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Archives for May 2002
May 28, 2002
Damn. It's been a long time since I last read an
article that hit the proverbial nail so precisely
on the head:
...
"But while you might reasonably imagine these
legions of the laid-off to be sliding into something
akin to desperation, an odd thing has happened.
Instead of fretting, some of them are feeling free.
Instead of being distressed about their situation,
they're happier than they've ever been. They've
stopped actively looking for a new job and have
relaxed into living lean. And perhaps most important
of all, they've vowed that whatever comes next, it'll
be better suited to their lives than their former
dot-com grind was."
...
"Running around the house in lounge-y clothes, or
none at all, is exceedingly pleasant by comparison
to [wearing] nylons, dress shoes and professional
clothes," says Wessel. "What I really miss the very
least is the personal compromises one has to make
to keep a job. Being treated in ways, or asked to
do things, that make you uncomfortable, and
knowing you have to put up with a certain amount
of it if you want a paycheck."
... "I don't miss having to get up every morning and put
on professional clothes and put on makeup," says
Adesko. "I don't miss having to do retail therapy
and go shopping on my lunch hour to feel better
about a job I hated. I would easily spend $20 on
lunch and lattes and 'I must have a cookie at four in
the afternoon.' I don't need that anymore, because
I'm doing something at 4 o'clock that I like."
...
"An awful lot of people out there were never meant
to be development directors or publicity agents or
content producers. They're readjusting now and
becoming what it is they dreamed of being, or what
they meant to be all along. No, the changes haven't
been easy. But for all the pain, clear benefits are
emerging. Dreams that would have never taken root
in dot-com land are sprouting and growing. And
that, my friends, is the best possible outcome from
all the tumult of the last two years."
May 30, 2002 The world has positively, undoubtedly, and finally gone completely insane. "Here I come!" yelled the Universe, as it stormed into the admittance room of the Sunny Valley Mental Institution and threw itself into the crisp white straight jacket. And why, might you ask, is the Universe, as it sighs heavily and slams yet another martini at 9am, in such desperation? Easy. Because there are an increasing number of idiots in the Bay Area, purchasing homes that are sitting in tiny suburbian lots and needing more than just a little TLC to make them even livable - for prices historically reserved only for lavish Beverly Hills or Malibu beach mansions with olympic-size pools and adjacent custom observatory. What the hell? (New York Times free registration required, bla, bla, bla ...)
May 25, 2002
Ok, Scottie, here's the recipe. Don't abuse it. ;-) CHOCOLATE WALNUT TORTE This rich dense cake develops a fuller flavor if made one day ahead. Also, for people who are sensitive to walnuts, hazelnuts can be substituted.
2 cups Whole walnuts Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan and line it with parchment paper. Lightly butter and flour the paper and the sides of the pan. In a food processor or blender, grind walnuts and chocolate to a medium fine consistency. In a medium mixer bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the butter, softened to room temperature, and beat until smooth. Add the walnut-chocolate mixture and beat until well-blended. The batter will be very dense; scrape it into the prepared pan. Bake the cake in the lower third of the oven for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center emerges clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes. *Carefully* remove it from the pan and place on a serving plate. Let cool completely. Just before serving, sift powdered sugar over the top. GOT MILK?
May 24, 2002 Alrighty, I'm back from Oregon. For the time being anyway. This week's Circuits in the New York Times was so full of goodies, I couldn't resist blogging a bunch of them. They are all worth a read. (Free registration required, bla, bla, bla ...) Treasured Images, Baked or on a Stick - Buying a chocolate bar with a loved one's photo on it is a novel way to avoid eating sweets. (Man, can I relate ...)
Digital Photography: Cameras Invade the Home Point and Shoot, and the Myriad Details Between - A look at the ins and outs (and ones and zeros) of shooting in megapixels. Pictures With Soundtrack on My Summer Vacation - or How can I make a slide show of my photographs that can be recorded onto compact disc with background music?
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