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This was the first song I ever heard by They Might Be Giants. It was 1988 during a debate tournament in New Orleans, and we went to the Hard Rock Cafe. The chain is in decline now, so it seems rather lame. But, in the late eighties, it seemed pretty cool to a high school kid from a much smaller city.

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(see full image)

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Back in 2009, my wife asked me to make her a French Silk Pie for her birthday. I did, with a Graham cracker crust. She said it was the best one she ever had.

Passover was right around the corner. Looking at the recipe, it appeared to be OK, though I’d have to find a kosher-for-Passover crust. I found a pecan crust that fit the bill from a scan of Hi-Tech Jewish Cooking, on Google Books. This was before they actually sold books; just scans of some materials. It complemented the chocolate filling well, so it became an annual tradition.

For whatever reason–laziness, simplicity of the recipe, assuming it’d always be online, whatever–I never bothered to print up the recipe for the crust. This year, when I looked up the recipe, it said it was unavailable, or I hit my viewing limit. About twenty minutes of panic ensued, then my wife found I had emailed her enough of it to make it:

2 Cups Pecans
¼ Cup Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Put ingredients in work bowl of a food processor. Spin until a paste is formed (from the oils in the nuts).
3. Spread into pie pan, as evenly as you can
4. Bake for 10 Minutes

Crusts made, and French Silk goodness ensued.

To cap it off, my wife found the book at the library, and snapped a pic for my reference.

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Testing out a new blogging app. Cool!

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To understand this story, you have to know a few facts about my life.

First, as I’ve mentioned in the past, I live in a 120-year-old-house. One feature is that it has a stone basement. If the ground gets particularly saturated, it will seep water. This is how they designed it, so it’s not an issue. If it is extremely saturated, the basement will get a fair amount of water. For the most part, it means we can’t keep anything on the floor we mind getting wet.

Second, the door to the basement has a cat-sized hole. This allows access to the litter box, kept in the basement.

The third fact goes back to when Eddy first came to live with us. We wanted to keep him contained to one room, but the rooms that were best suited to that did not have doors. As my wife was pregnant, we bought a few baby gates (figuring we’d need them eventually. We’d do them two high. He figured out how to scale them, so I used zip ties and cardboard to block the mesh.

Between melting snow and on-and-off rain showers, it is about as flooded as it ever gets. This has made it difficult for Eddy to get to the litterbox. I moved it to a dryer spot, but he still had to go through a couple puddles coming off the stairs.

My clever wife made him a bridge.

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A week and a day ago, the Cincinnati Zoo’s giraffe had a baby. It was available to be seen by the public on Tuesday, but we just got out to see her today. There was a line to see her, which we happily waited in.

On the way, we met Forest, a ball python, and his keeper. The way she talked about him, you could tell there was obvious affection from her, and I think it was reciprocated (I can’t be sure–I’m not fluent in snake, even following the Bronx Zoo’s Cobra).

The mom and calf are still inside. They are’t going to enter the yard for a couple more weeks, to give them time to bond and the Cincinnati weather to stablize. So, we were looking down, through glass.

Here she is with her mom, to give a sense of scale.

It was “zoo blooms” as well. My daughter shows one of her favorite flowers.

Ever see an elephant smile?

Unfortunately, they are converting the cat house into a “Night Stalkers” exhibit. During construction, the only small cat out is the cheetah. This one looks regal, as if to say “We are not amused.

The tigers were dozing, and looking for a belly rub.

The lion gives his opinion of the whole “Night Stalkers” thing.

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While in Atlanta, we went to Zoo Atlanta. Unfortunately, it was a fairly cool, drizzly day. Many animals were off exhibit, either due to the season or the weather.

The flamingos were huddled together.

An elephant was working with his keeper…

…and sneaking a snack.

I’ve become a fan of rhinoceroses. This one is a black rhino.

What do cats do on drizzly, chilly day, but nap?

The firefox, otherwise known as a red panda, took their lead.

Zoo Atlanta’s marque animal was their pandas.

Can’t you see I’m nomming some bamboo?

A baby was sleeping in a hamock–I had to do some weird stretches to take a photo.

The tiger enclosure was initially empty. We stood and examined it. Was he hiding behind a tree? I let out a half-hearted “here kitty-kitty-kitty.” More to amuse myself more than anything. We heard a roar. I tried again, “here kitty-kitty-kitty.” And he walked out.

Quite the handsome tiger.

After a brief visit, he went back into his off-exhibit area.

The kangaroos jumped!

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Across the park from the Georgia Aquarium is the World of Coca-Cola. This museum has a variety of artifacts from the Atlanta-based company, as well as a tasting room, where you can taste all the products from around the globe.

In order to get in, you have to go through a metal detector and a bag search. If you want to double back to the gift shop, you have to go through it, too.

There are folks who wonder why I get so upset about the security implemented by TSA. In part, I question its efficacy, and the overall security theater it represents. Further, the normalization of these infringements on our rights means you start to see this in other places.

Word of Coca-Cola is a private business, and they can set whatever requirements they wish for entry. However, is this really necessary?

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While on our trip to Atlanta, we went to the Georgia Aquarium. I had heard this was an impressive facility. One picture, I think, captures this.

This the window of the large tank, which seemed larger than an IMAX screen. This held the only examples of whale sharks outside of Asia.

Whale sharks are the largest species of fish in existence today. They can be up to 65 feet long.

The Georgia Aquarium has four whale sharks.

Really, these were simply amazing creatures to watch.

They also beluga whales.

They had the largest collection of lion fish I’d ever seen.

Lion fish are not native to the waters around North America, but some got out of an aquarium in 1992 during Hurricane Andrew. There is now an invasive school of these venomous fish.

They also had a sea turtle bobbing by.

Fishing cats weren’t welcome–they tend to confuse “aquariums” with “restaurants.” I had to settle for a catfish.

All in all, I’d say the Georgia Aquarium should be on a “must see” list for fans of aquariums.