Steady Mobbin'

Best Various Nights, Various Friends

2012-01-30T00:38:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday night Chaunte came over. Why did Chaunte come over?

Because we were having her a birthday paaartay!

Lots of luminaries came to celebrate, luminaries like Alpha.

And Broek.

And you know, lots of others. Listen, I was partyin'. Not photographin'.

Friday night Rachel came over. Why did Rachel come over? Cuz she was in town, and to school me at Rummikub.

And then Saturday night Jeff was in town. Why was Jeff in town? For workin'. And partyin'. We tried to party by eating at Roberta's. But there was a two and a half hour wait. At six thirty. So we headed for other parts of Brooklyn.

Parts with BYOB night painting classes.

To eat at good ol Dumont.

Brothers!

(me)

And to play a few games at the good ol' Barcade.

The loneliness of the Lone Jouster.

And then Sunday night Jared was in town. Why was Jared in town? What? You're going to tell this guy what he can or can't do?

Best Art Show I Nearly Missed

2012-01-26T00:17:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, the very last day possible, I saw the Billy Childish show at the Lehmann Maupin gallery just a few blocks from my apartment.

Who is Billy Childish? Well, according to the wall text . . .

But according to me: Billy Childish is a British punk rock musician whose music I was introduced to in 1995 and for a good many years I was nearly obsessed with. Ask me what my favorite band of all time is and I'll hem and haw trying to pick between the Milkshakes, Thee Mighty Caesars, and Thee Headcoats.

Billy also paints and writes, and his painting has improved. He's a big deal now, to the gallery folk.

I was partial towards his volcano work.

On the second floor of the gallery there was a room exhibiting some of his books and records. If you were at the show with me you would have had to listen to me pointing to each record, one at a time, saying: "Got that one, love that one, don't have that one, don't have that one, got that one . . . no, not that one, that one, bought that one two days before going into the MTC, bought that one the other week when I was in California, don't have that one, never heard of that one, totally have that one . . ." and on and on.

And these are barely a drop in the album bucket. I was kind of disappointed in the number of compilations and retrospectives on the wall. Those ones don't count.

And the books! Books whose names I had only seen in Maximum Rock n Roll articles or read on websites of the late mid-nineties.

Self published (well, technically it's all self published) work of the late 70s, early 80s.

That book there, in the lower right hand corner, was the object of an impossible and fruitless search during college. And then Saturday there I stood, staring it down, a pane of glass keeping me from flipping through its pages.

One more painting.

And just an office. For selling you these paintings, if you're ready for one.

Best Birthday of the Year, Every Year

2012-01-25T00:02:00.002-05:00

Once again it's Andy's birthday again.

(This picture is from his party last year)

Maybe you know or maybe you don't, but 2011 was a rugged year for Andy. But he continues to battle and rage with his particular ferociousness; the last time I visited him he saw me coming into his room and just started yelling at me, I tell you it brought joy to my heart. While my favorite birthday party of the year has been postponed, I will be paying him a little visit tonight. If you have any birthday wishes you'd like me to pass on to him, please leave them in the comments. I know he will appreciate them.

Best Back to the Noodle Bar

2012-01-24T09:50:00.004-05:00

Would you believe I haven't been to the Momofuku Noodle Bar since, err, October? Dipped in for a little dinner last week, let's run down the dishes, new and old.

Tried the Brisket Buns, pretty nice. Would have liked more kick from the horseradish and pickled onions. Of the non-Pork variety buns I think the Ebi Filet-O-esque shrimp buns are still my favorites.

Roasted Cauliflower with preserved lemon, harissa (middle eastern pepper adding a decent amount of heat), and walnut sauce. Wish I had had a spoon to finish the walnut sauce off with.

Momofuku Ramen. The classic. Pork belly, pork shoulder, pork broth, poached egg, a few vegetables. I appreciate it more each time I get it. And here is my trick: Always take home any leftover broth. Cook with it later. It'll porky-up a dish real nice.

Duck Salad. What is it that they say? "Run don't walk?" Well, run, don't walk (and push over who you have to) to the Noodle Bar to try this seasonal dish because it is. Wow. It is just wow. A salad of shredded duck confit, a few thin slices of breast (I presume), ribbons of squash, some hazelnut, some brown butter. I hesitate to use the word "umami" but I do believe this dish punches the umami tastebuds right in their mouths. Best duck dish I've had in a week! I miss it bad.

Best Wishes

2012-01-22T23:53:00.000-05:00

Just because it's the very end of my brother Greg's birthday doesn't mean I can't wish him a Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday, here are some pictures you might not ever have seen before. Or haven't seen in a long time. And also, relax people. I called him earlier in the day. This isn't some last minute remembering it was his birthday kind of thing.

These are all from back when I was your age.

It's not like I've got a whole lot of really interesting pictures from thirteen years ago that I've been holding onto. Just a few.

Best SEE! It Only Took Two Posts

2012-01-22T05:29:00.001-05:00

And now, the thrilling conclusion of my Martin Luther King Day Weekend in DC.

Sunday morning, Jeff cooked us sauteed spinach and poached eggs. Just add his name to the list of people who make me feel inferior about my egg poaching skills.

We spent a bit of the morning at the Hirshhorn admiring the arrangement of their Andy Warhol Shadows exhibit.

And ran into the Air and Space Museum "just for a minute" to see the model of the Enterprise used in the making of the original Star Trek show.

And, you know, a few other things.

Of all the people to have ever killed Brits and Americans, I think the Red Baron will always be our favorite. We just love how he got us so bad!

I didn't know the Germans used dazzle camouflage on their planes. Looks fabulous!

Who doesn't love a great war mural?

Or space mural? Who doesn't love a mural, really. That's what I should have said.

Remember these? Those outdoor exercise stations? So P90X!

And then we attended worship services just over the border in Maryland, my home.

And then we had lunch at this place called, uhhh, Gary's Update* or something? Where the menu was a newspaper? We went there because Jeff and I both felt like mashed potatoes. I had meatloaf, he had chicken fried steak, the steak won.

*Ted's Bulletin, that's the name of it. Had to do internet research.

Ted's seems to be well-known for its house made Pop Tarts. Didn't try one, but those ones in the front there are topped with bacon.

That night I hung out with the Notorious F.I.E.T. in the mysterious land called Arlington,

We made what I like to believe was the world's first ever Grilled Corn Cookie Mozzarella Swiss sandwich. If you know for a fact that someone else used Momofuku Corn Cookies to make a mozarella and Swiss cheese sandwich please let me know.

The Verdict: Better with Cheddar.

The next morning? Monuments!!

This is the guy that said he had not yet begun to fight. TR was a fan.

Right place, right time.

As you can see, the crowd loved this Park Ranger. And let's hear it for Park Rangers in general. They know their stuff and they know their stories.

Unfortunately we missed our chance to hear one of history's most famous speeches recited through darling little lisps.

DC what happened to your lawn? And pool?

After Abe, I visited my old friend Button.

Then it was over to the Arlington National Cemetery. Had never been before, if you can believe it.

President Taft. TR rescinded his fanship.

Help me out: Is that burning an eternal flame?

"Bivouac of the Dead"

Childhood photos of deceased soldiers from every state of the Union.

Then after that I paid a little visit to the Newseum. If you want to visit a museum that will somber you up, may I recommend the one-two-three punch of the Newseum's East Berlin/Pullitzer Prize Photos (9 out of 10 of those photos being of people dying/about to die/having just died)/and September 11th exhibits.

This is the Leica (and 35mm Summicron) used to take the famous photo of the girl in Vietnam running down the street naked after the Napalm attack.

But, on the lighter side, they had a fun exhibit on Sports Photography.

And it's just cool looking in there in general.

Before we knew it it was time to catch our Megabus home. Courtney saw us off like we were dignitaries or something.

Imagine my delighted surprise to discover our Megabus had a see-through window. Too bad I didn't have much to see-through at on the ride home. And was Dave on our bus home with us too? Maybe.

Okay, okay. Dave was. He totally was.

Best I Wanted So Bad Not to Post This

2012-01-20T19:51:00.000-05:00

But I watched it and couldn't resist once I noticed the cameos.

Are dogs the new cats?

Best I Promise This Will Only Take Two Posts

2012-01-19T23:31:00.000-05:00

All Jeff had to do was ask if I had any interest in running down to DC for the RevDrMLKjr Day weekend and I was in. Hopped on a Bolt Bus in New York around 3 o clock, rolled into Union Station by 7:15, ready for action and adventure (but also a little [or lot] bus-tired). And while I was down there for good solid three days and nights, I promise you to spend no more than two posts accounting for this trip.

(I just need to take a second to show you the exciting informational images that were on one [and probably all] of the bus's ceiling hatches)

Jeff and I stayed with his college chum, Briana, just like we had over Labor Day weekend. And just like Labor Day weekend, we went to nearby Eastern Market for a Blue Bucks breakfast Saturday morning.

