#it’s 17 degrees Celsius that is enough to keep me inside | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

celticcrossanon · 3 years ago

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Wow CC, how do you survive being in 35-40+ degree weather without aircon, nonetheless?! I already complained a lot if the degree goes over 30 haha…

Hi lacrimaomnis,

I can understand complaining if the weather goes over any temperature that you consider hot, and that will vary depending on your current climate and how adapted you are to that climate. Being hot is no fun at all.

My survival tips:

1. We have thermal curtains on every window. They stay closed during the day. The light can still come in - enough to see and work by - and the curtains help keep the heat out. If you have blinds, they work the same way. Keep them closed if at all possible to keep the heat out.

2. Keep your windows closed if at all possible during the day. Open windows let in more heat than closed windows. Put blinds or curtains on the windows inside the house, and/or outside blinds/awnings on your windows - you want to keep the sun off those windows and out of the house. Of course, if you have a strong breeze, you can open the windows to catch the breeze, but we rarely have enough breeze to make this worth the extra heat.

3. If you have rooms that face West, and catch the afternoon sun, if they are not living areas then shut the doors between those rooms and the rest of the house. This traps any heat in those rooms and prevents it spreading to the rest of the house. My bathrooms face West. They are sweatboxes in summer with the doors shut, but the rest of the house stays cool. I realise that this is only possible if the rooms are not in use all the time.

4. The temperature drops here at night, down to 25-20 degrees Celsius. I open the house at night, when it is cool, and keep the windows open for as long as I can. This lets the hot air in the house out and the cooler outside air in. Once the house has cooled down (this takes a few hours), I shut the windows again to keep the cooler air in and the hot air out.

5. During the day, the house will start off cool (due to my night time efforts) and heat up over the day. Once it is uncomfortably warm, I put the pedestal fan on. If you have ceiling fans, put them on. The fans won't cool the air, but having the air moving over your skin will help keep you cool, especially if you are sweating.

6. Sleep with a fan on. It helps so much.

7. If you have the room, hang your laundry up in your living areas. As the laundry dries, the water evaporating from the clothes will suck heat from the air around it, and the overall room temperature will drop. I leave the laundry up overnight and I can feel the difference when I walk into the living room the next day. Watch for mould on the ceiling if you do this.

8. Make a coolgardie cooler. Put a mat on the floor, place two chairs either side of the mat, drape a sheet over them like a tent (you can do this with a broomstick over a cot if you have to), wet the sheet (you want it very damp but not dripping), and let the sheet dry. The evaporation will cool the area under the sheet by several degrees. Lie on the mat and enjoy the coolness.

If you have a fan, turn it on to the sheet or have it oscillate around the room, and that will make it colder.

You have to keep rewetting the sheet as it dries, but this definitely works. It is how I get babies to sleep and how I saved my flatmate from heat exhaustion. If you have spare baking pans, fill them with water and put them on the floor with the ends of the sheets in the pans. The sheets will suck up water from the pan and stay wet. Otherwise, a spray bottle works well to keep the sheet damp (I rewet it using a spray bottle once every hour or so).

9. Eat little and often. Eating will pull the blood from your limbs and concentrate it on your digestion, so you feel cooler. Make sure you eat enough salt! I eat every 2-3 hours, so 6 small meals instead of three large ones, and I prefer spiced food from hot climates, as the spices tempt my appetite. Whatever you prefer to eat, little and often is better than 3 big meals. You may have to increase your salt intake to balance the extra sweat - potato chips/crisps are good for that.

10. Make sure you drink enough. Water, flavoured water, milkshakes, cold tea, iced coffee - I do not care what it is, just get that liquid into you. I drink one cup of liquid every hour, more if I am thirsty. Sweet drinks are good for rehydrating you. I know sugar and salt are the current bad guys of diet, but my experience is that both of them are necessary to survive hot days, in higher amounts than normal. I drink water that has been flavoured with those cold water tea bags (fruit infusions) or with cordial, sweet cold tea, and flavoured cold milk drinks. You can have hot drinks if you can cope with the extra heat in your body. If you can drink plain water, do so - I can't (more than one or two cups and I throw up). For me, milk and yoghurt drinks (lassi) are the best. YMMV.

11. Ice cream, granitas, popsicles, paddle pops, frozen yoghurt - frozen liquid of any sort can help cool you down. Some people like iced water from the fridge, or adding ice to their drinks. Tap water usually works for me, unless the sun has been on the pipes and heated the water, but if you need to put jugs of water in the fridge to drink, do so. If you need to make ice cubes in the freezer, do so (or buy ice and keep it in the freezer). We have a jug of flavoured water on the bench for me and one in the fridge for my flatmate, plus a container of ice cubes in the freezer for my flatmate (she feels the heat more than I do).

11. Frozen washers/flannels and/or cold gel packs, or an equivalent. Put them on your head, neck, elbows, wrists/hands, crotch, back of knees, ankles/feet. They help. Keep two sets on hand and swap them over as one becomes warm. Sticking your feet in a bucket of cold water will also cool you down quickly.

12. Dress for the weather. Loose, comfortable, and cotton clothing (or linen). No synthetic fibres (they just make you hotter). Loose is cooler than form-fitting. Go sleeveless indoors, but cover your shoulders if you have to go out, and your cleavage, and your upper legs (sunburn hurts - a lot).

13. Use sunscreen if you go outside. Use more than you think you will need. Reapply regularly. Cover your body, shoulders and upper legs with clothes (the minimum). Wear sunglasses. Wear a broad brimmed hat. Seek shade where-ever possible. Sunburn is no joke. It is painful and will make you hotter. Carry water with you and sip regularly. Put sunscreen on your feet if you are wearing sandals/thongs/flipflops. Sunburnt feet HURT. If possible, only go outside when the sun is low in the sky (i.e. not the middle of the day).

14. If you are able to, and if it makes you cooler, go naked at home. Wear the bare minimum of clothing that you can, and have something handy to slip on if you need to answer the door. I've spent hot days around the house in a swimsuit in the past. I'm also big on not wearing underwear in the heat unless it is necessary/makes you cooler/makes you more comfortable. I wear a calf length sleeveless floaty cotton dress around the house. Go for whatever makes you comfortable and won't upset the people you are living with. Comfort and coolness win over fashion (and social conditioning if possible and preferred).

15. Move slowly. Be lazy. It is better to take longer to do things than to get overheated and have to cool yourself down. Take breaks if necessary to cool yourself down/stop yourself from getting hot.

16. Know the signs of heat exhaustion and take steps before it becomes heat stroke. Do a pinch test for dehydration and drink if you have to. Ask your doctor how your medications will affect you in the heat and what you can do to combat that (if anything).

