Tales of the Wandering Ninja Monkey

I am apparently home

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:59:30 GMT

Some time when I wasn't paying attention, Boston apparently became home. This fact was made clear tonight when I found that I am now on a first name basis with the owner of the Chinese restaurant near our house who told me the name of the dish I should order next time that isn't on the menu. Basically the only thing missing from the Charlottesville experience is to recognize half the patrons of the restaurant when I go in to eat.

Not too shabby for only being up here for two years.

Thanks Massachusetts

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:35:27 GMT

I stopped by CVS this evening to snag my prescription and found a few people ahead of me in line. The gentleman ahead of me was picking of several prescriptions, one of which was a highly controlled substance and thus required a photo ID to obtain. He informed the pharmacist that the prescription wasn't for him, he was picking it up for his husband. He was told that wasn't a problem, they just needed a photo ID so they had a record of who picked it up. That was it, no muss no fuss. I cannot overstate how much that entire exchange made me smile. I realize the rest of the US isn't there yet - which pains me - but it's really nice to be living in one of the states that supports equal rights for everyone. So yeah, thanks for being one of the cool kids Massachusetts.

Junk Food

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:31:44 GMT

Interesting article from The Escapist

Addicted to Pizza - Written by Lauren Admire

I like pizza. I mean, I really, really like pizza. I'd even go so far as to say I'm addicted to pizza. It's delicious, it smells great and it reminds me of my childhood, when my Dad, then working as a pizza delivery guy, would bring home fresh pizzas all the time. I crave that greasy, cheesy goodness nearly every day. Thankfully, instead of blaming my nearly non-existent willpower and the development of the Pizza Hut iPhone app, I can just admit the secret, horrible truth: My name is Lauren Admire, and I'm addicted to pizza.

Whew, feels good to finally say it.

This week, scientists have found that rats that consumed a diet high in junk food had brains which mimicked the brains of those addicted to heroin. In the study, one group of rats was fed a reasonable, low-calorie diet. The other group of rats was fed a diet consisting solely of Ho-Hos, cheesecake, bacon and pound cake. (Guess which group I'd prefer to be in.) The rats offered the plethora of junk food quickly became compulsive over-eaters and obese, corroborating recent findings that eating fatty foods cause your body to ignore appetite-suppressing signals.

Researchers Paul Johnson and Paul Kenny decided to test if the over-eating was affecting the pleasure centers of the brain. Rats from both the control and the fast food group ran on an exercise wheel while the researchers stimulated the pleasure centers in their brain. The more they ran, the more stimulation their pleasure centers received. The group of rats on a junk food diet ran the most, which indicates that they needed more brain stimulation to get the same level of "good feelings" that the control group received while running for less time. This is a basic example of habituation. The more junk food, cocaine or sex you receive, the quicker your pleasure centers become used to the stimulation. Once this happens, the pleasure centers require ever increasing amounts of stimulation in order to achieve the same level of pleasure that they received when eating or running less. This is exactly why drug users begin to take larger doses of drugs - they aren't receiving the same "high" that they did before, and they need more of the drug to get the same high.

After five days of eating the junk food diet, rats were acting like druggies on their fifth year of meth (puts the character of Templeton into a whole new perspective, don't it?). Their pleasure centers had been dulled to the point that they needed to eat even more food in order to get the same stimulation that they had when eating less. They became addicted to junk food.

To test exactly how addicted these rats were, the researchers performed another test. In order to get to the delicious piles of junk food, rats would have to endure a shock. Rats from the healthy diet group stopped eating entirely in order to avoid the unpleasant shock. The junk food rats, on the other hand, endured the shock over and over again in order to get to the delectable, tasty treats. Even more alarming, when the junk food was taken away and replaced with salads, the junk food rats refused to eat. "They starve themselves for two weeks afterward," Kenny says. "Their dietary preferences are dramatically shifted." So, the next time you're trying to decide between an apple or a slice of pizza, think twice. Pizza is the gateway food.

Ray of Sunshine

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:29:19 GMT

On this somewhat disgusting looking day (which appears to be clearing up even as I type this), I offer some sunshine. After numerous applications of heat, yoga, and anti-inflammatories, my back cracked today and is now feeling damn near perfect.

What rays of sunshine succeeded in brightening your day today?

Gyromancer

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:32:17 GMT

Apparently PopCap and Square-Enix teamed up to make a puzzle-solving RPG. This seems like a horrible idea in a "let's combine heroin and cocaine" sort of way. I've seen first hand how much time I can sink into one of the Final Fantasy games. I've also seen how mind-numbingly addictive games like Peggle, Bejeweled, and Plants vs. Zombies can be. I see two paths. This could potentially be an atrocious game that captures the worst aspects of both game genres. Alternately, people will starve to death because the two companies made a game that was so addictive that people actually forget to stop playing the game to go eat food. I'm not certain there's going to be a middle ground of mediocrity here, but I suppose it's always possible. Your thoughts? Have any of you played the Japanese version?

