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October 31, 2005
Something SCARY
BOO! Scared ya, didn't she?
Keep Halloween Happy by avoiding this harridan's show, people! You have been warned...
Posted by kyle at 4:10 PM | Comments (1)
October 30, 2005
Why I love The Onion
I don't really think words are necessary.
Thanks to SGS!
Posted by kyle at 12:11 AM
October 29, 2005
Found Porn: Oh Caaaptaaain... My Caaaaaptaaaain
In an announcement that shocked exactly nobody, Trek actor George Takei came out of the closet the other day. Anyone who might have, say, heard him speak in a panel at a Star Trek Convention back in 1992 or in DVD extra interviews on the ST:TNG Box Set (not that I know anyone like that) would go, "Oh yeah. Is that guy an Auntie or what." Notice how I didn't meniton the whole shirtless fencing scene in TOS's "The Naked Time," as I think that was really our earliest indication, and was sooooo obvious I don't think it's fair to count.
All this puts this pic from the obscure 1976 WWII TV series "Black Sheep Squadron" in quite a new light, no?
In a related story: Robert Conrad.... rrrrrooooowwwlll.
Posted by kyle at 11:26 AM
October 28, 2005
Number One, I order you to take a Number Two
Another one bites the dust. Next up: Karl Rove asked to organize his prison cell-block's Christmas Decoration contest.
Posted by kyle at 11:06 AM
October 27, 2005
Y'know what? Never mind.
Fascinating as this whole Harriet Miers thing has been, it wasn't until this morning that I considered what Christopher has been saying all along. From the moment the first objections about Bush's nomination of her to be a Supreme Court Justice (which is to say since, like, the first minute), C has been claiming that she is just a red herring. Cannon fodder. She's supposed to go down in flames with objections from the extreme right wingers, so that Bush's next and really conservative appointment will please all the Right people. And no, that capitalization is no typo.
I still don't buy it entirely, but until Karl Rove's freshly staked body has it's head cut off and stuffed with garlic and is sprinkled with holy water and buried in consecrated ground in a concrete vault 3 miles below the earth's surface, I can believe almost any theory coming out of this administration.
In a related story, Madelrine Albright's guest appearance on Tuesday's Gilmore Girls got me thinking: who is going to play Harriet Miers in the eventual Lifetime/PAX Network produced movie version of her inevitable tell-all memoir? I bet it won't be Diane Baker... whom I bet you don't remember from Silence of the Lambs, but do from all those annoying Academy of Art ads.
Posted by kyle at 1:27 PM
October 26, 2005
Feed the Board, Tuppence a Bag
News flash: Christopher is just starting a two-year stint as Secretary of our HOA Board. There are only 24 units in our building, and with very very few exceptions, everyone in our building is extremely cool and are great neighbors, so this isn't one of those horror stories. Instead, this is a dinner party story.
The three new board members planned to gather last night to go over some 'housekeeping' type items, and C'pher offered chez nous as the meeting spot. I had the night off, and so offered to make dinner for the four of us. Once I regained my composure realizing that Sarah (our building's new First Lady) wouldn't be able to join us (busy peeing in hot tubs, I guess), I realized this was an opportunity to do a whole dinner from start to finish. If this isn't your idea of fun, maybe you should just go finish watching the latest episode of Elimidate or something and leave us in peace.
We had some massive chicken breasts from the store, so I pulled a handful of issues of the fabulous Everyday Food to which everyone should be subscribing), found about 8 chicken recipes I thought I could manage, and C'pher narrowed them down to three. From those I chose Chicken with Poblano Cream Sauce, and then set about making a menu around it. Here's what we had:
• Sesame and Roquefort Biscuits (served with wine and olives)
• Butternut Squash, Feta and Arugala Salad
• Chicken with Poblano Cream Sauce
• Perfect White Rice with Cilantro
• Sautéed Spinach
• Darn Good Chocolate Cake with Sweetened Whipped Cream
I knew I wanted to attempt Leigh's biscuits, so that was a given as a pre-meal snack. They were as easy as Leigh predicted, and Rebecca is now enjoying her winnings (and sharing them with everyone here at work).
Since the sauce for the chicken was supposed to be spicy, I figured the white rice they showed in the magazine was probably a wise side. The picture showed some kind of green herb mixed in with the rice. I initially assumed it was parsley, but figured it must be cilantro, since it was a Mexican-esque recipe. I knew I'd have to reserve some rice sans cilantro since C'pher hates it, but what the hey... he's worth it.
The rice and cilantro was a delicious combo, and strikes me as a great way to stop yourself from adding 'bad-for-you' things like butter or soy sauce to flavor up an otherwise bland dish. The chicken, simply cooked in a skillet, was just fine, but the sauce was a liiiiitle bit of a disappointment. It tasted quite good, but it was not nearly as spicy as I had hoped, even after I added some extra chili powder. It was fine though; I was just hoping for more heat.
