Our next backpacking trip is just five short weeks away. Three days and 30 miles to finish up the Great Smoky Mountains. Here's a short video that suggests I should own a backpacking guitar or euk!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Campfire Performance
Our next backpacking trip is just five short weeks away. Three days and 30 miles to finish up the Great Smoky Mountains. Here's a short video that suggests I should own a backpacking guitar or euk!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Cocoa Wood Porter
So, sadly I seem to be finding it near impossible to keep up with homework AND my blog. I would say "Well, priorities are a must!" but Sunday found me brewing for about five hours when I could have been blogging. In fairness, I did finish some work during the waiting portions of the brew (of which there are many). I also took some pics in hopes of getting something (ANYTHING) onto my blog. So here it is...
The end of this will be to bottle it (adding a little corn sugar to help it carbonate) and waiting another two to three weeks. Patience, as they say, is a virtue.
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| The night before I made my very first yeast starter. To create this I brewed a small one liter batch, dropped in a vial of yeast, and shook like crazy. This allows the active yeast cells to multiply which should provide better fermentation and better beer! |
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| The next step is heating the water for the grains. As you can see I have fashioned a measurement tool out of an old pipe left behind by the plumbers when our house was built. I use this when filling the pot with the appropriate amount of water. |
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| Here are the grains. I was brewing a porter - 2-row, black malt, chocolate malt, aromatic malt, and crystal malt. Nine pounds total. |
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| It all goes into the mash tun with the 168 degree water for an hour. |
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| Stirring up the grains so they don't clog up the filter at the bottom. The hot water extracts the sugars, not to mention the flavors, from the grain. |
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| After an hour it was ready to lauter. Before draining it into the pot I had to collect a few runnings and then dump them back in carefully onto the aluminum foil. This allows me to filter out the grain particles that sneak out at the front end of the run. The foil is to protect the grain bed from being disturbed when I pour the liquid (called the wort) back in. |
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| Here it is boiling. This particular batch, like most, boils for 60 minutes. |
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| During the boil I was invited to a tea party hosted by Ty and Ainsley. There were candles, beverages, and a three-course meal. They had saved glass bottles from dinner at the Hunter Gatherer the night before and used them to serve us "tea" (apple juice) and "beer" (orange juice). I had tea. |
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| As you can see, formal attire was required. |
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| Between courses I had to run back in to the kitchen to measure and add hop additions. Hops are used for both taste and aroma. |
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| After the boil was complete it was out to the driveway for an ice bath. The wort has to cool from 212 degrees down to about 75 degrees as quickly as possible. Thanks to a plastic tub, two bags of ice, and the garden hose I had it cooled down in about 25 minutes. |
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| As always, mistakes were made. This time, however, there were very few. The only one that concerned me was when adding the wort and yeast starter to the carboy. The bubbles from the sanitizing solution filled the spout and some of the wort came rushing back out. It was like an erupting volcano. I was more careful with the yeast - as it is extremely important. They say, "Brewers make wort, yeast makes beer." |
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| It now sits in the walk-in closet under the stairs fermenting away. The yeast starter was great. The wort was bubbling within three hours and going crazy within twelve. It'll sit in here for a week or two before I rack it over to a different carboy where I'll add some toasted oak chips and let it sit another couple of weeks. |
The end of this will be to bottle it (adding a little corn sugar to help it carbonate) and waiting another two to three weeks. Patience, as they say, is a virtue.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Not One to Impress
This past week I had my Qualifying Exam at USC. This is essentially a 15 page paper and an interview with a few faculty members. The Qualifying Exam is used to weed out those who are finding the doctoral program isn't a good fit for them. At one point during my interview someone told me "Sometimes we send teachers to classrooms to see new things that are going on and when they come back they say 'Wow, that was amazing but I could never do that because she was just SO smart.' But with you it's different. People would never come away from your classroom feeling that way."
Questioning my intelligence, huh? In fairness she was referring to my tendency to make fun of myself at every turn. But still...
In that vein, here's a repost of a piece I wrote in 2010 poking fun at my lack of "braininess."
