tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60046822015-09-16T19:43:09.267-04:00Musings. Stuff.Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.comBlogger316125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-47786225571630200362009-08-20T14:06:00.004-04:002009-08-20T15:22:02.823-04:00

via boingboingMonkeys and Japanese horror movies: two great tastes that...um...Actually, you know what tastes really good together? Red wine and pasta. Back in April, over on Serious Eats, Gina DePalma posted a recipe for Spaghetti All’Ubriaco. It's spaghetti, cooked in equal amounts of red wine and water, finished in the pan with garlic, red pepper flakes and even more red wine. I was

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-74304402868331442262009-08-16T14:51:00.009-04:002009-08-16T16:10:49.153-04:00

My summer vacation is rapidly approaching its end. A large part of the vacation did not actually feel like summer because of the constant presence of overcast skies, 70 degree temperatures and the ever present threat of violent thunderstorms. However, New England weather is notoriously changeable. This week, the last week or so of my vacation, we're averaging 90 temperatures. Look! The

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-3479245397234840192009-07-23T23:00:00.000-04:002009-07-24T02:00:13.241-04:00

Gah. Look. Look at the humanity. Pressed up all at me. Fetch me hand sanitizer and a fifth of Jack Daniels. Stat.This is the last swell of the convention floor, right before the siren call of evening panels and the bar.Oh God, they're going to follow us to the bar... Yep. Despite our best efforts, we've landed in bar that seems to have denizens that are a cross between those that Patrick

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-53984684633842972712009-07-22T12:42:00.004-04:002009-07-22T13:12:45.962-04:00

Good morning, internets. We have arrived in San Diego. When I woke up this morning, it was to the clanging of the umpteenth train to roll through the vicinity since we got into our room last night at 8:30pm. I think when Steven Tyler and company came up with the idea for "Train Kept A Rollin'" it wasn't about all night sex with a beautiful woman. I think they were trying to get some sleep in

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-87568555670673326562009-07-09T13:55:00.003-04:002009-07-09T14:04:58.628-04:00

Mr. Scoop and I have been searching for a worthy successor to the trainwreck of reality tv that was WB Superstar. Behold:Dance Your Ass OffFrom their site:Twelve finalists, nearly 3,000 lbs, one goal -- to go from an eating machine to a dancing machine...Each contestant is paired with a professional dance partner who will train him or her for weekly stage performances -- ranging from Hip Hop, to

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-31296810600291841722009-07-07T09:58:00.003-04:002009-07-09T13:55:41.489-04:00

No. It's not a LOLcat. It's better. It's an actual cheeseburger.This burger is about the cheese. I wanted to take advantage of a particularly yummy Gorgonzola Dolce in my fridge before it turned into a science experiment. Well, more of one anyway. The nice thing about using turkey is that it frees you up from the constraints of burger purism. Beef based burgers have a lot of baggage. Use

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-74796900799166452662009-07-04T22:08:00.002-04:002009-07-04T22:35:42.638-04:00

Annual Open Container Violation Night Independence Day has come and gone. We stood on the corner of our street and Other More Major Thoroughway with uniformed guys that might have been cops, but probably were firemen from the station across the street. We watched the finale of the town's fireworks display. It was pretty cool. The uniforms ignored my Dunkin' Donuts travel mug of Sauvignon

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-13665715521303511702009-02-19T17:36:00.008-05:002009-02-19T18:18:41.602-05:00

"Look, you were a drunken accident. Frankly, I didn't want to keep you but she insisted", ranted Mr. Scoop. By she, he meant me. "It's not my fault that you didn't know he'd need to be fed and cared for when you brought him into the world. Besides, look at him. Sitting there all helpless and alone. You were so excited when he first got here. You were all like, 'Look at my goo! Behold my

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-63050890780554718632009-02-16T18:21:00.004-05:002009-02-16T18:34:59.357-05:00

via this recordingI should be working out. I'm not. I'm sitting here at 6:23 in the evening, wearing pajamas because I never bothered to get dressed today. Yesterday, I drank two bottles of pinot noir while catching up on Tivo'd episodes of Battlestar Galactica. Today, I sat on the couch catching up on episodes of Iron Chef America while eating a metric ton of Chinese take-out. Somehow, I

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-80279725968633732092009-01-31T18:57:00.005-05:002009-01-31T19:56:32.992-05:00

Practically luminous, it arced high into the sky, glistening yellow, sparkling in the mid-morning sunlight of Saturday. The object stood out brightly from the blue sky it hurtled through, as well as from the other icicles and snow that competed to refract the sunlight.It exploded against the side of the hulking form of the navy Nissan Xterra that was crunching its way over the ice that continued

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-3672421173219124782008-12-08T22:09:00.003-05:002008-12-08T22:28:19.406-05:00

I've never really understood the appeal of Levi's 501s. Button flies just are stiff. They dig into places that I'd rather be otherwise unmolested by metal. And apparently they now act as a catalyst to commit home invasion and pick up homeless dudes...with whom you then have sex while committing the home invasion. None of this changes the fact that 501s have never fit me through the

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-51901194955330648242008-12-04T21:16:00.004-05:002008-12-04T21:59:58.490-05:00

"Poot", Mr. Scoop called out as he entered from the garage. "How do you get blood out of your shirt?""My shirt in particular", I asked. "Or just a shirt?""My shirt", he said, looking down forlornly. He gestured helplessly. "I blame midgets. Invisible, exploding midgets. It's the only explanation."I inspected the dark crusty remains that splotched the front of his button-down work shirt. "

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-35966420889542477402008-09-18T21:20:00.003-04:002008-09-18T22:34:37.798-04:00

