Jekyll2017-09-22T15:27:32+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/Case is a personMy name is Case. That is what they call me. I do things and write other things.
Tom Gauld is a friend of mine2017-09-22T00:00:00+00:002017-09-22T00:00:00+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/readlist/2017/09/22/two-gaulds<p><em>Note: I actually don’t know Tom Gauld. I’ve read his comics, though! And
that is what this post is about.</em></p>
<h1 id="youre-all-just-jealous-of-my-jetpack">You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack</h1>
<p>I first became familiar with Gould’s work through his [tumblr][], which is
titled the same as his book and features the same: cartoons he’s drawn for <em>The
Guardian</em>. I was originally drawn to his comics by the clean line and coloring
style, and by the literary humor that lampoons genre, the publishing industry,
and popular (or even “canonical”) works. That being said, <em>Jetpack</em> is
probably best-suited for sitting on a coffee table for occasional leafing by
guests. I read it straight through, and after about forty pages of similar
jokes, found myself rushing to have it over with.</p>
<h1 id="goliath">Goliath</h1>
<p>Gauld’s first graphic novel is an alternative-perspective on Goliath (as in,
<em>David and</em>). I’m a sucker for alternative-perspective stories, from <em>Grendel</em>
to <em>Wicked</em> (and I have <em>The Last Ringbearer</em> ready to read whenever I can get
a Kindle or something), so I was excited to pick up <em>Goliath</em>.</p>
<p>The most interesting twist of <em>Goliath</em> is its characterization of the title
character: Goliath is just a big guy who is more interested in book-keeping
than fighting, and has been happy in his desk job during the Hebrew-Philistine
war until an enterprising middle-manager of a general convinces the king that a
“Fight of Champions” will win the war with no cost to the Philistines. Of
course, Goliath is that champion because of his size, though he is kept in the
dark about his mission for as long as possible.</p>
<p>Gauld’s sparse style lends itself well to this story, most of which has Goliath
sitting at a pile of rocks at the bottom of a gorge and reading the pre-written
challenge to the Israelites. David doesn’t even feature except as a
premonition of death from the mist, just before he hits an unprepared Goliath
in the head and kills him, ending the story. The boy the story is more
interested in is Goliath’s shield-bearer, who looks up to Goliath and is
probably the only person to mourn his death.</p>
<p>I was surprised by <em>Goliath</em>, both by its shortness and depth: Gauld has taken
scant source material on one of the Bible’s most infamous characters and given
him, if not a full life, a sketch that points to his humanity, and reminds us
that there is never only one side to a conflict.</p>Note: I actually don’t know Tom Gauld. I’ve read his comics, though! And that is what this post is about.Three Body Problem2017-09-08T00:00:00+00:002017-09-08T00:00:00+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/readlist/2017/09/08/three-body-problem<p><em>Disclaimer: It’s been a little while since I actually read this book, so my
review might be missing some details or nuance of a fresh read. On the other
hand, it will have aspects that a fresh review won’t have: the color receding
into the distance, the more general shape of the book, how it’s faded into the
background of my thoughts.</em></p>
<p>Cixin Liu’s <em>Three Body Problem</em> has been described as China’s best science
fiction novel, and been compared to <em>Dune</em>, so I knew I’d want to read it for
a while before I actually got around to doing so. It mostly lives up to the
hype: it’s got that great sci-fi combination of the technical, the political,
and the human, and the story unfolds by gradually revealing details in two (or
maybe three) different time periods. I personally enjoyed reading it for the
illuminating description of the shit of the Revolution in China and for the
realistic exploration of how humanity would react to contact from another
world.</p>
<p>I usually don’t care about giving spoilers, but with <em>Three Body Problem</em>, I
want to tread lightly, so I’m going to skip the synopsis and go for the three
sci-fi components that work really well. The technical aspect of this book
centers mostly around the virtual world of the video game <em>Three Body</em>, which
features a world with interleaving Chaotic Periods and Stable Periods. During
a Chaotic Period, the conditions are (duh) chaotic, varying wildly from
ice-cold nights to scorching days of completely random lengths of time. A
Stable Period is the opposite: day and night fall into rhythms, and life can
flourish until the next Chaotic Period. We’re introduced to the game because
the main character begins playing it in connection with an investigation, and
he begins trying to figure out how the world works. Through him figuring it
out, Liu explains to the reader the concept of the Three Body Problem of
classical physics, as well as posits a virtual reality suit that players use
to fully immerse themselves into the game. Although I at first thought the
segments dedicated to <em>Three Body</em> were distractions to the main plot, they
eventually reveal themselves as integral to the development of the story, and
by the end of the book were my favorite segments.</p>
<p>Any science fiction worth its salt will use the genre to comment on its day’s
political situation: that’s what the genre is for. Liu’s book does the same
for the twenty-first century Chinese political situation, which was
interesting on its face because I don’t know much about it at all. The book
opens with a description of a brutal beating and killing of an intellectual
during the Chinese Revolution, and that brutality, the extreme dedication to
an idea disregarding its cost in human life, persists throughout the book.
