Life, the Universe, and Everything

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Life, the Universe, and Everything

Postby ttommy » Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:29 am

Wikipedia: "The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything has a numeric solution in Douglas Adams' series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In the story, a "simple answer" to The Ultimate Question is requested from the computer Deep Thought - specially built for this purpose. It takes Deep Thought 7½ million years to compute and check the answer which turns out to be..."

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Life. Well, I turned 42 today :) And it's not a much of a big deal even if I'd always been burning my candle at both ends, thinking I'd run out of wick, twelve years ago, when I turned 30 :lol: "Dugay na sa 'merika, sutil man gihapon," I used to say. Although friends who've known me all these years have accepted what comes with "the package," after all, it's my life innit? ;)

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But times do change, even for those who resist it :lol: Even though I call New York "home," I do miss the Philippines, not having been back for over eighth years. And the parties this time of year! My celebration gimmick used to be a breakfast-to-breakfast affair involving lots of jamming among musician friends over copious amounts of alcholesterol :roll: In comparison, today's shindig is much tamer but "sweeter," both figuratively and literally, as my girlfriend, miss Y, baked her cognac-enriched boca negra chocolate cake which I couldn't resist digging into before the rack-of-lamb was done marinading.

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The Universe. And speaking of miss Y, we'd known about each other a couple years but it wasn't until she read "Part 2 of The Ekpyrotic UNIverse" that she decided I might be the guy for her. After all, what's a geeky molecular biologist to do when she's not having fun playing with DNA? :lol: Little did I know, at first, bragging about being in a Bill Gibson book and all, how she was concocting a deeply sci-fi brainwashing program. And now, a few months later, I've watched enough seasons of Stargate Atlantis and have all but neglected my religious following of boxing and mixed-martial arts, trading mind-blowing striking and grappling for physics-defying naquadah generators and zero-point modules. Sorry folks, geek, I am. :oops:

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And Everything. The latest is I've just moved to Brooklyn :) Surely there will be times I'll miss my old apartment views of the East River. But these past months, I've been living with Y anyway (who's been spoiling me) and it's become too, well... expensive to maintain a Manhattan apartment just for the audio toys. Having said that, dear fellow Wiredstaters, although I haven't been posting much these past few months, let me assure you that audio-wise, there definitely is some light at the end of this tunnel ;)

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Thanks for reading... and Merry Christmas from both of us!

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Last edited by ttommy on Sat Aug 23, 2008 4:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby arnoldc » Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:32 am

Happy Birhtday Tito!
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Postby iceman90a » Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:38 am

Happy Birthday!
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Postby randybarba » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:13 am

Happy birthday. Nice pics BTW. Don't know which made me drool, the gears or the cake :lol:
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Postby Superman » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:27 am

Happy Happy Birthday!...Merry Christmas too, Tito! :D
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Postby jadis » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:35 am

Happy Birthday, Tito. And Season's Greetings!
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Postby conspicuous » Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:13 am

happy birthday ttommy! hope to hear more about this universe :) nice pair of hands miss Y has cutting that cake by the way. :wink: :D
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Postby dimfer » Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:23 am

Happy Birthday& Merry Christmas.
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Postby stereophile » Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:24 am

Happy birthday & Merry Christmas, Tito :!: It's good to hear that your audio gears are well and with you. Conspicuous is right, and I second it. Miss Y does have nice hands- this sincere compliment comes from a practicing Hand Surgeon :!: :lol2:
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Postby DCO » Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:26 am

Happy birthday & Merry Christmas!
:P [/quote]
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Postby pigdog » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:02 pm

hey Tito
Many happy returns and a very merry happy holidays! i should have emailed you when i was in dallas, i just arrived in hong kong early this morning and i had been on the road for nearly 20 hours. i read the NYC is very cold with some snow and all. nonetheless it's always fun to catch up with you, and perhaps this coming spring if my publishers get their act together and i can invite to my book launch in NYC in the meantime have a wonderful holiday and dont overeat! :lol:
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Postby Gau_Ban » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:09 pm

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas!

May i have a copy of the recipe for boca negra?

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Postby Black Widow » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:13 pm

Thanks conspicuous and stereophile, much flattered ;)

The hitchhiker's guide to seducing an audiophile.

1. Lear how to cook like a french chef (See Julia Child for much needed help)

2. Have a clear vision of Ekpyrotic Universe and what Lorca's duende looks like
all wrapped up into a carpet burrito.

3. Learn how to pronounce "When you give money?" with perfect Russian accent.
(Not a problem for me being Russian and all :lol:)

4. Read up on Campbell, Crowley and Capra before you set you on your quest/campaign.

5. Don't forget Boca Negra (Recipe included on the bottom to help all of my fellow
seductresses). Best served with a side of cognac and Beethoven.

