subjective

I've bloggered my last blogging time

2011-12-05T13:54:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone--

If you want to continue following my escapades (and honestly, WHY would you) I am now officially doing the deed at:

http://floogee.wordpress.com

Come away from the emerging darkside which is quickly becoming Google and follow there.

Bye bye Blogger (soon)

2011-11-28T09:52:00.000-05:00

So, I’m pretty sure I’m switching from Blogger and its AWFUL iOS app over to WordPress. Their app is fully formed and includes lots of great options.

Like, for example, video. You’d think mobile Blogger, being owned by the Google conglomerate, would allow simple adding of YouTube video ….. um, nope!

This is my first page published through the app. Lessee how it looks.

The wordpress address is: http://floogee.wordpress.com/

Lady Finger pudding for a Lady

2011-11-27T16:27:00.001-05:00

With Thanksgiving now over I really wanted to come see Mom and sit with her for a spell. Kelly told me that we had a little bit of Icebox cake left over and that I should take it with me and give it to her.

When we were kids we only had Lady Finger pudding (Mom's name for it) twice a year. Thanksgiving and Christmas so it was a really big deal.

As a child I imagined it must have had some really expensive ingredients in it or was really hard to make when in fact it is incredibly simple.

Anyway, when I got to the care facility I spooned a bite into her mouth and her face LIT UP. Who knows what intimate memories with her past she may or may not have had but she sure connected with the taste.

After 10 spoonfuls or so she started to drift off so I stroked her hair and kept whispering that I loved her over and over till she finally fell asleep.

Today was both sweet and kind of hard and I'm glad I went. Thanks for the idea, Kel.

Leftovers!

2011-11-26T22:16:00.001-05:00

So, tonight I cooked like I used to when I was Kitchen Manager for the Dinner Program for Homeless Women, something I did for four years during the Reagan/Bush 1 days of overlapping joy and prosperity.

Like most people, we had lots of Thanksgiving leftovers but small amounts of each so I took what we had and threw together this Turkey Tetrazzini for everyone as well as the neighbors. Seconds were eaten by a few so I guess I still have it.

Love among friends

2011-11-25T00:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Kelly, Heather, Amy and myself met up impromptu with our good friends Abigail and Heather over an awesome dinner at Sticky Rice.

The original plan was for dinner and boobs at a Black Friday burlesque show but everyone had different reasons for needing to be awake early the next morning so we settled on just dinner and a couple of drinks.

I decided to try and create something personal by photographing a panoramic from the chair I sat in.

Here you go!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T22:08:00.001-05:00

I had one of the best Thanksgivings in quite awhile. Kelly's sister Heather came down from New Jersey with her partner Amy and the next door neighbor came with her three kids and joined Kelly, Thea, Liam, me and Todd.

I was the primary cook and made the traditional dinner my Mom would have done:

Turkey with Sage dressing
Mashed potatoes
For dessert, Icebox cake.

Other contributions included Kelly's amazing Cranberry "relish"
Saira (from next door) slow braised a Leg of Lamb
Sweet Potatoes
Heather and Amy brought a slew of various Vegan dishes
Corn on the cob and Rolls

It was a lot better than yesterday's dinner, that's for sure.

Afterwards, the kids treated us to a dance and fashion show that was a blast to watch.

Lastly, I just wanted to say thanks Mom. You weren't there but your years of slaving in a hot kitchen and what I learned by watching (and eating!) were enjoyed by everybody. Happy Thanksgiving Ma!

Pre-Thanksgiving feast

2011-11-23T11:39:00.000-05:00

What says that more than a six-pack of ......

What are the purposes of Art?

2011-11-22T15:28:00.001-05:00

Roughly six months ago Steve Reich announced a new music project simply called WTC 9/11. The piece uses actual voices recorded (Air traffic, police, etc) as melody points that he then constructs the music around. None are victims of Ground Zero.

It is a beautiful piece and was the only thing I did on the 10th anniversary to honor that day. All of the 24/7 pieces on TV showing the actual events of that day are considered appropriate ways to "remember." By that I mean all of those horrific images and video. I even saw teasers a month before advertising these shows. Who here thinks that companies responsible for broadcasting them had in mind the premium advertising bucks that could be made that day by "honoring the memory." I do.

The new Reich piece was previewed on NPR and showed the manipulated image below that was originally intended for the cover.

Listen to short snippets of the piece at Nonesuch records.

Almost immediately there was huge backlash for the choice of the image. Here are some of the "nicer" comments:

I am in total agreement with Mr. xxxxx. I think you may have broken new ground. This is the first truly despicable classical album cover that I have ever seen.

Seems appropriately shoddy and exploitative to me.

You can't be serious Mr. Reich. Shame on you, the Kronos Quartet and Nonesuch for capitalizing on this. It is truly vile.

Even worse, the label that Reich is on caved into this idiotic chatter and changed the cover before it was released. In my iTunes library I replaced the new one with the original.

For me, Art serves many functions and one is shared catharsis. When I played this CD on 9/11 I was taken to a place of personal reflection and emotion over that day. Personal.

Had I turned the TV on and been spoon fed the actual images of that day I would have been no different than the idiots who slow down on freeways to get a glimpse of an accident.

This CD allowed me to move ahead, to better understand, to buffer the rawness. Television would have only reopened old wounds. That is what Art can do.

Anselm Kiefer at the Louvre

2011-11-21T09:55:00.000-05:00

My friend's Brian and Heather are spending this Thanksgiving week in Paris and I was surprised with this series of emails from him showing a site-specific series of work by one of my favorite artists, Anselm Kiefer and I had to share them.

From Brian: "At the Louvre, there isn't any modern art, but in one corner there's a site-specific installation by Kiefer done in 2007 that was a cool surprise. All by itself in a staircase. Gotta be 20 ft. tall. On either side, there were two smaller sculptures he also did"

My first panoramic image

2011-11-20T11:55:00.000-05:00

Microsoft has a free app for the iPhone called Photosynth that allows you to stitch together panoramic images just by moving the phone side to side. Very powerful and very cool.

Satyagraha

2011-11-19T00:52:00.000-05:00

I have been a devoted fan of Philip Glass since I first saw he and his ensemble perform "The Photographer" back in 1982. Right after that I saw Koyaanisqatsi in it's first theatrical release and was blown away.

I've seen him perform with symphonies, collaborate with Allen Ginsberg and been witness to the ensemble play live to both the aforementioned Koyaanisqatsi as well as Powaqqatsi and although I would have LOVED to have seen Einstein on the Beach today I got closest to experiencing one of his operas, namely, the Met in HD performance of Satyagraha.

Kelly says it best as far as how the Met is advancing opera into the digital age so I'll just say that it was a moving and at times tear jerking experience. Later, I found out that the Baltimore Symphony is performing the music he wrote to accompany a multimedia show called LIFE: A Journey Through Time and we are most definitely going to attend.

My only wish is that, at 75, he tours one more time with his ensemble. Pretty please!?

Happy birthday Liam!

2011-11-18T23:14:00.001-05:00

Today was his sixth birthday. Amazing, he was two when I first met him and it's been an extreme pleasure watching him grow. Here he is being measured. He grew over two inches since last year!

Tonight, Kelly took us all out for sushi. I am so impressed at how adventurous both kids are when it comes to food. I certainly wasn't when I was his age. Props to her for exposing them to what the world has to offer.

I got him a skateboard and it will be interesting to see how he progresses. That reminds me, before he starts getting serious I need to get him some kneepads for when he falls (yes, WHEN he falls Mom) ;)

Happy birthday little man.

The lost interview with Steve Jobs

2011-11-17T10:57:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to a one time showing of a 75 minute interview writer Robert X. Cringely did back in 1995 with Jobs for a three part series he produced called "Triumph of the Nerds." It's an interesting look at the shape shifters form the beginnings of the personal computers days but only 10 minutes of the interview was used. Then, the master copy was lost and a new VHS copy emerged not too long ago. That full interview is what we saw last night.

