I have a math phobia. I didn’t always have one. I was good in math until it became abstract, mainly with algebra. I failed my first algebra class. My best friend, Wendy, was very good in algebra so my mom hired her as my tutor. She explained it in a different way and I got A’s after that. Even though I got A’s after the tutoring, I developed a fear of math from that.
Professor James Burke had two series, “The Day the Universe Changed” and “Connections”. In one of the episodes he used higher math to explain how wine merchants kept track of the amount of wine in barrels. Watching him use math in a real-world context, I totally understand it and could have figured out the volume of anything at that point. But still I considered myself bad at math.
I had to take algebra again in college. Elementary Algebra was taught by someone who had just been accepted into UCLA’s doctoral program. She didn’t understand why people didn’t “get it” the first time. She was a terrible teacher but by working very hard I got a C in the class. Intermediate Algebra was taught by an Aerospace Engineer. He saw math as a working tool, not as an abstract concept. He was great and I got A’s and B’s on all the tests and homework, and a B in the class (due to an unexpected event, I did poorly on the final, otherwise I would have gotten an A). But still my fear, and the idea that I’m bad at math, persisted.
I also had to take Statistics. Except for a very, very small percentage of the population, everyone hates their stats class. I failed the first half of the class. There were 3 formulas we were supposed to use but no one could explain the markers that would tell me which formula was the right one for each situation. When I asked the teacher, he said you just get a feel for it. Excuse me?! You just “get a feel for it”?? Luckily my boss at the time was a math genius (seriously) and when he found out how badly I was doing, he sat with me for 2 hours one day and went over the formulas. I still didn’t understand it but I went from picking the wrong formulas to picking the right formulas, and from D’s and F’s, to A’s and B’s. I finished with a B in the class. Yet I still considered myself bad at math.
Of course anyone reading this can see that I don’t do well with the conventional way they teach math, but that I do very well when it’s explained in an alternate way. So why do I still consider myself bad at math? I have to face this and figure it out because I’ve recently decided to double-major. I’m working towards Associate in Science degrees in Web Development (no math) and Computer Science (lots of math). In the next couple of years I’ll be taking geometry, trigonometry, calculus 1 and 2, and linear algebra. If I decide to continue on to a B.S., there might be other math classes I’ll have to take, plus physics.
So, it’s imperative that I figure out my phobia and get over it. And find tutors if the teachers focus on the abstract concepts instead of the real-world applications. I bought the Dummies series for geometry and trig, and will work through them this summer in preparation.
I’m not bad at math. I need to remember that.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
busy busy busy
I planned on keeping this blog updated, but it's been a busy couple of months.
I'm more than halfway through my second PM class and the teacher has us turning in projects weekly. She's pretty much "phoning it in" and her instructions/teaching is sparse, so it's been a little difficult. The books she chose for the course are not the greatest either. But I'm doing well so far, so I'm hoping for a good grade. The class ends on April 26.
I still love my Web-Dev class and so far I've had 100/100 on all of the assignments. I'm in the B-B+ range on the quizzes, which is okay as long as I continue to kick butt on the assignments.
I got into the PHP class and it starts this Monday, April 9. I'm excited about learning this program.
None of the Web-Dev classes I need are being offered through the CIT department, but one of them is being offered through a different department, and it's online too! Unfortunately my registration date is so far back, I probably won't get in.
The summer schedule for the PM classes hasn't been released yet, but they should all be offered this summer. I'll take 2 of them and then I'll only need 2 more classes in the Fall to complete the program.
I've created a new website called Travels with Kat. It's about the places I've traveled to, including photos and reviews of hotels, restaurants, and attractions. I'm completing one destination at a time and I haven't decided on how I'll include the photos. I'm interested to see what I can do with PHP on the site. I'm going to use it for my final project (due at the end of May) but I'm guessing I'll only have one or two destinations completed by then. As soon as it goes live, I'll post the url.
