bacon lettuce tomato... intelligent dance music?

It's not goodbye, just consolidating!

2011-04-04T01:41:00.000-04:00

Rightio, thanks for following my adventures all of these years! I'm starting to take food into a serious direction and I don't have the capacity or hours in the day to keep updating multiple blogs. I'm migrating over to Escoffiette for food adventures , keeping my BLT/IDM? facebook page active for music recommendations and I'll be writing more about music on (For the) Love of the Band again. I'm going to let this domain expire but I'll keep this blog online as an archive / check list of things to make again !

So please make sure you're following me on my various social media accounts!

For food adventures:
Escoffiette Tumblr
Escoffiette Facebook
@Escoffiette on Twitter

For my music adventures:

BLT / IDM? on Facebook
(For the) Love of the Band
The Shortsleeves (my band)

To keep track of me:

@jdelavegs on Twitter
My tumblr

Behind the scenes of this week's Randwiches + I'm going on TOUR!

2011-03-06T14:19:00.001-05:00

Let's talk about mushrooms. Growing up, I was never a fan of mushrooms. I picked them off my Costco-everything pizza. My fork skirted around them in pasta and good lord, I wouldn't touch anything with mushroom gravy on it. In fact, when I was working at a restaurant, my least favorite task was cleaning, chopping and sauteeing 3 bulk boxes of assorted mushrooms. Something magical happened over the Summer of 2009. Perhaps it was the forcible fact that I had to try everything I was cooking at the restaurant, but I started to adore mushrooms. Or maybe I had only encountered mere plebian button 'shrooms in the past! No, it was the water content. It was the squishy texture and the fact that I didn't know about deglazing yet. As you cook mushrooms, their walls start to break down and release water (this is the phase that I hate). I'm of the opinion that you're lazy if you stop here. I learned to revive the flavor and create a yummy sauce by adding wine or cream! Oh ho ho, the places you'll go !

Over the years, I've gone back and forth between butter and olive oil; when do I add the onions and what spices should I use? My new friend Mattias (composer of the game Cobalt !) sent me a Jamie Oliver episode about Sweden. Jamie went foraging for chanterelles and fried them over an open fire. His technique was familiar but the order of action was different from what I was used to. I'm used to heating up spiced olive oil, adding onion, the mushrooms and then the wine or cream. Instead, Jamie first dried the mushrooms out in the clean pan.

Here, I have chopped crimini, shitake and oyster mushrooms tossing around over medium heat. We're doing this so the little caps can collect more flavors! I toss them around for a couple minutes, some bits will stick to the pan. That's alright.

Next, a good 2-3 tablespoons of butter went into the pan with sliced shallots. This is very neurotic thing that I do, but I slice the shallots into rings, but I don't separate them. If you separate the shallots (or onions) into rings before you sear them, they're more likely to break in the stirring process. Let them come apart on their own in the pan.

Ok, I am having a moment. Butter, swirling. Yes.

You can see that the edges of the mushrooms are getting browner and the shallots are getting softer. I like to add a couple pinches of salt around this time, things start to get a little sweaty.

Maybe I like to see bubbles or hear the SCHISHHHHHHHH of the pan when I add liquids to mushrooms, but I turn the heat up all the way when I think the little babies look thirsty.

This is where you scrape the bottom of the pan for that lovely declacage (yup, there's a name for recovering the burned bits at the bottom of the pan for sauce). I let the cream sizzle there for about 30 seconds before I stir it up. It needs a second to bind with the butter. Just two quick turns and I turn the heat off. If you keep the heat on, the cream will reduce too much and you'll get more of a paste than a gravy-like sauce.

I fed my 50th sandwich to Kim Wong! Here is the finished sandwich with creamy mushrooms, red cabbage and kashkaval. Are you brave enough to eat a random sandwich? Next available delivery day is Monday 3/21. You can also schedule delivery far in advance or for someone else! Fill out the order form at Escoffiette!

Why am I taking a break from deliveries? My band, The Shortsleeves, is going on tour ! You're all invited to our kick-off show this Tuesday (3/8) at Fontana's !

We were going to print up shirts (see sweet design by Gideon on the left), but our travel costs are a little more than we could handle. Please come and see us if you can! If you’re unable to attend,consider donating a couple bucks on our Bandcamp page.

(_/¯~_~)_/¯ THE SHORTSLEEVES BLACK WHITE TOUR ¯\_(~_~¯\_)

3/8/2011 - New York, NY - Fontana’s with Burnkit 2600, Beta Club Field Trip + InvaderBacca

3/10/2011 - Rochester, NY - The Bug Jar with Revingineers and Walmart Supercenter

3/12/2011 - Philadelphia, PA - 8static with Bit Shifter, Kris Keyser + The C-Men

3/13/2011 - Boston, MA - PAX East / Boston8Bit Chip Showcase with glomag + Corset Lore, Disasterpeace, facundo, 7th Gear

3/15/11 at The Apohadian (Portland, ME) with Computer at Sea and The Gloaming

Behind the scenes of this week's Randwiches!

2011-02-27T14:50:00.000-05:00

I've been itching to somehow convert Filipino stew into sandwich form. A lot of the dishes have sabaw or broth, so you have to eat it as a soup or over rice. The big favorite in my family is chicken adobo. You can pretty much "adobo" any kind of protein, but chicken was always the best. It is a simmered stew of garlic, vinegar, bay leaf (aka laurel leaves), fresh ground pepper and soy sauce. Because I was brining my chicken breasts, I diluted the sabaw with water. Your bread or rice will not be enough to balance all of that salt!

First I seared the chicken so they would form a crust and then marinated them cold in the sabaw for about 4 hours. Next, I brought the pot to a boil and let it simmer for a couple of hours; turning the chicken so it was getting even flavoring. When the chicken was cooked through, I turned the heat off and let the chicken rest in the juices. Typical adobo takes 20-30 minutes, but I wanted to make sure these thick chicken breasts were injected with flavor!

How could I tweak this recipe without distracting from the main flavor palate? I broke out a jar of ground habanero paste that I bought from Cozumel, Mexico. The tiny kick was just what the sabaw needed. You only need 1/2 of a teaspoon per 4 pounds of chicken. Otherwise, you're probably going to sweat and cry after one bite.

With my protein out of the way, I had to think about condiments. When you have a sandwich, there's an acid and a base. Mustard and mayo. I didn't have any mustard on hand, so I had to think hard about acids in Filipino cuisine. Ah, the vinegar stuff. I don't know what it's called, but there was always a dish of it sitting on the dining room table. It's simply white vinegar with sliced onion, garlic, crushed peppercorns and maybe a chili pepper. It's basically pickle brine. I grew up spooning it on chicharones, fish and pork. It was like the phenomena of Sriracha, where you put it on pretty much everything.

I have a love / hate relationship with mayo. I try not to buy it from a jar, but it's so time consuming to make the "legit" way by hand. Also, it is whipped oil. That fact never gets past me and depending how full I already feel, the thought sometimes makes me a little sick. I've found solace in Latin American cremas. It's not actually mayo, it's akin to creme fraiche or sour cream. I think it tastes fuller and whips up real thick! I took a cup of crema and blended it with scallions, pepper and juice from an orange (not pictured).