When I got the pepper at Safeway, things weren't clearly labeled, and since I don't really know poblano peppers on sight, I was afraid I had gotten the wrong kind. Here is what the pepper I got looked like:
I am pretty sure it was a poblano (also known as an ancho chile when it is dried), and was a little let down when I read on-line that it's not known much for it hotness factor. Maybe I should have sought out a darker one, but what do I know? I grew up in West Virginia where garlic powder is more prevalent than actual garlic.
This being October, butternut squash is in season like mad, and I love the taste of arugala, so the salad seemed a great starter. Spinach thrown in a skillet with olive oil and garlic is a favorite and easy side of mine, and I thought it would stand up well to the strong taste of the chile and cilantro. It did!
I've made Darn Good Chocolate Cake so many times now I thought I couldn't do anything new with it, but I actually used full-sized chocolate chips instead of the mini ones I was accustomed to (remember not to tap the pan too hard or they really will sink to the bottom), and I took the cake out a bit sooner than usual.
These two variations made a much moister cake with big studs of melted chocolate. I whipped the remaining heavy cream I had with a bit of vanilla-scented sugar and it made a fantastic topping. I sometimes think that if I gave up every other responsibility in my relationship with Christopher and just made him chocolate cake (no icing) once a week, he'd still be happy to have me.
Despite all my noise and butting in on their conversation from the kitchen, our new Board seemed to actually get some work done. I think our building is in great hands; they're all members of the Clean Plate Club!
BUTTERNUT SQUASH, FETA AND ARUGALA SALAD
1 medium-sized butternut squash, seeds removed, peeled, and cut into ¾ inch cubes
2 Teaspoons olive oil
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 small bunch (5 oz.) torn arugala
Pre-heat oven to 425º. In a roasting pan or shallow dish, combine squash with olive oil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast until fork-tender, 35-45 minutes.
Transfer squash to a bowl; gently toss with feta and arugala. Top with a bit more olive oil if desired.
CHICKEN WITH POBLANO CREAM SAUCE
1 poblano chile
2 Tablespoons canola or olive oil (I used olive)
½ of a small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/3 cup heavy cream
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Roast poblano chile over a gas burner or under the broiler until charred all over. Wrap in paper towel (or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap; steam 5 minutes. Rub off skin; remove seeds and ribs. Chop coarsely.
Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat; add chopped onion and garlic. Cook until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add chile and heavy cream and turn off heat. Stir to combine.
Pour in blender and puree. Add water if too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return sauce to pan and keep warm.
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden and juices run clear, 4-5 minutes per side. Slice and serve with sauce.
PERFECT WHITE RICE (WITH CILANTRO)
1¾ cups water
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup unconverted (not 'instant') white rice
1/3 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped (optional)
Bring water and salt to a rapid boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in rice, return mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
Cover, and cook without lifting lid to prevent steam from escaping until rice is done, 15 - 20 minutes (check toward end of cooking time). The rice should be studded with steam holes when done.
Let stand, covered, 5 - 10 minutes, then fluff rice with a fork. Stir in chopped cilantro and serve. (Pesto sauce, black beans and sliced scallions, butter and grated Parmesan cheese, and rice vinegar and toasted sesame seeds are also good mix-ins.)
SAUTÉED SPINACH
I sometimes mince two cloves garlic and after warming it in the oil for a few moments, let it cook along with the spinach. Sometimes the garlic bits can get a bit browned, but I like the taste.
2 lbs. spinach
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
the juice of ½ lemon
Remove the spinach stems. Fill a large basin with water and wash the spinach. Repeat 2 or 3 times, then drain.
In a large skillet with a lid, heat half the oil over medium heat, add the garlic and stir until it begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the garlic and discard.
Add the spinach in batches, flipping and stirring with tongs to wilt, before adding more. When all the spinach has been added, raise the heat to high, season with salt and pepper, and cook, covered, for 3 minutes.
Drain the spinach in a colander. Return spinach to the skillet to heat through. Sprinkle lemon juice over the spinach and serve.
Posted by kyle at 2:50 PM | Comments (3)
October 24, 2005
Taking a bite of a biscuit; The record jumps on a scratch
On Friday, C'pher and I had a lovely and stomach-stuffing evening of eats and drinks at Leigh and Rick's place. The weather outside was typical San Francisco foggy bluster, but inside we sat by the fire (a real one!), drank fabulous wine (one particularly delicious bottle was provided by Robin, whom all agree is delicious herself), and ate a simple and scrumptious dinner of pork roast, smashed potatoes and fresh steamed green beans. "Cozy" doesn't quite describe it.
The dinner itself was preceded by a most excellent snack of marinated olives, fresh cherry tomatoes, and the best little biscuits I ever did see. I am not usually a fan of cheeses in the "Blue" family, but the Roquefort in these was purt near perfect. They were so excellent, in fact, that I insisted Leigh share the recipe, and thus she has.
My bounty is yours, so blitz, roll, chill, bake and serve with a nice strong red. Bonus points if it's a freezing cold Friday night.
