Another recipe, naturally. My corner store has been selling high-quality artichokes for $1 each, and slightly imperfect ones for fifty cents. So I started playing around with roasting/braising/gratineeing them. Tonight was simple, with thyme from the garden and lemons from the corner store. ( Recipe after the cut )

So a few days ago, my computer stopped working. The preliminary diagnosis is a defective NVIDIA graphics processor failing. The good news is that I won't be charged for the new motherboard this fix entails. The bad news is that my computer will be in the shop for a week, possibly more. I should be able to send and receive email -- but I won't be able to check as regularly, and it's likely I'll respond even more slowly than usual. And it's absolutely certain I'll be grumpier than normal for the next week, but I'll try not to spread it around.

We all need something after reading through the voter guide, right? So I faked this up:

1 scanty mug-full of milk (about a cup)
1 big glop of tasty honey (a tablespoon? two?)
1 generous pinch of saffron

Put the above into a small saucepan, crumbling the saffron between your fingers and sprinkling it onto the milk. Warm, stirring, until the milk is nearly boiling and has turned a pale yellow.

Into the mug, put:
1 oz. Mt. Gay Eclipse rum.
Grate a light dusting of nutmeg over the rum in the mug.

Pour the hot saffron milk into the mug. Grab the mug. Inhale the complex aroma and sip slowly, thinking about autumn.

So the elections are in nine days, more or less. As a good California voter, it's time for me to start cramming for the elections. This is, of course, a mid-term election -- you still can't skip your homework. We have 127 pages of state voter guide, covering state offices and 9 state propositions. We also have 192 pages of local voter guide, covering local offices and 15 local propositions. Call it an average-weight election -- the recent record was in the late '90s, when we had 28 local and maybe 20 state issues to consider.

Basically, all of you can help me with my voting homework in this series of posts. I have opinions on some of this stuff, but you may well be able to change my mind with a good argument.

( Propositions 20 and 27 after the cut. )

I think I come across in this space as an awfully grouchy person. People who know me in person will undoubtedly have their own opinions, but I *think* that's partly selection bias. It's easy to work up the energy to post about something that has just now pissed me off -- but good things tend to get short shrift. So, in no order whatsoever, some random things that I like:

* My neighborhood. I live off a busy commercial block, with a corner store, a greengrocer, a butcher shop, and a library within easy walking distance. I'm incredibly lucky to live in a space where I can get good-quality produce regularly at below-supermarket prices. And both public and private transit in the neighborhood is superb.

* My local butcher. He opened his shop within a week of our moving in, and it keeps improving. If I want something weird, he'll at least try to get it. OK, a whole goat was beyond my price range -- but he dug up the information for me and called back promptly. Caul fat? He didn't bat an eye.

* The crazy California climate. My pear tree is flowering. And fruiting. At the same time. You can almost see it saying "Whatever, man -- I just do what feels natural. You're, like, so uptight."
And I have rosemary, thyme, and oregano just, y'know, growing in the backyard.

* Our near-antique stove. It's 48 years old this year, it's electric, and it has developed some significant problems of late. But it's got pull-out burners and two ovens, and I'm very, very fond of it. We'll get through this tough time, and our broiler will pull through.

* Local politics. OK, so I hate local politics -- or the way a lot of it boils down to ignoring the big problems, and trying to legislate against hamsters or something. But there's one thing I love, after spending a decade in Massachusetts: I'm suddenly center-right in the political spectrum, instead of wacky left.

For those of you from out of town: The local spectrum basically is anchored by Dianne Feinstein on the right, Nancy Pelosi in the middle-to-right, and a whole lot of locals you haven't heard of over to the left. Adjust your perceptions accordingly.

After feeling very, very politically marginalized in Massachusetts -- I don't care for hereditary political office, or machine politics, or the socially conservative culture -- it's really good to feel like I can be part of the conversation again.

So that's the news tonight. If you'd prefer grouchy snarkiness next time, let me know in the comments.

So we're on our way back from YAPC in Columbus, OH -- storms here and clouds at SFO permitting. It's been a long, tiring, but good week or so. Columbus appears to be the fried food capital of at least the Midwest -- we've had fried avocado, fried pretzels, fried hoagie sandwiches (tempura), fried mushrooms, donuts (fried), sweet potato fries, and beer. Not fried, just beer. More later -- they're finally loading the plane.

I try, usually, to post gently if at all on touchy subjects.  Gentle clearly isn't getting through to Baycon. 
( Cut tag added because I care... )

If you haven't seen it yet... ( There may be spoilers. )

We're back from France. Jet-lagged as all get-out. I'm catching up on email and phone stuff, rather slowly. (Memo -- next time, check hotels for internet access, and respond firmly if they claim it, but don't actually provide it.) Expect us to be kind of incoherent for the next day or two. Including this post, naturally.

For those of you traveling into the US in the next little while, I'd allow about 2.5-3 hours at the airport to get past the extra wave of screening, and plan on your flight being at least an hour delayed besides. We had 3 hours at CDG, and needed 2.5 of them -- but if we'd been 20 minutes later, we would probably have been 45 minutes back in the final queue. They did hold the plane until all the passengers got screened, an hour after scheduled takeoff. Other than that, the flight was normal -- apparently the TSA has got past the idea that all passengers should join hands and pray for deliverance prior to landing, or whatever lunacy they'd dreamed up this time. Customs and immigration were efficient and swift, which is usual for SFO. And that's the news tonight.

My Initial appointment with a new primary care doctor was today. Less unpleasant than that kind of thing usually is. We'll see how we settle in.

Afterwards, I stopped by the SOMA Tart-to-Tart, and got an almond croissant which was so bad I wouldn't eat it, and a we-don't-clean-the-machine double espresso -- also abandoned in place. Not recommended.

I headed a couple of blocks to the Peets' near the Cartoon Art Museum. Their almond croissant was much better, and I had a nice cup of tea to accompany it.

After this refreshing interlude, I dropped by the Cartoon Art Museum itself. I'd seen the Snow White and webcomics exhibitions, but the Spain Rodriguez exhibit was well worthwhile -- and a style I don't get much exposure to normally.

It's funny -- I'm about a 10-minute walk from a BART station, and from there, downtown is maybe another 15 minutes including waiting for the train. But it's perceptually way outside my home range. Meanwhile, the ocean is about 15 minutes by car, and it's inside my range. Go figure.