But unlike Labor Day Weekend, this time my Blue Bucks made a fool of me. But I'd rather lose my battle with a stack of pancakes than walk around all day feeling too full of pancakes.

But I compensated for this loss with a meaningful victory. Labor Day Weekend the owner and vendor of these paintings warned me not to photograph them. But this time, I got a photo of your flags, dude. What are you going to do about it? Begrudge me the internet attention? The internet fame? Don't you know my friends' parents' read this blog? What if, say, the Pritchetts decide they want to buy an impressionistic representation of our nation's symbol the next time they're in DC? What are you going to do when they walk up to you and say they saw you on the internet? Tell them they can't buy one?

And if anyone wants to buy this bunny, it's also available at the Eastern Market.

Walked home to Briana's via Lincoln Park, where your fancy cocktails are not welcome. You wouldn't want to drink one while cleaning up after your dog, anyway.

Our keynote activity for Saturday was a trip out to Fredericksburg, VA, just an hour and eleven minutes away from DC. Here's something I learned: We (meaning "The Union" as I, like you, like to imagine that's who I'd have been sided with back then) got absolutely served by the Confederate army in Fredericksburg. We might have trashed their town, but they absolutely wrecked us on the battlefield.

Hostess Bri, indicating our location on the map. We walked around the Sunken Trail battlefield. The other Fredericksburg battlefields are best visited, and seen, by car.

Magnolia leaves, correct?

A deservedly popular soldier from Fredericksburg is Richard Kirkland, a Confederate soldier who risked his life spending hours bringing water to dying Union soldiers. It's hard to hear his tale and not feel a stirring inside yourself. Try it yourself. When gunned down at a later battle his dying words were "Tell my pa I died right." You spend a little time listening to Civil War tales and a lot of the black and white of it drains away real quick.

The driveway to the mansion home of the president of a college you've never heard of.

The Sunken Trail.

Anticipating a lot more drudging through soggier environments, I brought my new Bean boots to Virginia for their first field testing. Here I stand in the largest puddle I could find on this trip to Fredericksburg. May I just say they performed perfectly.

This perfect trail is made of fused fake bark. Underfoot it feels like that squishy material that playgrounds grow out of now.

Intrigued by a mysterious house on the hill, I conducted a little investigation.

Investigation Results: Could not determine original use of the home, but had once served as the previous visitors' center.

Up on the hill there was an old little graveyard.

Well, not that old.

Great view of the game from up here.

Little old graveyard was a very short walk away from the big, old graveyard. More war dead here.

From the Sunken Trail we headed to Lee's overlook, the place where Lee overlooked the battles of Fredericksburg.

Right by there these people had a goat. It bleated a whole lot.

With a nice goat like that one you definitely need a No Trespassing sign.

From there we visited a few more battlefields with the final goal of visiting the house where Stonewall Jackson died.

And there it is, the former plantation home where Jackson succumbed to the ill effect of an unfortunate case of friendly fire. And pneumonia.

This friendly robot will tell you the whole story. And promise you cake.

(wanted to show you the VIP parking spot we got)

This is the very bed in which Jackson expired. At the foot of the bed, one of the twelve (or was it twenty one?) blankets he was covered with when he died (even though it was over eighty degrees outside that die). Do you know Jackson's famous last words? "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees."

Additional authentic furnishings.

On the way home, my genteel Northerner sensibilities were put to their test by sight of those turkey vultures picking at that carcass.

Needless to say, I wound up treating this McDonalds cone about as savagely.

Stay tuned for this trip's exciting final two days!

Best 123rd Annual Tournament of Roses

2012-01-17T22:09:00.002-05:00

The keynote activity of our family Christmas-time trip to California was to go to the Rose Parade. It was the first time in ages and ages we had been to it together. Mom grew up just down the road from the parade route, it’s like a tradition and a way of life for Pasadenaers/San Marinoans/Others.

The early morning walk to Colorado Blvd.

This is Penny, from Grandma’s church, she’s the brains behind a major space-securing operation that got us our chair spaces. She is not yelling here, she is directing and making it happen.

Our chair neighborhood's pre-parade scene.

Colorado Boulevard. The Pink Line is the Rose Parade route, it's there year round. Float drivers can see it through the floor of their hidden driving compartments.

With Colorado closed off to traffic and everyone around in high spirits, there's plenty going on along the boulevard before the parade begins.

Plenty of contingencies of old timey bicycles.

Our neighborhood from the middle of the street.

Never too early for the Taco Truck. I took this picture to remember forever that they had a torta called the Ilegal.

Just making new friends as we push our carts through people's chairs at the side of the road.

That guy yelled "Hey, Picture Man" at me and so I took his picture.

Boy Scouts selling parade programs, like they always do.

Who's laughing at your Taco Bell job now?

Plenty of joggers enjoying the five mile route.

An early Rose Parade memory of mine is receiving a quarter from a balloon salesman for returning to him a balloon that had sort of come loose from its cluster.

I don't know where all the temple workers got those nice red ties from.

There was a gentleman distributing suspicious looking hundred dollar bills. (I am not the gentleman in question. I am a recipient of one such bill).

It is very hard to convince a kid to try to buy something with the giant bill. Impossible, actually.

Don't worry, Pasadena Snookie got her tacos.

This is the sheriff that kept us under control. Stern yet fair, this officer of the law.

Roller Blading through to save our souls.

Do you see that dark, airborne thing in the distance? Do you?

It's a B2 Stealth Bomber flying in slow, low and silent over the parade route. When you've seen one of these with your own eyes, you will understand UFO sightings a lot better.

Goodbye, B2 bomber. I'll never forget you!

I can't remember this lady's name, but I recognize her from my early youth.

She's got her homemade Rose hat and her Shape Ups so she's doing pretty well this morning.

Another face from my early youth years.

Waiting.

Bless Ellie for being the one willing to wear my Ben Franklin hat.

That's what I've been trying to tell you!

Attention hog.

Aaand here it is! The Rose Parade!

And there it goes, the Rose Parade. Awful short this year.

Just kidding! It was long. And I took so many pictures! Please believe me I edited my collection down as much as I could. Please also believe me that I took over 4gbs of photos and had to put a new battery during the parade.

Also, would you believe me if I told you Kenny G blew beautiful music into my face from the very first float of the day? How were the others going to measure up to this?

Trying to catch up with the B2, I suppose.

I don't understand why this guy was tearing down that building.

Li'l Sebastian! Li'l Sebastian!

Li'l Sebastian's helpers!

No one could figure out who this guy in the NASA jumpsuit was.

Grand Marshall: JR Martinez, a guy from Dancing With the Stars.

This float is a pretty good example of your standard Rose Parade float.

And this Xbox Kinect float is a good example of your standard super-corporate Rose Parade float.

However, this Trader Joe's float bridged the two tastefully and was a fan favorite.

Royal Swedish Marching Band. They played Dancing Queen as they passed by. I kid you not and I tell you no lies.

The Rose Queen and her court.

The Quill and Sword Club.

As the Rose Parade is directly associated with the Rose Bowl, Oregon and Wisconsin were both represented in the parade. Based on their parade presences, I chose Wisconsin as my team for their more tasteful and Apple Pie cheerleader apparel and because their band did not play a Lady Gaga song.

Puerto Rican band.

Calgary Stampede Band. Red boots on everyone.

Additional corporate presences.

The Power Rangers still exist?!

Humble royalty, but not not majestic.

This is the very popular, extremely long Surfing Dogs float. It had dogs that surfed on it.

A marching band from Kyoto with absolutely no regard for proper parade decorum.

See?!!

Always there's Mexican cowboys twirling lassos.

The blimp! Even in the age of the B2 bomber it's still exciting to see the dear old blimp.

The All-Lubbock High School(s) Marching Band. Great kick-action there in the front.

Towards the end of the parade, the La Cañada float has an undeniable charm about it.

Elizabeth Taylor float.

The Girl Scout float. Quite the presence.

Land Before Time reunion.

Roy Rogers 100th Anniversary Float featuring the real dead bodies of Trigger and Bullet, his horse and dog.

"Is that it?" "Yeah, that's it."

After the parade: The parade of broken down floats.

And the walking home parade.

Grandma's Drive Way: We do our part by letting friends and friends of friends park there.

Rocko likes the bear.

Traditional after-parade feast of Chinese Chicken Salad and Chili.

Oh wait, you know what else Rocko likes? The tables at the Boat. Which is where we ate that night. Just before I went to the airport and flew back to New York.

So, if you can believe it, that means this was the last of my Christmas break posts. It's time to embrace 2012 and get on with our internet lives.

Best Complete Account

2012-01-16T10:17:00.000-05:00

At then end of my post about the duck dinner I mentioned a subway incident involving a wayward youth, here's the whole story. Sorry about my white print on black blog, I should do something about that.