===
SESAME AND ROQUEFORT BISCUITS
• Dough log can be chilled up to 2 days.
• Biscuits keep in an airtight container 1 week.
• Leigh adds that these freeze nicely as well.
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 lb chilled Roquefort cheese such as Le Vieux Berger, Société, or Le Papillon, crumbled (1 cup)
1/3 cup sesame seeds (2 oz)
Pulse flour and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle cheese into mixture and pulse a few times to incorporate. Transfer mixture to a work surface (it will be crumbly) and knead briefly to distribute ingredients (do not overwork), then press together to form a dough and roll into a 7-inch log (about 2 inches in diameter). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Put oven rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a large baking sheet.
Put sesame seeds on a plate. Cut dough into scant 1/4-inch-thick slices with a thin sharp knife, then gently press both sides of each biscuit in sesame seeds to coat and arrange 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet.
Bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool biscuits on baking sheet on a rack 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to rack to cool completely.
Gourmet
December 2004
PS: Whomever first posts a comment with the source of this post's title will get their own fresh baked little batch of these lovelies. Vive la free food!
Posted by kyle at 12:19 PM | Comments (8)
October 21, 2005
Jolan True 'dat.
A few years back, before I was broadcasting terabytes of crap into the blogosphere, I was broadcasting terabytes of crap into the e-mail list-o-sphere. The Gay League of America's Yahoo! Group got the bulk of my attention, being a home for gay comics fans who like to hold forth on pressing issues like how badly the latest issue of Avengers sucked and the finer points of the "Zatanna's Top Hat vs. Zatanna's Lobster Hat" debate.
I recently had an occasion to go to the group's archives and search for an old post I wrote (more on that later), and that had me looking for another favorite post of mine. Someone had asked me which my favorite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation were. As most know, I joined the Trek bandwagon relatively late (circa 1992... it first aired in 1987), but once I fell, I fell hard. Instead of just rattling off a quick list, I type-A'd out a breakdown of my favorites by theme, and then my all-time top picks, complete with links to the official StarTrek.com episode guide.
What better place to preserve that than here where my ego knows only the bounds of the memory in Harold's server? Here then is a re-printing of my post of Fri Feb 1, 2002. Thanks to my pal John, I know own the whole TNG series on DVD, so maybe I'll do myself up a little film fest some rainy day at home. Who's in?
=====================
I dig time travel and alternate universe stories, and TNG had some greats...
Time Squared - Season 2
Trek has done a ton of time travel stories, but this I think was the first
TNG story. A shuttle with a dying Picard shows up outside the ship... but
Picard is right there! Turns out he's from 6 hours in the future, and the
crew has to figure out what sent him there and destroyed the ship before
time catches up with them.
Remember Me - Season 4
I always loved the Beverly Crusher eps, especially after she stopped looking
like a clown with PMS in that first season. This one has her trapped in a
world where people keep disappearing, and the only one who can save her is
her then-disarmingly adorable son, Wesley. Awwww.
Future Imperfect - Season 4
Sort of a time-travel episode, where Riker gets zapped, and wakes up in Sick
Bay to find 16 years have passed and he is Captain of the Enterprise. A
really twisty turny ride where you never know what to expect... which is a
hallmark of the episodes that Frakes directs. Plus we get a peek at the
future look of Starfleet communicator badges!
Clues - Season 4
The whole crew gets zapped and are out for 30 seconds. But why is Data
covering up the fact that they were out for a much longer time? A great
mystery that keeps you wondering up until the very end. A great episode for
first time Trek watchers!
Cause and Effect - Season 5
Any episode that begins with the ship being blown to bits has my vote! When
the ship is whole again after the first commercial break, you realize
something is up... guess what? Time Travel! A neat neat story, and the
solution they come up with is equally cool. And look! Kelsey Grammer as a
Kirk-era captain!
Time's Arrow, Parts 1 & 2 - Season 5-6
Time Travel! Yay! Guinan and Data's head in 19th Century San Francisco!
Yay! And a very very logical reason for Picard to finally go on an away
mission. Yaaaaay! Definitely a favorite.
Timescape - Season 6
More time stuff... and a mystery to solve to boot! Picard, Data and Troi
return to the ship in a runabout, only to discover the Enterprise exploding
and a Romulan Warbird firing... all frozen in time. What the?
Parallels - Season 7
What's the next best thing to time travel? Why, alternate universes of
course! Seeing all the alternate versions of the crew and whatnot was great
fun, and trying to figure out what the hell was going on was even better.
One of the greats!
=====================
Mysteries that we as viewers have to puzzle out get me pretty excited, too.
Moody, spooky episodes that keep you on the edge of your seat...
Conspiracy - Season 1
Absolutely the coolest ep of the first season, Riker and the gang discover a
race of little crab/hellgrammite type aliens have taken over Starfleet
command. In the absolutely grossest gross-out moments of grossness, Riker
almost has to eat the crunchy bug things the aliens make their host bodies
eat, but he phasers the Starfleet Admiral who is host to the Mother
creature, and his body explodes with mucous and alien parts and human parts.
