matchboximpala

First, if you haven't already done so, please vote for me in the Idol write-off poll. Thank you!

We're nearing the time of year in Sacramento where sunset happens earliest and stays nearly fixed even though sunrise comes later each day. On November 28, sunset is at 4:45 for four days and then at 4:44 for ten days before going back to 4:45 on the reverse path on December 12th. This always interests me, because it's so much earlier than the equinox. The total amount of daylight is shortest on December 21st, but that's due to the sunrise time. The latest sunrise is December 29, and stays put for 15 days before it starts to creep back. By then, sunset is already 22 minutes later than its lowest point.

I hate the short days, but sunset gives me grief because in previous years I would run out of daylight while biking, and this year it's all about avoiding riding into the setting sun. The difference is probably due to the three years we were in the rental house? My bike route was different then, so I would still be going East later in the day, and then West as the sun was going down below the trees. Now, my last 7 miles are right into the sun. I miss my old helmet, where I could pull the visor down REALLY low and blot out most of the glare. But it burned up with everything else in the garage. :(

Speaking of biking, I had to dig into my store of exercise gear yesterday and get out my winter stuff. It was in the mid-70s two weeks ago, low 70s last week, and now it's in the upper 50s/low 60s. Somewhere around 4-5 weeks ago we had our last day near 90^o. This is typical, too. We get maybe two weeks in the 70s for spring and fall, and then the temperature jumps 10 degrees toward either heat or cold. But thanks to global warming, our typical winter days are usually in the mid-50s. About 30 years ago, I would wait to bike until the temperature reached 50^o (dependent upon the fog burning off). Now, my lower threshold is around 54^o, but I'm biking the same amount. And while I can't complain about those temps, it's the effect on summers that kills us now. 98+ over and over. At least it's not Phoenix. \o?

Today? Thought I was biking, but got sucked into reading In Other Lands until I lost my daylight window. :(

After losing in the head-to-head Idol poll the other day, I got sent into a write-off with two other authors. My new story is here, with a link to the poll at the bottom. Please read and vote if you can, and thank you for your support!

I just finished a book by "James Patterson." I say that because I'm never sure how much of the work on his co-authored books is actually his. This was 2 Sisters Detective Agency, and I'm guessing the bulk of the story was written by Candice Fox. This came up because I recently finished Lion and Lamb, co-authored with Duane Swierczynski, which I read for Duane after liking his Secret Dead Men so much. And how does this work? Random people approach Patterson and say, "I've written a book, and I think it would sell better with your name on it?" Or maybe, "I have a detailed idea for a book, but I want you to write it?" (Bill Clinton) Is Patterson a glorified ghost-writer, or more of a finishing editor? Or a pimp?

I wish I could 1) write novels instead of just short stories, and 2) be as prolific as this guy (maybe?) is!

in the Idol poll here! Only a few hours left, and I'm falling behind. :(

I just finished a book about an angry roadrunner god, "Snake Eater" by T. J. Kingfisher. The author writes a lot of fantasy, mostly in British settings (which has bled into the language here somewhat), but this is an American Southwest-inspired book. Kind of Ann Tyler meets desert magic, and it was speedy and satisfying. I loved all of its small town characters.

TV-wise, I think we're getting near the end of the UK version of Life on Mars, and I'm not ready. Our son has done some Googling on the series, though, and discovered that the Gene Hunt character (the blowhard, ballistic boss) was enormously popular when the show first aired. He IS hugely fun, though I love the soulful overall theme of the show. In any case, there was a follow-on series that is available on Amazon Prime, so we'll be watching that next. Three more seasons of the Gene Genie! I definitely need that in my life. :D

In Idol news, we wrote stories this week that used another contestant's last two entries as inspiration. The poll with my story is here, and I could use all the readers and voters I can get. It's a head-to-head competition where only one winner will emerge from each pair. Ulp!

For those who have been wondering, our son passed the California Bar Exam last week! We were almost positive he would, but knowing for sure is a huge relief for everyone. We celebrated by going to a local Czech/Italian (yes, really) restaurant and eating their incredible chicken paprikash and lava cake. \o/

TV-wise, I finished watching Scott And Bailey on BritBox (really enjoyed the whole series). And sadly, I also finished S2 of Netflix's Wednesday. I could look at the sets and costumes for that show for years and never be tired of it. I need more! Now I'm trying out Orphan Black for my garage-biking needs. Let's hope it's fast-paced enough.

And finally, I promised kizzy that I would share my pumpkin pie recipe. This is basically Libby's recipe, but with much better spicing.

~*~
Better Pumpkin Pie

1 can (15 oz.) Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
1½ cups (1 can or 12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk (regular, not sweetened)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 unbaked 9-inch (4 cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

1. Preheat oven to 425º.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a large bowl. In the large bowl, stir in pumpkin and the dry ingredient mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
3. Pour into pie shell.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350º. Bake for 40-60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Note: bake until the internal temperature hits 175 degrees (use an instant-read thermometer). Be sure that the center of the pumpkin pie jiggles slightly; it will set up as it cools.
5. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours.

October flew by. There was my birthday, and that was it. We missed Halloween (4th year running) because we had an out-of-town wedding to go to, and flew out on that Friday. The wedding was fantastic, but it was strange to miss out on little kids in costumes. We saw a few dressed-up adults during our travels, but no little kids!

There was lots of visiting with family, and in between events I wrote one of my two Idol entries in the hotel on my tiny laptop. Not the best environment, and it resulted in a very choppy first draft that needed heavy revision on the day the stories were due! To top that off, there was no poll, so hardly anybody read them. :( If you're interested, they were Story 1 and Story 2, both seasonal. :D

And possibly even weirder than missing Halloween was switching back to Standard Time on that Sunday. You don't really feel that extra hour when you're traveling (except for the confusion it causes). At home, though, I like to really enjoy having another hour to get stuff done! That feeling gets negated a bit when darkness comes crashing down even earlier, but it's nice while it lasts.

I really notice the aftermath of the time shift when I'm bicycling. I find it hard to get out as soon as I'd like, so now I'm stuck biking into the sun at the end of the ride. It's blinding. Thank goodness I've been saved by late-day clouds this week. But overall, the problem will only get worse.

Thanksgiving is coming up, and we're wondering if our daughter will be able to make it home? That wasn't in doubt until Trump's screw-ups with air-traffic controllers, but it's a new snafu every day with that man. She did make it home for my birthday for about 1 1/2 days, which was great! We never see as much of her as we'd like.

Got any big plans for the holidays? It'll just be the (I hope) four of us, as usual. Though we now have a Weber grill again after 4 years, so we should be able to have barbecued turkey on the big day!