Sunday, May 30, 2010

May 30, 2010



Memorial Day Weekend treat.


“He’s Alive,” 1963

R.I.P. Dennis Hopper. The above shot is from an hour-long Twilight Zone. Paul Mazursky has a supporting role.



"...Remember it when you hear a name called, a minority attacked, any blind, unreasoning assault on a people or any human being. He's alive because through these things we keep him alive."



Getting ready for Pacino as Shylock in Shakespeare in the Park.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

May 29, 2010 - Memorial Day Weekend



Remember those who served.



Market wasn't too crowded at 9:00 a.m. Didn't take any crowd shots. Here's some Swiss Chard.



Sugar Snap Peas:
* 4 oz Sugar snap peas
* 2 Garlic cloves; crushed,
* 1 tb Lime juice
* 1/2 ts Brown sugar
* Or honey
* Water
* Zap for 1 or 2 minutes per taste. I go for one minute.



I was hoping Raspberries would be available, maybe next week. Flowers all over.



Went to Whole Foods Bowery and they had Cask Ale. Maybe next time.



I opted for lighter, Summery beers instead : Sierra Nevada Summerfest.



And, Tröegs Sunshine Pils.



Indoor Grilling for the weekend. Burgers, Dogs, Chicken, Hot Sausage and Peppers, Shrimp on Skewers - to be served Fajita Style, Chili, Salad, and Sugar Snap Peas. Desert will be a Memorial Day Red/White/Blue Shortcake with Strawberries ,Fresh Cream and Blueberries.



The Diary of a Crossword Fiend in comments about the LA Times puzzle references a New Yorker article about Edgar Allan Poe. It is available On-Line. Interesting reading. Learned a new phrase : jiggery pokery.



Great NY Times article on the Rims I learned on. No wonder my game was driving , not shooting

Friday, May 28, 2010

May 28, 2010



The Beers for the Big Apple BBQ Party will be 9 different brews from Heartland Brewery.



The youngest son went to a Prom last night. Have to say he looked good in a Classic Tux with Bow-Tie. The others had black shirts and almost Day-Glo ties. Sometimes Old-School and classic never goes out of style. Stretch Limo, Manhattan Clubbing after-wards, something that was alien to my time. He said it was fun.



Beer for the weekend is a refreshing and tasty Wheat beer: Southern Tier Hop Sun.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

May 25, 2010



Congrats Class of 2010. The youngest son graduates from High School tomorrow. Man, it was over 41 years ago that this Class of 69 guy graduated. What a different world he is coming into. Took me a while to find my way, hope he can do it without too much grief. The oldest son goes back to what is turning out to be the never-ending College Career. Hope it ends this December.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

May 23, 2010



The New York Times Sunday Magazine has a great Article today by Steven Brill on the state of Education in America. Lots of local NY Politics including Sheldon Silver's relationship with the UFT. Reminds me of the line in Woody Allen's Sleeper explaining how civilization was destroyed : "a man named Albert Shanker got hold of a nuclear warhead."



2:18 - 2:30 for the Albert Shanker line.



Ok, Ok. We'll take it in.



Lost finale tonight. I'm not a big fan and I don't quite get it. Will watch it though, because there is nothing else on besides Yankees/Mets. Perhaps, some sense of the story will be explained. The actors on the show are great. It was always on in this house, but many episodes were not really watched. It was a show that you had to pay attention to if you wanted to follow it. Maybe the written follow-ups will explain it to me.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

May 22, 2010


Sailing to Byzantium

That is no country for old men. The young
In one another's arms, birds in the trees
—Those dying generations—at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unaging intellect.



In this week's Rolling Stone:The Global Land Grab by McKenzie Funk: A new breed of investor is planning to get rich off global warming, overpopulation and famine. Meet the new capitalists of chaos. The article is about Philippe Heilberg .

The article mentions the above book as Heilberg's recreational reading. Have to try it. A UPI Article describes the essence of what was in Rolling Stone.



