fractured reality

One of the issues is that people in general are really, really bad with handling large numbers. Some ignoramus from Minnesota said that there were a million people on the Mall in Washington DC, when there were more likely 85k (give or take 10k) people there.

But that the thing, after a few thousand, big numbers get fuzzy as hell to our monkey-brains. Look at the starry sky on a perfectly dark and calm night. That innumerable quantity of stars you see is at most on the order of two thousand stars. Just imagine what 80,000 would look like. You couldn’t possibly judge it without some serious math and analysis.

I guess what I’m saying is: can we please stop talking about the non-issue of rally attendance and get back to talking about real stuff? You know, stuff that matters? Like, Lost?

E

I only say this because yours probably didn’t involve sitting on the back porch, drinking margaritas while reading aloud from Garner’s Modern American Usage. Bonus points for chainguns and zombies, multiple blu-ray episodes of Lost.

+E

So yesterday, Becca shows up at lunch with a HUGE eggplant a coworker gave her (presumably from a garden). It was my duty to come up with something to do with it for dinner.

1 large eggplant (I really should have weighed this puppy)
some vegetable oil (~2 T)
1 t cumin seeds
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 t minced ginger
2 t minced garlic
~1 T curry powder
1 tomato, diced
~1/2 c plain yogurt (I used 8 oz, I believe)
1 jalapeno, 1 serrano, both finely chopped
1 t salt
1/4 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped

1. Slap eggplant on a baking sheet* and roast for ~30 minutes at 450°F. Remove, cool**, peel and chop.

2. Heat oil over medium in a medium saucepan, toss in onion and cumin seeds, cook until tender.

3. Add ginger, garlic, curry, tomato and cook ~1 minute, stir in yogurt, eggplant, peppers and salt. Cover, cook on high for 10 minutes.

4. Remove cover, add cilantro, cook on low heat for ~5 more minutes. Serve with rice.

This turned out *really* well, although for a little more integrated and mellowed spiciness, I might’ve thrown in the peppers sooner. Meh, peppers are fickle anyhow. It was delicious.

+E

* some advise poking holes in the eggplant to ensure that it won’t burst from expansion of its hot juices. This seems sensible, but I didn’t and it didn’t. Luck?

** “cool” is a relative term. This was a substantial, roasted eggplant, which is mostly hot water. In its skin it won’t cool for a loooong time. I ended up cutting it in half lengthwise and then letting it cool a tiny bit before peeling the skin off, and even then the middle was still quite warm.

This weekend was pretty damn terrific, what with the Friday night pizza, the surpirse drive to Columbus Saturday, sushi, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, dinner with the ‘rents at Betty’s, a Crew game (beat the Rapids 3 – 1, with the third Columbus goal being an absolute stunner, and jeni’s.

Oh also, I’m home today, which is a super nice bonus.

+E

Bonus bonus: how long my hair is now:

The last few days, I have been unable to keep from occasionally saying “pamplemousse” in an annoying accent. It starts out fairly innocuous, but quickly is transformed into something on order of POHMPAHLAHMOOOOOOSE.

Up until yesterday, however, I did Not remember what the word was french for. I thought perhaps it was something like a cantaloupe. But then! Then Becca brought home a grapefruit yesterday and I immediately screamed “PAMPLEMOUSSE!!!!”

It was only then that I realized my recent brain worm source: watching Les Simpson on french syndicated television, the episode where they get deserted on an island after Milhouse rolls a grapefruit down the aisle of the bus, which gets stuck under the brake pedal and subsequently bursts, blinding Otto with juice.

Thanks, brain.

+E

P.S. PAHMPAHLAHMOOOOOOOSE