tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83433922024-03-07T13:52:39.996-05:00100 Cups of CoffeeI went out to the kitchen to make coffee — yards of coffee. Rich, strong, bitter, boiling hot, ruthless, depraved. The lifeblood of tired men.
--Raymond Chandler, <em> The Long Goodbye </em>Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.comBlogger212125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-53568605674182836082015-03-11T10:52:00.003-05:002015-03-11T10:52:38.228-05:00Good Thing #43: Chocolate Covered Almonds in OatmealA bowl of hot oatmeal is a great way to start the day. It's cheap and good for you! Unfortunately, it tastes good for you, too. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, here's what you do: toss a handful of chocolate covered almonds into your oatmeal. Do it in the bowl after you've dished it up and is cooling, not while it's cooking. The chocolate will melt in lovely, fudgey trails through the oatmeal. A little goes a long way, so you won't totally kill the healthiness of the oatmeal, and you won't need any extra sweetener. You can really do it up and throw in some coconut flakes, too. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can thank me later. </div>
Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-90429902010617743142015-03-10T10:12:00.001-05:002015-03-10T10:12:58.789-05:00Good Thing #42: MarmiteMarmite is concentrated yeast paste from the UK and it tastes exactly like that. If you took fresh baked bread and captured the smell from it, and did the same from a hundred thousand other loaves, until you had a sticky black sludge that was so intensely flavorful that it hurt to eat, and then mixed it with way too much salt you'd get Marmite. I don't think it's possible to describe it accurately and actually have it sound like a pleasant experience.<br />
<br />
The first time I tasted it I hated it. I met some Brits who had come to Portsmouth, NH for summer work and they needed a place to stay for a few days so I put them up. By way of thanks, they shared their Marmite with me. It was disgusting. Maybe the worst thing I ever tasted. I shuddered for hours. Maybe there's something infectious about it because years later I had a craving for it. I hunted down a bottle and spread a thin layer on a toasted bagel with plenty of butter. It was amazing. Like good coffee or fine Scotch, you taste it with your nose as much as your tongue. It awakens the senses and charges the mind.<br />
<br />
Try it. You probably won't like it. Some foods are worth the effort, though. Good coffee and fine Scotch taste pretty awful the first time, too, but they can offer a lifetime of enjoyment once you learn to appreciate them. Maybe Marmite will become a food you crave, too?Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-91102514178235847242015-03-10T09:39:00.001-05:002015-03-10T09:39:35.114-05:00Good Thing #41: The Terrible TwosI hope I don't jinx it by talking about it, but so far the terrible twos have been a lot of fun. Incredibly exhausting, but my daughter gets to be more fun every day. Maybe I'm incredibly fortunate to have a relatively mellow and communicative child, or maybe it's my own temperament, or maybe we're just four months into the 2s and are in for unspeakable terrors.<br />
<br />
The first year was like a video game from the 80s, where you had to perform arbitrary tasks, and much of the game was spent just trying to figure out what you were supposed to do, and when you did, it really didn't have much to do with the plot. You had to keep doing these repetitive tasks in the right order and when you did it enough you won. The first year the goal of the game was to get the baby to stop crying and your options were "rock gently," "go for a walk with the stroller," "put her in the car seat and drive around," "feed: bottle," "feed: breast," or "random thing you haven't tried yet." Sometimes one would work. Sometimes it would take all of them, several times over, in varying patterns. And then the reward was just an absence of crying instead of something truly enjoyable.<br />
<br />
Of course there were all the joys of the "firsts." First laugh, first sitting up by herself, first steps, first words, and all that. Those have been miraculous and fascinating, but it's really all just getting started. In the twos those all come together to form an actual, interactive being.<br />
<br />
The twos are like looking after a friend who is having an acid trip. Their reality is constantly changing and you have to keep up with through whatever cues they provide. One moment they're a princess and then they become a superhero a moment later. You might find that you've become a princess too, but then turn into a cat as the story demands. A plastic tube starts as a cup of coffee, then turns into a microphone, then a lollipop. You just have to keep up as reality shifts. Anything can become a source of entertainment and you never know what will suddenly become infinitely fascinating. Last night it was smells. My daughter and I spent an hour opening every bottle and tube in the bathroom to find out what the contents smelled like. Just sniffing things became a source of fun.<br />
<br />
The twos are a whole lot more work than the previous years. It's not just infant babble anymore. They're learning to communicate with words and sentences. That means they can argue. And whine. But it also means they can joke and tell stories. We goof around and we crack each other up. It's exhausting and crazy and continually changing, but at the same time, the twos are more fun than any time before. I'm embracing the chaos.Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-26700845962567981952015-01-09T12:12:00.002-05:002015-01-09T12:12:34.262-05:00Good Thing #40: Brian May<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBg2kbU1eErW469A357uAfGHu71IQsHd6Rp3Gi82cGlTdiLsrJdeDnQX-goEOhDgmfAA6i1ue507PFE-Wr6D7PgwgMfFrAfUq06L-RtJ8zp8ajfbtUUW3nS8KF1isT_MSSNYX0/s1600/08+brian+may+big+hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBg2kbU1eErW469A357uAfGHu71IQsHd6Rp3Gi82cGlTdiLsrJdeDnQX-goEOhDgmfAA6i1ue507PFE-Wr6D7PgwgMfFrAfUq06L-RtJ8zp8ajfbtUUW3nS8KF1isT_MSSNYX0/s1600/08+brian+may+big+hair.jpg" height="245" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Let's get this out of the way: Brian May is best known for his work as the guitarist for the band Queen. He's widely considered by people who rank such things as one of the best guitarists of all time. That's certainly impressive, but it's everything else that Brian does that makes him such an inspiration.