Sunday, November 28, 2010
at
8:39 PM
God, facebook is way too creepy in what information they keep. I swear they're tracking what websites I'm visiting, while I have facebook logged in. I'm pretty sure because an ad for a not-yet-released motorcycle showed up in my facebook page today, after I checked out the motorcycle online last night. I also hate it when I go to a random page, and it says "Hi XXXXX, invite your friends to see this site!"
Posted In
Rant
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Warriors and Sacrifices
Sunday, November 21, 2010
at
8:16 PM
I wanted to add something to my post on Veteran's day. I posted about the suffering that our soldiers went through, and basically said that we should appreciate what they are doing. It's easy to assume that I meant that our armed services are making sacrifices to defend us from harm. That's really the simplistic way to look at it. If the US military is defending us, they must be defending us from them. Them being who? The rest of the world? The bad guys? No, it's too easy to see us as good, and them as bad.
Humanity's soldiers sacrifice themselves to cover up our weaknesses, our tendency towards greed and single-mindedness. Conflicts are an unavoidable part of the human psyche. We continually strive to benefit ourselves, often at the expense of others. Because we are unable to share resources, or because resources are scarce (the same really, we create scarcity), we fight amongst each other. Sadly, it is our soldiers who sacrifice their lives to prevent the greater whole from killing each other.
So yes, I will venerate our soldiers for sacrificing, but it's not just because they protect me from my enemies. They represent my and humanity's weaknesses.
Posted In
Philosophy/Politics
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Dinner Tonight: Fennel Zip to Pasta and Pork Chops
at
4:03 PM
I made a pretty good dinner tonight. It definitely made my apartment smell delicious. I decided to experiment with fennel tonight. I've never really learned what fennel is, and what it's useful for. Hence, tonight I incorporated fennel into pasta and pork chops.
Fennel is a celery-like vegetable, with a sharp taste/aroma that really comes out the more you cook it. Fennel's flavor is distinctly "italian". Imagine italian sausage, whatever that makes italian sausage italian, and different than breakfast sausage. Try imagining italian sausage pizzas. That distinct flavor is provided by fennel seeds in the ground up sausage. It was this flavor that I was working with tonight.
For my pasta sauce, I decided to have a spicy tomato-based sauce. I used generic store bought sauce (Classico's Italian Sausage flavor), and I heated it in a small pot. I usually add a bit of water into the jar, to clean it out, and then I pour the water into the pot to add some liquidity to the sauce. I dumped in the fennel seeds(1tsp) and red peppers too(1-2tsp to flavor). After simmering the sauce for a bit, some water will inevitably evaporate. I sliced and sautéed half a fennel bulb in olive oil on low heat, and it really brought out the flavors into the air. I remembered seeing somewhere that you could caramelize fennel, so I tried that out. I cooked the fennel on low heat (around 2-3 heat), until I saw the fennel start to brown. Note, the fennel already turned slightly greenish-brown from being mixed with the olive oil I used to sautée. After finishing, I mixed the fennel into the simmering sauce.
While the sauce smelled good, I was really excited about the pork chops. Pork chops start out tasting like....pork, so this really gave the fennel a chance to take control of the meal. I started with the leftover oil from the sauteed fennel, and added two pork chops to the pan. This way, the flavors left over from the sauteed fennel can be added to the pork. I sprinkled fennel seeds, black pepper, and italian seasoning(mix of stuff) to the top side of the pork chop. Add salt to flavor. I cooked each side about 5 minutes, and added seasoning to the second side after flipping. I think the pork may have been a little undercooked, but it was definitely more tender than some of the ones I've made before.
Last, I took out the pork chops, and then added a bit more oil to sautée the second half-bulb of fennel. This fennel I turned on medium heat, and added a good amount of garlic powder/salt to. I wanted to add some more vegetables to the meal, and I felt that garlic and fennel would be an interesting combination. I sauteed the vegetables until soft, and then layered them over the pork chops. Delizioso.
To pair with the meal, I had an almost finished bottle of some french bordeaux. I guess it wasn't an ideal pairing, a french wine with an italian meal. It tasted alright to me though. I think overall this meal was more aromatic than my usual meals. I was satisfied enough to write this entry in any case.
- Howitzer
Posted In
Food
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Thailand > China
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
at
8:44 PM
Apparently, Thailand quality is far superior to China quality. Damn Thais.
Posted In
Funny
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Spiky Jacket
Monday, November 15, 2010
at
5:37 PM
My motorcycle jacket has kevlar incorporated into it, to make it more resistant to tearing during crashes(I'd be sliding on the pavement though). I found out today how strong the kevlar really is. I was smoothing the outside of my jacket liner (I have a two-layer jacket), and notice that I was getting tiny black fibers embedded into my thumb. It actually hurt to pull one of them out. At least I haven't noticed fibers poking into my body from the inside of the jacket.
