Brutkey

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social
Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

First willow weaving of the season! I need to do a lot more of this.

Looking down onto a hardwood floor with a woven willow 5 pointed star
Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

Hoo boy the spam levels are high today. I really need to switch servers but it's haaaarrrrdddd (whine whine whine. I know it's actually not hard. I just need to make decisions about servers and spend some time making sure I 100% understand the process... THAT is the hard part)

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

I was feeling grumpy about an interview I agreed to a few days ago with the student-run campus newspaper, but that was such a great interview! I am so impressed by the questions the student asked me! Gives me hope: there are some fantastically talented students out there who are already doing excellent journalism!

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social
food, dairy

Ended up making waffles with the sourdough/caramelized whey batter instead, and DAMN those were amazing waffles!

(I meant to put some of the caramelized chevre on, too but totally forgot. Now I am too full.)

((Yes... my kids and I had waffles for dinner at like 5pm. I have orchestra rehearsal after animal chores, and my partner has parent-teacher conferences until late, so that was the only way tonight was going to work))

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social
food, dairy

Did the best thing possible with that caramelized cheese: added sugar and folded in whipped cream, and put it on top of an oreo crust. AMAZING. Like caramel+cheesecake but with way more cultured, savoury taste perfectly blended in. Wowwwww.

Looking down on a small, square glass pan that is full of caramel-coloured cheesecake.
Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

WOW that award thingie was a much bigger deal than I expected. Standing up on a stage and getting a big framed(!!) award in front of a bunch of people is really not something I enjoy (ironically, the award was for being good at standing up in front of people and talking about space!)

I think maybe it was extra exhausting because I'm on sabbatical and mostly working from home, so going from only Zoom people to being on stage in front of lots of real people was Quite A Lot.

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

The best part of the whole event really was chatting with a student (who had won a Canada-wide super competitive scholarship) who told me that they absolutely loved taking an astronomy class from me!

Also just seeing all the incredibly cool research work people are doing in environmental science, and incredible public outreach and teaching too! Nice reminder: there are a lot of good people doing lots of good things.

Well I'm spent. Too bad I have a 9pm research collaboration meeting...uggghhh

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

Today is a particularly hilarious mix of everything I do. Next is a live radio interview by phone for the Sask-wide not-CBC radio station about auroras, then a Canadian Astronomical Society Board meeting (via Zoom).

Then I need to hit the feed store in the city, and I'll roll into the university award ceremony with a trunk full of chicken feed.

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

WOW that award thingie was a much bigger deal than I expected. Standing up on a stage and getting a big framed(!!) award in front of a bunch of people is really not something I enjoy (ironically, the award was for being good at standing up in front of people and talking about space!)

I think maybe it was extra exhausting because I'm on sabbatical and mostly working from home, so going from only Zoom people to being on stage in front of lots of real people was Quite A Lot.

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

Today is a particularly hilarious mix of everything I do. Next is a live radio interview by phone for the Sask-wide not-CBC radio station about auroras, then a Canadian Astronomical Society Board meeting (via Zoom).

Then I need to hit the feed store in the city, and I'll roll into the university award ceremony with a trunk full of chicken feed.

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social
goat breeding

Got my exercise in this morning as my partner and I pretty much ran a goat rodeo to separate my herd into two for breeding.

The older does were extremely excited to have Durian, their buck, back.

The younger does were not super impressed with Cybertruck, their buck. We'll see how it goes...

Several black, two white, and one brown goat all rub their faces all over each other in a big clump of excitement. One black goat in the background is yelling with her mouth wide open. They are standing on straw. Very similar to the previous picture, but with all the goats in slightly different positions 3 black goats and 2 white goats sniffing each other and circling around. There's also a yellowish dog happily sniffing a goat bum. There's a hay rack and a tall wooden fence in the background. They are standing on muddy straw. A really nice looking herd of smaller goats, all standing an looking confused. One is light brown, one is white, one is grey, one is black, and one is black and white. They have the full range of goat ears from extremely short, almost nonexistent, to long floppy ears. They are standing in a pen with electric fence around the edge, and the grass has mostly been killed by frost.
Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

The Sask small town mayor who came up with this idea to sell naming rights to his town to the highest corporate bidder (apparently without consulting anyone in his community) was right that it would get Duck Lake into the news... but I'm guessing that his time as mayor is not going to be a long one. https://theflatlander.ca/duck-lake-mayor-responds-to-critics-of-plan-to-sell-naming-rights/

(And yes, I see the crumbling infrastructure in small towns. Maybe that's something the provincial gov't should help with? Not a giant corporation buying naming rights?)

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social
food, dairy

Ok, it looks absolutely disgusting. But it smells and tastes amazing after draining off the whey and salting it! Like caramelized chevre! Maybe I should make a cheesecake with it?

I added some of the yummy-smelling caramelized whey to sourdough pancake batter for dinner (yes dinner, I already know that today is going to be Quite A Day so we're having pancakes for dinner. Sidenote: I almost never plan dinner at the beginning of the day, hoping this will make everything go better)

Looking down into a metal bowl of rather gross-looking brown chunky goo. I promise it smells and tastes amazing!
Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social
food, dairy

Ended up making waffles with the sourdough/caramelized whey batter instead, and DAMN those were amazing waffles!

(I meant to put some of the caramelized chevre on, too but totally forgot. Now I am too full.)

((Yes... my kids and I had waffles for dinner at like 5pm. I have orchestra rehearsal after animal chores, and my partner has parent-teacher conferences until late, so that was the only way tonight was going to work))