This blog is built with WordPress, it’s the software I’ve used for over a decade to keep Nerd’s Eye View up and running. WordPress is open source — that means you can see the code and change it if you want. Because it’s open source, lots of people have built things that work with WordPress and many of those — like WordPress itself — are free. All this transparency has led to a community of nerds and creatives and this week, my How to Be a Travel Writer in 20 Messy Steps was selected for their “Editor’s Picks.” I was on the front page next to a piece by Sheryl Sandberg for a while (she’s the COO of Facebook) and — spoiler alert — I didn’t tell anyone to “lean in.”
It was especially fun to watch my inbox fill up with comments from people who had never seen my site before. For high traffic, popular bloggers it was a minuscule spike, but for me, it was significant change from the small but consistent readership the data tells me I have. I was curious about who these people are and clicked through every single blog included in comment registration. There were blogs by travelers, sure, but also, business consultants and personal organizers and retirees and kids just finishing high school and a guy from Malaysia and a woman from Italy and… it was lovely to be reminded that we see only the very tip of the iceberg with this stuff. The messy free-for-all that was blogging when I started is still very much alive.
[A reminder: Some links below are Amazon links. I get a little money, you get the same price. FYI.]
On the whole, he’s good but… We can’t encounter another dog without Harley barking his fool head off. If it’s a case of same dog/same place — that situation we’ve reduced to “I really WANT to bark at him! Pleeeeeeeeze!” But surprise us and it’s all noise. In hopes of learning more about how to deal, I am reading 30 Days to a Well-Mannered Dog. Seems I am doing all the right things; it is my impatience that is the problem. Our issues aside, this book has been a great help in cementing things we already learned. It’s been an excellent training resource. And I do not suck at having a dog.
Antarctica is a weird place and this piece, Shuffleboard at McMurdo, captures a lot of that feeling. It will take you a while to read, but make a cup of coffee and settle in, it’s worth it.
Seattle is having a fried chicken invasion. I have eaten a lot of those invading birds in the form of fried chicken sandwiches. So far, I like the Skillet version best, though Fat’s was a close second even if I found their waffle disappointing. There’s a new joint in White Center called Bok a Bok and I wanted to love their sandwich, partly because they make Korean style fried chicken which is super crunchy and light, almost like a Rice Krispie only without the sweetness, and partly because they opened in still gritty White Center, may they thrive. I didn’t lose my heart to their food, though it did not help that I was confronted with their sandwich only two hours after I’d eaten the one from Fat’s. I’ll give it another try, for sure.
Bohemian makes oil can guitars and ukuleles. They sent me one which I promptly passed around to my bandmates to test drive because why wouldn’t I? I was ambivalent about it, it’s heavy and I didn’t like the strings, but bandmate Ed, who knows his way around the hardware, swapped out the strings and made it roar. Given that the entire instrument — including the can — is custom, I wanted it to have a little amp built in, too. I’m still fussing with it, but if I could do what Ed does, I might totally dig this thing.
Getting a bundt cake out of the pan is hard, but bundt cakes are delicious. My first attempt was a sticky, tasty mess. I’m tempted to get a silicone bundt pan. Do these things work?
The guy who runs Travelfish is an imaginary internet friend; we’ve never met in person but have interacted online for years now. I’ve never used his site because the places he covers — Southeast Asia — aren’t where I’ve been going. But I am doing what the people in the travel writing biz call “desk research” for a story and Stuart’s site is head and shoulders over anything I’ve found for telling the damn truth. If you’re heading to that part of the world and need trustworthy information, this is the place.
Bundt pans are best if they are Nordicware. You should not let it cool in the pan for more than 5-7 minutes before releasing the cake. I usually give the cake around the flute a loosening with a small knife before flipping it. These tips lead to very few mishaps (but they happen).
Regarding your question on silicone baking pans – in my experience they work well, but the higher the sides the more flimsy the pan seems. Small and shallow inspire the most confidence (muffin or small loaf pans) and setting it on a metal baking sheet before filling with batter is necessary. I use silicone muffin pans to freeze small portions of chopped fresh herbs in a little water, pesto, etc.