Stupidfool.org

Pigs

Via the newly-launched blogs.com, I found this lovely story from the WFMU blog about an old recording of "The Three Little Pigs":

Some people cry at sad movies. This is the sort of thing that makes me tear up - a sweet, innocent (and, by the way, perfectly arranged and performed) record. I am in awe of this singer's ability to put such feeling into such simple words from such a simple story.

It's a very charming listen!

Also of interest, found via the followup post to the above: the Kiddie Rekord King.

Bolt

As impressive as the performance by Michael Phelps at the Olympics was--and, granted, I only saw two or three of his races, since I started watching late--the sheer dominance of Usain Bolt's 9.69s gold medal in the 100m was in a different league.

Completely thrilling.

On Vermouth

Paul Clarke--of the Cocktail Chronicles--writes about vermouth in The Truth About Vermouth in the SF Chronicle.

My favorite part was this quote from one of the bartenders at Bourbon & Branch:

Bar manager Yanni Kehagiaras says Vya's intense flavor is the reason bartenders at the Tenderloin bar choose to feature it so prominently.

"This is going to sound totally dorky, but I did a vermouth intensity chart where I rate them from the most to least intense," Kehagiaras says.

I'm a big fan of Vya (especially in an Americano or a Red Hook), myself.

The KLF: Chill Out

I've always loved what Bill Drummond said about the road trip evoked by KLF's Chill Out. From an interview in X Magazine in 1991:

[Chill Out is] a frighteningly evocative composition: a single forty-five-minute-long ambient road-trip across the southern gulf coast of the United States. Surprisingly (especially after hearing the record), it's a trip that the band's never actually taken.

Drummond's up-front about that aspect of it. "I've never been to those places. I don't know what those places are like, but in my head, I can imagine those sounds coming from those places, just looking at the map."

In 2002, I served on jury duty for a week, and every day I'd take the 38 Geary from the Outer Richmond (where we lived at the time) down to the federal courthouse. It was a dreary, foggy ride, around 45 minutes in total, and I'd make the trek early in the morning, around 7am.

And every morning, I'd listen to Chill Out, and I'd imagine that I was taking that road trip through the south.

At Divisadero, I'd hear "Elvis On The Radio, Steel Guitar In My Soul"; at Polk, I'd hear "Wichita Lineman Was A Song I Once Heard"; and while walking from the bus to the federal building, I'd hear "A Melody From A Past Life Keeps Pulling Me Back".

And now, listening to the album & just looking at the map, it all comes back.

Grilled Sardine Tartines

So, with the sardines that I bought at the farmers market this past weekend: Grilled Sardine Tartines With Onion And Arugula.

Yum, sardines!

This recipe combined a couple of my favorite things: sardines, arugula, thyme, and lemons. Oh, and grilled onions. And butter! And it turned out great, even though I didn't marinate the sardines for the recommended 2-8 hours.

"a creature of such ghastly life..."

I loved "The Dark Knight", and this quote from the NY Times review of the film sums it up perfectly, for me:

No matter how cynical you feel about Hollywood, it is hard not to fall for a film that makes room for a shot of the Joker leaning out the window of a stolen police car and laughing into the wind, the city’s colored lights gleaming behind him like jewels. He’s just a clown in black velvet, but he’s also some kind of masterpiece.

Karting Under the Influence

Finally, a scientific look at the effects of drinking on driving (a Mario Kart, that is). (via Matt)

My verdict? I think the hypothesis needs more testing: "Coconut Mall", where I gather the tests were run, is a course where reckless driving might actually benefit the karter; but my guess is that such recklessness would actually be detrimental on e.g. "Wario's Gold Mine", or "Rainbow Road."

At the very least, it's probably worth another round of rigorous drinking testing.

iPhone Home

My favorite iPhone trick, which I only just discovered yesterday, is the ability to control the iPod functions (volume, play/pause, &c.) without having to unlock the phone:

If you double click the "Home" button from "Slide to unlock" screen or when the iPhone is in sleep mode, a set of iPod controls will appear below the clock which give you access to play/pause, skip, and volume controls.

Lamb burgers

(Not actually my lamb burger.)

With the ground lamb: Lamb Burgers, with a tzatziki sauce.

Very tasty!

And the lamb itself was from Marin Sun Farms, who, I just read last night, would like to buy a slaughterhouse in Petaluma:

David Evans, whose family has been raising cattle in Point Reyes for four generations, intends to submit a proposal to buy Rancho Veal. ... He would like to redesign the existing facility at Rancho Veal, bringing it up to the standards Grandin established; potentially add an aging room and a small cut-and-wrap plant; and reconfigure the current setup to handle not only beef, but also pork and lamb.

"The Dinner Party" in the New Yorker

I don't typically read the fiction in the New Yorker, but Joshua Ferris's "The Dinner Party" was kind of devastating:

He wanted to keep her from being hurt. He also wanted his wife and her friend to drift apart so that he never had to sit through another dinner party with the friend and her husband. But after a few months the rift would inevitably heal and the friendship return to good standing. He couldn't blame her. They went back a long way and you get only so many old friends.