Odds and ends

Thursday, 3:17 pm

By Kate

Mar

08

2007

Last night I was struck with hunger pangs around 10:00. That would ordinarily mean a small snack, but my cupboards indicate that a trip to the grocery store is in order. Not a single snack to be found.

So, I took a tour through the fridge and freezer. Decided to take out the frozen chicken breasts. And I found two half full boxes of pasta—medium shells and some ziti. Oh, and a lonely clove of garlic. And 3/4 full jar of Alfredo sauce. And about three tablespoons worth of freshly grated Parmesan. Seemed like a promising start.

Also found a handful of green beans in the fridge.

I cut up the chicken and sauteed it in olive oil with the smushed clove of garlic and cooked up the pasta and steamed the veggies. Threw it all together with the Alfredo sauce and lots of fresh cracked pepper and the freshly grated Parmesan. I ended up with a rather large bowl of food. And it was delicious and filling. Now I have two good sized containers filled with the leftovers.

That’s not my customary MO—cooking late at night. But it sure beat a bag of chips.

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While doing a little computer housekeeping, I found a web page I’d saved from some time back. It’s kind of cute and, as I recall, it was offered as a warning of why we should shut our computers down at night. Strange and nefarious things go on after the lights go out. Those little icons get up to no good when we aren’t looking. I have absolutely no idea where I found it, but it’s clever.

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Also found in my links—a 2005 article in New York magazine about Bruce Kovner, a guy few seem to have heard about before. He’s one of the 100 wealthiest men in the US (billions); lives in New York city; is a well-connected neo-con, who ‘lives blue and thinks red’. He comes from a family peppered with communists. (That seems to be a common theme among neo-cons.) He is a fascinating character who also happens to be the Chairman of the American Enterprise Institute (neo-con nest). And Chairman and founder of Caxton Associates, LLC—a notably successful hedge fund (named after the first printer of books in English). And he’s something of a philanthropist as well. He seems eminently likable, which disturbs my world view. He’s heavily involved with Julliard School of Music (Chairman there, too); heavily involved with the Lincoln Center redesign and check-writing; collects rare books and manuscripts, etc. And he appears to be haunted by fear. The article is extremely well written and entertaining besides. And it’s utterly fascinating. The title of the article is “George Soros’s Right-Wing Twin.” The one nobody seems to know about.

Regarding Kovner’s mental capacities, Norman Podhoretz is quoted as saying, “And what distinguishes him from most intellectuals is that he is also brilliant.” That made me go...hummm.

Excellent read.

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Oh, and it’s frigid outside again. With howling winds. Again. I’m freezing and not happy about it. Tomorrow will be better and spring is slated for an appearance on Saturday. Hallelujah!