In Memoriam: Special Agent White, 2010 - 2010

[Per standard procedure, this obituary has been reviewed, revised, and approved for release by Dept. 12. - E]

It is my sad duty to report the termination of employment of Special Agent White, SFA, DVM, OBE [1], known to all of us [2] as an ebullient, resourceful, and above all thoroughly professional Special Field Agent. She was an absolute master of disguise and misdirection, but her most successful "presentation" was as a meek, quiet, pure white kitten. Innumerable enemies of _____ fell for this cover, often to their swift misfortune.

[1] Twice, under separate cover names.

[2] All of us with a "Need to Know", of course.

"I only count the bright hours" - sundial inscription

So, when I say my 12wo dog knows SIT, STAY, DOWN, WAIT, HOLD, DROP, MINE, COME, SPEAK (new!), and STAND (new!), I don't mean he always obeys them. Not even that he usually obeys them. In fact, in the case of the latest two commands, I only mean he obeyed them at least once, in a way that assured me he wasn't acting randomly (he actually did the action on command).

I only count the bright hours.

Vids of da Dog

I'm lax on posting tons of photos (Dexter, + SCA events), so here's some silly videos of my boy in the meantime.

Dexter plays with his sock toy.

Dexter's obligatory "Tail Chase" video (5/25/10, 10.5 weeks)

Dexter 1st learns to fetch (5/25/10, 10.5 weeks)

Off-Hand Cooking Tips

Here are a few tips that I use regularly, and aren't common in most cooking lists.

1. Peel ginger with a spoon. It takes off less of the flesh than a peeler, and adapts better to the curves. Plus, it can be used to gouge out scabby bits.
2. Soak berries briefly in bleach water. To remove pesticides, a minute-to-5-minute soak in soapy warm water is regularly recommended. My innovation: add a teaspoonful of bleach. It won't affect the flavor in that short time, but will kill off surface molds. Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries will keep a week, instead of 2-3 days, in your crisper. Don't forget to dry them off well before refrigerating!
3. Save no-longer-fresh produce you aren't quite ready to eat by parboiling, boiling, frying, or microwaving. Worried that your nice spinach will go off before you return from the weekend? Zap it in the microwave, and put it back in the fridge as pre-cooked greens.
4. Label! I keep white duct tape and sharpies around in my dining room area. If I am putting leftovers away, I try to label the container with a piece of white duct tape and a sharpie. Sharpies often won't write on the containers directly; either there's dew from the chilled contents, or water from the wash-off, or whatever.

Puppy Weight Predictions

I get asked two questions constantly: "What is he?" (A: a pure-bred grey wolf [1]), and "How big will he get?"

[1] More precisely, his dam, Sasha, was a black lab mix, and his sire, Charlie, was a collie mix.

The latter is a question I wonder about a lot. I cannot lie; size matters to me. I like big dogs. So, I did what any other geek would do: I tracked down data, built charts, and extrapolated.

Finishing the garden

The square-foot garden is almost ready for plants... It's frakking June again, and my plants are still in starter cups. At least they're already in soil this year...

It's split-level - oooh, fancy! 'Cuz it was easier than leveling the old and new portions...

Blog Whoring

OK, technically DelanceyPlace isn't a blog; it's an article-a-day email service.

From their site: Delanceyplace is a brief daily email with an excerpt or quote we view as interesting or noteworthy, offered with commentary to provide context. There is no theme, except that most excerpts will come from a non-fiction work, mainly works of history, and we hope will have a more universal relevance than simply the subject of the book from which they came.


Today's entry is on the rise of Protestantism in colonial America, and how it contributed to the Revolution. I've added footnotes [thus].

Quote begins after the break.