tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-224653852024-03-18T20:25:26.813-07:00übersurfThe überblog for Bryan Mills.<br><br>
It's the everything bagel of blogs.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247334070029059382noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-10426305488935922972011-03-04T11:20:00.000-08:002011-03-04T11:20:23.290-08:00We've moved!No longer going to be blogging here at Blogger. It just wasn't working out and I'm hugely non-committal when it comes to online technology like this so it was bound to happen. Will it happen at WordPress? Who knows. I'd like to think I'm staying put for a while...<br />
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So, if you bookmarked this site update your links and if not just head over to Wordpress. BTW, typing ubersurf.com in your browser will ALWAYS take you to whatever site I happen to be hosting my random little corner of the Interwebs at that moment.<br />
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<a href="http://ubersurf.wordpress.com/">http://ubersurf.wordpress.com/</a>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-56600195668335774882011-01-31T21:49:00.000-08:002011-01-31T22:24:37.540-08:00f/1.8So for Christmas I got a killer little fixed prime lens. It's a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 and while the fixed focal length really limits how you can use it, I didn't want it for the focal length...I wanted it for the shallow-as-Paris-Hilton depth of field. At f/1.8 it's one stop slower than the fastest Nikon lens or even Canon lens for that matter. Hell, you gotta get this really obscure Leica to get like f/0.95 and cough up something like $9,000 for those 2 extra stops. BFD. It's 7 stops faster than my other telephoto lens and that's HUGE. In other words, it captures 7x more light wide open than the other lens and that gives you some serious options. <br />
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Anyway, I rarely shoot this lens anything but wide open and you can see why. That ultra shallow depth of field and the bokeh it gives you are just gorgeous. The key with this lens and shallow depth of field is getting the subject/foreground razor sharp and the blurrier the background the better. As you can see, it does a damn fine job.<br />
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I haven't shot that many photos with it just yet, but here are a few that turned out well. Have a look and make sure to click the photos to make 'em look all big and purdy...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvb3Qv4-Jn_sVEwWQXM_Q0WUAkCSU09aEbshw4eno9FX_qmbShyfS1KunwkfCoOu70kDrdNCSKs3JJgkoVnAEMeZXnjNTL5K0XdeA7cuAKfUrqT7e1KK_SHShiQgtiQfrDh7u7Q/s1600/DSC_3398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvb3Qv4-Jn_sVEwWQXM_Q0WUAkCSU09aEbshw4eno9FX_qmbShyfS1KunwkfCoOu70kDrdNCSKs3JJgkoVnAEMeZXnjNTL5K0XdeA7cuAKfUrqT7e1KK_SHShiQgtiQfrDh7u7Q/s400/DSC_3398.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGEgR6WOivTGq-fz4kW4f_EOylvM2EoVylgE0Z4S5aGq0mEhSmPmX2kvqzD8gXhRAUJwdqkpJEsa35rmbbqAi1nuevGkzc5Y5vsrWM89OOP-8UoEdQaX_QlOHxam794cgvcrBMw/s1600/DSC_3240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGEgR6WOivTGq-fz4kW4f_EOylvM2EoVylgE0Z4S5aGq0mEhSmPmX2kvqzD8gXhRAUJwdqkpJEsa35rmbbqAi1nuevGkzc5Y5vsrWM89OOP-8UoEdQaX_QlOHxam794cgvcrBMw/s400/DSC_3240.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGEgR6WOivTGq-fz4kW4f_EOylvM2EoVylgE0Z4S5aGq0mEhSmPmX2kvqzD8gXhRAUJwdqkpJEsa35rmbbqAi1nuevGkzc5Y5vsrWM89OOP-8UoEdQaX_QlOHxam794cgvcrBMw/s1600/DSC_3240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-39712840305257794192011-01-27T13:16:00.000-08:002011-01-27T13:54:55.976-08:00Prospecting for Afternoon Gold<div style="font-family: inherit;"><style>
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</style> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjK7z-Oc7-qqK9cIUHFnx0ZzVOfLeMMA3rq501RBsPpJM8dFleQeXcrUHOBu_lkLkm2aTTN_N7hrJWoN1qxIwnr92hWA9879mGEb62BJa7o42u7XIdiTtKvG7LxZI1nbkrH1FVYw/s1600/HBwaves2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjK7z-Oc7-qqK9cIUHFnx0ZzVOfLeMMA3rq501RBsPpJM8dFleQeXcrUHOBu_lkLkm2aTTN_N7hrJWoN1qxIwnr92hWA9879mGEb62BJa7o42u7XIdiTtKvG7LxZI1nbkrH1FVYw/s400/HBwaves2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Note: This was written 3 years ago this week after the most incredible surf session of my life but the photos are a few randoms taken of HB while I lived there that fairly accurately portray what the words are describing. It needs a little editing but I consider this to be the best piece of writing I've created. I hope it brings a smile and desire to go surfing...</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I guess there’s no guarantee any time of day is the “magic” time to go surf—you take your chances every time you head to the beach—but some of my favorite sessions of all time have come prospecting for gold when the sun is sinking low in the afternoon. Typically it’s a smaller, mellower crowd of people looking to wind down their lives after working or learning or just living all day. The sun warms the surface water a degree or two, which makes trunk sessions in the Summer no problem and Winter sessions become bearable. Sunlight hits the water at a different angle and everything looks slightly different, calmer. Yes, I love surfing in the afternoon.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">While the wind/wave conditions might be better in the morning and those believers in the dawn patrol will tell you it’s the best time to surf bar-none, I have my reservations. Dawn patrols are more crowded and typically filled with surfers who are on a strict schedule and have to be out by a certain time or risk being late to school or work. Desperation and determination lead to the ugly side of surfing as aggression and stress levels rise from a palpable tension in the water felt by those involved in—and those observing—the childish behavior. I don’t have anything against dawn patrol sessions, I just typically leave it to a different group of surfers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0TTb4zbb3KFQHXJKKXJ8rJDgUn6uIwaofQEgxwjgNrHByp8POI_Z7Oaens_6Ve8LoNiJwsiinRPs94xpLKnsbcxh4JrzZZvF172kSmT84Lsd-S1lZqKamEyCzQiLBdMG0ayrBA/s1600/HBsunset1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0TTb4zbb3KFQHXJKKXJ8rJDgUn6uIwaofQEgxwjgNrHByp8POI_Z7Oaens_6Ve8LoNiJwsiinRPs94xpLKnsbcxh4JrzZZvF172kSmT84Lsd-S1lZqKamEyCzQiLBdMG0ayrBA/s400/HBsunset1.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Afternoons > Dawn Patrol</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Compare that to the afternoons: a laid back schedule where the only ticking clock is the sun setting in the West and darkness tells you it’s time to go home. You don’t <i>really</i> have to be anywhere, anyway, right? It’s more of a relaxing nightcap of bourbon instead of a caffeine laden coffee drink to get you running at full-speed as daylight breaks. In the afternoon you’re there to surf, not worry about what comes next in your daily routine. Afternoons are all about living in the moment and that forgotten time of the day can be quite rewarding. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">One afternoon in recent memory sticks out more than the rest. It was 4PM on an unseasonably warm Monday in January as Santa Ana winds warmed the air like a convection oven. The tides over the last week had been crippling. High tides robbed even the strongest swells of their life while low tides greeted you with a vast, damp desert of sand as a distant lineup beset with frothy closeouts awaited those brave enough to paddle out for the inevitable beat-down.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The sand on the beach had been moved around more than a 2<sup>nd</sup> string shortstop over the last couple weeks as the sheer cliff of sand in front of the lifeguard towers eroded by relentless 6.5’ high tides had grown to a straight 4-foot drop in places. With proper photographic technique and perspective the scene might have resembled a miniature San Onofre if you could somehow make a nuclear reactor appear in the distance.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today, however, was different. Much of the sand had been returned by the uncooperative ocean; the looming ½-foot low tide two and a half hours ahead didn’t seem to have any ill effect on the playground before me. About a hundred yards from the water’s edge were a dozen or so heads waiting patiently for their daily bread. Today’s bread was better than most as the first wave rolled through: a solid head high, mechanically clean wave that peeled forever; no close-out death barrels on offer today. Light offshore winds kept the surface glassy and provided just enough resistance to hold up that extra second needed to throw a razor-thin barrel large enough to hold this surfer. The hot air had me sweating in my wetsuit and the visual stimulus in front of me raised my body temperature a couple degrees, no doubt. I’d wasted enough time putting the leash on and prying myself into the wetsuit: let’s get wet.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">That feeling of being hot and uncomfortable was quickly replaced with the feeling of being cold and uncomfortable, and now wet. The water was definitely colder today than the last time I went out...a lot colder, but I didn’t care: there’s liquid gold in them hills and I was due.