A few years ago I read this really wonderful book titled Other People's Words. In the book author and researcher Victoria Purcell-Gates spent two years working with an illiterate mother and her struggling son. Her goal was to come to better understand the cycle of illiteracy while helping this family to learn to read and write. Along the way she found that our society, as well as our educational system, often works to exclude the illerate. The parents of this child were unable to use public transportation, read labels on packages when shopping, or even help him with elementary school homework. Throw in the bulging sack of stereotypes this family, and especially their son, had to overcome at school and it was easy to see that the deck was stacked to all but ensure failure.
But this young boy was not alone. There were many, many more filling the seats of area classrooms. Together they comprised the group that consistently ranks lowest in terms of national education norms, have higher drop out and absence rates, and more commonly experience learning problems. Who are they? They are white, urban Appalachian children.
Over her two years Gates learned a lot. First, she learned that these families were not illiterate. Rather, they were low-literate. They relied heavily upon oral communication. Their heritage was rooted in oral stories and communication- to such a degree that print often had little use and and was of little importance. To help these children meant to first overcome cultural elitism and work to better understand the kids and their families.
One of the many things that Gates came to understand about these families was that while they struggled with print they were incredibly proficient in a variety of other areas. While their vast knowledge fell outside of what modern society seems to value most - being "book" smart or having a specialized area of expertise- they had learned the skills that were most valued within their culture; the skills that helped them to survive. For instance, they did not need to call a plumber to fix a leaky pipe, an electrician to install or repair wiring, or a mechanic to change the oil pan gasket. They were self-sufficient.
I thought of this recently when calling the Heating and Cooling guy out to check out our air conditioner. Tricia, the kids, and I had returned from our last trip of the summer to find that the second story AC was not working properly. Although air seemed to be coming out of the registers it definitely was not cold. The temperature on the thermostat rose and rose throughout the day. After topping out in the mid-eighties my mom took her PJs and fled for the comfort of the third floor while our friend, and housemate, Tim did the same, opting for the couch in the living room.
Being as close to immune to hot weather as two people can be, Tricia and I flipped on the overhead fan, threw open our bedroom windows, and found it rather comfortable. Still, despite having to dip into our savings,we were pleased to know that the AC guy would be showing up the next morning and that the unit would be fixed soon.
After a total of fourteen minutes spent looking at the thermostat, playing with the circuit breakers, and looking at the unit on the side of the house, he declared the air conditioner in good working condition again. As he made out the bill I asked him what the problem was. Keeping a straight face, which seems in retrospect that it must have been hard to do, he explained that there was a bad storm while we were gone and that one of the circuit breakers had tripped. As he handed me the bill I looked down and saw that I was preparing to pay in excess of $100 so that he could walk into the garage and flip a switch back to the "on" position.
I'd like to say this was my first time paying for a ridiculously easy fix. Heck, I'd like to say it was the first time I had paid someone to flip a circuit breaker back on. But it wasn't.
And I ask myself...should we, as a society, redefine smart?
Questioning my intelligence, huh? In fairness she was referring to my tendency to make fun of myself at every turn. But still...
In that vein, here's a repost of a piece I wrote in 2010 poking fun at my lack of "braininess."
A few years ago I read this really wonderful book titled Other People's Words. In the book author and researcher Victoria Purcell-Gates spent two years working with an illiterate mother and her struggling son. Her goal was to come to better understand the cycle of illiteracy while helping this family to learn to read and write. Along the way she found that our society, as well as our educational system, often works to exclude the illerate. The parents of this child were unable to use public transportation, read labels on packages when shopping, or even help him with elementary school homework. Throw in the bulging sack of stereotypes this family, and especially their son, had to overcome at school and it was easy to see that the deck was stacked to all but ensure failure.
But this young boy was not alone. There were many, many more filling the seats of area classrooms. Together they comprised the group that consistently ranks lowest in terms of national education norms, have higher drop out and absence rates, and more commonly experience learning problems. Who are they? They are white, urban Appalachian children.
Over her two years Gates learned a lot. First, she learned that these families were not illiterate. Rather, they were low-literate. They relied heavily upon oral communication. Their heritage was rooted in oral stories and communication- to such a degree that print often had little use and and was of little importance. To help these children meant to first overcome cultural elitism and work to better understand the kids and their families.
