Jacob Heric

First day! First grade. Rosa goes to school. The second picture speaks volumes (some touchup to protect the innocent). She didn’t lose her nerve that day…nor since. She’s done great…

The neighbors plant a tree. May enjoys. Summer fun.

Beautiful August evening at the best parking garage in portland…the Custom House Wharf Garage. That’s my view in the morning when I take the car into work. Who knows where we were going…probably pizza.

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A couple years ago, my new year’s resolution was cheese, jeans and killing…a year in which I would learn to make my own cheese, make my own jeans and learn how to kill a man with my bare hands. The resolution was as whimsical as it was unlikely of success, and none of it came to pass.

This year, having just recently put my somewhat unmanageable final internship in special education on hold for a year, I’ve put forward a more practical resolution: do the things that I like to do and do some things that I’ve been putting off. To that end, I made pasta with Rosa last week. Something I used to do every other week or so. I also made beer again this week (post coming), something that I did every week a couple years ago. I’ve also put some rims and spokes on order for some bicycle wheels that I’ve been meaning to make.

Making pasta is a lot of bang for your buck. It can be made with stuff that’s on hand (eggs and flour). And, nothing is more fun for a five year old than a pile of flour and a hunk of dough. No recipe necessary. A cup of flour for each egg. Some olive oil, some salt. Our eggs were small so we did 4 eggs to 3 cups and it was still very dry. Dry pasta dough is awkward to work with your hands and tough to start on the pasta machine, but it’s ultimately better because it’s easier to handle after it’s cut and separates out nicely.

Rosa worked her own dough through the machine and cut it with very little help. She did great. We had fun. The results tasted great. A little alfredo was the perfect, simple addition. It was not as exciting as killing someone with my bare hands, but it was satisfying. More pics and videos below…
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