Rachel Meets World

DollyOg Brewery's Bukket Brown Ale!

2007-12-11T17:52:00.000-08:00

Label by me, beer by Taylor, and meme by the internet

Books and Movies, Fall 2007

2007-12-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

books!
1. Prodigal Summer, Barbara Kingsolver
2. Under the Tuscan Sun [re-read]
3. Shadow Puppets, Orson Scott Card
4. The Year's Best Science Fiction, Orson Scott Card, Ed.
5. Portnoy's Complaint, Phillip Roth
6. Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer
7. Gunslinger, Stephen King
8. Sagramanda, Alan Dean Foster (pretty bad)
9. The Drawing of the Three, King
10. The Waste Lands, King
11. Wizard and Glass, King
12. Wolves of the Calla, King
13. Song of Susannah, King
14. The Dark Tower, King [whole series gets a *]
15. The Magician's Assistant, Ann Patchett [re-read]
16. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett *
17. Hercules Barefoot
18. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Cory Doctorow
19. Season of Migration to the North
20. Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak
21. Spellbound, Ru Emerson
22. Closer
23. Riding Rockets, Mike Mullane
24. Dune, Frank Hebert [re-read]
25. Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman [re-read]*
26. Nickle and Dimed [re-read]*

Movies
1. Walk on Water*
2. Transamerica
3. The Astronaut Farmer
4. Mr. & Mrs. Smith
5. Pan's Labyrinth*
6. Shortbus
7. The Darjeeling Limited*
8. Cowboy Bebop
9. Equilibrium
10. The Prestige*
11. A Scanner Darkly
12. Goodbye, Lenin
13. Transformers
14. Castle in the Sky
15. The Fountain
16. The 5th Element*
17. After the Wedding
18. Secretary

My alphabet of internet, aka the Firefox URL autofill function.

2007-10-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

Methods: I typed each letter of the alphabet into firefox, and let the autofill suggest a website I have visited recently.

Results:

My current interests online, broken down into category:

19.2% webcomics (5)

15.4% work (4)

15.4% movies (4)

15.3% Philadelphia life (4)

11.5% music (3)

7.7% e-mail and social networking (2)

3.8% games (1)

3.8% surveys that win you free trips (1)

3.8% silly photos of scientists (1)

3.8% making fun of Second Life (1)

Conclusion: I feel like I know myself much better now!

Data:

http://www.avclub.com/content/

http://www.biowizard.com/

http://craigslist.com

http://dieselsweeties.com/

http://www.eddieizzard.com/

http://www.facebook.com/

http://www.gmail.com/

http://hypem.com/

http://improbable.com/projects/hair/hair-club001.html

http://www.jeffersonhospital.org/

http://www.kingdomofloathing.com/

http://www.laboldbrothers.com/LaboldBrothers_AboutUs.html

http://my6.statcounter.com/project/standard/camefrom_activity.php?project_id=1204098

http://www.netflix.com/MemberHome

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx?cag=1

http://www.pandora.com/

http://www.questionablecontent.net/

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050811/REVIEWS/50726001/1023

http://scarygoround.com/

http://www.ticketmaster.com/

http://www.uwishunu.com/

http://valleywag.com/tech/second-life/newt-gingrich-drinks-the-virtual-kool+aid-302562.php

http://wigu.livejournal.com/

http://xkcd.com/

http://yoonabomber.blogspot.com/2007/08/pretzel-ride-pretzel-ride-pretzel-ride.html

http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB226X4MUMX93

this is all.

2007-10-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

La Serbiana & I are going to the extremely sold out Justice show tonight!
Much anticipation. :)

"Music makes me lose control."

2007-10-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

Hipster tastemakers be damned: the Voxtrot/1990s/Little Ones show at the First Unitarian Church was loads of fun. Kate & I did get a shout-out from Jackie of the 1990s for being awesome (i.e. dancing) Why would you go to a show and not dance?
Le sigh.

Philly is 5 million degrees today, but the office is still freezing. Terrible.

2007-10-03T11:47:00.001-07:00

Female Asian and African elephants at the Philadelphia Zoo.

I want to rent an elephant. Very easy to do if you live in Hollywood or India, very hard to do if you live in suburban Pennsylvania.

If you have an elephant that I can borrow for a day, you should e-mail me.

Polenta with Deliciousness

2007-10-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

I really cooked last night for the first time in weeks: let's call it Polenta with Deliciousness.
Polenta is my ultimate comfort food (except maybe for Matzah Ball Stew).

