Categories
Burningbird

Fire and ice

Though I work primarily with backend development, my start in writing was front end design and development, working with Javascript and CSS. I know, hard to imagine.

Lately though, I’ve been in a design mood, and have designed a new format for this weblog, which you can see at the test weblog. I’ve borrowed Michael Hanscom’s idea of a style switcher, and his Javascript, and have created three styles so far. I have five more in the wings, waiting to finish, but you can see what I have now.

The (F) and (S) designate fixed background image or sliding. So far my favorite design is Fire and Ice, inspired by a posting title by Rogi. Check out the sidebar that changes with each stylesheet. The photos change in and around the ‘floating cloud’ segmented sidebar, as someone named it, and a lovely name it is. The difference from the original design is that I am now going fully centered.

I still need to play around with the stylesheets, make sure it works with the browsers I plan on supporting. And I have one last challenge – the Burningbird title. I want it to right align with the box holding the post text, but haven’t figured it out yet. If anyone has any ideas, I’d appreciate hearing about them.

Found, thanks to Roger.

This has been fun. Much more fun than being a pain in the butt to the WordPress people. But not as fun as paddle-ball, Dave.

Nice safe, topic.

Categories
Writing

New Icy frost Leatherwood

Allan Moult has completely redesigned Leatherwood Online and I like the new look. It’s a variation on the triple column, but giving more prominence to the main content. Allan’s also created a bunch of new blogs to support the site.

One new section focuses entirely on the Antarctica, and I think this really gives the site the one last hook it needed, appealing to the scientist/adventurer in all of us. And think of the photo opportunities, such as the following photo from Doug Thost.

If I ever get around to trying out more new site looks, I’d like to do some based on that unique and glorious blue color that very old ice gets.

Of course, this new effort also fits with my interest in squid, in particular the giant varieties of squid. I’m working on an interview of Dick Williams, expedition leader for a unique land/marine study that resulted in this accidental photo of one of the larger squid species (still being determined).

But all my attention isn’t devoted completely to icy vistas and tenacious marine life. There was this recipe for warm stout and chocolate pudding that also caught my fancy…

Categories
Just Shelley

It never rains but it pours

I just had an unexpected visit from the IRS. They showed up at my door with no warnings. I had no idea there was any problem, or anything wrong.

It would seem they don’t have the last form 940 for my corporation, which I closed in 2002. I had a letter to this effect last year, about not getting this form. That was cool, so sent them a copy. Didn’t hear another word. Not another word in over six months.

I also filed on time for my individual taxes for 2002 (filed in 2003) and 2003 (filed in 2004). Since I didn’t have the cash to pay the taxes owed, I sent in the form requesting payments, and have been making payments for my taxes owed last year ever since. I also just now received a letter from the IRS, on Friday, accepting my payment plan for both years and giving me a form to make first payment for the combined liability. But then Monday I received a note that all taxes were due, because none had been paid, and forms not filed.

And then I received a visit this morning from the IRS.

I hope I can find my copies of everything. Luckily the bank maintains copies of the checks, and I found my returns. I hope that none of the paperwork I need was in the unit that I sold off. I can’t afford a lawyer to represent me.

The bizarre thing about form 940 is that it would have nothing to do with taxes paid. I was an S corporation, and therefore didn’t pay corporate taxes. I paid my unemployment, and my social security, too. I paid income taxes through my individual tax return, and she said I did pay for all monies on my individual account – but I didn’t file the 940.

So now I’ll spend my day going through all my papers again, and faxing anything I can think of–because if I don’t she told me she will pursue financial and criminal avenues by the end of the week. So I’ll fax everything! Everything! And then hope this isn’t seen as a nuisance and therefore also make me criminally liable.

And it was a nice day, today, too. I thought about going for a walk.

At least there’s one good thing: it wasn’t someone from Ashcroft’s office, investigating me for my past critical writing about him and the President.

(Ooops! Well, now I’ve done it, haven’t I?)

If I end up in jail, will you bake me a cake?

update

Sorry for ’sharing too much’ with this post. I was finishing up my previous post when the IRS agent came by, and just sort of wrote my reactions. I realize, though, that this can fall into that category of “information you’d rather I not share”.

