What a nice four day weekend (for those of us that had one). Nice and sunny - almost felt like summer was upon us.
Before Lotus and Shogun's most excellent BBQ soiree, we went to Balboa Park's International Cottages for their Annual Ethnic Food Fair. We've gone every year, sampling bits and pieces of our favorite cuisines.
We went early again this year, around 10 am'ish to secure a prime spot near the Organ Pavilion. The food booths were being set up and we could smell the sizzling food cooking at some of them. Our first hit was the House of Puerto Rico where we bought two 'pastelillos' (meat turnovers - their version of an empanada) which were $3 each. What I liked was that these were freshly fried. The crusts were golden brown and fork tines had sealed the edges quite nicely. Inside was spiced ground beef , olives and peppers. Bert then hit up the House of Panama for their version of an empanada ($3). The crust was kind of soft and colored yellow in parts (perhaps from turmeric?) . The filling was a spicy chicken I believe. Having Panamanian food was a first for us.
While TC and I sat on our portable mat on the grass lawn, Bert headed for the House of India for the sole purpose of buying a pair of 'samosas' (also a type of turnover, but this was pinched in a triangular type of shape); those were $2 each. The filling for the samosas was curried potatoes and peas. No beef there, if you know what I mean. I also strolled over to the Argentinian booth and procured their version of an empanada ($3) and stopped by a forlorn boy who was manning a dessert table solo by the House of Hungary. I bought a trio of pastries from him for $2. One pastry was a tiny glazed trianglular puff pastry turnover filled with apple; it was dusted with powdered sugar, which TC enjoyed. The other two pieces were slices of some sort of strudel; one was apple-cinnamon while the other had poppyseed filling. Later Bert had his turn at the House of Argentina when he got his much desired 'choripan' which is an Argentinian sausage sliced lengthwise and filled with chimichurri and served on a crusty French bread roll. According to
Wikipedia: "geChimichurri is a sauce and marinade used in Argentinian and Uruguayan cuisine. Chimichurri is made from chopped parsley, dried oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, and paprika with olive oil. Vinegar can be added for more "bite". It is usually the only seasoning for steak and chorizo sausages."
We also got a fruit bowl ($3) from the House of Mexico which consisted of slices of watermelon, jicama, cucumber and pineapple which was drenched in lime juice. The vendor was about to sprinkle chili powder on it (man, my mouth is watering as I type this) but I asked her not to because it was for TC. Our last purchase was a bowl of vanilla ice cream served with fresh strawberry jam (I forgot what the Finns called it) from the House of Finland for $2. We all shared the ice cream while watching Peruvian dancers on stage.
So...we ate light because we were anticipating the BBQ later that afternoon. Remember these food items were little samples so we didn't really have a huge meal. It was fun looking around and seeing so many happy people who were willing to share their culture with everyone. A lot of people were smiling and hawking their wares from their food booths. It was great hearing different kinds of music and seeing all of the old folks in their national costumes. Next year, we will try to sample food from the Houses we didn't go to such as: Lithuania, Columbia, Peru, Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Iran, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Austria, France, and such.
Can you believe, the House of the United States was selling hot dogs? I know it's not exotic to us Americans, but I'm sure for some foreign visitors, it might have been. So I'm not knocking the hot dog, okay? I was disappointed that the House of Scotland didn't have Haggis on it's menu. But the beef stew they had looked pretty good. I think the House of Philippines shouldn't sell pancit, rice, adobo and lumpia. Instead they should serve diniguan (lovely pork blood stew with chili peppers) and balut (unfertilized duck embryo still in its egg - yum yum). That should win some fans over to Philippine food! Hey, any hardcore Asian would win Fear Factor because of the wierd food items people consume there. Shark fins? Birds nests? Snakes? Rats?
In all, Sunday was a great day to have fun and eat great food at one of the most beautiful parks in the U.S. and hang out in the company of great friends...
By the way Lotus, those bulgogi lettuce wraps are really good. We're still trying to finish the leftovers. Bert just had some right now with the kojuchang (hot pepper paste). Korean food rules!
Movie I STILLwant to watch: "Art School Confidential"
Movie TC wants to watch: "Over the Hedge"
Movie Bert wants to watch: "X-Men 3 - The Last Stand"
CD in my car stereo: Guns 'N Roses' KICK ASS debut album, "Appetite for Destruction" (which I change to something more child friendly when TC is in the car)
Show I'm currently hooked on: VH-1's "Supergroup" and the Heavy Metal series from last week that I haven't watched yet.
Book that I'm reading or skimming: Frommer's Hawaii (gotta check out the shit before we go)
Days of work left: 13
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Korean and Cuban food
First the Korean food:
Yesterday, TC and I had lunch with Lotus at Buga Korean restaurant. You can read her post about it. Unfortunately my lunch special wasn't that special. It came with a side of chap chae noodles, a green salad with a dressing of unknown origin, two pieces of California roll (which TC ate), rice with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds, and the most colorless bulgogi I have ever seen.
One thing I do have to say is that the Korean waitress was pretty honest. I was looking through the menu trying to find something kinda small for TC to eat, because I wasn't sure if the lunch special would be enough for both of us to share. I asked the waitress what "Noble noodles" were because it had no description and plus, it was only $5.95 (I was assuming it was a small dish and perhaps something TC could eat).
This is what she said (in her heavy Korean accent): "Ahh...that is for Americans....It is not good!"
She didn't even bother answering my question. When I asked her again about it, she shook her head in disgust and said, "It's not good, you order something else".
So basically, it's a subpar noodle dish that they only make for "Americans" (meaning 'white people') who supposedly don't know the difference between good and crappy food. Well, she didn't say THAT, but she implied it. And I'm almost sure she said this to me because I am not white and "Asian" (more specifically Filipino American) and presumably have better taste in food than an "American" who'll gobble up any swill because it's exotic to them. That's up to debate as well, but man, talk about dissuading someone from eating something from your own establishment!!!
When the waitress used the word "American" (i.e. white person) it reminded me of how my mom uses the term in the same way. I grew up hearing my mom equate Americans with being white. "Oh you know, Americans only like eating cereal for breakfast not rice and meat like us", or "Americans don't bring good food to potlucks, only chips and potato salad" (equating them to being cheap OR perhaps uncreative food providers) and other things like that. I remember telling her when I got older, "Hey mom, we're Americans too! We live in the U.S. and I was born here! I'm American too!" But she would say, "You know what I mean!!! Plus you're Filipino first". Well, I may be of Filipino descent, but I'm also American, so I consider myself both. I don't salute the Philippine flag or call myself a Philippine national. My mom's way of thinking is typical of a lot of the older generation of Philippine immigrants (that I know of). They aren't into the hybrid/multi-ethnic terms and consider all Americans as being white only.
