Random Access Memories

Well, the end of 2007.

It’s seen me move 1500 miles to Washington, which in many ways is just like Arizona.

It’s seen my well-laid plans fall to shreds.

It’s seen my life go on much the way it went on in Arizona.

I wonder now if i’ll ever see any of the outcomes I want or if it’s just all going to be doing things how other people want me to.

Guess we’ll find out.

I think i’m going to switch over to BBC radio online or via shortwave.

NPR today is playing stories of what color will be popular in 2008, Abraham Lincoln’s Bicentennial (which isn’t until 2009) and other trivialities, while BBC is talking about people dying in Kenya because of it’s rigged elections, why food is becoming more expensive and how the world economy is going to change in 2008.

It shouldn’t be hard to guess which one I find more worth listening to.

Been having no end of trouble sleeping lately. Let’s hope this doesn’t go on indefinitely.

That would be extremely bad.

My favorite MUD. (Ok, my only MUD)

Revamped their text ad to fit my needs. If anyone cares here is the code.

Well, let’s think about it shall we?

Required ethanol production meaning that cost of grain and corn is going to go up.

Compact-flourescent bulbs will be used far more, yet we have no good way to recycle them.

Billions to attempt to sequester carbon monoxide in the ground and not even a billion towards alternative power sources.

Yeah, it’s blatantly obvious Bush is still in office.

Well, I headed over to the Cascade Treasure Club meeting in Seattle today.

Sixteen miles by bike should NOT have left me feeling this beat up.

The group was warm and welcoming, but personally I was slightly dismayed to find so much “silver” as i’ve come to call it in the club. The youngest person there besides me seemed to be around 50. Not their fault of course, but I would just like to find people closer to my own age.

They were definitely nicer than the group I visited in AZ a few years back.

To everyone who thinks that marriage is a lifelong commitment, show you mean it and get your wedding ring tattooed onto your finger.

I realized the other day that I never stopped to take a minute to thank Tom & Nanci Kuykendall (<mr_t4of5@yahoo.com> and <aisliin@yahoo.com> respectively) for the events that took place through September, October and half of November 2007.

I thank you for showing me how not to act to a visitor.

I thank you for showing me the correct way to be self-centered.

I thank you for showing me how easily people you invited to join you could be given the cold shoulder.

In general I’m quite impressed with how alone I felt even tho I was supposedly coming to help found a new community. You complained about how Dragonbelly Farm was a fiefdom, yet at the same time you ignored any suggestion or question I had and instead just called it “complaining”. I’m sorry that I didn’t know anything about community before I came up there, I made that abundantly clear.

Perhaps you should have decided you could not handle community before I drove 1500 miles to join you and wasted 10,000$ on a yurt.

But then, i’m certain you don’t consider any of this something you had any part in, goodness no, I’m sure it’s all my fault.

Maybe the next people that are looking to make a decision like I made can learn from this failure.

So, I finally feel confident enough with my bread recipe to post it. This is for simple white bread, but you can us wheat flour if you like.

I use a 2lb loaf bread machine.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons honey (If you get a 6+ tablespoon measuring glass and put the oil in first, then the honey in with it the honey slides right out)
• 2 Tablespoons powdered milk
• 19 ounces (by weight) of bread flour (Sometimes called “high gluten” flour. All purpose will work, but not as well)
• 1.75 teaspoons salt
• 2 to 2.25 teaspoons yeast (If it doesn’t rise past the top of the pan increase the amount in .125 (1/8th) teaspoon increments on your next loaves, if it touches the lid of the breadmaker during cooking reduce the amount in the same increments.

Honey and olive oil specifically are what makes this recipe different, they give it a good chewy feel rather than a dry flaky texture.

One thing that most people miss is that you should watch the mix as it starts to knead in the machine. Make sure you scrape the sides with a plastic or rubber spatula so that you get a good cohesive ball. It it looks a little too mushy add small amounts of flour, if it’s looking too dry add tiny bits of water. Either way it won’t make a real difference, but it’s the difference between a good loaf and a great loaf.
For those that are lactose intolerant just remove the powdered milk, some folks can’t even notice the difference.

Enjoy