K-Squared Ramblings

Crystal Hot Sauce

Now, I realize this is simply a brand name, probably inspired by the “pure” part of the slogan…but I can’t help but be reminded of the brief fad for clear products in the early 1990s. Remember Crystal Pepsi? Of course you don’t.

Saturday Night Live summed up just how unappetizing this fad really was in two words: Crystal Gravy.

Thankfully, Crystal Hot Sauce is not clear (as you can see!), and actually tasted pretty good.

Mmm…

Found a bottle of cinnamon in the lunch room and added it to coffee and a hot chocolate packet for a makeshift Mayan mocha. #

Manic Monday

First, some linkblogging…

• Today’s flashback post: T-Shirt Irony. #
• The Spam Primer has been “completely revamped.” #
• Mars Express Orbiter catches video of moons Phobos and Deimos. #

And then the “fun” started.

• Me: I’m going to focus on project X today!
  Computer needed for project X: I’m going to lock up today!
  Me: Argh! #
• Someone thought it would be a good idea to cover “Wonderful Christmastime?” # (For the record: Shazam says it was Hilary Duff.)
• OK, after 3½ hours stuck at 74%, I think I can assume chkdsk is stalled. *grumble* #
• Ate some blackberries I’d forgotten about from a week ago. Good news: I only threw out 1! Bad news: I should’ve thrown out 2. Blech! #
• Chkdsk round 3 is at 55% on Stage 5 of 5. Going to call it a night & hope my PC runs tomorrow. # (According to Facebook, this posted at 5:55pm!)

Açai…Beer?

The trend has gone too far!

Note that it’s certified organic, too…

Hogwarts Groceries

I keep misreading the Snapea Crisps as Snape Crisps…and then Katie noticed that you could pick out a related name from the Maragogype Coffee at Trader Joe’s.

Egg Nog: Do Not Use As Infant Formula

I know this is just a blanket disclaimer/warning label left over from the standard rice milk carton…but who would use (even imitation) egg nog as infant formula in the first place?

I half expected to find another warning label saying, “Not to be used for the other use.”

Lunch Options

Stopped at post office. Lunch options are now Denny’s, Jack in the Box, or Knollwood. Knollwood it is. #

Crepe on TV

There’s a TV on the wall of the crepe cafe where I’m having lunch, bigger than the TV I have at home. Right now it’s showing a live view of the kitchen. This might be more interesting if the kitchen weren’t open to the dining area. I can see the same thing (from another angle) just by turning my head. #

Venti Schmenti

So what do you think…

Would it be a bad idea to bring this travel mug to Starbucks? #

(Completely unrelated: The sound of gardening tools outside the office is blending with the computer fans for really weird harmonics. #)

Cashew! (Gesundheit)

Ack! Who puts cashews on Hawaiian pizza? Apparently Red Brick Pizza does. They kindly made a replacement without them. *whew* Constant Vigilance! #

It was listed on the menu, and I should have looked more closely…but who expects nuts of any kind on Hawaiian pizza? It’s standard: crust, tomato sauce, cheese, ham, and pineapple. Checking for nuts on that would be like checking for strawberry jam on a cheeseburger.

Lost Food: Panda Panda

When I lived in Lake Forest during the year 2000, I used to frequent a place called Panda Panda. It was your basic steam table Chinese restaurant, but it was good. I remember the occasional evening on which I’d think, “Do I go to the store, buy ingredients, come home, then spend time cooking just for one person, or do I go out and grab some fast-ish food?” Panda Panda was a frequent winner of these decisions.

It was located at the corner of El Toro and Raymond, near the library. Panda Panda shared a building with a Quizno’s sandwich place and was one driveway away from a Wendy’s.

I don’t know if they were a small chain or a solo restaurant, but they were eventually bought out or otherwise assimilated by Panda Express, which I’ve never particularly liked. (Though Panda Inn, a table-service restaurant owned by the same company, has been consistently good.) Naturally they homogenized the menu as well.

That was the end of that.

A few years later, as part of the big project to renovate the area, both buildings were bulldozed to make way for a new strip mall segment. Panda Express got the prime spot in the new building, but all traces of Panda Panda are lost.

For the record: I’m currently sitting in a Wahoo’s taco place roughly where the driveway used to be.

Deep Fried WHAT???? A Night at the Fair with Al’s Brain, Melissa Etheridge and a Ferris Wheel

We went to the Orange County Fair on Saturday afternoon. Most years we end up going to at least one of the Pacific Amphitheater’s summer concert series, which includes fair admission, so we just combine it into one trip. This year it was Melissa Etheridge, and we also had another goal: Al’s Brain.

We started by grabbing some water and (in my case) a chocolate milkshake (because I wanted some ice cream, dangit! and drinkable made it easier), then wandered through the arts and crafts displays, where they showed prize-winning jewelry, crochet, display models, dresses, origami, etc.

Al’s Brain

Then we made our way to the back of the fair, where they had set up a portable theater for Al’s Brain (in 3-D!). There was a huge sand sculpture out front of “Weird Al” Yankovic holding out a brain in his hand. An animated question mark and exclamation point would occasionally pop out the top of his head, and smoke would pour from his ears.

“Weird Al” has actually had a long association with the Orange County Fair, often doing free concerts on multiple nights during the run. We’ve seen him there at least twice, possibly three times. One year there was a “Weird Al” museum of sorts. This year, he got involved in a short 3-D educational film (comedic, of course) about the brain.

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Cold Stone Fedora

• Smell of waffle cones from Cold Stone makes me wish I could eat there. Ice cream vs allergies. #
• Ran into one snafu w/Fedora11: xkb error popups every time I wake the computer from suspend. Resetting keyboard worked. #

Teppan Timing

Went out for teppan at 7. Figured we’d be home in plenty of time for Pushing Daisies. No, it’s teppan – we got home with 10 minutes to spare! #

Flash 500

Over at Speed Force: 500th post and a Flash drink. #