Oh Bartender? Make Mine Dirty, Please!

The other day I was watching a movie or a TV show or some kind of moving picture on my TV - I was paying very close attention to whatever it was, really. Anyways, what I do recall from whatever it was is that someone on TV finally had some smarts about how to actually make a proper and drinkable martini - show the glass the bottle of vermouth, then drown the glass in vodka and olive juice (or gin, but that's a little blasphemous in my world). Okay, the drowning the glass part was all me, but the vermouth was the smartness from the TV. I must add that twists and olives are, of course, the only acceptable accompaniments to a martini. Olives are best, but you will not die for a twist. Onions, however, will secure you a beating. Or a refreshing martini shower.

Recently, I've been persuaded that I should spend time on my photos after shooting them. I suppose this was someone's nice way of saying, for the love of god lady - GET WITH THE TIMES! Or it could have just been someone raving about yet another piece of Adobe software that makes photos look much much prettier by just putting the pictures near the software. Its just like the vermouth to martini relationship - or so I thought.

I buckled and got me a copy of Lightroom. At first I was all, "WOAH! This is WEIRD." And then, I was all, "HOLY SHIT I have to organize my photos with this tag system and not my pre-existing totally organized Windows folders system? Nah uh. NO CAN DO." So I closed the program and went out and took some pictures.

With dread in my heart for promising to give Lightroom a try and then, well... NOT, I came home to sit down in front of my computer with the resolve to learn to love it. And learn to use it properly. Because, after all, isn't it about damn time I start actually getting BETTER at this photo taking stuff? Seriously?

And now I put all of my pictures through the wringer that is Lightroom. The problem with this is, of course, I SUCK AT LIGHTROOM. Witness Exhibits A and B.

Ugly
Maybe Less Ugly

So now I am way behind in uploading pictures because I am trying to learn to love Lightroom, and I have only so far achieved the level of "Okay, FINE! I can tolerate it." I mean, how can I love Lightroom when it is being mean to me and not automatically fixing the hell out of my pictures by merely just loading the shots? This is turning out to be nowhere near as simple as making a martini.

Hm, martini... Now there's an idea!

Enjoy your weekend.

Ghosts of Birthdays Past

February is like birthday heaven in my world. I got to decorate like a little kid this past February. And then take pictures.

X Marks the Spot

Bloomin' B'loons

On a side note, I'm in the middle of packing up all of my belongings and moving them across town, so I probably won't be posting much until next week.

Let there be Light - Around the House

Soon, I'll have to pack up all of my things into boxes, put the boxes into a truck, drive a whole 1.5 miles-ish and empty the truck and unpack the boxes. I'm SO looking forward to it. No. Really. Because it will be over and then I won't have to think about it anymore.

And when I've finally done all the packing and unpacking, I won't have to hit my head on this light every single day.

Details

Ahh, the little blessings in life.

Parallel Series, Can you handle it?

Sometimes, when I leave the house, I really leave the house. I was in San Francisco not long ago. And I have a handful of shots from the night out. None of them include people, despite me being with people the whole night!

YAY BANANA!

Serial, not breakfast food

When the weather isn't so pretty I stay inside a lot. And when the weather isn't so pretty for several days in a row, I get antsy and shoot random things around the house. A new series of odd photographs can be borne of such times. Witness Exhibit A:

Jewel Keeper

Car Detailing

I've had a hectic few weeks. California trip, interviews, broken laptops, laptop purchases, software installation, apartment hunting, lease applications, spring cleaning, etc etc ad nauseum. I'm back now, and will be updating mostly regularly again. Now on to the entertaining bits...

So I know I mentioned recently that I now have a car. This is only interesting because I haven't had a car since 2001. It is pretty. And black. And it doesn't even require that I have a key in my hand to open the doors or start the engine. Which is the best way to get a woman to buy a car - tell her she doesn't have to dig around in her bag for a key. BRILLIANT!

Push My Buttons

Crazy around here

I've been keeping a little bit busy. I have about 6 posts started and a few pictures to show you, but I'm in a rush right now. Why, you ask? Well, I'm leaving for California in about 10 minutes, so um, here's what my plane will hopefully look like!

Pair

Unbearable Lightness of Mia

Mia is oozing adorable-ness. No?

Hm, question.