6. ALWAYS admire the gear and never question the cost. If issues arise - see rule #3.

7. Never hurts to have a hobby... skip the knitting and needlepoint please:-))

Happy hunting:-).
All the best,
Miss Y

Boca Negra
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
(I suggest 60 to 70% cocoa)
1 1/3 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of bourbon (I use cognac - it's just better:-))
8 oz unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces @ room temperature
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons flour

Put the chopped chocolate into a large bowl and keep at hand
Melt the sugar in cognac and bring to a boil
Add hot mixture to chocolate and mix until smooth
Add butter one piece at a time, make sure all are well incorporated
Whisk the eggs and remaining sugar until they slightly thicken
Add the eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended

Pour the batter into a cake pan. Place the cake pan into a roasting pan
and add water. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about 1/2 in.
up the sides of the cake pan.
Bake for exactly 30 min @350 F
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Postby keith » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:13 pm

Happy birthday and Merry Xmas Tito!!!

Bitin naman! Open the lights and take that picture. 8)
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Postby pigdog » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:26 pm

Ah the Divine Miss Y!
i missed the pleasure of meeting you when i was last in the big apple, although i recalled that you called Tito while we were having a quick dinner at his favorite chinese restaurant. hoped to be able to meet with you sometime next year and hopefully you'll have those delectable goodies on hand!
cheers
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Black Widow wrote:Thanks conspicuous and stereophile, much flattered ;)

The hitchhiker's guide to seducing an audiophile.

1. Lear how to cook like a french chef (See Julia Child for much needed help)

2. Have a clear vision of Ekpyrotic Universe and what Lorca's duende looks like
all wrapped up into a carpet burrito.

3. Learn how to pronounce "When you give money?" with perfect Russian accent.
(Not a problem for me being Russian and all :lol:)

4. Read up on Campbell, Crowley and Capra before you set you on your quest/campaign.

5. Don't forget Boca Negra (Recipe included on the bottom to help all of my fellow
seductresses). Best served with a side of cognac and Beethoven.

6. ALWAYS admire the gear and never question the cost. If issues arise - see rule #3.

7. Never hurts to have a hobby... skip the knitting and needlepoint please:-))

Happy hunting:-).
All the best,
Miss Y

Boca Negra
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
(I suggest 60 to 70% cocoa)
1 1/3 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of bourbon (I use cognac - it's just better:-))
8 oz unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces @ room temperature
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons flour

Put the chopped chocolate into a large bowl and keep at hand
Melt the sugar in cognac and bring to a boil
Add hot mixture to chocolate and mix until smooth
Add butter one piece at a time, make sure all are well incorporated
Whisk the eggs and remaining sugar until they slightly thicken
Add the eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended

Pour the batter into a cake pan. Place the cake pan into a roasting pan
and add water. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about 1/2 in.
up the sides of the cake pan.
Bake for exactly 30 min @350 F
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Postby ttommy » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:27 pm

Thanks for the greetings and well-wishes, everyone! We still have a few boxes to unpack from the move pero siyempre, tapos na 'yung stereo :lol:

nonetheless it's always fun to catch up with you, and perhaps this coming spring if my publishers get their act together and i can invite to my book launch in NYC in the meantime have a wonderful holiday and dont overeat! :lol:

Naku, too late, Ches, there's already too much blood in my cholesterol :lol: Here's what I'm stuffed with--

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Bitin naman! Open the lights and take that picture. 8)

Here ya go, keith ;) As luck would have it, Y's room sounds better than mine and I could also tell electricity is better (lower noise floor). I've yet to mount my remaining acoustic treatments but so far, moving the stereo proved painless. However, this time, there's no digital in this rack ;)

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Last edited by ttommy on Sat Aug 23, 2008 4:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby pigdog » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:33 pm

my oh my! that certainly looked tasty to me! i am just about getting ready for the major eating session tonight! :lol:
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Postby stereophile » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:46 pm

My goodness :!: :shock: That is one yummy dinner :!: :shock: Lamb chops with asparagus and potatoes :!: This thread is making me very hungry :!: :wink:
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Postby conspicuous » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:01 pm

man, the lamb was cooked to perfection! pink interior with juices running. doc is right, this thread is making me hungry. :)

miss Y aka black widow, hope to hear/see more from you in ttommy's corner. welcome to wiredstate. russian eh? more mystery... :wink: :)
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Postby conspicuous » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:07 pm

and wait... in the potatoes are cloves of garlic?! ohhhh.. yummy! :D tito, the garlic will help the blood circulate out all that nasty gunk. right doc stereophile? :D
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