Since his death I've been going to You Tube and watching old interviews but this one was, by far, the best I've seen.

I recommend watching it on Netflix when it comes out.

Amazing show!

2011-11-16T15:35:00.001-05:00

For such a small assembling of musicians Tinariwen really has developed its individual voice. I guarantee that if you ever get the chance to see them you will be hooked by the third song.

Seductive trance is really how I would describe them. Hoped to have some audio of the show to post but I unfortunately messed that up. Here then are three pics I took.

Tinariwen tonight!

2011-11-15T10:41:00.001-05:00

Last year Kelly and I were totally surprised and blown away when we saw this band of Tuareg nomadic musicians play at the 9:30 club. Tonight we get to walk into the show having a clear sense of what it is we will be witnessing.

Tinariwen plays a hybrid of traditional African desert music mixed with American blues and the result live is a trance type music that heavily relies of subtle yet powerful grooves.

Unfortunately, there are three bands preceding them and only one that is remotely interesting which means they aren't scheduled to come on till 10:45pm. We've got our plan and it involves one thing. Seeing them! If we miss the others, eh....

Hopefully, I'll have some pics from the show tomorrow to post, perhaps even a little audio snippet if the recording I plan on doing turns out.

Either way, if you're in DC and don't mind a late night you should really consider coming along. It really was one of the best shows we saw last year (and we saw many!)

So here's what happened

2011-11-14T13:33:00.001-05:00

Kelly, being the ever thoughtfully thrifty one, suggested we play the penny slots. Given we were both dressed better than 90% of the people there I LOVED the irony of how we looked vs. what we were playing.

Having said that, I was a little like "Really?! You don't make any money off the penny or nickel slots" but Kelly was just into having fun.

SO, I put a penny in. Yes, ONE penny and this what happened:

$184.00 on a penny bet. So, should I listen to Kelly more? What do YOU think? ;)

Bond, James Bond

2011-11-13T22:36:00.001-05:00

When Kelly and I were planning our trip to Atlantic City we decided we would dress things up a bit. When we were visiting friends in Cleveland I found this 1950's vintage white Tux jacket and bought it immediately. The rest I bought from a traditional tux store.

What happened the night I wore this will be the subject of another posting.

Living in DC

2011-11-12T19:10:00.001-05:00

There are lots of great reasons living here but, I think for me, the best is that it's a magnet for art, most of it free.

Over a period of months Kelly and I had the privilege of seeing Chuck Close and then Philip Glass, the subject of one of his more popular pieces, at the Corcoran.

I love sandwiches

2011-11-11T22:29:00.001-05:00

Some people takes pictures of beautiful scenery or tourist attractions when they are on vacation. Me?

Train kept a-rolling...

2011-11-10T15:22:00.001-05:00

His mind was on the game, huh. Don't know about you, my fearless 10 followers but there are days when the train feels real and the game is anything but one.

My first virtual toast

2011-11-09T16:26:00.001-05:00

Continuing the conversation from my last post my brother and I did go out last night and we showed our maturity. In fact, he didn't even have a drink.

Kelly, on the other hand, was so sweet and proposed a text toast. She took the second pic of herself and my brother took one of me.

Cheers, Dad. You would have loved Kelly.

Happy birthday Dad

2011-11-08T11:38:00.001-05:00

93 years ago today my Dad was born. 63 years after that he flew away. On the first two anniversaries of his death my brother and I got together over drinks to celebrate him. We called it "creature night" because we learned one day that whiskey, being what it is, is known as the Devils drink so when one said in the old days "Give me a shot of the creature" it meant a shot of whiskey.

At the time neither one of us were big whiskey drinkers and our inexperience led us to two of the worst hangovers we've ever had ... or at least me.

There's one story about the first time that makes even the hardest person cringe when I tell it so I won't share it here. Suffice to say it was either one of my proudest drinking moments or one of my worst personal ones.

We haven't gotten together in many years to celebrate it but have decided to hook up tonight and lift one in his memory.

I said ONE, as in singular.

I'll let you know tomorrow how successful I was.

The coolest tribute to Steve Jobs when he died

2011-11-07T22:36:00.001-05:00

Has to be what Boing Boing did. They took their homepage and designed it using the look of the old Macintosh desktop.

So cool and so thoughtful.

This is called cheating

2011-11-06T20:06:00.000-05:00

In NaBloPoMo terms but I haven't got anything to offer today.

What's the message here?

2011-11-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

And who is delivering it? Catholics (or their leadership) say that the distribution of condoms in school is against the Bible but here in this hispanic market near me I guess living practically and displaying ones love for Jesus can not only live together but both are equally for sale.

Coexist

2011-11-04T03:30:00.000-04:00

On my way to work one day I noticed this and had to take this picture. Do I really need to say anything more?

Sinderella

2011-11-03T11:22:00.001-04:00

Last Thursday my friend Brian from Cleveland came into town and after seeing Medeski, Martin & Wood with Antibalas kick an amazing musical storm up at the 9:30 with Kelly we set off to Brooklyn, U.S.A. to watch the Tiger Lillies perform with Justin Vivian Bond (see link below).

It was an amazing show and the venue (St. Ann's warehouse) is a must if you're ever in New York.

Review

My inner child

2011-11-02T11:45:00.001-04:00

Caught on film when he made a random appearance a couple of nights ago.

Halloween alternative

2011-11-01T18:19:00.000-04:00

One of my all time favorite movies, horror aside, is the Bride of Frankenstein. Besides being a beautiful and stylish movie it is also a subtle metaphor for what an outcast is "in God's eyes" and seen in that light becomes a wonderful description of exactly who the monsters are in life.

Hint: It's not the "monster."

Kelly and I were at the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, a favorite with us and the kids, and saw this. How can anyone who is a fan of "Bride" not love it.

Two days away

2011-10-17T21:01:00.001-04:00

We just came back from a wonderful couple of days spent in a remote cabin in Hedgesville, W. Va about 15 miles from Berkeley Springs. No TV, very limited connectivity and acres of forest surrounding us.

It was awesome. First night we made a terrific meal of Rack of Lamb, Broccoli Rabe and Gorgonzola Gnocchi. Last night we had dinner at a mountaintop restaurant and watched the sunset.

There was a screened porch in front and an open deck in back. The weather was perfect and the stars were definitely out.

Hard to leave today so I guess we'll just have to go back.

The National Mall

2011-04-05T09:31:00.000-04:00

Normally I get into work like a true 9-5'er but today was up early and decided to head into work. I get off at the Smithsonian metro stop on the Mall and walk with all the other bobbleheads to work. Today though it was a weird, misty ghost town of a place and the only other person I saw was this runner on the other side.

I think I like getting into work early (but for how long!?)

You said what????

2011-03-16T10:11:00.002-04:00

A couple of nights ago Kelly and I were sitting at the dining table talking to Thea about scary movies we had seen as kids and we both shared our experiences with Hitchcock's "The Birds."

I saw the movie for the first time on the ABC Sunday Night movie probably around 1966 or so and, of course, the movie terrified me.

Given that it was a Sunday night I went to bed right after the movie ended, full of potential nightmares of birds swooping down on me, clueless of the real terror I was to experience.

Somehow, on a Sunday night, my Dad found a few small stuffed birds, attached them to thread, and dangled them just over my face so the first thing I saw when I woke up Monday morning was a group of birds 6 inches from my face. Needless to say I freaked out and waved at the birds as my Dad stood in the doorway to my room laughing.

Who needs emotional boot camp when you've got a loving Father?

So, fast forward to Sunday night and talking with Thea. Really this is about that classic "things kids say" more than anything so as I finish telling her about my Dad Kelly says,

KELLY: "WOW. That's awful. Did you punch him in the face?" because that's her default response to terrible people doing terrible things.