Wow, is it a bad sign when even the cat is ignoring me?



Go on, tell me. I can totally handle the truth.

Road Trip!

Of the 8 days after Christmas day, I spent 4 of them driving a car. Initially, the plan was to drive down the coast to SF from probably somewhere a little west of Seattle. The reality of the southerly drive was not at all along the coast. We left late because I procrastinate.

Canadian Sunset

Highway 99

Because we started off so late, there was very little coverage on the first day. We managed to get from Vancouver to Seattle for an early-ish dinner. Consequently, we hoteled in Portland.

Ace

Right Here

The bar we went to for a few drinks to take the edge off driving for the end of the day was awesome. Because it was actually Boxing Day, there weren't many people out, which was just fine - more time under the beer tap for me. It was a perfect way to put my ass to sleep.

Boxing Day plus one... We bought chains for the car (by the way, I have a car, did I mention that?), I drove, white-knuckled for two hours over the Siskayou Pass where it was snowing and there was slush and I felt like I might have had control of the car for like 10 whole seconds over those two hours. Oh and it was pitch black. Needless to say, it was terrifying. I'd recommend it to everyone.

Haze

Left

Felled

Fluffy White

The snow, it looks so pretty, but, no sir, I don't like it.

To be continued...

Day Tripper

From the old photos folder, here's a few I took while we had a friend visiting and went over to the North Shore on the SeaBus. I have a fascination with the SeaBus, so I like to find any excuse to go to the North Shore on the SeaBus.

Parallel

Wake

Skylight

AtAt at Work

Crawling around

Ladybug on a Notebook

On the Edge

Making it up to you, badly

I was gone for only a week, I know. I have no excuse besides being lazy. I have a few shots from the first trip this year to England, back in June that I thought might placate you long enough for me to run away again and not really write so much. Heee!

Englishmen

Doors and Windows

Welcoming Committee

Spiraling out of control

My first trip to England this summer was for a wedding - not unlike my second trip in August but that's neither here nor there. We went to Oxford to sort out some wedding outfits and after all the fittings were finished and the scheduling was done, we wandered around the city for a while just so I could take some shots of the architecture that I find so fascinating. For the majority of the time the weather was incredibly kind and beautiful. When we finally got close to a coffee shop (shamefully, the coffee trend has yet to fully engulf the English Island as it has done in Vancouver), the heavens opened up on us and we finally got me the caffeine fix I'd been waiting for. Thank heavens for that. Seriously.

I've got a pile of pictures to add, and I suspect that there will not be a huge amount of commentary until I'm caught up really. In the meantime, there's more non-commentary-ed pics up on flickr.

Pick and Choose

Please tell me which one you prefer. I'm indecisive today.

Untouched

Corrected

If you have good taste, you'll want to make these RIGHT NOW

So, I've been a MIA lately. Sorry about that. I got a little swamped with being out of the house and also, had some entertaining to do. That's right. I had a guest. And it was a guest with brains. The best brains in the world. She thought she would buy tartlet tins. To make Lemon Tartlets with. It was the best idea she's ever had in her whole life and I love her to pieces for it. The tartlets idea was so good, that in the 5 days she was here we made them TWICE. Because we lurved the tartlets so.

Lemon Tarts with Vanilla

Lemon Tarts with Vanilla

Recipe (both shell and filling) stolen shamelessly from Epicurious:

Tarte au Citron

There are different ways to make a lemon tart. At Bouchon, the French Laundry, and Per Se, we use a sabayon method, in which the eggs are first cooked with the lemon juice and sugar over hot water, then the butter is gradually incorporated — an easy method that results in a consistently good lemon custard or curd. The crust is made with sweet and nutty pine nuts, which I think are the perfect balance for the rich, tart custard.

Makes 8 servings.

Butter and flour for the tart pan
1/3 recipe Pine Nut Crust

Lemon Sabayon
2 large eggs, cold
2 large egg yolks, cold
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold unsalted
butter, cut into 6 pieces
preparation
For the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and refrigerate it while the oven preheats.

Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator. Use your fingertips to press the chilled pine nut dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim off any excess dough.

Bake the crust for 10 to 15 minutes, then rotate it and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool while you make the filling. (There may be some cracks in the crust; they will not affect the finished tart.)

