Janelle's Journal

01/11/2008 08:42 #42835

Day five without Drew
Category: drew-less

Thursday was another Drew-less day. His absence was a little more noticeable. He always does the dishes when I cook, but he wasn't there to do them on Wednesday night. I was certainly too tired to do them that same night, so I had to face them last night and it was an unpleasant reminder that Drew is out of town. Hooray for husbands who do dishes! Boo for him being out of town!

I did manage to start on my project to tile the back stairwell with vinyl tiles, but only cleaned and primed three of the stairs. More to do tonight and Saturday I'll start laying down the viny tiles. As I worked I contemplated on the fact that I'm doing it bass-ackward as I think I should probably be working from ceiling down, but I don't want to work on the ceiling or walls until the spring.

To see pictures of Drew's trip, there's a slide show at:

I didn't find them too interesting except for the shots of the pods that they sleep in.

james - 01/11/08 12:23
I found out a little late about the class you taught. The only suggestion I have is pedagogy 101 stuff. Like, modeling the appropriate behavior then have them do it. So, you set up a little role play scenario where a conflict has to be resolved. You do it
"Pardon me sir, but there seems to be a discrepancy on my cable bill."
"Oh dear, let me take a look at that and we will straighten this out"
Then, they do it
"Hey mother fucker, there is a shit eatin' problem with my fuckin bill."
"now now Semore, try that again with the tone I modeled for you"
"Ahem, there is a problem with my bill. Can we fix it?"
"Very good Semore"

praising good performance and correcting poor performance as you go. But, if you ever need help teaching people how to swear like a salty sailor then I am your man.

01/10/2008 20:14 #42825

Vietnamese dinner
Category: food

Pictures courtesy of James who brought his camera:

Started with tomato egg drop soup garnished with cilantro

Chicken with Ginger in Caramel Sauce

Here's an assembled plate of food with the chicken, blanched vegetables and a dipping sauce in the upper left hand corner.

I tried to take a picture of us, but I'm not always so smart with the digital cameras so it doesn't always turn out well. So, James is on the right hand side and my other friends are at center and to the left. I'm trying to get them to be estrippers.

mrmike - 01/10/08 21:29
Thanks for sharing, now I'm hungry again

01/10/2008 12:56 #42818

Anyone good at making custards?
Category: food

I want to learn how to make custards. There are a lot of Vietnamese deserts that are basically custards. And I want to learn to make them all!

What equipment do you need to make custards?
What's the basic principle of making them?

jbeatty - 01/10/08 19:47
The only custard type thing I have ever made was creme brulee. The first time it didn't set and the second time it turned out perfect. I used two different recipes and monitored the temperature like a hawk the second time. But I'm not certain that is always necessary.

carolinian - 01/10/08 15:09
I make a flan every now and then. For this task, I have to take a thick heavy metal pan, fill it with water, and insert into it a slightly smaller but just as thick metal pan that contains the ingredients. This gives a nice double-boiler effect that prevents stuff from burning, or so I've been told. And this is important, because the whole assembled contraption is shoved into the oven for about 45 minutes.

james - 01/10/08 14:09
I have never made one solo. But I have made dozens with my mom. Having a kitchen wench to whisk, whisk, whisk is important. You have to stir that sucker like a risotto to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pot, making it taste like charred death.

But, I am an inexperienced custard maker. I am sure the other James on here can help though ^_^

01/10/2008 08:46 #42816

Day four without Drew
Category: drew-less

Fourth day away from Drew was a breeze because I had friends over for dinner. I always try to plan something with friends the week that Drew is gone. I think its really pathetic when people's worlds come to an end because their significant other is out of town. Or those people who turn down a party invitation because their significant can't go. Drew and I have even celebrated New Years Eve separately one year when he wanted to party with his redneck friends in DC and I wanted to pary with my friends in Philly. That's the extent to which we are separate human beings. At this point I probably offended someone so, anyway....

I had friends over for dinner. Jen, Bill and (e:Jbeatty). I fixed a Vietnamese dinner for them.

Vietnamese tomato egg drop soup garnished with cilantro
Chicken cooked in caramel sauce (sugar caramelized in water) with ginger.
Blanched broccoli and cauliflower with sliced cucumbers.
Dipping sauce for vegetables.
Mandarin oranges and bananas for desert.
Vietnamese coffee with cardamom

Pictures to come later.

jenks - 01/10/08 20:07
I miss that place too paul! Why did it close?! It was tasty.

jbeatty - 01/10/08 19:38
(e:janelle) in all honesty I thought that dinner was fabulous. Cauliflower has never been so delicious. I would have to say that was my favorite part of dinner, although I was pleasantly surprised by how good egg drop soup can be with some cilantro added.

james - 01/10/08 10:48
The only Vietnamese restaurants I have eaten at were tiny, filthy holes in the wall in asian ghettos along the North East seaboard. The filthier the restaurant the better the food I find. But, if you ever come across a good one in the area let me know, for I crave chewing on cartilage.

Glad you had a good night over.

mrmike - 01/10/08 10:33
I think that is great. Just because you are married doesn't mean you should sacrifice your individuality. Rock on with your bad self

paul - 01/10/08 09:55
I really miss the Vietnamese restaurant that used to be on Elmwood across from the old pier one.

fellyconnelly - 01/10/08 09:51
hehe redneck friends in dc? drew knows the president/??

01/09/2008 15:36 #42808

Crime is a city problem, right?
Category: city

I think this article is kind of funny...I deal with a lot of people at work who live in the suburbs and look down their noses at the city because of all the "crime". And here we have the classic example of how crime exists in the city because the person in the suburb wants the service....except this person had it kind of turned on their head.

metalpeter - 01/09/08 17:59
There are a lot of drugs in the burbs but you usaly don't have violence over them like you do in the city. A lot of that is based on the color lines of the drug wars. The Rich White guys get the stuff into the country and eventully it gets sold by poor minorites in the city. Now at some point along those lines it makes it into the suburbs and other towns. There is a lot of money in drugs and when you mix that with neighboorhoods with poverty it is a bad mix and spurs crime. On a side note coming into buffalo from springville is a long way just for drugs there must be someplace closer.

jason - 01/09/08 16:22
First time I ever had a car broken into, or anything stolen out of it.....was when I lived in Amherst.