As for my weight, it's done nothing in the past 2 months. I'm eating as allergen-free as I can and I'm trying to get more sleep. I found a new doctor who I saw for the first time at the end of March. She said that I won't lose any weight until I get more regular sleep. When she heard my schedule, she said maybe I can lose weight after I finish school. lol. She started me on NatureThroid, which is a natural thyroid hormone. She agrees that synthetic thyroid (T4 and T3) will keep you alive but isn't optimal for good health (my friend's doctor said the synthetics are crap). I started the NT on April 1 at 1 grain. I see my doctor in 5 weeks and we'll discuss if I need to increase the dosage. I'm not as cold as before but I'm still fatigued, and possibly more fatigued than before.
I'm not so worried about losing weight anymore. I'm concentrating on health instead. I've been following the blog "Dances with Fat" and it's made me rethink a lot of things. I was brought up that nothing was as important as being thin. No matter what I accomplished, it all paled in relation to my weight, even when I was a whopping 10 pounds over ideal. I can't tell you how many times I heard, "If you just lose 10 more pounds, you'll be perfect."
Instead of thinking about weight loss, I'm concentrating on stuff that increases my health, like lifting weights. I also saw a video recently and the doctor advised to repeat 2x daily "I accept myself unconditionally right now." I have that sentence taped to my mirror and I repeat it at least twice daily. It's made me realize that I never have accepted myself. There was always the condition of "when I'm thin".
I'm fairly certain that my weight problems growing up were due to my undiagnosed food allergies, and all of the diets I was put on were chock full of my allegens. I'm convinced that it was a lifetime of eating those foods that made my gallbladder develop stones at age 24 and my thyroid go haywire a few years later. I was on synthetic T4 for many years (on a too-low dose) and my food allergies were only diagnosed in 2008. I feel that eating an allergen-free diet and being on the correct thyroid medication will go a long way towards healing the damage, though it will take some time.
Until then I can only accept who I am right now and do all the things that are best for my health and happiness.
I'm more than halfway through my second PM class and the teacher has us turning in projects weekly. She's pretty much "phoning it in" and her instructions/teaching is sparse, so it's been a little difficult. The books she chose for the course are not the greatest either. But I'm doing well so far, so I'm hoping for a good grade. The class ends on April 26.
I still love my Web-Dev class and so far I've had 100/100 on all of the assignments. I'm in the B-B+ range on the quizzes, which is okay as long as I continue to kick butt on the assignments.
I got into the PHP class and it starts this Monday, April 9. I'm excited about learning this program.
None of the Web-Dev classes I need are being offered through the CIT department, but one of them is being offered through a different department, and it's online too! Unfortunately my registration date is so far back, I probably won't get in.
The summer schedule for the PM classes hasn't been released yet, but they should all be offered this summer. I'll take 2 of them and then I'll only need 2 more classes in the Fall to complete the program.
I've created a new website called Travels with Kat. It's about the places I've traveled to, including photos and reviews of hotels, restaurants, and attractions. I'm completing one destination at a time and I haven't decided on how I'll include the photos. I'm interested to see what I can do with PHP on the site. I'm going to use it for my final project (due at the end of May) but I'm guessing I'll only have one or two destinations completed by then. As soon as it goes live, I'll post the url.
As for my weight, it's done nothing in the past 2 months. I'm eating as allergen-free as I can and I'm trying to get more sleep. I found a new doctor who I saw for the first time at the end of March. She said that I won't lose any weight until I get more regular sleep. When she heard my schedule, she said maybe I can lose weight after I finish school. lol. She started me on NatureThroid, which is a natural thyroid hormone. She agrees that synthetic thyroid (T4 and T3) will keep you alive but isn't optimal for good health (my friend's doctor said the synthetics are crap). I started the NT on April 1 at 1 grain. I see my doctor in 5 weeks and we'll discuss if I need to increase the dosage. I'm not as cold as before but I'm still fatigued, and possibly more fatigued than before.
