I failed, it’s hubris.

After my last foray into bread making magic, I decided to shuck the trailing wheels off my bike and cruise down the street like a big kid. I went from a rather simple Italian bread straight to the braided Hungarian sweet bread. In theory, I screwed up after adding the yeast to the freshly scaled milk--I think maybe the temperature was too high for the yeast to properly proof. Or, perhaps I messed up in scalding the milk, thus the enzymes breakdown that allows the bread to rise higher didn’t happen. All I know is this: after I baked it, I noticed it hadn’t really puffed up in the oven and had a really hard, smooth crust. Afterward I tasted it and realized that I’d made a braided loaf that had the same consistency and weight of a freaking pretzel! Naturally I got out some mustard and had myself a snacky snack.

Eventually, I’ll this right, even it takes me a few tries, but on the bright side, it looked pretty. And, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

I did something new today

and it's not exciting or Earth shattering, but I'm well pleased with myself. Today, for the first time ever, I made bread. Proper bread. From scratch. And it was yummy--light and fluffy and delicious. I realize people do more amazing things than baking bread every single second, of every single day, but it feels good. It feels kinda like I’m reclaiming some lost part of my history.

After I started to can jam, I began to feel a certain amount of peace and love in the process. I would go out early in the morning to pick the fruit with my own hands; I washed it; I culled it; I mashed it; I skillfully dodged jam explosions while stirring; and finally, I turned it into something that wasn’t only edible and tasty, but sincerely satisfying. When I open each jar, it’s like delving into my vault of memories from that day: the heat from the sun and stove; the farmers/planters/growers I interacted with; the fear I carried always that I would do something wrong. There’s truly something nice about the continuality of jamming and bread baking; something pleasant about cutting into, or opening something, and knowing that 100%, for better or worse, you are totally responsible for that product.

Now that the canning season is wrapping up, I’d like to turn my attentions more to bread baking. There are so many different types of bread that I want to try out: round crusty breads; nutty multigrain breads; fruit breads; rye breads; and beautifully braided breads like challah or a traditional Hungarian kalács--there just something so striking about braided breads. One day when I was watching Martha Stewart (don’t judge) she had some bread baker who made this stunning round, crusty bread using carrot juice, and I remember thinking that I didn’t know bread could be such a beautiful a color. I’ve been letting my bread lust simmer on the back stove for the past eight months, but now feel it’s time to unleash it in all it‘s carbohydrate laden glory.

I keep getting images of the way my house will smell this fall and winter with fresh bread baking in the over and a pot of homemade soup heating on the stove. While the temperature races back up into the 90’s in the coming days, I’ll find comfort in cozy thoughts of what’s to come.


Photographic proof of my bread baking ways:

Drama played out via email with store

Dear [Customer],
Thank you for your order with [store] Your order is processing and nearing completion. It is scheduled for shipping by our team on 09/02/2010
Shall revert with the shipment tracking information of your order at the earliest.

To [Store] orWhomever Receives This,
I just reviewed your latest email stating that my dress is in the process of nearing completion, and ought to be shipped out by the 2nd of September, which inundated me with questions relating to your policies. On your website, it clearly states that all items, standard or customized, are shipped within three days, and arrive within seven; however, I ordered my dress on the 21st of August, and by your policy, I should have received it on the 28th of August. Understandably, your company might not operate on the weekends, thus my order wasn't put in until Monday, the 23rd. Again, by your policy, it should have arrived today (the 30th). After rereading old emails I received from your company pertaining to my order, I found no indications that my dress would be tardy.
I went with your company because I held your mission statement in esteem and believed your company to have a fast turnout rate; however, I’ve found your turnout rate might not be as ostensible as previously supposed. Alas, I ordered this dress to wear as the Maid of Honor in my sister’s wedding, yet it doesn‘t look as though that‘s going to be a possibility. I am not asking that you annul my order, as I still desire the dress, yet I would like to better understand what went amiss concerning my order. Whether the problem stems from my lack of comprehension where your policies are concerned, or if my order landed in limbo and got delayed, I would value a reply to make a more informed decision regarding your company for future prospects.
Sincerely,
[Customer]

Dear [Customer]
Thank you for your email
We are very sorry that we have not lived up to your expectations of us and will do our best to make amends
We are experiencing a delay in procurement of the transition fabrics that we are currently offering. The colors as you may have noticed are new and are hence very much in demand at the moment. A long delay in receiving these fabrics has caused the delay in processing some of our orders.
It is not going to be much consolation to you, but this just does not happen at [store]. We understand exactly where it leaves you and we apologize.
Kindly bear with us and allow us this added time in processing your order and shipping it to you. As a token of our apologies for the delay and any resultant inconveniences, we are refunding the shipping charges in full to you. Request you to kindly accept it.
The refund alongwith the transaction details will be emailed to you before the day end.
Assuring you of better services in the future
Warm regards
[Store]

