Sunday, September 4, 2011

Solar Superstorm Israeli Couscous with Others


On September 2, 1859 an English amateur astronomer, Richard Carrington, observed the largest solar flare of a series that began in August. Some wacky physics went down, and what happened next Wikipedia tells pretty well:
On September 1–2, 1859, the largest recorded geomagnetic storm occurred. Aurorae were seen around the world, most notably over the Caribbean; also noteworthy were those over the Rocky Mountains that were so bright that their glow awoke gold miners, who began preparing breakfast because they thought it was morning.
Telegraph systems all over Europe and North America failed, in some cases even shocking telegraph operators. Telegraph pylons threw sparks and telegraph paper spontaneously caught fire. Some telegraph systems appeared to continue to send and receive messages despite having been disconnected from their power supplies.
The bit about the miners fixing breakfast makes me sad.

It feels like we're in the middle of a solar flare here in NYC, although I know it was way worse a couple months ago while I was cool in Vancouver. Last night, our second in Lefferts Gardens, A. made what you see above. Israeli couscous with sauteed shallots and Baby Bella mushrooms, corn, fried plantains, and avocado. It was even better the next day for lunch mixed up with some arugula and A.'s special dressing.


We've gone to one restaurant since we've arrived, and we've gone every single day. Scoops is where it's at in this neighborhood: all-vegan, including ice cream, juices, roti with chickpea curry, and a choice of things to put in a box (e.g., rice or chow mein, "fish" or BBQ "meat," beans). That's all for now; there's still lots of unpacking and rearranging and organizing to do.

Bonus: You should listen to the DJ Diamond album, Flight Muzik. The guy who wrote the review for Tiny Mix Tapes has the best name ever.

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