It was a summer's New England day like any other. A violent thunderstorm with possible flooding was an ever present possibility; the humidity and heat were oppressive. The interior of my car offered no respite. The air conditioning had stopped working about five years ago. To make matters worse, I'd needed to drive with the heat on "high" year round lest the engine over heat. My windows were

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-73427720759193518732008-07-24T09:45:00.009-04:002008-07-24T10:36:13.145-04:00

At 2:55pm, Mr. Scoop and I made our way to the shuttle stop to await the bus to the convention center. We briefly considered walking the whole mile to go pick up our badges and check out the Preview Night exhibitions, but then we realized that there would be sunlight and and energy expenditure to contend with. A small queue of 20 or so had already begun to form at the shuttle stop as we

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-88110300533502452212008-07-23T17:08:00.005-04:002008-07-23T17:33:31.263-04:00

There are terrifying things to be found at Comic Con. For example, you might encounter a costumed individual that appears to be wearing the best Jabba the Hutt outfit ever but, upon closer approach, turns out to be Fat Black Wonder Woman.You need a strong stomach to get through the week. And that stomach needs food.However, even more terrifying than Fat Black Wonder Woman is the prospect of

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-30894048637235034102008-07-23T10:47:00.003-04:002008-07-23T17:30:48.961-04:00

It is morning in San Diego.We arrived at about 8:30pm Pacific Daylight Time yesterday. This means that in real time it was 11:30pm. All I had eaten since about 2 o'clock that afternoon was a handful of cheddar Combos and enough Diet Coke to wire an elephant. By the time we landed, if the line didn't move at a rate that I would deem quick enough, I'm fairly certain that I would be able to shift

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-28234309874907017582008-07-15T21:00:00.002-04:002008-07-15T21:18:52.274-04:00

What is sloth?Sloth is having been on vacation for about three and a half weeks and realizing that, because Mr. Scoop has purchased an Asus Eee laptop computer - a machine so wee that the length of the keyboard is barely that of my hand, I have spent more of that time sitting around in my pajamas on the couch with the television on for background noise surfing teh intertrons than I have in any

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-2183513605388610342008-07-03T12:10:00.003-04:002008-07-03T13:12:39.338-04:00

...because it is chicken.I don't know if you've noticed, but it's pretty damn hot out.A lot of people try to solve the dilemma of feeding themselves in the summertime, while at the same time not heating up the kitchen, by grilling outdoors. Unfortunately, as nifty as the condo is, we don't have room for a grill on the little balcony off the kitchen. Sure, we could put one in the garage and

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-15183444845221324102008-06-28T12:23:00.004-04:002008-06-28T14:50:30.370-04:00

When I logged in today, I discovered that this would be my 300th post since I began the blog, rather idly, in 2003. So, I'm borrowing this idea from Violet's blog:Last year at this time, I was taking a class on "Improving Writing Instruction Using Stuff You Should Have Already Learned In Grad School (Desperate for Professional Development Points edition)". I also discovered that you can wreck a

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-86700866238643774712008-06-14T16:35:00.004-04:002008-06-14T19:21:43.026-04:00

"We're going to go to prison. And I haven't even done anything yet", sighed Mr. Scoop.It was still fairly early on a warm (pre)summer evening. Mr. Scoop and I were hanging out with his buddy, Radio Guy. Radio Guy still works in radio. Mr. Scoop has moved on to security software. While security software doesn't necessarily allow for the opportunity to hangout backstage at concerts with a VIP

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-73523465499836345042008-05-21T20:16:00.003-04:002008-05-21T20:18:13.864-04:00

I think it must be the English teacher in me that finds this amusing:I'll be back to posting actual content on a more regular basis real soon. I promise.

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-45047945877050708222008-04-19T16:06:00.003-04:002008-04-19T16:49:03.642-04:00

This image is more blurry than I would like it to be. I'd blame the camera phone, but I'd had a lot of sake to drink by the time I took this.For me, the first carafe of large, cold sake always goes down like water to a dying man in the desert. It is sweet. It brings life. It fixes all that has gone wrong before it. In the space of about 20 minutes.I had pain that needed killing. For the

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-79720976076474342692008-03-24T21:27:00.008-04:002008-03-24T22:30:20.363-04:00

I celebrated Easter by making rabbit:It's a Gordon Ramsay recipe, Rabbit Fricassée with Tagliatelle.I decided to serve the rabbit with items that it might have eaten out of the garden:Asparagus with Oyster Mushrooms and ShallotsRoasted Beet SaladandSpicy Carrot SaladI'm not sure if actually eating bunny on Easter is traditional, but it just seemed right somehow. Plus, Mr. Scoop had requested

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-60310993837093860232008-03-10T21:33:00.003-04:002008-03-10T22:21:08.870-04:00

"That thing with the four circles? Yeah. Don't touch that." Mr. Scoop gestured to the crude black and white wire frame map that, currently, existed only in his pickled by Jack Daniels mind. "It's a stove top. Fire brings pain." He nodded to himself as he said this."Are you channeling slam poetry?" I asked, perplexed. Eyes wide shut and flailing incoherently, this is the god of our New

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6004682.post-35280047747550862592008-03-02T18:43:00.005-05:002008-03-03T13:34:53.107-05:00

A rousing round of "Let's Drink The Hangover Away". Yes. This has made my day more bearable. I am full of sake and raw fish products. I now hate being awake marginally less.I drank so much last night that I forgot finishing whole bottles of Chardonnay and accused them of hiding themselves from me out of fear while I opened bottles of Sauvignon Blanc in retalliation. I was lots of FunTM for a

Amandaramahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14537987722184978282noreply@blogger.com5