5/18/2008

Unsolved Mysteries of Seattle I

Part one of a three part series of "Unsolved Mysteries of Seattle".

5/12/2008

Blast from the Past

A long time ago.... Way back when I was going to Monte Vista Baptist Church (25 years?), Eric, Alan, and I got a hold of some video equipment and decided we would make a music video. The song we chose was "It's a Personal Thing" by Steve Taylor and some band. From their album On the Fritz. We only sort of completed two verses from the song. For reasons I no longer remember we never finished the video. So for your enjoyment (and Eric's embarrassment) Here are the only 2 good takes:

You may need to turn up the sound for the second clip.

Things to note:
The Podium was borrowed from the Church.
The Microphones are just an old light fixture.
The background flag is an old 48 star flag I still have.
I still have the foreground flag.
Alan is out of frame handing props to Eric etc.
Eric's "Mother" is a cutout from an album by "Michelle Pilar" (I think).
Lighting is provided by an old slide projector.

Seems appropriate for this election year... I'd vote for him.

5/06/2008

La Palmas Hot Sauce Recipe

Back in December 2005 (after I broke my leg). My favorite Mexican food restaurant (La Palmas) closed. The owner sold the property and now there is a Walgreen's at the location. Supposedly he was going to re-open somewhere else. La Palmas used to sell their hot sauce mix for $5.00 a package. You just mixed it with tomato sauce and Voila! Well my personal stash of this mix is now gone. So after some experimenting I came up with my own recipe. My recipe differs slightly in that it is uses much less Oregano and slightly less Garlic. The original dry mix had so much Oregano... it was green. So until and or if La Palmas ever re-opens here is my version of the recipe:

1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp plain Garlic powder (no green stuff)
1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/4 cup fine ground Mexican Oregano
1/4 cup ground Hot New Mexico (Hatch) Chili's (adds heat and makes it red)
1 Tbs ground Cayenne Pepper (wusses can leave this out)
2 Tbs crushed red pepper (the stuff you put on pizza)
2 Tbs Paprika (makes it redder)
2 Tbs Black pepper (superfine grind is best)
2 tsp Kosher or table salt (leave out for those with high blood pressure)

Combine all DRY ingredients in a container or jar with a lid. Close lid shake vigorously to mix. When ready to use, add 1 Tbs of the mixed DRY ingredients to 1 - 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, and 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs of water in a jar. Close lid and shake thoroughly to mix. Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours (overnight would be better). When ready to use shake vigorously and serve.

4/28/2008

Fishing with a Drop Shot

For a while now we have been fishing (and having good luck) using a drop shot. There are several types of drop shot out there, The Carolina rig, The Texas rig, and the Wacky rig to name a few. We use our own rig that I will call "the Guildig rig". Using this rig we have caught Bass, Carp, Trout, and Catfish.

You start with a swivel hook.
Tie this to the end of your fishing line on your fishing pole with a clinch knot. This way you can change out from a drop shot to a lure quickly if you need to.

Next take a length of fishing line 18 to 24 inches (anything from 6 to 12 pound test), and using the clinch knot tie a Swivel
to one end, thread an egg or bullet slip weight
of about 1/4 to 1/2 ounce on the line (pointy end toward the swivel) and on the other end attach a swivel hook. It should look like this:
If you want it more Carolinaish put a bead on after the bullet weight. To use this, attach a slip bobber on the end of you pole above the swivel hook (the bobber should allow the line to pass through it freely). Attach your newly made drop shot to the swivel hook, attach a fish hook to the swivel hook at the end of the drop shot.

The purpose of the drop shot is to fish on the bottom. The purpose of the slip bobber is to show were your line is, and to give a visual signal if the line has a bite. The slip weight helps in casting, holds the line on the bottom but does not offer resistance when the fish bites.

Once your drop shot is ready, bait it. For Carp use corn or dough baits, for Trout use corn (if using corn for trout or carp completely cover the hook) or live worms, for Bass use live or fake worms, for Catfish use anything edible.

Casting:
For Carp, Trout, and Catfish, cast where the fish are (usually in the water), let the line sink to the bottom, if your slip bobber is attached correctly it will slowly walk up the line and stop at the surface. now wait, and watch the bobber. When it disappears under water set your hook and reel in your fish.

For Bass remove the slip bobber if using a finesse technique, or leave it on if using live bait.

Drop shots work best in lakes and ponds with relatively smooth bottoms. Here in Phoenix we have used this rig at many of the local urban lakes, and the Tempe town lake. If fishing with corn, It works much better if you chum the waters around where your hook is on the bottom with extra corn. Chumming is legal in Arizona as long as you don't over do it.

4/19/2008

New Personal Fishing Record

What is it: Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
Where was it: Vista Del Camino Park (McKellips Lake Park).
When: 04-19-2007 08:23.
Weight 11 pounds.
Bait: Corn
Status: Released.
Chris and I were bored and since the lake was refilled, and Mike said he saw a lot of carp in it, we went fishing this morning. Chris caught 2 carp and I caught 1. I caught him on my smallest rod with 6 pound test, and 3 pounds of drag. He put up a fight for about 5 to 10 minutes. I almost caught a 1 pound bass. Some other guy caught a 6 pound catfish.

4/05/2008

Make Traffic Lights do your Bidding

Have you ever noticed? when you pull up to a light at an intersection, in the left hand turn lane that there is what looks like a rectangle with a line down the middle, that looks like someone cut into the pavement and then filled it in with a sealant. They look something like this:
There are usually 2 sets of these separated by a car length. They are designed so that if there are 3 or more cars at the intersection they will get the green arrow. At some intersections there are only one and are used to let the traffic light control computer know that a car is present at a low traffic intersection. However at the intersections with 2 you can control the leading left arrow. Here is a real world intersection at 24th st. and Thomas.
The sensors are marked in white in their approximate locations for southbound traffic. Note that at this intersection the sensors are close enough that a sufficiently long vehicle can demand the left arrow all alone (I can do this in my truck). So.... How does this work, well it goes something like this. 1 vehicle must stop on each sensor at or before a preset time before the east/west traffic gets a red light. My experience is, that this is about 1 minute. Now you say "how can I control the green arrow?" Simple, If you are the first to arrive at the intersection stop far enough back so that any other vehicle that comes up behind you is forced to stop on the second sensor, like this:
You are the red car. You stop far enough back so the the silver car has to stop on the second sensor. If you both trip the sensors before the east/west traffic gets a red light you will get the green arrow. Now suppose you pull up to the intersection and there is already a car at the intersection. Since it is very likely that the person doesn't even know about the sensors he will stop all the way forward. If you were the average clueless driver you would pull up directly behind him and not get the green arrow. This is what you should do:
Once again you are the red car. The silver car is all the way on the front sensor, if you were to pull up right behind him there would not be enough metal over the second sensor to trigger it. Once again if you get there soon enough you get the arrow. These sensors can be triggered by motorcycles, and I have read that bicycles will also if they are large enough and are made from steel. Motorcycles and Bicycles must stop on the center of the sensor to have any chance of a trigger. These intersections are all over town. I have used this technique successfully for years. Now go forth and control the traffic lights, don't let them control you.

Thus endeth the lesson.