Sun. Aug. 11, 2019 – Sunday, that’s my fun day…

By on August 11th, 2019 in Random Stuff

89F and 80%RH. Sunny and hot, who woulda thunk it?

Well, the sleepover went well. Second time here for both girls, so less getting up at night, and not sleeping. Still, it was midnight at least before they slept. So I’m not totally surprised that they let me sleep in. It was a nice change.

Their ‘baking club’ made a bunch of “cake pops” which are little spheres of cake on sticks, and decorated them in various ways yesterday. They were de-li-cious! Baking has so many good learning things in it, measuring, following directions, delayed gratification, working carefully, math, etc. Now it’s not carpentry, or riding minibikes in the woods, but it’s more than 50% of their classmates have done.

And that right there is pretty sad.

n

29 Comments and discussion on "Sun. Aug. 11, 2019 – Sunday, that’s my fun day…"

  1. Greg Norton says:

    Baking has so many good learning things in it, measuring, following directions, delayed gratification, working carefully, math, etc. Now it’s not carpentry, or riding minibikes in the woods, but it’s more than 50% of their classmates have done.

    Ever seen Alton Brown’s baking book? I believe it is the “More Food” title.

    Brown gets *very* scientific with baking, recommending the European approach where ingredients get weighed.

    That reminds me — the alimony payments must be killing Brown:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na_euVR8R7Q

    The ex- was with him going back to the REM days.

  2. DadCooks says:

    @Greg Norton said:
    Brown gets *very* scientific with baking, recommending the European approach where ingredients get weighed.

    The weighing method ensures consistent results. Give this recipe of Alton’s a try:
    Cocoa Brownies 2.0

    Thunderstorms last night but only 0.3-inches of rain. The temperature has been in the 95 to 105-degree F range for the past 2-weeks so the ground sucked up that little rain like a dry sponge.

    Keep your powder dry.

  3. Greg Norton says:

    Thunderstorms last night but only 0.3-inches of rain. The temperature has been in the 95 to 105-degree F range for the past 2-weeks so the ground sucked up that little rain like a dry sponge.

    The rain will come. Never fails.

    The Fall schedule for the train at the Portland zoo used to be an accurate long term forcast, but, sadly, the train stopped running to the Washington Park station (nice weather required) six years ago.

  4. Nick Flandrey says:

    Not quite at the shooting stage yet….

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7345765/Fights-break-conservative-progressive-protesters-clash-peaceful-Oregon-rally.html

    but getting closer.

    n

    oh, and ‘tennants’ =/= ‘tenets’

  5. Greg Norton says:

    Not quite at the shooting stage yet….

    Proud Boys vs. Antifa has been brewing for a long time. Portland (and by extension Eugene) is a place looking for an excuse to explode. Trump is just convenient for both sides.

    Again, anytime you hear the opening credits to “Cops”, the radio call that goes out to 132nd and Bush is a known drug corner in Portland.

    Also, I’ve never had this verified, but the urban legend among Florida State fans is that Head Football Coach Willie Taggert never took the Florida plates off of his car while coaching in Eugene for a year. I’m guessing that Mrs. Taggert, having grown up near where I did in Florida, was not happy once the reality of UofO set in.

  6. SteveF says:

    but it’s more than 50% of their classmates have done.

    Last Halloween I had my daughter and three other girls, all age 9-11, put together a couple pumpkin pies (simply opening cans of pie filling and dumping into purchased pie crusts) and a sheet of brownies (from mix; add water, oil, and eggs). Of the four, only my daughter had ever used a can opener and only she and one other girl had ever cracked an egg.

  7. Nick Flandrey says:

    My 10yo is doing her own laundry now.

    in other news, I got excited that there was more to the story about the AR shooting on the east side of Houston, in the middle of the freeway. Sadly, despite earlier statements, this guy they finally grabbed was NOT the shooter in that instance.

    https://www.breitbart.com/border/2019/08/10/exclusive-3-time-deported-migrant-charged-in-houston-freeway-shooting-homicides/

    Some OTHER homicide though, and he should swing by the neck until dead..

    n

  8. Nick Flandrey says:

    Hey it’s noon and it’s only 102F in my driveway!

    n

  9. Greg Norton says:

    Hey it’s noon and it’s only 102F in my driveway!

    105 predicted for Austin on Tuesday.

    School starts Thursday. 100s usually end after that point.

  10. brad says:

    Wow, cooking is so basic. I didn’t do much as a kid, but we’ve made sure both of our kids have at least basics. Only one cooks regularly, but neither would starve in a store full of basic ingredients.

    Weights and measures: kitchen scales are so ubiquitous that I have translated all of my standard recipes to weight instead of volume. It’s still not perfect, though – there’s a whole culture here that doesn’t exist in the US. In a decent German supermarket there are around 20 different types of flour (German baking is amazing – the French aren’t even in the running). Saying “1 cup” is 140g is all well and good, but…of which flour? I just stick to one basic type; my wife knows more what she’s doing.

  11. lynn says:

    I was taught how to cook using “Betty Crocker’s New Boys and Girls Cookbook”
    https://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crockers-Boys-Girls-Cookbook/dp/B0006BMXO4/?tag=ttgnet-20

  12. SteveF says:

    Not only do different flours have different specific gravities (or whatever the term is when applied to dry foodstuff), flour absorbs water from the air. My own testing suggests a 5% s.g. difference between “dry” and “moist” flour. (Though my testing should not be taken as rigorously scientific nor as reflective of real-world conditions in your kitchen.) That’s greater than the variance I get when measuring by volume after sifting and tapping. And it’s less than the variance in the ingredients from one brand to the next or even one month to the next.

    I think either method works well enough. The key is to get enough experience that you know what a batch of bread dough or pie crust is supposed to feel like and adjust as needed.

  13. lynn says:

    The Iraqi word for August translates loosely as “Flame”. So, this is the month of Flame. And it well deserves the name this August.

  14. lynn says:

    From @Ray yesterday:

    Hearing NEVER comes back. Tinnitus will drive you nuts.

    My good friend told me at lunch today that he was just diagnosed with Meniere’s disease in his left ear. He has been sick a lot lately, thinking that he had a virus. His left ear is almost dead and cannot be recovered with a hearing aid. If he continues to get vertigo and throwing up, they are going to cut the hearing nerve for that ear.

    I told him that the good thing is that he at least has options. He replied yes, his wife can put him down as the final option. She just rolled her eyes. He had his prostate removed last year for fast growing prostate cancer and no reoccurance to date.

    This getting old thing is tough ! He is only three years older than me.

  15. lynn says:

    “The Coming Debtpocalypse” by Sarah Hoyt
    https://accordingtohoyt.com/2019/08/05/the-coming-debtpocalypse/

    “Well, pull up a rock and make yourselves comfortable. What if the economy crashes? What if our money is worth nothing? What if? Are things I can answer to. You see, I come from a Mediterranean country (not in geography, but in culture.) Which means I’m used to governments that run their purses like high school kids with an unending spending account and addicted to meth.”

    “I’ve seen crashes. I’ve heard of crashes from grandma. NONE OF THEM KILLED A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE POPULATION.”

    Interesting perspective.

  16. Greg Norton says:

    Interesting perspective.

    Iceland told the bankers to piss off about 10 years ago, and I don’t recall reading about any mass die off there.

    I think she’s wrong about EBT cards, however, it isn’t that people will starve, but too many rackets are built on top of those cash flows. The moment the cards stop working, the community organizers will get busy. Go find the news reports out of Lake County, FL this weekend regarding the Confederate statue fuss and take a serious look at the quality of the signs in the pictures of the rent-a-mob protesters.

    Quality printing. Union job.

    I wonder where the busses for the mobs park.

  17. Nick Flandrey says:

    And there is a massive amount of fraud with the EBT cards too, with all of that cash shutting down too.

    What will the dopers use for currency with their sources? I don’t like the idea of a bunch of violent junkies jonesing because their money is worthless.

    n

  18. Harold Combs says:

    I noted to the wife today that I have seen several sales on body armor lately, expecting her to make some pointed remark about my lack of need for armor. Instead, she suggested I look into it, noting that starting next year I will be carrying $50 – $100 thousand on me when I go to fill the ATMs. Suddenly, the idea of spending a few hundred bucks on decent protection doesn’t seem so silly. I have never worn any body armor, any thoughts on what I should be looking for?

    I am wondering if I can claim this as a work expense.

  19. Ray Thompson says:

    noting that starting next year I will be carrying $50 – $100 thousand on me when I go to fill the ATMs

    I think you should also look into bringing personal protection when on those journeys. I am not talking condoms but hiring an off duty officer. Body armor will not protect from a head shot. Less legal issues when the officer shoots. If you shoot and kill you will be involved in a civil lawsuit. If the perp is black federal hate crimes.

    I am wondering if I can claim this as a work expense.

    Yes. And any weapon and bullets you want to carry. Probably be able to deduct training.

  20. paul says:

    Mom has a subscription to Time Magazine. She’s not interested… nursing home and all that. I subscribed for three years.

    Other than flipping through an issue once in a while, I don’t read it. I don’t like their politics. She lost, get over it.

    I received a postcard last week assuring me that they will “oh, so easy” renew the subscription for $79.95 per 52 issues. It looks to be from a third party company. Why they have access to Time’s database is something to wonder about. I’m quite sure the three year sub was much closer to $120 total.

    So, off to time.com. Log in with account number and zip code. Check for “auto renew” and turned that off. Checked to see what credit card they have, they show none. I sent a note to customer service asking them to not renew and don’t send renewal notices. I’ll see how that goes.

  21. Nick Flandrey says:

    I think armor should be a deductible expense, especially if it has a logo patch with your company name.

    I’d wear it. AR500 Armor has a wide variety of coverage sizes, and materials, as well as a whole bunch of carriers for it. They do have a long wait time, although I don’t have any experience to compare to. I keep linking them because *cough* if I had bought armor, I’d likely have bought it from them *cough* but of course I haven’t.

    You do probably want actual certified by DOJ level III at least. You could just get a plate carrier and not the soft armor if you are worried about rifles. There isn’t really anything to protect your head, so that wouldn’t be a consideration to me, and it surely wouldn’t be a disqualifier against wearing armor.

    The soft armor pads are stiff and bulky. The steel plates, even in curved, are REALLY heavy. If I was going to wear it daily, I’d get ceramic or plastic if I was worried about rifles.

    If you want something more covert, look at what the cops are wearing.

    There is also a line of armor that is inexpensive because they basically have one model and only a couple of sizes. I can’t remember the name offhand.

    But yes, I’d look at armor. And open carry with a retention holster.

    n

    Bringing a cop along is fine, but will get expensive. That’s why people use security guards, not because they are crack troops.

  22. Nick Flandrey says:

    Time has been customizing ads and even content per subscriber for some time. No way would I subscribe to that BS.

    n

  23. Harold Combs says:

    My son who currently fills the machines is a (former) Marine and carries concealed. We have never had any actual trouble but if we have to fill a bar after opening sometimes a patron may get mouthy. Not worried about rifles mainly pistol and blades. The wife wants to ride shotgun, literally, for me but may not be able to all the time depending on her dialysis schedule. Not interested in hiring security as that just SCREAMS goodies here, come get it.
    I will check with my accountant about deducting the costs.

  24. lynn says:

    My son who currently fills the machines is a (former) Marine and carries concealed. We have never had any actual trouble but if we have to fill a bar after opening sometimes a patron may get mouthy.

    You cannot legally carry a gun into a bar in Texas unless you are a Texas Peace Officer. I wonder about other states. Note that I am not a lawyer nor do I play one on the internet.
    https://www.uslawshield.com/can-i-possess-my-firearm-here-bars/

  25. lynn says:

    Instead, she suggested I look into it, noting that starting next year I will be carrying $50 – $100 thousand on me when I go to fill the ATMs.

    How much money is in a single ATM ?

  26. lynn says:

    I saw 102 F on my truck thermometer today driving over to the Houston medical center to see mum. Then it started raining on us and lowered the temp to 95 F. When the rain stopped in a couple of miles, it went right back up to 100 F. Yup, the month of flame.

    Mom is doing better. She can help to get herself in and out of bed. She can walk 40+ steps now with assistance. But the left leg nerve is still paralyzed below the knee. The ortho surgeon says maybe a year for recovery.

    Dad is starting to think about the future with Mom needing assistance. Home assistance around the clock is incredibly expensive. So now he is wondering about a two bedroom assisted living in Houston. He does not want to but, Mom will not be independent until that leg nerve recovers.

  27. SteveF says:

    How much money is in a single ATM ?

    You left off “Asking for a friend.”

  28. paul says:

    How much money is in a single ATM ?

    You left off “Asking for a friend.”

    Before they “outsourced” the ATM at the local HEB, I did the filling. For a big weekend, like Bluebonnet Festival, I would load 50K or so in $20s and 15K in $10s. To start. It really depended on how much cash I had.

    There was room for much more.

    Then the machine was taken over and all I could do was stick on an Out of Order sign when it jammed. When complained at, “hey, you can buy a pack of gum or whatever and get $50 cash at the register and no ATM fee”.

  29. Nick Flandrey says:

    When I lived in Phoenix I used Circle K for cash back almost exclusively. They wanted the cash out of the store, I didn’t want to carry cash or pay ATM fees. Worked out great.

    n

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