Next, the Cuban food:
I went out with a group of educator friends (two are teachers and one is an assistant principal) for our monthly food adventure. We used to go out regularly for either lunch or dinner but after two of us had kids and one got married five years ago, those outings dwindled. We have recently resurrected our practice of trying differing restaurants for fun. My friend originally chose a Puerto Rican place in Lemon Grove. Unfortunately, it went bust and they do not serve dinner. So, on to plan B which was to try a similar cuisine. Luckily there was talk of a new restaurant that just opened in La Mesa (the former site of Jamarr restaurant---the only reason I know this is when I mapquested it, Jamarr's name came up with that address instead of Habana).
Habana opened its doors in March of this year. I recall reading a review in the paper and it seemed to be favorable. We ordered 'tostones' for our appetizer, which are sliced green plantains that are smashed flat and then fried. Then, they are fried again to make them extra crispy. It was served with a ramekin of what they called "garlic sauce" and a sprig of parsley.
I ordered a ribeye steak (they called it Bistek Palomillo) which was marinated in lime juice, salt and pepper and served with grilled onions on top. The steak was served with a choice of two sides. I chose yellow rice with giandules (pigeon peas) and a sweet yam with pecan topping (think of sweet potato pie). One of my friends ordered the fried chicken with white rice and the sweet yam; another ordered fried pork chops with white rice mixed with black beans and simmered in white wine plus the same yam side. The other friend ordered two empanadas because she wanted to save room for dessert. Our desserts were as follows: I had the coconut empanada (not spectacular - it was just shredded coconut in a turnover and fried), another had the guava empanada (I think they used sweet guava jam or jelly for this), and the other two ordered a tres leches cake (I thought it was good, but she thought it was too dry) and a Cuban style bread pudding (quite heavy/dense). In all, we enjoyed our food. I boxed half of my steak plus some rice and sweet yam for Bert Wolfe to enjoy later.
Plan for tomorrow:
We plan to go just for a tiny bit. We aren't going to eat a lot since the BBQ is later that afternoon. It's been a tradition for us for the past five years or so to attend with TC in tow. It's a way for us to sample foods we normally wouldn't try. I always look forward to Puerto Rican 'pastelillos' (empanadas), while Bert likes the Hungarian spicy sausage sandwiches or the bratwurst from the House of Germany. Last year we tried food items from the Houses of Puerto Rico, Columbia, Israel, India, Iran, Turkey, England, and France. They also have Chinese and Filipino food there, but hell, I can get that anywhere and I can make it better too. We usually forgo the House of Italy for the Spanish paella and the Argentinian empanadas. I also like the pastries from the Scandinavian countries. The most tasteless thing I have ever eaten was a 'Cornish pasty' from the House of England. It was bland and had no seasonings in it. Ugh. British food = bad.
After sampling some of the food items, we'll let TC run around and be free near the Botanical Gardens. I also want to check out and use the macro lense feature in the cool camera Shogun let us borrow. Perhaps take some close ups of some orchids or of the Spanish architecture at the park.
Yesterday, TC and I had lunch with Lotus at Buga Korean restaurant. You can read her post about it. Unfortunately my lunch special wasn't that special. It came with a side of chap chae noodles, a green salad with a dressing of unknown origin, two pieces of California roll (which TC ate), rice with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds, and the most colorless bulgogi I have ever seen.
One thing I do have to say is that the Korean waitress was pretty honest. I was looking through the menu trying to find something kinda small for TC to eat, because I wasn't sure if the lunch special would be enough for both of us to share. I asked the waitress what "Noble noodles" were because it had no description and plus, it was only $5.95 (I was assuming it was a small dish and perhaps something TC could eat).
This is what she said (in her heavy Korean accent): "Ahh...that is for Americans....It is not good!"
She didn't even bother answering my question. When I asked her again about it, she shook her head in disgust and said, "It's not good, you order something else".
So basically, it's a subpar noodle dish that they only make for "Americans" (meaning 'white people') who supposedly don't know the difference between good and crappy food. Well, she didn't say THAT, but she implied it. And I'm almost sure she said this to me because I am not white and "Asian" (more specifically Filipino American) and presumably have better taste in food than an "American" who'll gobble up any swill because it's exotic to them. That's up to debate as well, but man, talk about dissuading someone from eating something from your own establishment!!!
When the waitress used the word "American" (i.e. white person) it reminded me of how my mom uses the term in the same way. I grew up hearing my mom equate Americans with being white. "Oh you know, Americans only like eating cereal for breakfast not rice and meat like us", or "Americans don't bring good food to potlucks, only chips and potato salad" (equating them to being cheap OR perhaps uncreative food providers) and other things like that. I remember telling her when I got older, "Hey mom, we're Americans too! We live in the U.S. and I was born here! I'm American too!" But she would say, "You know what I mean!!! Plus you're Filipino first". Well, I may be of Filipino descent, but I'm also American, so I consider myself both. I don't salute the Philippine flag or call myself a Philippine national. My mom's way of thinking is typical of a lot of the older generation of Philippine immigrants (that I know of). They aren't into the hybrid/multi-ethnic terms and consider all Americans as being white only.
Next, the Cuban food:
I went out with a group of educator friends (two are teachers and one is an assistant principal) for our monthly food adventure. We used to go out regularly for either lunch or dinner but after two of us had kids and one got married five years ago, those outings dwindled. We have recently resurrected our practice of trying differing restaurants for fun. My friend originally chose a Puerto Rican place in Lemon Grove. Unfortunately, it went bust and they do not serve dinner. So, on to plan B which was to try a similar cuisine. Luckily there was talk of a new restaurant that just opened in La Mesa (the former site of Jamarr restaurant---the only reason I know this is when I mapquested it, Jamarr's name came up with that address instead of Habana).
Habana opened its doors in March of this year. I recall reading a review in the paper and it seemed to be favorable. We ordered 'tostones' for our appetizer, which are sliced green plantains that are smashed flat and then fried. Then, they are fried again to make them extra crispy. It was served with a ramekin of what they called "garlic sauce" and a sprig of parsley.
I ordered a ribeye steak (they called it Bistek Palomillo) which was marinated in lime juice, salt and pepper and served with grilled onions on top. The steak was served with a choice of two sides. I chose yellow rice with giandules (pigeon peas) and a sweet yam with pecan topping (think of sweet potato pie). One of my friends ordered the fried chicken with white rice and the sweet yam; another ordered fried pork chops with white rice mixed with black beans and simmered in white wine plus the same yam side. The other friend ordered two empanadas because she wanted to save room for dessert. Our desserts were as follows: I had the coconut empanada (not spectacular - it was just shredded coconut in a turnover and fried), another had the guava empanada (I think they used sweet guava jam or jelly for this), and the other two ordered a tres leches cake (I thought it was good, but she thought it was too dry) and a Cuban style bread pudding (quite heavy/dense). In all, we enjoyed our food. I boxed half of my steak plus some rice and sweet yam for Bert Wolfe to enjoy later.
Plan for tomorrow:
ETHNIC FOOD FAIR AT BALBOA PARK 10 am - 5 pm
@ the International Cottages
We plan to go just for a tiny bit. We aren't going to eat a lot since the BBQ is later that afternoon. It's been a tradition for us for the past five years or so to attend with TC in tow. It's a way for us to sample foods we normally wouldn't try. I always look forward to Puerto Rican 'pastelillos' (empanadas), while Bert likes the Hungarian spicy sausage sandwiches or the bratwurst from the House of Germany. Last year we tried food items from the Houses of Puerto Rico, Columbia, Israel, India, Iran, Turkey, England, and France. They also have Chinese and Filipino food there, but hell, I can get that anywhere and I can make it better too. We usually forgo the House of Italy for the Spanish paella and the Argentinian empanadas. I also like the pastries from the Scandinavian countries. The most tasteless thing I have ever eaten was a 'Cornish pasty' from the House of England. It was bland and had no seasonings in it. Ugh. British food = bad.
After sampling some of the food items, we'll let TC run around and be free near the Botanical Gardens. I also want to check out and use the macro lense feature in the cool camera Shogun let us borrow. Perhaps take some close ups of some orchids or of the Spanish architecture at the park.
My Favorite Movie Quotes Part 2
Of course, how can I overlook my #1 favorite movie of all time...Amy Heckerling's directorial debut of 1982 by Universal Pictures, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" based on the book of the same name written by Cameron Crowe. Crowe, was then in his early 20's. He went undercover at what is believed to be Clairemont High in Clairemont Mesa (in San Diego). Funny how Crowe is now an Oscar winner and makes "serious" films like "Jerry Maguire" (I hated that flick), "Vanilla Sky", "Almost Famous" (based on his personal experience as a teenage rookie writer for Rolling Stone magazine and touring with famous bands in the 70's) and "Vanilla Sky". Other than Fast Times, I really enjoyed 1989's "Say Anything". So here are some of my favorite quotes from the best and one of the more honest teen flicks of the 80's (pre-John Hughes).
Quotes courtesy of IMDB.COM (with a few minor alterations by me)
----------------------
Jeff Spicoli: [driving and stoned] People on 'ludes should not drive.
-----------------------
[after Spicoli wrecks Jefferson's car]
Jefferson's Brother: My brother's gonna kill us! He's gonna kill us! He's gonna kill you and he's gonna kill me, he's gonna kill us!
Spicoli: Hey man, just be glad I had fast reflexes!
Jefferson's Brother: My brother's gonna shit!
Spicoli: Make up your mind, dude, is he gonna shit or is he gonna kill us?
Jefferson's Brother: First he's gonna shit, then he's gonna kill us!
------------------------
(at All American Burger)
Spicoli: No shirt, no shoes...
Jeff and Stoner Buds: No dice! Ohhhh!
Brad Hamilton: Right. Learn it. Know it. Live it.
------------------------
Mr. Hand: Aloha. My name is Mr. Hand
-----------------------
(in Spicoli's bedroom with Mr. Hand)
Spicoli: So what Jefferson was saying was "Hey! You know, we left this England place because it was bogus. So if we don't get some cool rules ourselves, pronto, we'll just be bogus too." Yay?
------------------------
(laughing as he gets interviewed by sports newscaster Stu Nahan)
Spicoli: Ahhhh! Those guys are fags.!
------------------------
(on the phone after finding out that Damone got Stacy pregnant and stood her up to pay for the abortion)
Linda: That little prick!!!
------------------------
[a science class is visiting the hospital morgue]
Mr. Vargas: Are you in my class?
Spicoli: I am today.
------------------------
Spicoli: Hey, Bud, let's party!
------------------------
Spicoli: Hey, I know that dude!
------------------------
(in Mr. Hand's U.S. History class)
Spicoli: Hey, you're ripping my card.
Mr. Hand: Yes.
Spicoli: Hey bud, what's your problem?
Mr. Hand: No problem at all. I think you know where the front office is.
Spicoli: You DICK!!!!!
------------------------
and of course, I saved the best quote for last....
Brad Hamilton: [after Linda opens the door on him while he is giving himself a handjob]
Jeez. Doesn't anyone fucking knock any more??????
------------------------
TO BE CONTINUED...
Quotes courtesy of IMDB.COM (with a few minor alterations by me)
----------------------
Jeff Spicoli: [driving and stoned] People on 'ludes should not drive.
-----------------------
[after Spicoli wrecks Jefferson's car]
Jefferson's Brother: My brother's gonna kill us! He's gonna kill us! He's gonna kill you and he's gonna kill me, he's gonna kill us!
Spicoli: Hey man, just be glad I had fast reflexes!
Jefferson's Brother: My brother's gonna shit!
Spicoli: Make up your mind, dude, is he gonna shit or is he gonna kill us?
Jefferson's Brother: First he's gonna shit, then he's gonna kill us!
------------------------
(at All American Burger)
Spicoli: No shirt, no shoes...
Jeff and Stoner Buds: No dice! Ohhhh!
Brad Hamilton: Right. Learn it. Know it. Live it.
------------------------
Mr. Hand: Aloha. My name is Mr. Hand
-----------------------
(in Spicoli's bedroom with Mr. Hand)
Spicoli: So what Jefferson was saying was "Hey! You know, we left this England place because it was bogus. So if we don't get some cool rules ourselves, pronto, we'll just be bogus too." Yay?
------------------------
(laughing as he gets interviewed by sports newscaster Stu Nahan)
Spicoli: Ahhhh! Those guys are fags.!
------------------------
(on the phone after finding out that Damone got Stacy pregnant and stood her up to pay for the abortion)
Linda: That little prick!!!
------------------------
[a science class is visiting the hospital morgue]
Mr. Vargas: Are you in my class?
Spicoli: I am today.
------------------------
Spicoli: Hey, Bud, let's party!
------------------------
Spicoli: Hey, I know that dude!
------------------------
(in Mr. Hand's U.S. History class)
Spicoli: Hey, you're ripping my card.
Mr. Hand: Yes.
Spicoli: Hey bud, what's your problem?
Mr. Hand: No problem at all. I think you know where the front office is.
Spicoli: You DICK!!!!!
------------------------
and of course, I saved the best quote for last....
Brad Hamilton: [after Linda opens the door on him while he is giving himself a handjob]
Jeez. Doesn't anyone fucking knock any more??????
------------------------
TO BE CONTINUED...
Monday, May 22, 2006
My Favorite Movie Quotes Part 1
Inspired I was by Lotus' recent posts about movie quotes.
I have so many. Like Superman, I love referencing movie quotes, many of which you all know and understand. But to most of the people with whom I work or to anyone in general who is the recipient of my strange witticisms, I must sound like some sort of nerd (which I am). I'll drop a line and I'll get a blank stare. Hey, it's not my fault that they're pop culturally void.
Here are some quotes from my favorite movies. Well, it would pretty much have to be the WHOLE movie! Gedde Watanabe Rules!!! Despite his earnest portrayal of a stereotypical horny Asian male nerd and setting back the Asian American movement by a few decades, this fkr is funny!
Sixteen Candles:
Long Duk Dong (drunk on the Baker's front lawn): No more yankie my wankie! The Donger need Food!
--------------------
Long Duk Dong (as he falls from a tree) : Oh sexy Girlfriend!!!!!!!
---------------------
(bus scene)
Geek: Just answer me one question.
Samantha Baker: Yes, you're a total fag!
Geek: Ha ha ha. That's not the question.
-------------------
(at the Baker's dinner table)
Long Duk Dong: Very clever dinner. Appetizing food fit neatly into interesting round pie.
Mike Baker: It's a quiche.
Long Duk Dong: How do you spell?
Grandpa Fred:Well you don't spell it, son, you eat it!
--------------------
(Grandparents meeting Sam in the hallway)
Grandma Helen: Oh Sam, let me take a look at you. Fred, she's gotten her boobies.
Grandpa Fred: I better get my magnifying glass. Ha Ha Ha.
Grandma Helen: Oh, and they are so PERKY. [reaches to cup them]
Samantha: I can't believe my grandmother actually felt me up!
--------------------
(at the dance right before Spandau Ballet's song "True")
Geek : By night's end, I predict me and her will interface.
--------------------
(on the bus)
Geek : So, what's your story? I mean, you got a guy, or...?
Samantha: Yes, three big ones, and they lust wimp blood so quit bugging me or I'll sic them all over your weenie ass.
-----------
TO BE CONTINUED...
I have so many. Like Superman, I love referencing movie quotes, many of which you all know and understand. But to most of the people with whom I work or to anyone in general who is the recipient of my strange witticisms, I must sound like some sort of nerd (which I am). I'll drop a line and I'll get a blank stare. Hey, it's not my fault that they're pop culturally void.
Here are some quotes from my favorite movies. Well, it would pretty much have to be the WHOLE movie! Gedde Watanabe Rules!!! Despite his earnest portrayal of a stereotypical horny Asian male nerd and setting back the Asian American movement by a few decades, this fkr is funny!
Sixteen Candles:
Long Duk Dong (drunk on the Baker's front lawn): No more yankie my wankie! The Donger need Food!
--------------------
Long Duk Dong (as he falls from a tree) : Oh sexy Girlfriend!!!!!!!
---------------------
(bus scene)
Geek: Just answer me one question.
Samantha Baker: Yes, you're a total fag!
Geek: Ha ha ha. That's not the question.
-------------------
(at the Baker's dinner table)
Long Duk Dong: Very clever dinner. Appetizing food fit neatly into interesting round pie.
Mike Baker: It's a quiche.
Long Duk Dong: How do you spell?
Grandpa Fred:Well you don't spell it, son, you eat it!
--------------------
(Grandparents meeting Sam in the hallway)
Grandma Helen: Oh Sam, let me take a look at you. Fred, she's gotten her boobies.
Grandpa Fred: I better get my magnifying glass. Ha Ha Ha.
Grandma Helen: Oh, and they are so PERKY. [reaches to cup them]
Samantha: I can't believe my grandmother actually felt me up!
--------------------
(at the dance right before Spandau Ballet's song "True")
Geek : By night's end, I predict me and her will interface.
--------------------
(on the bus)
Geek : So, what's your story? I mean, you got a guy, or...?
Samantha: Yes, three big ones, and they lust wimp blood so quit bugging me or I'll sic them all over your weenie ass.
-----------
TO BE CONTINUED...
Thursday, May 18, 2006
J'ai Faim
That is the name of Lotus' new blog (which I joined). I just posted a Halo-Halo recipe. You can check it out at: www.eatdrinkandbemerry.blogspot.com.
All this hype about the 'Da Vinci Code'. I'm probably one of the few people who haven't read the book. Is it any good? Should we even bother with the movie? Read the book before or after seeing the movie?
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:
The Pretenders - The Singles (orig. released 1987)
Songs of note: "Stop Your Sobbing", "Kid", "Talk of the Town", "Show Me" & "Don't Get Me Wrong". I'm a big Chrissie Hynde fan. I used to wear thick eyeliner (bottom part of the eye) in junior high so I could look cool like her. Along with Joan Jett, Chrissie Hynde is one of the few early female rockers that I really admired and still do. A rare female frontwoman, she still kicks ass. She writes and plays her own songs, and slings a mean axe (a guitar) unless those plastic, prefabricated talentless no good pieces of shit pop princess that they whore out to the masses on radio today.
Interesting trivia: She had a baby in the early 80's with one of her musical idols, Ray Davies of '60s rock group, The Kinks. Her cover of the Kinks' 'Stop Your Sobbing' on the Pretenders first album was just brilliant. She later married Jim Kerr, lead singer of the English group Simple Minds (Breakfast Club anyone?)
All this hype about the 'Da Vinci Code'. I'm probably one of the few people who haven't read the book. Is it any good? Should we even bother with the movie? Read the book before or after seeing the movie?
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:
The Pretenders - The Singles (orig. released 1987)
Songs of note: "Stop Your Sobbing", "Kid", "Talk of the Town", "Show Me" & "Don't Get Me Wrong". I'm a big Chrissie Hynde fan. I used to wear thick eyeliner (bottom part of the eye) in junior high so I could look cool like her. Along with Joan Jett, Chrissie Hynde is one of the few early female rockers that I really admired and still do. A rare female frontwoman, she still kicks ass. She writes and plays her own songs, and slings a mean axe (a guitar) unless those plastic, prefabricated talentless no good pieces of shit pop princess that they whore out to the masses on radio today.
Interesting trivia: She had a baby in the early 80's with one of her musical idols, Ray Davies of '60s rock group, The Kinks. Her cover of the Kinks' 'Stop Your Sobbing' on the Pretenders first album was just brilliant. She later married Jim Kerr, lead singer of the English group Simple Minds (Breakfast Club anyone?)
Monday, May 15, 2006
Her name is Rio...
It's cute to hear TC sing the chorus of 'Rio' by Duran Duran.
Her musical tastes are so sheltered, of course by design. Radio sux and all that Disney/teenybopper shit does too.
Wait 'til I get her into Metallica... (kidding)
Her musical tastes are so sheltered, of course by design. Radio sux and all that Disney/teenybopper shit does too.
Wait 'til I get her into Metallica... (kidding)
Bumper sticker
I saw a bumper sticker on my way home today.
It said, "How many Iraqi children did we kill today?"
Sad...
It said, "How many Iraqi children did we kill today?"
Sad...
Sunday, May 14, 2006
The weekend recap
FRIDAY:
Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Although I'm not a teacher, I still got a few nice things from my students. After coming back from lunch, I found a Todai gift certificate on my desk. I read the post it note first, then peeked inside. It was a $25 gift certificate...or so I thought. When I got home, I opened up the envelope fully. Behind the $25 gift certif. was a $50 one!!! $75 bucks total! So, guess where we ate that night?
Damn, Todai is expensive. Our total was $68.96. We ended up using the whole $75 (which included the tip, because hey, we serve ourselves there. The only things the servers do is bus our tables). Does that make us cheap? Anyways, it was a great free meal. Except when I was trying to break open a snow crab leg and the sharp edge pushed up under one of my finger nails! It hurt like an MF! I left my hoodie jacket and as we were walking out, the back side door opened and it's our waiter running out to give my my jacket! Wow, now I feel like we should have tipped them more!
SATURDAY:
Went to my co-worker's wedding. The wedding itself was at St. Pius Catholic Church in Chula Vista. It's a very pretty church , about 50+ years old, located in a nice quiet neighborhood.
It was a 1 hour + mass which begain at 1 pm. The bride looked lovely and radiant. The weather was perfect - sunny and not too hot. The reception was to be several hours later (7 pm) in Tijuana at Alhambra Salon (as in the Spanish Alhambra). So we dropped off TC at my mom's to spend the remainder of the day and to spend the night as well, since children were not allowed at the reception.
Our good friends picked us up at 6:30 pm and we got to TJ about a half hour later. The place was tucked away at the base of a hill on some side street. The reception area was beautiful and takes it's name from the Alhambra Palace, which overlooks the city of Granada in Spain. The palace was built from 1338-1390 and is considered on of the greatest and well known Moorish works of architecture). Of course, I'm sure the real thing is much grander in scale. But this reception area was quite large and had wrought iron chandeliers and accents throughout. A trio of musicians were serenading the audience with romantic lovesongs in Spanish throughout the early evening hours. Later a live band played, then a dj playing 80's songs (our high school faves) and 80's rock en espanol songs (even Menudo was played)! Photographers took photos of every couple and later had the photos ready for purchase in the lobby ($5 for a n 8 x 10)!
The food was pretty good. Appetizers were bruschetta with fresh mozzarella cheese and tomatoes , spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese wrapped in phyllo dough) with micro greens. Next came baby spinach salad with bean sprouts (with the nasty ends snipped off), diced mango and a sweet soy based dressing. It wasn't soy/ginger and I can't put my finger on the mystery ingredient, but it was delicious. Drinks were sodas or vodka with sprite, rum and coke, or tequila shots. The waitstaff was very good and patient with us gringos and replenished everyone's drinks without us even asking. The main course was chicken cordon bleu (does it normally have mushrooms inside?) with a square potato gallette, served with corn and diced green peppers.
Border crossing on the way IN to Mexico: No problem. We just drove right through. No wait.
Border crossing on the way OUT of Mexico: FK!!!! We were in line for an hour and a half!!! We also had a dick of a border crossing guard. My friend's husband (who was driving), noted from afar that he was a fat fk ! I'm sure he was a power hungry a-hole. We could see that he was giving everyone ahead of us the third degree and even writing people up. My friend the driver said that the guard was sending those who were written up to a place called 'secondary' where they question you even more and you are stuck FOREVER.
What was bad was that I did not have my DRIVER'S LICENSE with me or even my PASSPORT (which, given the post 9/11 policies), I should have had. My driver's license was in another bag which I used at another function earlier this week. I thought I had transferred everything. This guy let us through after lording it over us. The driver thought we could have been sent to secondary!!!! We left the reception at 11:30 p.m. We were back in the U.S. at 1 a.m.!
SUNDAY:
Mother's Day. Took my mom out to lunch at Todomachi, a Japanese restaurant right off the 805 and Palm Ave exit (in Otay Mesa). I ate light: 1 salmon skin roll plus a green salad with soy/ginger dressing, with which they drowned the lettuce. Went home and napped. Bert and TC went food shopping @ Henry's for me while I rested myself.
We had dinner reservations at 5 pm at Pampa's Argentinian Grill on Aero Drive. Great food. It's in an industrial complex amidst flight school store fronts, a donut shop and a dog grooming place. For appetizers, we had (baked) empanadas. I ordered three kinds: 1) beef, 2) chicken and lastly 3) Napoletano (ham, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese). Service was fast and friendly. We were barely halfway done eating the empanadas when our main entrees arrived.
Bert ordered the Ancho Pampas, which is grilled New Zealand imported ribeye steak (grass fed, not corn fed like American beef) topped with a Roquefort cream sauce and 3 beer battered onion rings; serived with a side of your choice (he chose fresh vegetables). I ordered,(I forgot the name in Spanish) a filet mignon in a cracked black pepper cream sauce served with creamy mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, my filet mignon was a little too red in the middle for me. I don't like rare... although it was cooked 'medium'.
My gracious husband let me have some of his steak and we made a trade. TC had spaghetti from the kids menu. What was nice was that the serving was not king-sized for her. It was in a small bowl and came with the marinara sauce and the parmesan cheese served in separate containers. I like how they didn't dump the sauce all over the noodles and they let the customer decide how much sauce or cheese goes on.