17. Heat rises. If you have a double storey (or more) house, stay in the lowest level. It will be cooler.

That is all I can think of right now. I hope this helps.

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fahadstechblog · 4 years ago

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MSI GF65- The MacBook Decimator

The sub $1000 MSI GF65 definitely packs a punch and absolutely demolishes the competitors in this price range

INTRODUCTION

So this is the MSI GF 65 thin which is a very thin and light 15-inch gaming laptop that comes with a brand new Intel Core i7 10 750H CPU. Now the CPU is pretty much like the previous generation CPUs but with significantly higher clock speeds. The MSI GF65 thin series have always aimed at the affordable end of the market. This particular model comes with the Intel Core i7 10750H CPU, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU with 16 gigs of ram(upgradable to 64 gigs), a lightning quick 512 gigabyte NVMe SSD and a great 120 hertz IPS panel for a buttery smooth FPS experience. I have personally used this laptop as my daily driver for about 60 days now and this laptop just feels FANTASTIC. From gaming to productivity, this laptop ticks all the things one looks in a laptop. This laptop will cost you $1000 so that’s pretty much the same as the AMD version, the MSI Bravo 17 and places in the same price range as the Asus G15.

DESIGN

The outer design of the GF 65 thin isn’t that different from the MSI Bravo series. It is fairly compact for a 15-inch laptop as it’s only about 2 centimeters high and it weighs a bit less than 2 kilos so it’s pretty much a bit lighter and more compact than the Asus TUF A15. I bought this laptop mainly to use it for University work and to be very honest, it is extremely easy to carry in your backpack and is the best option for students(please don’t buy a MacBook instead, you’ll definitely be shooting yourself in the foot). It has a brushed aluminum on top which very premium but does show fingerprints occasionally. The Build Quality is great. It’s definitely not typical for this price range but there is a bit of flex here and there. The overall look is a bit old school as MSI decided to stick to Reds details(catered to the hardcore gamers) The hinge feels pretty good and it is very easy to open with one hand, the display feels fairly sturdy. The inside has a metal layer as well and has a glossy yet matte finish. So overall quality and finish is quite impressive for this price range.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The keyboard of the MSI GF 65 is fairly typical at this price point. The actuation feels great and the key travel is a bit shorter, making it an extremely easy and swift typing experience. The backlighting of the keyboard is only red(a bit of a bummer for all the RGB fans), and the brightness can be adjusted through the macros provided by MSI on the left-side of the keyboard. The Trackpad on this thing is quite unique. It is equipped with windows precision drivers which is great for quick gestures, and the surface that MSI used is actually quite great. It is really smooth, the palm rejection is good and its overall nice to use for you. I mean it’s a touchpad you cannot really love a touchpad but unfortunately it does have a bit of a wobble so both tapping and pressing the corners to click does feel a bit awkward. A great addition would be to see added dedicated buttons.

Connectivity

Connectivity is pretty alright, on the left we have an HDMI port and the charging port, while on the right side there are two USB 3.0 gen1 type-c ports and two USB 3.0 gen one type-a ports. There is an Ethernet connection and a combined audio jack although there is no Thunderbolt support or USB3.2 gen 2 connections but considering the price of this laptop I think it’s really fair to assume that the buyers won’t really spend big cash on the fastest external storage and are pretty much more concerned with having enough USB ports instead.

Performance

Now off to the main part you all have been waiting for- the performance. Considering the fact how well the AMD Ryzen CPUs did, it is interesting to see that Intel is neck-to-neck, on its way to reclaim their crown in this mobile segment. In the single core Cinebench 15 benchmark, the 10750 H manages to stay ahead of the Ryzen CPUs by a mile, but in all other CPU benchmarks including the much newer single core Cinebench 20, the i7 10750H CPUs are just ahead and the jump from the 9th generation to the 10th generation of Intel CPUs looks quite promising for productivity. So now the question is what does the new CPU mean for gamers? And the answer to that is actually not that much.

Looking at raw gaming performance-The Division, Far Cry 5 and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey which are all fairly CPU heavy games and turned up to the highest settings, the MSI GF65 consistently demonstrated its prowess by maintaining an 80 FPS average at 1080p. If you’re more into FPS and multiplayer gaming, you can certainly take advantage of that 120 Hertz screen. The MSI GF65 pulls a 140FPS average on Call of Duty: Warzone on the highest settings. Tweak those settings and hitting 240 FPS wont be an issue but be prepared to invest in a 240 Hertz monitor!

Battery Life

Now lets take a look at the battery life of this thing. The GF 65 thing does a great job considering it’s a gaming laptop, with about six and a half hours in the heavy PC Mark 8 and just over nine hours of Netflix watching is not bad at all. It is considerably better than its counterparts, the MSI Bravo 17 which had a smaller battery so it could keep the 2.5 inch drive but at the same time it is a little worse than the Asus G15. Gaming on battery is not advisable as you will most certainly only get 3–4 hours of gaming out of this thing.thermals and noise

Thermals

If you’re into overclocking and undervolting, thermals are going to be very important to you and this is where the MSI GF65 proves to be impressive again! The MSI’s flagship cooler booster 5 does a fantastic job keeping this thing cool. After 9 hours of intense gaming, the peak temperature this machine hits is a 65 degrees Celsius and a 60 degrees Celsius for the CPU and GPU respectively. Now that’s a BARGAIN! The laptop the fans do have to work hard when running a CPU heavy game, it is coming in at around 50 decibels in extreme performance mode.

What’s Inside?

The bottom panel of the GF 65 is really easy to open and after removing the panel you can see a lot of copper heat pipes and you have access to all key components. You can easily clean the fans, replace the battery, upgrade the memory or change out the network card, however since this already has a Wi-Fi 6 chip there is no reason to do so. Most importantly you can add a second SSD as well with the second slot taking both nvme and SATA drives.

Display

The MSI GF65 comes equipped with a120 Hertz IPS panel. Now it is a cheaper gaming panel that we’ve seen in other laptops as well and it is better than having a 60 Hertz refresh rate panel but still the color gamut is barely mediocre and the other results are also averaged. But none of this matters unless you’re looking to do some color correction work. Now I’m into that sort of thing so I’ve simple connected this to my LG 24-inch display monitor via HDMI. Now the gamut percentage sounds worse than it actually looks in reality and it’s not something you have to worry about when watching Netflix or gaming, especially considering the other results like contrast are actually quite good.

Conclusion

Overall, the MSI GF65 Thin is a fantastic machine, capable of running modern AAA titles comfortably at high framerates. It is more than equipped for doing your daily tasks, and is a wonderful machine for productivity tasks such as video editing, programing, development and what not. A perfect MacBook alternative, crushing the Apple’s overrated laptop in all aspects. I highly recommend this laptop to you all, especially students like me who need all the power in a compact and light machine. Don’t forget to share this article if it helped you. Cheers!