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhEVwRqxqJIOj0mD7ySm4-teloL4pyA7uTxbhrVu85c7tXFxhHsttLLvLA_AKgHM-9dz7SAI-COCZZIPUso-7f3uWDdrNQ0bQoykUC2VTegp29JTeiV2SRMy2cdjS-7WnB2C56A/s1600/quotefish2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhEVwRqxqJIOj0mD7ySm4-teloL4pyA7uTxbhrVu85c7tXFxhHsttLLvLA_AKgHM-9dz7SAI-COCZZIPUso-7f3uWDdrNQ0bQoykUC2VTegp29JTeiV2SRMy2cdjS-7WnB2C56A/s400/quotefish2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The weapon of choice</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today’s surf vehicle was an iguana green 6’1” canard quad fish I had made six months earlier by a small shaper who made incredible sleds. I’d grown fond of fishes a while back and this was my newest toy. My added weight from a holiday season full of bountiful and numerous meals coupled with the weight of a wetsuit was mitigated by the extra width and thickness of the fish. The sound of my hands breaking the water was all I could hear. No cars on PCH, no birds, no watery white noise, nothing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paddling out I witnessed my first real perfection of the year. Beautiful lined up waves pitched with enough force and speed to throw a thin-lipped barrel crashing down the line, breaking the eerie silence with a hollow static. Sunlight refracting through the lip looked like a Coke bottle in the setting sun. I’d always wondered why surfers referred to the color of a pitching wave in the afternoon sun as a Coke bottle. Today, I wondered no more. The color was mesmerizing, the sound hypnotic. My heartbeat accelerates with anticipation as the wall of water pitches forward and I, in step, duck under. I surface on the other side as the last foot of the lip is sheared off and rains hard down on my face, still numb from the chilly water.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I waited through a couple smaller, less shapely waves for one that would confirm or deny that what I was seeing was real. Had I had been stricken with “surf-goggles” and the size and shape of the waves had been nothing but wishful thinking, blinded by the desperation for a good surf that was long overdue? The answer, it seemed, had arrived. I recognized my wave from a hundred yards away like spotting a loved one at the baggage claim from afar. It wasn’t one of the biggest waves I’d seen in my short paddle out to the lineup but it was solid; shoulder high, at least, and growing. More importantly, it had potential; it looked <i>damn</i> good.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikP5kcvR_nwfPwXFcyGIzUREDGblMoMxPj7DmMNRwWjACKnOGgH60dSxIgBiObja6ngnFdnDqhFk53-loipKpMTm7vOTrgv_ljewrL8CxkhRukhqGOkpzrsUNSq7W5WN6RrZJZJw/s1600/HBwaves3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikP5kcvR_nwfPwXFcyGIzUREDGblMoMxPj7DmMNRwWjACKnOGgH60dSxIgBiObja6ngnFdnDqhFk53-loipKpMTm7vOTrgv_ljewrL8CxkhRukhqGOkpzrsUNSq7W5WN6RrZJZJw/s400/HBwaves3.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Kind of like this...but think 100% glassy, and a lot less "I'm going to destroy you"</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Turning and paddling immediately to catch up to the wave, I feel the tell-tale force of the wave picking the fish and I up for a ride. Taking one more good stroke I pop up and make the turn immediately; no drops necessary on this liquid half-pipe. I’ve got my bearings and I’m looking down the line at the building blue carpet being rolled out before me and holy shit: I’d never seen this before. In magazines, videos, daydreams, yes...but never in person. I pump like mad to keep enough speed to stay a while as the canard quad fins keep me glued to the high-line of a wave that had swelled to over head high and a lot meaner than when it'd started pitching. A couple of big pumps and a quick snap off the lip later I find myself at the bottom of the wave carrying the crescendo for just 1 last measure and lean hard on the rail, confidently ascending the wave with speed and precision I didn’t know I possessed; I was THAT guy I admired on THAT wave but had always seen from afar. I look up at the pitching lip and have a decision to make: be smart and kick out the back and be thankful for what I got, or make things interesting and go out with a bang. The decision, it seems, is a foregone conclusion as I instinctively transfer my weight—eyes widening from the inane decision made by the devil on my shoulder—and aim for the barrel with gusto conjured from some place deep within me I didn’t know existed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The closeout was inevitable; the wave had seen enough of me and wanted to expire itself after a journey thousands of miles in the making. A few more meaningless yards meant nothing to the wave, but they meant everything to me. Time stood still as I carefully composed the last few measures of this opus in my mind. I spotted my target a few feet up the face and deftly positioned myself in the tube as the lip pitched. The tube was hollow enough that a slight squat was all I needed to keep the liquid guillotine from claiming its intended victim. I held my breath in anticipation of either making a successful —albeit close— exit, or being blindsided at Mach 1 by an unseen variation in the otherwise perfect wave. The sound echoing off the liquid walls was deafening; I could barely think. Squinted eyes recognized bad news a short ways in front of me. This barrel was about to implode, violently. Time to get out of here, and fast.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRzKmBRZA49O93TG_BKpVi6GxZfThQWE8ymViHk1fPras1IBUDbSAr7H2SKaalOf2mbxdHObTfzHQ8DDAOIwmJNk0FyE5_zv1eoO9JM8GMqIq-p2PXb1YEtK66QeMTThq96Y4DA/s1600/HBwaves4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRzKmBRZA49O93TG_BKpVi6GxZfThQWE8ymViHk1fPras1IBUDbSAr7H2SKaalOf2mbxdHObTfzHQ8DDAOIwmJNk0FyE5_zv1eoO9JM8GMqIq-p2PXb1YEtK66QeMTThq96Y4DA/s400/HBwaves4.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kind of like this...but think 100% glassy and maybe the same level of "I'm going to destroy you"</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I promptly exited stage left as the closeout—too distant to navigate—surpassed the speed of the fish. I looked back at the hell I had just left behind; a second earlier it was heaven. The wave did everything I wanted it to do, as if it were somehow reading my mind or connected to me on some level. But now, it was a shoulder high wall of foam; the remnants of a wave that had confirmed that this was going to be no ordinary session. I didn’t know what to do after the ride ended. My face was cold and wet but the water around my eyes was warm and swelling and the chills running down my spine came from inside, not in response to the colder-than-sin water. The smile on my face was only the tip of the iceberg of happiness fighting to escape; I was beyond stoked.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Things continued like this for about an hour and a half as we all took turns sharing the beautiful waves on offer before the big red sun disappeared into the horizon. The afternoon-shift and I slowly made our way in, looking for one more morsel to top off an already bountiful session. We’d all gotten to the point of being surfed out and riding in prone would surely be no crime this day.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My feet touched ground in the knee high water and the silhouettes of boats, oil rigs and Catalina in the distance contrasted against a rapidly expiring maroon sky. Huntington Beach can be downright beautiful when it wants to be and this afternoon was proof. The sound of PCH was still absent and the perfect waves were the only sound as the afternoon sky yielded to an inky nightscape. It seemed too good to be true, but there I was physically and emotionally exhausted from a once in a lifetime session—in Huntington Beach of all places—trying to comprehend what had transpired over the last couple hours.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This moment, this feeling confirmed what I already knew but never had experienced so deeply: sometimes convention and necessity to surf the dawn patrol are overcome by the unconventional and decidedly selfish times to go searching for some afternoon gold. My prospecting mission was a success and I hit paydirt. This afternoon’s waves were perfect, by any standard. This was a session I’d be able to recall every minute detail of for the rest of my life.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3FEtctAWepPg_kRX7Iu27ZhEfqpMbZG09wpzrgIlvcZtCTXNpupwhIYpmYtVv304iMysng9p1aqberkRPMVBUleKJXKT0ofWnCqy2C1Myp537bzw5d6SU_UN5zvha1DZdT437g/s1600/HBsunset2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3FEtctAWepPg_kRX7Iu27ZhEfqpMbZG09wpzrgIlvcZtCTXNpupwhIYpmYtVv304iMysng9p1aqberkRPMVBUleKJXKT0ofWnCqy2C1Myp537bzw5d6SU_UN5zvha1DZdT437g/s400/HBsunset2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I miss you, HB. I love you, surfing.</span></div>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-81079471839512440372011-01-20T19:55:00.000-08:002011-01-21T22:58:32.615-08:00A-Z Project: E is for EDAMAME<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">As in: Edamame Dumplings in Miso Broth </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: I originally was going to do an English Pea puree, ala the one stolen by Alex from Top Chef, but I forgot that peas aren't in season right now and I wasn't down with using frozen peas. So, we had a change of direction. I'll probably make the dish when peas are in season and post it up here just cuz I really think someone should steal the dish from Alex. Ya know: quid pro quo, douchebag.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.webtvwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/welcome-back-kotter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://www.webtvwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/welcome-back-kotter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Welcome back...</div><br />
