Friday Bird Droppings

i contemplated it for a few minutes yesterday but just couldn’t pull the trigger

Screw that dude who told me to chill! I made 8 bucks off of this game!

Damn, I knew the drugs would catch up with me

that did the article on uzr home/road splits for the outfielders?

well i never!

posting things like “The Mariners should trade for Logan Morrison and then bench him permanently”.

Then later he acted innocent and said he meant the musician was going on tour.

Pretty funny stuff.

now I’ve spent the past hour reading about the USS Pueblo.

Crazy crazy stuff…I’m not sure how I could ever deal with any sort of captivity

You heard quickly.

must’ve wowed’em, eh?

well done, sir

Close enough that you can even come down for the occasional CC meetup!

Welcome to the working world….otherwise known as “no more time for PS3 for kba” :)

Fucking awesome.

it makes FANTASTIC chocolate chip cookies, with a nice butterscotch background flavor

Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is browned. Use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar, which will make the cookies dry. This recipe works with light brown sugar, but the cookies will be less full-flavored.

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (larger, flat chips like ghiradelli work better)
3/4 cup chopped pecan or walnuts, toasted (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)

5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

I double the vanilla in this recipe and add 2 tsp cinnamon. HEAVEN.

so no

I almost tossed it too.

I didn’t see any O’s pitchers as victims.

I didn’t see any O’s pitchers as victims.

I was probably around your age and a buddy with older brothers threw a huge New Years party (I believe it was Y2K actually) and I got obliterated. Somehow made it in to work and talked my way into doing inventory. Ended up puking in some empty boxes and then lay down for a while. Eventually made it back upstairs and told them I was sick and had to leave – they said I couldn’t and so I quit.

Red Hill — predictable but kinda fun
Winter’s Bone — don’t get the hype, but guy who played her uncle was good
Deck the Halls — lame Christmas movie, I was bored, it was late and on tv, sue me

Looking forward to: MI:4 (although I didn’t much like the last two)
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (loved the Swedish version, and Daniel Craig is a big upgrade)
The Hobbit (needs a better trailer)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (a Le Carre adaptation? I’m in)
Batman (Bane is cool, hope they don’t ruin it)

but, at least you get ot get a nice new guitar!

YOU OPENED YOUR XMAS PRESENTS BEFORE XMAS????

Sacrilege.

…like the O’s were on the precipice of playing .500 ball last year.

Maybe they need to sign Vlad to put them over the hump.

It’s true ya know!

A full season of Strasburg/RZimm/JZimm and a half season out of Harper. Not to mention a bounce back year from Werth. Oh, and a repeat performance from Morse. So basically they’re doing the whole “on paper” thing CSN did with the Caps before the season…that’s goIng well.

They were 80-81, not Orioles’ level of under .500.

With a full season of their stars and possible late-season cameos by their good farm system, the Nats could absolutely compete. The Phillies are old. The Braves can’t hit. The Mets are dead in the water. The Marlins are trying to make a splash in a new ballpark and could be tough. Four teams have a legitimate shot at the NL East / Wild Card.

I’ve been on a modernist binge lately.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and a short story collection by James Joyce – When he wanted to write so that people could understand a word of it, Joyce was brilliant. The way he formed sentences was just… fabulous. I do often have to keep a dictionary close by, but I can usually understand the SAT words in context.

The Great Gatsby and another short story collection by F. Scott Fitzgerald – If anyone wants to hear it, I will make a (I think) compelling case for Gatsby as The Great American Novel. It’s certainly one of my favorites—if not my favorite—books.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway – I think this is Hemingway’s best work. Some people are divided on Hemingway, but I think he was the master of conciseness, and also of subtext. Perhaps the best ever. His writing flows effortlessly, yet it’s so complex all the same.

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka – Wow. That was a heavy read. I’m still thinking about it, and I read it two weeks ago. And I remain speechless. Absolutely fantastic.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck – I’ve been analyzing this novel for weeks now. It’s certainly about the discovery of free will, and that’s directly related to the biblical undertones, specifically the story of Cain and Abel. I won’t touch Grapes of Wrath because it’s SO LONG. I’m sure it’s masterful, and I think I may reconsider now that I’m on winter break.

Heart of Darkness/The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad – I already talked about Heart of Darkness, and I don’t think I’ll fawn over Conrad anymore.

My mom made some suggestions for books written post-1980, but I’m stuck on Modernist literature. It’s just so transcendent, and so vital to the modern world.

in WAR, if you don’t count Arod. Given the roids and the 3B, I don’t. fuck him. and you try to play and 2600 games without taking one day off. One player played every game last year, Prince.