MIKE, "No, he was too tall."

KELLY: "Well then did you..." and was going to say "kick him in the shins?"

THEA filled in the sentence with "Kick him in the nuts?

To which, our reaction was:

Web design on a Presidential level

2011-03-02T15:39:00.000-05:00

If this were from some kids web site or even displayed on a more professional site as a way of conveying that the page wasn't completed before launch I MIGHT be OK with it but this is the "under construction" graphic that is on former President Bill Clinton's Library page.

W T F !!!!!!!!!!!

(thanks Kelly)

Thea is just doing her part

2011-01-06T02:31:00.002-05:00

Last night we were taling to the kids about work. What it means, why we do it, etc. and the topic of money came up. Thea decided on her own that we both deserved more pay so she composed a letter for my boss and for Kelly's.

It says: Dear Mike's Bos

Mike will do anything if you pay him more mony.

To: Mike's Bos

From: Micke's Best Friends Thea and Liam

C U T E !

I told Thea that I'd take a picture of my boss after she had read it.

Hey! It worked!!!!! Thanks Thea. Much love....

Happy New Year everyone!

2010-12-31T12:01:00.001-05:00

Unknown Pleasures

2010-12-01T14:01:00.004-05:00

Last night Kelly, my friend Bob and I went to the 930 to see Peter Hook (of Joy Division and New Order) perform the first Joy Division LP Unknown Pleasures in its entirety.

I know there's some debate out there about whether it's cool to retro your old stuff out and bring it on the road but I was 22 when Ian Curtis died (lead singer and lyricist for JD) and they never made it to the States so I didn't feel as bad about it.

First off, Pleasures is an amazing collection of music brought to fruition through the production wizardry of Martin Hannett but hearing it live gave it a completely new way to listen to it. Raw, powerful and a reminder that kids used to get into music to express complicated inner emotions as compared to the plethora of "star vehicle" media shows that spit out forgettable pop stars playing forgettable music (but they sure are pretty!).

The groin remote was in action again last night so here for your listening pleasure is Peter Hook and band performing Transmission.

Recorded 12/01/10 by "Blind" Lemon Pye

Farewell to the fever, fare thee well to Nablopomia

2010-11-29T13:21:00.001-05:00

For me, the best part of this virus will come in 6 months or so when something strikes me as worth writing about and I come back and re-read them as a whole.

Walking home from work

2010-11-29T08:18:00.001-05:00

Just outside the door to the museum.

Almost to Metro.

Art by Greg Johnson

2010-11-27T22:34:00.001-05:00

My friend Greg is a trained artist and has spent his adult life drawing directly from inspiration. Most of his work is done using found paper and any marker available. When he's not drawing from inspiration he's a very funny and insightful cartoonist.

I met him when I worked in a warehouse in my early 20s and his friendship and insights were and still are very valuable to me.

The True Size of Africa

2010-11-27T10:29:00.001-05:00

This is an amazing graphic. It reorders the land masses from around the world and shows that the continent of Africa is equal in size to all the habitable land areas on Earth.

Handsome kid

2010-11-26T10:26:00.000-05:00

Me, circa 1975 with my friend Mike Hudson's sister Leanna. My hair used to grow like a birds nest, wait! it still does.

Happy Thanksgiving.

2010-11-25T11:38:00.001-05:00

Nice being with someone ...

2010-11-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

... who not only takes the preparation of a perfect Manhattan seriously ...

... but pours a perfect one as well. Cheers, baby.

The holidays come early to the Smithsonian Castle

2010-11-23T06:11:00.000-05:00

Sometimes lack of sleep has its benefits

2010-11-22T11:55:00.002-05:00

Tonight was one of those nights. I went outside to have a smoke and watch the the Moon slide to full and back as I have the last few nights only this is what I saw when I looked up. It's was strange yet eerily calming to see a perfectly formed circle, one that clearly wasn't or couldn't have been man made, or ring around the moon. It actually jiggled a story that's been bouncing around in my head for a few days.

I've seen rings before but that was on a cold Cleveland Winter night, what made tonight sp weird was that the sky seemed clear so I wasn't expecting it at all. But it was most welcome.

Bath time is near .....

2010-11-20T23:59:00.001-05:00

Kelly sent me her recipe for brining since my refrigerator has enough room for the turkey. Simple recipe till I read at 11 tonight that it's best made the Sunday night before Thanksgiving ... um ... like now!

It actually was fun to see that I had everything I needed except carrots and celery and Bay leaves. for which I apologize for not having on hand. Who doesn't have more than three bottles or more of it in their spice cabinets right now?

The saga continues .....

Polyface Farms

2010-11-20T11:53:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving! Wait, what? We JUST placed our order in time for a pre-thanksgiving pickup and stopped today in the backwoods of upper Montgomery county to pick up our prize(s).

It's a beautiful 12 pound bird but it needs it's bath .....

Sleep and morality?

2010-11-19T03:55:00.001-05:00

Sleep, hmmmm, I LOVE IT but don't seem to get or need as much as I did when I was young. I've always been a night owl but when I was a kid I'd sleep in past noon all the time, now, I usually go to bed around 2 and get up at 7:30 which is fine though I do pay for it occasionally.

Since that is the case I wonder how different I'd be if I actually slept 8 hours a night. Would I be less irritable? remember more? hallucinate less? get sick less often? Who knew that sleep impairs moral judgements? I may start sleeping even less.

Happy birthday Liam

2010-11-18T11:42:00.000-05:00

Today is number 5 for the little guy so I thought I'd just let him do the talking...

Happy birthday little man.

Henry "Red" Allen

2010-11-17T10:14:00.002-05:00

This is more about how much I love this image than it is about Red Allen. I got turned onto Red though the seminal "The Sound of Jazz" which I have since found on DVD. Required for all Jazz lovers....

Here's Red with the all-stars assembled that day in 1957 by Jazz critics Nat Hentoff and Whitney Balliet for a program of live Jazz on CBS television.

WAMP! WAMP!

I was wrong, and I was right

2010-11-16T11:59:00.001-05:00

Just got back from seeing Grinderman and they have no one deciding voice in how they create their music. It is collaboration but what I love, I think, about them, is their ability to live what Grinderman is to them. I apologize in advance but it is a form of performance art in a way. In the sense that they can create a character, as a unit, and put forth authentic music from that place that is only from that place.

Dig?

Sonic composition

2010-11-15T11:49:00.008-05:00

Tomorrow we're off once again to the 930 but this time it's to see the band Grinderman and I can't remember the last time I've looked more forward to a show.

The same members of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds form this band but unlike the Bad Seeds this band seems, musically at least, under the direction of Warren Ellis, the bands guitarist/violinist, etc. Whereas all contribute to the Seeds and Grinderman and Cave has dominion over the lyrics for both my sense is that Ellis makes Grinderman's final decisions.

The thing that grabs me about this band are the sounds and what they evoke. For example, the piano being slammed on the lower register on "Get it On" from the first record just chills me.

Grinderman is predictable sounding music without being predictable in the least.

Mystery train

2010-11-14T04:45:00.000-05:00

We took the kids to Wheaton Regional Park which is one of the most diverse in Montgomery county as far as things to do. Unfortunately, we discovered that the entire playground has been taken away and will be replaced with what looks like a pretty cool park.

One of the other things there is a train that takes people on a slow ramble through the woods. Since the train is down for the Winter I suggested we walk the rails "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" style (though I didn't tell anyone that) and we had a slow and great time on a beautiful day with no one around. Everyone had a blast.

One thing the kids discovered were these randomly placed gnomes and other guardian figures along the way. Here are the ones we found.

With thanks to Liam for the steady hands.

MMW at 930

2010-11-13T00:53:00.010-05:00

MMW anywhere makes me happy but to be at the 930 with my baby seeing them (her first time) makes it even more special. The free drink from our fist pumping bartender for whatever reason was nice as well.

