I finally got Leopard Server installed and as a result, will be using the built-in Wiki/Blog server going forward. The posts here will be left up, but no new posts will be submitted on Wordpress.
For the new blog, go here.
Goodbye!
My espresso machine has started this odd behavior of ‘clicking’ when it’s turned on. It happens about every 15 minutes. Sometimes it’s really loud and other times it sounds muffled. If I had to make a guess, it’s some sort of relay turning on and off.
It’s getting annoying - it didn’t do this when I first got it, and it seems to be getting worse. It’s a Breville 800ESXL. Anyone else have this problem?
Edit: I finally got an answer from Breville. “This sound is caused by the thermoblock turning itself on and off to maintain the temperature.” Score one for the thermoblock. *sigh*
I’m always fascinated with the transformation of a simple video clip into an internet phenomenon. What has been rated as one of the top YouTube videos for 2007 could just as well have been relegated to the dustbin of video leftovers.
While I don’t want to get into the history of the video, it should be noted that this excerpt came from a video on a Japanese television show from 2001.
Most people have probably seen the first one, but the second one was so great that I had to include it as well. Enjoy.
We bought our Christmas tree last week and got it all decorated. The cats (especially Sebastian) were happy…they like to sleep underneath the tree.
Here are a few photos:
Merry Christmas, everyone!
I was walking down University Avenue yesterday and came across a picturesque American family; mom, dad, 2.5 kids and a dog. And Crocs.
For the uninitiated (where have you been?), ‘Crocs‘ are an injection-moulded shoe that is “lightweight, comfortable, slip-resistant, fashionable and functional.*” Fashionable. Really. Let me show you a photo:
Yes…If I had to choose between being ‘fashionable’ or wearing shoes that made me *not* look like a clown…
ANYWAY - back to this family. Normally I don’t take offense to people who choose to dress like they just stepped off the short bus, but both kids had these ugly, flapping, rubber pieces of trash attached to their feet as well. Innocent children don’t get the opportunity to tell their parents what poor fashion sense they have, and are being subjected to wearing these derelict-inspired creations.
I decided to do a little internet research and was surprised to find that there are a LOT of people who feel the way I do about these ’shoes’. In fact, I encourage anyone who hates Crocs to please buy a shirt from this website and keep abreast of the fight to relegate Crocs to a horrible fad of the 21st century at I Hate Crocs dot com.
Two more reasons to STOP wearing Crocs:
1. Your feet can be mangled in an escalator;
2. Crocs (CROX) stock price has dropped from a high of $75 on October 31 to just under $39. That’s a big drop, folks. I guess people finally looked down at their feet and realized, “Hm! Maybe the Ronald McDonald look isn’t for me. Just a thought.”
And remember:
Chilled beer glasses. Very important.
I picked up two of these wheat beer glasses in Solvang*, CA at ‘The Dutch Shop‘, which is really strange, because as far as I know, Erdinger Weißbier has nothing to do with Denmark or the Netherlands (maybe they drink a lot of it there…I don’t know.) That aside, I really don’t care for Erdinger anyway, but I needed some glasses and bought some Franziskaner to go with them. Now Franziskaner is a German Weißbier, and Solvang has a lot of buildings in traditional German architecture, so maybe that’s the through-line of thinking. Maybe.
Solvang, CA - A little bit of Denmark on California’s Central Coast.
Tonight I finally had a chance to use the glasses. You know - beer does taste better out of the right glass, just like wine.
Solvang is interesting. There are enough shops there to spend more than a pass through the town, but frankly, a lot of the shops contain the same goods and if you planned your trip well, you could hit the better ones and wouldn’t miss the others. While in Solvang, we did find a Christmas shop that sold nutcrackers and cuckoo clocks. I really wanted a cuckoo clock but a decent quality one starts at $500! Didn’t want it that much. Christmas gift, perhaps?
Solvang has the distinct feel of a tourist trap, which is strange because it also feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s on the Central Coast here, and I didn’t really see anything else out there that was remotely interesting. I would be really interested to know what a true Dane thinks of Solvang. Does it seem extremely tourist-y and tacky, or does it remind them of home? Let me know.
*burp.* Time for bed.
* Solvang, CA recently made an appearance in ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Little Orphan Millie’. Check it out. Here’s a picture.
We have returned from our road trip down the coast of California, through Southern California to Disneyland, CBS Television City for ‘The Price is Right‘, and back up to the Silicon Valley. We’ve created a ton of memories (and photos) to share and have one really cool announcement (it involves national television), but I’ll leave that for Erin to share. 
I’ll post the photos of our trip in segments, starting with the Pacific Coast Highway and first day at Disneyland.
In all, this was a great vacation - it was fun to spend time with my family at Disneyland and to see my little sister Amber enjoy herself (she’s 10 as of October.) This was the first year that she met the height requirements to go on all the ‘big people’ rides.
Lastly, perhaps more importantly - Matterhorn Bobsleds is still the greatest roller-coaster. It’s a classic, rough-around-the-edges coaster (built 1959); best of all, there are two roller-coasters in one! (I think Side A is more exciting.)
One photo from our trip to finish the post. Good night:
We’ve arrived and we are in Fantasyland waiting for the “Parade of a Million Dreams” to start. Erin is buying some candy and I am sitting down..(aah…my feet)
Here is my view:
posted from iPhoneSlide.com
I’m so fed up. I’ve been experimenting with espresso grinds from Caffé Del Doge because I don’t own a grinder (yet). ‘Yet’ is the key word, because I have had enough of the inconsistent grind from this place.
At first, I asked for 1/4lb. bags of Doge Rosso, one ground at #4 and one ground at #5. #4 instantly clogged the machine. Part of the problem is the dual walled portafilter, but I digress.
#5 seemed to be perfect. The espresso came out nice and dark, yet not over-extracted. I went back and ordered a half-pound bag of #5. Over the past week, I finished up the #5 grind and went back to get more. Got the 1/2lb. bag and tried to pull a shot - clog.
Cleaned it out. Ran another. Clog.
So guess what? I’m buying a grinder post haste.
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