Its been very quiet since Starcraft II came out

So what have I been doing? I painted a picture for my living room. You like? Comments? Criticisms? If you don't like it, you can fuck off, cause I like it.

Dad's Birthday

Thought I had some pics of the shitty Chinese food I had with my parents for my dad's birthday. I gotta get them to like the good shit. Taiwan Restaurant really sucks. Wonton soup was good. Anyways, after watching Inception, I decided to cook. Made this delicious pan-seared and then roasted chicken thighs, wild rice, and green beans. I took the juices (plus some chicken stock and wine I cooked the chicken in) and made a demi-glace. Practicing the 5 mother sauces. Béchamel, Hollandaise, and demi-glace I got down. Now for tomato and Espangol.

Food and Jam

Today started out with a trip to the farmer's market with Kenny. I got some fresh corn, celery, onion, carrots, beets. strawberries, and nectarines. Then went out to breakfast at Southern Kitchen where I had a very satisfactory bowl of Menudo. Not better than Aunt Minnie's or Grandpa's, but the best I have ever had in a restaurant.

We had a jam session at my house. Kenneth was inspired to play jazz after our trip to SD. So Kenneth, Kenny, Jared, and I got together for a little jam. BTW Kenneth plays the cello. So we jammed on a little Blue Monk and then So What (sounds kinda nice with a cello bowing the bass part). I made BBQ chicken with brown rice and corn. My beet salad took too long to make so we didn't end up eating that. Lina stopped by with some delicious pastries. Between the 4 of us we finished 18 brews and a bottle of port. Fun day/night.

Climbing in SD

Some sick rock climbing this week in Santee with Bijan and Kenneth. Nice views, great beer, good times.

an epiphany

A Box of bananas is sitting in your path that say free bananas. One person passes it up because they are not hungry. One person takes one for him and one for his wife. One person takes them all so they can sell them and make a profit.

Which person are you?

Healthy Meal Number 1

My trip to Florida had some of the most fantastic homemade food I have had that wasn't my own mother's or grandfather's. My friend Kenny's mom, LeAnna, made some delicious meals. These included creamed eggs, crêpes with cottage cheese and cherries, polenta with marinara, cappellini with aeoli (olive oil, garlic, and anchovies), and the most delicious latkas I have ever had. My response to this is that I have filled my quota of home-cooked delicious and not-so-healthy food. She made this because Kenny doesn't get to have this often. She doesn't cook like this all time.

So I am committed to finding new delicious meals that are very healthy, nutritious, and satisfying. We made grilled turkey breast, wild rice salad, and corn on the cob. The rosemary, sage, basil, and mint were fresh herbs from my mom's garden. The turkey was rubbed with fresh herbs and olive oil as was the corn. The rice salad had oranges, pistachios, and basil.

Vacation better

Well, the last three days have been very busy. Cocoa Beach yesterday, Harry Potter today, golf in the morning tomorrow. Then going back home on Wednesday. Have been drinking less, no politics have come up, and it has been good times. It rained the last few days and its been cooler. I just love how one minute it is sunny and hot and the next its pouring rain with thunder storms.

Can't wait to come home and chill out for a few days. Doing too much stuff here, need to slow down. I wanna finish The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao sometime in the next week. Need my pool, my weather, my peace and quiet, my bed, and some sleep.

Florida with Lianna, Kenny, and Frank

Don't forget to read the note after the pictures.

The View from the front patio

Yummy frog legs

On one of the fan boats with Larry the Cable Guy as my pilot

Yeungling on Tap

Palm I think is the new beer by the makers of Stella Artois

More yeungling by the beach (btw the last three beers were consumed in a pretty short amount of time with Kenny and his parents. This was followed by a beer sampling at a microbrew, and I kept drinking when I got home cause I didn't want to sober up before I slept)

Kenny is always talking about chipped ham and how good it is...it tastes like fuckin' ham, whats the big deal?

Some gumbo made by the neighbor for poker night. Not as good as mine. I lost $20, but had some cohibas and enjoyed myself. I should have taken pictures of the dogs at this house. A sheepdog and a jack russel. Apparently the jack russel killed a racoon the other day and catches at least 6 gekko lizards daily.

My favorite drink of the summer. Its called a John Daily becuse its an alcoholic version of an Arnold Palmer. Come over if you would like to try when I get back. I will be getting some of the vodka infused iced tea.

I don't know if I'm really enjoying this vacation yet and maybe I won't. At home I wake up and do whatever the fuck I want. Sometimes I read for a few hours, sometimes I watch a movie, make breakfast, take a shower, go visit my mom or grandparents, practice trumpet, or whatever. Being in this house, I'm never afforded a space for peace and quiet to just read my fuckin' book. There is always a radio, TV, or live music going on in this house at all times in every room. Furthermore Frank is going deaf and so everyone is always yelling at him. I am enjoying the food and drink, though.

Everyone in Florida is a fuckin' republican and thinks Obama is a communist and they compare him to Hitler and give him way too much credit. The truth is Obama hasn't done shit. He hasn't done the shit he said he would and hasn't done shit that he wouldn't do. So how is he a fuckin' communist if he hasn't done anything, period? Well I get to hear about it every fucking day at dinner from somebody who thinks that Sarah Palin is better qualified. Yeah, thats right! Sarah Fucking Palin! The women who wouldn't be able to point to Russia on a goddamn globe. The political discussion came to an end today when Lianna told Frank to "Shut the fuck up!" (btw Frank and Lianna are Kenny's parents).

It is so goddamn hot in Florida, no wonder everyone watches Fox news all day long. I like it better than Arizona heat. The humidity makes my skin feel good. If Kenny had his way, we would golf every fuckin' day in this fuckin' goddamn heat. I didn't go today, I hung out with Lianna where I got to drink beer and wine in the grocery store as we shopped. Man can she talk. I think she talked so much she has a sore throat now. I had chick filet for lunch.

Going to Harry Potter land on Monday. We checked a rock climbing gym out today, but I thought it would be rude if I went climbing and Lianna just watched me the whole time. Besides, there weren't really any crashpads.

I really miss my friends and brother. I miss my coworkers and students, too. Haven't seen them in a month and there are some students I won't ever see again. I miss rock climbing and the nice moderate weather in the bay area.

Castle Rock

Went to Castle Rock with Will, Kenny, Michael, Dennis, and Lina...here are some pics

I worked like 4 weeks on this bouldering problem, finally got it Thursday. I seemed to get one move closer everytime I went.

How ein Heffeweizen should be served...no lemon.

Nothing like a little Beethoven to end the day. This unique piece of Beethoven's is the third movement of his Pathetíque sonata (I forget where the accents go). It is in Sonata-Rondo form, which means that in the "C" section, there is a development. Rondo Form is usually ABACA or ABABA. In music we call the "A" a ritornello. A development section is from a sonata where we take material from the exposition of the sonata and cut them up and make a musical collage. This sonata rondo form that Beethoven did is a hybrid of Sonata form and Rondo form. The coda is quite interesting because you think Beethoven is going to do another permutation. He is succesful in tricking us by modulating to the Neopolitan of C minor, Db. (he uses a first inversion of that so you actually here an F in the bass). Then BOOM! V to I and your done! Beethoven is so hilarious.

Racism

What this idea would do for education?

Did you know that the API score for a public school in California is computed partially based on how the school or district has closed the achievement gap of it's minority students to non-minority students? How about even if the school has no racial majority?