Friday, December 31, 2010

December 31, 2010 - Happy New Year !



Happy New Year !



This was posted on The Gothamist. Pretty cool.



Twilight Zone Marathon has begun. No Fourth season, hour long episodes, in the play list. Other marathons to be sampled: Honeymooners on Channel 11 and Marx Brothers on Turner Classic Movies. No going out tonight, my old neighborhood used to call it "Amateur Night." Home with lots of food, Grandkids, maybe primary kids, and TV Marathons.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

December 28, 2010



I'm still stuck and have to take the train to work.***** My block still is not plowed but I saw an angle, hopped on a sidewalk, drove to an opening and now blissfully on a spot on a hill and ready to roll. I will be driving to work.********



Pretty lousy response by NYC and MTA.



Somebody can get hurt.



Must watch is on American Masters: Glenn Gould.



I was at the Academy of Music for this one.



The original : Baby don't you do it, Marvin Gaye

Sunday, December 26, 2010

December 26, 2010 - Blizzard



The Blizzard has begun. I am enjoying my Christmas gifts. My relatives know that for me it is BBQ, Beer and Books.



Unbroken A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Written by Laura Hillenbrand. I read the reviews, looks interesting. I doubt I would have picked it up, but since it's a gift, I'll try it.



Aventinus, a Weizenbock 8.2% ABV



Affligem Tripel a high octane, 9.5 % ABV, Abbey Ale.Their Web site features Gregorian Chants.



Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic Beer.



A $50 gift Certificate for Wildwood will be used for Ribs and Brisket.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

December 25, 2010 - Merry Christmas !



Merry Christmas ! Great having the day before and after off. Same thing for New Year's.



Cheers ! The gifts are below. Thanks.



Edmund Morris' Colonel Roosevelt, the third piece of his trilogy.



Always cooking and a a spice rack comes in handy.



I love fresh pepper, so these mills come in handy. I do not use the salt, but others do.



Knicks and Bulls with festive uniforms for today's 12:00 noon game at the Garden.

Friday, December 24, 2010

December 24, 2010



My favorite Scrooge, Reginald Owen. From IMDB: "Was not originally scheduled to play Ebenezer Scrooge in the MGM classic 1938 version of "A Christmas Carol." Reginald was a last-minute replacement for the ailing Lionel Barrymore."



S'Muttonator from the Smuttynose Brewing Company from Vermont.

From their Web Site: As the name implies, a doppelbock (double bock) is a very malty German lager beer. Typically quite sweet with some roasted malt undertones, doppelbocks range in color from deep amber to nearly black and are normally associated with the winter season. Traditionally, German brewers have used the suffix “-ator” in naming their doppelbock beers; we have, too.

This is closer to a Barleywine, thick, high alcohol, smooth and tasty. A great Winter Brew.



Victory Village Ale, American Brown Ale | 5.10% ABV. Coffee flavor abounds.



Franco's Deli in Corona has a nice write-up in Edible Queens. I was in the area picking up Stuffed Shells from Mama's (Leo's Latticini) and Tamales from Nixtamal. All three places within a block from each other. The steak sandwich was terrific.



The Stuffed Shells from Mama's can't be beat.



Awaiting the TZ Marathon on SyFy this upcoming New Year's Eve.



Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse ,The Time Element, November 10,1958. Though not the pilot episode of Rod Serling's series, "The Twilight Zone," it was Rod Serling's production that led to "The Twilight Zone" TV series. This rarely played telecast is available in its entirety on YouTube.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

December 23, 2010



Christmas Tree.



My Favorite Ornament.



Always liked this one too.



Moon before the Lunar Eclipse.



Latest value wine: Fetzer.



Żywiec Porter packs a punch, 9.5 % abv.



Wizards in Winter and lights, Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

December 22, 2010



Lotte Lenya doing the Bertolt Brecht/Kurt Weill creation.



Where I first heard it, The Doors.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

December 21, 2010



NYC RESTAURANT WEEK
- Winter 2011
Jan 24–Feb 6*

Lunch $24.07 | Dinner $35.00
*Saturdays excluded; Sundays optional. Beverages, gratuities and taxes are not included.



Cool eclipse last night. Set the alarm and woke up to watch.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

December 19, 2010



Tonight is the final show for Survivor Nicaragua, rooting for Jud, aka Fabio. A guilty pleasure and a wonderfully filmed Psychological experiment. The Jury the last few times was extremely bitter and that looks like what will go down tonight.



