How Could I Have Forgotten: The Poll

After writing about my kiwi breakfast, my mum-in-law said, "I never thought to cut my kiwi that way!" I mentioned her comment to Jesse, thinking it was weird. I've always halved and scooped. Well, Jesse laughed at me, saying, "why do you cut it that way?" Just like they've always done it their weird-o, Midwestern way, I've always done it my way. The right way. Take the poll on the right!

p.s. My dad used to have an employee who ate kiwis like an apple: furry skin and all. That is also not the right way.

I Just Tried the Weirdest Thing

I was reading my Delicious Living magazine that came from my local whole foods store, Down to Earth, and I came across a recipe for kale chips, a quick, vegan snack that the magazine staff really liked. It sounded so weird that I had to try it. I didn't have any kale on hand but I did have some really pretty rainbow swiss chard from the CSA.
Both kale and chard are really tough, substantial greens and I thought I'd try a swap; I've been trying to figure out a good way use up the chard. So, I made the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, agave nectar, garlic and cayenne vinaigrette and tossed in the chard. I baked it in a single layer on a baking sheet according to the directions. They were kind of snr: dehydrated to the point that they were super-fragile and crumbled really easily so they could never be stored. The sugar in the agave nectar caramelized and tasted burned even though I closely followed the baking directions. The vinaigrette on the raw chard, however, was really delicious: sweet and spicy! I'll definitely give the recipe a try again when I have some kale; but in the mean time, Jess and I can finish up our chard in this yummy dressing!

Under [the] Cover

Check out the cover of the July 21, 2008 issue of The New Yorker. It satirizes all the wildest right-wing paranoia about the Barak and Michelle Obama.

Of course, it has received an instantaneous response. When asked about the cover, Obama declined to comment and his spokesperson deemed it tasteless and offensive. Conservative website WorldNetDaily did a poll and found that 60% of responders said "the image isn't too far from the dangerous truth about the Obama family." Sheesh. Its satire, folks. It made me laugh out loud. And has anyone gotten past the cover and read the article? The artist, Barry Blitt, is standing by the cover and he should. Check out a couple of his previous covers. Ahmadinejad on the toilet made me laugh so hard I peed a little.

via Slog

additional covers via The Huffington Post

How Could I Have Forgotten

I haven't had a kiwi in years but I just saw some at Wegmans and they looked appealing. So this morning, I sat on in the lawn and had them for breakfast. Yum. I forgot how great they are!

Hire Me. Please?

I started this job respite with intense anxiety. The week after quitting, I was suited up and searching. Then I settled into my new domestic goddess role: organizing, baking, rehanging pictures, cooking for our friends. I was still looking and interviewing and putting on the charm but I really was reveling in my freedom. Here's the gist of a conversation I had with Mikus when I was in Wisconsin:

Me: You should come to New York for a visit but you should come soon before I find a job.

Mikus:When will that be?

Me: Hopefully... never.

But we obviously can't continue to subsist on Jesse's income. Additionally, I'm antsy and am feeling kind of worthless so I really need to find something. Shit! I hate trying to find a job! I know that's an absolutely universal statement but, jeez, this sucks. I've sent so many resumes, filled out so many applications, made so many initial and follow-up calls, continued to put on the charm. I know only nepotism will get you a better job (or a job, in this case?), but even that's not working.

I just want to find something. I can do lots of things and, based on my last job, I am apparently willing to do lots of things. I hope, as does Jesse, something is on the horizon. I really don't want to work at Target.

Dear Overindulgent Neighbors

Dear Overindulgent Neighbors,

Its 66 degrees and damp outside. Is the air conditioner really necessary? Its so loud I can't hear David Sedaris tell me about his childhood music lessons.

Sincerely,
Your Petulant Neighbor

David Sedaris Used the Japanese Method. You Can, Too!

Its all the rage now.


via OvertureCenter for the Arts

That's Better

The rain has finally arrived and I did a little running around. I'm feeling less sullen now.