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Brian May dropped out of college in 1974 to devote to Queen full-time. In 2006 he returned to college in 2006 and successfully defended his thesis, <i>A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud </i>in Sept 2007, gaining his PhD 37 years after he started. Colleges often hand out honorary degrees to the rich and famous just because they're rich and famous, but Doctor May really worked for his, and has continued to prove it. He's already co-authored two astronomy textbooks, <i>Bang!</i> and <i>The Cosmic Tourist</i>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While in Queen he would give free tickets and backstage passes to dealers who would meet him backstage. Not drug dealers but antique dealers who would bring him Victorian stereo views. Over the years he's amassed a collection of unique and rare stereo views. It's not that unusual for the rich and famous to buy expensive things, but Brian May has been doing something great with his collection. He's published three books so far using stereo views from his collection, <i>A Village Lost and Found</i>, <i>Diableries</i>, and <i>The Poor Man's Picture Gallery</i>. These books are gorgeous coffee table books that feature stereo views painstakingly restored to their former glory. They include a stereo viewer of Dr. May's own design. Given the quality and price of these books, I find it hard to believe anyone made any money from them. They are a labor of love that Dr. May made possible. These aren't the first books on stereo views to be published, but over the past 50 years or so, 3D photography has generally been treated like a novelty item. May's books prove that stereo photography is a serious art form, deserving of scholarship and critical attention. He's also making things that are rarely seen by anyone but private collectors and making them available for all to enjoy. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
He really inspires me. He shows that no matter who you are, you can continue to grow and explore, and share what you discover with the world.</div>
Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-90198985976029986112015-01-08T15:10:00.001-05:002015-01-08T15:10:55.560-05:00Good Thing ContinuesI realized this week I need to resume my Good Thing posts. The depression returned this winter with a twist. Depression is nothing new for me, but it's always been mostly feeling nothing, with handfuls of anxiety, paranoia and hopelessness thrown in to add a little challenge to the day and keep things interesting. If you've never lived with depression this sounds pretty bad, and it is, but you learn to deal with it. It helps to have things in your life that are more important than the depression. My wife and daughter, for starters. Some days I feel like I can't face the day for my own sake, but I can do it for them.<br />
<br />
This fall/winter it got worse, though. This time I turned toxic.<br />
<br />
In spite of the depression, I've always been able to resist the random ambient badnesses of the world and deal with them as just facts that are out there to be engaged with intellectually or not. I'm usually really good at focusing my energies on the things I can change, that actually directly impact me or people I personally know and care about. I'm not sure what made this fall so different. Maybe it was just a bunch of things happening at the same time without anything to balance them:<br />
<br />
LePage getting reelected. Not just the fact that we've got four more years of the worst governor in Maine's history, but that he's painfully, obviously bad. that it makes me despair for the state that I love. What hope does it have economically and socially if its own citizens vote against their own interests? It makes me wonder if this is really where I want to raise a family and start a business.<br />
<br />
Ferguson, and everywhere else cops have killed unarmed blacks and gotten away with it. I don't really need to explain this one, do I?<br />
<br />
Budget shortfalls at the University of Maine. This one should be obvious, but unfortunately people aren't informed enough to be outraged by it. There are a lot of very well paid administrators at the University of Maine, most of whom are making six-figure salaries. They're paid to understand things like the fact that the obvious, well documented decades-long decline in Maine's youth population will result in lower enrollment and subsequent budget shortfalls. UMaine's budget problems are the result of the administration's bad choices, and their solution is to give themselves raises, increase the number of administrators and get rid of faculty, classes and programs. The University of Maine should be playing a vital role in creating a positive future for Maine. Instead we've got an administration that is incompetent at best and self-serving at worst. This hits me at many levels. As an adjunct faculty member it effects my livelihood. As a parent, I want my daughter to have good options no matter what she chooses. I want the University of Maine to be a good choice for her future, not an academically gutted parody of what higher learning should be. As a Maine resident I'm paying taxes for this.<br />
<br />
The last straw was Kim Kardashian's butt. It's a little thing. Well, not <i>that</i> little, but in comparison to anything else in the world that could be bumming me out, it's completely irrelevant, right? I don't care about the Kardashians. I know that Kim Kardashian exists, and that she's famous for being famous, and she appears to be a completely uninteresting waste of a human being. I automatically think less of anyone who actually cares about her in any way who isn't related to, or employed by her. I know this, and I choose to avoid anything to do with Kim Kardashian, just like I avoid eating turnip. Kim Kardashian never enters into my thoughts. And suddenly I'm seeing Kim Kardashian's naked ass. Or something Photoshopped to look like it. I want to turn away, but I can't. I literally can't stop thinking about it. Wondering how much of what I'm seeing is natural, how much is medically sculpted, how much is computer generated. Finding it very unattractive and wondering why, when I like big butts (I cannot lie) I find Kim Kardashian's butt revolting. Wondering if I'm shallow or sexist for objectifying that butt and judging it. Feeling angry that Kim Kardashian's butt is news simply for the fact that it is Kim Kardashian's butt, feeling angry that anyone would care when pretty much EVERYTHING THAT ISN'T KIM KARDASHIAN'S BUTT is more important, becoming increasingly angry that I'm Kim Kardashian's butt mindshare. Look! It's happening again!<br />