OK, I'm back. No excuses, no explanations, let's just pick up where we left off with this project, shall we? Good. Glad to be back...here we go... <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTg-mG_zAmb6fby0GIGDKCrxhnJNbpkG_IR6CLKzrN15dlWy-a33DxUEwzlX9CIOZHdzE8Nf0NS_LhGqZowoHqcgvLK1ZsSRqwdwsM0RGLeRzQtH5hyphenhyphenkadkvEawV0Q8ns1OGEjww/s1600/edamame_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTg-mG_zAmb6fby0GIGDKCrxhnJNbpkG_IR6CLKzrN15dlWy-a33DxUEwzlX9CIOZHdzE8Nf0NS_LhGqZowoHqcgvLK1ZsSRqwdwsM0RGLeRzQtH5hyphenhyphenkadkvEawV0Q8ns1OGEjww/s400/edamame_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I probably lost money trading you 6 months ago, ya little bastards</div><br />
I'm a trader. I typically trade commodity futures, namely what are classified as the "grains." This includes corn, wheat, oats and soybeans. Don't ask: I don't know why soybeans are a grain either. So, I thought "if I'm trading them all day...why not cook them at night?" Brilliant! (Wait'll I pull this stunt with frozen concentrated OJ, pork bellies or live cattle) Granted, it's a little bit of a stretch to classify soybeans under "E" but we're using the Japanese name "edamame" which is how most people refer to them anyway so I'm OK with it, especially considering my affinity for Asian foods as of late. <br />
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I wanted to use them in as pure a form as possible so I chose a recipe for edamame dumplings inspired by the famous <a href="http://www.buddakannyc.com/">Buddakan</a> in New York (it's on my list to try). Take a gyoza wrapper and stuff it with an edamame filling, steam and you're done. Simple, tasty, perfect way to showcase an otherwise plain ingredient.<br />
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The ingredients and recipe are fairly simple:<br />
Edamame<br />
Butter<br />
Cream<br />
Sriracha <br />
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Throw everything in the Cuisinart, puree, chill and the filling is done.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e7-n-48uEZ6rOAHtD7qsu4CHBaw9e0qvTq_pBQw13QV-YOH2J6b1bi5YWZjjI4TK660wBtpzPJ2INXHMgSCSg9YVjgi95IGd3xf9twaXZaMMVybyNtjMa4f5wRqkLcPn2Oq4HA/s1600/edamame_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e7-n-48uEZ6rOAHtD7qsu4CHBaw9e0qvTq_pBQw13QV-YOH2J6b1bi5YWZjjI4TK660wBtpzPJ2INXHMgSCSg9YVjgi95IGd3xf9twaXZaMMVybyNtjMa4f5wRqkLcPn2Oq4HA/s400/edamame_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Q: what would I be without butter? A: about 170 pounds</div><br />
The biggest pain was creating the dumplings. This is the 1st time I've tried making a dumpling to be steamed and I guess they didn't turn out badly, but watching me make the first few was a bit like watching a deer try and take it's first steps: awkward, but oh so adorable cuz he's trying so hard. After they were steamed, the edamame filling was bright green beneath the translucent gyoza skins and the photos really don't do the color justice; they were beautiful, if not maybe a bit of a grade school art project in terms of quality control and consistency.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPsJ1H4o2kdAs9SRS37tZ2hLe3FLvAlQ7oJ7rHtwg3C8I4U-OswmA-KMNm1EKjHpOe500GbV-HwRhh_Jwv-zhK2eTA_ijcYUfsrv5pgk_f21FcMP4v9ue4KI1QjPFfrxnuZ1lFA/s1600/edamame_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPsJ1H4o2kdAs9SRS37tZ2hLe3FLvAlQ7oJ7rHtwg3C8I4U-OswmA-KMNm1EKjHpOe500GbV-HwRhh_Jwv-zhK2eTA_ijcYUfsrv5pgk_f21FcMP4v9ue4KI1QjPFfrxnuZ1lFA/s400/edamame_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I swear, I'll get the white balance right one of these days </div><br />
How were they? Awesome. I served them in a simple miso broth and the results were great. Creamy texture, rich from all the butter and cream (maybe a bit overkill but still damn good) and a lovely edamame flavor with just a hint of heat and sweetness from the Sriracha. I will certainly be using this recipe in the future and maybe creating the dumplings won't be quite as clumsy. They're really more of an appetizer or dim sum sort of dish and making a main course out of them isn't advisable but with the miso broth you've got one hell of a 1st course to get you going.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvWFSqGAQuyFamjVDMOGv9R_deZcPgRaRXAsxk3U6mHm-iXAnOlRI8NTMjPVmKFGzHIJDQ6qNV69mQW5pos5O0sjvhQYt5SGq8WlpJvEPZVC8JVOXuakGRk3OCVkuDRTtKRBAgw/s1600/edamame_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvWFSqGAQuyFamjVDMOGv9R_deZcPgRaRXAsxk3U6mHm-iXAnOlRI8NTMjPVmKFGzHIJDQ6qNV69mQW5pos5O0sjvhQYt5SGq8WlpJvEPZVC8JVOXuakGRk3OCVkuDRTtKRBAgw/s320/edamame_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> A wonderful soup course or dim sum item all the way</div><br />
Next up: F. I have no clue what I'm doing yet but doing this dish got me jazzed to get back into this project so expect more frequent updates.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-31711371088279313542010-12-16T20:58:00.000-08:002010-12-16T22:26:46.881-08:00Lake Union @ NightSo there I was, leaving Wallingford stuffed on Via Tribunali pizza and beer and the taste of Molly Moon's Peppermint Fudge ice cream still lingering on my tongue and I hopped on I-5 to go home....and I immediately got off as I saw these photos running through my brain as I glanced over Lake Union at the City looking all purdy-like with it's lights aglow.<br />
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Let's solve the Clue caper: It was Bryan at Gas Works Park with the Nikon<br />
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Cool stuff...<br />
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</a></div>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-56163334635194149082010-12-16T07:29:00.000-08:002010-12-16T07:46:53.698-08:00Mayhem is fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXzYI3uNkfocTsIs8UPT4grEJa3PjqJgfg1FR7ZjwH_OSYDhMPjWaowcYLR6KmUm60JTSjHrSX6iGKqrz5YpaqpZjsgexmhTQokodQpqL1MfRL5WaFe50e1MoyOkrT3y_h0v4fA/s1600/DSC_3107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>The 1st two photos below are 2 of the most incredible photos I have ever seen in my life...and I captured them.<br />
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Go large on these photos, folks...you won't be disappointed.<br />
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More to come...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1meo010pSRsG3rDn0FwJKTcNljWzq5vG6vFS36BdOhmKQPXg1KUBVyXAY7RFXg_TaXtDXLNQBkNAVsjoBXnCUfpK5UaCVkIXaUdof0MmSV3RSQt6Ice-gEy2pczO9upvVy3QWg/s1600/DSC_3103.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1meo010pSRsG3rDn0FwJKTcNljWzq5vG6vFS36BdOhmKQPXg1KUBVyXAY7RFXg_TaXtDXLNQBkNAVsjoBXnCUfpK5UaCVkIXaUdof0MmSV3RSQt6Ice-gEy2pczO9upvVy3QWg/s400/DSC_3103.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-49668579762110531732010-12-14T07:50:00.000-08:002010-12-14T08:49:35.917-08:00Steel WoolThis is the 1st and only frame I captured last night of this fun new photo technique. Big thanks to my brother in law Ben for manning the camera; he grabbed a brilliant photo.<br />
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Take a pad of fine steel wool, attach it to the end of a chain, touch a 9V battery to the wool to ignite it, spin in a circle and take a picture of the light show.<br />
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More to come later...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXK3ba65f7KjczjUALwRBGvoIWbQNvmhU_zwJmRDASaVM0wZkWmRqpfkubeEl7eP9EbA-HK8poTg_5CPqGWKyP6uRoRDTVNP15DzApv4AiHSvKtnfuD1ChnY-ck_buCXgoBa6WWw/s1600/fireworks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXK3ba65f7KjczjUALwRBGvoIWbQNvmhU_zwJmRDASaVM0wZkWmRqpfkubeEl7eP9EbA-HK8poTg_5CPqGWKyP6uRoRDTVNP15DzApv4AiHSvKtnfuD1ChnY-ck_buCXgoBa6WWw/s400/fireworks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-81849389958552077562010-11-23T03:33:00.000-08:002010-11-23T03:33:00.447-08:00YouTube Tuesday: Daft Punk / TRONI think I'm more looking forward to the soundtrack than the movie...but in any case, here's a little clip for the upcoming TRON movie whose soundtrack was done completely by the insane Daft Punk (the "DJ's" in the booth in this video, in case you didn't know). BTW, I think it's awesome how Daft Punk have been wearing the same costumes forever and you plop them in this movie and don't have to make a single adjustment; it's like they were created so long ago to be in the new TRON movie. This is the only tune officially released thus far but if the rest of the soundtrack is 1/2 as good as this song I might just put in on loop for the entire day when it comes out in a couple weeks. Oh yeah and I'm sure the movie will be good, too, but seriously: DAFT. PUNK.<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SPFpcKm0B7U?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SPFpcKm0B7U?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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Oh and in case you want to listen offline, here's a <a href="http://www.listenbeforeyoubuy.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Daft%20Punk/Daft%20Punk%20-%20Derezzed.mp3">link</a> to download the song above: Derezzed.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-35387882062067343262010-11-21T22:25:00.000-08:002010-11-22T07:02:29.682-08:00A-Z Project: D is for DAIKONAs in: Shrimp and Daikon Salad with Ume-Shiso Dressing<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPEpCi3VB29UWBPXBGMv68mYH3JKOr9znGlMrhQV6p851NkPq-4nrAMBwJXIMvIh3CQVRQc0DGlXqbGdswn9B4lLWk32C4dQK3bKy9uep4tDIMqKRbLCBvGBk-IxCt_p6bRObDA/s1600/DSC_2603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPEpCi3VB29UWBPXBGMv68mYH3JKOr9znGlMrhQV6p851NkPq-4nrAMBwJXIMvIh3CQVRQc0DGlXqbGdswn9B4lLWk32C4dQK3bKy9uep4tDIMqKRbLCBvGBk-IxCt_p6bRObDA/s400/DSC_2603.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>D wasn't that difficult, simply because I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head other than daikon. Sure, if I dug around I'd find dates or...whatever else starts with D...but I really wanted to do daikon so it was convenient.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5gRfUq5UxPxrDSFC_nYoy4ujnzyWdH93KZWdrQEyO14hus8xathjix3ptwRlGJO2a3pog3lMfQqnpJrEr3Ht2Svzzj5isStn-_Z7YcgHtdR0xuLNo2fQ5Q7FU-wHZC6qCBHZog/s1600/DSC_2572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5gRfUq5UxPxrDSFC_nYoy4ujnzyWdH93KZWdrQEyO14hus8xathjix3ptwRlGJO2a3pog3lMfQqnpJrEr3Ht2Svzzj5isStn-_Z7YcgHtdR0xuLNo2fQ5Q7FU-wHZC6qCBHZog/s400/DSC_2572.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Japanese radish by day, R&B star by night </div><br />
