I'm working on it...

Top Ten lists for the songs, TV scenes, and foods of 2009!

Get ready!

Hints:

Lady Gaga, Noah and the Whale, Little Joy, Peggy waking up in Duck's bed, Betty finally leaving, Lindsay Lohan guest judging PR, the GG menage a trois, Scott's mussels, the tacos from the mexican shack down my street, Sara's chestnuts (and yes, I just realized that it sounds like I'm admiring my friend's tidbits), and tidbits!

MORE TO COME!!!

Fall Term Report Card (preview)

Fail:
Melrose Place - (I have given it three (Yes, I'm embarrassed) of my hours and I want two of them back. Great premiere, poor follow-up).
The Jay Leno Show - He is weird without the desk, amiriteladies?

Pass:
Community - formulaic, but eff it! Its CHEVY FUCKING CHASE and Joel McHale...winners.
Bored to Death - besides the beauty that is Jason Schwartzman's hair (notable mention to Ted Danson), the dialogue is refreshing and kudos to Galfaiankiasssas (you know).
My first venti HOT coffee of the season - with a few dashes of nutmeg, and a stick of butter, y''alll.

Good Work:
Eating Health[ier] - its sad sometimes when what you're eating is not waffle fries, fried chicken or mozzarella sticks. Then again, its not sad to feel this great.
Mad Men - the first and only season to make me talk directly to the screen in surprise, shock, and dis/agreement. They're changing it up and its better now then 2 years from now than when we all hate it for not changing.
The Leaves Turning - Isn't it effing nice? But also, a little too soon...even for me.
Colleen's cooking - the more she cooks, the better she gets! I'm proud of the little toaster, I am!

Excellent:
Working Out - I know you're like duh! I'm like duh, myself. But so far...pretty great.
The Sister's postponing her wedding - meaning I'll be able to go next year.
The Stills - still...

A few things...

I'm not going to lament on the downfall that is technology...because while I and the rest of the world agonize on what has now been approximately 38 minutes without Gmail...I will share the following:

Musics right now: Anything T.Rex.
Movies right now: Anything sardonically rhythmical and a clever cover for heartfelt realizations. "I Heart Huckabees" is a nice throwback. So is "Clueless."
TVs right now: everything keeps coming up cougar, family-oriented, and reality-driven. I prefer to meet my cougars in Manhattan; if you own a family or are orientated towards that type of thing...spend quality time with your family (i.e. not in front of the t.v.); and is anything real anymore? Certainly not Courteney Cox-Arquette's face.
Fashions right now: Ladies, its ok to wear dresses. And gents, it is not ok to roll up your slacks...unless you're riding a bike or the same sex. That means gay dudes have my full authority to highwater their pants.
Foods right now: Autumn means the second best type of food, after summer fare. I'm making mac and cheese this weekend for a birthday party and I promise it to be the cheesiest to date (in the past, I've had a hard time with the pasta-cheese ratio).
Works right now: Immensely busy...but some how I find time in my busy pants-dropping schedule to do this.

With Mediterranean good-looks and taste, I pass this along...

Currently listening to: Neil Young's Heart of Gold and CCR's Down on the Corner.

Currently and droolingly recalling:
this recipe i found last year when I was commissioned to chefelry a friend's dinner party. It was my selection as second course because its aesthetically pleasing, healthy, fresh, vegetarian-friendly, and from a woman that knows how to altogether please:



Mediterranean (Couscous) Salad
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-pound) box Israeli couscous (or any small pasta)
3 cups chicken stock
2 lemons, juiced
1 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the couscous and cook until toasted and lightly browned, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the stock, and the juice of 1 lemon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the couscous is tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the couscous.

In a large bowl, toss the cooked couscous with the remaining olive oil, remaining lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper and let cool.

Once the couscous is room temperature, add the fresh herbs, dried cranberries, and almonds. Toss to combine and serve[s 6].

Because I'm a guaranteed,

Join me on July 25th, August 9th and August 30th,...I'll let you take me home.

the currents

Listening to: The Sneaker Pimps' Low Five

Seeing: another dark and distilling dreary sky. O, how I love thee, Eastern Coast.

Awaiting: final moves and preparations por la apartimiento nuevo.

Reeling from: Turkey sandwiches, man. Can never go wrong with some turkey, bacon, and mayo. NEVER.

Planning: barbequed chicken and potato salad with a shiny new red grill.

Pondering the lasting effects of: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It might not have had such an impact if my [crazy] grandmother that passed away last year hadn't have told such long-winded and milieud yarns herself or made my sister and I sort out large cookie-tins full of buttons.

Friday rap up

Currently listening to The Sea and Cake's An Echo In.

Great song.

Been enjoying The Meeting Places' Freeze Our Stares. Lovely song.

Speaking of partytime, tonight I take it upon myself to reconcot (a la last last Spring's punch-infused party at my pad) and rename Hop, Skip, and Go Naked punch as Haterade. Because, let's face it, it just makes sense.

Vitamin Water has two new flavours that I was otherwise unawares of: Sync and Tranquilo. Sync is probably one of the better-tasting, sans-medicinal-aftertasting VWs ON THE MARKET.

Not so good: Tostito's Brand Creamy Spinach Dip.

Most disappointing event of June 2009: Finding that KFC's Grilled Chicken is nasty. Given my watering mouth at the news that its flavoured with beef!, it nevertheless angered, struck me, and ulitmately left me in stomach pain in the company john.

Existential Crisis in a Footnote

Have you noticed that it's Existential Crisis Month? Buy your own Existential Crisis flowers/booze/uppers/downers/brunch?

Everyone I know is on edge, for one monumental reason or another, including myself, (being the common denominator). Which is even more harrowing because I'd rather carry the weight than be mine own.

Creation, destruction. Destruction, creation. Or not. It's really shittysweet and altogether romanticized. Like Space. Its supposed to be this large void with purpose and potential...but really, its a large void. Nothing. And yet everything.

Yeah...toldya!

Dinner on the last night: pastrami & bacon w/ cheddar, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and Boar's Head Deli Dressing on a fancy roll...it's a deli sangwich and I did it myself!

Currently listening to: Throw Me The Statue's "Yucatan Gold."

Currently awaiting: Farady's comeuppance and LC's demise.

Wearing: gray pinstripe slacks, periwinkle blue button-up, my favourite Hugo Boss skinny tie, black grandpa cardigan, and my ol' faithful brown wingtips.

Avoiding: work until 7pm.

Spring has sprang...

The birds are alive with chitter-chatter, the flowers are blossoming onions, the days are partyly cloudy and musty with with the damp hints of summer and winter...oh, and the kids are fucking annoying.

That means its Springtime, y'all!

Therefore and thusly, is it ok to wear flip-flops with a cardigan?

I say yes. Yes indeed.

Whilst I wait around for some fellow sans-homebodys today to hit up the local flea markets and stoop sales, I download some musics.

Any suggestiones?

Where is my tattoo?

Unfortunately, other pressing finances back-burned my tattoo until early summer. But for the meantime, I'm preparing to have two within weeks of each other AND a trip to Europe to show off my tats to the hot, Italian ladies that want to bring me wine and make fresh pastas.

But it will be a slight deviation on the following norm w/ mine own personal tweaks:



Because I have an odd map fetish. Also, Tat # 2 will be an arrow on a special place, mostly because I also have an odd directional theses on life.

Speaking in nerd, I'll go on to say that "Binary Love" by The Rakes is kinda the one song to rule them all right now...

Oriental Antidote

I oft complain about the my failed expectations that is Chinese food in New York.

It's either too expensive, or too greasy, or too bland. All of which happen to cure the hangover jollies.

Last night I [over]ordered and opted to get the pork dumpling, steamed of course, in lieu of the chicken nuggets [re: NOT Chinese food]. Well, they were some the best I have ever had! Thay were meaty, not too meaty, but also had a tiny spice-kick.

Let it be known that my love of NYC Chinese was reinvigorated by a Greenpoint Chinesery. The pork fried rice, albeit that odd yellow, was also tasty.

I've been fully recharged to tackle the PILE that is my closet.

Thank the Almighty its cloudy, as well. 'Twere sunny, I'd be agro and not at all thinking on doing yoga-hour in my room, again. Yeah. I do yoga too. Which is basically just me, sitting in pretzled positions that I'm apt to anyways, set to Radiohead or other post-collegiate cry-baby concerto, and thinking...about pork.

Saturday, Cloudy Saturday

And it's dreamy. I oft perplex my fellow imbibers and theologians alike when I say things like, "I don't like sunny days," or "Thank God, its raining." If not for the mere jolt of confusion, then for the self-realization that I am time and again fascinated by people's reactions to bad weather. What I enjoy at a deeper, psychoanalytic level is that these [some] folks also tend to depend their personalities on the waxing and waning of ol' Mr. Sunshine. When in fact, that once pop science go-to, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), doesn't even really exsist. People are just as sad as they are in the winter as they are in the summer. You're sad. Now move on.

So anyway, I tend to live up such dreary days with complete immersion into the arts. Like laying in bed and watching creepy French films or documentaries about the Bronx. Sunny days do no permit this as friends tend to direct social activities to parks and walks. Blargh. There are exceptions to this rule, of course [re: Colleen's Epic Birthday].

Today's art: musica. I am completely enthralled by the Black Kids (besides liking every Black band that there is, this Black band is actually quite antithetical to the whole Black-as-dark theme). Maybe a tad late in this train, as they were apparently heralded as the band to look out for in 2008. They're deliciously good with upbeat, dance-pants jing-jang jiggles such as "I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You." Which, if there was ever a self-modified themesong, well, this is it. Accordingly, the Besnard Lakes are my new favorite band of this year. Give "Devastation" a try. I'm just going to start telling strangers that..."no really, tell me what's its like."

A blog about music wouldn't be complete without my concert-going announcement: I will rocking out to Ra Ra Riot next weekend. I'm looking forward to it. Incl: if you don't have it yet, get this track: MGMT's Electric Feel.

Your aura is purple!

So some firefighter dude and his brother sanitation worker were indicted in the ol' Kings County this morn on charges of growing "hydroponic pot." I don't even know what that is, but its out there, kids. Just take my word for it...I don't want to link to the article (although, I did try to find the always irreverent clip from Almost Famous, only to find a plethora of links to some Shakira video about a poem and a horse).

In the dictation of Polonius, this much is true: the NYPD, FDNY, and now the DOS, likes to be naughty. In the industry, we call this reaction formation. Its like when your dad plays video games with you but ends up getting in trouble by your mom, sorta. Or like finding out your boss likes to drink...alot.

This just in, the Nerd Herd needs our help. If you don't help them, then you were cool and popular in high school and are now fat and boring, registering with classmates.com, and seriously considering botox before the reunion.