Author: Jon Moss

Pumpkin Pies and Moon Pies

I ran to the grocery store after work this evening to pickup supplies for pumpkin pie baking.  Finding a parking spot proved challenging as everyone else must have had the same idea I did.  I managed to get in and out in less than thirty minutes.

Once home, I scrounged around for the church cookbook where my mom’s pumpkin pie recipe languishes most of the year.  I only make it twice a year, for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Moss Family Pumpkin Pies Nov 2010
Moss Family Pumpkin Pies Nov 2010

2 cans (15 oz.) pumpkin
1.5 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup egg whites
1 cup half & half
2 T melted butter
2 T molasses
3-4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 pie crusts (9 inch deep dish)

I combined all the ingredients in my mixer and stirred on the lowest setting.  I preheated my oven to 425 degrees.  I used a large cookie sheet to hold my two pie crusts (I used frozen ready-made crusts as I didn’t have time or energy to mess with making them from scratch).  I poured half of the pumpkin pie filling into each shell.  I put the sheet with the two pies in the oven for fifteen minutes, then reduced the temperature to 350 degrees and baked for another 45 minutes.

While the pies were baking, I decided to drive across the river (almost due east from my home in Lansing) to Bed, Bath & Beyond to purchase a couple of pie carriers so I could transport the pies to Texas on Wednesday.  I took K5 for the first leg of the trip and the nearly full moon shone through the leafless trees and reflected off the railroad tracks.

Once I returned home, with such a clear sky and low humidity, I got the telescope out and attached the digital camera to take a few photos of the ‘blue moon’ (one day late).  After taking a half dozen shots of the very bright moon, I removed the digital camera and repositioned the telescope to view Jupiter.  I used various eye pieces and saw the stripes of Jupiter and four of its moons (all to the left of the gas giant at this time – around 8:00 pm Central Mon 22 Nov 2010).   Even though the evening was a bit chilly, I’m glad I had another chance to dodge the recent cloud cover and spy on the moon and Jupiter again before winter weather arrives.

Movie Review: Part I – Potter & the Deathly Hallows

I’m at a distinct disadvantage, compared to my daughter, never having read any of the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling.  I once attempted to listen to the first book as an audio book. While entertaining, it still didn’t appeal because I am not the intended audience.  Perhaps forty years ago I would have liked it, but not at this stage in my life.

Before venturing to the theatre, and parting with the outrageous price of a ticket these days, I read reviews by well known film critics.  Since I also subscribe to Netflix, I use this method as an aid to deciding whether to wait for the DVD release or not.  Yesterday’s USA Today review by Claudia Puig proved very informative and helpful.  And, after watching the film yesterday evening, I agree with her assessment.

Terry mentioned afterward he missed the action.  I had forgotten to warn him this was a darker more intense movie than the previous Potter releases.

I liked the film for providing powerful character growth among the three principal protagonists: Harry, Hermione and Ron.   Hermione’s courage and sacrifice threaded through the film, revealing her poignant grief and resilience.  Ron surprised me the most with a turn from adolescent flippancy to steadfast fierce young man.  Harry tries, but fails to astound me.  Although, I glimpse the end and see the telegraphed but twisted triumph foreshadowed in the tale of the Three Brothers and the Deathly Hallows and hope he can avoid miring himself in martyrdom.

I give the movie four stars out of five.  It feels like the middle dark misfit installment of a trilogy, leaving you feeling dread that darkness has the upperhand, but, wait, it is always darkest before the dawn.

Restaurant Review: Macaroni Grill

I treated myself to lunch at the Macaroni Grill Friday.  The pleasant atmosphere and strains of jazz standards created a relaxing ambiance.   I selected the Scallops and Spinach salad from the lunch menu, one of a dozen or so items containing less than six hundred callories.  Seared and succulent scallops perfectly complemented the wilted spinach tossed with aged prosciutto, roasted garlic, lemon and extra virgin olive oil.  I prefer my spinach crisp and cool, but the flavorful combination satisfied my lunch palette.

Before my salad, my server brought a large (well, large for one person) warm loaf of bread and provided extra virgin olive oil and fresh ground black pepper.  Never one to turn down bread, I ate every last crumb.

My husband and I will have to try this establishment for dinner some time, although it’s a bit far from home for our usual date nights.

Meteors and Moons … Oh My!

I completely missed the annual Leonid meteor shower thanks to cloudy and cold conditions and a bout of insomnia that left me tossing and turning and eventually snoozing through my alarm.  I might be able to catch a few strays and stragglers this evening (after midnight if I’m really ambitious), but I think I’ll take out the telescope and zoom in on the Moon and Jupiter (and its moons) this evening.

And speaking of the moon, Sunday will be our next Blue Moon (follow this link to an explanation, definition and debate regarding the definition of ‘Blue Moon’).

Venus, Spica and Saturn visible before dawn Nov 2010
East before dawn, November 2010 (Image made by Starry Night)

If I manage a good night’s sleep, I may even wake early to watch Venus rise before the sun and hope to spy Saturn as well.