Man, I like going to Bookstores and browsing. But, if you know what you want, buying on-line is the way to go. Like Autobiography of Mark Twain at 48% off is $18.17, and Colonel Roosevelt is 43% off at $19.63. This includes my membership 10 %. The membership allows free express shipping. Going to the store costs you more, what a crazy world. Garrison Keillor in today's NYT Book Review savages AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN Volume 1 : "Here is a powerful argument for writers’ burning their papers."



The Gumbo Pages is my go-to source for Cajun Recipes. Tomorrow night, Monday evening Red Beans and Rice.



Edible Queens just came out with the Winter Issue which includes Ridgewood Kabanosy shops.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

December 18, 2010



It's so hot
looks like you have three beaks crow
the moon's so full
white hat on a pumpkin
you know there's something
the moon was a stone's throw
stop the show
I need to say hello
to the crow



R.I.P Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefhart.



In today's NYT Crossword - 51 a : Artwork depicted in Dalí's "The Hallucinogenic Toreador" : VENUSDEMILO.



Classic Feynman is a compilation of his other works but also includes an hour long Audio CD that makes it all worth reading again. What a Character !

Friday, December 17, 2010

December 17, 2010



Zamboni cleans the ice at The Pond at Bryant Park.



Perfect gift for the family geeks: Darth Vader Flash Drive.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

December 16, 2010



Day off for Christmas shopping. Start with Bloody Marys.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

December 12, 2010



Nutcracker time. Playing it constantly.



It gets a lot of TV coverage and I'll be watching.



Fantasia was fantastic.



Mentioned in today's NYT Crossword: her name, "St. Pauli" comes from the ancient St. Paul's Monastery on which the original St. Pauli Brewery was founded and built in the 17th Century.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

December 11, 2010



Great special tonight on HBO about the life of Vince Lombardi.



Monument up at Fordham University for the Seven Blocks of Granite.



The Knicks are on fire. Amare Stoudemire is the Real Deal.



Door Wreath.



The local distributor had Sam Adams Old Fezziwig on tap. Delightful and quite tasty. Nothing like fresh tap beer.

From the Sam Adams Web Site:

A classic brown ale, Old Fezziwig is brewed using generous amounts of cinnamon, ginger and orange peel.

Samuel Adams® Old Fezziwig® Ale is bursting with spices of the season. With a remarkably full body and flavor it helps those long winter nights pass more quickly. The rich taste hits the palate with a depth of malt character ranging from sweet toffee and caramel notes to dark, roasty chocolate notes. Then the spices come in full force. Cinnamon, ginger and orange peel dance on the tongue bringing with them the celebratory spirit of the season.



Fezziwig was a character in Dickens' A Christmas Carol:

Stave Two
Old Fezziwig laid down his pen, and looked up at the clock, which pointed to the hour of seven. He rubbed his hands; adjusted his capacious waistcoat; laughed all over himself, from his shows to his organ of benevolence; and called out in a comfortable, oily, rich, fat, jovial voice:
"Yo ho, there! Ebenezer! Dick!" ....

There were more dances, and there were forfeits, and more dances, and there was cake, and there was negus, and there was a great piece of Cold Roast, and there was a great piece of Cold Boiled, and there were mince-pies, and plenty of beer. But the great effect of the evening came after the Roast and Boiled, when the fiddler (an artful dog, mind! The sort of man who knew his business better than you or I could have told it him!) struck up "Sir Roger de Coverley." Then old Fezziwig stood out to dance with Mrs Fezziwig. Top couple too; with a good stiff piece of work cut out for them; three or four and twenty pair of partners; people who were not to be trifled with; people who would dance, and had no notion of walking.



I picked up some Weihenstephaner Dunkel, not realizing their recent collaboration with Sam Adams described below.



A Christmas gift for some beer loving relatives.

Weihenstephan Sam Adams Infinium : A collaboration between Weihenstephan and Sam Adams. Available for a limited time only, this innovative new beer style adheres to the rigorous standards of the Reinheitsgebot, the historic German beer purity law that states all beer must be brewed using only four ingredients: malt, hops, water and yeast. Infinium pours out a deep golden color with fine bubbles and has a fruity, elegant aroma. Its crisp acidity gives it a dryness and tartness on the palate that is balanced with a smooth malt body. Infinium is packaged in 750mL cork-finished bottles and contains 10.3 percent alcohol by volume, twice the amount of an average beer.



Roach's Packing for Mars devotes a chapter to Animals in Space. Fascinating stuff.