Need More PapayaWhip

This year, I only picked up 3 transplants for my scraggly excuse for a garden: a yellow bell pepper, a purple bell pepper, and a habenero of the orange variety. The rest I filled out from seed I saved from the transplants and possibly from some of the peppers I picked up from the grocery store. Amazingly some of the seed was still viable after sitting around for more than 2 yrs, especially the peppers which normally are labelled as being good for a year when kept under ideal conditions, which wasn't the case. I'm suspecting the red bell pepper seeds I saved are from a hybrid since the fruit are small and are not showing the bell pepper lobe shape. My Anaheims are not very consistent either, but I think those can be attributed to growing conditions. I had been underwatering for a bit, since I didn't realize how fast the plants were growing and hadn't adjust the drip irrigation to compensate. This was a scorching summer and since my approach to gardening is lacksadasical, a bunch of the crop got sunburnt and is no good. I finally got around to pruning those as well as harvesting some of the early season crop. The next batches of fruit look to be ripening well and of decent size now that I've got the watering adjusted. Unlike, one of my friends, pests have been on the low side. Then again I started much later than he did, so maybe that's why I avoided being wiped out by spider mites. Besides the peppers, I also decided to sow some of the green onion seeds I had been collecting from those I had planted from the saved root ends of store bought specimens. Green onions are particularily hardy. They'll grow from a 1" cutting with the roots cut all the way back to the base. Once established they seem to be drought resistant since I haven't really been paying attention to a batch which I know has been drying out completely. They seem to compensate by growing stouter and storing more water in the stalk when they can get it. Furthermore, they get a dusty silvery coating to cut down on the actual sunlight they absorb. The patch I started from seed is in a pot on the deck which is afforded some afternoon shade and is drip irrigated, is remaining slender and not developing the silvery coat. I also sowed more garlic chive seeds to make the patch that I have in a pot for a few years now denser. These are very easy to progate and maintain. They're pretty hard to kill since the roots are resilient to the point they can be an annoying weed if seed spread to areas you don't want them growing which I found out when I forgot to harvest some seed pods before they dispersed. Needless to say, I had chives sprouting in most of the neighbor containers. They've been nearly impossible to get rid of since by the time they surface the roots are well established and break too easily the surface, which would be fine if they died, but no, they don't. I have been able to remedy the situation by applying a thick layer of mulch that seriously curtails them from getting enough sunlight, so now I'm down to a few sporadic sproughts here and there. I'm thinking about using this years seeds to replace a border of variegated liriope that have been struggling. The border is between the house and the front walkway, so the chives should be easily contained and I think it will be easier to get the white chive blooms than these purple blooms on the liriope in this location. I'm going to transplant the liriope to containers until I decided where I want to replant them, which will probably be after I gut the current drip line and replace it with a drip emitters to conserve water. This summer I decided to removed the drip lines from the irrigation rotation. Furthermore, I've finally moved to a 14 day watering scheduled for the yard and it seems to be holding up. Only casualties so far have only been the root beer plants, but that's expected considering how much water those things need. I've actually tried to get rid of it but enough of the root system survives that it comes back. If you get plenty of rain fall it's an attractive plant. I might end up keeping it once I convert the drip line to a more specific emitter layout. I've come to the conclusion that I'm a lazy gardener at best, so I'm going to try to removed plants that require significant maintenance such as the current ornamental grasses in the backyard which look haggard if they aren't cut back every year, which is too much work for me. I have enough problems remembering to dead head stuff, so no thanks. I think, I'll save the rest of my thoughts for a later entry.

http://www.angryzenmaster.com/2008/08/04/i-pity-the-fool-who-calls-mr-t-homophobic/

I guess I still like Weezer, but the inclusion of all these YouTube celebs is awesome lol.

*Fixed the link. not sure what was up with that since I was linking to an official Weezer video on YouTube.

Decided to break out the old Intuos tablet to make some comparisons between the drawing capabilities of Photoshop CS3 (PS) vs. SketchBook Pro 2009 (SBP). This sketch I started is done in PS from scratch. Though PS is a capable drawing program it does lack the levels of sensitivity that SBP is capable of capturing thus line quality and variance is on the side of SBP.

Side by side, PS's brush should be compared more against SBP's brush as far as functionality. PS doesn't seem to simulate pencil marks easily out of the box, especially when it comes to varying line weight on a stroke.

Unlike drawing in PS, SBP is capable of simulating pencil marks making it totally different than PS who's pencil tool is an aliased brush essentially. As for the interface, SBP also wins in that regards making it easier to change brush size and colors with it's minimal yet highly usable UI.

PS is not a specialized drawing application like SBP which is why you'll rarely see these two applications compared. However, when I look at digital artist profiles, I rarely see SBP mentioned, but rather PS or it's direct competitors. Granted PS is basically a one stop shop in that you can also color and manipulate your art which is why it has it's appeal, but it's a shame that an application like SBP doesn't get more attention. Hopefully, that's changing now that SBP is improving it's interopability with PS with it's PSD support.

I can't remember how I came across SBP, maybe I did see it on someone's profile, but I'm glad I did. Though I haven't been prolific by a long stretch it's gotten me to want to draw more than usual these days, which I think says a lot.

http://www.notcot.com/archives/2008/05/fencing_food_bb.php

Now if you owned that and took a photo and used that on Facebook or any other on-line profile; you'd be my hero lol.

just simply flipping through samples of paper like washi or mulberry all afternoon day dreaming of all the things I could make...

Yes, I would be content.

I've been thinking a lot about why some people don't look before they leap. Are they afraid to leap if they see what's there? I tend to automatically think of the ramifications and jump anyway, accepting the consequences. I guess that makes me a calculating or manipulative SOB depending on the situation.

Regardless of whether or not you looked before leaping, we tend to ask for forgiveness if the actions warranted such. What irks me is the level of sincerity in the forgiveness asked. It's if by feigning ignorance there is less culpability for our actions, which I don't buy. When you hurt or do "wrong" to someone, your intentions do not matter in that it's not going to erase what's happened.

"Hell is paved with good intentions, not with bad ones. All men mean well."
  –  George Bernard Shaw

Furthermore, it's unlikely the person is going to simply forgive you if you don't own up to your actions. By claiming good intentions you are either denying responsibility or worse you are admitting there are times where your intentions are not honorable.

True sincerity lies within. Though by treating others in the way you would like treated (ethic of reciprocity) won't prevent offense, hopefully being the embodiment of those intentions warrants forgiveness. Unfortunately, the offended party must respect you, but in those situations the problem is with the offended party and your choices are nothing of consequence; however, that's really a separate topic.

So what do you gain through self imposed ignorance in the consequences of your actions? Based on my sampling of life, I probably only know of a handful that behave in the same way I do, so I'm wondering what part of the picture I'm missing. I have had people tell me that I'm very "Zen", but self-enlightenment is pretty useless if the rest of the world isn't on the same page. But really, is all of this simply fear and embarrassment of owning up? All I ever seem to hear are excuses and blame pushing and this isn't Corporate America we're talking about.

And when I wasn't careful they did explode, but I guess I was never a careless as this person was.

Now the YouTube video of the raw ostrich egg being microwaved was even more surprising. I guess I've never nuked an egg with a high enough wattage microwave to generate a big enough explosion.

Some days I wish I were simply more closed minded or simply obvious, which works until I start to think about a situation. If I wasn't somewhat allergic to alcohol, I might be a perpetual drunk in hopes of numbing myself to various vocal but questionable individuals that populate the information streams.

The Basics: Gift cards are not gifts

I came across this via Get Rich Slowly > Violent Acres:I'm not the only one who can't stand Liz Pulliam Weston. Though, this was my first trip to Violent Acres, I like what I found. I'll have to add her to my blog roll. I wish I knew more women like this in real life. This is the type of personality and outlook I find awesome in a prospective partner. She doesn't have to swear, but if she's as smart and seemingly forthright as this individual, I want to meet her.