One of the many things that Gates came to understand about these families was that while they struggled with print they were incredibly proficient in a variety of other areas. While their vast knowledge fell outside of what modern society seems to value most - being "book" smart or having a specialized area of expertise- they had learned the skills that were most valued within their culture; the skills that helped them to survive. For instance, they did not need to call a plumber to fix a leaky pipe, an electrician to install or repair wiring, or a mechanic to change the oil pan gasket. They were self-sufficient.
I thought of this recently when calling the Heating and Cooling guy out to check out our air conditioner. Tricia, the kids, and I had returned from our last trip of the summer to find that the second story AC was not working properly. Although air seemed to be coming out of the registers it definitely was not cold. The temperature on the thermostat rose and rose throughout the day. After topping out in the mid-eighties my mom took her PJs and fled for the comfort of the third floor while our friend, and housemate, Tim did the same, opting for the couch in the living room.
Being as close to immune to hot weather as two people can be, Tricia and I flipped on the overhead fan, threw open our bedroom windows, and found it rather comfortable. Still, despite having to dip into our savings,we were pleased to know that the AC guy would be showing up the next morning and that the unit would be fixed soon.
After a total of fourteen minutes spent looking at the thermostat, playing with the circuit breakers, and looking at the unit on the side of the house, he declared the air conditioner in good working condition again. As he made out the bill I asked him what the problem was. Keeping a straight face, which seems in retrospect that it must have been hard to do, he explained that there was a bad storm while we were gone and that one of the circuit breakers had tripped. As he handed me the bill I looked down and saw that I was preparing to pay in excess of $100 so that he could walk into the garage and flip a switch back to the "on" position.
I'd like to say this was my first time paying for a ridiculously easy fix. Heck, I'd like to say it was the first time I had paid someone to flip a circuit breaker back on. But it wasn't.
And I ask myself...should we, as a society, redefine smart?
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Frozen by the Fear of Failure
I came across this question last week when Tricia and I were visiting studios in Asheville's River Arts District:
"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"
I really like this. This question challenges you to consider what you'd like to do or to learn and then evaluate why exactly you're not already doing it. Going back to school. Asking someone out on a date. Changing jobs. Speaking out against the crowd.
Who's willing to admit they're afraid of failure? Well, probably a lot of people.
When kids are really, really young they think they're good at everything. They're never afraid of failure because they see success in all they do. We, as adults, encourage this with our constant praise. Yet at some point children learn they are not so good as they thought. They receive their first few doses of criticism and then begin comparing themselves to others. Slowly they adopt the belief that things are fixed - they're either this or they're that. Of course, for many feeling as though they are good at something comes from being able to do it easily with little struggle. This is why Muluken has so much confidence in himself as a baseball player. He was good almost right away. The same is true with Ty and gymnastics, and Ainsley and Harper with reading On the flip side, there are things that each of them feel they are terrible at only because success doesn't come as quickly or as easily. But should that even be an expectation?
As we were walking through the studios I came across a small card one of the artists had put out on a table. It explained that when you pay for one piece of art you are really paying for the many, many others that did not come out so well. The failures. The notion that artists churn out piece after piece without failure is a misconception. A few years ago my class had a singer songwriter come in and speak with us about the process of writing a song. She explained that she had written well more than a hundred songs and from those only eleven or twelve actually made it onto her CD. Missteps and failures are to be expected. At least by those who are not crippled by them.
So, what would I attempt if I knew I could not fail? If I were assured of succeeding?
* I'd practice a lot more with my guitar. I long ago hit what I felt was a plateau and stopped trying to get any better. Over time I've actually grown worse.
* I'd sing more. There's a small range of notes I can sing. It's the many others that befuddle me.
* I'd write a book. Not a teacher one (I think I could already accomplish that if I had the time). No, I'd write one that tells a story. A dark story where the character you love most dies at the end.
* I'd build a detached garage outside our house all by myself.
* Maybe I'd start a summer foundation that takes kids into the woods to hike, swim, look at plants and animals. Oh, and throw rocks at distant trees.
* Be more willing to offer my opinion in certain situations.
I assume the point of the question is that anything you list is something you should, therefore, do. But, no pressure.
"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"
I really like this. This question challenges you to consider what you'd like to do or to learn and then evaluate why exactly you're not already doing it. Going back to school. Asking someone out on a date. Changing jobs. Speaking out against the crowd.
