radiopeter

After arriving home from my first REAL ride on my new bicycle, I had to hop in the shower. So I decided to record a show. Enjoy.

No, I’m not referring to this post in the title, but every time I think of babies, I think of that lovely nail tech.

Tomorrow is the shower and I’m up to my ears in food and drink at home. I don’t quite think I’ve ever seen my fridge this full. I’m in for an evening of cooking, cleaning, and hanging some final pictures in my dining room.

I keep staring at the zebra print rug that my Japanese teacher gave me and I can’t decide if I’m going to leave it down for the party or not….

Here’s two more HDR’s I made. I can’t wait until the weather is better and I can bike around and shoot the city!

With the help of a piece of software called Photomatix, I’ve discovered the incredibly amazing world of HDR imaging. Essentially you take three images and combine them with the software to produce a High Dynamic Range image (HDR). This image is then flattened down to a more manageable contrast ratio (one that we can see displayed on a monitor) and you end up with amazing results:

Compare it with the before picture…

This is absolutely going to change the way I make photographs.

Here are the three images I supplied to Photomatix:

I think sometimes he reads what I say here. And I hope, with all my heart, that he can indeed hear what I’ve been saying.

To thyne own self be true.

If You Love Me
by Brownstone
produced by Dave Hall

i don’t wanna rain on this parade
but i’m starting to question the love that was made
i’m not looking for just an affair
i want a love that is based on truth
not just dare

you will not hurt my pride
if right now you decide
that you are not ready to settle down
but if you want my heart
then it’s time that you start
to act like you’re mine in the light and the dark

if you love me, say it
if you trust me, do it
if you want me, show it
if you need me, prove it

you see now actions speak louder than words
so don’t just say things that i’ve already heard
don’t want your body without your soul
i don’t want a love who will come here and go

you will not hurt my pride
if right now you decide
that you are not ready to settle down
but if you want my heart
then it’s time that you start
to act like you’re mine in the light and the dark

if you love me, say it
if you trust me, do it
if you want me, show it
if you need me, prove it

jitensha ga aru!
I got a bike!

The brand is called Giant but the bicycle itself is called a Cypress. It’s matte grey and it’s currently living in my kitchen. It will move to the back porch shortly, but I stashed it in the kitchen for now.

I bought it at Kozy in Lakeview with Ken. They checked it all out before I left the shop, adjusted a few things, mounted the lock, and off I went for my first ride up Halsted to my house.

I REALLY need to get a key for the gate on the side of my building. Carrying the bike up the front stairs just ain’t cool. And it needs a name…

Just Dropped In
(To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
by The First Edition
lyrics by Mickey Newbury

yeah
yeah
oh-yeah
what condition my condition was in

i woke up this mornin with the sundown shinin in
i found my mind in a brown paper bag within
i tripped on a cloud and fell eight miles high
i tore my mind on a jagged sky
i just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in

yeah
yeah
oh-yeah
what condition my condition was in

i pushed my soul in a deep dark hole and then i followed it in
i watched myself crawlin out as i was crawlin in
i got up so tight i couldnt unwind
i saw so much i broke my mind
i just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in

yeah
yeah
oh-yeah
what condition my condition was in

someone painted april fool in big black letters on a dead end sign
i had my foot on the gas as i left the road and blew out my mind
eight miles outta memphis and i got no spare
eight miles straight up downtown somewhere
i just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in

i said i just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in

Equus was remarkable. It was so powerful that I shut down after the show. As we left the theatre and headed home on the train, I could barely speak. I needed to be alone to sort out what I’d just experienced. I encourage any of you who are able, do not miss this show. It’s playing through May 13th at The Actor’s Workshop Theatre. I had originally intended on hanging out with Sean after the show, but I couldn’t do it.

As I sat at home thinking about the show, I realized for the first time how much I’d like to learn about acting. I can barely picture myself ever reaching any level of acting proficiency, but I’d love to study it more. I’ll have to work on that.

Saturday I did loads of domestic stuff in preparation for the coming baby shower, which is in five days(!). My Japanese lesson went well and right after I got a call from my friend Ken (of the Ken & Brad fame). They were going to cook out on their porch and play cards. I made a bee line for the Jewel, stocked up on potato salad and cole slaw (both of which I’d normally make by hand, but I had 30 only minutes) and zoomed over to their place. A fun evening of fun people and fun card games ensued. Really good times.

