Cracked

I have a fairly static routine for breakfast.  I grab two hard-boiled eggs, a banana, and bring it to work to “enjoy” there.  I’ve got salt and pepper at my desk, and it’s a really portable way to ensure that I get some morning protein with my coffee so that I’m not starving by lunchtime.

Now, I know there are theories about eating eggs.  It’s good cholesterol; it’s bad cholesterol.  Whatever.  Since I reduced my carb consumption significantly, my cholesterol has dropped into the acceptable levels, even with this 2-egg a day habit.  But, I digress.  The reason I’m writing this has nothing to do with physical health.  Mental health…yes.  These bastards are impossible to peel!

Let’s start by how I cook them.  I used to watch Chef Mark Bittman on the New York Times site for some weekly advice.  I’ve yet to make Welsh Rarebit, but he did another short about how to cook an egg.  There are tons of techniques, but we frequently do the following: bring some water to a boil, carefully place eggs into the rolling boil, boil for 7 minutes, shut off the heat, grab the eggs, and throw them into a bowl and into the fridge.  This gives you a nice yellow yolk that, most of the time, is between gelatinous and solid…rich and creamy and awesome.  If your yolks are green and stinky, you f-ed up your eggs.

In peeling, I was always told to roll your cooled eggs to somewhat uniformly crack the shell a full 360 degrees.  Most of the time this works…however, this last batch has been an absolute monster to peel, and, according to edinformatics.com on the interwebs, this is why:

“With eggs that are just a day or two old, the membrane beneath the shell sticks tightly to the shell making peeling the egg almost impossible. After a few days in the refrigerator the egg becomes easier to peel. Why is this? In fresh eggs the albumen sticks to the inner shell membrane more strongly than it sticks to itself because of the more acidic environment of the egg. The white of a freshly laid egg has a pH between 7.6 and 7.9 and an opalescent (cloudy) appearance due to the presence of carbon dioxide. After the protective coat is washed off the egg shell the egg becomes porous and begins to absorb air and loose some carbon dioxide contained in the albumen. This reduces the acidity of the egg which causes (after several days in the refrigerator) the pH to increase to around 9.2. At higher pH the inner membrane does not stick as much to the albumen so the shell peels off easier. In addition, as the egg gets older it will shrink and the air space between the egg shell and the membrane will get larger.”

So, I guess we’re getting fairly fresh eggs from Mr. Trader Joe.  That’s reassuring, however, I wish that they would shrink more in less time and/or have a higher pH so as to make the peeling simpler and therefore make me less grumpy at work. 

Oh, and then there’s this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai9Akl8vQ-c

Winter Trips

So, we've all learned that winter is cold.  Right?  Snow and freezing temperatures and cold houses, hot chocolate, snow angels, days off from school, yadda yadda yadda.  Also, please add to your general world knowledge: water is wet, we breathe air, and if you're stuck inside for a couple of hours, make sure that you buy 5 gallons of milk, 4 dozen eggs and 7 loaves of bread.  Because, hey, this could be the BIG one, right?  Fellow nerds, please feel free to chime in with "I haven't seen this much snow since Hoth!"

I say this because, well, I actually like this time of year.  From a purely photographic eye (see what I did there?), the winter is the best for things like "magic hour" and really clear landscape shots.  Just less crap and humidity in the air makes outside photography potentially really rewarding.  And, it's for that reason that, instead of a warm weekend somewhere, my father-in-law, brother-in-law and I will be heading out to southern Utah to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks to get some shots of the great outdoors there.  I've never been, but it stands to reason that the bright orange rock will only look that much more majestic with a fresh layer of snow on it.

Please note that this is a "take 2."  A couple of years ago, Sara and I tried to do snowy landscapes with very mixed results.  By the time we flew out (again in mid-February) to Yosemite National Park, the temperature was routinely in the mid 50's with about 2-5 inches of white in very select, shaded areas.  And, while it's hard to take bad pictures in our national parks, it was a bit disappointing.  I really wanted it snow-covered.  We had brought all of our deep snow gear including hiking boots, thick socks, gaiters, waterproof pants, the works.  Most of it sat in the suitcases.

But, this time will be different.  There's already 2-feet reported on the ground.  I've got my snowshoes ready to rock.  All the gear we couldn't use last time is still barely used.  We're ready.  I can't wait to report back on our successes and failures towards the end of February.  Also, in the coming weeks I hope to share some of the details of my gear and the logic behind traveling with 30lbs of camera equipment. 

