Friday Video Extravaganza

Hit the jump for a couple of life lessons.

Blogging Finals Week: Tuesday

Tuesday was food day. The economics PhD students from my year had been talking about doing a potluck lunch to celebrate once we all passed our general exams, and a couple weeks ago the last one turned ABD! Since the house Jessie and I are renting is bigger than the apartments the others are staying in, it fell to me to plan and host the event. It wasn't that much work, honestly. The main problem was that I was planning to make a good contribution to the lunch, and I didn't get up in a timely manner this morning (despite the best efforts of my loving wife.)

Everyone started to show up at noon exactly; the Chinese tend to be punctual people, at least in my experience. My dishes, however, weren't quite done until 12:15, which meant Jessie had to entertain and watch Lucy for a bit as people showed up. I finished just as the last attendee arrived, and we settled in to a minor feast. The contributions were as follows:

• Chintamani: Indian rice with lentils (flavorful but not too spicy)
• Lord: Domino's Pizza- pepperoni, sausage, and veggie
• Xueqi (and Kesong): Eggplant in a slightly sweet sauce and stuffed pastries for dessert
• Yifei (and Huimin): Beef soup and vanilla jello/custard for dessert
• Me: Pseudo-Thai vegetable stir fry and ginger chicken & rice

I tried to get at least a taste of everything, and it was all very good. The stir fry turned out to be one of the best I've made, and I can put the recipe up here if you are interested. We tried to make plenty of things vegetarian-friendly since Chintamani doesn't eat meat or fish. We all had a good time, and I think everyone enjoyed watching Lucy run around. Everyone left around two.

Then for dinner, we got to join about 40 folks from our church and RUF at the cafeteria. Man, the OU cafeteria has gotten a lot classier than it was in my day! Don't get me wrong, it was decent when I lived in the dorms. But now it has a grillhouse section, a pizza bar, a burrito bar, a stir fry bar, a dessert bar, one of the best salad bars I've ever seen anywhere, a breakfast station, a Chick-Fil-A, a frozen yogurt stand, and a Starbucks. Classy.

I got myself a bowl of Golden Grahams as an appetizer while I waited for my burger. Now, in my day, a burger from the cafe consisted of getting in line, putting a white bread bun on a plate, getting a burger out of a steam tray of burgers, and then adding toppings. Today, though, I got a grilled-to-order burger with Swiss and cheddar cheese, topped with grilled onions and bell peppers, lettuce, and tomato, all on a ciabatta bun. Classy.

And it all tasted better because--now get this--it was free. And by free I mean I payed no money to get in, as a freshman by the name of Phil had left-over meals he was sharing with all comers. Thanks, Phil!

Tuesday is a fitting day for all this mealtime fun, because this was the first semester since I started grad school that Jessie and I didn't spend our lunchtime on Tuesdays at the 2:8 House, the home of the OU Nazarene campus minster. The 2:8 House offered free lunch to all comers every week as a way to encourage community, and it was hugely successful. So successful that it started to overwhelm Dave's attempts to actually get to know the people coming, I think, so they decided to change things up. I don't hold it against them, but I have missed Tuesday lunch. So today was a nice reminder that food and community go together.

Friday Video Extravaganza

Today is the kickoff of OU's Humans vs. Zombies game 2010, so hit the jump for some key tips for surviving.

Friday Video Extravaganza

First, we have the alphabetical stylings of *Sir* Patrick Stewart:


Now, to get more funky with it, Autotune the Infomercial starring the SlapChop:


If you thought that was impressive, wait until you see Super Mario take on the four part harmony of Queen:


And finally, the piece de resistance, a song with no language but plenty of lyrics... Prisencolinensinainciusol:


You're welcome, Internets.

My Typical Week in Images

Sunday: Church Day


Monday: Back To Work Day


Tuesday: 2:8 House Lunch Day


Wednesday: Teaching Day


Thursday: Research Day


Friday: Academic Seminar Day


Saturday: Who Knows What Will Happen Day

Products You May Need

Do you ever come across a product for sale and wonder how it could even exist, much less be sold? While browsing Amazon recently, I came across several that I was not able to account for. These products may or may not be real, but they certainly make you think.

