the bouncey zone

At the moment I’m between road trips. The weekend before last we went to AnimeFest in Dallas. It was a good little vacation. The boys stayed home with their grandmother, we met up with some friends at the convention, and we stayed in a nice (though a bit overpriced) hotel. The dealers room and video rooms alone were worth the trip.

Along the way we had supper at El Fenix and lunch at Whole Paycheck – uh, I mean, Whole Foods Market. We shopped at REI twice, once to buy a travel clothesline, and a second time because their big Labor Day sale was nearing its end. I like to visit those places when in DFW. We don’t have them in OKC.

We tested the “wear 1 pack 2″ clothes packing system. Thus the clothesline. It worked pretty well, with amazingly light backpacks, but we learned two useful lessons.

First, bring clothes that can be wrung out and hung to dry without staying stretched out. Second, keep up with the nightly hand-washing if you don’t have a washing machine nearby. We still had clean clothes, but one particular shirt turned out to be dirty when it was needed.

Last weekend was Grand Assembly of Archers. It was a rainy weekend, so we didn’t bother to camp. Shooting arrows in the rain is more fun than it sounds. Next time I want to bring the crossbow.

Later this week we’re driving to Gatlinburg to visit some of Dana’s family. It’ll be a great trip. I already have two audio books lined up for the drive, beyond the usual podcasts, music, and hour upon hour of Dave Ramsey. One is “It’s Called Work for a Reason” by Larry Winget. The other is “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall.

I picked the running book because it comes universally recommended by barefoot runners. I’m not quite one of those yet, but I’ve been interested in the concept since reading Tim Ferriss’s article about his Vibram Five Fingers shoes. (I really want some of those monkey-toe shoes, but I’m still watching for the KSO model to go on sale.)

At least 3/4 of the average day I’m barefoot. I can get away with it because I’m at home with the boys. When we go outside, I just put on my trusty Chaco sandals, or my “real” shoes if we’re going somewhere fancy. They come off again when we get home. I learned this from the Japanese. No shoes tracking mud inside means a cleaner floor.

But after looking into how feet work, I noticed something interesting. I’ve always been clumsy. I trip over carpet, stumble on stairs, and generally clomp around – when wearing shoes. But when I take off the shoes, suddenly I’m much more graceful. I can change speeds in an instant and turn on a dime. “Clomp clomp clomp” turns into an everyday sort of ballet.

How this happens mechanically is simple. With shoes, my feet land heel-toe and lift off again like I’m wearing concrete. Barefoot, my feet usually land towards the middle or the front, and my step pushes off with the ball and toes. Turning, pivoting, or stretching also generally happen closer to the toes. Skin grips ground pretty well, and its sensory feedback lets me adjust posture for balance when the surface changes.

I don’t have think about it very often, it just happens. I go from gorilla to gazelle. Well, relatively speaking. I’m sure compared to any barefoot athlete I’m still clumsy. But it’s an improvement.

So I’ve almost decided that the barefoot or near-barefoot believers might be onto the right idea. If not for running outside, then at least for ordinary walking indoors.

Today I’m going to bake cookies for Scott’s pre-K class. We’re on the schedule to bring snacks tomorrow. Most likely I’ll make oatmeal cranberry cookies. Just start with any oatmeal raisin recipe, use cranberry “raisins” instead, and add some extra. The effect is subtle but tasty.

This morning Scott stood up in front of the church and sang several songs with a group of other kids. It was the culmination of the past week’s Vacation Bible School. The songs had dance and gesture (loosely based on sign language) components. Scott had a great time with the dancing. He loves to dance, the sillier the better.

I figured out something as he waved his arms and spun around with the others. I’ve always wondered, how is it that parents can still be so proud of their children, even after watching them mess up in painfully obvious ways?

Part of it, the part that occurred to me, is that we knew our children back when all they could do was cry and explode diapers. Then one day Junior Thunderpants feeds himself, plants his own bottom on the toilet, and dances around to a song I’ve never heard before.

I’m not just proud – I’m delighted. Of course I expect more, but it’s a great start. Now if we could just get him to wipe himself and put his toys away…

Scott and I have been learning how to make bread. Really it’s not my first try at bread-making. Once, during a summer break in the middle of college, I tried to make bread the old-fashioned way. The end result was inedible pretzel-colored cannon balls that were mailed to a camp in Alabama. Dana still talks about them.

