Happy 200,000 Miles, Subaru!

Welcome to the MASTERS! Subie!

Today,  Subie turned 200 K!   I have been watching the Odometer for a while and it has finally arrived!  WHOOHOOO! Time to Celebrate!

Yeah!  It's kinda like that...

Silver Subie is just plain Awesome!    If you have never drove a Subaru....you should before you die.   It is as close to riding on Angel's wings as you can get without either dying or being under the influence of really bad drugs.   I know Subarues might seem expensive,  but think about all the therapy you can avoid if you buy one.

So to celebrate,   We are having Sushi...again.   But with Sake'!   We bought some fancy Tuna for this one.  AND Cheryl's favorite organic Saki' from Japan...( Based out of California)   Because Subie is worth it!

Cheryl had been preparing for this moment ever since she discovered the badges online free from Subaru.  Luckily,  I got all of my begging paid off and I was allowed to put them on under her close supervision.

You may notice that there is a 2nd next to the badges.   Unfortunately,  she forgot that we have now gone through 3 other Subies before Silver Bullet Subie here.    Shall I name them?

Misty Dawn Subie  ( 300,000= MILES BABY!)  2 wheel drive...but a stick! ( Manual transmission)   Talk about Fun to Drive!

Hello Kitty Subie, ( Cheryl's automatic version of misty dawn)    This one was the "all wheel drive twin" to mine.   it was also one year younger.   We had to cover a little rust with a Hello Kitty head.   And Cheryl bought "accessories"  for the interior.   Not really a man's Subaru...but still fun to drive.

Misty Dawn Subie....300K!

Old Blue!   Remember him?

Old Blue.  I think everyone in the Miner family drove that guy.   He was the last one before Silver Subie.   All of them had over 200,000 miles on them.   Although Misty Dawn was the only one who made it past 300,000 miles with us.

So Subie is now officially in the "Master Class" of Subarues.  (Spell Check is no help when it comes to the plural of Subaru.  Subarus?   Subaru's?  I'll stick to Subies.)    Hopefully he will last a very long time with us.

Other than that,  Cheryl scores, runs and prepares sushi.   She has become pretty good at it, so now store bought sushi no longer appeals to me.  The only important change we are making today is the addition of Sake'.   Sake' is the best with Sushi...but probably not the best with scoring.

I'm over 70,000 words now.   I managed to write 1200 words today.   Any day over 1000 is a good one...so  today is pretty good.  Hope everyone else is having a great week so far.   Tomorrow is Friday....which means Anime for me and Ice cream for Cheryl.

Alchemy in the Kitchen.

So it came to me a couple of days ago,   I have not done a blog posting about Tapioca Pudding lately.  I know, I know.   How is that even possible?  I mean,  everyone wants to write and read about Tapioca, right?   Just,  Out of the Blue....Tapioca. 

Milk, egg, tapioca..Bring to boil

When I think back to the last time I enjoyed Tapioca Pudding,  it was at my Dad's.   I went up on a Thursday for a visit, and he had Tapioca pudding. 

Milk thickens, tapioca translucent

  

Now add nutmeg and vanilla

Now,  that may not sound very strange...unless you knew my father.   Any sweet dessert or pudding dish seemed  WAY out of his realm in the cooking department.   So you can imagine my surprise ( And SHOCK!)  when he offered me this stuff.    AND..( Drum Roll....)     It did not suck!    I should say, it was delicious,  but then  it would make it seem less home made.    Let's just say I ate three bowls of the stuff  and that was NOT because I was trying to be nice.  

20 minute on low heat...transfer

Let cool...or not.

With Mom gone,   Dad must have discovered some left over Tapioca in the cupboard ( Possibly there for years!)  and decided to take a stab at making  it.   And when it turned out,  I was certainly impressed.    So...with that irrelevant background information...I found some Small Pearl Tapioca in one of the many Asian Stores around here...and decided to give it a go.  I mean...If even my Old Man can do it....Why can't I?

Be sure to Quality Control...

Surprisingly ( or not surprisingly)   it is fairly simple.   So simple even dear old Dad could have done it ( and DID!)   2.5 cups of whole milk,   one egg,   some Tapioca ( about 3 Tbsp...or more if you like)  and sugar to taste...( Or more if you like)   Add some vanilla and nutmeg  ( to taste)  And it is done in 10 minutes!   It kind of took the mystique out of Dad's accomplishment.  Like when a magician reveals his secret...  All you are really doing is thickening up the milk and stiring it so the flavors blend.  Easy!

