Spice Jammer Restaurant

It was surprising how long it was since my wife and I tried Spice Jammer since we ordered takeout from here when we were first dating. Feeling like East Indian cuisine we decided to eat in the restaurant of this Victoria institution. The décor was as expected but the service was top-notch. We ordered the Butter Chicken, Lamb Curry, a half order of the Pilau rice and two Naan bread. I ordered the Mango Smoothie and my wife had a glass of Spanish wine. The taste and heat of the dishes were perfect and the spices and flavors were just right. Definitely a place to come back to more often.

Postcards of the Interwebs - 25 Jan 2014

Oldest Star "Methuselah": A little article about one, if not the oldest star in the Universe in our own milky way.

More power means less Empathy: I've always felt that as people get more power the more they need to do things to keep a connection with others. This research proves it.

Oxytocin causes Stress: Another study has found that the hormone oxytocin, which is given off when under feelings of love, can also lead to anxiety because the function of the brain that remembers social events is strengthened. Oxytocin is also released under negative events like being bullied.

Hyperloop Superfast Train: This fellow postulates using the principle behind pneumatic tubes to create cheap and effective passenger travel. Neat idea!

Using Treg Cells to fight Cancer: Or rather turning them off. Treg cells slow the immune system down so it doesn't go crazy. These scientists theorize turning them off for a time to speed up the immune system as a rapid attack on the cancer cells or anything else.

Altering Images and Video on the Internet: The actual advice mallard gives information on how to alter images and save video on the internet. For more go here.

From small things to big: A little gif of how big things can be moved with little ones.

Fernwood Inn and the Cornerstone Cafe

My wife and I finished dropping off recycling and it was lunch time so we went to the nearby (to the Recycling) Fernwood Inn. It used to be the George and Dragon Pub but it was sold and redone. I have to say that I like the changes. My wife had the Danier's Famous Breakfast Sandwich (Two eggs fired medium with crisp bacon under English smoke cheddar, Sandwhiched on ciabatta with paprika aioli, roasted tomatoes and fresh avocado, Served with house has) and she liked it, although the egg was cooked soft not medium as the menu said. I had the Shitake Mushroom Stirfry (Fresh snow peas and shitake mushrooms stir-fried with shredded vegetables, ginger and chow mein in our wild mushroom black bean sauce) and it was filling refreshing and peppery. We would come here again.

I felt like a hot drink so I went across the street to the Cornerstone Cafe. It is owned and run by the local Fernwood Neighborhood Resource Group and ordered a hot chocolate to go. It was made from chocolate chips from a local bakery, melted and then milk steamed in. Delicious!

Postcards of the Interwebs - 11 Jan 2014

After a long lack of postcards, I will attempt to make up for it in the next month.

Nokia to Power Cell Phones using Ambient Energy: An old article from 2009 but one that could have many other benefits for numerous technologies. Watches, eReaders and anything that uses low power can benefit. Also brain implants as seen here.

Upsalite, a Super Absorbent Material: Made of amorphous magnesium carbonate, this new substance has lots of Hazmat cleanup uses and perhaps even for oil spills.

Huge Pandora Viruses: Having just 7% of the genes in existing databases, these large viruses are giving thought to the expansion of the variety of life on our own planet.

How almost every Country in the World is in Debt: An excellent explanation of this concept and how money lent can provide more than interest back.

How Science can Predict the Sun Flipping Magnetic Poles: I saved this several months ago in my favorites and looked to check if it occurred today. It did! Not only does this occur every 11 years but when it happens it affects how cosmic rays interact with our solar system and space weather but is very cool. It was quite late this cycle but still cool.

A man, his map and an Imagination: Wow. I know I have hobbies I enjoy doing but this guy has a passion. Not only did he create a super huge map of various counties and infrastructure but he continually changes it as one thing affects another as time progresses, with random pics of playing cards. You can watch the full documentary here. Its under 10 minutes. Such an imagination and analytical at the same time.

Visit the TARDIS in Google Maps: An awesome little Easter egg for Doctor Who fans.

Winter in the Okanagan Valley

I spend the winter holidays in the Okanagan Valley at my wife's parents place. Again it was very relaxing and nice to see the snow, which very very rarely happens in Victoria.

 A nice fire, pajamas, company and presents. What could be better.

It was very pleasant to walk around in the snow.

We had our Chef Michael Smith's salt brine turkey for several nights and went out to the local Italian place Mama Rosa's for good food.

San Diego

It has been a while since I was in San Diego for work. I was here over the American Thanksgiving. I enjoy coming here for a variety of reasons; food being one of them.