What's up with daikon? (For the record, I think daikon sounds like the name of an R&B or hip-hop star but let's stay on track here) Daikon is a big white radish from Japan. It doesn't have a ton of flavor but I guess the fall and winter roots offer more flavor than those from spring and summer; bonus. It's a little peppery, firm and crispy and is just as good served raw as cooked. My first impression tasting it raw was a real crispy arugula flavor but not nearly as strong; the pepper is certainly there.<br />
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I actually pulled this recipe straight from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shrimp-and-Daikon-Salad-with-Ume-Shiso-Dressing-242291">Gourmet</a> Magazine and cooked it exactly as written. Sidenote: it's becoming clear as I do this project that since I desire to cook unknown or little used ingredients I'll be utilizing more recipes than I initially intended. Maybe not exactly as written, but I'd rather use recipes over just forcing something to work with a recipe or preparation method I typically like to make. Imagine how delicious the grilled daikon tacos would have been!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQXa2Bxmos7I4i2xBM54wvzOO2noOga7RJq9jbvxKO6kjcRgp_b6dManT9g_VcCBOdgQtvcWlnnIdeXFy7VDDTctsh50YRGVY2pGnWOCbJ38Siic79ijVRuAqcj7PzO5HnqoU9Q/s1600/DSC_2578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQXa2Bxmos7I4i2xBM54wvzOO2noOga7RJq9jbvxKO6kjcRgp_b6dManT9g_VcCBOdgQtvcWlnnIdeXFy7VDDTctsh50YRGVY2pGnWOCbJ38Siic79ijVRuAqcj7PzO5HnqoU9Q/s400/DSC_2578.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Umeboshi paste, shiso leaves. Cue up The Vapors on iTunes </div><br />
There's an <a href="http://www.uwajimaya.com/">Uwajimaya</a> 2 miles from here so it was super simple to get everything. I love that place even though the local store is showing it's age big time and is about as haphazard as the playlists I create. But, it still retains that quirky, cozy, neighborhood market feel that has been part of it's charm since we first moved here in the early 90's; it's certainly nothing like the downtown location (which is super rad). I've always liked Japanese food and flavors and I find myself digging deeper into that cuisine more and more and having Uwajimaya close by makes it really easy to fall in love with food that many people shy away from simply because there's a lot of confusion about what to buy, how to cook it, etc. Sushi and teriyaki aren't the only great foods from Japan, trust me...<br />
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Here's what I used:<br />
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Daikon<br />
Shrimp<br />
Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)<br />
Rice Vinegar<br />
Umeboshi plum vinegar<br />
Umeboshi plum paste<br />
Shiso Leaves<br />
Soy Sauce<br />
Brown Sugar<br />
Vegetable Oil<br />
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Anyway, this was by far the easiest preparation yet. Basically, it's just thinly sliced daikon with grilled shrimp and a simple dressing based on umeboshi (they taste pretty much identical to plums if you ask me). That's it. If it took me 20 minutes preparation to make this entire dish I'd be surprised. But, it tasted fantastic. The daikon has a faint peppery taste and the dressing was deliciously sweet with umeboshi and the taste you just couldn't put your finger on had to be the shiso leaves. The super crispy texture of the thinly cut daikon (thank you mandoline slicer) paired with the firm shrimp made this unlike your typical soft and squishy lettuce-based salad with a protein, but in a really good way.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCAcugMnbRg0mjIBIF6aUPS5cunU7f-b2yra31GoxBGPIuvZMewS5yRfnkzB-g3pUasqJmT7lvVVadsYHJMpvZ1IcJd8eEjgTJMRjy8o1DxlTAfn-HCbG6fg_QtktPobt2GXo_g/s1600/DSC_2596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCAcugMnbRg0mjIBIF6aUPS5cunU7f-b2yra31GoxBGPIuvZMewS5yRfnkzB-g3pUasqJmT7lvVVadsYHJMpvZ1IcJd8eEjgTJMRjy8o1DxlTAfn-HCbG6fg_QtktPobt2GXo_g/s400/DSC_2596.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plating change, still good looking </div><br />
The flavors were great, it looked really nice and it was wicked easy to prepare which by my scoring makes the "D" dish a big success. I will certainly be making this salad again and would recommend this to anyone looking to expand your culinary horizons and sample some flavors not very common in our typical diets.<br />
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So, onward to "E" and for any Top Chef fans from this last season I don't think I need to tell you what controversial ingredient we'll be using.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-43801496663114935042010-11-17T07:10:00.000-08:002010-11-17T07:10:34.434-08:00Girl Talk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://illegal-art.net/allday/allday_frontcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://illegal-art.net/allday/allday_frontcover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Go download this now. Expand your horizons, if you're not already familiar with Gril Talk. It's free and there's something for everyone: 373 samples in 70 minutes of music.<br />
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<a href="http://illegal-art.net/allday/">http://illegal-art.net/allday/</a><br />
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That is all.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-30031485036651647022010-11-15T18:55:00.000-08:002010-11-15T19:37:20.948-08:00A-Z Project: C is for CHANTERELLES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07iFbTBNoUUQb6egwMUd_5qkTVlDc8LfquIX5IU1H6Iw5r9nQAa3P-VXaSj0GYF8NlRFhvdKy4wwciHZ6AIUnbWCHM2P5oCLLg2o0g6JZXAHtIjzpM40MkOrlVH1KeDm389zw9Q/s1600/DSC_2523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07iFbTBNoUUQb6egwMUd_5qkTVlDc8LfquIX5IU1H6Iw5r9nQAa3P-VXaSj0GYF8NlRFhvdKy4wwciHZ6AIUnbWCHM2P5oCLLg2o0g6JZXAHtIjzpM40MkOrlVH1KeDm389zw9Q/s400/DSC_2523.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Nicole of <a href="http://www.readilyedible.com/">Readily Edible</a> fame (fantastic blog...go check it out...often) was in town and somehow this project came up in conversation. I indicated that C was a real tough letter with so many great choices out there. Crab, corn, chorizo, coffee, carrot, clam, chevre, chives and myriad other ingredients made choosing one really difficult. She threw another into the mix: chanterelle mushrooms as they're both local and currently in season. Thanks, Nicole; that really helped me narrow it down.<br />
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But this got me thinking: why settle? Why compromise and just choose 1 ingredient? Sure, I had to choose an "official" one to put in the title (we're going with chanterelles, BTW) but this post is going to be a C MONSTER of sorts as we build a dish as plentiful in C ingredients as the PNW is plentiful in Subarus (likely my next car...but that's another post). I already had this dish in mind but why not just throw another C in there for good measure. We're making a wonderful crab, chanterelle and corn chowder garnished with crème fraiche and chives. How's that for not compromising?<br />
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As will be the case with many of the 26 star ingredients, I don't cook with them often if at all; chanterelles are no exception. I've cooked a few pastas where you throw a bunch of wild mushrooms (chanterelles included) in good EVOO, sauté them up and flick them up off the lip of the pan whilst sprinkling in some red pepper flakes and sea salt with intense focus and wow your date who now thinks you're Jamie Oliver without the cheeky accent (<--great visual, Bryan) and it goes over famously....but I digress. Long story short: I've never cooked just chanterelles.<br />
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What's so special about chanterelles? Well, they're local and in season but more importantly they pair very well with both the sweet corn and the crab and love to be cooked in a fat; bonus! They're a wild mushroom so they're automatically going to have that earthy and rich flavor unlike typical button mushrooms but they're also a bit sweeter and have a very nice flavor; magic things happen when you let them meet the naturally sweet crab and corn in the creamy chowder base to make everything that much better. <br />
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Ingredients:<br />
Chanterelle mushrooms<br />
Crab meat (dungeness)<br />
Corn<br />
Potatoes<br />
Leeks<br />
Onions<br />
Celery (another C ingredient...meh) <br />
Butter<br />
Heavy whipping cream<br />
