A Weblog…Again

Fresh Baked Bread

A couple of weeks ago, I read this article "Better Bread With Less Kneading" in the New York Times and got it into my head to give it a go.  I found a recipe (which I can’t find anymore) that required no kneading and about 2 hours for the bread to rise.  After ordering an oven thermometer (I ordered the Taylor Oven Guide from Amazon) and buying some yeast and some bread flour, I combined the ingredients and let it rise for 2 hours.  I then simply placed to dough on to a cookie sheet and cooked for about 35 minutes at 350.  The result:  a fairly edible loaf of bread that was rather tasty with some butter and jam.  (Sorry no pictures)

This evening, I didn’t have quite that much time on my hands, but I needed some activity to keep Dhruv occupied.  So I found a great and easy recipe for Banana Bread at The Fresh Loaf.  Dhruv helped with the measuring and mixing and then it was in the oven for about 50 minutes.  The result:  warm and delicious banana nut bread.  Here are some pictures:

My New Leap (Chair)

For the past 10 years, I’ve been a telecommuter working for East/West coast technology companies.  I have been very fortunate in this regard and am thankful for this work/life arrangement.  About 5 years ago, I was in the market for a new office chair.  At that time, Herman Miller Aeron chairs were still well over $500.  I remember reading about the Steelcase Leap chair that had just been introduced into the market.  It was much more of a traditional looking chair, but from an ergonomic point of view, it received accolades from many reviewers.  Unfortunately, the Leap was in the $800 – $1200 range.  So, I ended up settling for a $200 Aeron knock-off.  This was a bad move.  Over the past 5 years, I’ve probably spent anywhere between 8000 – 10,000 hours in that chair.  I can say with some degree of confidence that my posture along with my productivity has paid the price.

Over the past few weeks, the chair started falling apart.  I noticed a screw on the ground.  It creaked incessantly everytime I would swivel or lean back.  The armrest padding came undone.  It was time for a new chair.

After a bit of research, I pulled the trigger on a Steelcase Leap.  It has only been 2 days, but the difference is night and day.  The chair enforces good posture; no more slouching for me.  With all of the adjustments on this chair, it can truly be customized to my sitting style.  It is a great chair and a worthy investment that should easily last me for the next 5 years.

The Steelcase Leap

Blog Updated

I just upgraded to the latest (2.9.2) version of WordPress for my blog.  I also added integration with Facebook, which in turn required upgrading to PHP5.  Using SimpleScripts this was trivial.  Let’s see if this actually posts to Facebook or not.  Hopefully, I can get back on to the blogging bandwagon.