Zombies!

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:30:11 GMT

Someone just gifted me with Left 4 Dead on Steam. If that person happens to be on my f-list, thanks for the Zombie-tastic action!

Poaching

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:14:36 GMT

It turns out that making poached pears is actually quite easy. I had seen someone do it once and decided to try it out tonight, which was met with much success. Inadvertent candy may have been produced as a result of it (komos or faux_eonix will have to let me know).

Recipe (yes, I actually remembered what I did this time):

4 bosc pears (peeled)
3 cups red wine
2 cups sugar (possibly cut back to 1 1/2...depends on how sweet you like it. I think the two cups pushed this over the line from wine reduction into soft candy)
1/2 stick of cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon
rind of one lemon

Throw it all in a pot (except the pears). When it starts to boil, add the pears. Turn them every few minutes. When they're tender and a deep purple, they're done. Remove the pears and simmer the liquid until it has a sheen and looks like it's thickened (sorry, best way I can describe it). Strain the solid matter and reserve the liquid.

To add to the general unhealthiness of the dish, I made a butter rum sauce. I'm cutting it in half here because the amount I made was *way* too much.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick butter
1 tbsp rum

Add everything except the rum. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir in rum. No rum was on hand tonight so I used blackberry brandy, which apparently works just as well (and is delicious).

Thanks Ping

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:53:16 GMT

The ~~pain~~magic of this video should not be limited to just me, so I pass it on to you my wonderful friends.

WRONG HOLE with DJ Lubel, Taryn Southern and Scott Baio from Scott Baio

It Sparkles

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:20:04 GMT

From http://tantusinc.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TD&Product_Code=VAMP

Updated by popular request... Yes the The Vamp retains hot and cold temperature. Toss it in the fridge for that authentic experience.

JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN! Who doesn't love those dark and mysterious vamps on the screen and in the books we all thumb through lustfully? That's what we thought. For those of us who fantasize about being spellbound and tantalized by the forbidden comes The Vamp. We promise this vamp won't be the only thing coming for you in the night.

The Vamp is a realistic form dildo based appropriately on our Sire's design but with a deathly pale flesh tone reminiscent of the moon's soft glow. Since it's a Tantus toy, The Vamp is made from Tantus' own unique blend of 100% Ultra-Premium Silicone. Don't be surprised if this toy seduces you, its long sleek shaft and deliciously ridged head calling out to you in the night. But don't save this for just nocturnal escapades, try taking our Vamp out in the sunlight and watch it sparkle.

The Vamp is a web only exclusive offering through TantusInc.com for $39.99. Don't miss out on this one of a kind toy, place your order today.

Cheesing it up a bit

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:10:39 GMT

I have been on a serious cheese kick the last few weeks; more so that my usual cheese-loving binges. When faced with a lack of d'Auvergne bleu at the local Whole Foods, I took the cheese monger's suggestion and tried the St. Agur. It was delicious. Since then I've been on the hunt for other cheeses that might sate my inner dairy overlord. What are you fine folks eating these days that you'd want others to try?

OOP

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:30:52 GMT

I just gave an hour-long overview of object-oriented programming techniques to one of the guys on my team. I guess I never really thought about how well I know this stuff now. For some reason in my mind I'm still that five year old kid marveling at how I can get BASIC to write my name in an endless loop with just three lines of code.

I'm working with semaphores and mutex now, which while arguably not the most advanced topic is definitely new to me. I've never really dealt with parallel processing before so this is really cool stuff. It's been awhile since my brain has been this fired up by the work I'm doing.

Good Lord I Needed That

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:52:32 GMT

This is funnier if you played Castlevania...though it's pretty damn hilarious even if you didn't.

I needed the laugh today.

The Problem with Foodies

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:17:25 GMT

As a foodie, I can attest to the fact that sometimes foodies can be quite annoying. Today's Dilbert is for all my fellow foodies since you all know someone that this comic applies to:

Incidentally (so there's no room for miscommunication) no one on my f-list falls under the annoying foodie category. Just making sure you don't think this is aimed at any of you.

Nirvana Gets Rick-Rolled

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:34:04 GMT

Adventures in Garlic Scapes

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:56:12 GMT

Having never actually worked with garlic scapes before I was somewhat uncertain what to do with them exactly. I decided that since they're green and have a roughly garlic-like flavor, I'd turn them into pesto. I can not provide a recipe (as I made it up on the fly), but I can provide a rough idea of what went into it:

1 bunch garlic scapes
an unknown amount of parsley
the head of garlic attached to the garlic scapes
some walnuts
about the same amount of cashews
a wedge of parmesan cheese
salt

Be forewarned, the parsely adds a bitter component which required the sweetness of the cashews to counteract. I'd probably leave them out next time. Also, this is way better the second day once the flavors have mellowed.