For those who know about this the "groin remote" has resurfaced and thankfully the technology has been updated for personal comfort. What is the groin remote? You will have to come back to hear that story.

In the meantime, please enjoy the fruits of the remote, this a 2 min snippet of MMW recorded last night by "Blind" Lemon Pye (hmm, another blog post, damn...)

I have no idea why this bothers me so much

2010-11-12T01:25:00.000-05:00

OK, first off, I use YouTube on a personal level for one thing only, their technology. I love that I can shoot whatever I feel like shooting. No narrative, no thought, just what was intended, post it, grab the embed code, and know it's gonna work no matter what most people are using to watch it. All for free. Revolutionary and democratizing ... and more ... Everyone from the kids to the Grandparents can use it, right?!

So tonight, going through email I received the following "email" from "YouTube":

What this reminded me of, for some reason, is the pile of junk mail I will forever receive on behalf of my Mom. As her memory was beginning to fade back in Cleveland she started sending lots of "donations" straight into the bank accounts of these people who prey on the naivety, ignorance or hopes of some well-intentioned people and they are adept in any medium.

Fuckers.

2010-11-11T11:59:00.001-05:00

Spike in the head

2010-11-10T11:14:00.001-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows of my proclivity towards a good, shiny spike after a particularly hard day and today was a giant among those. So, after much sweating about what to blog about I decided to unveil my personal spike in the head.

BEHOLD!

God's butter

2010-11-09T04:12:00.000-05:00

If you've never had bone marrow, then you haven't had God's butter.

There are parts I haven't tried yet but as I've gotten back into food I now gravitate towards chefs who use the entire animal. If you're going to be a carnivore then I think there's some responsibility that goes with it. What we as Americans call food is only a regional reference based on our upbringings and economics just as Dog, for example, is a Chinese reference for the most part. Here, most of what we consider distasteful either gets ground up for hot dogs or sausage but if you've never had Beef Tongue, Pork cheeks, Pigs feet or marrow (among others) you are missing out on some really good eatin'

Also, it's a crime to slaughter a cow and only use the muscles we've been taught to like and throw the rest away. Whereas all we have to do is salt and pepper a ribeye and throw it on the grill these other parts are slow cooked and the flavor is coaxed out of them. If you go to a restaurant where brains, or sweetbreads or even testicles are prepared you know you are in good hands with the cook.

"Peasant food" is nothing more than food that actually benefits from someone who knows how to cook, unlike the steak on the grill (and we still overcook them -- medium rare people!)

Roasted Bone Marrow

8 to 12 center-cut beef or veal marrow bones, 3 inches long, 3 to 4 pounds total1 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons capers

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Coarse sea salt to taste

At least 4 1/2-inch-thick slices of crusty bread, toasted.

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put bones, cut side up, on foil-lined baking sheet or in ovenproof skillet. Cook until marrow is soft and has begun to separate from the bone, about 15 minutes. (Stop before marrow begins to drizzle out.)

2. Meanwhile, combine parsley, shallots and capers in small bowl. Just before bones are ready, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle dressing over parsley mixture until leaves are just coated. Put roasted bones, parsley salad, salt and toast on a large plate. To serve, scoop out marrow, spread on toast, sprinkle with salt and top with parsley salad.

The Act of Seeing

2010-11-08T09:31:00.000-05:00

Two very similar photographs in terms of positioning and focus. Under the image lies it's origin. Underneath that is meaning.

The first depicts drivers at the starting line for the Indianapolis 500 race.

The second is of Muslim's at prayer time.

What do you see?

Sunday soup

2010-11-07T10:50:00.003-05:00

When the cylinders are in sync I will turn Fall Sunday's into soup days. There's something relaxing about prepping and simmering a bunch of ingredients together for an hour or two and then having a huge bowl just off the fire.

Today I made two different soups. One for dinner tonight and one for Kelly to have as a lunch choice during the work week.

So, the family soup was Roasted Potato Leek. Basically you roast the leeks and potatoes in olive oil for 45 mins or until brown then put the pan on two burners, add some white wine and chicken stock and reduce.

Take that mixture and either puree it in a food processor or use an immersion blender (if you don't own one, you will). Put it into a soup pot, add more stock and cream and simmer. Serve with fresh chives or green onions.

The soup for Kel was Six Onion. For that chop five cups of Leeks, two yellow, two white, two red onions and four shallots and saute adding salt, pepper, bay leaf and thyme. Dust later with flour and continue sauteing on medium for 45 mins so the onions are all carmelized and sweet. Add them to a soup pot with four quarts Chicken stock and some sherry and simmer for 30 mins.

Right before serving add a little Worcestershire sauce and fresh Chives.

Hmmmm, what for next week???

Los Angeles

2010-11-06T01:31:00.000-04:00

When I was young I had the same fascination with California as much as anyone from grey and cold Cleveland. My first time there was when I was 15 and I met my brother out to watch a college basketball game between his alma mater of Ohio University and arguably the best college team of all-time, the UCLA Bruins coached by John Wooden.

It was magical to be in 72 degree temperatures in December. On the trip home the plane I was in developed engine problems (my second flight ever) and headed back to LA. By the time I reached Chicago for my connecting flight it had left so the airlines put me up in a hotel.

So, here I was, in the Windy City alone in my swanky hotel as stewardesses brought me dinner.

-- INSERT FANTASY HERE--

My second trip was in 1979 with four of my best friends and I believe the pictures are from when we were in Santa Monica. I remember at one point being on the freeway and listening to the LA premiere of Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" and thinking how cool I was. Heh.

The third was when I was attending a conference and had the best fish taco I've ever had at some joint in the hills. The one good story was I dressed up one night and went to the Derby (the bar for the final scene in Swingers) and met two people from Dallas and then two days later saw the band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy there. Weird.

The last time I was there was in 2000 for another conference and I remember whizzing through Bel-Air in my rental car with a fairly good drink on.

Weegee

2010-11-04T22:15:00.000-04:00

The Fashionable People, [title first used for "The Critic" in LIFE Magazine],

published December 6, 1943

One thing I really like about being infected with Nablopomia is that you end up writing about things you like but might not share usually. Today I'm writing about Weegee, one of my favorite New York photographers.

Beginning in the 30s Weegee traversed Manhattan armed with a cigar, a camera and a police scanner and spent the next few decades cataloging the side of New York only those who lived it knew.

Murders, prostitution, cross-dressers, dive bar freaks, fires and love, Weegee has you covered.

Listen to a rare radio interview with Weegee in the 40s.

If you want to see more (it's OK, no one's gonna tell) check out this online site devoted to his work.

Jeremy Wafer

2010-11-04T01:57:00.002-04:00

Today at work has so far been one of those days I get to say how lucky I am. First, a little backstory. In 1992 Peter Gabriel released his record "Us" and for it he commissioned artists to interpret the songs, Jeremy is one of the artists featured.

Today he was visiting the museum from his home in South Africa and whenever an artist is in the museum we videotape them in conversation for future use.

Before the interview, Karen, the curator who would be asking him questions brought him into my office to meet me. I immediately jumped into a conversation about the work he did for PG and found out that he was staying with Gabriel because there is a master printmaker just minutes down the road from Real World studios.

In 2005 the museum had an exhibit for contemporary African artists called Insights and Wafer was in the show. To see his work and more of the show check out the web site I did for the it.

African Form III

Drinking for Sanity

2010-11-03T11:40:00.004-04:00

We TRIED to go to the Rally for Sanity and/or Fear but Metro had it's own view on how to rally them. It's called the Saturday schedule and somehow they decided that the 200,000 people who trusted their service didn't constitute a reason to change it and accomodate them.

Once we got downtown though it became quickly clear was that the only sanity that could only be found was with the Tequila flights at Oyamel near the Mall. Two hours later, sanity was found.

And then we got back on Metro......