Now we need some texture. I tend to go with cabbage because its crunch lasts longer when in transit and they become more complex, from bitter to mellow sweet, when heated up. I can also made a hearty cabbage soup with the leftovers! And seriously, I picked the red cabbage because it looked better with the chicken and cream more so than the green cabbage. God, who am I? Who thinks about that kind of thing? X_x

Are you brave enough to eat a random sandwich? Next available delivery days are Monday (2/28), Thursday (3/3) and Friday (3/4). You can also schedule delivery far in advance or for someone else! Fill out the order form at Escoffiette!

Homemade Chicago faildogs and Elotedogs

2011-02-24T01:30:00.000-05:00

Resident Tall Guy Jeff and I were hungover one groggy Sunday morning. We didn't know what to cook. We've tried in earnest to hang out for weeks and do this cooking thing regularly. But you know, life takes over (or you go to Sweden to shoot SWEET DOCUMENTARIES). I slouched on the armchair and picked up a copy of an Alton Brown book. We took turns showing each other recipes. My eyes went big for Alton's homemade corndogs. Oh man I love corn dogs. When I was little, I used to sneak off to Hot Dog on a Stick and get a corn dog as well as "cheese on a stick." My mind sort of exploded at the thought of having corndogs ready to fry in my freezer, we had to make these. We first had to remedy the hangovers. Jeff made us micheladas or bloody mary beers by grating onion in to the can and adding the fixings for a spicy kick in the mouth.

Firstly, we speared regular ol' hot dogs from the store with a pair of skewers. One skewer is not enough to hold up a hot dog, a chop stick or popsicle stick is probably better!

The batter was an amazingly thick paste with whole kernels of corn, buttermilk, flour, baking powder, corn meal, onion, and chopped jalapeno. Before we dipped them in the batter, we coated the dogs with a thin layer of corn starch.

A cool discovery that we made is that you can make buttermilk at home with regular milk and a little acid !

Jeff heated vegetable oil in his fancy cast iron dutch oven and monitored the temperature with his fancy thermometer. Our little corn doggies were deep fried for about 4 minutes until they were golden brown.

Here are the finished corn dogs resting on a rack with a towel under it so 1) the bottom batter side doesn't get soggy and 2) we drain some of that oil away for extra crispiness.

Now for the twists ! We attempted to make a Chicago corndog by spicing the inside with celery seed and dressing the finished morsel with pickles and two different kinds of ketchup. The hot dog inside was so salty that it killed any flavor we tried to add. Lesson learned.

We encountered the same salty problem with the elote-dog but gosh darn it, that was an amazing idea! I wonder if we could find a mild chorizo to go with this version. We took a finished corn dog and slathered it with mexican crema infused with lime zest. Next, we rolled it in cotija cheese and finished it with chopped shallots and cilantro. I really loved biting into them and finding whole kernals of corn. The texture wasn't just a shell, it was a meal !

It looks so exciting doesn't it?

Help kickstart 2 Player's documentary, Minecraft: The Story of Mojang

2011-02-21T14:31:00.000-05:00

Alright detectives, it should be abundantly clear by now. I was in Sweden this past December stalking the Mojang office for 2 Player's upcoming Minecraft documentary. We were initially only going to release a 20 minute short about it, but it wasn't right. There were too many unanswered questions and while I was sick-napping in one of the empty office rooms, Mojang was nominated for 3 major Independent Games Festival awards. For the next 32 days, I'll be hosting the Kickstarter widget on the BLTIDM sidebar. You can check out the progress as well as help fund the project. While the budget is hefty at $150k, think about crappy movies that are released in theaters that dump millions of dollars into production. Even if we reach funding, 2 player is still an independent entity run by 3 core members with an extra hand or two to hold a boom (AHEM...like me). Money is not going to sports cars or brown M & Ms or to Mojang. The rules of Kickstarter prevent groups from raising "operating costs" and the money remains tied to the project itself.

Anyway, here's the 6 minute trailer! You can watch the full 20 minute piece at Game Trailers.

Behind the scenes of this week's surprise sandwich deliveries!

2011-02-19T12:09:00.000-05:00

Wow ! This week, we doubled Escoffiette surprise sandwich deliveries! You guys, this is awesome! Let me give you the skinny on the little beauties this week.

I was so stoked to find sliced Japanese Kobe roast beef ! It was a little pricey but I was willing to take the risk on it. When I unwrapped it and tried a bit, it was so tender and naturally flavorful. When I was handling the meat for the sandwiches, I had to pretend it was like delicate cheesecloth and could fall apart in my hands. Look at that marbling!

Toma Piedmontese is a semisoft cheese from Italy. Tommes are those grainy looking drums or they look like giant corks. I wanted a sturdy cheese for the beef as well as the essence of robiola (which was too runny and expensive for this sandwich). The toma performed above and beyond my expectations.

For some crunch, I bought farm fresh arugula. It was long, leafy, bitter and peppery. Hm, how to counteract that without sacrificing crunch? I had some onion jam and it took the bite down a notch.

I needed another layer of flavor that would survive in my bag without making the bread soggy (like oil or mayo would). When I make steak at home, I love love love finishing it with a pat of garlic and chive butter. For the sandwich, I used scallions for their mild onion flavor and for more texture with the soft salted butter. Everything went together beautifully! See the final sandwich at the bottom of this post!

I also had a chorizo variation on wheat bread. After I made all of my deliveries, my friend Kerry was having a housewarming party and I surprised her with a bunch of chorizo and nutella sandwiches on soft wheat buns. Her roommate kept trying to hide pieces in the fridge away from the other party guests! I consider this one a winner, it'll go into rotation for sure.

Are you brave enough to eat a random sandwich? Next available delivery days are Monday (2/21), Thursday (2/24) and Friday (2/25). You can also schedule delivery far in advance or for someone else! Fill out the order form at Escoffiette!

Pancit with bacon fat seared chicken, chorizo and stir fried vegetables

2011-02-15T22:02:00.001-05:00

Back in November, I raided my mother's kitchen for non-perishable items. I think my luggage contained more foodstuffs than clothing or toiletries. One of my treasures was mung bean or rice stick noodles aka glass noodles aka vermicelli, the basis of pancit (pronounced PUN-SIT). These things last forever! If you've ever been to a Filipino party, there is likely a large catering pan of these orangey looking noodles. Much like Chinese tradition, my family ate noodles on birthdays and the new years to symbolize long lives. Unlike the flour and egg based Italian angel hair, these threads are much thinner and soak up a lot of the broth that you cook them in. The white noodles come in dried out bricks that you have to soak in water before you stir fry them. Be careful not to soak them for too long, they just need to be pulled apart. If they soak up too much water, they won't be as flavorful.

Get ready for this, pancit has a giant mire poix! The essentials for pancit are garlic, ginger, cabbage and shredded carrots. The other stuff is optional and can be switched out. Here, we have chorizo, squash, snow peas, celery as well as cilantro and lemons for the garnish. You will also need broth!