#technology #tech #technews #techworld #technologynews #techno #gadgets #innovation #gaming #gaminglaptop #msi #apple news #apple #macbook #techgeek #techie #electronics #design #iphone

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miguelcandela · 8 years ago

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A Photojournalist at -35 Degrees Celsius

Before I ever stepped foot in Asia, I have never imagined visiting Mongolia. It seemed almost unreachable and beyond my expectations as Finisterre considered it to be “the edge of the world” in Roman times.

Now, after three times in the country and always as a photographer, Mongolia has become one of my favorite places in this part of the world. It is truly an incredible country.

Might be the nostalgia kicking in but things often seem better when I look back. As if it was an old hidden memory, I usually forget the struggles, the pain, the long hours waiting and…The freezing cold.

Airline perks and winter worries

I frequently travel and work with my friend journalist Zigor Aldama. Between you and me, this guy is a bit cheeky because I think the only reason why he still bears with me is because he can secretly pick flights and airlines in advance. Let’s say he knows how much I tend to dislike flying…

This time, in Mongolia, I returned to my beloved turboprop-powered Fokker aircraft. The thirty year Fokker-50 is basically a bus with wings that carries up to 62 passengers. Conditions were not ideal; a prehistoric plane, freezing temperatures and landing in runaways with ice and dirt.

But after each landing, everything became as easy as pie. I didn’t care anymore about how cold it was or the technical challenges that came with the freezing weather that photojournalists would surely understand (moisture trapped inside the lenses, smartphone gimbal stabilizer refused to work outdoors, etc.). Instead, I enjoyed the moment, the beautiful landscapes and overwhelming Mongol hospitality (Oh…, more vodka again?).

- The Fokker-50. “Are you sure you want to be here?”

Oddly enough, Mongolians, friends and even our translators were puzzled when they found out we were going again during the winter. They thought we were crazy. As if they didn’t have to bear with the cold for basically 8 months a year!

This reaction makes me think Mongolia’ tourism department has a challenge ahead. Not only convincing foreigners to visit during the wintertime but also their own people. I vote for a more accurate slogan: “Welcome to the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky… but are you sure you want to be here?”

Similarly, most of my family and friends have never experienced such low temperatures. They wondered, for example, if I felt any difference while I was at -20°C or -30°C. Which they continue saying “Cold is cold, right? Must be the same”. Without any doubt, it absolutely makes a big difference especially if you need to be outdoors continuously for 1 or 2 hours.

- Winter Pastimes Don’t embarrass yourself. Just do it

I remember when I was photographing the Tsagaan Sar celebration, Mongolian Lunar New Year, last 27th of February at 7 am. Locals go up to the mountain before the sun comes up. They believe the New year’s first sun brings luck and health to their families. As the sun edges over the horizon, Mongolians throw milk offerings into the air, while others shout excitedly, welcoming Spring. But the “Spring” was nowhere to be found when we were still at – 30°C. It was so cold that the milk, in a liquid state, became instantaneously into powder once in contact with the air.

Despite all the layers I was wearing (2 x full-body underneath base layer, shirt, sweater, windproof pant, 2 x pairs of gloves, 2 x pairs of socks, an extreme cold weather jacket and a winter hat), after a short while, I felt as hundreds of needles were stuck in my hands and feet. I have never felt this kind of pain before. I tried to shake it off but it was pointless so I could only keep my mind busy by focusing on the task at hand. In retrospective, I guess for people around me it seemed as if I was in a trance or nuts.

Finally, we noticed that not only the weather was getting warmer right after February but we also got acclimatized. We were proud of our toughness, in fact, we would often remove our jackets during the day. This boost in our spirits only lasted for a brief moment when we witnessed a man wearing just a T-shirt at -17°C in Ulaanbaatar. Mongols are really on a different level.

Taatai baih bolnoo (always a pleasure) Mongolia.

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thedoctorvie · 7 years ago

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Another questionnaire

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?

Pffft, more milk of course. What kind of uncivilized barbarian uses more cereal than milk?

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?

Depends on the coldness of air. Sometimes, if the winter mood is right.

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?

Toilet paper; other, smaller books.

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?

Coffee: Milk and a bit sugar. Tea: Nothing besides tea.

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

Don't know. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

6: do you keep plants?

Yes, artificial ones. Those never fail me.

7: do you name your plants?

Nope. I'm not THAT crazy... yet...

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?

I don't have enough mastery over any artistic medium to adequately express anything inside me.

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

Yep.

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?

Left/right side alternating, most of the time.

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?

Wait, what? Which friends?

12: what’s your favorite planet?

Venus. 460 degrees celsius, sulfuric acid rain, active volcanism, a hundred times higher atmospheric pressure than earth... exactly my kind of planet.

13: what’s something that made you smile today?

The astonishing and heartwarming reactions to an important facebook post of mine.

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?

Since my girlfriend is my best friend and we live in a (somewhat) old flat in a big city... not very different than now ;)

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

One from google: Neptune radiates more heat than it gets from the sun. One from me: Alcohol has been found in some galactic nebulae.

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish?

Penne carbonara.

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

Something appropriately futuristic. Don't know what the cyberfashion of our future looks like.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

Again, which friends? But i once didn't remember the appropriate name of a wire whisk and called it something very funny (which, unfortunately, can't be translated to english)

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?

Nope.

20: what’s your favorite eye color? Green.

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.

My bags from the medical university of vienna.

22: are you a morning person?

Ahahahahahahaha, no.

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

Coding, reading, playing computer games.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?

No, and i guess there never will be.

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?

Broken into? I'm not that type of criminal ;)

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?

Currently cheap brown synthetic leather boots from a discount store.

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor?

Apple.

28: sunrise or sunset?

Sunset.

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?

My girlfriend, when her brain just quits and does something very irrational.

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?

Oh yes.

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

I like socks, but not white ones. I like my socks systematically ordered. Socks are life to me, since they guard my feet from unwelcome encounters with... *shudder*... nature.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

Why all those "friends"-questions? Seriously, i can't think of any interesting story with above parameters.

33: what’s your fave pastry?

I am no big fan of pastry. Maybe buns?

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

It is a very old teddy bear. His name is teddy bear. It looks a bit like Mr. Beans' teddy.

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?

Whats a stationary pen? I mostly write with boring black stabilos.

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?

Good question. Kai Tracid?

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?

Both.

38: tell us about your pet peeves!

I could write a book about it. But one of the most important is when people hurt other people.

39: what color do you wear the most?

Pitch black like my heart.

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you?

I don't own much jewelry except of my engagement ring. You can imagine its story and meaning.

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?

The one i am currently reading, roughly translated: "Manual of chip cards"

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!

No, i don't.

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?

