Monday, February 28, 2005
A. had the cassoulet, and LCA ordered the roasted duck with cherrys, so when it came to me, the duck options had run out. I ordered the sauted calves liver, and it was delicious. Oh, organ meats! Oh, offal! I forgot that you are under interdict! I have been functioning with background ache for a while now, but I remembered some of the list this morning.
Fortunately there are pills for this, and I have them, so I am probably going to be able to cut this off at the pass. In any event, I recommend Cosette, 163 33rd Street, the sort of little French joint you dream about walking into, but almost never do. We split a nice Rhone Valley pinot noir, which worked well with what we'd ordered. I figured a pinot was the way to go with what the two of us were having, and our waitress did an excellent job of guiding us to a good one in our price range. Undertones of currant, full of terroir. A and EGA had the carrot-ginger soup as a starter, and I sampled it: it was clear that this was a restaurant that knew what it was about: the flavor was bright and savory, with the sweetness of the carrots in perfect balance. CLA (who had the salmon, and was very happy with it) abstained from desert, but the rest of us partook: EGA (who had the mussels) and I had a nice creme brulee; LCA had the chocolate mousse; and A had a tarte tatin that was just the thing.
If there were a dozen tables it would be a lot: it looks like it is a pretty popular spot, and we really got lucky by getting there early. I'd make reservations next time.
Fortunately there are pills for this, and I have them, so I am probably going to be able to cut this off at the pass. In any event, I recommend Cosette, 163 33rd Street, the sort of little French joint you dream about walking into, but almost never do. We split a nice Rhone Valley pinot noir, which worked well with what we'd ordered. I figured a pinot was the way to go with what the two of us were having, and our waitress did an excellent job of guiding us to a good one in our price range. Undertones of currant, full of terroir. A and EGA had the carrot-ginger soup as a starter, and I sampled it: it was clear that this was a restaurant that knew what it was about: the flavor was bright and savory, with the sweetness of the carrots in perfect balance. CLA (who had the salmon, and was very happy with it) abstained from desert, but the rest of us partook: EGA (who had the mussels) and I had a nice creme brulee; LCA had the chocolate mousse; and A had a tarte tatin that was just the thing.
If there were a dozen tables it would be a lot: it looks like it is a pretty popular spot, and we really got lucky by getting there early. I'd make reservations next time.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Because timing is everything, I just scored the last non-smoking room at the alternate hotel for the Around the Bay. The badness of this idea is starting to dawn on me.
Monday, February 21, 2005
"I do not advocate the use of dangerous drugs, wild amounts of alcohol and violence and weirdness - but they've always worked for me."
When asked in a recent interview if he had any regrets, his response was dimissive. "Those I have are so minor. Would I leave my Keith Richards hat with the silver skull on it in the coffee shop at LaGuardia? I wouldn't do that again. But overall, no. I don't have any regrets."
"Honolulu Marathon decadent, depraved"
"Anybody who wanders around the world saying, "Hell yes, I'm from Texas," deserves whatever happens to him."
I could fill a book with memorable things Hunter S. Thompson said-- we all could, and he did-- many books, some of them brilliant. I tried to keep up, even when his output seemed to be turning into schtick, because you never knew when he'd hit you between the eyes with something that was true and obvious that you'd never seen before, or even thought about.
So long, Doctor.
When asked in a recent interview if he had any regrets, his response was dimissive. "Those I have are so minor. Would I leave my Keith Richards hat with the silver skull on it in the coffee shop at LaGuardia? I wouldn't do that again. But overall, no. I don't have any regrets."
"Honolulu Marathon decadent, depraved"
"Anybody who wanders around the world saying, "Hell yes, I'm from Texas," deserves whatever happens to him."
I could fill a book with memorable things Hunter S. Thompson said-- we all could, and he did-- many books, some of them brilliant. I tried to keep up, even when his output seemed to be turning into schtick, because you never knew when he'd hit you between the eyes with something that was true and obvious that you'd never seen before, or even thought about.
So long, Doctor.
Dave's Barbequed Shrimp
2 pounds medium large shrimp in their shells, about 42
2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning
16 turns freshly ground black pepper, in all
2 tablespoons olive oil, in all
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 bay leaves
3 lemons, peeled and sectioned
2 cups water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Peel the shrimp, leaving only their tails attached. Reserved the shells,
sprinkle the shrimp with 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning and 8 turns of the
pepper. Use you hands to coat the shrimp with the seasonings. Refrigerate
the shrimp while you make the sauce base. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a
large pot over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic
and saute for 1 minute. Add the reserved shrimp shells, the remaining
Creole Seasoning, the bay leaves, lemons, water, Worcestershire, wine,
salt, and the remaining 8 turns black pepper. Stir well and bring to a
boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat,
allow to cool for about 15 minutes, and strain into a small saucepan. There
should be about 1 1/2 cups. Place over high heat, bring to a boil, and cook
until thick, syrupy, and dark brown, for about 15 minutes. Makes about 4 to
5 tablespoons of barbecue sauce base.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the seasoned shrimp and saute them, occasionally
shaking the skillet, for 2 minutes. Add the cream and all of the barbecue
base. Stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp to a warm platter
with tongs and whisk the butter into the sauce. Remove from the heat. Makes
about 2 cups. Mound the shrimp in the center of a platter. Spoon the sauce
over the shrimp and around the plate. Garnish with chopped chives.