<br />
Something about the combination of things made me toxic. I've become unhappy and cynical. This may sound strange to someone who hasn't dealt with depression, but I'm actually a very optimistic person. When confronted with a bad situation, my first reaction isn't just to wallow in the facts of the badness. It's to try to figure out what I can personally do to make the situation better. I can usually find the positive in even the worst situations, see the best in people even when they're being shitty, and work for a better future. I lost all that. I've spent the past few months feeling hopeless and angry, feeling contempt for people I don't know and generally being someone I don't really recognize or like.<br />
<br />
I'm done. This is no way to live. It's time to recalibrate. Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, don't mess with Mr. In Between. Time to start writing about one good thing every day, even if that one good thing seems trivial.Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-52405602701018585152014-03-10T09:55:00.000-05:002015-03-10T09:57:32.559-05:00Good Thing #38: DishwashersI lived for more than 40 years without a dishwasher. I was actually hostile to the idea. For a computer guy, I can actually be fairly reactionary towards newfangled technologies. So many of them, like microwave ovens and MP3 players, trade convenience for quality. When you go down that path you wind up with a life of easy mediocrity.<br />
<br />
I always assumed that dishwashers fell into that category. Now I don't know what I was fighting against. There is little joy in washing a dish by hand. Modern dishwashers are more water and energy efficient so they're actually better for the environment than hand washing. They do as good a job or better vs hand washing at getting the dishes clean. They reduce marital strife by reducing the amount of time needing to be spent doing something nobody wants to do.<br />
<br />
I don't know how I survived this long without one!<br />
<br />
<br />Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-11269675186951310042013-09-08T21:11:00.001-05:002013-09-08T21:11:22.886-05:00Good Thing #39: 8-Track Tapes8-track tapes are a much maligned and misunderstood format. True, sound-quality wise, they were pretty awful. They were big and clunky. They couldn't be fast-forwarded or rewound the way that the cassette tapes that replaced them could. Focusing on these issues is missing the point, however. 8-Track Tapes were designed by a consortium that included Ford Motors and Lear Jet. It was the first truly portable audio format. It let people take their music on the road with them and decide what album they would listen to, when they wanted. That was amazing in and of itself. Look at the "issues" of the format from the standpoint of it being a format for music on the road (or in the air). "Features" of media are all things that actually make driving more dangerous. If you're fast-forwarding or reversing music (or changing songs as with CD and MP3 players) you're not paying attention to the road. The size of the 8-track tapes meant less fumbling to find the slot to fit it into. The cartridge itself had physical cues to indicate which way to orient the cartridge without needing to look at it. Sound quality may not have been great, but it wasn't really designed for home use. It was meant for the road. In this sense it was a design masterpiece and something that modern designers should learn from. How many lives are lost due to bad design? People typically chalk it up to driver error when a car crashes due to a distracted driver. However, with every piece of technology in that car, a design choice was made. That choice could have been to make it safer for the driver, easier to work without taking eyes off the road, or less distracting. 8-tracks put driving first. If more designers followed that direction, the roads would be much safer.Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-76646812722979722922012-11-20T21:08:00.000-05:002012-11-20T21:08:08.786-05:00Good Thing # Infinity: Gwen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oFhghY8-0T3tUqE9PVSEsxcdPOyrsbFq1DaBAc8jvz9Lg3fzaJXghh7jAP_bPSjNCaUIMLQBxvRWFckOATMcZvdYmma01b_InBCEln11VyorjUVdM_8lM5iMVSOIG0k9_VRl/s1600/gwen_coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oFhghY8-0T3tUqE9PVSEsxcdPOyrsbFq1DaBAc8jvz9Lg3fzaJXghh7jAP_bPSjNCaUIMLQBxvRWFckOATMcZvdYmma01b_InBCEln11VyorjUVdM_8lM5iMVSOIG0k9_VRl/s400/gwen_coffee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
One of my favorite things in the world was to get up early, long before my day had to start, so I could be alone in morning as the sun rose while I drank good coffee and listened to classical music while easing into the day. No matter how the day went after that, at least I had that perfect moment and the whole day was better for it.<br />
<br />
Later, even after Jess and I started living together, I'd still wake up an hour or two before she did to start my day the same way. Only now our two cats would follow me out of bed and curl up on me or near me, and it was an even better way to start the day.<br />
<br />