This will be my last weekend for stargazing for the foreseeable future.  It’s high time I contacted Meade for an RMA and shipped the telescope off for repairs (estimated to take five to six weeks to complete).  Since the weather is quickly chilling and producing more cloud cover, this may be the best time to get that reconditioning work done.

Either way, with or without a telescope, keep looking up!

Restaurant Review: Paulo and Bill

Five days later, but still a fond memory.  Last Saturday evening, I took my hubby, Terry, out for a light dinner on the eve of his birthday.  Again, we’d recently watched an episode of KCPT‘s Check Please! that featured the Paulo and Bill restaurant on Midland Drive out west near I-435.  I called ahead, since it was a Saturday evening and anticipated a large crowd.  They accepted reservations, so I reserved a table for two at 6:30 pm.

We arrived early but glad to have called ahead as the only parking spots available were for handicap access (which Terry has temporarily until his back recovers more).  We were seated almost immediately once we identified ourselves.  Our server was gracious and knowledgeable of the specials and the menu. 

For an appetizer, we tried the Garlic Bread Bruschetta that came with various toppings like goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes (roasted in balsamic vinaigrette), caramelized onions and roasted red peppers.  Beautifully presented and delicious to devour. 

While the specials sounded wonderful, we wanted some lighter fare so ordered Pizza Classica version of their Wood Fired Stone Oven Pizza with a couple of caesar side salads.   The greens were fresh and crisp and the pizza flavorful. 

We promised the server we would return, on a less busy evening for both us and the restaurant, to sample more of their appetizers, entrees and desserts.   We enjoyed the night out and another great restaurant suggestion by Check Please!

Giving Thanks Early

God is good!  All the time!

Twenty Years Ago ... the Moss Family
The Moss Family ~ Jon, Rachelle, Terry & Derek (1990)

Just a couple of months ago, I had a hard time counting my blessings as I’d been taught.  Striving to praise Him during the storms, instead of just when the sun shines, so to speak.

Now, just a handful of weaks later, my cup overflows, my heart is bursting with joy and pride and my blessings seem as uncountable as the stars.

Yesterday, while I was shutting down and packing up to return home from work, I received a jubilant call from my son.  He’s currently wrapping up his college at SMU’s Guildhall in Plano, Texas.   The reason for the call?  He’d accepted an offer from Haliburton for an astounding salary (which I won’t repeat here to protect the parties involved).  As soon as I got off the phone with Derek, I spent the next few minutes bouncing off the walls and sharing the great news with my co-workers, who probably thought I’d lost my mind. Once my feet touched the ground again, I rushed down to the lobby to catch my vanpool ride home.  I shared the news with them as well and phoned my dad during the commute home.

Once home, I told Terry, because Derek hadn’t called him yet.  Later that evening, I received a call from my uncle and aunt in Virginia to congratulate and share in the good news.  Overall, Tuesday ended on a very high note.

Today, I received even more good news from Rachelle‘s boyfriend.  He also finally found employment in Denton, Texas, within just a mile or two of their house.

Derek marries Royna in July 2009
Moss Family Addition ~ Derek, Royna, Rachelle & Terry (July 2009)

I’m so excited for all my offspring and would-be-offspring.  Next week, when Terry and I head south to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with all of them (Derek & Royna and Rachelle & Nic), I plan to continue my continual prayer of thanksgiving with them.

One week to go before I can be reunited with my kids!  Lord, let the days fly by and my heart overflow with Your peace and grace.

Amen!

Stargate Served Cold

How many different ways can you dish up revenge?  Stargate Universe explored several possibilities in last night’s episode ‘Malice‘.

The Lucien Alliance loose canon, Simeon, not only escapes and kills his tag-along guard while free roaming Destiny, he continues his killing spree, taking down two civilians at once and multiple marines, raids the armory, takes a hostage and flees with her to one of the three planets in range of Destiny’s stargate. Rush, oddly enough, is first through the gate before it closes while Colonel Young et al. are still scrambling to catch up.

The IOA back on Earth wants Simeon alive, believing he and only he holds information regarding a Lucian Alliance attack on the home planet.  Those chasing after the resourceful cunning Simeon are not convinced he will impart the information even if captured alive or that the information is reliable.

The rest of the episode consists of a cat and mouse game with Simeon playing the cat to deadly and explosive effect.  Colonel Young didn’t heed the warning of the leader of the Lucian Alliance prisoners on Destiny, not believing that one man could prove so fatally dangerous.  The surprise, to everyone but me perhaps, is who finally outwits Simeon.

Many characters who are normally optimistic, forgiving and peace-loving, reveal their weaknesses during this crises, but forge ahead and prove their mettle.  Small steps with big results.

Next week’s episode trailer left me with a bad feeling.  Do we really need to ‘magically’ meet up with the stranded survivors who chase to leave Destiny last season? And they ‘magically’ bring back a shuttle to Destiny?  Pshaw!

