so i spent the day today setting up webcalendar on my server at home. i had been using calendars.net but i finally got fed up with their flakiness. the hardest part about getting the new calendar set up was figuring out how to transfer the data from the old calendar to the new one.
Documenting (occasionally) the ramblings and ravings of Edward Pilatowicz since May 2004
October 23, 2005
October 22, 2005
pho dinner party
so today we had a pho dinner party with about 6 people over. we made our own beef stock in my large beer brewing stock pot. ronda picked up 10 lbs of beef bones for the grand experiment.
we started the cooking friday night and it wasn't looking good. we found a few recipies online, combined them, and doubled them (since we were making enough for 10 people.) unfortunatly at the end of the night the stock still tasted really watery. so sat morning we went out and bought lots more stuff and doubled the spice contents again. eventually we got something that tasted pretty good.
everyone seemed to enjoy the food and had a pretty good time.
we started the cooking friday night and it wasn't looking good. we found a few recipies online, combined them, and doubled them (since we were making enough for 10 people.) unfortunatly at the end of the night the stock still tasted really watery. so sat morning we went out and bought lots more stuff and doubled the spice contents again. eventually we got something that tasted pretty good.
everyone seemed to enjoy the food and had a pretty good time.
October 16, 2005
October 9, 2005
i'm done reading
well, i'm done reading for the night so it's time to start writing and to continue drinking.
ok. so i'm only on my second gin'n'tonic, but that still enough such that it's time to stop reading the captive mind, by czeslaw milosz. (this book is closer to a philosopy book that anything i've read lately and demands full attention, ie no music and not much liquer. actually these types of books frustrate me a bit because i feel kinda dumb and doubtfull about how much information i'll be able to successfully digest and retain.)
that said, i'll talk quickly about two other books i read recently.
just yesterday i finished economics in one lesson, by Henry Hazlitt. i'm glad i got this book from the library instead of buying it. i didn't like it very much. i was looking for a book which covered general economic theories. i wanted to get a better understaning of implications of the current international trade deficit and china's huge trade surpluss, etc. instead i got a refutation of most the policies of the new deal and a long winded and super simplified lecture about the obvious benifits of unregulated capatilism. putting aside that fact that the book didn't cover what i was looking for, i didn't wholly agree with the author. (who by the way has no formal background in economics, but simply puts forth the theory that it's all simple as long as you make sure to look at the effects of policy upon all parties and not just interested parties who create the policy.) he seems to take a very simplistic view of capatilism and market self regulation with no acknowledgement of the fact that capital begets capital, and that captail (for better or for worse) translates to power in both the political and free market sectors. (which in turn can cause imbalances in a compleatly unregulated market economy.) enough rambling about that.
the other book i recently finished was Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin, by Gray Brechin. i discovered this book in the footnotes of cadillac desert and it basically covers more of the history of san francisco presented in the context of manifest destiny and the continious imperial westward growth of the US up to and past the coast of california. it covers interesting (to me) historical aspects such as war the us phillipines (which i knew nothing about), interactions with japan and the japanese (both here, in hawii, and abroad), interactions with mexico, and other historical investments and involvements all over the pacific rim that were based out of the growing metropolis of san francisco. it also covered interesting local aspects related to the growth of san francisco and the outlying cities. (describing the impact of mining, logging, municipal water supply, the evolution of electrical utilities, etc.) through out all this it discussed the people driving all of this evolution and change. (from politicians to mining moguls to buisness men to newspaper publishers turned philathropists, etc.) overall the book has quite a negative outlook on the power and development that shaped the entire bay area but it was still an interesting read and it provides me with much more background to think about current events and life in san francisco. (like the tap water that comes from hetch hetcy reservoir, or how PGE came to be our power company, or the re-opening of the new de-young musem and how that is linked to the san francisco newspaper scene, etc.) ahh, the joys of useless half remembered historical contexts. ;)
ok. so i'm done with the sensless commentary. hope you don't feel robbed of your time.
ok. so i'm only on my second gin'n'tonic, but that still enough such that it's time to stop reading the captive mind, by czeslaw milosz. (this book is closer to a philosopy book that anything i've read lately and demands full attention, ie no music and not much liquer. actually these types of books frustrate me a bit because i feel kinda dumb and doubtfull about how much information i'll be able to successfully digest and retain.)