Jack is Jack

2010-11-02T12:32:00.001-04:00

In 1969 my brother (on right) somehow got roped into acting in a short film for his humanities class called "Jack is Jack." It was a fictional tale of one kid trying to get though high school in the 60s. Both my Mom and me were roped into the project as well and that's me above on the left fishing with Jack. Something we both HATED and never did but when "art" calls you can't say no, right?

Here's Mom looking like an astronauts wife from the martini/cardigan days of the 60s.

The one cool thing was I was excused from school so I could be at the opening and laugh directly at my brother.

The virus called Nablopomia

2010-11-01T11:36:00.000-04:00

I am accepting the challenge once again.

Who will win?

Not sure what exactly to make of this

2010-10-06T11:12:00.003-04:00

We decided it was time for Thea and Liam to have their first grilled steak so I set the cooker up and let them watch as I fanned the flames (always a kid favorite). Then, as we were standing there waiting for the coals to settle it was as if the children became possessed by Prometheus and they began this strange, tribal dance, encouraging the flames to rise.

Words fail in my attempt to describe the terror I felt. It was as if I were channeling Jung as he sat, captivated and caught by the power of the drum circle.

Another reason living in DC is so great.

2010-10-06T10:52:00.004-04:00

After having breakfast at Don Jaime's in Mount Pleasant (thumbs down) we were heading back to MD on 16th St. when we saw a sign for a Russian bazaar at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral Of St John. "Why not!?" and found parking right in front of the church.

We walked around the tables, looking for Russian treasure but none was to be found so I suggested we check out the church. This is what we found .....

You really don't need a lot of weekend cash in this city to have an amazing time. Most of the museums are free, their's plenty of great parks and festivals and, now, places of worship have been added to the list.

A night in Nuremberg ... at the 930.

2010-09-06T21:32:00.004-04:00

I'd seen Hank III once a few years ago under some heavy devil influence and really liked the first act but split when the metal poured forth.

Kelly and I have been wanting to see some good country for awhile so when the show appeared in the 930 schedule I grabbed two tickets. She had heard of him but only heard the couple songs I blipped her way. So, we were looking forward to the show. Kelly is a fan of "real" country. People like Dock Boggs, the Carter Family, etc. fill her music collection, among others. I, the other hand, only know I don't like the "new" country and had never been properly exposed to it so I figured Hank III was as close as you got as far as live goes, if nothing else.

Then we walked into the room. The whole feel of the 930 wasn't emitting the steam that people need to drink a little too much to lose, no, there was this sense of an anger that was collective, and even worse, hip. It was like the club was transformed into a male "Temple of 22 chromosomers" whose only intent was to drink past reason and hurt. Could be an ass-kicking, could be a rape. The mob mentality simmered throughout the night, waiting for the spark that would set it free. We are a 100% convinced that someone got dosed and raped.

Kelly posted her thoughts about Hank, the show and what its all about on her blog. We, on the other hand, left the show early, past the gutter punks with their American Spirit consumption, got in the car and purified the air with some Dock Boggs.

And, it found it

2010-07-12T10:11:00.000-04:00

Apple has this paid service called MobileMe. With it, you get mac email, online calendar, etc. All the stuff you can get elsewhere for free. One thing you can't get elsewhere is a technology called "Find my iPhone." It uses Google maps and the GPS in the phone to locate your phone should you lose it. Yesterday, I lost it.

When I discovered it missing I went to my computer at work and launched the app. In 20 seconds it showed me this:

The first time it showed it as being near the front door of the Castle so first I went out to look for it. I didn't find it so I sent this message to the phone to let whoever had it know that I was tracking it.

Apparently it worked. I must have freaked the person out who found it. According to the SI guard who called later he had just happened to go outside (probably for a smoke) and as soon as the person saw him he ran over and said. "Here's the iPhone that's lost!" The guard, an iPhone user, took ownership of it, called, and I got it back.

WAY COOL!

Chuck Close

2010-06-30T11:05:00.001-04:00

One of the great things about living here in DC are the concerts and events that happen all the time around town. Kelly and I had the very good fortune to see and hear Chuck talk about his career as well as the new show that just opened at the Corcoran called Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration.

Close is an extremely sweet and thoughtful man. You can tell that he's not interested in being the artist "Chuck Close" but rather, just a man who has had a lifelong passion with creating and expressing.

After the event there was a book signing with Close and Christopher Finch (his biographer) and not only did we get the book signed.....

... we got to speak with them!

La Sirena

2010-04-23T12:53:00.000-04:00

Today, I added this beautiful mermaid as a companion for the other card I have on me, which, would have been second were it not so cool. Anyway, here's the deal.

Initially, Sirena was the tattoo I wanted first. When I was a kid, I was fascinated by all the tattoos my Dad had on himself. There was a full Clipper ship on his chest, and various words and drawings all over his arms but one that always drew my attention was this topless Hawaiian grass dancer that was frozen forever with her hips to the side. As much as a small kid can respond to the notion of "hot!" I did and I tried to steal as many looks as I could and was always embarrassed if I caught my Dad catching me (I tended to fly into dreams much easier then and would sometimes be yelled back onto the planet. "What?" was my casual response, unaware how unaware I had been.

I have to say I like the connection of the two but it was never my motivation. I just think it's an amazing image. Pop Art BrainBoy for a day.

OK, story done.

---- ALANNA ALARM ----

The following depict scenes of ink being carved into the flesh of a living human being and, as such, may be offensive to some, if not all.

Here she is right after Charlie, the artist who makes this happen, finished the initial outline. Charlie also did El Diablito for me as well. Really, really talented guy.

Here's a really awesome closeup Kelly took where, for the first time, you can see how precise he is. Keep your eyes on the hair. I'm looking at it right now and I'm still amazed how great the hair looks and I guarantee that's what you'll say if you see it.

Here she is, La Sirena. Literally just finished and thoroughly cleaned.

Have to share a little side story here. I didn't intend these to reflect the obvious opposites such as Fire and Water, male, female, etc. I honestly really just like the design of these particular Loteria cards the best.

Here's a little detail of the hair of a pic I just took and ran through the mobile version of Photoshop. As cool as it looks, it looks almost three dimensional in person.

Believe me, there are other cards I wouldn't mind having but I think my inking is over for a while, at least. Having them now for over a day they have me thinking about various things and I think they look great on my arms but a couple things I will say, once again, is that Charlie did an amazing job and like I said on my Diablito post, if you are ever looking for a tattoo his shop is Read St. Tattoos and it's in downtown Baltimore.

It's a pretty awesome tattoo, if I do say so myself. I can't wait to see it fully healed (and it will be nice when I can't fry an egg on my forearm cause it's so red and swollen). :)

Guess what and where.

2010-04-15T14:37:00.000-04:00

So, today's entry is all about guessing.... so, GUESS! What is it and where?

OK, now the real stuff happens

2010-04-01T13:33:00.000-04:00

So, it's coming up on two weeks since I started taking the Chantrix and boy is it interesting and does it SUCK!

The initial problem with nausea left after the first day and I was thinking, "This won't be so bad."

That is until somewhere between the second and third night when my body was entered by another version of me. Since then I've been struggling between what I know to be true. That I am healthy, in fairly decent shape and am emotionally balanced and creative with this ghost of me which has the power and directs me to be irritable, unable to go to sleep, lacking in confidence and unable to remember that there is anything that matters below my waist.

Another thing that sucks is the Mike that has taken me over isn't nearly as smart as the real one is. In fact, he's a total idiot. Everything he's telling my body to do right now is the direct opposite of what my nature is and the beliefs about life I hold.

Two and a half more months of this. Can't fucking wait. It will be a miracle if I have any friends after this.

Saved from the vaults

2010-03-28T21:12:00.002-04:00

Dad is the dark, cool guy at the wheel

For some reason (being male for starters?), my Dad didn't really share much of his past. The stories that did make it out almost make you understand why.

