I Have Nightmares
I have this recurring nightmare where I'm trapped in a sausage skin. Of course that's the wurst case scenario.

EM's inspiration corner....does size matter?
"Never come between a mother and her baby."
Squirrel maternal instinct photo sequence.

You have got to admire this squirrel. I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country.
Oh... I will be proud to lead this wonderful squirrel into battle anytime, anywhere.
That's all.

Dis GUSTing!
I just knocked the space bar off my keyboard as I was cleaning the surface of the keys. E-yuk! Now I think I'm going to have to take off all the keys (picture first!) and clean the spooge that adheres under the keys themselves.
I urge all of you to clean your keyboards as well. The world will be a better place for it.

I'll Be a Son Of A Cross-Eyed Snake
I went shopping at the Co of Cost today to lay in some supplies (BAYcon! cheese! [smoked gouda & gorgonzola], porkchops with the delicious coupon discount) including the best buy in eggs going: a two pack of dozen and a halfsies. I did the calc, including the tax. Just a shade less than 13¢ per egg. 13¢! Two eggs for, essentially, a quarter! Is there any better deal for that much nutrition in this hullabolutin' world?
In the US, I should say. And the unsell by date on these is March 8. I don't even have to eat eggs every day to use them by then. And, as Peg Bundy said, "It says 'best if used by,' Al!"
And my new desire is the massive DVD pack of Alton Brown's "Good Eats" at Amazon.

The Stupid Joke Of The Day
Diet-aiding drugs are girth control pills.

UPDATE: Here's one I hadn't heard before...

A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking
her faithful aged poodle named Cuddles, along for the company. One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long, Cuddles discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.
The old poodle thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap the old poodle exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?"
Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!", says the leopard, "That was close! That old poodle nearly had me!"
Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.
The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!
Now, the old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?" but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle says."Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!
Moral of this story....
Don't mess with old farts...age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! Bullshit and brilliance only come with age and experience.

Misanthrope Productions Presents

"The Best Panhandler in New Orleans"

*turn your volume up

Today's Must Read
Victor Davis Hanson at Pajamas Media. Less dyspeptic than I (below), certainly more reasoned and very well put. Trifecta. RTWT. Now. Please.

The Day After
Just a couple of minor key thoughts after the great Obamagasm on the Mall. First, "Rev." Lowery can go to hell for insulting only whites in his idiotic little rhyme at the end of the benediction. I have no animus toward anyone who does not share my ethnic heritage but he obviously sees only whites as those who do not "do right." Screw you. You just showed me a black man who did very, very wrong.
Then again, what Lowery said rhymed. The inaugural "poem" was crap on a stick. Earlier I railed against Maya Angelou's craptastic poem for Clinton inauguration but I now have to give her credit: at least it was a poem. That nonsense we were subjected to yesterday was a laundry list read by someone who has absolutely no idea how poetry should be read out loud. William Carlos Williams was once accused of writing a "grocery list" but it was a grocery list arranged so that the "poetic rhythym (could) emerge." Here there was no rythym, no music, just the dull plodding of someone writing words down on paper.
This woman, this alleged poet, makes me think she has never read Shakespeare, even Poe in "The Bells" or "The Raven" shows that cadence matters as much as rhyme. Does anyone actually study poetry in this country any more?
In any event, I'll not take anything as augury. And in answer to the question of "Do you support the president?" No. Absolutely not. I support my country. I believe in freedom. The new regime wants my allegiance but that is reserved for America, not Barack. And I will use the lessons I've learned from the opponents of Presidents Bush: oppose everything on the basis of politics, only call the President "Mr." instead of "President," and never govern - only campaign, campaign, campaign.
Also, read Billy Beck - scroll through the January 20 posts on Two--Four - he gets it. The loss of real freedom we suffered under Bush is going to look like a walk in park compared to what the left will do in the next four years.

Hiatus
Posting from my end will be non-existent this week as I am suffering from something carpal-tunnel-ish in my right hand. A couple of days ago my right elbow hurt like I'd whacked it against something. The elbow is now Ok but from the wrist to the fingers there is pain and numbness. I am currently unable to close my fingers into a fist. I believe this is an extreme expression of a nerve in my wrist that gets pinched. If I can pop it loose, I'll be fine.
Still, typing and even moreso using the mouse is not something I want to do for a while. Y'all enjoy the dawning of a new era, mmK?
UPDATE: Well. That didn't last as long as I'd expected. Looks as though the damn hand is loosening up already. It still hurts but I can see it being only a minor annoyance by tomorrow (The Day When All Ills Will Be Forgotten PBUO!) As long as it doesn't keep me awake tonight as it did last night.

What could be cuter than the SS, a kitten and a hand grenade?..aahh

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs - Effortless
I got this one watching the great Alton Brown. If you have an electric kettle, put in four eggs, cover with water and click the kettle on. It will automatically shut off after boiling. Leave the eggs in the hot kettle for 15 minutes after the kettle clicks off.
Remove. Peel. The yolks are not hard hard boiled but since that's exactly how I prefer them, I'm certainly not complaining. And they peel perfectly too.

EM has an epiphany...

...On earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread...

!!*POOF!!*

oh..hmmm..forget it!

I Don't Know What This Means
File under "coincidence" I suppose.
The wife of my good friend the Guitar Nazi, she also is a friend but I think I've made the GN a character here so it bears referral, has a cousin who lives in Florida, the same county actually as Lycurgus. She has become my very dear friend in one of those rare situations wherein two people just fall in from minute one. A couple of months ago she visited me for a couple of days as she was traveling along the East Coast. In the course of reminiscing and hashing over life, I dug into my stock of Stuff Which I Inherited Including Women's Jewelry. I gave her a strange little piece to pass along to another friend of hers and mine down in the Sunshine State.
So, sometime in the new year I called down to leave a message saying "happy new year" and asking if the recipient of the piece liked it. A couple of days ago I got a call from the one who ended up with it on the one who took it's phone. At the same time, I got a call from the Guitar Nazi. I had, then, a message on my home machine and a message on Verizon's voice mail.
I was expecting neither call and yet they came from people with a strong relationship at the same time. It's not 6º of separation but I find the happenstance intriguing nonetheless.