Stock (chicken...it's easy) <br />
Bacon (THE bacon, of course)<br />
Crème fraiche<br />
Chives (for garnish) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8DdGch-7ECYN6DRnPCKgMkrlnCO-DJfn848rCrtsDJ0b_IOVNGbj40v_Iy6nlXalaosCb4z3m83Ex6dLULDfJsfbIWrPys-oUyjwKN67KcNy4yjGPO0xnwkzz8oy_Nz7SwF0AA/s1600/DSC_2541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8DdGch-7ECYN6DRnPCKgMkrlnCO-DJfn848rCrtsDJ0b_IOVNGbj40v_Iy6nlXalaosCb4z3m83Ex6dLULDfJsfbIWrPys-oUyjwKN67KcNy4yjGPO0xnwkzz8oy_Nz7SwF0AA/s400/DSC_2541.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is what corn should look like </div><br />
OK, there are a few things in this world you need to do when cooking, no matter what. When cooking corn on the cob, throw it on the grill, PERIOD. Don't boil it, don't nuke it, don't use any other cooking method. Inclement weather be damned: use the grill. Oh, and you better get a char on a healthy portion of the kernels or you're doing it wrong...trust me on this: I'm a professional, and I most likely enjoy cooking/eating corn more than you.<br />
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This chowder is all about the animal fat. With copious amounts of butter, cream, bacon and crème fraiche it's a United Nations of fat but damn does it taste GREAT. The combo of sweet corn that's smoky from getting charred on the grill (method to the madness, people) along with the salty and smoky bacon, veggies cooked in the rendered bacon fat, earthy & rich chanterelles and finally the uber-sweet crabmeat all swimming in a creamy pool of awesomeness is...well...awesome. I considered using clams but crab is so much better and when I think PNW I don't think clam chowder; SF or Boston can have that claim to fame, we'll claim crab. Dungeness crab has quickly become one of my favorite proteins and up here it's just out of this world good; I doubt I'd have fallen so hard for it being farther from the source.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4s4fDbe21GhFURbeC4Mr3VdEdLdcWGeS3ajfToO881cMD4z-l5hzUk5u8UaUtA_4H6QlVOEc_vQBXITQP-ZNMxu6Gb1mN_09bTDnNdTFUNlLxoNE70oigHcuASfFqakPqptTRw/s1600/DSC_2564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4s4fDbe21GhFURbeC4Mr3VdEdLdcWGeS3ajfToO881cMD4z-l5hzUk5u8UaUtA_4H6QlVOEc_vQBXITQP-ZNMxu6Gb1mN_09bTDnNdTFUNlLxoNE70oigHcuASfFqakPqptTRw/s400/DSC_2564.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Preparation was tedious but not difficult; time consuming is more like it. Overall I think I cooked it well and my efforts paid off with a damn good chowder on a cold and windy late fall day. It was maybe a bit TOO sweet but the bacon reminds you that it's still got plenty of savory goodness and the chanterelles certainly brought a great deal of flavor and I'm stoked to have added them to this dish. That'll do, Bryan.<br />
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D should be easier...<br />
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Chow.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-21287269020624671932010-11-01T07:39:00.000-07:002010-11-15T00:37:34.405-08:00A-Z Project: B is for BUTTERNUT SQUASHAs in: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Chorizo<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpQXZF0CXOx2cICLlRy3vBMq7BhLNJjKri-URMdI0WZIGnOJFwBwSWox8fGfUzUHN9bxBPIACfh0TrRh-5nzFuR4ny1-aPOguUvS3lhFXx27Dt8oNh_ODIHiJrIRS8PqzXM7r7w/s1600/DSC_2358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpQXZF0CXOx2cICLlRy3vBMq7BhLNJjKri-URMdI0WZIGnOJFwBwSWox8fGfUzUHN9bxBPIACfh0TrRh-5nzFuR4ny1-aPOguUvS3lhFXx27Dt8oNh_ODIHiJrIRS8PqzXM7r7w/s400/DSC_2358.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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There are a few letters in this project that are gonna be tough choices like kicking someone off Top Chef with only 3 left. B is one of those letters. Since I'm trying to stick with seasonal ingredients/dishes as much as possible I decided to go with butternut squash. I really wanted to do bacon for B but c'mon; probably 1/2 the savory dishes I'm going to create will involve bacon so no need to highlight it. Beef was considered, buffalo, beans, blackberry, blood orange...the list is deep, that's for sure. But, butternut squash was gonna be a good choice. It's an ingredient I never cook with, it's local/seasonal, there are good recipes out there for it, so I went with it and have no regrets. But damn: how could I pass up bacon like that?<br />
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There are a ton of recipes out there for a classic butternut squash soup so I just made my own. The components of a soup like this are pretty simple and as with anything it comes down to how everything tastes so we're gonna wing it.<br />
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What I really wanted in this dish was something to compliment the butternut squash. A soup like this is good but it could really do with some help; help from something that's say...oh, I don't know...not a vegetable?? Enter chorizo. Lovely, spicy, cured chorizo. I could have done chorizo for C but C is quite possibly the most difficult letter in this project in terms of narrowing down the choices. More on that in the next A-Z post. Let's get back to the task at hand.<br />
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The soup is a pretty simple list of ingredients: butternut squash, celery, onion, carrot, stock, fresh thyme. Roast the butternut squash until it's fork tender then scoop it out and throw it in a stock pot with the other veggies you sauteed while the oven was doing it's roast thing, add some chicken stock, boil it for a few minutes and you're done. Next is the fun part: immersion blender. Blend it up until it's silky smooth, serve it up with the chorizo you crisped up in a fry-pan and you've got a damn good dinner.<br />
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I'm really pleased with this soup. It was crazy simple but as with most simple things, it was delicious. I really enjoy the balance of opposites in a dish; it really makes each individual ingredient that much better. The onions and butternut squash were really sweet but then throw in the uber-salty and spicy chorizo and it was heaven. The crisped up chorizo also played nicely with the really silky smooth consistency of the soup so that was an added bonus.<br />
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Oh and I screwed up the photo shoot on this one. The camera was dead from a day of shooting when I went to snap photos of the cooking process so I plugged in the battery and got enough juice for a couple photos and really only liked the one you see here; next time you'll get more...promise.<br />
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I'd give you the recipe, but frankly I don't really have one. Just make your own; it's ultra-easy and pretty hard to screw up. I do highly recommend roasting the butternut squash, though, as it really pulls out that sweetness and the edges near the skin get caramelized and intensify the sweetness of the butternut, which as Martha would say "is a good thing."<br />
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Not looking forward to the hard decision that will be the letter C.<br />
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Until next time...<br />
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Chowbmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-20441684577505879692010-10-26T21:39:00.000-07:002010-10-26T21:39:48.524-07:00Light Graffiti, Take 2...OK, this is ridiculous. I'm having too much fun with this technique and starting to get the hang of it. Next step: grab a tripod and take the show outside...<br />
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Click 'em to embiggen 'em.<br />
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Enjoi.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s0LkFyG2tNR2YTrsb62VZaPCPOIOcCY9W4d6ZOHIs_3nF87jQeYXroFfYjkwjWxwtTeDEiSuLmO9CdFWAAgw20ip2kiMg1dFWcjTPD_eFqY5TGxpjK1-Yjp7XYdogaqjdgUwJA/s1600/DSC_1972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s0LkFyG2tNR2YTrsb62VZaPCPOIOcCY9W4d6ZOHIs_3nF87jQeYXroFfYjkwjWxwtTeDEiSuLmO9CdFWAAgw20ip2kiMg1dFWcjTPD_eFqY5TGxpjK1-Yjp7XYdogaqjdgUwJA/s400/DSC_1972.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglTvmawpoB-QX8JwvT8er1lZhPDLRPIREFltAUtdZWY4VguQ3LkZGh0juc9agfnTk9TCvWD6xqhlbHdzccvS8sC0Vh2IqZDehYvagLgDs3bPwkq4D1LAj95a7elyAaFZZlWp5zw/s1600/DSC_1975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglTvmawpoB-QX8JwvT8er1lZhPDLRPIREFltAUtdZWY4VguQ3LkZGh0juc9agfnTk9TCvWD6xqhlbHdzccvS8sC0Vh2IqZDehYvagLgDs3bPwkq4D1LAj95a7elyAaFZZlWp5zw/s400/DSC_1975.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzBokS_IqGpNUsi7QwAGH6MHHbBs5XFhv4AswgrV_lae6RKnuOoDNt8UZfHnh0VPcG_4KGiJr-HB9Z5ExxAFmYRXr-WzG-yuqGcmLEyEy7rbsecUieiZbnUDbM-spqxx32UZolQ/s1600/DSC_1983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzBokS_IqGpNUsi7QwAGH6MHHbBs5XFhv4AswgrV_lae6RKnuOoDNt8UZfHnh0VPcG_4KGiJr-HB9Z5ExxAFmYRXr-WzG-yuqGcmLEyEy7rbsecUieiZbnUDbM-spqxx32UZolQ/s400/DSC_1983.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4DKAxP0M2OwURIaxbBSVVe3QX9Ci_XJNwkDCjKaIhFOTF7E2XuX-5UnLM0qKjglHk2XuLVVTts-cTszzgQ6GIDV93xTdbZ62kBaKrW7zKucMSpToBHvZKoQYeluEgeSxB-BWrQ/s1600/DSC_1995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4DKAxP0M2OwURIaxbBSVVe3QX9Ci_XJNwkDCjKaIhFOTF7E2XuX-5UnLM0qKjglHk2XuLVVTts-cTszzgQ6GIDV93xTdbZ62kBaKrW7zKucMSpToBHvZKoQYeluEgeSxB-BWrQ/s400/DSC_1995.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSy-ZhbXajVMmysZT1h-oot4Hep7bhfyjKjG_j5_MA61u0XpsHDXJJzKmUEQtmJJ5cWKnnyKUiVYPjPXsjuPggFivp6rsgh1v2i-UsAzkQhdzWuajbQNKD6I8KMA4kwiJO8aziQ/s1600/DSC_1998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSy-ZhbXajVMmysZT1h-oot4Hep7bhfyjKjG_j5_MA61u0XpsHDXJJzKmUEQtmJJ5cWKnnyKUiVYPjPXsjuPggFivp6rsgh1v2i-UsAzkQhdzWuajbQNKD6I8KMA4kwiJO8aziQ/s400/DSC_1998.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-22904235181810391242010-10-26T04:42:00.000-07:002010-10-26T04:42:00.175-07:00YouTube Tuesday: AC/DC ExcelSomeone has too much time on their hands...but I really like it. Get back to creating my TPS reports and stop wasting time.<br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/h9_YkXHCkgA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/h9_YkXHCkgA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-26051730696481671752010-10-25T21:58:00.000-07:002010-10-25T22:21:38.009-07:00OMG...new photography obsession...Light graffiti. The concept is simple:<br />
