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Television, Bicycles, Cooking
Apr. 7th, 2008 08:21 amOn Saturday, as we rode around on our bicycles, my friend E and I talked about what it's like to not watch television. She mentioned that one of the strangest side-effects is that when one actually does watch TV the commercials seem awfully strange. For instance, how about commercials that are all about saving energy, and yet at the same time are trying to sell you something?
It's just weird. Frankly, I think I'm happier having not watched any TV since, gosh...I don't know when? Occasionally I'll see advertisements on Teh Internets for big-screen thingamajigs, and all I can think about is how much electricity they guzzle, especially the high-definition ones. Before you rush out to buy energy-efficient lightbulbs, hybrid SUVs, and carbon credits, take a moment to consider the giant, flashing lightbox.
--
Yesterday, when I wasn't grading, I finally cleaned my bicycles' chains, a project that's about a month overdue. By the time I finished, I had gotten black bicycle grease all over my arms and legs and in all the little crevices of the skin on my hands. I am now thinking it might actually be worthwhile to get one of those chain-cleaning devices, especially if R would also use it. After I finished cleaning and applied a fresh layer of ATB (can a chain lubricator have a fan club?), I did a wee bit of smooth, quiet riding. I need to not put off the bike cleaning for so long. A well-maintained bicycle is just so much more pleasant to ride. For serious.
I wrote up a summary report of the bicycle conference, which you can read here. I have a lot of projects going on. They're a trifle...distracting. I hope I can finagle things to a point of manageability in the near future, because I'd like to be doing everything I'm doing, but perhaps with slightly less intensity.
--
Sundays appear to be my main cooking days this semester. Yesterday I made a delicious chickpea and beet green stew (thank you, Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian), and also some almond biscotti. Hopefully I'll be able to keep myself from eating all of them before Scrabble on Wednesday. No guarantees, though. They are biscotti, after all. I also cooked some additional chickpeas to turn into hummus. I have to say, fresh-cooked chickpeas are so much more delicious than those silly canned ones in their tinny liquid, especially if one has a sweet pressure-cooker that will cook them up in a mere 35 minutes.
It's just weird. Frankly, I think I'm happier having not watched any TV since, gosh...I don't know when? Occasionally I'll see advertisements on Teh Internets for big-screen thingamajigs, and all I can think about is how much electricity they guzzle, especially the high-definition ones. Before you rush out to buy energy-efficient lightbulbs, hybrid SUVs, and carbon credits, take a moment to consider the giant, flashing lightbox.
--
Yesterday, when I wasn't grading, I finally cleaned my bicycles' chains, a project that's about a month overdue. By the time I finished, I had gotten black bicycle grease all over my arms and legs and in all the little crevices of the skin on my hands. I am now thinking it might actually be worthwhile to get one of those chain-cleaning devices, especially if R would also use it. After I finished cleaning and applied a fresh layer of ATB (can a chain lubricator have a fan club?), I did a wee bit of smooth, quiet riding. I need to not put off the bike cleaning for so long. A well-maintained bicycle is just so much more pleasant to ride. For serious.
I wrote up a summary report of the bicycle conference, which you can read here. I have a lot of projects going on. They're a trifle...distracting. I hope I can finagle things to a point of manageability in the near future, because I'd like to be doing everything I'm doing, but perhaps with slightly less intensity.
--
Sundays appear to be my main cooking days this semester. Yesterday I made a delicious chickpea and beet green stew (thank you, Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian), and also some almond biscotti. Hopefully I'll be able to keep myself from eating all of them before Scrabble on Wednesday. No guarantees, though. They are biscotti, after all. I also cooked some additional chickpeas to turn into hummus. I have to say, fresh-cooked chickpeas are so much more delicious than those silly canned ones in their tinny liquid, especially if one has a sweet pressure-cooker that will cook them up in a mere 35 minutes.