Now Gwen has been out in the world for two months. She and I wake up long before her mother does. I make my coffee and she wiggles on the floor. We listen to classical music together. She prefers Bach and Beethoven. I'm partial to Mozart. I read her nursery rhymes and fairy tales. She makes noises that will be words one day. I never thought I'd be sharing my perfect moment with my own daughter. I had no idea how perfect that moment could be!Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-79740238150639859142012-08-22T11:49:00.001-05:002012-08-22T11:49:49.565-05:00: Good Thing #37: Adventure TimeAs an impending dad I'm getting new perspectives on things. It used to be I'd just watch a show and like it or not. Now there's new categories. There's "I'll have to wait until my daughter is asleep to watch this," and "I hope my daughter is never into this," and "I can't wait until my daughter is old enough to watch this."<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3Av-JpZqNG1FSH-uylf0Vh1FcR0elAv4u1UzFyiMBcpx5cl-pFjqEvwxMil2C4AP58MRl7MeEMfjF1U5cmQ0DaQhyC6vzKoVbAXVhFj7KQJ7gXepQnS7Y6ksDmjxwvae2yBk/s1600/adventuretime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3Av-JpZqNG1FSH-uylf0Vh1FcR0elAv4u1UzFyiMBcpx5cl-pFjqEvwxMil2C4AP58MRl7MeEMfjF1U5cmQ0DaQhyC6vzKoVbAXVhFj7KQJ7gXepQnS7Y6ksDmjxwvae2yBk/s640/adventuretime.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Falling firmly into that last category is Adventure Time. Adventure Time is into it's 4th season on the Cartoon Network. It follows the adventures of Jake the Dog, who can stretch any part of his body into any shape he needs it to be, and his adopted brother Finn the Human, who is apparently the last human on earth. Humanity was wiped out long ago during the Mushroom Wars. Since then magic has come into the world, and there are many anthropomorphic beings ruled (mostly) by princesses. There's the Bubblegum Princess, who rules the Candy Kingdom who's citizens are living candy. There's the Lumpy Space Princess, who comes from Lumpy Space, an alternate universe where everyone is lumpy and talks like valley girls. Abraham Lincoln is alive and is the ruler of Mars. These are just a few notes of the elaborate mythology of the show. But a wonderful thing about the show is it doesn't get bogged down in its mythology. Like the best cartoons, it works for both adults and kids simultaneously. The fact that it's set in a post-apocalyptic world is there for the grownups to pick up on if they're paying attention, but kids probably won't even notice. They're going to be enjoying the wonderful and strange adventures that Finn and Jake are having.<br />
<br />
It doesn't stop at being just a show that kids and grownups can watch. There's another whole level of encoded messages within the adult content that only certain people will pick up on. There are themes from Gene Wolfe's <i>Book of the New Sun</i>, Jack Kirby's <i>Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth</i>, and the movie A Boy and his Dog, and even <i>Advanced Dungeons and Dragons</i>. But it's all so deftly handled that if you don't get it, you're not left out and it doesn't distract from the story. It's all there as a special treat if you get the reference, but it's still fun if you don't.<br />
<br />
It's currently my favorite thing on TV, and I'm looking forward to introducing my daughter to it, when she's old enough. </div>
Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-14769297331004260992012-08-19T13:52:00.002-05:002012-08-19T13:52:53.801-05:00Good Thing #36: Farmer's Markets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQS1yrkamT5nOMDP3N9ST543tjs2RAaUt2M9MOlP0y0m-GcR2HflshQSCgfe0Cf6FW4EmIuFoddeTpK_wwG7M-g7SVjatsPWTPuzDN7BgyjvUHg2LIXfp7N-6t6jxH_qOy_Pmb/s1600/market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQS1yrkamT5nOMDP3N9ST543tjs2RAaUt2M9MOlP0y0m-GcR2HflshQSCgfe0Cf6FW4EmIuFoddeTpK_wwG7M-g7SVjatsPWTPuzDN7BgyjvUHg2LIXfp7N-6t6jxH_qOy_Pmb/s1600/market.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There's something about being able to look the person who grew the food you're going to put into your body in the eye when you buy it. Eating is one of the most important things we do. What we ingest fuels and builds our bodies and the better it is the healthier and happier we are. And yet we put our trust into long chains of strangers, elaborate systems for manufacturing and transporting food that may start on factory farms that may be half a world away. On the other hand, when you shop at the farmer's market, you're buying food that was grown just a few miles away buy someone you can actually talk to, who most likely drove it to market themselves. Most fruits and vegetable start losing flavor and nutritional value as soon as they're harvested, so what you're getting at the farmer's market is the best it can be unless you grow it yourself. At the same time, at least around here, the goods at the farmer's market are actually cheaper than what's at the supermarket. It's a win all around!</div>
Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-59108776170736653122012-08-19T12:58:00.002-05:002012-08-19T12:58:20.829-05:00Good Thing #35: Everything in its right placeI've moved way too many times this past decade or two. Some people who live like this are smart, and they get rid of everything except what they can carry in their car. Sadly, I'm not one of them. I've always intended to stop moving, put down roots and stay put for a while. It just took a whole lot longer than I thought. So I wound up with way more stuff than an apartment dweller should have. The other unfortunate byproduct is I've also wound up with a lot more stuff that's useless. Speaker wires get put in one box, RCA cables get put in another, and you need them both to make the stereo work, for example. Or the video game console is in one place and the controllers in another, and until all the boxes are unpacked you wind up with objects that are just taking up space. And when you know you're about to move again anyway, you don't really make the effort.<br />
<br />
Finally, however, I've got a home I plan to stay in for a long time, and all the boxes are getting unpacked and all the stuff is getting organized and reorganized and what were once just dead objects taking up space are coming to life as useful, enjoyable things. I hadn't realized just how much energy I was wasting always trying to find things I knew were somewhere.Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-16551540234636003432012-07-27T07:43:00.003-05:002012-07-27T07:43:56.667-05:00Good Thing #34: OS UpdatesI'm a total sucker for operating system updates. I don't really understand why because I know better. We're long past the point where there's anything significant to even <i>do</i> to the Windows or Mac operating systems, so new versions are nothing like the paradigm shifts of the days of yore. Linux appears still has some excitement to it, but unfortunately I'm not well versed in it enough. I'll update my Linux partition when new versions of Ubuntu come out, poke around for a while and think, "This is lovely. When I retire I'll switch over to it completely, but today I still need OS X and Windows to do the work I'm getting paid to do." But with the mainstream operating systems, it used to feel like you were getting a whole new, improved engine put in your car. Now it just feels like putting on a fresh new pair of underwear. But you know what? It's still really pleasant to put on new underwear. So I'm right there when the new release comes out, downloading and installing as soon as it's available.<br />