Meep

.ʇɐɥʇ s,ǝɹǝɥʇ os 'uʍop ǝpısdn ʇxǝʇ ʎɯ sdı1ɟ ʇɐɥʇ 1ooʇ sıɥʇ punoɟ ı ʇsɐǝ1 ʇɐ .uıɐɹ p1noʍ ʇı ɥsıʍ ʎ11ɐǝɹ ı puɐ ɟ1ǝsʎɯ ɥʇıʍ op oʇ ʇuɐʍ ı ʇɐɥʍ ʇno ǝɹnbıɟ ʇ,uɐɔ ı .ʎdɯnɹb puɐ ɔıbɹɐɥʇǝ1 buı1ǝǝɟ ɯ,ı

Its Lovely! I'll Take It!

I just found a hilarious blog that is making me laugh out loud. Its Lovely! I'll Take It! is a collection of awful, ill-conceived real estate listing photos. Call me crazy, but I think photos including urine, trash can lids, ominous staircases, clutter, bathrooms with no walls, clutter, random empty corners, corners with stuff in them, this weird thing, clutter, another weird thing, unders, and this crazy cat might make the sale of your house somewhat more difficult.

Actually, I kind of like the cat and his frightening glower.

Is This Where its Headed for Me?

::sigh::


art via explodingdog

Hard Candy

Tonight, Jesse and I watched Hard Candy, a 2005 independent film starring Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page. Its a very disconcerting, awkward story of a sophisticated and charming 14-year-old girl, Hayley (Page), and a sexy, savvy 32-year-old photographer and sexual predator, Jeff (Wilson), who meets her on the inkernet. When they meet at a local coffee shop, they flirt and he buys her a tee shirt before they head back to his place for some music and screwdrivers. Yikes!

I loved Ellen Page in Juno and her charisma is pretty palpable in this film, as well. The story is pretty crazy, absolutely fantastic, but its interesting to see Page in such a diverse roll. Additionally, it includes someone who dies in an unusual or untimely way, one of my idiosyncratic predilections.

Brews News, Post Vexation

Thankfully, my poor, violated Subaru is nearly rid of all fetid sputum and I am now prepared to recount the details of our day in Sewercuse and at the Empire State Brewing and Music Festival. We got into the city around 2 p.m. and had a late lunch at Blue Tusk, a pub and wine bar with 69 beers on draught (most served in 20 oz. imperial pints) and an eclectic menu with impressive cheese, meat, or vegetable and bread board appetizers. A definite destination for the casual beer drinker AND the connoisseur.

After lunch, we wandered around Armory Square and into Eureka Crafts, a long-time favorite of ours. This unique contemporary craft store is filled with amazing and peculiar ceramics, glass, jewelery, metal and wood from artisans across the country. Nearly every time we visit, we leave with a gift idea for some forth-coming occasion.

We meandered through a couple other shops and found an enormous dead bug before making our way over to the festival area.

The doors opened at 4:30 and pouring started shortly thereafter. A list of some of our favorites:

Jesse:

• Empire Brewing Company Cask-Conditioned IPA
  
• Middle Ages Brewing Company XIII
  

Lisa:

• Boulder Beer Company Sweaty Betty Blonde
• Rogue Dead Guy
• Rogue Mocha Porter
• Southern Tier Brewing Company HeavyWeizen

While Jesse was off sampling and sampling (and sampling some more), I got to hear some great music. Hot Day at the Zoo is a progressive 4-piece (guitar, mandolin, banjo and upright bass) string band from Lowell, MA. They were really high-energy and playful "zoo-grass."

Donna the Buffalo wrapped up the fun, albeit long, evening. DtB has been around for such a long time that they barely need any notes. They do awesome zydeco, bluegrass, country rock and folk jams; I love watching Tara Nevins on her accordion.


I collected Jesse and closely monitored his wobbly walk to the car. The rest has been scooped, scrubbed, vacuumed, scraped, sprayed away. Next time we're driving Jesse's car.