The interpersonal dynamics in <em>Three Body Problem</em> feel real, as do the
international politics that are represented in those dynamics, especially
during the summit meetings held later in the novel. Liu spends some time
discussing theories as to how we would react to extraterrestrial communication
(spoiler alert: it’s almost certainly going to be terrible), and through the
novel explores how those theories might really play out.</p>
<p>The human aspect of the story was the hardest for me to get into. I’m not
sure if it’s something to do with the cultural difference between myself and
the author or something else, but it was challenging to be rooting for a
character one minute to have them betray all of humanity the next without much
explanation as to what led them down that path.</p>
<p>The book has a few loose ends as well: for example, a mysterious countdown
that does not get resolved. However, I found out that <em>Three Body Problem</em> is
only the first of a trilogy by Cixin Liu, so I’m sure the ends will be tied
together by the end of book III (I definitely reserved the next in the series
from the library as soon as I finished the first!).</p>
<p>Overall, I’d recommend <em>Three Body Problem</em> as a new science fiction novel
that explores some really interesting territory and sheds light on a country I
personally knew little about.</p>Disclaimer: It’s been a little while since I actually read this book, so my review might be missing some details or nuance of a fresh read. On the other hand, it will have aspects that a fresh review won’t have: the color receding into the distance, the more general shape of the book, how it’s faded into the background of my thoughts.Now on Gitlab!2017-09-01T00:00:00+00:002017-09-01T00:00:00+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/blog/2017/09/01/now-on-gitlab<p>I’ve decided to move my blog over to <a href="https://gitlab.com">Gitlab</a>. I’ve been
slowly moving most of my projects over to Gitlab for a little while now, because
I like their commitment to free software, their availability of private repos,
and the fact that they do static site hosting for free (which I just found out
today!). So if you’re reading this on <a href="https://duckwork.github.io">duckwork.github.io</a>, find new posts, etc.
on <a href="https://acdw.gitlab.io">acdw.gitlab.io</a>, and if you’re already here, HI!</p>
<p>A little more business: I’ve been behind on posting lately. After <em>Atlas
Shrugged</em>, I lost my momentum in reading and it took a minute to pick back up.
However, I just finished three books in quick succession: <em>Three Body</em> by Liu
Cixin, and <em>You’re Just Jealous of My Jetpack</em> and <em>Goliath</em> by Tom Gauld. I’ve
also started very recently on <em>Silent Spring</em>, so I have plenty to write about
in the near future. I also have so many recipes I need to share, from so many
vegan cookbooks! Yeah, that’s right, I’m like 99% vegan now. DEAL WITH IT.</p>
<p>As always, I’m not sure who I’m talking to; I don’t think anyone reads this but
me, and even that readership isn’t a sure thing. But I can talk to the void
like a best friend!</p>
<p>P.S. AND AND AND I just remembered: I like Gitlab’s theme better! So. Very
important reasons to switch.</p>I’ve decided to move my blog over to Gitlab. I’ve been slowly moving most of my projects over to Gitlab for a little while now, because I like their commitment to free software, their availability of private repos, and the fact that they do static site hosting for free (which I just found out today!). So if you’re reading this on duckwork.github.io, find new posts, etc. on acdw.gitlab.io, and if you’re already here, HI!Atlas Shrugged, pt. III2017-08-16T21:09:00+00:002017-08-16T21:09:00+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/readlist/2017/08/16/atlas-shrugged-iii<p>I couldn’t do it, yall. I couldn’t finish <em>Atlas Shrugged.</em> Honestly, the
biggest problem wasn’t the politics or any of that; it was the
heavy-handedness with which Rand described her characters and had them
interact. I quit in the middle of Dagny’s track-down of the engineer from
Twentieth Century Motor Company, because every single person in the chain is
the same person: sniveling, degenerate, constantly babbling about themselves
and how “it’s not my fault that I failed,” which I suppose is Rand’s
characterization of the socialistic/anti-objectivist type, but which for me
just grated. What I’m saying is, I’m in favor of a lot of social welfare
programs and shared-ownership schemes; I think that laissez-faire capitalism
is inherently flawed in the way it rewards those who seek short-term profit
over long-term durability, and in the way it encourages monopolistic business
practices that end up causing huge income inequalities, which are
self-perpetuating and self-sustaining; and <em>I</em> hated the non-Dagny-Taggarts,
the non-Hank-Reardens of the book too.</p>
<p>In fact, by setting up such a fictitious (I mean <em>fictitious</em> in that it
would never actually happen; <em>Atlas Shrugged</em> is a novel-length straw man, as
far as I can tell) dichotomy between the golden capitalist gods and the