That's The Big "Aha!"
So I start by quoting the GEICO gecko. There worse things in life. Which avoids the question what is the big "Aha!" It's the revelation that my kitchen is actually a cunningly constructed Rubik's Cube. I concede that the colors have been scrambled now for a while (i.e. the kitchen got way too messy). But in order to get all the colors to face up (i.e. really organize the place) I have to further scramble the colors.
I'm working on two kitchen surfaces that have been accumulating stuff for at least three years with little rhyme or reason save that said surfaces were convenient places to put things. Now that I'm putting things to right, I have off-loaded a lot of stuff onto the previously clean surfaces making the kitchen look, for now, even more messy that it did last night. But tomorrow will see the snick-snick-snicking of those surfaces back to unichrome again. And possibly the relocation of cookbooks. Possibly.

Light Posting
Please feel free to stop by PoW but it's a sure bet my posting will be light this week. There is a muchness of things to do and getting them done is sapping my energy and time.
Last night a great dumpling feast was had with two of the three bloggers hereon (EM - you shoulda been here!) and Irving whose site is linked in the sidebar. I got to pass along the Tao of the Bao to another couple of people and we ate a huge pile of delicious pork dumplings. I know I had fun and hope the others did as well.
If something requires posting, I'll jump right on it but I've not got anything in mind of the next few days. Have fun y'all!

Going All Digital On The TV
I now have the converter box up an running (ring! ring! "Is your refrigerator running?"). In point of fact, I'm watching "24" via the box now. The local Fox affiliate provides a lousy analog signal in my (choose a body part) of the woods but its digisig is pure and clear. Another fun thing is that the remote for the converter has been trained to turn on the TV. Which means I can put the TV's remote away, or will be able to when the Most Holy And Anointed One (we'll call him "O" for short) deigns to allow the completion of the conversion.
Yet old habits are hard to break. I muted the sound on the box during an ad. When the show came back on, I pointed the remote at the TV and hit mute again. Nada. I now have to train myself to point the remote at the box when I'm doing anything other than turning the screen on and off. I think I'll manage.

Wasting The Weekend
There is not much of blogging as The Great Kitchen Rationalization is ongoing these two days. Much has been done (the fridge is neater than it's been since move in and a a couple of decisions about throwing out of things remain) and tomorrow should see the finish. I have been so ad hoc about allowing things to accumulate that I was running short on counter space. Not good. Now, however, there are horizontal surfaces. The kitchen table has space to seat more than one person without having to rearrange detritus.
And my fancy-dancy fire extinguisher will be mounted on a cabinet side tomorrow.
It's not perfect (of course) since I need to figure out what to do with a couple of things. But I'm encouraged. Next weekend, the dining table will be returned to horizontality. Oh yes. It will.

(Sigh)
One heads into some things with great expectations only to have them dashed as if a balsa raft against the reef of disappointment. To wit: Ginger ice cream. One of my resolutions this New Year is that I get one "serving" of ice cream per month. And one extra on my birthday. Serving is loosely defined as a purchased pint (even if said pint yields a couple of bowls) or any other smaller (e.g. a Frosty at Wendy's) purchase.
I learned through an accidental e-mail that a local creamery sells ginger ice cream made with freeze-dried ginger which is described (at the link) thusly:

By retaining all of the natural oils and aromatics through the freeze drying process, this ingredient provides the intense, bright flavor of fresh ginger. Freeze dried ginger hydrates rapidly in water or oil and is excellent for use in dry seasoning blends, beverages, baked goods, instant soups, sauces, ice cream, confectionery, chocolate and nutraceutical products.

My first inclination was to want to get my hands on the powder straight-up. Loving ginger as much as I do, I'd probably lay out lines and snort it ... naaahhh. But it's sold in bulk, the "small" size being 5 pounds. Likely a more-than-lifetime supply even for me. But since an ice cream shop in my old home town was featured as using the product, I thought that I might see if I could buy a smaller amount directly from them.
And, of course, score myself the monthly hit of the cold stuff.
Well, the powder wasn't readily available, though the owner said she'll call me with a price for, say four ounces or so. But the ice cream was there. So away with a pint I went to a fellow ginger nut's house. We divided the booty (that sounds vaguely obscene doesn't it?) and slipped a lip to it.
Meh. (insert sound of splintering balsa raft here)
It was good but it was no where near as ginger-fied as I'd want it. In short, I wouldn't go to the trouble to go there to buy it again. Yet I hold out high hopes (is that a reef I see in the distance?) for the freeze-dried stuff.

Your Fast Food Daily Brief
All January, the good Christian folks at Chik-Fil-A are handing out a free full-sized breakfast item on Thursday mornings. CFA does not do the best brekkies but their sausage burrito is in the boundary of acceptable and the free stuff makes it worth a trip.

And in the not fast food section of your briefing: Trader Joe's is selling house-branded "Reserve" cabernet sauvignon. There may be other varietals too but I saw only a big display of the cab. It's not Two (Three, really) Buck Chuck - it's a sawbuck a bottle. And it's good. Very good. Low tannin, fruity and a pleasure to drink. It's difficult to imagine a better buy in an easily available quality wine.

Your Proctologist Called...
(link)

What I Did On Christmas Eve
I helped make gingerbread cookies! The cutting of shapes and the icing thereof. My specific contributions after the pics.

(as always, click to embigggen)

So Blogger has fixed the problem. Good for them. My contribution to the cookie fest were the silo, the Obama O (we hadn't made the blue icing or it would have been all blued up), both Christmas trees, the wreath, the heart, the angel, the deer's butt (hey - we had a deer head) and the original design from which the tractor was created. I'm creative but kinda suck at free-form cookie making.
I believe the next foray into holiday gingerbread cookies will be for the Fourth of July. I'm going to work on my icing skillz in the meantime.