On a downtown Q train headed from to Canal Street from Union Square I watched with some subway bemusement as a young hipster, late teens I’d say, wearing a denim jacket and a pair of stretch pants whose lycra limits she clearly was testing, as she ate a fistful of beef jerky straight from the bag. She ate the thin, wide pieces with enthusiastic abandon. One piece fell from her fist onto her leg and watched her, wondering when she’d notice. She leaned down—I thought at first to get the jerky, but instead she was stuffing her jerky bag into the baggy purse held between her legs. Her face disappeared into the bag for a deep moment, then she raised it—I’d say she was Hispanic, she wore thick brimmed glasses, after the popular fashion, and her upper lip was darkened a bit by unattended hairs—the piece of jerky fell from her leg to the floor, she lowered her face to her bag again. Seemed like the jerky show as over. I walked down the car a bit to a better door, my stop was coming up.

Leaning on the door, I noticed a passenger was reading Cat’s Cradle, a book I’ve had an intense on and off relationship with for sixteen years. I walked back over by my original spot on the train to see who was reading it. A young lady but not a young young lady. Back at that end of the train, I caught another glance of the jerky girl, rooting around in her purse, it was occurring to me that she looked a touch out of it. As the train slowed for Canal street I pulled out my notepad to scrawl “hipster jerky” for future remembering. I stepped out of the car, Cat’s Cradle was right behind me, but she hung a hard left when she got off the train and ran to the nearby conductor’s compartment at the head of the train. She tapped on the window urgently. Funny, I thought, she doesn’t look like she’d need directions. The conductor lowered the window, I heard the woman exclaim “There is a girl on the train who is huffing! Huffing. Inhaling something.” Between each sentence she looked more intensely at the conductor “Isn’t that a problem?”

My jerky friend. Of course. I looked behind me at the car, there she was, face in the purse again. I heard a muffled airy hissing sound that hadn’t registered earlier. I realized I had heard that sound over and over on the train. Didn’t really know what to make of it, I walked up the stairs to the J platform. I looked back down the stairs, the train was still there. I heard the recorded voice over the PA announcing that the train was being held momentarily. I felt like I should be involved in this, wasn’t sure how. I went back down the stairs. Were the cops going to be there?

Riders remained on the train blank faced, people waiting for an N train lined the platform, and I saw the jerky girl slip off the train just as the doors were closing and it was pulling out of the station. She was not well, there was a weakness in her knees and she walked in a very wide, loose swerve down towards the other end of the platform. I trailed her, maybe 8 feet behind, tensing up every time her sine wave course brought her back to the yellow edge of the subway platform. A white knit scarf fell from her bag, someone grabbed it and handed it to her, without paying a bit of attention the jerky girl took the scarf back and slung it over her shoulder again. She raised an aerosol can wrapped in a magazine to her face. I thought of boys with bags of glue I had seen in Mexico. She was getting so close to the edge. Her butt was so big. Her hair was so greasy. Her clothes looked so normal. I glanced over my shoulder for maybe the Cat’s Cradle woman or anyone else with an eye on this girl. Didn’t see anything that looked like either.

The jerky girl reached the very end of the platform, looked for a moment like she was going to keep going—Is she a mole person?!—I thought to myself—Returning to her lair?—on not-nimble feet she pivoted and hunkered down on the floor, first with her legs and feet sticking out over the edge—in my mind I saw a train taking them clean off—after one more bag-immersion she tucked them under herself, Indian style.

I looked at her. I needed a cop. I headed upstairs and down the too-long hall of the Broadway side of the NQ station at Canal, through the turnstyles, shouldn’t there just be a cop right around here? The station was empty, an MTA worker was inside his booth. He looked up as I approached.

I told him there was a girl on the tracks, very close to the edge, getting high, huffing—On the tracks?! he asked No, the platform. I could tell he knew that’s what I meant, but was just checking. He asked me to describe her, he copied my words down on a piece of brown paper bag in a private shorthand, “In her twenties?” He asked “Ehh . . . late teens . . . wearing a denim jacket, leggings, she has a white scarf” My voice was quivering? My voice was quivering. “White?” He asked. I looked at the MTA worker’s brown skin “Hispanic, light skinned Hispanic . . . hipster looking.” He wasn’t losing his cool but he was with me, he was listening. “I’ll call it in” he told me. I thanked him, stepped back. Would she still be there? And does it mean he’ll “call it in”? Didn’t know what to do so I swiped my metrocard and headed back to the platform. A train hadn’t come yet. She was still in her spot. I stood close by with a pillar between us, she huffed. She was more mid-teens, now that I had a better look. We both heard the squeal of an approaching train. She turned herself around and stood, uneasily, slow to straighten out her knees. Her butt was over the line, sticking out into the subway’s path. I noticed that the tunnel turned sharply as it arrived at the station, I could see the train’s lights on her butt but couldn’t tell how close the train was, in my mind I saw the train take it clean off. She stood. The train arrived. She’d had plenty of time.

Are police coming? I wondered. I looked around for police. She headed to board the train, I put a hand on her shoulder, “Are you okay?” is what I said, I didn’t know what I was going to say, apparently my brain chose the least useful thing “I’m fine” she said, like a disgruntled teen that doesn’t want any help from their guidance counselor. She stumbled aboard, dragging her white scarf but wearing a darker scarf. I didn’t remember the other scarf! Was my description going to throw the authorities off her trail? She sat down, nearly fell into her seat, the other passengers gave her a look. I stood and watched. should I be getting on this train? The next stop is in Brooklyn. The doors closed, there were no cops on the platform, the train rolled away and I watched her pass by.

Her mom wishes I got on that train, I thought, turning for the staircase.

Best Prince of Burbank, Duke of San Fernando

2012-01-13T01:39:00.004-05:00

You were probably wondering if I saw Collin while I was in California. Of course I did. Went out and met up with him in his new valley home soon after he rolled into town from Utah.

He shared things that were special to him with me, things like Yakki's and El Pollo Loco churros. With so many choices, I let my guide be my guide.

We split a Bull Dog (that would be a hotdog with cheese sauce deepfried inside a wonton) and a spectacular Pastrami Burger.

Additional clientele.

At the same corner as Yakki's there is a super high cross walk button. For centaurs. Or humans mounted upon their steeds.

Waiting for a churro. And a taquito. And whatever else might come along.

Then we returned to Collin's lair to see some of his Hollywood belongings.

There's me. Again.

Now, this post's trip to Burbank occurred on the evening of the 1st, the night before the Rose Parade would make its five mile way down Colorado Boulevard, just a few blocks north of my Grandma's house. What I saw crossing Colorado, going to and from the freeway, made an impression. Families, survivalists, outfitted and prepared for a night of waiting. I caught glimpses of small barbecues spewing flame, flaming heaters near inflatable mattresses, little pigtailed Latino girls hopping on inflatable mattresses. Elderly folk hunkered down in folding chairs, teenage whitegirls hunkered down in folding chairs, rows and rows of lawn chairs, vans parked serving as command centers for some of these encampments parked half a block from the nearest lawn chair. Bleachers where bleachers would fit, vendors pulling carts heavy with glowing wands, glowing necklaces, shimmering scepters.

Coming back to Pasadena from Burbank I thought I’d like a closer look, a good long cruise of Colorado—but in a Ralph’s parking lot I saw a Saturn caked with shaving cream, deeps swirls of cream on the windows where it had been rubbed around by hasty, heavy hands, supplemental swirls of silly string accenting the crusting foamy whiteness— and I thought perhaps not, that’s not how anyone wants this car coming home. Arriving at Colorado from the Ralph’s, I saw turning onto that thoroughfare wasn’t even an option. The hired help of APEX security wouldn’t have it. Waiting for my light, three or four more creamed cars drove past. I made out some flatscreens on the curb, hooked up below the sort of tall heaters you see in the outdoor dining section of restaurants in suburban parking lots. Down the block, a few collegiates in Wisconsin sweatshirts. Good, someone was here for the game. The other game, I mean. The game that wasn’t waiting for the parade, watching the parade, walking home from the parade. My glimpse of Colorado, curbside, it already looked like a parade had been by. I wondered if, with the 1^st falling on a Sunday and the parade and game being moved to Monday, if that took any of the edge off? If this were the 31^st would the avenue boil with more energy, the new year countdown anticipation, the explosion of midnight celebration? Or were dates and occasions no reason to slow down the Rose Parade encampments? Was it business as usual along these lanes anyway?

Somewhere along here a friend of my Grandma was saving us ten seats. An impossibly generous favor.

Best First Day of the Year

2012-01-12T00:12:00.000-05:00

Sunday, January 1st 2012 we took a family walk through San Marino to Cal Tech, just a few blocks down into Pasadena from Grandma's house.

Afternoon oranges.

Evidence of the windstorm from a few weeks back still to be found.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith's house all ready for Christmas.

Don't you know that's how roofs catch on fire?

Jabba's palace?

In all my days I'd never been on Cal Tech campus before. I know. I couldn't believe it myself. I thought it was like Hogwarts for nerds. Not that Hogwarts isn't full of nerds itself.