But enough with my sudden puppy dog crush, what compelled me to write was her entry in regards to gift cards. Being an individual that is basically confused over his cultural identity, it refreshing to see a honest examination of the Western perhaps more American social construct of gift giving. Though, I'm well versed in etiquette, I sometimes think the environment that spawned worthless concepts such as Politically Correct corrupts the intention these social contracts were intended to dictate. However, I could just be simply naive to believe that manners were intended for good, rather than scholarly essays purport them to be.

For one, I always get the feeling that I feel less entitled that what the media suggests I should be. I've been chalking it up to the Eastern side of my upbringing and perhaps that's not far from the truth considering Liz Pulliam Weston's outlook on gift cards. Would it really be so horrible to exchange money during the holidays? But then again, with the growing sense of China-phobia, maybe it would be bad. I can't help thinking that every woman that takes her maiden name as a middle name suffers from entitlement issues. Even though I have friends that are the exception, it seems there are an overwhelming number that do fit the stereotype.

Gift cards are becoming more popular, but I say forget them. Just simply dole out the cash. Learn from the Asians. We've been doing it before sliced bread... a whole lot longer and history hasn't attributed any form a social collapse as a result.

In fact, unless you're feeling as entitled as Liz, gift giving the American way is not that great. If it were, people wouldn't have White Elephants or "recycle" gifts. And tell me who hasn't been disappointed by a gift they've received. Though I appreciate the thought, there have been many times where I wondered: "do they really think of me in that way?"; when it was obvious time and effort did go into procuring the gift. I would rather to have received a "remember me" token or better yet a gift card that came with a thoughtful note or that was packaged nicely. But really, why do we Americans feel compelled to give besides to fuel Consumerism.

We talk about the lack of importance material things, yet we have mainstream giving tips on what to "buy" to give. Shouldn't we be more focused on the time we spend with those we care about, perhaps over a meal shared or an event attended by. If it really is about "giving" should we put more stock into stuff that comes from the heart rather than a factory. I prefer to buy blank cards, but those seem harder to come by as the years go by.

Going back to the maiden name thing. Why does it seem we tend to be selective in what we choose to be progressive in. I'm mean if gift cards are so shameful due to custom and tradition, why not just take your husbands last name (I apologize if Pulliam was the middle name her parents gave her, but that typically leads down a similar path if they aren't embarrassed by it... come on how many Liz Westons are there that you really need to distinguish yourself from).

Finally, if you look at the URL Liz's article is filed under Saving and Debt > Find Online Deals. wtf??? Why is she even writing about the demerits of gift card giving. Consumer debt in America is a crisis and it doesn't help that it's not illegal to pilfer the financial well being of others. No apparently, our gift giving choices are a much more critical issue to say the denouncement of predatory lending or teaching good finances to the masses.

Some days, I really do feel like the Harlequin up against a Tick-tock Man.

Afternoon Delight trumps Cow Logo T-Shirt. After all, how could you top unicorns having sex?

Which reminds me, I've been meaning to read the Tropic of Cancer one of these days, though the cover to that 1994 paperback edition on Amazon may be a little too lewd to drag around town.

Anyway, I went ahead and decided to watch one of the videos on the Cow Logo site since I was there now anyway, though I hadn't expected to find myself here given where I was following the link from. I had obviously misconstrued what the individual meant by "fantastic". Not all was lost since the content on this site, while informative, does seem quite amusing.

I finally got around to documenting some of the stuff I cook. I'm competent enough not to have to resort to measuring most of the time and I'm comfortable with a lot of the mechanics and theory of cooking.

Though I have a large kitchen, it's not a fancy on. The gas range only has medium burners and I'm using one of those $20 carbon steel woks from Walmart. I've got some decent knives.

As long as you keep the edge sharp and have good technique most of the time you can just use a chef's blade. The only professional level blade I own is a boning knife and that was because I wanted a flexible blade when carving carcasses. The cheap one I had wasn't desirable in it's flex, but otherwise it's primarily going to be the difference on how often you'll need to touch up the edge.