For our protein, Jeff and I pan cooked a couple chicken breasts in bacon fat. After they rested, we sliced them into bite sized pieces.

Stir-frying is tricky. You want a high temperature wok with a wooden spoon or chop sticks ready for this, it moves fast.

Oil - Olive oil won't work here. You need high heat oil like veggie, canola or peanut. Safflower might work too.
Garlic - I know it's counter intuitive to do this but the bitter garlic is purposeful! If you still want sort of a kick, only start with half of the garlic and stir the rest in towards the end.
Ginger - Get that flavor infused into the oil right away, it will coat everything else that follows.
Carrots - These have so much water and take the longest to cook. Leave these in until they soften, they will have a chance to brown as you cook everything else.
Celery - Also carries a ton of water but shorter cooking time than carrots.
Any other vegetables, except for leafy ones (in our case, hold off on the cabbage and cilantro).
Chorizo - I don't like to cook these too early in the mix because they will leak their oily paprika goodness everywhere. If you have access to Chinese sausage, GO FOR THAT. It's great with cilantro too.
Chicken - It's already cooked, so it can go in relatively late.

Everything should be really hot and brown on the edges now! This is when you WOOSH, pour in the broth carefully. There will be steam, do not splash! It will be a world of pain! Lower your heat and lay your drained vermicelli noodles on the broth. You'll see that the tangles will become the color of your stir fry. Pull from the bottom of the noodles with tongs until it's mixed through and absorbing everything. Some people like to flavor their pancit with patis (fish sauce) or soy sauce. I try to keep the excess salt out of there.

Now for the fun layering! Turn off the heat and toss in the cabbage, it will wilt slightly with the hot noodles but still yield a good crunch. In the serving dish, I sprinkled bits of cilantro between layers of noodles. In the end, I topped it all with a quick fry of bitter garlic slices, freshly cut lemons and more cilantro. More traditional versions of pancit have hard boiled eggs, chopped scallions and crushed pork rinds!

Have you had pancit before?

Homemade Takoyaki and other Japanese Delights

2011-01-30T16:28:00.000-05:00

I really bonded with Christophe (also known as Note!) and Meghan on our way back from MagFest. They had spent 3 years living in Japan and invited me to their Brooklyn home to make tako-yaki! If you've been watching my eating habits for the last 6 months, you'd know that I have been obsessed with the little gastropod cakes. It was a lot like a fondue party! Other friends Josh and EMi arrived with an epic bag of craft beers (left). We set up an electric grill with a tako pan in the living room and we all got to help. Meghan ladled the batter, I put in the squid (we didn't have octopus), Josh and EMi worked on the mushroom fontina balls (pfff vegetarian) and Christophe added pickled ginger and scallions.

Once the molds were filled, they were left to cook. When the skin is formed, you carefully take chopsticks and flip the balls quickly. It took all the power in my body to resist from eating the undone ones. I was soooo hungry. While we waited, Meghan brought out miso soup and edamame.

Hot off the grill pan, the ika-yaki (is that right?) were topped with Kewpie mayo, tako sauce, seaweed flakes, more pickled ginger and bonito. I love the large sheets of bonito because they wave in the air when steam hits them. We made another half-pan after the first batch. I loved how crispy they got on the outside and gooey on the inside. Squid was actually much easier to eat and didn't have the chewy ew-factor of octopus. For dessert, I helped make mochi for our red bean soup. I ate two bowls of it, #fattie. We had been talking all night and sipped on things like chili tea, sake and plum liquor. I had so much fun hanging out! My turn to cook next time!

My first surprise sandwich deliveries to Manhattan!

2011-01-30T15:18:00.000-05:00

My random sandwich project at Escoffiette is starting to get exciting! I decided to not limit myself to Brooklyn deliveries and got a couple orders for Manhattan. Here are the sandwiches from that day:

Bresaola, smoked mayo, duck salami, and onion jam on rosemary foccacia

Braised bratwurst, onions, chopped leeks and dill on walnut bread

Stewed chicken, balsamic carrots, dill, and onion jam on french bread

Moroccan tuna sandwich (preserved lemon, olives, cornichons) on french bread

I actually ate that last one (and hence, didn't have a photo) because my delivery at MTV invited me to sit down and hang out, which I was very happy to do ! Special thanks to Peter, Mark and Jimmy for being my guinea pigs!

Interested in helping test the service? Read about it here.

My trip to Magfest #9 - Day 2, Evening + Unexpectedly Meeting Michel Richard

2011-01-30T14:53:00.001-05:00

The sun started to fade away from the cracks between the curtains and more people started to fill into the concert hall.George and Jonathan walked onto the stage with their trademark highlighter-bright hoodies. I made sure to shimmy my way to the front for this audio assault. After several false starts of what sounded like The Best Christmas album, they actually began the set with a chill track called "Whales." See the video below!

Philly's resident power trio of chip, Cheap Dinosaurs, closed out the chip showcase and we couldn't have asked for a more appropriate set to amp us up for playing more games.

I was fiercely hungry after the show and decided to check out Finn & Porter, the restaurant in the hotel (because sorry, MagFest, your in-house catering wasn't very healthy). It wasn't crowded and there was a sushi chef, I got really excited. I braced myself for really high prices, but the chirashi wasn't actually that bad. It was $12.00 for a bunch of raw fish over rice. We didn't know we were buying into a 2 hour meal. Not only did our order take forever, there was one lone server handling almost the whole front of the house. My bowl of fish was gone in under 5 minutes. They also gave us 2 soy sauce packets per person. As we were finishing up, a couple of us left to get cash from an ATM. We ran into a distraught friend who told us that MagFest was going to go bonkers because the ATM was broken. We went back to tell our server and ask if we could have separate checks for cards and she gave me the dirtiest sneer as she walked away. Hey, I'm sorry you're slammed at work but it isn't my fault ! It was such a negative experience that this restaurant doesn't even deserve a hyperlink. And yes, I'm still pretty mad about it.

We needed to relax! Our hotel suite quickly turned into a crazy party complete with 90's rap jams, Bomberman projected on the wall, refreshments and a surprise set by Dauragon that almost got us kicked out of the hotel. Pardon the extra dirty video, I recorded it on an ipod touch (didn't even know you could do that).

Dauragon C. Mikado @ MAGfest 9 from Dauragon C. Mikado on Vimeo.

To escape the po-po, I went downstairs to play a shit ton of DDR (got schooled by the Red Power Ranger) and retro arcade cabinets. Got pretty far on Frogger and decimated on Mappy, it is SO HARD. After I took a bathroom break, there was a dance circle forming and as I walked by, a crazy asshat decided to start doing the worm. On his way down, he kicked me in the bum very hard. My immediate reaction was to turn around and yell "F**k you!" He looked very hurt and acted like he didn't do anything wrong. Instead of saying sorry, he complained that I cursed at him. I said, "What do you do if someone surprises you with a kick in the ass?" Really. It was getting very late and spent gamers were passing out on the floor in our hotel suite. I had the most-awesome-extreme distinction of staying at someone's house in Maryland, in my own bed. I quickly took up the offer and woke up to an amazing bagel brunch complete with lox. At the time, I had no idea that the jolly Frenchman sitting next to me was none other than Chef Michel Richard! He kept poking at me and told me that I ate a lot for a girl my size. If he had seen the food at MagFest, he'd be starving too. Of course, I failed to tell him that I'm an aspiring cook in New York City but I have a feeling that this won't be the last time he pokes at me.

