Reactionary

It’s an unattractive, sprawling city in the Rockies, many a drab hour on the road from anywhere else. I’ve seen the Pope in Denver, been in car accidents in Denver, and got on the worst flight leg ever in Denver. I’ve never spent real time there. There’s no point. But right now, everyone’s watching Denver thanks to the Democratic National Convention. The clips of the news I saw today at the gym showed thousands of people, many happy that Obama’s taking the nomination in Denver and they’re as happy as all get out about it. I wish I was as happy.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike him in any way, I just don’t LIKE him. I’m not excited about him. I don’t believe he’s the ANSWER incarnate or the second coming or even a particularly good politician. I don’t think anyone is and it’s naive to think so. But I’m not entirely convinced he was the best choice. I think he road the wave of being in and hip and well-spoken but I have yet to hear him make a great political point that makes sense. I have yet to hear a plan or clear philosophy on how to begin to tackle the problems Still President Bush leaves behind. I have yet to hear substance. He’s a very good speaker, but it’s all been pantomime to me. He’s riding the wave of being new and idealistic and fresh.

New gets old. Freshness withers away and idealism must give way to reality.

I’m not saying I KNOW anyone else who can do better, but with some others, at least we’d know what we were getting. Heard the term “pig in a poke”? That’s what I’m afraid of. Skin deep may be as far as Obama goes and when the parades and speeches are over and it’s time to make decisions in the dead of night which have no moral or idealistic possibilities of resolution, I fear that won’t be deep enough. Politics is ugly because there are no easy answers and ugly decisions have to be made. I have a feeling that even if he can make them, his minions who chant his name now will turn on him just as quickly. Some people just don’t live in reality. And the sound of their disappointment will be even that much more deafening.

I wrote this on August 25th, 2008 | Topic: News |  Print |  Email | Say something

The blog Very Good Taste started this version of a blog chain letter. It lists 100 foods and you’re supposed to highlight the ones you’ve eaten and cross out the ones you would never touch. I didn’t do any crossing out because I’m lazy and it’s getting late and my mouse is crap. I also removed the links to Wikipedia to tell you what the weirder ones are. This blog bolds all links so it made it impossible to tell what was bolded and what was not. See the original post on Very Good Taste to get the links.
More »

I wrote this on August 24th, 2008 | Topic: Food |  Print |  Email | Say something

I’ve just e-mailed my realtor and have told him I’m ready to put in an offer on that loft. It’s an airy 700-footer in one of the hippest parts of town with great windows and great light and it looks out onto the bridge and river. It’s priced far too high for me, especially combined with today’s climbing rates and the condo fee which always throws a monkey wrench into your affordability plans. But I have to try and this dead August when the market has imploded and it’s incredibly hard to get a loan, it’s the best scenario to put in a low bid and hopefully not be laughed out of court, as it were.

The city hasn’t suffered nearly as badly as other places and while that’s good in some ways, it’s also kept things from dropping in price so much that there are enough people out there who still think their houses are worth what they think they’re worth. And it keeps the city’s better neighborhoods harder to afford for someone like me. It’s a disgrace that I can’t afford a better place because my pay is so low. Hospitals suck. Anyhow, moving on.

The reason this particular condo as slipped through the spring selling season with a fantastic location is it’s older. It hasn’t been lived in by the owner and it shows. It’s been a rental for far too long. Everything is older from the 90’s and bland and standard issue. White bland paint covers everything, including architectural details like the old factory’s cement columns and cement plank ceiling. Mauve carpet covers the floor when hardwood would notch up the visual value considerably. The bathroom is tile, but the cheapest white, non-textured stuff and the European showerhead has been hung too high for a short person. People in the market for Old City condos usually want everything brand new and while this one has great space, good light, and solid details, it’s all been smudged over by the blandest materials and finishes. Actually, it can be said it has no finishes of any kind.