Blech! Cool!
Data's Day - Season 4
I love slice-of-lifers and this one is classically written. Data has to
convince Miles and Keiko to get married. Plus a Romulan murder mystery and
Dr. Crusher tap-dances! Woo hoo!
Night Terrors - Season 4
"Eyes in the dark. One moon circles." What is the answer to this riddle?
With everyone in the crew slowly losing their minds, it's up to Troi figure
everything out. Bonus: Troi's rump-up floating in the astral plane.
Wheeee!
Schisms - Season 6
Suuuuper spooky episode featuring alien abduction and experimentation on the
crew. The scene in the holodeck when all the apparent abductees are
reconstructing the room where they were dissected is extra creepy.
Phantasms - Season 7
Data has nightmares of being disassembled, Crusher drinks from a straw
stuck in Riker's skull and Troi turns into a delicious cellular peptide cake
with mint frosting. Hilarity ensues in this actually pretty creepy episode.
Genesis - Season 7
Picard and Data battle a crew all devolved into earlier forms of life.
DeannaFish! Ogawa the Orangutan! Worf the big scary thing... and in scene
that made me jump out of my freakin' skin... Barclay the Spider-thing!
Bleah! This one is really really scary!
=====================
And of course, there are some episodes that are great just for the beefcake
factor alone...
Ensigns of Command - Season 3
Data tries to convince a colony of humans to leave before an alien race
destroys them "reclaiming" the planet as their territory. I really only
like this one, because the rebellious leader of the colony, named Gosheven,
is totally sexy.
Captain's Holiday - Season 3
Picard in a Speedo. Make it so.
The Drumhead - Season 4
Evil Admiral Satie bitches her way through this episode trying to find some
imagined traitor aboard ship. The real reason to watch... the adorable and
oh-so-tender half-human half-Romulan Crewman Simon Tarses. *sigh...*
I, Borg - Season 5
Finally a "human" face put on the Borg... and what a cute face it is:
Jonathan Del Arco as Third of Five, aka "Hugh." So what if he's got chalky,
dry skin and a pincher that comes out of his skull... I think he's
*dreamy*...
Bloodlines - Season 7
Two words: Jason Vigo. Purrrrrrrr....
=====================
And I can't forget my fightin' femmes fatale...
Ensign Ro - Season 5
Just because it introduced one of my favorite characters, Ro Laren. We
learn that Bajorans use their family name first -- I've always thought that
was a cool aspect. Dunno why. I've heard they wanted Ro to be the Bajoran
cast member on DS9, but the actress had no interest in it, so they went with
Nana Visitor's Kira Nerys. I think things worked out well, don't you?
Disaster - Season 5
Though it also features Ro Laren, Troi ends up taking charge in this very
cool story where the crew is separated in three parts of the ship, and
Deanna has to step up to the plate, despite that negative Nelly Ro.
The Game - Season 5
An alien video game takes over the crew... but the best bit is Wesley and
Ashley Judd as Robin Lefler saving the day. That Ashley! She sure is a
cutie! (This episode almost belongs in the beefcake category owing to how sexy Riker is when he first plays the game. His reaction when the pleasure centers of his brain are stimulated is almost indescribably hot. The tight shot on his face makes sure you have a front row seat. Mm! Thank you director Corey Allen!)
Face of the Enemy - Season 6
My gurrrl Troi kicks some aaayyusss! Seeing that opening scene of her
catching a glimpse of her Romulan-ized face is priceless.
Sub Rosa - Season 7
Beverly inherits a haunted house in Scotland... er, I mean, some planet that
looks a lot like Scotland. An alien phantom lover who does her right! A
cute ep for the interplay between Bev and Deanna, and Beverly looks aMAYzing
in it. Love the hair, but you're boyfriend's so shallow I can see through
him.
=====================
And of course, some are just plain well-told tales...
The Best of Both Worlds, Parts 1 & 2 - Season 3 - 4
The first cross-season cliffhanger/season premiere two-parter for Trek.
Locutus of Borg, Wolf 359, and a story that would effect the Trek universe
for years to come. A milestone!
Family - Season 4
In this follow-up episode to "The Best of Both Worlds," the now de-Borg'd Picard goes back to France to visit his brother and hopefully come to terms with what he became and did as Locutus of Borg. His brother isn't very sympathetic, but it turns out it's just what Picard needs. If ever you needed proof that Patrick Stewart is a great actor, see this episode.
A Fistful of Datas - Season 6
Of all the many episodes that showed off the amazing talent of Brent Spiner,
this one has to be one of my favorites. Spiner plays _several_ characters
here, and you're always convinced they are Data with different programming.
Favorite line: TROI: "You're supPOSED to call me 'Durango!'"
Second Chances - Season 6
Two Rikers for the price of one in this actually very moving story. I also
find the physics behind it quite interesting.
