re: food

I've found this delicious blog, not sure why, but I imagine it was linked through some book blog I read, since her second book is coming out soon.
Why has it not occurred to me before now to seek out French blogs? I'm sure it will improve my French (which is decent), my culinary skills, and provide yet another thing to do at work when we have nothing else to do.
In any event, I'm particularly excited about making my own dried pineapple. In addition, I feel a sudden urge to buy garlic (which I've never purchased), ramekins, and to teleport my mother's unused ice cream maker from CT. I'm also craving gianduja. If there is a better combination than chocolate and hazelnut, I'd like to hear it.
I almost never buy corn because corn has always been such a massive undertaking in my family. Shucking and boiling and finding those little corn holders. Quel cauchemar! But I found the simplest thing in the world. Roasting corn. Just preheat the oven and stick your ear(s) of corn in, still in their husks, and it comes out brilliantly. You can peel off the husk and use that as you eat. It's amazing. I don't need butter or salt, so it's even easier.
I'm running low on my Avila Valley Farm pumpkin bread and am mildly devastated.
I tried the Studio Yogurt the other day and was stunned at the sheer ginormity of a small. I got the chocolate cheesecake, which I believe had some sugar alternative in it (which I'm against), but it only made it a little bitter. I wanted a little peanut butter cup to cut the mound of froyo, but did not realize when the scooper (salesman? what do I call him) said it had to be on the side that he would then fill a separate cup with crushed peanut butter cups and charge me a dollar. This is how "toppings" apparently work. So be aware.
I bought the boxed Campbell Tomato Parmesan Bisque. It's got great flavor, but I need to check the ingredients. I'm not sure what the lumps are. Some of it's clearly the cheese, but I think there must be some onion, though I didn't read any on their site. How I loathe onion.
I don't know that I'll ever become a soup person (my mother could bake, but stews and soups were not her strong suit), but I do like bisque--and anything's a good excuse to buy oyster crackers.
I really want to buy some excellent chocolate.

Oh, and one more thing about Shell Beach. Ocean Avenue, aptly named, as some incredible houses, including one that has its own greenhouse, piazza-like yard and pool, and, amazingly, a windmill. I want this house. But I'm terribly concerned about cliff erosion. This is the great "location" quandary of our time. Do you buy a gorgeous place near the ocean, a dream home in every sense, that could at any moment plunge to its doom from crumbling cliffs, be swept away by a mudslide, or be yanked into the ocean by rising floodwaters? Is the dream worth a likely nightmare?
Luckily, I'm not wealthy enough to be burdened by such a problem.

uncertainty

I've been interested in uncertainty for some time (probably all my life as an abstract, but only recently as a--how to put it--value), and now, I can't help but think about maps in the human consciousness.
"Here be dragons" used to act as a filler for the human lack of knowledge of geography. While the image of a serpent has vanished from the modern atlas, I can't help but think that idea permeates human history. It's not that we're making it up, not really. We believe there to be dragons. We don't know that we don't know until, you know, ch-ch-ch-changes.
It's not so often books make you think.

Also, had a Tommy's Hamburger today. Will not be repeating that mistake in the future.

Like Commies, but with talent

Tomorrow is the big writers' rally at FOX. If you work on Pico, I advise you to find an alternate route because there are over 3000 of us, and we're going to just DESTROY traffic. So skip work, wear red, and join us. There will be famous people. It's going to be like a block party, except we're not that happy about it. I borrowed my boss's camera, so I'll be posting pictures tomorrow night.

Despite having provided the world with Freaks and Geeks and becoming the film world's next big Comedy dude, I've refrained from becoming a monster Apatow geek. Until now.

If there's a chance tomorrow, I'm going to let him know how much I love this poster (I'm not crazy enough to think I'll meet him at the rally, but I am going to a panel he's at the Sam Goldwyn Theater tomorrow night).

If you don't live in LA or NYC, you can still help support the writers' strike. How? Don't watch TV online. Writers don't get any money, despite the advertising that accompanies every episode viewed online. So don't watch those shows until we get our contracts. Watch the WGA youtube channel instead.

Chow mein noodles are the best.

If anyone knows Rob McElhenney or any of the guys on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia or anyone who could get scripts for that show, let me know. I'm desperado to write a spec script for that show. Anyone who can hook me up, I'll make a pumpkin pie for (if you're in LA), OR have something sweet sent to you (if you live anywhere else in America).

girls and body image, zucchini cake

Being largely one of those people who likes some distance between their mouths and vegetables, it may be somewhat surprising that I am head-over-heels for zucchini chocolate chip cake. My mom made it last night, and I love it just as much today as I always have.

Apparently, some horrible woman named MeMe Roth with the National Action Against Obesity group said she "saw diabetes" when she looked at AI winner Jordin Sparks. Though the death threats against her are equally reprehensible, does this woman not understand that to say such a thing of a 17 year-old girl can have irreperable damage. Why do you think all these starlets in Hollywood are drug addicts and anorexic -- because their weight is a subject of constant focus in the media. Jordin had the misfortune of being a traditionally-built girl who had to stand next to petite Ryan Seacrest who, in comparison, made her look enormous. But she's beautiful and her health and eating habits are none of anyone's business. Trying to fight obesity is a great thing, but saying a 17 year-old girl makes you think of heart disease puts you on the same level as Don Imus.

Post 100

Brought to you by Kashi's Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cookies, the best cookies on earth when you only want one cookie and you want to pretend you care about your health! Let it be known that my grandmother thinks they taste like cardboard, but that's only because she's old and doesn't know anything. Love ya, Grams!

Also, if, like me, you weren't blown away by the first season of Extras, yet continued to watch it because, let's face it, you watch too much TV, and now no longer have access to HBO, several of the Season 2 (and last season! no!) episodes are available on youtube (I only found the Daniel Radcliffe, Orlando Bloom, and Chris Martin ones, sliced up but fully present). Absolutely brilliant.