The Promised "Dark Knight" Assessment
I have to start with a caveat that this is not a review of the movie. A review should get into, at some point, a description of the narrative flow of the movie and I don't think there's much need for that. If you need to read a traditional review, go the IMDB page for the movie and click on the "external reviews" link in the nav bar on the left.
So, what is it about the flick that makes it worthy of any special attention here at PoW which, as anyone with eyes to see can tell, is a general interest blog? I think it starts with a moment of consideration of the "reboot" of the Batman franchise with "Batman Begins." Despite the slightly cartoonish aspect of Liam Neeson's "Ra's al Ghul" character, there was a seriousness of purpose that was basically absent in all the highly stylistic but cotton-candyish previous incarnation of the movies since Tim Burton's dark and Gothic first booting up thereof. (Yes, I will wring the last drop of juice from a convenient metaphor.) Bruce Wayne went through a Campbellian (Joseph) "hero's journey" to emerge as the force for good that protects an entire city against forces that would ruin it for some distorted idea of redemptive emergence. Characters were introduced such as Morgan Freeman's "Q"-like Lucius Fox that, while secondary, were like pillars of the movie: brutally strong (i.e. well acted) and necessary to support the edifice.
Now to subvert that metaphor, "Batman Begins" becomes the foundation that supports the construction of an even grander edifice. The chosen villain is, arguably, the quintessential villain of the Batman series - The Joker. And he is given life by an absolute tour-de-force job of acting by the late Heath Ledger. Before I saw the movie, I tended to think that the Oscar buzz about the performance might have been overblown by his unfortunate demise. But I was wrong.
The Joker has gone through some incarnations on video: Ceasar Romero on the campy TV show, Jack Nicholson in the previous incarnation. Romero established a paradigm of sorts playing the grinning fiend with a high-pitched almost silly sort of laugh. Nicholson brought more grounded menace to the role with lines like (pre actual Joker) "Did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?" and the anger in the funny line "Where does he get those wonderful toys!?" But there was still a kind of camp silliness to the role. Ledger's Joker, unlike Nicholson's who had a long backstory, comes out of nowhere, fully formed as a demon from the moment we meet him. His conflicting stories of how he got his facial scars only serve to let us know that we are not being told his backstory, we have no idea of how this beast came to be. Only Alfred's explanation that there are some people who have no rationality, who only want to see the world burn give us an indication of what this thing really is. And Ledger does not play his part with the maniacal cackling of Romero. His voice is, if anything, lower and quieter throughout which only adds to the menace. Rather brilliantly done actually. I think he only used the line "Why so serious?" twice (three times?) but it absolutely crackles with insane menace. In point of fact, the only choice he made that I didn't care for was his wiggling of the "ripcord" on a coat full of grenades when he had his big meet with the Gotham mafia. A waste of movement from a villain who seems not to waste an atom of himself.
In short, were I voting for the Academy Awards, I would vote For Heath Ledger not only without hesitation but with brio. I hope his work is so recognized.

As for the movie itself, exceedingly good. My problems lie in certain areas that don't add up to much against the quality of the movie. Maggie Gyllenhaal (for whom I've had an unnatural affection since "Secretary") is a poor replacement for Katie Holmes as the assistant district attorney. Katie is not a great actress but she is a good one and she carried more gravitas and is a more conventional beauty. Maggie is the object of both Bruce Wayne and Aaron Eckhat's (DA Harvey Dent as if you didn't know) affections. Sorry. She's not believable in that role. Katie was. Who would I have cast? I keep thinking of Morena Baccarin. She's essentially the same age as Katie Holmes, proved her acting ability in "Serenity" and she's insanely gorgeous. Not a bad combination that.
My philosophical problem with the movie relates to the springing of The Joker fully formed on the movie. I don't object to its being done but I do have reservations. I call this "diabolus ex machina." Just as deus ex machina was used for magical resolution in Greek drama, here we have the "devil from the machine" appear on stage with all sorts of magical powers. (spoiler alert) From the very start the Joker organizes a very complex bank robbery which would have cost him a significant amount of money to pull off even if he does kill nearly all his accomplices. And the instances of massive diesel powered bombings in the movie would have required the mobilization of resources that would 911 "troothers" pause. We are supposed to believe the Gotham mafia is on his side but as "The Sopranos" demonstrated, there is no honor among thieves which make coöperation such a massive scale unlikely. Yet we accept the possibilities, and the Rube Goldberg-like series of events required for the diabolical plans to work because, well, we kind of have to. Which is a pity as the rest of the movie so well plotted, the actions are so well motivated, the dialogue so well written. We suspend disbelief in the instance because we are made to believe in the whole. At least that's the way it seems to me.
The bottom line on this movie has several parts. Christian Bale now owns the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne. Best Actor - Heath Ledger. Best Movie - "The Dark Knight." And let's throw in best screenplay too. But save best special effects for "Iron Man." What a year. We had the pleasure of two superb movies made from comic book characters. Every one's inner geek should be doing a little happy dance. Mine is.

Your Fast Food Daily Brief
Yeah, I know - fast food, not what I should I be eating, blah, blah, blah. I was out, I hadn't eaten, I used the drive-through.
Burger King. New "Angry" Whopper. Supposed to be spicy. It isn't. Don't bother. It seems only Wendy's can do a real spicy burger. Here's a hint: use jalapenos. Lots and lots and lots of 'em. And don't sleep on Wendy's 99¢ DoubleStack while it lasts - best bargain in burgers.

Just A Joke Before Reviewing
Three friends from the local congregation were asked, "When you're in your casket, and friends and congregation members are mourning over you, what would you like them to say?"
Artie said, "I would like them to say I was a wonderful husband, a fine spiritual leader, and a great family man."
Eugene commented, "I would like them to say I was a wonderful teacher and servant of God who made a huge difference in people's lives."
Al said, "I'd like them to say, 'Look, he's moving!'"

UPDATE:Another one is a similarly jocular vein.

John was on his deathbed and gasped pitifully.
"Give me one last request dear." he said.
"Of course, John." his wife said softly.
"Six months after I die," he said, "I want you to marry Bob."
"But I thought you hated Bob." she said.
With his last breath John said, "I do!"

Recent Netflixery
Finished watching "The Dark Knight." Unquestionably a great film. Definite Oscar bait. Full review shortly.

3 Hopes for 2009

To maintain a blog one has to be an optimist. You have to be comfortable with the idea that something you might write could inform or inspire, and that people might be drawn to you again after just one such moment of clarity. The more pessimistic blogs may well be correct in their outlook but who wants to read them on a regular basis?

My three hopes for 2009 are these:

1. Be optimistic. This is easier said than done but one which pays off in terms of your health and I believe your pocketbook, too. A negative attitude grinds people down and repels people from you. It is hard for a decision maker to give a raise or a promotion to somebody they don't want to be near, to name one example.

2. Consider all the various forms of social networking, no matter how immature they are at the present. By this I mean, look at how you use your phone, computer, and television set to see how they are converging and how they might help you to stay in touch with friends, family, and the community at large. Look at how children are using their cell phones and their MySpace pages to interact and wonder if there might be some way you could do the same, to either make money or to further the efforts of a church or school organization.

