Spotted at the GH YMCA: A girl, of indeterminate, but young, age, in a gray T-shirt with the armpits/sleeves cut out muscle shirt style, the back emblazoned (by hand, with marker) "GET SOME." Luckily, because she had nothing on the sides of her shirt, there was a tank underneath. Also, she had a pair of shorty-shorts made of pyjama material with the Superman S all over them. Under those shorty shorts were a pair of leggings. This is a weird workout outfit, and it seems a little too constricty/hipster wannabe.
Over the weekend I tried a new recipe for a type of pudding I had yet to experience. I know! Me being a huge fan of pudding and all! It was panna cotta. I think of PC as the kind of thing classy Italian whitetrash whip up for a church potluck, because it relies on gelatin for its structure. They apparently use cream (sour sometimes) to achieve a super creamy consistency. I, however, can out-whitetrash them. So I used whole milk. For something that is basically milk, sugar, vanilla and gelatin, it tastes pretty darn good. It's like tapioca, but like the whole of the tapioca, the essence of the custard and the texture of the tapioca beads, have been combined into one sublime substance. It's okay with rhubarb sauce or chocolate sauce, but I actually like it plain best.
It's so easy -- a packet of Knox, sprinkled on a half-cup of milk, left to sit while you get a saucepan with a half cup of sugar and 2 1/2 cups of milk (or cream) up to a simmer. Pull the simmering milk off the heat, dump in two tsps vanilla and stir in the bloomed milk-gelatin mix, whisk like a mugwump, pour into ramekins and put in fridge for a couple hours or so (there is no need to strain the stuff through cheesecloth like some recipes would have you believe, just stir like crazy). Voila, white trash food with a name fancy enough for social-cutthroat Real Housewives. (No, I don't watch that show. I see commercials during "Project Runway," though.)
What else is new ... Dad remembered Mother's Day and got mom a Nano. That's kind of major. It's hard to get her stuff she not only likes but actively wants. However, the fun has just begun because she will have to figure out iTunes. GUIs and intuitive program design have nothing on my mom.
Still no clue as to what trails in the Olympic National Park have been scouted slash closed slash opened. The park's website is singularly un-user friendly. There are old newsletters which hint at the damage from the December storm, and newletters that say certain accesses are reopened, but there is no comprehensive map or page where the closures and conditions are laid bare. This is not the only park or trail or anything that does not do this service. Basically there is no governmental rec body that has a budget to do this service, which may only require wiki, really, let the users do it for popular trails, let the rangers do it for trails they have to investigate blowdown on. Because users are really the best sources, but the websites that deal with trails don't have a monopoly on them and it shows in the coverage of trail condition reportage. (I mean not updated between 10-15-07 and "spring?" the power of the blogosphere can only do so much original reporting, which I say because it's true and because my job still has meaning! Yay!)
Notes from pop culture: I have had bum DVD after bum DVD from Netflix. I actually rented "Tell Me You Love Me," which was just so mind-numbingly boring I couldn't even watch the final disc (and mostly watched the other episodes while cruising the internet or doing chores). I can't even remember the crummy movies I picked out. I hope, with the addition of "King of Kong," about a guy who loses his job and starts playing Donkey Kong competions. This is a documentary.
Books: Who has time for books? I finally finished Sally Vickers' "Instances of the Number Three." Bleah. I kept reading, believing that there would be a shocking revelation about the dead man's existence, like the cover promised. The cover lied. It killed my enthusiasm for reading other books I had lying around. However, I have great hope that I will rediscover my passion for the written word with some non-fiction I've taken off hold on my library list.
Music: A bright spot in my entertainment vortex. I discovered a band I like, The Fitness, which has this awesome song called "Chauffer." I discovered another song I'm obsessed with, She & Him's "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here." I mean, that's like six minutes of fun right there, hardly making up for all the blah stuff I've poured hours into.
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