March 30, 2011

So, my Bracket is still alive. Two of the Final Four teams. In the NYT, I rank 97% out of over 36,000 entries. In the ESPN pool only two people out of over five million entries picked the correct Final Four.

March 27, 2011

The American Cancer Society Daffodil Days always has my participation.

"Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).



Alexandra Horowitz has some cool Dog Science insights. Video is from AOL Splash page.

March 26, 2011

Nice tip, will have to see if it works.



Pretty cool Public Art in NOLA.

March 20, 2011

A beer to finish four straight days of Basketball. Nice flavor, a good stout.



The Mind's Eye is an interesting read. The Brain, perception, and Neurological issues all dispensed in a clear narrative. Lots of medical terms like: Agnosia, Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA), Anomia, and Musical Alexia. The author also writes about his own ocular melanoma and the unusual side-effects that he endured.



Strawberry Shortcake, excellent.



Supermoon, got to get a better camera for night shots.



The new Box-Set ($99) JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology looks exceptional.

March 19, 2011

Spring issue of Edible Queens is now out. Their web site highlights a great Queens BBQ place: Legends / Ranger BBQ.



Bright, sunny day at the Greenmarket. Pickings are still pretty slim.



Mutsu Apples.



Back of Washington statue.



Supermoon is here !

March 18, 2011

Maybe after the St. John's and Villanova losses the conference should be known as "The Big Least."



Heavy Cream left over from Irish Coffees. Just in time for Florida Strawberries and Short Cake.



Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep does it better, but the original "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" was done by Anita O'Day.

And her tears flowed like wine
Yes, her tears flowed like wine
She's a real sad tomato
She's a busted Valentine
Knows her mama done told her
That her man is darned unkind

March 17, 2011

St. Patrick's Day and March Madness. What could be better ? Guinness is the beer for the night, with a little Harp and then later some Ale mixed in. Will peek in on the Knicks game too.



Louisville (Like Fredo): "You Broke My Heart." As well as my Bracket. Princeton/Kentucky game was wild. Butler/Old Dominion and Richmond/Vanderbilt games were great. The Tourney is the best sports event of the year. Go Redmen !

March 16, 2011

St. Patrick's Day must be celebrated. Sláinte !



I will start out with Irish Coffees.



With Soda Bread toast.



Followed by Black and Tans.



After Harp, some real ale.

March 14, 2011

Taking the youngest to DMV to get his permit. Fee - $80, ouch! Again, no new taxes, but we are getting "nickled and dimed" by fees. Will take a book: Frank - The Voice.



New place nearby, will try it. Not looking for it to be anything special.



In the same mall, Aldi Supermarket. They do things differently but the prices are good and so is the quality. Reminds me of Trader Joe's. I decided to research that: Aldi's owns Trader Joe's.

March 13, 2011

Poverty Train:
Last call for the poverty train
Last call for the poverty train

It looks good and dirty
On shiny light strip
And if you don't get beat
You got yourself a trip

You can see the walls roar
See your brains on the floor
Become God
Become cripple
Become funky and split
Why was I born?

Oh baby, I just saw the devil
And he's smiling at me
I heard my bones cry
Devil, why's it got to be?

Devil played with my brother
Devil drove my mother
Now, the tears in the gutter
Are flooding the sea
Why was I born?

Oh baby, it looks good and dirty
Them shiny lights glow
A million night tramps
Tricks and tracks
Will come and go
You're starvin' today
But who cares anyway?

Baby, it feels like I'm dying
Now, I swear there's something better than
Gettin' off on sweet cocaine
It feels so good
It feels so good
Getting off the poverty train

Morning...



She deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.


Dustin Snipes for The New York Times

Great article in today's NYT about Perry Jones. Great quote "Basketball and profanity go together like, well, peanut butter and jelly." The Update must be read.



Vern as played by Jerry O'Connell was one of the best things about this movie based on a Stephen King novella. He is now skinnier and on TV's The Defender's.

March 12, 2011

A long weekend to celebrate Daylight Saving time. Bloody Marys for Sunday, Mimosas for Monday



Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, picked Caine from The Caine Mutiny. Now, I'll have to pick up his previous Autobiography What's it All About .



In the book, he talks about the original The Italian Job . Now, I have to get it. Any movie with Michael Caine , Noël Coward and Benny Hill has to be watched. I did see the new version and it was OK.



Oliver Sacks is very readable and the stories he tells are fascinating. In this one, he includes his own problems.



Great games so far. This one by Princeton was a great buzzer-beater. Also, the A-10 has been turned upside down. U-Conn - Louisville game was as good as College Ball gets.

March 11, 2011

A different taste for the weekend. I like the Toasted Lager and a Twelve-Pack of Coors Long Necks was $10.99.



March Madness in full swing. It is B-Ball up the wall all weekend.



I like books. I was born and bred among them, and have the easy feeling, when I get in their presence, that a stable-boy has among horses.--O.W. HOLMES.



Earthquakes and Tsumanis. I told you the Perigee moon was coming.

March 9, 2011

Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.

—Genesis 3:19

March 6, 2011

I am all alone on this dreary rainy Sunday. It won't be long and the house will be full again. So I cook for the week: Chicken Cutlets, Sausages, Meatballs and Pork Chops. Been taking lunch to work lately, better than eating out. I usually print out some reading material. The best of last week was an interview in the Paris Review of Jim Harrison.



Sometimes you have to go Old School: Samuel Smith Brewery.



This and The Oatmeal Stout are classics.



Finishing up Chernow's Washington: A Life. My admiration for our first President has increased ten-fold. Also, I always knew Madison was interesting but now I have to dig deeper.

March 5, 2011

Rainy morning and not too crowded.



Not much available but P.E. and D.D. Seafood always has Lobster, Scallops and Squid.



Mardi Gras this Tuesday. Late Easter this year.




Beer for the weekend is Sam Adams Noble Pils, a seasonal offering.



Moonageddon: Lunar Perigee coming up March 19th, a Full "Super Moon." The moon will make its closest approach to Earth (called lunar perigee) in 18 years.



I see the bad moon rising.
I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin'.
I see bad times today.

Don't go around tonight
Well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise.