"Dear upstairs neighbour," written by Tinypliny on estrip.org

Category: whine

03/27/10 02:46 - 43ºF - ID#51274

Dear upstairs neighbour,

If you are the one playing "metalcore"-ish music at full blast right now:

a) I resent the noise.
b) I am trying to write a grant here, and the signalling pathways are not getting any easier.
c) Your taste in music sucks. Bleh. Check out "Running Wild". At the very least, you will know how heavy metal can sound almost as good as baroque.
d) If you don't stop in the next hour, I may have to hotfoot it to the office or call the manager and be a pain in your existence.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrgh.

PS: The noise stopped. Maybe the neighbour reads (e:strip) or got tired of their own crappy music.

Permalink: Dear_upstairs_neighbour_.html
Words: 113
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: buffalo

03/24/10 08:39 - 39ºF - ID#51260

Non-driver's State ID: Experiences?

For some complicated reasons that I cannot control, my passport will be in NYC and I will be here in Buffalo for a whole of 20 days. This is creeping the wits out of me right now. Remember that island poll where your flat burns down and you are allowed to take just one thing? (e:tinypliny,49243) Well... I am revising my answer big time. I think I will be glad with just my passport.

Mainly, because of this lot...

And so, I need to get my non-driver state ID before my passport goes away on its AWOL tour. I think I have all the documents now - I checked the DMV site.

Has anyone here ever applied for it? How long does it take? Any pearls of wisdom for getting this thing with the least amount of disruption to a particularly busy workday?

Permalink: Non_driver_s_State_ID_Experiences_.html
Words: 145
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: science

03/23/10 07:50 - 37ºF - ID#51249

11th hour thoughts...

Permalink: 11th_hour_thoughts_.html
Words: 2
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: flat hunt

03/21/10 11:24 - 37ºF - ID#51243

Flat hunting in NYC

So how does one hunt for a cheap flat in NYC without having to share it with a gazillion others??

And no. I am not moving but my brother is. We are looking to find something in the range of $1000 to $1500/month. We have been told to stick to areas around Harlem or Brooklyn and ignore the rest of the boroughs.

If you know of anyone renting out a flat - you cannot find a better tenant than my brother (Yes. I know. I could be saying that just because I am related but it's true).

Thoughts or tips, anyone? Former/current NYC dwellers or Buffalo denizens with NYC contacts?

tinypliny writes at 12:38:24 03/23/10 - Comment #55447: my him?! Things are really going downhill at this time. aargh

tinypliny writes at 12:37:20 03/23/10 - Comment #55446: Ya'll are THE BEST!!!! I am swimming in tips. Thanks! I am planning to go and hunt with my him next month. I think hunting is a lot more fun when you have two heads.

As they say, two heads are better than none. That was excellent film, btw. Cheap tomatoes are even better than two heads.

hodown writes at 10:32:33 03/22/10 - Comment #55425: You can get something in Queens for that amount. Also look at Inwood in upper Manhattan. Stay away from the Bronx. Brooklyn is mega expensive (more so than Manhattan) these days. Hoboken is also going to be more expensive. I'd look in JC, but stay near downtown, nothing further in.

lauren writes at 09:37:24 03/22/10 - Comment #55424: All I can say is GOOD LUCK!

Ok. I can say a little more :)

When Felly and I were looking down there, the one thing I noticed a lot of is beware of places that are being advertised/shown by second parties who are not the owner. They often will charge a separate fee on top of the rent just because they showed you the place. If you are willing to pay the fee, they might be helpful, but I am sure you can do it alone as well.

Also, although we never made the final step of actually going down there, I think that is really what you have to do. Find a day or two and get ready to make tons of phone calls and go all over the city if you need to. There is nothing like a seeing an apt. and a neighborhood for yourself to get a real feel for how it will be to live there, what stores, markets, etc. are around and how close it is to public transportation and cheap tomatoes. :)

Finally, you might have to show proof of current employment, income, etc, depending on the place. I was surprised (and annoyed) to find that many places won't rent to people who are just moving to NYC for the first time. So make sure your brother can prove that he is gainfully employed.

And again, good luck!

zobar writes at 07:41:26 03/22/10 - Comment #55420: Vaya con DiÃ³s. I lived in the Lower East Side at Orchard near Rivington, but only because my cousin already lived there; and she only lived there because of some kind of rent-control situation. That was a pretty good neighborhood, but it was gentrifying at the time [1999] and I'm sure it's crazy expensive now.

Hoboken and some areas of Jersey City are also decent places to live, and though not as happenin' as Brooklyn, approximately as convenient. Other areas of Jersey City are shitholes.

