Fishtail/Rope Braid Tutorial

I wanted to post a tutorial for a fishtail/rope hybrid braid I came up with.  Necessity is the mother of invention in this case. I was doing a french fishtail and ran short on time once I got to the nape, so instead of tying a ponytail, I finished up the ends in a quick rope braid.  When I saw the back, I was pleasantly surprised.

If "French fishtail the head down to the nape of the neck. Once all the hair is taken up, rope braid the two pieces together until the end" doesn't mean much to you... yet... here's a video tutorial to walk you through.

Note: Hurray!  I managed to create my first Youtube upload!

Spring is Here

With spring dawning upon us, there are beautiful flowers popping up hither and thither - including in my back yard.  The bright splashes of colour tempted me into going out with my camera to play at photographer.  I thought I'd share the pics with you here.

Daffodils: These were quite the surprise when we moved in - just an errant patch of them by the fence - but a nice notice that balmy days will be here soon enough.

 

Forsythia:  A flower steeped in folklore. The old wives' tale says that once the forsythia blooms, there are three more snows and then winter is done.  So far, I've counted one snow and two bouts of hail. Does hail count?  The lore also says that the lilacs won't bloom until winter is gone for good.



This is the state of the lilacs right now - a little ways to go yet.



I'll keep counting snow and hail until those pretty purple flowers bloom - see how the lore holds up here.

Happy spring!

100 Foods to Try Before You Die

There's a list buzzing around online and on Facebook lately. 100 foods to try before you die! I figured, why not join the masses this time. Here's how my experience so far measures up to the "100 foods" list.

1. Venison - Yes, and I enjoyed it well enough. My favourite preparation has been in the form of maple-venison sausages.
2. Nettle tea - I don't believe I've had the opportunity. :(
3. Huevos rancheros - Only pathetically Canadianized: fried eggs topped with salsa. So, no. :(
4. Steak tartare - Not yet, but I would if given the chance.
5. Crocodile - Yes, once or twice. It didn't make much of an impact.
6. Black pudding - Haven't had the chance, but I would.
7. Cheese fondue - a few times. Mmmm, gooey, fatty, cheesy deliciousness. The only thing I didn't like were the little pickles and onions for dipping.
8. Carp - I don't think so.
9. Borscht - Again, not yet.
10. Baba ghanoush - Yes, often. Eggplant and garlic - what's not to like?
11. Calamari - Many times. Usually battered and fried at the pub. Delish!
12. Pho - Not yet. Pho is Vietnamese. Vietnamese cooking uses lots of peanuts. I'm allergic to peanuts. Find me guaranteed safe pho and I'll gladly try it!
13. PB&J sandwich - See 12. Peanut allergy makes this impossible. I have had sandwiches with various nut butters (almond, cashew, or roasted soy) and jelly, though.
14. Aloo gobi - I've had a few Indian dishes (saag aloo, palak paneer, etc) but not specifically aloo gobi, so, no.
15. Hot dog from a street cart — A few times, usually when I don't have time for anything better. (I'm not a hot dog fan.)
16. Epoisses - No, I haven't tried this. How have I not tried this? I must try this!
17. Black truffle - Truffle flavoured oil? Yes. Actual truffles? Not yet.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - Absolutely. Strawberry, raspberry, watermelon, dandelion...
19. Steamed pork buns - Regular, and BBQ, and I love them both.
20. Pistachio ice cream - Yes. It's okay.
21. Heirloom tomatoes - Yes, there was a free tasting of different varieties downtown last year. It was interesting.
22. Fresh wild berries - Absolutely. Wild blueberries and raspberries back home.
23. Foie gras - Oh, so good. If you're worried, though, do try to make sure that the one you try was ethically produced.
24. Rice and beans - Well, I've had rice. I've had beans. I've had them side by side. I've had them mixed together. Technically, yes. Purists would likely say no.
25. Brawn, or head cheese - Yep. I really couldn't see what the fuss was about. I enjoyed it. The gelatin made the whole thing seem more tender (after all, it's the gelatin in the "tough cuts" that makes stew meat so delicious.)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - Not straight, and not planning to.
27. Dulce de leche - I've had dulce de leche flavoured things, but not proper dulce de leche. I so would, though.
28. Oysters - Both raw and cooked. I preferred them raw, but can pass on the mignonette sauce. I'm not so fond of vinegary flavours.
29. Baklava - Yes.  Very sweet, very tasty. Somehow spicier than I'd imagined. I don't know why.
30. Bagna cauda - not yet. :(
31. Wasabi peas - Yep. Crunchy. Horseradish-type spicy. Bar snack. Enh.
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - Not in this exact configuration, no.
33. Salted lassi - Tried it. It's okay. I much prefer a mango lassi, though.
34. Sauerkraut - yes. Ick.
35. Root beer float - Of course. A childhood treat if ever there was one.
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - I have had cognac. I've never smoked anything, though, including cigars. Don't plan to, either.
37. Clotted cream tea - Haven't had the opportunity.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - Yes. They don't taste that good. I want to give the humble jello shot a makeover someday - make it worth getting buzzed on. Edit: there are some amazing sites out there that elevate the jello shot to an art form - a tasty one. This site rocks.
39. Gumbo - Yes, but not with okra in it. There was no okra available at the time.
40. Oxtail - Not yet, but I would.
41. Curried goat - Not curried, but I've had goat.
42. Whole insects - BBQ seasoned mealworms. Not a big deal, except that they were ridiculously overpriced as they were a novelty item.
43. Phaal - No. I don't particularly want to, either.
44. Goat’s milk - (Not yet. Maybe I should. I know where I can get some...) Edit - Yes I have. No, it doesn't taste the same as cow's milk - the lingering after taste had that distinctive goat cheesy tang.
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - If only...
46. Fugu - Find me a chef certified to do the prep and enough money and I'll be there with bells on.
47. Chicken tikka masala - Yes, a bite or two. I much prefer butter chicken, though.
48. Eel - Oh, I love Japanese BBQ eel. Mmmmm, unagi...
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - Yes, they bribed us with some at a job one summer. Tasty!
50. Sea urchin - Yes! I got to try it last fall! They tasted like a sweet, creamy, clam and were much improved by a small splash of Japanese soy sauce.
51. Prickly pear - Not yet, I don't think.
52. Umeboshi - Yep, it's still a taste I'm acquiring.  Very, very salty.
53. Abalone - Not yet.
54. Paneer - Yes. Tasty, tasty.
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - Yes, but fewer than 10 times.
56. Spaetzle - a few times. Pastalicious.
57. Dirty gin martini - I've tasted it. I prefer sweeter drinks, personally.
58. Beer above 8% ABV - Nope.
59. Poutine - Heck yeah!
60. Carob chips - Yes, they're alright.
61. S’mores - A camp tradition.
62. Sweetbreads - Not yet.
63. Kaolin - Someone was saying this is actually Kaopectate? If so, yes. If it's the clay, maybe in toothpaste?
64. Currywurst - Nope.  I'm not breaking my heart over this one, either.
65. Durian - Not yet. Honestly, this one intimidates me a bit.  If I was somewhere and someone could confirm that it was at the perfect stage of ripeness, I would taste it.
66. Frogs’ legs - Yep. Sort of like dark chicken meat, but so much smaller.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - Yes, yes, yes, and yes!
68. Haggis - Not yet. I want to. I really want to.
69. Fried plantain - I've had plantain chips from the local bulk store.  I bet the fresh stuff is better.
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - (Not yet.) Edit: Yes!  I got to taste a bit of andouillette at a charcuterie shop when I was in Paris. (It's still funny to say that.)  Now, I very strongly dislike mustard. I've never in my life said "This would go great with a nice dense bread and some hot mustard" but in that moment, I wanted both and would have happily eaten the three together.
71. Gazpacho - Heck, I've made this.  It's alright.
72. Caviar and blini - Please? Pretty please?
73. Louche absinthe - I had the chance but was pregnant at the time, so, no. :(
74. Gjetost, or brunost - I've tried many cheeses, but I don't think I've had these.
75. Roadkill - Lol, if it was, nobody told me.
76. Baijiu - nope
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - I think I bought one, once. I was at the store. I was hungry. It was cheap.  It wasn't very good, either.
78. Snail - Yes, more than once.  I enjoy those chewy, slimy types of textures - especially when they're drowning in garlic butter and cheese.
79. Lapsang souchong - Heck yes, I have some loose leaf at home. I love it's woodsmoke aroma.
80. Bellini - As the occasional brunch treat, yes.
81. Tom yum - Not yet. Again, Thai foods are hard for me to eat safely.
82. Eggs Benedict - Just about any opportunity I get! So delicious. Rich and decadent.
83. Pocky - Lol, yes.  Chocolatey (or strawberry-y) coated cookie sticks. More of a novelty item back in highschool than anything.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant - It's on my bucket list.
85. Kobe beef - Ditto.
86. Hare - I've had rabbit a few times, for what it's worth.
87. Goulash - Nope.
88. Flowers - Yes. Roses, nasturtiums, dandelion, violet, chamomile, lavender, etc..
89. Horse - You know, I had the opportunity to try horse tartare on my honeymoon, but I think my husband would have divorced me then and there. (His mom keeps horses.)  We had goose instead.
90. Criollo chocolate - Not yet, though I may get the opportunity in the next month or so...
91. Spam - Yes. *hangs head in shame* Salty, salty, pseudo-meat that gave me heartburn.
92. Soft shell crab - Yes. I don't like this. The texture was a little too akin to soggy nail clippings for my liking. For the record, I don't like shrimp shells, either.
93. Rose harissa - I don't think so. No rush either. I'm not a capsaicin fan.
94. Catfish - Haven't had the chance, but I would.
95. Mole poblano - Nope. Find me a peanut safe and mildly spiced one, and I will, though.
96. Bagel and lox - Yes please! So good. So, so, so good.
97. Lobster Thermidor - Sadly, no. I must fix this.
98. Polenta - Had it? Heck, I've made it. It's basically cornmeal porridge that's either served as porridge or cooked to really really thick and allowed to set into sliceable pieces. Salt level. Is. Key.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - I doubt it. If I did, I didn't know coffee well enough to appreciate it, yet.
100. Snake - I can't remember. Probably not.