Attached - Season 7
Crusher and Picard are on the run on an alien world that looks a lot like
the desert outside LA, and are linked by devices in their brains. They hear
each other's thoughts and Beverly discovers more than just what Jean-Luc
wants for breakfast. Shame on you!
Lower Decks - Season 7
We practically get to see a whole new cast, as we explore the lives of the
ship's Junior officers, including future Voyager crew member Taurik (later
called Vorik), Nurse Ogawa, the sweet Sito Jaksa from "The First Duty" and
the roguish and undeniably sexy Sam Lavelle (rrrrrooowwl). A very nice
story that doesn't exactly end happily, but great performances are given by
all.
Thine Own Self - Season 7
Data is trapped on a primitive planet with no memory of who he is. A peek
into what science around the time of the Renaissance must have been like is
quite interesting, and this "first contact" story is very well told.
=====================
Finally, in descending order, here are my TNG Top Six:
# 6 ) Tapestry - Season 6
My favorite of all the Q episodes, who I usually find pretty annoying.
Picard discovers that one's life is like a tapestry... tug one thread that
you don't like, and everything else comes unraveled. The lesson: you *are*
the sum of your parts -- and more. A real journey of self-discovery told in
a perfectly touching way. Five stars!
# 5 ) Darmok - Season 5
An amazing story, and well well told. Picard is abducted by a race of
aliens with a language deemed untranslatable. In the end, the unbelievably
clever Picard manages to figure out how the language works, but will he be
in time to save relations between the two races? LOVE the ending of this
where the aliens officially accept a new term into their language. A
brilliant look at why universal translators won't always work.
# 4 ) Chain of Command, Parts 1 & 2 - Season 6
You want drama? You want acting? You want Picard stripped to the waist and
sweaty? YOU GOT IT! Some really fine acting here by all involved. Captain
Jellico makes for a great villain-who's-really-a-good-guy, and you just
really really hate those Cardassians.
# 3 ) Yesterday's Enterprise - Season 3
Time travel, pathos, alternate universes, great lighting, hot costumes,
subtle acting, a tie to past continuity and the icing on the cake: the sexy
sexy Castillo. This one's got it all! I especially love the return of
Denise Crosby and how her character handles the events.
# 2 ) All Good Things, Parts 1 & 2 - Season 7
The big finale! I don't know about you, but I think this has to be one of
this show's shining moments. An intricate tale with lots of
characterization, just enough special effects sequences, ties to the entire
continuity of the show, and a beautiful ending that summed up all that was
good about the show to begin with. The finales of DS9 and VOYAGER were OK,
but didn't hold a candle to this one. This is the kind of final show every
fan wishes for. Thanks Paramount!
# 1 ) The Inner Light - Season 5
An alien probe implants the memories of an entire lifetime of one man's life
into Picard, who is forever changed by the experience. Wonderfully written,
and tenderly acted by Patrick Stewart. TV at its finest, really.
=====================
"Goodbye, Jean-Luc. I'm gonna miss you... you had such potential. But then again, all good things must come to an end.."
- Q
Posted by kyle at 5:20 PM | Comments (2)
October 20, 2005
These... are the days... that make life worth living.
To doubly paraphrase one of my favorite movies: "Do you know what they do to soft... overweight Republicans in prison, Tom?"
Posted by kyle at 3:31 PM
October 19, 2005
California: The Persistent Vegetative State
I read a funny quote in an article today about taking food that is provided to the homeless here in San Francisco and, well... "kicking it up a notch," as they say.
The idea, from the Slow Food movement (which I think is a wonderful concept) is that it's the homeless folks who have the most to gain from producing and eating organically grown goodness.
The funny part came when I read this line:
"Overcoming the perception of elitism in people's minds around things like organic foods and farmers' markets" is one of the biggest challenges Slow Food faces in its effort to bring the world's breakfast, lunch and dinner back to basics, [Slow Food founder Carlo] Petrini said....
I know I know... not very funny. But consider the very first paragraph, describing the Slow Food movement benefit lunch Petrini was in town attending:
Several hundred people gathered at long tables next to a pristine Sonoma County vineyard on a recent Sunday to sample artisanal goat cheeses and local Sauvignon Blanc, and lunch on Mendocino-raised grass-fed beef burgers, homemade ketchup and native Gravenstein apple galettes, all for $90 a head.
See what I mean? Elitism can be funny!
Now pass me the Sauvingnon Blanc. I need something to wash down this artisinal cheese.
Posted by kyle at 12:11 PM
October 13, 2005
Finally, a poetry slam I can get behind
Let's get one thing straight: I love poetry. I love the fact that words placed together side by side in just the right way suddenly become more than a sentence, more than the idea or event they represent... they become Art. Take Edna St. Vincent Millay, for example. She's one of my favorites.
O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!
Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!
Thy mists, that roll and rise!
Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag
And all but cry with colour! That gaunt crag
To crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff!
World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!
(God's World)
Have you ever felt that way about something? Or someone? That you just can't get close enough to it? That you just want to say how amazing it is, but you can't put the words together -- at all, let alone beautifully? That's where Edna comes in.
