Dave! – Page 15

Hey, Alaska, what’s with this dude?!

July 11, 2006 by Dave!

Dear Alaska,

I always thought you were pretty cool. I love that “Deadliest Catch” show on Discovery. You’ve got caribou and oil and crabs (the good kind). Wow, is there nothing you can’t do?

Apparently, elect a competent Senator. Seriously, have you *listened* to Ted Stevens lately? Really listened to him? You know, the rest of us down here are beginning to wonder if you’re feeling alright, Alaska. You aren’t yourself lately. This guy is representing you to the whole nation, nay–the world. That whole “Bridge to Nowhere” fiasco, and now this.

Seriously, we like you. We don’t like to see you keep hurting yourself. Ted Stevens may have done some good in the past 37 years, but it’s time you took the keys away from Grandpa before he drives the car off the road again. It’s sweet that you’re all sentimental, but if you don’t act now, he’s going to end up hurting someone seriously–maybe even himself.

I know it’s hard, but you are rugged folk. You know how to make the tough decisions and do what’s right. Get rid of this guy before he makes _Alaska_ look more like the “Nation’s Wang” than Florida.

Sincerely,
Dave!

Filed Under: Politics

Law School in a Nutshell

July 9, 2006 by Dave!

[Via Red Meat by Max Cannon]

Filed Under: Humor

Pendarvis

July 9, 2006 by Dave!

This week I grabbed another cheese at the Farmer’s Market from Brunkow Cheese. This selection was called Pendarvis: A Miner’s Cheese. I’m not up on my Wisconsin history, but a little research shows that Pendarvis was a Cornish zinc and lead mining colony established in the 1800s. Apparently many of the buildings have been renovated and even some of the original prairie has been restored. The Wisconsin Historical Society has more info.

Unfortunately, as a cheese, Pendarvis needs to spend a little more time in the mine… or perhaps get the lead out. I’m not sure which. I don’t know if this cheese is historically accurate to the time or not, but I know it’s time is not now.

It has the potential to be a nice sharp cheese, reminiscent of a sharp, aged cheddar, but it’s just not there. The texture is similar to a cheddar, but the taste has this strange, very astringent tang that is not pleasant at all. And when I say astringent, I mean astringent. Have you ever smelled “Sea Breeze” makeup remover? Well, take a hunk of decent cheddar, and place it on your tongue. Now, dab a little “Sea Breeze” (or some other astringent make-up remover) on your tongue. Yum! Pendarvis!

No, don’t really do that… but you get the idea.

I’ve been so happy with all of the other selections from Brunkow that I’m pretty sad to be let down on this one, I’m going to ask about it next week, maybe I just got a bad slice. Dunno. But I was really looking forward to having some Argyleshire–which they had samples of, but none to buy. I hope the have it in next week!

Angela Volan (1970-2006)

July 2, 2006 by Dave!

A very good, old friend of mine lost his little sister this week. Her name was Angela Volan, and she was quite an amazing young woman. I only had the pleasure of meeting her once or twice, but she was beautiful and intelligent–just recently finishing her PhD from UC and just about to launch her academic career. I invite you to go read the eulogies delivered by her brothers, Steve and John, and you will see how much she was loved and will be missed.

Angela was a victim of Marfan’s Syndrome, which is a genetic disorder that also affects her old brother and my friend, Steve. Please, take a minute to learn more about the disorder at www.marfan.org.

Filed Under: Personal

Wabash Cannonball

July 1, 2006 by Dave!

Being a native Hoosier I was super pleased to find a Wabash Cannonball at the Farmer’s Market here today.

The Wabash Cannonball is a goat cheese made in Greenville, Indiana at the Capriole Farmstead. The Cannonball is a surface ripened cheese, which is formed into a ball, rolled in vegetable ash, and aged in a cave–very much in the style of French farmstead goat cheeses.

The result is fantastic. It’s a denser cheese, a real “cannonball” indeed, but not heavy. The normal “goat” has mellowed out a bit resulting in just the right tang. I snarfed down a half of the cannonball (it’s only 3-4oz. total) at lunch with no accompaniment and it was very tasty, although this cheese would pair well with any traditional chevre pairs.

If you can’t find a Wabash Cannonball locally, you can always order one from the Capriole website along with an assortment of other artisan cheeses.

Filed Under: Cheese, Food Tagged With: cheese indiana

Le Bethmale de Chevre

June 21, 2006 by Dave!

Oh, what a fine, fine cheese! Le Bethmale de Chevre is a raw goat’s milk cheese with a washed rind which hails from the Pyrenees. It has a very smooth and creamy texture, but not runny–it is a semi-firm cheese. I knew this was going to be a wonderful cheese.
I was not disappointed. I pulled it out of the fridge tonight and took a quick sample–delightful! I knew once it came up to room temperature it would not disappoint and it absolutely delivered. Bethmale has a very mild, subtle taste, with a very light touch of the citrus overtones you often get with a good goat cheese. It feels great in your mouth, practically melting with flavorful goodness. I think anyone would really enjoy this cheese, the tastes are so mild and subtle that I think even someone who “didn’t like goat cheese” might like this one. It is not an “in your face” goat cheese, it’s a great snacker and I think it would be great on a cheese plate, paired with strong, peppery California Zinfandel.