What made other people skip over it is exactly why it’s perfect for me. I’m a bit of a design snob and I know my way around the color wheel. Nothing needs to be done right away since everything appears to be in good working order (I ran all the appliances when we were there last), so I have time to feel out what I want done to it and save the money I’ll need. The kitchen is a galley with good counter space and a newer range and oven. It even has a pantry. There’s enough counter space for a rolling pin with more to spare. It has unfortunate fluorescent lights and white, cheap cabinets and the fridge door doesn’t open all the way since it’s been jammed in too small a space. But it works. I could make that place into a million dollar space.

It’s owned by an investor, so the total absence of personality and general unlovedness makes sense. It was used as a rental cash cow for years. The tenant has moved out about two weeks before we first saw it. It’s been on the market since December. The number I’m thinking of putting in will be low, though more than the 20% off I was counseled to ask for. I’m willing to stretch a bit to get it. The worst that can happen is they’ll say “No”, right? I wonder if they’ve had any offers at all.

I’m stressing out over it since I’ll be back to square one if they reject it outright. I really like the place but am doing my darndest to not commit the cardinal sin and fall in love with it. If it can’t be done, it will not be done, a lesson I heard repeated in Italy when I was there last and the Italian version being the title of this post. If it cannot be done, it will not be done. If it doesn’t happen, it won’t and then I’ll have to wait until after Labor Day and begin perusing the new (hopefully) listings that should hit the market around the time. September 30 is my last day to reject or renew my lease. This is coming down to the wire and I’m aging in dog years.

To keep myself calm, I’m baking. I threw caution to the winds and spent money today when I bought a cookbook I’ve been eyeing for the longest. Tartine, written by Elizabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson in California and named after their bakery in San Francisco, is one of the mast carefully written cookbooks I’ve ever used. No detail has been missed. It’s also up to my standards since I’m a fairly accomplished baker though I balk at over-decoration. I’m making the hazelnut biscotti. I plan on taking some to work and giving some to my realtor.

I freaked out yesterday and ate chocolate all day. Really. Tons of it. I hate when I do that.

I wrote this on August 24th, 2008 | Topic: Dollars and Cents, Food, Life |  Print |  Email | Say something

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

New Orleans is joining that group. How can you keep feeling sorry for people if they won’t fix their own mistakes. I, and many others, are a little charity-fatigued. If people keep getting themselves in the same pickle as before, it’s impossible to feel sorry for them or want to help them in any way at all. First, people didn’t leave the city when warned against it, and now the news is the same mistakes keep on being made. I’m throwing in the towel.

You make your bed and then you have to lie in it… even if it’s under water.

I.O.N. (In Other News): You’ve got to love that stuff upper lip and utter self-deprecation combined with total elitism.

I wrote this on August 23rd, 2008 | Topic: News |  Print |  Email | Say something

I went out to a happy hour at a local wine bar after work today. We drank a couple of glasses of wine, but mostly chugged on water and split some snacks. We’re all feeling the inflation pinch (and for me it’s worse thanks to the house-buying nonsense that may not even come to pass) but you can’t just not see people. This wine bar is usually full to bursting, but there was a surprising amount of breathing space in there tonight. Was it that it’s the summer and people were down at the beach before the season ends? Is it that other places have opened recently on that street? Or is it the economy? Is it people have less money to spend?

I was perusing the Economist before hitting the sack tonight. I got this nugget off of it:

At least in rich countries, the rise in the price of food (and the share of the family budget it absorbs) has to be kept in perspective. Some 50 years ago, about 30% of household income in Britain went on food; now it is half that. Shoppers of an earlier generation would be startled to learn that Britons bin a third of the food they buy, and Americans not much less. In rich countries, there has been a spurt of interest in using leftovers, but so far this is a middle-class fad; whether ordinary folk will follow is still uncertain.

A third??? Not only is that a shocking statistic, it’s disgusting. Is it that people just buy too much at once or is it, appallingly, that rich, spoiled, selfish bastards are too good to eat leftovers? Or are people just too stupid to budget food? Not budget FOR food, but budget food and use up what will go bad first and then move on down.

