American Blackout and 30 Rock

Do you guys like the way I have been splitting up posts like this. I know that a lot of people (ok, one or two of you) don't like to read the recipes, so I figured it would be easier to skip those if they were separate posts. Let me know if this is easier to read or more difficult. If I dont get any (or many) comments against it I will keep doing it this way.

Last night we watched American Blackout (2006). It won the 2006 Sundance Special Jury Prize for Documentary and was suggested to Matty by Netflix. Of course he forgot what it was about and thought it was about the blackouts in New York until we started watching it. Sooo . . . yeah. It is actually about voter (specifically black voter) disenfranchisement in the 2000, 2002 and 2004 elections as well as about the political machinations behind the career slaying of Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-GA). It was well done. Themes are: Elections in this country suck. First voters don't vote (or at least specific voters don't vote) and then when they do vote (or try to vote) they are stopped by various means by various groups for various reasons. And the "powers that be" do not like people, specifically "uppity black women" (not my words!) from poking their noses where they don't belong. But that isn't really anything new. Or it wasn't to us. So it was less mind-blowing than it wanted to be I think. But worth seeing if that is your sort of thing.

After the movie we decided to start watching 30 Rock on Netflix streaming. We never watched it because we were trying not to pick up new shows, but it is really really funny! We only got through the first 3 or 4 episodes but we are definitely going to keep watching. God I love Netflix streaming.

In related news, Matty and I have recombined queues. So hopefully there will be fewer movies that sit in our living room that neither of us want to watch because Matty put them on his queue but doesn't remember why. And he is being re-given the chance to veto (or at least postpone) my movies. We are going to continue watching 30 Rock streaming. And we are going to start watching Flight of the Conchords Season 2 on DVD.

The Regulators and Daybreak

Ok, so it has been awhile since I have done a book review (or a tv review [see below]). Mostly because I have been working my way through The Dark Descent verrrrryyyy sllllooooowwwwllllyyyy. I blame the 1000 pages and not the fact that I am a very slow reader and we have been watching Food Network in bed instead of reading. I would love to do a series of posts on some of the stories/authors in there. Especially H.P. Lovecraft. We shall see. But since it is over 1000 pages, it was much too heavy to bring sailing over Labor Day so I brought The Regulators instead. This is by far my favorite Richard Bachman book so far. I really want to read Desperation, Stephen King's mirror to this book. This was a very King-ish Bachman book. Rich character development and description of feeling, thoughts, sensations and surroundings. The flow was very King-like and it had a bit of his "foretelling" that I often find a bit annoying but is very him. By foretelling I mean he will just give away something that happens that seems like a big thing at the time. I can't give a good actual example without actually giving something away. But a sentence will read something like "He dreamt of being old enough to drive his own car and impress the ladies." And then the next sentence will be, "Little did he know he would die still young enough to only own a bike and as much a viring as he was right then." Something like that, only written better obviously. But I am always like "What?! Wait! He dies?!" But anyway, back to this book. I really liked it. I thought it was going to be about the Low Men of the Dark Tower and Hearts in Atlantis because of lines from both of those books but it is completely different. Did I think it was an awesome piece of lit? No. But I really did like it. And I read it pretty quickly, for me at least.

And finally, we watched the last episode of Battlestar Gallactica last night. I won't give anything away for any of you who are watching/will watch. But I am very curious to discuss it with anyone who has watched it. I think I am happy with the way it ended. I am a bit unhappy that it has ended because I really like the characters and the cast is just so fantastic. But I am happy that they ended it when they did because anything more would be too much. I think they answered enough questions to make me happy. So I will just leave it with saying that I am happy with the way that it ended.

Recent "television" watching

We pretty much don't watch TV anymore. Well we dont watch shows on TV. We always end up missing an episode and then fall behind and then give up. Enter Netflix. Never have to wait til the next week, never miss an episode, pause, fast foward . . . tada! I will have to say that we do watch the Food Network (obsessively), Jeopardy! and the occasional Bravo, Style Network or Discovery Channel show. And now we watch Mad Men (because it is available On Demand if we miss an episode) and I hope to start watching Project Runway tonight. But back to my point, we have an entire queue on Netflix devoted to TV. For awhile we were watching the first 3 and a half seasons of Battlestar Galactica so there wasn't much to talk about since I have already presented my arguments for watching and against discussing Battlestar Galactica here.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Seasons 1 (2005) and 2 (2006). This is one of those shows that a bunch of our friends constantly ask "Do you watch It's Always Sunny?" And when we said no they always seemed sad that they couldn't share a love with us. (Arrested Development is another one of those shows) So when we were ready to start a new series, we decided to give it a shot, we figured hey, 2 seasons on 3 disks? Why not? Oh my God! We have totally started asking everyone "Do you watch It's Always Sunny?" It is so good! I have no idea what possessed FX to even air this show. It is so irreverent. It is so ridiculous. There are episode titles like "The Gang Gets Racist" and "Charlie Wants an Abortion" and "Charlie Gets Molested" and "The Gang Goes Jihad" and . . . ok, you get the point. Get yourself a copy of the first 2 seasons. Watch them. Laugh your ass off. Now!

Mad Men Season 2 (2008). Are you serious? Have you not watched this yet? Really? Because honestly, this is one of those things that is going around in a million directions from everyone you know. And it is so totally as good as that. It is. The clothes, the hair, the attitudes towards women, and smoking, and homosexuality and drinking . . . at work. It is totally amazingly excellent. Fantastic and all that. Really. C'mon now. Get on board before it jumps the shark or decides to cancel itself. Really? You don't know what it is about? How is that rock you are living under? Ok, so Mad Men is about Mad Men. Don't know what Mad Men are? They are Madison Avenue Admen from the early 1960's.

Friday Night Lights Seasons 1 (2006) and 2 (2007). This is the show about the Dillon Panthers football team, their coach (played by Kyle Chandler) and their town. I watched this on Netflix Watch Instantly on my new eee on our new TV while Matty was in DC with his parents and then while I was home sick with my sinus infection. The first season had me crying pretty much every episode. And I was PMSing but I dont think it was all that. The second season was not as good. A few things seemed really forced and some plot lines from the first season were totally dropped. I will give Season 3 a chance but I am not really hopeful. But Season 1 is totally totally totally worth watching. I like football in general but Texas high school football (along with a lot about Texas) FREAKS me out and I still recommend it. You have to get used to the camera work. I like it but it is unpopular with a lot of people I think. So check it out. After Mad Men. And It's Always Sunny.

Some recipes and reviews and shtuff.

