American Idle

Roasted Corn Soup

2011-02-23T23:26:58Z

Found this roasted corn soup recipe online and gave it shot last night. It was delicious.

I didn't follow the recipe exactly. For one thing, corn is out of season, so instead of 3 ears of corn, I used two cans. I really need to make this again in the fall when fresh corn is available, but I had a corn craving. I also didn't add the raw agave. Seemed unnecessary to me. I couldn't find good heirlooms, so I used regular beefsteak tomatoes. Not sure how big of a difference it made. I didn't use Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes. Not really necessary. I got a can of fire roasted tomatoes from Trader Joe's. Instead of four roasted chilies, I roasted a single Anaheim. Gave just the right amount of heat. I also took about a pint and half of the soup, blended it and returned to the soup. Made for a much thicker, more chowder-like consistency. Worth the trouble, for sure.

If I make it again, I'd leave out the curry and bump up the cumin, swap out a Yukon Gold potato for the sweet potato and roast my own chicken.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry or chili powder or paste, mild or hot, to taste
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, diced
3 ears of corn, roasted, kernels removed
1 large sweet potato, peeled, diced
1 14-oz can Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1 cup seeded, chopped fresh heirloom tomatoes- I used yellow and pink
4 oz. chopped roasted green chiles
1 quart light vegetable broth
1 14-oz can coconut milk
2 rounded cups torn cooked chicken pieces
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
A quick drizzle of organic raw agave, to taste

To serve:

3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Fresh lime juice from 2 juicy limes

]]> Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and stir in the cumin and curry or chili powder; cook for one minute to infuse the oil with spice.

Add the chopped garlic and onion. Stir and cook for five minutes. Add the roasted corn, sweet potato, canned fire roasted tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, green chiles; stir for a minute. Add in the broth.

Cover and bring to a high simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about twenty minutes or so.

Add the coconut milk and cooked chicken pieces. Stir and season with sea salt and ground pepper; and add a drizzle of organic raw agave to taste. Heat through gently- please don't boil it.

Just before serving, add the chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. Stir. Taste test. Adjust seasoning. The lime juice brightens the taste and accents the spice. Agave cools the hotness.

Garnish with a lime wedge and pass out the spoons. Slurp. Smile.

Serves 6-8.

Kiva Update

2011-02-23T22:55:59Z

Still making Kiva loans after all these years. I made my first loan back in 2006. Seems so long ago.

Here is my current portfolio:

Mwanamisi Kinono, Kenya, Food: Fruits & Vegetables
Maria De La Concepcion Ruiz Madrigal, Nicaragua, Food: Grocery Store
Teddy Babinje, Uganda, Retail: Charcoal Sales
Violeta Servas, Philippines, Services
Nelly, Peru, Retail: Snacks
Luz Marina Rojano Escorcia, Colombia, Retail: Accessories
Saul Morinigo, Paraguay, Retail: General Store
Gansuh Byambaa, Mongolia, Retail: Spare Parts

Here's are my stats:

Statistic Name	Me	Avg. Kiva User
Total Amount Loaned	$1,300.00	$220.29
Total Amount Repaid	$1,147.31	$175.25
Total Amount Lost	$5.00	$1.74
Total Amount Refunded and Expired	$0.00	$2.81
Outstanding Portfolio	$147.69	$41.94
Default Rate	0.45%	1.04%
Delinquency Rate	0.00%	2.11%

You can compare these stats to where I was back in May 2008.

Kiva is currently funding a loan every 8 seconds, which is remarkable. They are changing lives all over the world, even in my neighborhood. Do yourself a favor and create a Kiva account and start loaning to some folks who really need the $$$$.

Better Put Your Booties On..

2011-02-23T22:31:45Z

Snow in San Francisco? Could happen late Friday
By Jason Samenow
Unusually cold storm impacting West Coast
Temperatures are on the upswing across the eastern third of the United States, but a very stormy and cold pattern is taking hold over the West Coast. A winter storm warning is in effect for Seattle, where three to six inches of snow is expected through Thursday (including potential snowfall rates of one inch per hour north of the city into this afternoon). The same storm will dive southward, impacting much of California, Thursday into Saturday (from north to south). In the San Francisco Bay Area, the potential for some very rare snowflakes is on the table.
The San Francisco National Weather Service Forecast office writes:

ON FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY A RECORD COLD AIRMASS IS FORECAST TO DROP OVER THE REGION WITH SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE VERY LOW ELEVATION SNOW SHOWERS BETWEEN 500 FEET AND SEA LEVEL.

Measurable snow is very rare in San Francisco, and has only occurred in the area 11 times since 1856 according to meteorologist Jan Null of Golden Gate Weather Services, who has compiled a record. The last measurable snow to occur in San Francisco occurred in 1976 when one inch fell.

As for the snow potential Friday into Saturday, Null wrote in an email to colleagues: "The toughest part of the equation is whether the precipitation will phase with the coldest air during the coldest time of day. Any of a number of subtle changes to the airmass and its trajectory over the ocean could make dramatic differences to the eventual outcome."

In the North Bay Hills of San Francisco, at elevations above 1,000 feet, snow is a better bet than at sea level and a winter storm watch has already been issued for Thursday night and Friday:

ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL OF SEVERAL INCHES WILL BE LIKELY FOR ALL ELEVATIONS ABOVE 1500 FEET WITH A GOOD POSSIBILITY OF AT LEAST 1 INCH OF SNOW DOWN TO 1000 FEET.

As you head south toward Los Angeles, unseasonably cold temperatures are expected by Saturday with highs in the 50s and lows in the upper 30s Saturday night. Snow will be possible in its nearby hills. The National Weather Service notes model forecast "thicknesses" - a measure of how cold it is - are unusually low:

IF THESE VALUES VERIFY IT WILL BE THE LOWEST [COLDEST] THICKNESSES RECORDED IN AT LEAST THE LAST 10 TEN YEARS.

If this is true, we should get a nice dusting of snow in the Oakland Hills and, of course, on Diablo. I'm supposed to be riding my bike around 1000ft so I plan on bundling up.

Spamtastic

2011-02-23T19:12:43Z

Since I upgraded to Movable Type 5, I've been bombarded by spam. The Captcha plugin that had been working like a charm in MT4.3 doesn't seem to work in MT5 and the floodgates were open to a vertiable tsumani of spam.

It's incredibly annoying to have to deal with these emails and comments. So I searched the MT plugin database and the forums and found MT-Akismet. It's installed now and I really hope that's the end of this annoyance.

OYJ Zoo Ride 2011 (preseason)

2011-02-20T06:43:59Z

The regular Saturday ride was rained out, but several people thought we should re-schedule the ride for today. I wanted to get some miles in and it looked it was going to be the only dry day of the weekend, so I went out to the lake. I knew it was going to be cold, but I didn't really realize how cold. I was completely underdressed. I was wearing shorts, only two layers on top and, for some inexplicable reason, I left my full finger gloves in the car. Maybe it was sunny when I got ready to mount the bike and head for the start.

At the lake were about 8 people, mostly Humane riders, all bundled up against the cold and giving me a hard time for being so poorly prepared. I was fine when the sun was out, but when it drifted behind the clouds, I was shivering.

We went up Wildwood and Leimert. The strain of the climb kept me nice and toasty, But Butters Canyon was a different story. It was cold, dark and wet in there. By the time I arrived at Skyline, I was ready to head home. So I bailed on my fellow riders and headed down Joaquin Miller and Trestle Glen to return to the lake.

I was bummed that I only got about 12 miles in, but I quickly forgot about that when I got into a nice, warm shower. Next time, I'm going to bundle up and be prepared.

Upgrade to MT 5

2011-02-19T00:43:21Z

I finally got around to upgrading to Movable Type 5. It's got a new interface for the dashboard which I'm still getting used to, but other than that, I don't see much difference between the old and new. Might be better for integrating blogs into an existing website, but I don't need to do that. Probably would have been nice to have it when I converted the old Oakland Yellowjackets website into a MT blog. That was a major pain that required countless hours of custom template building. I got it working, but it was too limited for my needs and I ended up redesigning the whole site and moving it over to Joomla. Anyway, I've got my plugins and style installed, and I'm good to go.

The Return of Barfzinho

2011-02-18T20:36:12Z

This morning the door bell rang at 9am. I ran downstairs to open the door and right in front of the door, there was a little pile of cat bile mixed together with a bunch of macerated palm tree. Barfzinho!

I opened the door to let the builder in. He had arrived with a bunch of contractors in tow to fix a myriad of little things after our 30-day walk through. I had to tell them to be mindful of the puddle of cat barf. Then I ran off to find some paper towels and cleaning supplies.

I was able to remove the barf and chewed up palm leaves, but the grout is stained and will need to be scrubbed or bleached. Not a big deal. The really problem is the palm. Mak removed two of the leaves and his bite marks are all over the tree. It's a disaster.

I honestly don't know what to do. I've sprayed him water when we gets close to the palm. I've tried to scare him away. But no dice. Such is the seductiveness of the delicious Kentia Palm.

You'd think there would be some cause an effect Pavlovian response between eating the palm and then subsequently barfing. But there's doubt whether Makkie's walnut sized brain is able to understand the relationship between the two events.