Anyway, in addition to the many things he did one of them was musician, specifically drums. When I was a kid, everyone had record players that could easily play records recorded at 16, 33 1/3, 45 and 78. Not today. USB turntables only spin at the common 33 and 45 speeds so when I uncovered the only existing copy of the time my Dad and a bunch of his friends purchased time in a recording studio I had to find a way to digitize it. Thankfully, my Mom gave me an old console stereo that plays at 78 so I set the needle down and here, for your listening pleasure is the song Melancholy baby. By the way, it's an a capella version with Dad providing the scat singing and drums (brushes, really).

Tuesday is much less verbose than quitting smoking, day 4, plus...

2010-03-23T12:42:00.001-04:00

This blog is not going to turn into some enlightened anti-smoking read, or worse, one mans "obsession" with quitting. Only days that mean something or contribute to a story. Having said that....I have a story!

Today is the first day I am supposed to take two 0.5 mg tabs, both critically WITH food otherwise it's more creative images of cartoons throwing up.

First pill was no problem. I had it with lunch. The second, however, took awhile because Kel and I went to see Joanna Newsom at the Synagogue at 6th & I here in DC. Luckily, the venue is near Chinablock so we were able to sit down to a couple of Steamed pork plates (terrible, terrible). Problem was I forgot to take the pill at dinner with food now didn't have any water (the Synagogue, being a holy place) doesn't sell any consessions and didn't want to risk missing the show by being ill so later, I made myself something to eat at 11:30 and took it with water, thus, keeping myself on schedule. So far, nothing to write home about so all is good.

Quitting smoking, day 3

2010-03-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

OK, I put this picture up because I just LOVE it. It does NOT reflect my day, per se. I feel like a clown here at work, I'm just not losing a rainbow over it.

Today has been a piece of cake. Took my last 0.5 mg. tab today. Tomorrow I move onto 1 mg and I have a feeling I may be needing to find more pictures or drawings of things throwing up.

Stay tuned!

Quitting smoking, day 2

2010-03-20T13:14:00.001-04:00

OK, so day 2 was a difficult one because we had made plans to go to the circus so I didn't take the pill because I didn't want to mess up the day.

For dinner Kelly made the most amazing braised pork bellies (terrible, terrible) so, with some trepidation, I took the second pill halfway through dinner. About an hour later I felt a little nausea but it quickly subsided.

The question, of course, is, was the nausea induced by the pill or the quarter lb. of pig fat I ate? It was the pill, btw.

I don't feel like the drug is working just yet, more like it's moving its tentacles throughout my body.

Oh, by the way, the circus ROCKED. Everyone really had a great time.

Quitting smoking, Day 1

2010-03-20T12:53:00.002-04:00

So, I've decided after 29 years of sucking nicotine that I'm quitting. Why? Basically, I had a chest x-ray last week that came up negative and it occurred to me that maybe I've been dodging a bullet for awhile now.

So, I read the instructions for the drug I'm taking, Chantrix and then didn't follow them. The main one being taking it with food. Since I didn't the day was a wash as I was awash in nausea. Felt like I was gonna die.

Kelly did some research with Dr. Google and found that the food thing (as well as a full glass of water) is critical. We'll see tomorrow.

BTW, the image above was Warren Zevon's signature image for most of his career. I actually used to have a real human skull that my Grandpa, who was a Dentist, had on his desk to illustrate to patients the work he was going to be doing. I bring that up because way before Mr. Zevon used this picture. I had my skull clasping a cigarette in it's teeth. Maybe by quitting I won't end up like Warren.

52 ticks made much easier

2010-03-08T22:05:00.004-05:00

March 7th is my birthday and anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy other peoples birthdays much more than my own. It's not that I don't mind being born. To me, everyday is everyone's birthday but I digress.

So, MY birthday weekend began with friends and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland 3D. It was, to me a return for Burton. The whole film, from cast to story to technical stuff and direction is solid. Afterwards and after making the mistake of going to some douche bar called Rockets, Kelly and I walked the group to a little bar we used to go grab a drink at back in our American Art days.

On Saturday, it was family day. Kel invited me over for dinner and she made my favorite dish she makes, Kima. YUM! Afterwards, we all gathered around a cake and they sang Happy Birthday to me (below, audio only). She gave me a new leather cuff and the kids each gave me a card they drew for me.

And, finally, yesterday, she took me to dinner at the Inn at Little Washington. W O W.

Had a awesome dinner. Started in the sitting area. She had an Old Fashioned and I, a Martini. After, they seated us at the table to the right in the picture. Kel ordered a bottle of Malbec and the game began.

First, they set down four spoons with little tastes of:

Beet Mousse (AMAZING)

Mini Baked Potato (Cute, but, whatever)

Risotto balls (AMAZING)

Black Cod (Great, not amazing)

then Roasted Red Pepper soup (Yummy, but I can't eat peppers. I did taste it though)

A four course meal followed. We created a plan to maximize our collective order.

First course:

Carpaccio of Herb Crusted Baby Lamb with Caesar Salad Ice Cream (AMAZING)

Veal Tongue Raviote (AMAZING)

Second course:

Homemade Boudin Blanc (White sausage) (A let down)

Hot and Cold Foie Gras with Sauternes Jelly (AMAZING)

Third course

Lamb loin w/ braised Lentils and Seared Foie Gras (AMAZING)

Rabbit Loin on house cured Pancetta (Yummy, but nothing spectacular

Dessert:

Port and an amazing Cheese cart selection. (AMAZING)

Thanks Kel for the happiest birthday I have had in decades (you can say that when you're in your 50s)

Solid Potato Salad

2010-01-08T15:37:00.001-05:00

A blog without words today. Watch and you will understand.
Thank you Ross Sisters

freestylin'

2009-12-30T02:03:00.002-05:00

Last night Kelly and I saw the Roots play one of only a few dates out all year. Two shows in DC, a couple here, a couple there.

It was true freestylin', a sincere and deep understanding of music played out as if they were playing a small club in Philly. These guys like (playing) live and live likes them.

The sincerity driven by a co-bass arrangement with a sousaphone and electric bass and accentuated by their flamboyant guitarist and expressive keyboardist (where was the other?).

All this rests under the voice and rhythm and it is from that interplay, that the actual voice of the band, or rather, the man who keeps the time, emerges.

Check him out on Twitter @questlove or go here.

Brilliant musician. Fantastic night

How 'bout a little taste.

The World just chugs along

2009-12-16T10:44:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid my best friend Mike Hudson and I created an unspoken bond of observing how obvious guys were. Guys on TV or guys from the mall. Later that "philosophy" grew to both men and women (girls and boys) and we ended up reducing the essence of that which was obvious female and male to something unpronounceable as words but recognizable upon witnessing. To that end, anyone within the DC area who knows me is free to ask and I will both perform and explain their individual meanings.

Oddly though as we both grew older and geographically apart we seemed to stay a little too close to the "me vs. them" attitude we developed regarding how we saw ourselves in regards to women as well as the guys I was supposedly competing with.

At this point I stop talking as if I know how Mike feels so the rest is me.

I think it's just amazing that it took me this long to realize the false set of standards I helped to set and what they meant to me. Not false in a bad way, more like realizing that the line I drew wasn't that far off the line most everyone else walked but because of my choice I seemed to miss out on some things that I find myself envious of in the immediate and others that open wider thoughts that glide towards the temptations of memory.

I also understand the true and unmeasurable benefits that have always come my way because I am the man I am, even up to the present. Dunno, maybe it's like something I wrote in a diary twenty years ago (so be kind), "Everyone thinks the grass is always greener .... (you know) and I all I want to be the grass under the fence."

Seems sometimes in order to realize you're the grass under the fence you have to peer over the side yourself from time to time, just to be reminded.

