iAnthony

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2010-04-03T12:15:00.001-04:00

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Macaroni Pie...

2010-04-02T20:37:00.002-04:00

So for pretty much as long as I can remember, we've had a traditional dinner on Good Friday - macaroni pie. It's spaghetti with ricotta cheese, eggs, and vanilla extract, baked in the oven. It's, well, OK - kind of bland, and not particularly healthy, but it's a tradition. They weren't going to make it this year, because it was too much work and they don't get around too well, but I offered to make it. It's not really that hard to make, although it does involve quite a bit of stirring.

It came out OK, and the parents seemed pleased. My older brother even swung by for dinner.

Easter cookies....

2010-04-01T01:20:00.003-04:00

So I decided to bake the traditional Easter cookies tonight before I go up to NJ tomorrow to spend Easter break with the parents. OK, there really isn't an Easter cookie tradition. And my Easter cookies are suspiciously similar to my Christmas cookies, only with pastel M&M's. But I figure it gives me something to bring up and gives my parents something they normally don't get.

They came out OK, although not quite as good as usual, probably because I was in a hurry when I made them.

forty-six inches of Apple goodness...

2010-03-08T23:57:00.002-05:00

So we picked up some equipment at work that a department didn't need. Among the stuff was a 23" Apple HD Cinema Display. One of my coworkers had an extra ADC to DVI adapter, so I now have a matched pair of Apple displays on my Mac Pro at work.

Yes, it's only an extra inch bigger than the Samsung it replaced, but I still think it's cool, and it's nice to put otherwise obsolete tech stuff to work - especially since these monitors at one point were $3500 a piece.

And if you are wondering why there is a Windows logo on the right side, I run VMWare Fusion because I run some apps, including our ticket system, that won't work under OSX.

I checked, I have an engine...

2010-02-14T18:18:00.003-05:00

So yesterday I was driving back from an electronics swap meet when I noticed the "check engine" light was on in the "Danger Ranger", my '06 Ford Ranger pickup. I checked, and I do have an engine, so I don't know what that's about.

The gas cap seemed snug. The owner's manual doesn't make it sound like a big deal - says it could just be a loose gas cap or bad gas, and that it could take a few fill-ups and quite a bit of driving before it resets. It doesn't seem like it's running any worse than normal, or making any more noise than normal, so I guess I'll just ignore it for now. A coworker is going to let me borrow his OBDII meter, so at least I'll have a starting point. But at some point, I'll probably need to take it to the dealer - which means spending money I'd rather spend on brightly-colored shoes and deeply discounted beef jerky, and spending time waiting at the dealership that I'd rather be spending time doing something else.

I hate the check-engine light - it's silly to have one light that tells you "there is something wrong with your vehicle, and it could be anything from a loose gas cap to your engine is about to fall out". At least most computer error messages give you some info of what you need to do.

C is for cookie....

2010-02-12T13:58:00.002-05:00

So since I was bored, and hungry, I decided to bake some cookies. They are the same m&m cookies I made at Christmastime, only with non-holiday colored M&M's. I picked up the M&M's during my Tuesday Target run between snowstorms. Alas, I only had enough butter for one batch. Actually, given that I haven't been to the gym in over a week, maybe it's just as well.

i can haz snowstorm?

2010-02-10T16:51:00.002-05:00

Nibbler seems fascinated by the snow - she's been in my basement perching on the sofa looking out my french doors at the snow, or up in the living room peeking her fuzzy little head between the blinds to watch it fall and blow.

Easy for her to do. She doesn't have to worry about shoveling it tomorrow.

And yes, the pic with the blinds open is staged - they are normally closed, but I thought it would be a cool pic.

Evidently, the key to surviving the snowpocalypse is frozen pizza...

2010-02-09T16:19:00.003-05:00

I stopped by Target this morning - there were a few things I was running low on, but mostly I wanted to get out of the house. I really hadn't left the house since Friday afternoon, and it's supposed to start snowing this afternoon, so I figured it would be my window to get out and get some stuff done.

