Planet Mando

Wonderful Secret: Revealed

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Ok... if you like sushi, and variety, and can get to Tualatin, Oregon, I do highly recommend the Sushi Train. Always fresh, always tasty, and the best kind of fast food there is!

Yes, there is a train there too! The food revolves around a square "track" area, with the sushi chefs working their magic from inside. Just take a seat and eat!

FYI: They charge per the color of the plate, which can range from $1.00 to $5 per plate. So it is a very flexible choice if you want to eat a lot or just a little. It is also a very casual comfortable atmosphere.

You can find them here:
19239 SW Martinazzi Ave.
Tualatin, OR 97062

See Google Map

If you go, or have already been, please leave a comment. Thanks!

Too Much Dirt Funk!

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:04:00 +0000

I still think Portland, Oregon is the red-headed (dirty hippie) stepchild, next to Seattle.

At least in Seattle you can find CLEAN coffee shops. Don't take me wrong... I love the fact that there are very progressively-minded vegan coffee/pastry places in PDX that recycle/compost their trash --But for heaven's sake people-- get some FREAKIN' organic cleaners and a FREAKIN' organic sponge/scrub brush, and CLEAN the dang bathrooms, floors, walls, tables, counters... etc. once in a while. PLEASE. Cause sitting next to five to twelve months of sticky funk all over the place is just plain gross.

Oh, The Irony

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:42:00 +0000

I know that you cannot change the town's name, but I still think this is funny!

The Pacific Barreleye Fish

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:12:00 +0000

What an amazing fish!

Who Remembers the iomega Zip Drive?

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:39:00 +0000

Just going through some stuff today, trying to tidy up and get rid of some old crap, and look what I unearthed: An old iomega zip drive, from 1998 containing my old Senior Research Project! I remember that the Powerpoint presentation would not fit on a regular floppy disk, and that I paid about $7.00 for this (at the time whopping) 100M of storage capacity.

What struck me most was that after only a decade -and in a fraction of the size- we can fit 95% more data on a 2GB flash drive or on a tiny M2 chip. Makes one wonder where we will be in another ten years. Maybe my flash drive will look as ridiculous as the zip drive does today!

Lunch Hour

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:55:00 +0000

Outside, enjoying the 72-degree weather among the pine trees...

View from Our Tent

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:28:00 +0000

Our day at the beach...

How to Stay Cool

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:31:00 +0000

Behold!

A fan + blue ice + wine rack = Mando's Artic Blast!
Gotta cope with this excessive heat without AC somehow...

(Yes, I know it's lame.)

Golla Laptop Bag Review

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Here are some pictures of my new Golla ODE G299 - Notebook carrying case - 15.4 " (dark brown). I really enjoy the form and functionality of this bag. When I was shopping around for one, I had a feeling I would like the Golla bags, but there were hardly any good product pictures online showing the inside (aside from a YouTube video I found showing one being opened, etc.).

Velcro closures on the flap and a small side closure help keep everything securely enclosed.

Extra pockets, rubber zipper pulls, and a drawstring close.

The laptop compartment offers pretty good protection. Here you can see the thickness of the foam.

To read my full review five-star review on Amazon, click here, and to see more of my detailed of photos of this bag, click here.

Oh, and if you do decide to buy one of these bags, do shop around. I found mine for around $50 online, which includes shipping costs.

I heart Golla, but wish they would take better pictures of their products, or at least have a better way to locate "stores near you" so you can see the products in person.

Pictures of the Oregon Coast

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:57:00 +0000

A few pictures from our day trip to the coast this past Monday:

Independence?

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Two years ago I had a post explaining why I could not, in good conscience, celebrate the 4th of July.

Based only upon the one facet of the US treatment of native peoples on this continent, my mind has not changed since then. Anyone who has taken a real and honest look of our history in this area can plainly see the unbroken timeline of cruel, unjustified, and unapologetic horrors inflicted upon Native Americans.

Recently, my mind was further opened on these matters when I watched the PBS series called We Shall Remain. I shed tears and felt absolute rage for what was done, not only by our own government, but for those who sold out to their own tribes. I now know how much of a bastard Andrew Jackson really was when it came to ignoring the established legal treaty of 1789 and their borders (pictured in the map above) and destroying the Cherokee Nation, facilitating the Trail of Tears.

How I wish that human beings were better at spreading peace than they are with spreading violence!