2 pounds medium large shrimp in their shells, about 42
2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning
16 turns freshly ground black pepper, in all
2 tablespoons olive oil, in all
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 bay leaves
3 lemons, peeled and sectioned
2 cups water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Peel the shrimp, leaving only their tails attached. Reserved the shells,
sprinkle the shrimp with 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning and 8 turns of the
pepper. Use you hands to coat the shrimp with the seasonings. Refrigerate
the shrimp while you make the sauce base. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a
large pot over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic
and saute for 1 minute. Add the reserved shrimp shells, the remaining
Creole Seasoning, the bay leaves, lemons, water, Worcestershire, wine,
salt, and the remaining 8 turns black pepper. Stir well and bring to a
boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat,
allow to cool for about 15 minutes, and strain into a small saucepan. There
should be about 1 1/2 cups. Place over high heat, bring to a boil, and cook
until thick, syrupy, and dark brown, for about 15 minutes. Makes about 4 to
5 tablespoons of barbecue sauce base.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the seasoned shrimp and saute them, occasionally
shaking the skillet, for 2 minutes. Add the cream and all of the barbecue
base. Stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp to a warm platter
with tongs and whisk the butter into the sauce. Remove from the heat. Makes
about 2 cups. Mound the shrimp in the center of a platter. Spoon the sauce
over the shrimp and around the plate. Garnish with chopped chives.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Because it was clear that this weekend was going to have to be dedicated to finding just the right chemical imbalance, we had dinner at Coles' last night. I am pleased to report the Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA is that good-- and was just what was called for.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Saturday I lacked ambition, but I tore off a ten miler Sunday, which was nice. It was warm enough to make the footing reasonably good, the sun was out, and it felt like I could have kept going. In a perfect world I'd have run in the Lockport 10 Mile, the day before but that was logistically out of the question. The interesting thing is that distance is not really an issue after what we have been through-- an hour and a half, two hours of running-- hey, if you have the time, it can be done, and this is different for me.
Looking over the calendar, I note that the half marathons in the area are all front-loaded in the Spring. That isn't going to work for me, but there is a half marathon in Central Park August 28 that might be worth thinking about, and the Staten Island Half Marathon on October 16, along the waterfront, might be very nifty-- the view would be pretty amazing.
Looking over the calendar, I note that the half marathons in the area are all front-loaded in the Spring. That isn't going to work for me, but there is a half marathon in Central Park August 28 that might be worth thinking about, and the Staten Island Half Marathon on October 16, along the waterfront, might be very nifty-- the view would be pretty amazing.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Ed Whitlock, from Milton, Ontario, is 73, and fast. How fast? 2:54:49 marathon fast. 18:22 5k fast. He's an impressive guy, but what moves me to post about him is something that a doctor quoted in the article said: "Dr. Benjamin D. Levine, a cardiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, found that a group of people with an average age of 70 who had started exercising in midlife - as Whitlock did at age 41 - and kept it up had "hearts indistinguishable from healthy 30-year-olds."
Instead of the heart shrinking and stiffening with age, as it does in sedentary people, and impairing performance, Levine said, those trained 70-year-olds had larger, more elastic heart muscles. The findings were reported in the journal Circulation last September.
Exercise, Levine said, would enable someone like Whitlock, who had trained for years, to pump more blood, to feed the working muscles with oxygen levels associated with younger athletes.
A colleague of Levine's at Southwestern, Peter Snell, an exercise physiologist, said Whitlock's marathon pace required a level of oxygen consumption that is "what you'd expect for someone around 40 who's a very good runner."
This put me in mind of something I've heard Dave say: "I just do this now so that I can do it next year."
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Samukeliso Sithole training with some of the beasts he bought with his winnings
I like so many things about this story: Top Female Athlete Turns Out to Be Male. Of course the basic story is interesting, but I also love the "crimen injuria" charge-- it's not in my copy of Black's, but it appears that a charge of "Criminal Insult" requires the prosecution to establish that the conduct complained of amounted to an impairment of the complainants dignity and, if so, that the conduct was of such a serious nature that it merits punishment in the interest of society. What an interesting criminal charge!