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Motorcycles
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Another Great Food Safari in New York
Sunday, November 14, 2010
at
10:21 PM
I just came back today from another trip to New York. Every time I go, I have such fun trying all sorts of food. This weekend's tally:
Carnitas tacos @some food truck near 86th and 4th - these were the best carnitas I've ever had. I never expected to find anything like this north of the Mason-Dixon. The tacos came with two layers of flour tortillas(though I prefer corn), lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, topped with two slices each of cucumber and radishes. I wasn't sure how the vegetable slices would be, but after sprinkling my taco with a citrus lime juice, the crisp freshness of the slices balanced well.
Toasted marshmallow shakes @Stand, near Union Square - another amazing dining experience. I could actually taste the toastiness of the toasted marshmallow. They also put two giant, fluffy, toasted marshmallows in my shake. Marshmallow shakes are already deliciously creamy. How do you make it better? By adding some caramel through toasting. Mmm..
Coconut shrimp sandwich @ Num Pang, near Union Square - directly across the street from toasted marshmallow shakes was this hole in the wall vietnamese sandwich shop. I had a coconut shrimp sandwich, served with cilantro, cucumber, carrot, and lettuce, topped with a chili mayonnaise spread. The buttery, creamy coconut shrimp balanced well with the spice of the chili mayonnaise. The mayo provided just enough heat to tweak the flavor, but not really enough to set fire to your tongue. The bread was good too. Their bread was slightly buttery, adding a nice aroma to my mouth while chewing.
Red velvet cupcake with a cream cheese frosting @NoHo - Just a classic red velvet cake cupcake, with a cream cheese based frosting. The red velvet cake provided a good, moist sweetness, while the cream cheese frosting added a tang to the taste. Overall, scrumptious.
Souvlakis and feta fries @ Souvlaki GR in SoHo - Sold from a food truck. The food here, along with the carnitas tacos from before, epitomize what good street food is to me. Greasy hot, filling, and satisfying. Wrapped neatly in a thick, warm pita bread, the souvlaki had onions, tender grilled pork, and fries inside. A generous helping of tzatziki provided a cooling contrast to the savory filling. The feta fries were also great. Piping hot fries just like those you'd get from fairgrounds, topped generously with crumbled feta cheese, and seasoned strongly with oregano. The oregano provided a strong aromatic mouth feel, while the cheese and fries filled me up. I was so stuffed at this point.
Tiago: "You are a trooper with the street food."
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Food
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Veterans' Day: Remember
Thursday, November 11, 2010
at
8:59 AM
It can not be understated how much respect veteran's deserve. Turn inward and ask if you would serve. Of course I'd serve if asked to, ie. if drafted. But it's hard for me to give up my cushy life of earning degrees and making money. Honestly, it seems like suicide for my career, for what my goals are. And that is exactly why I feel such respect for those that are serving.
Being on tour is grueling. Stressful, dangerous, exhausting work. Not to mention, veterans are not treated particularly well in this country. Shocked? I'll defend this assertion another day. For now, I want to show a few pictures of life on tour.
Marines in Peleliu island. World War 2, Pacific Theatre.
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Grieving soldiers(service unknown). Korean War.
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Soldiers hiding from sniper fire. Vietnam War.
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Medic giving CPR. Vietnam War. I think I was worrying about my social life at his age. I can't express how thankful I am that someone else took the responsibility for doing these things instead of me.
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US soldier taking a smoke. Afghanistan. (Notice his body posture, what it shows.)
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Thanks guys. Because of you, I get a day off from classes.
-Howitzer
ADDITION: I wrote an addendum to this post here, discussing the raison d'être for soldiers.
Posted In
Philosophy/Politics
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Michigan Marching Band: Best Show I've Seen in Awhile
Monday, November 8, 2010
at
1:10 PM
So apparently, the Michigan Marching Band had an epic Wizard of Oz half time show this past weekend. While I didn't see it in person, I saw it on youtube, along with this great description written by The Hoover Street Rag. Wow.
"The show starts with a video of a cyclone picking up the Big House. Then it picks up the Notre Dame Leprechaun. Then it picks up Purdue's "World's Largest Drum." Then it picks up a green block S, in front of said block S is a flaming couch. Then it picks up an angry picture of Joe Paterno, and over the PA, you can hear "COME TO PENN STATE!" from the Big Ten Network ad.
