Celestial Vandalism

Celestial Vandalism - Bigfoot Corn Maze
Originally uploaded by jpstanley.

In this season of corn mazes and haunted houses, I've noticed an explosion of an intrusive and obnoxious form of advertising. Searchlights pierce the night sky from a dozen locations across the Wasatch front, broadcasting the location of yet another autumn attraction.

These lights waste energy, distract motorists, and ruin the view for stargazers. They can also fatally disorient migratory birds.

What gives these companies the right to invade the night sky over thousands of homes for miles in every direction?
The night sky belongs to everyone. The use of searchlights for advertising is celestial vandalism.

To stem a jalapeño

I made some tomatillo sauce today. This recipe is known to be a little spicy, but the sauce wound up being palate-scorching. Turns out when I read "2 jalapeños, stemmed", I took that to mean "cut off the stem" when in reality it also means "cut out the seeds and membranes while you're at it". Whoops. A few teaspoons of sugar calmed it down a bit, but that was still probably the spiciest burrito I've ever eaten.