mini cooper S is pants

bits of it, anyway.

gf took one for a test drive the other night, and naturally loved the way it drove. however, we were both a bit dismayed with how cheap and plastic-y the interior was, along with the somewhat bizarre design for the controls. many functions were activated via toggle switches, separated by metallic loops. inappropriate and unnecessary, and it made me feel old. am i not in this car's target demographic?

but the most disappointing thing i didn't discover until i got home and did a little research. the S no longer has a supercharger; they've outfitted it with a turbo now. and placed the intercooler towards the front of the engine. no great surprise there, but: that means the hood scoop is now purely decorative.

i call shenanigans on the fake hood scoop. and i'm actually kind of surprised how much it being fake disappoints me.

ghirardelli 100% cacao baker's chocolate

i thought i was man enough, but i was not. i shall not be taking a bite from that bar again.

osha

omg, all the windows in my house are wood! AM I IN DANGER?!??!

i really have no idea what my government is doing anymore. we can't get it together on universal healthcare, but at least hardware store employees are now protected from terrorists. errr... wooden window frames, i mean.

joke of the day

Knock knock.

Who's there?

Debbie Gibson and Tiffany.

Debbie Gibson and Tiffany who?

Exactly.

the gauges

here's a pretty decent shot of the gauges i put in my car. and of the business complex where i work. i think these used to be apartment buildings, but now it's a business park. neatly tucked against I-294 (not pictured), providing a constant 50-80 dB "background" sound with the windows open.

bacon and eggs

i am honing my cheesy eggs recipe. this morning, i first cooked up some high-quality bacon, then drained the excess fat but still left a nice coating in the pan. before putting in the eggs, and off-heat, i threw in a handful of shredded Tillamook cheddar cheese and let that fry up a bit.

then the eggs, with black pepper, cayenne, and hot paprika and stirred. then i repeated these steps until finished (but not overcooked, like so many scrambled eggs in the US):

1. apply heat
2. remove from heat
3. stir

result was good, but i need to fry up the cheese a bit more, and/or use an additional cheese (gruyere?) for more flavor. and maybe a touch of sweet curry to round out the flavor a bit.

dehumanizing

this hallway leads to where i work. i was out in the hallway on the phone, "taking in" this "view". and i started to wonder why i put up with the things i do.