We were lead to Cal Tech by reports of an abundance of turtles. It was true.

They abounded.

Chief turtle hunter.

Family poses.

Other family poses.

Is this too public a forum to say that Mom looked great?

Evening oranges.

That must be Charles Lindbergh on the left. He has some sort of Pasadena connection, I forget what it is. Or wait! Maybe it's a totally different aviator that has a Pasadena connection? Oh I probably just totally embarrassed myself by saying that was Lindbergh.

Night falls and we admire still-Christmas lit homes.

Everyone in the family knows that this is cousin Katharine's favorite house in the neighborhood.

Me, I'm partial to the Spanish-style ones.

Mainstreet Electrical Parade of Homes.

Tune in tomorrow for the appearance of a certain well-loved rogue . . .

First Best Meal of the Year

2012-01-11T01:52:00.011-05:00

Let's take a break from the California recap and talk about something that just happened. Carol organized a little outing for Tuesday night where we had the new Large Format Duck Dinner at the Momofuku Ssam Bar. I've had a couple duck lunches that I loved there, I was excited to see what the full on duck dinner was about.

Our duck arrived hidden beneath foliage and greenery, just as his ancestors once hid from hunters in the wild. With all these leaves covering the guy up, it was hard to know exactly what we were dealing with.

This is more like it . . . slices and slices of wonderful, wonderfully roasted sausage-stuffed duck breast, two confited duck legs, rice that was just there to get in the way, and scallion pancakes. If, at first glance, this doesn't look like a lot of duck to you, trust me, this is a lot of duck.

Additional Dinner Items: Lettuce for wrapping, crispy shallots, hoisin sauce, special ginger scallion sauce with duck fat instead of oil, and Korean barbecue sauce. And I don't drink sparkling water, but when my friends do, they make it Pellegrino Bulgari.

For sides? Broccoli with bluefish dressing topped with what I believe to be crumbled duck skin.

And fingerling potatoes, cooked in duck fat drippings, with spicy black bean sauce.

Like the Bo Ssam and Fried Chicken Dinner, this duck is meant to be eaten wrapped up in leaves and pancakes with all the additional sauces and toppings you desire. And like the Bo Ssam and fried chicken, this duck does not mess around. This is a meal of hyper-accelerated levels of decadence and deliciousness. Eating it you get a feeling like you might be getting in trouble for something, but no, in fact you are only rewarded for your actions.

Evan burrito'd his first round.

Poor guy, he didn't stand a chance. (Don't worry. That last slice was eaten. By me. I don't let my dinner have orphans.)

And now, Roll Call del Amigos:

Evan and Alpha, confusing the internet.

Alpha and Carol

Carol, Trish, Dave.

Dave, me, Claire

The waiter told us they had a "large format" dessert that night, a 'Smore . . . that's all we needed to hear to decide we wanted it. Maaaybe we should have listened to the whole description a little more closely. I imagined a platter overflowing with hot and gooey treats, not something as conceptually advanced as this. I think everyone did. I still ate a lot of it.

Outside, the Milk Bar had clever signage.

In sum, awesome meal. Extraordinary company. If you're going to book one of Momofuku's big dinners, make it this one. (but make sure to have the Bo Ssam and fried chicken some day, too).

On the way home from dinner I tried to keep a fume-huffing teen from falling onto the subway tracks. That's a story for another day. A day like tomorrow, maybe?

But I should at least say that by "tried" I mean "succeeded in."

Best Last Day of the Year

2012-01-10T06:22:00.001-05:00

December 31st, 2011. All I could think about were tacos. I convinced my family to go to Mom's Tamales with me (Collin had taken me there in the summer). The poor place was not quite ready for the likes of us, but things went pretty well.

Taco-wise.

And Carnitas sope-wise.

And chile relleno-wise, too.

Our eating was preceded by a bit of waiting, though. Fortunately the kitchen kept food rolling out as it was prepared and didn't wait for the whole thing to be ready before serving.

Cory has had just about enough out of you, Owen.

Ordering.

Them, over there. How come they've got their food?!

Waiting.

Ugh, waiting.

The patience of a saint.

(Insert imaginary eating photos here or look at the picture from the top of the post again)

The aftermath:

Goodbye, Mom's. I love you.

Best I Had an Afternoon Off and then We Had Chinese Food

2012-01-09T01:46:00.011-05:00

So, last Friday my family went to the Huntington Library. I'd just been there a few months before, so I was granted leave and spent a minute in Silverlake and Hollywood.

Records were purchased.

Home in time to meet up with the family before heading to Yang Chow for Chinese. (food)

Uncle Bob and Aunt Louise met us there.

You are never too young for Dad to teach you how to use chopsticks.

When I was young, given the choice between "Chinese" or "Mexican" I would choose "Chinese" because I liked the spoons.

Sure, the four year old has an iPhone and I don't.

After dinner, caught the sisters joking while the Dr. checked on the Nutritionist's foot.

While everyone distracted his sisters, Owen and I took Blake to see Tintin (not Chipwrecked.) Most unexpectedly satisfying movie of the year: Tintin. Let me get back to you about Chipwrecked.

Best Farmer's Breakfast

2012-01-04T20:11:00.000-05:00

Look, here's me. Brigham. A piece of constructive blog-criticism I received recently was that certain readers like it better when I'm on the blog myself. So let's start this post off with me!

And look, here's Keith. An excellent source of blog constructive-criticism and constructive-positive reinforcement. I went to his house after the whale-hunting trip to participate in a lil homie hangout he and Leslie were hosting.

I found Keith's street to be enveloped in a mysterious fog that evening. Mysterious fogs are a Los Angeles weather that aren't talked about as much as they should be.

Now look, here are three eggs. These are three eggs that Leslie gave me, because Keith and Leslie have chickens in their backyard. That lay eggs! Those kinds of chickens.

I cooked them up to see what practically brand-new, "farm" fresh free range eggs taste like. First thing I learned: careful with the pepper at Grandma's.

This is how I like my eggs scrambled. Low and slow.

And now, a complete breakfast! I love toast and cheese with my eggs. And burnt bacon! Wouldn't have it any other way.

And the taste conclusion on the eggs? Seems kind of silly to say it, we're just talking about eggs here, but I tasted a difference. A delicious difference. Such a simple little food, the egg, but what a wonderful thing it is. So many things you can do with it! I want eggs all the time. Good eggs.

Best We Went Whale Hunting

2012-01-04T01:59:00.000-05:00

Thursday, another bright and early morning.

Trying to find thirteen seats in two cars.

We drove out to Ventura because we were going on a Whale Watching/Island Exploring Adventure!

Which started with being early and looking at the ocean and waiting for our boat.

But before too long we were about our ship and bounding across the ocean, leaping over waves, howling at the wind and the seagulls!

Past oil platforms

And running into whales left and right. Really we saw so many whales we probably should have paid more for our trip. You kind of go on these whale-watching adventures worrying that you might not see any whales but then you see so many whales! Whales to the left, whales to the right, always a spectacular sight (and moreso to me this year because this year I read Moby Dick)

And then to our destination, Santa Cruz Island. I thought we were just going there to eat our sandwiches and come right back home. Imagine my surprise that morning when I heard we were going to be on the island for five hours!

They dropped us off at Scorpion Ranch.

There are ravens all over Santa Cruz, ravenous ravens that just want to steal your lunch from you.

Only one thing to do when you're on an island four times the size of Manhattan for five hours: Hike. Explore. Repeat. First hike, the Cavern Point Loop Trail:

Prickly looking vegetation.

Ten minutes into the trek we had already met with some dissent.

Thanks for ruining the shot, outhouse.

This plane, a cargo plane we all called a bomber, it flew low and noisy

Rousing all our curiosity like a whale of the air

We arrived at our cove view

Look, there's me.

We beat the crowd, the crowd missed seeing the three whales we saw. Another three whales! So many whales.

And here we go, heading back to Scorpion Ranch.

Waiting for mom and Ellie to catch up with me.

Oh good, they caught up with me.

Back at the ranch, time for lunch. Sandwiches that the ravens didn't get.

A model of the island.

And with another couple hours to go before our boat leaves, we begin a second hike. This time to the Potato Harbor overlook.

We believed this said "Keep Goin"

Keep goin', other family, that's not Potato Harbor you're overlooking.

This, with the ravens, is.

Cuz the sign tells me so

And then we realized we kind of needed to hustle and get back to the boat.

But my hustle came to a dead stop when I saw foxes in the field ahead. Little guys, not bigger than our old cat.

This is a house that someone lives in. Maybe the Park Ranger or something?

The boarding line was already in full effect.

Time to leave. Time to see even more whales.

My jacket's hood is very slimming.

Everyone in hoods!

Everyone in hoods or hats!

Strong Pacific sunset in full effect.

Civilization! Venturian civilizations again at last!

And then we were harbored once more.

Spent a minute looking at that sunset a bit more, then went and had Tommy burgers.

Best And Then We Flew to the Other Side of the Country!

