Do people know the Soviet Union had a program to land a man on the moon? They never got their giant N1 rocket working properly, so they abandoned their effort and kept it secret for another 20 years....

Anyway, some cool photos of Soviet-era moon space-hardware:

Inside The Soviet's Secret Failed Moon Program

Apparently we will be updating a bunch of software at work. Luckily half my team is out, so I'm not horribly busy, but it will cut into internet time.

ION: Meat lovers! We have a brilliant barbecue place here down in Oak Cliff called Smoke. My friend does food pieces for our weekly rag and did one on Smoke last week. See if these photos don't make your mouth water. [link]

Here's a culture thing: my sister went a restaurant in Jamaica the other day, and her friend brought two plaintains and asked the waitress if they could fry them up for them. She said no. My sister wasn't particularly put out by the refusal, but she was put out because she couldn't get anyone to explain to her why they wouldn't cook the food they'd brought with them.

I laughed until I cried, because I couldn't see any reason why a restaurant would do that. Like, they default on the answer of "no", and you just suck it up and take it. Since then, she's asked at all the restaurants she's been to, and all three have said sure, they'd cook her plaintains, but I keep trying to tell her a) that's Jamaica, and b) that's exceptional. She still thinks restaurant A owes her an explanation.

This is why I can't take her anywhere.

I know Jamaican dining is different. I'm not going to ask a non-Jamaican restauranteur what's off the menu that I can also have (I realise I've even told tourists to ask hotels for back office food). I know we do that shit all the time. But, seriously? Your own food? That's not a rational expectation, even if some people will do it.

At least my father, King of the Land Of Do It For Me, thought she was being excessive.

I laughed until I cried, because I couldn't see any reason why a restaurant would do that.

Particularly since there could be health code violations.

ETA: Here I mean. No idea what the implications are for a Jamaican place.

This is why I can't take her anywhere.

Oh, I remember. We went to brunch and she had the waitress bring out a variety of spices so that she could flavor her food. I thought it was hysterical.

Hey Natterinos, when I change jobs I'm going to be eating cold lunches every day at work (ain't no microwave on the job site). Anyone got creative ideas besides salad and sandwiches?

I forget smonster, do you eat fish? I've found kipper snacks or flavored tuna on crackers to be a good cold lunch. A combo of cheese & crackers, a tomato, and an avocado is also a staple of mine. And if I make one of those Near East packages of couscous for dinner, I usually save half and eat it for lunch the next day at work with a cup of soup or a vegetable of some sort.

Vortex, I pointed out to her that I knew the Buffistas would have remembered that, and she was all "Why?" She didn't see anything notable about her behaviour.

I, on the other hand, spent the whole time trying to work out if the hole in the earth I was wishing for was supposed to swallow her or me.

I love her, but she's a nightmare in restaurants.

That having been said, it's remarkable what she gets her way on. I just wonder how much spittle she's ingested as a result.

My family's all kind of bad, and sometimes I hear stuff coming out of my mouth that I know is straight up Mummy or Daddy, but usually it works out well. Because people do snap to it and do shit for them. But I try to be nice about it and at least throw flirting on top.

Brazilian blowouts use high amounts of formaldehyde. I'm stunned by the high amount of emotion in the comments. I'm pretty used to the good hair/bad hair issue among black women, but to see white women crying over their hair to this extent and saying that they'd rather have regular treatments with exposure to 8% formaldehyde than find another way to handle their curls and/or frizz, or to live with them, I'm taken aback. Uh, buzz cuts for everyone.

Hee. Paul Newman used to do that. But, you know, he could.

I heartily endorse Mr. Bento. I bought one for my mom and she loves it. It's an updated version of what we've been using for generations; she has my grandfather's bento box.

Anyway, yes, bento. And you can make musubi! Which is just a ball of sticky rice with something tasty in the middle, like ume. Wrap it in cellophane and it'll keep well. You can do that with rectangular ones for spam, too, but it requires a small amount more of prep equipment.

Anyone got creative ideas besides salad and sandwiches?

Spanish Tortilla! It's made to be eaten both hot or cold. It's potatoes and eggs and whatever else you like. Cut a wedge out, wrap it in foil. Bring along a little container of salsa, or curried mayo. Life's good.