Gimme, gimme, gimme

2009-12-12T12:21:00.002-05:00

Just left Chuck E Cheese where I has left a leather jacket that someone actually returned.
Score: 1/2 - 1/2 in favor of decency because when they called to let me know the jacket was there they said "Great! Any chance to get you back into this vortex of shrillness!"

Waiting patiently in line for manager when this little, pudgy kid cuts in front and says to the poor kid working for nothing, "Gimme this, gimme that..." No, excuse me sir or anything.

Dad comes up, observes, and says nothing.

Score 2 1/2 - 1/2 current tally in favor of selfishness.

Conclusions?

Gay marriage

2009-12-11T15:41:00.001-05:00

When I was living in San Francisco we had two friends, Brian and Sylvain who lived nearby and would throw the best dinner parties.

Brian, who was from California was the flamboyant one whereas Sylvain, who was from France, was the steady, responsible one. They were two really nice guys who were in love and enjoying the successes of their lives.

One day we got a call that Sylvain had had a brain aneurysm and his chance of survival was minimal. He was 33 at the time. We all took turns at the hospital in order to allow Brian to get himself together as well as home stuff AND the possibility that he might lose his love.

Why this backstory? Because, it turns out that Sylvain recovered with only some minor speech and motor skill loss and Brian, who up to this point had been the first one to belly up to the bar or to roll certain leaves in paper IMMEDIATELY transformed and became the responsible one and I was witness to one of the most loving relationships I've ever seen. One of true sacrifice and tenderness.

I think of them whenever some sheep headed religioso tries to tell me that God hates gays and lesbians and that it is against his law to marry. In those two men I saw more love and compassion than a van full of church goers and their narrow, judging ways.

And hey, if everything they say turns out to be true and that we're all wrong then may I cut ahead in line for Hell because screw that kind of Heaven.

What do you think?

2009-12-04T13:31:00.002-05:00

Not that I want to become a walking set of Loteria cards but before I had the little Devil put on my right arm I was going to get this one. But first, a little back story.

My Dad had tats all over. He even had a huge Clipper ship on his chest which must have hurt like a MF.

Anyway, on his arm he had a topless Hawaiian grass dancer that I used to stare at when I was a little kid and it's because of that I was thinking of Sirena.

I think she's really cool and am thinking of doing it soon.

What do you think?

Made it!

2009-11-29T13:55:00.000-05:00

It's been an interesting ride trying to come up with interesting material for the last month but I did it. One unintended part of the learning is I discovered how I really do seem to fall into experiences, perhaps because I learned a long time ago there is no shame is screwing up. In fact, the essence of learning is equal to ones willingness to take a chance, to risk being an "asshole" (something my friends know comes quite easy to me).

Will I continue now that I don't have NaBloPoMo hovering over me? Guess you'll have to keep checking to find out.

Plain Ken by day but.....

2009-11-28T19:43:00.001-05:00

You know, him. Barbie's playmate and all around man-about-town, right? Ever wonder what Ken does at night when the toy chest has been closed? Beware or Behold!!

Orgasm Man! Known to users of Viagra by the gold "O" on his chest and the card he leaves after another satisfied customer, "Le Jacqueshammer."

Not to be confused with Jacques Hammer and affiliated in no way with him.

Mom(s)

2009-11-27T17:08:00.000-05:00

Here's mine (with me and my brother). Goddess of a woman. She is, and was, among many other things ...... Glue, sweat, sacrifice, kind, loving, unappreciated, a mystery.

How's that list stack up against your Mom's list or the list of current Mom's you know? Bet there are more than a few similarities if you're honest with yourself.

My Mom was forced to transform from a shy, unassuming girl into the foundation for three boys (that would be two sons and one father), each with their own sense of boyness. She wanted children in the 50s yet was out the door soon after the births to pursue her career and act as the main breadwinner, balancing I'm sure, the insecurities my Dad must have felt at not being the consistent head of the house (although he acted the part). Tough, deft, subtle responses meant to keep as much order in the house as possible. It was amazing be the recipient of it then and amazing now when I see it before me.

Two days after Thanksgiving I want to turn the volume up again today and say thanks, not only to my Mom, but to all Mom's out there. It is 24/7 and mainly a thankless deal.

Thank you.

BTW, Guys, I think it looks like they enjoy it all the time but they actually don't. Take from that what you will.

More like Red Friday (post-thanksgiving)

2009-11-26T16:30:00.000-05:00

Wednesday

Today

What's next?

Happy Thanksgiving! (volume's up)

2009-11-26T02:44:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving should be about turning up the stereo on a song we play everyday.

Dinner Program for Homeless Women

2009-11-25T11:15:00.000-05:00

For four years in the 90's I served as Kitchen Manager for the Dinner Program for Homeless Women, a non-profit dedicated to providing a fresh, hot dinner as well as multiple services designed to help those who wanted to help themselves get off the street and begin to construct a different life.

It was an amazing experience. As KM, my job was to take food donated by the local DC Food Bank, offerings from the USDA and others, and create a restaurant quality meal for roughly 65 women five nights a week.

Our goal was to build the dinners in the kitchen, plate them, and individually serve each woman as if they were in a restaurant. To achieve this we had a rotating schedule of 20 different volunteer groups. Students, lawyers, retired people, church groups, a gay and lesbian group, judges, teachers, etc. What was great for me each night was I got a chance to talk with this diverse cross-section of people representing DC and I had such an insight into the neighborhoods, politics and ways of DC life.

One day, back when I was a waiter Phyllis Richman, then the food critic for the Washington Post, came in to review the food for the Hotel Washington. Since I never took the job of being a waiter seriously I didn't listen to the Chef's description for his food that day so when Phyllis came in guess who got her! When she asked what was in the dish I pulled a list of various ingredients out of my ass, made it sound gourmet, and took her order. Thank God that food reviewers know they are going to have one bad experience at a restaurant so they come three times. I was the bad experience.

Phyllis Richman

Fast forward a few years and one day here comes Phyllis strolling into my kitchen asking if she could help. She was a devoted volunteer the entire time I was there. One day I told her about the time I waited on her and she thought that was the best. Phyllis, thanks. You were a good friend and a selfless volunteer.

On the flip side, there were other things that happened as a result of working with the homeless. The "companions" of the women, men, would hover outside the program and have their "friends" sneak food out, which was not allowed. One time, this guy burst in, effed up on drugs and was making noise. At that time I was the only male employee so I went up to him, explained the rules, and asked him to leave. His response was to put a blade to my throat and he kept asking me if he should use it. I politely replied, "no thank you" and after a few tense moments he put the knife away and left.

On this eve of Thanksgiving I wanted to say to those who may want to volunteer their time to help these people who have been cast aside from daily life to please do so....just NOT on Thanksgiving and Christmas only. All you are doing is making yourself feel better. You are not helping those in need and you crowd the kitchens for one day. Like one day of service is gonna change the world.

Go to a kitchen on a Tuesday night, in the middle of November when it's cold and rainy and ask what you can do. Then come back the following week or month like Phyllis did. Then, you'll get a sense of what service is and how it benefits the people you serve as well as you.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The cassette tape that changed my life

2009-11-24T13:38:00.000-05:00

One night, during my stint at the University of Cincinnati my friend Frank Buckner and I were going out, probably for beers. Frank was studying graphic design while the rest of us had our heads buried in books. One night I was in his room and thought to myself how cool it was that he could listen to music while doing his homework because his homework was drawing. I remember being envious because even though I hadn't cultivated a personal view of music (I was still just a sheep getting his music feed from radio) I still loved music.

So, Frank stopped by my room and as we left I decided to throw a cassette into my stereo and record a UC student's music show on Frank's recommendation.

That one tape proved to be the foundation (in a Kevin Bacon degrees of separation kind of way) for everything I either listen to or take a chance on now.