Now, with all that said -- I hate poetry slams. They are so fucking boring and full of bad poetry and the subjects of said poetry are ALWAYS about how there's no peace without justice or how the world has beat the poet down or how badly it sucks to pay rent and try to make a living selling handmade wire sculpture at Fisherman's Wharf. Oh, and 80-90% of all those reciting are SCREAMING because they are ANGRY. Now all those things are well and good, but why can't angry people just dance instead?
But, I have found a poetry slam/art event I can really get behind. I work on Thursday nights until around 10, and usually come up to the 16th & Mission BART station at just after 10. Every Thursday without fail, I witness what is clearly an ad hoc group of spoken-word artists (ugh), musicians, freaks, dancers, and rappers doing what comes naturally. Having lived at a VERY loud corner in North Beach for years, I can imagine that if my apartment were within earshot of this weekly event, I might not find it so cool, but it's not and so I do.
I discovered today that this event is loosely organized by a group called The Collaborative Arts Insurgency, which is oh so very Mission, especially the "Insurgency" part. I stop sometimes to hear a little bit, and sometimes it's good stuff. More often it sucks and I get on my way, but I still love that I live in a place where this kind of thing can happen. I have as much in common with the Collaborative Arts Insurgency as a banana does with an orange, but it's still such a magical thing to come upon unexpectedly.
I guess what I'm saying is... I don't mind poetry slams as long as I can haul my ass out of there if it sucks. Is that so wrong?
* Speaking of E St.V M, you have to love a poet who can write this:
I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
(Afternoon on a Hill)
And then turn around and write this:
Sorrow like a ceaseless rain
Beats upon my heart.
People twist and scream in pain, --
Dawn will find them still again;
This has neither wax nor wane,
Neither stop nor start.
(Sorrow)
Whoa. Bi-polar much, Edna? Today she'd be Prozac'd into a stupor and would probably spend endless hours watching Lifetime: Television for Women.
Posted by kyle at 12:52 PM
October 10, 2005
Absolutely NOT From Martha's Kitchen
I was cleaning out some old files on my work computer today, and I found a bunch of recipes that I typed out for a wedding gift for Jenny. Back when she and Harold got hitched in 2003, her Maid of Honor, Anne was preparing Jenny a very traditional bride's gift: a cookbook of favorite recipes gathered from friends that would be sure to please her man and keep him coming back (to the dinner table) for more.
The collection was named "Water, Bop, & Cheese" after a curious Korean-American delicacy that Jenny and Anne ate as girls. I'd make fun of it more, but I grew up on Velveeta, Iceberg lettuce, and mayo on white bread, so who am I to judge. (Side note: now I am craving Velveeta, Iceberg lettuce, and mayo on white bread in the worst possible way.)
The book ended up a pretty varied collection and Jenny really liked it. What follows are the contributions of some of my favorite staple recipes, including:
· Darn Good Chocolate Cake
· Cottage Pie
· Escalloped Tomatoes
· and my never-fail, world famous, once-a-year Christmas Cut-Out Cookie recipe.
These recipes are hardly sophisticated, culled mostly from down-homey type cookbooks, but are truly some of my favorites. Most of all, they are delicious -- a guaranteed hit with guests on all ends of the gourmand spectrum.
DARN GOOD CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is one of my favorites from that classic, The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn. Top it with a chocolate glaze or a nice white butter cream if you make it a layer cake, but do yourself a favor and sift the cake mix. It really helps.
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil's food or dark chocolate-fudge cake mix
1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
1½ to 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350º F. Generously grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.
Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, water, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula.
Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 45 to 50 minutes. (The toothpick test doesn't work with this cake.) Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Invert it onto the rack to cool completely, 20 minutes or more. (If the cake doesn't readily release from the pan, run a knife lightly around the edge of the cake.
COTTAGE PIE
This main dish recipe is the one that I first used to wow people with once I finished college, though now I haven’t made it in years. It’s from a cookbook sold in the campus bookstore put together by a sorority. This one is from Lynne Watson Dore, Alpha Gamma Delta class of 1977. It’s called “Shepherd’s Pie” in the cookbook, but since it uses ground beef instead of lamb, I think it’s more correctly termed "Cottage Pie." Feel free to try ground lamb, though. That sounds like a great idea.
2 lbs. potatoes, cut into chunks and mostly peeled
1 1b. ground beef
8 oz. Italian sausage (I use the hottest I can find)
1 16 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms (any variety)
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons vinegar (white is fine)
1 cup frozen peas
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
freshly ground pepper to taste
¾ cups milk
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
Peel and cut potatoes into chunks (some peel left on is OK) and put in a pot of water with potatoes covered to boil.
Meanwhile, Put beef and sausage in a skillet. Cook, breaking up beef, over medium-high heat until the meat loses some of it’s pink color and releases juices.
Add tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and vinegar. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes a bit, about 10 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 350º F.
Stir in peas, basil, ½ t salt, oregano, and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes more, and remove from heat.
