Sherman's Head

Saturday, September 23, 2006

hurt

So I was cooking at the Elk's Club in San Rafael. I do this a couple of times a month for various events they hold there. Yesterday, it was a charity golf tournament that was holding their dinner there after wards. Simple menu: Steak (with sauteed mushrooms and onions), baked potato, veggie (green beans or glazed carrots), and dessert. I was chopping green onions for the potatoes. I was using proper knife technique and I slipped and let one of my guiding hand's fingers uncurl. I sliced through my left finger (see photo). I stopped cutting and found a first aid kid. Using some gauze and some scotch tape, I jerry-rigged a bandage for myself and was able to slow the bleeding so I could keep working. About three hours later, most of the meal had gone out and things were winding down. I asked permission from Joe, the guy I usually cook these meals with, to head out early and deal with my injury.

I went to the ER at work. After triage, I was placed on my very own guerney and waited for someone to help me out. This cute blonde nurse first saw me. She removed my blood-soaked "bandage" and irrigated the wound as gently as she could. She then told me a doctor would be in to assess the injury and how to proceed. A ginger-haired doctor came in and assesed the wound. He told me that they would numb the area, remove a piece of the nail and stitch it up.
He came back with a filled needle and proceeded to inject my finger to numb it. He left for a few minutes to let the numbness set in. he came back, poked my finger with the needle and injected me again when I winced at the poking. After a few more minutes he came back, poked again and was satisfied with the numbness. He then proceeded to open a kit and pried the loose nail piece off. He opened a package that contained a needle and thread and sewed the loose flap of skin back onto my finger with 3 stitches. I didn't feel a thing.

Drove back home but passed by the mission to grab a super quesadilla suiza from El Farolito on 24th and Mission. A little hurt, but trying to heal.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

femtroopers

So how come never told me about this before? I would totally join the Imperial Forces if there were storm troopers that looked like her. I'd even learn to shoot off center like a true stormtrooper. I found out about this concept reading about the new Star Wars DVDs that came out today. The article I found is here. I thought I'd post it on the blog just for some fun. Nerdy, geeky girls that get dressed in stormtrooper outfits are hot!

Friday, September 08, 2006

bittersweet

So I headed down to Fillmore Street for a stroll today and went to Bittersweet: the chocolate cafe on a recommendation from Jalapeño Girl. I had actually visited on Wednesday with a friend after reading J-Girl's article. I got the "Spicy" on Wednesday. It was chocolate and steamed milk with a kick of pepper and a hint of cinnamon. It was good but I think I desired more of a rich chocolate flavor. In the "Spicy," the chocolate flavor was diluted by milk but it also allowed the pepper and cinnamon to come through clearer and stronger.

Today I decided I would forgo the peppery heat and just go for full on chocolate flavor. Today's choice was the "Bittersweet" (on Jalapeño Girl's recommendation, as well). It was full bodied and very rich. It reminded me of the chocolate that my father used to make for us when we were kids. I remember he'd boil some water and drop in some chocolate discs. We'd pour the chocolate drink onto our rice and eat it with eggs and longanisa (sweet sausage). It was very reminiscent of Mexican chocolate and I'm sure it's existence has something to do with the Spanish influence in the Philippines. That's one of the things that I love about food is how it takes on journeys in our minds and evokes memories from our past. Though my Dad is long gone, I can still see him in mminds's eye stirring the pot of chocolate with breakfast, pouring out each cup and asking me to place them out on the table next to each setting. I can still remember my family gathered around the table eating breakfast, the scent of dark chocolate as I pour it over my steaming rice and the slightly sweet flavor of the chocolate rice as I ate it with my eggs and sausage.

So I think I'm a Bittersweet guy now, although I think I might try the other things on the menu if I get the chance to wander down to Fillmore on my lunch break again. There's a white chocolate drink I had my eye on to try.