Ok, so first I will run a quick update. I think I have a sinus infection. I have an awful headache that starts right behind my left eye and then spreads to my left ear and teeth and then to the right side of my head and then to a band right behind my eyes all the way to the back of my head. And I have had it since Sunday night. The reason I think it is a sinus infection is that only thing that seems to make it any better is DayQuil (which also upsets my stomach and gives me the most awful dry mouth and swimmy head ever). I also think I have a fever but I discovered last night that the thermometer that I have been using for 2 years apparently only reads 98.7. No matter what you do to it. Which is awesome. Oh and I am exhausted. I have slept more this week than I have since . . . I have no idea. So yeah. I have been so much fun to be around. Which of course means we missed yet another Sips. Ugh.

Last weekend was the 4th. So I took Friday off and Matty and I spent the day out and about. Lunch at Maoz, afternoon on Independence Mall for the First Person Arts Storytelling portion of Lincoln 200, a drink at Las Vegas Lounge, more stories in the godawful sun (just kidding, keep shining sun, keep shining!), drinks at National Mechanics, another drink at Las Vegas Lounge (Matty, sorry we made fun of you the first time we brought us there), Philly Pops on Independence Mall and then dinner at Fergies. A lovely day. A little sunburned, but no heatstroke, so all ok! The pic on the left is of Independence Hall, the Pops are in front of it. And the one on the right is us enjoying the Pops. Or at least us trying not to get yelled at by parents for our probably family-inappropriate discussions.

Saturday we headed to Dan's for BBQ and fireworks. I made a vegetarian version of my buffalo chicken dip. I replaced the chicken with 2 bags of Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips. I sauteed them with a little oil until browned and then chopped them up really small. I would recommend using a little more hot sauce if doing this. Otherwise it was pretty tasty. I would stick with chicken if that is amenable to everyone, but if there are vegetarians I think this was a fine substitution. We went on Dan's roof to see the fireworks, but 2400 Chestnut was in the way of most of them. We did have a lovely view of the PECO building's light unveiling (which was pretty cool). Pics of the evening available here.

We finished watching the 4th season of Weeds. I was a bit afraid what would happen to the show after the events of the ending of season 3 but I think that they did a great job completely reworking everything and making it totally work in a new setting with a new (but the same) plot line. I am looking forward to what happens in season 5 but will have to wait for the DVD since we dont have Showtime. I would also recommend checking out some of the special features on the DVDs since there are some interesting ones. Like one about the laws regarding pot and the punishments associated with the selling, possession and trafficking of it. And also how they make all that weed on the show.

We also watched Bush's Brain (2004). Guess who's queue that was on. So this is a documentary about the brain behind the monkey, Karl Rove. Evil guy. All in all I think it is fair to say that he is a back stabbing, manipulative little man. In it to win, no matter the consequences or the actual prize. It is ok. I mean there was a lot I didnt know, but I dont necessarily even know if I wanted to know those things. It just makes me more depressed about the last 8 years I guess. If you are obsessed with Bush and just what exactly happened to make him president. Check it out. Otherwise, maybe you better just let it all be. Which is not a good thing to say, I know. But whatever, it is my blog.

I finished reading The Tommyknockers (1987). It wasn't nearly as bad as Matty lead me to believe. It certainly wasnt't like one of the Bachman books or anything. It was late 80's Stephen King, with a bit more science fiction and a bit less horror. Or a bit more science fiction and the same amount of horror? I mean it wasnt The Stand but I thought it was good. A little long. But I enjoyed reading it. Now I am reading Insomnia (1994).


And finally, we have been cooking up a storm! Here in fact is a picture of Matty cooking up a storm:







Last Thursday we had:

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas


The tostadas can easily become soft tacos if you skip broiling the tortillas. Serve with black beans. We served with a salad on the side. The left pic is theirs, the right is ours. Definitely a winner and will definitely make again. Makes lots and good leftover reheated in the toaster oven.

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
12 ounces chicken breast tenders
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1) (as always, we used regular)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears) (we used 1 ear because we had lots of zucchini)
1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces) (we used half of a BIG zucchini)
1/2 cup green salsa (we used Trader Joe's new tomatillo and roasted chile salsa, it is red, not green)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings CALORIES 398 (30% from fat); FAT 13.1g (sat 5.9g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.2g); IRON 1.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 236mg; CARBOHYDRATE 36.7g; SODIUM 799mg; PROTEIN 32.5g; FIBER 3.1g Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006

Monday we made:

Orzo-Bell Pepper Salad


Blanching the bell peppers for a few seconds tenderizes them while maintaining their delightful crunch. The marinated cheese provides a shortcut for adding more flavor. This is another delicious recipe that we will probably make again. I have one problem with it. It calls for 1/3 cup each of 3 different peppers. That is like a quarter of a pepper. Which leaves me with the rest of all these peppers. So I used a whole red pepper, a whole green pepper and a whole yellow pepper and I definitely thought it was perfect, I dont think you would get any pepperiness with less. Also I didnt read the ingredient list and got unmarinated mozzarella. This made enough for us for dinner with a Trader Joe's Panko crusted chicken tender each. Left pic is theirs, right is ours.

Dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced

Salad:
1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (see note above)
1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (see note above)
1/3 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper (see note above)
1 cup finely chopped tomato
1/2 cup (2 ounces) diced fresh marinated mozzarella cheese (such as Cappiello) (see note above)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives (I used Trader Joe's Mixed Olive Bruschetta)

To prepare dressing, combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.

To prepare salad, cook pasta in boiling water 6 minutes or until al dente. Add bell peppers to pasta in pan; cook 10 seconds. Drain. Combine pasta mixture and half of dressing in a large bowl; cool mixture to room temperature. Add remaining dressing, tomato, and remaining ingredients; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. We were way too impatient for this and only let it sit about 20 minutes or so.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup) CALORIES 351 (29% from fat); FAT 11.3g (sat 3.4g,mono 5.8g,poly 1g); IRON 2.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 134mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.6g; SODIUM 619mg; PROTEIN 11.6g; FIBER 3.4g Cooking Light, JUNE 2004

Tuesday we had:

Turkey-Jasmine Rice Meatballs with Baby Bok Choy


Use a box grater to shred the ginger after you've peeled away the brown outer layer. Jasmine rice has a pleasant aroma that underscores the other Asian ingredients, but any long-grain white rice will work to help keep the meatballs moist and add a bit of texture. Chopped bok choy can substitute for whole baby bok choy. These are kinda a pain in the ass, but totally tasty and awesome. Their pic on the left, ours on the right (the thing in the middle is a Chinese crunchy noodle leftover from Chinese on Sunday).


