Mundane Mediocreties

Monday August 18^th

Have you ever made ghee? Must confess that until this morning I hadn't either. Ghee is clarified butter made by heating unsalted butter until the moisture in it boils off and the protein has settled to the bottom. The advantage of ghee is its ability to keep without refrigeration—an important consideration in tropical countries such as India which gives us the word in the first place. I made ghee this morning because of its other characteristic—its ability to be heated without burning or smoking. With all the 'impurities' removed ghee is pure fat. Yesterday I took a scouring pad to my wok, griddle and grill pan—all cast iron—to remove the grime and minor rusting. I'd oiled these items thoroughly before putting them in storage. After clarifying my butter this morning I greased those same pans and placed them in the oven at 350º F to be "seasoned." Nothing sticks to a well seasoned pan plus seasoning protects the surface from rusting or absorbing odours. So long as you remember never to use detergent on a properly seasoned pan nothing will stick to it and depending on what you cook in it the pan or pot will remain maintenance-free for some time. Fortunately for good German Frau's most cast iron is black in colour so that they can't see the 'dirt' which accumulates on a pot or pan so treated. After an hour I turn off my oven and allow the pans to cool in it.

Fall approaches. The CNE has opened for another season. Early this morning Blue Jays were calling outside my balcony. However obnoxious and vociferous Blue Jays may be at any other time when the mother is on the nest or they have nestlings Blue Jays suddenly become mute and ultra secretive, going to great lengths to hide the location of their nest. When you start hearing them again it's a sure sign they're gearing up for Autumn. Blue Jays do not normally migrate unless adverse conditions lead to privation.

Drove over to Erin Mills Chapters and once again marvelled at how they can have so many books but not have anything I want in stock. I did find one magazine I was interested in buying but after waiting in line a considerable length of time I regretted not having picked it up in Coles yesterday. As I sit here typing the room has darkened and thunder rolls in the heavens as a precursor to our daily delivery from Odin and his hammer. Now the torrential downpour tattoos on my balcony rail. A weather check shows a severe thunderstorm watch is in place and an overnight low of 10º C would tend to indicate we have a rough night ahead. At least I got home before the heavy weather hit.

Watched The Hunt for Red October last night and the one thing that struck me over and over again was the incongruity of a Russian-Finnish Submarine Captain speaking with a rich Scottish Brogue, for whatever reason Connery seems to have exaggerated it rather than attempt to hide it. There are four submarine movies in my library. The first was Das Boot set in a WW#2 U-Boat, The Hunt for Red October set in a Russian missile sub, U571 set in WW#2 vintage American and German Subs, and Crimson Tide set on a modern US Missile Sub. Of the four Crimson Tide is the least convincing; it's technical-speak gets boring rather quickly.

The essential technical challenge in shooting a movie set in a submarine is capturing the confined, claustrophobic nature of the experience. Unless the cinematographers use hand-held cameras the room needed to accommodate cameras tends to create wide open spaces that could not possibly exist on shipboard. Sub-mariners need to have a working knowledge of every task aboard a sub. If a valve or seal blows the nearest person, whatever his rank or position, needs to grab a wrench and stop the leak. If there's a flash fire in the engine room someone had better know how to get the diesel working again. The crew of a sub must get along with one another. There is no such thing as privacy as even sleeping quarters are shared. There is nowhere to get away from it all.