All posts by brianS

First Monday Book Day

First Monday Book Day: Straight Flush on the River

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If ever there was a book that deserved to be the signature book of the WGOM, this baby would have to be it, because it is full of half-baked cr@p. Rose George's
The Big Necessity The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters is, without a doubt, the best book I've ever read about poop.
But seriously, this is both an entertaining and important book. George moves deftly from the sewers of London to the slums of India; from high-tech bidets in Japan to "helicopter toilets" in Africa; from biogas digesters in rural China to the biosolids industry in the U.S.

Sh!t is big. An estimated forty percent of the world's population regularly or exclusively defecates in the open, without access to toilet or latrine. "One santitation expert," she writes, "has estimated that people who live in areas with inadequate sanitation ingest 10 grams of fecal matter every day."

"Diarrhea -- nearly 90 percent of which is caused by fecally contaminated food or water -- kills a child every 15 seconds. ... Diarrhea, says ... UNICEF, is the largest hurdle a small child in a developing country has to overcome. ... Public health professionals talk about water-related diseases, but that is a euphemism for the truth. These are shit-related diseases."

The ultimate in bathroom reading, this book is not all gloom-and-doom. George is an accomplished reporter and story-teller. This book weaves together sketches of fascinating entrepreneurial characters fighting for social change and sanitation improvements, up-close-and-personal tours of sewer systems in London and New York, and accessible discussions of the problems of sewage sludge disposal in the U.S. I particularly enjoyed a section on the development of a new, more realistic "test medium" for toilets' flushing capabilities in the early 2000s. The secret ingredient -- miso paste.

I didn't expect [the inventor] to reveal the recipe of his giji obtusu ["fake body waste"], and in fact he's contractually forbidden from doing so. When he found the right brand, he asked to buy 250 kilograms from the importer. "His eyes lit up and he said, `How many restaurants do you own?' I said none and that actually he'd think it was funny but I wanted to use it to test toilets. He didn't think it was funny and suddenly he didn't want to sell it to me anymore."

Already, the book has had an impact on my family (both the Mrs. and The Girl read it before I did). I'm sure you'll be pleased to learn about the aerosol effects associated with flushing a toilet. We close the lid now....

What are you reading?

2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game 160: Royals at Red Wings

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Can K-Slow get off the schneid for a coveted W? Inquiring minds want to know. The rest of us will be...?
From the Yahoo preview:

The Twins need to win two of their final three to avoid 100 losses, but sending Slowey (0-7, 6.54 ERA) to the hill might not help. Minnesota is 0-13 when Slowey pitches this season, and the right-hander has posted a 7.15 ERA in losing each of his seven starts.

Pitching matchup: 27-year old righty Felipe Paulino (3.72 FIP and 113 tRA+) vs. 27-year old righty Kevin Slowey (4.74 FIP and 85 tRA+ as a starter).

The Nation Has An Appetite

Currying favor: Curried Broccoli Pesto over Creamy Polenta

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I have been watching a disturbing amount of Chopped lately on Food Network (thanks, U-Verse!). Watching trained chefs being tortured into producing edible dishes from scratch around oddball ingredients in 15 or 30 minutes (depending on the course) is oddly compelling, as well as occasionally inspiring.

Today's post was dinner earlier this week, and it is inspired by Chopped, as well as a big bag o' broccoli that the Mrs. had purchased from Costco: Curried broccoli pesto over creamy polenta.

For the pesto: bring a pot of water to boil and add about 4 cups of broccoli florets (cut into bite-sized pieces). Boil for about 2 1/2 minutes until just tender. Remove from the pot (reserving about 4 cups of boiling liquid for the polenta), shock in icewater to preserve the color, and drain.

To your food processor, add 1 tablespoon green curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen), 1-2 tablespoons chopped ginger, 3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped, a half-cup or so of fresh basil leaves (I had around 10-12 leaves fresh from my back yard), 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce (I was making a vegan version; for better flavor, substitute fish sauce), the juice of one lime, a teaspoon of sambal and/or a tablespoon of Sriracha for some heat, two cups of the cooked broccoli florets, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley for a lighter flavor -- the Mrs. abhors cilantro, so I used parsley), and about 1/2 cup coconut milk. Process until smooth. Adjust seasonings. Reserve the remaining florets for topping the dish.