2012-01-02T14:56:00.000-05:00

So guess what? Early Wednesday morning (meaning 4 am) my family snuck out of the house under cover of darkness and ran off to the airport.

Established a presence on a Southwest Airlines Airliner.

And flew from Chicago . . .

. . . to California! (Not terribly exciting or exotic, I know, but that's where we went)

Straight from LAX to Grandma's house we went

Did you hear of the mighty Pasadena area windstorms? That tore trees from the ground and tossed them toppling around? A neighbor's tree fell into Grandma's backyard, narrowly missing her bedroom and knocking quite the hole in their neighbor wall.

We were not alone at Grandma's. Kristen and Cory came down with all their kids. Including Walker, who is a baby.

And Rachel. Not a baby.

Ellie. Not a baby.

Here Emily holds Walker, who IS a baby (like I told you earlier).

Found other old friends lurking around.

They were chippin the tree in the front yard.

We all went to Lacy Park, San Marino's premiere park destination.

When I was a kid the Lacy Park playground was just an old fire engine and a couple of teeter totters that could loosen your molars. Now it's swings and stuff.

Can she kick it?

Yes she can.

Uncling.

Oh, here's Blake. Not a baby. He got a spy watch for Christmas. I got spied on so much.

Cory dadding. Imagine what a picture this would be had I thought to frame it a little higher.

Grandson Grandma time.

I circumnavigated (by foot) the park.

There is this creepy house that abuts its southmost side.

A rose garden on the west.

Not really rose season, it seems.

Good work, kids!

Not even the park could escape the ravages of the windstorm.

Have you seen Kristen yet in this post? I can't remember. And I'm not going back to check, either.

What about Owen? Probably.

Greg, definitely.

Rules, rules, rules.

Did you know General Patton was a San Marinoan? He was. There's even a Patton Way now.

Friscalating dusklight.

And then we headed to Alhambra.

Not for In n Out

But to eat at Twohey's, the place where we go.

We had, like, onion rings and chilidips and curry clam chowder and stuff but the establishment's real attraction is the Bittersweet Hot Fudge Sundae.

Good to the last drip.

Whilst eating, night fell.

And that is prettymuch what I took pictures of during our first day in California. I'm afraid this post is going to be followed be several more that won't seem too different from it: f/1.1 shots of nieces and nephews at dinner or in Grandma's living room. Well, actually tomorrow's post is a little different from that. You'll see.

Best Christmas and the Day After and the Day After

2011-12-28T00:32:00.001-05:00

Christmas morning. So much calmer now that we're all older. Didn't take too many photos, but here's this one of my parents trying out the new Tree Face Mom got Dad. Or Dad got Mom. Either way, it's for a tree. Hopefully one in the backyard.

This is Mom's new bracelet.

And these are just some of my first f/1.1 daylight shots.

I spent Sunday afternoon making dinner, making red sauce. Here it is at the start of its four hour simmer. Didn't take too many other pictures cuz I was too busy chopping and stirring and measuring and roasting and stuff.

Roasted a bunch of carrots and heads and heads of cauliflower.

Tried my best to serve everyone an M. Wells style Caesar salad (with the Frankies Caesar dressing. Taught the family not to worry anchovies. A little), did not have nearly enough cheese.

You may notice my thumb is in my drink. That's because of some oven mitt issues.

Monday afternoon I whipped up a Kentucky Fried Chicken Chicken Salad for family lunch. Here it is along its way.

Monday dinner was Las Fuentes. Of course. All that food is mine.

There's Greg.

I insist on eating my Mexican food beneath only the finest chandeliers.

Giant bunny at the neighbors'.

Tuesday night dinner: Deep dish pizza. It had been years for me. And you know what's nice about Christmas break and being around the house most of the time? Shirt repetition.

Okay, you'll never believe what happens next with my Christmas time. It's just too exciting.

Best Christmas Eve Photos

2011-12-27T14:22:00.001-05:00

It's hard to blog when you're so busy snacking and playing Zelda or Portal 2. But here are pictures taken on Christmas Eve, starting at 1'ish AM going on through Christmas Eve Luke 2 reading.

Meetings strangers asking to have their pictures taken.

Best Third Gift of Christmas

2011-12-23T00:09:00.000-05:00

And here's a little something I picked up for myself (thanks to Craigslist and a patient seller):

A Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1
(I got it for cheap, especially considering what the nearest competitor goes for)

It finds light where there is no light, but with its incredibly shallow depth of field, focussing is a real challenge for a new user like myself. Here's a few keepers from our first walk around town together:

I picked the lens up in lower central Chelsea and headed to far upper Chelsea via 7th Ave.

As I've been getting involved in Big Crowded Holiday Activities this season, I decided I ought to at least look at the line to Santaland at Macy's. Didn't think I had it in me to actually go through, plus meeting Santa by myself would make me too nervous.

The Weasley twins!

Other people's children.

Truthfully, just about all of Macy's looks like the line to Santaland.

Outside people photograph the windows.

Photo of the night?

Down Broadway for a bit.

The post-hipster Muppets at the Ace Hotel Opening Ceremony. They really do dress well. I'm starting to think their clothing line is kind of fresh. See? The Fozzy or Gonzo hoodie?

Trying . . . so hard . . . to focus in the dark.

And back down to my part of town.

There was a great big fight on my street a few minutes later. A Jersey Shore-sized fight. It seemed every waiter from the restaurant below my apartment ran out to pound on the troublemaker. I'm not sure of the details of the skirmish.

Overall, I am interested in where this relationship is headed.

Best Second Gift of Christmas

2011-12-22T00:28:00.001-05:00

Hand delivered in from Denmark via courier in East Harlem, this creation by famed blogger/designer B. Watson-Jepsen is like nothing I've ever owned before. Nor wore.

Also, there was a small loaf of a holiday bread or cake topped with additional holiday bread or cake.

You had a hunch that when I said I was East Harlem it was because I was at La Casa. You were right! We had a little pre-Christmas Taco Amigos gathering there Monday night. You've seen plenty of pictures of tacos here before, so none of those today. But here's a picture of us talking about a book about Teddy Roosevelt. Like you've never seen that here before.

Best Sign in the Neighborhood

Best I Look at This Pun I Invented

2011-12-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

"If you're feelin' like a prince / Go on brush your shoulders off"

Source

Best First Gift of Christmas

2011-12-21T04:48:00.002-05:00

The other night I came home to discover a package from Jeff M., opened it: these were inside. Poach pods! Jeff must know how hard it is for me to poach an egg right. I've got serious poaching problems.

Tonight I gave them a trial run.

You get a pot, you get the water boiling, you turn it down, you place the pods in the water with the eggs aboard.

A few minutes later, this is what you've got!

Plopped them into some ramen, burst some yolks and got down. I guess they were more like softly baked eggs or contained weird fried eggs but they were a lot better than my usual disaster poached eggs. I predict a long training wheels like relationship between me and my poach pods.

So thank you Mulcock family for the First Present of Christmas!

Best And Then There's This . . .

2011-12-20T23:21:00.000-05:00

Man, what a week for trailers.

And also the trailer for the next GI Joe movie looks pretty fresh, too.

Best Trailer Possible

2011-12-20T07:49:00.000-05:00

If you're finding out from me that the Dark Knight Rises trailer trailer is now online you really don't spend enough time on the internet. Here is the trailer . . .

And here is my scene by scene analysis. I have no spoilery knowledge of the movie, this is all just guesses and analysis.