So the Big House lands on "The Wicked Witch of the South", whose socks are scarlet and grey. The Witch has stolen Denard Robinson's shoes, so our hero, Dorothy Hail has to get them back to Ann Arbor for the second half. She then gets a visit from Mary Sue (President Coleman), the Good Witch of the North, who tells her she needs to go see the Wizard who lives in the Sapphire City at the end of the Maize Brick Road. Dorothy is also met by some munchkins, whom she notes remind her of her "Little Brothers in East Lansing."
So Dorothy sets out down the Maize Brick Road where she meets a scarecrow who does have a brain, having to stand out in fields in horrible places like Indiana, Illinois, and Nebraska. Then they meet a Tin Man who doesn't have a heart, because it broke after he at so many bratwursts and cheese from his work in Wisconsin. Dorothy agrees to bring him along, because at worst, when they get back to Ann Arbor, she can turn him in for the ten cent deposit. Then they meet up with the Cowardly Nittany Lion, who lacks courage.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, one of the minions of the Wicked Witch of the East, Brutus Buckeye attacks our merry band, but they are rescued by Rufus, the Ohio Bobcat, who tackles Brutus and chases him off the Maize Brick Road. Then the Wicked Witch of the East attacks and uses her powers to make the Michigan Marching Band spell out Script Ohio. Dorothy has no fear though, as she reminds the witch that Michigan was the first marching band to spell out Script Ohio as a MMB sousaphone knocks the Witch out and O-H-I-O becomes O-H-N-O.
Eventually they reach the Sapphire City where the Wizard turns out to be Michigan drum major David Hines Jr. who tells Dorothy she had the power to go home all along by just putting on Denard's shoes (leave the laces untied) click her heels together and say "There's no place like The Big House."
And as crazy as this reads, it's about a million times crazier when you actually see it. If you have video, please let us know.
MMB, full marks."
Posted In
Football,
Michigan
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Guilt in Grad School.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
at
9:08 PM
So today I do have something serious to talk about. It's been awhile since I've written anything meaningful for future grad students, probably because I'm more experienced now, and I'm not discovering as many new things. Today's topic, however, applies to both seasoned and novice students.
Something I've noticed from many grad students, and even myself last year, is the constant guilt of needing to work more. If you're not working, you're being lazy and unproductive. Guilt stresses you out, and only makes you more unproductive as you try to get things done without dealing with the work you're "supposed" to be doing.
The more work you do, the "better" a person you are; this is an unspoken culture at MIT. It's such a competitive environment that it's easy to think (work = good). The more you work, the more you get ahead. If you do good research, you're a promising young scientist. You will have a bright future, and everyone will admire you. In addition, if you don't work as much, you start to fall behind your peers, and you're not as highly thought of. It's easy to see how if you associate work with good, then lazy must = bad.
Talking to a group of students recently, I found out how much this feeling pervades some of them. They were discussing doubts about whether to stay for a PhD. A common story was, "I'll blow off tonight, and then make up for it tomorrow." This would inevitably lead to "Well I got to school at 8am, but watched Netflix until noon. Why did I even get to school so early?" And of course, other people claimed "At least I stayed until 10pm that day." It seemed like they were having trouble reconciling the fact that sometimes, the work wasn't that interesting, and they weren't as motivated to work as hard. And that this was somehow wrong.
I guess my perspective of things changed a lot after being forced to leave school. To me it seems obvious that if you're not motivated to do your work, frankly, you're just not that interested in it. Or at least some aspect of it. Plenty of people at MIT love science, but they're just not interested in doing science ALL the time. Which is fine, to me. That just means that you're not going to do academic research after you graduate. You'll go on to do industry work, or find some other job.
It's really ok to not feeling like being the extremely productive good graduate student who works all the time. Clearly, you should do enough to graduate. And obviously, you should consider the future consequences of your career choices. But if you're not interested in working all the time, it means you have other more meaningful things to do in your life. And you should do them. Why waste your life away in the lab if you'd rather be doing other stuff?
-Howitzer
Comment: I originally wrote this late last week, but the entry was so jumbled, I drafted the thing, and rewrote most of it today. Good choice. This version is much better than what crap I had before.
Posted In
MIT,
Philosophy/Politics
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Finally, worked on my motorcycle today.
Monday, November 1, 2010
at
5:48 PM
After a week of finding time (sun sets at like 5pm here...super lame), buying the right tools, I finally got down to opening up my motorcycle, and cleaning the air filter. It wasn't even that clogged, but I wanted to get my hands dirty, and to get some confidence in working on my motorcycle. I'm glad I got over that first step. Now every maintenance job I need to do on it seems less intimidating.
That's how things go I suppose. The first step is always the hardest.
Posted In
Motorcycles
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