Stop SOPA (no, not Spanish for "SOUP")!

Even Google gets something right now and then.  I'm going to let them take it from here.

I'm gonna rock yer body til Canada Day

I'll stick with Orange Julius because poutine is in very short supply down here.



Happy Canada Day, eh!

Our Sarah Jane

Publicity still from The Sarah Jane Adventures, from the BBC Radio Times

Totally not food-related, but I just had to express my sadness and shock over the passing of Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith, my most favorite companion on Doctor Who. Sladen appeared in various shows but Doctor Who her claim to fame, not only acting alongside two of the original series' Doctors (Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker) but appearing in two spin-offs (including the recent Sarah Jane Adventures) and in cameos with one more Doctor (David Tennant) in the new series (the newest Doctor, Matt Smith, did a cameo on her show).

This clip of her last regular appearance on the classic series (the last episode of The Hand of Fear) was posted on the Entertainment Weekly website in a tribute by Clark Collis.

'Til we meet again, Sarah.

Our new robot overlords

Not food related, but this is pretty neat. At least until they take over.

My high school is closing

As just announced yesterday by the Archdiocese of Baltimore, my alma mater, Cardinal Gibbons, is shutting down. This makes little sense, since (so the Baltimore Sun tells it) enrollment is actually growing. But with the school only being 48 years old, I guess it was a prime target.

It still sucks. Babe Ruth went there, you know, when it was St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. That is long before it was Gibbons.

I don't have many of food-related memories of Gibbons. One that I do have relates to the discovery that warming hot dogs is a useful way to utilize a slow cooker. I also looked forward to the many average meals in the cafeteria. Funny when I was choosing between it and Mount Saint Joe, but the cafeteria was one reason I sided with Gibbons. I guess even way back in the late 80's, I was putting food first. By 1991 - my graduation year - I was done, and lucky to have gotten through my tenure at Gibbons having eaten anything (Crohn's can be a real bitch).

It goes without saying, I have to contact other people in my graduating class to commiserate.

Separated through the Looking Glass?

I heard on the CBS Early Show this morning that Alice in Wonderland actress Anne Hathaway - whose White Queen is fascinating me much more than Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter or Helena Bonham Carter's Red Queen - has a surprising inspiration for her character. It's Nigella Lawson!

Lawson and cupcake, care of the Daily Mail UK

Hathaway and dormouse, care of Celebuzz

Apparently, there is a cooking scene and the White Queen cavorts herself in a Nigella-like manner, adding luscious things to some recipe she is making in front of Alice. Oh, that excludes the loogie she hurls into it at the end. Somehow I doubt Lawson would do that.

How a Jelly Belly cost me $182

I've had a bridge in my mouth for at least three years. That lasted until Monday morning when I was snacking on a Jelly Belly (love those cinnamon ones), and felt something big, hard and metallic in my mouth.

My bridge has never come loose before! Damn, and being part of the underemployed masses, I have neither dental insurance nor the money to spare these days. (Every penny is going somewhere.) But I couldn't just leave it out, so the call had to be made: I would need to visit my dentist.

She advised me, after I learned the hard way, that those crunchy and (especially) sticky things just have to stay away from that side of my mouth with the bridge. Because now that the bridge has come off once, it will likely do it again at some point.

Before you shake your head though, I have to note that I've been chewing sticky things on that side for a few years and it hasn't made it come off yet. So I guess I just got complacent. Of course, I now dread the day when I forget that rule and another wayward Jelly Belly pulls off my damn bridge!

Best of 2009 Part IV: Some Non-Food Faves at the End of the Aughts

I haven't posted much in the way of non-foodie stuff on this blog since I discovered the silliness that is Twitter. That is pretty much where all the non-food stuff goes. So a once in a year post that has little to do with food is not that tall an order. And I can't fit all this into 140 characters anyway.

Warning if you're on dial-up (yes, I still have a handful of readers on dial-up - I checked with Google Analytics): there are a few YouTube videos in here so the load time may be a little longer than normal.

Favorite things about Baltimore - A few: 1) We now have recycling pick-up every week; 2) The Bawlmer Book Festival; 3) The Waverly and I-83 Farmers' Markets, among others; 4) The availability of important services such as Our Daily Bread, Moveable Feast and the Maryland Food Bank, which are even more important now than ever.

Favorite Baltimore museum - Gotta be the Walters.

