Just heard this version on Eastbound and Down

Ari Up (their singer)–died this month

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slits

I’m never drinking (coffee) again

So I came home around 9:30 after meeting a friend for dinner, and made myself a blended coffee drink; before heading out to see a local band play. The construction of this coffee concoction was as per Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer’s suggestion:

“Trader Joe’s Lactose Free Coffee Creamers come in three flavors: Original, Vanilla and Hazelnut… Delicious in hot or cold coffee, you’re limited only by your imagination – we like mixing Hazelnut and Vanilla in a blender with coffee and ice… instant frappe!”

The coffee was okay to drink, but incredibly effective at administering its caffeine to my central nervous system. How do I know this? Well I’m writing this at 5:45 in the morning, with absolutely no prospect of sleep in my future. I’ve never tried Meth, but I’m pretty sure this is what it feels like. After lying sleepless in bed for the last five hours, I declared uncle on a good night’s sleep and got up. Thank you Trader Joe’s.

Top 10 things you can do with self-inflicted insomnia:

1. start a fight club
2. write in your self serving blog
3. a second job at Denny’s making Oreo Milkshakes for tweakers
4. commit the repeating carousel of SportsCenter to rote memory
   
5. 
   invent a new way to blow-it-up when giving someone ‘the rock’
6. watch infomercials for Zumba fitness videos (watch for the guy in the back in the blue tank top – he’s completely lost)
7. reflect on why I was contacted yesterday by two different people who I hadn’t spoke to in over 10 years (might write about this one)
8. in 15 minutes start watching pre-game NFL show (jeeze)
9. learn how to make coq au vin – thank you Danny Boome I think I’ll give it a try
10. Stare bitterly at the ceiling
    

Ready or not… life goes on

Got an email today that said:

65 Days until Christmas

34 days until Thanksgiving  

 

Really?  Two months away – already?!  No matter how busy my summer is, and it was booked this year, I’m still left with a tinge of regret around this time.  What else could I have done to take advantage of the fleeting sunlit days, and the warm summer evenings?  Tasted more wine (probably not), gone to the beach more often (I never even took the tags off my new yellow swim trunks), logged more miles on my bike, camping, hikes, drank blended adult beverages,..

At least winter means snow in the mountains.  That part I love.

 

The British are coming

Everyone’s worried about American factory jobs going overseas; but no one ever mentions the poor actors from Hollywood.

British actors playing Americans (with American accents):

Hugh Laurie

House

Gary Oldman

Batman, The Book of Eli

Christian Bale

Batman, Terminator, American Psycho…

Alice Eve

She's Out of My League

(not literally - though probably)

Isla Fisher

Confessions of a Shopaholic, Definitely, Maybe, Wedding Crashers

Simon Baker (Australian)

The Mentalist

Helena Bonham Carter

Fight Club, any movie that Tim Burton directs.

Lena Headey

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Kevin McKidd

Grey’s Anatomy

Do we hire our Civil Engineers from UW?

These signs are about as practical to traffic control, as the Light Rail and the S.L.U. Trolley.

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Movie quote

"Things don't have to be extraordinary to be beautiful, even the ordinary can be beautiful."
- Matthew in Wicker Park

btw, the final scene in Wicker Park is a perfect example of merry-go-sorry (see below).

merry-go-sorry

Definition: a tale that evokes joy and sadness simultaneously, a story with good and bad news

 

- also see: life.

 

 

Sunday quote

“I can’t die; I haven’t figured anything out yet.”

- Ted Danson in “Bored to Death”

Living vicariously is not really living

We all do it: read about adventures we’d like to have, watch programs on exotic places we’d like to go, buy gossip magazines about celebrities we’d like to be, or play video games of characters we wish we were.  Okay I don’t buy the gossip rags, but a LOT of people do. 

What is it that actually holds us back from the things we really want?  Apathy, time, money, obligations, self doubt, fear?  If you’ve always wanted to learn the Samba, then take a dance class.  If your goal is to be a cage fighter, then buy some Affliction shirts and find a dojo.  If your lifelong dream is to visit the Pantheon, then get your ass to Rome (give up lattes, shop sales, chaperone an Italian class…).  As Tim Robbins said in Shawshank, “It simply comes down to this, Get Busy Living, or Get Busy Dying.” 

Which leads me to my newest quote:

“Living vicariously is not really living.”

I love pizza like a fat kid loves cake – or pizza.

So this is an amalgamation of about seven recipes I’ve tried and combined. Lots of trial and error (no bad pizza right?) – but this recipe works great and it’s really easy.

For perfect pizza dough at home (you don’t have to have a mixer, but it’s better):

1 package active dry or fresh yeast (2.25 teaspoons if it’s in a bottle)

1 heaping teaspoon honey

1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F

3 cups better for bread flour (bread machine flour if you can find it) – if you’re not using a mixer use all-purpose flour.

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing

[ handsome pizza – no? ]

In a small cup, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water (baby milk warm).

In the mixer bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water.

Use the mixer paddle to combine the ingredients until they come together and start to form a ball – a minute(ish)

Affix the hook attachment (spray it with non-stick first). Knead on medium speed for 15-20 minutes. You can tell the dough is ready when it stretches until nearly transparent. If you don’t have a mixer -fold the dough into itself for about five minutes.

Fold the dough under itself until it’s taught and smooth on top. Place dough in a large bowl or just keep it in the mixer bowl (spray it with non-stick first). Cover with a towel and leave it alone for two hours (let it rise).

After two hours beat the dough down and cut into two equal segments. Cover those with a towel and leave alone for another hour.

Place your oven rack on its lowest slot (if you have a pizza stone put it there), preheat your oven to its highest setting (500 – 550). Roll the segment into a ball, and place on a pizza pan or cookie sheet (greased or sprayed with non-stick). Stretch the dough to the edges, rotating slightly as you pull (stretch as thin as you possibly can).

Brush the crust with extra virgin olive oil, especially the edges. Spread pizza sauce very thin (use less than you think), and cover with your favorite toppings.

Bake for about 8 minutes (at 550). Crust should be slightly charred on the bottom. Let cool before slicing. Provecho!