January 30, 2011

Well, that's it for Chevy's , they closed the downtown North End Avenue branch because of a Goldman Sachs deal. Had to go to the 42nd Street establishment. The food is fresh and good for a chain. The service is , well , needs improvement. I liked the North End Avenue branch, it had a friendliness to it. No more for this chain.



The Union Square Train Station with a snow cap.



Statue of Jackie Gleason as bus driver Ralph Kramden in front of the Port Authority Bus Station.



Bought the DVD, will be one of the few times I will have seen an Oscar nominee before the ceremony. Watched SNL last night , "The Social Network" was spoofed as Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg joined actor Jesse Eisenberg and Andy Samberg all as Zuckerberg, a guy who thinks "The Social Network" was "interesting." Just saw Eisenberg in Zombieland.



Renewed my Barnes and Noble membership and happened to come across this new translation of Voltaire's Candide. Thanks to the New York State Legislature and Executives, my membership fee is now subject to Sales Tax. They won't raise Taxes but they will "Nickle and Dime" you to death with fees and such.

January 15, 2011

My new wallpaper, a picture found on the net, in honor of 4d in today's NYT Crossword.



Found this too, a good thought.



Found this great recipe in Serious Eats. A real nice BBQ Sauce. I will , of course, make my own additions and subtractions. Also, since it does not use much Guinness, the rest can be had while watching Football.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 8 oz stout beer
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Since this is BBQ, BEER and BOOKS,let's get to what is important. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA is the weekend beer via a Growler. Guinness Stout Drought will also be consumed after the BBQ Sauce is made. I returned Voltaire to the Queens Library. It was an interesting read, did not know he was sleeping with his niece. The later years involving his fighting intolerance and injustice was quite interesting. Will have to read some more of his output, having only read Candide.



I tend to favor Biographies and this one was available from the Queens Library. I had read Ron Chernow's previous biography of Alexander Hamilton and enjoyed it. This one should be good, Washington is often not given the credit he deserves.



Also on the reading list, True Grit by Charles Portis. I will eventually see the Coen Brothers Movie, but everything I've read talks about how good the novel is to read.



Abita tasting at the local Beer Distributor, a flight convinced me to get the Party Pack. It came with a complimentary T-Shirt. This is a three-day weekend, after all.

December 4, 2010

Cold day with crazy hats all over.



Beth's Jams ladies always break out Christmas hats.



The ornaments are certainly unusual.



Finished this one, not too shabby. A good procedural with medicine, computer forensics and courtroom drama thrown in. The NYT gave it two positive reviews: Sunday and Daily. The author also has an interesting review from NPR.



This is a third installment of Playboy interviews. The interviewees include Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Bob Hope, Bette Davis, Bob Dylan, Mae West, and Muhammad Ali.



Recently had a quote from him, now to his life.



Read the first two volumes, will ask for this as a Christmas gift.

November 26, 2010

“We all look for happiness, but without knowing where to find it: like drunkards who look for their house, knowing dimly that they have one.” ~Voltaire



The woman wearing nothing but dessert topping on the cover of Herb Alpert’s classic album Whipped Cream and Other Delights was actually wearing shaving cream, because of the hot lights.



The Heavy - How You Like Me Now? In the Sock Puppet Kia Sorento commercial.