I haven't had a microwave for the last 10 years. Yes, I've been ridiculed, but every time someone first learns this little fact of mine, I inevitably wait for the question "How do you live without a microwave?" I'll admit, not having one has a few inconveniences. Reheating food takes a little longer than the kiddo wants to wait. And until recently, I bought bagged popcorn. As a kid, I loved popcorn, and my parents and I would pop bowl after bowl of it as our evening snacks. Once I got out of college, for some reason, I hated the smell you inevitably get at 3:00 in the afternoon in cube-land, the smell of almost-burnt microwaved popcorn. Blegh. No thanks.
Once the kiddo discovered popcorn, it was as though she couldn't get enough of that stuff. Rather than going out and buying a microwave, I walked over to the chip aisle at the grocery store to grab a bag. What? $3 for this not-so-big bag of kettle popcorn? Must be one hell of a kettle. Oh well, it's the price I pay for convenience...that and trying to keep the tantrums to a minimum.
Finally it dawns on me that people ate popcorn before we had microwaves. Even before they invented home appliances whose sole function is popping popcorn. Thank god for Google. I had a plethora of stove-popped popcorn recipes in less than a second. The
one I picked claimed not only would I have unburnt kernels, but also that almost every kernel would be popped. Challenge accepted.
The next challenge was to actually find kernels not meant for the microwave. It took me awhile, since the popcorn section is dominated by the microwavable kind. Thankfully, my neighborhood grocer, sells popcorn kernels in the bulk foods section, so I can just buy a small amount to test out the recipe.
I finally tried out the
recipe and in just a couple of minutes, I had yummy, warm popcorn! And only ONE unpopped kernel. I'm sold. Now, if I can just figure out a way to defrost the chicken faster...
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Hurray!
This is right behind my house, and I can't wait. Stumptown coffee and kettlemans bagels are the best way to start the day. I may never have to leave my neighborhood. If only Hot Lips were still here...
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7.20 update: I had comments turned off, but that should be fixed now. Sorry about that!
I'm a budding entrepreneuer and a freelance web developer. I've developed software for startups, mostly on web and mobile applications (even before iPhones even existed!), and I've always enjoyed the innovation and creativity that can occur at <startups>. While web and mobile technology seems to be moving at a blazing pace, I still hear people say how they can't find software that fits a certain need of theirs. Sure, diminutive-creature-throwing Facebook apps and World of Warcraft-like games are fun, but it doesn't help people with their work needs or day-to-day tasks. That's where I want to help. I have general, abstract ideas of how I can provide software to help people in their jobs and lives, but nothing specific, nothing concrete. In the past, I have failed to note these ideas and kicked myself for not remembering them, but now here is our chance! If you could develop software (be it skill, time, desire, whatever) and create an app to make an aspect of your life easier, what would it be? Tell me in the comments below.
I saw this at Portland Nursery last week. Anyone know what kind of tree this is? I neglected to look at the tag...
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Dinner at Raleigh Hills McMenamins
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So unlike the Taiwan I know but I could love it just the same.
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It's tulip time again...anyone spot Buddha?
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One of the kiddo's favorite things to play is pretend cook. She uses the cookware set she got for Christmas and constantly stirs and pours before having one of us (usually me) taste her imaginary concoction. I wanted to get a play kitchen but ll the ones I found were too big, too expensive, or too "cutesy.". Having read enough blogs of people making their own, I thought this would be simple enough. It proved to take much more time than I thought it would, but maybe I'm too much of a perfectionist. I had grand plans to make a backsplash and wall shelf, but that will now be phase 2. After all, I did want to have something done before she goes off to college.
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Aaah, we can finally sit comfortably at our breakfast bar without feeling like little kids at the big people's table. Now I can enjoy my cup of coffee while watching Mike cook breakfast!
Last night Mike and I went out to see Where the Wild Things Are. Admittedly, I don't remember the book much, but I was quite excited to see how they would adapt a children's book into a feature length film. I am now convinced that is a rather difficult thing to do. I very much enjoyed the visual aspects; I found the cinematography stunning, the costumes sophisticated yet familiar, and the sets brillant. But I was rather diasppointed in the screenplay itself. There were moments which were terribly slow and non-engaging for me. I wanted the story to move along so that I could go home. If you tell me that this is a movie for children, I argue that it isn't. Yes, the dialogue is simple but the content is not. To quote Mike, "it's heady." The story is about emotions and relationships and while yes, it involves the emotions and relationships of a young boy, it's still a bit advanced to capture a child's attention for long. It's at a level beyond which children are capable of truly comprehending (though they seem to mature a a younger age these days, so who knows what they are mentally capable of) and there just isn't enough action to subsitute. Still, I'm glad I saw it and now I have the urge to reread the book.