The Polenta:
1 cup yellow corn meal
3 cups water
low-fat mozzarella to taste
salt, pepper.

-Bring the water to a simmer, sloooooowly pour cornmeal in as you stir. (Slowly! Too fast means untasty clumps!) Stir in one direction (to minimize clumping) every 2-3 minutes for 30 minutes. Keep about 1/2 a cup of water on hand to add in whenever the polenta gets too thick and dry. Add cheese and let it melt in, add salt & pepper to taste.

The Deliciousness:
1 chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 mini orange sweet peppers
6 sundried tomatoes
6 baby portabello mushrooms
1/2 of a vegetarian "turkey" sausage

-In extra-virgin olive oil over a low flame, caramelize the onion with the garlic. Dice everything else and add the peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and sausage in that order.

Combine. Makes 4 servings of polenta and three of deliciousness. [Good for taking to the office the next day!]

Note: My polenta wasn't as cheesy as the platonic ideal of polenta, so next time I plan to try something like Parmesan instead of the mozzarella. Also, I might consider putting the sundried tomatoes in the polenta itself, for flavor.

dear goodness, i heart food!

"Stranded" in Paris

2007-10-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

Sadly, it's not me, it's my parents who were headed home from the Czech Republic and got bumped off a flight... free hotel room and $1000 each as compensation, though, not bad.

I walk by STA Travel every day and keep an eye out for awesome destinations... New Year's plans are afoot!

[Buenos Aires round-trip: $576. Hmm....]

The Cultural Intake Vent

2007-09-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

What I read this summer:
[*= excellent, exciting, and highly enjoyable]

The Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac (*, re-read)
Smoke & Mirrors, Neil Gaiman (*, re-read)
Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer (*)
The Diaries of Anais Nin, Volume I
All the King’s Men
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver (*)
A Walk Through the Woods, Bill Bryson
Now They Call Me Infidel, Nonie Darwish
Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson
Everyman, Phillip Roth
McSweeney’s Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales (re-read)
Hunting with Hemingway, Hilary Hemingway
The Historian
Como agua para chocolate (*)
Ever After, Graham Swift
Last Orders, Graham Swift
She’s Come Undone, Wally Lamb (re-read)
Abbey’s Road, Edward Abbey
Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer
Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (re-read)
Before Night Falls, Reinaldo Arenas
A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway (re-read)
Life of Pi, Yann Martel (*, re-read)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
Shadow of the Hegemon, Orson Scott Card (re-read)
Goodbye, Columbus, Phillip Roth (*)

Just the movies I liked:

Bridge to Terebinthia
Waitress
Holiday
Wayne’s World
The Illusionist
Stranger than Fiction
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Charade

This Is Why I'm Hot

2007-08-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

Without A Net (my college improv comedy group) opened for Rare Bird Show (a professional group) tonight. Not only was it a great chance to hang with my boys and do some long-form improv, but I have now fulfilled my dream of being in a Philly Fringe Festival show!

Plus, we were awesome enough that an adorable little man told me I was fabulous and gave me a kiss on the cheek. How cute is that?

Now I just need to find a new group.

Representing Penn Alumni...

2007-08-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Good thing I took Crab Taming 101: Crustacean Domination.

Back in the US!

2007-08-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hello, much-neglected blog!

Question: What has happened since we last met?

Answer:
a. I finished my internship slightly ahead of schedule.
b. I visited Josh in L.A.
c. I came home and started loooking for a real job.
d. I discovered that Trader Joe's gives you a chance to win free groceries every time you use a reusable bag instead of a new grocery bag! Hurray for Trader Joe's!
e. All of the above?

One small step for turtle, one large step for turtlekind

2007-07-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

A fisherman brought us this young hawksbill turtle a few days ago. Eretmochelys imbricata is a critically endangered species classified as CITES I, which means that it is illegal to kill, capture, harass, or trade it. It is illegally fished here, but also caught as bycatch by people who fish without turtle-safe nets. Most of the time, we assume, people who catch the turtles eat them or sell them as a delicacy. Their eggs are believed to be aphrodisiacs (not true), and they are considered not red meat: ok for Catholics to eat on Fridays or during Semana Santa (Holy Week).

This is only the second time that someone has brought us a turtle, so this is huge. Maybe things are turning around for the Hawksbill... maybe the conservation movement here is working!

Optimistically, we named him "Lucky."

Lucky's carapace (shell) gets measured for posterity.