Meatballs:
1 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked jasmine rice (we used brown jasmine)
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 large egg whites
1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking spray

Bok choy:
6 baby bok choy (about 1 1/3 pounds)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon shredded peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup water
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornstarch

To prepare meatballs, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in jasmine rice; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until rice is almost tender. Drain; cool. Combine rice, breadcrumbs, and next 6 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove). Shape mixture into 18 meatballs. (Ours made 26.)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Add meatballs; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Cover and reduce heat to medium; cook for 10 minutes or until done, turning often. Remove from heat; keep warm. (I would recommend just cooking these on an oiled cookie sheet in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 350. They totally fell apart in the pan.)

While the meatballs cook, prepare bok choy. Cut each bok choy in half lengthwise. Rinse under cold running water; drain well. Arrange bok choy in a steamer basket, overlapping pieces.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup onions, ginger, and 1 garlic clove; sauté 30 seconds. Place steamer basket in pan. Combine water and next 4 ingredients (through red pepper); pour over bok choy. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and steam over medium-low heat 20 minutes or until bok choy is tender, rearranging bok choy after 10 minutes. Remove the bok choy and steamer basket from pan; cover and keep warm. (We do not have a steamer basket. So we cooked the onions, ginger and garlic in a big wok, then added the bok choy and then poured the water mixture over them. We brought it to a boil, then covered it and cooked for 10 minutes, rearranged and then another 10 minutes.)

Combine sherry and cornstarch; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick. (I would add some of the cooking liquid to the cornstarch mixture to get it warm before adding it. It would probably help it mix in better. We cooked for about 5-6 minutes before deciding it was thick enough.)

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3 meatballs, 2 bok choy halves, and 3 tablespoons sauce) CALORIES 251 (35% from fat); FAT 9.8g (sat 2.4g,mono 3.4g,poly 2.9g); IRON 2.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 135mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18g; SODIUM 832mg; PROTEIN 21.3g; FIBER 1.9g Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2004

Last night we had a curried pork over basmati rice that I am having trouble finding the recipe for online. So I will have to add it later. Tonight we are having Chicken Paprikash-Topped Potatoes.

Ugh, DayQuil wearing off. Hopefully I will feel better soon. This better not ruin my weekend as well as my week!

This American Life and Stew

So we finished watching the first season of the Showtime This America Life TV show last night. If you dont know what This American Life is, shame on you. Just kidding, I am not that kind of NPR listener. But you really really should check it out. It is a radio show . . . where they pick a topic . . . and then offer vignettes on that topic . . . about life . . . in America. So yeah, it doesnt sound nearly as fantastic as it is. But really, you should check it out. Like yesterday. Because it makes me laugh out loud while walking to work. And cry on the walk sometimes too. The topics are timely and the reporters and content providers are excellent. And Ira Glass . . . . oh Ira. I had no idea how old he was! Not that he is old. But he just always struck me, as a radio listener, as a 30ish year old hipster type of guy. Not a 50 year old. But yeah. So check it out. And one good way to maybe check it out if you aren't a public radio listener or podcast subscriber is to check out the DVD of the show. Ok, so I was a bit concerned about turning a radio show that does such an excellent job of telling stories and relating ideas without needing to see anything into a television program. I was concerned that the visual representation would take away from the story they were telling. But it didnt. At all. It added in a nice way, but I think many of the stories could have been made for the radio as well. Because they are just that good. The format is the same, a topic, a lead story, Ira introducing the show from a desk in a . . . location (you just have to see it), then a few acts ont he topic. The shows are half hour instead of a full hour which left me wanting more. And there are only 6 episodes in the season. But I have heard that the show really didnt come into its own until Season 2. And if that is true I cant wait to see it because Season 1 was great. So yeah. Check it out! Or at least the radio show. Or hey, if youw ant to jump right in the This American Life Live show is being broadcast (maybe to a theater near you) on April 23rd.

Last night for dinner, while watching This American Life we had Pinto Bean and Andouille Sausage Stew. Again from Eating Well. We modified it some. Firstly we used 4 cans of canned pinto beans instead of dried. Because I didnt want to deal with dried. And so then we simmered it for half an hour, then added the sausage and bacon back and then simmered for another hour. And we only used 3 cups of liquid instead of 8. I used 2 and a quarter cups low sodium fat free chicken broth and 3/4 cup water. And I used a whole red pepper and a whole green pepper because I didnt read the directions and what was I going to do with a quarter of a pepper leftover anyway? And I used a whole jalapeno which was probably about 4 tsp. And I minced the garlic. And it was really good. Next time I might smash a can or half a can of the beans so it thickened it a little bit. But otherwise it really was excellent. And made enough for the 2 of us for dinner and then probably 4 lunch portions. Ours was a bit wetter, than that picture. Maybe I should start posting my pics of dinner too. Ok, well here is the best I can do, this is a pic of the leftovers (taken with my phone). So it wasnt as thick last night when it was hot and fresh. So maybe it will be even better leftover. Wow, that is not a very good pic is it? Well pretend it is less green looking. It really is really good and we will be making it again and you should try it.

Battlestar Galactica, aka I am a dork

If you want an actual review and episode by episode guide to the miniseries and first season, I once again implore you to check out The Daily Drew. And I am going to say right off the bat that some of what I have to say comes from Drew, but I totally wholeheartedly agree with it and couldnt say it better myself. And I figure most (if not all) of my readers have never seen the show and so an episode by episode recap and review is less helpful. My facts are probably not perfect. So shoot me. I will try not to include many spoilers, but I have to tell you some things to get you interested. But I will nto tell you anything you wouldnt already know by the end of the beginning of the miniseries.

Ok, so Battlestar Galactica is a drama set in the trappings of a sci-fi show. Much like Lost is a sci-fi show set in the trappings of a drama. I have pretty much decided that I am going to avoid discussing Lost because nothing I would say would make any sense to anyone who hasnt seen it and it wouldnt give it justice even if it did. Just suffice it to say that if you are willing to watch all 6 (once the final ones are shown) seasons of a show, I would highly highly highly recommend Lost. Expecially if you are at all interested in JJ Abrams-style conspiracy and analysis stuff. Because it is all over the internets. You could probably spend a lifetime analyzing it (and it seems like many have tried) and still not be happy or have all the answers. Mostly, in my opinion because not even the writers have (or will have) all the answers. But if you are just going to watch a few episodes here and there, dont watch Lost. It isnt worth it.