sniveling worms of everyone else, Rand reduces her book to mere propoganda
for her philosophy. It’s worked, obviously, because her novel is expressly
pitched at people of the age where they really think they know everything,
and that people can get ahead merely by virtue of their business acumen or
intelligence; maybe since I’m reading it a bit older I can see through that
lie. The fact is that many people (to borrow a phrase that has been making
the rounds more since the inauguration) are born on third base, and Rand is
not just assuming, but proclaiming loudly that they hit a triple.</p>
<p>That’s not to say that Rand doesn’t have some salient points. Her insistance
on an objective reality and an absolute truth are admirable, in my opinion:
we should spend more time on debates reaching a consensus on the absolute
facts of a matter before sparring on our viewpoints. I wonder how Rand would
feel about today’s Republican party that claims to hold her so dear to its
heart: how would she feel about InfoWars using fear and conspiracy to sell
quack cures, for example? how would she feel about the party of Trump, whose
reality is a forever-shifting hurricane of bullshit and doublespeak? Would
she ignore all of the right’s propoganda, which is increasingly reaching
Soviet levels of insidiousness, because Republicans claim to favor a free
capitalist marketplace? Would she embrace her proteges?</p>
<p>I have no idea. But I haven’t been able to concentrate on the story of
<em>Atlas Shrugged</em> these almost-three-hundred pages because of all my
questions. Maybe I’ll try to crack this nut again in a calmer political era,
but for now – <em>shrug</em>.</p>
<p><em>This post is part three of a series on Atlas Shrugged. Check out parts
<a href="/readlist/2017/08/04/atlas-shrugged-1.html">one</a> and <a href="/readlist/2017/08/07/atlas-shrugged-ii.html">two</a> if you want.</em></p>I couldn’t do it, yall. I couldn’t finish Atlas Shrugged. Honestly, the biggest problem wasn’t the politics or any of that; it was the heavy-handedness with which Rand described her characters and had them interact. I quit in the middle of Dagny’s track-down of the engineer from Twentieth Century Motor Company, because every single person in the chain is the same person: sniveling, degenerate, constantly babbling about themselves and how “it’s not my fault that I failed,” which I suppose is Rand’s characterization of the socialistic/anti-objectivist type, but which for me just grated. What I’m saying is, I’m in favor of a lot of social welfare programs and shared-ownership schemes; I think that laissez-faire capitalism is inherently flawed in the way it rewards those who seek short-term profit over long-term durability, and in the way it encourages monopolistic business practices that end up causing huge income inequalities, which are self-perpetuating and self-sustaining; and I hated the non-Dagny-Taggarts, the non-Hank-Reardens of the book too.Atlas shrugged, pt. II2017-08-07T21:00:00+00:002017-08-07T21:00:00+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/readlist/2017/08/07/atlas-shrugged-ii<p>I’ve made it to Chapter IX: The Sacred and the Profane. I’ve just finished the violent sex scene between Dagny Taggart and Hank Rearden, consummating the dance they’ve been circling around each other since they began working on what became the John Galt line, at the end of the first successful run on that line. I’m checking in because of the conversation Dagny and Rearden had with Ellis Wyatt in his home, looking over his oil field; during it I wondered how Ayn Rand would’ve responded to the climate change crisis we’re facing.</p>
<p>Wyatt is an oil man; his house perches on a hill above a wide berth of oil field. During dinner, he mentions that soon he’ll have oil enough for thousands of years (or something to that effect) because of the new process he’s developed to extract oil from shale. The thing is, since 1957 (when the book was published), we’ve developed a process to extract oil from shale, and it has done great things for industry and all; however, it’s also precipitated great harm to the environment in terms of ruined ecosystems and increased greenhouse gases, which (as we all should know) are really fucking up our futures on this planet. But of course, for Rand’s characters, what’s most important is profit — my question is, in the short- or long-term?</p>
<p>When the story dealt only with Taggart’s rail line and Rearden’s steel mills, with the increased productivity a new, better (if untested, see my previous post) metal, I was frustrated along with them at the bureaucratic bullshit in the form of laws that enforced state-wide monopolies and forbade people to own more than one business: of course those are anticompetitive and ridiculous laws meant only to enforce the status quo while playing lip service to “greater equity.” Where Rand loses me, however, is in the idea that all business, all profit, is inherently good <em>of its own sake</em>, in a vacuum outside of the concerns of the society or ecology around it.</p>
