Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Seedstarting: Stuff that works
Yes, I'm doing a lot of gardening-related posts lately. I expect I'll do more. Gardening is almost as big a love of mine as music, and knowing what to do is likely to be worthwhile, sooner or later.
So I was looking at starting some seeds for a fall/winter crop. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, USDA Zone 9ish (maybe 8.5), I can grow hardy stuff all winter long.
I went out to the tool shed to dig out my seed starter flats. I have a couple of "self-watering" kits originally from Gardener's Supply in Vermont. They're part of the APS (Accelerated Propagation System) line of seed starting trays. I discovered that I have everything but the dome lids to keep the moisture in until the seeds germinate. Rather than lose two weeks to hunting around for lids I might never find, I went to the Internet. And I discovered that not only do the folks at Gardener's Supply have additional APS kits; they have replacement parts.
I could have just gotten replacement lids. But I decided to replace the capillary mats too, because they're getting old.
Total cost for replacements and spares: $27. Cost to replace the APS units: $40 plus shipping. Mission accomplished; now I just need to wait for the stuff to arrive in about two weeks.
In the meantime, I may start fava beans and peas direct in the garden, or I might wait a few weeks for the weather to cool off a bit.
So I was looking at starting some seeds for a fall/winter crop. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, USDA Zone 9ish (maybe 8.5), I can grow hardy stuff all winter long.
I went out to the tool shed to dig out my seed starter flats. I have a couple of "self-watering" kits originally from Gardener's Supply in Vermont. They're part of the APS (Accelerated Propagation System) line of seed starting trays. I discovered that I have everything but the dome lids to keep the moisture in until the seeds germinate. Rather than lose two weeks to hunting around for lids I might never find, I went to the Internet. And I discovered that not only do the folks at Gardener's Supply have additional APS kits; they have replacement parts.
I could have just gotten replacement lids. But I decided to replace the capillary mats too, because they're getting old.
Total cost for replacements and spares: $27. Cost to replace the APS units: $40 plus shipping. Mission accomplished; now I just need to wait for the stuff to arrive in about two weeks.
In the meantime, I may start fava beans and peas direct in the garden, or I might wait a few weeks for the weather to cool off a bit.
Labels: APS, gardens, seed starting
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
"To the moon!"
The US Human Space Flight Plans Committee has released the summary of its report regarding the future and feasibility of a US presence in space.
To be honest, it's disappointing. President Bush the Second, in a fit of impracticality, wrenched NASA's priorities away from supporting the International Space Station (ISS) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) toward a new moon program. The sunny-side prognosis was that we would "only" have a gap of about five years between the last flight of the Space Shuttle and the first manned flight of the Constellation system. Personally, I thought the idea stank at the time. Not since Apollo has NASA been able, whether through mismanagement or budget Proxmiring, to develop and deliver a project on-time.
Well, the USHSFPC agrees with me. They feel that, given NASA's current and projected budgets, it will be at least seven years between the last Shuttle flight and the first manned flight of Ares/Orion. Fortunately, they appear to like this prospect about as much as I do. And after crunching the numbers, they've demonstrated that a return to the Moon is unrealistic under current budget constraints.
However, if we were to give NASA just three billion dollars more a year - what it costs to run the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for about a week - we could shorten that gap and *maybe* make it to the Moon in the 2020s sometime.
Now if you're one of those Luddites who says, "Who cares?" take a few minutes to read this discussion on the many ways that the space program has benefited each and every one of us. It goes *way* beyond Tang and the pen you can use to write at any angle.
I think that it's criminal to continue to starve NASA and our technological development. Yes, new technologies bring their own problems, and there is no shortage of good things to spend money on here at home, beginning with food and energy and healthcare security for all Americans. But we're only talking an extra ten dollars per citizen per year, so that maybe our descendants will be able to walk among the stars. I'd give them an extra ten dollars a year, if it would help us maintain a viable space program.
With all the money being thrown at incompetent bankers, arrogant automakers, and lawbreaking private security companies, it would be nice to see a few more of my tax dollars going to something I'm proud of.
To be honest, it's disappointing. President Bush the Second, in a fit of impracticality, wrenched NASA's priorities away from supporting the International Space Station (ISS) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) toward a new moon program. The sunny-side prognosis was that we would "only" have a gap of about five years between the last flight of the Space Shuttle and the first manned flight of the Constellation system. Personally, I thought the idea stank at the time. Not since Apollo has NASA been able, whether through mismanagement or budget Proxmiring, to develop and deliver a project on-time.
