http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned go. figure. « Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:57:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Python's xml.dom.minidom.toprettyxml has a featureflaw that renders it useless for many common applications. (Including, of course, mine.) Someone was kind enough to post a hack which works around the problem. That hack had a small bug, which I've fixed; you'll find the revised code below. UPDATED Forget the hack; I've ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/xml-dom-minidom-toprettyxml-and-silly-whitespace/ "Leo loves you." http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/2-become-3/ Please welcome our newest family member, Blake, into the world. Blake was born in our home at 3:12 AM on March 3rd, 2008, weighing 35 pounds, 2 ounces. The labor was long--almost 45 hours--but father and baby are now doing just fine. I'd like to thank Blake's godparents, Blaise T. and Jake H., ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/its-a-boy/ It's funny. I've recently been told---by more than one person---that Sara and I are "brave" for planning to deliver our baby at home. This from people who are educated, intelligent and have my respect. And yet, they couldn't have picked a worse way to characterize the decision. ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/is-home-birth-courageous/ Finally posted the itinerary and photos from our summer trip to Quebec & Ontario. Activities included: Visiting friends Cycling 100 miles of scenic converted rail line Genealogy research in rural Quebec Consumption of many and varied animal parts (not to mention: chocolate, cheese, ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/canada-trip-posted/ It's not easy coming up with names, so you take inspiration wherever you can find it. Lunesta Cymbalta Strattera Zetia Chantix (Chanti) Rozerem (Roz) Humira Boniva (Bonnie) Zyprexa Actos Crestor Zelnorm (Norm) Vytorin Caduet Actonel http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/baby-name-brainstorm/ Produce Roundup This week's vegetables. (Click for larger view.) Fresh, organic and local. $12. This week's take: Roma tomatoes: 5 lbs. cherry tomatoes: 2 lbs. heirloom tomatoes: 4 lbs. cucumbers: 7 bell peppers: 3 purple, 2 green summer squash: 4lbs. eggplants: 2 Japanese eggplants: 5 red potatoes: 2 lbs. onions: 1 lb. leeks: 1 bunch lettuce (Boston): 2 heads basil Not the most bountiful week ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/csa-inventory-week-10/ We're back home. (Boo.) We'll post our photos as soon as we sort through [all 1500 of] them. Update: the photos have been posted. http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-epilogue/ Heading to Phuket airport now. A mere 32 hours after we board our plane (Phuket -> Bangkok -> Tokyo -> JFK), we'll be back in snowy New York. For this final travelblog entry, I wish I could write something witty or amusing. But ending our trip has me so ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-29-leaving-khao-lak/ Today's plan is to: have breakfast on our private veranda beachcomb bask by the pool eat as much coconut ice cream as possible get a beachside Thai massage order fruit drinks by the coconut-full lament that this is our last day here http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-28-khao-lak/ We snorkeled the Similan Islands today. Remarkably, the breathtaking underwater landscape we saw (heaps of beautifully colored fish and coral) really did resemble the glossy posters in the tour company's sales office! http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-27-khao-lak-similan-islands/ Traveler's Tip of the Day: When getting your hair cut in Thailand, don't ask for it to be cut "short." http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-26-khao-lak/ After a few more hours of kayaking this morning (had some great wildlife sightings), we headed to Khao Lak for the final leg of our trip. We're now at a 5-star resort just north of town, on a sparsely populated tract of white-sand beach. The contrast from last ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-25-khao-sok-to-khao-lak/ Besides kayaking, we've been doing some trekking here. Today's hike was through a deep limestone cave, through which two different streams run. Thousands of bats, dozens of cave crickets, several large spiders, a few cave toads, and water deeper than our heads. At some points, I had ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-24-khao-sok-national-park/ Today we arrived at our quaint "floating bungalow" in the remotest corner of Khao Sok national park. This is the third bamboo bungalow we're staying at on this trip--and not the only one that hasn't been on solid ground. :-| http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-23-khao-sok-national-park/ When we checked in for our flight to Phuket, the boarding passes which were printed had the wrong destination on them. No problem; the check-in attendant just crossed out the wrong destination and wrote in the correct one. I considered crossing that out in turn and writing "Hawaii" ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-22-siem-reap-to-phuket/ I spent the day at the Preak Toal bird sanctuary. (Or, more accurately, I spent the day traveling to and from the Preak Toal bird Sanctuary today.) Sara was sick, so I went alone, and alone I was: the only other visitors were a group of Cambodian university ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-21-siem-reap-preak-toal/ It was a fun day, but it's been an unpleasant evening. Sara has some nasty food poisoning--from some jackfruit she snacked on this