Whole Wheat Dark ChocolateI would have never tried these Tate’s Bake Shop Cookies if Mike hadn’t brought them over for D&D one night. Reluctant would be the word to describe me around whole wheat, but I am just stubbornly unhealthy that way, flour-wise.
But these things are good, my any measure. Jim, in fact, deemed them “too good” and tries to make himself feel better by only eating one half of a cookie at a time.
Too Cute!This new Volkswagen commercial is so adorable, it almost makes me wonder what I am missing when I fast forward through them.
Thankfully, the good ones get caught by the internet and conveniently emailed to me. I love how expressive this little kid is just using his hands.
Exotic BeautyIf there were one woman to embody the word exotic, it would have to be the stunningly gorgeous Donyale Luna. Her illustrious film and fashion modeling career landed her the first African American cover of Vogue, though her relationship to her race was far more complicated than that of proud pioneer.
She was born in Detroit where her abusive father murdered her mother when she was a teen, but, maybe in attempt to distance herself from a traumatic past, she claimed to be of a mysterious lineage of Mexican, Indonesian, Irish. She never wanted to be defined by her race.
Notably as strange as she was beautiful, she was said to have been wild and unpredictable and sadly died of a drug overdose at age 33. She was romantically linked to Klaus Kinski among others.
Click here for the rest of Donyale Luna
by Charles Bukowski (1982)There is a great tradition in American literature of tough men telling masturbation soaked tales of youthful losers. I can’t say it’s my go-to source for reading, which is probably why Ham on Rye has sat on my book shelves for over a decade. I bought it in my high school years, exactly the right time to want to be into Bukowski. But I never was.
I wondered how his coarse, depressing stuff would read with an older me – and have a loose resolution to watch, read, and listen to artists I’ve never experienced but am curious about. I started with Tom Wolfe (big success) and Bukowski was right next to him on the shelf.
Like other rough and manly men of the written word, his writing is to the point. it’s sparse but still conveys a very vivid picture. The picture Ham and Rye shows is this: it sucked to be Charles Bukowski as a kid, or I should say, Hank Chinaski, his semi autobiographical anti-hero. If anyone asked him why he drank, he could probably just plop this book down on the table.
One almost expects this portrait of a young man, forced to the outside fringes of society to end with a mass murder perpetrated by the shunned, horny misanthrope rather than a penny arcade defeat. But true to Bukowski’s negative eye on the world – things end more poignantly with a whimper.
I was surprised to enjoy this book (well, enjoy is maybe too joyful a word). Though I do have a weird knack for reading bleak stuff when it’s at odds with my life (Miss Lonelyhearts before I got married, this one as Van sleeps peacefully next to me).
by Luna (1994)I love how music can touch you deep down and take you back to a person that you once were.
Luna’s California (All the Way) is one of those songs that will always be associated in my mind with my Junior year in college. While it doesn’t take me back to the specific memories (which boyfriend was breaking up with me at the time, again??) it does transport me to a very certain feeling.
I can close my eyes when this song comes on and see a warm afternoon outside my apartment on Arnold Street in Providence filled with all the optimism of the young and cocky and all the insecurities of the young and barely experienced.
As for the song itself, I was introduced to it by an old friend, Peat, back when mix cd’s were still given as gifts.
Even if the song holds no sentiment to you, it’s still very lovely.
from Simply RecipesFinally! An excellent banana bread recipe!
While I had some luck with a fancy lemon glazed coconut version a while back, I have struck out twice in the last year with banana bread.
I gave it one last chance tonight facing a few over ripe bananas and decided to wisely go to one of my favorite recipe sources, Simply Recipes this time.
Well, the third time’s a charm – this Basic Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips is sweet, moist, and pretty perfect.
The chocolate is my own addition, and I added a handful of chips after adding and mixing in the flour. You can adjust and add to your own taste (maybe some coconut, walnuts, cinnamon?)
