Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Jason's LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
7:39 pm	Give Us Dirty Laundry Breaking my long, snowbound silence to point out that this is not news. Robin Givhan is a hack and should be fired, and her entire pointless, meandering line of garbage reporting should be canned. Oh, sorry, two wars great recession health care legislative debacle - WE GAVE ALL THE COLUMN SPACE TO ARTICLES JUDGING MICHELLE OBAMA FOR WEARING SHORTS, and things of the like. (No, I'm not joking. "She looked fine," Robin dishes, before sobering up to deliver the self-righteous nuclear blast: "But that doesn't make the ensemble okay." Also, in case you were wondering, the most significant thing about the President of the United States worth mentioning is this pair of jeans he wore once, which the Post grinningly puts under the caption 'On Culture.') The Post sinks to deeper irrelevance and self-parody daily on their long slide towards going out of business. Move along, nothing to see here. At least they send me coupons, and newspaper burns very nicely in my charcoal chimney starter for the grill. Anyway, in other news, life bobs along. I'm now routinely getting up at 4-grumble-grumble AM for work, which means I'm effectively dead by 9pm. It's nice to have some additional free time in the afternoons, and I even have spent some of it working out. Of course, I've also spent some of it sitting on my ass playing video games, so I suppose we're at equilibrium, more or less. It saps one of vital energies, this quasi-shift work, but it's better than real shift work because at least the hours don't change. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, February 8th, 2010
2:40 pm	The Great Snowpocalypse of '10 Veteran Originally uploaded by fenrik98. Mostly, I shoveled. In between bouts of admiring the quiet, serene beauty of nature. I'm really not sure how much snow we got here at our house, but I think it was at least 2 feet. (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
11:51 am	State of the Disunion reform_gis_main_map_800 Originally uploaded by fenrik98. Really interesting thought concept here... the continental U.S. with state boundaries re-drawn by population density. Designed by Neil Freeman at Fake Is the New Real, via James Fallows at The Atlantic. Freeman conceives of this as a way to re-balance the Electoral College to more fairly reflect population densities. (He does note that "Alaska and Hawaii become part of the states of Washlaska and Coronado, respectively.") http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4298108610_76e5da36f0_o.jpg for a larger view, or go to the original page. (Comment on this)
Monday, January 18th, 2010
12:43 pm	Doodles (circa 2003) Doodles Originally uploaded by fenrik98. So I'm spending some time today cleaning out the 20 or so 3-ring binders that I have in my office that are filled with research, papers, and other ephemera from graduate school. I haven't looked at this junk in 6 years; I'll never use it again. Getting rid of it now at least guarantees I don't drag it around on a move ever again (it's survived from Missouri to Maryland, Maryland to Virginia, and between two houses in Virginia). I've discovered very little of interest or worth retaining, but my assorted doodles are pretty entertaining. What long, dark teatime of the soul could have compelled me to construct this strange mishmash of a probability chart, nonsense equations, geometric shapes, and a butchered Venn diagram? (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 16th, 2010
6:03 pm	I Can Has Grammatical Consistency? I clipped the following from the online version of a Washington Post story about the inauguration of Robert McDonnell as Virginia's governor, which took place today: Immediately following the ceremony, a parade spilled into the streets of downtown Richmond. It includes 47 groups, many of which have significance for McDonnell and Virginia's future first lady, Maureen, a former Washington Redskins cheerleader. His high school alma mater, Bishop Ireton in Alexandria, and one of college alma mater, Notre Dame, will be represented as will his American Legion Post from Virginia Beach. Did you see that? The paragraph contained three sentences. Each sentence was in a different verb tense. The parade SPILLED... past tense. (The parade already happened.) The parade INCLUDES... present tense. (The parade is happening now.) Groups WILL BE REPRESENTED in the parade... future tense. (The parade has not happened yet.) What the FUCK is going on at the Washington Post? Did they fire every single copy editor? Are they letting junior high school students publish articles? That's the kind of screw-up I rarely saw among college freshmen when I worked as a writing tutor. Now it's published in one of the U.S.'s premier newspapers. Disgraceful. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