The foundation of the tape was Roxy Music from which came Brian Eno, which turned eventually into New Wave. Peter Gabriel, from which came both Progressive rock as well as International (or World) Music as well as experimental stuff which guided me through the upcoming downtown New York scene (Lounge Lizards, Klaus Nomi, etc).

Had it not been for that tape who knows what crap I and the rest of the non-challenged music world would be listening to. Sometimes, the search for bottomless knowledge doesn't just come to you. In fact, with anything qualitative you have to work and spike yourself a little.

Or not...Don't worry, the TV programmers know what you want. And if they don't, they will create the need FOR you so just sit back and relax.

Tech lust

2009-11-23T23:16:00.001-05:00

Just a month after 9/11/01 Apple released to the world the iPod. A week later they showed up at the San Francisco Apple User group held at the beautiful Exploratorium. Burning head-to-toe with tech lust I attended so I could see for myself this little device which still had yet been released to the public.

That's me in the center wearing the green sweater. In the hand of the guy in front of me (making me second in line) is a just announced but not yet released first generation 5GB iPod. Another minute and my lust would be temporarily satiated until I could get home and place an order for one, which I, of course, did.

It was such a thrill then to get on a train and watch the tech lust spread about the area as people tried their best to catch a look at this device causing so much buzz. And, since most people use Windows, a device they could not use. The first gen iPod was Mac only if you remember and only those 3% of the computer user population could fully use one. I guess the other 97% could have bought one to look at but...

Eight years and eight iPods later I finally got an iPhone.

Grace Church

2009-11-22T23:53:00.000-05:00

For a couple of years in the late 80's I lived in the house you can barely see to the left of the church. Not as a homeless person, mind you but I was gainfully employed as the Church's Sexton. A term almost as misleading as Priest. For those who don't know I was the maintenance man for the church. In exchange for daily maintenance of buildings and grounds and a special sweep though on Saturday night I was paid $100 and was given room and board above the Rector's office.

Looking over the shoulder of the saxophonist there are three windows. The one to the left was my bedroom, the middle my bathroom and the last was one of three windows that wrapped around the turret in my one room, all-purpose studio/kitchen.

It was an AMAZING experience. There are a few more than slightly incriminating things that happened there (I was lucky it was Episcopalian, very forgiving and good solid "word" followers), however, I cannot this night write about some of my adventures there. I will throw out some keywords, however: Burglary, deception, drunkenness, whores, drugs, art. muggings, free jazz, bistros, waiter, three-way, friendship, horizon's theater, actors and actresses, food, blues alley, the bayou, the biograph, the key theater. There are more... Perhaps, one day, I will elaborate on some of these truths and half-truths.

One part of the job I wish I could have done was the bell-ringer. Totally get into the Quasimodo stuff. That would have rocked. Given the number of Sunday mornings I slept through, overtaken with the Irish flu it's definitely good it really didn't happen.

The lost art of Album art

2009-11-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

Before music downloads made getting music into your life much easier and even before the advent of the CD there used to be this thing called the LP (QUIZ: Who knows what LP stands for?)

With the reduction in size of the delivery method the need to spend time designing the cover has gone with it. Case in point.

The first example is from U2's latest collection of tunes. The cover was specifically designed with an iPod-like screen in mind. Given those limited parameters the design works but in the larger picture, is not nearly as expressive as the next example.

Next is Ornette Coleman's "Free Jazz" record which was a gatefold release. What's that mean? It means the album folded open like a book to reveal large amounts of supportive text AND this:

A faithful reproduction of Jackson Pollock's White Light from 1954. You tell me which is more fun to look at.

Or how about "Mingus Ah Um?" Tell me anyone would consider this if their canvas was an iPod.

Part of the experience of buying and listening to music used to be the idea of coming home, putting the record on and then reading the liner notes as well as ingesting the artwork.

Sadly, that information, when it's available, usually comes in the form of a separate and downloadable pdf. Not the same experience.

I miss those days.

Pre-Photoshop photoshopping

2009-11-20T16:43:00.000-05:00

A "retouch" in Stalinist Russia was another word for murder. At top we see Stalin with a trusted colleague and below Stalin alone. Guess he lost trust with his colleague.

It happened often.

Breasts

2009-11-19T23:58:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid my equally shy friend Mike Hudson and I were, I think, fairly acute observers of the life that spun around us. Possibly because, up to this point he are I had a total of probably three girls we went out with occasionally (OK, Mike had all three of those dates but that's besides the point) from the age of say 10-18. Surmise away, my astute readers, yes I was still a virgin and I mean kisses.

Anyway, Mike and I should have grown up writing comedy. There are others who I connect with on a funny level that's equally as strong but Mike and I should have written it down.

One year we were able to scam our way out of art class by working a deal with the teacher. If we could produce a collection of stories we were excused from class so that we could seek "inspiration." Both Mike and I were the starting guards on a independent high school basketball team so we would head to the auditorium of our school and shoot baskets. I think we started working maybe two or three weeks before it was due and the finished product was "The Mortimer Snerd Coloring Book" which was a collection of jokes we wrote or stole and drew characters for and then assembled it as a flip coloring book.

We got an H that semester. Wait, what? H??? Yes, for two years in the Lakewood school system the administration implemented a "progressive" grading system and H stood for honors which was a cut above an A. Oh, by the way, we beat the conference champion varsity basketball team in a summer league game in Senior year. We were an extremely competitive, shy group of guys.

What about the breasts? You implore.

Once Mike and I noticed while watching live TV some guy totally sleaze a split second look at some girls breasts the minute she looked away and finding it really funny. "Check it out! Did you see that guy check her tits out? Hee, hee." Cut some slack, we were prob 13 or 14.

To this day I can't help but notice when it happens (image above from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon). By the way, I took the screenshot for this posting. I'm not on some cultural anthropologist.

Then, in my mid-20's I dated a woman who was very endowed and she told me once how annoying it was to have such big breasts because the minute a man looked she felt like her intellectual capacity had been taken from her. "He talked to my boobs but didn't listen to my voice."

One time when my Mom was 16 she cut school to see Frank Sinatra perform and she and her friend were able to convince the local promotor to let them interview Frank for their school newspaper so she got backstage. Anyway, as she was leaning against a wall Frank's drummer, Buddy Rich, a Jazz legend was walking by. When he saw my Mom he stopped and said to her face, "Hey, nice knockers!" She told me that she wanted to crawl away she was so embarrassed.

Now that I'm older I find it more interesting how people on TV aren't REALLY supposed to act like normal people (insert unwritten code) even though they're supposed to be acting like they ARE. Though I have to admit, I still watch TV shows and keep my eye on the male actors eyes to see if he will sneak a peek.

Is it a glimpse of humanity in an otherwise plastic place or deafness? Hmmmmm.

My buddy Liam

2009-11-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight I got to attend his 4th birthday celebration. He and his sister Thea were resplendent in their newly made capes. Thea even took their letters (T and L) and created new superhero's, Thunder Woman and Lightning Man. Awesome stuff.

No, he's my buddy cause he made his Mom send me this Wooly Willy composition because he drew me and I had to see it. I was so inspired by his insight that I've decided to add it to my "which is me" collage from a previous post. Thanks Liam and Happy Birthday!

Modern Life

2009-11-17T11:50:00.000-05:00

Am I the only one who sees this when I am out shopping or driving or eating. I'm sure that those of you who read this will agree that service, social politeness and community have pretty much gone by the wayside in the last decade or so. Who hasn't walked up to a counter to buy something only to encounter the checkout person talking on their cell phone the entire time, sometimes not even acknowledging you or passed someone on any highway going 45 mph in the fast lane because they had to flip their omelette while shaving and texting.

What's worse is we don't complain. Why? Cause it's so pervasive. Standards have been systematically lowered so fast and so low we just place our stuff on the counter, pull out our phones and secularize ourselves as well.

I think Modern Life needs an anthem. How 'bout closing by letting the spudboys do the talking.

Devo - Beautiful World