Well, the USHSFPC agrees with me. They feel that, given NASA's current and projected budgets, it will be at least seven years between the last Shuttle flight and the first manned flight of Ares/Orion. Fortunately, they appear to like this prospect about as much as I do. And after crunching the numbers, they've demonstrated that a return to the Moon is unrealistic under current budget constraints.
However, if we were to give NASA just three billion dollars more a year - what it costs to run the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for about a week - we could shorten that gap and *maybe* make it to the Moon in the 2020s sometime.
Now if you're one of those Luddites who says, "Who cares?" take a few minutes to read this discussion on the many ways that the space program has benefited each and every one of us. It goes *way* beyond Tang and the pen you can use to write at any angle.
I think that it's criminal to continue to starve NASA and our technological development. Yes, new technologies bring their own problems, and there is no shortage of good things to spend money on here at home, beginning with food and energy and healthcare security for all Americans. But we're only talking an extra ten dollars per citizen per year, so that maybe our descendants will be able to walk among the stars. I'd give them an extra ten dollars a year, if it would help us maintain a viable space program.
With all the money being thrown at incompetent bankers, arrogant automakers, and lawbreaking private security companies, it would be nice to see a few more of my tax dollars going to something I'm proud of.
Monday, September 07, 2009
One-man Stimulus Package
Now *here's* an article about someone who's giving back to the community.
I read a lot of stories about individuals and companies who seem to feel that the purpose of getting wealth is to enable you to get more wealth, and to do so in the most demeaning ways possible. Perhaps my imagination is insufficient...but after the first couple of million, what do you *do* with all of it? Put it in a big vault a la Scrooge McDuck and swim in it?
It does my heart good to see someone like Ludacris - an individual who is successful and who's financially comfortable - giving back and paying forward. I'm reminded of fellow Trop Rocker Brent Burns, who donates considerable sums every year to Habitat for Humanity.
Sadly, I am not yet financially comfortable enough to be able to help others on that scale. But people like this inspire me to continue doing what I can, however small.
Because true security is making sure that your neighbors have enough.
I read a lot of stories about individuals and companies who seem to feel that the purpose of getting wealth is to enable you to get more wealth, and to do so in the most demeaning ways possible. Perhaps my imagination is insufficient...but after the first couple of million, what do you *do* with all of it? Put it in a big vault a la Scrooge McDuck and swim in it?
It does my heart good to see someone like Ludacris - an individual who is successful and who's financially comfortable - giving back and paying forward. I'm reminded of fellow Trop Rocker Brent Burns, who donates considerable sums every year to Habitat for Humanity.
Sadly, I am not yet financially comfortable enough to be able to help others on that scale. But people like this inspire me to continue doing what I can, however small.
Because true security is making sure that your neighbors have enough.
Labels: Brent Burns, cars, charity, Habitat for Humanity, Ludacris, stimulus
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Salsa is easy
And here I'm not talking about the musical type, but if you want to imagine some hot, sexy salsa music going in the background while you read this, go ahead. :)
I have a garden, and long about this time every year, that garden gives me more tomatoes than I know what to do with. So I make salsa as one way of using and being thankful for that bounty.
Here's what I do:
First, I peel a half-dozen or so cloves of garlic, from the bounty of garlic I harvested in late June. The easy way to do this is to cut the bottom off the clove with a sharp kitchen knife, lay the flat of the knife on top of the clove, and whack it gently with the heel of your hand to semi-crush the clove. This loosens the skin sufficiently that you can just peel it off and toss it into the container of stuff going back out to the compost pile. Toss the cloves into the food processor.
Next, add a couple of chili peppers of your favorite heat level. This time I used two jalapenos I got from a friend who owns one of the wineries I play at; in the past I've grown these. I removed most of the seeds to keep the heat level manageable for me. To do this, you cut the stem end off the pepper and then slit it open lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with the knife or a teaspoon, and add them and the stem to the compost.
CAUTION: If you get the pepper juice on your hands, DON'T RUB YOUR EYES or any other sensitive flesh until you've cleaned your hands THOROUGHLY. It *will* hurt if you don't pay attention to this.
Next, add the equivalent of one small onion, in big chunks, to the food processor. Once again, these are easy to grow in the average home garden, and most years I'd be using my own onions.
Now, run the food processor on high until everything is chopped and shredded into little bits. It won't take long, and it's a lot faster this way than chopping by hand.
At this point, I scrape all of the stuff in the food processor out into a separate bowl, but you can also add your tomatoes right in and mix it all together.
Cut up half a dozen or so tomatoes, more if they're smaller and fewer if they're huge. If your tomatoes are about 3" in diameter, use 6 or 7. Cut out the stem end and quarter them. Toss them in the food processor, and run the food processor until all the big chunks are gone.
