The Spaghetti Chronicles

Since I moved into my apartment over 6 months ago, I've been attempting to "fend for myself" with the few culinary arts that I learned in my years at home with family. If there is anything that I can say I know how to do with the utmost certainty its boil pasta.

This seemed to change when I moved to New Bern. Any pasta that I have made since I started living here has been, in a word, slimy. Normally drained pasta dries rather quickly after boiling...mine however gets very sticky...like the gluten from the wheat is sticking to the outside and making it well, slimy. It even leaves a residue on my colander. Its been a baffling case I've been attempting to solve for going on 6 months now.

Experiments thus far:

1. Your Colander Sux
While I didn't find the root cause in this experiment I did what types of colanders do and dont suck. Avoid cheap plastic ones if you can, they drain poorly and are a bitch to clean. Same goes for small holed metal as well...I dumped a potful into some cheapo i got at wal-mart and it took 5 mins to drain fully. The best I've found is a wire mesh, and you can use it to strain as well if it pleases you. But sadly, the colander was not the root cause of my slime problem.


2. A water problem?
I had thought that because I was on city water there could be impurities fuxing up my pasta. So I tried spaghetti using filtered tap water. Unfortunately, this didn't solve the problem (///.-)

Future experiments:

Hard/soft.
I have no idea if we use any sort of water softening device here at the APT so I'm actually considering buying some bottled water and using that...see if it makes any difference. If it doesn't, then I think I will have come to the inevitable conclusion...

ITS THE POT
When I knew I'd be moving out I bought a relatively cheap cookware set from target. Everything is this non-stick crap but IDK what it is since its certainly not teflon. ANYWAY, I was used to boiling pasta in a big ol stainless pot back home so I may have to venture to replicate said pot for another experiment.


Yes. I am a little bit strange aren't I? Well this is what happens when you live alone...your mind...wanders

You'll Never Walk Alone

I dont often get to chat about this stuff with my usual company but I figured why not put it out on here.

If you don't know I have been trying to get into international soccer for the past few years and I've attached myself to an English Premier league team; Liverpool FC. This season they are participating in the FA Cup, Champions League, and of course the premier league (two international tournaments, and the English seasonal league).

If you don't count their premiership performance they're doing quite well. However you can't discount the largest grossing soccer league in the world...in which they cant seem to do anything but suck. I was told awhile back that in Soccer, a tie is often times as good as a win. Not in the case of the Reds. Merrysiders cant seem to get a win, but 5 draws in a row seems fine right? WRONG. Ugh, I can't really explain it since all my soccer info i get from http://soccernet.espn.go.com/index?cc=5901 and http://soccernet.espn.go.com/team?id=364&cc=5901
but basically, the team has given up on premier league hopes and focused on Champions etc. Its a shame really.

Watch the World

This month but particularly this week has been party to some of the biggest news events in recent history.

Democratic Nomination: Its a dead heat between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. And no matter who wins the nomination it will be history. Who do I support? Im not really sure yet. Though early on I have to say Clinton gives me a bad vibe, and the former Presidents actions during the campaign have made me lose confidence. Additionally, I hear that one of my friends (the Deej) is/was working for the Obama campaign. He cares about this stuff a bit more than I do so I usually trust his opinion.


Castro steps down: Just yesterday or so Fidel stepped down as leader of Cuba. An interesting move. This will pretty much guarantee that the succession of his brother Raul is set in stone before he dies and the US government nor the South American alliance (Bolivia, Nicaragua etc.) will move in during the confusion.


Toshiba is FAIL: Toshiba backs out of Hi Def DVD Format War to leave Sony Blu-Ray as the going forward standard. Remember the betamax/VHS war? Toshiba lost that one to Sony as well. MechEs from 2k7 will remember the paper we read on that "war." Well I'm sure another one will be written about this one. I am particularly glad That this format war is over before I ever had a chance to purchase an HD player. Saves me a lot of hassle when I actually have spendable money.

Musharraf's defeat: Acting President of Pakistan's political party loses the majority of parliament seats, meaning that even after Bhutto's Assassination, democracy still has a chance in Pakistan.

Writers Strike: last week saw the end of the Writers Guild Strike. Finally something new may be on television.....in about 3 months (///.-)

Things that should have been

Songs I think should have been in a guitar hero game:
Disclaimer: I haven't played rockband so I don't know what songs may be contained within

in no particular order.

-Thunderstruck, AC/DC (hell any AC/DC song...)
-Until the day I die, Story of the Year
-Don't Start a Band, Reel Big Fish (if but for the irony only)
-Tell Me Baby, RHCP
-Do What You Want, OK Go
-Crownless, Nightwish
-Born to Lead, Hoobastank
-Deny, Default
-The industrial Strength Hoedown Extravaganza, Jon Finn
-more DRAGONFORCE

Patuxent Patriot

Another week another trip for some BS meeting I really don't need to be at. This time we go to Patuxent River MD for a NAVAIR briefing on the project Im working on. Travel monday all afternoon into the night, then 2 meetings tuesday then travel all tuesday afternoon back to NC

Something Interesting I noted on my way to MD was that both flights had female pilots. This has never happened to me before to my knowledge. Not that its a sexism issue I would just tend to think that aviation has historically been a mans passion, so its a unique occurrence to even find one female commercial pilot let alone two in a row.

Such was not the case on my way home. Oh well, observation will continue.

Christofone

Hi Im Christopher Schaller, Founder and CEO of Christofone. It is my vision and goal to provide to you, my loyal customers, with unprecedented cell phone service. It begins with our most basic of plans. For 20 bux a month you can make a call every once in a while from our dilapidated old cellphones with batteries larger than the phone itself.

For an extra 10$ though you can upgrade to the classic flip phone...with an LCD display only found on the fanciest of calculators.

But the real strength of Christofone is our Rape-you-in-the-ass hidden fees. Did you know that it costs you 5cents just to turn the phone on? Yep thats good old fashioned service right there.

With Christofone, you're going to like how thick our bill is...I guarantee it.


Annnnnd Scene.

I had just woke up when I saw one of those tracfone commercials and was inspired.

if you buy a cell phone from Dollar General its time to take a good close look at your life.

On Birthdays

It was to say the least, uneventful. No cake, and everybody is sold out of Ds's despite being full up 1 week before Christmas.

Birthdays usually get me thinking about my own life in the days immediately following..and this usually doesn't end well for me. To say the least I'm not in a good mood today.

There are a lot of things that are bothering me at this point in my life...most of which stem from the same core issue. The crushing loneliness of being 800 Miles from my closest friends is really starting to get to me. It has been 6 months since I've seen face to face anybody I'd ever had a connection with and beyond that there are friends that I haven't even spoken to in a year maybe.

and if anybody starts that "oh omega's gettin emo again" just shut the fuck up.

This is not a "give me sympathy post" I don't really want to see my inbox full of "hope you feel better" stuff. Im writing this here because it's the easiest way to get shit off my chest.

Anyway I hope everybody out there reading this is doing well. And I mean that.

I kinda feel better already.



I'm disallowing comments for this post...for obvious reasons.