I'm not so worried about losing weight anymore. I'm concentrating on health instead. I've been following the blog "Dances with Fat" and it's made me rethink a lot of things. I was brought up that nothing was as important as being thin. No matter what I accomplished, it all paled in relation to my weight, even when I was a whopping 10 pounds over ideal. I can't tell you how many times I heard, "If you just lose 10 more pounds, you'll be perfect."
Instead of thinking about weight loss, I'm concentrating on stuff that increases my health, like lifting weights. I also saw a video recently and the doctor advised to repeat 2x daily "I accept myself unconditionally right now." I have that sentence taped to my mirror and I repeat it at least twice daily. It's made me realize that I never have accepted myself. There was always the condition of "when I'm thin".
I'm fairly certain that my weight problems growing up were due to my undiagnosed food allergies, and all of the diets I was put on were chock full of my allegens. I'm convinced that it was a lifetime of eating those foods that made my gallbladder develop stones at age 24 and my thyroid go haywire a few years later. I was on synthetic T4 for many years (on a too-low dose) and my food allergies were only diagnosed in 2008. I feel that eating an allergen-free diet and being on the correct thyroid medication will go a long way towards healing the damage, though it will take some time.
Until then I can only accept who I am right now and do all the things that are best for my health and happiness.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Grades & Weigh-in
This first PM class has 2-3 homework assignments each week plus a project every other week (4 total). I received 100% on the first 2 projects. Woot! Tomorrow I'll print out the schedule from the last project and start on the next project, which is due on the 13th.
I did my weigh-in today - I didn't lose anymore weight since yesterday, so I'm 3 pounds down in one week. I was hoping for another half pound today, but I can't complain.
I created another chicken dish in the crockpot today. For this one I filled the pot about 3/4 full with kale, red chard, and collards, then added chicken breasts, bacon, smoked salt, pepper, and herbes de provence. It turned out pretty tasty. The bacon was a little weird because it looked raw but it was thoroughly cooked and fell apart when I tried to pick it up. It added a nice undertone to the chicken. I should have taken some photos but I didn't even think about it at the time.
I did my weigh-in today - I didn't lose anymore weight since yesterday, so I'm 3 pounds down in one week. I was hoping for another half pound today, but I can't complain.
I created another chicken dish in the crockpot today. For this one I filled the pot about 3/4 full with kale, red chard, and collards, then added chicken breasts, bacon, smoked salt, pepper, and herbes de provence. It turned out pretty tasty. The bacon was a little weird because it looked raw but it was thoroughly cooked and fell apart when I tried to pick it up. It added a nice undertone to the chicken. I should have taken some photos but I didn't even think about it at the time.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
School ... again
After being out of school since 2004, I’m back again.
For those who don’t know, I received my A.A. from Orange Coast College in 2000, my B.A. in Russian Studies from UC Berkeley in 2003, and I did one year of grad school at University of Virginia before leaving and moving to Russia.
I’m currently enrolled in 2 separate programs: the Project Management certificate program through UC Berkeley, and the A.S. degree in Web Development program at College of the Canyons. The PM cert should be completed by December, and the WebDev degree about 6 months later. I was hoping to do all of the WebDev degree online and finish it in one year, but I was so far back in the registration line that I only got 1 of the 3 classes I wanted, and the class is on-campus instead of online (the online section filled up several days before my registration date).
The first PM class started January 9 and is an 8-week class. The second PM class starts 2 days after the first one ends and is also an 8-week class. The first WebDev class starts on Tuesday, Feb 7 and will run until May 31. I’m on the waitlist for the online PHP class that starts in April. I’m 6th on the list, so I’m hoping a bunch of people drop the class before it starts.