I think the total there is 54/100.

Though I haven't tried everything I'm about to mention, I think the following foods should definitely be on the list:
Elderflower fritters
Turducken
Chicken sashimi (yeah, you heard me.)
Patates Dauphinoises
Bone marrow
Chocolate fondue/ Hot oil fondue
Ichigo daifuku
Inarizushi
Yorkshire puddings (If bagels and lox and Big Mac meals can be on the list, so can this. Imagine a life without ever tasting Yorkshire pudding! That was me before I met my now husband. I had no clue what wonderful tastiness I'd been missing!)
lychees

I'm sure I could come up with more if I stopped to think and look around a bit longer...

What do you think? How many have you tried? How many would you try?  What would you add to my 10 extra items? We need the 100 Foods, v.2.0!

Simple Meals

With Easter around the corner, this also means that Good Friday is rapidly approaching.  If you don't know what Good Friday is, generally it's supposed to be treated as a day of fasting, mourning, and a general bummer.  Personally, this reminds me of a lean time in my life when nearly every day was a fast day. (20$/month for food and medicine doesn't go far when you don't know how to cook!)  I'd like to talk about a few ideas that I wish I'd known then, to help get you through a lean day - voluntary or not.


Grain Porridge
Who says the only "hot cereal" is oatmeal?  Besides cream of wheat, you can make hot cereal with any grain you want, really.  Take grain, add enough water. Bring to a boil, and cook down until done.  Make it as thick or as runny as you like.  Try it with barley, millet, or quinoa.  Make it with rice and you have congee.

If you associate porridges with sweets like evaporated milk, maple syrup, brown sugar, or jam, challenge your perceptions and make a savory porridge.
Start with a sauteed onion, then toss in your grains and swish them around the pot or pan to toast them a bit.   Then add in your liquid and cook as above.  Water always works, or you can try using stock if you have some, to up the flavour.
A common addition when making rice porridge is egg.  Right when your congee is ready to come off the heat, crack in a raw egg and stir it around until it cooks.  It completely changes the mouthfeel of the porridge and makes it much richer.  Theoretically, you could try this with other grains, but I haven't, yet.


That all being said, oatmeal is still pretty amazing because it cooks up so quickly (5-10 minutes as opposed to some other grains that can take close to an hour - if not longer!)

Oatmeal

This is a classic, but I like to make it ever so slightly differently than it says on the bag. 

Here's how:

In a pot, add 1 part oats and 2 parts water.  One serving is usually between 1/4 c. and 1/3 c.  Feel free to add a pinch of salt.  If you'd like it runnier, add more liquid.  Pop it onto medium to medium/high heat and stir constantly (the stirring will make it creamier, I promise.)  I just stay there, stirring fairly often until it boils and thickens a bit, then drop the heat and stir a bit more often until it reaches the final thickness you like.  Pour in a bowl and eat.