that said, i'll talk quickly about two other books i read recently.
just yesterday i finished economics in one lesson, by Henry Hazlitt. i'm glad i got this book from the library instead of buying it. i didn't like it very much. i was looking for a book which covered general economic theories. i wanted to get a better understaning of implications of the current international trade deficit and china's huge trade surpluss, etc. instead i got a refutation of most the policies of the new deal and a long winded and super simplified lecture about the obvious benifits of unregulated capatilism. putting aside that fact that the book didn't cover what i was looking for, i didn't wholly agree with the author. (who by the way has no formal background in economics, but simply puts forth the theory that it's all simple as long as you make sure to look at the effects of policy upon all parties and not just interested parties who create the policy.) he seems to take a very simplistic view of capatilism and market self regulation with no acknowledgement of the fact that capital begets capital, and that captail (for better or for worse) translates to power in both the political and free market sectors. (which in turn can cause imbalances in a compleatly unregulated market economy.) enough rambling about that.
the other book i recently finished was Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin, by Gray Brechin. i discovered this book in the footnotes of cadillac desert and it basically covers more of the history of san francisco presented in the context of manifest destiny and the continious imperial westward growth of the US up to and past the coast of california. it covers interesting (to me) historical aspects such as war the us phillipines (which i knew nothing about), interactions with japan and the japanese (both here, in hawii, and abroad), interactions with mexico, and other historical investments and involvements all over the pacific rim that were based out of the growing metropolis of san francisco. it also covered interesting local aspects related to the growth of san francisco and the outlying cities. (describing the impact of mining, logging, municipal water supply, the evolution of electrical utilities, etc.) through out all this it discussed the people driving all of this evolution and change. (from politicians to mining moguls to buisness men to newspaper publishers turned philathropists, etc.) overall the book has quite a negative outlook on the power and development that shaped the entire bay area but it was still an interesting read and it provides me with much more background to think about current events and life in san francisco. (like the tap water that comes from hetch hetcy reservoir, or how PGE came to be our power company, or the re-opening of the new de-young musem and how that is linked to the san francisco newspaper scene, etc.) ahh, the joys of useless half remembered historical contexts. ;)
ok. so i'm done with the sensless commentary. hope you don't feel robbed of your time.
September 11, 2005
i'm wiped out
this past weekend was way too busy.
friday, me and ronda headed north for one night of camping trip at salt point state park (just off highway 1 about 100 miles north of sf.) anup invited us up on thrursday for two nights of camping but we could only make it for one due to prior commitments. we left town around 4pm and swung by the polish deli to pick up kielbasa and bigos. we hit really crappy traffic on the 101 and we didn't get to the campsite till after 8pm. once there we started a campfire, setup our tent, cooked food, and proceeded to drink through about two and a quarter bottles of vodka for six people. (two of anups friends who we had never met before were also there with their two year old child.) the night ended around midnight when a park ranger came over and told us he had gotten multiple complaints about us making too much noise and that we needed to go to bed. the genius then saw the empty bottles and asked us if we had been drinking and if we all were of legal drinking age. he told us that if we didn't go to bed we'd be arrested. well, getting threatened with arrest by a park ranger was a first for me and this was a great way to end the night.
the next morning we got up, had some breakfast, and wandered down to the coast for a short walk. (needless to say, everyone was a little tired from the night before.) we then headed back to camp and me and ronda left for home at around 2pm. we got back home just in time to unpacked our stuff, shower, and leave for jan's birthday party at the bambuddha lounge. (jan is a co-worker of mine.) there was sixteen of us there and we had a really good time. (about half the people there were sun employees and the other half were friends of jan who all went to together.) after dinner we headed over to olive for a final drink before heading home.
this morning me and ronda got up and headed down to the tomatofest in carmel. (another 120 mile drive.) it was a slightly pricy event but me and ronda had a really good time there. we basically ate interesting tomato inspired sample sized dishes from local resturants until we were so full we were in physical pain, at which point i realized that there was another entire food tent that i had yet to go to. there was lots of sample foods (three large tents worth), bbq (which we didn't waste any space on), all the wine you could sample/drink (4 medium sized tents worth), and even a few beer tents. we ended up staying for about four hours before dragging our tired and sunburnt bodies back home. (if you like tomatoes, wine, and eating then i'd strongly recommend going to this festival. it's a yummy and well organized feast.)
after all this driving, eating, and drinking i'm really wiped out, but before heading to bed i manage to write this drivel and uploaded pics from salt point and the tomatofest. you can see them here and here. now it's finally time to pass out.
friday, me and ronda headed north for one night of camping trip at salt point state park (just off highway 1 about 100 miles north of sf.) anup invited us up on thrursday for two nights of camping but we could only make it for one due to prior commitments. we left town around 4pm and swung by the polish deli to pick up kielbasa and bigos. we hit really crappy traffic on the 101 and we didn't get to the campsite till after 8pm. once there we started a campfire, setup our tent, cooked food, and proceeded to drink through about two and a quarter bottles of vodka for six people. (two of anups friends who we had never met before were also there with their two year old child.) the night ended around midnight when a park ranger came over and told us he had gotten multiple complaints about us making too much noise and that we needed to go to bed. the genius then saw the empty bottles and asked us if we had been drinking and if we all were of legal drinking age. he told us that if we didn't go to bed we'd be arrested. well, getting threatened with arrest by a park ranger was a first for me and this was a great way to end the night.
the next morning we got up, had some breakfast, and wandered down to the coast for a short walk. (needless to say, everyone was a little tired from the night before.) we then headed back to camp and me and ronda left for home at around 2pm. we got back home just in time to unpacked our stuff, shower, and leave for jan's birthday party at the bambuddha lounge. (jan is a co-worker of mine.) there was sixteen of us there and we had a really good time. (about half the people there were sun employees and the other half were friends of jan who all went to together.) after dinner we headed over to olive for a final drink before heading home.
this morning me and ronda got up and headed down to the tomatofest in carmel. (another 120 mile drive.) it was a slightly pricy event but me and ronda had a really good time there. we basically ate interesting tomato inspired sample sized dishes from local resturants until we were so full we were in physical pain, at which point i realized that there was another entire food tent that i had yet to go to. there was lots of sample foods (three large tents worth), bbq (which we didn't waste any space on), all the wine you could sample/drink (4 medium sized tents worth), and even a few beer tents. we ended up staying for about four hours before dragging our tired and sunburnt bodies back home. (if you like tomatoes, wine, and eating then i'd strongly recommend going to this festival. it's a yummy and well organized feast.)
after all this driving, eating, and drinking i'm really wiped out, but before heading to bed i manage to write this drivel and uploaded pics from salt point and the tomatofest. you can see them here and here. now it's finally time to pass out.
lassen pics
i finally got last weeks pictures from lassen volcanic national park online. if you want a little more info about what is actually in the pictures then you can look at the file names by clicking on the file information link (the "i" in a circle icon above the picture.)
September 6, 2005
camping at lassen
me and ronda spent the three day weekend camping at lassen volcanic national park.
lassen is located about 45 miles east of redding, ca. for a detailed map of the park look here.
we drove up on saturday morning to the south west entrance of the park and got a campsite at southwest camp just inside the park. after setting up our tent we went to the "bumpass hell" trail. (pronounced bump-ass, bum-pass, or bumpus depending on who you ask.) the bumpass trail is pretty stinky since it leads to a bunch of steam vents, boiling springs, sulfur pits, and mud pits. we also hiked a little ways past bumpass towards cold boiling lake. after returning to the trailhead we drove the sulphur works to take in more boiling mud and fumes. after returning to our camp site ronda gathered up a bunch of firewood, we had dinner, started up a good fire, enjoyed a six pack, admired the stars, and went to bed.
sunday, after fixing some breakfast and packing up camp, we headed over to lassen peak and hiked to the top. it's a short trail (only about 5 miles) but it goes winding a mountain up the whole way, starting at an elevation of about 8,500 ft and ending at 10,457 ft. once at the top we wandered around the peaks and crater for about an hour and a half. the view was pretty gorgeous and we could even see mt. shasta off in the distance. after snacking some we headed back down the mountain. the climb up took us about 1.5 hours and the goung down only took us an hour. after taking some advil to ease our sore legs we decided to go to butte lake (pronounced butt or bute, depending on who you ask.) since there are no roads going across the park this meant we had to drive along the 89 out the north west entrance of the park and then take the 89 east to the 44 east and to reenter the park from the north east side. while driving the 89 north through the park we saw great views of lassen peak from almost every side. eventually we found the turnoff for butte lake, which was 7 mile long dirt road with a camp ground at the end. we pitched our tent here and headed down to the lake for the sunset. after sunset we fixed some dinner, started up a fire, polished off another six-pack, and went to sleep.