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Go to a dark spot, crank your aperture as wide as it will go, set the shutter REALLY slow, "paint" with any source of light you want like an LED flashlight, mobile phone, etc. and create graffiti with light...and Bob's your uncle (Google that).<br />
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These are 5 of the 1st 7 shots I took...I still have no clue what I'm doing; Google "light graffiti" and be blown away by what others are doing. The settings on all photos are within a stop of these settings and the conditions were:<br />
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10-second exposure<br />
f/3.8<br />
27mm focal length<br />
Auto ISO (I f'd that up...should have cranked it down to 200 to keep the obvious noise out of the photo)<br />
LED flashlight <br />
Pure darkness in the room<br />
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I can't talk...I'm too busy working up ideas...look at these...be inspired...<br />
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(as always, click photo to embiggen them to actual size) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKioe-1ZI_1UpScBz_Izk0FPxp_WJzBQkxFO81eaxwmQj_Xt0A64aCa9gc7wsNMhXP69cVqLRVql-ZC6mrmO-0aW0spQelZ_e9niOZpqy9Xz5vR4uZqpYpeZiamud5c7-qBJiKJA/s1600/DSC_1955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKioe-1ZI_1UpScBz_Izk0FPxp_WJzBQkxFO81eaxwmQj_Xt0A64aCa9gc7wsNMhXP69cVqLRVql-ZC6mrmO-0aW0spQelZ_e9niOZpqy9Xz5vR4uZqpYpeZiamud5c7-qBJiKJA/s400/DSC_1955.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJiOkMFsrMN55knYY61JYvR-WgpTBBpE89vqr1r_3N6-z38s24Q5MoBzjglAv38kwKoTWTQSCSEOGacBTH41hWdQZ3kY0vLsGnBjoP_QCDqEAryByEiVIM-AS8R-qn-SD2OypYA/s1600/DSC_1957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJiOkMFsrMN55knYY61JYvR-WgpTBBpE89vqr1r_3N6-z38s24Q5MoBzjglAv38kwKoTWTQSCSEOGacBTH41hWdQZ3kY0vLsGnBjoP_QCDqEAryByEiVIM-AS8R-qn-SD2OypYA/s400/DSC_1957.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZVSX4V_2eecL0VGhXO52zUP5qDAAEaEifi_ly0pw8qPtTrpeMSrv0KwzDP8covFdipiPqxf_E5Y8ifAeAgNefnt1GrbYoIAXqnZxZcjKQZEnITVSEo4KhlEz2NqopXw4DLQytw/s1600/DSC_1959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZVSX4V_2eecL0VGhXO52zUP5qDAAEaEifi_ly0pw8qPtTrpeMSrv0KwzDP8covFdipiPqxf_E5Y8ifAeAgNefnt1GrbYoIAXqnZxZcjKQZEnITVSEo4KhlEz2NqopXw4DLQytw/s400/DSC_1959.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuW6JsIlOQLGMXXevsgz3yOf7XFGfRX18ceaB3fwrrnBURGNS3ysBWTg5fj_lpoNlhsUZcwipQMbYyTMrZSWA9hLvOn2tIANxbJwNSpg8oLnW0Q6vLqzHOe-yq40_6OR40QpAxA/s1600/DSC_1953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuW6JsIlOQLGMXXevsgz3yOf7XFGfRX18ceaB3fwrrnBURGNS3ysBWTg5fj_lpoNlhsUZcwipQMbYyTMrZSWA9hLvOn2tIANxbJwNSpg8oLnW0Q6vLqzHOe-yq40_6OR40QpAxA/s400/DSC_1953.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE25J862yDm86vtI4yd7ksjU3DvdQebTCbOXyXvF1BnDr2u1B0DR4F_9HUnlI1wNJziwuzZvS-ROZ1DymcZksUqFhh8CzPPKKCW3Wx_k3IFwRptwkTqcexE8EgXkihwTd32LEitQ/s1600/DSC_1960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE25J862yDm86vtI4yd7ksjU3DvdQebTCbOXyXvF1BnDr2u1B0DR4F_9HUnlI1wNJziwuzZvS-ROZ1DymcZksUqFhh8CzPPKKCW3Wx_k3IFwRptwkTqcexE8EgXkihwTd32LEitQ/s400/DSC_1960.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-85092985808167273642010-10-24T18:51:00.000-07:002010-10-25T08:35:33.755-07:00A-Z Project: A is for APPLESWell, here we go.<br />
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It's deep into fall, here in the PNW (Pacific Northwest, if you're not in the know) and I actually think it's fall everywhere else in the Northern hemisphere, though I never knew it for the last 9 years living in SoCal where it's perpetually stuck somewhere between late spring and early fall year-round. The leaves are setting a spectacular backdrop of red, yellow, green and orange across the azure sky as the cool fall breeze sets them in motion and the technicolor leaves flutter to the ground and create a blanket of color just waiting to be raked up and jumped in. Yeah, I dig fall in case you didn't read between the lines over the last couple sentences.<br />
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What says fall in the PNW more perfectly than apples? Nothing. So, we're using them as the 1st ingredient. It is low hanging fruit and I could have gone with asparagus or arctic char or artichokes? Sure, but apples are way cooler and more versatile and I like cooking with them so there. After seeing Bittman's podcast devoted to scones a couple weeks ago and then stumbling onto this recipe I decided it was a sign that scones were the delivery vehicle for the 1st ingredient in the project.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0kYr3519zqZ7MfENC20AKE1O4hUbGaa1aaf_9CBQ7NvGyL7BPtPq1EAmkF6SeKzNOJWzyXjsW-U9sXmV4mJm9XcXoAbMfgECE8zMJWLUUkdTt1h24u9EijmHgqmmSfVovo9pEQ/s1600/DSC_1924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0kYr3519zqZ7MfENC20AKE1O4hUbGaa1aaf_9CBQ7NvGyL7BPtPq1EAmkF6SeKzNOJWzyXjsW-U9sXmV4mJm9XcXoAbMfgECE8zMJWLUUkdTt1h24u9EijmHgqmmSfVovo9pEQ/s400/DSC_1924.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I found this recipe on <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/10/apple-and-cheddar-scones/">Smitten Kitchen</a> and was instantly intrigued: apples and cheddar cheese in a scone? It was sort of a freakshow which means you just have to check it out and I'm glad I did. I followed the recipe pretty much as-is (it's baking, after all) but my big substitute was for Beecher's Flagship as the cheese. Again, we're in the PNW so let's use local ingredients as much as possible; you will undoubtedly see this cheese again before the end of this project as I fell madly in love with it the first time I tried it. I also used whole wheat flour (eh, wish I used all purpose instead) and opted for the goldencrisp apples we just picked up over the go-to cooking apple the Granny Smith.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JGnbp8DcGKYlMrCXD9zE-7uPMCffNAD7fou0FbkSTgpVLszSxObGa1hUtYUGJs-8pAlzLbaMWgrZZPhrrw145bvX8AboulN2SegR3bNPjRLPu2igH4yPae-i8UA0ep2uvtLvBQ/s1600/DSC_1931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JGnbp8DcGKYlMrCXD9zE-7uPMCffNAD7fou0FbkSTgpVLszSxObGa1hUtYUGJs-8pAlzLbaMWgrZZPhrrw145bvX8AboulN2SegR3bNPjRLPu2igH4yPae-i8UA0ep2uvtLvBQ/s400/DSC_1931.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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How were they? Awesome. The savory from the cheese, the sweet from the sugar and the apple, the tartness, it really worked. I'm not a baker (more a candlestick maker, myself) and I don't know how much I'll be baking throughout this project but these were a big success.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4u0rz16wTSuDdTOxOvhcY7lr4xuf1bi_IJpbXVvDGfjl_-bxYEN1e9Pt-ucLiFDsCz1aYeKaq_BHkAEsi8AKDStOSm3oF0Pj2CVUuC7OcBZ3FpeVYQYw7QVUK22Fc6eh_2tV-g/s1600/DSC_1937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4u0rz16wTSuDdTOxOvhcY7lr4xuf1bi_IJpbXVvDGfjl_-bxYEN1e9Pt-ucLiFDsCz1aYeKaq_BHkAEsi8AKDStOSm3oF0Pj2CVUuC7OcBZ3FpeVYQYw7QVUK22Fc6eh_2tV-g/s400/DSC_1937.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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So, it's on to B. No clue what I'm doing just yet but there are some good ideas floating around that I'm looking at. There are still some kinks in the process, the kitchen is a total PITA for taking photos with the incandescent lighting and other little things I'd like to work on but I'll probably get it all nailed down by Q maybe M if I'm lucky.<br />
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Chow.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-7159569511616348162010-10-22T08:53:00.000-07:002010-10-22T09:03:20.272-07:00SRW<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/seattlerestaurantweek/art/bg-header-home.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/seattlerestaurantweek/art/bg-header-home.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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So, I didn't used to really enjoy food all that much. I ate plain things and not a wide variety of foods; cheese pizza, chicken fingers and really anything chicken were all I'd want to eat. I'm still a bit picky (some stuff I just can't do) and I still really love cheese pizza over most (that's a whole other blog post) but I've recently in the last couple years truly started expanding my culinary horizons and it's been great. What I'll eat now is so vast compared to say even 5 years ago and it never ceases to surprise friends and family what I'll order or even what I'll cook for dinner; it ain't chicken fingers, that's for sure. Most of all, I enjoy the art of cooking and cuisine. I don't eat out all that often but when I do I'd rather treat myself to something special and experience true artisans doing what they do best: create delicious, beautiful, edible art. Cue SRW.<br />
