- #GameOfThrones wine? I wonder if it’s ‘blood’ red? Now I’ve seen everything! https://t.co/QNDLGEubNP 2018-01-21
- RT @lavermeer: The Gender Wage Gap https://t.co/B33WQVIA7A 2018-01-22
- RT @Books4Everybody: Federal petition seeks GST exemption, preferential postal rates, and tax credits for books – https://t.co/aNYz48LSvp 2018-01-23
- RT @theboozephiles: Brandy Alexander https://t.co/lQ3WkLoaEK https://t.co/73tsXJDaW0 2018-01-23
- RT @lavermeer: Review: #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women https://t.co/ayqbYyX2ib https://t.co/rDoQpy32xK 2018-01-23
- Sigh… https://t.co/8PbpgQ8win 2018-01-23
- RT @TheLincoln: “People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.” ? Ursula K. Le Guin (RIP) https://t.co/… 2018-01-23
- RT @sarahmccammon: By Ursula Le Guin, who died today at 88: https://t.co/gk8ahvur6X 2018-01-23
- RT @DrFunkySpoon: I talk about the gods, I am an atheist. But I am an artist too, and therefore a liar. Distrust everything I say. I am tel… 2018-01-23
- RT @moodvintage: "Those who build walls are their own prisoners. I'm going to go fulfil my proper function in the social organism. I'm goin… 2018-01-23
- RT @ChicagoCityDSA: “We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted… 2018-01-23
- RT @ReadLocalBC: Reviews by @cocolbert in @globebooks for @DelBauchery and @fresh_md. Looking good! @Arsenalpulp @BrindleAndGlass https://t… 2018-01-24
- RT @CCG_GCC: Introducing the parbuckle, an inclusive rescue technique, helping to eliminate gender & other diversity barriers! #diversityis… 2018-01-25
- RT @ianhunter: Designers solved the middle armrest dilemma. https://t.co/JfXhsgKwv4 2018-01-26
- RT @BOA_Place: HMCS Sackville gets $3.5M in federal funding for 'extensive' repairs https://t.co/HVwMrvut5e 2018-01-26
Monthly Archives: January 2018
Twitter Digest
- RT @LucieEdwardson: .@AlbertaViewsMag is celebrating two decades of publication. Here is what founding editor Jackie Flanagan (who is now t… 2018-01-14
- RT @theboozephiles: Chocolate-Covered Cherry https://t.co/cp9DXuu4jV https://t.co/f4S1DfaxMT 2018-01-16
- RT @_youhadonejob1: He looks mean. https://t.co/hx5tYyFCFV 2018-01-16
- RT @ChrisDavidGill: "I'm scared," said Piglet.
"A story will help," said Pooh.
"How?"
"Don't you know? Stories make your heart grow."
#Wi… 2018-01-18 - RT @SheppeyWildlife: I love the way the Kingfisher keeps his head still when he's hunting. https://t.co/sMAIZKjxio 2018-01-19
Well that didn’t last…
Twitter Digest
- RT @womensart1: Japanese paper artist Chie Hitotsuyama creates sculptures of animals using a technique involving rolled strips of wet newsp… 2018-01-07
- Sourdough done two ways. Let’s see if either turned out! https://t.co/ISB0y46pkW https://t.co/X62Ak051J0 2018-01-07
- RT @Ferrrgle: Installed an anti-virus thing on my parents computer https://t.co/3hda290Um6 2018-01-08
- RT @DrCannings: Many of you have seen this already, but I couldn't resist sending it out again… John Acorn's brilliant gizmo for viewing… 2018-01-08
- Discovered tucked into the brim I haven’t worn for many years. #1983 #littleriverband #awesomeconcert… https://t.co/qWGCSWjCav 2018-01-09
- RT @theboozephiles: Kamikazee https://t.co/yn4MKofXDI https://t.co/10Z3pEG8oo 2018-01-09
- RT @DavidBellCBC: 2 #ableg MLAs, @JasonNixonAB and @RickStrankman, take credit for the same column: https://t.co/M2jrbSK7LW and https://t.c… 2018-01-10
- RT @V2Vvacations: We are excited to announce that the V2V Empress is back in her new home port of Victoria and ready to resume sailings! Th… 2018-01-10
- RT @citadeltheatre: Hop over to Instagram today for THE HUMANS Opening Night Instagram Takeover with Stage Manager Andrea Schurman and Assi… 2018-01-11
- RT @byMorganWright: Editing is…
#writerslife #authorconfession #amwriting https://t.co/kSv9xfXBcB 2018-01-12
New Testing Server 2016
I started this post back in August 2016 when I set my old Mac mini up as a media server and webserver for testing purposes. I never finished it or got back to it, which is a bit of a bummer since it is all just so much gobbledygook to me now. Still, it documents the process I used this time to set up Apache, php and ftp. And, since one of the first purposes of this site was to store and have available various computer processes I had engaged in I guess I will post it for posterity despite its incompleteness.