Some nuggets:

• Milk is perfectly good even a few days after the expiry date. If uncomfortable with drinking it fresh, make a custard, damn you.
• Old bread makes great soups, puddings, and croutons. Get a French cookbook. Tip: Sourdough keeps longer without molding.
• Make leftover pasta into a frittata. Meds know how to reuse food. Get a cookbook.
• Mold on cheese will not kill you. Cut off the bad part and eat the rest.
• Clean out your fridge of leftovers at least twice a week. Leftover vegetables and meats make great pizza toppers… or soup. But pizza is way more fun.
• Buy less more often and learn to use your freezer.
• Cook down overripe fruit and make a dessert out of it.

I wrote this on August 22nd, 2008 | Topic: Food, News |  Print |  Email | Say something

I backed Senator Clinton firstly because I think we know everything about her and a “pig in a poke” is not someone I want elected. My secondary reason to back her was her universal health care plan. But stuff like this gives credence to those who do not want it and are not willing to pay for it. Fat camp? Covered by the government? What?!? Stop shoveling food in your mouth and sitting around for hours on end. I really am flabbergasted by how overweight some children are. Children have naturally high metabolism levels. How much would you have to eat and how much would you have to sit around and do nothing to get to 300+ pounds when you’re 12 years old? I can’t even fathom.

“Plump caterpillar” isn’t kind. It’s obscenely short of the mark. These kids are FAT and lazy and it’s not my and other taxpayers’ responsibility to pay for them to lose weight and teach them to NOT EAT when their caretakers have clearly failed so miserably. And furthermore, 12 years old is old enough to know to stop eating. Obesity, for all the hand-wringing of the soft-hearted apologists, doesn’t just *happen* to a person like cancer or lupus. It’s acquired knowingly. Stop apologizing for these people. I for one will not pay for this.

This letter sums it up:

To the Editor:

 

Re “Priced Out of Weight Loss Camp”

 

A child does not weigh more than 300 pounds without a seriously dysfunctional parental and supervisory environment. Rather than spend insurance and taxpayer money on such weight loss camps, why not finance courses in parenting skills, including lessons in cooking, nutrition and saying no?

 

Admittedly, American society lives in a world of attractive treats and activities contrary to daily exercise, but so do other societies with far fewer obesity problems.

 

While I generally support the concept of universal health care, I have begun to reconsider some aspects when I see such obvious irresponsibility for personal discipline.

 

Jan Owens

 

Racine, Wis., Aug. 16, 2008

I see Jan is from Wisconsin. If she can feel this way while living amongst people who eat more dairy than anyone else I’ve ever seen, the rest of us should be even more appalled.

I wrote this on August 20th, 2008 | Topic: News, Rant |  Print |  Email | Say something

I almost had a panic moment today after I went to see the last of the promising listings with my agent. The place is a new condo conversion but all units are laid out in an unwieldy, ineffective fashion that nearly renders their fabulous neighborhood meaningless. We saw all units and hated every one of them. It’s really, really disheartening. I told my agent (who’s been so patient thoughout the whole process I need to buy him champagne or something) I never imagined it would take me so long to find something in this city. After the spring selling season, the market just died. It may recover in September, but if it doesn’t, that may just be it for me. 

So, feeling dejected and light-headed thanks to my calorically poor diet, I stumbled home and found the energy to make muffins and watch my new Netflix mailing. It took way too long to get something after their recent delivery meltdown. The muffins I cobbled together are great and will help get me through the rest of the week. Man cannot live on vegetables alone. My cupboards are nearly bare thanks to my not having time or money to shop and buying whatever’s on special at the market is great in one way but bad in another. You need to eat food with calories in it! Here’s the muffin recipe:

SWEET CINNAMON MUFFINS

1 c. white flour

3/4 c. white wheat flour

2/3 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 heaping tsp. cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

3/4 c. evaporated milk

1/4 c. canola oil

1/4 c. honey

Mix all dry ingredients together and make a well in the middle. Mix all wet ingredients together with a whisk. Pour it all in at once into the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full of batter. Bake at 400F for 19 minutes.