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This week started <a href="http://www.theseattlerestaurantweek.com/">Seattle Restaurant Week</a> and I'm stoked. There are 100 restaurants participating and they are some of the finest restaurants to experience in Seattle; Chili's, Claim Jumper and P.F Chang's aren't gonna make the cut. Several of the locations offer 3-course lunch menus for $15 while all of them offer $25 3-course dinner menus that showcase the chef's talents and the cuisine that you can experience there at any time. Really, it's just a big marketing event but it is brilliant and wildly successful for the restaurants and patrons. The opportunity to eat at these world class restaurants and sample a full 3-course meal for a price that in most cases is probably 50% less than what you should be paying is awesome. They get you hooked on coming back, you get a cheap(er) meal that's out of this world and it opens your eyes and palette to truly brilliant cuisine from some of the world's most talented and recognized chefs.<br />
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Sadly, I'm low on funds right now so my being able to eat at a new place every night ain't gonna happen this time around but I will get to sample a couple places. Yesterday I went with my good friend Amy to The Pink Door down near the Market for lunch and it was incredible. Their lasagna cannot be described; it is fantastic as was the eggplant relish with Marcona almonds. YUM.<br />
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If you're here in the Seattle area you owe it to yourself to go check it out before it's done; it's worth every penny. I guess there's a 2nd SRW in the spring that I am setting my sights on and saving up the funds so I can sample many of the restaurants that I've had on my list to try for quite some time now.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-44372398416970036362010-10-19T04:42:00.000-07:002010-10-19T04:42:00.944-07:00YouTube Tuesday: Dungeness Crab Spaghetti from Del PostoHere's a cool video of the entire process of making the Dungeness Crab Spaghetti at Del Postro. It's strangely fascinating and I'd very much like to try this dish when I someday make it to Del Postro.<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/11e61WAOcZE?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/11e61WAOcZE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-11776696853849660352010-10-13T06:58:00.000-07:002010-10-14T11:52:35.817-07:00Let's Cook From A-Z, Shall We?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.padgettatoz.co.uk/images/A%20to%20Z%20copy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://www.padgettatoz.co.uk/images/A%20to%20Z%20copy.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This should be fun.<br />
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I love to cook. I love gimmicks. I'm a crafty, creative mofo, far more than my choice of occupation would lead you to believe. With that said, I have a fun new project I'm embarking on.<br />
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I will be cooking a main dish (or side dish, which will really be the showcase item) from A to Z, in order. I'm not going to cheat and serve 3 items and knock 3 letters off the list at a time because that's just lame. Some letters will be a bitch but I'll make it work, trust me. It's going to take some time but it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm sure I'm not the only person that's ever done this but I'm the first person I know that's done it, so that's something.<br />
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I won't use simple low hanging fruit (C is for Corn) but will use it as the inspiration for a dish (C is for Corn Chowder with Chorizo and Chiles) that hopefully showcases the specific food item beautifully. The point here is to showcase a specific food in a dish, not just reference that it's in there. No, they won't all be alliterative as in the previous example; that would be a bit too kitschy, even for me.<br />
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I will be photographing the project as best I can with the Nikon and hopefully providing some beautiful photography along the way with some delicious dishes and good narrative to make it interesting. Oh and for the most part I don't use recipes when I cook I just sort of make it up as I go, just as <i>you</i> should when cooking; it's art, not science, people. With that said, if I use a recipe or base my dish off a particular recipe I will be sure to post it but don't expect much. If you've ever cooked with me or I've cooked for you, you know what to expect.<br />
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So, hang tight and very shortly we'll be posting the 1st dish both here and on Facebook.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-59632383274341186642010-10-13T04:45:00.000-07:002010-10-13T04:45:00.182-07:00SoDo Graffiti Wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K_NFp5h5dFU/TLPhu865cJI/AAAAAAAAAwU/VmGD-fMrsV4/s1600/DSC_1445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K_NFp5h5dFU/TLPhu865cJI/AAAAAAAAAwU/VmGD-fMrsV4/s400/DSC_1445.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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My latest photo adventure was in search of a wonderful art-form: graffiti. Not necessarily the gang-banger tagging type but more of the artistic type; people that given an assignment could create some super rad art anywhere you wanted using spraypaint, markers, brushes, you name it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K_NFp5h5dFU/TLPhkmmyesI/AAAAAAAAAus/2AKZHmSLoaQ/s1600/DSC_1369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_K_NFp5h5dFU/TLPhkmmyesI/AAAAAAAAAus/2AKZHmSLoaQ/s400/DSC_1369.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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I read online that there's this wall in SoDo on the back of an industrial building between Starbucks HQ and the Amtrak rail line that's a "free wall" or somewhere that graffiti artists can do their thing without fear of static from the authorities or by defacing public property (if they cared about that sort of thing).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K_NFp5h5dFU/TLPhmkZL9WI/AAAAAAAAAuM/fH8Q8_c-cPE/s1600/DSC_1378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_K_NFp5h5dFU/TLPhmkZL9WI/AAAAAAAAAuM/fH8Q8_c-cPE/s400/DSC_1378.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Well, I hit jackpot. The wall is insane. What's here transcends the simple name "graffiti" and really should be called art. I snapped 175 photos in about an hour and a half and was really pleased with the results.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K_NFp5h5dFU/TLPhpJsrq5I/AAAAAAAAAtc/U-QlnjTXJ84/s1600/DSC_1389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_K_NFp5h5dFU/TLPhpJsrq5I/AAAAAAAAAtc/U-QlnjTXJ84/s400/DSC_1389.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Check out the Picasa album <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/bmills313/SoDo?authkey=Gv1sRgCIrQ_5ec3OPTWQ&feat=directlink">here</a> and trust me: the photos don't do this wall justice.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-48483585110311033702010-10-12T04:07:00.000-07:002010-10-12T04:07:00.395-07:00YouTube Tuesday: Banksy Simpsons Intro<a href="http://www.banksy.co.uk/">Banksy</a> is a graffiti/street artist from the UK, in case you didn't know. Actually, nobody knows <i>who</i> he is; his identity, whereabouts and where his art will appear are unknown. His images are legendary and without knowing it you've probably come across some of them at some point in time. There's always controversy, political and social commentary, juxtaposition and all sort of counter-culture references in his work but I love them; they are visually stunning. Anyway...<br />
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He was asked to direct the opening credits/intro to the Simpsons a couple nights ago and oh boy, did they get Banksy. Check out this very dark intro that's super cool, weird and, well...Banksy.<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DX1iplQQJTo?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DX1iplQQJTo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-75251585571495154302010-10-10T21:36:00.000-07:002010-10-10T22:59:02.248-07:00Leaves are Waterproof<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdxm_bPGnZSCvPmzL4__p6k_05-WFQi3hWse_rmfG7kJldCXiPSVBnj8EbZFcuQETmuEqzeS4Pv2d-4CIWQlXXTqnmVTGVYamWP3upk2VFeUOT3Jh6a-Bbf8k2sdclOQYFW9MgA/s1600/leaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdxm_bPGnZSCvPmzL4__p6k_05-WFQi3hWse_rmfG7kJldCXiPSVBnj8EbZFcuQETmuEqzeS4Pv2d-4CIWQlXXTqnmVTGVYamWP3upk2VFeUOT3Jh6a-Bbf8k2sdclOQYFW9MgA/s640/leaf.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
This is by far one of my favorite photos of the year; maybe one of the best photographs I've ever taken. It rained all day yesterday and today I went outside and found this leaf sitting next to the grill and it sparked a little photo session with the fun water effects on a tree out front. Untouched, it's brilliant from the colors to the water effects to the composition. It's certainly going to make my portfolio. Click on the photo to embiggen it and get the real flavor of this one...<br />