Dear [Store],
Thank you for your explanation of the situation. I truly appreciate the time you took to explain the delay, as well as offering to waive shipping fees. Sadly, I’m in the position of needing the dress by Sept. 10th , at the latest, for my sister’s wedding, and if that isn‘t feasible, I will need to cancel my order and look elsewhere.
I’m not making that statement to bully you all, as I really wanted that particular dress, but I’m in a major bind.
f at all possible, could the dress be shipped overnight, or second day air rather than waive the fee?
Thank You,
[Customer]

Dear [Customer]
Thank you for your understanding.
We are happy to inform you that our fulfillment center has shipped your order on 9/02/2010, and the UPS tracking number is 1[blah]. If you would like to track this consignment, please type this URL provided below :
As per the regular transit time, your order should be delivered to you by Monday (09/06). We are sorry we are unable to offer you the Overnight / Second day air options since all our orders ship from our manufacturing facility in India.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
Best regards
[store]

Dear [Customer]
Thank you for Shopping at [store]
Our fulfillment center has shipped your order on 9/2/2010, and the UPS tracking number is [blah]. We will continue to track your consignment till it reaches you, and will keep you informed of the progress.
Thank you
[store]

Hello [Store],
I've been checking the status of my dress with the UPS tracking number provided, and I'm starting to get stressed out. Saturday the dress appeared to be in Hong Kong; however, when I checked it today it stated that it was still in Chennai, India. According to the UPS website, at10:30 pm EST, the package wasn't released through the clearing agency because it needed document inspection. It also said that the delivery date was rescheduled, but it didn't list when exactly that will happen. So my questions to you are thus: what's the deal with the documentation? Furthermore, if the dress ever gets out of the motherland, will it run into the same problems elsewhere concerning documentation, and do you have any way to see when the rescheduled delivery date is? When I looked for the delivery date it didn't list one, but I really need this dress by September10th. For my sister's wedding. In which I am the maid of honor. No pressure though.
Fun fact: I order the dress two weeks ago, which means that's how long you've probably been hitting your head against a wall for having drawn me to represent.
Sincerely,
[Customer]

Hmm

So, a friend on Facebook made a status change about a friend who'd been hurt in a car accident and need prayers. Beneath it, a friend (non-mutual) stated that 'nothing [healing him] is impossible for God,' which made me wonder what happens if he dies. If nothing is impossible for God to fix, does it mean that God doesn't care enough about him and let him die?

These type of questions are infinite. It’s why I get so uncomfortable with faith, blind or otherwise.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it's still a beautiful world

Seals!

Pea Fowl!

Mountains!

Ground Squirrels!

Sound track to today's post: "I Wish It Would Rain," by The Temptations. Not because I'm sad and want the raindrops to hide my teardrops, or stay locked up in my room, but because my world outside is brown and crunchy rather than green and lush. As crazy as it seems, I think it might be nice to mow my lawn again...

I don't understand

why more isn't being done.











All photos via The Huffington Post

Ridiculous people on planes

On the plane from Richmond to Dallas I had the profound misfortune of sitting in front of a girl and her mother who were flying back home to the west coast, after having picked the daughter up at her east coast school. Normally, I don't really pay attention to the intricate, and sometimes complicated, squabbles of couples, families, or friends who are within the same enclosed vicinity because I can block them out with my iPod; however, when the captain informs me that I must turn off all electrical devices, it leaves my ofttimes abused ears too their mercy. This girl was seriously loud; seriously entitled; and seriously obnoxious--obnoxious enough that I wrote down a list of things I wanted to say to her, but wouldn't because in the retelling of it, she'd make herself sound like a victim.

The list as written:
1. I understand that you're frustrated about your flight being delayed (due to uncontrollable forces such as weather) because we all feel that way; however, that doesn't mean it's time to leave respect for your fellow travelers by the wayside. Truly, even an iota of respect in situations where everyone is feeling annoyed, frustrated, and intolerably put upon goes very far.

1a. You're complaining about not getting to go out and have a nice dinner as you planned--which sucks, don't get me wrong--meanwhile the really nice, soft-spoken woman directly behind you has had her flight home canceled completely. Imagine what she must be dealing with as she attempts to make other flight arraignments in a bid to get home.