Set up Server
Enable Root user
Directory Utility
Edit–>Enable Root User
MySQL : http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/
Apache
sudo apachectl start
sudo apachectl restart
/private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf
PHP
117 LoadModule php5_module libexec/apache2/libphp5.so
220
221 AllowOverride none
222 Require all denied
223
160 LoadModule vhost_alias_module libexec/apache2/mod_vhost_alias.so
477 Include /private/etc/apache2/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf
httpd-vhosts.conf file in the /private/etc/apache2/extra/
ServerAdmin info@macblaze.ca
DocumentRoot “/www/home/”
ServerName 192.168.1.10
ErrorLog “/private/var/log/apache2/home.macblaze.ca-error_log”
CustomLog “/private/var/log/apache2/home.macblaze.ca-access_log” common
IP to LocalHost
sudo nano /etc/hosts
Add the Domain and ‘www‘ alias to resolve to the localhost address
127.0.0.1 apple.com www.apple.com
sudo apachectl restart
Text Wrangler
http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/download.html
Command Line tools
Set up A record for subdomain
FTP Server
sudo -s launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist
sudo -s launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist
Open up router to forward port 80 to localhost
Install wordpress
Modify wp-config
/** sets up ‘direct method for wordpress auto-update without install in ftp **/
define(‘FS_METHOD’,’direct’);
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/auto-upgradeupdate-on-mac-os-x
$ cd /<wherever>/Sites/<thesite>
$ sudo chown -R _www wordpress
Here’s a simple option that gives you full (read+write) access, lets the webserver read the files, and locks everyone else out of the web folder
$ sudo chown -R “username”:_www /www/home/wp-content
$ chmod -R u=rwX,g=rX,o= /www/home/wp-content
The Boozephiles
A year and some ago C said “We should try some cocktails.”
We said “Ok.”
She said we should take pictures. Maybe have a website.”
We said, “Uh…ok.” We are so articulate.
“She said “Try this…”
We did. It was good. And boozephiles.com was born. We also added @theboozephiles on Twitter and theboozephiles on Instagram. So once a week we gather, try a new cocktail and occasional make faces when it doesn’t suite the tastes, palatesor sensibilities of one of us.
That was 67 drinks ago and we are still going strong. So tag along if you want to discover some wonderful new concoctions or learn about some old ones. And let me know if you have any suggestions.
Instagram This Week

This little gem was in the brim of an old black fedora I inherited from my elder brother. There were a few other tickets as well as a Baker Oilfield sticker. I miss wearing hats…

They both did. See my previous post.
Sourdough Roundup
I mentioned the other day I was working on my sourdough skills.