Favorite movies of '09 - Again, saw few of them this year. Julie & Julia was probably the one I am second most likely to go out and actually buy on DVD. The likeliest? Zombieland. Food, Inc. and Star Trek are also up there. And yes, I actually did like Paranormal Activity. Freaked me out for a few days, true.

Favorite YouTube videos of the year - Oh, the YouTube has been bringing on better and better videos every year. This is a toughie, made even tougher by one of my new favorite shows, G4's Web Soup with Chris Hardwick. Next time I'm out in LA I have to get into the studio audience. This is, what, the third Soup knock-off on the air now? My Top 6 - I would have just done a Top 5, but Sandra Lee had to make an appearance in here somewhere:

6. A video to remind us why Aunt Sandy does not belong on any television show, much less her own (even more Sandra Lee silliness here):



5. The Muppets Take Bohemia!



4. Probably the standard for literal videos set by DA Scott Jr - "Total Eclipse of the Heart - the Literal Version"



3. Is the episode on Designing Women where Julia loses her mind, or the one where she was possessed by demons? It's the Dixie Carter Exorcise Video, dug up from the 90's and thrown onto the net!



Attack of the Show's reaction was priceless.

2. From Australian YouTubist Pogo: delicious-sounding trippy electronic remixes of movies into song form. My favorite is his Mary Poppins-based "Expialidocious" (it's a damn shame he made the video private - YTF? - but a link from last.fm is here). The Willy Wonka-ish "Scrumdiddlyumptious" is clearly more appropriate for a food blog:



1. Finally, Carl Sagan comes back from the grave to sing a song I could not stop listening to all year, "A Glorious Dawn," the first in the Symphony of Science series. It's probably one of my favorite songs of the past year overall.



Also worth noting: that beautiful slow motion SprintCam v3 video showing cheerleaders, a men's field hockey team, Jell-O and, um, half-naked rugby players (strange) in very slo-mo; Kelly's late awakening at Marshall's; and the catchiest insight into what Americans sound like to people who only speak Italian (been floating around the internets since '07 but only went "viral" this year).

Favorite TV shows - I love me some Doctor Who - how 'bout that new Doctor? Also up there now: I've recently discovered The Big Bang Theory, as well as Web Soup (noted above), RuPaul's Drag Race and the series based on the History Channel's Life After People. Still waiting for Project Runway on Lifetime to impress. Season 6 was more unintentionally funny than anything else.

Favorite TV show episode - The one on 30 Rock where Jenna instructs Liz Lemon that "Drama is gay man Gatorade. It replenishes their electrolytes."

Favorite radio shows - Still Marketplace on NPR. But The Splendid Table has now rocketed into second place now that it's much easier to hear it in the Baltimore area.

Favorite books - Alison Bechdel's Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, a memoir in graphic novel format about her relationship with her father, who (like her) was gay, but who (unlike her) was married with three kids and in the closet (this was the 70's after all). Pride and Prejudice and Zombies also ranks up there. I've already mentioned In Defense of Food and The Fortune Cookie Chronicles in a previous Best of '09 post.

Favorite song - Too many of them, but almost all are not the usual or even the not-so-usual hits. They are more of the created-for-YouTube variety. But some notable favorites of the past year include:

Coldplay's "Strawberry Swing" (I love this video, much groovier than the official one)



and Marina and the Diamonds' "I Am Not A Robot".



But I've been wearing out "Poker Face" on my MP3 player - less so the original, more so the all-male college a capella version, and this one:



Favorite gadget of '09 - Certainly not my cell phone, currently held together with duct tape. Just four more months until I can replace the damn thing for free. Did have some fun for a few weeks with the sister's Wii though. Still want to play the majestic and sweeping Okami on it.

One thing I'm looking forward to in '10 - Hopefully finding a full time job, which has still eluded me. Not happy about this at all.

And lastly: Did I keep last year's New Year's Resolution? It was to "eat more of the stuff in your own pantry, and less of what you can find in the restaurants! Also, go grocery shopping less often." Yes, I did that, and I have saved a bundle. So no new resolutions this year, except to keep this trend up.

That's it for my mammoth '09 recap. Stay tuned in hopefully just another 11 and 1/2 months for the recap of all the fun in 2010! I am planning ahead here.

