Was long enough, thank you very much. I was stranded at the Hyatt
Century Plaza Hotel for the American Headache Society's annual
scientific meeting. The hotel was nice, but the management was
hell-bent on making maximum moolah off each guest. ($5 for an
individual bag of chips in the mini-bar??? PUH-LEEZE!!!) My work
partner in crime was presenting preliminary results on our research
project, and much of our time before Saturday was spent making and
re-making slides for a 7-minute talk; therefore, I didn't see much of
the area. Wednesday night I walked over to Gelson's and got some
grilled salmon and salads for us. Friday night we went to the Pink
Taco. I ordered the vegetarian platter, which was good. The one
disappointment was the corn on the cob, but that's because I grew up on
a farm and was used to picking corn just before it went into the pot.
(No, the super-sweet varieties are NOT as good as the old-time ones.)
The music at Pink Taco was at bleeding-eardrum volume, but the
people-watching was quite entertaining. There were 6 anorexic women
seated at a table near us. All were peroxide blondes, and a couple of
the older ladies had had considerable "work" done. One had a nose that
is not normally seen in nature.

After the talk yesterday, we wandered upstairs for a round of
celebratory mojitos. There was another lecture of interest shortly
afterward, so the bartender poured our drinks into coffee cups with
lids. No one was the wiser, although we were fairly silly for a while.

Next year's meeting will be in DC, which will make going farther afield
for eats easier without a car. And we could have enough data to
monopolize the meeting.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

On Jun 27, 11:54*pm, Cindy Fuller >
wrote:
> Was long enough, thank you very much. *I was stranded at the Hyatt
> Century Plaza Hotel for the American Headache Society's annual
> scientific meeting.

I'm sorry, but you were stuck at the Hyatt for a headache convention?
Is that a punchline or what?

Cindy Fuller wrote:

> The one
> disappointment was the corn on the cob, but that's because I grew up
> on a farm and was used to picking corn just before it went into the
> pot. (No, the super-sweet varieties are NOT as good as the old-time
> ones.)

Agreed -- just-picked is better!

--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
Journal dsgood.dreamwidth.org (livejournal.com, insanejournal.com)

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:25:47 -0500, "Dan Goodman" >
wrote:

> Cindy Fuller wrote:
>
> > The one
> > disappointment was the corn on the cob, but that's because I grew up
> > on a farm and was used to picking corn just before it went into the
> > pot. (No, the super-sweet varieties are NOT as good as the old-time
> > ones.)
>
> Agreed -- just-picked is better!

Just picked corn is another thing that I don't get. My grandfather
had a huge garden and made a big deal about picking the corn just
before putting it into the pot to boil. Frankly, I could never tell
the difference between fresh picked and what my mother bought in the
grocery store. What I *could* tell was the flavor difference between
hybrids/varieties (whatever you call them). I had a favorite and
could always tell when he didn't pick that one.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:57:30 -0700 (PDT), projectile vomit chick
> wrote:

>On Jun 27, 11:54*pm, Cindy Fuller >
>wrote:
>> Was long enough, thank you very much. *I was stranded at the Hyatt
>> Century Plaza Hotel for the American Headache Society's annual
>> scientific meeting.
>
>I'm sorry, but you were stuck at the Hyatt for a headache convention?
>Is that a punchline or what?

Whenever I get a head ache there is only one cure, hot wet compress.

On 2010-06-28, Cindy Fuller > wrote:

> (No, the super-sweet varieties are NOT as good as the old-time ones.)

Strictly a personal preference.

I prefer the super-sweet hybrids to the std old corn. A lot of my
choice has to do with how it's cooked. It's fairly common to cook old
style corn on the cob to death, till the skin of the kernels is like
eating shredded sandwich baggies. Three to eight minutes cooking time
is not ucommon. I never cook ss-hybrid corn longer than 90 secs in
boiling water.

nb

On 2010-06-28, Cindy Fuller > wrote:
> Was long enough, thank you very much. I was stranded at the Hyatt
> Century Plaza Hotel for the American Headache Society's annual
> scientific meeting.

