Links and Mints

WARNING: UBERNERD CONTENT BELOW. IF YOU ARE NOT INTO NERDY FAUX SPORTS STUFF, SKIP AHEAD TO THE SECTION THAT STARTS WITH A PICTURE OF "THE MASSACHUSSETTS PLAYER"

Disc golf - Ultimate's even more hippified, lazy and generally scuzzy cousin. It's pretty hot in the desert to be running around playing Ultimate, and the scene in Arizona, at least during these summer months, has been less than impressive. So after some fun in Rochester at Ellison Park, I've picked the game back up a little. I took a disc golf class at Rice, so I'm a little more competent than the average moron - the throws required are fairly different from Ultimate throws, so that presents a challenge and wrecks my Ultimate game a little bit. But the short of it is, I've picked it back up and am starting to approach something resembling a mediocre amateur - my handicap is probably in the 3 or 4 range for the courses I've been playing (which is not really that good for disc golf, probably the equivalent of 12 or so in the real sport).

If that were it, we'd be fine. But no, nothing is done half-assed in the Nyetverse, or really, nothing is done half-nerd. I photo-documented the courses - you can check them out over at nyetjones.org in all their glory. You can click on each of the courses for eighteen holes of pictures and reviews - it's pretty self explanatory and has backwards and forward arrows and such, but just click on the picture thumbnails if you get confused and then start using the arrows at the lower right to navigate around.

But wait, that's not all! I also played one of the courses, Emerald Park in nearby Mesa, AZ, and took a photo before more or less every shot I took. I had a pretty good day - shot even for the round - so I posted the pictures on flickr and put them in a little sideshow (complete with play-by-play!). To view it, click the picture below (and be sure to click the "i" in the middle of the screen to read my commentary; you'll see what I mean when the slideshow loads). And that is all about the disc golf - I will post more if anything interesting happens, but just know that it's a new hobby I've picked up that's fun, gets me out walking the courses an doesn't have the same propensity for the induction of reconstructive knee surgeries. I'll also keep posting course pictorials if anyone's interested. Here's the slideshow link:

And now, to target other interest groups...

So I got a request from Malcolm, presumably via his mom Sarah and then via the iPMM, for my grandma's recipe for the mints that we had at the wedding. So don't get accustomed to this kind of thing, but I will post the recipe here as penance for the above trip into disc golf dorkiness. So here you have it - enjoy, and my mom recommends that you use peppermint instead of mint extract:

Mom's Mints



Recipe by Grandma "Mom" Kell

Miscellaneous Commentary by the iPMM

Mom's Mints (Mom being Kell?)

1 8-oz pkg of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 tsp mint flavoring
2 lb package of powdered sugar (maybe less)
coloring

Mash cheese, add flavoring and coloring. Mix in powdered sugar. Knead with hands until like pie dough. Talk a lot about having a glass of wine. Add more powdered sugar if dough is too sticky. Roll into balls about the size of marbles. Worry about being late for the Bishops' party because of getting started late. Place balls on a waxed paper cookie sheet. Let set until you have all balls formed. (Pat's note - I put in refrigerator). By this time you are ready to form your mints because they have started to harden slightly.

Place mints on waxed paper and let stand overnight or for several hours. They are then ready to serve or to place in freezer for future use (like at the PWOAT* on Saturday). Be sure to put waxed paper between your layers of mints for freezing. (Here's a question: how many does this recipe make?)

P.S. Molds should never be greased. Keep them in a plastic bag or small jar. After two years, reglycerine them. Run five miles a day for the next ten years after consuming mints.

*Prettiest Wedding of All Time