This all started in November when a friend asked me if I had a Project Management certificate. I hadn’t even known there was such a thing, but he said that it was pretty much mandatory for PM jobs. I didn’t think much about it until mid-December when I had a 4-hour ride home on the motorcycle to think about life. It was then that the PM cert popped back into my head. I thought about it for a few days (did I really want to start school again?), did a day of research to find good programs, and within 4 days of that bike ride I was enrolled in the program at Cal.
After a couple of weeks in the PM program, I looked at PM jobs and realized that most of them required some sort of specialization (PM with engineering, PM with IT, etc). I thought about what I like to do …. create web sites. I started creating web sites in 1998 and loved it. But I had my sites set on eventually getting a doctorate in History and teaching at a university, and I didn’t seriously think about pursuing web development as a career. I made the wrong decision back then, so now I’m following the path I should have 15 years ago. I took about a week and looked at all the programs that I could do online but were close enough that I could take classes on-campus if needed. College of the Canyons had the best program for my needs. I’ve been in an email conversation with one of the professors, and he’s been extremely helpful.
It’s going to be a busy year, and I won’t have much of a social life, but it’s going to be worth it.
Back to homework….
For those who don’t know, I received my A.A. from Orange Coast College in 2000, my B.A. in Russian Studies from UC Berkeley in 2003, and I did one year of grad school at University of Virginia before leaving and moving to Russia.
I’m currently enrolled in 2 separate programs: the Project Management certificate program through UC Berkeley, and the A.S. degree in Web Development program at College of the Canyons. The PM cert should be completed by December, and the WebDev degree about 6 months later. I was hoping to do all of the WebDev degree online and finish it in one year, but I was so far back in the registration line that I only got 1 of the 3 classes I wanted, and the class is on-campus instead of online (the online section filled up several days before my registration date).
The first PM class started January 9 and is an 8-week class. The second PM class starts 2 days after the first one ends and is also an 8-week class. The first WebDev class starts on Tuesday, Feb 7 and will run until May 31. I’m on the waitlist for the online PHP class that starts in April. I’m 6th on the list, so I’m hoping a bunch of people drop the class before it starts.
This all started in November when a friend asked me if I had a Project Management certificate. I hadn’t even known there was such a thing, but he said that it was pretty much mandatory for PM jobs. I didn’t think much about it until mid-December when I had a 4-hour ride home on the motorcycle to think about life. It was then that the PM cert popped back into my head. I thought about it for a few days (did I really want to start school again?), did a day of research to find good programs, and within 4 days of that bike ride I was enrolled in the program at Cal.
After a couple of weeks in the PM program, I looked at PM jobs and realized that most of them required some sort of specialization (PM with engineering, PM with IT, etc). I thought about what I like to do …. create web sites. I started creating web sites in 1998 and loved it. But I had my sites set on eventually getting a doctorate in History and teaching at a university, and I didn’t seriously think about pursuing web development as a career. I made the wrong decision back then, so now I’m following the path I should have 15 years ago. I took about a week and looked at all the programs that I could do online but were close enough that I could take classes on-campus if needed. College of the Canyons had the best program for my needs. I’ve been in an email conversation with one of the professors, and he’s been extremely helpful.
It’s going to be a busy year, and I won’t have much of a social life, but it’s going to be worth it.
Back to homework….
Leptin Reset
Last Sunday I began the Leptin Reset program by Dr. Jack Kruse, found at http://jackkruse.com/my-leptin-prescription/.
I've been eating a mostly low-carb, grain-free diet since 2008, and I lost a little over 70 pounds doing it. But my weight stagnated once I started my current job (Oct 2010), and I gained ten pounds over the holidays. It's a new year and time to take control again. Dr. Kruse's program works with the way I like to eat, the way I know makes me feel the best, and the way that has given me the best weight loss results.
As of this morning, I'm down 3 pounds. I'm guessing it's from losing the inflammation that was caused by both my holiday binging and the sugar in the protein shakes I've been drinking for lunch (Muscle Milk Naturals mixed with 10oz of Trader Joe's whole cream-top milk). Tomorrow is my actual weigh-in.