If you didn't go to the beach ...ANY beach!... your whole trip was
wasted.

nb

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:34:56 GMT, notbob > wrote:

> I never cook ss-hybrid corn longer than 90 secs in
>boiling water.

You're right. All it needs is to be heated! Overcook it and you end
up with gummy starch. Ugh. I did that once and once was enough.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:39:58 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:34:56 GMT, notbob > wrote:
>
>> I never cook ss-hybrid corn longer than 90 secs in
>>boiling water.
>
>You're right. All it needs is to be heated! Overcook it and you end
>up with gummy starch. Ugh. I did that once and once was enough.

Why are yoose cooking corn in water? duh

On Jun 28, 5:56*am, sf > wrote:
> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:25:47 -0500, "Dan Goodman" >
> wrote:
>
> > Cindy Fuller wrote:
>
> > > The one
> > > disappointment was the corn on the cob, but that's because I grew up
> > > on a farm and was used to picking corn just before it went into the
> > > pot. *(No, the super-sweet varieties are NOT as good as the old-time
> > > ones.)
>
> > Agreed -- just-picked is better!
>
> Just picked corn is another thing that I don't get. *My grandfather
> had a huge garden and made a big deal about picking the corn just
> before putting it into the pot to boil. *Frankly, I could never tell
> the difference between fresh picked and what my mother bought in the
> grocery store. *What I *could* tell was the flavor difference between
> hybrids/varieties (whatever you call them). *I had a favorite and
> could always tell when he didn't pick that one.
>

The sugar in traditional sweet corn turned to starch on its way to the
grocery store. The Illini super-sweets were a revelation for
gardenless people used to eating starch corn.

On Jun 27, 9:54*pm, Cindy Fuller >
wrote:
> Was long enough, thank you very much. *I was stranded at the Hyatt
> Century Plaza Hotel for the American Headache Society's annual
> scientific meeting. *The hotel was nice, but the management was
> hell-bent on making maximum moolah off each guest. *($5 for an
> individual bag of chips in the mini-bar??? *PUH-LEEZE!!!)

The nicer the hotel, the more expensive their everyday items. If you
need to swipe your credit card to get a coke, the hotel is very nice
indeed. But such hotels are for people on expense accounts, not for
those watching their pennies.

>*My work
> partner in crime was presenting preliminary results on our research
> project, and much of our time before Saturday was spent making and
> re-making slides for a 7-minute talk; therefore, I didn't see much of
> the area. *Wednesday night I walked over to Gelson's and got some
> grilled salmon and salads for us. *Friday night we went to the Pink
> Taco.

I have to admire the nerve of someone who would name a restaurant the
Pink Taco.

spamtrap1888 > wrote:

>On Jun 27, 9:54*pm, Cindy Fuller >

>> Was long enough, thank you very much. *I was stranded at the Hyatt
>> Century Plaza Hotel for the American Headache Society's annual
>> scientific meeting. *The hotel was nice, but the management was
>> hell-bent on making maximum moolah off each guest. *($5 for an
>> individual bag of chips in the mini-bar??? *PUH-LEEZE!!!)

>The nicer the hotel, the more expensive their everyday items. If you
>need to swipe your credit card to get a coke, the hotel is very nice
>indeed. But such hotels are for people on expense accounts, not for
>those watching their pennies.

Actually, anybody who is on an expense account, but who is not also
watching how much they spend, is quite probably an idiot.


Steve

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:20:33 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
> wrote:

> The sugar in traditional sweet corn turned to starch on its way to the
> grocery store. The Illini super-sweets were a revelation for
> gardenless people used to eating starch corn.

