The Empty Cabinets of my Mind

Does This Look Gross...or Good?

It tasted delicious:

  What is it?   Gratin potatoes aubergine! 

My classy neighbor has been bringing me fresh veggies from a local farm almost every week since I moved here, and recently I found among the surprises in the bag she brought over a couple lovely eggplants.   So I sliced them thin over the top of my scalloped potatoes, sprinkled chili oil over that, and layered on some cheese.  Then I nuked it all in the NuWave infrared/convection oven until the top was crunchy and brown. 

When I make scalloped potatoes, it is usually in quantity and I start out in the microwave and then put portion-controlled servings away in the freezer to pull out and bake another day, adding something different each time.  Eggplant is related to the potato, so maybe that wasn't awfully different, but it was the first time I made it that way.   Usually I slice the eggplant thick, dip the slices in beaten eggs and then in romano cheese and fry them up in butter until soft. 

What is Wrong with Used?

I've never liked the term "pre-owned" as a euphemism for "used." But an online watch shop called Best of Time (also known as Alex Jewelry) has done one better by calling their stock "like new."

That is a phrase I can live with, and so here is their link: www.bestoftime.com

Another thing I like about www.bestoftime.com is that they are open and unabashed about circumventing manufacturer pricing controls.  I fully approve of that. It seems to me that once something is made and sold, the company that made it should have no more say in the process, except for replacing something if they didn't make it right. 

So if I were going to buy a Rolex watch, I'd definitely get a like new one from someplace like www.bestoftime.com and not pay full list price. It is not as if they aren't genuine with serial numbers and appraisal papers. They invite you to take your watch, within 2 weeks, to have it authenticated by a jeweler of your choice. They even pay the return shipping if for any reason you don't like your watch, with a full refund -- no restocking fee.

How cool is that?

I Don't Give a Fig

I should hasten to point out that I am referring to Ficus carica and I would add that in my opinion, there is nothing common about a fig. 

Dunno how that expression came about, for to me a fig is not something without value, but rather a wonderfully exciting part of the good life:

I am trying to figure out why everyone says you can't propagate a fig tree by rooting soft stem cuttings in water.  I guess I'll find out the time honored way--by trying it to see what happens.  So far there are zillions of adorable little white things that sure look like roots to me sprouting in delightful circles all around the stem at every node.  They were already visible in just 3 or 4 days.  Maybe I should go dig up some potting soil. 

Here is one version of how that saying about a fig may have come into being:

Phrases

An unabashed plug...

...for my favorite (and only) social networking program:

Are you a gardening fan? Then join other gardening fans on myLot! Whether you're looking for a friendly conversation or a heated debate, you can find it on myLot.

Minimum payout is $10 a month by PayPal. Although most of us network there just for the fun of it, the pennies do add up. In fact, among other things, I paid for the WaterMark Factory software I use to copy protect photos I post online with myLot earnings.

I Bought a Bike

It was sort of about fitness, and sort of about the price of gas. 

I wanted to be able to get out in the cool evening air and let the breeze blow away some of the routines of my day...and maybe sneak down to hamburger row to snag a little junk food once in a while without piling into the car and wasting gas.  This is how my mind works:

Let's see, cost of McDonald's double cheeseburger -- $1.  Cost of gas to get there and back -- $.20.  Cost of getting out of shape from eating burger and then sitting in car -- my life.   Cost of weekly specials at the fantastic market across from McDonald's -- corn, 5 ears/$1, grey squash $.50...piling in the car and getting there?  Unlikely...too much bother for one item, too close to McDonald's, waste of $.20 in gas.  That certainly ups the overall price of the leaders.

So I had been avoiding that cute little neighborhood market.  No more.

The bike had to be a folder.  That way we could take it along on vacations, and haul it back and forth between our summer and winter places.  I couldn't afford this one:

Fastest Folding Bike

I didn't want a bike that screamed "Steal Me!" either.  I looked hard and long at the Dahon boardwalk, as well as Citizen, and some of the other online specials.  I decided it had to come from a local bike shop, so that I could get competent help from someone who knows bikes better than me.  So I rode the Dahon and then I rode this little sleeper from Sun in Taiwan, called the Cayne Rambler.  It was a hard choice because the Dahon handled well and was a bit lower, which appealed to me.  But the Rambler coasted along faster with a whole lot less effort.  

It has gotten some compliments, so I can't really say it is not pretty, but it has a utilitarian look that I like, and although an alloy, the frame is sturdy.   But for now you will all have to excuse me, for there is a hamburger with my name on it. 

How to Find Your Place on the Net

When I first went in search of my current web hosting plan, I didn't properly know what one was. It was therefore vital not only that I find a good price and competent hosting, but also great service with a little of the milk of human kindness thrown in. So resources such as this one were crucial to my investigation:

web hosting reviews

The plan I have been using for years now is listed as number 5, and it still has almost all of its 5 stars.  It is good to see that, as I have been really happy with them. 

There are quite a few people on the net who would like to give us advice about who to pay to provide us with domains and home pages and all that good stuff that gives us a presence on the web.  Some of them address speed and ease of use and service as well as price. 

Web Hosting Geeks is a little different.  Their home page is very well organized, but there are many extras.  For instance, they have really interesting articles posted on their blog.  Here is an example:

Clouds and Security Issues

Before a whole lot of famous people started using Twitter to communicate with their adoring fans I added Twitter to my sidebar, but had to take it down again because it hung up the pages...to many issues, too bad!    So these issues are of interest to me and I could get lost for hours just reading and learning from this kind of resource.  Making this kind of information accessible inevitably causes me to remember the days when one had to be something of a UNIX guru to do much of anything geekish.   I've never lost interest in UNIX, and was pleased to see it mentioned in the well-written Web Hosting Geeks blog:

Things to Look for in a UNIX Hosting Platform

Not only do I highly recommend Web Hosting Geeks as a resource, I think I will toddle off now and subscribe to their blog feed.