1587 Grave Digger.

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Oh man, I am so tired. I didn’t get to sleep properly and now I’m so tired I can’t sleep. What a bullshit feeling. I’m gonna rest. You guys discuss whatever you like on the comments, ok?

I kind of forgot to drink enough water for two days, I think. I used to always carry a glass with me before I was sick, but since I’ve had the swelling foot I got out of that habit because I’m only supposed to drink a certain amount. Sometimes I just forget to drink enough and I get dehydrated and sick. Sicker than normal at any rate. I need to get a 2 liter bottle and just keep it full all day so I know I’ve had enough by the end. The toe part of my foot is more normal now, but the main part that got damaged is still swollen, but it’s not as angry and red, so I think the vessels are finally starting to heal. The leg itself is almost always normal unless I eat too much salt in a day. I’ve turned to different seasonings, but if I eat stuff that’s preserved too much I go over the amount I should have. That said, I can drink soup without it swelling up now. I mean like a bullion cube in water. I’ve started putting crushed red pepper on most things because it kind of distracts me from the bland taste of most food without salt. I hate the little seeds in it though. Hopefully I can find a brand that is seedless. I’ve always wanted to learn about how spices work so I could season things without salt. At least less salt than is popular, and sugar too while I’m at it. I did learn that if you put a chunk of potato in salty food while you cook it it will draw out the salt somehow. Although then you have a salty chunk of potato to deal with…

The problem with most food is that it doesn’t keep very well without salt. The stuff that does requires time and effort to cook. Time is the premium article. I think that a eating dried beans and rice would be a good way to eat more healthily since you just have to keep them dry. then you just have to prepare them in a way that tastes good with a minimum of salt. I think a person could cook them all night and then have them in the morning/afternoon to eat. The Teen is clearly sick of being in charge of cooking, so devoting a little time to sorting out new ways to eat is probably worth it so I don’t have to deal with her being annoyed. The up side of beans is that if I eat them that’s it. No room for anything else and no desire to graze for hours. Of course the Teen will probably hate anything I try which will be a whole other bullshit thing to deal with…
Dad hates spicy food and the Teen was raised on food that was always inundated in salt and spice. So she thinks everything we used to eat tastes like nothing. Basically no one in the family likes to eat anything the others do, so it’s a big fucking mess all the time. I’m thinking that maybe I can make a plain base that they can each season to their liking. Maybe make a sauce that can be added after the main part is done. Then the bitching will be cut down as much as possible.
Right now we’re eating a lot of hamburger helper, which is basically like poison over a long period of time. Pasta and cheese with meat every day isn’t great. Anyway, since mom is going to be looking after my nephew for… I assume the rest of his life, there needs to be a plan, and I’m the only one likely to come up with one.

45 Comments

Discuss whatever we want? OK! So, what is the opinion on Snorks? Anyone else remember Snorks?

I remember them, they were some kind of weird bridge between the wizards, or heavy metal cartoons from the late 70s early 80s toward the cartoons from the late 80s early 90s… Like cartoonists wee told to be more “kid friendly” and didn’t quite know what to do with themselves…

I think I got a Snorks toy from a restaurant at the mall when I was really little, a little green fellow with hiking gear. It might have been from a Roy Rogers. Are those even still around?

*Googles*

Huh! So they are! You learn something new every day…

When I first saw them, I thought that the Snorks, + the Smurfs, were OK. Sort of like the 1970s + 1980s Hanna Barbara cartoons.
But- I think both were originally [written + made] in Belgium, and unless you’re into trying [foreign TV cartoons], they might not be your thing. Like the Tintin [comic] books. Some like them, some don’t. *shrugs*

Trivia time: I think the 1970s stand-up comedian, Jonathan Winters, was the voice of Grandpa Smurf.

I have only the vaguest memories of them. Was there something magical they could do with their head-snorkels…? Eh, I’m just going to choose to assume that they’re exactly like differently-shaped Squiddles. :p

Maybe they did magic.
I think wikipedia says: They breathe through their snorkels, and they also play music with them. [Maybe they play their snorkels like flutes]. Who can say? Hm.

I don’t think there is a way for the companies to adapt. There just aren’t as many people in my opinion, who care to read from a book.

Me? I can’t stand reading a book on a phone or tablet. I know many who not only prefer it, but just find it better, as ebooks are just cheaper. One book for five dollars or five books for five dollars?

I am happier to see more people reading :p I just don’t understand not wanting to have the feeling of actually owning the book (data file isn’t the same) or wanting the feel of the pages.

Well, the amount of space a tablet computer full of a hundred eBooks takes up is a lot less than a hundred real books, that is for sure.
…
I still enjoy the feel of actual print, though.

That’s the point. It feels so good to have a room full of books (????)

I understand the appeal of a real book, but if you have the choice of carrying one book in your backpack or a device with access to thousands, it’s no choice. If you live in a 1000 sq ft apartment, it’s impossible to set aside enough space to store 500 or 1000 books. Plus, for what it costs to print 1000 copies of a real book and distribute them, you could digitally publish an entire library. People still love listening to vinyl records, but they just can’t compete economically with streaming and downloading mp3’s.

I live in a 850 sq ft apartment and have around 1000 books. And I could have thrice the number if not for instruments and… vinyls taking a bit place.

Rooms full of books. Maybe 10,000 (2,500 just old Science Fiction paperbacks). I don’t have a ton of LPs, maybe 120, but I have thousands of CDs (started collecting in the 1980s). Even compressed to MP3, my albums fill 135 GB or so. That’s a ton of noise! Too much for the 128GB microSD and Bluetooth on my Amazon Kindle Fire. I… need to buy another chip.

Okay, legit question: why do you still have them? Do you really think you’re going to reread 10,000 books? My wife goes through the house a couple of times a year and gets movies, clothes, books, and toys and donates them to the local SVDP Thrift store. If it hasn’t been used in a year, it goes. It keeps us from storing a lot of junk we don’t need to keep, someone else gets to use it, the store generates income for use in outreach ministries, and we get a tax break.

I’ve reread that many before. Besides, there’s just something special about the feel and smell of a physical book. Just seeing the cover and title reminds me of the story within. The weight of the pages gives legitimacy to the story. The bloodstains from paperclips give… iron flavoring?

Or maybe I’m just old and nostalgiacizing the past?

By the way, I’m totally trademark inf the word nostalgiacizing. No youza stealie.

Because you may want to reread/rewatch them later. Especially with the closing of places like Blockbuster.

I may not want to watch some movie, once a year, but I may want to watch it every other year!

I think there will always be a market for both. There will always be people who prefer one over the other. It’s often cheaper to buy eBooks, plus they take up a lot less space. But a lot of people also like the feel and smell of print books, or want to get them signed or show them off. I believe that there’s room for both.

Personally, I’ve rented eBooks (as well as movies and comics) with my Hoopla app via my library card, but I haven’t stopped buying or reading actual, physical books. I like having books to read on the go, but it’s also nice to have books that don’t use up my phone’s battery.

One place that I hope eBooks catch on is schools and colleges. Anyone else remember how ridiculously heavy your backpack was as a kid, or how ridiculously expensive books were at your college bookstore (and then you find out years later that you can get those same books for a fraction of the price online?! Grrr…)? I think that eBooks would be better for students than having to buy/schlepp a bunch of textbooks.

There will be a market for both for many years to come, and for a very simple reason: paper books do not require power, so you can read them anywhere, anytime. This will make them very much a thing for many, many years to come. People buy fewer books per person, yes, but more people are buying books, because you have to have something to do when the power goes out.

Winston Churchill loved reading.

The office at his house had boatloads of books, by the 100s.
While it’s doubtful that he entirely read ALL of them, he had this to say about [print] books:

[Paraphrasing]: Books! READ them! LOVE them! EXPLORE them!…Let the be your friends!!!

Man, I’ve said the exact thing Nina said in panel two the past couple of days. I work at a movie theater, and the combination of school starting and football on Saturdays, our number of people has dropped. But it’s my fault for not being able to get every single person I interact with to buy large amounts of booze and food.

Hey!
Crave said:
“Discuss whatever you like ON the comments, ok?”

Personally, mayhaps, some wry humour, a few discreet innuendoes, “Life of the artist” with a hint of “This is Your life”…?
The teen corner is usually interesting, when included.

@Crave:
Have You tried sage to add spice?
White pepper?

Have You tried sea salt?
Saltier flavour with less actual salt required,
Usually recommended for heart patients.

Crushed Red Peppers kinda suck. Go with something ground. I used to grow my own habaneros, roast them in my toaster oven, grind them in a (dedicated) coffee grinder. (you don’t want to mix those up or your mornings become a lot more painful!) I’d carry it in a little waterproof match container, because you don’t want that powder getting loose where it doesn’t belong, either. But now that I’m old and lazy, i just tend to just use sriracha instead…

Yes, Nina — my customers are stupid and selfish too, and it’s my fault.

I use Mrs. Dash seasonings, sometimes. The local grocery store carries an incredible array of them, none of which have a grain of salt.