While I understand the logic, but I didn't find that to be the case
back in the days before super-sweets. AFAIC it was much ado about
nothing.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:26:22 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> spamtrap1888 > wrote:
>
> >On Jun 27, 9:54*pm, Cindy Fuller >
>
> >> Was long enough, thank you very much. *I was stranded at the Hyatt
> >> Century Plaza Hotel for the American Headache Society's annual
> >> scientific meeting. *The hotel was nice, but the management was
> >> hell-bent on making maximum moolah off each guest. *($5 for an
> >> individual bag of chips in the mini-bar??? *PUH-LEEZE!!!)
>
> >The nicer the hotel, the more expensive their everyday items. If you
> >need to swipe your credit card to get a coke, the hotel is very nice
> >indeed. But such hotels are for people on expense accounts, not for
> >those watching their pennies.
>
> Actually, anybody who is on an expense account, but who is not also
> watching how much they spend, is quite probably an idiot.
>
Isn't a per diem the way companies go these days?

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:26:22 +0000 (UTC),

>> Actually, anybody who is on an expense account, but who is not also
>> watching how much they spend, is quite probably an idiot.

>Isn't a per diem the way companies go these days?

Yes and no. For public agencies or companies with contracts with
same, yes. In commercial industry, sometimes but not always.
They did not use per-diem's when I worked for T.I., and this
was as recently as siz years ago.

Steve

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:46:32 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> They did not use per-diem's when I worked for T.I., and this
> was as recently as siz years ago.

Wow. I thought they all watched their bottom line. Were you given a
list of approved hotels and restaurants to choose from or could you
have dined and slept in the Presidential Suite at the Ritz?

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:46:32 +0000 (UTC),

>> They did not use per-diem's when I worked for T.I., and this
>> was as recently as siz years ago.

>Wow. I thought they all watched their bottom line. Were you given a
>list of approved hotels and restaurants to choose from or could you
>have dined and slept in the Presidential Suite at the Ritz?

No. Instead, they had two rounds of layoffs each year, and
the engineers who overspent on their business trips were
more likely to get cut. :-)

Steve

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:08:25 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> No. Instead, they had two rounds of layoffs each year, and
> the engineers who overspent on their business trips were
> more likely to get cut. :-)

Cripes. Spend what you want, but you may not be employed here next
year if you overstep the mystery number. What a CS (chicken shit) way
to downsize! Better to give parameters in a dollar amount and let
attrition take care of staff reduction.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:08:25 +0000 (UTC),

>> No. Instead, they had two rounds of layoffs each year, and
>> the engineers who overspent on their business trips were
>> more likely to get cut. :-)

>Cripes. Spend what you want, but you may not be employed here next
>year if you overstep the mystery number. What a CS (chicken shit) way
>to downsize!

CS it may be, but it is standardly taught in management school
to examine carefully employee expense reports and silently act
upon the information. Many managers use them as a measure of whether
they can trust somebody, even if they don't outright lay them off.

Steve

sf wrote:
> (Steve Pope) wrote:
>
>> Actually, anybody who is on an expense account, but who is not also
>> watching how much they spend, is quite probably an idiot.
>>
> Isn't a per diem the way companies go these days?

Some companies pay per diem with no need for reciepts. Others reimburse
based on a set of rules.

When I travelled doing data center work through EMC Professional
Services we called EMC - Every Meal Compensated.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:27:07 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> sf > wrote:
>
> >On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:08:25 +0000 (UTC),
>
> >> No. Instead, they had two rounds of layoffs each year, and
> >> the engineers who overspent on their business trips were
> >> more likely to get cut. :-)
>
> >Cripes. Spend what you want, but you may not be employed here next
> >year if you overstep the mystery number. What a CS (chicken shit) way
> >to downsize!
>
> CS it may be, but it is standardly taught in management school
> to examine carefully employee expense reports and silently act
> upon the information. Many managers use them as a measure of whether
> they can trust somebody, even if they don't outright lay them off.
>
Shady. Remind me not to apply to any company that hires managers from
the Ebenezer Scrooge School of Business.


