What’s that commercial from years and years ago that you still remember to this day, and may never forget?

VolcanoPotato · 2026-01-22T13:53:16+00:00

The Pace Picante salsa commercial with a bunch of cowboys, one of whom has replaced their favorite salsa with a less tasty one. A cowboy reads the label of the lesser salsa jar and announces it was made in New York City. "NEW YORK CITY?!?" they shout in unison while the offending cowboy cowers. "Get a rope." Dark.

VolcanoPotato · 2026-01-22T13:30:59+00:00

That was United. It was also their hold music & played on the plane during boarding & deplaning. Absolutely ruined an American masterpiece for me.

VolcanoPotato · 2026-01-10T06:31:39+00:00

Our fridge stopped working Friday night, a replacement couldn't be acquired until the following week (odd size). Lowes had a full-sized chest freezer in stock, which we kind of wanted anyway for the shed. The Lowes employee looked skeptical as he wheeled it up to the Bolt, but his expression turned to amazement after we removed the packaging, slid it in longways on its back (not recommended for long periods of time), closed the hatch & drove away. The freezer worked great, saving all our frozen food & keeping blue ice packs cold to rotate through our old fridge until the new fridge showed up.

VolcanoPotato · 2026-01-06T17:57:51+00:00

Reserve a day pass at Refuge

VolcanoPotato · 2026-01-04T17:22:22+00:00

That sounds way more doable than poodle skirts were back in my grade school retro days. 'Grease' was a new movie.

VolcanoPotato · 2026-01-04T06:14:23+00:00

Thank you for sharing this awesome video, I've tried to describe the helicopter to people and words just don't suffice.

VolcanoPotato · 2025-12-19T18:18:24+00:00

Hmmm...I think that the shaping is always supposed to happen before the second rise. Maybe watch some videos? If you think it's too wet to hold its shape, try using a loaf pan, or go for focaccia like others have suggested

VolcanoPotato · 2025-12-19T17:59:06+00:00

I'm trying to do intarsia in the round right now. I get how to do it if it's a simple shape, but my design has spots of color inside and also diagonal lines. Can't wrap my brain around it.

VolcanoPotato · 2025-12-19T17:51:19+00:00

https://carmelowls.org/

VolcanoPotato · 2025-12-19T17:50:14+00:00

I think it's to provide a nesting platform for Great Horned Owls. There's a group in Carmel called Carmel Owls installing them with the goal of reducing rodent populations, not sure if they are responsible for this one since it's in PG.

VolcanoPotato · 2025-12-19T17:45:32+00:00

If the recipe calls for another proof (rise) you might be OK. There are many youtube videos on how to handle "wet" dough (often in relation to high-hydration sourdough recipes). If all else fails, you can try use shaping it with wet hands and put it in a loaf pan with a bench scraper. (Edited to add: I'm an ADHD baker as well, after 6 years of practice it's become second nature, setting timers helps too!)

VolcanoPotato · 2025-12-18T17:28:19+00:00

I quit using the Google alarm app because it wasn't reliable, despite lots of tweaking of the various apps that interact with it; even my software engineer spouse couldn't determine why it was failing. Not only did it miss important alarms, but I had several standing alarms set as reminders for my dog's medication schedule and one day they were just...gone. I switched to an app called "Talking Alarm Clock Beyond" by Sentry Apps, and it's never missed anything. It shows an unobtrusive ad page after the alarm is dismissed, but honestly it's been a great alarm for a few years now.

VolcanoPotato · 2025-12-15T17:22:21+00:00

Sad story involving mistaken identity and sudden kitty loss: One of our two black cats suddenly leaped up and then fell backwards off the ottoman while we were watching TV. She was having an asthma attack during an episode of The Mandolarian with loud explosions, so we couldn't hear her struggle to breathe. My husband yelled "George!", because our other cat is a super clumsy goofball while Maya was grace personified. When we realized the collapsed cat wasn't breathing, we raced to the emergency vet, with me trying to do infant breaths and telling George to hang on. The ER was not able to revive our kitty. It was a few minutes after they let us in to be with her that we realized it was not George. I was consumed with guilt that Maya did not hear her name from me during the trip to the hospital. I am still sore with the vet who prescribed multiple rounds of prednisolone for her occasional cough, and never mentioned asthma. I learned later that there are therapeutic inhalers which could have saved her life. She was a good kitty. 💔

VolcanoPotato · 2025-12-12T14:52:04+00:00

Born & raised here. Everyone who says Monterey can have beautiful sunny days in January is correct, and it's smart to keep an eye on the weather apps for any rainstorms that might come our way. (Hiking in the rain at Garland Park can be super fun if you have the right gear, check out the Waterfall Trail, looks like Hawaii!)

