by Greg

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell is one of my all-time favorite fiction reads. I’m going to start with a mild spoiler about the structure, so if you hate spoilers: stop reading, grab a copy, and enjoy.

“Cloud Atlas” has a fun structure with six stories, each in a distinct style, five of which lead up to the sixth, and then they’re each concluded in reverse chronological order. I particularly enjoyed the science fiction story, set in a dystopian near-future in which human clones known as fabricants do the jobs hapless consumers won’t. It’s fast-paced, clever, and challenging to sort out the twists. The same is true of the detective story, involving a cub reporter and her story on safety problems with the local nuclear power plant.

I love how Mitchell weaves the stories together. One common thread is musical. The fictional Cloud Atlas Sextet figures in all of the stories. It also serves as the basis of the structure of the book. Sometimes there are echoes from one story in another. There’s even something common to all of the protagonists, but to reveal its exact nature would be too much of a spoiler.

I’ve devoured Mitchell’s other work since reading Cloud Atlas, and I’ve enjoyed all of it. This was the first of his work that I encountered, and so it has a special place in my heart.

by Greg

My 2015 Resolution: Ten New Dishes

The hostess of our New Year’s Eve party required guests to make a resolution. She had everyone write their resolution on a small white board, and she took a picture “for encouragement.” My resolution, as you can see below, was to make ten “totally new” dishes during 2015:

Greg Holding Sign Saying: "Cook 10 Totally New Dishes"

We agreed that I would send her pictures of each new dish I made, so I have a record of this particular challenge. Here’s a list of what I made. Check back, and I’ll link them to posts where I elaborate on them with photos and recipes.

  1. Chilaquiles in Guajillo Sauce
  2. Pizza with Thai Green Curry Sauce and Chickenless Strips
  3. Escalivada
  4. Goat Cheese & Fig Jam Tartlets
  5. Ratatouille Lasagna
  6. Parmesan Crisps
  7. Moroccan Spiced Chicken
  8. Corn Risotto
  9. Potato Leek Soup (with a hint of fennel)
  10. Homemade Black Beans

This was a good party game, and it turned out to be a very fun and tasty resolution.

by Greg

Bionic Me

I hadn’t considered my iPhone a “bionic extension” until I used my iPhone’s camera to solve a problem by doing something I couldn’t do with my body.

This summer, in the course of painting the dining room, I had to take down curtains. Removing the curtains and rods was easy. Removing the fixture which held the rods was not.

The fixture had no visible screws or points of attachment. The space between it and the ceiling was smaller than my head, so I couldn’t see down from the top. I could feel an opening at the top, so I was pretty sure this held the clue to how these worked.

I was very lucky to have a flash of inspiration and realize that I had a camera in my pocket. My iPhone could certainly fit into the space between the ceiling and the fixture. Armed with this photo, I was able to solve my problem:

Wall Fixture

The fixture had screws which slid along a track on the wall. Once I pushed up on the fixture, those screws cleared the track, and I was able to pull the fixture off the wall with ease.

I tend to think of the iPhone as a communication and computing device, so sometimes I forget that it operates within the physical world. Better yet, it can do so in ways that I cannot.

It felt incredibly rewarding to use my iPhone to solve this particular problem. I hope the next time I’m faced with something similar that my iPhone comes to mind.