--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:49:02 +0000 (UTC), Doug Freyburger
> wrote:

> sf wrote:
> > (Steve Pope) wrote:
> >
> >> Actually, anybody who is on an expense account, but who is not also
> >> watching how much they spend, is quite probably an idiot.
> >>
> > Isn't a per diem the way companies go these days?
>
> Some companies pay per diem with no need for reciepts. Others reimburse
> based on a set of rules.
>
> When I travelled doing data center work through EMC Professional
> Services we called EMC - Every Meal Compensated.

I think that's a much more fair and equitable way to deal with
business expenses. Tell them how much you'll reimburse - anything
over and above is on their dime.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Jun 28, 1:31*pm, sf > wrote:
> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:20:33 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
>
> > wrote:
> > The sugar in traditional sweet corn turned to starch on its way to the
> > grocery store. The Illini super-sweets were a revelation for
> > gardenless people used to eating starch corn.
>
> While I understand the logic, but I didn't find that to be the case
> back in the days before super-sweets. *AFAIC it was much ado about
> nothing.
>
> --
> Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

I think most of the super-sweets are really disgusting with very
little corn taste, but I grew up with real sweet corn, which has
become harder and harder to find, even at farmers' markets.

N.

sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:27:07 +0000 (UTC),

>> CS it may be, but it is standardly taught in management school
>> to examine carefully employee expense reports and silently act
>> upon the information. Many managers use them as a measure of whether
>> they can trust somebody, even if they don't outright lay them off.

>Shady. Remind me not to apply to any company that hires managers from
>the Ebenezer Scrooge School of Business.

I dunno. If somebody had been watching AC Transit managers expensing
their junkets to Europe to buy inferior buses, with sex-date side trips
to Paris on nearly every trip, maybe we in the transit district would
be less broke and not stuck with these godawful buses.

That is of course different from tracking whether you ate at
a real restaurant instead of Chili's while stuck in Dallas.

Steve

On Jun 28, 3:15*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> sf > wrote:
> >On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:27:07 +0000 (UTC),
> >> CS it may be, but it is standardly taught in management school
> >> to examine carefully employee expense reports and silently act
> >> upon the information. *Many managers use them as a measure of whether
> >> they can trust somebody, even if they don't outright lay them off.
> >Shady. *Remind me not to apply to any company that hires managers from
> >the Ebenezer Scrooge School of Business.
>
> I dunno. *If somebody had been watching AC Transit managers expensing
> their junkets to Europe to buy inferior buses, with sex-date side trips
> to Paris on nearly every trip, maybe we in the transit district would
> be less broke and not stuck with these godawful buses.
>
> That is of course different from tracking whether you ate at
> a real restaurant instead of Chili's while stuck in Dallas.

I think that's a damned good way to tell if an employee has the
company's best interests in mind
>
> Steve

--Bryan

In article
>,
spamtrap1888 > wrote:

> On Jun 27, 9:54*pm, Cindy Fuller >
> wrote:

> > Was long enough, thank you very much.

I've made a couple of day trips down there. Much too long!

> > *Friday night we went to the Pink
> > Taco.
>
> I have to admire the nerve of someone who would name a restaurant the
> Pink Taco.

There's no lack of nerve down there. Some people would put it much less
politely. "Professional Assholes" comes to mind. Lots of nice people,
too.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:08:23 -0700 (PDT), Nancy2
> wrote:

>I think most of the super-sweets are really disgusting with very
>little corn taste, but I grew up with real sweet corn, which has
>become harder and harder to find, even at farmers' markets.
>
Oddly enough, for a fairly agrarian part of the state, SoCal can't
seem to grow corn *or* tomatoes that taste like anything. Even at
farmers' markets, I haven't gotten what I was used to back in Indiana
or even Colorado, for that matter. I bought some so-called sweet corn
at the farmer's market two weekends ago, farmed in Yorba Linda, and
the corn taste was very faint.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--