Predictably, they were low on milk and bread - I managed to snag the last loaf of Archer Farms bread in the store. Oddly enough, they were also pretty much out of frozen pizza. Evidently, that's up there on the list of things that people can't live without in a snow storm.

The roads weren't too bad, although the ones I was on are pretty main ones. Still, there were a lot of places where only one lane in each direction of a 4 lane road was passable, and corners/intersections were treacherous because you couldn't see around the snow piles.

So that's what the cat does all day...

2010-02-08T16:28:00.002-05:00

I've always wondered what Nibbler, my adorable yet evil cat, does while I'm off at work, slaving away over computers to pay for her kibble and Tidy Cat. I even set up a webcam in my basement to try to see what she does, but except for the occasional nibble and poop I rarely see her.

Well, since I'm home due to the snowpocalyse, I found out what she does all day - nap on my Poang chair. I think it must be in sunbeam range...

The chair, like the cat, is kind of special (and like the cat, was free). I got it back in 2003 when Ikea opened their store in College Park, MD - they had a promo where the first 100 people in line at either Maryland store got a free chair. I got their around 10:30pm, driving straight from work - I worked nights at the time - and camped out overnight to get it.

Can I get a cup of cake, please?

2010-02-08T13:23:00.002-05:00

Since I'm snowed in, bored, and running critically low on my cookie stockpile, I decided to make a batch of cupcakes - I had a box of mix and a can of frosting that I bought over the summer with the intention of making a birthday cake for a friend as a joke. I never got around to it.

If you are wondering why they have a patriotic theme, well, it's because I love this country and the freedom and opportunities that it's citizens enjoy. Well, that and because I bought the frosting on clearance at Target after the 4th of July - it was cheaper than the normal frosting, and I figured I could throw out the sprinkles and still be ahead financially.

Ranger extraction..

2010-02-07T17:02:00.003-05:00

Spent a couple hours today getting the Ranger from out of it's blanket of snow. Took a few hours - got a little help from some neigbors who shoveled around my truck and my neigbor's van - the spot they plow all the snow into is right next to our spots, so we had a ton of snow to get out from.

The biggest problem was finding a place to put all the snow - I ended up carrying a bunch of it pretty much halfway accross the parking lot to an snow-filled spot. My arms are sore from carrying it all...

I thought I had a walkway somewhere...

2010-02-06T16:51:00.003-05:00

Well, since it finally stopped snowing I decided to at least get the walkway shoveled today. I figure I'll deal with the truck tomorrow. There was so much snow I couldn't tell where the walkway was - a few times I thought I was shoveling sidewalk, only to discover I was actually shoveling a patch of my front lawn.

The first pic is what greeted me when I opened my front door...

Do you know the muffin man?

2010-02-06T14:21:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday I looked at weather.com and realized that I was probably going to be spending the weekend snowed in. I'd been wanting to make muffins for a while - ever since my fairly successful Christmas cookies - so I bought the ingredients for this strudel-topped muffin recipe. I made them last night and had a couple this morning for breakfast. They are pretty good.

I bet the flames add like 10 hp...

2010-02-04T23:55:00.004-05:00

I spotted this early-90's Ford Explorer in the parking lot of a diner where I was grabbing dinner with a friend. Nice flame job!

Good, if slightly out-of-date, stuff cheap

2010-02-02T21:12:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my night class getting preemptively canceled due to impending snow, and assuming the gym would also be closed, I actually drove home at 5pm tonight - which meant taking the back way to avoid Beltway traffic. Since my route brought me near Good Stuff Cheap, an odd-lot closeout store in Parkville, MD, I decided to stop by.

They sell a bunch of stuff - everything from expired food to dollar-store type items to logo merchandise from defunct businesses. I usually buy food items, which are hit or miss - sometimes they are good, which sucks because they usually aren't there the next time, sometimes not so much. They have a sign reminding people that it's safe to eat stuff after it's sell-by date.

I spent a grand total of $12.77 . I walked away with a fancy shopping bag (probably also from a defunct retailer) containing:
-4 small packs of peanut butter sandwich cookies
-3 cups of stove top instant stuffing
-4 small bottles of Starbucks syrups (labeled "not for individual sale")
-a 1 pound package of Target Honey Smoked turkey breast, frozen
-a package of frozen cream cheese filled pumpkin rolls
-a box of herbal tea
-a bottle of oriental mustard
-a Starbucks logo travel mug (14 oz, red, sadly not dishwasher safe)

A Hardee lunch...