I also love that when he was confronted, "the accused, like the athlete he is, took to his heels." And I love that: "In his defence, Sithole told the court that he was born with both female and male organs. The athlete added that his parents then consulted a Chipinge traditional healer who gave them some herbs following which he assumed female status.
"However, Sithole further alleges that they only paid half the money charged for the services rendered by the healer. As a punishment by the traditional healer for them to pay up the outstanding bill, the male organ only developed recently, he said.
"He told the court that he was scheduled to settle the bill with the traditional on his trial day and this would have resulted in him reverting to the female gender."
Finally, I think it is wonderful that this person "bought several beasts with his earnings from athletics."
Seems to me she should take up golf.
I also love that when he was confronted, "the accused, like the athlete he is, took to his heels." And I love that: "In his defence, Sithole told the court that he was born with both female and male organs. The athlete added that his parents then consulted a Chipinge traditional healer who gave them some herbs following which he assumed female status.
"However, Sithole further alleges that they only paid half the money charged for the services rendered by the healer. As a punishment by the traditional healer for them to pay up the outstanding bill, the male organ only developed recently, he said.
"He told the court that he was scheduled to settle the bill with the traditional on his trial day and this would have resulted in him reverting to the female gender."
Finally, I think it is wonderful that this person "bought several beasts with his earnings from athletics."
Seems to me she should take up golf.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
I love Unwritten Rules. From Scott Ostler:
The longer the term of the contract, the sooner one or both parties shalt feel screwed by it.
In the quickie halftime TV interview, no coach shalt convey the slightest interest in, or respect for, the questions asked, nor shalt he provide insights deeper than what could have been uttered by the team’s blondest cheerleader.
When making a public apology, an athlete or coach shalt qualify the apology by saying “If I offended anybody. . .”, even if what he did was paint a swastika on his rear end and remove his pants to celebrate a touchdown.
Of course there are more....
The longer the term of the contract, the sooner one or both parties shalt feel screwed by it.
In the quickie halftime TV interview, no coach shalt convey the slightest interest in, or respect for, the questions asked, nor shalt he provide insights deeper than what could have been uttered by the team’s blondest cheerleader.
When making a public apology, an athlete or coach shalt qualify the apology by saying “If I offended anybody. . .”, even if what he did was paint a swastika on his rear end and remove his pants to celebrate a touchdown.
Of course there are more....
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
How the Super Bowl looked to an Englishman:
"The TV audience get two sets of pundits. The "play-by-play" guys are skinny and stand up and are called Crib Collingworth and Joe Buck. The "color" guys look like bull gorillas with buzz cuts and they sit down and shout. They shout VERY LOUD. They have to in order be heard over the blasting rock music. It's as if the trade name war fought between the World Wildlife Fund and the World Wrestling Federation had been settled by a merging of the two organisations' most marketable resources - rutting mega fauna and screaming bodybuilders." (Via Sportsfilter.)
"The TV audience get two sets of pundits. The "play-by-play" guys are skinny and stand up and are called Crib Collingworth and Joe Buck. The "color" guys look like bull gorillas with buzz cuts and they sit down and shout. They shout VERY LOUD. They have to in order be heard over the blasting rock music. It's as if the trade name war fought between the World Wildlife Fund and the World Wrestling Federation had been settled by a merging of the two organisations' most marketable resources - rutting mega fauna and screaming bodybuilders." (Via Sportsfilter.)
Monday, February 07, 2005
Mr. Ed's results: Jim, 24:51 (121 overall, 16/36, 801 pace); Bill, 26:30 (170 overall, 19/32, 8:33 pace); Tom 27:10 (181 overall, 21/32, 8:46 pace). It was a glorious day for a run-- I wonder how many NFL cities were colder yesterday?-- clear, sunny, warm. The stretch along the towpath was muddy, which made for interesting tactical conditions: you could pass, but you wanted to pick your spots, and if you were on a dry portion, you were in a better position to hold on, because your portion of the track was a little faster. Come to think of it, that's true on that stretch when it is snow and ice on the ground, too. I'm coming to enjoy that piece of the race, and am thinking about parts of races that I really enjoy-- coming off the Michigan Avenue Bridge in the Shamrock, for example, or rounding Gates' Circle in the Subaru. Going through the Delaware Park overpass in the Turkey Trot.
Mr. Ed's shirt, suffice to say, did not disappoint, even though, by the standards of the race it was somewhat less painful to look at than in years past.
Mr. Ed's shirt, suffice to say, did not disappoint, even though, by the standards of the race it was somewhat less painful to look at than in years past.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Steve Earle and band, March 21, Club Infinity, Williamsville.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
I don't really care about the fact that Ron Wood's wife makes him eat organic food: it's the other details here that make me realize that it's pretty sweet to be a Stone, even a sort of reformed one. "When he was at the height of his drinking, I was recycling so many bottles I got a certificate: the most glass they'd ever collected from one house."
