Toy Story 3

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

We watched “Toy Story 3” this morning. It was Bryson’s first experience in a movie theater. The movie was great and Bryson did great too. He was a little too small for the seats, so he spent most of the time on one of our laps. (the seat only ate one of his shoes)

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The American Trinity

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

Dennis Prager explains what sets American values apart from the rest of the world.

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New Food At Home

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

We received our first delivery of local food from our CSA this past weekend. Here is a picture of our ‘one share’ of food.

And, as if that wasn’t cool enough, some of my plants are starting to produce too. (I ate the first cucumber before I took a picture though) Amber picked this corn and tomato a few days ago.

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BO BS Bingo

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Brian Gallimore


Rules:
1. Before BO’s next televised speech, print your “Bullshit Bingo”
2. Check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words/phrases.
3. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and shout “BULLSHIT!” [or Shout out “PELOSI” (means the same thing)]

Testimonials from past satisfied “Bullshit Bingo” players:

“I had been listening to the speech for only five minutes when I won.” – Jack W., Boston

“My attention span during speeches has improved dramatically.” – David D., Florida

“What a gas! Speeches will never be the same for me after my first win.” – Bill R., New York City

“The atmosphere was tense in the last speech as 14 of us waited for the fifth box.” – Ben G., Denver

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Maxine on Towel Heads

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

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Garden Update – June 5, 2010

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

SUBTITLE: “The Garden Invasion of 2010”
I’m having some issues with pests. My sunflowers suffered a tremendous blow from what I think was a mouse. The cantaloupe also took a beating from that same animal. My potatoes are turning brown for reasons unknown. My main bed of tomatoes has been invaded by 1) spider mites 2) tobacco worm 3) some black worm I’ve never seen before 4) strange brown spots, and 5) curling leaves. My apple trees have minor leaf damage from something unknown to me. The big pear tree is dropping leaves and turning black, which is a symptom of an incurable disease common to pear trees. My plum tree is loaded with fruit, and almost every piece of fruit has a little tiny worm living in it. Watermelon, corn, cucumber, and cowpeas are all looking great though.

Sweet Tomato Vine

Image 1 of 22

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Picture of Oiled Bird

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

An oiled bird sits on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast after being drenched in oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill Thursday, June 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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We have an addiction to oil. Future generations are going to look back at us with disgust at how we mis-used natural resources and destroyed the plant for our own convenience.

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Plum-Flavored Sugar, Hold the Worms

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

I’ve quickly moved through the 5 stages of grief since finding that my precious plums were playing host to some very rude and uninvited worms.  A few people advised me to just cut out the bad parts of the fruit and use what was good.  That is what I decided to do.   I had a good deal of satisfaction washing those worms down the drain, ending their happy future as plum-egg-layers.  I felt good that I was able to still use the fruit, rather than just throwing it all away like I was intending to do last night.  I learned a few things while cutting up the fruit:  1) it is actually easier to pit a plum with a worm living in it.  2) birds can eat a worm out of a plum through a single tiny hole.  3) cutting up a bunch of plums is time-consuming work.

After I got all the fruit cut up, I only had 2 cups of fruit, far from the 6 cups the recipe called for.  After some advance math, I figured out how much sugar I needed.  The process of making jam is super easy.  You just heat it up, stir in the pectin, stir in the sugar, and keep stirring.  The only hard part is getting the water, jars, lids, and fruit all hot at the same time.  This is one time a big stove would be handy.  I came out with 4 half-pint jars of jam.  The taste taste results were outstanding, but I don’t know how you can go wrong with anything with that much sugar!  I’ll be able to use less sugar once I get a pressure-cooker though.

Plums
Canning Rack, painted black
The canning setup
Hot Jam going into the Jars
Water Bath
Finished Product, cooling

[Show slideshow]
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My First Canning FAIL

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

I was excited to see that my plum tree is full of fruit that is ripe or near ripe. I decided to seize the moment and go ahead and make some plum jam tonight. I was missing a few things, lemon juice, pectin, and a tray for the jars to sit on in the water bath. Bryson and I went to the Super Target to get these things. Turns out Target has a few items for canning, but mostly worthless. Next stop, Wal-Mart. I couldn’t find a canning tray there either. They had a kit that came with a plastic basket, but it would only hold 3 jars and looked like it would last about 4 times. I decided to make my own using a stove burner cover by drilling holes in it. At $4, I wouldn’t be too upset if it didn’t work out.
We got home with just enough light left in the day to get some fruit off the tree. I picked what I thought would be enough and came inside to get started. I drilled a bunch of holes in the burner cover, then decided I needed to sand it a little to remove all of the sharp burrs that were created by the drilling. As Murphy’s law dictates, I cut my finger while doing this.
Moving on, I got the jars set up in the water bath to heat up, lids ready for heating, tools cleaned and ready, and started cleaning my fruit. Guess what? EVERY PIECE OF FRUIT HAS A WORM LIVING IN IT! I little research tells me it is too late to do anything about it, all the fruit is infected. You have to spray very early to take care of this problem. I’m very disappointed to say the least!

Fresh Fruit
Improvised Canning Tray
Canning Tools
Lids
Canning Bath
Worms, living in my plums

[Show slideshow]
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Neighborhood Hazard

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Brian Gallimore

If you are a motorcycle enthusiast, you might have already heard this story, but it is definitely worth reading again.   (theme similar to the bricklayer story)  The original appears to come from a guy selling a book.  (and thanks David T. for bringing it to me on a day I didn’t need another distraction, but sure enjoyed it)
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Neighborhood Hazard (Or: Why the Cops Won’t Patrol Brice Street)
I never dreamed slowly cruising through a residential neighborhood could be so incredibly dangerous!

Studies have shown that motorcycling requires more decisions per second, and more sheer data processing than nearly any other common activity or sport. The reactions and accurate decision making abilities needed have been likened to the reactions of fighter pilots! The consequences of bad decisions or poor situational awareness are pretty much the same for both groups too.

Occasionally, as a rider I have caught myself starting to make bad or late decisions while riding. In flight training, my instructors called this being “behind the power curve”. It is a mark of experience that when this begins to happen, the rider recognizes the situation, and more importantly, does something about it. A short break, a meal, or even a gas stop can set things right again as it gives the brain a chance to catch up.

Good, accurate, and timely decisions are essential when riding a motorcycle…at least if you want to remain among the living. In short, the brain needs to keep up with the machine.

I had been banging around the roads of east Texas and as I headed back into Dallas, found myself in very heavy, high-speed traffic on the freeways. Normally, this is not a problem, I commute in these conditions daily, but suddenly I was nearly run down by a cage that decided it needed my lane more than I did. This is not normally a big deal either, as it happens around here often, but usually I can accurately predict which drivers are not paying attention and avoid them before we are even close. This one I missed seeing until it was nearly too late, and as I took evasive action I nearly broadsided another car that I was not even aware was there!

Two bad decisions and insufficient situational awareness…all within seconds. I was behind the power curve. Time to get off the freeway.
Continue reading →

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