In his program Dr. Kruse states not to count calories in the beginning, just to concentrate on getting the right amount of protein and keeping the carbs low. But I still do so I can go back 6 months from now and see what worked and what didn't. Since 2008, on the advice of my doctor, I've kept a daily food diary. I document what I eat, how much of it, and the calories. I also keep track of my water intake and I weigh myself every day. Being on Dr. Kruse's plan, I added protein and carbs to my diary. His plan requires that you eat 50 grams of protein at each meal and stay under 25 total carbs for the day.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Chin Strap - November 4, 2010
It was a mostly uneventful commute, but I felt uneasy when I started out so I was a little more watchful today -- probably kept me out of trouble in some spots. The excitement of the day started when I transitioned from the 5 to the 210 freeway. As I *allegedly* hit about 85mph (flow of traffic was 80mph) I heard a "thwap thwap" sound coming from my helmet. I forgot to buckle my chin strap! Now this is only a problem if you crash ... but if you crash it can be a huge problem. I have never buckled my strap 1) with one hand, 2) while moving, and 3) with gloves on.
Yeah, I could've pulled off the freway and fixed it, but I didn't want to. I figured I would pull over if I was unable to attach it on the go.
So there I am, flying down the freeway, with my gloves on, using one hand to figure out where everything was (the strap was tucked up into the helmet), and picturing what it was that I was feeling. I had a couple of mis-starts, but when I finally got the strap through the first part of the buckle I knew victory was mine! I manhandled the strap through the second part and snapped the end in place. Woohoo! No time lost, kept my speed and lane position consistent, and did something new.
As I was getting back into the rhythm of riding, and had slowed slightly because I was blinded by the rising sun, I realized I was coming up on the back of a Sherriff's SUV. If I hadn't been preoccupied with the buckle all that time, I probably would have blown by him. I slowed down in time to not grab his attention.
Yeah, I could've pulled off the freway and fixed it, but I didn't want to. I figured I would pull over if I was unable to attach it on the go.
So there I am, flying down the freeway, with my gloves on, using one hand to figure out where everything was (the strap was tucked up into the helmet), and picturing what it was that I was feeling. I had a couple of mis-starts, but when I finally got the strap through the first part of the buckle I knew victory was mine! I manhandled the strap through the second part and snapped the end in place. Woohoo! No time lost, kept my speed and lane position consistent, and did something new.
As I was getting back into the rhythm of riding, and had slowed slightly because I was blinded by the rising sun, I realized I was coming up on the back of a Sherriff's SUV. If I hadn't been preoccupied with the buckle all that time, I probably would have blown by him. I slowed down in time to not grab his attention.
I Scared Myself - November 3, 2010
I scared the crap out of myself on Lilith yesterday morning. As I turned down a street near work I saw a large truck in the middle of the street. The driver was putting out cones and blocking the street in both directions. I didn't want to turn around and find an alternate route (I was 60 seconds from work), so I decided to use the sidewalk to get around him. I took off a little too fast and cut the corner, and my back wheel dropped off the cement and onto the grass. It spun and slid out, and I nearly dumped the bike. It was an adrenaline-filled few seconds as I manhandled the bike to both stay upright and not launch myself into the retaining wall. Scary and fun at the same time. I thnk I need a dirt bike. lol!
Gold SUV - November 1, 2010
On this morning's commute I was run out of my lane and onto the shoulder by a gold SUV. I don't know if the guy saw me or not, but right before I was fully out of my lane I was next to his door and hitting the horn, and he didn't seem to react. Luckily traffic was light at that point and I hit the throttle harder and took off with the satisfaction of knowing that soon he'd be stuck in traffic and I wouldn't.
As a reminder, please double-check before changing lanes. The life you save may be mine.
As a reminder, please double-check before changing lanes. The life you save may be mine.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Last day of work before the New Year's holiday! The traffic has been very light -- if only it was always this light -- but it has been heavier than I expected.
