Archive for August, 2006

Flaming Garlic Bread & Professional Plant Waterers

Published by kindli on August 30, 2006 in cooking. 0 Comments

Today as I sat waiting for the phone to ring, the door of the office opened and into the lobby walked a tallish angular women wielding watering cans.

“I’m here to water,” she explained, hoisting the watering cans so I could see them over the edge of the desk. She proceeded to the kitchen, filled the cans, and traipsed around the office watering plants.

When she was done watering, she pulled out a feather duster and dusted the main plants in the lobby. It was surreal. I never would’ve thought to have a professional plant waterer and duster.

How capitalist. Brilliant.

I have also learned that in order to keep my commute home as short as possible I must be out of the office at no later than 5:01. After that point, I have to wait for the T which then causes me to miss the bus and wait another 20 minutes for the next bus.

This evening when I got home, Gavin was making dinner. We had 3 cheese tortellini and garlic bread. We were going to have salad, but the lettuce was well past its prime.

I was watching the garlic bread toast when I noticed little flames coming from the drip pan of the toaster oven. Gavin had an OOPS! moment when we realized the garlic bread had been put in garlic-buttered side down. Fortunately it was still quite edible.

Repeat after me: Buttered side goes UP!

Joys of Public Transportation

Published by kindli on August 30, 2006 in Public Transportation. 0 Comments

The joys of public transportation are endless. This morning after waiting about 10 minutes for the bus, and enduring the terrifying bus ride to Sullivan, I was informed by a rather unpleasant worker that my pass would not work and I needed to deposit my token in the tub (like every other morning, although THIS morning they actually had the “new & improved” machines up).

As if it was my fault that they were dysfunctionally changing over the payment systems at Sullivan (and along the entire system for that matter).

There are a few problems with my commute. I either leave the house at 8 am, and arrive at my destination at 8:40, or, no matter what time I leave after that, for some reason I can not manage to get to work sooner than 9:15. I need to be there by 9 am. It is really a no-win situation.

My afternoon commute was also unpleasant today. As I waited in the drizzle for the 86 bus, FOUR (4) 93 busses whizzed past, I waited over 25 minutes. On a Tuesday afternoon, during the peak commute hours. I called Gavin, There was a bus at 5:24 and there will be a bus at 5:41. I was THERE at 5:24 and there was NO bus.

I am starting to notice people on my commute. In the afternoons on the subway, there is the loud redhead and her Rubenesque-brunette friend. They loudly discuss boys!, and a coworker.

On the bus in both the mornings and the afternoons is the Guy with the Long Long Long Hair. In the mornings there is the large lady with the purple jacket. In the afternoons the woman with the very tightly braided bun.

The next city we move to is not going to have public transportation. In Houston, we all recognized public transportation was a joke, here, they take it seriously. In Houston, it was expected that things wouldn’t work, that trucks would attack the Light Rail in fits of envious passion, and stupid people would stall their cars on the tracks.

In Boston, for all the hype and hot air put out about the “T” system and the Charlie Card, the system is miserable, and filthy. I do NOT care if it is “the oldest subway” in the nation, it’s on my top 10 list of poorly designed subways/public transportation systems in the world.

Would you like to be transferred to his voice mail?

Published by kindli on August 29, 2006 in Public Transportation. 0 Comments

This morning on my walk to the bus stop I noticed several kamikaze slugs had found their way on to the side walk. I stepped around them and continued my trek. This mornings weather was very similar to many of the moist chilly spring mornings I experienced in Vienna, the scenery was worse, and I would not stop for a chocolate croissant before heading to my final destination. Tragic, I know.

I spent my day temping for a law-office, essentially this meant that I lied with great frequency and increasing creativity about the whereabouts of the lawyers. I’m sorry he’s in a meeting … He’s stepped out of his office … He’s on the phone right now … It didn’t matter what the excuse was, it was always followed by very politely asking: Would you like to be transferred to his voice mail?

For lunch I went to Au bon Pain, found a corner to sit in, and enjoyed my sandwich and book in the corner. I was happily left alone for an hour, no phones, no persistent, insistent callers, no one asking me to put people on the security list, or make photo copies, or comment on how bored I must be –not with these callers I’m not.