All in all, MagFest was a great time and good opportunity to bridge the gap between music and gaming. While some of the edges desire some polish, it's a fan-run event that refreshes the palate of commercial franchises. 'Cause sometimes in your face marketing and limited demo play leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

My trip to Magfest #9: Day 2, Afternoon

2011-01-24T15:48:00.000-05:00

And the music chipped on at the Magfest #9 concert hall. After Note! 's rousing set, Danimal Cannon took the stage (left). Armed with a dmg and a guitar, Dan appeared unphased erstwhile playing 2 additional sets in other bands.

I was excited to finally meet Wizwars, but due to some issues, he was unable to perform with Dark Warriors. Nevertheless, the band fared well and managed to get me to dance a little to the surfy bits (below).

Our host extraordinaire, Zen Albatross, threw down some heavy beats. Check the video below! The man curates shows, put together a history presentation about chip music AND played a set. I'd have ripped my hair out from the stress of such a thing.

Ok, now brace yourself for one of the greatest chip, NO... music discoveries of 2011. Noisewaves had me swaying with my eyes closed like I was at an Explosions in the Sky show. If you've ever had a penchant for the gentle destruction of post rock, swishing landscapes and soft IDM sounds of the NES, Noisewaves is your haven. I don't know about you, but I'm also always warmed a little more when the bands you like are super awesome to hang out with. I wish Shawn and Ryan didn't live all the way out in Michigan! I was so eager to share this performance with the world that we all sat around my computer in the hotel room and watched it upload.

Excuse me, I'm going to listen to their Live from Magfest 9 album ALL DAY. brb.

My trip to Magfest #9 - Day 2, Morning

2011-01-22T20:10:00.000-05:00

My recent trip to Sweden taught me a few things about sleeping in difficult, loud situations. I awoke for my first full day of Magfest, well rested on a couch-bed. I peeled off my very dark eye-mask, pulled out my ear plugs and beanie. The first people to spring awake were Shawn and Ryan from Noisewaves, they were jolly and re-energized for soundcheck later that day. People started to groan and wait in line for the bathroom. I dressed quickly and made my way to the "retreat" part of the hotel where they were servicing staff meals. I'm not sure how I was qualified to eat there amongst the cogs behind the fest, but I got my plate of buttered pancakes and bottle of gatorade. Real fuel, it wasn't. Not that I'm complaining about free food, but hey..if you've been reading this blog for a while you'd understand.

I watched the chip showcase bustle to fruition. Don and Alex set up their visuals; known separately as NO CARRIER and enso, together as Cosmic Morning. Ryan from Noisewaves checked and tightened his drum kit. It looked like he drew on the bass head with a marker. Mister Zen Albatross was running back and forth across the room setting up a projector for his slide presentation, "A Brief History of Chiptunes." Joey from Cheap Dinosaurs tuned his guitar. I ate a bag of chips.

Festival guests started to flood into the concert space for the presentation and Noisewaves was still soundchecking. Cheap Dinosaurs were on deck to check and I wondered if people were getting impatient or more curious about what was going on.

After all of the bands were checked, everyone sat on the floor to listen to Josh / Zen Albatross talk about chip music. He went pretty far back! I hoot n' hollered whenever he mentioned Pulsewave, the Tank or Blip Festival. I also live tweeted the whole thing, which made his phone chirp a bunch of times while he was trying to talk. Bemused Dauragon and I joked that we should have made the whole presentation into a drinking game. Alas, festival security would let anyone with bottles pass through the doors. The presentation closed with a Q & A with some of the performing chip artists. I left to get lunch and this time it was "tacos" that more resembled burritos. Man, gamers really don't like fruits or vegetables huh? More Gatorade injected into my body and I jetted back to the concert hall to see Note! take the stage.

You'll see that I really really like to play with the stupid digital zoom on my camera. Mid-way through, you'll find a little boy dancing along to the music. Never too early to start 'em, huh?

My trip to Magfest #9 - Night 1

2011-01-22T16:21:00.000-05:00

The 9th annual Music and Gaming Fest (Magfest) was held last weekend in Alexandria, VA at the Hilton. Four days of 24 hour free play gaming, music and people letting out the battle cry of Colossus from the X-men arcade game. Magfest is an event by fans and for fans. It didn't appear as organized or smooth as PAX but refreshing to not have corporate sponsorship shoved down your throat. All of the games were free to play and not just demos! As a casual gamer and more importantly A GIRL, I was pretty intimidated going in but I soon found my place with the Dance Dance Revolution crowd.

I had actually arrived in Washington DC pretty late on Friday night with Note! who insisted on stopping by what he considers the best rest stop on the way to DC, the Delaware Welcome Center. I agree, it was the nicest rest stop I had ever been to! At the hotel, I went through registration and got my badge, eagerly awaiting to meet up with my friends. I luckily ran into Zen Albatross who was about to go to our hotel suite. What great timing! I was worried about cramming 10 people into a room, but we were ballin' with a two room suite, complete with couch bed. New friends, Shawn and Ryan from Noisewaves were passed out in sleeping bags from their long trip from Michigan, others were just chattering and Joey from Cheap Dinosaurs was screen printing t-shirts on a tarp. With barely any time to really sit down, we were already heading back downstairs from our 20th floor hideout to catch Metriod Metal. I spied on a guy who was using a foot controller to play Super Metroid along with the music!

Somewhere in there, my dear friend Emi and I brushed up on our DDR (meaning, we failed). The gaming hall was divided up into different categories: retro gaming cabinets, body/motion games, LAN and console. I wish I had found some pokemon trainers to murder...err, I mean battle.

Eating Sweden (Sort of) Part 5

2011-01-13T03:44:00.000-05:00

It was our last night in Stockholm and we wanted to get together with good friends to have some authentic Swedish food at Pelikan. We had all been poisoned by the flavor of Ikea's linty meatballs and I can testify to you today that I will never eat at IKEA again, for I have experienced the REAL THING. We gathered together the legendary chip-Swedes of Stockholm, kind of like Pokemon: Role Model, Covox and Random. They unanimously told us to get the meatballs, so we did ! Before we got to the main event, plates of pickled herring and cheese arrived with crunchy flatbread.

I grew accustomed to putting butter on the Wasa-like flatbread and piling yummy things on it. The herring came pickled three ways: in cream, horseradish and finally in mustard. It also came with a slab of white pressed cheese speckled with cumin seeds. I didn't recognize anything on the other cheese plate, but it was a delightful mix of bloomy, blue and pressed.

A note about herbs: the thyme in Sweden was so delicate! It was so soft that you could simply eat the stems, unlike some varieties here in the states--which are woody, chewy and dense. The table next to us ordered the boiled pig's knuckle. Pelikan does not mess around, the things are as big as my head!

