The past three days have been absolutely gorgeous, simply the best of spring that the northeast has to offer. Mid-60's to 70's, sunny, gentle breeze.....and I've been pulling 12 hour work days.
I'll be in the office all weekend too. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just went outside and rolled around in the grass while our data explodes.
May 30, 2008
May 29, 2008
Cookery
This past weekend, my mom handed down the recipe for her beef stew. I've decided to post it here, because Google has the entire internet saved.
Like any home cook, she uses no measurements, just experience and feel. But you can easily season this one to taste.
Ingredients:
Beef Shank (Per my mom, it MUST, MUST, MUST be shank)
Soy Sauce
Garlic
Carrots
Vodka (Pure and straight, none of that flavored crap!)
Sugar
Green Onion
Black Pepper
Steps:
1. Cut beef into cubes and add to pot
2. Fill pot with 60/40 Soy Sauce/Water (more water if you want less salty). You want enough liquid to cover all the meat, plus around 2 inches over. Start heating.
3. For each pound of meat, add 2~3 cloves of crushed garlic
4. For each pound of meat, add the WHITE root portion of around 5~6 stalks of green onion, chopped
5. Add sugar to taste (usually a spoon for each pound of meat)
6. Add black pepper to taste
7. Add enough vodka to form a 1/4 inch layer over the existing liquid (obviously, it won't stay layered, but you know what I mean)
8. Bring to boil, then let simmer until meat is tender (around 30 minutes per pound, although it varies depending on your stove)
9. While simmering, cut carrots diagonal and add to stew. Carrots soften pretty quickly, so no need to add until later in the process
Optional: you can add potatoes, onions, or green peppers around the same time you add the beef, or cauliflower at the same time you add the carrots.
Like any home cook, she uses no measurements, just experience and feel. But you can easily season this one to taste.
Ingredients:
Beef Shank (Per my mom, it MUST, MUST, MUST be shank)
Soy Sauce
Garlic
Carrots
Vodka (Pure and straight, none of that flavored crap!)
Sugar
Green Onion
Black Pepper
Steps:
1. Cut beef into cubes and add to pot
2. Fill pot with 60/40 Soy Sauce/Water (more water if you want less salty). You want enough liquid to cover all the meat, plus around 2 inches over. Start heating.
3. For each pound of meat, add 2~3 cloves of crushed garlic
4. For each pound of meat, add the WHITE root portion of around 5~6 stalks of green onion, chopped
5. Add sugar to taste (usually a spoon for each pound of meat)
6. Add black pepper to taste
7. Add enough vodka to form a 1/4 inch layer over the existing liquid (obviously, it won't stay layered, but you know what I mean)
8. Bring to boil, then let simmer until meat is tender (around 30 minutes per pound, although it varies depending on your stove)
9. While simmering, cut carrots diagonal and add to stew. Carrots soften pretty quickly, so no need to add until later in the process
Optional: you can add potatoes, onions, or green peppers around the same time you add the beef, or cauliflower at the same time you add the carrots.
May 22, 2008
Touched
Few things move me to tears, but hearing He Xiaozhu read his poem on NPR did. He was at a teahouse in Chengdu when the quake hit.
Here is the Chinese:
And the English translation:
Thousands upon thousands of anguished cries
Returning to silence and tranquillity
Heavenly acts cannot be predicted
The moon over Wenchuan
Still, a question mark
Aftershocks extend to Chengdu
Sorrow engulfs half the world
Tears turn to ice
Let candlelight melt them away
Children, climb on a dandelion
and line up for heaven
NPR's coverage in China has been extraordinary. Yet of all the reports and interviews, this little snippet has been the one that really hits home. Sometimes it just takes an artist's touch.
Here is the Chinese:
And the English translation:
Thousands upon thousands of anguished cries
Returning to silence and tranquillity
Heavenly acts cannot be predicted
The moon over Wenchuan
Still, a question mark
Aftershocks extend to Chengdu
Sorrow engulfs half the world
Tears turn to ice
Let candlelight melt them away
Children, climb on a dandelion
and line up for heaven
NPR's coverage in China has been extraordinary. Yet of all the reports and interviews, this little snippet has been the one that really hits home. Sometimes it just takes an artist's touch.
May 19, 2008
Bringing Home Bacon
The JPMorgan offer letter arrived. I officially have a job in the Investment Banking division!
*** SO MUCH RELIEF ***
Everyone in our business unit was given a chance to stay, but throughout the firm lots of hard-working smart people got shafted. Sometimes it just has nothing to do with merit and everything to do with bad timing. At least JPM is providing career services to those who got laid off. I'm really going to miss some of them.
*** SO MUCH RELIEF ***
Everyone in our business unit was given a chance to stay, but throughout the firm lots of hard-working smart people got shafted. Sometimes it just has nothing to do with merit and everything to do with bad timing. At least JPM is providing career services to those who got laid off. I'm really going to miss some of them.
May 12, 2008
Oh, Wrath
Mother nature has been on quite the bender lately...what with the tornadoes and cyclone and earthquake.
Really makes me feel lucky to live someplace stable and insured.
Really makes me feel lucky to live someplace stable and insured.
May 6, 2008
This is not your grandma's swordplay!
This past sunday at TaiChi, I took a sword to the forehead:
Head wounds bleed like a motherfuck! The sleeve of my shirt is definitely permanently stained. Thankfully, there was no concussion. Just an ugly gash that had to be sewn up with six tiny stitches.
Given my hyperactive childhood, it's amazing these are my first stitches. It wasn't pleasant, but I've felt worse. The local anesthetic hurt the most and the thread going in and out felt odd, but Vic was there to distract me so I didn't dwell on the bizarre sensation. I was quite impressed by the doctor's sewing. The thread is tiny and he was very efficient.
The stitches should be coming out tomorrow, which I've heard can be more painful than getting them put in.
Should leave a pretty awesome scar - at least I can tell people it was from a sword!
Here's a really gross but fascinating (OK, maybe just to me) close-up of the fine work:
Head wounds bleed like a motherfuck! The sleeve of my shirt is definitely permanently stained. Thankfully, there was no concussion. Just an ugly gash that had to be sewn up with six tiny stitches.
Given my hyperactive childhood, it's amazing these are my first stitches. It wasn't pleasant, but I've felt worse. The local anesthetic hurt the most and the thread going in and out felt odd, but Vic was there to distract me so I didn't dwell on the bizarre sensation. I was quite impressed by the doctor's sewing. The thread is tiny and he was very efficient.
The stitches should be coming out tomorrow, which I've heard can be more painful than getting them put in.
Should leave a pretty awesome scar - at least I can tell people it was from a sword!
Here's a really gross but fascinating (OK, maybe just to me) close-up of the fine work:
May 3, 2008
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