Spectre’s Sayings

Apple Released New MacBook and MacBook Pro Models today.

IN THE MAIL: Thirteen by Tony Furtado. On first listen, I thought it was pretty decent. Look for more comments after I’ve listened to the album a few times. I especially liked the rendition of Peter Townshend’s Won’t Get Fooled Again.

Yahoo! News is reporting that German treasure hunters may have found some of Hitler’s ill-gotten gain in a report entitled, Hunt continues for Nazi treasure.

More on the Cathedral restoration is here.

To celebrate John’s Grocery, Inc.’s fiftieth anniversary, the nice folks at Mill Stream Brewing Company came up with Generations White Ale. John’s Grocery is a midwestern beer Mecca, of sorts, located in Iowa. Mill Stream Brewing is an Iowa-based brewer that is responsible for a very nice lager and oatmeal stout, among other beers.

This American take on a Belgian Witbier is …unique. It was cloudy like a wit, but it poured quite a bit darker than the typical white ale, or even an American pilsner. There wasn’t much head to speak of. There was a strong citrusy yeast aroma, and the initial citrus taste very nearly bowled me over. After a while, however, I became used to it, and began to enjoy the beer very much. It had a nice mouthfeel, although the taste was somewhat sour. There was just the slightest aftertaste - subtle enough not to really warrant mentioning.

I’d think this is much more a beer for a hot summer day than a cold winter day such as today.

In local Catholic news, it seems that my diocese’s Cathedral will close for a year for renovations. (Press release here.) While it’s no surprise to me, nor to many - since this has been in the planning stages for ages - that the Cathedral was going to be renovated, it was news to me that they’re going to close it while it’s happening. This is because the one experience I’ve had with Church renovation happened while the Church in question stayed open. I have vivid memories of going to Mass amidst scaffolding.

There’s also going to be a large capital campaign asking Catholics all across the diocese for money. This is somewhat awkward, since my own parish is also beginning to conduct a capital campaign for their own structural needs.

I’ve also just finished reading the Bishop’s recent pastoral letter. Of historical interest, it’s the first pastoral letter issued by any bishop in the diocese’s 155-year history. Entitled We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (see 2 Corinthians 5:20), the letter is just that: an exhortation and an invitation for people to be reconciled to God and to each other. There’s an impressive list of situations where the Bishop Lucas sees a need for reconciliation.

This movie-prop desk is really cool. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.

Boy, does this recipe sound good. I’m going to have to try it.

Here’s a vegetarian soup. If you want to go completely vegan, you can substitute olive oil for the butter.

4 onions, peeled and sliced
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into even sized pieces
3-3/4 cups water
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
grated nutmeg

Put a quarter of the onions into a large saucepan with the potatoes and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook until the potatoes are completely tender - about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and oil in another pan, put in the remaining sliced onions and cook them gently, with a lid on the pan, until the onions are very tender: about 15 minutes. Do not let them brown.

Purée the potato mixture in a blender or food processor, then return it to the saucepan. Add the onions and salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg to taste. Reheat gently and serve.

Trust me, you’re going to need to use a lot more nutmeg than you think you’ll need.

Here’s my version of chili (or, as they spell it in my area of the country, chilli).

1 pound lean hamburger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped
1 envelope Chili-O seasoning
4 small (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
4 cans (12 ounce) Light Red Kidney Beans, drained but not dry
2 cans (12 ounce) water
Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Ground White Pepper, Ground Red (Cayenne) Pepper, Minced Garlic, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, Curry Powder to taste.

Add water to the beans and heat.

Meanwhile, sautee the onion in the vegetable oil until soft. Add the hamburger and brown. After the hamburger has browned, add tomato sauce, Chili seasonings, and spices. Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes, continually stirring.

Combine with beans. Simmer over low heat untill desired consistency and taste is resolved.

Space.com has a slideshow of lunar eclipse pictures here.

Yesterday, I wasn’t able to work on my house, because I was helping my mother put on a conference. However, i made up for it today. Accomplished today was laying out the cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms, installing headers in the basement wall, trimming the treads of the stairs to their final width, and installed the last 4 windows. It was pretty cold out there - it only got to the mid-30’s today - but we were out of the wind, at least. Unfortunately, we were out of the sun, too. We had a good day’s work, and mom’s home-made pizza was a nice treat at the end of the day.

This beer fooled me. It poured a dark amber, almost a copper color. So, I didn’t imagine it was a pale ale, but that’s technically what it was. It had a floral aroma, indicative of a strong hop flavor. The mouthfeel was light, clean, and crisp. Although it was hoppy, it was smooth and pretty balanced. This is a fine example of an American Pale Ale - even though I’m hardly a fan of that style. If you like your beer hoppy, with a bitter finish, then this beer is for you.

Jason Bellows speculates on Life Without the Moon in an article at Damn Interesting. It’s a good read, so RTWT.

Georgia legislature considers “Human Life Amendment”. Good for them.