6:03 am	News to Guzzle Coffee By An apparent change of Google's policy in China. More here. And a response from James Fallows of The Atlantic, who spent several years living in China as a correspondent and has written extensively about China's society, US-China relations, and this very subject. Fallows notes that: In terms of information flow into China, this decision probably makes no real difference at all. Why? Anybody inside China who really wants to get to Google.com -- or BBC or whatever site may be blocked for the moment -- can still do so easily, by using a proxy server or buying (for under $1 per week) a VPN service. Details here. For the vast majority of Chinese users, it's not worth going to that cost or bother, since so much material is still available in Chinese from authorized sites. That has been the genius, so far, of the Chinese "Great Firewall" censorship system: it allows easy loopholes for anyone who might get really upset, but it effectively keeps most Chinese internet users away from unauthorized material. Memo to Jay Leno: please retire from NBC television. You hosted The Tonight Show for 17 years. Give the guy his shot. (Like I've watched either of them in years, like I can ever stay up that late... but, still. Fond memories.) (Comment on this)
Friday, January 1st, 2010
9:55 am	Recipe to Keep: Pomegranate Molasses BBQ Sauce We picked up a bottle of pomegranate molasses after sampling one of the mezze platters at Zatinya which used it as a garnish. Delicious! And it makes a great substitute for regular molasses in a lot of recipes, including a basic barbeque sauce: - Fire up a saucepan with a small layer of olive oil. Sautee a chopped onion and a couple tablespoons of minced garlic. Add a shake of salt, pepper, and thyme and mash everything together for about 5 minutes. - Add about 7-8 squirts of ketchup (I suppose each squirt is about a tablespoon), and several good glugs from a bottle of pomegranate molasses (probably about a 1/2 cup total, or more or less to taste). Stir vigorously. Add a pinch of dried mustard, and a couple of shakes of paprika and cumin. The recipe I used called for sugar, but that seemed like overkill since ketchup contains sugar already, so I didn't use it. Finally, add a couple shakes of white wine vinegar. - Stir everything up real good and reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Voila: BBQ sauce. Now what I've done with this the last couple of times I've made it was to throw it right into the slow cooker on top of two or three pork chops, fired the cooker up to half or three-quarters heat, and walked away. Six or seven hours later, the result is moist, flavorful, fork-tender pork chops that taste strongly of pomegranate deliciousness. This would probably also be good on chicken, or anything else you'd use a basic barbeque sauce on. One thing I keep forgetting to try is to pair this with a pomegranate wine. We actually have a bottle of pomegranate wine from a winery in western Michigan, but I never remember to have it chilled and ready to go with this. (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
6:44 pm	More from the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Wow! Originally uploaded by fenrik98. The centerpiece of the Birch Aquarium was this large kelp farm tank. I had better pictures of it, but I liked this one because of the kid mashed up against the glass - gives you a good perspective of the size of the tank. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
8:40 pm	San Diego Museum of Man San Diego Museum of Man Originally uploaded by fenrik98. This is the main tower of the San Diego Museum of Man, which is in Balboa Park in downtown San Diego (near the zoo). The MoM is an anthropology museum with a moderate-sized collection of artifacts tracking the evolution and development of the human species. There are exhibits on primitive hominids and human evolution, a collection of mummies (actual mummies, which is increasingly rare) , and many artifacts from Mesoamerican civilizations (Olmec, Maya, Moche). The MoM costs $10, which is slightly steep, although it's bigger than it looks from the outside and the collection is pretty nice. If you have an interest in the subject it's probably worth checking out, but if not it's good enough to take some photos of the outside. (Comment on this)
8:35 pm	Over the Ocean Over the Ocean Originally uploaded by fenrik98. Here is a view off the rear terrace of the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, La Jolla, California. This looks right out into the Pacific Ocean. (Comment on this)
8:32 pm	The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Copper-Banded Butterfly Fish Originally uploaded by fenrik98. The Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (affiliated with the University of California, San Diego) in La Jolla was a great marine-focused aquarium that collected and displayed fish and other aquatic life from the California coast, the San Diego Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. The Birch also mixes in a lot of advocacy with their displays, working to educate guests about the effects of climate change on the health of the world's oceans. This photo is of a copper-banded butterfly fish, which happens to be the fish the Birch chose for its logo. (Comment on this)
Monday, December 14th, 2009
6:11 am	Here's Your Sign Morning funnies: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/13/AR2009121303009.html?hpid=moreheadlines (Comment on this)
Monday, December 7th, 2009
8:16 pm	Publically Available Information is Fascinating See who donated to who in the recent Virginia elections: http://www.vpap.org/donors/top My favorites are all the large corporate/utility behemoths who donate equal amounts to each party's candidate (e.g. Dominion, Verizon). (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
