Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Barely touched


Ireland 2007, originally uploaded by akim_hobo.

You would think that this is an example of a highly retouched photo, but it's not. Not to say I didn't tweak things here and there, but in large the sky really was this crazy beautiful that day. I forgot exactly where, but I remember I was in a valley and the light was gorgeous.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Dutch painting


Ireland 2007, originally uploaded by akim_hobo.

I had to pull off on the wrong side of the road for this one to get a better view. I couldn't believe how much the landscape looked like a Dutch painting. The challenging part is getting the lighting timed out perfectly. With all the cloud cover in Ireland, it can go from flat to beautiful in a matter of seconds. I was more unlucky than lucky overall, but this was one of the rare moments where it came together.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Pho-tastic

I bought my aerogarden thinking that it would make the perfect compliment to the occasional meal that required or could be enhanced by fresh herbs. Little did I know that it would grow out of control and necessitate the cooking of meals that use as many herbs as humanly possible. The biggest problem for me was the cilantro and the purple basil that was growing out of control. To remedy this I decided to cook Pho from scratch.

Boil the beef bones
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Roast Ginger, Onion and Star Anise

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Discard this

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Clean the bones off

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Scrape off burned bits


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Back in the pot they go, along with your meat of choice, fish sauce, sugar and salt.

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Simmer on low FOREVER and then add the bag of clovers, star anise, cinnamon and ginger. Notice how clear and clean the broth is here now. MSG free baby!

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In the meantime, you can get your prep ready.

Sprouts

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MEAT

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Blanche the noodles and get everything ready.

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Wash the herbs and get some limes cut up

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Pour on the boiling stock and enjoy! Notice the mandatory sriracha in the background :)

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Get your own flash!!!


20080207_dwa_strobist-6, originally uploaded by akim_hobo.

Brought the flashes into the office just to fool around. Someday James (pictured) and I are going to have a flash party.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

More sheep


Ireland 2007, originally uploaded by akim_hobo.

Possibly the best thing about the Giant's Causeway in Ireland isn't the Causeway itself, but rather the hike one can take that takes you around the cliffs overlooking the ocean and eventually on top looking down. If one were to take this and face away from the ocean instead of forward, they'd be greeted by green pastures as far as the eye can see and an abundance of sheep and cloud.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Portrush at night


Ireland 2007, originally uploaded by akim_hobo.

Still no notebook, so no new pictures. Just more of Ireland. I took this one after eating an excellent meal at a restaurant on the pier in Portrush. I think I had to use a rock wall as a makeshift tripod.