- Z

tinypliny writes at 12:11:41 03/22/10 - Comment #55415: wow, that was quick! Thanks, (e:heidi)! :)

(e:James), he will be working in Manhattan (I wonder. Do people in NYC ever work anywhere else? Maybe it should be called Workhattan or Man!Cruelwork - okay, okay. bad joke) He is very good at running everywhere, taking extreme routes and extremely comfortable with the subway. He wants to sell his car though - so anywhere that requires a personal car is out.

I don't think he really has any preferences for any nationality neighbours. His current neighbours are, clockwise (German, Chinese, Russian, German, Thai, Japanese, Brazilian (I think...).

oh - and he doesn't want to pay a lot for tomatoes.
If your insane contacts know any places, I think their insanity is fine with him.

And he is looking to move early 2nd week of May.

heidi writes at 11:47:42 03/21/10 - Comment #55414: My bff Lisa lives in a 1 bdrm in Spanish Harlem for something in that range - I've asked her to connect with you.

james writes at 11:47:12 03/21/10 - Comment #55413: It depends on where he will be working. There are less expensive, good neighborhoods in parts of the Bronx and Queens (which has a ginormous Indian population if that is any appeal).

My contacts in NYC are all bat-shit insane, so I am pretty useless.

Permalink: Flat_hunting_in_NYC.html
Words: 110
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: tourism

03/16/10 09:53 - 37ºF - ID#51203

Your response is required by law...

This came in the mail today...

I am looking at this envelope with such weird emotions. It feels crazy that I am being counted as a part of the population here, in a completely foreign country.

I know it's not like I am getting electoral franchise or anything, but it seems like a momentous thing to be doing. In some small way, I am going to be part of this massive census - a detailed stock-taking of human resources in a country that is half-way across the planet from where I was born.

I reckon, it's a routine government-initiated statistical exercise to many, but to me, today, it's a source of wonder - in black and white.

tinypliny writes at 10:48:20 03/20/10 - Comment #55383: HAHAHAHAHA I have talked to a lot of people and I would say you have a pretty good life. LOL

drew writes at 03:43:14 03/17/10 - Comment #55338: Wow. I literally laughed so hard I cried.

jenks writes at 02:29:25 03/17/10 - Comment #55337: and this skit of christopher walken doing his census interview is classic. and hysterical. a must-see.
:::link:::

jenks writes at 02:27:13 03/17/10 - Comment #55336: I love that, despite the "REQUIRED BY LAW' being printed in bold right on the envelope, I saw about 5 of them in the recycling bin by the mailboxes in my building today. :/

james writes at 01:32:10 03/17/10 - Comment #55333: IN 2020 I plan on being a soldier fighting the spiders on Mars.

heidi writes at 01:21:37 03/17/10 - Comment #55332: In 1980, I was living with my parents and brother in Morris Run, PA.

In 1990, I was still living with my parents and brother but in Blossburg, PA.

In 2000, I was living with my gf Shelly and our friend Lisa in Laurel, MD. We got the long form and it was so confusing that I gave up filling out the form and someone had to come and ask us all the questions. We sat in the back yard with the census worker, offered her lemonade, and threw frisbee for the dog while answering questions.

In 2010, I'm living alone in Buffalo. Thankfully I got the short form.

Wonder where I'll be in 2020??

tinypliny writes at 12:15:32 03/17/10 - Comment #55328: Ooooh "For other reason": yeah, I was hatching a plan to take over this planet.

tinypliny writes at 12:12:10 03/17/10 - Comment #55327: Does Person 1 sometimes live or stay somewhere else?
Does spending a night at the office count?

They just want you to be spending your time at college housing or in the military or in jail either fighting for child custody or maybe in a nursing home as a seasonal residence - yes, they know, you get sick every other season and persuade yourself that you are going to die.

I'd say that is ONE sneaky question.

What happens to kids who are born in the night between Mar 31 and April 1, I can't imagine the stress their parents are going through now - totally agonizing whether to ignore their baby or fill it in as a Person 3 - clearly showing how little they care about it.

tinypliny writes at 12:03:21 03/17/10 - Comment #55326: LOL - I am filling it out finally after hours of staring at it and I can't believe this. They let you fill your own race in. I am so tempted to say I am from Gallifrey.

And apparently, all the countries in Asia are now separate races but Europe doesn't get a country-by-country break up. Hee Hee.

zobar writes at 11:31:37 03/16/10 - Comment #55325: You're one of us now. <-:

Last time around I felt annoyed that I was being cens'd in Rochester. It was totally accurate - the student population there is huge but stable - but I felt I should have been representing my peeps instead.

- Z

Permalink: Your_response_is_required_by_law_.html
Words: 119
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: eating in

03/14/10 01:57 - 38ºF - ID#51186

According to Wordle...

I am a tea fanatic.

And I don't even write about it so much. How did they know?!

