to hollow out the apples, leaving about a 1/2-inch-thick wall and base. Set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cranberries, honey, cardamom, dates and orange juice and zest and cook until cranberries begin to collapse and liquid thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in almonds.<br /> Spoon cranberry mixture into apples then replace the apple tops. Put into a small baking dish filled with 1/4 inch water, cover with foil and bake until tender, 15 to 30 minutes (depending on apples). Uncover, carefully pour off the water and continue baking until very tender and golden, 10 to 15 minutes more."</p> <p>Tumeric Seared Pears<br /> I use some leftover red curry paste from a store-bought packet for these, and OMG SO FUCKING DELICIOUS.<br /> "2 small-medium Bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch wedges<br /> 1 tablespoon unsalted butter<br /> 1 teaspoon turmeric<br /> 2 teaspoons wildflower honey<br /> Heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.<br /> When the butter is melted and sizzling, add the turmeric, let sizzle for 5-10 seconds, (turmeric should darken), then add the honey.<br /> Add the pear slices in a single layer, season with a pinch of salt, and cook turning once, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the pears to a plate."</p> <p>I put these on top of some mint-coconut rice today, which I actually came up with myself; I took leftover rice from last night's tacos, mixed in enough coconut milk to make it creamy without being mushy, and shredded about 15 fresh mint leaves into it, and cooked just until it was heated. I've made it before by cooking dry rice in 1/2 water 1/2 coconut milk and adding mint close to the end, and I've tried it before, too, with dry mint, but that didn't really work; then it just tasted kinda like leaves. </p> <p>This recipe allowed me to get rid of a plethora of extra veggies last week, and I ate it alll weeek. I added more broth as the week went on, though, because the ingredients tended to absorb it and I like my soup kinda brothy:<br /> Chunky Celery Soup<br /> "1 large onion<br /> 1 large russet potato<br /> 3-4 small -medium carrots<br /> 10 medium-length stalks of celery, washed well<br /> 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil<br /> 2 cloves garlic, chopped<br /> 5 cups of lightly-flavored, great tasting, vegetable broth (or water)<br /> 2 cups cooked wild rice, brown rice, barley, or wheat berries<br /> Chop the onion, potato, carrots, and celery into pieces that are about 1/2-inch or smaller. Do your best to cut everything roughly the same size, this will keep cooking time across the ingredients somewhat uniform. You should end up with about 2 1/2 cups of chopped celery.<br /> In a large thick-bottomed soup pot over medium high heat combine the olive oil, onion, potato, carrots, celery and a few big pinches of salt. Saute for about ten minutes or until the onions and celery soften a touch and expel some water. Stir in the garlic and add the stock. Bring to a simmer and let cook for another 10 minutes or until the celery, carrot and potatoes are just cooked through - resist the urge to over cook them into mush. Stir in the rice a few minutes before the potatoes and carrot are cooked through." </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=19&page=8#post-4527 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:58:26 +0000 maecrab 4527@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>My newest, most favoritist link: <a href="http://atlasobscura.com/">The Atlas Obscura</a><br /> It's on online atlas of amazing places, from geologic wonders to ruins to weird museums. You can search by location, too, and it'll even generate locations on a map!<br /> Here's some pics of my favorite find so far, Kawah Ijen sulfur mine in Java:<br /> <img src="http://static.atlasobscura.com/files/place_images/3662259202_71a05fca2e_o.jpg"><br /> <img src="http://static.atlasobscura.com/files/place_images/3661460619_792945c44d_o.jpg"><br /> <img src="http://static.atlasobscura.com/files/place_images/3893626067_2a9d74165f_b.jpg"><br /> <img src="http://static.atlasobscura.com/files/place_images/3662259788_cfacd567e9_o.jpg"></p> <p>This place is like Hell on Earth! Do you see that lake? That is a <em>lake of sulfuric acid</em>, on top of a <em>motherfucking volcano</em>. No one like, owns this or anything—pure raw sulfur is mined independently by locals looking to make slightly more money than they would farming coffee. They fix ceramic pipes over vents in the crater spewing toxic gases. The pipes let out downslope, allowing the sulfur to condense to a red liquid and then solidify. Then they hack it into chunks and carry it MANUALLY about 4 miles in 200-pound loads to the weigh station. They do this 1-3 times a day, and make about 5 bucks. There's no foreman, and no safety regulations. The life expectancy of a miner is about 30 years. 'cause spending good beer money on a gas mask? HELL fucking NO, brother! The sulfur is used to bleach sugar and vulcanize rubber.<br /> Looking at some of these photos actually gives me shivers of ecstasy. Not for the human suffering, but just aesthetically...the intense colors, the pipes creeping over the volcano like skeletal hands, the clouds of sickly gas... </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=71#post-4526 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:44:41 +0000 maecrab 4526@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Gotta throw down for Kabuki, even though any time I mention David Mack, REAL comic nerds are all 'LOL wut lesbian ninja'. It's one of the best-drawn comics I've ever read, and one of the most powerfully-written stories in any medium I've come across. It changed my life. Seriously. The last book gets pretty meta, but when I got to hear him give a talk in person, it made me realize how the last book was about his personal growth since writing the first one, more than ten years ago and before he was even out of college. He was all, "thank God I had an outlet for all that violence and anger!". By the end of it, he had something totally different to say, which you definitely can't say for a lot of writers.<br /> <img src="http://www.ifanboy.com/comics/marvel_comics/iAPR082337/kabuki_hc_alchemy/cover-large.jpg"> </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=21&page=3#post-4525 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:31:40 +0000 maecrab 4525@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>One of my favorite musicians made a music video for another one of my favorite musicians, and it's pretty fun:<br /> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k73IQ9fXah8">[/url]</p> <p>Also this one, which makes me incredibly happy:<br /> [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glq_vb0A-yg]</a> </p> http://templaraz.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=110#post-4524 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:24:46 +0000 maecrab 4524@http://templaraz.com/bbpress/ <p>Okay, this place has been dead'r 'en Heaven on a Saturday night lately, so I'm gonna POST THE SHIT OUTTA this forum tonight, you guys. Just watch me.<br /> Ahem: my biggest problem has been getting equipment and a space to work in, as far as metal sculpture goes. I've had a lot of frustration in that department. It's been going on four years since I had the facilities to work on my own sculptures (up until a little over a year ago I was working in a production shop, so I was at least learning...), which is pretty incredibly depressing. I like doing other things sometimes, to try to fill that gap; I'm terrible at drawing and painting, but I've always liked crafty things, so here's a few of those:<br /> <img src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs186.snc3/19363_1358618443673_1177875332_1108118_6454183_n.jpg"><br /> A poster I made about 4 months ago<br /> <img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs186.snc3/19363_1358618483674_1177875332_1108119_5090912_n.jpg"><br /> A pretty badly-made papier mache squid<br /> <img src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs166.snc3/19363_1358618523675_1177875332_1108120_1045214_n.jpg"><br /> A work-in-progress fish-man, also papier mache<br /> <img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs166.snc3/19363_1358618603677_1177875332_1108122_5283016_n.jpg"><br /> A necklace I gave my roommate last week for her birthday</p> <p>Anyone been productive recently? </p>