For the polenta: bring about 3 1/2 cups of the boiling liquid back to a boil in a saucepan. Stirring, pour in one cup of polenta (coarse corn meal) with a big pinch of salt. Continue to stir, lowering heat to simmer. This will quickly thicken to a heavy porridge (4-5 minutes). At this stage, gradually stir in about one cup of coconut milk. This should take another 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand, covered for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally so that no crust develops. You want the polenta to be creamy -- thick enough so that it will spread only a little on the plate, but not gooey.

To serve, spoon polenta into the centers of pasta plates, top with about a half cup of pesto plus 4-5 floret pieces and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro. Makes about 5 servings.

Goes great with a Victory Prima Pils.

2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game 152: Playing out the string in the Bronx

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12:05 start.

Diamond Scott versus the Other Al J. Burnett. The Race to the Bottom continues in earnest.

In the all-important Wild Card Race, Boston hosts Bal'more for a day-night double header. The O's offer up Jeremy "Jeremy" Guthrie vs. some dude named Kyle Weiland in the day game, and Brian "the 'tusz" Matusz vs. John Lackey in the nightcap. The Rays have the day off, but trail Boston by only two games after taking three of four in Boston.

Unfortunately for the Rays, they have seven games remaining against the Yanquis and three against Toronto, whereas the Sawks have seven against the O's and three at the Bandbronx to finish.

Over in the N.L., the Giants have won eight straight to close within 4 of the Wild Card leader, Atlanta, and 5 of NL West-leading Arizona. Three of SF's last nine are at Arizona, so they still have a shot. But the Snakes finish the season on a home stand with three vs. Pittsburgh starting on Monday, followed by an off day, then the three-game set with SF and finishing with a three-game series against the Dodgers. The Giants' odds are long. coolstandings.com pegs their playoff odds at just over 5 pct.

First Monday Book Day

First Monday Book Day: A Dickens of a Time

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Drood: A Novel
I have been a big fan of Dan Simmons's work since I first ran across his Hyperion. The Hyperion Cantos, as the four-volume set is known, is a big-canvas space opera work, but one that is particularly literate, drawing liberally on the spirit of Keats as well as the structure and feel of the Canterbury Tales.

The first book in that group, Hyperion deservedly won both the Hugo and the Locus for best sci-fi novel in 1990.

I likewise devoured his Ilium and Olympos cycle, big on Homer, but also drawing on Shakespeare and Proust, of all people.

Simmons also is a renowned horror author. I thought it time to delve into that side of his work when I picked up a copy of this book some months ago.

Well, I'm not sure that "horror" is quite the right word for this book. But, wow, it has been engaging. Simmons has fictionalized the backstory to Dickens' last, unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, telling the tale through the perspective of Dickens' longtime friend and frequent collaborator, the now-mostly forgotten Wilkie Collins.

The book is a fascinating study in upper(ish)-class Victorian England. Simmons appears to have thoroughly researched Dickens and Collins (although I admit that I know little of either, so mebbe not?), such that he weaves an intimate portrait of Dickens as seen through a close collaborator's eyes. That collaborator happens to be a laudanum addict and, by mid-book, an opium addict, which adds its own mysterious fog to the veracity of the narrator's perspective. The detail -- of London, of daily life, of the lives and careers of Dickens and Collins -- is rich and believable.

I'm "only" 400+ pages in to this dense, twisting, 775-page tale. But I'm thoroughly entertained and engaged. (and, sorry, but even though I know that knowing the ending won't ruin a good story, I haven't peeked ahead).

What are you reading?

2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game 141: Night of the Living Dead

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Zach Stewart vs. Scott f'ing Diamond. Since we got our Run already today, I may be utilizing the Boy's Netflix subscription tonight.

For your dining pleasure: MLB ballparks ranked by most food safety violations.

Oh, and here is a recent feel-good story from another ball sport. Do you suppose Jeter will ask NYC press not to push for his immediate enshrinement in the baseball HOF when HE retires ascends to heaven on the wings of doves?

2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game 140: Day of the Living Dead

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Humber Humber at Snapplesocks. Game one of two today (thanks, jobu, for the reminder).

is there anything more exciting than a split double-header between two teams out of the running in early September?

today, my focus will be on (1) getting my First Monday book post written; and (2) grillin' (Andouille sausages and Tofurkey kielbasa sausages, pasilla peppers), making pinto beans, and chillin'.

so, how about a win against th' hated??