Luchando por las tortugas: Mexican wrestler befriends baby turtles

2007-07-21T19:21:00.001-07:00

Lucha libre star, El Hijo del Santo (the Son of the Saint, so-called because his father was wrestling legend El Santo) has become a spokesman for the Mexican conservation group WiLDCOAST and the sea turtles!

Utterly captivating video of a burly shirtless guy in a silver mask playing with baby turtles: BBC.
"Mexican Wrestler Goes to the Mat for Endangered Sea Turtles": S cientific American.

(thanks, mike!)

Ayy, Señor Pufferfish, you are so cute when you’re angry!

2007-07-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Taken while snorkeling at Isla Magdalena.

Goodsearch.com: put in your two cents

2007-07-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

I just discovered Goodsearch.com, a search engine that gives $0.01 to a charity of your choice for every text search you make on the web (picture, video, and news searches are not allowed). There aren't any Mexican charities available, so I picked my former employer, the illustrious Philadelphia Zoo. Let's take a look at their Goodsearch record, shall we?

Philadelphia Zoo (Philadelphia, PA)
ID: 845058

Month	Searches	Amount Raised (Estimated)
June	126	$1.26
July	55	$0.55
Total: Year-to-Date	181	$1.81
Total: Since Inception	181	$1.81

$.90 cents per month? That barely feeds a cricket. [However, Goodsearch says that their more high-profile charities, like the Elephant Sanctuary, are earning in the thousands.]

Goodsearch uses the Yahoo! engine, which I find less effective than Google's, but it works well enough that I'll use it a few times a day. May the Zoo enjoy the five cents they got while I researched this post!

In memory of Chico Mendes, part II.

2007-07-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

How can you, an individual with presumably no influence in the Brazilian government, save the Amazon, the “lungs of the world”?
[If you do have an influence in Brazilian Government, why are you reading this? Go pass a law or something, please.]

According to the UK Independent, the greatest deforesting industries are soy farming (for the international chicken feed market), cattle ranching, and logging. Hence, my first recommendation: change what you eat. Leaving aside the vegetarian issue, there’s no doubt that increasing the proportion of locally-raised, organic food you eat is better than not [For a great, entertaining story, read Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle about eating locally.]

The rest of these tips are from the WWF, with my comments here and there.

Reduce your use
One of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce demand for forest products is for each of us to reduce the amount of paper we use in our daily life. Print on both sides of a piece of paper; recycle and encourage others to do the same.

[Obviously, this is the best thing. What gets overlooked in the green-consumption movement is that really, it’s better not to consume at all. Which is better, a pair of new sustainably-harvested cotton jeans, or a regular pair of jeans from a thrift store?]

Buy sustainable products
Look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo when purchasing wood and paper products-from toilet paper to flooring. This certifies that the product comes from a company that has made a commitment to managing forests in ways that help protect biodiversity and respect the rights of indigenous peoples. You can also buy recycled products.
Look for forest products that don't require habitat destruction
There are alternatives to many of the rain forest products we buy, like Brazil nuts and coffee, that don't require the destruction of forest habitat. Local people that maintain the ecological integrity of the forests are often helped through the sales of these products.
Purchase the right pets
Domesticated animals usually make the best pets, but if you do buy an exotic species, like a parrot, fish or lizard, make sure it was captive bred. Many wild animals are illegally smuggled out of the Amazon to be sold as pets in the United States and Europe, and large numbers of these animals die in the process.

It's important to ask where exotic animals come from and to require a store to give you proof of the animal's origin. Several places in the Amazon River Basin are now developing certification systems that will contribute to local economies while protecting natural fish resources.

[Why buy a pet when there are thousands of pets in shelters? Right now, on Petfinder.com, there are 250,809 animals up for adoption, including hundreds of beautiful exotic parrots and lizards. Living here in PSC, which is full of stray dogs, I can't imagine buying, say, a designer schnoodle instead of saving a homeless dog's life.]

Be a smart tourist
Tourism to wilderness regions like the forests of the Amazon Basin can sometimes harm the natural environment that draws visitors in the first place. Before your next trip, do some research and support ecotourism operations that help protect biodiversity by creating incentives to protect it.

Organized tours and local facilities that are ecologically sensitive can also boost the local economy, creating demand for accommodations, food, and local guides while minimizing the impact on the local ecosystem.

Who was Chico Mendes?