My girlfriend, while smoking in the courtyard of our residential building.

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?

That was... well... the last time... lets say... ehm... wait...

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

Depends on the situation.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

Unfortunately, i can't translate it into english, but i will give it in german: "Haben Sie Milch?" - "Ja, fettarme." - "Das sehe ich, aber haben Sie auch Milch?"

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

Insects.

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?

It was being abducted by aliens (seriously!). I don't know what my biggest fear today is.

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?

I didn't buy any CDs or records in the last few years. The last one i bought a long time ago was some album from The Vision Bleak.

50: what’s an odd thing you collect?

Books.

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

I usually don't have strong connections between persons and music, but one of the strongest is between a friend of mine and Ashbury Heights - Spiders.

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

I... don't know. I don't remember any in particular.

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?

Rocky horror picture show: Yes, i liked it and its crazyness. Pulp fiction: Yes, its ok, but very overrated.

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

My girlfriend.

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?

Er... don't know, argue it?

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

Intelligence, kindness, individualism, openness, tolerance, very broad interests, insatiable curiosity

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

It made me feel bored (sorry!). I didn't dramatically reenact anything.

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?

The what and who? What the heck are you talking (writing?) about?

59: what’s your favorite myth?

The one of diarrhea god of some tropical island (i am NOT kidding, it really is a myth! It is from some book about world mythology)

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

I never read any good poetry.

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?

The stupidest i ever received where non-fitting (but expensive) clothes. The stupidest i've ever given? No idea.

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?

Nope, through my veins runs coca cola.

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?

Well, it's kind of a mess, but i try to organize them.

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

Black (because it is night)

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with?

Yeah, but i don't know if i get along with her as good as back then.

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?

Wild and untamed.

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

Like i am in the right place where i can feel good (strange, i know).

68: what’s winter like where you live?

Chaotic. Sometimes warm, sometimes cold, often in-between.

69: what are your favorite board games?

Monopoly, chess.

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

No.

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea?

Black tea.

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it?

No, i just forget it.

73: what are some of your worst habits?

Good question... smoking?

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.

A red-headed, smart, wild cat.

75: tell us about your pets!

You think cats are strange and crazy? You don't know mine.

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?

God, yes... too much.

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

Yellow.

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

FANclub! I LOVE em!!!

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?

Being there for me.

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?

Greyish, my girlfriend made me a portal bedroom for my birthday. Wait, can i revise question 79?

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.

Re-emission of electromagnetic field waves, outside the thermal spectrum of usual chemical reactions.

82: are/were you good in school?

No, i didn't want to be.

83: what’s some of your favorite album art?

I liked the one on Monolith - Subsystem, don't know why.

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?

Yes, an aesculapian staff.

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?

Yes, i especially like star wars comics.

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?

What the fuck is a concept album?

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

Good question. All Star Wars-movies. 2001 - a space odyssey.

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?

3D-generated arts (see for example https://blendpolis.de/forum/kunst/galerie)

89: are you close to your parents?

Yes, kinda. But i am more adult then they are.

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.

Well i like Berlin very much. People there seem to be much more open and uncomplicated than in vienna.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?

I don't know, i don't plan anything at the moment.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

Drown it in ALL the cheese!!

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?

Long, open and flowing.

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?

A fellow student of mine.

95: what are your plans for this weekend?

Preparing the silvester party at our home.

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

I have activated automatic updates.

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?

ISTJ or INTJ, gemini, slytherin.

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

A loooooong time ago, and yes, i enjoyed it.

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

Schalldruck - Turntable Junky (The Crow Remix) ASP - Krabat Weird Al Yankovic - White & Nerdy Zeromancer - Doctor Online Robert Palmer - Bad Case Of Loving You Eluviete - Omnos Crazy Town - Butterfly Faun - Tanz mit mir

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batterymonster2021 · 5 years ago

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This country isn't just carbon neutral ? it's carbon negative | Tshering Tobgay

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/this-country-isnt-just-carbon-neutral-its-carbon-negative-tshering-tobgay-6/