A Better cook?   Is it the Hat?

So...the first batch for me... was bad.   Yep!....I could not do something this simple...A trained monkey with a spoon  ( or an old man with ancient tapioca) could do this...but I,  with two college degrees....failure!   I did not reduce the milk enough the first time.   ( Following the YouTube and recipe tips to the LETTER!   Those Idiots!)  Thanks for making me look bad....

Add Cheryl's Raspberries for Extra Sweetness

 Couple of things to note.   Add egg, tapioca and milk....let stand 5 Minutes!     Second step...Bring to Boil...then REDUCE heat...but do not remove it.  Third tip:   Even though they say it can be removed from heat and is ready in five-10 minutes.   I had the best luck cooking it over low heat for the entire 20 minutes instead of simply allowing it to cool.   Basically, I waited until I visually saw the thickness I desired. 

Are you kidding? 

Ok...I see the resemblance..a little

Doesn't matter! Right?  As long as it's Edible.    I'm the only one who eats it after all.   Cheryl says it reminds her of fish eyes.   Really?   At least be accurate with your comparison.    I would prefer to think of them as Frog Eggs in Crème brûlée sauce.   That sounds WAY more appetizing.  

Created from the cassava root,  Pure starch

If you have never tried Tapioca Pudding....It's good.   Trust me.    Don't let Cheryl and her Phobias of unknown puddings  influence you.   The tapioca becomes translucent and softens to a chewy texture while the milk, egg and nutmeg give the Crème brûlée     ( or custard...but Crème brûlée sounds so much cooler...)  flavor everyone loves.   It's good stuff!   And I will end up eating it all by myself... 

Large Pearl Tapioca

Other than that,  I'm approaching 70,000  words.   The book seems to be wrapping up now as I struggle to continue the 1,000 words a day standard.  I actually wrote almost 2,000 yesterday.     But It averaged out with only 600 today.   Kind of disappointing....Ah well.   At least I find time to blog a little.   

Hope everyone is having a great week so far.    The weather  is threatening to pour on us for the next several days,  but it held off this morning.   Good conditions for running.  And biking!  Because eating an entire batch of Tapioca myself Requires I work a little bit harder. 

Killing off a Character..In just under 61,600 words!

That is correct!   I have crossed two mile stones today.   First:   I wrote over 60,000 words!   YEAH!   and second:   I killed off a main character.

First let's talk about the words.   Over 60,000 words...there...done.   Ok, that was easy!

Second,  The killing off of a character.   Murder is so fun to write about....I guess.   I mean,  it seems like lots of authors do it.   Why?   Not sure.  Maybe they really really hate that character and wait for the perfect moment to off them.

Case in point:   Sara.  One of 4 characters in the book.  And really one of the top two!   She is more of an antagonist in that she influences the way the narrator thinks and acts.   She was the reason he got hooked on the dragon eggs,  gave up his job,   sold his body, and began working for the dragons.  He ( the narrator)  did it all for her.  And since love is blind...(and a drug induced love is addictive, blind and DEAF!)....It makes sense that she is the major motivation  for the narrator to continue to make bad decisions.

Cheryl has been waiting forever for me to kill her off.   I guess bad women make good women hate them.   If this is the case, and the readers hate her; then I will have done my job.   I love movies where someone gets killed and the crowd CHEERS!   No one should cheer at another's misfortune...unless they deserve it.

So there it is.....Sara is dead.   Bye Sara!   Sayonara!  ( That is Japanese for "good bye forever!"  Which  apparently spell check does not know)   I liked Sara.   She was the culmination of ever bad girlfriend I have ever had.   (Which is really only one.   I was never the ladies man my brother is.)  And a whole bunch of other people I have read about or watched on TV.   She was very handy to have around whenever the narrator was about to make a "good" decision.

Perspective is everything!