It started raining last night and hasn't stopped. I took the car to work -- I haven't waterproofed the gear yet.
I'm not sure if I'll get any riding in this weekend. I have a lot of catching up to do with things around the apartment. I had hoped to take the bike out of town for the holiday, but I'll be home.
It started raining last night and hasn't stopped. I took the car to work -- I haven't waterproofed the gear yet.
I'm not sure if I'll get any riding in this weekend. I have a lot of catching up to do with things around the apartment. I had hoped to take the bike out of town for the holiday, but I'll be home.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
It's been raining since Friday. It wasn't too bad yesterday morning but it got heavy in the afternoon. I got 3 blocks from work and the rain was already soaking through my jacket. By the time I got home I was soaked to the skin and all my leather was waterlogged, including my boots. Everything was still wet this morning. Yuck! I took the car to the training because I didn't want to put on wet gear. I bought Nikwax waterproofer last night and will use it on everything.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
On the 14-5 fwy interchange a guy with a bad moustache was trying to block me but in a passive-aggressive way. He didn't make any sudden moves, he just was on the lane marker and wouldn't look at me when I rode by. When will people realize that a)Lanesplitting is legal in California, and b)Even if you do block me, you're only delaying me for maybe 5 seconds. Does it really make people feel better to harass riders? How pathetic their lives must be.
On the 101 I caught up to another rider on a sportbike. He wouldn't move over but I was too tired to care. I stayed behind him until we transitioned to the 110. He took off and I got off at Wilshire.
On the 101 I caught up to another rider on a sportbike. He wouldn't move over but I was too tired to care. I stayed behind him until we transitioned to the 110. He took off and I got off at Wilshire.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
A couple miles from where I get on the freeway I was lanesplitting in the carpool lane behind a rider on a cruiser when a motocop suddenly swung over in front of me. He scared the hell out of the other rider. I don't think the other rider even knew it was a cop at first - he just saw a bike coming into his lane. I don't know where that first guy went - the cop was behind him, and then we came around a bend and he was gone. The motocop kept going so I followed him. He ended up getting off the freeway one exit before mine, so I just followed him in the entire way. I stayed off his ass - they hate when you ride close - but rode the same speed. It was great!
Random Weirdness
Several weeks ago I was commuting on the 210 fwy when I started to lanesplit next to a city bus that was in the #1 lane. Just as I started to go by, the driver suddenly put on the left-turn blinker and swung onto the left shoulder. I thought something must be wrong. Nope, he just wanted to get by some of the traffic. He traveled on the shoulder for about a mile before swinging back into the #1 lane. Odd.
Monday, December 13, 2010
New Direction
I had to close down the baking business a few months ago. I just couldn't make it profitable. As such, I'm changing the focus of this blog. No longer will it be a little about motorcycles and mainly about food. It will now be mostly about motorcycles and a little about food and my travels.
I commute 80 miles, 5 days a week (400 miles/week) and almost daily there are incidents that I want to relate or vent about. It might be interesting, it might not be, but I'll be posting about them nonetheless.
Enjoy the ride....
I commute 80 miles, 5 days a week (400 miles/week) and almost daily there are incidents that I want to relate or vent about. It might be interesting, it might not be, but I'll be posting about them nonetheless.
Enjoy the ride....
Monday, April 5, 2010
My Weekend in Sacramento – Sunday
After a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and hash browns, C and I headed out to Sutter’s Fort. The fort is located in the middle of downtown Sacramento. It’s a great place to visit and we had a lot more fun than we had expected. We got to watch them fire a musket and a Russian-made replica of the Russian-made cannon that Sutter had used to keep his enemies at bay.
Candace had an unexpectedly large glass of Viognier and I had a new gluten-free beer called Redbridge (by Anheuser-Busch, which was a surprise, and made with sorghum). I had tried a gluten-free beer once before and poured it out. I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
It’s a pilsner-style beer, which I’m not a fan of; I like dark beer. But after not drinking beer for so long, it was nice to enjoy the flavor of a decent beer. I’d like to find a gluten-free dark beer, but in a pinch, the Redbridge will do.
