Thursday, June 28, 2012
Polyphasic sleep fail
Ever since I have tried to get onto a polyphasic sleep schedule my sleep schedule has been all over the place. I don't seem to be able to sleep when I want to. I'm not sure I am going to keep trying for this, although it will help when I go homeless at the end of July. I'm going to give it one more shot. Hopefully, things will get better this time around.
Gas experiment, an epilogue
Just an update on my use of Shell gasoline. My latest tank was 39.83 MPG, and my continuous average right now is 35.45 MPG. This is a far cry from my grocery store gasoline range of 30-32 MPG.
Gumdrops, first batch, conclusion
Well, these didn't turn out, but what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, or something like that.
The gumdrops had three problems.
First, they were crystalline. I know one problem in candy making is if one doesn't get all the crystals dissolved the candy will crystalize again. Therefore, I need to take more time to melt the sugar and clean the sides of the pan before boiling.
Second, they were mushy. This is probably too much moisture, so that means not enough boiling. The recipes I found gave a time and not a temperature, as is done with most candy. I think perhaps I need to choose a temperature stage. Hard ball seems to describe a gumdrop texture best. Depending on what source I use, hard ball stage is anywhere from 248° to 266°. The trick will be doing the actual hard ball test during the cooking. I hope I get it right fast so I don't waste too much sugar syrup.
Third, they stuck to the metal pans. Several gumdrop recipes use cooking spray on the molds. However, I would rather not add fat. After all, it is already pure sugar. I think I will have to experiment with submerging the molds in hot water to loosen the gumdrops.
Anyhow, that is the end of the first batch. I will hopefully try another batch soon.
The gumdrops had three problems.
First, they were crystalline. I know one problem in candy making is if one doesn't get all the crystals dissolved the candy will crystalize again. Therefore, I need to take more time to melt the sugar and clean the sides of the pan before boiling.
Second, they were mushy. This is probably too much moisture, so that means not enough boiling. The recipes I found gave a time and not a temperature, as is done with most candy. I think perhaps I need to choose a temperature stage. Hard ball seems to describe a gumdrop texture best. Depending on what source I use, hard ball stage is anywhere from 248° to 266°. The trick will be doing the actual hard ball test during the cooking. I hope I get it right fast so I don't waste too much sugar syrup.
Third, they stuck to the metal pans. Several gumdrop recipes use cooking spray on the molds. However, I would rather not add fat. After all, it is already pure sugar. I think I will have to experiment with submerging the molds in hot water to loosen the gumdrops.
Anyhow, that is the end of the first batch. I will hopefully try another batch soon.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Gumdrops, first batch, part 1
So, here is the log of my attempt to make homemade gumdrops.
First, I needed the proper kettle. Based on one candy book, the kettle should be 3-4 times the
size of the batch. I am going to
be using 1 cup of sugar, so a 1 quart kettle should suffice. Off I went to the thrift store, and I
was fortunate to find a 1-quart copper-bottom saucepan. There was even a glass lid in the lid
bin that fit. I spent about $2.50 for
the kettle and lid.
Next, it was off to the grocery store to buy sugar,
flavoring, and gelatin. The supply
of flavorings at the King Soopers (our local Kroeger affiliate), so I just
grabbed a bottle of orange extract.
I already have a bottle of banana flavoring at home, so I can make two
different flavors. I was
disappointed the King Soopers did not have bulk gelatin. I had to pay through the nose for
packets. Off to the interweb! Well, it turns out I did not pay
through the nose. Most on-line sources
for unflavored gelatin are charging much more per ounce, and I would have to
pay shipping. I just do not like
the idea of working with packets rather than being able to scoop out a
tablespoon.
Well, off to mise en
place.
Got my water ready to boil and my other water ready for the
gelatin. Working with the packets
of gelatin is a bit of a pain. I
need 1 level tbsp. According to
the Internet, 3 packets = 2 tbsp.
That figures, so I did my best to get to my level tbsp. In the future, I will get out my scale
and go by grams. According to the
box, each packet is 7 grams. If 3
packets = 2 tbsp., then 21 grams = 2 tbsp, so 10.5 grams would be 1 tbsp. That now becomes part of the recipe. On with mise en place. Measured
the sugar; found a wooden spoon.
All set to go.
I put water in my campfire coffeepot to boil and turned on
the heat. I put the cold water in
the saucepan and sprinkled the unflavored gelatin over it to proof. When the coffeepot was boiling, I added
the boiling water to the gelatin mixture and stirred until all the gelatin was
dissolved. I then added the sugar
and brought the mixture to a boil.
This lead to my first failure.
The kettle was too small; the boiling sugar boiled up over the lip of
the kettle and onto my burner. My
apartment now smells like singed caramel.
I reduced the heat and blew on the foam until it subsided. The next step was to simmer and stir
constantly. None of my example
recipes listed what to watch for as the doneness point, so I simmered and
stirred for 15 minutes. I took the
kettle off the stove and added 5 drops of yellow food coloring and 1/2 tsp. of
banana flavoring. I vigorously
stirred this in. There was still
foam in the pot; this concerned me, but I proceeded. The recipe I had chosen should have filled only 12
moulds. However, it filled
17. This could be a sign I didn’t
evaporate enough water.