Around the same time, I made a stack of serviceable pizza crusts. It was a lot of work for not much gain.

This time we’re trying a different method. Rather than kneading and rising and kneading and rising ad nauseam, we’re doing it the lazy way.

First mix up some very wet dough. (Scott can help with this.) Let it sit for a couple hours, then put it in the fridge. Next day, carve off a piece, shape it into a ball, let it rest for an hour or so, and bake for half an hour. Cool on a wire rack before serving. Easy.

Results? Chewy crust, good flavor, dense texture. I’ve had worse from actual bakeries. The yeast packets had expired two years ago, so today I’m trying again with fresher yeast. Maybe it’ll rise better next time.

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Earlier in the week I had my first accident with the antique double-edge razor. I was doing a late night shave and shower, and was a little tired and distracted. I didn’t notice that the razor’s twisty knob was a tiny bit loose, causing the blade to be a little wobbly. Thus I got a few cuts, one of them bad enough to still be noticeable several days later.

For a few days I allowed my face to recover, using my electric razor to ward off the homeless look and applying neosporin as an after-shave lotion. Then I bravely got back onto the metaphorical horse – this time making sure the dang knob was tight enough. No problems since. Really, I’ve had cuts from modern disposable razors that were almost as bad.

Double-edge and electric razors make a good team. The blade does a great job, if used correctly, but it works best in the middle of a hot shower. The electric is better for a quick touch-up when I’m in a hurry. Both are useful.

In a little while we’re going out to dinner. Father’s Day ya know. I hope the restaurants aren’t too crowded.

At a vendor stall in Asakusa I picked up a small bag of kompeito. It’s a little lump of rock candy that melts into a delicate sweetness with the faintest hint of added flavor. Kompeito looks a little bit like everlasting gobstoppers from the original Willy Wonka movie.

Best candy ever. At least it’s right up there with candied ginger and dark chocolate. Very popular in anime. [wikipedia link]

I’d like to find a relatively local source before this bag runs out. The manufacturer seems to sell only in Japan. J-box lists kompeito too. The cost is similar to what I originally paid after shipping is added.

Cheaper would be better. I’ll have to check at the asian grocery sometime.

My son likes cranberry-raisins and candied ginger. He can gobble either at an amazing speed, despite the strong tart and spicy flavors.

Kids are fun.

An ice storm is moving into central Oklahoma!

Dana is coming home early from the office. It probably would’ve been a better idea just to stay home this morning, but as of 6:30 the forecasts said that the ice would arrive much later in the day. They were off by about 6 hours.

We went to Wal-Mart last night to buy groceries. It was a madhouse! Apparently everyone got the idea to come in and do a week’s worth of shopping before the ice hit. The crowd had already wiped out certain types of “essential” items. Canned corn, Little Debbie snacks, ribbed Trojans, and mild/medium chili seasoning packets were some of the funnier holes in the shelf. One lady drawled “We need some free-toes…”

The supply of shredded cheese was also mostly gone. Maybe everyone decided to make Frito Pies. I had a similar idea, so I made a big pot of chili using Morningstar crumbles, white onions, black soy beans, and “tex-mex style” chili seasoning. (Use what’s available — it was that or a “hot” packet.) Yum.

One thing bothered me though. The price signs over the Coca-Cola products said “everyday low price” of $1.08 for 2 liters. But it’s not an “every day” price! Sometimes it’s down to 88 cents. Sometimes its up to $1.28. I’m confused.

But I’m not confused about how I react to price changes. If it’s cheap, I stock up on Coke Zero. If it’s expensive, I skip it or buy a substitute — Diet Dr. Thunder only costs 58 cents. This is an example of Price Elasticity of Demand.

Skim this if you have time: [Supply and Demand]

We’re trying to clear out the freezer before getting more food tomorrow. Thus today’s lunch has a “freezer” theme – frozen pizza, frozen vegetables, frozen dessert…

In the back of the freezer was strange aluminum tub containing a rectangular cake. The label says “Pound Cake”, yet it’s only 10.75 ounces. I’m confused.