But that is totally off-topic! Ok, so Battlestar Galactica started as a miniseries based on the 1978 series of the same name. I havent seen the original, I will say that right off the bat. I originally decided to watch because my dad kept nagging at me and I was impressed that a "sci-fi" series had such a large audience base today. So I will admit I am a fan of both the original and Next Generation iterations of Star Trek (and the movies) and my favorite show as a kid was Dr. Who (I have not seen the new ones at all yet). Whenever I am looking for a book I inevitably pick up something written or edited by Asimov or Herbert or Heinlein or Card, when I am not reading Stephen King of course. I actually liked The Postman. The book, havent seen the movie. So that is where I was starting from. But this is not Star Trek. This really is a drama. The emotion and the impetus behind watching and interest in this series is the stories of the people. And they are real people. They are 3 dimensional. None of them are wholly good, or wholly evil. They make mistakes and they make them for the same reasons we make mistakes. They make rash judgements based on raw emotion or gut feelings and sometimes, they are wrong. The show uses the setting (in space) and the basic plot (fleeing from robots) to move things along and set up a backdrop to watch how these people deal with stress and personal relationships. And that is what makes the show so neat and cool.

So ok. The basics. There are a few "spoilers" here but nothing that you wouldnt have gleaned from the first part of the miniseries. Humans create robots (Cylons) to do their bidding. The Cylons revolt. There is a war which eventually leads to armistice and peace. 40 years later the Cylons come back. They have evolved. They look and feel like people. (I totally took that all from the show's intro) They attack the 12 colonies and kill off mostly everyone. There are a few survivors, mostly on ships that were in space at the time of the attack. That is pretty much the basis of the show. The attack happens in the first part of the miniseries and everything goes from there. The first season covers what happens to the survivors in the first 3ish months following the attack. There is suspense because, since the Cylons look like people now, they have infiltrated the human race. And so no one know who is a Cylon and who isnt. And not only that, but not even all the Cylons necessarily know that they are Cylons! Boom bom bom! There is religion, but not the Bible. Because, I forgot to mention. There aren't humans from Earth. They are from Kobol, where (supposedly) the gods and man lived together. Then something happened and lead to 12 (or 13) colonizations by the 12 (or 13) tribes of Kobol 2000 years before now. These colonies are names (loosely) after our zodiac figures (Aerilon, Aquarion, Caprica, Gemenon, Leonan, Libris, Picon, Sagittaron, Scorpia, Tauron, Virgon) and their gods (The Lords of Kobol) sound awfully familiar as well (Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemic, Athena, Aurora, Hera, Zeus, Isis, etc). Which brings be to this "13th colony," in the "myths" of their religion, there was a 13th colony which left before the other 12. And this colony was on . . . . dun dun dun . . . a planet called Earth. So, like us some people believe that Kobol and the gods and the prophecies are myths and stories and some believe they are true. And this is a major plot point (or maybe crutch) of this whole show. And there is also discussion, by the Cylons of all "people," of a God. See the capital G there? And one of the sayings or proverbs of the show is "All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again." Which of course leads to a question of when is this exactly? So there is a lot going on in the show. And don't forget, they are in space, fighting robots, some of whom look like people. So dont think that their aren't also awesome space fights and robot battles and such.

Ok, so main points -

This show is a drama set in space. It is enough sci-fi to keep sci-fi geeks happy (I think) but not too much to piss off the average viewer. There is enouch drama to keep the average viewer (I think) happy but not too much to piss off the sci-fi geek.

These are real characters with flaws. They make mistakes. They swear. A lot. Of course, since you can't swear that much on TV, they say frak as opposed to fuck. They have complicated relationships and emotional ties that make them do foolish and heroic things.

They have actual issues glossed over in many sci-fi and drama shows. For instance, they have to eat. They have to go to the bathroom. They have to have fuel. They have a government. It is a remnant (at least to start) of the colonial government, except that most of them died in the attack and so number 43(ish) on the totem pole, Secretary of Education, is now President. They also have a military, which as in most real life situations sees things very differently from the civilians.

So seriously. Check it out. I think you might like it. At least check out the miniseries. If you dont like that, dont keep watching. If you do, there are 4? seasons total, the final season is happening now-ish. It is a little hard to tell since there are a bunch of half seasons. We are on Season 2 right now. I will try not to talk too much about it from here on out since I have a feeling this is not my audience. But I had to at least try.

Happy National Kazoo Day!

I have never been able to play a kazoo. Is it just me?

Ok, so let me see. This weekend . . . Friday we finally got to see Rob and Jennie's place in Bella Vista. It is adorable. They have done a really nice job with it. And best of all, it is around the corner from Royal Tavern. Ok, maybe not the BEST part. But definitely a plus. We went there for dinner. Mmmmm . . . Royal Tavern . . . we split nachos and then I got the BBQ puled pork sandwich special and Matty for the meatloaf sandwich. Both of which are just so yummy.

Saturday we were a little slow to start. We did some shopping around the city. We are in the market for a new coffee grinder. Any suggestions? Matty really liked this Cuisinart one (see pic). But the amazon reviews suck! We are replacing a Black and Decker one that was a hand-me-down from one of our parents. Saturday night we went to Dan's for Rock Band and Marshmallows. Meaning that we played Rock Band and roasted marshmallows in his fireplace. Now I have gone to great lengths to compare how I feel about Guitar Hero World Tour vs Legends of Rock. So now Guitar Hero vs Rock Band. I like Guitar Hero better. I feel like they map songs better and the songs are more guitar-centric (obviously) which is good for me since I play mostly guitar and a little bass. I should never sing and I am not that good at drums. Also, I like the Guitar Hero guitar better than the Rock Band one. And I am more used to the timing of Guitar Hero. While I feel like Guitar Hero is a lit bit harder, I think it is a little more forgiving on individual strums. But maybe it is because I am more used to the Guitar Hero timing. I also like the breakdown of performance for Guitar Hero. That being said, I think that Rock Band is a far superior party game. First of all, there are WAY more songs. And WAY more variety of songs so that there is much more likely that someone will be able to find a song that they are willing to sing. And each song comes with a little rating of how hard the guitar is, how hard the bass is, etc. Which is good for beginners. Or people that are between difficulties. Like Matty is getting close to expert on bass, but some songs he needs to play on hard. Though I am not sure how much I necessarily trust the ratings all the time. And most importantly and really a huge deal killer (IMHO) for Guitar Hero as a true party game - The No-Fail Mode. Because you are not going to be able to get someone who has never played to keep playing and have a good time at it (which is neccessary to get any good at it) if they keep failing out of songs. Because in Guitar Hero, when one person fails, the whole song stops and that is awful for a first time player. So while guitar hero has beginner mode to help first timers, I think that No-Fail is key. We stayeda t Dan's til after 3. So apparently I dont dislike Rock Band that much. But I like Guitar Hero better. Oh and we brought soft pretzels (Matty had a craving) and buffalo chicken dip (I had a craving). It was the first time I had made the dip and I was pretty happy with it. It is a recipe I got from my cousin who made it for one of my parent's Christmas parties.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 12-oz bottle Frank's Red Hot
1 12-oz jar Marie's Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3-4 breasts cooked chicken, cut into small pieces or shredded (we poached and shredded it)

Spread cream cheese on bottom of large glass baking dish. Mix chicken with hot sauce. Spread chicken over cream cheese. Pour dressing over chicken. Spread cheese over dressing. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until melty and delicious. Serve with tortilla chips and celery sticks.