Scene 1: A boy nervously begins to sing the National Anthem at a football game. You never expected a football game in a Batman movie, I know. We see that the Gotham City Football team is called the Rogues and that they're going to smash the Monuments . . . the Metropolis Monuments, perhaps?
Scene 2: Bane emerges from underground, the trailer makes you want to think this is at the football game. I've seen Bane in action in the Dark Knight Rises prologue and can tell you he is not nervous here.
Scene 3: Close up of a covered meal in a fancy hall with covered furniture. A limping man with a cane walks towards this. The limping man must be Bruce Wayne. Is he starting out limpy in the movie or does he get limpy? This is a major question.
Scene 4: Alfred, choked up?, talking to Bruce about his responsibility to protect him. Bruce looks a little worn out.
Scene 5: Manhattan is Gotham now. We had a good run, Chicago.
Scene 6: A party. At the rebuilt Wayne Manor? We learn that the mayor is going to dump Commissioner Gordon and that we're in a time of peace. Bruce with a Cane watches (or appears to watch) from a balcony above. Posters of Harvey Dent . . . can't tell if this is the same scene from the beginning of the prologue, that one seemed to be set in daytime. Maybe this is the Harvey Dent funeral afterparty?
Scene 7: Bruce with a Cane strolls into a party. For rich folk. Catwoman talks to him about Occupy Wallstreet. Cut to . . .
Scene 8: Police in a hall duck, they're scared! Something falls.
Scene 9: Bane walks down a hall, he is not scared. He loves his furry coat.
Scene 10: Catwoman puts on a necklace. I've rewound the tape a few times, this could be the same necklace and dress she's wearing while dancing with Bruce. Same pearl earrings. Her voiceover says "Bat-ten down the hatches."
Scene 11: Gordon with gun and flashlight, an explosion goes off behind him. Some cops take a fall. We know from the first teaser that Gordon winds up in a hospital where he asks Batman to come back. This could be how he wound up there. So there's some sort of trap laid for the Gotham police, or the Gotham police get in too deep, and they need Batman to come back and save the city?
Scene 12: Interior of a fancy home, belongings are being tossed dow the stairs. A rich person tries to hide under his furniture, he gets grabbed. The 99% got a lot more riled up in Gotham.
Scene 13: Now Catwoman whispers into Bruce's ear. Yeah, that is the same necklace and dress.
Scene 14: Soldiers lead chanting prisoners out of a giant blown open metal door. They are chanting the Bane chant. Bane is watching them from the foreground.
Scene 15: A Metropolis Monument football player holds up his hand. His last name is Ravenstahl?
Scene 16: Bane approaches the end of a tunnel at the football stadium.
Scene 17: Bruce passes through a gate at what looks like an MC Escher prison. He has a beard. We think of when he was living in Tibet (or wherever) in the first movie. He asks some dude "What does that mean?" the dude says "Rise." Is the dude Alfred? The Fire Rises.
Scene 18: Back at the football stadium, Bane sets off explosions beneath the field. A Rogue runs and runs. Touchdown! Does it count? Is this explosion supposed to be amazing? I kind of don't think it's totally amazing.
Scene 19: Bane says to Bruce Wayne, who looks all beat up and is lying down, "When Gotham is ashes you have my permission to die." Does he know Wayne is Batman? Wayne does not have his prison beard here. Can't tell what he's wearing, either.
Scene 17: Marion Cotillard (IMDB says she plays "Miranda Tate") lowers her masquerade mask, this is the same party Catwoman was at. Bruce seems to enjoy her company more than he enjoyed Catwoman's. Probably Cotillard is rich too and isn't bumming Bruce out with talk of revolution.
Scene 18: A man in a suit and a hood drops down a rope outside a building. Surely this must be Bruce Wayne? Was the limping and the cane just a ruse? Can't tell if he's wearing the same suit as he's got on at the costume party.
Scene 19: Catwoman in a hat walking down a concourse, past bathrooms . . . for a second I thought this was at the football stadium, but people have luggage. It is NOT a football stadium.
Scene 20: Batman raises a gun weapon. First shot of Batman in the trailer. This shot was in the prologue, too.
Scene 21: A big truck rolls by a camouflage Tumbler (you know, the same vehicle as the Batmobile) as an explosion goes off and the Tumbler flips. Light snow falls.
Scene 22: Ninjas(?) repel down into a wide well.
Scene 23: Bane stand proud of himself.
Scene 24: Joseph Gordon Leavit, (playing "John Blake", a cop?) goes through a door, he's looking all around, he's a man on the job.
Scene 25: Fighting on the steps of a government building in light snow (so same scene or time that that tumbler gets blown up), cops fight normal looking people, Bane approaches Batman. It's odd, and exciting, to see Batman out in broad daylight.
Scene 26: Cops in a hall, like those earlier scenes where they got blown up.
Scene 27: The fighting on the steps, a Tumbler with a cannon fires at the steps. I don't see Batman or Bane anywhere on the steps.
Scene 28: Batman and Bane fighting on the steps, Batman doesn't land any punches, Bane swings for Batman's kidneys.
Scene 29: Now one dude dives down into that well that all those ninjas went down in the earlier scene. His rope comes from down in the well and is secured near the top of the well. Like ropes are the chief mode of entry for the well.
Scene 30: Now all these hooded dudes enter that Escher prison from earlier on ropes. So those were the guys from the well? Is that how you get into this prison, via wells?
Scene 31: Camo Tumbler being followed by black Lobster Jet. That's Batman, right?

What an odd scene to end the trailer with.
This is what I think: If we start poking around to find out more about the plot of this movie everything will be ruined for us. Don't poke around! Don't get spoiled!

Best Movie Saturday

2011-12-19T00:11:00.000-05:00

Saturday night I saw that movie called The Artist that people really love. It's a black and white silent film about black and white silent films. It was pretty good, definitely charming, in different circumstances I may have really liked it, problem was . . .

. . . I had seen Mission: Impossible 4 that morning and could not stop thinking about it. "Terrific" is kind of a cheeseball word but I can't think of another thing to call this movie. Mission: Impossible 4 is just terrific, definitely the best action movie of the year. Probably the best action movie of the last couple of years. It was thrilling (one unexpected twist to an action sequence had me hop up in my seat, slap something [or someone] and holler out in surprise) and it made just enough sense. I believe the majority of the credit goes to Brad Bird who has successfully transitioned from directing excellent animated films (The Iron Giant, the Incredibles) to excellent action movies. Seriously, you absolutely gotta see this movie and, if you can, see it in real IMAX. That's how I saw it and it was so big and cool. From now on I only want to see movies in IMAX or on my iPod, nothing in between.

BUT I almost couldn't think about Mission Impossible Four while I was watching because before it they played the first 7 minutes of the next Batman movie and that put me in a fit. What they showed us introduced the movie's main villain, Bane, and in some ways his introduction was surprisingly similar to the Joker's (and in other ways completely not anything like it at all, of course) but the scene establishes very well that this villain is bad news. The scene was full of menace and also full of kind of weird stuff that I guess I'm just going to have to wonder about until the movie comes out. But it seems certain that the Nolan crew is not wresting on its Dark Knight laurels and that this is going to be a tremendous film. As awesome as the Avengers will probably be, it seems a sure thing that the Dark Knight Rises will easily own 2012.

I've discovered that there's a bootleg of prologue is on YouTube, that's no way to watch it, but it's a good way to rewatch it. Still creeps me out. This Bane is bad news.

Best Little Thursday Night Outing

2011-12-16T00:06:00.002-05:00

I was going to stay in last night but then I said to myself "What do you have against fun?" and met up with amigos at the ice rink at the Standard Hotel for a bit. Besides, Aubrey was in town and she had organized this party to get friends together, what kind of Grinch would shun that? Of course, when I got there I found out Aubrey was at another party. Kids!

It might not be the biggest rink, but it is hip and rather charming. And look! There's Trish!

Jen and Whitney.

Gabe told me he almost didn't get on the ice because he didn't feel like paying $10 (or whatever) but then said to himself "Man, Gabe, don't be such a cheapskate." Not kidding! That was his joke!

And now there's Trish talkin with my roommate Derrin.

Hotel.

Where skates come from.

Rink from the other side.

Assembling for apres skate crepes.

Kristin, Anne Marie and a wind-swept crepe.

See that woman who is a blur? She's about have a magnificent spill and slide across the ice like she was stealing third. All smiles the whole time, though.

I don't visit the Meat Packing District often, but when I do, I am impressed by their Christmas windows.

Best Little Ward Christmas Party

2011-12-15T06:35:00.003-05:00

I was asked to be in charge of the Ward Christmas Party this year, but really the whole committee did all the work. I was lucky to be given a group of total go-getters to work with, everyone pulled their weight and then some, and it all came together very nicely with barely any serious headaches.

Half way into the party I thought "That's right, I've got my camera, I should take a few photos." But only a few.

I shared a table with Lexia and Adam. But this is just Lexia.

The Hadleys were at my table, too.

Okay, there's Adam. Playing Silent Night on his guitar.

Bishop Crandall lead the children's portion of the evening.

They played this game/listened to this story called "The Right Family Christmas" or something like that. Surprisingly controlled chaos, amazing work not opening the presents before they were supposed to.

Party also featured guests from locales as far flung as Los Angeles and Washington DC.

Best Instagramming

2011-12-14T00:13:00.000-05:00

If everyone in the world couldn't see this blog I'd tell you the whole story of how I may have started a fight between two homeless men at White Castle tonight.

America's Best Top Natural History Musuem

2011-12-13T06:21:00.000-05:00

Saturday I took my first trip to the American Museum of Natural History in four years and half years. Four and a half years! Can you believe it? I met Kelley in front of the Shake Shack. What a perfectly situated meeting place.

iPhone.

"Look, a comb!"

Almost got completely sidetracked when I noticed this statue of Frederick Douglass outside the New York Historical Society.

But got my act together and made it into the appropriate museum. Learned about dinosaurs a lot. What's the deal with those bone eyeballs they give them now?

Look, dinosaurs!

Are those fake eyeballs so you don't think their eyes were in those much larger and cooler and scarier empty parts of the skull? Because, truth be told, that is where I always imagined the eyeballs being.

Giant wombat fossil!

Such playful looking little guys.

On to the Bean Museum portion of the show.

I just want to get a sweet album-cover deal.

Potbellied Mexican dog pot.