The description of the process and ingredients can be found on Flickr, just follow the photos if you're curious. I'm not going to bother cutting and pasting into this post.

I really miss cooking with friends like I did in college. I don't particularly like hosting, but I do enjoy helping out with the cooking for a dinner party. I need to convince some of my Austin friends to let me play sous chef or something some day.

( photos after the cut )

I haven't posted much recently, but that is due to all the draft essays I have sitting on my hard drive that really should be polished and revised before dumping on the Internet. I think I've caught up on my blog reading, but not on responding to e-mail and comments. There are stuff that I really should have finished writing back at the end of last year, but I keep forgetting. If I thought my prose was decent enough, I would probably practice more and try to garner a readership, but I don't think highly of my writing ability.

My current New Year goals are to focus more on art and to hell with dating. Since I'm a slow poke with my artistic endeavors, I decided to cut what I've been least successful at: making a girlfriend. Maybe, she'll find me through my art endeavors and activities. I realize now that when I say I like art, most people get the wrong impression and vice versa. Unbeknownst to me, it's not akin to stating that one likes sushi. I guess I could say I like the fine arts, but that sounds way too snooty. I may be polite, but I'm irreverent when it's fosters critical thinking. Maybe art culture or perhaps I should be goofy and say something like the Theory of Art.

Anyway, I'm going to try to go see more exhibits and try to better acquaint myself with people in the arts around Austin. I'm making good progress with my ceramic pieces. I found a form I like of which I can experiment into a series. It's been almost 10yrs since my last student show. Once I get to cleaning out the garage a bit, I going to prepare some surfaces to due some life study drawings on. There are some open studios I'd like to try out in town. Once, I get back into the groove, I going to see if I can arrange to get an edition made of two hand litho projects I've had sitting on the back burner.

Now that I have an acceptable film scanner via the V200 Photo, I wonder what type of images I can upload. I had forgotten how many photos were taken since I didn't hang onto most of the prints, but somehow, I managed to keep all of the negatives safe.

I should pick up some sleeves to hold them to make reviewing them easier.

Since I'm not into sports most of my aerobic activity was transportation related when I was younger and sans a car.

I have a tendency to deal with stress via food, but I think I've found other outlets for that. And now that the tinge of wanderlust is returning, I've new found desire to get more fit and shed all the unnecessary weight I've put on over the past decade.

Since radical changes are often hard to truly remain committed to, I've started out gradually. First, I've basically made it a habit to walk around Town Lake for at least an hour on the weekends and for the most part I've been able to stick with this. Having my ceramics class right next to the park makes it fairly easy to keep.

Progress has been faster than I was expecting. When I started this a few months ago, I expected that it would take a few more months before I would have conditioned myself well enough to start running or figure out how to jog more slowly. I can't seem to find a slow jog gait since I tend to be more comfortable with long strides versus short ones. However, my leg muscles seem to have the capacity needed again. I was worried about cramping, but it seems that my current bottle neck will be my aerobic capacity of which I'm still short of for running a mile comfortably.

I've started incorporating short runs with controlled breathing. I'm currently, limiting it through my nose which should allow me to avoid getting the stitch while I rebuild the capacity. I'm not sure how far I'm actually going, but my goal is to be able to regain the capability of running a 7 min mile like I use to. However, that's more of a long term goal. I wasn't planning on making it by this summer, but I might be able to. One promising sign is that muscle soreness from exercise has been significantly decreasing.

Which reminds me, part of the impetus of getting back into an exercise routine was getting muscle cramps in the abdominal region after sneezing. When I was younger cramps had always been contained to my legs. Unfortunately, I found out I have to really pace myself with doing crunches and the like currently. I need to figure out a way to remember to work on those muscles regularly.

I need to setup a blog aggregator so I can read via RSS or something since I'm spending less time using LJ directly these days.

Also, I've been twittering a lot more than posting and trying to archive things onto flickr.

http://wooditis.blogspot.com/2008/01/furniture-on-craigslist.html

I was skimming the blog by way of ClayArt, so it was not something I was expecting to see.