2010-01-31T21:20:00.002-05:00

So I had a hamfest today in Odenton. Didn't make nearly as much as I hoped. Afterwords, I went to Ollie's, an odd-lot discounter, and then grabbed some lunch. Pasadena is home of one of the few Hardee's restaurants in Maryland. I don't think I've been in a Hardees since I was a kid on vacations with the parents.

This is the "portabello ThickBurger" combo meal. It was pretty good - definitely better than, say, McDonalds - but not quite as good as, say, 5 guys. It also was a little more expensive than other fast food places, and not as fast - they actually bring the food to your table. They also have a pretty diverse menu, including fried chicken, a bunch of burger and chicken varieties, and hot ham sandwiches. They also had signs advertising their breakfast menu, including a fried bologna and egg sandwich.

I wouldn't go out of my way to go there, but maybe I'll stop by next year...

My new $140 coffeepot...

2010-01-30T15:59:00.002-05:00

So I like coffee. A lot. I'm so addicted to caffeine that I get headaches and go through withdrawal if I don't get it. It's like crack, except there isn't free crack in the break room at work, unless you are a drug dealer.

So last weekend my Cuisinart Grind and Brew was giving me trouble - I couldn't get the basket out. So I decided it was time for a new machine, and that I was going to splurge. I'd read good things about Capresso grind and brew machines, so I looked for one. It's normally $200 but I found a refurb at J&R for $140.

Finally hooked it up last night and used it this morning. I'm impressed - it looks cool and makes a great cup of coffee. I don't usually like thermal pots since I can't see how much coffee is in it, but this is growing on me. The main basket swings from grinder to brewer by itself, which is cool. Programing controls aren't the most intuitive, though.

It's the time of year when things turn pink...

2010-01-23T22:25:00.002-05:00

I hate this time of year. It's cold, making me bundle up, making my hands bleed, making me scrape ice off the window and drive around with the windows closed and the heat on. And it's also the time of year for my least favorite holiday, Valentine's Day.

I've heard that Valentine's Day is great for people who are in a relationship, but since I seem to repel women like I have my own force field, I wouldn't know. I do know that two isles of Target are now full of so much pink and red and white that I don't know if I want to vomit or sob.

I was trying to take this pic without letting people know I was taking a pic and getting odd looks from disgustingly lovesick couples wondering why I was taking the picture, which is why it's blurry. But I think it came out kind of cool.

I suffer from yellow pickup envy...

2010-01-16T22:48:00.002-05:00

When you drive a small pickup like my Ranger, you feel like you tower over ordinary cars - but that bigger "real" full-size trucks tower over you. But I saw a pickup today that will make even a Super Duty F-450 owner feel inadequate. I spotted this truck on my afternoon drive around the Baltimore Beltway to the gym. It's an International CXT - basically a commercial truck chassis with a pickup bed on the back.

Unlike the one owned by Ashton Kutcher, this one actually was being used for heavy-duty work - it was towing an empty boat trailer, and had the name of a marine-services company on the back window.

Saucy!

2010-01-05T21:27:00.002-05:00

So I came back a few days before I needed to go back to work after Christmas break. One of the reasons was that I wanted to do some cleaning, along with a list of other chores and errands. Of course, I didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but I still got quite a bit done.

One of the things I did was clean out my collection of fast-food condiments from my silverware and cutlery drawer. I'm not sure what I ever though I would do with all these Taco Bell and soy sauce packets. It's especially puzzling that I accumulated all this, since I don't even get fast food all that often...

It's not Christmas without tentacle..

2009-12-24T21:55:00.002-05:00

I drove up to NJ today to spend Christmas with the family. It was an interesting drive. One of the traditions in an Italian Catholic family like ours is fish on Christmas Eve. Traditionally, it's 7 fishes, but given my parents age and health problems, not to mention the fact that most of us don't like most of the fish anyway, we are down to 3. My brother and I helped out with the cooking - I cut a ton of garlic, while my brother made the traditional Calamari (squid) in tomato sauce - featured above, served over spaghetti. It's actually pretty tasty, but it's not the most ascetically pleasing dish around.

