*1251 - vroom

So, I have a new hobby.  Just look at me in my peacoat and scarf and racing helmet.

 

Surprisingly convincing I dare say.  Well here is the real racer:

And off he goes!

  

It was a weird and scary experience watching from the sidelines for the first time but it was nice to watch D in his element.  He did really well too.  Proud of my lil racer :)

*1250 - DIY home improvement

My DIY home improvement project!  I really wanted to mount succulents on our living room wall but couldn't find an affordable, cute way to do so.  There were gorgeous wall-appropriate vases that were just too expensive, there were DIY tutorials for mounting mason jars onto the wall that were really cute but just too much work, and there were affordable wall vases that were just too ugly.  I needed a cheap but easy option.

And this turned out to be the perfect solution!

I got small little buckets (on Amazon, a dozen for $15), painted them roughly in our living room colors (yellow and grey) with paint we already had, filled the bottoms with pebbles, fill the middle with soil, got some tiny succulent cuttings from our garden, and popped them in.  D punched six nails into the wall, and we hung them up.  Total cost = $15, total time = under an hour.

Aren't they precious?  Looking at this picture from two weeks ago when I just hung them up (i.e. when they were freshly planted and rather droopy), and looking at them now, I realise the succulents really are growing!  Especially the middle yellow one; he's all spiky and vibrantly green now.  I love succulents because they are so idiot proof.

*1249 - need a vacation

Who's up for one?  I've been so consistently stressed at such a high level without break for months upon months, that now that I just switched projects and am experiencing a much-needed lull in terms of volume of work, I'm still unable to get out of panic mode and am constantly worrying, dreading, scurrying.  I think this just means I need a break, a real one, not like a "3 weeks in Singapore but working every other morning" one.

*1248 - sous vide diary: salmon

Not the most glamorous photo of salmon but done to my precise liking.  Can't have salmon done any other way now!


Brine first to reduce white albumin build-up and add flavor.  (I didn't do this long enough because you can still see the albumin.)  Then sous vide at 50 degrees Celsius, for about 15 minutes.  Sear off the skin in a smoking hot pan for a minute or two.  Voila!
The texture is always almost eerily perfect.  Imagine smooth, even creamy salmon, and so so moist.  Sprinkle of sea salt and squirt of lemon, and it's perfect.