I can't express to you how deeply fulfilling my inner was. After all of my airport strife, sickness and trudging through the snow, solace landed on my plate. Tender meatballs as big as my fist, bathing in silky gravy and accompanied by real lingonberries, buttery mashed potatoes and sour pickles. The only tragic part of this was that I was so full from the appetizers that I could barely eat just one meatball. All of the guys shook their heads at me in shame. How could I blaspheme the best meal on our trip? I vowed to heat them up the next morning for breakfast and I did, bright and early at 6am!

Eating Sweden (Sort of) Part 3

2011-01-09T23:07:00.000-05:00

The 2pp crew and I celebrated New Year's eve with a hearty teppanyaki dinner in Stockholm at Murasaki. We were skeptical at first because it was the first thing we saw outside of the metro stop and the downstairs looked empty. We ascended some stairs and discovered a classy looking lounge that led into a cushy dining room with an amazing snowy view of the nearby square. I pointed out a prix fixe 3 course dinner that roughly came out to $15 a person, couldn't be all that bad! As we peeled off layers of snow clothing, our first course of nigiri arrived. Tuna and salmon that melted in your mouth, I couldn't believe it. The teppanyaki (Japanese bbq) courses arrived and we got double orders of salmon and duck. Pieces of salmon as thick as my hand, amazing duck with fat to render on the grill; we were in heaven.

I enjoy Japanese bbq, I get a kick out of cooking my own food. Asif and I were marinating tong-fulls of duck in teriyaki sauce and letting them glaze on the grill. Mushrooms soaked up the duck fat and little baby corn glistened in the heat. Paul L. was so enamored with the salmon, he started to eat it raw! It was getting close to midnight and we couldn't muster the energy to eat the 3rd course of ice cream!

We gathered the camera gear and trudged past Slussen to where a lot of Swedes were ringing in the new year. I shivered to the sounds of a really terrible cover band, it was entertaining to watch people go nuts to a rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." As the clock neared midnight, the snow started to come down in bigger clods; almost blinding the fireworks across the water. What a new year it will be!

Eating Sweden (Sort of) Part 2

2011-01-08T10:00:00.001-05:00

And shall we continue our adventure in Sweden? After I frolicked for a good 20 seconds, I got too cold and got sick. Maybe it was the snow fight or the whiskey, I don't know. I wasn't feeling good and spent a whole day laid up in the hostel while my cohorts began shooting footage around Stockholm for a documentary. We were invited to have dinner at our friend Johan's house. Oh, you might know him as Role Model or the creator of LSDJ. As we took the metro to his house, I practiced my Swedish by reciting all of the train stops after the announcer, "Skarpnack! Gamla Stan! Hötoret! Hagsatra!" If I said, "Hej" and followed it with any of the words I learned, it might sound like I know Swedish. When we arrived, we were greeted by a little dog named Nixon. He did some tricks for us! Johan's ladyfriend, Emilie, fixed us an awesome comforting meal of lasagna, red cabbage slaw and gingerbread cookes! I suddenly felt better after two large helpings and sitting by the fire afterward. Johan tried his hand at no-knead bread and he didn't think he did it right, so he squirted ketchup on it (I don't know why either).

The lasagna was fantastic! It had a white sauce instead of red, so it was a lovely degree of creamy on the inside. I personally love the crispy noodle parts, so I went for edge slices. Again, I had TWO slices. This is a big deal because I don't eat very much, but when I do love something, I can't get enough of it. I also couldn't get enough of Emilie's homemade gingerbread cookies. They were all fun animals like peacocks and sheep! I wish all things could be cured by a good meal, don't you?

Eating Sweden (Sort of) Part 1

2011-01-07T17:14:00.002-05:00

Because I wanted to clean our my fridge before I left Brooklyn and didn't want to pay for expensive airport lunch, I brought a cheese sandwich and a whole tub of mache dressed in rosemary oil. This ended up being an amazing thing because I was trapped at JFK airport for 30 hours! You can read about that tragic saga by clicking here. I had a lot of time to explore JFK's terminals 2 and 3. I learned that you can't buy duty free alcohol and drink it while you wait for your flight to be canceled. The bars close at 9pm, sharp. You can find craft beer in bottles at Croque Madame kiosk, but they're expensive as hell.

When I finally landed in Stockholm, I (thankfully) caught the last train to Hassleholm (pronounced HASS-LEH-HOLM) to play a show with nordloef and skrattattack at Perrong 23. I arrived 2 hours before the show, freshened up and got pizza. Not just any pizza, guys. The Hassleholm special at Viking Pizza!

Sorry for the bad photo. It was a thin crust with onion, tomato, filet mignon, bacon and bearnaise sauce. The first thing that struck me about this pizza was that it was uncut! Both pizzas that I encountered on the trip were unsliced. I guess it's that Swedish people eat pizza with a fork and knife. I cut a quarter of the pizza out and folded it, like the demi-New Yorker that I am. The bacon was cooked but I'm the type of lady that likes my bacon nuked and crispy. The bearnaise sauce really threw me off, it gave the slice a richness I wasn't prepared for. Perhaps to make up for the crappy, flavorless cheese? It was sort of floppy and not-that-great-to-eat, but I'm glad to have tried it nonetheless. Both pizza places that I went to also served a vinegary cabbage slaw on the side, maybe to cut the fatty taste from the Bearnaise? I liked it !

The show went well and I met a lot of cool people. Folks at Perrong 23 are pretty awesome, it's like Cake Shop in New York but Swedish! You can check out the videos on The Shortsleeves Facebook page.

Sweden was snowy and cold. It blizzarded every couple of hours and when I first saw the trees, I thought, "Christmastown?!"

Oh Sweden, you've kicked my bum.

2011-01-05T04:18:00.000-05:00

I like you Sweden. I wish I wasn't sick for 80% of the time that I was here. When I get back home you'll hear all about the Thai tiki lunch, New Year's Eve, Hassleholm, Teppanyaki, French hot dogs and loads of Vitamin Well bottles. This photo pretty much summarizes the trip:

Around Town: Live from JFK's Terminal 2, PART 3

2010-12-29T16:52:00.003-05:00

If you're just joining me, I'm live updating my attempted trip to Stockholm, Sweden. I'm trying to make it on time to play a show in Hassleholm on 12/30. I left my house at 2:08pm on 12/28. See my previous posts to see how it began.

I was thinking of the probability of all of these things happening in a row to one set of people. Perhaps it's happening to a whole lot and they're just not tweeting about it? I wonder what would have happened if I had famously packed light without snacks, phone charger and computer? Would I be one of those irate ladies causing a scene, getting mad at the Delta employees for something that isn't really their fault? Blood is boiling 'round these parts with no one to blame. Maybe if Delta didn't overbook flights, it wouldn't have so many standbys to begin with. Better coping mechanisms for disaster can be as simple as extra customer service, a smile, a bottle of water, a cup for the fountain. Anything. Hell, why not free wifi? This Boingo shizzle started crawling around 5am when business started picking up again. I picked up a vanilla steamer from Starbucks and took a 20 minute walk around the terminal to stretch my legs.