If you can tolerate garlic, that’s a good replacement for salt.

Yea, I would suggest Mrs. Dash as a salt replacement as well, there are some good flavours, you should find something you like.

My father is a vegan (for medical reasons) and hates spicy food (most vegans use spicy to feel full). My brother has a soy-intolerance. I’m allergic to corn. My other brother would eat anything as long as it wasn’t healthy and he didn’t have to make it. My last brother is hardly home, but when he is, he’ll use $55 worth of ingredients to make one meal. And then steal food to take to his girlfriend.

I’m in charge of most of the cooking since Mom died this year. It’s a fucking pain.

Talk about whatever we want huh?

OK, I’m into baking (from scratch as much as possible) and I just made this recipe a while ago.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-stout-cake-recipe

Tastes pretty good. That website has a recipe for a irish cream buttercream frosting somewhere, and I think next time i’ll add it to the cake.

I also love Hummingbird cake.

How are all of you on baking and cake?

Also- thanks for the recipe.

I used to think I couldn’t bake. The first thing I made successfully was chocolate chocolate chip cookies (chips in a chocolate cookie) Later I found out a recipe for the normal types, I usually use something like this.

2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature.
2 eggs at room temperature.
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups bread flour (don’t need bread flour, but it gives a good texture.
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
3 cups of chocolate chips (your choice, I like to mix up 60% cacao and white chocolate)
OPTIONAL: Pinch of Cayenne pepper, tablespoon of arrange zest, nuts (anything that you think sounds good.)

1. Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla for five minutes on medium until light and fluffy (or all the sugar is absorbed).
2. Mix together flour, salt, baking soda and powder till all lumps are gone.
3. Mix together flour mixture and chips into butter mixture in segments, (in this order, flour, chips, flour, chips, flour) mix well after each addition till it is completely absorbed in.
4. (optional) Place dough in an airtight container and leave within the refrigerator for at least 36 hours.
5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper of silicon mats.
7. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool before eating on a cookie rack.

I made a cake that my parents absolutely loved. I made a Betty Crocker devil’s food cake with moist fudge icing… but added my own little twist. I absolutely COVERED the ENTIRE cake in chocolate chips. It looks ridiculous, but tastes delish-ulous!

If you have a hankering for chocolate on the cheap, I have another recipe of sorts: frozen hot chocolate.

For one serving:
– 1/2 cup milk
– 1/4 cup hot chocolate powder (Maybe a bit more if you want it extra chocolatey!)
– About 5-6 ice cubes (Maybe more if you want it a little icier)

Put all ingredients into blender. Set to “ice crush” setting (Or whatever setting’s the highest) until you no longer hear the the ice being battered around. Turn down to liquify, then eventually blend until texture is fairly consistent (You can use a spoon to stir out any remaining lumps). Drink and enjoy… especially since it’s not only more satisfying on a hot day than regular chocolate milk, but it’s also WAY cheaper than shelling out four bucks at Dunkin Donuts for practically the same drink.

Bonus: Add in some chocolate ice cream for a tasty mudslide. Yum!

For baking, I have been on a Clafoutis kick lately. About as easy as making cookies on the scale of baking difficulty. The recipe traditionally is meant to use exclusively cherries but I can rarely afford even frozen ones. Luckily the recipe is incredibly robust with other fruits. My favourites have been 1) Plums only, 2) Plums and frozen balckberries and 3) Pears and frozen blackberries. Recipe is so robust I once forgot to add the flour and it it still turned out okay, though a bit rich.
You will need:
-Anywhere between 2 to 3 cups of fruit (the more you add the longer to bake)
-3 eggs
-3/4 cup sugar
-1/2 cup flour
-1/8th teaspoon of salt
-1 cup full milk
-1-2 tsp vanilla

Whisk together the eggs and sugar followed by the salt and flour.
Add the milk and vanilla extract
I usually just dump in the fruit too but some people artistically spread it in the buttered pan pre-pour.
Otherwise, dump the concoction into a buttered pan
Place in an oven at 180C or ~350F for 45 minutes. You’ll be looking for a nice browned top and a clean cut to know its ready.

Again, the nice thing is you can play around with the proportions here without having the dish fail catastrophically. See what fruits are around, I think strawberries would be awesome but we don’t really get them out here too much.

Simple fact about salt.

Your taste gets accustomed to your diet’s salt content. When I went on a llw-salt diet, it took about a month before things with low salt tasted OK. Then salty things I used to enjoy (such as anchovies) tasted intolerably salty.

— hendrik

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