Maybe it’ll be good with some recently thawed strawberries.

The area around the Tulsa Radisson is a great location for a sci-fi convention. Along with a potential overflow hotel (La Quinta) across the street, there’s also a grocery store, a liquor store, a hair stylist, and several restaurants. All within a short walk.

This time we tried the Blue Willow Cafe. It’s a little place in the Reasor’s grocery parking lot. Look between Super Cuts and the chinese restaurant. I don’t know what its hours are, but we were there for lunch on a Saturday.

Generally it’s similar to an IHOP, except with better service and more value for the money. I needed some protein, something the hospitality suite tends to lack, so I ordered a veggie omelet. It was huge! It came with a big slab of hash browns and a stack of toast. Very tasty. I was stuffed for hours.

Here’s its street address:

Blue Willow Cafe
11009 E 41st St
Tulsa, OK 74146 USA

Try it if you happen to be in Tulsa anytime soon.

We’ve been busy making soap to sell at the Medieval Fair. It’s at the end of the month, and we have to allow at least 4 weeks for the cold process bars to be cured enough. That gave us a production deadline of about a week ago. The rest of the month, while the last batches cure, is for packaging, brand/image development, paperwork, and other preparations for the fair.

We’re still taking suggestions for brand names and marketing tips. Please leave comments if you have any ideas.

I also learned to make liquid soap. It’s much faster than cold process; I can make up to 2 gallons in one day and have it ready for use the next morning. The finished product is very thin yet concentrated, much like Dr. Bronner’s liquid soaps. We plan to sell our liquid soap in foamy pump bottles. The foamers are due to arrive tomorrow.

Also due to arrive tomorrow is a For Crafts Sake “guest bar” soap equipment set. With that I’ll be able to take special orders for hotels, gift basket makers, wedding/baby shower favors, etc. That size bar is also good for hand soaps.

Speaking of soaping equipment, I got a new scale! It’s a MyWeigh KD-7000 that I ordered from Old Will Knott last week. The Royal scale that I got at Sams still works (okay really it quit working and I bought a second one around the end of December), but it won’t handle enough weight for larger soap batches. MyWeigh’s scale also has a splash guard and washable weighing platform. Small postal scales are too delicate for heavy use.

Angel got the next model down in the same scale family, the 7001DX, for her birthday. She seems to like it so far.

Scott’s first birthday is on the 25th of March. We’re planning a party, of course. Probably at our house. That’s another reason this month is busy…

Remember the black cherry mead that I brought to Namron Protectorate last fall? Well, a few days ago I bottled five gallons of the stuff! It’s already well aged, too, because it sat (off the lees) in a sealed glass carboy since November.

The sample that I drank tasted very good. It’s about 12-13% alcohol. This time I used only clear bottles to show off the color.

So what kind of homebrew should I do next? Maple mead perhaps?

Last night I drank some mead from my very first batch, bottled way back in 1999. Or was it 1998? Anyway, it’s not quite as foul as it used to be. Age can do wonders for straight mead.

I want to start selling my soap. This means increasing the rate of production, reducing the cost per bar, and making the finished soap more consistent. The only way to do all that without wearing myself out is to get better equipment.

Several companies sell excellent soap-making gear online. Unfortunately, they want more money than our little company can spend right now. So I went up to Scott Lagaly’s place in OKC for some carpentry.

Scott is the one who made the baby’s changing table last year. He has access to good tools, and he knows how to use them.

We made two box molds and a cutting device. Okay, Scott really did most of the work. I helped a little. The cutter is designed specifically for logs of soap that come out of the new molds. This should greatly reduce the amount of work needed to cut identical bars. It uses guitar strings for the cutting wires and has a hinge on the back. Imagine a cross between a hammered dulcimer and an egg slicer.

I put a picture of the cutter and one mold in the photo gallery. It’s in the soap album. Not pictured are the other mold and their mylar liners.

With this new equipment and my silicone cupcake pans ($5 each at Albertson’s), I should be able to make about 10 pounds of soap per batch. The planned result is 24 bars in each of two different sizes. It’s a start anyway.

That was the easy part. Here’s the big question: What should we use as a trade name? Are there any suggestions? We need to develop a good brand image.