afternoon, we think. Doesn't look like it'll let up any time soon. :( http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-20-siem-reap-angkor-wat/ Last-minute change of plans this morning--we took a detour to visit Beng Mealea, the "Jungle Temple," which was only opened to tourists in 2003 (after it was cleared of land mines). Today, with the native flora encroaching into and intertwining with the half-toppled stone structures, the temple looks like ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-19-siem-reap-angkor-wat/ The ruins of Angkor are... overwhelming. We spent the entire day exploring it by remork (cousin of the tuk-tuk), and we've barely scratched the surface. The thing is, we haven't even seen the main temple yet (which is a bit like visiting Agra and not seeing the Taj ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-18-siem-reap-angkor-wat/ Just arrived in Cambodia--how different from its neighbors! I'm not sure which of today's events is more exciting: using our Cambodian e-visas (ugh, people with regular visas got through immigration faster than we did; though, presumably, they spent more time/effort getting their visas than we did--at least they better have!), or the delicious ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-17-luang-prabang-to-siem-reap/ Returned to Luang Prabang today by public bus. Tomorrow, we fly to Cambodia. This afternoon, I finished reading Cambodia: Report From a Stricken Land, which almost made me cry--partly because Cambodia's past 30 years have been so horrific, and partly because all of those horrors were man-made, and avoidable. ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-16-nong-khiaw-to-luang-prabang/ Tonight, our hosts held a Basi (bah-SEE) ceremony--funded happily by us--in honor of the new year. Several of the village residents came to enjoy the eating, singing, dancing and most importantly, the drinking. We consumed large quantities of lao-lao, a Laotian home-made rice whisky not unlike moonshine. When they ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-15-nong-khiaw/ Today we headed north for a two-day stay in Nong Khiaw, via a 6-hour boat ride on the scenic, blue Nam Ou river. Our hosts in Nong Khiaw arranged the ride for us; this morning, they sent their friend to walk us from our hotel to the dock. A "gourmet ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-14-luang-prabang-to-nong-khiaw/ More cinnamon buns for breakfast. (Doubled up this time--bought two. :@) ) Had a very Seinfeldian moment. I was negotiating with a boatman for passage across the Mekong river (we wanted to take a short hike to an underground cave temple), and when all was said and done, we ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-13-luang-prabang/ Woke up early (6am) to see the "Saffron Circuit:" the striking procession of Louang Prabang's 500 orange-robed monks as they walk through the Old City to collect their day's food from local residents. But my true motivation for getting up early was the freshly baked cinnamon bun I devoured after the ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-12-luang-prabang/ We got married (again) on the picturesque Mekong river today. (I would marry Sara every day if I could.) http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-11-en-route-to-luang-prabang/ We bade good-bye to our lovely new friends, Charlie and Chris, drove to Chiang Khong and crossed into Laos. Our first observation about the country: that the tourists here are generally much more fit and attractive than those in Thailand. (Chris and Charlie are a noteworthy exception.) Had a ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-10-crossing-into-laos/ We love it here in Thaton. It's quite cold at night (but warm during the day), so today we visited the "Monday Market," where I bought a fleece jacket. I think it's quite fashionable; Sara thinks it makes me look like a Vietnamese rice farmer. (Photo forthcoming.) http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-9-ban-thaton/ Today's lunch was at the all-you-can-eat buffet at the local orchid farm. http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-8-en-route-to-thaton/ I spent today sick in bed. Danielle and Sara spent the day sightseeing and shopping, and discovered that everyone is much nicer to them when I'm not present. :-| (But maybe that's because they overpaid for everything. :-P ) http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-7-last-day-in-chiang-mai/ Despite it feeling like "DisneyWat," we really enjoyed seeing the mountain temple at Doi Suthep. But today's highlight was actually the banana waffle I ate at the bottom of the temple. We also inadvertantly pissed off a few locals today, by overpaying for the sangtheaw (small public bus) the were ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-6-chiang-mai/ On our way down the mountain (Doi Chiang Dao), we passed a small Thai military convoy headed up to destroy some nearby opium farms. The army driver stopped us to ask for directions, and our guide told them the way. (I didn't ask how he knew the exact ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-5-chiang-dao-day-trip/ Lunch today: best food of the trip, so far. Khao Soi is a Northern Thai specialty consisting of a curry coconut milk broth with egg noodles and chicken, topped with crispy dried noodles. We visited several of Chiang Mai's temples today, and Danielle realized why velcro shoes are the footwear ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-4-chiang-mai/ Spent the day with our guide, Tong, who was every bit as wonderful as we'd expected. She made an indelible impression on us, taught us more