Easier access

As I delve deeper into the cyber-blogger world (is blog really a word?) I discover, through advice from wiser folks, how to streamline access to this site. As of now, nobody need type the letters, numbers of a gibberish spam deflector to comment. I am also working on e-mail notifications for y'all.
In other news, Chicago is on the short list to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. While I'm selfishly thrilled at the prospect of an Olympic games I can attend, I can't get it out of my head that Illinois is practically broke and that Blago could be out of prison by then and running the state again (this is, you know, Illinois). Chicago is not Los Angeles, and I'd bet the wheels that turn Second City won't turn a profit. Nevertheless, my selfish self still hopes for Chi town's success in reining in the games.
On a note from a previous blog/rant, I blew the doors off of today's residential architectural design (as in lack of) without offering an alternative- something like hating the direction the country is taking, yet offering not an iota of a suggestion as to what direction would be preferred, nor a program with which to implement such change. So......... rather than casting myself as a bellyacher without a cure....................... I would, in order to improve residential design criteria, implement subdivision restrictions that went beyond the minimums of square footage and brick requirements. I know of, and have built in subdivisions that required plan review standards that take into consideration design and balance. This could be done on all levels. The problem today is that in a new development, a homeowner review board cannot be established until homeowners constitute a percentage of the subdivision, and by then, the developer has approved the plans under way, usually with more of an emphasis on the sale than on design. Local planning and zoning departments could provide better guidelines for specific developments that would require higher standards for developers.

OK, try this......................

I would expect that a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs would garner more attention than a "randomless observation" from yours truly, so here goes:

You need: (for meatballs)
1 lb. burger
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes (or fresh chopped, my preference)
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg
Also: (for sauce)
3/4 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cans (28oz. each) whole peeled tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt (or less)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 bay leaf (don't eat)
1 can (6oz.) tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

How to:

Balls (said the queen)
combine beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, black pepper, garlic powder and egg in a bowl, mix well with your hands (yes), form a dozen or so ball sized balls, put in fridge for later.
Sauce
caramelize onions and brown garlic in sauce pan over olive oil, stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf (don't eat), cover, lower heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stir in paste, basil, pepper, and meatballs for 30 minutes, serve over spaghetti pasta.
Note: no, don't pre-cook, brown or warm meatballs before dropping into sauce. Plop them in cold and cook for 30 minutes, no more, no less- keeps them tender and tasty. Enjoy.

Lamenting the death of architectural identity

Early American, generally. Specifically, Cape Cod, Saltbox, Victorian (borrowed from elsewhere), Arts and Crafts, borrowed Tudor (ie., English Tudor, half timbre), borrowed Greek Revival, borrowed Dutch, French Provincial, Country French, some Roman influences, Frank Lloyd Wright, yada, yada, yada...................
Today's residential designs run the gamut from mix master gable and hip combinations to schlock fests in neighborhoods throughout the country.
It started in the early to mid nineties and continues today with no end in sight. Home design and construction today has descended to the depths of temporary housing and the typical subdivision sports homes with similar brick, similar siding color, similar profiles and similar floor plans, all competing to lead the race for conformity. Anonymity. Replacability. Move anywhere in the United States and you're bound to find the typical 4 bedroom, 2-1/2 bath 2 story with a main floor master suite and two story entrance, three car garage and granite countertops, but ask what historical architectural style served as an inspiration and expect to get the "deer in the headlights" look.
I have no problem with new and practical. I know that the average twenty-first century family isn't going to be happy with an eighteenth century Salt Box with small windows and small rooms. What I don't like is the concept that if the guy down the street sold a s*** box, I'll build one just like it. Home building has morphed into standard TV fare- if people tune into crap, let's use the crap model to produce shows just the same. CSI, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, America's Got Talent, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, all the Law and Orders...........
Generally, as with clones, the first is the best, and the spinoffs spin downward. In construction, copy cat building has taken over the industry. Just drive around. See what I'm writing about. I've been building houses since 1976 and I am witnessing it first hand. I've probably contributed to the trend as much as anybody. No more, no more.

Wondering out loud

I am curious as to whether anyone other than the obvious (those who have told me or those who have commented) is reading this blog. If you can comment, please sent a "yup", or if you can't or don't want to, e-mail me at tracyboettcher@gmail.com
I'm wondering if I were to delve into more controversy- say, religion or politics, child rearing or discipline- would I get more communication? Maybe outrage, maybe affirmation, maybe nothing. You be the judge. I'll try the case and wield the axe.

