Firestorm Productions Blog

Almost Professional

Sun, 3 Sep 2006 00:10:34 -0300

Today I took time out of working on the EcoHealth ONE Conference program and the Triple Win Biking Project to make my very first business cards. After trying several traditional and a few non-traditional designs,

Business Card

Honestly, I'm not sure what kind of message I'm trying to send. I just think it's nifty looking--and for a graphic designer perhaps that's enough. See, I'm somewhat torn (no pun intended) between trying to be professional and just having fun. What kind of impression does this sort of business card make with a prospective client? And while I'm on the subject, what kind of impression does having a blog as my professional face on the web make? Hmm...

Reinventing Chicken Tikka Masala

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 02:50:47 -0300

Every once in a while I'll surprise myself by concocting something in the kitchen that does more than just pass as edible. Lately I've been experimenting with flavorful, low calorie recipes as part of my new Healthy Lifestyle�.

One of the meals that I've revisited and revised several times over the last few weeks is a spicy chicken dish that I dubbed "Red Hot Chicken Curry." As it turns out, it's very similar to the immensely popular (in Britain, anyway) Chicken Tikka Masala, which I�m ashamed to say that I�ve never had, despite my love of Indian cuisine.

For those of you playing the home game, here�s the reinvented, revisited, revised recipe:

Red Hot Chicken Curry (Two Servings, ~250 Cal. ea.)

2 Chicken Breasts (~1 lb ea.)
2 Small (168mL) Cans of V8� Vegetable Juice
1 Tbsp. Curry Powder
2 Tsp. Ground Cayenne Pepper (or to taste)
1 Tsp. Salt
� Tsp. Vegetable Oil
� Tsp. Garlic Powder
� Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
� Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
Note: Ground cayenne pepper averages 40,000 on the Scoville scale�that�s over ten times hotter than jalapeno peppers or Tabasco sauce. For a milder recipe, try using only half a teaspoon. For medium-hot, use a whole teaspoon. For very-hot, use two whole teaspoons. If you�re feeling adventurous, sprinkle another teaspoon of cayenne pepper over the cooked dish before stirring and serving.

Fully thaw chicken breasts if frozen. Dice chicken into bite-size pieces and place in a 9x9 baking dish, leaving space in between for sauce. Sprinkle with garlic powder and cinnamon.

Bring vegetable juice to a simmer in a sauce pan. Stir in curry powder, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper and vegetable oil. Let simmer until thick. Pour sauce over chicken and let marinate for approx. one hour.

Preheat oven to 375�F. Place dish on lower rack and bake for 45 minutes. Once cooked, stir the dish well. Serve over plain Basmati rice (~170 Cal. per cup, cooked) with a side of cucumber yogurt.

I've discovered that mixing fat free plain yogurt into the cooked dish will give it a completely new flavor (and color.) It also cuts most of the hotness, which could be good or bad, depending on your taste. Perhaps the new title could be "Yellow Mild Chicken Curry."

Calico Willow

Wed, 17 May 2006 23:00:26 -0300

Last Thursday I drove down to the Rock County Human Society and adopted a beautiful calico cat. After talking it over with my friends, I decided to name her Willow after Alyson Hannigan's character from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." (Yes, I'm well aware of how much of a geek that makes me, but it really is an appropriate name.)

Regular Willow + Evil Willow + Goddess Willow = Calico Willow

She spent the first few hours hiding in the bathtub, but eventually began to explore the rest of apartment. It wasn't long (small apartment) before she started acting like she owned the place (typical cat.)

Now she seems completely at home, as is evidenced by the fact that she sleeps on anything and everything: carpet, linoleum, couch, coffee table, desk chair, desk, rocking chair, windowsill, DVD shelves, bed, dirty laundry, clean laundry, etc... But her favorite place to sleep, and no one who's ever sat there can really blame her, is the giant "Foof" bean bag chair. She probably also picked it for it's close proximity to the catnip plant and the window (it gets direct sunlight in the morning.)

Here's a Photo of .

Grammar Sheep

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 17:56:10 -0300

Grammar Sheep

There is a good chance that you, as a speaker of the English language, have either corrected someone else or been corrected, yourself, on the proper use of the word �who."

Admittedly, I cling to the subjective/objective differentiation and say �whom" when it's appropriate. However, I try not to correct other people�s usage, in part because it�s snobbish and impolite to do so, but mostly because I�ve come to terms with the fact that I am speaking a living, growing, changing language.

Here�s what you should take away from today's cartoon:

Don�t be a grammar sheep; speak in whatever way comes naturally to you.

Do watch �Doctor Who.�

Welcome to the new Firestorm Productions Blog

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 21:09:10 -0300

Greetings friends, clients and new visitors, and welcome to the third incarnation of firestorm-productions.com. As should be immediately apparent from its format, this site is now a blog. I know, I know.. blogs are so first half of the decade. Still, better late than never.

Here's what you can expect from future postings: information regarding Firestorm Productions' latest projects, links to interesting news stories, commentary on VERGE games and development, random rantings and ravings, and the occasional comic strip... Pretty much anything entertaining enough to share with the world.

Now, don't get me wrong; this isn't a one-stop shop for all your internet needs... And if updates are at all regular, I assure you it's merely a coincidence. FSP.com is, aside from being my professional face on the internet (scary, I know,) a creative outlet. If I can brighten just one person's day by sharing some of my boundless randomness, then it's all been worth it. In an effort to do precisely that, I leave you with a photo of one of my parents' kitties: .

-- Esk