about Buddhism and Thailand than we could ever hope to remember, and gave us a day full of memories. We also made an impression ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-3-bangkok/ Spent today exploring the city. I bought (and wore) a bright yellow shirt today, bearing the King's crest and some other symbols which I hope don't say "Kick Me" in Thai. Follow the logic of this purchase: The King of Thailand (King Rama IX) was born on a Monday Monday's ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-2-bangkok/ Didn't sleep. The 22-hour flight has worn us down, and our very first sight in Thailand was the chaotic Weekend Market. (Relaxing, it ain't.) Tonight's dinner gets filed under "Unsuccessful International Dining." We went to a highly recommended pad Thai restaurant--it was bustling with locals (only) so our ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-day-1-bangkok/ Greetings from Thailand! We've just arrived in Ban Thaton, an absolutely lovely little town on the Thai-Burmese border, and we finally find ourselves with enough time to log an entry here. To keep the friction low, my goal is modest: a three-sentence blog entry each day we're here. ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/southeast-asia-trip-intro/ You know you're in for an "exciting" vacation when... "The thin helmets and pitiful life jackets... would have done nothing in the case of high speed impact at full throttle, which we came close to more than once."--technotrekker, Death Boats Down the Mekong ...you call a renowned travel clinic to schedule inoculations ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/travel-insurance-is-looking-good/ For these celebrity look-alikes, choosing a Halloween costume must be a breeze: Miss Haley Ashley Olsen... or is it Mary Kate?   Vlad Richard Tyson (the villain from Kindergarten Cop)   Patricia (and a beautiful right eye) Winona Ryder (and a beautiful right eye)   The lovely ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/separated-at-birth-ii/ I'm planning on attending two food events next month. Leave a comment below if you want to join me or just meet up afterwards for a debriefing. I'm Cuckoo for Cocoa! (Hold the Puffs) Update: We went. See comments below and photos for details. The first one (chronologically and gastronomically) is the 2006 ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/eating-well/ Below is the opening of an 1896 letter to Sara's great-great-grandmother Florence, from Florence's aunt Mary. We thought it contained some timeless advice (like, "never write to a boy or man if you can avoid it"), so we decided to post it. April 16th, 196 My dear Florence, Your very ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/letter-to-florence-april-16th-1896/ In decreasing order of preference, I'd like my fellow citizens to be: "A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one." -- Benjamin Franklin "Don't be an ignoranus; don't get your news [solely] from FOX." -- Ron Rothman, NPR listener and decidedly not an ignoranus 1. informed:Iraq is a mess; here's why.... 2. uninformed:I ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/you-are-what-you-watch/ From The Syrian Bride: LIV Did you know you could tell a lot about people just by looking at their teeth? Especially men. JEANNE Really? How? LIV Well for example, men with neat little teeth... stay away from them, they're way too square. And, men with buck teeth... are incredible in bed. JEANNE (purposefully) What about ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/i-always-suspected-as-much/ Well, we did it again; another juice fast. This time, for 10 days... er, not counting the unfortunate hot dog I had to eat on Day 6. We timed it to coincide with Sara's wisdom tooth extraction, since she'd have to be on soft foods for several days ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/the-hunger-i-can-take-but-somebody-get-me-a-hamburger/   This is a map of our travels through Israel last September--ten months ago. The purple line shows the routes we drove. The red diamonds indicate some of the targets of recent Lebanese rocket attacks. (According to The Guardian, Hezbollah had fired at least 700 rockets into Israel as of July 18th, so I ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/real-places/ You be the judge: Irina Maggie Gyllenhaal   Lance Donny Osmond   Rami Mark Ruffalo   Eileen Jenna Elfman   Kartal Bo Duke   Eric Brad Pitt   G-Man Yosemite Sam   Evil Joe Evil Spock http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/separated-at-birth/ ...you spend an awesome evening at a concert with friends, and, the next day, can only remember that it was too loud and that you went to bed too late. ...the only club you want to get into now is your wife's book club. (Some things never change, though: (a) clubs ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/you-know-youre-getting-old-when/ Let's face the obvious: yesterday we were nerds, today we're the cognitive elite. Let's conquer. ---Chester G. Edwards Do the words "core dump" make you shiver with fear? (My wife just giggles whenever she hears it.) If I asked you to "debug an Apache vfork problem" (again, she giggles), would you know ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/cognitive-elite-apply-within/ Back in September 2004, I had a tar and chip (bituminous surface treatment) driveway installed in place of the existing gravel drive that came with our old house. Because there wasn't (and still isn't) much web information on tar and chip driveways, I thought I'd briefly summarize my experience. UPDATE: ... http://ronrothman.com/public/leftbraned/i-heart-my-tar-and-chip-driveway/