It looks comfy, but since it only seats one should it be labeled as a chair rather than a couch?

Strangely, I could have sworn I've seen this before, but Google is not turning up anything far back enough.

http://www.threepanelsoul.com/view.php?date=2008-02-04

For some reason this comic reminded me of your man hugs post way back.

http://www.cleanmyride.org/

I liked episodes 3-5.

( Read more... )

That's what I strive to be in my fatalistic romanticism. As I think back after reading a comment from a friend from my past, I realize that I never bothered claiming my stake in "Best Delegation" as Germany at THIMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations). I even have 1 of the 2 placards we used during the conference, even though I often play down my role since I was a junior member of the delegation. Those that were there with me know I kicked serious butt at ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) and that was enough for me. I've blogged about my MUN (Model United Nations) exploits my senior year before as Chairman Chu of China, but my junior year was the most memorable in that I lacked the notoriety and no one was afraid of me yet so the challenge was still there.

Though eloquent, my methods are apparently quite brutal. I lack the brilliance for chess, but possess the cunning for poker. I was taught to play towards my strengths. Almost every debate and point of information was a calculated bluff backed by a myriad of half truths. On Bullshit touches on my approach, but unlike what is discussed as being bullshit, the insidious aspect of my arguments are not in the facts I present since those are sound in their entirety, but rather in the facts I purposely omit. The opening and gaps are intentional to steer my opponents to false ramifications. But like any house of cards, presenting facts out of context can be risky in that such ploys may not work against experts on the subject matter if they realize the subterfuge.

I claim I don't lie, but that's not entirely truthful. What I actually mean is that I don't vocalize any lies. Instead I falsify my intentions via my body language which is harder to dispute in that such manipulations of the truth are not easy to consciously catalog by the opposition. According to this litmus test, it's highly likely my baser instincts are that of a high Mach, but it's tempered with an irrational desire for lack of greed. Maybe my type is analogous to white hats in that I find cruelty distasteful.

Ironically, this is a fundamental side of me that I fail to fully embrace. Individuals that have recognized this side of me probably thought I would have wanted to become a lawyer and perhaps I would have if I lacked the amount of self loathing I place upon myself. I see this as my dark side, in that if not used responsibly it can cause much harm. For that reason I use it judiciously.

Maybe that's why I seek to stay out of the lime light and work the scene from the sidelines.

I've come to the conclusion that if you're an ass you will like remain an ass because that's what you are. An ass. If it had bothered you at any point you probably would have changed on your own accord. As a teenager I can see where one may not be self aware, but if you're an adult in some sort of authority position, you should have noticed by now. I really due suspect that you feel entitled to be an ass.

Maybe if etiquette was more important to the American culture I was born into there might be less asshattery around, but such forms of conduct tend not be as convenient in furthering a capitalistic mentality I have noticed. It's not a prerequisite and you could be polite and still succeed, but it seems to me there is a natural tendency ingrained in us to be ass unless we self censor ourselves and be prudent. Since this requires energy, it may be more efficient to be an ass. I'm sure at some level you've convinced yourself of that.

I was naive to believe that trolls only exist in certain public forums. I was naive and forgot that zealots exist in every form and every walk of life. I should have noticed that people tend to drop etiquette when communicating in forms that doesn't involve face to face. I was naive to think that flame wars were limited to a certain demographic.

But in the end, I'll continue to believe that this is just a vocal minority and I will still place faith in humanity as a whole. However, sitting idly may not fuel the fire it doesn't put it out either. There's no point in playing nice. Rather this should be something we should simply nip in the butt, level handedly smack across the cheek. No threats. No anger. Just simply dispense discipline as if they were a child.

PS - Gmail saves me from being accosted electronically by dumping it all in a bucket from which I simply search and occasionally browse. It was through browsing one bucket that I stumbled across behavior that should have been taken off-line or in private channels. If you need to whine, whine to friends but not to strangers.