<p>The plain fact of the matter is that there are many people (and, for that matter, animals) that have no say in the way things as a whole are run, because they have not had the opportunities the Dagny Taggarts and Hank Reardens of the world have had. Rand’s thinking, as far as I can tell, leads directly to the prosperity-gospel rationalizing of poverty as an indicator of moral corruption, and the idea that people deserve whatever it is they have, which is simply and demonstratively untrue: for every rags- to-riches story of a young upstart with a heart of gold who makes his way to the very shining top of industry, for every fall-from-grace story of a corrupt oligarch who meets his just deserts<sup id="fnref:1"><a href="#fn:1" class="footnote">1</a></sup> by being found out, there are hundreds if not thousands of stories about people who stay in their socioeconomic level through their entire lives, whether they’re good or bad, smart or stupid, enterprising or complacent. We tell ourselves stories of the outliers because they’re novel, but people like Rand seem to think they’re the norm, which is incredibly dangerous. In fact, I’d say that kind of thinking led us directly here, in 2017, to rising sea levels, obesity and opioid epidemics, a dismal international diplomacy outlook, Brexit, and Donald Trump.</p>
<p>So I’d love to bring Ayn Rand back from the dead and begin by asking her what she thinks about climate change. Would she maybe change her mind about the benefits of ceaselessly chasing profit over the health of the planet (which would affect long-term profit), or would she staunchly defend her philosophy of “rational self-interest?”</p>
<p><em>Addendum, 8/8: I just read the first part of Chapter IX. WHAT THE F IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?? They have seriously unhealthy feelings about sex, love and intimacy. WTF.</em></p>
<p><em>This is the second installment in a three-part series on Atlas Shrugged. You
can also read the <a href="/readlist/2017/08/04/atlas-shrugged-1.html">first</a> or <a href="/readlist/2017/08/16/atlas-shrugged-iii.html">third</a> installments, if you want.</em></p>
<div class="footnotes">
<ol>
<li id="fn:1">
<p>Fun fact: it <em>is</em> just <em>deserts</em>, one <em>s</em>. It’s a usage of <em>deserts</em> that means <em>being deserving of something</em>, and it’s still pronounced <em>desserts!</em> WHO KNEW!? <a href="#fnref:1" class="reversefootnote">↩</a></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>I’ve made it to Chapter IX: The Sacred and the Profane. I’ve just finished the violent sex scene between Dagny Taggart and Hank Rearden, consummating the dance they’ve been circling around each other since they began working on what became the John Galt line, at the end of the first successful run on that line. I’m checking in because of the conversation Dagny and Rearden had with Ellis Wyatt in his home, looking over his oil field; during it I wondered how Ayn Rand would’ve responded to the climate change crisis we’re facing.Atlas shrugged, pt. 12017-08-04T19:59:00+00:002017-08-04T19:59:00+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/readlist/2017/08/04/atlas-shrugged-1<p><em>I’m currently reading _Atlas Shrugged_, Ayn Rand’s 1000-page epic about (as far as I can tell) steel, trains, and strangely-named thin people. Since it’s taking me a while to get through it, I thought I’d live-blog my experience each day instead of having one big post at the end of my journey: this way I can update this blog more.</em></p>
<h1 id="somewhere-in-chapter-vii">Somewhere in chapter VII</h1>
<p>Okay, I admit it: I have a really hard time reading books with long chapters. I need lots of little breakpoints, like commercial breaks, that let me get up and get something out of the fridge, or a drink of water, or something. So this book is hard for me to read for that reason alone.</p>
<p>That’s not the only reason though! I don’t know if you know this, but if you know me, like, <em>at all</em> IRL you know that I’m about two hairs shy of a raging socialist. I mean, I don’t like labels because I think they’re limiting and because they have a whole cloud of connotations that, especially in America (thanks, in part, to Ms. Rand!), are extremely negative, and as such tend to shut down dialog instead of expanding it. But regardless, I’m definitely <em>left</em> <strong>left</strong> <strong>LEFT</strong> of center in regards to the function of society, the way I feel about laissez-faire capitalism, and social issues. So I went into <em>Atlas Shrugged</em> knowing that I’d disagree with many points, and actually that’s a big reason I did: I’ve railed against Rand-toting idealogues on the right often enough that my girlfriend asked if I’d actually ever even <em>read</em> Rand, and all I’ve ever really done was <em>The Fountainhead</em> a long time ago, and my mom bought me that book because, and I quote, she thought it’d “make [me] think about becoming an architect.” Which the architecture is very nice in that book, but it’s really not what it’s about, is it?<sup id="fnref:1"><a href="#fn:1" class="footnote">1</a></sup></p>