2. The entire plane doesn't need to know how freaked out you are about take off. Seriously, if you're that close to having a panic attack, than maybe you should go to your doctor and ask them about a possible prescription for Xanax. Be proactive; be the change that will make future flights better for everyone else. Perhaps you should look into transferring to a school on the west coast. I'm sure your fellow students at William & Mary won't mind.

3. Your mother, in total, will have flown around 6,000 miles to collect you from college, which makes her pretty damn awesome in my opinion. If you could maybe get off your high horse you could perhaps thank her for picking you up. Yelling and/or talking down to the woman whose body bore you belongs firmly in the realm of unacceptable behavior--in fact you oughtn't yell or talk down to anyone.

3a. Furthermore, I shouldn't have to shame you into apologizing to your mother by calling my own and telling her that I love and appreciate her.

Treesap vs. the HP devils

I attempt to lead a life without bitterness or cynicism, but apparently I have some glaring genetic impairment that makes a life without acrimony nigh well impossible. The deal is thus: I bought an HP laptop in March 2007 and recently it ceased to turn on due to a design flaw. Naturally the warranty expired 03/2009. I did notice on the HP website that my computer had a recall due to this design flaw, but they’re only willing to fix it if your computer is under warranty. They could fix it for $400 (they’ll even cut 40% off that price!), which I said no to. I still haven’t decided if I should fix it or not (Should I spend more than it’s worth to fix it?), or if I should just go buy a new one and start fresh.

I guess what this gripe boils down to is that I find it uncalled for that I, a loyal customer, should suffer the ramifications of their design flaw. If I had somehow broken the computer, I would be willing to own up to my error and have it fixed, but since I am not at fault, I feel stalled in my decision making process. Logically I know HP doesn’t give two craps if I fix it with them; take it to an outside expert; or just buy another computer from another company, but the hell of it is that I care. It’s not even about the money to me, it’s more about having a known design flaw, admitting it, but only helping those within their warranties. All I want is for them to take full responsibility--not partial--but full because it’s the right thing to do, and at the end of the day, they’re the type of company that does the right thing.

A new love most beguiling.

I’ve recently come across a band called Mumford & Sons, and have decided they’re for whom my heart beats (literally when listening to them whilst exercising). I haven’t been this excited about a band since Okkervil River/Josh Ritter circa 2005. Banjo! Mandolin! Double Bass! They have it all!

Don’t believe me when I say they’re awesome? Check it out for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCg_QEHtkY

Onward ho weary travelers

I’ve decided that having a blog is kinda like having a pen pal, in that you start off your relationship with promise and zeal only to have it later degrade and waste away into nothing as the weeks, months, or years pass. I used to have a pretty awesome blog before I deleted it. I also used to have a pretty awesome Scottish pen pal before I lost touch with him. I even had one regular (What’s up Sunnyvale, CA?) whom never commented on my shout outs, despite my fevered hopes. Occasionally I try to find my old pen pal on Facebook, even though I know he’d never conform to such a lame concept.

I wish I hadn’t deleted part of the content because I had some pretty funny articles about obscure historical figures in which I invented 75% of their history. At that point in my life, I was listening to a lot of Sufjan Stevens so my writing and ideas where fairly grandiose and out there. Granted, I wrote those articles five years and two computers ago, which means I don’t have a saved copy or really remember the content. In truth, they probably read like Updike where you could easily see what a pretentious ass I am, and how easily pleased I am with my own cleverness.

2009 in Pictures

January:
Streams, mountains, and graveyards:

February:
A trip to the Baltimore Aquarium:


March:

For the birds and the dogs.

April:
Cherry blossoms in Washington DC, followed by a frantic drive back to Norfolk to catch Josh Ritter playing at the Attucks Theater.

May:

Brought mountains and lakes, low-laying clouds, and snoozy poodles.

June:

Spent time with parents and trees.

July:
Roadtrip to Louisville, KY to see Josh Ritter in concert; went to Cincinnati for the hell of it. Camping for 4th of July at Panther Falls, and spent a few days in the Outer Banks.

August:

More camping, empty bro 'fridge, an annoyed cat, and eye make-up galore.

September:

Bathrooms in used bookstores, rain, slight flooding, tunnel traffic, and the dog I found by the Great Dismal Swamp.

October:

Beautiful sunrises, landsharks, and pumpkins galore.

November:
New hair, Norfolk Zoo, The Heritage Museum, and flooding thanks to the Nor'Ida (Nor’easter + Hurricane Ida)

December:

There were fireplaces snuggled up to, epic snow storms, and photobooths in Richmond