< || > paused: returning july.

An update from my end of the world:

The past week has found me in an interim between school and work, gearing up for a treeplanting contract in Northern Ontario. Three seasons of summer work in an office left me craving for something different. And in the spirit of antitheses, I certainly won't be wearing cardigans come June.

1 part apprehension.
1 part scared shitless.
8.42 parts excitement.

(Projected consumption of 3000-3500 cal per day. To keep weight. Boo yeah!)

The contract is projected to last until the end of June, so I should be back at the beginning of July. With lots of tasty things and such (including another review of Garçon, plus a revisit to Casa Tapas - courtesey of end-of-semester-per-parental-units).

Until then: bon appétit!

brewing cider, part II

Earlier this month, I mentioned that the boy has taken on a homebrewing project of making cider. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out the science of the art (or the art of the science?), but I've been promised that more brewing is to come in the fall. A larger apartment awaits us when we return to Montreal in September (yes, I've finished my finals for the semester!), so I'm hoping we'll manage to vent the system for beer (which will give off fumes more potent than those innocuous ones from the cider).

The cider bubbled incessantly for the first two days or so, and was quick to clarify - you can see the progression of quick change between days two and five:

This is what the cider basically looked the next day when the boy syphoned it using a rather ad hoc set up. I quickly learned the beauty of bleach and tubing (kept straight by attaching to a large chopstick). And realised yet another use for mason jars.

The stuff still tasted acrid and sharp, but is exponentially mellowing. Now, we wait. It'll be worth it (hopefully) if we just forget about the bottles for a few months before 'rediscovering' the brew.