<p>So I’m currently somewhere in the middle of Chapter VII, when (spoiler alert!) Rearden Metal has just been condemned by the governmental body as being unsafe for public use, and Dagny and Rearden are shitting their pants (in a dignified, objectivist manner, of course). My thing about this kerfuffle is that it’s too cartoonish: yes, the State Science Institute is absolutely in the wrong here by condemning the metal on political instead of scientific grounds, but I’m not convinced of the metal’s safety myself. It seems as though Rand just wants us to <em>trust</em> Rearden’s metallurgical intellect <em>because</em> he’s the hero; as far as I can tell neither he nor Dagny ever test the Metal in any meaningful way to determine if it is, in fact, safe, or would have issues after a lot of wear-and-tear. The narrative of the book totally glosses over that necessary part and expects us to believe that just because Rearden wants to make money in an unregulated market, he’s sufficiently tested the metal – which isn’t how that’s played out, hardly ever, in the real world. I mean, look at lead in gasoline: it was added to reduce knocking and increase profits, but they didn’t do any safety testing on it, and actively worked against the guy who found out its very real public health risks, to keep the status quo. If the book works the same way, it’d be like if the bridge they’re building with Rearden Metal were to shear and begin to crumble and Rearden actively worked against fixing it or letting people know there was a problem. Which I guess he’s not <em>going</em> to, since he’s some Golden God of progress, but I think there should’ve been at least some allusion to the surety that the Metal had undergone some rigorous testing so that we know it really is what it says it is.</p>
<p>That’s the other thing about this book, by the way, the Golden God-ness of the main characters. It seems to me that in Rand’s worldview, Dagny, Rearden, and for a while, D’Anconia are perfect people in every way, and she writes them without flaws, or anyway without real flaws. All characters need some kind of flaw to make them human, to really make me care about them; otherwise the book turns into nothing more than a flat allegory (which I guess <em>Atlas Shrugged</em> is? but it could be more interesting). Most of the time we spend with Dagny or Rearden is a constant discussion of just how <em>great</em> they are, stoic, patient, trying to be patient with mere mortals who just <em>don’t get their genius</em> or are cowardly. I can see how these books appeal to young readers, because most of them think that way about themselves: I know I did when I was that age, even if I didn’t want to admit it. And maybe that’s what makes them kind of unbelievable to me – by the time people reach the ages of these characters, they should know better, no matter who they are.</p>
<p>That’s my main thinking right now. Let’s see where this book takes us from here!</p>
<p><a href="/readlist/2017/08/07/atlas-shrugged-ii.html">Link to the next installment!</a></p>
<div class="footnotes">
<ol>
<li id="fn:1">
<p>And, fun fact, apparently a lot of people try going to architecture school after reading it, where it’s like the <em>Top Gun</em> high five: anybody who does it is immediately called out for being there for entirely the wrong reasons. <a href="#fnref:1" class="reversefootnote">↩</a></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>I’m currently reading _Atlas Shrugged_, Ayn Rand’s 1000-page epic about (as far as I can tell) steel, trains, and strangely-named thin people. Since it’s taking me a while to get through it, I thought I’d live-blog my experience each day instead of having one big post at the end of my journey: this way I can update this blog more.Smoky vegan sweet potato quesadilla2017-08-04T01:05:02+00:002017-08-04T01:05:02+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/foodlist/2017/08/04/Smoky-vegan-sweet-potato-quesadilla<table class="ingredients">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>ingredients</th>
<th> </th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>medium sweet potatoes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1 t</td>
<td>chipotle chili, <em>canned in adobo sauce, chopped</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>garlic clove, <em>finely chopped</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2 T</td>
<td>lime juice, <em>fresh-squeezed</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1 t</td>
<td>honey <em>or</em> maple syrup</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2 T</td>
<td>olive oil</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2 T</td>
<td>tahini</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>medium onion</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>poblano peppers</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>4</td>
<td>large flour tortillas</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h1 id="method">method</h1>
<h2 id="filling">filling</h2>
<p>Pierce the <strong>sweet potato</strong> several times with a fork; place on a foil-lined
baking sheet; bake 50–60 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. If
pressed for time, microwave it for 6 minutes on high.</p>
<p>Let the sweet potato cool slightly, then peel and add to a food processor.