He clearly understands the relationship between an army contractors and his fear. As soon as they arrived, the poor guy fled for the only safe place he knows: under the covers in bedroom. That should teach him not to eat the fucking palm tree.

Meu Limão Meu Limoeiro

2011-02-14T23:27:14Z

This is great footage of Wilson Simonal singing this great song that my wife introduced me to (which her mom used to sing to her). The actual song doesn't start until about 1:45, so, you know, feel free to fast forward to listen in.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T19:57:13Z

Kentia Palm

2011-02-14T18:55:20Z

The latest addition to our new home:

If we're patient enough and provide proper care, It could grow to fill our entire atrium, which would be really cool. They had a more mature tree at the nursery that was something like 10-12 feet, and who know how old, but it was $549 plus whatever it would cost to ship it to Richmond. Our little guy is only about 4 feet tall so he fit nicely into Raquel's car and only set us back 30 bucks. Much more reasonable.

Sol Food

2011-02-13T23:34:41Z

After driving and cycling by the Puerto Rican Restaurant Sol Food in San Rafael for so many years, I finally made it out there for dinner. They have two locations downtown on Lincoln right down the street from one another. One ("The Small Place") on Lincoln and 4th has some tables, but is more of a takeaway joint. The one we went to ("The Big Place"), is a sit down family-style joint. If one is packed, you can just walk down the street to other one (although it's likely to be packed too).

Raquel and I got there at the right time as the sun was setting. There was a line out the door, but it was just long enough to allow us to take in the menu and figure out what to order. Raquel had a fried shrimp sandwich and I went with the Beef Stew. Her sandwich was ok, but not something you'd be coming back for. The stew, on the other hand, was wicked delicious and I savored every bite and washed it down with the homemade limeade (a little tart for me-but perfect once I watered it down a bit.) It with both a sweet and a savory plantain that were seriously delicious.

The place is a little chaotic and if it gets really busy, the wait for a table could be rough since you order your food and then find a place a sit, I can easily imagine food arriving before available table, which would suck. But it's a fun place. Great ambiance. Not a place for an intimate meal, since the din is impressive and you might be sharing a table with strangers, but the food makes what inconvenience you might suffer worth it.

If you don't want to deal with the Big Place, Sol Food has just opened "La Bodega" right next door. It's another takeaway joint, similar to the Small Place, but has no seating. They do have a large rotisserie oven right out front for roasting chickens. Fantastic.

OYJ Tunnel/Grizzly 2011 (preseason)

2011-02-13T17:15:22Z

Since this route makes a counter-clockwise circuit around the north part of the East Bay, I decided I'd ride to the lake and then bail out back to Richmond around San Pablo Dam Rd./Key Route. It was a beautiful morning, slight chill in the air, lots of birds around. Tons of people already walking their dogs at Point Isabel at 8:30. I crossed over the Berkeley I-80 Bridge and then I made a fateful decision.

Instead of continuing straight on surface streets or winding through Aquatic Park, I decided to check out the road between the park and the freeway. I had never done it before. I was making good time this morning, so what the hell?

I didn't get 100 yards down the gravel strewn path when I flatted. It was my flat in ages. I know I had a few last year, but this was first with the black and white Vittoria tires, so I know it's been a long, long time.

]]> I had all the gear with with and I quickly got to work replacing the tube. I amazed myself and had the tube and tire mounted back on the wheel in less than 10 minutes. I eschewed my CO₂ cartridge in favor of my little pump which looks like an oversized lipstick (with a carbon fiber case). It took about 4-5 minutes of pumping to get the pressure up to something I could ride.

The delay meant I wouldn't make it to the lake by 9:20 and I was going to miss the start of the ride. No big deal. I would just have to cut the peloton off at the pass. I headed for Rockridge.

The first rider to come along was Michael and we rode together about half way up Broadway when we were overtaken by the Advanced group. I picked up Randy and he joined me all the way up to the top of Grizzly Peak.

Views from the top, were great, as usual, but it was a unusually hazy day with San Francisco shrouded in an ugly brown cloud. Not pleasant at all.

There were a couple of loose dogs on South Park that made the descent more treacherous than usual, but I managed to make it down to San Pablo Dam Rd without incident, although Kevin did point out that my rear quick release was loose (a result of changing the tire too quickly, I suppose).

At SPDR, most riders either went over the Bears or headed towards Pinehurst. I needed to keep going on the regular route since I was riding home. The effort up to Grizzly Peak had warn me down. It was the first real sustained climb of the year, but I got a second wind and it blew me down through El Sobrante.

