How penguins fly

Yes, in a sense, they actually do fly.  By supercavitiation--creating a tunnel of air around themselves underwater.  Amazing little critters!


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(HT BRM)

Enjoy the Silence

Depeche Mode taken to a whole new level.  Have some tissues handy.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-5yXA6jiCZg

Time flies...!

Mea culpa, I haven't been keeping up on this blog as much as I wanted.  But I had to share my 3rd Anniversary gift:

For those who don't know, Cardhu is the base of every Johnnie Walker blend.  It's a truly awesome whiskey, and my lovely wife sought it out for me just to be that wonderful.

(As an aside, part of why I haven't been updating is that I couldn't post pics for the longest time.  I figured out that I have to use Chrome, whether I want to or not.  Grr.)

Bach in an entirely new context

This is absolutely epic.

Another night at home

Jen:  There's a T-shirt of Schroedinger's cat vs. Pavlov's dog.

Me:  Who won?

Jen:  Looks like the cat.

Me:  But, being Schroedinger's cat, we don't know if he won, really.

Jen:  Well, we don't know until we check, but until then, he has both won and lost.

Me:  This is why I love you...!

Restaurant find: San Diego

Well, my wife and I decided to take a weekend jaunt to San Diego(pictures to follow), and we found a truly wonderful sushi joint right off the beach.  Since I love good food in general and sushi in particular, I had to share this with all my nonexistent readers.

We entered Sushi Kuchi and were greeted and seated pleasantly and promptly.  Edamame with sea salt was provided as an appetizer.  For beverages, my wife had a Coke and water and I had an Asahi.

Dinner was the Salmon & Shrimp Roll for Jen and the Rose Roll for me.  Both were fantastic, in presentation and flavor.  The Salmon and Shrimp Roll came on a square plate with a lemon topped with literally flaming pink sugar. 

It had a subtle, delicate interplay of flavor and texture that kept every bite interesting.  You can see some of the Rose Roll in the background.  Its presentation was a bit more understated, but that certainly didn't harm the experience at all.  The Rose Roll has a spicy kick which--while authoritative--never crosses over the line into being overpowering. 

As we finished, we were treated to a deep-fried dumpling of lobster and crab, cut in half, sort of like an after-dinner mint for two.  Jen decided to have the Green Tea Ice Cream, which came in a just-right portion, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup.

And the whole experience came to less than thirty-four bucks.  (You'd better believe we tipped well!)  The night before, we'd eaten at our hotel restaurant, which was about ten bucks more expensive and consisted of preprocessed frozen crap.  Thank heavens we discovered this gem of a place, to end our vacation on a high note.

If you're in San Diego for any reason, I cannot recommend SushiKuchi enough.  For quality, presentation, taste, service and value, I give them five 'Forks Up!'
 

Six. Years. Old.

No, I'm not talking about a young Scotch, an old tequila or that McFry I found under the seat of my truck that still hasn't decomposed.  I'm talking about the drummer in this amazing video.

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I am dumbfounded.  Rock on, Avery!!

(HT iOTW)

UPDATE:  OK, I don't know why the embed won't work.  Try THIS.

A new immigrant

One of our soldiers repays a feline friend for his kindness...

"I'd lost hope in myself. I'd lost faith. Then all of a sudden this cat came over, and it was like ‘hey, you are you,'" he said.

But that same act of kindness made it clear to Knott that if he wanted to do what was best for Koshka, then he had to get his beloved cat out of Afghanistan and to his family home in Oregon.

"He pulled me out of one of my darkest times, so I had to pull him out of one of his darkest places," he told the station.

And people wonder why I love cats...because this is what they can do for us, if we let them.  God bless you, Sgt. Knott, and little Koshka as well.

New to the blogrolls

Cookrookery, featuring, at times, the culinary stylings of Christopher Baldwin, creator of the awesome webcomic SpaceTrawler.

I promise, I'm not abandoning CC&C...I work very long hours most of the week, and therefore have little time to do anything other than snarf down some fast food and a couple of beers, shower, pass out, wake up and do the whole thing over again.  But, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, Guinness-Braised Beef Brisket is coming up.  Stay tuned.

On Whisk(e)y

Brigid waxes poetic about the greatest of all distilled spirits...

The picture was taken north of Big Bro's place in January. The moon was building, the air was quiet, the earth a motionless sphere in cooling space. We stepped outside and breathed in the cold, across which the faint scent of a fire touched our palates with smoke. Above, the night streamed in thick indigo threads, beyond which lay myriad points of crystal lights. It was a good night for a small glass of whisky.

Whiskey vs. whisky? The difference between whiskey and whisky seems simple but it's not. Whisky typically denotes Scotch or Canadian versions and whiskey denotes the Irish and American beverages. Although both spellings are of Celtic origin, there are substantial differences between the countries products, include the selection of grains, number of distillations, the maturation period and the type of still and barrels used. Each country's style has its own unique characteristics to savor and there are some further divided into sub categories like bourbon.

Irish vs. Scotch? Unlike Scotch, the malted barley in Irish whiskey is dried in enclosed kilns, not over peat fires, and lacks that distinct smokiness of Scotch whiskies. Irish whiskeys maintain the natural flavor of the barley, fragrant, with a unique roundness of body. It's an enjoyable drink indeed, but not the beverage of this cold winter evening.

A good, smooth, complex Scotch can be your saving grace on a cold, dark night.

I've thought the same thing...

"Man has dominion over the animals, a right as fundamental as others we have to protect and sustain our family. But it's a role that should be exercised, not just with pride, but with humility, honoring the stewardship we have been charged with, just as we should honor the laws of our God and our community."

Take some time and RTWT at Home On The Range. 

When my time comes...

...unless it's quick and brutal, like a vehicle wreck, meteor strike or whatever, I hope they let me see my cats.

Like this lady.

If you have to go, that's the way.

Something new in the sky?

Looks like we're going to see at least one very noticeable comet next year, maybe more.  I can't wait, myself...this one's apparently going to make Hale-Bopp look like a sparkler!

When you consider the distances and physics involved, it's amazing to realize just how fortunate we'll be to witness this.  Unless someone digs up an ancient calendar that stops next month, in which case the whole world will end.