It interesting where the Internet leads us some times.

I saw a Twitter update by @gmcalpin (writer and artist of one of my favorite webcomics, Multiplex) about the metal band Mastodon allegedly scoring the upcoming film Jonah Hex (based on a comic). It lead to an article on Ain’t It Cool News (movie rumors and such).

I read the article and was amused, I enjoy Mastodon but realized I don’t own nearly enough of their music. I hopped over to YouTube and watched a few music videos and also listened to some other songs, sampling cuts from the albums Leviathan and Blood Mountain.

Realizing I still had an online gift certificate from my birthday, I decided to buy a Mastodon album (along with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon on vinyl). But I couldn’t decide which to get–then a friend commented on my Facebook page that Crack the Skye was nothing short of amazing (a friend whose opinions I hold in high regard).

So, I ventured back to YouTube to listen to a few cuts from Crack the Skye and read a few online reviews. I quickly decided on ordering the album–and when it comes to bands like Mastodon, I really prefer having the original CD over .MP3s (because the music is complex and/or layered–things that can get lost when compressing music to .MP3s).

After clicking Finish My Order, I sat back and thought “What the heck just happened?” Over the span of maybe twenty minutes, I went from reading about Mastodon scoring an upcoming film to buying one of their albums, mainly on a whim.

It was an interesting string of events: I read the article, listened to songs online/watched videos, got a recommendation from a friend who lives in another city, read reviews and purchased an album. All without leaving my seat.

I guess this shows you can’t underestimate the advantages of people talking about your stuff on the Internet.

Also: My latest article for Lansing Capital Gains is now online.  It is about the Soup Spoon Cafe, a very tasty restaurant (good coffee too).

Mirrored from Daniel J. Hogan. If something doesn't look right or show up, view the original blog post. Feel free to comment here or on the original post

I have started making my own sushi lately. Now, I don’t make it with raw fish–and I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable doing that (we’ll see though)–I just make veggie sushi. A friend recommended using smoked salmon, the stuff you find in vacuumed sealed packages in the supermarket (and aren’t refrigerated), which I might give a try in the near future.

This was inspired by a recipe for “Rice Triangles” in the cookbook that came with my Laptop Lunch bento box. I figured, “Hey, that’s just sushi without the fish, I’ll give it a try.” Well, the first few I made weren’t that pretty and were difficult (based on the directions in the recipe), so I said the heck with it and just started doing my own little sushi rolls. I laid the seaweed paper out, spread out the rice and started laying veggies on top. It took a few times to get the hang of it, but I’m glad I decided to experiment (which is what I like most about cooking, just trying whatever I want).

I had a lot of fun! I love cooking and this was certainly a new, fun way to cook. Plus it lets me make healthy stuff for my daily lunches I take to work. My veggie rolls are a neat way to eat some raw veggies, and they are fun to make.

I decided to make more today, so I headed off to the East Lansing Farmer’s Market and picked up a cucumber and a zucchini (and a pint of super yummy blue berries).

Came home, made the rice (making only half of what I had made last week, because it was way too much for just me), added the sushi vinegar (have a bottle of stuff ready to go I got at the store), and the sesame seeds. Then the fun began.

This one has carrot, spinach and zucchini. I think I seasoned it with cilantro, can’t remember (some were seasoned, some weren’t, like I said: I experiment).

I switched some things up with each batch, but they all had some mix of veggies.

This one was spinach, cucumber and zucchini. I also seasoned it with cilantro as well as Two Sisters Gourmet Outrageous Garlic seasoning (dried garlic, onion, etc).

I might pick up some soy meat/tofu to try out next time as well, so I can have some protein in there.

I’m happy with how these turned out. Still need to get the bamboo mat-rolling thing, but I will soon. And I’ll tell ya, they ain’t kidding when they call it ’sticky rice,’ it is a pain to get off my hands, but that’s part of the fun.

Mirrored from Daniel J. Hogan. If something doesn't look right or show up, view the original blog post. Feel free to comment here or on the original post

A couple Fridays back I attended Lansing’s downtown Chili Cook Off, but on by the Board of Water and Light (the local utility folks). This has been going on for some time but after living in Lansing for four years (wow), this was my first outing.

My only experience with chili cook offs is via the Simpsons episode Homer ingests a freakish chili pepper and has various hallucinations.

Needless to say, I had high hopes for this cook off.

Upon arriving (with a pair of friends in tow), I was thankful I had purchased my ticket in advance–not only did it save me $3, I got to go to the front of the entrance line instead of waiting for a spell, like my friends had to. This was where I first spotted the muffin trays that almost everyone seemed to have.

This sight intrigued me, as that was something totally unexpected (not unlike the Spanish Inquisition). I later found out what the tins were for–stacking multiple cups of chili at once so you could enjoy them at your leisure. A novel concept. I imagine too that you could probably have chili poured in the tray itself if you wanted, to save on waste…but I didn’t really see that happening.

