One of the things I have always enjoyed the most about our trips to Brimfield is the hunt for old books. In terms of what treasures we find, some years are better than others, and I would say that this year was pretty good in that regard. So Kelly took pictures and I will do my best to describe some of our finds.
Tag: history
Speaking of rocks…
Yes, I guess you could say that geology is a hobby of ours. There are certainly some aspects of geology that interest me more than others, just as there are some that interest Kelly more. And one of the things about geology that really really interests me is studying impact craters, and there have been some interesting developments in recent weeks.
The Internet tells me things
And today it has been telling me things with pictures. And so, I am telling them to you. A lot has been changing in the world and in our lives in the past few days, so you get pictures.
First, my favorite.
GoT: Books vs. TV
Before I begin, I just want to say that if anyone reads the title of this post, and thinks that I am NOT going to talk about things that may be spoilers for those who have not read the books, you are just… dumb. It is not my intent to be a big meanie who spoils everything for all those people who have not read the books but are devoted fans of the HBO series. But come on, these books have been out for years, and the TV show is now in its fourth year. You should probably just go read the books, or else stay off the internet. Otherwise, perhaps you should consider staying in a monastery or becoming Amish or doing something to keep away from the internet and popular culture. ASOIAF/GoT are so hugely popular and widespread at this point, it’s everywhere. It’s in magazines at my doctor’s office and on t-shirts of people walking down the street. It’s almost like saying you didn’t watch the 2007 World Series and you don’t want to know how it ends before you can watch it, even though you live in Boston. Or not knowing the ship sinks in Titanic but getting mad at someone who mentions it. We are rapidly reaching a level of patent absurdity when it comes to these spoiler issues. I just refuse to say “spoiler alert” everything time I talk about ASOIAF or GoT. So this is the last time.
So if you want to have a freakout about that sort of thing, GO READ SOMETHING ELSE. If you can’t think of anything, I can probably offer some suggestions. But ultimately, those who wish to avoid spoilers should assume some responsibility for themselves and stop insisting the whole world police itself for their benefit.
Anyway, on with the discussion.
The relevancy of technology and underwater archaeology
The ability of human beings to work in an underwater environment has obviously improved pretty dramatically in the last few decades, and our ability to find the wrecks of vessels like the Titanic in thousands of feet of water many decades later is pretty amazing when you think about it.
But there is still a long way to go when it comes to underwater searches. The problems with locating that missing Malaysian Air flight immediately come to mind, but there have been a few other examples lately that make me wonder what the hell we are doing wrong and what we could do to improve.
We seem to have a widespread problem of not finding people in (relatively) shallow waters like lakes, ponds, rivers, and creeks.
Continue reading “The relevancy of technology and underwater archaeology”
The King is Dead, Long Live the King
If you missed Game of Thrones last night then you’re probably going to be confused by the title of this post. That or you’ve already been spoiled by the internet from some other source. Either way sorry/not sorry.
Geoff and I have read the books, in some cases more than once, so we know the general story line despite what Benioff and Weiss might do to it to streamline for TV. That being said, the title of this post isn’t in and of itself a spoiler, it’s tradition. Either way, if you don’t want to know more, don’t go past the jump.
Two of my favorite things together in one web site
A few weeks ago my friend Teri sent me a link to something she thought would interest me – A Cozinha Mediaeval, or in English – the Medieval Kitchen. I can’t believe I hadn’t discovered it sooner – a web site that combines two of my favorite things: Portuguese cuisine and medieval history. Yet another reason for me to keep working on my Portuguese language skills, which are quite poor, sadly.
I have not yet had the chance to try any of the recipes that are on the site, but there are so many that look absolutely delicious: carne estufada (called stewed beef but actually a beef rib dish); and arroz frutado (a rice dish with fruit and almonds) are two of my favorites so far. And the site doesn’t stop with just recipes. There is a wealth of other information as well, such as senhor Djalma’s excellent essay on the myths of medieval cuisine and his review of a 15th century Portuguese cookbook that was reprinted in 1963 by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture.
Enjoy!
-Geoff
Thoughts on winter in New England
A lot of people hate winter, especially after so many days and nights of snow and cold temperatures. People complain bitterly about it and pray for spring to get here faster.
I am not one of them. I like winter, and I believe in addition to the bad it has much good. Just like any other season. But here in New England it is a very distinct season, and not watered down at all. You get beautiful winter scenes like no other.
That’s one of the things I love most about New England: it has seasons. Four very different, very distinct seasons.
Medieval mutton stew, slightly modified
I used the mutton stew recipe I mentioned yesterday to make this, but I did make one change: I added yellow carrots, which would certainly have been known in Europe by the late middle ages. Orange would not become the typical carrot color for a few more centuries. Red would also have been common, but those are a little more difficult to come by these days, at least outside of a farmer’s market full of heirloom gardeners. It just felt like the stew needed something besides meat, an egg, and seasoning.
Note to self: get a better background for medieval cooking photos.
-Geoff
More medieval cooking on a snowy winter’s eve
This week has become one snow event after another, and we are starting to actually run out of places to put the snow when we shovel. There are really only two piles: the big one on the other side of our trash and recycling bins, between them and the neighbor’s fence; and the small one in this little corner between the steps and the house, where there is a stump I want dead anyway. So the little pile is getting close to its maximum practical size, and the other one has reached the height of the bushes. And trying to chip away all the melted, compacted snow that had refrozen as ice all over the walk and steps took almost an hour of hard work. Thirty degrees outside and I was sweating.
Continue reading “More medieval cooking on a snowy winter’s eve”
The Books are Taking Over... 