Tuesday, August 30, 2005

The surest sign around these parts that summer is winding down isn't cooling temps, kids returning to school, or even shorter days. It's traffic. My drive in today was about ten minutes longer than it's been for months, with backups in places that have been clear sailing for me since Memorial Day.

So as we bid farewell tomorrow to meteorological summer, I'll begin my biannual quest to find the least congested route between home and the office. Since this is Washington, there are roughly 87 variables to play with, so this could take a few weeks. Here's hoping the right path reveals itself more quickly than that.

Posted @ 7:21 AM

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Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Why in the name of all that's just and honorable is the name Katrina in the rotation of tropical storm/hurricane names?

Have these people no sense of history? Or are they just throwing a bone to headline writers?

Posted @ 11:03 AM

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Thursday, August 11, 2005

A headline from the front page of today's Washington Post:

Rice Genome Fully Mapped
My first thought? "They're going to clone the Secretary of State?!?"

Posted @ 12:06 PM

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Monday, August 08, 2005

I've got a new snack food addiction. It's Snyder's of Hanover Hot Buffalo Wing Pretzel Pieces. Since I first noticed them at Safeway last month, I've been going through a minimum of two bags a week. I cannot get enough of these things.

I'm pretty sure I know why. Not only are they tasty in their own right, but they partially fill a big gap in my current meal rotation. My favorite wing place closed on me about a year ago, and I've not yet found a new one that I like.

You wouldn't think good buffalo wings would be particularly tough to track down. They're incredibly easy to make. Cook the wings, toss them with the sauce, and you're done. But I can't find a place that does them to my liking.

I could make them myself at home, I suppose. The thing is, I truly believe the only proper way to make buffalo wings is deep frying. The other main method, baking, just doesn't give them the same taste.

I don't own a deep fryer and I don't want to buy one. If I do, I fear I'll start deep frying everything.

Sure, I'd start innocently enough. A little fried chicken here, a batch of french fries there. But before too long I know I'd be moving on to the hard stuff. Pickles. Pizza. Snickers bars. Twinkies. Blood pudding.

That way lies doom.

Posted @ 1:29 PM

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