Its the home stretch and it's time for Asif and I to check in for our flight. Neither of us are roused too much, we discover that the gate is back on food court side of the terminal. We pick up our things in a huff, abandoning our Croque Madame bunker. It's really warm in here. I see the snow melting outside and the sun is pretty bright. I'm reading online that traffic in NYC is pretty bad still. For the past hour, an attendant had been announcing that a gold ring had been found in the ladies room. I imagine 15 different old ladies attempting to claim it, "Oh, my husband gave me that" or "That was a ring that had been passed down in my family for 4 generations." Of course, I impersonated all of these ladies in a strange Englishwoman's accent to Asif. We attempted to scan our receipts to get boarding passes but the first machine was turned off and the other ran out of paper. We went to a ticket counter to ask for our boarding passes,

"Hi, our flight was can--"

"Gate 11"

"I'm sorry?"

"Go to gate 11"

Clearly getting frustrated with me, "What do you need?"

"What I was trying to say was that our flight was canceled yesterday and we just wanted our boarding passes for THIS gate to Stockholm. Those machines over there ran out of paper."

"Oh, have a seat."

Freaking lady didn't let me talk ! She had the nerve to get annoyed with me when she assumed the wrong detail about my inquiry. Sure, you've been here all day working, for money. But hey, I've been here for fucking 15 hours with no real compensation except 6 dollars off my overpriced breakfast. Give me a break. Give ME a break, please.

I'm not huddled under a row of payphones because this part of terminal 3 isn't as high tech as Terminal 2 and this is where the outlets are. Lost souls wander about with chargers in their hands, with longing looks. We are boarding soon and I hope there is in-flight wi-fi. If not, check my twitter until 7:05pm when I will have (hopefully, fingers crossed) taken off for Sweden. Thank you for your comments and tweets, you've provided me with some company during this horrible experience. Signing off, 6:08pm EST.

Around Town: Live from Croque Madame in JFK's Terminal 2, PART 2

2010-12-29T14:46:00.007-05:00

Canceled? My face sank and I started to cry a little. I got up to confirm it, people rushed to the service phones to reschedule. It was a long line. Asif and I started to zone out. I tried to call the Delta service line on my phone so we wouldn't have to stand in line but no dice. I stood in line at the service phones while Asif stayed in the agent line. As soon as a woman hung up, my phone started to ring. Tiny joys. My seat was rebooked automatically, awesome. So was Asif's! Wait....there is only one flight between JFK and Stockholm and it leaves at 7pm tomorrow? I let out a guttural growl after I hung up. The airline agents were handing out food and hotel vouchers and people were leaving the terminal. Hmm, food vouchers for the restaurants that are closed. And hotel vouchers for a discounted room that I'd still have to pay for and would have to take a cab to? Asif and I weighed the options. Do we risk a 3 to 4 hour trip home via the busted AirTrain / expensive cab ride and /or slow subway to sleep comfortably for 4 hours and make the trek back through security? Or do we camp out, sleep uncomfortably but for longer stretches?

Welp, we decided to rough it. I bought a Boingo 24 hour wi fi pass and I've been here since. While Asif slept, I took a shift to watch our stuff. I couldn't sleep anyway, my mind was racing. The terminal was quiet, probably the quietest it will be until I leave. I was very upset. If my flight leaves at 7pm, it will arrive on 12/29 at 9:35am; which is after my scheduled train departure for Hassleholm. I immediately emailed our promoter to see if he can transfer the ticket or get a refund. I'm crossing my fingers that I still arrive in time to catch the 1pm train to South Sweden. This trip is kicking my ass and I haven't even left New York yet. As soon as I made this realization, Nordloef (the guy that's playing the show with us) sent me a link to a front page show listing for our show in the local Hassleholm paper. I HAVE TO GET TO SWEDEN. I had been tweeting and updating Facebook through the day and the comments were dying down, the rest of the world was asleep. I went into the #chipmusic IRC because I knew people would be awake. It was nice to talk to people I knew for a couple hours. As they each drifted off to eventual sleep, I watched the Glee christmas episode. It was rounding 5am and the shops started to open again, new faces were coming through the security checkpoint. It'd be busy again. Maybe I should try to sleep before it got too busy? I couldn't, so I checked my email and felt the glow of the sunrise behind me. I dared not look because I would probably fly into a rage and climb the walls.

Asif woke up from his sleep on the floor and we grumbled together. I mentioned that the restaurants were open and we used the mounted ipads to order breakfast. Minutes later a server came over to confirm our order. It was pretty awesome. I had not even posted the first half of my story when my egg, bacon and cheese croissant arrived with yummy fruit. It was a godsend. Sure it was probably costco croissant, processed cheese and microwave bacon; but it was better than Burger King and Wendy's. My slice of ambiance and faux culture took my rage down a notch. As I was signing the credit card receipt, the pen didn't work. I threw it and Asif could see the crazy glimmer growing in my eyes, "EVERYTHING IS BROKEN AT JFK, EVEN THE PENS! EVEN THE GOD DAMN PENS!" Asif wondered aloud if that was the thing to push me over the edge. He looked worried because he knew he'd be in the line of fire if I ever went postal. Newly energized, I started to write. I was getting loopy, requoting classic literature to fit my story on Twitter:

"So she beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

"The terminal was barred by a white bank of snow and the tranquil tarmac leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness."

Rounding 8am, I started to feel that degree of soreness that you experience after an all-nighter. It was a familiar and almost comforting feeling, that I was getting tired. If I held out for a little longer, I would be so knocked out that I could stretch the time that I slept. And it worked ! I put on my head phones, pulled my hood up and wrapped my scarf around my eyes. I am small enough to fit under the arm rest in a row of chairs, so I was able to lay flat. I hugged my backpack and went for it. I drifted to sleep, cradled by the murmur of people making their way to their gates. I felt a little hand touch mine and a light kick on my leg. I moved my blindfold and it was a little girl, I caught her mid tantrum. She was refusing to take her sinus medicine and accidentally woke me up. I was surrounded. There was a woman sitting at my foot, another at my head and this girl with her grandmother only 2 feet from me. I groggily put my glasses on and sat up looking for Asif. He was at one of the ipads. I moved our stuff to another corner of the lounge and slept like a pipe cleaner; bent in weird ways to mold to the arm rests. I slept a total of 5.5 hours, not too shabby. I spent most of the afternoon writing this missive and thinking about time. How much time was actually wasted while I was here and did my account entertain you in any way? I had no aim except to let it out because if I made it to Sweden with this bottled up inside, I'm not sure I'd enjoy the opportunity or savor the feeling of finally leaving.

Around Town: Live from Croque Madame in JFK's Terminal 2

2010-12-29T06:41:00.014-05:00

Hey friends, you'll want to refresh this post, I'm live blogging at JFK!