It was a little wet when it first came out of the oven (probably from the poaching liquid) but it was better after a little while.

Sunday we went to Cantina for brunch. I was having a bad day. I could not for the life of me make a decision. I was starving and could NOT decide what to get. It was awful. But brunch was excellent. We did halvsies on chillaquiles with eggs and a breakfast burrito. After brunch we went shopping again. I desparately needed pants. I HATE pants shopping. I think it is awful for all girls, but for us fat girls, it is downright depressing. Because nothing fits to begin with. And all of the popular styles - skinny jeans, flares, wide leg, trouser cut, low rise - should never, ever be worn by fat girls, and yet, there are few other options. Luckily I had a pair of jeans that I liked so I could just go and buy another pair of the same. Then we went back on our coffee grinder and tea kettle search.I finally talked Matty into getting a tea kettle. My mom always had one on the stove, with water, so if you need hot water you can just heat it up real fast. But we dont drink a lot of tea, so Matty always refused. Well, then he went to Ireland and fell in love with hot whiskey. And so now he is heating a lot more tea. Also, Rob and Jennie had one. So apparently that made it ok.

I want this one (on the left). Matty wants this one (on the right). We will see.

Monday night we went to Mercato for Restaurant Week. It was fantastic! Highly recommended. A word of caution - highly meat-centric. Also cash only. But the food was excellent, the service was great, the portions were perfect. And it is BYO! The make old fashioned Italian sodas by the glass or pitcher and recommend bringing your favorite rum or vodka which I think sounds lovely. For appetizers we had a roasted portabella and arugula in puff pastry with peccorino, pine nuts and thyme citronette. And a trio of bruschetta - fresh mozzarella with tomato, basil and truffle oil; wild mushrooms and cheese; white beans and pesto (fantastic pesto!). For entrees we had a short rib ragu with ricotta gnocchi, broccoli rabe and shaved locatelli. And orecchiette with meatballs, sweet sausage and broccoli rabe in a red gravy. Both were excellent. The short ribs were the best. Cooked to perfection. For dessert we had tiramisu and a warm bittersweet chocolate molten cake. We brought a bottle of Apollonio Elfo Salento Negroamaro with us. One of our RI 3 for $9.99 bottles. A very serviceable red Italian table wine. I would buy it again if I saw it. Overall, I would highly highly recommend Mercato. Normal prices dont look bad either. And as a BYO you can have a nice meal without paying a fortune.

Movies:
Finally saw WALL-E. It was of adorable. I loved the story. He was soooo cute! the animation is amazing and was great all around. I do wonder how much darker original plans were for the plot. But maybe that is just me.
Charlie Bartlett - This was on the previews for a bunch of movies we have gotten recently but I totally dont remember it coming out. I am not sure why. Fairly good cast. Anton Yelchin (I know him from Huff) plays Charlie. I like him. (I am interested to see that he is playing Chekov in the new Star Trek, I am concerned to see that JJ Abrams is directing it.) Because I am a geek. Hope Davis plays his mother, just like she did in Hearts in Atlantis (A little bit of trivia for ya). Kat Dennings plays the girl. And Robert Downey Jr. plays her dad. It was good. Nothing awesome, but worth seeing I would say.
We watched the Dark Knight last night at Dan's. You know the only thing better than the Dark Knight? The Dark Knight in HD baby!

TV:
Still loving The Wire Season 2.
And Lost has started. Yay!!!!!!! I was very happy with the premier. They answered questions! Yay!!!!! 3rd episode tonight. Exciting.

Yeah. I should get back to work now. Oh, we are going to RI this weekend. Matty's great-uncle passed away on Monday so we are going back for the funeral.

Happy National Hat Day!

I know. I know. I told you I would write more often and I havent been. And I am sorry. Ok? I will try to catch up some now while my gel is running and I dont feel well and therefore dont feel like starting anything new.

First of all: Dinners.
Monday night we had a chef's salad (salad + salami + pepperoni + cheese + hard boiled eggs = chef's) and stuffed portabello mushrooms. I cooked cannellini beans with onion, garlic, hot peppers and some chopped pepperoni. Then I put some asiago on the mushrooms, topped with the bean mixture, then some fresh sage and topped with mozzarella. Then bake. This is something I used to make ALL the time. Because it is easy and filling and yummy. And you can stuff a portabello with damn near anything. But we havent made it in forever it seems. So it was nice to get back to it.

Tuesday we had pork and pasta bake. It is from a new Italian cookbook I got from Matty's aunt for Christmas. First you saute onions, carrots and garlic until soft. Then add pancetta, mushrooms and ground pork. Cook until the pork is done and then add white wine, canned tomatoes and fresh sage and simmer 20-30 minutes (depending on how hungry you are). While it is simmering, make a mozzarella and parmesan bechamel. This bechamel recipe was actually the best I have made and am really happy with it. I will have to remember it. (If you are looking for a good bechamel or cheese sauce recipe let me know and I will post it. I just cant remember it all off the top of my head). Also cook half a pound of penne. When the penne is done, mix it with the bechamel. Pour the pork mixture into a baking dish and then pour the penne-bechamel on top. Top with some more parmesan and then bake 30 minutes until golden brown. It is delicious. As with everything else I post, if anyone wants the actual recipe let me know and I will totally post it. I had this leftover for lunch today and it was almost as tasty as it was Tuesday. Note: this makes quite a bit! So you need a big baking dish and a bunch of friends. Or a love of leftovers. I would say maybe 2 dinner servings (with nothing else, I got too lazy to make a salad or a veggie to go with it) and 4 lunch servings.

Last night we made Mediterranean Chicken Stew from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food cookbook which I also got for Christmas. I have to say I was underwhelmed and we will not be making it again. First off, it isnt a stew by my definition. It was a wet saute. But the liquid was thin (like a soup) but there wasn't even close to enough of it to actually be a soup. So it was just kinda soppy. Second off, it wasnt that tasty. It was kinda boring. The only changes we made were that we used red instead of white wine vinegar and used mixed olives instead of kalamata. And we served it over premade polenta (the slice and bake kind) cuz we couldnt find polenta (or Matty couldnt anyway). So I guess if you are looking for a kinda bland meal one day, go for it. But meh . . .