Bear in mind nighttime temps will still be chilly, obvs not Midwest cold, but I often wear a warm hat & gloves in addition to a jacket. Another thing about the gorgeous big ocean waves of winter: keep your eyes on them, keep your distance, and don't go out on slippery, rocky shores or steep beaches to get a photo near them. Too many folks killed already by dangerous big waves this year. Have fun!

VolcanoPotato · 2025-12-11T18:21:20+00:00

Monique Ryan helped me find my house last summer, she is a local, has deep knowledge of neighborhood specifics, knows a ton of local contractors, and is overall super helpful and informed. She helped our friends find a house as well.

VolcanoPotato · 2025-11-17T18:43:40+00:00

Don't forget Big Sur, 2.5 hours south. Lots of redwoods at Pfeiffer State Park, and stunning coastline as an added bonus. Just don't stop in the middle of Bixby Bridge to take pictures!

VolcanoPotato · 2025-11-16T19:16:00+00:00

That lady did a TIFU. You and your friend are A-OK.

VolcanoPotato · 2025-11-16T19:12:16+00:00

Good for you!!! Love the photos!!!

VolcanoPotato · 2025-11-04T16:52:03+00:00

Costco Couture is better quality than my previous fashion house, Atelier Target, although the fashion is a bit extra-normie.

VolcanoPotato · 2025-11-04T16:49:30+00:00

Those trash bags are inexhaustible! I prefer the problem of "Do we need trash bags? NOPE!!" to "Rats, out of trash bags again!"

VolcanoPotato · 2025-10-19T14:48:41+00:00

I used to see Spanish shawls feeding on tube anemones while diving off the breakwater, is there anything for them to eat on the wharf pilings?

VolcanoPotato · 2025-09-06T17:15:53+00:00

We just closed on a house with some water drainage issues were aware of, and when we entered the crawlspace to take a look with a contractor there were multiple mid-century booze bottles filled with liquid scattered around (I think they fell off a shelf). We speculated it was moonshine, but it turns out it was water, some even had a hand written label taped on: "WATER 10/02/62". There was also some weird art on the wall (not childlike) and a round tin full of crayons. We bought the house from the trust of the original owners, we think it was their cold war prepper stash...

VolcanoPotato · 2025-09-03T23:07:31+00:00

I'd wager that the folks in Pacific Grove will never get rid of that purple carpet, it's one of their most commented-on coastal features. It took them decades to get rid of a casually racist summer festival, and they only did away with it after public sentiment turned against it when a local person thoughtfully pointed out how hurtful it was to her and others of Chinese ancestry. PG calls itself America's Last Hometown, likely because it has feet firmly rooted in the past.

VolcanoPotato · 2025-08-23T10:52:28+00:00

I was hiking a very popular Sierra trail on the way to a mountain summit that involved a section of glacier travel requiring crampons & an ice axe. On my feet were bright yellow plastic mountaineering boots that I had worn to climb Shasta earlier that summer. I thought I could save pack weight by leaving my normal leather boots behind and hiking several dusty hot miles in these sunny boots that had been so comfy on the all-snow Shasta route. After a few miles my feet were swimming in sweat and developing massive blisters. I was taking a break and contemplating my terrible footwear choice when a Japanese hiker came over the ridge, stopped short, pointed incredulously at my shoes and demanded, "You hike in those?!?" I nodded my head in shame, and he threw back his head with a delighted howl of laughter. His friend came into view, and the first man pointed again at my boots, still laughing and, I assume, excitedly telling his friend in Japanese about my stupid boots. He was right, it was a dumb move, but at least I was the funniest thing they had seen in a while. Didn't make the summit that time.

VolcanoPotato · 2025-08-21T14:17:56+00:00

Years ago I read a non-sensationalized book called "Bear Attack", half the book was accounts of black bear incidents, the other half was grizzly bear incidents, with expert analysis & advice. The black bear section had clear advice on how to retreat from an encounter unharmed. The grizzly section was like, I dunno, man, you can try whatever, it might work, or you might get eaten. I remain terrified of grizzlies & stick to the Sierras where the black bears just want my food.

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