Forward backward, inward outward, here we go again

[austin_dern]

I bought a 1:125 scale Ariane 5 model out of a compulsive need to build something. I didn't get a Saturn V as I could paint the Ariane, except for details not obvious to casual looks, with just spray paint. I haven't found black paint-markers here, essential to the Saturn V. My only attempt to ever use a basic ``Your First Airbrush Kit'' was a phenomenal failure. I couldn't aerosolize one drop of paint. That store had said it was impossible to use the set wrong; they underestimated the mind of a mathematics grad student. So I need kits with very simple paint schemes.

The decals will challenge me -- the hotter the water the better for the decals, and I can't heat water in my apartment. The power company refused to turn on gas to my stove; I don't have a microwave or hotplate. All I might use is a toaster oven. Can you toast water? I mean without it being weird?

Trivia: During the U.S.'s involvement in World War II Detroit made 139 (civilian) automobiles. Source: Why The Allies Won, Richard Overy.

Currently Reading: Hijacking Enigma: The Insider's Tale, Christine Large. It's about the wartime Bletchley Park work, and the investigation of the 1 April 2000 theft of Enigma machine G-312 from there. There's a prize for the first 312 who can solve three questions. First: What is the common factor in the chapter headings? Let's see ... some chapter headings are ``Alice Digs In'', ``A mock turtle'', ``Serpent!'', ``Lobster quadrille'' ... hm ... and what was the only book, a favorite reference for codebreaker Dilly Knox, mentioned in the text? Ah. Question two: How do the chapter headings relate to Dilly Knox? Oh. Third: What is the significance of the annual grand prize draw date of 1st April?

All in all, this really wasn't too difficult a case for Inspector Bazalo.

Comments

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

No stove and no microwave? *boggle* I'd have one or the other within a week, even given that I eat perhaps 3 meals a week at home. A toaster oven is basically a low-level salamander; It'll heat up water ridiculously slowly, I'm afraid. The professional-grade ones we have at work don't heat much past a simmer, and they put out a tremendous amoutn of heat.

The best option for this is a simple one: A coffee maker, which is designed to heat water and put it into a container from which it can be poured. They should be readily available and reasonably inexpensive, unless Singapore esceeds the cultural diverengence level I've gleaned form your LJ.

And then, you can have coffee anytime, as well.

--Chiaroscuro

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Well, the power company (apparently) doesn't feel there's enough gas used in my complex to make it worth supporting; given that this is the first time in a year I've needed hot water -- and not really much at that -- they're probably right.

The hawker centers are so ubiquitous, and so cheap, that it really is silly keeping a whole kitchen around. All that I actually make are weekend mornings I'll make a frozen pizza as a breakfast/lunch, and ``microwave pizza'' is a laughable fraud. Alternatives include the Lenders that pretend to be bagels, or maybe hash browns, and when it comes to those uses a toaster oven's definitely the way to go.

A coffee maker might be the most effective method ... I never figured out coffee, myself, but I have had house guests who drink it.

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

Mmm. I like to have options about for my cooking.. mind, a lot of what I do eat at home I want quick-and-easy- but still, a microwave is such a handy device.

I do enjoy coffee, myself, as long as there's at sufficient sugar and at least a small amount of cream; I tend to view pure black coffee as an unfinished sauce that needs to be completed before serving. Also, coffee makers are good for brewing hot water for tea, without microward or stove handy.

--Chiaroscuro

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Oh, now, sugar -- and cream -- are no problem here; the local standard is to make sure things are almost as sweet as one can possibly stand, perhaps to make up for food that's almost as spicy as one can possibly stand. At the hot coffee and tea dispensers at the nearby canteen -- I swear -- the options are ``Coffee with Sugar and Cream'', ``Tea with Sugar and Cream'', ``Coffee with Less Sugar and Cream'', and ``Tea with Less Sugar and Cream.''