Crowded at 10:00 a.m.



Lots of Police about.



Strawberries at $7 a Quart or $4 a Pint.



Coming up June 12 -13, 8th Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Partyat Madison Square Park. The Fast Pass is now $125 for $100 worth of BBQ, it is still worth it to beat the enormous lines.



Big Ed and "Whole Hog" BBQ will be back.

Friday, May 21, 2010

May 21, 2010 - Part 2



In preparation for Yankees /Mets, a visit to Brouwerij Lane in Greenpoint.



Flying Dog Raging Bitch Cask Ale, $3 a glass.



Wonderful selection, and a taste is available before buying.



Their Web Site is usually current.



This was one great IPA, the Flying Dog Raging Bitch.



I was going to get Sierra Nevada Blond, but was recommended to try this Blue Star Wheat. It was nice and light and just what is needed when a hot night calls. I also bought the Greenport Harbor Black Duck Porter.



It means more to the Mets, but I wish the Yankees would take this series more seriously. Go Yankees!

May 21, 2010



Borough Distribution for Shakespeare in the Park. Al Pacino is Shylock.



In yesterday's NYT Crossword, and posted on The New York Times Crossword in Gothic , is another Green Alien dancing girl. If you stop it at 14 seconds, you see a wardrobe malfunction. The actress playing Oola is Femi Taylor.



Not to be confused with Alley Oop's girlfriend Ooola.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

May 16, 2010



Fresh Cream is the difference.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

May 15, 2010



The market is best in the early morning, not too crowded.



Lots of room to move.



First Strawberries of the Season, $4.25 a pint. Will have Strawberry Shortcake later with fresh Whipped Cream.



Spring Garlic for $2.50 or $2 depending where you buy it.



Live Blue Crabs at $1 each: Seatuck Fish Company. The plan is to make a Crab Sauce and put it on Bluefish.



Directed by Roger Corman.



They were very much alive. An older woman asked for Dead Crabs. I offered to kill them for 25¢ a crab. She did not laugh. I later understood her concern when this beast drew blood.



I dropped it in the sink, and it wouldn't let go of the sink rack. It must have known it was going into boiling water seasoned with Old Bay.



End result. The five crabs gave enough meat for a nice sauce: Crab, Ramps, Mushroom and Wine to top the Fried Bluefish.





Beer for the weekend is Dogfish Head Aprihop. A flavorful IPA with a touch of Apricot.



This book got great reviews. Since I am a B-Ball nut, a must read.



Imperium came first. Conspirata follows up on the life of Cicero, one of my all-time favorites from the Roman Empire. Narrated by Marcus Tullius Tiro . The typewriter ampersand symbol (&) was invented by Marcus Tullius Tiro around 60 BCE as a part of a system of shorthand that allowed him to write down the orations of Cicero. The symbol was a combination of the letters ‘e’ and ‘t’ from the Latin word ‘et’ meaning ‘and.’



BATPHONE was an answer in today's NYT Crossword. One thing leads to another. Started to find stuff on Batgirl, played by Yvonne Craig. She was "Marta", the green skinned Orion slave girl in "Whom Gods Destroy", "Quem deus vult perdere, dementat prius." (NOT the Orion in"The Cage" / "The Menagerie" in Star Trek.) Whew !

Sunday, May 9, 2010

May 9, 2010


A real nice tranquil Mother's Day.



Started off with MOMOSAS, and Sausage and Egg sandwiches.



A little Godiva Liqueur Truffle action.



Dinner is Lao Bei Fang Dumpling House Dumplings.



With Sesame Noodles. 20 Dumplings and Noodles for the ridiculous price of $10.25.



They are good and always cooked to order.



On the way back is the Lemon Ice King of Corona.



The Creamsicle, Orange and Vanilla Ice.



Actually owned this album in College. Today's NYT Crossword Theme.