Add the <strong>chipotle</strong>, <strong>garlic</strong>, <strong>lime juice</strong>, <strong>honey</strong>, <strong>olive oil</strong> and
<strong>tahini</strong> and process until smooth. Thin with up to <strong>2 T of water</strong> if
necessary to make the mixture smooth and spreadable.</p>
<p>While the potatoes are roasting, roast the <strong>poblanos</strong> over an open flame on
high heat, turning frequently until they’re charred all over. Place the
peppers in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, which allows the steam to
loosen the skins. Peel the peppers, remove the seeds and thinly slice them
into strips.</p>
<p>Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Peel and cut
the <strong>onion</strong> into thin slices, like the poblanos; add both to the skillet and
cook them for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.</p>
<h2 id="assembly">assembly</h2>
<p>Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat. Spread about 1/2 cup of the
sweet potato mixture over a tortilla and add a layer of the onion/pepper
mixture. Top the tortilla with another and add it to the grill, and cook it
like a quesadilla. You know how.</p>
<h1 id="review">review</h1>
<p>Holy crap, the filling in this dillas are amazing. The adobo chilis are like
nothing I’ve ever tasted before, except maybe in my dreams: it’s smoky, sweet,
and spicy, and I want to put it on literally everything. The meal is also
filling without having any cheese – I love it so much I don’t even really
want to call them <em>quesa</em>dillas, since I feel like that makes them feel like
they’re missing something – which they ain’t. Maybe just <em>dillas</em>? Anyway,
they’re amazing. Recipe from Buzzfeed, but really from
<a href="https://www.scalingbackblog.com/smoky-vegan-sweet-potato-quesadilla/">here</a>.</p>ingredients 2 medium sweet potatoes 1 t chipotle chili, canned in adobo sauce, chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 2 T lime juice, fresh-squeezed 1 t honey or maple syrup 2 T olive oil 2 T tahini 1 medium onion 2 poblano peppers 4 large flour tortillasVegan bolognese2017-07-21T21:00:00+00:002017-07-21T21:00:00+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/cooklist/2017/07/21/vegan-bolognese<table class="ingredients">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>ingredients</th>
<th> </th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>2 T</td>
<td>olive oil</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>onion, <em>chopped</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>carrot, <em>chopped</em></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>garlic cloves, <em>minced</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1 T <em>ea.</em></td>
<td>basil, oregano, thyme</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>bay leaf</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1 t</td>
<td>red pepper flakes</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>1 c</td>
<td>textured vegetable protein</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2 T</td>
<td>soy sauce <em>or</em> liquid aminos</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1 c</td>
<td>vegetable broth</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6 oz <em>can</em></td>
<td>tomato paste</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>28 oz <em>can</em></td>
<td>crushed tomatoes</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h1 id="method">method</h1>
<p>Saute <strong>onions</strong> and <strong>carrots</strong> in <strong>oil</strong> on medium heat in a large pot for 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften.
Season with salt, pepper, and <strong>Italian herbs</strong>; mix well and add oil if the pan is dry.
Add <strong>garlic</strong> and stir until fragrant. <em>If cooking pasta, start the water now.</em></p>
<p>Add the <strong>TVP</strong> dry and stir to coat.
Quickly add the <strong>soy sauce</strong> and <strong>vegetable broth</strong> to rehydrate it.
Stir to coat the TVP well, scraping the side of the pan.
Simmer for 2 minutes.</p>
<p>Add <strong>tomato paste</strong>, mix, and cook for a minute or two.
Add <strong>crushed tomatoes</strong> and stir to distribute.</p>
<p>Simmer the sauce until it’s done or until the pasta’s done.</p>
<h1 id="review">review</h1>
<p>This recipe’s always a hit – I’ve made it many times, for holidays, dinners, everything, and it’s always met with “YUM”s.
Sometimes I put diced canned tomatoes instead of crushed, and it also works.
Oh, and last night I had no thyme so I used some Herbs de Provence, which also was great.
This recipe got me started on my saga of sauces that I’m still following.
I learned a lot making this dish, and I feel kind of bad because I don’t even know where it came from.
But I’m sure that whoever came up with it is in pasta heaven, so they’re doing okay.</p>ingredients 2 T olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 T ea. basil, oregano, thyme 1 bay leaf 1 t red pepper flakes 1 c textured vegetable protein 2 T soy sauce or liquid aminos 1 c vegetable broth 6 oz can tomato paste 28 oz can crushed tomatoesInterstitial2017-07-18T17:34:00+00:002017-07-18T17:34:00+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/readlist/2017/07/18/interstitial<p>I’m in that interstitial space between books, a no-book on
the other side of two covers. I just finished reading <em>The
City and the City</em> (Miéville), in which interstice is a
character: the novel is about two city-states that share the
same geography (are <em>topogangers</em>, one of Miéville’s
wonderful neologisms to describe the political,
bureaucratic, and geographical nature of the cities), where
breaching the borders between the two is an existential
crime. The book itself is a gripping murder mystery that
uses its setting almost as another character, and the
setting pulled me in completely. As I was reading it, I
began to feel paranoid even in my normal life, worried that
some unseen presence underneath or between what I
could see was watching me, waiting for something.
I also began to notice interstices around me: the ways in
which I (I hope <em>we</em>) unsee those around us on the street,
deciding we don’t know them; the places that are
unnoticeable because they are nowhere, but between two
others; those times when we’re getting ready for
something or finishing something else, and really aren’t
doing much of anything, but are truly living. Yesterday, it
was raining very hard for about an hour and I went out the
back door of the office, to an interstice between our
building and the house next door. There was an unused
loading dock there, and a mysterious motor of some kind, I
guess a wench or something like it. I was in the middle of
a city but I felt as though I were on another planet, maybe
in that planet of a short story (I don’t remember the name
or who wrote it, only this) where it had rained for
hundreds of years, constantly. I was nowhere; I felt free.
