Bonneville Dam
Jul. 11th, 2025 04:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yourlibrarian posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
common_nature
After returning to the 84/30 we ended up at the Bonneville Dam in search of a bathroom! It was a good stop though as the view (and sound) of the dam was impressive. ( Read more... )
fig sound phenomenon
Jul. 7th, 2025 05:13 pmdarkoshiInteresting fig phenomenon I noticed today: after rinsing a ripe fig with water, pressing it slightly on the sides made it emit a sort of buzzing sound out of the little hole at the tip. Each time I pressed (lightly) again, the buzzing would start, and each time I let up it would stop.
It almost seemed like there might be an insect inside, complaining about being pressed. But it seemed more likely that pressing on the fig made it expel air, which made the noise. It was surprising how long it kept doing it, though. I'd have thought all the air would have been expelled much sooner. Maybe it was sucking air back in each time I released the pressure. After repeated light pressing on all sides, probably squishing the fruit too much, the sound finally died down. Upon cutting it open, it was a normal fig inside; no insect.
I've never noticed other figs to do that. I tested a few other figs after that one, and a few had similar sounds, but quieter and much shorter lived.
It almost seemed like there might be an insect inside, complaining about being pressed. But it seemed more likely that pressing on the fig made it expel air, which made the noise. It was surprising how long it kept doing it, though. I'd have thought all the air would have been expelled much sooner. Maybe it was sucking air back in each time I released the pressure. After repeated light pressing on all sides, probably squishing the fruit too much, the sound finally died down. Upon cutting it open, it was a normal fig inside; no insect.
I've never noticed other figs to do that. I tested a few other figs after that one, and a few had similar sounds, but quieter and much shorter lived.
Buddha statue and surrounding garden.
Jul. 6th, 2025 05:28 amfull_metal_ox posting in common_natureTaken on 28 May 2024 at 21:00 US Eastern Daylight Time:
(Warning for flashing lights and shaky camera.)
( Cut. )
(Not included: the sound of passing sirens.)
Taken on 9 June 2024 at 07:21 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 27 June 2025 at 19:46 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 27 June 2025 at 19:47 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 2 July 2025 at 19:43 US Eastern Daylight Time:
This gradually took shape across the parking lot from a local Asian fusion restaurant over 2024; between recovering from Hurricane Ian and the COVID quarantine, changing hands, and changing formats (from the mid-century Cantonese-American the original owners had served for forty years to a pan-Asian combination of sushi, ramen, and Chinese), they’d spent the previous couple years uneasily gaining their bearings.
The garden’s proximity to the street, along with the lack of any obvious receptacle for offerings, makes it clear that this is a more ornamental than devotional site. (A Web search indicates the presence of a local Buddhist temple, but the address is a private residence, and home worship services are for who they’re for, which does not include curiosity-gawking spiritual tourists.)
My guess is that the white-flowering shrubs are Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), aka Confederate Jasmine, Chinese Star Jessamine, and Trader’s Compass, native to warm regions in South and East Asia, and widely planted in the Southeastern U.S. The flowers’ heady indolic fragrance is prized in perfumery, but I’m afraid I haven’t the right sensory range to enjoy them.
(Warning for flashing lights and shaky camera.)
( Cut. )
(Not included: the sound of passing sirens.)
Taken on 9 June 2024 at 07:21 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 27 June 2025 at 19:46 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 27 June 2025 at 19:47 US Eastern Daylight Time:
Taken on 2 July 2025 at 19:43 US Eastern Daylight Time:
This gradually took shape across the parking lot from a local Asian fusion restaurant over 2024; between recovering from Hurricane Ian and the COVID quarantine, changing hands, and changing formats (from the mid-century Cantonese-American the original owners had served for forty years to a pan-Asian combination of sushi, ramen, and Chinese), they’d spent the previous couple years uneasily gaining their bearings.
The garden’s proximity to the street, along with the lack of any obvious receptacle for offerings, makes it clear that this is a more ornamental than devotional site. (A Web search indicates the presence of a local Buddhist temple, but the address is a private residence, and home worship services are for who they’re for, which does not include curiosity-gawking spiritual tourists.)