Zombie Food Pyramid

Courtesy of Slashfood.com (from 2008), what might the Food Pyramid look like for our fine fetid friends? Wonder no more: the Zombie Food Pyramid is below:


In the spirit of all things zombified, I am trying to watch George Romero's zombie oeuvre this month, plus a few other standouts that came along the way. If you're curious or want to watch along, a list is below. Dates are not set in stone for you; this is just how it best fits into my calendar. Oh, and has anyone seen the new Zombieland movie that's out right now? I'm hoping to see it this weekend.

I know this isn't quite food-related, but this is too much for Twitter, so it goes here. And I'm sure the occasional non-foodie post can be forgiven. But hey, I did add a food pyramid!

Great Zombie Marathon

October 7 - Night of the Living Dead (1968)

October 11 - Dawn of the Dead (1978)

October 12 - Day of the Dead (1985)

October 14 - Return of the Living Dead (1985)

October 17 - Night of the Living Dead (1990)

October 18 - Land of the Dead (2005)

October 19 - 28 Days Later (2002)

October 21 - Resident Evil (2002 - just this one; the others suuuuucked)

October 24 - Dawn of the Dead (2004)

October 25 - Shaun of the Dead (2004)

October 28 - Diary of the Dead (2008)

In Memory of Our Forequeens

It was 40 years ago this weekend: the Stonewall Riots, one of the first big steps in the gay rights movement in America. Named for the Stonewall Inn in New York City (which I hope to visit next month), at a time when police raided known gay and lesbian establishments to harass the patrons and arrest so-called "perverts." On June 28, 1969, the gay and lesbian patrons had had enough and fought back.

I could continue to drone on about this, but Varla Jean tells it in a much more entertaining way.

Yes, I added a green ribbon

About a week ago I photoshopped my Twitter avatar green. Then I saw "Help Iran Election." Now there's a little green ribbon sitting on top of an already-green picture of steamed blue crabs.

I figured "What the hell? Why not? I'm Irish. I'm used to greenin' it up."

If you are on Twitter and haven't done so already, you can still either add a green ribbon or a greenish hue to your avatar. This is to show solidarity for the very brave Iranian protesters. Go to HelpIranElection.com if interested and able.

A Note to All Y'all Who Are "Following" Me:

I'm sorry that I still have not figured out how to follow people's blogs. I know I have successfully followed people's blogs in the past, but I have forgotten how! Sorry about that, guys. Thank you for following me and I will be visiting y'all's blogs if you have 'em!

In the meantime, here's something entertaining:

Wales Is Toast

Or moreover, Wales as toast. And no rarebit in sight. And yes, that is a Wales-shaped cookie cutter.


This is why I love the Strange Maps website. Originally from the BBC Website.

Preakness Weekend Tidbits...

A few thoughts:

1. If I had to choose between Loco Hombre and Alonso's, I'd choose Alonso's in a heartbeat. That's the conclusion I came to last night with my friend Scott when we went for Mexican. Easily a third of the items on Loco Hombre's menu was from Alonso's (to be fair, you can order several of Loco Hombre's items on the Alonso's side).

But it seemed that Loco Hombre's food was a bit on the, um, charred side for Scott. We ordered their Loco Nachos ($10) as an appetizer. They came out a good while after we ordered them, but they were indeed piping hot, with nice, cold guacamole and cream cheese on top. They can't be faulted on their presentation, and honestly I did like the nachos. But they were, again, a little burnt for Scott's taste.

The main courses were more overall underwhelming. Scott got the chicken fajitas ($14), with lots of chicken, onion and bell pepper - half of which was burned onto the fajita pan. It smelled good to me. Scott couldn't finish it. My tacos ($13) were soft and juicy, but a little dull. On the plus side, the meat was pretty good in those tacos. The chicken was the best, followed by the shrimp - both were juicy and tasty - and then the steak, which was also pretty good. It was the rest of the entrée that underwhelmed me. I wish some salsa had come with them, to at least spice things up - maybe their very different nopal cactus salsa, for example. Also, the tortillas were a little bland, but that's really a failing of flour tortillas in general and I can't blame Loco Hombre for that one (give me corn tortillas any time). The sides were bland to the point of inedibility. I can't remember when I've last had such forgettable rice. The refried beans had an interesting presentation, lumped onto the plate like an ice cream scoop, which did nothing for their flavor. I wouldn't have minded the tacos, despite the problems with the sides, had they not cost as much as they had. But I was still more satisfied than Scott.

Since it was Preakness Day, and since I had just posted about the Black Eyed Susan, I thought I would try one. Scott has made them before, and the recipe I described was completely unfamiliar to him.