I thought I parked here...

2009-12-20T14:11:00.003-05:00

My truck, before I cleaned it off.

Just a little bit of snow.

Scenes from the snowpocalypse...

2009-12-19T17:32:00.002-05:00

So the Baltimore Metro area is currently in the middle of one of the biggest snowstorms ever. I have yet to venture outside, figuring that there is nowhere that I absolutely need to be for at least the next 36 hours - I plan on spending much of tomorrow shoveling and extracting the Danger Ranger from it's snowy cocoon. I spent most of today sitting around in sweatpants, although I also cranked out 3 batches of Christmas cookies.

Anyway, this pic is outside my window, taken around noon or so. Since then, it's continued to snow - the yellow Ranger is mine, and the snow on the back (I have an ARE hard tounneau cover) is now pretty much up to the top of the cab.

Fun with Windows 7...

2009-12-14T21:59:00.000-05:00

So everyone I've talked to has said that Windows 7 is really easy to install. And in my previous experiences with it, it was - I've installed the beta and the RTM on several real and virtual machines without a problem.

Until now.

Last year, I decided to build a Hackintosh - a PC hacked to run MacOS -as my main machine. I bought the recommended motherboard - an Asus P5W DH Deluxe - off of eBay, and assembled the rest of the parts from stuff I had lying around that I got free or cheap after rebate, plus a couple new parts from Newegg (processor, hard drive, ect). The first motherboard I bought didn't work, and by the time I found a replacement, I'd kind of lost interest - Apple came out with a Mac Mini that had dual monitor support, which was my main reason for building the hackintosh in the first place, and i began to question the wisdom of running a pirated, hacked OS on my main production machine.

So the Hackintosh sat at a friend's house for a while. A few weeks ago, I got a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate from a Microsoft event. I figured I'd grab the Hackintosh, throw 7 on it, and hook it up to my 42" LCD TV to stream music and movies to from my NAS. So yesterday I grabbed the machine, hooked it up, and threw in the Win7 DVD.

It booted up, started loading Windows, and then went to a blue screen with a stop screen and hex. Googled it, and found out it was an ACPI BIOS error. Went into BIOS, turned on ACPI 2.0 support, and it went past the error... only to stall on a "starting windows" screen.

Did a little googling, and found that this error was pretty common on Asus mobos. Tried a bunch of the suggestions - disabling the second NIC in BIOS, disabling USB ports, ect. Finally tonight I took out two of the 4 sticks of RAM and unplugged the USB card reader. It loaded fine, and after it was loaded I powered down and put the RAM and card reader back in and it still boots.

I've still got to finish loading some more software before it's ready for the TV. But the next time somone tells me how easy 7 is to install, I have a story for them....

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas cookies...

2009-12-13T16:14:00.002-05:00

For years, my mom has baked a bunch of Christmas cookies, including M&M cookies with red and green M&M's. Since she has some health issues, and my dad has even more, it seemed unlikely that she would be baking cookies. So I decided to take a stab at it, and got the recipe from her. My work decided to drop our normal lavishly catered Christmas party in favor of a potluck (boo) so I figured I'd bake them for that as well.

So this morning I started baking. I've never done any baking before, and it took a little while to get the hang of it - the first batch came out crispy on the edges and soft in the middle, the second batch came out burned. But the rest came OK, and I have about 30 decent cookies to take into work, which I figure should be enough - and about 12 damaged cookies left for me.

The other challenge was that I'm not exactly equipped for baking. I burned out the motor on my cheap $10 hand mixer, and only had two decent cookie sheets, so it took a long time to make two batches.

Next weekend I'll be at this again, to make cookies to take to NJ with me. I'll do a triple batch - I just need to buy more butter, I've got enough of everthing else. And I've already ordered 2 more cookie sheets and a better hand mixer from Amazon with my free Prime trial.