While waiting for my friends to work their way through the line, I enjoyed a couple of chilies. They were quite tasty. After linking up with my pals, we surveyed the mass of people and decided to just pick a spot and start. We had all kinds of chili: cheesy chili, chili made with coffee and even chili made with chocolate.

One chili had a rather amusing name

After enjoying a bunch of chili (as well as a Melting Moments ice cream sandwich for myself), one of our party decided to ride the mechanical bull featured at the cook off.

This was free and it was a riot, watching people of all ages try to tame mechanical beast. Our friends did pretty well, but was eventually tossed.

The crowd was more than I expected and the dueling music stages seemed to take a bit of the focus away (as well as cut down on places to sit, etc), however I had a great time and I’m looking forward to next year.

Mirrored from Daniel J. Hogan. If something doesn't look right or show up, view the original blog post. Feel free to comment here or on the original post

Last night, prior to leaving for band practice, I realized I still needed to eat dinner. Being uninspired, and in a hurry, I opened up a can of kidney beans and ate them cold, out of the can--not unlike Rorschach in WATCHMEN. 

Actually, they weren't that bad. However, later on I was a bit upset to find out that the sauce the beans are in contain high fructose corn syrup, something I go out of my way to avoid (I even pay extra for bread that doesn't use it). Oh well. Next time I'll rinse and drain them first.

I made up for last night's simple dinner by making meatless enchiladas tonight (and fresh guacamole).  Those were very good, and I ate too many. Oh well. I still have enough to last me the rest of the week and my work out tonight left me rather hungry--I recently added a second routine, thus doubling the length of my work out as well as the intensity.

Last night I cooked lentils for the first time--and it was a tasty adventure into the kingdom of legumes. I'm glad I gave it a chance, because they were easy to make, tasty, cheap and healthy. I like that they have lots of protein, fiber and iron--three things I really need.

I made fried rice tonight with my leftover lentils and it was also very tasty. I really think my diet change is affecting me for the better. I was not as fatigued today in the late afternoon as I usually am (come 2 or 3 o'clock, I always seem to hit a wall). Granted I still wasn't 'just woke up alert' but I noticed a difference. I've also dropped a few pounds too (I'm sure working out after work is helping with that too).

Here's what I've been eating:

Breakfast: Oatmeal (quickoats), just under half a cup of oats. I can't handle eating a full half-cup''s worth of oatmeal for some reason. I add cinnamon, and usually crasins (dried cranberries). I'll have a glass of orange juice or cranberry juice (or this pomegranate juice I just started buying)

Lunch: turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread (no high fructose corn syrup), green romaine lettuce and some hummus if I have any. I also have sides of prunes and baby carrots. I tend to drink water with lunch.

Dinner: during the week if I'm home for dinner, something with veggies, usually. Or, like last night I'll do something a bit different (bean enchiladas, meatless chili, soup, etc). some nights, I just have a salad.  I'll also drink milk with dinner (or juice again)

If I'm out to dinner, I may get a meat dish--depending on where I'm at. I'm not cutting meat out totally (see: Lunch), I'm just not eating it as much. And if I haven't had a meat dinner in a some time, I'll make sure to get one here and there.

I'm hoping I can lose a few more pounds, as some of my pants have become a little tight around the waist lately...

The other reason I'm doing all of this is that is cheaper to cook for myself this way.  A pound of lentils cost me like a dollar.  A dollar.  You can't beat that. And i'll get more than a few meals out of a pound. Same goes for the oatmeal for breakfast: if I buy a big container, I'm set for a long time.

Another interview finished for my freelance article. I took care of that tonight at good ol' Gone Wired Café. This interview was especially interesting, as I interviewed someone who has been interviewed on not only Fox News but CNN when she lived in Washington D.C. Hopefully, I didn't come off as too amateurish (something I'm still a bit nervous about).

I'm getting better at this non-fiction/journalism/article thing, even though it is still a far cry from writing fiction (especially when the fiction I write usually contains talking animals or made up creatures).

interviewing people I don't know is good for me on a few levels. It forces me to contact them in the first place and forces me to talk to someone I don't know face to face for a while. All of this is kicking me out of my comfort so a bit, which is good.

I'm eager to get working the article itself, now that my interviews are pretty much finished. I would have started tonight, but between the interview and band practice, I didn't get home until almost 10 and then I worked out for a bit. I'm very tired. My change in diet (more veggies and fruit) seems to be working a bit, I'm not as fatigued as much during the morning/afternoon. So far I'm being pretty good about keeping tabs on what I'm eating (dinner was a bowl of fresh fruit at Gone Wired).

I think I'll experiment with lentils for dinner tomorrow night (before heading to a friend's for our weekly group viewing of LOST).