<br />
This might be my version of standing in line, waiting for to be at the first showing of that overhyped new movie. I suspend my disbelief for a few days, read the previews, let myself get caught up in all the excitement over the 200 new features (none of which will be significant). In a few days I'll be one of those people ranting about how the company has lost its direction and how one day I'll make the switch to Linux.<br />
<br />
But it's completely insignificant and doesn't matter at all, and that's what makes it fun.Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-89367786923379094102012-07-27T07:13:00.000-05:002012-07-27T07:13:02.312-05:00Good Thing #33: Natural GasWe switched the whole house over to natural gas. The furnace, water heater, stove and even our dryer all run on natural gas. In the wintertime, we used to spend hundreds of dollars a month just to keep from freezing. That's not altogether hyperbole. In the winters when all you have is oil heat, you set the thermostat to just warm enough to keep from shivering when you've got a sweater and long johns on. Now we have a warm house all winter, and our fuel bill, even in the coldest months, is rarely higher than our cell phone bill. In the past it's always been a bit scary going into winter. A cold winter with high oil prices can be financially ruinous, and there's no predicting how bad it can get. Fortunately, we don't have to worry about that as much anymore.Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-82867873099362186622012-07-26T21:38:00.000-05:002012-07-26T21:38:00.607-05:00Good Thing #32: These New Fangled LightbulbsIncandescent lightbulbs are 90% inefficient. 90%! So 10% of the energy you're using goes to making light, while the remainder makes heat etc. It's technology that hasn't changed much in a century. I can't really think of any other technology that we'd put up with if it performed that badly and was that outdated. Fortunately, we don't have to. There are now fluorescent lightbulbs and LED lightbulbs. In the state of Maine, Efficiency Maine subsidizes fluorescent lightbulbs so they're crazy cheap. Even before this, I'd been buying them as soon as they came, and I've honestly never replaced one. They last forever. LED lighbulbs use even less power than the fluorescents and last even longer. If there's a down side it's that some of our lampshades don't fit anymore. So, they save me money, they save the hassle of blown bulbs, and they're better for the environment. What's not to love?Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-7707517395509167772012-07-25T13:26:00.002-05:002012-07-25T13:26:41.686-05:00Good Thing #31: Shaving with a Safety RazorI wasn't lucky enough to have a male role model to teach me how to shave. I had to learn this from my mom and my sister, who assumed that what worked on women's legs would also work on a man's face. It doesn't. A man's face is more complicated and much more sensitive than a woman's leg, and that single-bladed, non-pivoting disposable razor cut my face to shreds, and caused razor burns over what was left of my flesh. Thankfully, through the wonder of advertising, I learned about the Gillette Atra, with 2 blades and a pivoting head that made shaving so much less painful than before. Then came the 3-bladed Mach 3, the 5 bladed Fusion. Each one seemed more comfortable than the one before.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The problem was the cost. Buying new blades for the many-bladed Gillettes cost so much that it often came down to a choice, "Do I buy new blades, or do I put up with the pain of dull blades for one more week?" Seriously, $40 for a 12-pack of Fusion blades is just outrageous! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Fortunately, I discovered it was all just a gimmick. The ever-escalating number of blades really <i>don't</i> give you a better shave. They just compensate for lack of technique, lack of proper prep, lack of a decent shaving lather. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All I really needed was an old-school safety razor, a shaving brush and some shaving soap. Shop around and you can find all these things for cheaper than a pack of Fusion blades. Do a search for "How to shave with a safety razor," and you can learn how to do it from the Internet. I'm using a single blade in a non-pivoting head, but the shaves are more gentle and more smooth than I ever got from the fanciest Fusion. Better still, for the cost of a 12-pack I can buy enough double-edged safety razor blades to last for years. Plus, there's a real joy in shaving with hot lather made by soap with natural ingredients, vs. a cold chemical foam from a can. I'm getting better results, having a more enjoyable experience, and spending less money doing it, all while putting less garbage into the waste stream!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And yes, I do get a smug satisfaction knowing how much better I have it compared to all the suckers shaving with the many-bladed cartridge monstrosities. </div>Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-32171918783683768492012-07-25T11:55:00.001-05:002012-07-25T11:55:19.239-05:00Good Thing #30: Flea MarketsI used to love going to yard sales. Then eBay happened and now we have career eBay-ers who descend like locusts at 7 am to yardsales that don't start until 9 and they buy up everything worthwhile, not because they want it, not because it will bring them joy, but because they intend to sell it for more money. Their presence has turned yard sailing from a pleasant way to ease into the weekend into something more of an annoyance.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, there's flea markets. Flea markets are a little more expensive than yard sales, but they tend to be better curated. After going to the same flea markets a few times, you start to recognize the vendors and you know what to expect to find at their tables. They'll also give you better deals once they get to know you.<br />