When I make this any other time, I usually do equal parts oats, water, and milk.  The milk rounds out the flavour just a touch more.  To make it heartier and up the fat and protein content, try stirring in a spoonful of nut or seed butter. If you have some dried fruits available, add them at the start with the liquid - they'll plump up as you cook.

Sure, these aren't the most balanced meals in the world, but they're non-perishables and in a pinch they'll fill you up, warm you on a cool day, and get you by for a while - just don't be afraid to try combinations beyond oats, cream, and brown sugar!

Self-Promotion

This was an assignment post.

Our next order of business is to examine social media and how it can help us promote ourselves.  Let's take a look, shall we?

In a hurry? Skip the intro.

What is self-promotion?
the act or practice of promoting one's own interests, profile, etc.
In other words, it's taking what you have to offer and making it visible. If this is done well, it is not obnoxious.  It is done with the goal of creating a fan base of people who enjoy and consume what you have to offer.  Ideally, if you can get people to consume your product, this may mean you can make money.  Like it or not, if you're trying to make your way as a musician, it is a business.
 
What, in my opinion, is an example of bad self-promotion?
Have you ever come across those search results that hit all the keywords you want and looks so promising, and then you click the link...
and there it is...

a PAGE that is essentially an infomercial! All the questions you were asking! And we have the answers!! Buy the book (or website password) for a low low price!!! Worth every penny!!!!! (!!!)

There are plenty of examples I could link to for demonstration purposes, but I refuse to direct any traffic to those pages based on principle... seriously, does anyone really buy stuff from these pages?

Part of the reason it sucks is because it's completely one-sided. They don't offer anything of serious substance to draw you in, except for grandiose claims that boast of how great they are. There's no give and take. It's not enough, anymore.


*end rant*



So you still want to promote yourself.  Have you considered using social media to increase your visibility?
Although you risk getting lost in the ocean of other self-starters, if you can do it well it can get a whole bunch of people to hear about you (and maybe even like) your product/service.


There are...

1. Blogs:  There are many blog hosting sites, like blogger or wordpress, where you can blog about your experience.
   
   • Pros: 
   • It can be easy to network if you already lurk in certain communities by simply commenting constructively. (Hint: "Good post! Check out my blog at ...." is spam.)
   • There are a variety of layouts that are fairly user friendly with lots of room for personalization.
   • Free, usually.
   • Cons:
   • Generic templates can make you look cheap/amateurish.
   • Limited to a post-by-post view.
   • No "homepage" of highlights to first view. (For instance, a list of upcoming shows.)
2.  Websites:
   
   • Pros:
   • More polished and professional than a blog.
   • More control over your address name.
   • You can set it up however it works for you.
   • Cons:
   • Costs money. (Because it's common knowledge that musicians are flush with cash.)
   • Can look pretty empty and sad if you can't update it with video or show dates on a regular basis.
   • Can look pretty bad if you have no skill at designing/coding layouts. Getting someone, again, will likely cost more money.
3. Facebook: (or MySpace...)
   
   • Pros:
   • Your family, friends, and naturally "biggest fans" are probably already on your friends list.  Make yourself a band page and get them to follow. Word of mouth can spread quickly
   • It's super easy and you can connect to nearly anyone.
   • Very simple to advertise actively (as opposed to the passive approach to posting a "hey, guess what?" on a home site/blog and hoping people stop by.) Make an event and invite people. 
   • Cons:
   • Be careful with what and how you post. If you get annoying, people may stop following you and you'll be back and square one, but with an increased anti-following.
   • Again, remember: facebook is virtually forever. Something may come back to bite you someday. (This goes with anything online, but people do tend to be more casual and think less on Facebook.) Remember that this is essentially your business storefront.
     
4. Wikipedia:  You may not have expected this one and I wouldn't suggest it as a main form of promotion, but it could make a nice extra touch to your presence.
   
   • Pros:
   • It's often the first place people go to look something up.
   • Wikipedia results often show up very early in search engine results, which could help bump you up.
   • Cons:
   • If they don't know your name and just search "musician" or "band" with a couple other generic descriptors, you've really got no chance of showing up.
   • Mischievous folk could go in and alter your info. You'll have to keep an eye on it to maintain reliable information.
5. YouTube (video uploads)
   
   • Pros: 
   • Gee, as a musician, wouldn't it be convenient if, instead of struggling to define your sound exactly or self-hype how amazing you are, you could just display some of your material so people can hear how great you are?
     Oh wait!
     There is!
     Here! 
     Post a youtube vid. Even the video function built into most digital cameras will give decent quality nowadays. Get a friend to tape you at a gig or set up the camera in your room and go to town a la Bo Burnham. Link the video back to your blog, if you have one. Yay!
   • Cons:
   • if you suck, you're done - unless you're SO bad you go viral and find infamy.