The potatoes are probably done by now, so drain them and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Mix in milk, cheese, butter, the other ½ t salt and pepper to taste. Beat until smooth.
Spoon meat mixture into a shallow 2 quart casserole dish. Spoon potato mixture on top and spread evenly to the edge. Bake until golden on top and bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
ESCALLOPED TOMATOES
Here is a reaaaaaally old recipe. It’s from The Williamsburg Art of Cookery, or Accomplish’d Gentlewoman’s Companion: Being a Collection of upwards of Five Hundred of the most Ancient & Approv’d Recipes in Virginia Cookery. I got this book in (guess where?) Colonial Williamsburg back in the day, and have managed to adapt one or two of the recipes despite all those cool long S’s that look like F’s and the arcane language.
Cooking out-of-season tomatoes is a way of enjoying them even when they're not right off the vine in your granny's garden, so this recipe works all year 'round. I have used many kinds of bread, but a couple of think slices of whole grain brown bread seem to work best. I always add chopped rosemary to the tomatoes in this dish. Serving it with fresh sprigs is usually a pleaser, too. I interpret the phrase 'slow oven' to mean 325º F. This dish doubles, travels, and re-heats well, so it's great for a Thanksgiving potluck, and folks love hearing about it's Colonial roots. How very American!
Mix two and one half Cups of Tomatoes, two Slices of Bread broken in Pieces, one half cup of finely chopped Celery, one Tablespoon of finely minced Onion, one Teaspoon of Salt, one fourth Teaspoon of black Pepper and three Tablespoons of Sugar. Pour into buttered deep Baking dish and cover well with small Pieces of Butter. Bake in a slow oven at least an Hour, stirring occasionally at first.
CHRISTMAS CUT-OUT COOKIES
This is the recipe that I use to make my Christmas Cookies every year… I have tried others and THESE ARE THE BEST. Even the recipe my Mom uses isn’t as good. It’s true! It’s from Thelma’s Country Clatter Cookbook by Thelma Pifer Gibson, who had a regular cooking column in a small town newspaper near where I used to live. All this is a little ironic, as my Mom's name is also Thelma. Eek.
Where she tells you to use a greased cookie sheet, I usually just use parchment paper. Also, the icing recipe I use is from another of Thelma’s recipes with a smaller count of cookies, so I have increased the amounts for you by 2.5 times like I always do. That will give you plenty of icing to play with.
1 cup vegetable shortening (not butter flavor)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
4 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 cups All Purpose flour, plus some for dusting
1 teaspoon vanilla
Place shortening, sugars and eggs in a large bowl and beat until creamy.
Add water, salt soda, flour, and vanilla and mix well.
Chill the dough for at least 1 hour or let it set overnight, wrapped well in plastic.
Pre-heat oven to 350º F. Pull off a good handful of dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for about 10 minutes each, less if you roll them thinly. Chill sections dough in fridge when you are not rolling them out.
Bake cookies for 6-8 minutes per batch and cool first on the cookie sheet, then on a cooling rack. Makes 7 - 8 dozen cookies.
ICING FOR CHRISTMAS COOKIES
I use the gel-type food coloring because it doesn't thin the icing out too much.
5 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, softened
5-6 tablespoons milk (whole milk is best)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
food coloring
Combine all ingredients in a big bowl and beat until fluffy. Separate into smaller dishes and add food coloring. Use to decorate cool Christmas cookies. The icing will dry nicely in an hour or so.
Posted by kyle at 12:26 PM
October 7, 2005
Speaking What to Whom?
Today, the International Atomic Energy Agency and its director Mohamed ElBaradei won the Nobel Peace Prize, which shows that the Nobel folks still know what they're talking about. Good for them.
When I heard an excerpt of ElBaradei's speech this morning on the radio, he said something about "speaking truth to power."
That reminded me of a very very cool post over on Will's "Professor Truth" blog:
Thrill Is A Huge Dork, First Blood Part 1: Speaking truth to powerafter reading an email from hip e., i looked around for info on the phrase "speak truth to power" because, although i thought i knew the meaning, i wasn't certain. my thought was that it means to be honest with people in power, rather than being a yes man; this is the meaning that most often came up in my various web searches (not surprisingly, since that's what most people mean when they use it). however, it apparently isn't that at all.
it has to do with the idea that power and truth are philosophically inter-connected (a la nietzsche), and that truth is indeed itself a form of power (philosophically speaking). the idea is that power is corrupt (as in acton's famous quote, "power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely"), as are the people who hold the power. their corrupt power is based on a corrupt truth (let's take for an example the assertion that "apartheid doesn't hurt people"). if one exposes the real truth (not the corrupt version of "truth" that the powerful are putting out there as true), the power system collapses under the weight of the truth (as mandela did in south africa, with the end of apartheid eventually spelling the end of white rule in south africa). "to speak truth to power" means, in this sense (that is, the correct sense), to expose something for what it really is: a corruption. anita hill used the phrase to describe (in her book "speaking truth to power") her dealings with the whole clarence thomas nomination/lawsuit issue; by speaking truth to power, she exposed the corruption of thomas for all to see (although obviously that wasn't found to be the case, and she failed to undermine his reputation/power sufficiently to prevent his confirmation to the court).
so, while the idea of being honest with those in power fits nicely into the syntax of the phrase, it's actually quite the opposite: it means to speak to truth to those NOT in power, thereby exposing those in power as corrupt. i suppose you could say it's similar to the phrase "this speaks to the issue": it doesn't literally mean you're speaking to an issue, it means you're addressing it, you're handling it; similarly, speaking truth to power means you're addressing/handling the issue that the powerful aren't being honest/truthful.
i bet you can't wait for part 2....
