time to bring out the pig of happiness!

perfect french fries

The story of how the recipe cam to be:
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/05/the-burger-lab-how-to-make-perfect-mcdonalds-style-french-fries.html

The recipe itself.
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/05/perfect-french-fries-recipe.html

I came across this when trying to figure out what I can do with the french fries I do have.  I don't usually eat them, but apparently they rung me up for fries when I ordered my hamburger last night.  So now I'm trying to figure out how to make eating them more enjoyable, so that I don't just throw them away.

scooter

I saw this thing at a convention center today.  Some lady was zipping around in it.  I flagged her down and she told me http://www.travelscoot.com/

So awesome.  If I had the duckeys, I'd get one for Gumby.

searching for a solution

Hurricane season is upon us. An active season is predicted for this year. When I was unemployed several years back, I cut plywood for all of our windows. They were to be used with Plylox and fit into the window opening. When Ike came through, we were able to board up the windows in no time flat. The Plylox worked great, though there was a moment when I thought one of the boards was in danger of being pried off. After Ike, I got another pack of Plylox so each board will have another pair of clips the next time around.

Recently we replaced our windows with double-pane vinyl windows. Great for energy savings. However, the Plylox can no longer be used because the window is "thicker" and reduces the "setback". That is, the window doesn't sit deep into the opening.  Plylox require at least 2 1/2 inches setback. They don't say so on their website, but I've seen it in a news article.

So I've been trying to find another solution without having to cut new plywood (to overlap the window opening, not sit in it) or having to drill into our brick. So far:

• Storm Brace http://www.stormbrace.com/
• Hurricane Bar http://www.hurricanebar.net/index.html
• Panel Lock http://www.hurricanepanellock.com/howwork.html
• and I saw reader comments on some blog that said to cut a 2x4 the same size as the window opening and then tap it into the opening with a hammer. Space three of those per opening and then fasten your plywood to the 2x4.

and a solution that requires more setback than I have but seems nifty:
     Quick Shutter http://www.quickshutterclampingsystem.com/

At this time, I am still searching for a solution. If I run out of time, then I'll probably go with the "tap-in 2x4" solution and use our exisitng plywood. I still have some fence screws and can use those.