If you took the other stuff out before adding tomatoes, now add your tomatoes to the onions, garlic, and peppers mix and stir thoroughly.
Presto! You're done!
At this point, you can add other stuff if you feel like it, to adjust the flavor. I used a quarter lime and some chipotle powder. If the salsa is too spicy, add more tomatoes. If you like cilantro, chop and add some.
Serves a roomful of people, alongside a bag or bowl of tortilla chips. Or use it in Mexican dishes of various sorts. If you grew all of the ingredients, let your friends know - be proud.
I have a garden, and long about this time every year, that garden gives me more tomatoes than I know what to do with. So I make salsa as one way of using and being thankful for that bounty.
Here's what I do:
First, I peel a half-dozen or so cloves of garlic, from the bounty of garlic I harvested in late June. The easy way to do this is to cut the bottom off the clove with a sharp kitchen knife, lay the flat of the knife on top of the clove, and whack it gently with the heel of your hand to semi-crush the clove. This loosens the skin sufficiently that you can just peel it off and toss it into the container of stuff going back out to the compost pile. Toss the cloves into the food processor.
Next, add a couple of chili peppers of your favorite heat level. This time I used two jalapenos I got from a friend who owns one of the wineries I play at; in the past I've grown these. I removed most of the seeds to keep the heat level manageable for me. To do this, you cut the stem end off the pepper and then slit it open lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with the knife or a teaspoon, and add them and the stem to the compost.
CAUTION: If you get the pepper juice on your hands, DON'T RUB YOUR EYES or any other sensitive flesh until you've cleaned your hands THOROUGHLY. It *will* hurt if you don't pay attention to this.
Next, add the equivalent of one small onion, in big chunks, to the food processor. Once again, these are easy to grow in the average home garden, and most years I'd be using my own onions.
Now, run the food processor on high until everything is chopped and shredded into little bits. It won't take long, and it's a lot faster this way than chopping by hand.
At this point, I scrape all of the stuff in the food processor out into a separate bowl, but you can also add your tomatoes right in and mix it all together.
Cut up half a dozen or so tomatoes, more if they're smaller and fewer if they're huge. If your tomatoes are about 3" in diameter, use 6 or 7. Cut out the stem end and quarter them. Toss them in the food processor, and run the food processor until all the big chunks are gone.
If you took the other stuff out before adding tomatoes, now add your tomatoes to the onions, garlic, and peppers mix and stir thoroughly.
Presto! You're done!
At this point, you can add other stuff if you feel like it, to adjust the flavor. I used a quarter lime and some chipotle powder. If the salsa is too spicy, add more tomatoes. If you like cilantro, chop and add some.
Serves a roomful of people, alongside a bag or bowl of tortilla chips. Or use it in Mexican dishes of various sorts. If you grew all of the ingredients, let your friends know - be proud.
Labels: do it yourself, food, gardens, garlic, onions, salsa, tomatoes
Monday, August 24, 2009
iHate the new iMovie!
I love my Mac. I love how easy it is to use and how many things I can get done with it. It's worth the extra money one pays.
And I have gotten the hang of the version of iMovie that came with my old laptop, and like the various things I can do in it and with it.
The new version of iMovie, in my personal, humble opinion, sucks the Big Hairy Grotty One. It has taken the Mac design philosophy of "just tell us what you want and we'll do it for you" to new depths. I was, after quite a bit of trial and error, able to figure out how to properly load sound to a video clip and get it synched up (essential for making music videos around here), and I actually like the sound editor much better, as it gives you a graphic representation of the sound, much like ProTools or Amadeus, or even Garage Band. However, I wanted to be able to mix the relative level of the sounds from my camcorder and my board the way *I* wanted. And here, the new iMovie failed me. It assumed that I was obviously a total amateur who just wanted to slap together moving pictures and sound haphazardly, and while it was happy to help me do that, it was totally unwilling to help me create the music video I wanted.
So I reopened my old version of iMovie, and mixed up my music video in there. Just like before. Check it out.
Maybe some day before I die, someone will show me how to make the new iMovie do what I need it to do for my music videos. But I won't hold my breath.
And I have gotten the hang of the version of iMovie that came with my old laptop, and like the various things I can do in it and with it.
