all this could be yours, some day.

MENOMENA.

their album Mines is brilliant. here's a live video for a performance of very good song called "Five Little Rooms":


my favourite song on Mines is "Oh Pretty Boy, You're Such a Big Boy". the production on the album is everything i would want to accomplish on a record. plus, i just love their piano arrangments and parts. i haven't heard the bari sax sound so good since Morphine...AND i think their lyrics are pretty awesome, too.

why did i have to fall in love with this record AFTER they had already played through Los Angeles?

find out more and hear other songs on their label BARSUK's website.

THIS is why you gotta know the Bible!

taken from the executive summary of a new Pew Research survey on religious knowledge:

"...Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions.

On average, Americans correctly answer 16 of the 32 religious knowledge questions on the survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. Atheists and agnostics average 20.9 correct answers..."

http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey.aspx

FOOD: Triumphant Orange County Return of Grill 'Em All Truck or NOT??!!

it speaks volumes when FoodTV's Great Food Truck Race (GFTR) is the only reality show my husband AlSto dares admit watching. luckily, we had the privilege of eating GRILL 'EM ALL truck's brutal cuisine before people chose to wait in line around the block this evening!

Grill 'Em All was scheduled to arrive at 6pm, at Fullerton's Bootlegger's Brewery, but they were running late. i was on the road at the time, but AlSto got periodic updates from our friends who had been waiting in line since 5pm-ish...

by 7pm, according to our friends' reports, no orders had been taken yet, but someone was out in front of the line, rallying supporters, the faithful and the hungry. we were at home still. AlSto considered (aloud) heading down to Fullerton, Pig amp in hand, to play 'Fight Fire with Fire' a la Venice Beach's Harry Karry (sp?) sans rollerskates and head dress. seriously. except i'm just kidding about the Harry Karry part.

despite a bunch of cheaters cutting in line, our friends managed to get their hands and mouths around the BEHEMOTH (but search for 'behometh'. doesn't that sound/look like something from the bible?!). they hadn't run out of food yet, but the Orange County health inspectors were supposedly onsite, doing what health inspectors do. or were they?

the following two twits were all i could find in the Twitter universe:

RT @englishboila: @GrillEmAllTruck got harrassed by health inspector nazis in Fullerton so they are running really late!! We need to stop this harrasment!! (sic) - via search.twitter.com

@englishboila: Apparantly they let @GrillEmAllTruck go tonight cos of huge line but they won't be allowed in OC again until pass OC codes!! (sic) - via search.twitter.com

as of 2.49 Friday morning, OC Register had nothing more current than their post announcing Grill 'Em All's planned appearance. the OC Weekly had nothing to report, either...but on STICK A FORK IN IT my guys Edwin Goei and Dave Lieberman had said some of the things i had wanted to say about the outcome of the GFTR. and those damn nom noms.

so did anything really happen tonight? i don't trust rumours when i have nothing to support or substantiate... so please fill me in, Grill 'Em All guys!

or, help us, Gustavo Arellano !

-Thursday, 23/9/2010 Twitpic via @threefrenchs

Mehlman and Maron

if you haven't read MARON's tweet series (on Gawker) as he was seated next to (former GOP chairman) Ken Mehlman on an airplane yet, you must.

i HEART Roger Craig (not the athlete)

i must say, ROGER CRAIG is a total badass. i absolutely love his demeanour, his strategy, his signaling technique, his brain and his personality! and i'm only two of four days into our TiVO list of Roger Craig's astonishing winning run.


so now, here are v's favourites in order:

Colonel Dave Belote

Roger Craig

Vijay Balse

Justin Bernbach

Stefan Goodreau

confessions of a Jeopardy! groupie...WOOOOOO!

i've always wanted to go on a cruise...

REPOST. wow!



thanks to@pleaseenjoy via Gizmodo.

Not Just Broken Bells (of Kristina Hendricks)

Broken Bells - The Ghost Inside OFFICIAL VIDEO (Protein Exclusive) from Protein® on Vimeo.

Pappy Van Winkle's Sicilian Lifeguard à la Terranea

Wednesday night 15/9/2010 with AlSto and BriKa in no particular order... or maybe, in order of recall:

the S.C. thing is apparently brash spicy tomato sauce, briny caper berries, sweet currants, sharp scallions, and soft balls of Israeli couscous:

"I have never actually met a Sicilian lifeguard, but if one were to cook up a pot of calamari, this is how he or she might make it." - Mario Batali

sounds kinda gross to me. i didn't have it but i did have tiny vegetables. but please find a reference or definition of the Sicilian Lifeguard preparation without Batali, other than at MAR'SEL (sea salt! geddit? and their salt was really quite extraordinary) or its super young chef MICHAEL FIORELLI (worked under both MARK MILITELLO and SUSANNA FOO?!! holy crap. but i still don't like K Simon). then, please tell me cos i'm too lazy to page through 10 pages of results.

- per Saveur article of BABBO.

• gin IS vodka. - per CHOWHOUND
  

• long, slow and wet = braising! - per EPICURIOUS

• don't be a jerk. thanks to waiter George. he takes care of you! ask for him.

• j'adore l'amuse bouche! caramelised shallot tart with sofrito sauce. i heart odd numbers on a plate. seashell-shaped café mocha chocolate for dessert.
  
  
• check out the small world of bourbon...PAPPY VAN WINKLE is bottled at the BLANTON'S plant!

the distillery has a webcam of several different rooms! Frankfort is about 70 miles from Loretto, Kentucky...for when we eventually go on our KY Tour. and PVW is related to Ole Grandad (just kidding. but maybe it should be!).

• JUSTIN cabernet sauvignon is pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.

did i forget anything?

cats

...not eels.

i know you've seen this but i lagged posting it first...even before my brother Kaze sent me a link.

via ADWEEK.