Loaf #3 looked like it was going to be a complete failure (no rising action, so I feared for the denouement…) so while I didn’t completely abandon it, I decided to start a new levain so I could try again on Sunday morning. Upon waking Sunday am, the first batch had risen magnificently so I shoved it in a hot oven and 40 minutes later I produced this:
But that left me with a fresh levain all puffed up and ready to go. So I decided to go ahead and make another loaf.
So I suppose a bit of background info and vocab is in order. Sourdough is made from a sourdough starter which is just flour and water that has been left out and fed regularly with more flour and water until it attracts enough of the natural yeasts in the air to start reacting without additional yeast. Once you have a good starter going you can store it in the fridge and feed it once a week or so (with flour and water) indefintiely.
When you decide to make bread, you take the starter out, feed it up for a day or two or three (again, flour and water…getting the trend here?) to make sure it’s going again. Then take a tablespoon or two, add more flour and water and let it sit overnight. This gives you a levain which is what will go on to form your bread dough. The starter just goes back in the fridge until next time. The levain is then used, with even more flour and water, to form a wet dough which you allow to rise (this stage is called autolyse) for an hour or so. Then you add salt and go on to make the bread in a fairly traditional manner. It kills me that this stuff is, other than a tablespoon of salt, completely 100% just flour and water. Ain’t science cool.
The first loaf was a boule (round, french-type, bread thing) which I made in a preheated dutch oven, but for the second loaf I wanted to try something different. I decided to form it while it was rising and then stuffed it into my oven — on parchment paper — using the proofing setting with a bunch of boiling water in pans. What do you know, 4 hours later the loaf had risen fairly well. I then moved it to a Staub casserole, scored the top (to let out the steam that causes a quick rise in the initial part of the baking) and popped it back into the oven at 475° or so.
Voila. The temps and cooking times varied and I will have to experiment a bit more to nail down the process but they both turned out fine. Loaf #1 had a bit more “sour” to the sourdough, but they say that happens when you let it rise longer.
Twitter Digest
- Happy new Shabu Shabu everyone! Or, as my autocorrect likes to say, Happy Shaun Shaun! https://t.co/Cm5WQof0sg https://t.co/2QvGxN5EYr 2017-12-31
- RT @theboozephiles: Cran-Rosemary Julep https://t.co/8UH8XXC3vL https://t.co/OKzbTnK0wE 2018-01-02
- RT @lavermeer: Canada Activates Its Copyright Modernization Act Five-Year Review https://t.co/1gPfbiK9mf via @pubperspectives 2018-01-03
- RT @theboozephiles: Winter Solstice Sangria https://t.co/IUs8HmLMR6 https://t.co/62v6qB0B63 2018-01-03
- RT @RandysVinylTap: I've had many requests on how to play "Lookin' out for #1" so I've made a tutorial. Thanks for listening, playing and k… 2018-01-04
- RT @BookNet_Canada: Half of Canadian readers, 50% to be exact, discover the books they read or buy from word of mouth — the holy grail for… 2018-01-04
- RT @jfklug: This. Exactly. https://t.co/oYc2ku4SLw 2018-01-06
- RT @CBCArts: A painting commission from the Edmonton airport changed @CartersArt's life, turning art from fun into a career: https://t.co/w… 2018-01-06
Sourdough Experiments
A couple of weeks back I decide to try my hand at sourdough. In principle its pretty easy, but nothing is really all that easy when it comes to bread.
After a few false starts I successfully got my starter to work. It’s pretty amazing what flour and water will do if you let it “fester.” Then I moved on to my first actual loaves. I will call them a tentative failure because although the final product was edible, it wasn’t in any way what it was supposed to be. Both loaves formed a hard crust when rising and then fell inside the crust. But I ate it anyway.
My next loaf was at Xmas and I used a slightly different technique and sealed the dough with clingwrap to keep the moisture in. This one worked out pretty damn good. I am not sure why.
Today I am working on attempt #3. I think I will let it rise overnight in the fridge and bake it tomorrow. I’ve got my fingers crossed…