My guess is that the white-flowering shrubs are Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), aka Confederate Jasmine, Chinese Star Jessamine, and Trader’s Compass, native to warm regions in South and East Asia, and widely planted in the Southeastern U.S. The flowers’ heady indolic fragrance is prized in perfumery, but I’m afraid I haven’t the right sensory range to enjoy them.
refreshingly zesty carrots
Jul. 6th, 2025 04:34 amdarkoshiThis is a good way to use up carrots that are dry or slightly bitter:
Peel, then grate the carrots. (I think I used 4 carrots)
Mix some frozen orange juice concentrate with water (I used about 4 tbsp or maybe more with 2 cups water)
Add about 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar to the OJ.
Add 1 to 2 tbsp maple syrup to the OJ.
Stir the liquid, then pour it over the carrots.
Let it marinate in the fridge.
Peel, then grate the carrots. (I think I used 4 carrots)
Mix some frozen orange juice concentrate with water (I used about 4 tbsp or maybe more with 2 cups water)
Add about 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar to the OJ.
Add 1 to 2 tbsp maple syrup to the OJ.
Stir the liquid, then pour it over the carrots.
Let it marinate in the fridge.
make your own spicy ketchup
Jul. 6th, 2025 03:38 amdarkoshiIn my spice cabinet was a jar of garam masala which my brother left here 15 years ago. Other than perhaps once (after which I wrote "spicy sweet" on the jar), I never used it because it's too spicy hot for me. It smells good like Christmas spices, but on the rare occasions when I want something to be spicy hot, I don't want it to taste like cinnamon and cloves. I realized that while browsing the spices recently, so I put the jar on my counter, intending to finally get rid of it.
A few days ago I was looking for something to pep up my meal. It occurred to me that spicy ketchup would go well on it. I didn't have any. But I had ketchup, and that jar was still on the counter. So I mixed garam masala powder into ketchup, and ta-da, spicy ketchup! It tasted just like the Maya Kaimal ketchup I remembered.
The jar went back into my spice cabinet, as now there's something I can use it for in the future.
A few days ago I was looking for something to pep up my meal. It occurred to me that spicy ketchup would go well on it. I didn't have any. But I had ketchup, and that jar was still on the counter. So I mixed garam masala powder into ketchup, and ta-da, spicy ketchup! It tasted just like the Maya Kaimal ketchup I remembered.
The jar went back into my spice cabinet, as now there's something I can use it for in the future.
flirtatious smiles
Jul. 6th, 2025 02:23 amdarkoshiAbout that 6' Pole video, something I didn't mention before is that I find the singer's smile rather captivating and/or fascinating, especially the way he looks straight at the camera when doing it. It's like a half smile, or a "knowing" smile, or like an "I have a secret" smile*. And yet when I watched the video again now looking specifically for the smile, it's even more interesting because most of the time where I get the feeling he's smiling, he isn't, or it is only a very slight smile. Even his eyes don't look like they are smiling, and yet I still get that strong "smile" impression.
*None of which are mentioned here: 12 Types of Smiles and What They Really Mean, but I'm thinking now that it fits under the category of "flirtatious smile".
His biggest smile is at 1:51. That's more of a normal happy/fun smile, not like the rest I'm talking about.
Not only that, but the other bandmember (like at 10 seconds into the video), has the same fascinating half smile!
The girl at 56 seconds also has a captivating smile (very briefly shown), but it's a different kind.
In other words, I think I find both band members cute. Not as in wanting to meet them or talk to them or do anything with them, as I have a feeling I wouldn't like them in person. But in that it stirs something in me. Which together with the catchy beat of the song, makes me not mind watching the video again and again. I'm not sure how similar that is to a sexual person finding people cute?
The singer's voice in the song seems at first jarring compared to the music, slurred and unmelodic. But as the song goes on, I get used to it and start liking it. Together with the smile, it starts sounding like the lyrics of the song are a joke he's sharing with you.
