Whimsy Speaks Again

Sweet Junie and I watched Benjamin Buttons last week.  With the full knowledge that it was going to take a while, and a bottle of 2004 Muga Reserva, it was quite enjoyable.  Since, about that time, my software development work has gone backwards.  The integration of our Chinese supplier's code with the current SDK from Our Chip Vendor went smoothly.  Except that it didn't work, didn't even flip on segments on the small screen.  I reverted to our prior version, built it, and that had stopped working, too.  Searching various servers from my frequent backups yielded a number of snapshots, not of which worked either.  At this point, I was pretty sure that I was going nutz, so I inserted batteries into dozens of sample players, just to find one that I had loaded last week when things were working.  Nope.  Nope.  Nope.  Nope.  OK, here's one that works properly.  So, I'm not entirely crazy.  Time to write all this up and ask our Chinese development partner what could have changed so radically.  Meanwhile, I find that my hair is reverting to its former ravishing dark brown and my wrinkles are disappearing.

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Junie has been the General Manager of the Paris Trip, and doing a damn fine job at it.  The Trip is like a large software project, with dozens of pieces, some of which are interdependent, some of which are not.  Our first major step was booking the All Business Class OpenSkies flight to Paris.  That framed in the time we would be away, and put boundaries around the connecting flights.  Next, we found a NWA flight from Denver to Minneapolis that would let me connect on to JFK and fly with Sweet Junie by my side in both directions.  Sweet.  The next obvious challenge was accommodations.  Paris is never inexpensive, but early October is a middling-good time to arrive to avoid crowds and the highest hotel bills.  We scanned many, many hotel review sites as well as the major Internet travel services.  We had just about settled on a decent 3-star hotel a couple of kilometers from the major attractions when my dad called.  He and mom (as well as my sister Lin) had all had good luck renting apartments for a week or more in various European destinations (Bern, Tuscany, Provence, Paris) and that got Junie thinking.  Eventually, she narrowed the agencies down to Paris Vacation Apartments.  They could provide what appears to be a lovely studio in Saint Germain des Prés for about the same price as a hotel (about $140 a night).  It comes with modern amenities (flatscreen TV with cable, high-speed internet, computer in the room, "traditional elegant bathroom", washer/dryer, et cetera), and is a few minutes from the most desirable attractions (e.g., Musée Rodin and the Musée d'Orsay).  Upon arrival, we receive fresh-cut flowers and a bottle of wine.

Once we faxed over the signed agreement, we received an offer to pick us up at the airport and a half-dozen more excellent documents to make our trip more productive.  One attachment was the "PVA Useful Information Guide", an amazing compilation, including:  How to Get and Use a Prepaid Phone Card; Cell Phone Rental; Emergency and Medical Care Numbers and Locations (including the always useful, "SOS" phone number for poisonings); Where to Go for Lost Property (Bureau des Objets Trouvés); Addresses and Number for Foreign Embassies; Best Money Exchange Places; Metro Lines and Rates; Museum and Sight Cards (48 Euros per person for 4 days, includes over 70 museums); Best Parking Places; Markets and Department Stores (including Best Organic Market in Paris); Bars and Restaurants by Arrondissement ; Entertainment and Health Clubs; Business Hours, Climate, Metric Conversions; Basic Survival French (Où sont les toilettes?).

Tomorrow we sign up for travel insurance.  There are five or six major sources (I'm leaning toward AIG Travel Insurance).  They reimburse all prepaid trip expenses if you can't make it at the last minute, airfare and nuisance expenses if you have to cut your trip short, and tens of thousands in various medical benefits if you get stricken Over There.  All for about $100 a person (covering about $3,000 in prepaid airfare and nonrefundable accommodations expense).

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The July/August Cook's Illustrated is one of the better ones this year:  If you kill your own lobsters, don't refrigerate the tails as they become tough;  to recover that last bit of Grey Poupon, put a tablespoon of olive oil in it, swish around and use for dressing.  Bringing Home Spanish Tortilla delves into the mysteries of this wonderful tapa that you can find at any Spanish bar.  It is conventionally made by sautéing potatoes and onions, then pouring in the beaten eggs and cooking the whole thing in two pints of olive oil (!).  The CI recipe calls for using Yukon Gold potatoes and only 6 T of oil, which works because the YG potatoes have less starch, which causes them to soften slowly.  Nice recipe for Tomato Pesto, which includes toasted almonds, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and a half-cup of fresh basil.  Simply great article on Easier French Fries.  Again, you can use much less oil (6 cups instead of 3 quarts, preferably peanut oil) by using Yukon Golds instead of Russets, without the need for double frying.  The best oatmeal is made from Bob's Red Mill (steel-cut) or Quaker Old-Fashioned (rolled).  Back cover is Heirloom Corn, including Rainbow Inca, Cherokee White, Hopi Blue (I sense a theme . . .), Seneca Blue Bear Dance, Bloody Butcher, Guarijio Sweet, Navajo Robin's Egg, Striped, and Garland.