Caught (e:ladycroft)'s wordle - (e:ladycroft,50987) and I think it did a pretty good job there. :-)

Permalink: According_to_Wordle_.html
Words: 39
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: art

03/14/10 11:19 - 35ºF - ID#51185

Spunk, reloaded.

Via

't-you-tell

Permalink: Spunk_reloaded_.html
Words: 8
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: art

03/13/10 07:01 - 38ºF - ID#51177

Marvel.ous.

Permalink: Marvel_ous_.html
Words: 2
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: eating in

03/07/10 08:29 - 32ºF - ID#51129

Super-Godmum No Knead Bread

I made bread today for the first time in my life. And it is probably the best bread I have ever had. I can't believe this - it is seriously blowing my mind.

The recipe is extremely simple and it's shocking just how wonderful it tastes with butter.

And of course, no recipe is worth following so I went ahead and completely messed it up with abandon.

I don't have any measuring cups or implements or scales. Worse, I don't really have a concept of what a cup is, so I did a very rough volumetric-ratio-eyeballing (which actually means, I just dumped in whatever seemed okay). (e:heidi), you can sigh now. ;-)

That's not all. I didn't let it rise for 20 hours because I was impatient, threw in an obscene amount of walnuts and dates, and then added a whole chopped jalapeno because I didn't want it to be sweet. Then I thought, what the heck, why not be crazier and added a whole fistful of flaxseed and a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil just because it happened to be near the flaxseed.

Even with this terrible approach to baking, I got splendid results. And of course, I went the extra health freak mile and used 100% high-fibre hard winter spelt flour and no bread flour. I have heard of recipes being described as "forgiving" but this one HAS TO BE the SUPER-GIGANTOID-GODMUM of ALL the forgiving recipes in the history of cooking on this planet.

Go ahead, mess it up. You will get edible results. :)

tinypliny writes at 01:47:05 03/09/10 - Comment #55210: @ (e:jason): The pan I cooked it in is around 8" in diameter so yours should be just fine. You would need at least a 4" depth including the space in the lid to let it rise. In fact, you could put it in a narrower pan and get away with it.

According to breadtopia, the three crucial steps are just coating the pan with oil, heating it to 450 along with the oven before putting in the dough and covering it with a heavy lid while baking the bread - this is so that the steam doesn't escape. You get a supple and nicely browned crispy crust instead of a dry cracked nightmare.

And yeah, serranos are like one of those parades you keep anticipating and that turns out to be such a major let down because the participants were all wearing sweaters instead of being topless.

jason writes at 08:44:55 03/08/10 - Comment #55207: Shit, Tiny, I'm sorry, I didn't read the comments before commenting. But how large was your fry pan? I literally just this weekend bought new stainless steel cookware, but the biggest fry pan I have is 10 inches. Will that work

jason writes at 08:43:20 03/08/10 - Comment #55206: Tiny, what kind of vessel did you cook your bread in? Also, I bought some serranos recently, all excited to get some spiciness into my food, and they were freaking duds. I was so disappointed after making my salsa verde. God damn.

tinypliny writes at 07:59:58 03/08/10 - Comment #55205: That jalapeÃ±o was a good decision, every time a date comes along, jalapeÃ±o launches soul-stirring whiplash attack on your taste buds. hehe

tinypliny writes at 07:56:00 03/08/10 - Comment #55204: @ (e:jenks) - Um. I'll get my coat.

Godmum = contracted slang for a very plebeian fairy god mother, possibly with wings clipped off and who totally looks like that cook in Alice in Wonderland who tries to throw the piglet baby into the cauldron - > :::link:::

@(e:theecarey) and (e:jacob) - why, thank you! I would say I am blushing to the roots of my hair, but that is really not possible when you have about 1 cm of it. I could lie though - always the alluring possibility.

The pan apparently makes a difference. I used a stainless steel fry pan with stainless steel handles - because no plastic/ebonite is oven-safe at 450F for 45 minutes. You would also need a heavy lid for this pan (again, without plastic/ebonite). I used another heavier fry-pan and inverted it over the fry pan with the dough in it. I gave the base fry pan a generous coating of olive oil before plopping it into the oven and heating it well enough so that dough wouldn't stick to the pan.

The dough is super-sticky and wet - and was not remotely taking any sort of shape, but I found out that the wetter it is the bigger holes you get in the baked bread. Plus I ran out of dough so I didn't really do the floured-surface folding step. I just gave it a nice whirl with a spatula after it had risen for around 6-7 hours, allowed it to rise for 2 hours more and plopped it all in the oven.

Baked it with the fry pan cover for 45 minutes.