I departed from my cozy bro-cave in Ridgewood at 2:08pm on 12/28. The roads had not been properly plowed still and I was dragging my keyboard case in the snow like a broken sled. Wheels are useful if you have pavement to roll them on. #lessonlearned. Out of habit, I descended down to the L train and promptly realized that I was on the Manhattan side. This is all fine and dandy except I was supposed to go the other way to Broadway Junction. Good job, Jenn. I had no problem getting up the stairs, it was the opposite bound stairwell that freaked me out. It was not shoveled at all. Treacherous pads of snow became pressed into the metal steps and were slippery. I made it down by clinging to the handrail and slowly banging my case down the stairs. 40 minutes from when I left my house, I was finally on an L train. The trip begins.

The Halsey L stop is not that far from Broadway Junction. The only problem is that after Wilson Ave, the track goes outside--slowly. We lurched past the snowy cemetery, stopped a couple times. People had miserable frowns, I should have taken that as foreshadowing.

I lugged the case up two flights of stairs and down a long escalator to grab the A train. I couldn't help the nervousness, I read that a train full of people were stuck on an outside track A train for 8 hours the other night with no food, heat or water. It was probably the shortest wait of my day: 20 minutes on the platform. It was a Lefferts Blvd train, I knew that it didn't go to the airport but it was progress right? I watched a lot of confused foreigners step on, looking for other people with luggage. I felt optimistic; NYC should have its shit together by now. There will be no way that I miss my 7pm flight. It was 3:41pm, the A train was pulling up to Howard Beach. I wasn't that far away from the terminal. I got a call from Asif (who was on my flight to Sweden). Our flight was delayed and not leaving until 9:30pm. It was alright, I figured that I probably would have to stand in line to check my keyboard. The attendants at the station were waving people past the gates, great! I don't have to pay 5 bucks for the airtrain? Thanks!

Nope. Nope and nope. We were being led to a shuttle bus that took us to the long term parking lot to wait for....just guess! ANOTHER SHUTTLE BUS! Astounding and inefficient, surely this isn't the New York that I know and love? We shimmied down the road, like a sardine can on wheels; trying not to breathe on each other too hard. As I was getting off the first shuttle, a familiar feeling overtook my body and I wobbled. My keyboard case fell out of my hands and I fell off the bus into the snow. Some jackass clocked the back of my head with his suitcase as he was taking down from storage. It really hurt, my head throbbed. I felt nauseated and dizzy. It took me a minute to realize what happened. I sat there, holding my head and crying. What's worse is that no one helped me. I was in the way and people stepped over me, like I was some rotting log. Someone offered to carry my case but he wanted to hurry. I wanted to sit down and regain my sense of balance, so he left me. By the time I felt ok enough to walk, a line of 200 people had formed waiting for this second shuttle bus to the terminals. Wet, miserable and red nosed, I waited. A guy holding a PS3 (unboxed, super weird) kept trying to bribe passing cars to take him to the terminals. Apparently, the traffic was so bad at the terminals that the 6 shuttle buses couldn't get out, they were arriving one at a time. By some miracle, the airtrains started working again. I joined the large current of rolling cases and boarded the train. We were the test train. We went in one direction and stalled, it was the opposite of where we needed to go. I struck up a conversation with a nice boy from Melbourne on his way to Seoul. He asked if my head was ok, he saw what happened from across the bus and couldn't do anything to help me. It made me feel better knowing that someone saw and wanted to help.

It was a delight to speak to a kind person, already the highlight of my day. We got along so well that I didn't notice that we had been sitting there for 25 minutes. A conductor finally came to turn the AirTrain back on and we put-putted down the track. My new friend, took off like a fox out the door as soon as we screeched into terminal one. Luckily, I was on the next terminal stop. I felt pangs of relief, riding the escalator to the concourse. I stood there waiting for the elevator to take me inside. I checked in on Foursquare at 4:42pm and...the elevator was busted. An English woman exclaimed, "What a rubbish day!" as we slowly belayed down the stairs into the cold. One slip and someone could have gone to the hospital, crushed by cascades of falling luggage. The Delta international check in was unsurprisingly a clusterfuck. I went to a kiosk and I was on my way to checking in until it couldn't scan my passport. Am I on the no-fly list? I will stab someone. I stood in a mildly short line to check in and it was pretty painless. Security was also painless, mostly because no one could get to the airport!!! I ran my eyes around the terminal directory, I needed comfort and I needed it bad. A drink? A nasty bit of fast food? I calmed down by walking around the entire terminal. I brought lunch, I don't need to spend money. Mache salad with rosemary dressing, celery and a cheese sandwich.

As I bit into my salad, I got a call from Asif. He was already in the terminal, too ! What the hell ! He left the city almost 1.5 hours after I did ! Guhhhhhhhhh! He found me in the food court and we shot the shit for a while over a bag of twizzlers. It was around 7:30pm and as of then, our flight was to take off at 9pm. Asif went to find a water fountain and upon return said, "I almost don't want to tell you this, but our flight is delayed until 1am." I went into super Saiyan mode. My hair burst into flames. I needed a drink, that was that. We hatched a plan to get a bottle of Wild turkey American Honey at the Duty Free shop and drink until we have to leave. We were foiled when I discovered that you can't bring your purchases with you, they meet you at the gate. How very terrible! JFK does everything in its power to make you miserable. Since we had so much time, we decided to walk over to Terminal 2 where we spotted a Todd English bar. We settled into the bar stools and happily ordered a drink. I got a blood maria. Was this relief? No. Because as soon as I started to enjoy this drink, the bartender told us it was last call; at 9:04pm. What the deuce is this? More misery. Asif and I laughed. How much more fucked can this trip get? Really?

We discovered a snacky kiosk that sold craft beers and we each picked one up. I got a Matilda Goose Island, Belgian style beer. Asif got a Duvel. We retired to the food court once again to enjoy our treasures. Our flight got moved up to 11:45pm and we felt it was a small victory. At 10:15pm, we walked to gate 9 to camp out with all the Swedish people. The beers were kicking in. It was feeling nice, I felt a warm glow around my cheeks. Was it joy or the alcohol or was it being surrounded by gorgeous Nordic people? I don't know. Paradise unplugged when I saw a boy carry two cots to his family, I let out a "OH HELL NAW" and checked the departure screen, a blaring 1:30am take off. They're really toying with us now! I decided to cool off and walk around the terminal again. What would Tom Hanks do? If I were really desperate, I'd gather mustard packets to squeeze onto saltines. When I returned, Asif was sitting at the gate alone, "Hey...where'd all the Swedes go?" Our gate switched to Terminal 2. We lugged our crap back to where we got our drinks and settled into the Croque Madame (where I'm sitting right now). It's a lounge where you can use their ipads to order food or surf the internet. This would be our homebase for the next day, but we didn't know it yet. I had been trying to resist from playing my Dsi and Mario Kart all day, but I needed to play something. Someone stood next to me and say "HEY!" It was Martin (tRasH cAn maN) and he was coming from a 45 hour trip from Sweden. We joked that it was an exchange program. His flight had been diverted to Michigan and he had to stay there overnight. We hugged and he went off to meet his fiancee outside. At that moment, I was clocking in at a 10 hour wait, not as bad by comparison. I was raring down the road as Toad in the 100cc class when a staff person announced that our flight was canceled.