3. Let me know if I can be of help. Again, this is easier said than done but don't let it stop you from reaching out to me or some other optimistic soul. This could be as simple as searching on LinkedIn or picking up the phone and calling. In this Internet age it's easier than you know to find people. What's more, once you find someone you both might be pleasantly surprised by the responses.

01/01/09
Happy New Year to one and all.
I entered the last year with hopes but an unwillingness to confront difficult issues. This year I enter with resolve to do the things I did not do in the past. Despite the troubles we face, there is much in the world to be had if we are willing to gasp the handle and open the door.

Look what Santa brought EM.....

Now don't go rolling those "Manson Lamps" at me...

BlogDog, Thanks. We all miss my Dad, just like we miss your Mom and Dad.

Cheers!

Paul, Ana, and, Angus

Christmas Eve Day
I wish you, one and all, a very Merry Christmas, a blessed time of peace and joy. PoW blogger Paul has recently lost his father and my feelings for the season have been overlaid with sadness for his loss. I knew him and he was a good friend of many years, going back to the Navy Language School in Boulder, CO with my father. My hope is for for his family's finding rest in a time of turmoil and that the new year brings them blessings and the memories are only the good ones.
Paul, Ana, I love you (and Angus too). May you find the joy even if a teardrop hangs over a smile.
For you other friends, readers and fellow Americans, I hope to re-make the blog in the new year with all sorts of expanded and fingers crossed, interesting content. I have committed myself to guitar lessons which I will be reporting on as a method of forcing my hand. Don't worry though - I won't subject you to videos of my learning to play!

God bless us, every one.

So, Anyway...
The Enigmatic Misanthrope and I are on the same page about one thing for sure: grocery shopping at Wegman's is a peak acquisition-of-food experience. Not that I'm going to detail it all but it does serve as introduction to this morning's trip to acquire a cauliflower (yum!). The store was crowded but in one of those amazing instances which may be due to the more upscale shopping experience and the holiday season, everyone was polite, friendly and generally nice. And by everyone I mean store staff as well. Which, by the way, is not out of the ordinary for Wegman's.
That being as it is, as I was exiting the store, a lady was being helped with her purchases out of two carts into her car. The store employee was saying that she should put the fragile things up front while the rest could be stored in the back. "Oh like the eggs." she said. So I, of course, stopped, pointed to the cart she was looking at and said, "Did you put all of your eggs in one basket?"
She was nice. She laughed. I enjoyed the moment.

Another Blast of Christmas
Courtesy of quondam Stray Cat and the swingin'est guy around, Brian Stezer!

I Consider It Good News
Yet I am still trepidatious. Emm Gryner has a new disc coming out in February. That's the good news. It's called "Goddess" which is the worrisome part. I, of course, preordered it since I am such an abject fan of her music. But I've seen too much of the use of "goddess" amongst women who creep me out. The XMBD NMSE adopted the appellation "Queen of the Universe" which is less annoying than just "Goddess." At least in part less annoying because she recognized her mother as the superior with the title "Dhalia Queen." It may seem strange to you but it was a lot of fun actually.
The talented and lovely Amy Alkon (soon to have her new book "Revengerella" in stores - buy it!) understands the proper use of the term in that she is the "Advice Goddess." Choosing a limiting descriptive before the word is the right way to use the term even if some super-annoying women manage to use it properly that way (cough)kimkomando(cough).
Oh well. I hope the music is as good as the last four discs she's put out. I should be hopeful - four successive releases that are very nearly without a single flaw is one hell of a string. She has the talent to make it five. But "Goddess?" I'll accept it if it's as good as "The Summer of High Hopes."

Today's Whyzzat
I am just so in the mood for kebabs today. And I'm in the mood for "kebabs" (Brit spelling), not "kabobs." I don't know why. Donner kebab. That would be nice.

Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!
Ow!

The Fellowship of the Ring..

One of EM's favorite deleted scenes

Truth Is Where You Find It
And today, I find it on the intarwebz:

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of sh!t.

Out And About
No, no, no! Not that way! Not in my unrequited man-crush on the Enigmatic Misanthrope way at all! I just mean running errands. I got a wreath today. As I was driving to the local nursery, I was behind a van of a sort of ugly brownish-maroon color. Appropriately so as the person who owned it was definitely a maroon. When I first looked at the back of the van, I could see the usual three words on the back of self-owned postal vehicle - Caution Frequent Stops.
Where does the maroon come in? Well, it didn't say "Caution: Frequent Stops" or even "Caution - Frequent Stops." It said "Caution; Frequent Stops."
Henh?
This, naturally, put me in mind of something else I saw on the back of a car this year. It was a license place holder that read: "I touch the future - I teach." My first thought was "I've seen students these days and you need to know the difference between good touch and bad touch." I'm all about the comedy. Not so much about the pedagogy.

Have Yourself A Sultry Little Christmas
Eartha Kitt, looking as luscious as ever back in the early Fifties, sings her Christmas classic "Santa Baby." This is just the kind of song writing that's missing in the modern world - funny but not ugly and draped with class like a Christmas tree in Swarovski crystal. Today we get things like "White Trash Christmas." which, while laugh-inducing is like watching a Keystone Kops movie instead of a Cary Grant screwball comedy. And Miss Kitt just wears the song. Brilliant.

Bleagh
Apart from this, no blogging today. Sickness afflicts me again today though yesterday was the pits. A headache that just could not be dislodged and a sort of pre-flu chill that could only be checked by being under a quilt. I'm better today. Thank goodness as yesterday was spent mostly abed. Thank goodness for the NFL as there was something to watch as I laid there and whined, bitched and moaned. I am a lousy sickie. Unpleasant, ungrateful and wretched. Which is strange because when I'm actually sick enough to be in hospital, I'm quite compliant and thankful for company.
I am a seething mass of contradictions. Emphasis on mass.

A Moment of Christmas Gaiety
Yeah, that's right. I said it. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
All right, all right. Snark aside, I present Johnny Mathis, one of the few remaining modern masters of song styling, singing just for you. You who click on the viddy that is.

Speechless
Last Sunday I had a dear friend over for dinner. Her birthday is in December and since December babies usually have to suffer the indignity of combined "birthday/Christmas" presents, I've made it a point in the last few years to either have her out to dinner or cook something for her and take the opportunity to be an autodidact in the kitchen. This year I thought I'd cook in. (Is that a real term? "Cook in?" I'll say so and move on from there.)
The meal was all right. Not overwhelming but good. Wild rice (cooked beforehand and served cool - should have heated it up), a Costco Caesar salad (legitimized by our getting her a card at the same time), a rather nice roasted cauliflower and red pepper dish (with a caper vinaigrette), a ham steak with maple/dijon sauce (a whole ham would be thusly glazed but since this was just a steak, a sauce was more reasonable) and rum ice cream for afters. It was all pretty good and I taught myself the sauce and made the cauliflower dish for the first time. By the way, roasting cauliflower is just the superior way to prepare it. It comes out with a delightful nutty flavor and I roasted it tossed in a very good olive oil which doesn't hurt the flavor either.

All of which is prologue to what left me speechless. My friend asked me the question, "Do you remember a Christmas where you got what you really wanted?" (insert long pause here ... getting longer ... silence ... pondering annndddd ... nothing)
I've had a lifetime of wonderful Christmases. I've gotten wonderful things from my parents, my siblings, my ex-wife, my in-laws and friends. Yet I could recall no single instance where I had some overweening desire which was satisfied at the tearing open of a package on Christmas morning. This makes me sad. Not as sad as the photo over on Curmudgeonly & Skeptical makes me but pretty darn sad nonetheless.
Is this what it coems down to then? The failure of memory? The idea that all the gifts which were so desired and so appreciated fail in the face of the attempt to extract a deeper meaning out of the getting? I am nonplussed. A more likely explanation is a failure of my imagination that those things seem, after all these years, to have not had as lasting an impact on me as I was sure they would.
I am left with a palpable sense of disappointment with myself. Merry Christmas? Yeah. Sure. I guess.
Christmas is for kids anyway. Really. I'm getting a tree and a wreath tomorrow.

Anybody know if it's true...
that if you send your favorite brewery a plastic gallon milk jug filled with beer can top tabs, they will in turn, send you a keg of your favorite brew..for FREE?? Please let me know ASAP...(now if I could just find a recycler to take these cans off my hands)

At least I could use the empty kegs as furniture...and yes..I've been known to toss back a few cold ones now and then..

In The Spirit Of The Holiday
As it is presented here on PoW. (And with a wink and a nod to the Jolly Old EM.) This one I know by heart.

Oh yea..almost forgot.. Happy "F"ing Holidays

I know it may be hard to see..but I wanted to post this recipe I came across the other day. The photos pretty much tell the story..
The Bacon-Weave Cheese Log.
A few notes about prep:
.Put the bacon in the freezer for about 1/2 hour prior to weaving. (makes it easier, less floppy)

.You can also bake it on 400 degrees about 12-15 min

. Cheddar is fine, but I was thinking of adding Jalapenos..maybe jamming a wheel of brie in there or even peanut butter..

Don't get greedy with the cheese..too much and when you cut it, it will explode like a cheesy-napalm cannister.

Angioplasty comes to mind..

Guaranteed To Piss Me Off
Watching the televising machine as I try to clear some paper off my desk. An ad for Pizza Hut comes on, features the "Pan-normous" pizza (or some such idiot locution). Yet when they show "the" pizza, it's not "a" pizza; it's two pizza in one box. O F U Pizza Hut. It's not "pan-normous." Call it a "double special" or something. But don't try to sell it as "a pizza."
Maybe I shouldn't get pee oh'ed but it's just stupid shite like that bugs the hell out of me.

The Weekend Embed Celebrates Christmas
This week I have what I consider a special treat. The late John Fahey, guitarist extraordinaire plays and teaches "Auld Lang Syne." It's moments like this that I thank God uToob was invented. 5 minutes and 22 seconds of a now-dead man who produced several discs of the finest interpretations of sacred and secular holiday music ever sold. Here is an Amazon link to a page of his music. There appear to be more discs than one should buy as my investigations tells me that the songs have been cut & pasted to make the diffierent albums. My opinion is that you acquire these: "The New Possibility (John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album)," "The John Fahey Christmas Album" and "Popular Songs of Christmas & New Year's" (also featuring Terry Robb).
With all that as prelude, I present Blind Joe Death himself, decidedly looking worse for the wear of his life, with the Scots' contribution to sentimental reflection. As ever, I hope you enjoy it.

Wherein Fantasy Asserts Itself
Today the serial (and surreal) failures that constitute the management of the major US-based automobile manufacturing companies came to Washington DC to plead for the new Nanny State to open the nursing bra to their questing mouths. I won't go into any details because if you haven't seen the numbers splashed over the main stream media and the news spots of the internets, you don't really care. So, you either don't care or you already know. Either way there's just no need for me to go into all the who-shot-John.
No, I'm a big picture guy. So big a picture that it becomes a cartoon. And my mind keeps spinning a fantasy that should be done in bright primary colors and printed on cheap pulp paper - a cartoon. A Christmas cartoon. Starring the incipient messiah Barack Obama as the incipient Messiah, the Baby Jesus. Featuring the decked halls of the US Capitol as the hay and jackass-filled manger in which the Bama Jesus lies. Looking on adoringly as the Holy Family stand the Unholy Duo of Joseph Harry Reid and Mary Pelosi. You could throw Oprah Winfrey in as the Star of Bethlehem but it's not part of the official fantasy, just a lagniappe for the star-struck.
Into this tableau stride the Magi from Far Detroit. But ratherthan bring gold, frankinsence and myrrh, these Magi just want whatever gold the Baby Bama, the Unholy Family and the Roman soldiers, who in this cartoon world are under the direct orders of the Baby Bama, have taken from the citizens at sword point.

And there it ends. The story of the Detroit Magi. Though I'd prefer it ends somewhere in Chapter 11.

This Annoys Me
I have over 1200 messages in my "Inbox." Read ones of course.
I have over 6100 messages in my "Sent" folder.
What the hell? Why have I not deleted these down to, say, a couple of dozen, in each folder? Do I really need to hang on to the fwd'd jokes? The messages I didn't reply to when they were fresh? And why don't I ever delete the crap I sent? This is like the garbage where the pews used to be in Alice's Restaurant and I've got no hippie with a VW microbus to take it out for me.

Wherein I Punch My Ticket To Perdition (Annual Edition)

A Thought For The Day
I'm usually not terribly aphoristic but I hew firmly to this belief: To avoid being stereotyped, avoid stereotypical behavior.

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
You'll notice a change to the blogroll. The brilliant African American blogger Kim Du Toit has abandoned the field. His link has been moved to the "In Memoriam" section which, I suppose, really should be renamed now to something on the order of "Gone But Not Forgotten." I really should add the late and wonderful Cathy Siepp but perhaps I have missed the proper timing of her passing.
Ah. Regrets. We haz dem. I will miss the graceful prose and appreciation of guns, cars and women with which Kim routinely favored his readers. But I deeply and unutterably support his decision to retire from blogging as he is the best judge of his own life. I will, though, hope we will be favored by his return to blogging one day when feels the time is auspicious. But for now, ave atque vale good man, ave atque vale.

Things I Do Not Understand
I went to the Post Office today. The lady behind the counter was very nice. I understand that.
I had a couple of packages to mail, both of which contained the same things. One I packed in a used Amazon box, the other in a box I cobbled together myself out of a larger box I'd saved. The first (Amazon) box went for about $10 and the second, which weighed, if anything, a tad less than the first, was clocked for way more coin. So the nice lady (see above) says, "You can put it in a flat rate box and save some money." Um, yeah, OK. I can put my box in another box and save money. How exactly does my shipping more cardboard and a greater volume of package result in a savings for me?
It did, mind you. But I don't have any conception of why that is.

My New Irish Name
Lack O'Posting. Sorry for diminished output but I've been spending a lot of kitchen time lately and there's road work (driving) to do. Still need one more splat of orange blossom honey for my final round of cranberry sauce. All the cran-maple chutney I'm going to make has been made. All four batches of rum ice cream have been whapped up (yet there are only three in the freezer - what's going on here?) Then the stuffing/dressing cooking starts and pies are to be picked up, paid for and dropped off. It's going to be a busy two days.
I wish you, who happen by here or who stop by with full intention, a very happy, fulfilling (and filling full) Thanksgiving. Remember to take joy where joy is to be taken.
UPDATE: Turns out that Safeway does not carry orange blossom honey (more than that: I had to explain what orange blossom honey is since the manager thought it might be a brand name). It turns out they carry honey from Virginia which limits it to clover and "wildflower." Now, I've had some startling local honey when my family ran three hives in my yute (locust, the tree not the insect, makes some insanely dark, dusky honey which is not to everyone's taste). But I wanted, nay, needed the citrus flavor. And I decided in the end to just finish off the sweet with sugar. Sigh. The tradeoffs we make. The lesson is that next year I go into November with a serious amount of the right stuff. I use a lot of cranberry for the holiday. This year: three 3 lb. bags and one 12 oz. bag. A three pound bag makes a quadruple batch since recipes are expressed in the usual grocery store 12 oz. unit.

BlogDogTalkRadio

BlogTalkRadio

If this isn't one which would make a Mom proud, and at the same time provide some much needed entertainment and commentary for the rest of us, then I don't know what could top it.

She always said you were the one among her children who thought the quickest on their feet. If you had your own show it would give you the opportunity to prove it. The best part is you wouldn't have to drag your bad hips down to a radio station.

Give it a look.

Cheers!

This Year's Christmas Music
I'd scoped out a CD earlier in the year that, of course, was not available when I went to actually buy it. So I was forced to find something else to add to the (checking iTunes....) 118 songs in the "Christmas" playlist. I feel rather lucky to have found "A Scottish Christmas" with Bonnie Rideout, Maggie Sansone and Al Petteway. If you follow that (Amazon) link, which I put in because Amazon offer a full preview of the songs, and you decide you like the disc too, don't buy it there. Buy it at Daedalus instead. That's $6 versus $14. That's way too great a differential to ignore. Especially since we Scots are notoriously tight fisted. Och. Ah'll mayke tha pound noht scream afore ah'm done wi' it!
Ah'm shoor mah fellow Scot McCubbin wuld agree wi' mah!

Just another Friday at the office with EM..

The Conversation
I post, as a sop to the widespread tsooris, a little viddy of two cats chatting amongst themselves. Perhaps my cat fancying fellow blogger the Enigmatic Misanthrope might feel a heartstring tugged. Or not. But the cuteness is undeniable.

Oy!
The Thanksgiving food situation continues apace. I have a round of New England Cran-Maple Chutney in jars and a round of "Ric's Own" Cranberry Sauce also jarred. I've got to send out sets to a couple of people and have handed a couple to friends so far.
In other fun stuff - I have the custard base for rum ice cream cooling in the fridge. If it turns out well, I'll make a batch to bring to friends for the day itself ... along with the cranberry duo, apple pie from the best place in the world for those and my dressing which I have yet to work up. I should have that together by Sunday. If it works, I'll post the recipe.
Tonight I'll be making myself some brussels sprouts. Maybe that should capitalized. But so should the American automakers and I don't see that happening either! Ar! Ar! Ar! I tell jokes.
UPDATE: I processed the rum ice cream this morning. Oh my. Oh. My. I'm going to make another batch so I can share with more people (and use up the ingredients on hand). I highly recommend the recipe at the link above. It's a custard based recipe and rich as hell. I used Myer's rum.

In Space No One Can Hear You Curse

Astronauts working on the International Space Station have lost a tool bag.
Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper watched helplessly as the kit drifted away from her as she serviced the solar array system on the orbiting platform.
The briefcase-sized tool bag is one of the largest items ever lost on a spacewalk.
The event occurred during the first spacewalk of the latest shuttle flight to the ISS, which is intended to give the orbiting platform a major makeover.

(full story here)
OK. If you're going to "give the orbiting platform a ...makeover," send a woman. (If Ty Pennington's not available. And he's pretty close to being a woman at this point anyway.) But if you're going to do repair work, like a lube job on grinding parts (dang but the wording for this post gets increasingly troubling) send a man! Dammit. A man would not let a tool bag go drifting off into the void. He'd have it tied to his junk if that were the only way to keep it handy.
If a space grease gun exploded while a space guy was working on a space job, he'd say "Cool!" and screw around with the grease-covered space tools until his space wife called him in from his space garage for his space dinner.

A Spade, A Spade
The "bailout" legislation, I see, is being called the "Troubled Assets Relief Program" or TARP. I suggest that the proper name is "Congressional Re-covering Asses Program." There's truth in naming for ya.

McDonald's claims that it has sold over 99 billion burgers. Finally, the truth behind this claim is exposed.

