bp's science: why airline food isn't the best

According to an article in The New York Times, 1/3 of the tongue's taste buds are numbed in an airplane due to air pressure. Combine that with the extremely dry cabin air, making it harder for the nose to work, and you've got a problem even before the food is served. The paper reports that airline companies are working with master chefs to get around the fact that these senses aren't functioning 100% at 35,000 feet. It's all part of a business plan to keep high paying customers happy with good food.

And to that I say, good luck. I believe airline food can be delicious. My brother says he's had one of the best meals of his life on a plane. I know I've had some of the best peanuts. But this was probably because we were very, very hungry at the time.

Ungle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks: A Review

This book was a fascinating look into the history of alchemy and chemistry with little snippets of Oliver Sacks's life as a boy living in England. When I checked out the book, I was under the impression that it would mostly be about Oliver Sacks. His works on the brain are fascinating and I wanted to learn more about him. However, the book is 75% chemical history and 25% biography, and that's why it took me so long to read (2 months!). Details about the periodic table are interesting, but only in small doses. Every time I told Jess I had read the book during my day, he'd reply, "Oh, then you took a nap today." And every time he said that, he was right. The book put me to sleep a number of times, but still I enjoyed trying to remember everything I learned in my inorganic chemistry classes to understand what Oliver Sacks was saying. As a boy, he was literally addicted to chemistry and all of it's parts, memorizing the periodic table and the like. So, to sum up: It was a neat peek into Mr. Sacks's life, and a cool look into chemistry, but I'd suggest only reading if you really are into that stuff.

All for an eclair

Yesterday, Jess and I turned our little kitchen into a proper brasserie. Donning aprons, we scurried about making eclairs for a dinner invitation. Crafting eclairs is an easy task, but it takes a number of steps, so both of us had our responsibilities and we were working quick since dinner was in an hour and a half. We should have started baking earlier, but I was thinking more about the "easy" part rather than the "number of steps" it takes to make an eclair.

Before I continue, I must explain how our apartment smoke detector functions, that is, it functions very well. Our toast begins to toast and the smoke detector goes off. The teapot begins to steam and the smoke detector goes off. The oven is set to 400 or above and it goes off. And we have two smoke detectors that are seven feet apart. It's as if these apartments have been designed to have a kitchen but they are not expected to be used.

I finished the eclair dough and placed it in the oven while Jess began to whip up the heavy cream for the filling (while we do have an electric beater and could have used it to whip the cream, Oliver was napping in the adjacent room and we didn't want to wake him). As the dough began to rise and bake, the smoke detectors began to go off. First one and then the other in quick succession. I felt obligated to check the dough, it was not burning. Nothing was.

One thing about these detectors is that they are as easy to stop as they are quick to start. A rapid waft of a kitchen towel usually does the trick, at least for 30 seconds. But this time, the detectors weren't even giving us 30 seconds per waft. It was more like point two seconds. They began ringing continually with 15 minutes still left for the dough to bake.

So there we were, Jess whisking up a storm and I wafting wildly. Then, because my arms were getting tired and there was still 8 minutes left to bake, I asked Jess if we could switch. The whisk and towel hand-off was like that of a relay race baton hand-off. Despite our speed, the smoke detector noticed the lull and began ringing loudly, all the while Oliver slept soundly! Jess again began wafting, abandoning his towel and replacing it with a child bed sheet for maximum efficiency. However, each time he put his hands down to take a break, the smoke detectors would respond with fury, as if to say in their mocking tone, "Haha! Nice try sucker! You can't put us out unless you take out the dough and turn off that oven." But we most certainly could not do that. If we did, our puffed dough would collapse. It needed more time!

Jess shook the sheet back and forth with a vengeance while I violently whipped the cream and opened a window (it didn't help). It was 5 minutes of utter mayhem, Jess muttering "these stupid things!" under his breath as he moved back and forth from one detector to the next and I whipping the cream into submission. Tears blurred my vision I was laughing so hard.

With three minutes left, I looked at the dough and found that I could pull it out a bit early. Thank goodness. I had to stop the frenzy. The detectors were silenced and we finished the dessert in relative bliss, topping the eclairs with a chocolate ganache. Oliver woke up shortly thereafter and we were off to dinner.

I have since figured that it would have been easier to remove the batteries from the smoke detector to bypass this whole event. So we have since done so for good.

Just kidding.