I found my way through some of the uglier parts of San Pablo and Richmond and made my way home. I was psyched to have finished before noon, but I was locked out. Raquel had gone off to Walnut Creek to have a lunch with a friend. I really wanted to get inside and hose down. Instead I went out for another hour long ride to Point Molate.

Miles: 38.36 mi
Ride Time:2:52:52
MPH: 13.6 mph
Max Speed: 36.7 mph
Elevation Gain: 2,858 ft
Flats: 1

More photos on Flickr

More detailed ride stats here:

Here's the route map:

Our First Bonsai

2011-02-08T20:40:07Z

Not sure why I never did this before, but I was inspired so I ordered our first Bonsai tree, a little Juniper, on Amazon of all places, through a company called 9Greenbox.

I didn't exactly know what to expect. I read the reviews and they were mostly good, but a few people complained about the size of their tree and one that the tree died within a week of its arrival. It was only about 10 bucks, so I thought I take the plunge.

I choose the Juniper because I wanted a tree that not only would grow indoors, but would be fairly easy to maintain and cheap, so that if it didn't make it, I wouldn't feel so bad. All we need to do know is water it every day, give it some sunlight, keep an eye on the shoot growth. We'll fertilize it in the spring and just see how it goes.

It's supposed to be 4 years old, and that's hard to believe, but what do I know? It's cool no matter how old it is. With any luck it will continue to grow and mature under our care. Who knows, maybe someday it'll be doing so well, we'll be able to move it a larger pot. Whoo-hoo!

It seems amazing that I could order a tree online and have it shipped via USPS. It arrived yesterday in a smallish box that was will fitlled with styrofoam packing material. The pot was saran-wrapped to keep the soil in place. I took it out of the box carefully, removed the wrap and gave it a little water.

It's now sitting in the one room in the house that gets sun, the second bedroom, which seems destined to be a combination library/greenhouse.

I don't know where this bonsai thing is going, but I think they're fantastic. I'd like to get a few more and even experiment with growing some from seeds. I don't know if I have the patience to really take care of them, but with Raquel's help, we could end up with a nice little collection. It would be really cool to have a Jacaranda or other deciduous tree, maybe a Japanese Maple, as well as a fruiting tree. We'll see.

OYJ Dublin Grade 2011 (preseason)

2011-02-07T19:28:47Z

This ride started off a little strange. I was late. Sort of. I parked near the lake and left my car at around 9:24. I rode like a maniac around the lake and down the Embarcadero trying to catch up, but I wasn't catching up to anyone. I should have caught up to the Light and Humane riders already. I realized that the group must have been coming around on Bellevue as I past the Children's Fairyland parking lot. Thinking I was late, I skipped Bellevue and just went straight on Grand, missing the pack entirely. Just about the time I realized my mistake and stopped under that little pedestrian bridge just before after the fish packers, up ride the Advanced group.

I continued with them over to Alameda and about halfway down Doolittle, but the pace was too much for me. I would suffer later for the effort of trying to keep up at 22-25 mph on the flats. Big mistake.

After the typical break at the gas station in San Leandro, I climbed Fairmont easier and quicker than I had on Lake Chabot two weeks earlier, which is to be expected. There was no wind on the descent and it was really quick. I topped 43 mph on the way to Castro Valley.

]]> Reese got a flat on Castro Valley Blvd and that put a halt on the progress for about 10-15 minutes.

When we hit Dublin Grade, there was a slight headwind. Nothing too unpleasant, but enough to slow me down significantly and make the decent less than thrilling. I couldn't even get close to 40 and I sort of gave up.

With my typically rosy optimism, I was expecting a tailwind coming back to Danville, but it wasn't to be. Instead we had a steady 10-15 mph headwind that sucked every ounce of energy out of me. By the time we reached Peet's, I was spent and knew that I'd bail in Walnut Creek instead of finishing the ride via Pinehurst and back to the lake.

I stayed at the coffee shop for at least 30 minutes. I wolfed down a pumpkin ginger muffin and drank a bottle of water, but I wasn't enough. Dan headed back south to meet up with the fam in Castro Valley. I continued on with Chip down Danville Blvd. The wind wasn't as bad as before, but despite Chip's encouragement, I headed down the Iron Horse Trail and made my way to BART. Felt good to bail. Felt even better to get home, suck down some Advil and get in the shower.

Miles: 45.11 mi
Ride Time: 03:03:02
MPH: 15.0 mph
Max Speed: 43.6 mph
Elevation Gain: 1,883 ft
Flats: 0

More detailed ride stats here:

Here's the route map:

Hello My Name is Makelani

2011-02-04T18:21:16Z

New pet tags for Makkie. Used this font. Tried to find one that looks like a hand written Sharpie. Not bad.