Movies and Television:
Not much to report. We watched Nightmare Before Christmas. Cuz I havent seen it since high school. And we have continued watching the second season of The Wire. Still a fan.

Other things to report: My sidebar
So I dont know if any of you pay any attention to what I put on my sidebar. But you should. Some new arrivals:
Cake Wrecks: Tagline: "When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong." This is one of the funniest new blogs out there IMHO. And it has gotten me to wander bakeries wherever I see them in search of a Wrecks. I found a few good ones over the holiday. And believe me, once you start looking, they are out there. For instance this one? Matty and I saw this cake in Lancaster. Yeah. Flaming deer. So check it out if you dont already. Oh and I first heard about this story on Cake Wrecks. And this week it was reported that little Adolf Hitler and his sister Aryan Nation have been removed from their parents. Shocker.
Fuck You Penguin: Tagline: "A blog where I tell cute animals what's what." Now you know I love penguins. I LOVE penguins. So I was a bit concerned when I first heard about Fuck You Penguin. But then I read it. And I am hooked. I cant really say any more than that. Just check it out. If you hate animals that look just too goddamn cute or you just appreciate on-point articulate humor, go. Now!
Craftastrophe: Tagline: "because handmade isn't always pretty." It is crafts that have just gone wrong. But not in the Cake Wreck sense. These crafts are not (necessarily) poorly done, they just make you scratch your head (or shudder) and ask (or weep) why?!? More spot on comments and hilarious finds.
Publicly Relating: To steal a description from her bio as a Blissdom Conference speaker, "a space to bridge the gap between marketing professionals and bloggers." A new blog from a friend from "way back" who now works as an "online and social media strategist at Ketchum PR."
Words I Learned From Reading David Foster Wallace: This is by the same lady as Publicly Relating and the title is pretty self explanatory.

So that is my roundup of new stuff on my sidebar. I am also trying to keep Goodreads updated so y'all can see what I am reading. As you can see there are many books that I read on and off and my full time book right now is Duma Key which I am really really enjoying. I should write a whole post about my Stephen King-like. Matty might call it an obsession. I don't think it is. Really. Truly. Really. I mean it. If he happened to break down on South Street I promise I wouldnt lock him up in our apartment and make him rewrite the ending of the Dark Tower. I promise. I am just trying to read his entire catalog. Everything he has ever written. Ever! No really. Just the easily accessible published stuff. And probably just the fiction.

Right, well I am so not going to actually go back and update on anything old. Sorry. I have a headache, and a backache and a throatache and I wanna go home.

Working backwards

Ok, I am way behind on posts, I know. And I am going to do my best this week to catch up. And I am going to do it in reverse chronological order. So most recent stuff first. So if you are waiting to here how my Christmas was you are going to have to wait a bit.

So this weekend was our post-New Years brunch. We used to throw the brunch on New Years Day and watch/make fun of the Mummers. But there were several problems with this. 1) It meant we had to be up and functional on New Years Day in order to cook and throw a party. 2) It meant our guests had to be up and function on New Years Day in order to attend and not throw up at a party. And honestly, those 2 criteria simply werent working out. So generally we throw the brunch the first Saturday after New Years. Saturday because, well it isnt a regular 2 hour, single mimosa brunch and I at least need time to recover from it. However, the first Saturday after New Years this year was also the first Saturday Matty and I were back from vacation and so it was Matty-Sara Christmas. So, to make that long and boring explanation end, this weekend was our post-New Years brunch.

It went pretty well I think. 12 people, 13 bottles of champagne/asti/cava/prosecco, 8 hours. Doesnt sound like your normal brunch? Well you are doing it wrong. This year we served blueberry french toast casserole; carmelized onion, spinach and asiago quiche; veggie and real breakfast sausage (real from Martin's - delish!); Matty's potatoes; assorted fruits; assorted olives; sundried tomato provolone bread; spinach and cheese foccaccia that Tre brought; brie en croute with sherried mushrooms; apple, almond and cranberry quinoa; cranberry and blood orange zest scones with mango chutney, strawberry preserves and honey butter; pumpkin bread (a gift from someone Matty works with); cranberry bread (from my Aunt Lyn); moose munch (from my grandparents); egg nog cake; mississippi spiced pecans and frozen mocha cheesecake (from Dan). We also had fixins for hot whiskey (Matty's new favorite drink from Ireland) and premixed Malibu Cranberry Splashes. Oh and lots and lots and lots of bubbly stuff.
The first guest showed up at 11:59 and I think the last ones left around 8ish maybe? I am not entirely sure as I helped my fair share towards the 13 bottles and lost track of time around 7. I was also asleep by 10. It happens. Thank you to everyone (beth, tara and nancy) who provided playlists and music for the brunch. It was much appreciated by many of us. Some of us preferred gay house and that took over for awhile. But the official playlist was great. If anyone is interested let me know and I will post the whole list.

Yesterday we went on a guitar search. Dan gave me Guitar Hero World Tour and one guitar for Christmas. So Matty and I wanted to get a second guitar so that we can play together. So off we went. 6 stores and 3 phone calls later we find out that 1) they do not sell the Guitar Hero World Tour guitar separately. Only as part of the bundle with the game, or part of the 2 guitar/2 game bundle, or part of the whole band kit bundle. 2) No one in the city seems to sell the Guitar Hero Legends of Rock guitar. Well not entirely true. fye at the Gallery had it for 50. And Gamestop at the Gallery had the Aerosmith guitar and game for 80. So then we called Best Buy and they said they had lots of the Legends of Rock guitar and game for 60. So we got a car and went down there and bought it, because at that point I just wanted it bought and done. Of course by "lots" they apparently meant 1. But whatever. We got the one and now we have Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero Legends of Rock, 1 World Tour guitar and 1 Legends of Rock wireless guitar. The new (legends) guitar is going to be mine. It is a bit smaller than the world tour one, but it doesnt bother me. And it doesnt have the tap thingies on the neck, which I dont imagine I will ever be good enough to use. And it doesnt have a star power button, which kinda sucks, because I am not good and the move thingy you have to do to activate star power. But it is something to work on. It feels a bit tighter than the world tour one too. But I cant explain what that means. You will just have to come over a play. Legends of Rock the game is pretty cool. A whole new group of songs to play. And there is a co-op career mode so Matty and I get to play that together. I kinda feel like Medium is a bit harder on Legends of Rock than World Tour. But maybe I am just not used to the songs yet. But that is what we did last night.