This country isn't just carbon neutral ? it's carbon negative | Tshering Tobgay

If you’re wondering, no, i’m no longer wearing a costume, and no, i am no longer pronouncing what i am carrying underneath. (Laughter) it is a gho. This is my countrywide dress. This is how all men gown in Bhutan. That’s how our women dress. Like our ladies, we guys get to wear lovely bright colours, but in contrast to our ladies, we get to show off our legs. (Laughter) Our countrywide costume is specific, but this isn’t the one thing that is exact about my country. Our promise to remain carbon neutral is also detailed, and that is what i might prefer to speak about today, our promise to remain carbon neutral. However earlier than I proceed, I should set you the context. I must tell you our story. Bhutan is a small country in the Himalayas. We’ve been called Shangri-La, even the last Shangri-La. However let me inform you correct off the bat, we are not Shangri-La. My country is not one significant monastery populated with pleased monks. (Laughter) the truth is that there are barely seven hundred,000 of us sandwiched between two of probably the most populated countries on this planet, China and India. The reality is that we’re a small, underdeveloped country doing our first-rate to outlive.But we are doing good enough. We’re surviving. In fact, we’re thriving, and the motive we are thriving is given that we’ve got been blessed with exotic kings. Our enlightened monarchs have worked tirelessly to increase our country, balancing fiscal development cautiously with social development, environmental sustainability and cultural renovation, all within the framework of excellent governance. We name this holistic procedure to progress "Gross country wide Happiness," or GNH. Again in the Nineteen Seventies, our fourth king famously said that for Bhutan, Gross countrywide Happiness is more principal than Gross country wide Product. (Applause) Ever seeing that, all development in Bhutan is pushed via GNH, a pioneering imaginative and prescient that objectives to toughen the happiness and good-being of our humans. But that is simpler said than executed, particularly when you are probably the most smallest economies on the earth.Our complete GDP is not up to two billion greenbacks. I know that a few of you here are valued at more — (Laughter) personally than the whole economic climate of my nation. So our economic climate is small, but right here is the place it will get fascinating. Schooling is absolutely free. All citizens are assured free university schooling, and those who work difficult are given free institution education. Healthcare can be completely free. Medical session, clinical healing, drug treatments: they are all furnished by means of the state.We manage this for the reason that we use our constrained resources very cautiously, and for the reason that we keep trustworthy to the core mission of GNH, which is progress with values. Our economy is small, and we must support it. Economic growth is most important, but that fiscal progress ought to now not come from undermining our special culture or our pristine environment. Today, our tradition is flourishing. We proceed to have fun our artwork and structure, food and festivals, monks and monasteries. And yes, we have fun our country wide costume, too. Because of this i will be able to wear my gho with pleasure. This is a fun reality: you’re watching on the world’s largest pocket. (Laughter) It starts here, goes across the again, and springs out from within here. In this pocket we retailer all method of private goods from telephones and wallets to iPads, administrative center records and books. (Laughter) (Applause) however oftentimes — generally even worthy cargo. So our tradition is thriving, however so is our environment. Seventy two percent of my nation is beneath forest duvet. Our constitution needs that a minimum of 60 percentage of Bhutan’s whole land shall remain below forest cover forever. (Applause) Our constitution, this constitution, imposes woodland quilt on us. By the way, our king used this structure to impose democracy on us.You see, we the individuals didn’t want democracy. We did not ask for it, we didn’t demand it, and we certainly failed to battle for it. Instead, our king imposed democracy on us through insisting that he comprise it in the structure. But he went extra. He integrated provisions in the structure that empower the individuals to impeach their kings, and included provisions in right here that require all our kings to retire at the age of 65. (Applause) truth is, we already have a king in retirement: our earlier king, the great Fourth, retired 10 years ago at the top of his fame. He was all of 51 years at the moment. In order I was announcing, 72 percent of our nation is under woodland cover, and all that wooded area is pristine. That is why we are one of the few ultimate world biodiversity hotspots on this planet, and that’s why we are a carbon neutral country. In an international that is threatened with local weather trade, we are a carbon neutral country.Turns out, it’s a massive deal. Of the 200-ordinary nations on the planet in these days, it appears like we are the one one that is carbon impartial. Surely, that is not relatively accurate. Bhutan will not be carbon impartial. Bhutan is carbon bad. Our whole nation generates 2.2 million lots of carbon dioxide, but our forests, they sequester more than 3 times that quantity, so we’re a internet carbon sink for greater than 4 million plenty of carbon dioxide each year.However that is no longer all. (Applause) We export most of the renewable electrical energy we generate from our rapid-flowing rivers. So at present, the clean vigor that we export offsets about six million lots of carbon dioxide in our local. Through 2020, we will be exporting enough electrical power to offset 17 million plenty of carbon dioxide. And if we have been to harness even half of our hydropower potential, and that is precisely what we’re working at, the easy, inexperienced power that we export would offset whatever like 50 million plenty of carbon dioxide a 12 months. That is more CO2 than what the entire city of recent York generates in a single 12 months. So inside our nation, we are a internet carbon sink. Outside, we are offsetting carbon. And that is primary stuff. You see, the world is getting warmer, and climate exchange is a truth. Local weather change is affecting my country. Our glaciers are melting, inflicting flash floods and landslides, which in turn are causing catastrophe and widespread destruction in our nation. I used to be at that lake not too long ago. It is gorgeous. That is how it looked 10 years in the past, and that is the way it looked two decades ago. Just twenty years ago, that lake didn’t exist.It used to be a pretty good glacier. A number of years ago, a similar lake breached its dams and wreaked havoc in the valleys below. That destruction was once caused by one glacier lake. We have 2,seven hundred of them to deal with. The point is that this: my country and my individuals have accomplished nothing to make a contribution to international warming, but we are already bearing the brunt of its penalties. And for a small, bad nation, one that’s landlocked and mountainous, it is rather problematic. However we’re not going to take a seat on our fingers doing nothing.We will combat climate alternate. That’s why we’ve promised to stay carbon neutral. We first made this promise in 2009 during COP 15 in Copenhagen, however nobody observed. Governments had been so busy arguing with one one other and blaming each other for causing local weather alternate, that after a small country raised our palms and introduced, "We promise to stay carbon neutral for all time," no one heard us. No person cared. Last December in Paris, at COP 21, we reiterated our promise to stay carbon impartial all the time to come back. This time, we were heard. We were noticed, and all people cared. What was once distinctive in Paris was that governments got here round together to accept the realities of climate change, and had been inclined to come collectively and act together and work together. All countries, from the very small to the very massive, dedicated to minimize the greenhouse fuel emissions. The UN Framework convention on climate change says that if these so-referred to as intended commitments are kept, we would be in the direction of containing global warming through two levels Celsius. By the way, I’ve requested the TED organizers here to turn up the warmness in right here by means of two degrees, so if some of you are feeling warmer than normal, you understand who guilty.It’s imperative that each one of us preserve our commitments. As far as Bhutan is involved, we will preserve our promise to stay carbon neutral. Here are one of the most methods we are doing it. We are delivering free electricity to our rural farmers. The thought is that, with free electrical power, they’re going to now not need to use firewood to prepare dinner their food. We are investing in sustainable transport and subsidizing the acquisition of electric automobiles. In a similar fashion, we’re subsidizing the cost of LED lights, and our complete executive is making an attempt to go paperless. We’re cleansing up our entire country via clean Bhutan, a countrywide program, and we’re planting timber for the duration of our country by means of green Bhutan, an additional countrywide software.However it’s our included areas that are on the core of our carbon impartial approach. Our blanketed areas are our carbon sink. They are our lungs. In these days, more than 1/2 our nation is blanketed, as country wide parks, nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. However the beauty is that we have connected all of them with one a different by means of a network of organic corridors. Now, what this means is that our animals are free to roam during our nation. Take this tiger, for instance. It was spotted at 250 meters above sea degree in the scorching, subtropical jungles.Two years later, that identical tiger used to be noticed close four,000 meters in our cold alpine mountains. Is not that exceptional? (Applause) We ought to hold it that way. We must keep our parks excellent. So every year, we set aside assets to avert poaching, hunting, mining and pollution in our parks, and resources to help communities who are living in those parks control their forests, adapt to local weather exchange, and lead better lives even as carrying on with to reside in concord with mother Nature. However that’s high priced. Over the next few years, our small financial system is not going to have the assets to quilt the entire expenses which can be required to protect our environment. In fact, after we run the numbers, it appears adore it’ll take us at the least 15 years before we can thoroughly finance all our conservation efforts. But neither Bhutan, nor the arena can have enough money to spend 15 years going backwards. For this reason His Majesty the King began Bhutan For lifestyles. Bhutan For lifestyles offers us the time we need. It offers us respiration room.It’s nearly a funding mechanism to preserve our parks, to look after our parks, except our govt can take over on our possess thoroughly. The suggestion is to elevate a transition fund from character donors, businesses and institutions, however the deal is closed most effective after predetermined stipulations are met and all cash committed. So multiparty, single closing: an suggestion we borrowed from Wall street. Because of this person donors can commit while not having to worry that they will be left aiding an underfunded plan. It is whatever like a Kickstarter mission, only with a 15-year time horizon and hundreds of thousands of plenty of carbon dioxide at stake. Once the deal is closed, we use the transition fund to shield our parks, giving our govt time to expand our own funding regularly except the end of the 15-yr period. After that, our government guarantees full funding forever. We are practically there. We anticipate to shut later this yr. Naturally, i am lovely excited. (Applause) the arena natural world Fund is our principle partner in this trip, and i wish to provide them a gigantic shoutout for the nice work they are doing in Bhutan and the world over.(Applause) Whew, it is getting warm in here. I thanks for listening to our story, a story of how we are maintaining our promise to stay carbon neutral, a narrative of how we’re retaining our nation pristine, for ourselves, our kids, in your kids and for the sector. However we aren’t here to inform studies, are we? We are here to dream together. So in closing, i might prefer to share another dream that i’ve. What if we could mobilize our leadership and our resources, our influence and our passion, to duplicate the Bhutan For lifestyles inspiration to different international locations so that they too can preserve their covered areas for all time.After all, there are various different countries who face the identical issues that we face. They too have usual resources that can help win the world’s combat for sustainability, handiest they may not have the potential to invest in them now. So what if we installed Earth For lifestyles, a global fund, to kickstart the Bhutan For existence throughout the world? I invite you to aid me, to carry this dream past our borders to all folks that care about our planet’s future. In spite of everything, we’re right here to dream together, to work together, to fight local weather alternate together, to look after our planet together. Seeing that the reality is we’re in it collectively. A few of us might gown in a different way, but we are in it together. Thank you very much, and kadrin chhe la. Thanks. (Applause) thank you, thanks, thank you. .