<br />
Flea markets fill a nice niche for me. I'm always on the lookout for antique paper goods. I'm looking for design inspiration, though, not as a collector. It doesn't matter to me if the page is slightly damaged, so long as the graphics are intact. I don't need the quality I'd find in an antique shop, and don't want to pay antique shop prices for it. These are the kind of things I like to find at flea markets.<br />
<br />
Flea markets are fun because you never know what you'll find there. Our past is vaster and stranger than we realize. Antique shops will sell you the high notes. Truly great products and designs get remembered in books and websites. The worst things ever made also get special attention. So much of the stuff in the middle just falls through the cracks and the only way you'd know it existed is when you find it at a flea market. Then you wonder why it was made, who bought it, why it was worth hanging on to... and then it winds up coming home with you!Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-18629755933651886772012-07-24T13:16:00.002-05:002012-07-24T13:16:48.743-05:00Good Thing #29: Dean's Bean's Ahab's RevengeDean's Beans roasts some of the best coffee out there, and they were organic and fair trade before it was cool. All their coffee is good, but <a href="http://www.deansbeans.com/coffee/AHAB" target="_blank">Ahab's Revenge</a> deserves special attention.<br />
<br />
How quickly we forget. There was a time when decent coffee was hard to come by in this country, and the only options were things like Folgers and Chock-Full-O-Nuts, bought pre-ground in giant cans from the supermarket, or in jars of instant powder.<br />
<br />
It tasted awful, but we drank it anyway because enough sugar and cream could make it palatable, and because it gave us a buzz. It tasted awful because of shoddy preparation and horrible growing practices. It also tasted awful because there are actually two types of coffee bean: robusta and arabica. Arabica is what we get in good coffees, but it's picky about where it grows, and is more difficult to grow in large quantities. It <span style="background-color: white;">likes difficult terrain like mountains, and grows more slowly</span><span style="background-color: white;">. Robusta, on the other hand, is perfect for factory farming. It may not taste as good, but it'll grow in the flatlands and it grows fast, so you can get large quantities of bad coffee. The other thing about robusta is that it has more caffeine in it than arabica.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Robusta doesn't need to taste bad, however. It just lends itself to bad growing practices that would kill arabica bushes. With Ahab's Revenge, however, Dean's Beans has brought us the only organic robusta on the market. It's wonderful. It's got all the flavor of a good arabica with that late night diner coffee punch that can even get my caffeine saturated heart racing faster. </span>Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-87410881545405701362012-07-24T12:34:00.000-05:002012-07-24T12:34:13.176-05:00Post #28: MonogamyI'm surprised to be writing this. Before I met my current partner, I really thought monogamy was a big mistake. Oh, I'd try it, usually because monogamy was a precondition for continuing having sex with someone I was attracted to. But after that first flush wore off I'd start feeling like something was broken. As if that insane passion of the first days of a relationship was the natural state and should last forever, and if it went away there was something wrong, and nothing would ever be good again. That, and a dozen other reasons both rational and irrational would lead me to ending relationships, usually as painfully and selfishly as possible.<br />
<br />
In retrospect, I probably should have embraced the idea of open relationships, and been continually honest with my partners that there were, or would be, other people. I think I thought if I did that I'd never get laid again. There's also the idea that you're a bad person if you want that. We're either supposed to be celibate, or with a single partner in a monogamous relationship. So I kept on trying to be monogamous, failing, lying about it. It had it's fun points, but it wasn't good, and it wasn't healthy, and it wound up hurting people I cared about.<br />
<br />
But then one day I met someone who I cared about more than myself, someone who I feared losing more than I feared missing an opportunity for passion with another woman. With her, monogamy is easy. I've discovered something I never stuck around long enough to learn before. Yes, that crazy passion of the early days of a relationship goes away, but better things take its place if you work at it, and it's worth the work. I also discovered that there's a whole lot of extra hassle, baggage, headache and heartache that goes along with those early days of a relationship and I'm so happy that I don't have to deal with all that, ever again.Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-574552703304337352012-07-24T11:52:00.000-05:002012-07-24T11:52:27.093-05:00Good Thing #27: Vintage Hi FiThere is a plus to the fact that the current tastes in audio gear favor convenience and quantity over quality. There's a lot of really good stereo components out there going unappreciated, and if you keep your eyes open at flea markets and yard sales you can put together a really good stereo system for very little money. A lot of the old stuff was built very good, with quality standards that you really only find in current audiophile gear. A receiver from the 70's that you picked up for $5 at a yard sale can sound better than the best thing you can find at Best Buy. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When you're buying old gear, pick it up. Is it heavy? That's usually a mark of quality. If it is made of real things, like wood, metal and glass that's also a good sign. If you're buying speakers, take the grills off and check the cones. Make sure they're not brittle, and that there are no holes. I've set up several stereo systems this way. I always wind up giving them away to friends. Half the fun is in the building of the system. Once I've gotten it to the point where I say, "Wow, that's great sound! I can't believe I only spent $20 on that!" I remember I already have two stereo systems, and don't really need one for every room in the house. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I just started on a new one. The first part is a TEAC A400 tape deck from 1976, bought for $7. It has VU meters with needles that bounce instead of LEDs, and metal levers and knobs that turn instead of plastic push-buttons. It is a wonder to behold and a joy to fiddle with. One day I'll crack it open and clean out the rust and replace the belts and make it actually work again. Then I'll probably wind of giving it away, but that's OK because for $7, I'll have gotten my entertainment value out of it. </div>Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-70519131024680166722012-07-24T10:55:00.000-05:002012-07-24T10:55:15.236-05:00Good Thing #26: Hi FiI finally managed to get my stereo system hooked back up this week. Sadly, it's been years since it was all together. It's an old-school system of many parts (pre-Klipsch Aragon and Acurus components hooked into Magnaplanar speakers, if you care about such things). I spent more on it than I have on most cars that I've owned. But really, I've been working on it for more than 20 years, and I bought the most expensive pieces when I was a bachelor, working jobs that paid me far more than I make now. I was very aware that I had a window when it would be OK for me to spend such extravagant amounts on pure entertainment. But I was also aware that if I invested the money it'd be a one-time buy. Good audio equipment lasts. The Magnepan speakers I bought more than 15 years ago sound every bit as fantastic as when I bought them and with any luck will continue to do so until I lose my hearing. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I don't consider myself to be an audiophile, however. In fact, I blame audiophiles for destroying the audio industry by fetishizing the equipment while losing sight of the fact that the whole point was to be enjoying music. MP3s with their compressed range, crappy earbud speakers and car stereos helped to nail the coffin shut, but even before those came about, the audiophiles made it possible. If you stepped into a high-end audio shop in pre-iPod days, you could expect to be belittled and scorned if you didn't identify as an audiophile. You were treated like an idiot if you didn't think spending $7,000 + on a pair of speaker cables was a good idea when there was no real evidence showing that they sounded any better than lamp cord from the hardware store. The general public had already been alienated and when MP3s came around, nobody was there to make the argument against it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The argument would have gone along the lines of, "MP3s are OK, but you're trading convenience for quality. You're only hearing maybe 10% of what the artist intended for you to hear." Then I might have brought you over and sat you down in a chair strategically positioned for optimum listening, and I would have played for you the same piece of music on your MP3 player and on the stereo, and hopefully you would understand that both convenience and quality have their place.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That should have been the role of the audiophiles, as defenders and educators of what quality music really means, gently guiding people to make informed choices about their listening. Instead audiophiles copped an attitude and insulted anyone who didn't get it. Now we have a generation who have only heard recorded music through headphones attached to MP3 players or from car stereos. And the audiophiles have become even more insular and elitist. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But I digress. The point is, my stereo brings me pleasure because when the music is playing, it's as close as I can get to hearing it live. Even better in some ways because I can set the volume to levels that are comfortable for my ears, and I don't have to deal with crowds. While I love the convenience of my iPod/headphone arrangement, when I hear a note I might know it was plucked on a guitar. On the stereo I can hear the differences between the kind of guitar, that it was made of wood and had a hollow body. I can hear the differences between the acoustics between a small, warm room and a large, cold room. With the MP3, music is just the background soundtrack to my life while I do other things. That's important and has its place, but when I hear that same music on the stereo, I'm aware of the music as a work of art created by an artist, or many artists, who are trying to communicate a message and share a feeling that's important to them. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's a simple joy to sit back and listen, <i>really</i> listen to music. </div>Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-14295436693193669492012-07-23T20:29:00.000-05:002012-07-23T20:29:18.240-05:00Good Thing #25: PenniesSome people hate pennies. One of the chief complaints is, "It costs more than a penny to make a penny." That's a stupid argument, though. All our money could cost more to make than it's denomination and it wouldn't matter because it's not the physical value of the actual object we're trading when we give someone money in exchange for goods and services. The monetary object is just a tool, a symbolic way to keep track of the amount of value we're trading for something. A single penny may be exchanged tens of thousands of times during its lifetime. If something that useful only cost pennies to produce then it was a bargain.<br />
<br />
Pennies are nice, though, in that they are almost worthless, but not quite. When I have the opportunity to leave pennies in the, "Leave a penny, take a penny" bowls by cash registers, I do, and I feel good about it because I've made someone's life a little less annoying by doing so because now they'll be able to make exact change. The times when I've had to use that bowl, I've been very grateful to the person who left their pennies there. It's a win/win!<br />
<br />
I also don't carry pennies with me. If there are any in my pocket at the end of the day, they go into the penny jar. And they keep going into the penny jar for months, even years, until we're short on funds. Then we roll them up and there's always a surprising amount of money we didn't realize we had. So, yay pennies!Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-53399477668081498002012-07-23T15:34:00.003-05:002012-07-23T15:34:56.098-05:00Good Thing #24: AntiquesSome good things you just want to keep to yourself because if everyone knows about them, they're not going to be as good. Fortunately, nobody reads this so I think I'm safe.<br />