Who's willing to admit they're afraid of failure? Well, probably a lot of people.
When kids are really, really young they think they're good at everything. They're never afraid of failure because they see success in all they do. We, as adults, encourage this with our constant praise. Yet at some point children learn they are not so good as they thought. They receive their first few doses of criticism and then begin comparing themselves to others. Slowly they adopt the belief that things are fixed - they're either this or they're that. Of course, for many feeling as though they are good at something comes from being able to do it easily with little struggle. This is why Muluken has so much confidence in himself as a baseball player. He was good almost right away. The same is true with Ty and gymnastics, and Ainsley and Harper with reading On the flip side, there are things that each of them feel they are terrible at only because success doesn't come as quickly or as easily. But should that even be an expectation?
As we were walking through the studios I came across a small card one of the artists had put out on a table. It explained that when you pay for one piece of art you are really paying for the many, many others that did not come out so well. The failures. The notion that artists churn out piece after piece without failure is a misconception. A few years ago my class had a singer songwriter come in and speak with us about the process of writing a song. She explained that she had written well more than a hundred songs and from those only eleven or twelve actually made it onto her CD. Missteps and failures are to be expected. At least by those who are not crippled by them.
So, what would I attempt if I knew I could not fail? If I were assured of succeeding?
* I'd practice a lot more with my guitar. I long ago hit what I felt was a plateau and stopped trying to get any better. Over time I've actually grown worse.
* I'd sing more. There's a small range of notes I can sing. It's the many others that befuddle me.
* I'd write a book. Not a teacher one (I think I could already accomplish that if I had the time). No, I'd write one that tells a story. A dark story where the character you love most dies at the end.
* I'd build a detached garage outside our house all by myself.
* Maybe I'd start a summer foundation that takes kids into the woods to hike, swim, look at plants and animals. Oh, and throw rocks at distant trees.
* Be more willing to offer my opinion in certain situations.
I assume the point of the question is that anything you list is something you should, therefore, do. But, no pressure.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
A Survival Guide to Slasher Films
DISCLAIMER: Before beginning this post, I'd like to point out that I do at times seek out quality programming. I enjoy documentaries on just about anything, Wes Anderson and John Sayles films, and watching Richard Wolff go to great lengths detailing the evils of capitalism on Link TV. Please, just keep this in mind.
A couple of months ago my friend Tim and I decided it might be fun to watch Friday the 13th. I should mention this is not the same Tim who writes such wonderfully reflective pieces on his blog about hope, kindness, and the human spirit. No, this is my other friend Tim who repeatedly buys liquor at the grocery store because he gets lured in by the pretty color only to remember, after taking one drink, he hates alcohol. I just thought I should make this distinction. In fairness to Tim O.
Anyway, what began as a joke soon turned into a scenario in which Tricia grabbed her blanket, stood up, and said "I'm going to bed!" It seems she does not find slasher movies funny. That's just as well because this meant neither Tim or I had to feel the least bit self-conscious for giggling endlessly or yelling at the screen "NO, DON'T GO CHECK THE CIRCUIT BREAKER!"
After the first movie we decided we should really see the second. See, number two is the first movie featuring Jason. And then we had to see the third because this is the one where he gets the hockey mask. After that one we wanted to watch the fourth installment because not only was it 3D but it also had Corey Feldman. The only reason we watched number five was so we could get to number six which had an appearance by Horseshack from Welcome Back, Kotter. At this point we'd seen so many there was really nothing else we could do but commit ourselves to seeing the entire series.
So now we're up to Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan. Yeah, I know - but we're no quitters! Not too long from now we'll be watching one in which Jason travels into space to attack unsuspecting teens on a space station. Wait...how did teens get on a space station? And how will they go skinny dipping?
One thing you'll notice when watching these movies is that people in slasher movies are just stupid. I cannot imagine how they manage each time to single themselves off from the group to be killed. Or how they remain completely unaware that their friends are being picked off one-by-one all around them. But they do.
So, should you ever find yourself trapped inside a slasher movie I 'm going to offer you twenty suggestions to help survive.