For the sabayon:
Bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil in a pot that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl you will be using for the sabayon. Meanwhile, in a large metal bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth.

Set the bowl over the pot and, using a large whisk, whip the mixture while you turn the bowl (for even heating). After about 2 minutes, when the eggs are foamy and have thickened, add one-third of the lemon juice. Continue to whisk vigorously and, when the mixture thickens again, add another one-third of the lemon juice. Whisk until the mixture thickens again, then add the remaining lemon juice. Continue whisking vigorously, still turning the bowl, until the mixture is thickened and light in color and the whisk leaves a trail in the bottom of the bowl. The total cooking time should be 8 to 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Whisk in the butter a piece at a time. The sabayon may loosen slightly, but it will thicken and set as it cools. Pour the warm sabayon into the tart crust and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Preheat the broiler. While the sabayon is still warm, place the tart under the broiler. Leaving the door open, brown the top of the sabayon, rotating the tart if necessary for even color; this will take only a few seconds, so do not leave the oven. Remove the tart from the broiler and let it sit for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Bouchon, 2004
by Thomas Keller

Add two vanilla beans to lemon mixture and one vanilla bean to the crust mixture for the vanilla impact. Also, use one additional lemon for more kick. And the browning in the oven is not needed - the 60 minute cooldown is.

Now go! MAKE THESE.

On the Flip SIde

Ha! I forgot the OTHER side of that coin.

Here.

April 3, 1969Taken on June 9, 2007, 1:26pm
Freehand, 1/250s, f/4.00, 200mm, ISO 100

I'm SO attracted to shiny things, Long Version

To carry on with the travel stories, I'd just like to say I'm so much less neurotic than you think. As proof, allow me to state that, like fish and every other woman on the planet, I like shiny things. (That's the best I could come up with after two days of contemplating a good way to justify the crazy that I put up here a few days ago. That's all I've got, okay?) In order to put this whole post into perspective, allow me to revert to my childhood and before even that for a little bit.

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. My father was a civil engineer who had a hand in the building of the TransBay Tube, among several other things but none of which are as cool as the tube. Upon completion of the tube, they did a few things to celebrate. They minted a commemorative coin, and they also allowed the engineers and whoever else was involved in making the longest underwater tube for rapid transit in the world walk across the Transbay Tube before the trains were running. (Otherwise it would have been called "chicken" and not a walk of celebration at all.) I have that coin, and my parents were among those people to walk the 3.6 miles across the San Francisco Bay at a depth of 135 feet (at its deepest). We have, somewhere in the mounds and mounds of STUFF (OMG SO MUCH STUFF) in my mom's house, a picture of something related to the planning and perhaps even the surveying of the tube which is essentially a photograph of a red tracing line across the bay at night. Its gorgeous. I'd ask for details and clarification, but my mom, she didn't really know much the last time I asked, and my dad wouldn't be able to answer me either for entirely different reasons. Now, let's keep in mind that this is the historical bit; this was all before I was born.

Bauble of historical interestTaken on June 9, 2007, 1:26pm
Freehand, 1/200s, f/4.00, 200mm, ISO 100

Now, before I get to the good stuff, keep in mind that I have not lived in the SF Bay Area for the past 6 years. I have not even lived in the country, but that is neither here nor there. Prior to moving away from the area, I had not been on a BART train in approximately... 10 years? However, in the last 6 years, I've had the luck of living in places that seem to like the concept of public transportation. Some of them (those crazy Austrians, to be precise) are exceptionally good at the public transportation system. And I mean, WOW. REALLY GOOD. Good enough to almost forget about the fact that they like to BEAT, BREAD, AND FRY everything they eat. (Except the rocket that goes on the side of the breaded meat, of course!) Oh, and also maybe think about forgiving them for the whole thing about the stores only being open during normal working hours (when, yes, everyone is AT WORK) and also - NOT ON SUNDAYS. It's that good that I could consider the forgiveness, but then not quite get there emotionally.

Back to the red-headed-step-child that is the American way to do public transportation. During the 70's, and the following few decades, the public transportation system has made history and on a more boring scale it has also seen extensions around the Bay Area. The trains are somewhat automated and were among the first to be so in the US. They suffered a lot of problems during the first automation phase, which is unsurprising considering the operators were NOWHERE NEAR THE TRAINS. Anyways! The lines have no nicknames (no Circle Lines or U1's in SF!). The seats are also (seriously) the most padded public transport seats I have ever sat on. Ever. In my life. The seats have cushion. Bouncy cushion. They aren't plastic or garish orange seats with blue spiky velour coverings. They're boring beige-ish with blue cushions - pillow-like even.

