First Published: 2019 January 16
Sometimes people fall behind. I am a person. Therefore sometimes I fall behind. Such is the nature of life.
First Published: 2019 January 16
As I mentioned a little bit ago, bus rides make it hard for me to focus. When the bus is totally full, as it was, I find myself completely unable to be productive. So, sadly, the posts were not written. C’est la vie.1
la vie↩
First Published: 2019 January 13
We’re getting ready to return to Grinnell. As a result, we decided to clear out our food. We had around two pounds of bread, a pound of brown sugar, salt,1 and a packet of yeast. So, I decided to make bread.
With the one packet of yeast added to most of the flour, I dumped in the very precise measurements of “some” salt and brown sugar. That being accomplished,2 I added water to the flour. As I realized that there was still far too much flour, I found out we also had extra milk. So, I added more flour, and I3 added milk to the flour, and continued to work.
I then got bored while kneading, so picked up the dough and kneaded as I walked and visited other rooms. After letting it rise for 2.5 hours,4 I rekneaded, and let rest for the entirely unreasonable length of 3 minutes.5 I put it in the oven and walked away for ten minutes.
When I returned, the bread looked more like a cake. It had risen quite nicely. Of course, it wasn’t browning, even after 30 minutes, so I bumped the temp from 350 to 400.6 It still didn’t brown, but did turn a nice light brown colour.7
Reviews from housemates were positive. As for myself, I’d give it a solid neutral. As my father would say, “c’est la vie.”8
stolen from another room↩︎
sometimes Latin class pops up in the worst ways↩︎
I’ve been told I comma splice, so rather than change the problem, I just make sure to have more independent clauses↩︎
I was so forgetful↩︎
I’m impatient↩︎
F because I love small changes and hate water-based systems↩︎
wow that’s a bad sentence. Also, a break was taken before writing this sentence because I realized I’d forgotten the bread in the oven↩︎
la vee↩︎
First Published: 2019 January 16
Isaiah 40:1: “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.”
Today’s readings, as are to be expected from the day of the Lord’s baptism, are rather joyful. To me, the line which best sums up this week’s message is the first of Isaiah Chapter 40. The readings focus on the comfort and knowledge that the Lord has come, loves us, and chooses us each and every day.
In the Gospel itself, I love the fact that Luke makes it clear that “the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form,”1,2 while the other two synoptic Gospels only state that the Spirit descends. For me, at least, part of the faith that is so important is the physical nature. As we’re taught about sacraments, they’re physical manifestations of internal realities. Unlike other Christian faiths, we believe that the Body and Blood is truly present in the Eucharist.
First Published: 2019 January 12
These past few days, my coach has commented that my hurdle has been suffering since coming back from abroad. I couldn’t remember what I had been doing differently, other than what I was still doing.1 Today, I remembered that I modified my breathing while diving abroad, and tried that again today. It worked! Hooray.
walking instead of prancing↩︎
First Published: 2019 January 11
In a class I took last semester, Creative Cartography, one of the ways we experimented with making maps was via timelapses. I very much enjoyed the process, and repeated it later in the making of the growing of my beard.1 When I shaved my beard, I again tried a timelapse. And, recently, I tried doing so while working on a doodle that I enjoyed.
It’s a really fun process, and it’s a good way for me personally to do activities more mindfully. If you haven’t tried making them in the past, I’d recommend trying to make one, as it’s very rewarding.
First Published: 2019 January 10
Prereading note: I’ve realized that I’ve begun to use this blog more and more as a way to remember recipes so that I won’t forget them.
Yesterday, I made tortillas.1 They were favorably reviewed.
The recipe is:
Mix flour, salt, sugar, and oil together.
Add enough water
Mix and knead
Press into small shapes
Put on a very hot pan that’s been lightly oiled
Flip often until cooked
Serve while warm
in the same way that I make almost any food: almost certainly not traditionally, but as close as I get↩︎
First Published: 2019 January 09
Today, I had the lovely pleasure of watching the 1985 classic American film Commando, staring Arnold Schwarzenegger with 20 or so other members of my team. All in all, it was a great movie for why we chose it.
The plot was straightforward enough that the chatting and constant interjections didn’t make it hard to follow. The dialogue was dumb, but punny. The set was destroyed often. There was a high body count. So, what more could you really ask for in a college men’s athletic movie night?1
that is a rhetorical question. There are a lot of things that could have been better↩
First Published: 2019 January 08
Today, as with most days for the next few weeks, I dove. Our goal was to run through every dive, with the added hope that I might be able to put inward two and a half back in.1 Instead, I remembered why I hate inwards.
In front category dives, I tend to have an easy time. Regardless of how I ride the board, I can generally save it.
In back dives, I just need to remember to swing my arms. And, I do that often enough.
For reverse, I always know that I’ve gotten off the board too quickly.
But, for inward, the only element I really need to throw a quickly rotating dive is a good toe drive. That is, I need to throw my feet back as they come up from the board. Throwing my feet is scary, and makes me think I might hit the board.2 So, today’s inward double attempts were interesting.
On the first, I underthrew just enough that I landed in what the lifeguard called a “perfect cannonball.”3 The second I underthrew to the point that it turned into a one and a half, because I knew I wouldn’t make it, and I’ve never been horribly fond of hurting my back.4 After recognizing this problem and addressing it through an inward dive,5 I thought myself ready to again attempt inward double. Instead of it being under, I had a wonderful toe drive. In fact, I rotated so well that I was able to kick out at the double above the board.
Unfortunately, this meant that I was over on the dive, and it didn’t feel pleasant. Had it been a leadup for inward two and a half or double on one meter, it would have been great. As it was, however, it was just painful. But, tomorrow is another day, and another chance to try again.
First Published: 2019 January 07
As those of you who’ve been following the progress of the baking competition might know, I’ve been working hard to perfect my recipe. Now that I’m at the training trip, I thought it important to try making the recipe here, as the oven and stove might behave differently. Oddly enough, the butter seems to behave differently, though that may just be my failure to cook.
I’ve learned that if you boil butter, it will eventually incorporate a lot of air. If you wait until that point to fold in chocolate, you end up with a more stable final project. It received positive reviews from all, including my alleged competition.
For the sake of not trying to remember, below is the recipe.
Combine 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1 tablespoon flour in a bowl.
Mix until fully incorporated
Grease a cupcake tin and wipe1
Melt 1/2 stick butter in pan, stirring often
When butter has boiled and begins to rapidly expand in size, remove from heat
Stir in 2.7 oz bittersweet chocolate pieces, and when fully mixed, add the egg mixture.
Once fully incorporated together, pour into muffin tin and cook at 350 F.
Remove from oven when the sides have begun to pull away and feel mostly solid when touched.
While still warm, flip onto plate to remove from trays.
the wiping makes the end result smoother↩︎