I ate mine with Dalmatian fig jam. They hit the spot after another salad for dinner.

For my TV, I finally watched the first disc of that John Adams show from HBO. I’ve heard it spoken about a lot and well so being the history buff that I am I decided to look into it. I think Paul Giamatti is a bit much as the title character and there’s a little too much to do over the wife and kids back home in Massachusetts, but it still captures the era, most especially at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia when they decide to break free of Britain. They had nothing, just anger and an idea and yet they chose to take arms against the most powerful country in the world. And we all know they won, tradesmen, merchants, farmers, against trained soldiers. They were derided as terrorists in their day. It’s a lesson we need to learn from… and be proud of. There’s nothing more dangerous than a fool with an idea, but sometimes, wise men have ideas too.

I wrote this on August 20th, 2008 | Topic: Food, Life, Scholar |  Print |  Email | Say something

I can’t afford to go out so I’m sitting home Saturday night like a loser. Good thing I’ve been bitten by the web bug again and mocking up my work place’s web site turned into a night of energetic wrestling with my own sites and most notably this blog. I realize now how much I’ve forgotten and how much of a mess my server is and how many details I managed and kept straight for so long. Looking at the main directory now is like looking into a library after an earthquake. What was I thinking? I kept it straight, though, and managed to cobble together some pretty straightforward little sites.

Most notably tonight, I finally redid the design of this blog. I’ve been wanting to change it for a while because the old one was something I had changed over from the original WordPress theme. While I managed to be happy with how it looked, WordPress themes are also a little advanced for a non-pro to do on their own and it had some display issues, especially how the right column wouldn’t flow quite right when a post was short. Once again, because writing a WP theme on my own is over my head, I found something I liked and have edited it to suit my purposes. I am in progress of changing the colors since I still like the coloring of the old site. Instead of cityscapes, though, I’ve gone for interesting textures for the banner though they’re still photos of international locations. They’re just tighter crops.

For now, unless I think better of it later, I’ve discontinued the music highlight. I wanted to keep it but it’s just too tedious to be changing it all the time. I never figured out a better way to do it. If there’s an album I really like, I’ll just post about it. I have also done away with the Flickr widget. I liked it, but I think one photo is enough. I’ve gone even more spartan. A new addition is the Quote of the Day. I considered making it something I changed by hand for about five seconds… but then I couldn’t name it “Quote of the Day” because it would never be done that often. I’m using a javascipt from another site. Unfortunately, it has a link in it and the title is of their own doing so it’s not the same point size as the other headers on the blog. The quote I wanted to use when I thought about doing it on my own is a great one, though, and it deserves to be quoted here and now:

A belief in hell and the knowledge that every ambition is doomed to frustration at the hands of a skeleton have never prevented the majority of human beings from behaving as though death were no more than an unfounded rumor.

 

Aldous Huxley

He is fantastic.

I wrote this on August 17th, 2008 | Topic: General, Tech |  Print |  Email | Comments (2)

I’m starting to lose hope that what I’m looking for in this city just does not exist. I am a realist and I know what I’m really looking for starts at about $350,000 which is much too much for one person on my pay to afford. The perfect place is a condo in an older building, like a converted Federalist house, with two bedrooms, a new kitchen, and some outdoor space, in a good neighborhood. I know I can’t afford that so I’m looking for something I can live with. That doesn’t seem to exist either.

Nothing is listed at the right price. Things are either really crappy and overpriced, that’s why they’re still sitting on the market or they’re nice but once again overpriced for what they are so they’re not showing up on my searches because they’re too expensive and yet they’re not selling because they’re too expensive for what they are. I’m starting to feel this will never happen. Once September comes, I’m in danger of bumping up against the lease again. I have to renew by the last day of September. I’m losing hope and I just can’t keep up this pace anymore, all this stress and worry and constant hawking over so many hundreds of details. I’m going to get sick. It needs to be over.