Or whatever. I mean, I did in that moment, but it’s pretty
ridiculous looking at it that way now. Or is what I’m doing
now, discounting the experience, a normalization of an
experienced moment of interstice? Some sublime
unknowable thing that exists nowhere and everywhere at
once? I don’t know. I have no organized thoughts. If
they’re organized, if I put them into buildings, won’t I have
dark alleys between them where anything can happen?</p>
<h1 id="anyway">Anyway</h1>
<p>I can’t think of a good way to segue into this, but I’m in
another interstice now as well. I ordered like 6 (just
counted – it’s 6) books from the library and I’ve just
finished reading all of them (except for <em>The Resilient
Gardener</em>, which is more of a how-to for the apocalypse
and really dry), so I’m not only between books, but
between sets of books. I’m going to start <em>Atlas Shrugged</em>
today, but first I want to talk about these books I’ve just
read, so here they are, all at once:</p>
<h2 id="even-in-paradise-elizabeth-nunez"><em>Even in Paradise</em>, Elizabeth Nunez</h2>
<p>Nunez’s novel is a modern, post-colonial take on <em>King
Lear</em>, and it was decent (I thought the ending was a little
where-are-they-now, end-of-documentary summation, and
the writing style was, I don’t remember, but something
was a little off, okay?), but it really made me remember my
whole thing with the <em>King Lear</em> story. First off, <em>King
Lear</em> is <em>not</em> the first iteration of that tale; like many
Shakespearean plays, its roots are much older, and a story
very much like it is told <a href="http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/salt.html">all over the world</a>. The first
place I heard it was in <em>Grandfather Tales</em>, a collection of
Appalachian folk tales, where the youngest daughter,
instead of saying she loves her father as much as is her
duty, tells him she loves him “As much as meat loves salt.”
I was thinking about the differences between the two,
between duty and salt, and I think I like the second better
because I don’t like the power-dynamic implications of
words like <em>duty</em>, especially in regards to the
machinations of love. Love should be freely given, and
accepted as a gift: if someone loves only to fulfill some
duty, that is not love, but loyalty. Which is not to say
loyalty is trash, of course! But it isn’t love, and I’m not a
fan of the idea that love is a thing that can be demanded
as fealty. However, the <em>salt</em> thing I like, because as the
story bears out, without salt, meat is nothing,
meaningless; life without love is the same. Plus it’s a cool
metaphor.</p>
<h2 id="down-and-out-in-the-magic-kingdom-cory-doctorow"><em>Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom</em>, Cory Doctorow</h2>
<p>A fun little jaunt into what happens when nothing is
scarce anymore: it’s the near future, and death has been
cured, as well as all scarcity. Instead of currency, people
trade in Whuffie, which is basically esteem of everyone
around. Doctorow shows us the joys of transhumanism,
computer-brains, and post-scarcity economics, but he also
shows us the existential angst that can go along with it.
His main argument, it seems to me, is that we need
something to work toward or against, so if a natural
opponent is taken away, we’ll make them ourselves. It was
a fun book, and funny, but it didn’t make me think
anything Big.</p>
<h2 id="cinderella-ate-my-daughter-peggy-orenstein"><em>Cinderella Ate My Daughter</em>, Peggy Orenstein</h2>
<p>Orenstein has a pedigree writing about womens’ liberation
issues for publications like the <em>New York Times</em>, or
whatever has a lot of caché nowadays. That sounds like I
think it’s dumb – I don’t, promise; I’m just pumping these
reviews out so blehgh. Anyway, this book made me even
more afraid to have children than I already was! It made
me realize that no matter what values I might try to instill
in a daughter or a son, like Orenstein, I will fail to protect
them from a classist, sexist, consumerist world that
constantly bombards them with its messaging: “BUY
MORE SHIT!” “BE THIS WAY!” “DON’T DO THAT!” “YOU
ARE THIS, NOT THAT!” “GOOD IS NARROW!” etc. I think
it’s good books like this are here, though, because they’re
the only way to slowly, slowly push the prow back in the
right direction, to sail onwards toward that ever-receding
horizon and the rising sun.</p>
<h1 id="okay">Okay</h1>
<p>That’s it for now. BOOF</p>I’m in that interstitial space between books, a no-book on the other side of two covers. I just finished reading The City and the City (Miéville), in which interstice is a character: the novel is about two city-states that share the same geography (are topogangers, one of Miéville’s wonderful neologisms to describe the political, bureaucratic, and geographical nature of the cities), where breaching the borders between the two is an existential crime. The book itself is a gripping murder mystery that uses its setting almost as another character, and the setting pulled me in completely. As I was reading it, I began to feel paranoid even in my normal life, worried that some unseen presence underneath or between what I could see was watching me, waiting for something. I also began to notice interstices around me: the ways in which I (I hope we) unsee those around us on the street, deciding we don’t know them; the places that are unnoticeable because they are nowhere, but between two others; those times when we’re getting ready for something or finishing something else, and really aren’t