It’s really simple and there’s no need for any mixers beyond your own hands and a wooden spoon.
44 Berry Street, WilliamsburgI have to preface that my experience of The Counting Room may be very different from yours, unless you too go to bars in the early afternoon when the neighborhood babies along with their booze starved parents take over. So don’t blame me if it’s full of techno and 19 year old jerks at midnight.
During this time, it’s a bright, lovely space with soaring ceilings, picnic tables, and chic barn light fixtures.
I was itching for a cocktail – but those don’t make their appearance until after 6pm, so I went for the Bloody Wilbur, a bacon infused (what isn’t bacon infused at this point) bloody mary that was pretty good, but not mind blowing and very weak as far as the vodka goes.
Much more impressive was the beer list which included the incredibly tasty and surprisingly American Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale, a brew I will be keeping my out for from now on. It won over everyone at our table.
The food was also a pleasant surprise. Going far beyond expected bar food that can taste like an after thought, everything we tried was excellent: a well adorned sopressata sandwich on criso French bread, and yummy, slightly lemony deviled eggs.
by Tom Wolfe (1987)There are people who know how to tell a story and those who don’t. Tom Wolfe can tell a story. With an ear for dialogue, a sharp eye for details, and an almost tabloid journalism joy for exposing and wallowing in the character’s flaws, in his first fictional novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Wolfe is wry, smart and highly entertaining.
Little wonder that it was a national best seller that spawned a (reportedly terrible and definitely miscast) star studded movie.
The writing is Dickens by way of Richard Price. In less deft hands, lacking the dark sense of humor, this could have been a self riteous bore, but it’s crisp, witty and makes me want to read more from the well dressed icon.
Set in the mid 80’s Bonfire is the story of one Sherman McCoy, a Wall Street millionaire who ends up embroiled in scandal when he and his mistress commit hit and run while lost in the streets of the Bronx. Race, class warfare, politics, greed, and yellow journalism all play their part in this epic story.
167 North 9th, WilliamsburgI warmly welcome the addition to Midoriya, a new Japanese market in Williamsburg. While it’s smaller with less to offer than the popular Sunrise Markets, it’s great to find reasonably priced instant ramens for easy lunches as well as a host of interesting items to try out for fun.
Along with grocery items there are frozen goods in back and a small refrigerated section in front, though sadly no fresh octopus or roe (an indulgence I use to love from Sunrise for lunch in my Soho working days). It makes up for the omission of fresh foods by offering onigiri – a favorire snack of mine even if I still can’t unwrap it corectly.
from Brylane HomeI have literally been dreaming of this jewelry organizer – there I was, at my old, old job – the one in Midtown and the sassy women I used to work with had bought it for me. I woke up ecstatic in that fleeting moment when you don’t know you’re dream isn’t real. Then – as reality set in – I knew there was really nothing better or even feasible to ask Jim for for Christmas.
I love it, despite its old lady guest bathroom fixture appearance – because finding one to fit my mammoth costume jewelry collection is near impossible (basically this is it). Those wispy tree branches you usually find under “jewelry organizer”? Ha, it would be like trying to contain all this snow of ours in a snoopy sno cone machine. This was honestly the only one I found of this size and sturdiness – a lifetime of Brylane Home catalogs is a worthy side effect for the purchase.
I am still in the process of adding all my earrings, but I love that I can finally find all my stuff without having to wade through a drawer or a box – and the days of tangled threads of faux pearls and beads are over. Now. looking at those empty hooks, I just need more huge statement bracelets it would seem – good thing I have a birthday coming up.
Slightly off topic, I’d like to mention that this little collection of mine is an ode to the idea that expensive is not always better. Every time I am glancing through the jewelry section of Vogue or some similar publication, I balk at the “real” jewelry out there (of course there are significant exceptions) but most of it is so yucky and so expensive. I always think how one ugly gemstone ring would cost more than buying out an entire Claire’s.