7:54 pm	First Division Museum at Cantigny On Guard Originally uploaded by fenrik98. Cantigny (pronounced Can-TEE-nee) is the Wheaton, Illinois estate of the late Robert McCormick, who was publisher of the Chicago Tribune. During World War I, McCormick served with the First Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, and that is why there is a random museum dedicated to the "Big Red One" in this small town in northern Illinois. (The Division itself is headquartered at Ft. Riley, KS.) The museum is very well-sized and laid out. Central to the museum's structure are elaborate reconstructions of battlefields and combat environments from World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and Desert Storm. (These are similar to the 'immersive battlefields' in the National Museum of the U.S. Marine Corps at Quantico.) The museum is a labor of love, meticulously displaying and explaining equipment ranging from large armored vehicles to small arms, uniforms and insignia, and well-written exhibits putting the collection into historical context. Video and audio presentations are present, but are not overly intrusive and can easily be skipped or ignored. Never forgetting that the heart of the Army is its soldiers, the museum devotes a great deal of space to commemorating the actions of many specific First Division soldiers, including the namesake of my high school, SGT James W. Robinson, Jr. (KIA in Vietnam, 1965; Medal of Honor recipient). Outside the museum is a large tank park featuring armored vehicles from WWI to the present. The First Division Museum, which is free, is only a small part of the large Cantigny estate - they also have a golf course, a large garden section, and a concert hall area. While we were there it was cold and raining and none of this was attractive, so we only saw the museum, which was definitely worth an hour or so to stroll through and learn more about the history of the Big Red One. (Comment on this)
6:20 pm	Cichilds! In an Aquarium! Cichilds! In an Aquarium! Originally uploaded by fenrik98. Long view of the Lake Malawi aquarium now running in the basement. This is about 95% done in my estimation. I do want more rocks (have to go for another collecting stroll in the local creek) and the light fixtures/canopy could use some work. The difference in light from one side to the other is because one light fixture is closer to the back than the other. I have my entire cichlid population in there right now, and I will soon be adding two Synodontis catfish. (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
5:47 am	BJs and Dicks LOL Yesterday we celebrated Veteran's Day with a drive around town in the dark, icy rain to accomplish various tasks. First we stopped in at BJ's where my mother had taken up a 14 month membership deal and provided for me to get a card as well, so we did and wandered around a little looking at the bulk-packed goodness. I've never belonged to (nor even been inside) one of those bulk clubs like Sam's or Costco. I was disappointed. I expected 55-gallon drums of peanut butter and laptop computers in a giant blister pack of 6. We settled for small crates of toilet paper and soy milk. I suppose on the margins it's cheaper, although I suppose they depend on no one actually bothering to do the math to find out, and sure enough, I didn't either. Post BJ's, we went to Dick's Sporting Goods to pick up a stationary exercise bike to replace the one I broke a few months ago. We'd pre-reconned last weekend and decided which one we wanted. After about 10 minutes of wandering around trying to find an employee to help us out, we discovered that not only did they not have any of that bike model in the back, but neither did any other local Dick's, either. So, they knocked $50 off the price and sold us the floor model with a 1-year warranty (vs. the 3-year warranty I'd been planning to get, since this bike is a Schwinn like our last one, and therefore filled with substandard Chinese junk parts). It's pretty beat up - gouge marks, scratches, missing pedal clips, but it does work. I guess we'll see how long it lasts before it needs a new servo motor. One nice thing is this bike has a REALLY small footprint, so it tucks very nicely into a space in the basement next to Sarah's North American river aquarium. I'm also annoyed that I trashed all the components of the old bike (a Stalinesque purge to excise my failures), because this one doesn't have a bracket under the console like the old one did - and it was the perfect size and shape to prop up my laptop so I could watch Doctor Who while I cycled (2 episodes = 50 minutes, a decent benchmark for a workout). Now I'll have to improvise something or rotate the bike to face a flat surface where I can put the laptop, or figure something else out. Sadly, I can't read while I bike. I've tried and it just doesn't work for me. We had lunch at Tequila Grande and stopped by the Store of Comical Books, where the employees were playing profane hip-hop with the profanities dubbed out. What is the point? Look, if you're going to listen to hip hop or rap that involves swears, you have to actually play the swears, or the song sounds stupid and lame. If you can't have the swears because you're playing the song in a business during working hours, play something else. Back home, I decided to kill off the rest of the rainy afternoon by reconstructing the hardscape of my African cichlid aquarium and re-filling it with water, keeping an obsessive eye on the corner seam that I re-sealed. It didn't leak at all yesterday and so far this morning, no leaks. Fingers crossed. If it actually does hold water now, this is great, because I can finally get all of my cichlids out of their cramped emergency quarters and into the big tank. I'm not sure if I'll be able to accomplish that before taking off for Chicago on Saturday, though, since the tank has to heat first. It sounds rainy and disgusting outside. Off to work. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