20. Make sure your car's engine is in good working order and has plenty of gas.
19. Never say, "I'll be right back."
18. Don't walk around naked. On a related note, don't skinny dip alone.
17. Do not take drugs.
16. DEFINITELY do not have sex.
15. Do not show up in the credits as "Second Deputy" or "Hitchhiker".
14. Pay attention to news reports about psychopathic killers on the loose.
13. Do not be in a wheelchair.
12. Do not be overweight.
11. Never go check what that noise was.
10. Do not build houses on ancient burial grounds.
9. If you are being chased by the killer, never stop to rest against a wall, door, or window thinking you've escaped.
8. If you come across your prankster buddy who seems to be lying dead in a pool of his own blood he is just trying to fool you. However, when this happens a second time turn and run. You're about to get axed.
7. Don't get a bunch of your friends together to stay in a cabin at a lake where other groups of people have been brutally murdered each and every summer the past six years.
6. If you find a good hiding spot, for God's sakes...stay there!
5. ALWAYS finish the job when given the chance. Do not assume the killer is dead.
4. Absolutely do not try to lift off the mask of the seemingly dead killer.
3. Do not be named Tina. According to some sources, Tinas statistically die more often in slasher movies.
2. Be a cute, virginal girl who does not drink, smoke, or do drugs. It would help if you have some sort of sad backstory. However, it would not be wise to show up in the sequel. If you do chances are you'll be dead within the first ten minutes.
1. And the best way to survive a slasher movie: be the killer. Even if you die you'll be magically resurrected in the next film.
Time well spent, my friends. Time well spent.
A couple of months ago my friend Tim and I decided it might be fun to watch Friday the 13th. I should mention this is not the same Tim who writes such wonderfully reflective pieces on his blog about hope, kindness, and the human spirit. No, this is my other friend Tim who repeatedly buys liquor at the grocery store because he gets lured in by the pretty color only to remember, after taking one drink, he hates alcohol. I just thought I should make this distinction. In fairness to Tim O.
Anyway, what began as a joke soon turned into a scenario in which Tricia grabbed her blanket, stood up, and said "I'm going to bed!" It seems she does not find slasher movies funny. That's just as well because this meant neither Tim or I had to feel the least bit self-conscious for giggling endlessly or yelling at the screen "NO, DON'T GO CHECK THE CIRCUIT BREAKER!"
So now we're up to Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan. Yeah, I know - but we're no quitters! Not too long from now we'll be watching one in which Jason travels into space to attack unsuspecting teens on a space station. Wait...how did teens get on a space station? And how will they go skinny dipping?
One thing you'll notice when watching these movies is that people in slasher movies are just stupid. I cannot imagine how they manage each time to single themselves off from the group to be killed. Or how they remain completely unaware that their friends are being picked off one-by-one all around them. But they do.
So, should you ever find yourself trapped inside a slasher movie I 'm going to offer you twenty suggestions to help survive.
20. Make sure your car's engine is in good working order and has plenty of gas.
19. Never say, "I'll be right back."
18. Don't walk around naked. On a related note, don't skinny dip alone.
17. Do not take drugs.
16. DEFINITELY do not have sex.
15. Do not show up in the credits as "Second Deputy" or "Hitchhiker".
14. Pay attention to news reports about psychopathic killers on the loose.
13. Do not be in a wheelchair.
12. Do not be overweight.
11. Never go check what that noise was.
10. Do not build houses on ancient burial grounds.
9. If you are being chased by the killer, never stop to rest against a wall, door, or window thinking you've escaped.
8. If you come across your prankster buddy who seems to be lying dead in a pool of his own blood he is just trying to fool you. However, when this happens a second time turn and run. You're about to get axed.
7. Don't get a bunch of your friends together to stay in a cabin at a lake where other groups of people have been brutally murdered each and every summer the past six years.
6. If you find a good hiding spot, for God's sakes...stay there!
5. ALWAYS finish the job when given the chance. Do not assume the killer is dead.
4. Absolutely do not try to lift off the mask of the seemingly dead killer.
3. Do not be named Tina. According to some sources, Tinas statistically die more often in slasher movies.
2. Be a cute, virginal girl who does not drink, smoke, or do drugs. It would help if you have some sort of sad backstory. However, it would not be wise to show up in the sequel. If you do chances are you'll be dead within the first ten minutes.
1. And the best way to survive a slasher movie: be the killer. Even if you die you'll be magically resurrected in the next film.
Time well spent, my friends. Time well spent.
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