If these enslaving, impoverishing treatments (reaching into the present day) beset upon the Native Tribes of North America are the policy of the place I happen to call home, for this reason alone, I must clearly admit that I am ASHAMED to be an American. I am also ashamed of our judicial system that gives little to no recourse for reparations. I am ashamed that our government has rounded up these people into paltry little reservations, stripping them of their identities/sovereignty, and basically setting them up to fail.

Long live the native peoples of this land. A land that deserves no borders or its current tyrannies. A land that deserves to be free from the people who only take from it, and refuse to give anything back. I think our country would have been better a far place to live if these populations were simply left to their peaceful ways, were listened to, and respected. But in the clashes of cultures both past and present, clearly it is the "white man" who proves to be the savage time and time again.

Relaxing on the Columbia River

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:08:00 +0000

Tom and I visited the Cascade Locks Marine Park today. We took a little rest on the banks of Thunder Island there. Not a bad spot to soak up some sun, cool breeze, and 74º temperatures!

Vacation Pictures

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:31:00 +0000

Cool Cuttlefish Pictures

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:53:00 +0000

I love this!
Such a cute little baby Sepia officinalis Linnaeus!

Why can't the USPS make stamps this cool?
(Coincidentally, it was issued the same year I was born!)

New Japanese Wood Block Printing Kit

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sat, 16 May 2009 21:45:00 +0000

Just got this very cool printmaking kit from McClains Printmaking Supply. I am still deliberating upon my first print's subject matter. Although I am leaning towards something cephalopod in nature!

Name That Character

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sun, 03 May 2009 19:27:00 +0000

Tom thinks that no one younger than 40 can name this retro TV character.

If you can name this guy and the show he was on, please post a comment of "yes, I know" or "no, I have no idea" and your year of birth.

I want to prove that us 30-somethings (and younger) know a thing or two about old 'n' crusty TV shows!

Solid Potato Salad

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 05:07:00 +0000

Be sure to watch the WHOLE thing...

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:45:00 +0000

I just baked this last night and it turned into a WONDERFUL pie. Be warned: it does have a tendency to bubble over in the oven, so be sure to put a cookie sheet/tray underneath to catch the drips. I even used less fruit (only 3 cups of each).

For Crust:

* Follow my own all-butter pie crust recipe.

For Filling:

* 3 ½ cups ½-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb (1½ pounds untrimmed)
* 1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3½ cups)
* ½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
* ½ cup sugar
* ¼ cup (heaping)cornstarch
* ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
* ¼ teaspoon salt

* 1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Make Crust:

Combine flour and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms. Blend in enough ice water 2 tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; cut in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.)

Make Filling:

Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend. Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving ¾ -inch overhang.

Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into fourteen ½-inch-wide strips. Spoon filling into crust. Arrange 7 dough strips atop filling, spacing evenly. Form lattice by placing remaining dough strips in opposite direction atop filling. Trim ends of dough strips even with overhang of bottom crust. Fold strip ends and overhang under, pressing to seal. Crimp edges decoratively.

Brush glaze over crust. Transfer pie to baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.

Optional Garnish: Homemade whipped cream! Uber Yum!

Day at The Oregon Garden

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:55:00 +0000

Unicorns in Portland?

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Long, long ago... unicorns frolicked wild and free along the banks of the Willamette River.

(Click on picture to see original post.)

Planted!

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:37:00 +0000

Q: What did Captain Mando do on her day off?

A: Planted six of these along the fence that borders our back porch today.

These are Sweet Peas (AKA: Lathyrus and dubbed "Incense Mix") from a place called Peoria Gardens. I am hoping that we've seen the last of the overnight freezing temperatures and these guys will grow up big and strong over the next several months. I am seriously tired of looking out at that blank bare patch of dirt out there! Wish them happy root growth.

New Haircut

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:51:00 +0000

Protect Your Privacy While Browsing

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:31:00 +0000

I recently learned about this very cool internet search engine which does not store your ip address or search history like some other search engines do (ahem, Google). Click on the above image to try it out!

Yves Rocher Coupon Codes

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:48:00 +0000

I recently got this information with my last order, but now that I am stocked up and won't be ordering again for a while, I thought I'd share these discounts with anyone who can use them:

W10OFF: to get $10 off "your favorites"
15THANKS: to get 15% off your next order
YR15OFF: Gives you 15% off your next order
RAL25: Gives you a mini lipstick sampler with an order of $25 or more
SPRING20: 20% off your next order

Cheers,
Cap'n Mando

Morning Snow

anon-ohjf3va96kfn@base.google.com (Mando) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:43:00 +0000

I thought we were done with this stuff!