Archive for June, 2007
June 21, 2007 at 1:55 pm · Filed under ,
One other thing I’ve been meaning to mention, apropo of nothing…
Gina Gionfriddo’s essay in the current issue of The Believer completely rocked my world. Gionfriddo links her own painful disillusionment with Christianity with what Reznor expresses through Nine Inch Nails and ties it all back to British Romanticism and Freudian psychoanalysis. I felt like she was speaking directly to me. I thought I was done with NIN after Pretty Hate Machine and Downward Spiral served as cornerstones of my collegiate depression soundtrack (simultaneous with my full-time literature nerd phase when I was nuts about the Romantics and especially Mary Shelley). Now I’m really curious about the last two albums. I only ever heard a couple of songs.
Overall this is one of the best issues ever of The Believer. There’s a funny article about how to deal with music obsessives, a fabulous interview between Miranda July and the lead singer of the Blow, and plenty of other stuff guaranteed to make you feel cooler and smarter. Although if you’re reading this blog, I have no doubt that you’re already 100% smart and cool so read at your own risk.
June 21, 2007 at 1:30 pm · Filed under , ,
Happy solstice! I have many half-written posts in the queue but sunshine and deadlines keep calling me away. So to keep this blog limping along, I’ll just share a few things real quick.
I’ve been making stuff. Some of the more exciting things are still in progress, but these hoops are done…
…except for my favorite one which I’m going to have to order more pink glitter tape to finish.
The Fremont Solstice Parade last weekend was awesome. More pictures will be up on Flickr soon, but in the meantime, how awesome is this?
And a rose update. The first bloomer, as you can see in the hoop picture above, is going like gangbusters. My other two full-size bushes are barely hanging on but have each produced a single perfect bloom. Here’s my best pic.
It’s time to update my seasonal green index thingamagiggy, but if I don’t manage to get to that tomorrow, it’ll have to wait til next week. I’m going to be completely useless this weekend, hanging out in Twisp with these degenerates.
June 11, 2007 at 1:05 pm · Filed under ,
This recipe doesn’t exactly max out health standards or fit in with my recent efforts to explore a wheat-free diet. It relies heavily on bread and olive oil. But it’s a delicious vegan way to make a full meal out of a green salad.
Panzanella is a traditional Italian bread salad. Every recipe I’ve ever seen is different. It can be made with everything from tuna fish to cannellini beans. The core ingredients are bread, tomatoes, lettuce, and fresh basil. Here’s how I do it vegan-style with roasted vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2-4 cloves of garlic
- loaf of sturdy crusty bread (ciabatta, baguette, italian, etc.)
- 1-2 fresh tomatoes
- 4-6 slices of Lightlife Fakin’ Bacon or other vegan “bacon”
- veggies of your choice for roasting (I used about 1/2 lb green beans and a huge portabella mushroom)
- 1 bag mixed greens, 1 head lettuce, or whatever salad greens you like
- 1-3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (I like to chiffonade it)
- black pepper and salt to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425′F and make sure your oven trays are evenly spaced so you can have two trays cooking at the same time.
- Make 1/2 cup garlic oil. Press or mince&mash garlic cloves in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pour in the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking as you go.
- Prepare the bread. Cut bread into cubes about 1 inch square or a little bigger. Drizzle with 3 TBSP of the garlic oil, toss to coat, and spread flat on a baking sheet or two. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden. Leave the oven on.
- Prepare the veggies. Clean veggies and cut into bite-sized pieces. Toss with 1-2 TBSP garlic oil and spread flat on baking sheet. Roast 15-20 minutes, or until tender, shaking pans or stirring halfway through.
- Prepare the secret ingredients. Okay, maybe not secret, but crucial to the delectable taste. Cut “bacon” slices into bite-sized pieces and saute them in a little bit of the garlic oil. While they’re browning, chop up the tomatoes and discard excess liquid and seeds. Then sear the tomatoes in the bacon for just a couple minutes over medium high heat, stirring gently. The goal is to combine the flavors and warm up the tomatoes, but don’t overdo it or you’ll end up with soggy stewed tomatoes. Remove from heat.
- Make the dressing. Add balsamic vinegar and pepper to the remaining olive oil, adjusting for a mild balanced taste (not too much vinegar). Whisk together. Add the basil. Add salt if needed.
- Mix it all together. Toss together all the prepared ingredients from steps 3-6 with your fresh salad greens. Let the whole thing sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to develop. Stir just before devouring.
June 7, 2007 at 8:27 am · Filed under ,
My mom got me this jacket at Nordstrom Rack when she was visiting. I love the color and the nice long arms, but I wasn’t down with the DKNY logo.
I don’t have any particular grudge against DKNY, but I thought I could do better. This is what I came up with. Three cheers for the magic of iron-on transfer pencil and Craphound #5!
The grey is a scrap from an old disintegrating t-shirt of Ben’s that I cut up to salvage the cool robot design. Mr. Robot will eventually appear on a laptop bag (snagged at a conference and currently emblazoned with at least 8 different logos).
I was going to stitch the vein lines inside the heart, but I kind of like how it looks now. Anybody think I should go back and stitch the veins?
June 4, 2007 at 11:00 am · Filed under ,
Amani hosted a gathering to make seed bombs — little balls of seeds packed in clay and compost for throwing into vacant lots and ugly medians. Yay for guerrilla gardening!