Today I started, and finished, The Bookseller of Kabul. Gavin mentioned they’re trying to ban it in Afghanistan because it is a “negative portrayal” of life there. I think that’s telling.

I started reading it on the bus, and gave up any attempt to read on the subway. At 8:20 there is standing-room-only by the time it reaches Sullivan. There was also a rather obnoxious young woman on her cell phone. I was rather thrilled when we went into the tunnels because she lost all reception and she had to shut up and put her phone away.

The subway on the way home at 5:05 was also standing-room-only. As I trekked back over the hill, I noticed most of the slugs from the morning had made it back into the grass safely. The two that didn’t… clearly didn’t. Blast spell check, it wants to change temping to tempting.

A Little Reminder

Published by kindli on August 27, 2006 in update. 0 Comments


Just a reminder, please remember to sign our guest book when you come visit out site! We love hearing from you!

In other News the weather in Somerville today is rainy and damp. The high is 68*F, low 62. It is uncomfortably cold and damp in the apartment, so the air conditioners are turned off.

Melted Spoons & Other Fun

Published by kindli on August 26, 2006 in cooking. 0 Comments

Although I made bread pudding earlier today, Gavin had also made plans to play WoW this evening, so in an attempt to keep myself busy I made Turtles.

Things went… fairly well… I only melted two spoons, and I’m not quite sure how they turned out… I think the caramel got a little too warm so instead of being chewy from the best I can tell it may turn out to be more brittle/hard.
The bent spoon

The printer didn’t work, so I used my computer with the web page open to the recipe. This was special because after a few minutes the screen would go dark.
The scientific set up

It was a fairly straight forward recipe, the only real problem was getting the temperature high enough… but once the temperature got high enough it went even higher (hence my concern about the consistency).
The finished turtles

The reason they’re in the cupcake papers is because the last time I tried to make something with toffee/caramel it got rather liquidy and never solidified properly. Better safe than sorry.

I just tried one, the chocolate has not finished setting yet, the caramel is quite solid, more like the stuff in peanut-brittle than chewy caramel (I shall try again at some point), and not all the pecans have stuck. It’s quite fun to eat (messy), and tastes quite yummy. I shall have to check on them again in the morning.

For more pictures visit my Cooking Photo Album.

Update Gavin got a rather thick one and decided it would be dangerous for his teeth to try and bite through it, instead he is gleefully licking and sucking the chocolate off the top. Perhaps we will donate them to his co-workers on Monday and try again with a less stiff “caramel” another time.

WHERE are you going with the Hammer?

Published by kindli on August 26, 2006 in cooking. 0 Comments

A few days ago I came across a loaf of french bread on top of the refridgerator, I think it is only about a week or so old, because I had asked Gavin to pick it up when I sent him to the store on Sunday (?), at the time I had every good intention of making garlic bread, but then other things happened and it was forgotten about.
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“Where are you going with the hammer?”

If I had known Gavin wasn’t 100% absorbed in WoW I probably wouldn’t have walked into the office. Suddenly all the colorful graphic action on the 17″ flat panel display was nothing when compared to Wife with Hammer.

“The kitchen.”
“Why?”
“To hit stuff!” (I would’ve thought this was self-explanitory, apparently not.)

It’s been awhile since I got Gavin’s instant undivided attention, but this was a little much. Close on my heels he asked:

“What are you going to hit?”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“I remember how the bookshelves turned out.”

He followed me into the kitchen, still close behind me.

“I’m going to beat the stale bread into submission and make bread pudding.”
“Do I have to eat it?”
“What do you think?”

You would think by now he’s learned to stop asking these sorts of questions.
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1 loaf uber stale french bread -beaten into submission/cut into cubes
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Mom’s New Orleans Style Bread Pudding Recipe
(as dictated to me over the phone, approximately)

preheat oven to 350, boil water

1 loaf uber stale french bread -beaten into submission/cut into cubes
4 cups milk
combine & let soak for 1/2 an hour or so

3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 table spoon almond extract
beaten!

1/2 cup raisins (optional whoopee raisins, but I opted not to)

fold eggs/sugar into bread mixture along w/raisins, fold under, but in well buttered baking dish, put dish in larger dish, put boiling water in larger dish, put in oven for an hour or so; careful it will be hot

serve warm w/maple syrup
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FINISHED & WAY too hot to touch
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Emeril Lagasse, from the Food Network has a similar recipe: New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
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for more pictures visit my Cooking Photo Album.

My Hobby Attempt 1

Published by kindli on August 23, 2006 in hobby. 0 Comments

Gavin told me the other day that I needed to get a hobby, so today while I was waiting for LensCrafters to finish my new glasses, I went past Borders and picked up The Complete Guide to Origami & Papercraft.

So far the only thing I’ve managed to make with any degree of success, is a yacht. The rest of my attempts have ended up crumpled in the trash.

I also got a Cribbage Set and Solid Wood Teasers to give Gavin and I something to do together. They were on sale at KBToys. I used to play Cribbage with Daddy sometimes, years ago. I also think I should dust off my Rummikub set and work on the translation of the instructions.

I think tonight maybe I can convince Gavin that we’ll play Cribbage, or read books, or do something instead of staring at our computers. It’ll be a nice change of pace.

Crusing down the Charles on a Tuesday Afternoon

Published by kindli on August 23, 2006 in adventures and family. 0 Comments

In the morning the Parents took advantage of the fact they had an extra unplanned day and went to the MotherShip complex and toured the MBE Library for the betterment of humanity. I missed out on that fun and joined up with them in the afternoon at Lechemere.
To round out the Boston experience, the Parents decided to take an hour long cruise on the Charles River. The Charles was names after King Charles of England.

I would give the cruise about a 6 out of 10, it was all right, the weather gets a 10 out of 10. The scenery was mediocre at best, and the tour guy with the microphone should’ve been thrown over the edge.
The former Poloroid Building, the first art-deco building in the Boston area –if I remember correctly and am not confusing buildings

The Parents seemed to enjoy themselves, Dad befriended the Captain almost immediately, and they happily chatted about their boating experiances until the cruise began.

More pictures from this adventure can be found at my Yahoo Photo Site.

Leslie’s Adventures in Munich

Published by kindli on August 22, 2006 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

My very good friend Leslie is spending a year in Munich as an au pair. Her website: Leslie’s Year in Munich, is full of her adventures vividly described in her Tagebuch (diary/day book), pictures, and a newly added recipe’s page.

Although the site is updated sporadically, every entry and photo is priceless. Through her posts we learn about Sam’s favorite hobbies: chasing waterfowl (especially geese and swans), marching, and “ducky time.” Sam is also learning a smattering of English and has pointed out “many boats.”

The Adventures of Leslie and the diaper-clad ones offers an account of daily life in Munich, funny anecdotes, stories and experiences. As Leslie and Sam see the highlights of Munich and the surrounding countryside, their colorful adventures are filled with excitement, danger, and (most importantly) lots of play time.

Out in Boston w/the Parents

Published by kindli on August 21, 2006 in Public Transportation, adventures and family. 0 Comments

Yesterday the Parents arrived at our door. They’d taken the Fung Wah bus from New York City to Boston’s South Station. $15 and an adventure was too good a deal for Mom to pass up.

The usual greetings were exchanged, a tour of the apartment was given, wedding pictures were oohed over, and we walked down to Uno’s for dinner.

Today I met the Parents at their hotel and we took the bus/T to the Aquarium. Mom bought us a membership there, hopefully we’ll use it a few more times before it runs out.
Mom & Dad at the Aquarium

After the Aquarium, we went to Mike’s Pastry, Paul Reveres Mall, the Old North Church, through North End, past Fanuiel Hall, to the Old Meeting House, stopped at Commonwealth Books –an AMAZING used book store, and then came back to the apartment on the Redline.
This Cow made me Happy

Mom kept commenting on how Boston reminds her of Holland, and countless European cities. She gravitated towards the cows, “Just like in Z!” She also asked questions about the parts of American History that she missed out on while she was in Germany, “What did Paul Revere do that made him so famous?”

My feet hurt. Dad is napping and Mom’s checking her e-mail. Pictures of these grand adventures have been posted at my Yahoo Photo site.