Move To Blogger

I spent a lot of time trying to get my Raspberry Pi to be a web server.  And I was able to do it.  But it brought with it some headaches that I didn't need.  I'll still use it to host some galleries that I don't want on the cloud, but I'm looking to move my primary posts off to something a bit more stable.

The biggest problem I had was that most Content Management Systems use a SQL database.  I wanted to avoid that becuase that inclreases the read/writes on the SD card.  I corrupted two rather quickly trying to get wordpress to run.  So I switched to GetSimple CMS, which is fine but not very blog friendly.  As this is evolving more into a blog than a static website I envisioned, I needed to find a new home.

Oh and spell check will be a nice feature.  I was not enjoying the typewritter feel of GetSimple. 

We'll see how it goes.

Dill Pickles #1

By request, I'm putting up my current dill pickle recipe. I'll be upfront and say this recipe probably still needs some tweeks. Last time I made them they got a "pretty good" rating. To be fair, they were matched against my spicy B &B pickles, which are my favorite. Generally if I'm making dill pickles I like the fresh variety and use my Half-Sours with some dill added in, but those aren't the dill pickles people think of when they buy a jar at the mega mart. Further the higher vinegar ratio of this recipe allows it to stay preserved longer.
So here's what we have so far.

Dill Pickles #1

• ~10 pickling cucumbers, sliced into spears or chips
• 4 Cups white vinegar
• 4 Cups water
• 3/4 Cups sugar
• 1/2 Cup pickling salt
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 tsp pickling spices
• bay leaves
• garlic cloves
• dills
• mustard seed
• Pickle Crisp

The Process

1. Bring boiling water canner to a boil and sterilize 5-6 pint jars.
2. In a separate pot, bring vinegar, water, sugar, salt, pepper flakes, and pickling spice to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes to dissolve sugar and salt and pull flavor from the pepper and spices
3. One at a time, remove the jars, dump water and carefully cold pack the cucumbers in the jar along with 1 garlic clove, one bay leaf, 1/2 tsp mustard seed, 1/4 tsp of Pickle Crisp, and two sprigs of dill.
4. Pour in Brine leaving one inch of head room. Wipe, seal, and return to boiling water.
5. Process these jars for 15 minutes following standard water bath canning methods.

Pickles are ready to eat after two weeks, but achieve full flavor after a month. Home canned goods like this are good for about two years.

The Results

Like I said above, these were good. I don't know how I'm going to change them yet. The red pepper was too weak to really taste over the vinegar and salt, so I may increase that in the future, or else drop it entirely. I also think for ease you can switch the garlic cloves for 1/2 tsp of minced, I bet it would do just as well.

Dollar Shave Club Review

About a year ago I decided to try out the Dollar Shave Club to try and save some money. Having used this for a year I'll tell you the good and the bad. I generaly used the Gillette brand razors before hand, and I liked the four bladed variety, but the sheer cost was pretty damn high. I would use a razor for about three weeks, then grab a fresh one. I shave every other day unless there's an event, so I got twelve shaves per razor.

Dollar Shave Club is simple and cheap. The concept is that they will send you a new four-pack of razors every month. Costs are as low as $3/month, although that is misleading, since with the cheapest razors you need to pay shipping. I use the four-bladed razors, which come ina four-pack for $6/month, but have free shipping.

The Bad

• The razors do not last as long. They start out as sharp as any new blade, but whether through thinner material, lower quality metal, quality control. They are only good for about 6-7 shaves before I start wanting a new one.
• They constantly want you to add some of their other products (shaving butter, aftershave, "One Wipe Charlies" aka baby wipes for men). They email you every month to see if you want these included in your purchase.

The Good

• At this price, I always have a sharp razor to use and I don't mind changing it out. While the razors don't last as long, One four pack and last me a month and a half. By month three I had a small surplus built up, which leads to the next good thig
• You can switch to every other month delivery. I did this when I grew my beard out for a few months, or when my surplus got a bit big. Its easy to do, one click in settings and its done.
• Free handle just for signing up, based on past experience, thats worth trying it for a month for a razor handle you can travel with.

So in conclusion, I like the Dollar Shave Club, it saves me money, and a sharp razor means less shaving rash. It's worth $6 to give it a try.