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airoasis · 5 years ago

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This country isn't just carbon neutral ? it's carbon negative | Tshering Tobgay

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/this-country-isnt-just-carbon-neutral-its-carbon-negative-tshering-tobgay-6/

This country isn't just carbon neutral ? it's carbon negative | Tshering Tobgay

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tauers-go-dutch · 7 years ago

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Road trip through the Balkans

The Balkans are a destination that I never really thought of going to before moving to Europe. However, more and more people have been talking about this region, and it really is a gem. I would have said hidden gem, but Croatia in particular is becoming a more and more popular destination. This was a longer trip for us, where we spent seven days road-tripping from Dubrovnik (Croatia) to Kotor (Montenegro) to Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) to Split (Croatia). This was a more adventurous trip where we explored cities, ruins, beaches, and national parks. It was great fun, and I highly recommend the Balkans as a destination for your next trip to Europe.

Our hotel in Dubrovnik was located a bit outside the old city. To get there, we had to navigate several narrow alleys and streets. After looping around several times, we did eventually find it. The hotel was a really nice surprise- we had the most fantastic view of the sea and the old city. We enjoyed the view for an hour or so then went out to do our first activity- an escape room.

An escape room is a room where you are locked inside with a series of puzzles that you need to solve to ultimately escape the room within a set time limit. These rooms have various themes. Being in Dubrovnik, the obvious theme of this room was Game of Thrones, specifically set in the Battle of Blackwater Bay. While the room was fun, Mariah and I needed a lot of hints in order to solve the room. We’d both like to do more, but we definitely need some practice. Luckily Amsterdam has a few for us to try. Afterwards we had dinner and drinks, and went back to the hotel. Randomly, a boat outside our hotel started launching fireworks. We still don’t know what the occasion was that Thursday evening, but it was really cool.

Surprise views from our apartment rental

The photo sent to us by the escape room owners!

I am a big fan of this tradition. Best table wine I’ve had!

Surprise fireworks in the bay beneath our apartment

Friday we spent the morning exploring the old city. As alluded earlier, the old city of Dubrovnik is the setting of King’s Landing in Game of Thrones. When you look at pictures from above, it is easy to see the resemblance. Mariah and I hiked around the city walls, which provided fantastic views, but we were drenched from the humidity (higher than Amsterdam) and the 28 degree heat (yes, I’ve converted to Celsius- it’s about 82 F). While the raw heat isn’t bad, our acclimation to Amsterdam (it’s always in the low 20s) and the dense humidity was a killer. This was a theme throughout the vacation. Once we saw the city, we ate at an amazing vegan, yes vegan, restaurant called Nishta. I had faux-enchiladas, and believe me, this was one of the best meals I had. Seriously.

Game of Thrones Battle of Blackwater Bay

The Red Keep!

After lunch we had a kayaking tour. It was really nice going around the city and the nearby island. Interestingly, the island is said to be cursed ever since Austria-Hungarian powers took over. They kicked out the local monks and used the island as a private resort. The monks cursed the island so that the owner would meet an early demise. Our guide traced the tragic deaths of all of the various rulers right up to Franz Ferdinand. Since Franz, the island has been made a public park open for all, thus breaking the curse (ie, no one person is using the island for personal pleasure or gain). It was a fun legend with neat connections. Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the island. We would really like to go back and explore it, and visit the actual Iron Throne ;). Back to Kayaking, we also saw an abandoned hotel on the sea, which is the basis for the rendering of the Red Keep (more GoT). Also interestingly, this hotel was the most popular hotel in Europe up until the collapse of the USSR (and subsequently the independence war of the various Balkan countries from the former Yugoslavia). The sights were breathtaking.

After the kayaking trip, we had a bit of dinner. We went to a place that specializes in raising roosters specifically for meat. While it was good, if you talk up chicken that much, you better blow my mind. It really just made me look forward to visiting The Post Brewing and getting some fried chicken when I visit home. After dinner we visited a wine bar. Croatian wine is legit. The biggest grape used is a near relative of Zinfandel, which is a big jammy and peppery grape that is popular in Californian wines. We wish we could have taken some wine home (we didn’t have checked baggage). Look out for Croatian wines, it just might be the next popular wine region.

The next morning, we started driving to Montenegro. The border crossing went smoothly enough. We pulled up at 9:00 am and had to wait for 30 minutes or so as four cars were in front of us, but we had about 20 cars line up behind us as we waited. Good timing on us! The Montenegro bay is gorgeous- extremely picturesque. Kotor is the main destination for the old city, and the hike up to St. John’s Fort. The hike was ridiculous, and, with GoT still fresh on my mind, reminded me of the path up the Veil. The hike was enjoyable, but again we were drenched! We went back down and explored the old town for a bit. While Kotor is beautiful, we did feel like we ran out of things to do after a while. The city is very small, and very touristy. It is a popular spot for cruise ships, which is appropriate as I really think it is a stretch to spend a full day there. We ended up walking around to the newer part of town, and found a really nice restaurant where we ordered a meat platter for two, but came with enough for four. Well after the hike, we wolfed the entire thing down! With that platter and two drinks, we paid about 17 euro- amazing! That night was the Champions League final (soccer), and it is a big deal in Europe. We sat on the patio of a bar that set up a large projection screen and enjoyed the game (well, at least until Real Madrid pulled away- 4 to 1 final score).