Seaturtle

We had a competition to see who would run into someone they knew first. I ran into Sharon outside the marine life area. I won!

Okay, AMNH, got to go.

Boots and boots and boots. Friends wear matching boots, that's how you know they're friends.

Making my way home, slowly.

Tried to snap that chicken hat while walking past it, wound up with a nicely composed little urban scene: The Pensive Pretzel Enthusiast.

(And also, stop ripping everyone off, Urban Outfitters. Original.)

Is this a family? Does anyone know?

As you can see, I ran out of things to say. But I need to get back to that museum and learn about space.

Best I Still Eat

2011-12-12T05:55:00.005-05:00

I feel like I haven't posted about food for a while . . . probably it's only been a few days, but it feels like a while.

I cannot say I have been cooking extremely well at home, but I have been cooking and creating.

Creation#1: Ham and Egg Sandwich with Side of Ham and Egg

Creation #2: Fake Skyline Chili (if you have just some pasta and just some chili this is a good way to fill yourself way up)

Remember real skyline? And, sigh, real roadtrips?

Creation #3: Roasted Cauliflower and Linguine in Faked Browned Butter Sauce

Cauliflower is my favorite thing to roast right now.

Something I really like is when good sandwich chains that aren't in New York finally come to New York. For example, we've finally got Potbelly now. You should see their Financial District operation in operation at lunch time. The line was about 30 deep when I got there and I had my sandwich in under five minutes? The secret: For one, a lady with a tablet takes everyone's order while they're in line, by the time you're at the counter your sandwich is ready for toppings. They've also got live entertainment, a lending library, and if you happen to be eating at a counter there's this person just in charge of the dining area that will offer to find you a seat. Plus these sandwiches are good.

One of my favorite things about my trip to Disney World in 2007 was eating at the Earl of Sandwich sandwich shop. I think it was the only Earl of Sandwich in the world at the time. Now there's one in midtown. It is not as charming as I remember the Downtown Disney one being, but they will make you a nice hot and horseradishy roast beef, that is for sure.

And great work getting my name right, cashier lady. Wow. Not something I'm used to.

But we all know what I really like are real restaurants. Last week I went with Vanessa to this Chinese place on 7th called Legend that Serious Eats said had Manhattan's best Sichuan food. "Sichuan" means "spicy Chinese" and that means I need it.

This dish of gelatinous bean noodles topped with spicy spicy sauce and chilies was called "Tears in Eyes"

From the not-spicy department we got strings beans in olive leaf sauce. (when I asked the waiter for "green beans in olive leaf sauce" he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about)

And the house ginger scallion lo mein.

Oh and the Chonqing diced chicken with chili peppers. Just a few. Actually not as spicy as you'd think, but it kind of stings the tongue though.

Verdict on Legend: Excellent. I don't know why I moved to the border of Chinatown if the best Chinese was going to turn out to be in Chelsea. Oh wait, I do know why: Noodletown. Those are your choices if you want to get Chinese with me: Great NY Noodletown and Legend.

I don't know why I'm acting so bossy about it, I'd be terribly lucky if you wanted to get Chinese with me. Wherever you want, we'll go. Panda Express? Fine. But we might have to go to Jersey City for it.

Then Friday night I went to Roberta's in Bushwick with Carol. As a space, Roberta's is amazing. Place looks like something right out of a really cool blog, no, right out of a really cool tumblr. Lots of rooms, a yard, a garden, a tent, stoves keeping you warm, 90s hip hop and speed metal on the playlist, you'll barely notice how long you're waiting for your table you're so sucked into it all. Really it's like a hipster Chuck E Cheese, just without any singing animals. Or skeeball. Yet.

Carol's blog has better photos of the space (like this one) and more refined words.

They gave us a handful of carrots to eat while we starved to death waiting forever to get our pizzas. Carrots and ricotta and tasty greens on a giant plate.

(by "gave" I mean after we ordered it)

Two years later our pizzas arrived, the Banana Hammock . . .

And the Good Girl

The Verdict on Roberta's: It's so rad in there that it messes with your head and your perspective. While I was there I couldn't wait to come back and I do believe the pizzas (particularly the banana hammock) were very good but I'm kind of ticked that the waiter let us order two white sauce pizzas. He should have stepped in! He recommended them as his favorite two pizzas, so we ordered them, but now I have no idea what their red sauce tastes like. If I were a waiter and I wanted people to get a rounded idea of how good my cool pizza restaurant was I'd make sure they didn't get two white sauce pizzas. You get home and you have this feeling you didn't have any pizza at all because there's no memory of the taste of tomato.

That said . . . the place IS a total party and I can't hold that against it. I want to go back again and if they don't hold my dinner hostage this next time I might decide I love it there.

Best I Just Saw Breaking Dawn a Second Time

2011-12-11T01:14:00.002-05:00

I think three times would be too many.

Best Making the Best of It

2011-12-09T00:05:00.000-05:00

I don't know that I really like the new Gmail interface or that I didn't get a choice about upgrading to it, but I do like that I can choose to make it cozy.

Best Trying to Use Technology

2011-12-07T23:42:00.001-05:00

I have Spotify installed on my computer. I hardly understand what it is. But I am doing an experiment where I am trying to share my playlist from the 1962 Party with it. If you have Spotify, I think you can relive the party or experience it for the first time yourself by clicking this link.

Please let me know if this even comes close to working.

Best Saturday Night's Party Music

2011-12-06T23:06:00.004-05:00

UPDATED: Playlist now available via Spotify!

I had the pleasure and privilege of picking the music for Carol's 1962 Christmas Party. I broke the night down into three phases, "Christmas Music", "60's" and "21st Century Party Music" and tried to segue nicely between each.

With two or three hours of music ready for each phase, I played a lot less than I had. Be Prepared. That's my motto.

Here's what I played:

Phase One: Christmas Music

Santa Claus is Coming to Town — Frank Sinatra
Silver Bells
Carol of the Bells — John Williams
The First Nowell — Dick Haymes
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year — Andy Williams
White Christmas — Bing Crosby
Walkin in a Winter Wonderland
The Christmas Song — Nat King Cole
Baby It's Cold Outside — Margaret Whiting & Johnny Mercer
Jingle Bells — Frank Sinatra
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! — Dean Martin
A Winter Romance — Dean Martin
Frosty the Snowman — Bing Crosby
You're All I Want for Christmas — Al Martino
Merry Christmas, Baby — Lou Rawls
Winter Wonderland — Johnny Mercer
I'll Be Home for Christmas — The Beach Boys
(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays — Perry Como
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer — Bing Crosby & Judy Garland
Sleigh Ride — Andy Williams
Feliz Navidad — Jose Feliciano
Christmas Island — Bob Atcher and the Dining Sisters
Blue Christmas — Elvis Presley
Zat You Santa Claus — Louis Armstrong
Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) — Elvis Presley
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree — Brenda Lee
White Christmas — Darlene Love
Frosty the Snowman — the Ronettes
The Bells of St. Mary's — Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans
Santa Claus is Coming to Town — The Crystals
Sleigh Ride — The Ronettes
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer — The Crystals
Here Come Santa Claus — Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans
Winter Wonderland — Darlene Love
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus — The Ronettes
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) — Darlene Love
Jingle Bell Rock — Bobby Helms
Little Saint Nick — The Beach Boys
Don't Believe in Christmas — The Sonics

Phase Two: 60's Music

Mumbles — Jack Ross
All About My Girl — Jimmy McGriff
Ooh Poo Pah Doo — The Elegants
The Clapping Song — Shirley Ellis
Bye Bye Baby — Mary Wells
She Loves You — The Beatles
You Never Can Tell — Chuck Berry
Blue Moon — The Marcels
I Only Want to Be With You — Dusty Springfield
Harlem Shuffle — Bob & Earl
Da Doo Ron Ron — The Crystals
Twist and Shout — The Beatles
Do Wah Diddy — Manfred Mann
Jump in the Line — Harry Belafonte
Sugar Pie Honey Bunch — The Temptations
Be My Baby — The Ronettes
I Want to Hold Your Hand — The Beatles
I Only Have Eyes for You — The Flamingos

Phase Three: 21st Century Party Music

Otis — Jay-Z & Kanye West
Kids — Sleigh Bells
Je Veux Te Voir — Yelle
Fancy Footwork — Chromeo
I Want You Back — Jackson Five
Walk It Out —Unk
Bad Romance — Lady Gaga
Gold Digger — Kanye West
Party Rock Anthem — LMFAO
Baby — Justin Bieber
All I Want for Christmas — Mariah Carey
Moves Like Jagger — Maroon 5
We Found Love — Rihanna
Countdown — Beyonce
All of the Lights — Kanye West
Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) — U2
Give Me Everything — Pitbull
Born this Way —Lady Gaga
Hello — Martin Solveig & Dragonette

I'll admit it, mildly deceiving some of the partiers into thinking we were still in the 60s with Otis was a highlight for me.

