Crime scene

Sophie scans the scene for the perpetrator of this nefarious crime and hopes she won't be framed for it.

Not-so-silly gadget No. 38

Twenty or more years ago, my dad picked up this handy little gadget somewhere in New York. This was back when all toothpaste tubes were the roll-up kind and made of metal. You know, back in the olden days.

How clever it is: you stick the end of the tube into a slot on the wringer key, and wind up the tube. You don't waste any toothpaste, and the tube can be stood on end, taking up less real estate in the medicine cabinet.

Well, now the wringer is getting a bit worn out, and the plastic toothpaste tubes are less inclined to stay rolled up. But I've got a new gadget to help:
This is the heavy-duty Tube Wringer, made by Gill Mechanical. There are lighter-duty models made of plastic, but I went for the one that will last.
You just put the end of the tube in, turn the key and voilà, no wasted toothpaste. Or whatever else you have that comes in a tube.
Because no, I did not get this just for toothpaste (which will continue to stand in its old wringer). I've got tubes of caulk, glue, even – kitchen gadget qualifiers – pesto and sun-dried tomato paste. All of them can benefit from more efficient squeezage.

And if you're an artist, just think of all the paint you can save! I ordered mine from Blick Art Materials. At half off list price, the plastic version is $6.13, the metal $11.25.

It'll practically pay for itself!

Early spring!

It's been so mild the last few weeks that this crocus is blooming a whole month earlier than last year. In 2008, it bloomed on March 12. The year before, Feb. 26.

We still have three months of snowing to go, though.

Walking notes

When walking the dog, I may or may not have a few bucks in my pocket for a cup of coffee or a yard-sale find, but I always have my camera. It's handy for snapping weird stuff, or for reminders of landscaping do's and don'ts.

This downspout "water feature" is an interesting concept, but the execution ... no. I do like ironwork that's out of the ordinary, and bricks, so this gate gets a thumbs up.
They really should run their downspout under the walkway, though.
I always check to see what the monsters are going for. These two? $609K each. A year ago it probably would've been closer to $700K.

I went up and took pictures through the windows. I couldn't spot any surveillance cameras, so maybe they're bluffing.

It's a nice neighborhood but I still can't imagine paying that much for half a duplex.

All fixed up

It's been a while since I posted about a mojito. This one is from Steuben's, where we ended up after the galleries. We wanted to get green chile at Brewery Bar II, but they close the kitchen at 8:45 and the bar at 9:30. On a Friday night! That's just wrong.

But the mojito was right. Lots and lots of mint, as it should be. And the green chile burger took care of my burger jones for a while.

It was quite the tall burger, as a dining companion shows (he ordered one, too). Nicely done on the rare side of medium-rare, as requested.

I've been considering trying SmashBurger and Old School Burgers, but it'll be a while now. My burger cravings are mercifully far apart.

Tonight was a different craving, for mac 'n' cheese. I had a bunch of grated Mexican four-cheese mix, and some leftover ham. I was too lazy to go look in cookbooks for a recipe, but a blog-search turned up Jeni who posted one from Joy that suited my ingredients (e.g. I only had milk handy, not cream).
Nom nom.

I'd buy that for a dollar

Yard sales always add a little bit of interest to dog-walking. Especially when you find something you actually need. And can talk 'em down to a dollar for it.

It works, too!

What is it? No. 30

OK, slight lack of originality here. That's a hint.

Click on the photo to see if you guessed correctly!

Gallery hopping on First Friday

Photo from my cellphone.

Working out

I started climbing stairs in the last building I worked in, and at first I couldn't get very far before I had to stop and catch my breath. Eventually I was able to walk 20 stories to the roof without stopping.

I miss those stairs. Now I only have 14 stories to work with, and I'm too lazy to go all the way back down and do it again.

Here's what it looks like:
A bit on the Soviet side, I'll admit, but convenient to my desk.

If I get bored, there's interesting plumbing to contemplate:

I also wonder what's behind those grates. If I wanted to play "Mission Impossible," where would that tunnel take me? (Ideally not into the jaws of slavering aliens.)

I feel reassured that if I run into trouble (or aliens), the building's crack security team will rush to my aid.
But I take my cellphone along just in case.

Do you get any exercise at work?

What is it? No. 29

This one's pretty darn easy! I'll post more about it later.

If you think you know the answer, click on the photo to see if you're correct. No spoilers in the comments, please.

I'm off to enjoy this gorgeous day!

Free-for-all

Wow! That new branch full of comb sure is popular today. It's supposed to hit 70, so the bees are out in force, investigating this new addition to their neighborhood. I hope they can get some good from it. I noticed a lot of them are licking it.

Here's a video. The buzzing is pretty loud!

Lost pets

I always feel sad when I see signs for lost pets. This one particularly because I don't imagine a parrot could survive long here in winter. Telegraph Hill, we're not. Still, I hope Zoozoo gets found. I'm resisting quoting Monty Python.

When I was a kid, I had a series of parakeets, all named Paddington. One of them lived more than 10 years. The Paddingtons were allowed regular exercise outside the cage, and liked to imitate sparrows.

We also had finches named Henry, Henrietta, Raucous and Wretched. Their lives were a soap opera that ended badly and did not go into syndication. I believe it was Henrietta who escaped to the great outdoors, never to be seen again.

Have you ever lost a pet?

100% French

And while we're on the subject of puzzling ... How is it that the front of the bottle can say "100% French," while the back says "Product of S.Korea"?

I'm curious what the 85% claim is on the bottle front, but I don't read Korean. Can anyone provide a translation?

I use olive oil for most of my cooking, but grapeseed oil is good for frying because it has a high smoking point. It is usually much cheaper in Asian markets. But you're left wondering where it really comes from.

Silly kitchen gadget No. 37

This is the see-through version of those colored silicone garlic peelers.

I read the comments on Amazon about how great these things are. Everyone complains about what a pain it is to peel garlic otherwise, trying to pull all the little papery shreds off with their fingernails.

Hello? All you have to do is lay your knife blade flat on a clove of garlic, give it a good thump with the heel of your hand and, voilà, the skin pops right off.

Same principle, but one less object to clean (assuming you're going to be using the knife anyway).

If you want to be really gadgety, you can get a garlic mandoline, too. I'm including this video mainly for the Wisconsin accent. My homeland.

Some people don't want to touch garlic. They don't want the scent of garlic on their fingers. This puzzles me.

Name that tree

While out walking yesterday, I came across this tree. Maybe you can tell me what it is. It has interesting bark.
And even more interesting seed pods. Those were what really caught my attention, scattered underfoot.
I haven't noticed these pods before, so I'm guessing it's not a really common tree here. Or maybe it is and I'm just blind. Any ideas?