Ok, food wise we have not done much new cooking lately. But I have 3 new recipes I am trying this week so I will have to let you know how they go.

Movies:
10th and Wolf - A movie about the Philly mob shot entirely (and very obviously) in Pittsburgh. That doesnt really even mention Philly. So why not just set it is Pittsburgh? I mean it isnt a true store or anything. The only thing Philly about it was that Tony Luke Jr was in it. But not as Tony Luke Jr. I would say, watch it if you want, but dont spend any time or money getting it.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Wow. Fail. Really. I mean it is kinda cute and fun. But it isnt an Indy film. And it isnt a 50s alien film, which apparently they were going for. So, fail. I was really hoping for awesome. And then I was hoping for "not cringeworthy". And there were some cringeworthy, shark jumping scenes. So yeah. Indy fans, you should see it cuz it is part of the legacy, but dont get your hopes up.

We now have Nightmare Before Christmas, which I wanted to watch before Christmas but didnt get around to and Matty doesnt particularly want to watch. And Paragraph 175. This is what Netflix has to say

"Actor Rupert Everett provides the narration for this disquieting documentary that shines a light on the Third Reich's vicious persecution of male homosexuals during World War II. The title comes from an arcane, 1871 German statute making sodomy punishable by incarceration (with the ultimate goal to eradicate gays completely). Only a handful of survivors -- now frail and withered -- remain to recount their traumatic tales in this poignant film."

Sounds like fun! So I predict a major slowing down of the Netflix machinery.

TV:
Mad Men Season 1: It started a little slow. But we are definitely hooked. Cant wait for Season 2 to come out. Really spectacularly done. Acting, wardrobe, directing. Really.
The Wire Season 2: Just started last night. We will see how it goes. Liked Season 1, but not sure how this season will go.

Ok, well I should do some actual work at work today. I will fill you in on Matty-Sara Christmas, New Years, skiing, and Christmas soon. Hopefully! As a preview:

Happy Pumpkin Cheesecake Day!

Hello and welcome to this edition of "What have Matty and Sara been up to?"

Movies:
I feel like I have no reviewed many movies recently. But I cant really remember, so if some of these are repeats, sorry.
The Simpsons Movie: Everyone who I have heard talk about this movie has said that same thing. It seems like a long episode from one of there good but not great seasons. We had to see it, we did, there ya go. Do you like the Simpsons? Go see it. If you dont, dont.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone: The first of the Harry Potters. It is pretty good, it had a lot to do and it did it. But again, if you like or think you might like Harry Potter, see it, otherwise, dont.
A History of Violence: I liked it. There were scenes I didnt watch but over all, not too gratuitously gory. I would say it is gratuitously violent though. Including a very violent sex scene not for the faint of heart. Viggo Mortensen is pretty hot. I would recommend it to fans of violent dramas or David Cronenberg.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Better than the first. Still though, if you dont like Harry Potter, why see it?
Harry Potter and the Prsioner of Azkaban: Better than the first, starting to diverge a bit from the books (by necessity due to length).
Maxed Out: A pretty good documentary about predatory lending and our obsession with credit. Worth seeing, interesting to note things they warn about vs what is happening.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Favorite so far. Does what it absolutely needs to do in a decent amount of time, but things were left out that I am curious about how they will be addressed in future movies. If Matty would just finish the next one!
Charlie Wilson's War: Really really good. Highly recommend! Great look at a very interesting and often overlooked peice of history. Speaks volumes about our current foreign policy and military issues. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts are fantastic.
Rocky Balboa: It is a Rocky movie. Dont really expect more than that. Not as bad as some, not as god as the first.
Cloverfield: Was talked into this for our biweekly Blu-Ray movie night at Dan's. I dont like scary movies so I was against seeing it. But it isnt really a scary movie. It is a monster movie. It was ok. Not outstanding. Better than a lot of monster movies (I am looking at you Godzilla). Worth seeing if you are interested in monster movies. Saw a lot more of the monster than I thought. I refuse to start looking stuff up about it on the internet. So not going there.
Iron Man: Was totally impressed. Seeing it on a big-ass TV on Blu-Ray didnt hurt. Disclaimer: it is a comic book movie. If you thought that Spiderman and Xmen are too hokey and comic booky, you should probably stay away. But it is actually good. Good actors (Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow), pretty good effects (though there were some scenes where the cgi didnt quite match). And Jon Favreau! Who knew? My one problem: Jeff Bridges should stick to good guys. The Dude should not be a bad guy. I was totally humming Iron Man all last night (Matty wasnt happy).

TV:
Heroes, current season: I have missed the last 3 episodes. Which makes Matty happy. But makes me sad, because I thought this season was going pretty good.
The Wire, Season 1: Recently finished this. I am pretty interested to see what happens in later episodes. A bit on the scary side I have to say though. Makes me happy I didnt go to Hopkins.
The Office, current season: Funniest show on TV. Hands down. Enough said.
Rome, Season 2: Wow. I thought the first one was overly expensive, lavish, violent and had a bit too much violent Roman sex. But no, I was wrong. That is season 2. I cant belive all that happened in one season. Worth seeing. I totally see why HBO cant afford another season though.
House, current season: So happy about the end of last episode!

Food:
Cant even really remember. But last night we made "Barbecue chicken salad" from my Southern Heritage cookbook. First whisk together 2 Tbsp cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar, 4 tsp worcestershire (or soy if you are out like us) sauce, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp hot sauce. In a skillet, cook 2 slices bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and all but 1 Tbsp fat from skillet. In bacon fat, saute 1 small onion, chopped and 2 cloves garlic, minced until softened. Add 1 lb chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch x 1 inch strips. Cook until cooked through. Add sauce to pan and 1 cup frozen corn. Cook for 2 minutes. Make salad of lettuce, 1 red bell pepper cut into strips, 1 green bell pepper cut into strips, 2 green onions, chopped and bacon, chopped. Serve chicken mixture over salad.

Other things:
2 weeks ago was me and Matty's 10 year anniversary. We went to Annapolis for the weekend with my parents, godparents and family friends for the International Boat Show. It was a gorgeous weekend and we had a good time at the show, especially with the free Pusser's painkillers in the mugs after hours.

Last week was my Genetics department talk which went really well. Trying to schedule the big thesis committee meeting now.

Sunday Matty and I did the Philly AIDS Walk 15000 people raised $450,000 for the 12K walk or 10K run. We walked :-). It was really chilly though! But a beautiful walk up from the Art Museum to East Falls and back.

Ok, you are kinda up to date. Maybe. Well, that is all I have time for.

A few things

Ok let me see.