2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game 134: Spoilers on the South Side

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Yahoo sez:

Buehrle has a 0.39 ERA this season and 26 wins in his career against Minnesota, reasons the White Sox should feel confident heading into Monday night’s opener of a three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field.

On July 10th, the Twins had just taken the third of four games from the South Siders and were heading home for an extended homestand, following the All-Star game break. We were excited. The club had managed to trim nine games from its division deficit (which had peaked on May 23 at 15.5). And we were going home to beat up on the Landed Gentlemen, then face down our two biggest division threats of Cleveland and Detroit. The team had its fate in its hands.

Four games against KC added to the excitement, as our boys took three of four, for their fifth straight series win. They were now within five games of the top of the division and facing division-leading Cleveland. Time to make our move? Meh. Two losses, followed by two wins. Water treaded.

Hey, division-leading Detroit is next. We lost three of four. Something was telling us that this was not our year. A 4-6 West Coast trip didn't help our moods, but at least we were going home to beat up on the ChiSox again. I mean, we own these guys, right?

Three. Game. Sweep. Series over, season over.

All we have left now is our shattered pride and a shot at some Schadenfreude. The Sox are a half-game above .500 (a place the Twins have never been this season) and six games back of Detroit -- close enough that they seem to think they've got a shot. Minny plays seven games against the Sox in the next 10 days. All I ask is that we shatter some dreams the next week and a half, boys. The word for the day, again, is Schadenfreude.

Pitching matchup: Hound Dog Slowey vs. Cy Brrly.

Parentgood

Father Knows Best: Roll With the Changes

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So if you're tired of the
Same old story
Oh, turn some pages
I'll be here when you are ready
To roll with the changes*

It's hard to believe that it has been 17 years since this happened. But it's true. The Boy is now a high school senior, on the cusp of adulthood and of leaving home to start making his way in the world. I don't remember growing older/when did they?

When our babies come into the world, we build fantasy lives for them and ourselves, and then we try to live those fantasy lives and mold our children to our fantasy scripts. It never works out that way. It's always much, much, much worse. And better. And different.

He was a tiny little thing, almost a month premature, having scared the bejeebus out of us for weeks in his rush to escape the womb half-bakef (how appropriate, eh?). And we poured all of our hopes and dreams and aspirations and neuroses into his tiny body. I wanted him to be an athlete, and a scholar, and .... And so much more. I wanted him never to get hurt, but I wanted him to be adventurous. I wanted him to be brave and strong and a leader. And my sweet little boy.

He learned to talk at an early age, and the words came in torrents, in joyous gushes, in imaginative jumbles. He confidently made up labels for things. We would see a large piece of equipment and he would name it with all the self-assurance of a technician, never mind that he had made up the name on the spot. We would take walks in the neighborhood and he would enthusiastically shout out greetings to every child, "Hi, guy!" confident that he was making a new friend, even as they were giving him weird looks. The phone would ring -- nanny and poppa calling, or grandma and grampa -- and he could talk for half an hour without breathing.
Continue reading Father Knows Best: Roll With the Changes →

2011 Twins Game Logs

2011 Game 127: Mauers w/Pauers at P*ssy Single Hitters

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Tonight, the Twins get to take on somebody their own size for a change. The O's are a sad 47-77, on pace for 101 losses per coolstandings.com.

Pitching matchup:
Zach Jeremy Britton for the O's (scheduled; he's coming off the 15-day DL, although it was for a strain in his non-pitching shoulder)
Carl Pavanostache for the Twins.

Bal'more is tied with Minnesota and Seattle for having used the most position players this season (35 different players have had PA), but they've gotten much better offensive production out of all that deck-chair shuffling (team OPS+ of 99, compared to 85 for the Twinkies).

On the bright side, the O's pitching staff leads the AL in HR allowed by a wide margin (157; Twins are tied for second at 130) and is last in the AL in "defensive efficiency" according to b-r (Twins are two rungs higher). So I'm rooting for a slugfest. How long has it been since Jimbo had a three-HR game??

(oh, and that Wieters guy? He's hitting 261/319/404 with 12 HRs and 69:32 K:BB in 426 PA, compared to Joe's 288/350/352, 1 HR and 33:23 in 277; so I suppose you could say that the moniker kind of fits this season)