Zorac (zorac) wrote,
Zorac
zorac

Notes to self

Examples of recent t00bularity:
  1. Remember to check public transport availability before booking flights
    So, I booked my flights to the south of France to spend Christmas with the parentals around a month ago. Last night I got around to checking train times, and discovered that there are no trains from Birmingham to Oxford after my flight gets in. Arg! I am left with two options: train to London, coach to Oxford - this is doable and in fact gets me home at a not too indecent hour (provided everything runs on time) - or a taxi from the airport all the way home (I feel my wallet melting at the prospect of that).

  2. The lid stays firmly on the cocktail shaker, but the cap doesn't
    A couple of days ago, I was experimenting with home-grown cocktails again. I know my shaker holds together well (indeed, it's sometimes difficult to get the bottom and top apart afterwards), but one does need to hold the cap that goes over the strainer in place while shaking. Can you guess what happens next, boys and girls?
    Corrollary: Experimenting with making your cocktails pretty colours does not necessarily result in tasty flavours. Curaco + grenadine does make a fine purple colour, but not a flavour I'm in a hurry to repeat.

  3. When planning to make chilli, it helps to buy chilli powder
    Er... yes.
    Corrollary: The stuff in that strange bag in the back of the cupboard labelled "Chilli" is probably much hotter than the mild chilli powder you normally get.
Tags: doh, drink, food, travel
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  • 8 comments

ringbark

December 11 2003, 21:23:59 UTC 17 years ago

1. Is train BHX to London followed by train London to Oxford another possibility? Taxi from BHX to Oxford does indeed seem too horrible to contemplate.

2. Yes, done the same myself.

3. Be careful with tamarind too.

zorac

December 12 2003, 04:02:47 UTC 17 years ago

1. Nope - but the coach is a better/cheaper/faster solution in any case.

2. I'm glad it's not just me ;-)

3. I'l bear that in mind...

huskyteer

December 12 2003, 01:10:48 UTC 17 years ago

If it's any consolation: excellent Christmas card!

hermorrine

December 12 2003, 16:57:49 UTC 17 years ago

Why do you you spell chili chilli? It makes me think of cold weather rather than a meat and bean concoction. Inquiring Americans have wanted to know... for ages but kept forgetting to ask. I know, that one's a shocker. ;)

zorac

December 13 2003, 10:13:13 UTC 17 years ago

Why, because it's the correct spelling, of course!

My dictionary o'doom says: Early 17thC. Via Spanish chile and chili from Nahuatl chilli.

imc

December 13 2003, 15:59:44 UTC 17 years ago

no trains from Birmingham to Oxford after my flight gets in.

Probably engineering works on the line. I went somewhere earlier this year (Stoke, I think) and had to return at a ridiculously early hour in order for there to be a train back.

So when would this be, anyway?

Can you guess what happens next, boys and girls?

No, because I've no idea what a cocktail shaker looks like, apart from two metal cups that join together.

When planning to make chilli, it helps to buy chilli powder

Nah - use EPC `very lazy chillies.'

zorac

December 14 2003, 10:28:40 UTC 17 years ago

The flight gets in at around half nine on the 28th - the fact that it's a Sunday isn't a good start, and being in the Xmas period just seals its fate...

ASCII art cocktail shaker: 

   +-------+
   ||     ||
   ||.....||
+---+     +---+
||           ||
||           ||
 |           |
 |           |
 |           |
 |           |
 |           |
 +-----------+
The green and blue bits are the ones which stay firmly attached. One puts ice and the drink ingredients into the blue part, then put the green and red lids on before shaking - there's a strainer in the mouth of the green part out of which one pours the drink, leaving the ice behind. The red part is what I failed to hold in place...

imc

December 19 2003, 06:43:38 UTC 17 years ago

Oh, right. Nice diagram. :-)

We'll be coming back from the Frozen North that weekend, but I'm afraid we will almost certainly have arrived here well before 9pm on Sunday. Oh well.