This plus fettuccine from Dave's Fresh Pasta makes for damn good food. I think I still like basil pesto better, but this was an excellent alternative until we decide to harvest the basil leaves. Also I blame/love fraterrisus for unintentionally introducing me to Dave's Fresh Pasta via his LJ and thus getting me hopelessly hooked on it.

Anyway, if you folks find yourself with garlic scapes on hand and can't figure out what to do with them, I highly recommend going the pesto route.

Fascinating...

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:54:55 GMT

So if I browse to http://www.livejournal.com right now, all I see is a single PNG image. I can still get to my journal just fine, it just seems to be the front page. Anyone else seeing that?

ETA: Must have been an extremely brief outage that I caught at just the right time. Clearing the browser cache cleared everything up.

Hells to the Yeahs

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:26:26 GMT

Gay Marriage Bill Takes Effect In Nation's Capital

WASHINGTON — A law recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere has gone into effect in the District of Columbia.

The bill was approved in a 12-1 vote by the D.C. Council in May, with council member Marion Barry casting the lone no vote.

Congress, which has the final say over the city's laws, had 30 days to review the bill. A push by black church leaders who oppose gay marriage failed to get a referendum on the matter.

And Congress took no action, allowing the bill to become law Tuesday.

Council member David Catania has said that recognizing gay marriages performed elsewhere is a first step toward performing same-sex weddings in the city.

Six states _ Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire _ allow same-sex marriage.

That's definitely a step in the right direction - it also helps remind me of how much of a douche Marion Barry is.

ASL - This is the New Shit

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:37:19 GMT

A friend of mine introduced me to B.Storm on YouTube. He takes music and does a sign language music video for it. His Marilyn Manson video is awesome.

Oh Schnap!

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:44:46 GMT

Bernie Madoff gets 150 years in prison for instituting the largest Ponzi scheme in history
I'm interested to see where they have him serve out his sentence. I always assumed he was under house arrest (thinking that rich folks don't serve time in the same way poor folks do). Apparently though he's been housed in the maximum security Metropolitan Correctional Center next door to the courthouse in which he was on trial. Assuming they stick with that or something similar, I'm totally OK with it.

Spam Win!

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:58:42 GMT

Subject line of one of the spam messages I received this morning: "Postpone your love bomb's explosion."

This is perhaps topped only by the one below it: "Get real rod for doing her avatar fullflavored imponderous."

There is nothing more that needs to be said.

Crackberry Update

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:05:38 GMT

So the Blackberry update I installed erased all my contacts and I cannot seem to recover them. If you feel I should have your phone number (or would like me to have it anyway), please leave it for me here or email me. All comments screened.

Tim Burton

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:54:20 GMT

I was just glancing through the photos of Alice in Wonderland that just hit the Internet. Every time I encounter something directed by Tim Burton I find that his cinematic vision just doesn't seem to evolve - it's static to the point of stagnancy. The shots from Batman evoke exactly the same mood as the shots from Sleepy Hollow or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It just always feels like he's making the same movie again and again, right down to the actors. I know I'm in the minority when it comes to liking (or in this case disliking) him as a director so I'm curious. What about Tim Burton's films do you enjoy?

Review - Siggis

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:17:59 GMT

On a whim, I picked up a cup of the Siggis brand Icelandic style skyr yogurt I spotted at Whole Foods. I figured for $2.79 for a 6 oz. cup of yogurt, i could afford to try it once and see how it tasted. I went with orange & ginger, it was the flavor that most appealed to me. First of all the taste was wonderful. I'm a sucker for anything with ginger in it and they used real bits of ginger. It tasted richer than the Brown Cow whole milk (with layer o' cream) yogurt however it's 0% fat. It's 120 calories but I found I was getting full about 3/4 of the way through the cup. That might have something to do with it having 16g of protein (that's almost double the amount most yogurt has as I recall). It's good stuff, I'll probably get it again.

I suspect if I made a yogurt on skim milk, strained away some of the water, and threw in a bit of vegetable rennet (they use it as well) I could reproduce the thickness of this yogurt without the hefty price tag. I might have to experiment with this and see.

Never Trust a Warlock

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:40:25 GMT

Bagels

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:45:55 GMT

Perhaps it's the fact that I was born in New York, but I am a total bagel snob. Bodo's back home in Charlottesville does a damn fine imitation of a New York water bagel, but I've yet to find something comparable in this neck of the woods. The coffee shop near our house brings in H&H bagels, but they're just not the same if they're not fresh. Are there fellow bagelophiles on my f-list and if so, where do you go for a good bagel?