Filed Under: Cheese, Food Tagged With: cheese food goat milk raw unpasteurized

Pata de Mulo

June 21, 2006 by Dave!

“Pata de Mulo” is a raw (unpasteurized) ewe’s milk cheses, which gets its name from the sort of elliptical shape. Made from the milk of Churra and Castellana sheep, it’s a young cheese, aged three to four months. It’s slightly creamy–but solid, with a nice level of fat that gives it a really pleasant mouth feel, with a slightly curdy texture.

I think this is a wonderful “introductory” cheese if you are interested in trying a sheep cheese, but worried about some of the acidity or “sheep” that can accompany some of the other sheep’s milk offerings. There is a very, very slight hint of acidity and the gamey aftertaste, but on the whole, this is a very mild snacky cheese unlikely to offend any palate. Give it a try!

Filed Under: Cheese, Food Tagged With: cheese ewe food milk raw unpasteurized

Five Blades Are Better…

June 16, 2006 by Dave!

…or maybe it’s the vibrating.

Taking an engineering tip from The Onion Gillette actually did bring out a five-blade razor: Fusion. And like a sucker (a sucker who hates shaving) I recently bought one.

First, let me tell you about my man hairs. I have a five o’clock shadow by 8:30 in the morning. There’s a scene in the Simpsons where Homer shaves down to a “baby face” smooth, and _while he is looking in the mirror_ his five o’clock shadow returns. That’s me. I guess I just can’t help my god-given virility. Or I’m closer to ape than most on the evolutionary scale. You be the judge.

I was a little skeptical about the whole five-blade thing. I was even more skeptical about the vibration. Yeah, that’s right–this razor has a battery and _vibrates_. Now, if you’re like me, the idea of placing five sharp _vibrating_ blades on your _face_ isn’t the most sensible thing you’ve heard. Oh, but vanity, thy name is Dave! Debating the purchase of this new razor, I asked my wife what she thought. The conversation went something like this:

“What do you think of this? Five blades… and it _vibrates_.”

“I think it looks interesting. I’ll bet it does a good job.”

“But you always fall for marketing ploys. Besides, what do you know about shaving?”

“I shave far more sensitive places than you do.”

“Good point.”

So I bought it. And this week, I tried it. I have to admit, five blades are pretty good. And the vibrating thing works pretty well, too. It is a little weird at first, but I’ve found that overall, the razor does, in fact, shave closer than my old, three-blade dull hatchet. And it seems to irritate my skin far less, too. But Gillette is really missing out. The glory of this new razor is, in fact, the _sixth_ blade.

You heard me. This razor actually sports a sixth blade, they call it the “precision trimmer blade” and it’s mounted along the top edge, facing the opposite direction of the other five main blades. This little ingenious feature allows you to get a close shave on your upper lip without doing nose yoga. Finally, no more pulling and tugging on my nose and lips only to cut myself a million times trying to shave those pesky whiskers just under my nostrils! Amazing. That feature alone is worth the price of the whole razor.

So there you have it… it’s not just marketing hype. Five blades do, in fact, rock. Key the music and the chorus girls.

Filed Under: Personal

Ford’s “Cruel Joke”

June 14, 2006 by Dave!

I caught this little tid-bit the other day: Is Ford’s parting gift to ex-workers ‘cruel joke’?. It seems Ford fired this guy 9 months before his 30th Anniversary with the company–which would have allowed him to retire with full benefits. Instead, he gets a reduced pension and he has to wait 10 years to start drawing on it. Then, to add insult to injury, last week, Ford sent him a congratulatory certificate “recognizing his 30 years of service to Ford”!

He’s already involved in a law suit over his termination. Now, this is how law school changes you… my first thought was, “Can he add an IIED claim?”

(That’s Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress to the non-law-talking-people who read the blog…)

Filed Under: Law Tagged With: law

Brunkow Cheese Spreads

June 5, 2006 by Dave!

My wife and I went to the farmer’s market here this weekend and what did I happen to spot? Brunkow Cheese had a stand!! I’d read about their cheese spreads over at Conglomerate so I had to sample some. I was not disappointed.

I ended up taking home three spreads: jalapeño cheddar, bacon cheddar, and horseradish cheddar. My wife loves the bacon cheddar, which interestingly is the only one made with pasteurized milk (because of the bacon). All of them are all natural, with no preservatives and are very tasty. My personal fav is the horseradish cheddar, because I *love* horseradish. These are wonderful, full flavored spread, so if you’re in the Midwest and happen across Brunkow at a market, buy some!

Oh, and I did get a bag of cheese curds while I was there as well… squeaky fresh good cheese!

Filed Under: Cheese, Food Tagged With: cheese food