After our drinks we walked around Old Sac, which is a collection of restored 19th century buildings.
There are gift shops, candy shops, and restaurants. We wondered into a fantasy-themed shop that smelled really good. It was cramped and crowded, but the mingled scents from the incense, candles, and soaps were very relaxing.
After getting our fill of smell-good stuff, we decided to find some lunch. We left Old Sac and went to a café that Candace likes, but it was closed. Luckily Café Bernardo/R15 was open (http://www.paragarys.com/go/prg/locations/cafe-bernardo/). Candace had grilled polenta with tomato-basil sauce, Parmesan, and mixed greens. I had a grilled chicken quesadilla. Both were very good, though the quesadilla could have been grilled slightly longer, as it was a touch doughy.
For dinner, Candace did the preparing and her hubby did the grilling. They made grilled filet mignon kabobs marinated in olive oil, garlic, and rosemary; and grilled prosciutto-wrapped asparagus spears. Everything was yummy and we drank an absolutely lovely Kathryn Kennedy.
The next morning, Candace drove me to the airport, I had pizza for breakfast, and then it was time to return home. It was a wonderful weekend of great food and wine, excellent company, and being pampered!
Next post, something with chocolate...
Saturday, April 3, 2010
My Weekend in Sacramento – Saturday
After hanging with C's family, we went to the new Squeeze Inn location (www.squeezeinn.com). They moved to a larger location but the new place isn’t very big. This was my first visit, though I had heard about it on Guy Fieri’s show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.
(this picture is from the Squeeze Inn web site)
The cheese skirt is what they’re famous for. Candace and I both got their basic cheeseburger, the Squeeze with Cheese, and added jalapenos, and her hubby got a basic Squeeze with Cheese. We also got 2 orders of fries.
I wasn’t impressed. The cheese skirt was super good - it’s crispy melted cheese, how could it be anything but good?! But the burger itself was somewhat bland, even with the jalapenos, and slightly overcooked. I think the basic cheeseburger from In-n-Out is much better, though smaller and no cheese skirt.
The fries weren’t very good; Candace said they used to be much better. It seems they’re now using frozen French fries. Very disappointing. I don’t know why they wouldn’t stick with the fresh. If In-n-Out can do it, there’s no excuse for these guys not to. It’s not like they’re serving people quickly – between standing in line and then waiting for the food, it took over 1.5 hours. I expected a lot more based on Guy Fieri’s review. Not worth going back there again.
Of course, dinner was much, much better – Candace was cooking.
Her friend Gwen came over for dinner and showed off the uber-cool Art Deco wall sconces she’d found in a local antique shop that afternoon. We nibbled on shaved Parmesan cheese and drank wine until dinner was ready.
Mmmmm, braised beef with olives and tomatoes, served with roasted fingerling potatoes. The beef was tender and delicious, and the olives gave it the perfect bite. Excellent food, good wine, and perfect company.
The cheese skirt is what they’re famous for. Candace and I both got their basic cheeseburger, the Squeeze with Cheese, and added jalapenos, and her hubby got a basic Squeeze with Cheese. We also got 2 orders of fries.
I wasn’t impressed. The cheese skirt was super good - it’s crispy melted cheese, how could it be anything but good?! But the burger itself was somewhat bland, even with the jalapenos, and slightly overcooked. I think the basic cheeseburger from In-n-Out is much better, though smaller and no cheese skirt.
The fries weren’t very good; Candace said they used to be much better. It seems they’re now using frozen French fries. Very disappointing. I don’t know why they wouldn’t stick with the fresh. If In-n-Out can do it, there’s no excuse for these guys not to. It’s not like they’re serving people quickly – between standing in line and then waiting for the food, it took over 1.5 hours. I expected a lot more based on Guy Fieri’s review. Not worth going back there again.