On Sunday I made my way to my parents house. They cooked lamb on the grill and afterward we trekked to Montrose Harbor to walk by the lake. Of course it was crazy busy because of the good weather, but we had fun anyway. Here are some very nostalgic shots. I love visiting where I grew up. It seems so spread out compared to the urban cluster where I live. But it still smells the same and looks nearly identical.

Tonight will be dinner and theatre. My friend Sean and I are going to see Equus at The Actor’s Workshop Theatre. I’ve never seen the play performed, and I’m quite looking forward to it.

And no, there is no Harry Potter in this one.

I begged you? Really. How interesting.

I wouldn’t beg you if you were the last person on earth. Here I stand with the entire world in front of me. There you are, running in circles. Stuck in a rut. Nope. I’ll not bust my ass to make you look good. Not again.

I see you…

If you aren’t listening, are you reading? Because if you aren’t listening or reading, you are one of the people to blame. What are you doing about it?

Guns aren’t made for collectors. Nor are they made for fun. They are made to kill things.

Kill. Not shoot. KILL.

So I’ll ask you again, what are YOU doing about it?

As I was settling down to a nice quiet evening with my Wii and Super Paper Mario, my phone rang and it was an old friend from (get) High School that I hadn’t seen in ages. She had randomly found me on the internets and on a whim, I suggested we meet for a drink. We ended up spending an enjoyable evening together talking about the past, the present, and the future.

I often think fondly of many of the people I knew in High School, but the oddest thing is that I don’t miss them. I’m sure they are different people now. It *has* been 15 or so years. But I have very little desire to connect with them again. The moral is, to be trite, if I wanted to keep in touch, I would have. That’s the ebb and flow my life. Many people dancing in and out of it. Few stick around long enough to get to know me. Which is cool. That’s how the game works.

Sara, the friend who I hung out with, knows me. We’d been through a lot together during those school years when we were all trying to define the hard words; life, relationship, sexuality, fear, hope, happiness, purpose, and so on. Somehow we made it to the other side of all of that, and thankfully we’re good people today.

It was a breath of fresh air to reconnect. Our lives aren’t by any stretch the same, but there is a parallel path that we’ve both been walking down.

It was fun. I hope it happens again.

Yesterday I ate lunch with my friend Ken, who’s office is at the corner of Wacker and Wabash. Two views struck me, and I whipped out my Razr to capture both.

The Growing Trump Tower

Marina City Towers

In a little more than a week I’m hosting a baby shower for my friend Abby who I did Caged Dames with. I’ve prepared a nice menu of food and I’m looking forward to spending several days cooking. Seriously. There is nothing more I love doing than cooking HUGE batches of food for people I like.

This morning when I woke up I went over my final plans for the menu and have pinged the co-hosts about it. Suddenly, a strange thought came over me.

Would I like to get into catering?

Here’s the thing. I love food. I love cooking, I love eating, and I love trying new things out in the kitchen. But what I love more than all of the above is the look on a persons face when they eat my food and enjoy it.

The quickest way to my heart is to compliment me on my cooking.

So there I was, pencil in hand, a scattering of recipes on the table, thinking this might just be something I love doing enough to try making a small living at it. Of course, I am not the best cook in the world. Nor am I the best at shopping and planning menus. But to gain a skill, you must do it over and over again.

This party will be the first big one in my new home. There will be several more this year and I intend to keep making them better each time.

So here we go. Time to get my cook ON!

Inspired by Driving Sideways and Dorie Greenspan, I’ve decided to publish a recipe here and there for you folks.

If any of you are familiar with Greek desserts, you know how rich and sweet they tend to be. Sugar is usually found in copious amounts as a heavy syrup or nestled in a creamy layer. Often you find cinnamon or clove paired in some way with lemons, oranges, or nuts.

The Greek sweet tooth cannot be denied, and it’s the super intense sweetness of our desserts that makes them perfectly acceptable to eat in small quantities. You don’t need two huge pieces of baklava to satisfy your craving. One will do. Same with Revani.

But this recipe, my favorite of the sweet Greek panoply, and one I’ve only recently mastered, combines a light sponge cake containing farina and orange peel with a heavy sugar syrup laced with fresh lemon juice. A bit of cinnamon dusted pecans on top and it’s a piece of heaven in every bite.

As with all baking, be sure your oven reads true. Buy a small oven thermometer and leave it in your oven at all times. Use fresh eggs to get the best stiff peaks, use fresh baking powder, and buy the best butter you can afford. If your folding technique isn’t great, go VERY SLOW when you have to fold the whites into the thick batter. Take your time with this one, and you’ll be rewarded with a divinely sweet and satisfying cake. Your friends and family will ask for more after the first piece. I promise.

