Author: Steen

Steen is a nerdy biologist who spends a lot of time trying to cultivate Chloroflexi, who also likes to draw comics, play video games, and climb.

Brick and Mortar Show

Tonight, Doc and I played a show at the Brick and Mortar Music Hall with Curious Quail and Crashfaster.

Thanks to everybody who came out! I had a great time, and the audience was very fun.

We also got to play two new songs tonight, which I think were some of the best songs of the night.

By-the-way, I really like all the graffiti in the women’s bathroom at Brick and Mortar. It is some pretty amazing graffiti, and knowing that it was all drawn by women for women somehow makes it… intimate.

I can’t really explain it, but it is like all the graffiti is a secret for just us ladies, and none of it is intended for male approval. I don’t know why this matters so much for how I love it on an artistic level, but it does.

Bike Trip to Marin

The Golden Gate Bridge was closed to cars (for construction – they’ve FINALLY put that movable barrier on it), so we decided to bike to Sausalito today. It was a lot of fun, but of course lots of other people had the same idea, so the bridge was pretty packed. It was still super interesting to watch the construction workers do their thing!

Doc and Mike on the Golden Gate Bridge
Doc and Mike on the Golden Gate Bridge
A Peace March on the Golden Gate
There was also a peace march going on while we were there
Construction workers on the Golden Gate Bridge
Some of the construction workers on the Golden Gate Bridge today

Also, lots of people were super determined to keep riding their bikes all the way across the bridge, which seemed crazy to me. The walking/biking path was packed full of people, so it didn’t really seem worth it to us. But! Lots of people did just that, nonetheless.

Homemade Marshmallows

I made way too many marshmallows. There is no way we will be able to eat them all. But this was the first time I made marshmallows so that was fun. They are pretty much like… whipped JELLO. If that makes sense.

I also do not have a candy thermometer, so I decided to eyeball when it got to 240 degrees F, and that actually worked pretty well. When it just barely started boiling at first, I figured it was 212, and about 4 or 5 ish minutes after that it went from a frothy boiling to a more… clear boiling. And I figured that was 240 degrees. Whether it was or not, the marshmallows are marshmallow-ey and don’t seem to have suffered for the lack of a thermometer.

The Marshmallow “Loaf,” after being turned out of the pan and before I cut the loaf into little marshmallow cubes.
The finished marshmallows.

I flavored them with vanilla and lavender. They’re pretty tasty, but we are going to be drinking hot cocoa for a long time to get rid of them all.