Of course, dinner was much, much better – Candace was cooking.
Her friend Gwen came over for dinner and showed off the uber-cool Art Deco wall sconces she’d found in a local antique shop that afternoon. We nibbled on shaved Parmesan cheese and drank wine until dinner was ready.
Mmmmm, braised beef with olives and tomatoes, served with roasted fingerling potatoes. The beef was tender and delicious, and the olives gave it the perfect bite. Excellent food, good wine, and perfect company.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
My Weekend in Sacramento - Friday
After arriving in Sacramento, Candace picked me up from the airport and we went to Hot Italian (www.hotitalian.net) and got these lovely little concoctions of gelato drenched with hot espresso. The first sensation was that the espresso made it too hot to eat. But that quickly passed as I took a spoonful of the gelato with a puddle of the espresso. So good. The last few sips were a mixture of espresso and melted gelato. It was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.
After some relaxing and catching up, we met C’s husband and family for dinner at Paragary’s (http://www.paragarys.com/go/prg/locations/paragarys-bar-oven/), a local fixture in Sac. Candace and I both started with a glass of Malbec, a nice full-bodied red wine. I don’t remember much else about this wine, as it was eclipsed by the next selection.
Before the next wine we all shared three appetizers:
--Warm herbed goat cheese with pistachios, roasted pears, red wine syrup, and crostini
--Scampi - gulf prawns, tomato, white wine, shallot, garlic, butter, virgin olive oil, and grilled bread
--Brushetta - grilled garlic rubbed bread, mashed chickpeas, pancetta, asparagus, and Parmesean
I didn’t try the brushetta, but the goat cheese was amazing. The combination of flavors was something I wasn’t expecting. The scampi was very good, with large shrimps and grilled bread. The scampi sauce was incredible! After the shrimp was gone, all the bread on the table went into that bowl. Yum!
C’s dad had brought a bottle of wine for the main course: a 2002 Harlan Matriarch. While the earlier Malbec was a nice glass of wine, the Matriarch was in an entirely different class. It was full and luscious and complex and so many other things that I should have written down at the time.
And it went perfectly with my entrée: Grilled Hanger steak with Potato-leek gratin, Bloomsdale spinach, Trumpet mushrooms, and red wine sauce. The steak was tender and flavorful, the gratin creamy and delicious, and the spinach, mushrooms, and sauce complimented all of the other flavors brilliantly.
Although we were all stuffed, no one could resist dessert. I chose the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Espresso ice cream and chocolate sauce. What can I say? It was incredible, delicious, intense, and all of the yummy adjectives currently floating through your mind.
A night cap after we returned home, and the evening was complete.
The rest of my weekend soon…
Filled Chocolates - the first experiment
This weekend I spent a wonderful weekend with my friend Candace in Sacramento. I wanted to bring something yummy for her and also to experiment with chocolates. So I made my first molded chocolates.
They’re dark chocolate ganache on the inside and covered with semi-sweet chocolate. They were a good first try, and they were pretty tasty, but the tempering didn’t work out perfectly. I’ll have to play around a bit on the next batch.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Welcome to my spot!
Come in, grab a seat, and hang awhile. Here, on my first blog, I will share my passion for my two favorite subjects: chocolate and motorcycles. I am a baker, amateur chocolatier, and relatively new motorcycle rider (3+ years). My baby is my 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650. It's a good bike and loads of fun.
My favorite dessert? Anything with chocolate, of course! For baking I prefer Guittard, but it's generally hard to find locally (I usually have to buy it on-line), so I end up using Ghirardelli a lot (not a bad second choice). I've been baking and making candy since I was a kid and have been making a little money selling my baked goods for about 1.5 years. Recently I've been experimenting with chocolate candy, both truffles and molded chocolates. I still have lots more experimenting to do...
See you soon.
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