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess

Just the other day I was talking to Jess about an awesome used book sale purchase I made: 4 of Oliver's favorite library book finds for $1.06 total (huzzah!). Jess was impressed and then asked, "Did they have any Dr. Suess books at the sale?" Of all the bookshelves in the used book store, the one specifically designated to Dr. Suess was the only one empty. Those Dr. Suess books must go quick! That doesn't mean I don't have my fair share of Dr. Suess books. Since the books take me back to my childhood and are so fun to read, I snatch them up whenever I find a good sale. Plus, we've received a few as gifts, so our collection keeps growing. Our latest additions, Fox in Socks and Hop on Pop (which Oliver calls "Hop on Hop"). My sister really loves Dr. Suess and has read nearly all, if not all, of the titles. She has introduced me to many of his books written for older audiences and they are gems (specifically, Oh the Places You'll Go and I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew). He was such a prolific writer, it's going to take me years to amass the whole collection, but we are certainly enjoying what we've got now.

Thanks Dr. Suess and Happy Birthday!

Choosing to smile

I've really been digging the positive vibe on blogs lately. Sure there are always posts on DIY projects, neat vacations, and the like, but there seems to have been an uptick on focusing on the good and positive aspects of life, about being optimistic. I've been thinking a lot about this topic too. To tell you the truth, I'm always kind of thinking about it.

My mom was one of the happiest people I knew. I wouldn't say that she was "bubbly" but she was positive and she was forever the optimist. As a child, I asked her about it one day. "Ashley," she responded, "when I was about your age I made a conscience decision to wake up each morning with a smile on my face." At the time, being happy was very easy for me. My childhood was idyllic, my world a very happy and secure place, so when my mom mentioned this it seemed like basic common sense. However, as I got older, her wise words took on a whole new truth. My world was still very happy, but things were happening that weren't always easy to deal with and getting the things I wanted did not happen as often as I would have hoped. Basically, life happened, right? I learned that I couldn't be 10 years old and playing tackle football in the backyard with my two younger siblings or chatting out on the porch for the rest of my life.

That's when putting a smile on my face each morning took on more meaning. It became the single action that represented how to live life controlling my reaction to circumstances rather than allowing circumstances to control me. It was determining to focus on attitude, something my mother and father said was the difference between trial and adventure. Focusing on this very thing didn't make life easy, but it made it better. Trying situations still continued to happen but while they happened I felt like I could handle them.

What my mom shared with me that day was something a lot deeper than just smiling. She was telling me to choose to smile. She was teaching me a life lesson. She was really giving me the key to success. And every time I have to struggle with something that is hard for me, I realize this truth again and even more so.

bp's science: mirrors

Mirrors are made by silvering, or spraying one side of a piece of glass with a silver or aluminum backing. These shiny metals are extremely good at efficiently reflecting light which enables us to see an image of ourselves. This kind of reflection is called specular reflection and, in short, it means that when a light ray hits the silver or aluminum backing of a mirror it bounces off of it at the same angle as it came in. Thus, we see an almost perfect image of ourselves. This kind of reflection is different than diffuse reflection, where light comes in and bounces off a surface at all different angles, for instance, when light hits white marble. If you look at the world around you, you can see specular and diffuse reflection all over the place. What about your wedding ring? Matte finish photos? Glossy finish? Many things possess both specular and diffuse reflection.

Take a look at the links within this post. They make for some great reading and they're where I glean my info.

February always seems to be baking month for me

Usually it's cold and blistery during February, so while we're usually stuck inside, I get busy baking (and warming up the house with the oven). Even though this February has been unseasonably warm, my body seems to sense that it is still February and so, I've been baking. I tried to go off of sugar for the month of February (barring Valentine's Day), but that was a joke considering my need to stir, swirl, knead, and melt. And now I know why people have bakeries. They enjoy baking so much they can't possibly eat everything they make. I have got to start giving things away or else when it does get cold we'll be so insulated with frosting and sugar, we won't need to turn on the oven to stay warm.




clockwise from heart: apple and oat scone :: strawberry cake :: decadent brownie :: focaccia bread

bp's science: octopuses are smart

According to what I read while visiting the National Aquarium in DC (located in the basement of the Department of Commerce building), octopuses are thought to be the most intelligent of all invertebrates. This aquarium put toys in the octopus' tank and hid food in the toys to keep the eight-legged sea creature sharp.

< the octopus at the aquarium

He did it again folks

This past weekend was the Lantern Festival in our neck of the woods. As always, it was full of good conversation, great food, and excellent entertainment. As always, there was a Lion Dance. I didn't think it was going to happen this year, but some of the young men from the branch wanted to do it and so, Jess brought them together for a quick practice and the performance was impressive. And as always, they were one young man short, so Jess ended up standing in. This time, he was the back of the white lion and hoisted the young man performing the head onto his shoulders for the finale. The red lion young men did the same. It was superb!

This is something I enjoy every year.

Vintage Sesame Street

Oliver received this vintage 70s Sesame Street Club House from a dear friend of ours. He can't get enough of it (he calls it an elevator station). This friend knows Oliver well and knew this would be just the thing he'd love.