Meanwhile, bundle up.  And, instead of complaining about the conditions, after you're done shoveling, take time to enjoy the snow like I did: make a snow angel.

Lost Butts

This happens more often than it absolutely should.  You’re driving…stop-start driving, on a highway with lots of traffic lights, and there’s people you recognize as you agonizingly creeping down the highway.  The man/woman next to you has the window open, and you notice that they’re smoking.  Truth be told, you knew someone was smoking, because if your car is like mine, and you don’t have the setting on your AC/Heat set to recycle the air in the cabin, then you’ve been smelling cigarette smoke for about 3 lights now.

So, there’s this dude/dudette, and they’re smoking, and just as they finish their last draw, they then flick that butt onto the street.

Can you help me answer this question: where the hell do they think that butt goes?  I’d like to believe that it’s not just wanton apathy towards littering.  Because 9 times out of 10, that’s what it is.  Instead, I’d prefer that their  limited intellect suggests to them that if they populate highways/streetscapes/mall parking lots with cigarette butts, that they’re doing some kind of benevolent service to the community.  For instance, one of the following perhaps:

Cigarette smokers firmly believe that they are actively padding freeways and streets to reduce damage caused by severe collisions on those roads.  The amount of paper and tobacco residue is sufficient enough to “soften the blow” of the crash enough to save lives.  Thank god they’re throwing their butt out the window because, if they didn’t, there would be far more deaths and injury due to auto collisions.

Cigarette smokers are fairly ignorant of how a cigarette is made.  Yes, it’s delicious at 8am after a good night’s sleep.  Takes the edge off of…well…sleep, which is just nerve wracking.  No, smokers firmly believe that there are seed properties in the butt of the cigarette, and that by tossing them out the window, they are somehow attempting to re-plant new cigarette trees for everybody to enjoy!  What a service they are providing.  It’s the damn government’s street-sweepers that are the problem, keeping those seeds from germinating and reducing cigarette spending by killing the “crop” before it’s manifested!

Cigarette smokers live by their own rules.  You know those kids from high school…the rebels: the ones who smoked.  God we wanted to be like them.  And their reward for being such trend-setters in life is the ability to litter wherever they’d like.  Hell, it’s their right.  They’ve earned it.  I mean, without them, 1980’s black leather jackets with long tassels would have been considered tacky instead of righteous!  Where would rock and roll be without the cigarette?  Music?  Late nights in the art studio?  These people, these blessed cigarette smokers, have built our culture from the ground up, so cut them a little slack if they feel like rolling down the window and throwing a potentially live flame into the street.  Let me ask you this: what have you done to repay them?  Exactly.

That all said, I find it really crappy that people just don’t think about what they’re going to do with that butt when they’re done.  It would be great if we could call them out on it as it happens.  Help me?  We don’t really need to stand for it anymore because it’s flat out wrong and stupid.  Please help me help them think for once.   Not sure we’ll have an impact because they are obviously of limited intelligence, but we can try.  All hands in: go team!

Solid Walls of Sound

Bzzzz bzzzz.  Right, so, the next couple of paragraphs are going to be tech-laden and boring.  I promise!  Those who don’t have at least a higher degree in electrical engineering or related experience will want to tune out.  Granted, I don’t have those qualifications, but I pretend to be “in the know” with certain technological advancements.  That said, here goes boredom.

I was gifted a small portable headphone amplifier.  It’s awesome.  It’s like someone is pouring sweet ambrosia into my ears (with certain recordings) and I don’t know how I listened to music without it.  An explanation: 

When you buy a home stereo or home theater system, routinely, to get better sound, you don’t just plug speakers into the TV.  Right?  You invest in a home amplifier and surround sound system…some in 5.1 (5 speakers and a sub-woofer) or 7.1 (7 and a sub)…and you let your movie quality recordings either on DVD or Blu-Ray, fill the room, where the split channels create an atmosphere of sound.  Wonderful.  So, why wouldn’t you give the same gift to your ears through your portable (read iPhone, iPod or any portable music device) MP3 player?