doing much of anything, but are truly living. Yesterday, it was raining very hard for about an hour and I went out the back door of the office, to an interstice between our building and the house next door. There was an unused loading dock there, and a mysterious motor of some kind, I guess a wench or something like it. I was in the middle of a city but I felt as though I were on another planet, maybe in that planet of a short story (I don’t remember the name or who wrote it, only this) where it had rained for hundreds of years, constantly. I was nowhere; I felt free. Or whatever. I mean, I did in that moment, but it’s pretty ridiculous looking at it that way now. Or is what I’m doing now, discounting the experience, a normalization of an experienced moment of interstice? Some sublime unknowable thing that exists nowhere and everywhere at once? I don’t know. I have no organized thoughts. If they’re organized, if I put them into buildings, won’t I have dark alleys between them where anything can happen?Space Battle Lunchtime2017-07-10T20:02:00+00:002017-07-10T20:02:00+00:00https://acdw.gitlab.io/readlist/2017/07/10/space-battle-lunchtime<p>I love comic books. I love how they’re able to live in that space between
books and cinema: they’re as visually stimulating as a film, but as portable
and seekable as a book. You can feel the amount of time put into them, the
love labored out over inking, coloring, writing. They’re great.</p>
<p>The best thing about them is they can be consumed very quickly. In fact, I
read comic books so fast I almost disappoint myself; I feel like I should take
more time with them, savor the images and stories. Maybe I should read them
more than once.</p>
<p>I haven’t read Natalie Riess’s <em>Space Battle Lunchtime</em> (volume 1) more than
once, though now that I’m thinking about it I might go for it again tonight.
I just finished <em>Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom</em>, after all. At any rate,
what I’ll write now will be first thoughts.</p>
<p><em>Space Battle Lunchtime</em> is a lot of fun. It’s a play on Food Network shows
like <em>Chopped</em> or <em>MasterChef</em>, but in SPACE! And with ALIENS! And
kidnapping and murder thrown in! It follows an Earthling baker, Peony, who’s
cast to the eponymous intergalactic hit cooking contest show after one of the
contestants drops out suddenly. I thought there’d be some, “Oh look, we’re in
space! It’s so strange/interesting/post-scarcity/complicatedly political”
expository stuff at the beginning, but it turns out not to be the case.
Peony’s thrown into production along with us and the show gets going.</p>
<p>The copy I read was the first 4 issues of the comic book bound together. In
it, the show goes through your standard cooking-competition elimination rounds
while hinting at a darker underbelly to the competition. One of the chefs,
Melonhead, is back from a devastating loss last year, and let’s just say he
wants that title. Between him and the other alien chefs, the ingredients, and
the setting, the comic book is beautifully drawn, as well. I really like the
style, which to my mind is something like <em>Steven Universe</em> or other modern
cartoons – clean lines, bright colors, a little anime influence.</p>
<p>I think I’ll have to re-read this book when I get home to tide me over til I
can find the next one. It ends when the action is just getting interesting.</p>
<h2 id="i-read-it-again">I read it again!</h2>
<p>Okay, so I just reread Volume 1 of <em>Space Battle Lunchtime</em>, and let me say #1
rule of reading: <em>read things more than once!</em> I got so much more n u a n c e
out of this reading, and could see where the great and the working-on were.</p>
<p>The detail in this book is richly imagined. Riess obviously watched a lot of
<em>Chopped</em> and <em>Iron Chef</em> to get the pacing of the cooking scenes down, and
her use of dynamic page composition helps it really feel as though you’re
<em>watching</em> an intergalactic space competition. There are loads of other
little goodies, too, like when Peony’s handler (I guess that’s what she is?
Anyway, she found her for the show) explains the stakes and her clipboard
says, “Explain Stakes.” And the way that the space food is drawn looks alien
and delicious all at once – I’d love to try some of the dishes that are
featured.</p>
<p>The one thing this novel is missing out on is character development. When the
show isn’t rolling, Peony hangs out with the crew and with who I think is
going to be a love interest, another competitor named Neptunia. I got the
feeling that I was supposed to be getting to know these characters in these
scenes, but the pacing is a little slow and the dialog a little too generic
for me to really know anything about them. That said, most cooking shows we
don’t know anything at all about the contestants other than where they’re from
and that they love cooking, so I wasn’t expecting too much
character-development-wise. It is cool that Riess is working to add another
dimension to what could easily have been just a fun take on cooking
competition shows.</p>
<p>The next volume (I think of a two-volume series) isn’t at my library yet, but
it’s processing. I’ll reserve it and write about it in a new post when I can!</p>I love comic books. I love how they’re able to live in that space between books and cinema: they’re as visually stimulating as a film, but as portable and seekable as a book. You can feel the amount of time put into them, the love labored out over inking, coloring, writing. They’re great.