After arriving on day one I went to the mall to do some shopping. I had never been in the USA for their Black Friday sales. I was very glad that I was on foot with the conga line of cars seeking spots for them to be parked. I did pick up a kitchen-aid ice cream bowl and a meat grinder. Perhaps I can make some gelato like the Ones we had in Italy! I then went downtown to Horton plaza, a nice open air mall that does not make it easy to get around. I always get flummoxed when I am there until I get used to the maze of walkways and stairs to the various levels.

 

 (picture courtesy of Wikipedia)

I did note the empty stores in the upper level. Even an upscale mall like Horton plaza is affected by the world economic downturn. I then went to Old Town to go to a gamestore and eat at Miguel's Cocina: a Mexican restaurant. I had the cevice and the grilled swordfish taco. I loved the cevice, which I had the last time I was here but the swordfish was dry. The fixings made up for it but I will have something else as a main next time. I then saw the film "Ender'sGame". I enjoyed it and have been encouraged to read the book series, but just the first trilogy. I will put Orsen Scott Card's religious views to the side as I read these, as I do not agree with them, and just read them for the art they are. The books I have of his are used anyways and he earned $0 from box office receipts. Anyways...


On day two I went to Horton Plaza again for Christmas shopping then a gamestore. After the gamestore I went to a coffee house and eatery called Lestat's. My turkey sandwich and broccoli soup were delicious. I also got their Mexican hot chocolate which was a fantastic darker version of other Mexican hot chocolate that I have had. I then went to another game store and then to the Brazillian bbq restaurant, Rei de Gado. I have been eating here when I come to San Diego for over 15 years and the only thing that has changed is the price. The food is always served tasty and hot with many kinds of meat to choose from.

On my last day I went to Horton Plaza one last time and wandered Gas Town to buy a nice summer hat. It being "winter time" in California there were plenty of winter hats but my Canadian body wanted something of a summer nature in this warmer climate. I found a very nice one at Goorin Brothers, where they sell pretty much just hats. I then went back to my work area and had a light supper.

For all the gamestore reviews see my gaming blog here.

Rememberance Day Weekend in Tofino

I know this is quite late but better late than never.

We try to go to Tofino every year on Remembrance day weekend. We do this because:
- we enjoy the stormy season before it gets really stormy,
- when it is on or bridging a weekend it means we can be there for a long weekend together, and
-the food is fantastic here.

On day 1, we drove from Victoria to Coombs and stopped for supplies and lunch. Coombs market has all the staples and lots of luxury and hard to find items fro away that make a gastronomic weekend to a great experience. It also gives us an excuse to stock up on Italian canned tomatoes and such for when we get home. We ate lunch in the Italian restaurant here, Cukoo, as we did last year. We shared the salad and pasta for two and yet again it was delicious. We then drove to Port Alberni for a rest and Starbucks (I had the salted caramel hot chocolate...yum). Then it was a windy drive to our lodgings at Pacific Sands. We have stayed here before and has the qualities of a full kitchen, view of the ocean, assess to the ocean, and a fireplace.

 

 

You definitely feel more romantic with a place like this. We had a nice walk on the beach to stretch our legs and build up an appetite.

 

For supper we ate at Shelter, a standby for us. I had the fisherman's soup with a local stout made in Tofino.

On day two we had breakfast in and took in a morning walk on the beach. We had not been to Uculet in a few years so we drove there and looked around. There were several stores out of business and at the South end of town there were new developments for vacation people and retirees. We ate at a small eatery called Ukee Dogs, that specialized in lunch food. I had the tuna burger sliders and my wife had the sliders. We both tried the homemade ginger ale and root beer. They tasted like the start of something good. They have only just started experimenting so I am sure their end product will be special. We then passed the time on various beaches and in Tofino at galleries and shop. There is a quaint little candy store that I did not remember last year. We also purchased a new painting that appealed to us. We went back to our place and took another walk along the beach before we went to the Point restaurant at the Wikaninnish resort. Again like other times we have eaten here, it was a gastronomic delight.

On day 3 we took another morning walk on the beach and went to the Kiwisitis Restaurant on the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve for breakfast. The view of the beach was extraordinary and some of the food was interesting, especially the salmon mini omelets. After the meal we took a nice walk along the beach.

We proceeded from there to other beaches and in town for getting our food for the drive back home the next day and ordering supper at Red Can caterers. That evening we enjoyed the food they made while watching the documentary, "Rape of Europa". It was about the systematic plundering and destruction of art and household items by the Germans during WW2 as well as the attempts to save art and monuments by a variety of allies. My wife and I are history buffs so watching war documentaries and mini documentaries are one of the things we like to do on Remembrance day weekend.

On day 4 we walked along the beach after having breakfast and then drove back to Victoria.