And another thing. The purple striped t-shirt he's wearing is very similar to one I had as a kid. I think it was one of my favorites. Although now in looking at the photos, I had two different t-shirts like that! The stripes are slightly different in each, but nearly the same colors and with the same darker purple band around the neck.
*None of which are mentioned here: 12 Types of Smiles and What They Really Mean, but I'm thinking now that it fits under the category of "flirtatious smile".
His biggest smile is at 1:51. That's more of a normal happy/fun smile, not like the rest I'm talking about.
Not only that, but the other bandmember (like at 10 seconds into the video), has the same fascinating half smile!
The girl at 56 seconds also has a captivating smile (very briefly shown), but it's a different kind.
In other words, I think I find both band members cute. Not as in wanting to meet them or talk to them or do anything with them, as I have a feeling I wouldn't like them in person. But in that it stirs something in me. Which together with the catchy beat of the song, makes me not mind watching the video again and again. I'm not sure how similar that is to a sexual person finding people cute?
The singer's voice in the song seems at first jarring compared to the music, slurred and unmelodic. But as the song goes on, I get used to it and start liking it. Together with the smile, it starts sounding like the lyrics of the song are a joke he's sharing with you.
And another thing. The purple striped t-shirt he's wearing is very similar to one I had as a kid. I think it was one of my favorites. Although now in looking at the photos, I had two different t-shirts like that! The stripes are slightly different in each, but nearly the same colors and with the same darker purple band around the neck.
one thing, one thing, leads to another (refrigerator alarm)
Jul. 5th, 2025 11:30 pmdarkoshiLast night I cooked yellow squash. I finished late, and it was still warm outside so I couldn't open the windows to air out the cooking smells from the house.
Today I opened all the windows to air it out. With the A/C off, the temperature got up to 88 inside, but felt nice to me with the fans on. So I left the windows open all day.
As the windows were open, I washed a load of items with mildew and other stains along with 2 bleach tablets in the washer. (My use of chlorine bleach is seldom enough that liquid bleach usually degrades before I can use the bottle up. Tablets don't have that problem.) The windows being open prevents the bleach smell from bothering me.
As the windows were open, I also baked some things from the freezer in the oven. It seemed a good idea as the heat and baking smells could dissipate out through the windows, without making the A/C use more energy (since it wasn't on).
Coincidentally, part of the reason I wanted to use up some of the things in the freezer is because there's always the slight worry that if the power goes out for a long time, the food will melt and go bad. The strong storm we had on June 25 only made my power flicker a few times (although it ripped some siding off my soffits), but my mom's power was out for 11 hours. Before that, my power was out for 2 hours from a storm on June 14.
This evening, several hours after the baking, my refrigerator started beeping and showing the Too-High-Temperature warning icon. Uh-oh. I hadn't had the door open more than usual, and I hadn't put any hot food inside it. I wasn't sure if it could be due to the house temperature being higher than usual. This isn't the first time I've had the windows open in warm weather, but it's the first time the refrigerator had a problem with it. I closed the windows and turned the A/C back on. I took the grate off the bottom of the fridge and checked the coils. I vacuumed some dust out, but they didn't look too bad. I took the back panel off the fridge to check back there. The fan was still running. The compressor was very hot. The finger I touched it with didn't get burned, but it was hot enough to make me jerk my finger back.
The fridge kept giving the high temp warning for over an hour, but then it finally stopped. That's a relief.
I wonder if that was a sign of the refrigerator being too old to handle a warm house, or if new refrigerators would have the same problem. The fridge is 41 years old. 88 degrees inside really doesn't seem that high to me. I suspect that in the old days, people got refrigerators before they got air conditioners.
Today I opened all the windows to air it out. With the A/C off, the temperature got up to 88 inside, but felt nice to me with the fans on. So I left the windows open all day.
As the windows were open, I washed a load of items with mildew and other stains along with 2 bleach tablets in the washer. (My use of chlorine bleach is seldom enough that liquid bleach usually degrades before I can use the bottle up. Tablets don't have that problem.) The windows being open prevents the bleach smell from bothering me.
As the windows were open, I also baked some things from the freezer in the oven. It seemed a good idea as the heat and baking smells could dissipate out through the windows, without making the A/C use more energy (since it wasn't on).