Views from the hike to St. John’s Fort

The next morning we trekked to Bosnia. This experience was very different from the drive from Croatia. Croatia was admitted to the EU a few years ago, and clearly has better infrastructure than Montenegro. Most of the ‘highways’ were worse than unmaintained rural country back roads. Potholes, crumbling asphalt, unpaved gravel (again, for a supposed highway) made the drive interesting. However, once we were in Bosnia (which is currently bidding to join the EU), we noticed the better infrastructure. Those gripes aside, the drive had nice views. It reminded us of driving through California. Plus we saw quite a bit of wildlife, including a turtle that crossed a back road (it was pretty cool and we stopped for some pics with our new friend).

The Bay of Kotor

Turtle friend!

We made our way to Mostar, but first stopped at a Dervish abbey called Blagaj Tekke. The cave and the house are stunning, and worth an hour if you are in the area. Once in Mostar, we had an adventure finding our hotel- we had to drive down a pretty steep and narrow road which was more footpath than road. But the hotel was luxurious, by far the best we’ve stayed, in Europe, and run by the sweetest couple. Once settled in, we explored the city and the famous bridge. The bridge was built during the rule of the Ottomans, but was destroyed during the civil wars of the 90s. We visited a museum which showed how the bridge was painstakingly reconstructed using the same specifications (literally down to millimeters), materials, and techniques of the original. Just be careful when crossing, it’s slippery! Locals will also jump off the bridge once they collect enough funds from the crowd. In fact, the bridge divers are so famous that Red Bull is hosting its official 2017 diving competition in Mostar.

A cool observation of Mostar is that it is a city of dualities. For example, nowadays, the bridge literally connects the Christian and Muslim sides of the city (specifically the old city). The Muslim side was pretty cool- we explored the bazaar (and bought some neat jewelry) and a mosque with a fantastic view of the bridge and city as a whole. After exploring the old city, we made our way to the new city (the second duality). The new city had its own charm, and is overall less touristy. The new city has a nice park (with a wicked Bruce Lee statue), international schools and universities, bars and churches. But the final duality is the proximity of new, up-kept, and maintained buildings with abandoned and war-torn projects clearly reminiscent of the past Eastern European regime. These abandoned buildings play host to some fantastic street art- easily one of my favorite parts of exploring Mostar. Later, we made our way back to our hotel in the old city, and ate at one of the best restaurant I have ever been to. Some of the other expats swore by Tima-Irma, and I have to agree that this place is amazing. Just like the place in Montenegro, the place specializes in meat platters that are enough to feed a small army. But the chicken, the cheese, the pork, the grilled veggies, the everything was amazing! Plus, the owner, Irma, was hilarious. And she gave us a free beer. Again, with tip (which shows how much I loved this place as I have grown accustomed to the European way of not tipping), I spent less than 20 euro. We loved everything about Mostar, and we highly recommend a visit.

The mosque from the bridge

The bridge from the mosque

The next day, we made our way back to Croatia, but stopped over to a Bosnian park called Kravica. The waterfalls were stunning. However, once you see the waterfalls, there isn’t much else to do. Even still, we hiked around a bit, and we actually saw a badger! It was pretty cool, because it sat in a tree about five feet away from us. Luckily, it scampered away after few moments and didn’t cause us any trouble, but I also was unable to get a picture. Regardless, it was very cool. Afterwards, we continued on to Split. Split also has an old town (sensing the theme of the places we visited?), but it also has a much more sprawling city surrounding the touristic old town. The old town is actually the remnants of the original Diocletian’s Palace. Driving into Split, we immediately went down to a beach just outside of town. We caught some rays and enjoyed the water for the afternoon. Afterwards, we went to another wine bar for dinner and more fantastic Croatian wine.

Kravice Falls

The port of Split

Diocletian’s Palace -- Diocletian, A Roman, was buried in the tomb on the left. The Christians then turned it into a church and added the bell tower.

The next day, we visited Krka, a Croatian national park famous for its waterfalls. Unlike Kravica, the park is huge! We visited several areas of the park, and had to drive around to get to each place. The waterfalls we also absolutely stunning, and I really enjoyed hiking around the park. This place is absolutely worth a day trip. Afterwards, we went back to Split, and enjoyed some burgers (which were ok, but this place really had fantastic onion rings!), homemade ice cream, and Croatian craft beers (most are surprisingly good).

Krka National Park

We brought our suits but decided not to take a dip!

The next morning we had another great meal (breakfast crepes), walked the beach (with some more street art), and headed to the airport (more difficult to find than it should be). While we didn’t get to do everything we wanted in Croatia (like visiting Hvar, Plitvice, and Zagreb), this region definitely has enough charm to warrant coming back at some point in the future!

Tot Ziens!

#tauersgodutch tauers go dutch #Roadtrip #road trip #balkans

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bonniejstarks · 5 years ago

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The Ultimate Holiday Turkey Recipe

Reading Time: 6 minutes

WOW your guests with this delicious Holiday Turkey Recipe. The brine preperation & lemon butter rub will make your guests ask you how you got your turkey SO juicy & flavourful.

The Ultimate Holiday Turkey Recipe

If you follow me on Instagram then you likely know that recently, Jeremy cooked up a turkey.

For the last few years, he has randomly made us a turkey (I mean, it does give you TONS of leftovers) without a holiday or occasion deeming it necessary.

The turkey is always so incredibly delicious. That’s why I asked if he’d share his brine and turkey cooking secrets here.

Say Hello to Jeremy, the Chef of our house!

Jeremy is definitely the cook out of the two of us.

While I love baking, and sometimes can get really into cooking, I definitely am not quite as passionate about food as he is. He loves it, and it shows.

When we first were together 11 years ago, I remember even on one of our very first dates that he just loved cooking so much.

He whipped us up a red Thai curry dinner and it was delicious. I remember even then I was impressed with how much he knew about food, cooking, and flavors.

Since then, cooking and food has been something he has continued to educate himself on and enjoy. Nearly every Christmas and Birthday he gets something cooking-related because it’s absolutely his #1 passion. Well, that and golf.

Most recently, he was given a Sous Vide which he is super excited to begin testing out on new recipes – so make sure you subscribe now to see those recipes coming soon!

Once You Brine, You Never Go Back!

A few years ago, we decided to have a traditional holiday dinner with some of our friends. We whipped up a turkey, some mash potatoes, and a green bean casserole – and it was delicious.

Now, mind you, we did not time our dinner very well. Rather than cook the turkey in the oven, we cooked our turkey on the BBQ using a rotisserie. Since we hadn’t cooked a turkey before, we didn’t really understand just how long it would take to cook a turkey this way. So, we ended up dining at about midnight.

This was the first time that we had ever made a turkey, and we had brined our turkey for 24 hours. It was the tastiest, juiciest, and most flavourful turkey we had ever had. It was a major hit.

