Nothing funny about feldspar

One jar (46-48 ounces) of natural applesauce (i.e. unsweetened)
Two cups apple cider (the juice, not the alcoholic stuff — though that might be interesting…)
One cup of dark brown sugar
One stick of cinnamon (about 3 inches long)

Put all this mixed-up in a crock pot (I used my old, small, doesn’t-come-apart one) and cook on low overnight (I think I did it for 12-14 hours), then on high for as long as you can stand (I went another 4) with the lid off so it has a chance to thicken. Stir every so often. Pour back into the (cleaned) applesauce jar and store in the fridge.

I suppose you could process it for longer term storage, but I’ve never gotten the hang of canning. It’ll probably keep a couple of weeks in the fridge (how long does opened applesauce last? about that long, I’d guess).

This is the first time I’ve done it, and I’m already thinking of how I might change it — most likely would be a longer time on high so it gets thicker. Mine is still roughly applesauce texture, not quite as thick as I would like. I might even try it without the cider; maybe add a little bit of cider vinegar for tartness. I bought a lot of those big jars of applesauce ’cause they were on sale, so I’ll have a couple of opportunities for modifications.

(the original recipe came from only-Safari-knows-where and even then I didn’t follow it)

Crooked Timber is having a seminar on Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.

I haven’t read it yet!*

If you have, you might enjoy this little book-club. But don’t tell me about it!

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* Despite having two copies (one on CD).

While I can’t do Scalzi’s meme (rate five cover versions of the same song), I was reminded of something that popped up on my iPod yesterday — the only source of easy music in the house since the hard drive holding my iTunes library went belly-up.

Tainted Love performed by Coil.

According to the wikipedia entry for the song (who does this stuff?), it was first recorded in 1964, but I’m most familiar (as are most of us) with the version by Soft Cell.

Soft Cell’s version was sooo ’80s — upbeat and poppy for all the angst in the lyrics. Coil’s version is lugubrious and lethargic. It’s not really in minor key, so it doesn’t make you feel like you’re going to fall into an open grave (except for those churh bells tolling in the beginning), but you want to splash the band with a bucket of cold water to wake ‘em up. Also, if you’re gonna sing that slowly, you’d better learn how to hold the notes.

The other other version I have is Marilyn Manson’s. It sounds like he and his band listened to the Soft Cell version and replicated it (but with more screetchiness and less bop), similar to Nine Inch Nails’ cover of Adam Ant’s Physical. No big surprise, I think Manson’s album was produced by Trent Reznor.

Hm. Writing this post reminds me of a related topic: when did songs become better known for who sang them than who wrote them? If you hear Kate Bush Tori Amos* singing Smells like Teen Spirit, you think “why is she doing that Nirvana song?” and compare it to the original recorded version (or maybe its parody by Weird Al). But if Joan Jett sings Let’s Do It, Let’s fall in Love, you think “why is she doing that Cole Porter song?” and don’t compare it to anybody else’s version. Is it radio airplay? Record sales? Is it all Bing Crosby’s fault?

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* Sorry, Plagioclase. You know I always get the girl singers mixed up.

“Name a six-letter animal, shift the second letter forward in the alphabet one letter, read the resulting word backward to get the name of a major American city.”

I solved this one in about 3 minutes of desultory typing. It was much easier for me to think of six-letter cities than six-letter animals. But then I’ve always done better “working backwards” on puzzles and things like mazes. Does that mean I’m goal-directed? Or is it just that I like to know the answer first?

Hint: “major American city” is a subjective term. It is a medium-sized city you have probably heard of, especially if you’ve ever watched M*A*S*H.

My solution is below the fold. Sorry RSS readers, you’ll have to avert your eyes!

Read the rest of this entry »

I did some nostalgia surfing today. People I used to know, places I worked, even googled myself for the first time in a while. And while most of the people I looked for weren’t findable (the curse of common names, I suppose), I ran across a few I didn’t expect.

Like the fellow I worked with who is now an instructor at a branch of a state college, with one of the most hideous web pages in existence. Animations, distracting backgrounds, poor color choices, out-of-date C.V….

And the guy who I worked with when I was a neophyte engineer is now a factory manager — I think. It’s hard to tell, it was a chamber of commerce listing. I once thought I’d like to be a factory manager, but it’s best for all concerned that I didn’t become one.

The best best part? I’m reminded that I didn’t really like the work I was doing, didn’t care much for the company I was working for, though of course, most of the people were a hoot, and am really better off having left (though much poorer).

A successful morning, I’d say.