It does look like I have all the paperwork needed. Still rattled though. But will try and post happy writing later. Except that I was going to write about how amazed I am that no one seems to be questioning the Spirit of America. I can’t be the only person hesitant about the premise behind this operation, am I?

Categories
Just Shelley

Salt and Pepper

I don’t follow too many traditions when it comes to holidays. Without strong family ties or kids, I don’t celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving; and since I lack a religious foundation, I don’t celebrate Easter or Christmas. However, I still make fried chicken and my three favorite cold salads on the Friday before Memorial weekend, ready to eat when anyone is hungry. Since the food is already made, there’s no cooking, and few dishes. Tomorrow I’ll pack some up in a cooler and take some of it with me on my explorations; the rest I’ll leave for my roommate, to nosh on while I give him some private time in the house.

I love to cook, but I’m not a fancy cook. I seldom use more than one or two spices in any dish, and rarely use any that are considered ‘hot’. I like the food to speak for itself, and my salads–potato, three bean, and antipasto–and chicken reflect this.

When I worked at Boeing in Seattle, I used to go with one of the groups I worked with to a Chinese restaurant not far from my house. I liked the place because the food was fresh and flavorful, and attractive; my workmates liked it because it served hot, hot Szechuan style of food. They’d sit eating the food and sweating from the spiciness as they good naturedly gave me a bad time for staying with the simple, lightly seasoned dishes.

I have no doubts, none, not one of them has a taste bud left, now.

No, I don’t like heavily spiced meals. A little salt, a little pepper, maybe a little garlic and onion, and you have about the perfect enhancement for almost any dish. Well, except cookies. But then you can use both salt and pepper in cookies. And garlic in ice cream.

Among the stacks of books on bookbinding and various other topics picked up recently from my local libraries, I also found a cookbook titled, “Salt & Pepper”. Among the intriguing recipes and beautiful photographs are stories about the history of both salt and pepper, in addition to a detailed discussion about the varieties in each.

I have used more esoteric salts and peppercorns in cooking, but this book introduced me to exotics such as fleur de sel, a French salt that forms as a thin layer on seaside ponds in France and prized for it’s flavor, appearance, and texture; or pink Hawaiian sea salt. And the recipes!

There was salted tangerines with a black pepper dipping sauce, classic red sandwich, or deep fried lima beans. Salt and Pepper Candied Pecans. It even featured chocolate cookies spiced with pink peppercorns; all recipes light on spice except for salt and pepper, depending more on the other ingredients and the unusual and balanced combinations of foods to generate the flavor.

Salt and pepper. You might look down you nose at them as plain and simple, but lose them, and you might as well loose your joy in food.

A vegetarian friend of mine from long ago was also a gourmet cook and would have us over for these fantasic meals. She would add a pinch of this a dash of that until you could barely taste the ingredients of the dishes. Of course, tofu figured heavily, so I didn’t mind.

She would laugh, though, about my stinginess when it came to using spices. After all, it was she who introduced me to cilantro and curries, and chilis and whatnot, only to have her lessons go for naught. One day on the way to work, I said that she’d be proud of me, I was finally starting to branch out in my use of spices. She asked what spice. I answered, “Pepper”, and she laughed until I thought she was going to wreck the car.

But that’s just it — I was exploring with pepper. Different kinds of pepper and using pepper in different ways. For instance, you might know about putting salt on watermelon, but how about pepper on a granita (slushy) made of the watermelon’s juice? The same people that will add 23 different types of spices to a dish will look blankly at you when you talk about putting pepper on watermelon.

 

Categories
Burningbird

First new look: Burningbird of Happiness

For those with the time and inclination, I’ve modified my third WordPress test weblog to one of the new looks I’m trying.

This one I call The Burningbird of Happiness.

It should validate as XHTML strict and CSS with a little more tweaking on my part. And no tables.

Site also uses several of my hacks turned into plug-ins, and uses the ‘invisible’ WordPress directory structure. In fact, all my tests sites have access to the plug-ins because I’m using the symbolic link to this directory from each weblog.

Whether you’re a techie or not, the Unix symbolic link can be your very good friend.