The new version of iMovie, in my personal, humble opinion, sucks the Big Hairy Grotty One. It has taken the Mac design philosophy of "just tell us what you want and we'll do it for you" to new depths. I was, after quite a bit of trial and error, able to figure out how to properly load sound to a video clip and get it synched up (essential for making music videos around here), and I actually like the sound editor much better, as it gives you a graphic representation of the sound, much like ProTools or Amadeus, or even Garage Band. However, I wanted to be able to mix the relative level of the sounds from my camcorder and my board the way *I* wanted. And here, the new iMovie failed me. It assumed that I was obviously a total amateur who just wanted to slap together moving pictures and sound haphazardly, and while it was happy to help me do that, it was totally unwilling to help me create the music video I wanted.
So I reopened my old version of iMovie, and mixed up my music video in there. Just like before. Check it out.
Maybe some day before I die, someone will show me how to make the new iMovie do what I need it to do for my music videos. But I won't hold my breath.
Labels: Garage Band, iMovie, Macintosh, music videos, ProTools
Friday, August 14, 2009
New live CD is ready!
I haven't got it up on my online store yet...but my new live/homebrew CD, "California to Key West," is finally done and available.
Whew! This one took a lot of time and work to get done. In the end, I needed to custom-record a couple of songs, because I didn't have good live recordings of them. And it worked out well. I have an excellent portable digital recorder, the Zoom H2. It's got very good mikes, and lets me make high-quality digital recordings, either as a direct line plugin from my mixer, or through the X/Y stereo microphones.
This particular CD has some cool stuff on it.
It's got the only decent recording - done in my living room one evening - of the song "Traffic Jam," in which I used a looper to harmonize with myself. Said looper has been a bit less than reliable, so I haven't been using it at shows for a while. I expect I'll sort it all out and you'll be hearing stuff using it again someday.
It's got my most-recent completed song, "Heartwrecked." I haven't even performed that out in front of people yet, outside of my songwriting critique group.
It's got the best live version *and* the YouTube studio version of "Bail Me Out." Because I figured that some people might be interested in the differences.
It's got the two best recordings from my set with TC Mitchell at the Blue Heaven in Key West last October.
I think it's got the best songs I've written to date on there, along with some excellent performances of things I've already released elsewhere.
Write me if you want a copy. I'll have it listed on my Website very soon now.
Whew! This one took a lot of time and work to get done. In the end, I needed to custom-record a couple of songs, because I didn't have good live recordings of them. And it worked out well. I have an excellent portable digital recorder, the Zoom H2. It's got very good mikes, and lets me make high-quality digital recordings, either as a direct line plugin from my mixer, or through the X/Y stereo microphones.
This particular CD has some cool stuff on it.
It's got the only decent recording - done in my living room one evening - of the song "Traffic Jam," in which I used a looper to harmonize with myself. Said looper has been a bit less than reliable, so I haven't been using it at shows for a while. I expect I'll sort it all out and you'll be hearing stuff using it again someday.
It's got my most-recent completed song, "Heartwrecked." I haven't even performed that out in front of people yet, outside of my songwriting critique group.
It's got the best live version *and* the YouTube studio version of "Bail Me Out." Because I figured that some people might be interested in the differences.
It's got the two best recordings from my set with TC Mitchell at the Blue Heaven in Key West last October.
I think it's got the best songs I've written to date on there, along with some excellent performances of things I've already released elsewhere.
Write me if you want a copy. I'll have it listed on my Website very soon now.
Labels: Key West, music, TC Mitchell, trop rock
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Great party last night at Wine Affairs
I love my "evening and weekend job."
Last night I instigated one of my musical parties out at Wine Affairs, a really neat wine bar in San Jose. Had some great conversations with the people there, including someone who grew up not all that far from where I did in upstate NY.
I got to introduce some of my friends to each other, and I could tell they were having a great time - they were exchanging contact info and having a good chat, while I was behind the guitar and mike making fun music. And we had this big birthday party in the back corner, some nice lady named Erin celebrating her 26th with about twenty of her closest friends, some of whom were extremely nice-looking. :)
If you weren't there...you missed a good time. Come catch the next one, out at Red Feather Winery in Livermore. One of the most fantastic views in the East Bay, good wines, and fun people.
Last night I instigated one of my musical parties out at Wine Affairs, a really neat wine bar in San Jose. Had some great conversations with the people there, including someone who grew up not all that far from where I did in upstate NY.
I got to introduce some of my friends to each other, and I could tell they were having a great time - they were exchanging contact info and having a good chat, while I was behind the guitar and mike making fun music. And we had this big birthday party in the back corner, some nice lady named Erin celebrating her 26th with about twenty of her closest friends, some of whom were extremely nice-looking. :)
If you weren't there...you missed a good time. Come catch the next one, out at Red Feather Winery in Livermore. One of the most fantastic views in the East Bay, good wines, and fun people.
Labels: birthday party, concert, friends, party, wine
