So don't be fooled by the rocks that I got, the assets
You get back what you put out
Even if you take the good route
Can't count the hood out.

Jennifer Lopez, "Jenny From The Block"
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Day Ten and Eleven
Spent the night at Ixia working.
Went home when I was done.

It isn't so much that I'm a workaholic, I think. You can't devote so much time and energy to a career unless it means something more. I ascribe to a philosophy that says that world is a series of 1s and 0s, that decisions really are black and white when you break them down into their core essence. If what your discussing doesn't have a black and white answer, then you haven't dug deep enough. For that reason, working with binary waveforms almost feels like I'm affirming my life's philosophy, and that really is the primary reason why I can stand to be here for so long.

But while the left side of my brain follows that path, the right side of my brain has a different passion: food. Anthropologically speaking, the dinner table is the most fundamental form of human interaction. It's the foundation of all societies and civilization. It's the great equalizer, the common denominator. It's all at once social and intimate; it's utilitarian and artistic. A lot of my day to day entries thus far have revolved around food somewhat, and that's not an accident.

Food also speaks to the scientist in me, harkening back to the first paragraph. Some might say that this violates the tenet that there are only black and white answers, given that there are varying degrees of spicyness or doneness or saltiness. On the contrary; I believe that when people say that there is a "gray" area, they are saying so because there's no definable, measureable result, whereas that's not true in cooking. Cooking is a set of rules set in motion to work on the enzymes and cell structures of prepared meats, grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy and fatty products. This is chemistry, people. In science, it's not referred to as "gray". It's referred to as half-black, half-white. Or 3/4s black, 1/4 white. Things are actually quite definite, perhaps beyond our ability to precisely measure them, but certainties do exist. Ultimately, cooking is an exercise in Cause and Effect. I'm not a workaholic; I'm paid to follow my beliefs.