Best Kicking Off of the Holiday Party Season

2011-12-05T04:08:00.005-05:00

All right, now here's a big crowded holiday activity I look forward to every year: Carol's annual Christmas Party. This year's party was 1962.

Look at this tree!

Look at this spread!

Very vintage food, right? Carol's blog has a detailed rundown on everything there was to eat. Also, did you know Carol has a blog now?

Micah and Nat, put to work juicin.

I didn't know there were deviled eggs until it was almost too late.

Ahem. No thank you! I don't even fake smoke.

And now, revelers!

I was there. And so was Carol.

Suvi.

My old neighbors Sharon

and Rob.

Sam, MVP.

Laura and Karrie

Chateau.

Alpha.

JB and Whitney.

Aja.

Tommy.

Meredith (dancing, not yelling).

Derek and brother Kyle.

Austin and Di, seated in the blue eye section.

Chaunte and her neighbor . . . Andrew? Could that be right? Sorry!

Jendar.

Ty and Kristin.

We partied through Christmas hits, 60s hits, and 2000s hits. Skirts got twirly.

Eric!

Conga line broke out for my Harry Belafonte jam.

Jen, Abby, Andrea.

Broek, telling fools whatsup.

This seems to be my only photo with Jeff in it? Please believe me he was very much there.

The Beale Sisters.

Hyeku.

Rachel! Did you know she lives in Massachusetts now?

Everyone! Hands up!

Polaroids were taken. We were inventing a good dance for sleigh ride.

Kelley and Caitlin popped in towards the end.

I don't know what song we are inventing a dance for here.

Terrible milkshake afterparty. (Good afterparty, terrible milkshakes)

Deep conversation with a few funny parts.

Best effort with camera timer.

Too soon?

Supplemental Reading: Carol's 1940's Party from 2010, and I can't find my post for her 20's party in 2009. Is it possible I didn't blog it?

Oh, and now Carol's new blog has a post about the party. Go read it! There's some good pictures and words to be found there.

Best Birthday Battle

2011-12-02T08:15:00.003-05:00

Last night we celebrated Dave's birthday the best way there is to celebrate a birthday: With a Bo Ssam at the Ssam Bar. It was my fifth toe-to-toe battle with one of these ten pound beauties . . . our army was small, but it was expert.

Prior to the pork butt we shared some pork buns, pickles, and apple kimchi salad.

The birthday boy and I shared a special BBQ pork bun.

Logan and Jenn.

Me, Dave.

Bo Ssam, being worked on. The trick is there's always so much pork hiding under the bone.

And, finally, here's Ellie preparing Justin for pork eating. Do you notice anything in this picture? On fingers? On RING fingers?

It's hard to take lots of pictures when your hands are covered with kimchi, meat, and oyster juices. But happy birthday, Dave. Thanks for letting us honor you by eating so well.

I'll admit that right now, at 8:11 am on Friday morning, I have a savage pork hangover. Does anyone know where I can get an apple or carrot? Or some sort of juice with fruit in it?

Best and Now I've Seen This, Too

2011-12-01T07:52:00.014-05:00

Having made it to the balloon inflating and a bit of the Macy's Parade, it seems I'm checking out all the big crowd holiday activities. Last night's BCHA? The lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Not this one.

That green one, there. In the distance. Arrived "early" with Kelley and Kaitlan, thought we got ourselves a decent spot.

Set in to wait for the show, watched Beyonce videos on phones.

Got a call from late-arriving Alpha, she told us she (and a couple famous Utahns I'd seen before on the internet) had cut through a Rockefeller Center lobby and found a better spot than ours.

A much better spot. So we copied her sneaking, it was so easy.

We enjoyed performances by Michael Buble,

Tony Bennet

and many more (Neil Diamond, Singing-show winners, Cee-lo, etc.)

Some of our crowd friends. See that kid on the shoulders in a tie back there? Rad little dude.

It was a lot of work trying to keep Kait happy.

The biggest name among the night's big names? The Biebs. Obvs.

These girls had Zapruder-level theories on whether or not Justin was actually at Rockefeller Center that night (you see, the performers were all down in the skating area, so we couldn't actually see them, but we cold feel their nearness as we watched the NBC broadcast on monitors. But I did see Al Roker and Donald Trump, I can testify that they were definitely really there that night.)

And then, finally, a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown, the lighting, and we were out of there.

Look at all those touch screens.

So many cameras. So many cameraphones.

Post-show: A little fruitless 5th Avenue walking, cries of hunger, a bee line to the Burger Joint.

It'd been a few months. Burger Joint burger, I missed you.

And now I've laid eyes on the Burger Joint grilled cheese, it doesn't look so bad.

Parker Meridian also hosts a nice annual collection of gingerbread houses.

Some Occupy North Pole protesters. Go back to work, lazy elves! Make me presents!

Conclusion: this BCHA wasn't so bad. It wasn't super crowded in our pen but I don't think I'd run back and do it again.

Best Good Ridance

2011-11-29T21:23:00.000-05:00

If you've been to my apartment or talked with me much about my apartment then you know that there was a queen-sized mattress hanging out here when we moved in. No explanation. It looked real nice and it seemed brand new.

Well, we finally got rid of it. Now there's room in the kitchen for my table. And for some self-respect.

Also, did you know it's illegal to sell used mattresses in New York City? That's why it's so hard to get one sold on Craigslist. Because everyone on the internet is so busy obeying the law.

Best Additional Thanksgiving Happenings

2011-11-28T07:14:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving time wasn't just about balloons and parades. I also had Thanksgiving. In Newark. With Cher and her flight attendant coworkers/friends. I went there with Jeff. Right there on the right is Dayna.

There's Cher! Right back from working in Japan and falling in love with their fizzy fruit nectar.

Dee and her boyfriend were there, too. But I only got a picture of him. He whacked me with a pillow.

I misunderstood Cher and thought we were just having cold cuts for dinner. Nope! Proper Thanksgiving dinner!

Not being one to show up emptyhanded I grabbed a 20 piece on my way over. Did I wind up having McDonalds three nights in a row during Thanksgiving time? May have. Did I almost have it a fourth time? Possibly.

They were no match for Cher's paos de queijo, though.

It seems like all of Thanksgiving weekend is called Black Friday now. On one of those Black Fridays or the other I made returns, not purchases. But I can't decide if I'm going to keep these shoes or return them. They look so good in the box, but when I wear them I feel like Jerry Seinfeld.

On Saturday I finally almost totally organized our kitchen and went cooking crazy.

Look at this genius set up! I put my computer up there so I could watch the new Woody Allen documentary from PBS while I did all my work.

I cooked a pot of chili and a pot of red sauce simultaneously. Because they're both delicious and they both require four hours of simmering.

Then on Sunday I made a proper Sunday dinner (lunch) of sorts for Derrin and Diane. Only took us three months to sit down to supper together.

I roasted these carrots, too. I wanted to have more vegetables than this but I couldn't find any satisfactory cauliflowers the night before.

And now that Christmas time is in full swing in Little Italy the Christmas lights shaped into a Christmas tree that are outside my window year round are finally lit up at night!

Probably better if I show it to you from the outside.

Best Festive Thick of It

2011-11-25T15:39:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving morning I headed up to Times Square to catch a movie with Jeff and Chaunte. I had this suspicion that I would be walking right into the parade . . .

And I suspected correctly. And I'll be honest, it was impressive and exciting to see those balloons floating down the street like I had on TV so many times as a kid.

Everyone! Turn around! Sonic is RIGHT BEHIND YOU! (the true story: seems 7th Ave is where they take the balloons that have completed their journey to deflate)

People love the parade so much they'll watch it from two blocks away.

Enterprising New Yorker selling some shopping cart-grilled pretzels.

Lots n lots of kids on shoulders.

"I love your coat!" "I love YOUR coat!"

Explaining balloons to his pop.

The theater was off 8th on 42nd, all of 42nd was closed off. Unless you were going to a movie. Hey Kung-Fu Panda!

Movie pals. We saw Hugo.

After the show they hadn't let traffic back onto 42nd yet. Everyone wanted their picture taken in the abandoned street.

Including me.

Around the corner 7th was even emptier. End of the world empty. Except for all the survivors.

Seems they had to take down streetlights for the balloons to fit.

It was a bright, squinty day.

Best Shape of Balloons to Come

2011-11-24T00:31:00.000-05:00

Would you believe that I'm about to spend my first Thanksgiving in New York City? I've had nine chances so far and I'm finally here. Figure I better be serious about it, so tonight I went with Jeff and Chaunte to see the Macy's Parade balloons being inflated.

Big turnout, but everything ran smoothly.

Pilgrims!

And will I be up in time tomorrow to see any of these balloons in flight? We'll see . . .

Best I Loved the 2000's

2011-11-23T13:59:00.001-05:00

We used to complain that people wouldn't take the time to write a letter anymore since they could just write an email.
Now I miss people taking the time to email instead of texting.

(Some might say this would make a better tweet than blog post. The circle of life continues.)