What I did on my summer vacation pt 1

I completed an Olympic distance triathlon!!

Summer Vacation!

I'm almost done with summer vacation.  Look out for more Karte Blanche coming soon! In the meantime, chew on this...

Introducing KB Kombucha...

The fact that I'm now brewing my own Kombucha might mean that I've started the icky descent into hippydom.  In fact, it is basically proof of that.  Call it a late-20s-about-to-turn 30 crisis of identity, or evidence that I've been spending too much time in Portland, OR.  Either way, I blame Sharon Shattuck, mostly because she gave me the scoby that started my great experiment. 

"What is a scoby?", you might be asking yourself.  Well, it is a yeasty culture that turns sugary tea into sparkling kombucha by eating the sugar and giving off CO2 as a byproduct.  Also, it looks like a giant, flexible piece of mold, and feels like you're petting a dolphin (see above).  It is one of those things that made me wonder about who would look at a scoby and think "Man, I want to drink the water that that has been sitting in!"  The answer is clear.  Only a hippy. 

It is incredibly simple to make kombucha.  First, you boil about a gallon of water, and add 5-7 tea bags (I chose jasmine green tea).  Let the tea steep  for about 15 minutes.  During this time, add about 1.5 cups of sugar (this is a rough approximation).  Make sure the sugar dissolves completely.  Now, let your tea cool to room temperature,  put it in a glass jar, and add the scoby with a bit of the "starter tea" that came with the scoby. 

 Cover the jar with a piece of cloth and put a rubber band around the top to keep unwanted contaminants from entering your kombucha.  

Wow, it's already looking so delicious!  But unfortunately you'll have to wait awhile before you can enjoy your sparkling mold water.  How will you manage? 

Once the kombucha culture is added to the tea, it should not be moved or disturbed for about 10 days.  I opted to put mine in the corner and cover it with a dish towel so it doesn't look like there is a moldy jar of pee sitting in my kitchen.  Dregs that look like mold tentacles will start to appear, and a new scoby may begin to grow.  This is normal, and many websites insist that the mold tentacles are the most healthy part of the kombucha (blechhhh!)

Your kombucha is almost done!  Now you must put it in a bottle with a tight cap to allow it to carbonate, and wait another 5 days for it to be ready!  I strained mine as I bottled it to remove the healthy mold tentacles that I prefer not to consume no matter how beneficial they might be.   I also added raspberries to mine at this stage.  What an adventure!

Flying Trapeze- Straddle Flip

Check out my latest trick at TSNY's Governor's Island rig on opening weekend!  Laura on board, Dave on lines, Jason catching.

Happy Mother's Day!

In honor of Mother's Day, check out this Saturday Night Live parody commercial I edited.  If you're reading my blog, it might be applicable to you.

Where's the death certificate? - Fox News Reporting FAIL

Yesterday, the surge of patriotism and excitement surrounding Osama Bin Laden's death didn't stop Fox News from trying to slip in some not-so-subliminal messages.  Here's a tip for you guys: Osama ≠ Obama, even if they rhyme.  

Flying Trapeze- Toes Off

TSNY's outdoor rig opened today!  I was lucky enough to learn and catch a new trick.  Check it out!



Jeff on lines, Jordan on board,  & Greg catching

Weird Stuff in Brooklyn

This was the sandwich board outside of the Gibson on Easter Sunday.  Hilarious.

I found this gem on a wall in Greenpoint.  I assume it's a tribute to all of the political unrest.

Bad Joke of the Day - Passover edition

Q: What do you call someone who derives pleasure from the bread of affliction?
 

A: A matzochist!


Finally!  A matzoh joke that isn't about constipation!!  Thanks to Risa for this seasonally appropriate bad joke!

Brent's Gazebo - Hanover, New Hampshire

I'll begin this blog post with a simple question: How many gazebos do you have?
If you answered 0, then HA! my boyfriend has you beat!
If you answered 1 or more, I'll rephrase the question:
How many gazebos do you have that have been erected on the campus of a prestigious Ivy League college at your request? 
Is it zero?  Would you say you have exactly zero ivy league gazebos? 
Yeah, that's what I thought.  Basically, don't test Brent's gazebo having abilities, because, although you wouldn't know it by visiting his house, Brent can completely annihilate you in a gazebo brag-a-thon. "How?" you might be asking yourself....

 

Well, the legend goes that in the year 2000, Brent Knopf, a gazebo-loving senior at Dartmouth, was fed up with the lack of shaded outdoor spaces available to students.  There was nowhere on campus where one could sit and study outside without having to purchase a coffee beverage or pastry.  So Brent approached the Dartmouth administration and pleaded the case for a gazebo on campus.   Brent's winning idea cut right through the red tape and bureaucracy usually involved when proposals cross the desks of university administrators, and 3 months later, a gazebo was erected behind the senior apartments.  Brent's very own gazebo dream had become a reality almost as beautiful as it was in his imagination.   I could hardly believe this fairy tale, until I saw the gazebo with my own eyes.

Please enjoy this series of photos I took with Brent, upon returning to visit his gazebo 11 years after its erection.   Oh, um, I mean construction.

 The 'This is my gazebo, bitch!' pose

 The 'Check out my gazebo' jig (part 1)

 The 'Check out my gazebo' jig (part 2) 

 Welcome to my lovely gazebo