Death of a planet, Pirates of Penzance, Power Bar Failure.

Pictures and a paper came out on Wednesday showing the death of a solar system very much like ours, this is being revealed by the Keppler K2 telescope and the article includes an artistic rendition of what is happening with the White Dwarf star is causing the planet to be shredded by the star's gravity as it has fallen towards the White Dwarf star. Interesting article. This is the first time this kind of event has ever been witnessed before. Of course, this kind of news is much more in Stephen Tremp's line than mine, he knows more about it all.

As you know, I went with a friend to see The Pirates of Penzance on Tuesday. They did a wonderful job and we both really enjoyed it. The d'Oyle Carte company in London, England, is the place to see Gilbert and Sullivan and they always do lots of "business" which makes the audience laugh. The Drayton Theatre Company did the same with this show and we laughed ourselves silly. There were little snippets from other stories - we saw Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion, The Three Little Girls from the Mikado, The Abbess from Sound of Music (she sang Climb every mountain and brought tears to our eyes she was so good), to name a few, this was all happening during a scene where the Bobbies were chasing the pirates. Very funny. Then there were quite a few dance scenes where they suddenly broke into some completely different steps, and then back again. Very clever. There were some brilliant voices. Plus the actor who played the Major General did a wonderful job of singing "I am a Modern Major General" which is not an easy song to sing. Don't have this on full sound.

There are several versions of this on YouTube of course. It's been an ear worm for me all day. I understand the president of the local Gilbert and Sullivan Society has been three times. I don't blame him, it was excellent. I would love to go again but I don't have $50 to throw around. See below LOL.

Wednesday morning, as usual, I was on my laptop with no problem. After breakfast I went into the

other room to use the desktop and had trouble getting on the internet (although I had done so earlier) eventually, it turned out that it was my power bar which was no longer working. I managed to find a point for the modem connection, but presently I have no sound nor can I use my shredder or the phone in that room. I haven't yet discovered what the other plugs are for. I was talking to a guy at my ISP and he said "oh they're only about 50 bucks" with an airy tone. I assured him there was nothing "only" about it when you were a pensioner.  I might have been similarly casual when I was working. I don't think he will do that again. I went to Amazon.ca and found one which was about $20 plus tax and shipping of course. I have a big surge protector which most of the stuff is plugged into, but about 5 or 6 things were on the power bar. Funny using the PC without sound though.

I think that Arctic Char is probably my favourite fish. We used to go to a restaurant where he smoked his own salmon and also the arctic char. In my opinion it was better than the salmon and I love smoked salmon. Pity the restaurant closed down. I also love soba noodles and used to make Yaki Soba a lot once upon a time.

Arctic Char With Soba Noodles, Pine Nuts and Lemon

 Melissa Clark - New York Times

• Time30 Minutes
• Yield 4 servings

 

Soba, the slender buckwheat noodles from Japan, are pale brown in color, earthy in flavor and springy in the bite. Pair them with a silky, pink piece of fish to create a simple, elegant study in contrasts. The fish here, Arctic char, is reminiscent of salmon but has a more delicate texture. It’s seasoned with cumin seeds that, in a clever move, are briefly toasted in a pan then steeped in oil. The deeply scented oil and seeds are then spooned over the fish for a rich coating of flavor. The fish is roasted about 10 minutes, to desired doneness, while the noodles are tossed in a dressing of finely ground pine nuts, garlic, lemon zest and juice, along with a ribbon of olive oil. The recipe calls for Meyer lemons, which are smooth-skinned, sweet, fragrant and juicy, without the acidic tartness of more commonplace lemons. Meyers are easier to find than they used to be, but are still something of a delicacy in the produce aisle. Regular lemons will do fine.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces soba noodles
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper, plus more for seasoning
• ½ teaspoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons fresh Meyer lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 4 arctic char fillets, about 8 ounces each, preferably center-cut pieces, skin removed
• Meyer lemon wedges, for serving
• Chopped fresh cilantro or mint, for serving

Preparation

1. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Rinse under cold water; drain well.
2. Pulse the pine nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Scrape them into a large bowl. Add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and lemon zest. Whisk in the lemon juice. Slowly whisk in 3 tablespoons oil. Toss noodles with the dressing.
3. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
4. Set a small skillet over medium-high heat and allow to heat up, about 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and add remaining oil. Allow to cool slightly.
5. Season both sides of the fish with remaining salt and a pinch of pepper and place on the baking sheet. Spoon the cumin and oil evenly over the fillets. Roast to desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium rare.
6. Divide the noodles among four plates and place the fish over the noodles. Garnish with the lemon wedges and cilantro or mint.

Have a great day