While that dinner wasn’t timed the best, it was fantastic – and it totally inspired us to hopefully one day master making a great holiday dinner. And, since it seemed like we had the flavour down all we really needed to work on was our timing!

What Do You Need to Brine a Turkey

The only “tool” you need is a large pot. Something big enough to hold a big ol’ turkey. This can be tricky to find – and large pots can be expensive.

But, if you’re just using this pot for brining then keep in mind that the pot doesn’t have to be super heavy duty or expensive since it won’t come in contact with any heat.

We found ours at Canadian Tire.

Are Any Other Tools Needed for this Turkey Recipe?

For the brine, you need a large stock-style pot.

Then, to cook the turkey you’ll need a roasting pan, preferably one that has a lift in it so that the under-part of the pan can catch the drippings without the turkey soaking in them while it cooks.

You will also want a cooking thermometer to check the temperature of your turkey. Lastly, a carving knife will help you easily carve and serve your turkey.

What Does Brining Do?

You know how turkey and chicken can sometimes be a little… dry? Well, that’s because as you cook it the moisture in it evaporates.

When a turkey/chicken sits in a brine (ie. a salty bath) it absorbs the salt and extra moisture which helps the turkey retain more water during cooking. This is because all that salt attracts water and keeps it in the turkey.

Brine Ingredients

Peppercorns

Lemons

Apple Cider Vinegar

Salt

Garlic

Onions

Water

Ice

How Long Should You Brine Your Turkey?

In general, you want to let your turkey soak in the brine for 24 – 48 hours. For our turkey recipe we had it sit for 48 hours just to get it extra flavourful.

How’s It Taste?

Pretty darn amazing if I do say so myself!

It tastes juicy, well seasoned, and full of flavour. It’s the kind of turkey you’ll be excited to have leftovers of to enjoy day after day.

What do you fill the cavity of the turkey with?

Before placing your turkey in the oven, first season it with salt and pepper.

Then, inside the turkey cavity you put two onions, cut into halves, and two lemons that are also in halves.

Add in a handful of parsley, sage, rosemary, and two bay leaves.

Add Another Level of Flavour to this Turkey Recipe with Lemon Herbed Butter

Queue the drool emoji!

Jeremy says the lemon herbed butter is an absolutely essential step to making this delicious and flavorful turkey recipe. And, it only takes just a few quick minutes to whip up so don’t let this extra step intimidate you!

Once the lemon herbed butter is prepared, you will rub it underneath the skin of the turkey breasts and then also on the surface of the skin all over. By rubbing the butter underneath the skin, the turkey breasts stay moist.

Typically, the turkey breasts tend to be the first spot that dries out because they are the leanest part and they also sit on top of the turkey which exposes them to the most heat. So this butter just adds a bit of extra moisture and flavour into this area to keep it tender and yummy!

Yield: 16

The Ultimate Holiday Turkey Recipe

Looking forward to serving up a delicious holiday dinner to your family this Christmas? WOW them with this delicious Holiday Turkey Recipe.

The brine preparation and lemon butter rub will make your guests ask you how you exactly got your turkey SO juicy and flavourful.

Prep Time 2 days

Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Resting Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 days 5 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

Brine Ingredients

2 Gallons of Water

2 Tbsp Peppercorn

2 Lemons

2 Cups of Salt

1 Bulb of Garlic

1 Large Onion

Lemon Herb Butter Ingredients

1 Cup of Soft Butter

Small Handful of Fresh Parsley

2 TBSP of Fresh Squeezed Lemon (1 Lemon)

Tsp Lemon Zest

2 Cloves of Garlic

Salt

Pepper

Turkey Ingredients

2 Onions

2 Lemons

Handful of Fresh Parsley

Handful of Fresh Sage

Handful of Fresh Rosemary

2 Bay Leaves

Salt

Pepper

Instructions

Brine Recipe

Add 2 gallons of water into your large pot (Give or take. Make sure you leave enough room in your pot for the turkey!)

Next, add the peppercorn, lemon, salt, garlic, and onion.

To speed up the salt dissolving, heat your pot on the stove and stir.

Once the salt has dissolved, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool down again.

Once at room temperature place your turkey in the brine mixture. Top it up with cold water until the turkey is fully submerged.

Add some ice to your brine mixture.

Then place in the fridge or outside (if cold enough) for 24 – 48 hours. Only keep your turkey brine outside if the temperature will never go above 4-degrees Celsius or 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lemon Herb Butter Recipe

Add 1 cup of soft butter into a mixing bowl.

Roughly chop the parsley and add.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add lemon juice and zest.

Add finely minced or crushed garlic.

Mix together. You may need to use your hands.

Turkey Recipe

After 24 – 48 hours of brining your turkey, remove it from the brine.

Preheat your oven to 425 Fahrenheit (215 Celsius)

Hold the turkey up on a large roasting pan, cavity side up. If the giblets and neck are inside the cavity, remove them and place them aside.

Season with salt and pepper inside the cavity.

Add the halved onions and lemons. (You can leave the skin on both)

Add the herbs and bay leaves into the cavity

Ensure all ingredients are placed firmly inside the cavity and that nothing will fall out.

Lay the turkey down (with the turkey breasts up) on your roasting pan

Now rub your lemon herb butter under the skin of the turkey. To get the butter underneath the skin you will have to carefully work the skin away from the turkey breast meat with your fingers. Be careful not to rip the skin.

Then, you will rub the remaining butter all over the top of the skin of the turkey.

If you have butchers twine, use it to tie the drumsticks together to ensure the stuffing stays inside the turkey. Jeremy also likes to cover the ends of the drumsticks in tinfoil so that they do not burn or overcook in the oven.

Add a few cups of water to the bottom of your roasting pan. It also helps keep everything moist while the turkey cooks.

Now, place your turkey in the oven and allow to cook for 45 minutes at 425 degrees.

Then, remove it from the oven and baste the turkey with the liquid in the bottom of your roasting pan.

Now turn your oven down to 350 degrees.

Place your turkey back into the oven and cook again for another 45 minutes.

Every 45 minutes you will want to remove your turkey and baste it with the drippings, then place it back in the oven to cook again. Repeat until the turkey is fully cooked. Our turkey was 16LBs and it took about 3.5 hours to fully cook. Use a thermometer in the meatiest part of the turkey thigh. When it shows 180 degrees that’s when you’ll know your turkey is fully cooked. Another rule of thumb is that the turkey will take about 30 minutes of cooking time per kilogram.

Once cooked, remove your turkey from the oven and allow it to rest for 2 hours (uncovered)

Now it’s time to carve and serve your turkey. I recommend serving it with gravy made from the turkey drippings.

Notes

This recipe is for a 16LB Turkey.

Save the turkey drippings to create your gravy