"If the soup had been as warm as the wine,
if the wine had been as old as the turkey,
and if the turkey had had a breast like the maid,
it would have been a swell dinner." Duncan Hines


To reply, remove "spambot" and replace it with "cox"

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:23:35 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
> wrote:

>On Jun 27, 9:54*pm, Cindy Fuller >
>wrote:
>> Was long enough, thank you very much. *I was stranded at the Hyatt
>> Century Plaza Hotel for the American Headache Society's annual
>> scientific meeting. *The hotel was nice, but the management was
>> hell-bent on making maximum moolah off each guest. *($5 for an
>> individual bag of chips in the mini-bar??? *PUH-LEEZE!!!)
>
>The nicer the hotel, the more expensive their everyday items. If you
>need to swipe your credit card to get a coke, the hotel is very nice
>indeed. But such hotels are for people on expense accounts, not for
>those watching their pennies.

The places where you have to be super careful are the ones with
servi-bars that have pressure pads on the shelves. Move a can or
bottle and <cha-ching!> it goes on your tab.
>
>>*My work
>> partner in crime was presenting preliminary results on our research
>> project, and much of our time before Saturday was spent making and
>> re-making slides for a 7-minute talk; therefore, I didn't see much of
>> the area. *Wednesday night I walked over to Gelson's and got some
>> grilled salmon and salads for us. *Friday night we went to the Pink
>> Taco.
>
>I have to admire the nerve of someone who would name a restaurant the
>Pink Taco.

How about a grocery chain named "Ralphs"? That amused me when I first
moved to California.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--

"If the soup had been as warm as the wine,
if the wine had been as old as the turkey,
and if the turkey had had a breast like the maid,
it would have been a swell dinner." Duncan Hines


To reply, remove "spambot" and replace it with "cox"

Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote:

>Oddly enough, for a fairly agrarian part of the state, SoCal can't
>seem to grow corn *or* tomatoes that taste like anything.

It must be hard to dry-farm tomatoes in So-Cal. The best ones
here in Nor-Cal are dry-farmed.

Tangent: the other night we had pasta (fresh, eggless, whole-wheat
rigatoni) with dry-farmed tomatoes (from last season, from our freezer),
olive oil, white wine vinegar, Mexcian oregano, and Reggiano.
Very satisfactory. Normally I'd add some garlic and some arbol or
cayenne but I left those out this time.


Steve

In article >,
Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:23:35 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
> > wrote:
>
> >On Jun 27, 9:54*pm, Cindy Fuller >
> >wrote:
> >> Was long enough, thank you very much. *I was stranded at the Hyatt
> >> Century Plaza Hotel for the American Headache Society's annual
> >> scientific meeting. *The hotel was nice, but the management was
> >> hell-bent on making maximum moolah off each guest. *($5 for an
> >> individual bag of chips in the mini-bar??? *PUH-LEEZE!!!)
> >
> >The nicer the hotel, the more expensive their everyday items. If you
> >need to swipe your credit card to get a coke, the hotel is very nice
> >indeed. But such hotels are for people on expense accounts, not for
> >those watching their pennies.
>
> The places where you have to be super careful are the ones with
> servi-bars that have pressure pads on the shelves. Move a can or
> bottle and <cha-ching!> it goes on your tab.
> >
I took one look in the mini-bar fridge, saw that it was one of the
pressure pad types, and shut the door. It remained shut for the
duration of our stay.

This weekend we're going to Port Angeles for our annual 4th of July
Olympic Peninsula pilgrimage. For those of you with teenaged daughters,
P.A. figures prominently in the "Twilight" novels. (OB FOOD) We have
Friday night reservations at the restaurant where the two main
characters had their first date. It's about the only "fine dining"
joint in town. We made the mistake on our first visit to P.A. of going
to an Indian restaurant. We swore that the Tandoori chicken was
actually seagull. However, P.A. has the best bagel place in Western
Washington.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me