My Poor Bur(r) Oak

Waiting on results from the Bartlett lab to ID why my uphill burr oak is in distress. Here are some crazy (with a K) pictures:

While my downhill oak, planted on the same day 10 years ago, looks amazing. WTF?!

unhinged

i have started to become that guy. the unhinged retiree way too young to be the unhinged retiree. i only get this way when i find myself on post/base of my own volition. i saved a buck each on some quart lavender plants. and i saved five bucks each on some indoor napalm i am about to deploy inside my house (pesticide-free outside my walls, fwiw).

My Pastrami Experiment

h/t to @ribguy at http://j.mp/YFSZVe


I read so much about @TheGranarySA's pastrami. I tried it. Their pastrami was a pure #fail. Whole coriander seeds and peppercorns and mustard seeds left on the brisket. Who does that?

So I made my own (in pictures):

brine ingredients. 

the 13# brisket, separated into point and flat. 16 days for flat, 19 for point. 

de-brined flat for two days, changing water between days; patted dry then applied pastrami dry rub for two days.

then smoked it at 200 for 12 hours. then put in fridge for 12 hours. then steamed for 3 hours. let sit for 3 hours in steamer pot off heat with lid on. then carved.

pastrami up front, corned beef in back. 

this half flat gets wrapped, vacuum sealed and frozen for a future steam bath.

the pastrami and corned beef were amazing. if i can replicate this experiment, i will start a pastrami consulting firm.

Things I Must Do Tomorrow

Change the brine water on the corned point.

Smoke the flat for pastrami.

Plant that gorgeous upright rosemary plant I purchased today.

That's it.

Overheard in the Oval Office

Barack (on phone with Kim Jong Un): Kim. I'm tired of your shit. We ain't playin' your silly games any more.

KJU: Whaaaaaaat, muthufuckah????????????????

Barack: Launch snizzle on South Korean islands and I will destroy you.

KJU: Whaaaaaaat, muthufuckah????????????????

Barack: I have to earn my Nobel. So you know I mean it. I destroy your slave-state, and east Asia explodes in self-rule. Sure beats GWB's bullshit detour through the looking glass. Kim, trust me on this. I will fuck you up without permission of the UN, China or Russia. Do I make myself clear?

KJU: Whaaaaaaat, muthufuckah????????????????

Death Hits Home

We all enter this world bright-eyed.

It takes a while to understand that the only thing that really matters is enjoying today.

Invest. But understand your investments are not for yourself; they are for the betterment of humankind.

Don't be a dick.