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That'll do, Bryan.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-26987303920046367242010-09-28T02:42:00.000-07:002010-09-28T02:42:00.277-07:00YouTube Tuesday: UPS guy ain't shitOK, so the UPS guy just lost his job. He should have lost it years ago for that Euro-douche haircut and smart, business-casual wardrobe but now there's no excuse; his whiteboard drawing skills are no match for what's below.<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NugRZGDbPFU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NugRZGDbPFU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-2519811243229036532010-09-27T11:22:00.000-07:002010-09-27T20:01:26.936-07:00Gas Works Photo Adventure Spectacular ThingAbout 8 years ago now I bought a Nikon D70 DSLR. I'd been interested in photography for a while and had the disposable income so I took the plunge. Oddly enough, I had to take the plunge twice as the first one was stolen from my truck in Palm Springs, so that was a nice surprise. So much for buying another lens with that money. I digress...<br />
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I used it off/on for a while then it sort of sat in the closet in favor of the far more convenient and versatile point and shoot except for special occasions. I dunno, I think a lot of it was lack of motivation and good things to shoot that were close by. There are only so many photos you can grab of shitty HB surf and while there were some great sunsets that was about it; I just wasn't motivated to hop in the car and go somewhere and take some cool photos. Oh, I still loved to take photos but I just wasn't feeling it like I was when I first got the camera, which is sad.<br />
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Well, this past weekend the weather was stellar here so I decided to go out and shoot some real photographs at Gas Works Park in Seattle. This adventure reminded me of a few things:<br />
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<ol><li>Seattle is such a cool city</li>
<li>I really love photography</li>
<li>I'm pretty good at taking photographs</li>
</ol>Gas Works is a photography playground. There are so many cool colors, structures, funky angles and shapes, silly graffitti and wide open green-space in the steampunk sort of throwback to an earlier time in this cool city that it makes taking great photographs a much easier process as a lot of the work is already done for you, it's just up to you to capture it.<br />
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<table style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Wrx84pnVc7jmi91NGzE4ZSZAnl7ViUWV8l_Q1qdjV1g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_K_NFp5h5dFU/TKBB-8YHgAI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/NU67g6tYiag/s400/DSC_1150.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/107585042384401253588/GasWorks?authkey=Gv1sRgCISrnaOohtnwSw&feat=embedwebsite">Gas Works</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Along those lines, I'm not too shabby with a camera. It comes naturally, I guess, that I have great composition skills when it comes to filling a frame and capturing an image; just sort of know what looks right and it's always gratifying to see great images you captured. I've weened myself off using the auto-focus and will eventually ditch the camera's metering assistance and go full manual but who knows if that's totally necessary; technology can be pretty handy. I've got friends that are semi-professional photogs and an aunt that is in the same boat and I think I'll be spending time with them to help get me up to speed on the technical side of photography so I can use more of the buttons and dials on the camera more effectively than I currently do.<br />
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<table style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YkCH6qRWJddkj30nU04GfSZAnl7ViUWV8l_Q1qdjV1g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_K_NFp5h5dFU/TKBCAZnjVZI/AAAAAAAAARc/6J3Or7rpnMk/s400/DSC_1178.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/107585042384401253588/GasWorks?authkey=Gv1sRgCISrnaOohtnwSw&feat=embedwebsite">Gas Works</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Here are the photos from the 300 I took but whittled down to about 70 that were what I felt were the best works.<br />
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<a href="http://bit.ly/cfAASe">http://bit.ly/cfAASe </a><br />
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Facebook compresses everything so it's kind of hard to really get a feel for some of these photos there but you're welcome to check that album out, too. You know how to find it.<br />
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More photography outings to come in the future...<br />
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Enjoi.bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22465385.post-11973230723870717742010-09-23T23:24:00.000-07:002010-09-24T00:20:06.745-07:00The Zero Sum Game that is LIFEI love metaphors. Well, maybe this isn’t a metaphor, but I don’t know what to call it so we’re gonna call it a metaphor. Get over it.<br />
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This metaphor deals with one of the most crucial aspects of my professional career: the concept of the zero sum game. In effect, the zero sum game says that for every dollar gained an equal dollar is lost. So if I make $350 on a trade, some other guy will have lost $350. He may have been up $1,000 and got knocked down to a net of $650 or he may be -$350 but in some way, the guy at the other end of the trade lost the same as I made. So, we have a net of $0 ($350 made - $350 lost) and at the end when a contract expires the accounting has an equal debit (sellers) and credit (buyers) amount. It’s brilliant, actually.<br />
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Our metaphor comes in how this relates to my life, or any life really. You see, my life in the last few months has been crazy; I don’t need to rehash it because you all read this blog religiously *wink wink* and understand all the stuff that’s gone on, both good and bad. Actually, it's been crazy for years; maybe even my entire life, really. This got me thinking how your life really is a zero-sum game on an inner-personal level; nevermind the outside world, we’re just talking about you or at least those things that are directly related to your life.<br />
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Today I started remembering everything that's happened and maybe even feeling a little sad or nostalgic for my old life and all that I’ve lost over the last few years. Actually, It wasn’t feeling sad for what I lost, it was more thinking about all that I’ve gained in this new life (happiness, health, a job I love, eagerness to see the new world around me and share all this happiness with others...you read the blog, you know) and the person that is the new or reawakened and better Me. But, I stopped and glanced over my shoulder and saw the wreckage that was a previous life; what I don’t have any more. At that point, it dawned on me: that was the price paid for all that I have now. All the money I’ve lost in chasing my dreams and keeping me afloat, the time, the stress, the agony, sadness, loss of a relationship, my dog, leaving California and all those friends behind, the surfing, sun, In-n-Out Burger, 90mph on the freeways…all those things were lost or used as payment for all that I have now; a true zero sum game.<br />
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However, what’s not told about the zero sum game are the intangibles; those things than cannot be measured in dollars and cents, at least in actual trading. In every trade there’s an equal dollar amount that’s gained and lost but there are also lessons learned, experience gained, wisdom added to your bag of tricks. These things have no monetary value but they maybe have something more important than monetary value as they make you a better trader. In theory (if you’re doing it right) you’ll pull from these intangibles and not make the mistakes that found you on the losing end of a trade or you'll know when to trade or when to wait and you become a better, more successful trader.<br />
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When I remembered that, it changed everything; the nostalgia and feeling of loss was gone in an instant. It reminded me of all that I’ve gained but more importantly learned through the process of getting me to where I am with what I’ve got, and I’ll be the first to tell you, I’ve got a lot that isn’t measured in dollars and cents. The happiness and positivity I have, the clarity, the determination, confidence, bravado, focus…I gained all of that from the winning, but mostly the losing trades I’ve made in my life and it’s paying dividends monetarily and otherwise each and every day. It’s brilliant how it all works, really.<br />
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In effect, I traded with my life and I came out ahead. But there was a great cost that was paid to get to where I am now. What makes me better than I was-- than I’ve ever been--are those intangibles; the lessons learned, the wisdom gained and knowing what I want from my life is more important than the “stuff” I lost.<br />
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So while there is and may always be some feeling of loss for those things, it’s OK because all that I learned and gained from those trades that cannot be put on a balance sheet is worth far more to me moving forward than I could ever put a value on.<br />
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The zero sum game really is tricky in that respect: you never really find out what you truly gained until the next trade…bmillshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10715073327694344967noreply@blogger.com2