For your consideration:

For the kid who has everything (until it all gets thrown in the trash by airport security), the Playmobil Security Check Point.

What do hens and ergonomics have in common? This chair.

Enjoy the aesthetics of toast, but watching your carbs? No? Well, you might like this inflatable breakfast dish anyway.

More worried about the coming alien invasion than the coming zombie apocalypse? Consider investing in either of the fine anomaly detectors here or here. (May also work with ghosts, but I don't think that's guaranteed)

Ever wish you could relax in your very own isolation pod? Now, for a mere $40k, you can.

And last, but certainly not least, the JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser: a small personal tank shaped frighteningly like Jabba the Hutt's Barge.

I Don't Think This Is Less Graphic

Courtesy of Bent Objects, which you should all really check out. Thanks to Jessie for the pointer.

Recipe #02

Garlic Parmesan Soup

Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons white flour, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 cup chicken stock/broth (no bouillon cubes or MSG!), 1 cup whole milk, 1/2 large white onion (sliced as desired), a few ounces of shredded Parmesan cheese, 1/2 pound ground turkey or sausage (optional), salt and pepper

Tools: Soup pot, whisk

Melt the butter in the pot over a low to medium heat. Whisk in the flour until fully mixed. After about 30 seconds, mix in the garlic until coated, then add mustard and mix. When this is fully mixed and is smelling tasty, increase heat to medium-high and add broth, milk, and onion (in that order). Whisk continuously for a few minutes, adding salt and pepper. When soup is beginning to steam, but before thickening, add the Parmesan. Continue whisking until the soup thickens. Add turkey or sausage (which you have seasoned and cooked to taste earlier) if desired.

My friends, this is at least as tasty as any MSG-laden soup you can imagine... and without the neuro-toxins! It works on its own as soup, it works as a savory sauce, it keeps in the fridge. The recipe scales up (and probably down, too). You could probably add potatoes or soup veggies. I want some of this right now.

Recipe #01

I don't believe I've ever given cooking advice on this blog before. For those who don't know, I really enjoy cooking. I don't have as much time for it as I'd like, but every once in a while I like to make really fun dishes.

One that I've really learned to appreciate is brown rice. Now, the first time I made brown rice, I followed the instructions on the bag. Disgusting stuff, some of the worst food I've had. I assumed that since brown rice is ridiculously good for you, bad texture and unappealing flavor were required. However, I have since learned how to make a flavorful, fluffy, nutritious side that goes with almost any meal. It's not fast (about 1 hour from start to serving), but if you've got the time, it's worth it.

Brown Rice Recipe

Serves 2 - 4 (depending on portions)
Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked brown rice, 2.5 cups water, approx. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, coconut or olive oil, salt
Equipment: toaster oven w/ tray, big pot

First, rinse the rice thoroughly in warm water. Make sure the rice is soaked through. Next, lay out the rice on the toaster oven tray. Spread the sesame seeds out on top. Toast the rice at approximately 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

When the rice has just a couple minutes left, put the water in the big pot and bring it to a boil. pour a small amount of oil into the water. Once the rice is toasted, take it out of the oven and pour it immediately into the boiling water. If it's going well, your kitchen should be filled with a nutty, sesame smell, and the rice will make a nice fluffing sound when it hits the water. Even out the rice on the bottom of the pot and cover. Reduce the heat to a low boil and leave it on the heat for 30 minutes. You can add salt after about 15 minutes if you like (the salt is optional, it will still be good without it).

Once the timer goes off, move the rice off of the heat, but do not lift the lid! That part cannot be stressed enough. Leave the rice covered for at least 5 minutes, but not more than 10. When you take the lid off, use whatever you prefer to lift and fluff the rice / sesame seed mixture. Serve.

This is, I promise, a tasty tasty dish. It tends to dry up a bit when reheated, but is OK the next day. I recommend serving with grated white cheese on top.