16 Feb 05 - 10:36pm
Now go and read some Professor Truth and all the other fun folks in my brand-new blogroll, adroitly named "Aren't YOU clever?"
Unless... the only people who read my blog are already listed there. Eh boy.
Posted by kyle at 4:38 PM | Comments (1)
October 6, 2005
Found Porn: All Wet
Just had to share these unbelievably hot pictures of some unbelievably hot model/actor/masturbatory fantasy boy who is apparently set to appear on 10/20 on that curse upon the Wednesday night WB lineup, Smallville. He dresses in orange and green and has the buffest swimmer's build you ever did see. That's right... Aquaman.
It's a measure of how bad Smallville got before I gave it up two years ago that not even the chace of seeing this guy half-naked and wet will get me to watch this show. I mean, I used to watch The Dukes of Hazzard for Chrissake, and I don't think they ever took their shirts off!
Nope. Ain't gonna watch. Can't make me.
Damn you, WB. Damn you.
Posted by kyle at 3:31 PM
October 4, 2005
Mommy Premiere-est
The day we were waiting for finally came: the film version of Terry Ryan's book "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" had its official release this past weekend, and we were at the San Francisco premeire, which was free of celebrities except of the SF variety. That is, the author, her domestic partner, and their friends, admirers and familes were all there, including writer-of-note Isabel Allende. That "whomp" you just heard was the sound of a name being unceremoniously dropped.
For those of you just joining us, my beloved Christopher was born and raised in Defiance, Ohio, the titular town of novel and movie fame. I have only visited (many times, mind you), but was still as excited as I would have been had it been my Dear Old Moundsville up on the screen. When the book was published to some acclaim a few years back, we were thrilled. Now the movie has been made, and whether or not it's a critical success, it was a delight to every eye in AMC 1000's Theater 14 last Friday.
Christopher had written a childhood pal who still lives in town who kindly bought us two bright blue "Defiance Bulldogs" t-shirts to wear, and we were quite the celebrities in our own right both at the screening and at the reception afterward. Above, we are with a gaggle of ne'er-do-wells that we gathered for the fun, including Dr. Bob Barnett (far left), an old theater pal of Christopher's who actually lives in Defiance currently, and Marge (front & center beside C'pher), another Defiance native who's made her home here in Northern California. Click here to see the rest of C'pher's small photo album from the night.
As for the movie itself... I thought it quite wonderful. Again, for those of you who have been at the bar this whole time, 'Prize Winner' is a true-life memoir about Evelyn Ryan, a mother of ten kids whose husband drank away every paycheck, leaving Mother to provide for the family the best way she knew how; by entering and winning jingle- and slogan-writing contests so prevalent back in the day.
I was truly afraid of the family's blase reaction to their volatile father at times, and often the fabulous Julianne Moore's portrayal of Evelyn made her seem so perfect I thought I was watching yet another Stepford Wives remake. But it was easy to excuse the latter when two of the other Ryan kids, who were at both premiere and party, told us personally "Yep... Mom was just like that." Plus, she does rightly lose it a few times and that makes her triumphs all the sweeter, not to mention her good attitude under the worst of circumstances.
I chose the picture at the top of this entry because it was one of my very favorite scenes in the whole movie: Evelyn wins a timed shopping spree at the local Supermarket at a time when money was scarce and food even more so. The store employees and manager helpfully conspire that she should get even more in her cart with help, and she fills it up not just with staples to feed her family of twelve, but with all the exotic things the family has always wanted to try -- Hearts of Palm, Shrimp Cocktail, capers, and of course loads and loads of candy. They get home and open up anything and everything in a feast that the kids remember to this day. For the first time, I really felt that happy sense of optimism that everyone says was the hallmark of the 1950s. Watching that one scene, you can almost believe that America was a better place back then.*
Christopher has written a little account of our evening that he hopes to get published in his hometown newspaper, the Crescent-News (he knows some people on the staff there, and his Grandfather used to be its publisher). I love it because if he had a blog, that would be the place his piece would go. Instead, he's going for the real printed deal. What do you expect from a guy who typed every college paper but one on his Grandfather's old manual typewriter?
The moral of the story: Small towns are all well and good, but boys who know how to type a letter are the best.
* It wasn't.
Posted by kyle at 3:57 PM