So, the moulds are now in the fridge. I shall see tomorrow what my level of
success was.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Mahatma Gandhi quote
"Oh, I don't reject Christ. I love Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ. If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today."
--Mahatma Gandhi
(quote source)
--Mahatma Gandhi
(quote source)
Albert Einstein quote
"Everything is energy and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics."
--Albert Einstein
While I like to think of this an as Einstein quote, I have now discovered that this quote is actually attributable to a channeler named Darryl Anka. Thanks to Quote Investigator for providing the details.
--Albert Einstein
While I like to think of this an as Einstein quote, I have now discovered that this quote is actually attributable to a channeler named Darryl Anka. Thanks to Quote Investigator for providing the details.
Struggling in bed . . .
It has been almost a week since starting my Collegiate sleep schedule (4-1/2 hours of sleep with a 90-minute siesta). Between needing to schedule appointments with college advisors, not being able to fall asleep, and sleeping through alarm clocks, it has been a very difficult transition. My procrastinatory nature is not helping. However, I did receive a quote from Albert Einstein that is helping. I will get it posted under the quotations label when I am done with this rant.
I am going to try to battle the inability to fall asleep with the purchase of a bottle of butter schnapps. I am going to try to battle the alarm clocks by stopping at the thrift store and buying more alarm clocks. I think right now I have to find something loud and put it in a place where I have to get out of bed to deal with it.
Also, I have a very busy work weekend coming up. On Friday, I work my cleaning job from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. I am then going to my job at the World Arena from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Then I have to go back to the World Arena at 10:30 a.m. and work until 9:00 p.m. to be followed by another night of cleaning from 9:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. After this, I still have to show up to school at 10:00 a.m. Monday morning. I may have to wait until after all of this to make another attempt to reset my body clock. Perhaps by then I will also have the 4-hour body exercise routine mapped out.
I am going to try to battle the inability to fall asleep with the purchase of a bottle of butter schnapps. I am going to try to battle the alarm clocks by stopping at the thrift store and buying more alarm clocks. I think right now I have to find something loud and put it in a place where I have to get out of bed to deal with it.
Also, I have a very busy work weekend coming up. On Friday, I work my cleaning job from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. I am then going to my job at the World Arena from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Then I have to go back to the World Arena at 10:30 a.m. and work until 9:00 p.m. to be followed by another night of cleaning from 9:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. After this, I still have to show up to school at 10:00 a.m. Monday morning. I may have to wait until after all of this to make another attempt to reset my body clock. Perhaps by then I will also have the 4-hour body exercise routine mapped out.
Gasoline Experiment, Part 5
Okay. One month of gasoline testing is completed. Here are some comparative numbers:
May = $173.65 total spent, 1561.7 miles traveled, 44.842 gallons used, 34.83 MPG
April = $173.58 total spent, 1489.9 miles traveled, 44.729 gallons used, 33.31 MPG
At first glance, one can see the total spent and the gallons used were almost identical. That means the average price I paid was very similar for both months ($3.87 in May and $3.88 in April). However, in May I got 71.8 additional miles and, therefore, 1.52 more miles per gallon. Had I purchased all my gas at the generic grocery store, I would have bought an additional 2.156 gallons and paid an additional $8.36.
While my experiment did not result in less money out of pocket, it did result in a savings of gallons I did not have to buy. I also realize there are other variables which were not limited that could have had an impact on my results. After all, my per-tank MPG ranged from 32 up to 39. Looking over my old numbers, though, my generic gas MPG ranged from 27 to 35 with monthly averages ranging from 30 to 32.
I am satisfied that buying the more expensive gasoline at Shell is definitely providing me with increased MPG resulting in a small savings over buying the generic grocery store gasoline, and I will continue to believe this until my gas milage drops below 33.
May = $173.65 total spent, 1561.7 miles traveled, 44.842 gallons used, 34.83 MPG
April = $173.58 total spent, 1489.9 miles traveled, 44.729 gallons used, 33.31 MPG
At first glance, one can see the total spent and the gallons used were almost identical. That means the average price I paid was very similar for both months ($3.87 in May and $3.88 in April). However, in May I got 71.8 additional miles and, therefore, 1.52 more miles per gallon. Had I purchased all my gas at the generic grocery store, I would have bought an additional 2.156 gallons and paid an additional $8.36.
While my experiment did not result in less money out of pocket, it did result in a savings of gallons I did not have to buy. I also realize there are other variables which were not limited that could have had an impact on my results. After all, my per-tank MPG ranged from 32 up to 39. Looking over my old numbers, though, my generic gas MPG ranged from 27 to 35 with monthly averages ranging from 30 to 32.
I am satisfied that buying the more expensive gasoline at Shell is definitely providing me with increased MPG resulting in a small savings over buying the generic grocery store gasoline, and I will continue to believe this until my gas milage drops below 33.
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