(e:jacob) - I was really intimidated - but turns out this "recipe" just does not go wrong whatever you do. You NEED to see this at breadtopia and read the ~900 comments of people who have done crazy things and still come out with awesome breads! :::link:::

jacob writes at 04:34:55 03/08/10 - Comment #55196: That looks amazing. You have to be some sort of ethnic Julia Childs, a cuisine prodigy. Fav part: "and then added a whole chopped jalapeno because I didn't want it to be sweet"! I am definately going to have to try it out. I admit, bread intimidates me. I guess I just have to dig a bit to bring out my "indian" brave in the kitchen.

theecarey writes at 12:20:57 03/08/10 - Comment #55193: I love your style, Tiny!!
This looks delicious! I use recipes as extremely loose guidelines with varying end results. Fortunately most dishes turn out, some end up more blah, but the creative process was the best part. I was just thinking about concocting some super healthy and tasty bread/pancake/muffin creation. It looks like this "recipe" may be the foundation to get me there. Your creation looks so good! What sort of pan did you cook that in? It looks like a fry pan shape.I'm really not sure what kitchen supplies are called either and "eyeballing" measurements is a regular thing.

jenks writes at 11:04:31 03/08/10 - Comment #55189: godmum?

mrmike writes at 10:08:11 03/07/10 - Comment #55183: free spirited cooking, I love it. That is soul food

Permalink: Super_Godmum_No_Knead_Bread.html
Words: 270
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: grocery

03/07/10 11:58 - 32ºF - ID#51123

Pricerite, I love you.

Pricerite now has Blue Diamond Almond milk (Original, Unsweetened and Vanilla) at $1.99/0.5 Gallon.

I am swimming in a Sunday bliss induced by mango tea in almond milk, reading several engrossing articles on mitochondrial mysteries and writing my IRB protocol while broad beams of sunlight from my flat windows caress my bald head. And that is a run-on sentence with very poor form that I am trying to avoid in my technical writing.

Ah. Perfection. (Or will be perfection, if I finish this IRB protocol and a good part of my background and specific aims for the analysis I want to carry out.)

But, Pricerite, I do love you. And that justifies the terrible grammar and deplorable lack of structure in this entry.

tinypliny writes at 07:30:05 03/08/10 - Comment #55199: EDR = Existing Data Review.

Sorry about the jargon. (Kind of scary how glib I have become in IRB jargon now that I am doing so many of these protocols).

Ah! I see about the budget. Are you "the clinician" on some of the other grants where people have put in your % effort? Do you at least get protected time for this?

jenks writes at 11:14:21 03/08/10 - Comment #55192: and the budget bit was explained to me. It's an 'in kind' budget- apparently the university is trying to quantify how much 'good' they do for the 'public' which includes research. So I have to claim what % of my time (and thus paycheck) I spend on my research.

jenks writes at 11:08:20 03/08/10 - Comment #55191: EDR?

tinypliny writes at 10:16:01 03/07/10 - Comment #55185: Budget proposal for an EDR with a consent-waiver?!! *That* IS absolute BONKERS - even by the worst IRB case-scenario! Did your hospital get bruised by some ethics violations or grant fraud at some point in the distant past by some random fellow/faculty who is not in Canada?! I can only think of that as a plausible reason for such massive red-tape.

jenks writes at 09:31:17 03/07/10 - Comment #55179: yeah, I applied for a waiver of consent, and should get an expedited review. But they keep bouncing it back b/c I don't think my research proposal needs to be like a massive NIH grant proposal, but they want more.. This is a descriptive, pilot, nothing study. No statistics beyond "x percent of people with carpal tunnel syndrome also have tennis elbow". And STILL- this has taken months and isn't done yet. the latest is they want a budget proposal- even though it's an unfunded, zero-budget project. It totally discourages me from wanting to ever do research.

tinypliny writes at 07:07:57 03/07/10 - Comment #55176: OH MAN. Retrospective chart review involves human subjects and the whole HIPAA battalion. I submitted mine in January and have not heard back from the clinical research services yet.

If there are no patient-identifiers in your analysis you could potentially write-up a non-human subject research protocol. RPCI's non-human protocols are approved very efficiently. I have my non-human subject research protocol approval but CRS is totally dragging its feet on my existing data review portion.

jenks writes at 06:20:14 03/07/10 - Comment #55173: ugh, wanna write my IRB protocol? All am I doing is a tiny little retrospective chart review, but they keep wanting more and more from me. It is totally discouraging me from ever doing research.

tinypliny writes at 04:39:26 03/07/10 - Comment #55164: Because journals are MEANT to be run-on and on. 8^)

Because I am way more impressively creepy in person. hahahaha

heidi writes at 04:00:34 03/07/10 - Comment #55163: I'm surprised you don't comment on the ridiculous run-on sentences in my posts :-)

And why haven't we seen pictures of your adorable bald head?

Permalink: Pricerite_I_love_you_.html
Words: 122
Location: Buffalo, NY