maxClimb's New Writeups

between an evitable and inevitable harm (poetry)

2010-01-04T05:18:46Z

the empty pocket Atop them fell,
once of the dogs in the bell of the roofs tear off
amid the waves of through the first time;

Miranda I have built this tower of our empire.
Autumn sends the current we will now
auburn slept to pierce enough the ground water
was spouting compact mirages and I have built
this tower of the ivy lantern's flame in passivity

light on trained her back, a tempest fell to earth.
were wall paper of the keyhole sounded she
the rest was ending for the auditorium lights on her name,
scraped through the air throwing aged paper roses,
Latticework over the yard comfort blistered her
fell to the outcroppings.

houses of missiles to pierce enough the sky overhead,
frame the sky. debris,
muttered the sky of debris, once of twilight …

I no longer look askance at the outlier cats, (essay)

2009-11-06T00:19:00Z

You understand that they are fluffy.
That's their role and their raison d'etre. Why we accept
those superfluous consonants and the excess fur.

But tonight, before it was dark, I watched
Coal. And Fuzz and Two-Socks. While 50-50
watched me. The orange interloper had such
an air of patience.

A few extra bites
None are underfed.
There are flea collars.

anti-life equation (idea)

2009-10-31T23:42:11Z

e=m c²

August 19, 2009 (recipe)

2009-08-21T02:34:25Z

or Emulsional Instability

Last month Shaogo posted a recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Aioli, and it caught my fancy. Some years ago I managed to make a little mayonnaise from scratch a couple of times and had actually wanted, in the back of my mind, to find a reason to try it again. It's just me and my spare-tire these days, so I don't do much exotic cooking and I avoid the richer frills even more (fairly easily). But I've roasted a pepper or two before and the rest of it sounded good, so I gave it a whirl. (uh huh huh huh)

I used the Black & Decker food processor for the first batch, roasting the red pepper on the gas stove, mellowing the 8-10 garlic cloves over a low flame, etc., following Shaogo's clear instructions to the best of my ability. I ended up with a runny orangish liquid that tasted pretty good but wasn't the intended result. I chilled the concoction while I searched on the web for ways to…

August 4, 2009 (thing)

2009-08-04T02:26:43Z

There are a lot of levels to this. Perhaps it is indicative of my peculiar disconnect, perhaps it reflects the general disonnect that I both hope and dread is the normal state for all of you normal folks out there.

I rode my 6-speed bicycle (should be a 12-speed but we don't have time for that here) to the store a few blocks down, for a beverage. As I neared my house on the return trip I saw a single-headlight bouncing toward me. There are plenty of cars and trucks using the streets near my house, so I'm careful. I slowed and went to the center of the road, since there were no motorcars behind me, preparing to turn left after the bouncing headlight passed me. There were two people perched on the bouncing headlight vehicle, and the driver raised his/her left hand in a very clear "Yeah, Bro!" salute. I was already moving to the center of the road and raised my left hand, grinning like a maniac. We touched fingers in a classic high five, this complete stranger on a scooter…

Barbacoa (recipe)

2009-07-28T02:12:42Z

Crock-Pot Barbacoa

So, you want to make Barbacoa but your amigo snagged the cabeza from the last vaca you slaughtered? Or maybe, since you're an un-landed techno-geek you don't have access to open land in which to dig the cooking pit? Well, come on down! Have I got the solution for YOU!

Actually, I got the mailer from the carniceria down the street and while perusing it I wondered what 'Cachetes de res' were and what the heck you'd do with them. So, 'Beef Cheeks'; OK, no big deal. I often buy Mexican Chorizo, which is a wet 'sausage' made from pig jowls. Searching on the web I found lots of references for Barbacoa de res using beef cheeks, most including lips and tongue as well. Looking a half-dozen sources over I boiled down a basic recipe using a crock pot as follows.

INGREDIENTS

4 lbs. Cachete de res (Beef Cheeks)
2 Oranges
2 Bay Leaves
1/2 tsp Cumin (ground Coriander seed)
3 Garlic Cloves
1…