And...(I had to read this one twice) but apparently even superhero's run this risk of STD's

more Robin woes...still have doubts?

and if that wasn't proof enough...

Case Closed!

EM is currently reading " Supermans Girl Friend Lois Lane " Issue: April No.73 and while initally attracted to the suggestive S&M cover, the content certainly dosn't disappoint either..WoW!!... who knew?

Witness if you will Kevin Joseph Aloysius Connors, a/k/a Chuck Connors, a/k/a Lucas McCain, a/k/a The Rifleman. Age: mid- thirties. Occupation: American actor. Formerly a fixture of the Enigmatic Misanthrope’s preoccupation with another time, a time of childhood, a time of growing up, a time of street games, stickball and hide-'n-go-seek. Formerly a rather minor component to a nostalgic look back at hot endless summers, comic books, memories and daydreaming. But throughout his life, a man beloved by the children, and therefore a most important man. Couldn't happen, you say? Probably not in most places - but it did happen… in the Twilight Zone.

Recent Netflixery
The "Get Smart" movie - wretched. When will Steve Carell make a movie worth watching? With the exception of the "40 Year Old Virgin," it has yet to happen. Anne Hathaway is totally wasted in this execrable sub-mediocrity. And I say wasted because she is a total babe (those giant eyes! Was her mother Margaret Keane?) and a talented actress. She's better with the material she's given in this flick than is Carell. Oh and Dwayne "Not The Rock Anymore" Johnson shows he can rise above the material even if it ultimately drags him back down into the morass of craptacularity.
Do not bother with this movie.

Writing
I'll probably be lite blogging for the next few days. I've started outlining a story called "The Fourth Exquisite Thing." I will however entertain guesses as to what the first is. In comments if you please.

Anyone Do Craigslist?
I have an idea for distributed small monetary gains, relying on disaggregation and putting only a few dollars in any one persons pocket. But it has the benefit of using "government largess" at a time government should be spanked hard for offering this in the first place.
No doubt you are aware that the broadcast television world is changing from analog to digital broadcasting in February. And that the febrile gummint is doing out $40 "coupons" to households to acquire digital converter boxes. I have my coupon (which I'll probably use at Circuit City out of pity - heh, Circuit Pity) so I can't participate in this setup. Those people who run all of their TVs off cable or satellite can, though.
Even if you don't need a coupon, order one (I'm pretty sure the limitation is "one per household"). Then, when you find someone who runs more than one TV from a broadcast signal, sell your coupon to him or her for $20. You're $20 ahead, the person needing more than one converter has saved $20 and this rotten government welfare program will cost astronomically more than projected. The long-term benefit of this is that when jackass Congresscritters propose legislation like this in the future, there will be a concrete example to point to for a demonstration of how wrong the program will turn out to be.
I'm not saying it will stop a program but an instructive example is always good to have.
And why Craigslist? I figure it's a perfect forum for connecting buyers & sellers of the coupons. Short of having flea markets for them all over the country.

Quote Of The Day
I don't do QOTDs normally. But I want to extract something from the increasingly valuable Billy Beck. I readily admit that it is lacking context so if you don't read the whole thing, shame on you.

"One could perhaps be forgiven for thinking the 20th century's great moral argument had been settled."

Of course, the change does not survive examination against actual history -- nothing about these arguments was ever "settled" -- but that has nothing to do with general ignorance of the fact that the "economic argument" is an argument over consequences of a moral system. It is not fundamental in any way.

I just can't help myself...more questionable comic book covers..and panels..
A.) B.)

A.) Robin?... hmmm..some A-M action..

B.) Another of the old Archie series..Superwhore?

C.)

D.) C.) I dont want to think about this..

D.) More Robin issues..

and this Spiderman..I would never have thought he was into this...

YYYEEEEEOOWWCH!!!

A Sip Of Sweet Wine Amid The Bile
I've been hesitant to post for a while as I seem to have moved from "a bile chaser" to making it the main beverage. So I decided to lay off the whizzing on Indiana Jones and Maya Angelou for another day or so. Instead I figured I'd pick a weekend music embed that is sweetness and light. So I found Carrie Underwood singing the closing theme from the delightful Disney movie "Enchanted." If you haven't seen it and are willing to let Disney do all the regular Disney nonsense for a while (spontaneous song anyone?), please do see it. It prominently features the simultaneously gorgeous and endearing Amy Adams. Patrick Dempsey performs admirably as the male lead. Didn't think I'd ever type that line let me tell you what!
Bu I digress. The viddy has an unfortunate introduction from the brilliantly talented Ms. Underwood so please ignore that. Instead listen to the spectacular pure tone and sustained power of the first singing of the word "after" (20 seconds in). I'm no fan of the whole "American Idol" gig but I was in full agreement when this little lady won. What a set of pipes! She can hit and hold a note unlike the singers of melismatic sludge usually celebrated on that show. I'll claim that this is a shout out to the upcoming CMA awards show as well.
The actualy video is a bit on the cutesy side but pleasant enough. The "true love's kiss" line refers to one of the central themes of the movie wherein the princess was searching for "the most powerful thing in the world" being said kiss. Sounds cloying but Amy Adams carries it off nicely. That being said, I hope you like it:


PS My opinion is that the only other modern American female singer who could knock this one out of the park is another "country" (I'd say crossover) artist: Sara Evans.

A Whole New World Part The Second
I heard on the radio last evening that Maya Angelou is going to write a new poem for her maximum leader. Lord save us. Maya Angelou is very possibly the worst famous poet this country has ever produced. Pretentious, banal and small minded. I'll dig up the "poem" she wrote for Clinton and demonstrate later this afternoon.
After I go shopping and make cranberry sauce.
UPDATE: Make my into ripping tomorrow. Never got away from the house today and it's too late to adjust my expectations. Got to write another letter to the editor first.

A Whole New World
This morning I couldn't even get out of my driveway what with all the unicorns prancing around farting rainbows and reflecting the morning sunshine off their glittery gold horns. Though since they crap gold and jewels at least the financial crisis will be over soon. No, wait, once we being collecting all the gold and jewels in out pooper-scoopers, gold and jewels will become worthless due to the supply. Dammit Obama! We need a limited number of unicorns!
If we could the unicorns that whizz gasoline, I'd be happier. I guess we'll have to wait for a Republican administration for that.