6:02 am	Beating the Tired, Dusty Drum Vote tomorrow, Virginia residents. Vote for the candidate you like, or against the candidate you don't, or against the canddiate whose campaign keeps calling you at 6 fucking o'clock every night with a recorded message to vote for them. Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and House of Delegates seats are up, as well as some state Senate seats. Find your polling place. Earlier this year I swore I'd pay much more attention to Virginia elections this time around so I could make a totally educated vote. I didn't do this at all. Even in a much slower year at work I'm not sure if I really would have done it. (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 1st, 2009
9:36 am	Setback My 125-gallon cichild aquarium is now on indefinite hold. Turns out, after all the time, effort, and money I put into knocking together that custom background and rigorously adhering it to the back of the tank was wasted - and it had nothing to do with the background. The aquarium's front left seam leaks. I'm lucky I caught it. I had placed the rocks (after going out to the local creek to find more rocks) and a couple of terra cotta pots for my synodontis catfish and filled the entire tank with water and gotten the filter going, and I was just sitting and staring at the tank when I found the leak. It's not huge, just a single spot of water penetration, but it's enough - and closer inspection revealed the entire seam is permeated. That means the aquarium is useless. I say lucky because (1) I was here to catch it and we were able to immediately start draining the tank before any major water was spilled onto the stand/floor, and (2) because it happened this early in setup and there were no fish in the tank yet. Tearing down the tank now is a pain in the ass, but far, far less of a hassle than it would have been if fish were in there. So now I've drained it and taken all the rocks back out again. Jesus Christ, what a kick in the teeth. It's like... I can't even think of an appropriate analogy that non-fish people would understand. Like spending a ton of money getting your car nicely detailed and then finding out the engine doesn't work? I don't know. I'm not sure what the next step is, either. I can try to repair the seam by razoring out the old silicone and re-siliconing it (I would probably do this with both front seams because the other one shows wear, too), although I have no real idea how hard that would be. Some internet research tells me the procedure is fairly simple, but I've heard that before. Or, I can acquire (buy) a new tank and swap this one out. That would be a surer cure, but would also be an even larger pain in the ass because of the custom background, which I would have to rip out of the old tank and re-install in the new tank. Then we'd have to get rid of the first, leaking aquarium, probably by reselling it to someone who either wants to repair it or wants to use it for reptiles or other non-water applications. Add all the usual inconveniences of hauling six-foot-long glass boxes in and out of the house, twice. (At least I already have a good stand.) Siiiiiigh. I was really looking forward to finally having my cichlids in a nice big tank, and I had the hardscape looking pretty decent. No telling when this will happen now. (Comment on this)
Monday, October 26th, 2009
9:33 pm	Fake Rocks IMG_3692 Originally uploaded by fenrik98. It may totally fall apart tomorrow (or it may have totally fallen apart already), but here is the near-final incarnation of the false rock background for my African cichlid aquarium. The large panels are store-bought fake rock which is screwed to pink styrofoam pieces (you can see the color on the chunks on the right hand side of the stand). The bottom edge of each panel (notably different in color and texture) is Great Stuff expanding foam sprinkled with sand, coated with epoxy resin, and topped with more sand. I know it doesn't match the "rock" at all but there will mostly be a large layer of sand substrate in front of it; mostly I just wanted it to not be bright pink. Anyway, it's a little junky looking at the moment but once it's filled with water and lit properly I'm hopeful it will look good and slightly more natural. Or, the pressure of the water will detach the panels from the aquarium wall and they'll slough off and I'll slam my face through the nearest piece of drywall with the force of my profanities. (Comment on this)
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
7:14 pm	:D (1 Comment |Comment on this)