2007-07-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

Today in lecture, I heard the following quote for the first time:

"At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now I realise I am fighting for humanity." ~Chico Mendes

Mendes was a Brazilian rubber-tapper-turned-activist who started advocating locally-managed, sustainable reserves in the Amazon that would produce things like rubber and brazil nuts with minimal environmental impact. He was good at it, and saved a lot of land.
This made him a LOT of enemies among cattle ranchers who were clear-cutting the rainforest for pastureland, and he was assassinated by ranchers in 1988.

In the 19 years since his death, 323,266 square kilometers of Amazon have been deforested (17, 014 avg sq. km. per year). If the deforested area was an American state, it would be 5th largest in area. So if you don't live in Alaska, Texas, California, or Montana, imagine your entire state and the states next door entirely treeless.

Imagine how much less oxygen our atmosphere has today. No wonder we're getting stupider.

Fruit!

2007-07-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

I've never been lucky enough to own a fruit tree, although I had a blissful acquaintance in Costa Rica with some exceedingly fragrant wild limes. However, the light sandy Baja soil is heaven for fruit trees, and Mariel, a friend in town, gifted us with guanábanas (to eat and make into popsicles), Royal Limes (about three times as big as your average lime!), and green mangos (to eat with chile powder). When the mango tree is really ready, though, ripe mangos are going to be ours for the taking! (Apparently they have "too many". What is this "too many" mangos? I'm not sure I believe her.)

Our haul of deliciousness.

I heart guanábanas!

Isla Coronado, inside a hammerhead

2007-07-09T17:14:00.001-07:00

Yup, the little pink blub in the center is shark brain!
Someone said that it is legal for fishermen to fish sharks, but illegal for them to butcher them out on the beaches. They're supposed to bring them into port so that they can be counted and weighed.
There are a lot of illegal fishermen around here.

Iemanya International [who came to visit the school a few weeks ago] is trying to save the overfished sharks. Their movie SHARKWATER looks pretty neat, and I'm going to try to see it once I'm back in the States.

Save Balandra!

2007-07-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

Balandra is a beautiful area of mangroves, lagoons, and sandy beaches just south of La Paz, BCS. Not only is it home to the rare mangrove ecosystem, which nourishes commercial fisheries , it also features some pretty crazy rock formations, including the gravity-defying Balandra Mushroom.
It is also one of the last large undeveloped coastal areas around La Paz.
Biologically, economically, and aesthetically, it makes sense to keep Balandra pristine.

The Balandra Es Nuestra group is collecting signatures to support making Balandra a municipal natural protected area, blocking commercial development.

To sign, visit the Balandra Es Nuestra website! You do not need to live in Mexico to do this.

Instructions for signing if you don't speak Spanish:
1. load the website!
2. Move your mouse over the lightest blue square, and the words "Firma la peticion" should appear.
3. Click!
4. Put your name, e-mail, and city/country in the little boxes in descending order.
5. Click the little blue box that says "enviar".
6. Pat yourself on the back for helping to save Balandra!

Thanks. :) I'll keep you updated if I hear anything more!

Isla Coronado

2007-07-01T20:04:00.001-07:00

What's that? Some sort of strange sea creature!

My new camera's underwater function is so fantastic. Now self-portraiture is boldly going where vanity has not gone before!

Delicious Patriotism

2007-06-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

Behold my purchase from the travelling Oaxacan Culture Festival in Loreto:

The Mexican flag in lime, coconut, and strawberry! Delicious.

Camping Trip #1: Somewhere in Bahia Magdalena

2007-06-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Chiles rellenos: SO delicious.

2007-06-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

Chiles rellenos
Makes 5 servings

Ingredients: Poblano chilies, flour, eggs, cheese, oil

Roast chilies on the stove. Put chilies in a bag, tie it and let chilies stand for 5 minutes (steam will continue to cook the chilies). Take chilies out when they are cool enough to touch. Pull out insides and clean them. Stuff with grated cheese.

Batter – separate 4 egg whites and yolks. Mix whites with a mixer until they become stiff peaks, then add in yolks and stir by hand. Put 1 cup of oil into frying pan and let heat up. Place chili in flour and then coat with the egg mixture. Put chili in oil and let cook until the batter has changed color, then flip. Take out of oil and ready to serve!

[this isn't the exact recipe that the cooks use, this is just the one in the SFS cookbook. I believe the cooks skip the battering step, and instead pour cream over the chiles and bake them in a pan in the oven.
This is why everyone here gains weight! But, yum.]