Another Comic book cover...that is just..well wrong...

We Interrupt This Blog
OK, I interrupt my own blog. Don't pick nits. I'll have my ripping up of "Indiana Jones Gets Some Skull" in another post. I just want to start the pre-Thanksgiving blogging here and now.
The return of my own recipe cranberry sauce is due. i have a 3-lb. bag of fresh cranberries and a bag of tangerines. I have port in the cabinet and need only walnuts to complete the ingredients. And I'll also be making the cran-maple chutney again. But I haven't even begun to assemble the ingredients for that yet.
New on the list is the development of my own recipe for wild rice stuffing/dressing. I've trolled through a few recipes online but I want to do it my own way. This will involve white bread cubes (toasted) instead of spiced bread stuffing mix, sage sausage, mushrooms (chanterelles by the pound, baby!), rosemary and possibly apple chunks (Costco has wonderful honeycrisp apples). Oh, I'm also going to try it with a shot or two of bourbon purely for flavor reasons. My only hesitation is that it's going to take a lot of testing to get this recipe right. I guess that I'm going to have to run about ten iterations before I get it the way I want it. So I'm working on making small batches which I can scale up for feasting purposes.
I'd love to hear what anyone thinks about the idea.

To Change The Subject
Rather than penalize myself for the decision of the just-about-every-network in creation to spew wall-to-wall election coverage (even if I expected McCain to win -and i actually thought he would pull it off), I Netflixed up the latest eructation of the Indiana Jones series.
Oh my sweet, forgiving Lord what an awful movie. Of course there were some moments that were wonderful and I'll hit them first so the bile doesn't overspill the esophageal dam and ruin and otherwise sucky day. Number one: Karen Allen. How great to have her back in the series after attempts to make Kate Capshaw and ... and ... (crickets) somebody else I'm sure into love interests. I kept looking as closely at her as I could because I'm trying to figure how she's aged. It was only after a snippet from the original in one of the special features that I saw it. She's heavier in a way: her face is wider (yeah, I know it's strange but trust me). She had a kind of fresh, even dewy beauty originally that she's lost but she's still cute as hell and an inspiration to women as to how to age well. Karen - love ya! On the other hand, the usually enchanting Cate Blanchett is lousy in this flick. If this was all you'd seen of her work, you'd thnk she must be sleeping with producer to get the part. Pity.
Next, production design is first rate. The crystal skeletons are works of art. And all the set design, CGI work and costuming is top notch. Though I take great exception to the absurb Marlon Brando call-back of the damn cap Shia LeBeef (yes - I know!) is wearing when he first rides in. So unnecessary.
But then, later, the monkeys with DA hair that come in like the cavalry are very amusing. Poor execution of CGI (unusually) but amusing enough to make up for it.
Despite what Spielberg & Lucas think, Harrison Ford was too old to play the swashbuckling hero of old. But he is an actor of remarkable empathy so I daresay we give him a pass on this one. I like Ford too much to denigrate him on this role.

OK, that said, the rest is a total crapfest. The eeeevil Soviets are cartoon characters - Boris Badunov and Natasha Fatale writ large with no moose and skwerl to lighten the load. I suppose they had to gin up an idea (that the Georgian butcher of millions Stalin was interested in psychic weapons) but it was, charitably, poorly done.
(Oh my. I have to attend to something else. There is so much more to screed about. I'll continue this later with an update and a snipping out of this note. BD)

No, I Didn't Watch
And as far as I'm concerned massive resistance starts now.

I will be keeping an eye on the military as an indicator of America. I expect both recruiting and re-enlistment to start falling off immediately. Barney Frank could get his wish of 25% cuts in the military just through attrition alone. And the world, in a just a few years will start to cry and beg for American help that will not come. Tsunami relief? Earthquake relief? Not from this man's army.
UPDATE: Steven Den Beste lays it all out. All.

Travels With The EM
Go places. Meet interesting people.

Full disclosure: Pic is of a Sulawesi black-crested macaque taken by Italian photographer Stefano Unterliner who won the award noted in the picture credit from the BBC. I think this is one of the greatest animal faces I've seen possibly ever.

Returned from the "Triangle"...nothing strange or out of place occurred..well...then I looked at the photos..hmmm..something I just can't put my finger on..Bermuda is truly a beautiful place. I brought back a few bottles of Outbridge's Original Sherry Pepper Sauce, a Bermuda specialty that will bring the wonderful memories back with my morning eggs, chowder, fish stew, spagetti, pizza, pasta, hamburgers, beer, etc..
I hope to return there one day...

Only One Day Late
I was turning over the idea of the latest "weekend" music embed and thought I might take a cue from my recovery - something smooth and creamy, something delicious. I was considering Johnny Mathis for a while ("Chances Are" - a wonderful song from a modern master of style) when my iPod served up something to which I hadn't listened in a while and (luckily!) which was also available to embed. I present Polish songbird Basia (Basia Trzetrzelewska) with "Yearning" from her disc "The Sweetest Illusion" (Amazon link). The last name is, I swear, pronounced "chev-chev-levska. Well, that's how I remember that it's said.
I won't pretend that the viddy part of the embed is something earth-shaking but listen to that voice. She's a jazz singer with a strong samba influence and she's a knockout talent. Her live disc "Basia on Broadway" is simply amazing if you have any affection for jazz at all - high energy, lush music beautifully produced to an appreciative audience. That she works with guitarist extraordinaire Peter White is no surprise. I can't recommend her work highly enough and it goes to show how astonishingly beautiful Polish women are as well. I hope you enjoy the vid:

Only During Elections
For one (endlessly repeated) shining moment it is an eternal verity that REDDER IS BETTER.
And the devil take you if you don't understand.

Finally!
After all my bitching and moaning, I'm reasonably well today. I had an actual night's sleep for a change and I don't feel like anything on my stomach is destined for a round trip anymore. I'm jonesing for something smooth and creamy like mac & cheese. But I probably won't have any. But I just may get some rice and make a nice potful with chicken stock.
Which calls to mind a cooking question that perches in my mind like a disgruntled parakeet. Two of the most readily available fast foods are hamburgers and fried chicken. And two things that I really, really hate to cook in the kitchen are hamburgers and fried chicken because they both kick off ungodly amounts of aerosolized grease. So, given that one can get really good (maybe not excellent) hamburgers and fried chicken, why should I ever bother with cooking those in my own kitchen?