I'm famous!

I'm famous!

Well, not really, but if you go to this link you can see, very, very briefly, as screen-shot from a program that I wrote that is used to detect chromosomal abnormalities.

Our company stock is the pits right now, but this product is doing well, and I'm busily at work on improved software. I really love that I get to work on software that is used in cutting-edge scientific research, rather than just buying and selling widgets on the web.

Time is passing

Time is passing. And there is nothing I can do about it.

Oh well. At least that means lots of fun things, like renew my driver's license! I had to actually go to the DMV this time because I was supposed to take a vision test.

I was nervous, so I practiced a lot in advance, looking at all sorts of things real hard. I didn't want them to decide I would have to wear my glasses while driving, even though I always do, anyway. But then they forgot to test me anyway. They just asked me whether I wear glasses while I drive. I said no, and that was that. (They had eye-charts all over the place and I could read them fine, so it doesn't matter.)

I also got to spend the big day up in Mendocino in this house and drink organic Argentinian bubbling booze and eat mushroom ice cream!

And to top it all off, I got a BOX! In the mail!

I wonder what's inside! It has a fish theme, so maybe it will be fish.

Mmmmmmmm!

Gateau Basque

I'm going to a BBQ today with some French folks, and I'm supposed to bring a dessert. I just watched a show recently that showed a Basque chef making a Gateau Basque. I remember liking those in Paris, so I decided I'd give it a try.

At the bakery in the 10th arrondissment where I'd get mine, they were available in pistachio and plain. But apparently the traditional filling is either sour cherry or pastry cream. I decided to go with sour cherry.

I couldn't find online any recipe that looked quite right to me, so I took one and made substitutions. That's just like me; even on my first try I'll be changing things. In this case I swapped almond meal for half of the flour.

That made a dough that was very difficult to work with. It didn't want to stay together. Oh well, I'm just sure that the ones I ate in Paris had almond meal in them.

The one on the TV show was decorated with a big lauburu. I wasn't ready to go that far for authenticity, since it might be misinterpreted. so I modified it into something a bit more swirly (and backwards).

All considered, it came out looking OK. Let's hope it tastes good.

Crumbly Fruit

Ahhh! Summer is here! Bringing with it two of my favorite things that go so great together: peaches and fog!

Just about every week, I find myself throwing together a batch or two of my fruit crumbles.

So easy and so good.

All you have to do is throw some peaches in a dish. (Or nectarines. Peach skin is creepy!) Cover them with crumble mix, which you should always keep on hand, bake and eat. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool down.

For crumble mix, just use approximately equal volumes of flour, sugar, and softened butter. Mix it with your hands. It should look and feel almost like wet sand.

Put your fruit in a dish. Little left-over duck or rabbit rillettes containers work quite nicely. Toss crumbles lightly on top of the fruit. Bake at 425-ish for 25-ish minutes until bubbly and brown.

Just about any fruit will do. But the best seems to be:

nectarines
blackberries 'n' sage
blueberries 'n' fennel seeds
apples

Plums are ok; leave the skin on or else they're a bit too sweet. I've even done seedless red grapes. Oddly, it tasted just like McDonald's so-called cherry pie filling. I wondered how they got cherries all year round.

Frightful Frets

As if learning the guitar weren't hard enough !

Check out these crazy frets.

Apparently playing on one of these things will make your head snap back in a very uncomfortable-looking position.

Smarter than SmartBoard

The new recipient of my SmartBoard was happy to receive it. But I've moved on to an even better keyboard. Behold the jeans keyboard !

My laptop, with stickers.

computer with stickers
Originally uploaded by Red Wine Rage

I tried to enter this picture of my computer as an entry in the contest for stickergiant. But I fear I was too late. I think I am number 26 and the contest ends with number 25. Anyway, pray for me!

Any suggestions for the final sticker?