monday morning we fixed up some scrambled eggs and got swarmed by bees, so we ended up eating breakfast in the car. after packing up our camp site we went to hike up the cinder cone trail. it was a pretty short trail (only 4 miles), the first 1.5 miles of the trail was flat but very fine and sandy, so it took some self discipline to stay on the trail and not wander off between the trees where the ground looked more solid. then the last 0.5 miles was a brutal 800 ft climb strait up (as in no switchbacks) the cinder cone. to make the final climb a little extra difficult, the entire cinder cone is basically composed of sand, gravel, and small rocks. so for every two steps up that you take you slide one down. needless to say it was a long and painful walk up, and a short and fun run down. the view from the top was great and we could see butte lake, the fantastic lava beds, the painted dunes, lots of forest, and lassen peak off in the distance.
our drive home went surprisingly well. we were expecting to hit traffic from people returning from camping and burningman, but we never did and we made it back home by 8pm. i'll try to get the pictures from the trip online soon.
lassen is located about 45 miles east of redding, ca. for a detailed map of the park look here.
we drove up on saturday morning to the south west entrance of the park and got a campsite at southwest camp just inside the park. after setting up our tent we went to the "bumpass hell" trail. (pronounced bump-ass, bum-pass, or bumpus depending on who you ask.) the bumpass trail is pretty stinky since it leads to a bunch of steam vents, boiling springs, sulfur pits, and mud pits. we also hiked a little ways past bumpass towards cold boiling lake. after returning to the trailhead we drove the sulphur works to take in more boiling mud and fumes. after returning to our camp site ronda gathered up a bunch of firewood, we had dinner, started up a good fire, enjoyed a six pack, admired the stars, and went to bed.
sunday, after fixing some breakfast and packing up camp, we headed over to lassen peak and hiked to the top. it's a short trail (only about 5 miles) but it goes winding a mountain up the whole way, starting at an elevation of about 8,500 ft and ending at 10,457 ft. once at the top we wandered around the peaks and crater for about an hour and a half. the view was pretty gorgeous and we could even see mt. shasta off in the distance. after snacking some we headed back down the mountain. the climb up took us about 1.5 hours and the goung down only took us an hour. after taking some advil to ease our sore legs we decided to go to butte lake (pronounced butt or bute, depending on who you ask.) since there are no roads going across the park this meant we had to drive along the 89 out the north west entrance of the park and then take the 89 east to the 44 east and to reenter the park from the north east side. while driving the 89 north through the park we saw great views of lassen peak from almost every side. eventually we found the turnoff for butte lake, which was 7 mile long dirt road with a camp ground at the end. we pitched our tent here and headed down to the lake for the sunset. after sunset we fixed some dinner, started up a fire, polished off another six-pack, and went to sleep.
monday morning we fixed up some scrambled eggs and got swarmed by bees, so we ended up eating breakfast in the car. after packing up our camp site we went to hike up the cinder cone trail. it was a pretty short trail (only 4 miles), the first 1.5 miles of the trail was flat but very fine and sandy, so it took some self discipline to stay on the trail and not wander off between the trees where the ground looked more solid. then the last 0.5 miles was a brutal 800 ft climb strait up (as in no switchbacks) the cinder cone. to make the final climb a little extra difficult, the entire cinder cone is basically composed of sand, gravel, and small rocks. so for every two steps up that you take you slide one down. needless to say it was a long and painful walk up, and a short and fun run down. the view from the top was great and we could see butte lake, the fantastic lava beds, the painted dunes, lots of forest, and lassen peak off in the distance.
our drive home went surprisingly well. we were expecting to hit traffic from people returning from camping and burningman, but we never did and we made it back home by 8pm. i'll try to get the pictures from the trip online soon.
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