I need to buy a place or decide to never buy and move on with my life as a permanent renter. Interest rates have destroyed my buying power and they’re on their way up again sooner rather than later since the Fed will have to move them up to combat inflation, which is at a whopping 5.6%. I suspect those of you who tell me not to worry etc etc etc are clearly misinformed. Ignorance masquerades as hope far too often. Read the writing on the wall. This market meltdown hasn’t hit the wall yet.

Kiplinger’s has the clearest, best article on the mess that I’ve read as yet. Stop wasting your money. Stop driving. Being short on cash is tough enough now but it’s a disaster when you really, really need it such as when you’re old or sick or laid off.

I really don’t know what it’s like to be an optimist. Many of my friends are and it’s a wonder to me. I’m not a pessimist either. Optimists and pessimists are actually two of the same kind. They’re mirror images of each other. One makes nonsensical good of a bad situation and the other makes equally nonsensical bad of a good situation. They’re both delusional.

I’m a contingency planner. I plan for all eventualities and scenarios and x-factors and the unforeseen. It’s a tiring thing to be but this is why so little goes wrong. This is why I’m 100% debt-free and I don’t get lost and I’m never caught at unawares. The bad thing is once you’re used to thnking that way it’s hard to get out of it. I realise you don’t have to be that way over every little thing, yet it’s hard to stop. Some of it has to be just the nature of someone to be that way and some of it has to be a learned response (nature vs. nurture for the psychologists out there). I can’t dissect or diagnose my personality, but I know it’s always been a way for me to plan for what my useless family never thought of. They’re always caught up in stupid things like ease of execution or personal gain. I guess that’s how most people think. In some ways I hate them for it because it was always too much fo a burden for a kid to have. In some ways I’m glad I think the way I do even though it’s set me up for near-constant frustration at humanity.

I have to go mock up a web interface for the homepage of the department’s website at work. The people who are in charge of it now have no idea how to design for the web and the organization and cascading heirarchies that need to happen so a site works. I think I’ll get forced to be the editor-in-chief of the new resource guide for one of the surgical services. There goes that contingency planning again.

I wrote this on August 16th, 2008 | Topic: General, Life, Rant |  Print |  Email | Say something

It feels like it should at least be streaked.

August is halfway through. I’ve been told it’s the best time to get a deal. I need a deal in this expensive city. But we’ve seen everything that’s listed. I love one flat, not sure about the neighborhood. There will be more things after Labor Day, says my realtor. But they’ll be more unrealistically priced. But that’s been historically. We’re in the biggest housing meltdown since the Depression. Mortgages are getting more and more expensive. I need to hurry up and settle on something. But I can’t be rushed. Not on something this big and I don’t love anything and like only a few and can’t afford them all. Am I too picky or too cheap or just too poor?

I’m caught between a 3% raise and 4% inflation and a housing market that’s dying. Life sucks.

I wrote this on August 14th, 2008 | Topic: Dollars and Cents, Life |  Print |  Email | Say something

I was digging around in my computer’s drive and I found a CNN article I had saved entitled “Be smarter at work… slack off”. Within it is this quote:

But it’s really, really hard, if not impossible, for the human brain to come up with fresh new ideas
when its owner is overworked, overtired, and stressed out. And in today’s wonderful world of
nonstop work, 40% of American adults get less than seven hours of sleep on weeknights.

No wonder I’ve been an idiot lately. I’ve even been displaying signs of word-finding difficulty. The house hunt is a full-time job and I can’t get out of work before business hours are over. It’s ridiculous. It’s like I’m putting in 100 hour weeks.

I wrote this on August 10th, 2008 | Topic: General |  Print |  Email | Say something