Just as evil never sleeps,   Bad women doing bad things will never truly be gone forever.   I'll keep a small piece of Sara's character locked away in my character library for future reference.  Her death was satisfying.....And kind of bloody for those gore hounds out there.    ( Psst..She gets Eaten by a Dragon.....How cool is that!?! Eh?)     Perhaps I should reign it in a bit.  Being pumped about a scene of death is possibly a mark of a disturbed childhood.   And there were "moments".....My mom was crazy after all.   But Cheryl has informed me that she wanted Sara dead too...and Cheryl would not harm a fly!  (but she will kill spiders....so scary!)

This must be what Cheryl feels when she runs a 14 mile long run.   A feeling of accomplishment.   I wrote  a little over 1700 words today and I'm still feeling the buzz!  Time to unwind and maybe veg out a bit.

  I have to think about my next move for the main character.   What does he do now that the "bad influence" has been killed off?   Will he finally make a good decision or continue down that road of doom?   And how will it all work out?   OH!  So much to think about I'm getting excited.  Best to leave a little water in the well for tomorrow.    We shall see.

Writing! A Physically Risky Profession.

As I finish a productive day of writing,  I was made painfully  aware of the health hazards associated with writing.  I'm not talking about muscle atrophy or cardiovascular risk associated with a sedentary lifestyle.   I'm talking about physical disability that could cause you mental distress because you  are staking your entire future on your ability to use your fingers.

Piano players must know what I'm talking about.  Your very LIFE is based on your ability to manipulate your fingers to punch certain keys.   And so, any seemingly trivial  hand injury could cause your career to be in jeopardy.   How did I come to realize this?   Let me explain...

As a welcome distraction from writing for long periods,  I often play with the cat.   Today,  Hiro's  claw found it's way into the tendon of my index finger's knuckle.   The pain....was almost unbearable!  But the shock that my life as a writer could be over was the truly terrifying part.   If I could not write...What else could I possibly do?   Manual labor is out.  Any physical demands on the rest of my body would be unthinkable.

I could use my brain.   I DO have a rather expensive education that I'm STILL paying for.   But until someone can find a use for a Fisheries Biologist with an additional degree in  Elementary Education,  I'd be stuck teaching aquarium  maintenance to children at Petco  for $7.50 an hour.
My brain is worth more than that....Even as a case study for neurosurgeons.

Luckily,  they did not have to amputate the finger.   And I could get back to my writing after a few bouts of physical therapy and finger stretches.  I could go on and live a fruitless life as a working, unpublished author.  Cheryl knows the feeling as well.  She just got back to running, but we are back to 9 minute miles over 4 miles.  ( We added an extra mile!)   At one time we may have thought that anything sub-ten minute and any distance over 3 miles was heroic!  But now, Cheryl looks at her life as a grand culmination of wasted effort and tedium.  Ah what to do....?

On a brighter note:  I'm up to 54,929 words.   I guess I have been a writing machine as of late.  Possibly because I have neglected the blogs and focused on the story.  Maybe my newly healed finger has developed a super power.   Like Spiderman!
Only instead of clinging to buildings and shooting webs, I grow an extra hairy pair of fingers and type really, really fast.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.   The weather is supposed to be warmer over the next couple of days.  

 Cheryl will probably want to run farther and hurt herself again.   As for me,  I'll continue my pointless endeavor to chip away at a carving that will never find a home.   And learn to wear heavy leather gloves next time I play with a cat.

50,000 words! Break Out the Champagne, Or Sake in this Case.

Finally!   only 4 months late...

So,  why have I not been blogging lately?   Because I have been focused on the novel...which has finally crossed over the 50,000 words mark.  YEAH!   Does this mean I've met my goal?  Well, One of them...  Does this mean I'm done?
 Hardly.   The story has a ways to go and the entire story currently tops out at 148 pages....single spaced!  Hardly Literature length.   I'm sure I have to add at least 10,000 more words if I choose to rival Shakespeare!

Move over Will!   The Great Ethan Allen Cometh!

Ok, maybe that is a bit ambitious.   I'd settle for a publisher liking it enough to make a Twilight type series out of it.   Or Harry Potter....But let's not get too greedy.




So what is there to say?   Cheryl does not want me to read it to her and I would feel weird if I did anyway.   The story makes no sense to anyone who has not read it from the beginning, so there is no reason to try to explain it on this blog.  The only thing to note about the 50,000 word mark is the celebration over the milestone!  (Too bad I couldn't complete that number during November.)

Sushi on black?