<br />
I used to think things like antique furniture was something only the wealthy could afford. That may have been the case a while ago, but now it's the way to go. The majority of new furniture seems to have gone the way of Ikea. Cheaply constructed, semi-disposable laminated particle board, with no charm and no longevity. Ikea could get away with it because the price reflected the quality. But now even cheap furniture isn't all that cheap, and good furniture is ridiculously expensive.<br />
<br />
We like having nice things in our lives, but we're on a budget. So we've been buying our furniture at antique stores. Surprisingly, you can find many pieces there for less than what you'd buy the equivalent new. The big difference is that the piece you buy at the antique shop is made from solid maple. You know it's going to last, because it's been used for a hundred years or more already. Most likely it was hand made. Only the wealthy could afford to buy new furniture of the quality that you can find in antique shops for short change if you look around.<br />
<br />
If you're willing to accept the fact that your night stand might not match the bed, you can fill your life with hand-crafted, American-made hardwood furniture without breaking the bank! That's the route we're going, and it's very satisfying.Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-84272658427210888412012-07-23T15:12:00.001-05:002012-07-23T15:12:12.715-05:00Good Thing #23: Masterchef AustraliaIf there was a way to legally watch Masterchef Australia in the US, I wouldn't advocate pirating it. Unfortunately, as far as I know, that's our only option. Do it. Go to Pirate Bay and search for Masterchef Australia and torrent it right now. It's the gold standard for what reality programming can be. If you're into cooking or into competitive reality TV, go get it now. If you've ever watched such shows and it seemed like they weren't living up to their potential, go get it now. Here's reality programming raised to the level of a true artform.<br />
<br />
A word of warning, though. After watching Masterchef Australia, it's hard to watch the US versions of Masterchef, or even Hell's Kitchen. They just seem embarrassing now.<br />
<br />
The key difference is that Masterchef Australia understands drama. The US version too often reverts back to the comfortable, understandable standards of sex and soap opera. Masterchef Australia understands the real drama is in the food and in learning to become better chefs. You can actually learn to be a better cook and to better appreciate the food you eat by watching the show.<br />
<br />
Masterchef Australia dispenses with the hero and villain cliché of the US version, where there's cooks you route for and cooks you hate. Instead, all the cooks are likable and we really want to see them all succeed. The cooks actually support and encourage each other as well, and become friends as show progresses. The approach really notches up the drama. Instead of the "I'm not here to make friends," line we get the victor's conflict because their victory is at the expense of someone they care about.<br />
<br />
There have been episodes that made me exclaim, "THAT'S how you do drama!" because the show frequently goes beyond what makes good reality programming and into themes that make good cinema, or good novel writing. It has that kind of power to make us engage emotionally with the characters and feel triumph and heartbreak as they do. That's a remarkable thing in any medium, but for it to happen in what's typically the lowest point in our culture is just amazing.Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-45202531473027053112012-07-23T14:00:00.000-05:002012-07-23T14:00:07.956-05:00Good Thing #22: Bruce CampbellBruce Campbell was born at the wrong time. In the 30's or 40's his heroic good looks and mighty chin would have cast him as a Hollywood leading man. Sadly, we're living in a post-heroic age, so when Bruce Campbell is cast in a heroic role, it's with ironic or humorous intent. Fortunately, he's gets the joke, and it's a role he plays very well. Everything he stars in is better for having him in it. From numerous B-movies to classics like Evil Dead and Army of Darkness, to his current supporting role in the TV series Burn Notice, Bruce Campbell is like salt. Almost every recipe is better with it. Even really bad <span style="background-color: white;">movies</span><span style="background-color: white;"> like Alien Apocalypse are better because he's in them.</span>Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8343392.post-8158431276843142312012-07-06T15:01:00.002-05:002012-07-06T15:02:18.246-05:00Good Thing #21: The DeliThe deli section in the supermarket is too easily overlooked. After all, you can get most everything in the deli in the refrigerated sections of the supermarket, so why take the extra time?<br />
<br />
First off, it's often cheaper. The deli section often has specials on things that aren't discounted in the cooler. I think it tastes better, too. A hunk of cheese cut of a big block has a better flavor and texture to it than those small, shrink-wrapped vacuum sealed bricks. I also like the human interaction. The people who work the deli counter tend to be friendly and cheerful. If I remember correctly, the deli section is somewhere you get promoted into. It's a desirable position to have. So the people who are there are the supermarket "pros" and they want to be there, so they're great to deal with. You can also get your cheese and meat sliced exactly to the thickness you want.<br />
<br />
The thing I like to do when I go to the deli is to request "about a pound" of cheese in a solid block. I'm okay with a little more or a little less. I just don't want them to be timid with their cut. Invariably, they almost always spot on, never more than a hair's weight off. It's really impressive since they're cutting by eye.<br />
<br />
Go to the deli on your next trip to the supermarket. It's one of life's small joys.Matt LeClairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02103260366943543186noreply@blogger.com1