Miami was great. Hot and humid and gross, but otherwise great. Especially since we spent most of our time inside. We got in very late Friday night/early Saturday morning. Saturday we helped prepare for the birthday party. Saturday afternoon/evening was the party. Almost everyone except us and Nicole speaks Spanish so Matty got to practice a little and I got to feel like I was in another country. Nicole was sick for most of the day unfortunately. But EJ enjoyed himself it seemed. He got a lot of toys and a few books and some clothes from me. Sunday we got a bit of a tour of Miami. Neither of us had been there before so Nicole and E droe us around and showed us Miami Beach, South Beach, downtown Miami and Coral Gables. It was nice to get a feel for the city a little bit. It is ENORMOUS! I much more enjoy cities like Philly that a more condensed and where people live, work and play in the same place. Monday we took a drive through the Everglades to hunt for gators. We saw a few but the recent rain from Hannah and Gustav flooded a bunch of the road and the swamp and we were there pretty late in the day so most of them were hiding and the drive took several hours longer than expected. That was the only time EJ got cranky at all and really cried. But honestly I think we were all pretty cranky by that point. He is so cute. He looks a lot more like Nicole now. He used to look like a little version of E. He is walking all by himself and can get up from the floor by himself. He still falls when making turns but otherwise is totally on the go. He talks to himself but no one else can understand him. I think he will be talking soon. It will be interesting to see what combination of English and Spanish he speaks first. He also learned "clap" while we were there. So you can tell him to clap and he does. I hope we get down there to see him more often now and at some point maybe see the beach.

Work is a bit on the ridiculous side. One major reasons being that Nina thinks I should graduate in May. Of 2009. Which is a full year earlier than I was hoping for. And she thinks I can have 3 papers done by then. Plus my thesis. I currently have 0. So things are ridiculous and I dont want to talk about it.

I installed 32-bit Vista on my laptop so now I can sync my phone with my computer. Yay!

We have watched recently . . . 4th season of The Office which is fantastic, just finished episode 7. The Namesake which was very good and I was totally able to not think about Harold and Kumar the whole time. Knocked Up which I liked except that she is totally a whiny bitch for most of the movie and not at all happy about having a kid. I still think 40-year Old Virgin is funnier. Son of Rambow, VERY good, highly recommend. Zodiac, also enjoyed but found a bit on the confusing side sometimes. Like they cut scenes to make it shorter but there was necessary information in those scenes that was lost or something. But Jake Gyllenhaal is SO hot it doesnt really matter.

Random things - tried Loie Saturday. Good burgers, totally empty for lunch at 1 on a Saturday. Went to Greenfest yesterday. Was very surprised how extensive it was. Bought a bunch of ChicoBags as presents because I LOVE mine and carry it EVERYWHERE. Thanks Beth! For brunch tried Cantina Dos Segundos in Northern Liberties. Very good, pretty much exactly like the first one. For dinner made the bestest sandwiches on earth. Paninis on Le Bec Fin foccacia with rustico red pepper (a young semi-firm pecorino), black forest smoked turkey, carmelized onions and fresh tomato from the garden. Oh my god! With pepper shooters and garlic stuffed green olives on the side.

My parents are in Greece. They left at 6:30 last night from Boston -> Madrid -> Athens. Then they are leaving in an hour for Kerkyra Island, Corfu. They are going to sail around the Greek Isles for a week with the people whose boat my dad sailed across the Atlantic. Then they have 2 weeks to travel around Greece themselves and they will be back on the 27th. So fucking jealous.

Right, will post more later. I promise!

so sorry

I know I have been absent for an awfully long time. But I usually blog during my downtime at work. And I simplyhavent had any downtime since I got back from vacation. I promise to do better though. Hopefully this weekend I will sit down and write a nice long update and some puzzles. As a quickie:

We have seen:
American Gangster - very good. Nothing truly spectacular. But good acting all around, interesting story, good piece of history.
Michael Clayton - also very good. A bit confusing. You have to pay pretty good attention. Tilda Swinton is not nearly as creepy-looking as she is in real life.
When We Were Kings - documentary about Muhammad Ali and George Foreman's Rumble in the Jungle. Interesting. Again, nothing spectacular but an interesting closer look than Ali did. Interestingly, in some post-movie researching I came across these two things in Wikipedia. From the article about Ali himself:

In the early 1980s, Ali learned he had Parkinsonism, or "Parkinson's syndrome"—which is not the same complaint as Parkinson's disease—following which his motor functions began a slow decline. Although Ali's doctors disagreed about whether his symptoms were caused by boxing and whether or not his condition was degenerative,^[14] he was ultimately diagnosed with Pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome.

And in the linked article about Pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome (dementia pugilistica):

Muhammad Ali is often mistaken as a sufferer of dementia pugilistica, when in fact the main cause of his condition is diagnosed as Parkinson's disease.^{[15][16][17][18]}

I thought it was interesting anyway.

We have been watching:
The Office Season 3 - which has definitely come into its own. After it stopped being a direct mimic of the British Office it slowed a bit. But has come back full force in my opinion.
The Wire - we have only seen episodes. But I am interested enough to keep watching at least. The acting isnt superb but it is certainly interesting. Reminds me of American Gangster.
The Olympics. There will be more about this.

We have been eating:
Trader Joe's Korma Simmer Sauce - we made a saute of chicken, chick peas, peas, spinach and mushrooms and served it over Trader Joe's Thai Style Lime Rice. Excellent, will definitely have again. Will probably add less water as it was a bit dilute.
Spanikopita Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce. Awesome! Will definitely make again, probably for a party too. We used turkey instead of chicken and added 4 cloves of garlic instead of 3 since we didnt read the "divided" part. I also used a whole cucumber from our garden since we are trying to get rid of them which made it a bit watery. And instead of dill I used a mix of basil, thai basil, oregano and chives.
Carrot and Cucumber "Fettuccine" Salad. It was ok. A lot of carrot. I dont really like carrots. Nothing awesome. But it used two cucumbers!

Other things:
Still like the new laptop except: Vista is kinda annoying. Vista 64bit is really obnoxious since I am never going to put 32 gig of ram in this thing and it means that I cant sync my phone to my laptop without getting a bluetooth dongle. Sigh. I bought Office 2007 today because I found it for $85. But I have been using OpenOffice and I am a huge fan.

Tomorrow is Joey's birthday. Happy Birthday Joey! It also marks his last Saturday in Philly as he is leaving us for the great big world out there . . . or Hazelton. One of those. We are sure he will be back to visit. But we will miss him.

My mice and awful! They rip out their eartags and eat their young. They are so nice and friendly as compared to other strains. But now this! ARRRGGGGHHHH!

Ok, you will have to wait for more. Have a good weekend all!