What I got for my $7.50 seemed like an orange juice with a kick. Not a hard kick, just a kick. I didn't get much of a buzz off of it. Each of the Yuenglings I had later at the Central was stronger.

Next time I think I'll just stick to Alonso's.

2. Speaking of the Preakness, there was many a woman in a big silly hat coming in for food after the big race. Yes, we are Big Hat Country.

3. Clothes easily add almost five pounds to your total weight, as I found out this morning. Not counting drawers, which weigh nothing:

• Jeans - 2 lbs
• Belt - 0.2 lbs
• Socks - 0 lbs
  
• Tennis shoes - 2 lbs
• T-shirt - 0 lbs
• TOTAL - 4.2 lbs extra

4. On the, ahem, recommendations of friends who read the blog, I have lightened the background graphic. Hopefully that will help with the readability.

5. Oh, and just as I Tweeted yesterday, I have officially passed graduate school!!! Next task: finding a job for the upcoming school year. Now I can officially celebrate.

Little Mouse Bastard...

I told y'all I'd be posting more by weeks' end.

Anyway, I woke up this morning with a mouse running around. I have lived in this apartment for about a year and a half, and have so far managed to avoid anything worse than a spider or the occasional bee flying in through the window. But this mouse has gots ta go.

A few things I found today while spending $17 on one of those ultrasonic noise makers that hurts little micey's ears but is imperceptible to people, pets and plants (those things have worked for me before):

• The little buggers are repelled by mint (that I knew) and also by bay leaves (that I did not know). Maybe that's why I haven't found any droppings or remnants of a little "mouse party" in my pantry. Still, I went out and bought large ziploc bags to put all my boxed foods in, just to be proactive.
• They also fear the scent of fox urine. Pyoo, so would I. But it seems that they make mouse-repelling things with the scent of fox - a natural predator of the mouse - pee in it. Can't imagine why I'd want that around me though.
  
• Chili pepper spray does the trick, too.

I still bought one of those "mouse motels" that I put a blob of peanut butter into. It's away from the windows, so that it won't attract that other obnoxious pest, the ant.

I'm on the Internet Wayback Machine!

I love Archive.org. It has links to pages from years past, but more important is that those pages look like they did in the past!

On a hunch, I searched for my site. I found pages from years ago with webpage layouts and links from 2007, 2008, etc. Just have a look at some of these links. Certainly you can find other blogs on there, too.

Look at My Face...

Grad school is almost over. Literally, it's about four days away. Regular posting will start back up again by the end of this upcoming week. Yay! I miss blogging. Plus, I'm working so hard that my defenses are down. I seem to be the only person I know of that has a cold. Nope, not swine flu. It's a cold.

Here's something funny I saw the other week. It's not food related at all. I just need some silly right now. Think Deven Green's mock soundtrack to the Brenda Dickson craptastic classic "Welcome to My Home" (both of which continually get yanked from YouTube due to copyright violations). Amac990 did his own music video using Deven Green's vocals. Isn't it fashion?

Post #1,001 - Yeah, somehow it's just not as special, is it?

First off, a shout out to all the commenters, all the emailers* and all the lurkers who never post but just like to read the damn thing. Thanks for all the nice comments and etcetera. And yes, I am indeed still alive, taking a very short break from doing work on a freshly rainy Saturday night. Current snack is this Chobani Greek Yogurt. Protien-ier than normal yogurt, and I think it has either as many calories as normal yogurt or fewer. (* A note to anyone who has emailed me: I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to y'all. You can not imagine how fucking busy and stressed out I have been this past week, or how much more stressed out I plan to be this week. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.)

In the meantime. just to prove I'm still alive, here's something very cool. Flash dancers. Single ladies. Beyoncé. Picadilly Circus. Fascinating.

Oh my God, shoes. Used ones, for $100

It's not exactly a lemonade stand, is it?



Maybe Kelly would buy 'em? From Mediocre Films.

Happy 2nd Day of Christmas: Sesame Street Christmas

I didn't even realize this was 30 years old this year. It's the original, pre-Elmo Sesame Street Christmas special, that Mom taped for me on one of those new-fangled VCR's. If I recall correctly, I watched it over and over for months.

Here are the closing credits, playing the theme song of the special, "Keep Christmas with You". Very appropriate for this second day of Christmas, which much of the English-speaking world also refers to as Boxing Day, and which we in the US refer to as Friday. Also wait for the very end to see a special surprise from Cookie Monster!