Good Luck!


Sources:
- This blog entry says everything I wanted to say, but way better! It also has some tips to promote yourself offline.  The rest of the website looks pretty informative as well. I strongly suggest you check it out.
http://surfacefestival.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/25-tips-on-how-to-self-promote-your-band-2/

-  http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/building-relationships-11-rules-for-self-promotion.html

Tips For Protecting Your Online Presence

This was an assignment post.

Social media, blogs, and their effects are interesting.  We've gone from writing in little journals with little locks on them and telling things to a few friends - from keeping our information private and selective - to posting our thoughts with more visibility, permanence, and potential for notoriety than if we were to stand in Central Park half-naked with a loud speaker and shout out our business for everyone to hear.

Because there are no faces staring back at us to react, we feel protected. We feel anonymous. We feel safe.

We're delusional.

While blogs are quite simply visible to everyone, social media sites are a bit trickier to wrap the mind around.

In a nutshell, it's like this: Everything you post online can be accessed by anyone. Forever.  You have privacy settings? They can be overridden.  You delete the photos or posts? They've been cached. All "your" data can be hacked or stolen if it is online and someone wants it.(2)

Here are some concrete examples to give you a better feel for what I mean...

Do you remember when facebook allowed you to set the privacy settings of your display picture?  That's long gone, now. It was wiped out in an update along with a plethora of "improvements" that they said would allow you to further control your privacy settings ... with the exception of your display picture. (3)

They changed it. Dumped it. Just like that. Your privacy is a courtesy they extend. It protects you about as well as those old diary locks could. You get a sense of security and the truly hopeless are deterred, but if someone comes along and wants your info, they will get it if it's there.

So what can you do to help yourself? Don't make it easy for them.  Posting "John Doe is in Italy!" is equivalent to posting "John Doe's house is empty!"  Combine that with an unknowingly geotagged picture from your home or a landline phone number and you may as well hand the crook your valuables on a silver platter.

Also, don't bother trying to hide behind "free speech."  Calling your boss a jerk at work will get you fired. Why should blogging or facebooking about his being a jerk be any safer?

PWT - posts without thought - can get you embarrassed at least (4), and stalked, fired, or divorced at worst.(1)

Getting the idea?

It isn't exactly complicated logic - just common sense and civility that's been muddled by the new common behaviour.

Ask yourself:
Would you want your boss to hear it?
How about your grandmother?
Your spouse?
A nosy neighbour?
Would you want your kids to hear it?
Would you say it comfortably to a stranger?

If the answer to any of these is "no" then maybe you shouldn't post it!

It's not that hard.


References
1- http://blog.jeroenhoekman.com/facebook_could_get_you_fired_or_divorced.htm (2012)
(Note: some links contain coarse language.)

2- http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/facebook.asp (2012)
(Note that while the third-party applications are stated as violating terms of service and the actions as inappropriate, it glosses over the fact that the photo theft nonetheless happened.)

3- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Facebook#Upgrades (2012) (Section: Upgrades, Nov/Dec 2009)

4- Everyone has seen that pic that should never have been posted and makes everyone cringe. Do I really need to provide a link, here?

Introduction

Observe! An introductory post! From me, Schuyler.  My name is not, in fact, Schuyler. This is a pseudonym. A nom de plume. An alias.  Like George Sand, or Lewis Carroll, or, say, Whoopi Goldberg. I have a different name that is used in legal matters and in every day life out in the non-virtual world.  That name is not for here, though.  Why? Because I'm shy, pseudonyms are fun, and I just don't wanna use my real one!

Smart-assery aside, this blog did have its origins as a school project. That's why I picked "Schuyler" - it essentially means "scholar" or "student." Well, that course is long over, I passed, and now I'm re-purposing this as my personal, general use blog. Here, I can share my attempts at DIYs, miscellaneous kitchen experiments, and other lessons I encounter on my way, so I think Schuyler still fits. I love learning.

Hi.

P.S.: Am I the only one who is amused by the blog spell-check highlighting "blog" as a typo?