Bert had a tall glass of Quilmes, which is the #1 beer in Argentina. I had their house sangria, served with a slices of orange and green and red apples. Our dessert was Panqueques de Pampas (or something to that nature). Basically it was crepes filled with caramel and glazed with a brown sugar crust and rum. There were two crepes swimming in a light layer of caramel, dotted with whipped cream and garnished with one strawberry. In all, a very good meal and a perfect way to end Mother's Day. It was great not having to cook today!
Happy Mother's Day to Missy and Superman's wife and whoever else is reading this that has kids...(whoever you are)!
Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Although I'm not a teacher, I still got a few nice things from my students. After coming back from lunch, I found a Todai gift certificate on my desk. I read the post it note first, then peeked inside. It was a $25 gift certificate...or so I thought. When I got home, I opened up the envelope fully. Behind the $25 gift certif. was a $50 one!!! $75 bucks total! So, guess where we ate that night?
Damn, Todai is expensive. Our total was $68.96. We ended up using the whole $75 (which included the tip, because hey, we serve ourselves there. The only things the servers do is bus our tables). Does that make us cheap? Anyways, it was a great free meal. Except when I was trying to break open a snow crab leg and the sharp edge pushed up under one of my finger nails! It hurt like an MF! I left my hoodie jacket and as we were walking out, the back side door opened and it's our waiter running out to give my my jacket! Wow, now I feel like we should have tipped them more!
SATURDAY:
Went to my co-worker's wedding. The wedding itself was at St. Pius Catholic Church in Chula Vista. It's a very pretty church , about 50+ years old, located in a nice quiet neighborhood.
It was a 1 hour + mass which begain at 1 pm. The bride looked lovely and radiant. The weather was perfect - sunny and not too hot. The reception was to be several hours later (7 pm) in Tijuana at Alhambra Salon (as in the Spanish Alhambra). So we dropped off TC at my mom's to spend the remainder of the day and to spend the night as well, since children were not allowed at the reception.
Our good friends picked us up at 6:30 pm and we got to TJ about a half hour later. The place was tucked away at the base of a hill on some side street. The reception area was beautiful and takes it's name from the Alhambra Palace, which overlooks the city of Granada in Spain. The palace was built from 1338-1390 and is considered on of the greatest and well known Moorish works of architecture). Of course, I'm sure the real thing is much grander in scale. But this reception area was quite large and had wrought iron chandeliers and accents throughout. A trio of musicians were serenading the audience with romantic lovesongs in Spanish throughout the early evening hours. Later a live band played, then a dj playing 80's songs (our high school faves) and 80's rock en espanol songs (even Menudo was played)! Photographers took photos of every couple and later had the photos ready for purchase in the lobby ($5 for a n 8 x 10)!
The food was pretty good. Appetizers were bruschetta with fresh mozzarella cheese and tomatoes , spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese wrapped in phyllo dough) with micro greens. Next came baby spinach salad with bean sprouts (with the nasty ends snipped off), diced mango and a sweet soy based dressing. It wasn't soy/ginger and I can't put my finger on the mystery ingredient, but it was delicious. Drinks were sodas or vodka with sprite, rum and coke, or tequila shots. The waitstaff was very good and patient with us gringos and replenished everyone's drinks without us even asking. The main course was chicken cordon bleu (does it normally have mushrooms inside?) with a square potato gallette, served with corn and diced green peppers.
Border crossing on the way IN to Mexico: No problem. We just drove right through. No wait.
Border crossing on the way OUT of Mexico: FK!!!! We were in line for an hour and a half!!! We also had a dick of a border crossing guard. My friend's husband (who was driving), noted from afar that he was a fat fk ! I'm sure he was a power hungry a-hole. We could see that he was giving everyone ahead of us the third degree and even writing people up. My friend the driver said that the guard was sending those who were written up to a place called 'secondary' where they question you even more and you are stuck FOREVER.
What was bad was that I did not have my DRIVER'S LICENSE with me or even my PASSPORT (which, given the post 9/11 policies), I should have had. My driver's license was in another bag which I used at another function earlier this week. I thought I had transferred everything. This guy let us through after lording it over us. The driver thought we could have been sent to secondary!!!! We left the reception at 11:30 p.m. We were back in the U.S. at 1 a.m.!
SUNDAY:
Mother's Day. Took my mom out to lunch at Todomachi, a Japanese restaurant right off the 805 and Palm Ave exit (in Otay Mesa). I ate light: 1 salmon skin roll plus a green salad with soy/ginger dressing, with which they drowned the lettuce. Went home and napped. Bert and TC went food shopping @ Henry's for me while I rested myself.
We had dinner reservations at 5 pm at Pampa's Argentinian Grill on Aero Drive. Great food. It's in an industrial complex amidst flight school store fronts, a donut shop and a dog grooming place. For appetizers, we had (baked) empanadas. I ordered three kinds: 1) beef, 2) chicken and lastly 3) Napoletano (ham, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese). Service was fast and friendly. We were barely halfway done eating the empanadas when our main entrees arrived.
Bert ordered the Ancho Pampas, which is grilled New Zealand imported ribeye steak (grass fed, not corn fed like American beef) topped with a Roquefort cream sauce and 3 beer battered onion rings; serived with a side of your choice (he chose fresh vegetables). I ordered,(I forgot the name in Spanish) a filet mignon in a cracked black pepper cream sauce served with creamy mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, my filet mignon was a little too red in the middle for me. I don't like rare... although it was cooked 'medium'.
My gracious husband let me have some of his steak and we made a trade. TC had spaghetti from the kids menu. What was nice was that the serving was not king-sized for her. It was in a small bowl and came with the marinara sauce and the parmesan cheese served in separate containers. I like how they didn't dump the sauce all over the noodles and they let the customer decide how much sauce or cheese goes on.
Bert had a tall glass of Quilmes, which is the #1 beer in Argentina. I had their house sangria, served with a slices of orange and green and red apples. Our dessert was Panqueques de Pampas (or something to that nature). Basically it was crepes filled with caramel and glazed with a brown sugar crust and rum. There were two crepes swimming in a light layer of caramel, dotted with whipped cream and garnished with one strawberry. In all, a very good meal and a perfect way to end Mother's Day. It was great not having to cook today!
Happy Mother's Day to Missy and Superman's wife and whoever else is reading this that has kids...(whoever you are)!
Belated props
Belated props to Superman, artist extraordinaire...
We saw the Asian Story Theatre's production of 'Shave Ice' two tweeks ago (Sat, April 29, 7 pm) mainly to see our talented friend's artwork for "The Rajah's Daughter". The production had four acts and Superman's art work was the backdrop for their adaption of the Philippine folktale of how the mango came to be. Brilliant backdrops made even more vivid by the large scale of the works which were projected on a huge screen...
I especially liked the red/orange temple-like backdrop. It had little arrow designs pointing up (almost Prince like) from the top. I also liked the volcano backdrop (gosh, I hope that's what it was). Out of all backdrops in the four-act production, Superman's was the best. The other fairy tales had soft Chinese watercolors, a beach scene from Waikiki and a crudely drawn storefront depicting old time Hawaii...
It was nice to see Superman's talent being seen by a wider audience...
By the way, after the show, everyone was invited to have some Hawaiian shave ice, and food catered by Da 'Kines (a local Hawaiian food joint). They had lumpia, pansit, teriyaki chicken, and of course, that Island fave, *Spam Musubi. It was so funny because a lot of the white people would look at it with either puzzled or disgusted expressions on their faces. The only people who were eating it were either brave souls or people who knew what it was. I say, more for us man!
*Spam Musubi is a fried slice of Spam laid on top of rice (same shape as the Spam) and wrapped with nori (seaweed).
We saw the Asian Story Theatre's production of 'Shave Ice' two tweeks ago (Sat, April 29, 7 pm) mainly to see our talented friend's artwork for "The Rajah's Daughter". The production had four acts and Superman's art work was the backdrop for their adaption of the Philippine folktale of how the mango came to be. Brilliant backdrops made even more vivid by the large scale of the works which were projected on a huge screen...
I especially liked the red/orange temple-like backdrop. It had little arrow designs pointing up (almost Prince like) from the top. I also liked the volcano backdrop (gosh, I hope that's what it was). Out of all backdrops in the four-act production, Superman's was the best. The other fairy tales had soft Chinese watercolors, a beach scene from Waikiki and a crudely drawn storefront depicting old time Hawaii...
It was nice to see Superman's talent being seen by a wider audience...
By the way, after the show, everyone was invited to have some Hawaiian shave ice, and food catered by Da 'Kines (a local Hawaiian food joint). They had lumpia, pansit, teriyaki chicken, and of course, that Island fave, *Spam Musubi. It was so funny because a lot of the white people would look at it with either puzzled or disgusted expressions on their faces. The only people who were eating it were either brave souls or people who knew what it was. I say, more for us man!
*Spam Musubi is a fried slice of Spam laid on top of rice (same shape as the Spam) and wrapped with nori (seaweed).
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Chicken Tinola Time!
As I look around the computer room, I notice that Ronin's 'V for Vendetta' graphic novel is on the floor. We've had it since I started this blog almost two months ago. Bert has been reading it on and off. You will get it back...someday. The DVD will probably come out first...I don't know if he's been reading it in the bathroom! Kidding...Uh, you may want to disinfect that graphic novel.
TC gave me a potted flower today as an early Mother's Day gift. The kids made them at the Y and there are buttons glued on the pot and it says "My love for you grows and grows." It's so cute. I hope that my black thumb won't kill it!
I tried doing bullets in the blog dated 5/9, but it didn't format it that way... : ( SO I will try using an asterisk and spacing over three times.
Dinner Tomorrow:
Tinolang Manok
Chicken Tinola is Filipino chicken/ginger soup. It is very easy to make.
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken pieces (wings I shall use, but any pieces but breast are good)
several pieces of sliced ginger with skin on
1 small sliced onion, quartered
1 chayote, peeled, seeded and chopped into chunks
(This can be substituted with green papaya)
8-10 cups of water
1 bag of bagged baby spinach
(This can be substited with sili leaves, aka hot pepper leaves)
olive oil
patis (Filipino fish sauce) - for those of you that may not like the taste, you can use regular
salt but it won't taste the same
* Saute the onions and ginger in several tbsp of olive oil until onion is translucent
* Add the chicken pieces and brown over medium heat
* Season with the patis (this will provide the 'saltiness') - a few tsps will do.
* Add the water and let simmer for at least 30 minutes
* Add the chayote (can be substited with upo, a gourd-like Filipino vegetable. Did you
know it's the sources of loofahs? Loofahs are dried, cross section of upo) and simmer for
10 more minutes
* Turn off heat after chayote is tender and add the bagged spinach. Let sit for 2-3 minutes to
allow the spinach to wilt
* Serve hot with white rice
Spoon some sabao (soup) on your kanin (rice) and chow down!!!! There is another version where you can also saute garlic along with the onions and ginger but I find that the garlic overpowers the other flavors.
TC gave me a potted flower today as an early Mother's Day gift. The kids made them at the Y and there are buttons glued on the pot and it says "My love for you grows and grows." It's so cute. I hope that my black thumb won't kill it!
I tried doing bullets in the blog dated 5/9, but it didn't format it that way... : ( SO I will try using an asterisk and spacing over three times.
Dinner Tomorrow:
Tinolang Manok
Chicken Tinola is Filipino chicken/ginger soup. It is very easy to make.
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken pieces (wings I shall use, but any pieces but breast are good)
several pieces of sliced ginger with skin on
1 small sliced onion, quartered
1 chayote, peeled, seeded and chopped into chunks
(This can be substituted with green papaya)
8-10 cups of water
1 bag of bagged baby spinach
(This can be substited with sili leaves, aka hot pepper leaves)
olive oil
patis (Filipino fish sauce) - for those of you that may not like the taste, you can use regular
salt but it won't taste the same
* Saute the onions and ginger in several tbsp of olive oil until onion is translucent
* Add the chicken pieces and brown over medium heat
* Season with the patis (this will provide the 'saltiness') - a few tsps will do.
* Add the water and let simmer for at least 30 minutes
* Add the chayote (can be substited with upo, a gourd-like Filipino vegetable. Did you
know it's the sources of loofahs? Loofahs are dried, cross section of upo) and simmer for
10 more minutes
* Turn off heat after chayote is tender and add the bagged spinach. Let sit for 2-3 minutes to
allow the spinach to wilt
* Serve hot with white rice
Spoon some sabao (soup) on your kanin (rice) and chow down!!!! There is another version where you can also saute garlic along with the onions and ginger but I find that the garlic overpowers the other flavors.
Back to the grind...
Went back to work today after being off for three days. Got caught up pretty quickly. Yeah, I'm good like that...ha ha...Returned all pending phone calls. Returned email messages. Saw some students. One parent questioned this letter I sent home because it said her daughter had an 'F' in one of her electives needed for graduation. I emailed the mom a copy of her grades. Turns out that the daughter forged her grades (of course they were all A's and B's). Surprise, surprise, imagine that...
I got a really sweet thank you card from a student. Yesterday was Teacher Appreciation Day, and even though I'm not a teacher, it was still nice to get a thank you from someone. Us counselors tend to be forgotten. 'MMM kay....(Mr. Mackie from South Park)
I also got another thank you (from the same student actually) on a sheet with an apple on it. It's nice to be appreciated. There was also a treat bag from the Link Crew (a campus club that pairs juniors and seniors with freshmen buddies) filled with goodies: 1 package of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, 1 bar of Kit Kat (already eaten), a cool pen (or was it a pencil?), mints, sweet tarts, and some other candy item.
Tomorrow, I will be holding down the fort in the morning. At least until the rest of the crew comes back from the Ivy League counselor breakfast. There's only 1 more month left of school...
Thane, I saw you and Missy arrive a few nights ago but didn't get a chance to see or chat with you. Hope you had a safe flight back.
Movie I want to see:
"Art School Confidential" directed by Terry Zwigoff ("Crumb", "Ghostworld"<----one of my fave movies; based on the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes, and inexplicably "Bad Santa" which was a completely AWFUL flick). This movie is also comic-related (like "Crumb" and "Ghostworld") and based on the mini comic by Daniel Clowes, which was featured in his series "Eightball". I have almost every issue up until #22. Clowes is pretty twisted but I really like his quirky observations about everyday things and people.
Magazines I just got in the mail and will supply me with good bathroom reading material for at least 2 days:
My new issue of Classic Rock (from the UK). Issue's theme "The Monsters of Rock" which came with a CD of the same title. Almost every song on the CD kicks ass, except Sepultura (a Brazilian scream-o metal band; I'm not too fond of guttural screaming) and Journey (the new version with lead singer Steve Augeri, not the old and better version with Steve Perry). That kind of doesn't make sense to me to have a CD full of mainly hard rockin', ass kickin' tunes then to top it off with a sort of pussyish song. It just seems incongruous to me. They may have well just ended it with the Little River Band or Ambrosia or worse yet, Bread.
My new issue of Bust magazine (I know it sounds like some sort of Tittie mag, but it's not). This new issue contains an article on Maya Rudolph (the chick who plays Donatella Versace and Condoleeza Rice on SNL. She is also the inspiration for the 70's octave bending song, "Loving You" by her Minnie Riperton, who was her mother), an article on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a Goth beach party fashion spread, women in prison, '70s era women protesters who packed heat (think the SLA, Vietnam war, sexism, racism), indie brides and more...It also has fashion, music and book reviews and a Whitney Houston pop quiz (has a photo of her from 1985 not the strung out crack ho she is now)
Whenever I get these magazines (along with my other faves, Giant Robot, Bitch which is another feminist magazine, but with less fluff and more hard core, and Budget Living), I get so excited. I can't decide which to read first. I read my beloved magz cover to cover (if they're really interesting).
Reading is my vice. I don't watch a lot of TV and when I do, it's the late night news (late being 10 pm) or some shit on VH-1 or the E! Channel. If I do actually watch a show, it's on the Food Network (Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, Unwrapped).
Time to look at a Scholastic Books order. Ahh, the joys of ordering books for .75 and .99!!!!
I got a really sweet thank you card from a student. Yesterday was Teacher Appreciation Day, and even though I'm not a teacher, it was still nice to get a thank you from someone. Us counselors tend to be forgotten. 'MMM kay....(Mr. Mackie from South Park)
I also got another thank you (from the same student actually) on a sheet with an apple on it. It's nice to be appreciated. There was also a treat bag from the Link Crew (a campus club that pairs juniors and seniors with freshmen buddies) filled with goodies: 1 package of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, 1 bar of Kit Kat (already eaten), a cool pen (or was it a pencil?), mints, sweet tarts, and some other candy item.
Tomorrow, I will be holding down the fort in the morning. At least until the rest of the crew comes back from the Ivy League counselor breakfast. There's only 1 more month left of school...
Thane, I saw you and Missy arrive a few nights ago but didn't get a chance to see or chat with you. Hope you had a safe flight back.
Movie I want to see:
"Art School Confidential" directed by Terry Zwigoff ("Crumb", "Ghostworld"<----one of my fave movies; based on the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes, and inexplicably "Bad Santa" which was a completely AWFUL flick). This movie is also comic-related (like "Crumb" and "Ghostworld") and based on the mini comic by Daniel Clowes, which was featured in his series "Eightball". I have almost every issue up until #22. Clowes is pretty twisted but I really like his quirky observations about everyday things and people.
Magazines I just got in the mail and will supply me with good bathroom reading material for at least 2 days:
My new issue of Classic Rock (from the UK). Issue's theme "The Monsters of Rock" which came with a CD of the same title. Almost every song on the CD kicks ass, except Sepultura (a Brazilian scream-o metal band; I'm not too fond of guttural screaming) and Journey (the new version with lead singer Steve Augeri, not the old and better version with Steve Perry). That kind of doesn't make sense to me to have a CD full of mainly hard rockin', ass kickin' tunes then to top it off with a sort of pussyish song. It just seems incongruous to me. They may have well just ended it with the Little River Band or Ambrosia or worse yet, Bread.
My new issue of Bust magazine (I know it sounds like some sort of Tittie mag, but it's not). This new issue contains an article on Maya Rudolph (the chick who plays Donatella Versace and Condoleeza Rice on SNL. She is also the inspiration for the 70's octave bending song, "Loving You" by her Minnie Riperton, who was her mother), an article on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a Goth beach party fashion spread, women in prison, '70s era women protesters who packed heat (think the SLA, Vietnam war, sexism, racism), indie brides and more...It also has fashion, music and book reviews and a Whitney Houston pop quiz (has a photo of her from 1985 not the strung out crack ho she is now)
Whenever I get these magazines (along with my other faves, Giant Robot, Bitch which is another feminist magazine, but with less fluff and more hard core, and Budget Living), I get so excited. I can't decide which to read first. I read my beloved magz cover to cover (if they're really interesting).
Reading is my vice. I don't watch a lot of TV and when I do, it's the late night news (late being 10 pm) or some shit on VH-1 or the E! Channel. If I do actually watch a show, it's on the Food Network (Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, Unwrapped).
Time to look at a Scholastic Books order. Ahh, the joys of ordering books for .75 and .99!!!!
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