Coincidentally, part of the reason I wanted to use up some of the things in the freezer is because there's always the slight worry that if the power goes out for a long time, the food will melt and go bad. The strong storm we had on June 25 only made my power flicker a few times (although it ripped some siding off my soffits), but my mom's power was out for 11 hours. Before that, my power was out for 2 hours from a storm on June 14.
This evening, several hours after the baking, my refrigerator started beeping and showing the Too-High-Temperature warning icon. Uh-oh. I hadn't had the door open more than usual, and I hadn't put any hot food inside it. I wasn't sure if it could be due to the house temperature being higher than usual. This isn't the first time I've had the windows open in warm weather, but it's the first time the refrigerator had a problem with it. I closed the windows and turned the A/C back on. I took the grate off the bottom of the fridge and checked the coils. I vacuumed some dust out, but they didn't look too bad. I took the back panel off the fridge to check back there. The fan was still running. The compressor was very hot. The finger I touched it with didn't get burned, but it was hot enough to make me jerk my finger back.
The fridge kept giving the high temp warning for over an hour, but then it finally stopped. That's a relief.
I wonder if that was a sign of the refrigerator being too old to handle a warm house, or if new refrigerators would have the same problem. The fridge is 41 years old. 88 degrees inside really doesn't seem that high to me. I suspect that in the old days, people got refrigerators before they got air conditioners.
Horsetail Falls
Jul. 4th, 2025 11:57 amyourlibrarian posting in common_nature
Our last stop on the Historic 30 route was Horsetail Falls. If you look at the next photo you can see people sitting on the log stretching out into the pool for scale. .( Read more... )
Goal Checking
Jun. 30th, 2025 08:34 pmzhelanaFinished This Month
Finish reading 3 books with a Jewish protagonist
Progress This Month
Exercise every day in 2025
Weight lift every day of 2025
Brush teeth 360 times in 2025
Shower weekly 2025
Go to fighter practice 12 times in 2025
Art Every Day 2025
Paint 12 times in 2025
Write in Spanish every day of 2025
Write in Russian every week of 2025
Finish my memoirs
Write 300k words in 2025
Write weekly 2025
Work through a book of writing exercises
Read 2 pages of Spanish every day 2025
Read 12 new fiction titles 2025
Clean 2 minutes per weekday 2025
Clean 10 minutes per week 2025
Cook 12 times 2025
Watch a video in Spanish every week 2025
Watch a video in Russian every week 2025
Read 3 science textbooks
Read 3 social science textbooks
Read 3 history textbooks
Work through 3 math textbooks
Read 12 new nonfiction titles 2025
Finish reading 3 books with a Jewish protagonist
Progress This Month
Exercise every day in 2025
Weight lift every day of 2025
Brush teeth 360 times in 2025
Shower weekly 2025
Go to fighter practice 12 times in 2025
Art Every Day 2025
Paint 12 times in 2025
Write in Spanish every day of 2025
Write in Russian every week of 2025
Finish my memoirs
Write 300k words in 2025
Write weekly 2025
Work through a book of writing exercises
Read 2 pages of Spanish every day 2025
Read 12 new fiction titles 2025
Clean 2 minutes per weekday 2025
Clean 10 minutes per week 2025
Cook 12 times 2025
Watch a video in Spanish every week 2025
Watch a video in Russian every week 2025
Read 3 science textbooks
Read 3 social science textbooks
Read 3 history textbooks
Work through 3 math textbooks
Read 12 new nonfiction titles 2025
Rebuilding journal search again
Jun. 30th, 2025 03:18 pmalierak posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_maintenanceWe're having to rebuild the search server again (previously, previously). It will take a few days to reindex all the content.
Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.
Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.
Oneonta Gorge
Jun. 30th, 2025 11:14 amyourlibrarian posting in common_nature
Our next stop on the trip that day was Oneonia Gorge. It has a tunnel through the rock in between the trees, though we didn't go through it. Instead, we stopped just before it to take pictures of the creek and gorge.( Read more... )