Firstly, a caveat: most poorly recorded MP3s (128 bits per second, the iTunes default) won’t benefit from an amplifier as it will just make them louder.  But, my friends, while the amp can be used for that (loudness), it’s true purpose is to take the responsibility of powering your headphones away from using the juice in your MP3 player.  What’s this do for you?  It allows you to hear greater detail at lower volumes.  A fuller more complete sound.  Starting (albeit barely) at recordings made at 192bps (which is a setting you can make in iTunes) and going through Apple’s own lossless audio codec (ALAC) you can achieve a sound through the amp rivaled only by being in front of the musician him/herself.    

(Side-bar: all MP3s have significantly reduced audio quality as compared with CDs in order to make them portable and smaller files.  Lossless formats (WAV, FLAC, ALAC) are far larger files, but deliver every note in the highest quality.  The more bits per second (bps) the better the recording (i.e. more information; higher file size) and the better the sound.)

You’ll need a good set of either in-ear or over the ear headphones which aren’t cheap.  Starting in the $150-$200 range, you can drop a lot on a good set of headphones.  But, with this perfect combination: high impedance headphones, high-quality, lossless recording, and a small headphone amp, you too can sit blissfully unaware of the happenings around you while taking in the sweet, sweet sounds of a performance just as the musician intended. 

FYI – my rig: either Incase Sonic over-the-ear headphones or Etymotic ER6i earphones, FiiO E7 headphone amplifier, and the iPhone 5s 64Gb.  You can also get an iPhone-specific Digital Analog Converter/Amp combo for nearly $500, but even I have limits on what I can (read: am allowed to) spend on an absolute self-gratifying luxury.

So, if you call me at night after 9:30, and you don’t reach me, chances are that I’m lost in a swirling world of notes and pauses, whisked away to a better place where guitarists are gods and the high-hat king, where volume is truly 3-dimensional, letting music touch me in places I never thought to be touched, which is maybe too much information…until you’ve tried it yourself.  Enjoy!

Divine Phishing

Happy New Year's all.  It's a couple of days late, but I'm glad to say that my family and I have made it through another hectic holiday and birthday season.  Birthday?  Yeah, in addition to the normal nuttiness between Thanksgiving and New Years, our family has no less than 7 birthdays that drop in the same time period, including mine.

But enough about that.  How was your New Year's?  Ours was awesome.  By some random stroke of luck, the lady-friend and I were able to secure tickets to Phish's NYE show at Madison Square Garden.  Wait a minute.  You're the dude who was hypercritical about Christmas excess, and now you're going to shit on New Year's Eve too?  Not exactly.  I'm here to apologize. 

I kind of get it. 

Phish made me get it. 

Huh?

I would like to make a generalization: most of us want to be part of something bigger.  It's what draws us to things like sports teams, musical groups, and, yes, religions and religious observances.  Since 2003, when Sara coaxed me to get to my first Phish show I've been a devoted fan.  Now, after 20-something shows, I consider myself able to "surrender to the flow" and be on the inside of something fantastically exciting and enjoyable.  Born again parallels drawn here.  Hypocrites to the left, devotees to the right.  We're all the same.

New Years shows are unlike any others during the year.  Typically before the 3rd set, and just before midnight, the band gets goofy and performs an intricate and well planned stunt based on one of their hundreds of songs they typically play.  Yeah, hundreds (http://www.ihoz.com/firstlast.html), which justifies seeing them as many times as you/we do.  You never know what's going to play next. 

But, I digress.  The thing is that I'm far from the most devoted, and even those young'ins who have seen less still get it.  It's not different than Springsteen fans, or Dead Heads.  The whole crowd gets it.  So, when, at the second set, they launch into a sequence of songs not heard since 1994, the place went nuts.  We all knew we were able to experience something special.  The energy was palpable.  And, for a minute, you couldn't hear the band over the roar of the audience.  No animosity.  No anger or angst.  Just pure joy.  Christmas morning as a 4 year old joy. 

And that's what I wish you.  Pure joy this new year.  Be part of something bigger than yourself and just enjoy whatever that is.  Take that moment, smile, and recognize how good that second in time is, and build on it this whole year with new awesome experiences.

Have a happy and healthy.

"The target that I shoot for seems to move with every breath.
I tighten all my arteries and make one last request.
Divine Creation hears me, and he squashes me with fear.
I think that this exact thing happened to me just last year.
You're silent in the morning,
You found your voice that brings me to my knees."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-fleet/listening-to-learn-the-me_b_4535740.html