Amy's Endeavors

People, if you know me, you know Amy. What you know about her as a friend, business associate, relative or art lover only avails you to the aspect of her life that includes you. I, on the other hand, though not falling into any of your categories, catch the bits and pieces of every single aspect of her multitasking day. She would say I have no idea what she does specifically, and she'd be right, and I'd do well to listen better, but I'm in the "Unique" position as her husband to hear smatterings of most of her adventures.
So say, if you play volleyball with her, in open play or on a league, you know her through her efforts and passion on the court. If you're a member of the Bohemian Art Society, she's known to you as a Bohem. Arts Partners- one of them. Peoria Art Guild- breaking down barriers through connections with Peoria Business (Peoria Next, Heartland), Something Unique Studios, Bartonville (been there, done that, 3 years, on her own dime), Muralist (yes, great), Whimsical Furniture Designer (the best), Professional Bowler (well, no), former owner Something Unique retail store, Main and University, former owner, Something Unique retail store, Prospect in the Heights, former gymnast (yes, the uneven parallel bars), initiator of Art in the Islands, where she spent part of a summer teaching needy kids on Union Island, among others (Southern Grenadines, look it up)................. oh, yes, a world class mom, world class wife, world class grandmother, world class friend, lover............
I ask myself what I do to improve people's lives through my endeavours, and I find my contribution to be relatively small. Try assessing your own contribution to society; how selfless are any of us, really. It's not about money, fame or recognition. It's about giving more than you take.
Amy sets the bar far to high for most of us, but with motivation to step outside our world and into someone else's, we can make a small difference or a large one. By remaining static, we contribute nothing.
So I close this blog with the hope that the two or three people who read this will heap on the accolades that my wife deserves. I can't say enough.

Pic Parade (of one)

As I said

Huh?

Escher? Stair art? You be the judge.

Thought for food

I refuse to succumb to the regularities of consistent blog content, yet I must remember to occasionally wade into the mainstream in order for people to like me, hopefully holding out hope that I am not completely whacked out. Don't hope to much- I lay this caveat out without trepidation. Fact is, I'm stranger in my own mind than in my own world. There's nothing wrong with thinking off the grid as long as you live within it. I only choose to write like this because it allows some safe externalization of the (not so) inert byproducts of my rational thought. So.............. on that note, here's a recipe I've tried:

Tailgate Chili-

Feeds 10

Needs:
2lbs. ground chuck
1 lb. Italian sausage
3- 15oz. cans mild chili beans, drained
1- 15oz. can hot chili beans in sauce
2- 28oz. cans diced tomatoes
1- 6oz. can tomato paste
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 green chili peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon bacon bits
4 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 cup good beer
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bag Fritos
1- 8oz. bag shredded cheddar cheese

How to:
Be sure not to exclude any ingredients, and don't vary quantities

Combine sausage, burger in dutch oven over a squirt of olive oil, cool into meat is browned. Add all the rest, bring to a brief boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for at least 2 hours, serve-

The pic? Whatever you make of it....................if it shows up, that is. No guarantees.

Food, fun and football

Don't expect any common thread weaving through my posts. If I'm anything it's not common. If you were expecting a themed blog, I plan to disappoint you. It's not like I'm going to update you on mundane activity or daily ritual. What comes out of this site will not require your continuing attention. My blogs will be timeless- you can read them in any order you want without any more confusion than you experience within the content of each.
In case you're wondering at the title of this particular blog, I must inform- on occasion I plan on sharing a recipe from the "Golden Book of Food I Like and Can Prepare", I always look to have fun, and football is upon us. Don't look for food pictures. Some day I'll have pictures, but not of food. Look ahead, the food train is coming. (but no pictures)

Who is Higgs and when can we see his Boson?

I can't decide whether it's a good thing or bad to be the namesake of a particle that, to date, may not exist, may never have existed, and, if so, probably won't exist in the future. Not exactly a Mt. Rushmore accolade.
For those who have no idea what I'm writing about, the Higgs Boson is a massive sub-atomic particle that, if discovered to exist, will give physicists an identifier for the existence of mass in the universe. Currently, there is a mad rush on to see who finds it first, since the Geneva Hadron Collider, completed last year, went down to malfunction. The huge (largest in the world) collider probably had the best chance to find Higgs in the shortest time, but since its broken, Fermi labs and others are trying to claim the prize. Whoever gets credit for the find can clear a space on his/her mantel for the Nobel.
I know, to most people, this seems unimportant and uninteresting, but, if you Google "particle accelerator" or "atom smasher" or the like, and ask what we've gained from things like these, you will find that the very communications medium that serves to allow you to read this blog on your computer would not exist if not for their help in the advancement of particle physics.

Light thoughts at light speed

It should be a well known fact that gravity has an influence on time. GPS satellites, orbiting at 10 to 12 thousand miles from earth, register time's passage as faster than you or I standing in our driveway. True. You can set your watch to it. Without constant adjustments to account for gravity's effect, our GPS systems would be as inaccurate as......hmm.......as they are! Well, likely worse. If you're in a rut, and time is dragging, (and now you know why), then get up, stand up, JUMP! (and look at your watch.) See?
Seriously, why all the hoopla over Obama's speech to some schoolkids? He just told them what they should already know, what their parents likely told them, we hope. I didn't see it as part of any Democratic Party agenda, these kids can't vote. At most it was an exercise in a political requirement that, like Bush (who spoke to school kids in '91), or Reagan, or the others fulfilled in their day, and to me, largely, a waste of time and effort. Unless a president is capable of talking- directly to all the country's kids (and he's clearly not), he'd be better served to address the parents concerning their responsibilities toward their kids. Children today will be worse served by the politically charged battle this whole thing has digressed to. Whew!
If you just skipped that windblown paragraph, It simply says: "Waste of Time!"

I am entering the cyberworld

I am Tracy Boettcher. That's about it. Going to bed now.