Brews News

My idiot husband puked in my car.

A Witte for Me, A Double IPA for Jesse

Today, Jesse and I are heading to Sewercuse to the 2008 Empire State Brewing and Music Festival. The nice thing about this festival is that it really highlights the craft brewing industry, both local and nationwide.

There is a new, extra special portion for the true beer snob (read, Jesse): a Cask-Conditioned Ale Tent. And for me, a beginner connoisseur of Belgian brews, a Belgian Beer Tent. The tents are only open for brief periods of time; our experience with last year's Belgian Beer Tent was crazy: tons of people all shoved into a little tent trying to get a 2 oz. sample of some Duvel or Lindeman's Lambic. The beer didn't last anywhere near the length of time the tent was scheduled to be open.

We will be meeting up with our friends Phil and Emily and Dominic and Jessica. My brother, Eric, also an extreme beer snob and brewer, has to miss this year's festival since he is in Alaska.

We had a lot of fun at last year's festival. I'm sure this year won't disappoint us. Details to follow.

McCain, The Incoherent Mysogynist

From ThinkProgress:

Earlier this week, one of Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) top advisers, Carly Fiorina, argued for McCain’s free-market approach to health care by noting that “there are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won’t cover birth-control medication” and that many “women would like a choice.” But, as ThinkProgress noted, Fiorina’s argument was undermined by McCain’s 2003 vote against legislation that would have required insurance coverage of prescription birth control. When asked about the disconnect on his campaign bus today, McCain nervously replied, “I certainly do not want to discuss that issue“:

Q: Earlier this week Carly Fiorina was meeting with a bunch of reporters and talked about it being unfair that insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control. And -

McCain: I certainly do not want to discuss that issue. (uneasy laughter)

Q: But apparently you’ve voted against (McCain laughter continues)

McCain: I don’t know what I voted -

Q: Voted against coverage of birth control, forcing health insurance companies to cover birth control in the past. Is that still your position?

McCain: I’ll look at my voting record on it, but I have, uh, (5 second pause) , I don’t recall the vote right now. But I’ll be glad to look at it and get back to you as to why, I don’t -

Q: I guess her statement was that it was unfair that health insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control. Do you have an opinion on that?

McCain: (after 8 second pause) I don’t know enough about it to give you an informed answer because I don’t recall the vote, I’ve cast thousands of votes in the Senate. I will respond to - it’s a, it’s a (nervous)

McCain’s stumbling answer is reminiscent of when he was asked in March 2007 about public funding for contraceptives and he could only reply, “whether I support government funding for them or not, I don’t know.”

Wow. McCain's floundering for a response to minimal pressure on this issue is so unbelievably inauspicious that its frightening. Yikes!

via Feministing

What He Said

From Jonathan Golob:

If being a gay man is an inborn, inherent trait with some genetic basis–as the massive, overwhelming, credible, sound, tenable, probable, corroborating, confirming, affirmative collection of scientific evidence states–why are there gay men at all? It’s a trait that strongly discourages procreative sex. Less sex with women means less babies and therefore less spreading of the gay genes.

These alleles should drop out of the population....

Continue reading here.


via DearScience

Tell Google That You Want to "Bike There"

Sign a petition telling Google how important it is for them to add a "Bike There" option to Google Maps. "Drive There" and "Take Public Transit There" options exist already. I'm number 38251.

Read more here and here.

Human Mirror

I love Improv Everywhere.


via Mental Floss

I Can Absolutely Empathize with Dan Savage

Since I was still putzing around at 3:43 am.

[At what point] ...do you say, “Fuck it, I’m not going to lay here wide awake anymore,” and get up and go for a bike ride or go buy some crack or go blow your brains out or something? The freakin’ sun is coming up. Fuck it, I’m going to read the NYT and then write a very special sleep-deprived episode of “Savage Love.” Victrola opens at 5:30, right?

Sorry, Dan. Its the worst, huh?


via Slog