Postscript on the location … eerie and alien … can you say ‘New Mexico’?  Here’s an excerpt from the link in the first paragraph above:

“We went back to New Mexico. To the Bisti Badlands. Not the same desert as we went to in the pilot, but another desert that is incredibly alien-looking. I went to the location for some of the shoot, and it was … I’d never seen anything like it on earth. It was a bizarre formation created by melting glaciers, and it is just … there’s these things called hoodoos, which rise up out of the ground, and there’s mineral deposits all through them. And so it looks truly alien. It looks incredibly remote, ’cause it is. We were in the middle of nowhere. Fifty miles south of a place called Farmington, N.M.”

(Executive producer Brad Wright, in an interview with Blastr.com)

Book Review: Haze by Modesitt (4 Stars)

Haze by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read in November 2010

I admit this is the first Modesitt science fiction novel. I’m no stranger to his work in the fantasy field, having read all the Recluce and Spellsinger novels and two of his Imager novels.

This novel includes two story lines that alternate and converge. Both stories use Roget’s point of view, but during separate time lines in his life. This gives us a glimpse of current events and some of Roget’s back story which also serves to world build (or re-build) Earth in our future. Earth is a mess, ecologically speaking, and ruled by the Federation, a Sinese-based empire. Roget experiences discrimination in his career advancement because he is a descendant of the remnants of the United States (oriental supremacy and occidental minority). The current time-line follows Roget as he explores the planet of Haze (Federation designation due to the orbital shields) or Dubiety (as referred to by the inhabitants).

Modesitt explores two philosophies of government and society. The Federation is an extrapolation of all that’s wrong with empires, as history continually shows. Haze/Dubiety is an example of an extreme instance of choice and consequences. Citizens have freedom of choice so long as they never harm another person and take complete responsibility for their actions and their consequences. Modesitt gives several good examples of testing the boundaries of this scenario.

Comparable to some of the best of Heinlein’s social engineering science fiction. Yet the characters take back stage to the themes, but not so much that you get bogged down in data dumps or didactic digressions. I felt the most sympathy for a dachshund named Hildegarde in a painting Roget kept an image of to talk to and ease the loneliness of his existence.

Most of the science in the Federation appears to be hard science, although I don’t remember how the Federation battle cruisers traveled to Haze (whether it was FTL or hyperspace or hard science believable travel). The Dubiens had some technology that seemed fantastic and Modesitt didn’t go into explanations so I can’t confirm or deny the science behind their “Trans-Temporal Entropic Reversal” system.

I got a chuckle when Roget’s guide took him to dinner at the Lucasan club. See my status updates for more on that scene.

Roget’s leap of faith, although predictable, was no less poignant. And the epilogue, while a bit corny, did bring a smile to my face.

Book Review: All Clear by Willis (5 Stars)

All Clear by Connie Willis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful, exceptional, loved every page. I find myself unable to describe what truly astonishes me about this novel without giving away huge spoilers. I laughed, I cried, my heart filled to bursting and erupted with hope and inspiration.

All Clear picks up where Blackout abruptly ended, back in the Blitz, London during the Blackout, the air raids, the shelters, life marches on for the stoic British citizens.  Our stranded time-traveling historians face the facts, for the most part, and buckle down to survive.  Rationing recipes, holding down jobs, wondering if the next air raid will destroy your employer’s building or your home, constant commute disruptions caused by bombed out streets, communication disruptions (telephone lines down and mail slowed to a crawl), doing the odd heroic rescue on the side, and don’t forget the rehearsals for the latest diversionary play performed in the underground tube stations by the hodgepodge of amateur actors directed by none other than Sir Godfrey.

Connie Willis revealed the essence of Britain during the Second World War through these glimpses into the everyday lives of it’s citizens.

Now that I have reached the end, and seen all the pieces fall into place, I must re-read both novels to truly appreciate the masterful ingenious tale crafted by Connie Willis.

Book Review: Blackout

Blackout (All Clear, #1)Blackout by Connie Willis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fifty years in our future, time-traveling Oxford historians studying key moments early in the Second World War become stranded in time in various locales around England. Like the contemporaries they are assigned to observe, the historians increasingly feel the weight of impending doom.

Doubt seeps into their belief that the continuum, the embodiment of a chaotic system, prevents damage or alteration to the time line; a self-correcting system. The butterfly effect, more aptly referenced with the catch phrase ‘For want of a nail’ becomes an argument both for and against altering the time-line. All doors back to Oxford and home seem sealed off and hope flickers and flutters against the background of air raid sirens and the Blackout.

The author peeled back the curtains to give us a glimpse of England in 1940, the astonishing courage and fortitude of her citizens. Amidst all the danger and bleakness, the light and compassion continued to shine. And the occasional comedic interludes, especially as respects to two incorrigible children, Alf and Binnie, and a rag tag amateur acting troupe forged in the shelters and tube stations during air raids, directed by a retired knighted Shakespearean actor, Sir Godfrey. Willis captures the soul of the British to a tea.

Be prepared to move directly on to the second novel immediately. The only reason I didn’t give this first novel five stars relates to the torture I would have endured waiting six months to read the second half. I didn’t torture myself, though, because I waited until All Clear was released before starting Blackout.

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