Tuna and Salmon for me.

Finding a gift has never been easier!

And what better way to celebrate than with Sake!   Sake is great with Sushi, and Cheryl has been making all of the sushi lately...now that she has developed a certain level of expertise.   She has even purchased new plates and Origami Chopstick rests...to show off the pretty colors.   Black plates?  Sounds like the kind of wedding gift you buy for a Mortician.   (Do Morticians even get married?)  It may be odd, but it works for sushi..and that is why Cheryl loves to do the sushi making.

Fruit and salmon for Cheryl

As for me,  I still have to battle the cat while writing.   Instead of the big screen,

Check out the Origami Crane at the end!

  sometimes he watches videos on my computer directly.   I give up typing after a while because he is too close to my elbow,  but watching birds and squirrels scurry about is entertaining and a welcome break for me.

Cat attention span is short.

So it is a cold day here in Iowa.   Temps dropped from 60's back down to 20's yesterday and today.   However,  the eagles are all but gone now and we even saw a groundhog in the middle of a field.  I guess it was possible that he would come out earlier than usual.  now that the eagles have left.

But so is mine. 

Cheryl is back to running and I'm back to biking.   I'll have to see if I can keep up my contributions to the other blog as well.  Sometimes the water in the creative well is not as deep.   So I should focus on what comes naturally.

We'll run over those eagles and claim what is ours!

Hope everyone is having a great week so far.   Heute ist Mittwock already?  Times sure flies when you are writing.

How to Distract/Entertain a Cat

Sunshine and Warm in Iowa

The weather outside has become increasingly awesome lately.  Today it is currently 60 degrees out!   The warms temps and sunshine pose a threat to me in several ways.  

First:  I want to be outside!   This causes me great distress when I'm supposed to be inside working on my novel.   Seeing and feeling the pleasant weather makes my comfortable writing set up feel more like a prison.  It requires all of my will power  (and lots and lots of chocolate snacks!) to not cave to the temptation.    

Cheryl plans her Distraction

Second:  Cheryl wants to be outside!    How is this a problem for me?   Well,   She wants to be outside...with me!    I can't blame her.  I want to be with myself all the time...and I am!   It's a Great feeling.   However,  I can't be in more than three places at once. Partitioning out a section of my life  for her can be a distraction when it is not the designated time.

Forget night,  what about during novel time?

Now you may be asking about the cat.   It is true that Hiro tends to bug me as much as Cheryl...sometimes even more.   However,  recently I have discovered a way to keep him occupied that does not require sacrificing a small rodent.   Behold!   The YouTube Videos  FOR cats!  

The Answer!  Cats love videos..in HD

Did you know they make videos simply to entertain your cats?    Just when I thought YouTube only made videos OF cats FOR people!  Hiro loves these things.   Now he can sit and become the couch potato  Cheryl always wanted without bothering me.  We can finally eat a peaceful dinner without Hiro meowing like a crazy person.   The down side is that I have to have the Television plugged into my computer for the videos to work. 

They also love birds...mostly live ones. 

  And thus,  I can't type on the same computer while Hiro is catching up on his latest bird videos.   So,  Hiro's video time is limited to any time I am not on the computer...which is seldom.   Luckily,   the nice weather has also brought the birds back to the bird feeder in the front window...so he can watch them while I punch away at the novel.  

Even with the time,  Writing can be a challenge.

Before I forget,  I'm almost to 45000 words!   I have been trying to average at least 1000 words a day.   I had a pretty good day Thursday,  But yesterday was slower.    I'm thinking the novel is going to go  a ways above the minimum of 50000 words....and that is not so bad.   I feel like it s a race against time with the scoring season ramping back up soon.   I wanted to make some serious strides before I have to dedicate 40+ hours to a scoring project.  We shall see

February in Minnesota...Yikes!

Hope it is a warm and awesome February day in your part of the world.   One of the perks of living in Iowa, ( also a possible disadvantage as well) is that you have such varied weather this early in the year.   Previous years were bitterly cold,  but now it is warm and wonderful.   In Michigan, Minnesota, and Alaska....you could pretty much guarantee sub freezing temps  up until April or May.

Being this far south seems to be growing on me.   And most old people end up migrating to Florida anyway.  Guess that seems logical.  Enjoy the day!