I'm going to continue this in another post, it is getting long ! Keep refreshing http://bltidm.com until I take off on 12/29/2010 at 7pm.

At Home: Christmas Eve in Park Slope

2010-12-27T18:32:00.000-05:00

Since I am a Brooklyn lump around the holidays (and not in California), I got invited along to my friend Angela's Christmas Eve in Park Slope. I recounted the main events on our catering tumblr but here are a couple things from behind the scenes.

Angela (left) crinkles her nose after I ask her to scrape mayo out of jar for our lemon zest remoulade. Sorry, dude.

Cousins and parents break out into a Bruno Mars / Glee singalong during dinner (see below).

Angela's brother, Chris, punches the gingerbread annually. It's a tradition. I helped eat it.

We also had an epic craft beer tasting with meat and cheese pairings!

In order of light to dark, we had:

Wostynje mustard ale
'T gaverhopke Singing Blond
Popperings Hommel Ale
ESB Fuller's Lukcy 13astard
Samuel Smith Tadcaster Oatmeal Stout
Scottish Midnight Sun Dark Porter
Keegan Ales Mother's Milk
Hitachino Espresso Stout
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Brooklyn Black Ops.

Tweets this Week: Oh god where have I been?

2010-12-26T05:01:00.000-05:00

I had such great momentum going with these new fancy blog banners and regular posts before Thanksgiving hit! I'm such a lump now. Well, puppies, it's time to train! By taking a gander at my GoDaddy account, I have this crazy affinity for starting new projects in December. Yes, I still did start a couple more things-- but THIS ONE will remain! Congrats bltidm, you've made the cut (and have the most followers). I was so lax before I made my "editorial schedule." When I imposed it upon myself, I shook a fist at my former self: "Self, you're being an asshole hardass butt-ass. Don't be so strict." I needn't. You needn't. We heedn't. In any case, I'll try to ease back into regularly posting. For now, let's be annoying and post the easiest type of entry (as stolen from TCTD):

@daniel_rehn Oh man, I wanna go on a food + videogame tour.
Man, this recipe for chocolate salami got me all excited but found out there was no meat in it. http://ow.ly/3uq6X #LIES
Hay. RT @theshortsleeves: Video: We’re one of the featured bands on this week’s episode of @Bytejacker on Revision 3! http://ow.ly/3uq2c
Clocked in 120 puzzles at 4087 picarats at 8hr, 57min, 55 hint coins. #proflayton #christmas
Haha, first credit at the end of the game is "puzzle master" #proflayton
Yep. Videogames, underwear and chips. Merry Christmas to me.
Ang's dad swears he saw a gum drop cloud come out when I burped.
You can't pluck a naked chicken. #serioustruth
Workoff family singalong to Bruno Mars & craft beer tasting #wtf #christmas
Angry Birds? You mean it's not a game about me and @angelaworkoff ? #christmas
It's troof. RT @sabrepulse: @bltidm and tweet #multitasking
You know, all these logic games are good practice for soon to be lawyers. #proflayton
I lost the stylus for a minute, it was stuck in my hair. #proflayton
GIMME DEM PICARATS #proflayton
OMG, I just broke out some algebra for Prof. Layton: (3/2 Y - 3) = X
RT @cheesenbeer: #cnbftw The CNB Gospel According to Ricardo: The 'N' http://ow.ly/1aAART
Oh, I wrote this. RT @cheesenbeer: #cnbftw The CNB Gospel According to Jenn: The Cheese http://ow.ly/1azprC
WAIT ! THERE IS A DLV BREWERY? RT @djoz18: Holla!!! (@ De La Vega's Brewery And Grill) [pic]: http://4sq.com/gvCrXc
Tried to surprise my doorman with a pate and cheese plate with roasted garlic but he left!
Sounds so nice! RT @arlenarlenarlen Ginger-lime hot toddy, not bad. Add lemongrass?
I am ordering expensive fried chicken and not feeling bad about it.
RT @mareodomo: "I am a huge fan of water, and the name had been floating around (derp) for a long while." @BATHSmusic http://bit.ly/g0cvAD
H8 RT @nullsleep: Drinking pepperoni, mozzarella and sausage-infused whiskey, eating $50 pizza, & flipping over tables w @8bitpeoples crew.
Guys, Bear & Walrus. Learn something about music today. http://ow.ly/3tkrz
I am a nut tonight. Spiderman musical accident as told by a piece of bacon and Pikachu. http://ow.ly/3sZRF
Me three ! RT @tront: Me too! RT @justinbieber: I love music
Made a video of a rough song by @TheShortsleeves - "Climates" http://ow.ly/3sZoV
Early #Christmas gifts from my parents: panini grill, chocolate, hand sanitizer & a brand spanking new Casio WK-210 #squee

Tweets This Week: Thanksgiving in Palmdale

2010-11-28T12:02:00.000-05:00

-sigh- Andrew Knowlton is such a dreamboat. Plz keep talking about food.
My aunt wants me to cater a hotel party with cheese before Elvis renews her vows.
Oh and don't forget to dilute brine with ICE and stick the poultry right in next time. #cooking
Need to remember to hit my sliders with onion water for a little steam. #cooking
Despite my warning that I was cleaning the stove, my dad still thought the cleaner was marshmallow. So he tasted it.
Why do I love Ruffles and ranch dressing so much?
"I googled you, it's what modern girls do when they have a crush."
Turkey bacon is ok, I guess. #notreally
My parents have started storing things outside because it's 29 degrees.
Dance battled teenagers w @jromulo . Ow. #feellikeanold
My cousin played a song from final fantasy 10 at her cotillion
Hurpy turksgivingz http://plixi.com/p/59208788
Dad: " I think I am ready for apple pie" and no one got up. #getityerself
Dad needs to take a carving class. http://plixi.com/p/59200666 #cooking
Aw crap, I have to unzip the back of my dress. #stillhungry
My phone smells like butter. #cooking
HEY. Who ate the grape bonbon? There is one missing from my platter! #immastabyou
Fyi in n out and wendy's are closed but jack in a box and carl's jr are open. #thanksgiving
Grandma burping is kind of the cutest thing I have ever heard.
I have more in common with my 12 year old cousin than most people my age. #pokemon #puppies #snacks
THE BIRD http://plixi.com/p/59099676 #Cooking
I don't know if I'm crying from cutting onions or laughing so hard at the dancing penguin people during the Thanksgiving day parade.
Started the Thanksgiving prep. Went shopping all afternoon with Dad DLV.
First plate on the table. Goat cheese terrine. http://plixi.com/p/59082614 #cooking
Where the hell did my mom pick up the word "chipster"?? #thingsmymomsays
I HAS MADED MY FIRST APPLE PIE http://plixi.com/p/58916548 #cooking
I don't know if my diet is better or worse at my parent's house. I'm eating a Hungry Man microwave dinner. #workingvacation
Uyyyy, this batender doesn't know what "makers neat" means. #immastabyou

Thanksgiving: Live from Palmdale!

2010-11-25T11:49:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody! I'm taking this week to focus on Thanksgiving. You can follow my live mobile uploads if you friend me on Facebook.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY !