May 2008 Archives

The Gala Event
May 30, 2008 | permalink

I had dinner with the internets last night!

Okay, not with all the internets; just with some of my favorite people on the interntes. Curly, Jess, A Lover and a Fighter, Kelsi and I had dinner at Supper. It was, as expected, lots of fun. We laughed, we cried, we drank too much, and we offended the wait staff. Possibly. (We're not sure if the hostess heard the unfavorable comparison to Amy Winehouse or not, but , so we will go with yes, just in case).

The really great part about it, to my mind, was the fact that I was sitting there having dinner with these four fabulous people that I would not have ever met were it not for the internet. It wasn't so very long ago that one's social options were limited to schoolmates, co-workers, family, and maybe a group one degree removed from your immediate acquaintances. That's not really a lot of people (nor, I think, was that relatively close-knit group likely to have been terribly diverse... but that is another issue).

In any case, those times are past, and I was able to have dinner with a group of people that I am terribly fond of, from all over the country, whom I would have never crossed paths with in a less technological time.

Good job, internet....

Posted in Around New York & Blogging & Social Life
(2) Comments

Machinalia
May 29, 2008 | permalink

Boris Artzybasheff's "Machinalia" illustrations are awesome. Take a look...

Posted in Miniblog
(0) Comments

Comments Enabled!
May 28, 2008 | permalink

As you can see, comments have been enabled on the Small Calamities for your pleasure and amusement...

Posted in Miniblog
(0) Comments

Soft Sell
May 27, 2008 | permalink

Before I begin, Gentle Readers, let me say that I appreciate the irony of finding humor in the very spam I was bitching about earlier today. But really, this is too good to pass up.

The spam in question (excerpt above) would have us infer that Viagra has come out with a chewable tablet (they haven't). And really, it seems plausible enough. It seems like there is a chewable version of everything these days. The funny part is that someone on the marketing staff with either a phenomenally well developed sense of humor or an unbelievably underdeveloped brain decided to call it Viagra Soft.

Now that's comedy.

Posted in Random
(2) Comments

Looking at the World Through a Windshield
May 27, 2008 | permalink

Good morning, Gentle Readers.

There have been lots of changes around here. Many of them you can see- the new layout and new look, of course, being most prevalent. And I think the tone of it all has changed, though that line may be more clearly drawn in my head than it seems here on the page, with only these few recent entries for you to process. I think that will become clearer in time.

There are a lot of changes that you can't see, too; changes under the hood, as it were. I took the opportunity of the redesign to upgrade to Movable Type 4.1 (I had been running 3.2). I had been putting it off, since the upgrade from 2.5 to 3.2 was a horrible experience for me, but since I was tearing the whole thing apart anyway I figured I may as well go all the way. It went quite swimmingly, I must say.

One of the big reasons I switched were the far superior spam control tools in 4.1 (as opposed to 3.2). I don't know about any of you, but I get hundreds of spam comments a week, and clearing them out is a real drag. I have been leaning toward a 'Registered Users Only' comment policy for a while now, which I am ambivalent about. On the one hand, I don't like the idea of any closed system or forum; I far prefer a free, open, and easy system for the exchange of ideas. But on the other hand, I am damn tired of stemming the tide of casino and viagra and dating ads.

So, after much consideration, I will soon be turning off the totally open comment system, and switching to the open-est closed systems I could find. Basically, all you have to do is prove that you are a real person with an email address to get through the first stage and leave a comment. After that, you just have to not post a bunch of crap advertisements.

So, starting on June 1st, in order to comment you are going to have to either register as a user of UrsineCalamity.com, or have a TypeKey identity. I am sorry to impose such a thing, but really, I just can't stand the spam.

Thanks for your understanding!

Posted in Blogging
(0) Comments

Black Bread (of the Sea)
May 23, 2008 | permalink

I recently (okay, maybe recently is a stretch... let's try, In the not too distant past) became obsessed with the idea of making a black bread. Not a traditional pumpernickel or anything simple that I could easily look up and learn from others; that just wouldn't be my style. I wanted to make it black by dyeing it with squid ink.

It was interesting, no doubt about it. It turned out very black, and the egg I brushed on, combined with the black salt, gave it a nice sheen. The picture is crap, and shows neither of those things, so I am afraid you will just have to take my word for it. The flavor... well, that was interesting too. A little fishy. No, not quite fishy. Ocean-y, maybe, is a better description. It wasn't overpowering, but even so, this is not a toasted-with-butter-and-jam kind of bread. But served with a cream soup, or a chowder, or hollowed out and used as a bread bowl for some kind of dip? Oh yeah. It would be excellent for that. You really should give it a try, Gentle Readers.

You can get cuttlefish ink at Despaña. I got the black salt at Williams Sonoma.

Also, be aware that the cuttlefish ink will stain, so don't mix this up in your favorite wooden bowl; I recommend glass.

Black Bread of the Sea

  • 1 Cup Warm Water
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons Honey
  • 1 Package Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
  • 2 Packets of Cuttlefish Ink (4 Grams Each)
  • 3 - 4 Cups Flour
And, for the finishing touch:
  • The White of One Egg, beaten with a little Water
  • Coarse Black Salt

Dissolve the honey in the warm water. Add the yeast and let stand for ten minutes, until nice and yeasty smelling. Whisk in one cup of flour, the salt, and the cuttlefish ink. Continue to add flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Turn out on a floured surface and knead, adding flour by the tablespoon as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a buttered bowl loosely covered in a warm place and let rise until doubled, which ought to be about an hour.

Turn the dough out on your floured work surface and knead until it is once again a firm dough. Allow it to rise for about an hour in the open air on a buttered stone or baking sheet for a round loaf, or in a loaf pan for something more, well, loaf like.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Just before putting the bread in the oven, brush with the egg white, sprinkle liberally with the black salt, and slit the top with a sharp knife. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

Posted in Food and Drink & Recipes
(3) Comments

Green Green Grass of Home
May 19, 2008 | permalink

Most of what I have been doing these last few months while I haven't been writing has revolved around making more of what I consume from its base ingredients. One of the things I have done do help me achieve this is to start a tomato and herb garden at home. It is, as you can see in the photo, thriving.

Some of it (the rosemary and the lemon verbena) are growing in earth in pots, but most of it is in an Aerogarden, which, if you are not familiar, is a small hydroponic system. It is pretty cool, I must say, and deeply satisfying to see the herbs grow. They grow quickly, too... It's been not quite six weeks since I got it, and you can see how far it's progressed.

There are some who may ask, 'My calamitous friend, isn't using some machine to grow your herbs sort of counter to the idea of making things for yourself?' Well, I did think about that. And what I decided was that I am not against technology in general, or using it to do things better- that is what it is for, after all. The garden uses little electricity, the plants produce oxygen as well as feeding me, and, since I am realistically going to be gone for days or a week or more with little or no notice (not yet being independently wealthy), the Aerogarden allows me to grow things that I might not otherwise be able to keep alive.

On top of that, it's just damn cool.

Posted in Food and Drink & The Home Front
(3) Comments

new site
May 15, 2008 | permalink

So... What do you think of the new design? Hot, right?

Posted in Miniblog
(0) Comments

Sundialing
May 15, 2008 | permalink

I have been in Miami all week, installing the lighting for a poolside fashion show. Being as it is out of town, I have been working with a crew made up of locals that we hired through a Miami based lighting company (save The Director, who came down with me to help me run things). There are a lot of differences between my crew and this crew, some of them very frustrating.

A lot of it, of course, is that most of the people that I work with in New York are people that I have known for a long time. We have a common vocabulary and experience working together; I knew that this would not be the case here. Indeed, I have gotten a lot of blank looks this week for the simple reason that Miami and New York are far enough apart that things are referred to with different words.

Another source of frustration (and I don't want to sound snobbish; it's just the truth) is that the base standards here are just not what they are in New York, in terms of neatness or consistency in work. And I knew that this was the case going in, but I hoped that with a little guidance they would do things my way. I am not saying that my way of doing things is the best way, mind you; but it's a pretty good way, and it works for me, so...

Sadly (and frustratingly) for me, most of the crew, when presented with the option of doing something the way they were instructed to or the easy way, they chose the easy way. Every time.

As far as I am concerned, it's not about the easy way. It's about making it look good and be right. I cannot tell you how many times I have uttered the phrase, 'I know this is going to be a pain in the ass, but I need it done like this...' My regular crew trusts me, and knows that I am not making it difficult for no reason. And I trust them not to take shortcuts for their own convenience. It was all very irritating. But it happened nonetheless, Gentle Readers, and is going off without a hitch as I type.

Next time, though. I think I will bring a few more of my own people, to help steer the work in the right direction...

Posted in Musings & Out of Town & Working
(1) Comments

How Did We Get This Far?
May 9, 2008 | permalink

Hello, Gentle Readers. Remember me?

You may recall, many moons ago, that I wrote about how this blog had served its original purpose, and that I needed to strike out in a new direction. I realized that I no longer needed to exorcise the darkness so much, because there was much less of it in me. And this left me a little short on inspiration. I had been writing with that purpose for so long, I wasn't sure how to proceed in a more positive light. Kind of funny, eh?

Of course, like most things we (or at least I) look for too hard, it was right in front of my face the whole time. I have spent the last several months consumed by baking, brewing, herb growing, and cheesemaking. I have awakened to how much happier and more satisfied I am when I am consuming things that I have made with my own two hands. I realized how very badly I want to eventually raise everything I eat. I have a real life goal, which is something I have been operating without for a long, long time. It's a nice feeling.

That is not to say that I am going to become a one story pony; I still have plenty of really fucked up stuff going on with The Old Man, and there will still be my random observations about whatever strikes my fancy. Just in case you were worried.

See you soon, Gentle Readers....

Posted in Blogging & Musings & Out of Town
(2) Comments

« March 2008 | Main Index | Archives | June 2008 »