Additional lines have been added to the system over the 36 years of operation. The most notable and recent extension in the BART train lines connects the international airport in San Francisco to the rest of the grid. There are three tracks that run through the station at SFO. Two of these tracks carry trains. The other one is a landing lane and a takeoff runway for alien spaceships with bright (and also SHINY!) indicators along the perimeter.

Runway 1
Taken on May 22, 2007, 3:38pm
Freehand, 1/30s, f/4.00, 70mm, ISO 100

Thankfully, the contractors realized that some people are afraid of aliens and their spaceships. Those scaredy cats can stand in one general area to avoid the Martians or whomever is scheduled to be landing/taking off while waiting the LONGEST TIME IN THE UNIVERSE for a BART train.

Not the third rail!
Taken on May 22, 2007, 3:39pm
Freehand, 1/30s, f/4.00, 73mm, ISO 100

See and the reason I took SO MANY FREAKING PICTURES is because I turned 50 while waiting for the damned train. That's 20 years of time passage there folks. TWENTY YEARS. I paid over 7 dollars with the intent of traveling eastwards for about 30 minutes and all I got for that price was the pleasure of sitting there for two decades going blind with boredom.

Shiny floors
Taken on May 22, 2007, 3:41pm
Freehand, 1/30s, f/4.00, 154mm, ISO 100

But, hey, the shiny floors and windows were ace!

Look, we're almost through the old crap

So I've eliminated about 5,000 pictures from last month that I had intended to upload but then never got a chance to because DAYUM that'd be a lot to upload. All that uploading would have interfered in my grilling and cooking and drinking time. And let's just all agree that that would be disastrous. There is no need to interrupt drinking time. So, look at me, I'm down to about 4 pictures left. They're the worst of them all. I thought everyone's eyes could use a little assault. So, yeah. You're welcome!

How about a vacation - there's one right behind this door! 10 points if you can tell me what's on the other side. 1,000 points if you have a photo!

Open ThisTaken on March 6, 2007, 4:27pm
Freehand, 1/80s, f/4.00, 27mm, ISO 200

If a vacation doesn't sound like you're cup of tea around this time of year - and let's face it, some people like to work all the time and don't believe in vacations - how about something to wet your whistle?

Stupid interruption for a little known factoid about that phrase "wet your whistle" from a website.

Wet your whistle

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. Wet your whistle, is the phrase inspired by this practice.

Stupid interruption for a little known factoid about that phrase "wet your whistle" from a website now over.

Here, have one. God knows I can't drink anymore of this stuff for the next hour if I'm going to drive that car.

Ta Kill YaTaken on May 5, 2007, 8:31pm
Freehand, 1/60s, f/4.00, 200mm, ISO 400

(Pssst! I don't have a car. And I was mostly kidding about not having a drink for the next hour. I'm subscribing to the beer, water, beer, water, beer, water, etc. philosophy, except substitute "coffee mug of vodka" for beer. And it's water's turn.)

Recap, The only day of the year where I sip tequila

There's really not much to recap from Cinco de Mayo yesterday. I made tacos from scratch, guacamole from scratch and bought tortillas because who makes those from scratch? (And if it's you, can you send me the recipe please? Thanks!)

And then there was the one drink I had with tequila in it because I'm terrified of tequila coming back to say hi to me. Those college years really put me off. So I finished my terribly eventful night of watching movies with gin and tonics and vodka and tonics. Clear liquor - I can get on board with that whole idea.

High ClassTaken on May 5, 2007, 8:29pm
Freehand, 1/60s, f/4.00, 200mm, ISO 400

Is the reason I am terrified of the agave juice because I've only had Cuervo and Olmeca and all the other similarly classed tequilas? Because, somehow, I feel like I need to get over the fear.

I'm dashing out the door, but here. Look at my cat.

Isn't she cute?

SnoozerTaken on April 26, 2007, 5:00pm
Freehand, 1/20s, f/4.00, 159mm, ISO 100