Revani

Use a well greased 13 x 9 or 14 x 10 pan with a layer of parchment in the bottom. Grease the pan first, lay the parchment in, and grease it as well. Preheat the oven to 350F.

For the cake batter:

7 eggs separated
1 cup sugar, divided
2 sticks of butter softened to room temperature
1/4 cup uncooked farina or cream of wheat
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of an orange, grated and minced (use a microplane if you have one)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then beat in 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

2. Cream the butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar together well, at least three minutes until light and fluffy. Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl and slowly add them into the creamed butter/sugar, along with the vanilla and orange rind.

3. Whisk together flour, farina, baking powder, and salt. With a spatula, gently fold the flour mixture a bit at a time into the butter mixture. Do this S L O W L Y. You don’t want to make dough. You want a very thick batter.

4. Now for the trickiest part. You have to fold the beaten egg whites into the very thick batter. Patience here is a must. Take a lot of deep breaths as you are folding. Start with a good dollop of egg whites on your spatula and fold them into the thick batter to lighten it up. Cut into the center of the batter, then slide your spatula along the bottom of the bowl and up the side. Bit by bit, slowly fold the remaining egg whites in. It will SLOWLY lighten, but take your time. You want to preserve all that air in the egg whites and the butter/sugar/yolks. If you rush this part the cake will be too dense.

5. Scrape the batter into your prepared pan. Lay a kitchen towel on the counter and bang the pan on it several times to dislodge any large bubbles. With your spatula, smooth the top of the batter down (pop any big bubbles) and press some of it up along the sides of the pan by about 1/2 inch. The center usually rises higher, and this helps counteract that. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until a clean knife slipped into the center has just a few crumbs attached. A little dry is OK, because the syrup will moisten the whole cake.

6. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes on a rack, then cut into diamond shapes. Starting parallel to the long side, cut every inch to inch and a half. Then at one corner, begin cutting on a diagonal. Leave the cake in the pan and prepare syrup.

For the syrup, topping, and finishing:

3 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups water
juice of one small lemon, or 1/2 large lemon, about 3 tablespoons
1/2 cup chopped or ground pecans
2 tablespoons cinnamon
foil cups

1. Boil the sugar, water, and lemon juice together for 5 minutes and gently ladle over hot cake. Be sure to cover all areas of the cake, allowing the syrup to slowly soak in as you go along.

2. After syrup has completely soaked into cake, mix pecans and cinnamon together. Evenly sprinkle over cake.

3. When the cake has completely cooled, place each diamond slice in a foil cup. The foil is best because it holds in all the syrup.

4. This cake changes character over the next couple days. The first day, it’s a moist sponge with syrup. After two days, it begins to get almost a little gelatinous as the syrup soaks all the way in. After five days, the top dries out a bit, but the syrupy bottom is still richly soft. I’ve never had a pan last more than five days…

Over the past weekend I had the chance to hang out with Erik, visit the Garfield Park Conservatory, see Boy Culture and visit with good friends.

Busy busy.

Right in the middle of it all, he (yes, the infamous ‘he’) and I swapped a few text messages. Quite a few actually. Mostly chit-chat about this and that. No answers, no more questions, but I feel better about things. Much better.

On Sunday after recording with my friend/boss Troy, we headed out to eat at Koryo, a delish Korean spot in Lakeview. After lunch we stopped into the Bed, Bath, and Beyond to pick up a tv stand that I’d been eyeing for a week now.

As I approached the checkout, a handsome boy called me over to his register. He spat out a question “Why are you buying this??”

I think I blinked twice and still couldn’t answer.

“I’m kidding, will this be all?” he joked. Immediately I knew he was flirting.

“Well, this one has sort of a ding on it, but I still want it” I replied.

“A ding, but no dong. Huh.” he flirted more. Did he really just say ‘dong’?

At that point Troy stepped away from the register and when he said the total, I handed him my credit card and ID. He seemed to feel the need to scrutinize it, because he said my name and slowly sounded out my last name.

He said “Here you go. Sign this for me.” in the most dripping sickly-sweet way. His flames were on high and he was flirting with me really hard.

“Thanks. Have a good day” I said.

He finished with “You too. Have a really great weekend. See you soon.”

Now, normally I’m on the prowl 24/7 and would have gladly given into him. But a couple things stood in the way. I’ll not go into detail here about them, but I think you get the picture.

It was nice to be the target of someone’s flirting tho. I think I’ll have to get back to that store soon.