Feb 22 2007
This past weekend, pals-o-ours, Jake and Aiyana, ventured up to Santa Barbara for a romantic weekend and returned to us betrothed! Aiyana now sports a gorgeous ruby ring and Jake bears a constant smile. Aiyana is a screenwriter and Jake is currently in law school, with an eye toward politics. Congrats and best wishes to them both!
Feb 18 2007
My buddy Jan’s #1 passion in life is beer. Forced to choose between that and garlic, it might be a close call, but I think the brew would win out. He’s particular about his beers, too. For instance, he will not drink beer from warm weather climates. That means no Corona, no Pacifico, no Red Stripe.
As a class, his favorite beers (I have surmised) are from Belgium, and every year, this fantastic pub called Lucky Baldwins in Old Town Pasadena holds a Belgian Beer Fest. Aside from hiking up some incredibly high hunk of snow-capped granite, there is no place Jan would rather be. There are 60 different Belgian beers on the menu, and during the course of the fest, he endeavors to taste them all — even scribbling meticulous notes about each onto his menu.
So, last Thursday I ventured up the 134 to Jan’s, we walked a mile to the train station, then took the Gold Line two stops to Old Town just to see how much damage we could do to the menu. I like beer, and I’m not an expert, but these brews are extraordinary. I mean, it’s like wine with all of these complex flavors hinting of cherry, or cloves, or even whiskey. These beers average 7% alcohol (good ole Bud is 4.5%), and some go as high as 12%. We managed, between us, to knock 14 beers off the list with 6 ounce tasters. Then we chowed on some chicken curry over crisp French fries before I resigned myself to drinking water as Jan finished up with the best beer of the night — #60, called “Kwak.”
Before we left, I committed perhaps my most grievous error in our 7-year history as friends, aside from the time I nearly tripped him at mile 24 of the LA Marathon in order to avoid plowing into a little old lady. When he went to the restroom, and whilst I was checking in on my beloved resting at home, I didn’t notice the waiter take Jan’s beer menu with his precious notes on it. Despite a 5.0 blood alcohol level, when Jan returned, he noticed its absence instantly and was terribly distraught. We managed to recover the menu, thank Bacchus (who is the beer God?), pay our bill, and grab a cup of coffee on the walk home. I finished my sobering-up watching The Sarah Silverman Show on his TiVo, then drove the 26 miles home. Shoulda just run it and got this marathon business over with.
Lucky Baldwins Belgian Beer Fest runs through February 28th. Check it out. Eat some curry fries. And keep an eye on your menu.
Feb 15 2007
Our good friends Mark and Kelley (see my Cold Shower post) are now the proud parents of Joel Evan, who weighs in at 6 lbs. 4 oz., and is 19.5 inches long. Many congrats to Mark and Kelley, and much love to baby Joel!
Feb 12 2007
Last night, Tina and I watched a truly amazing documentary, co-produced by a friend of mine, Sarah Feeley.
Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices presents the truth about these small-town wrecking, employee-screwing, environment-polluting, giant box-building chain stores in such amazing clarity, that I will never go anywhere near one of their facilities again. And right now, I can’t. Because many California communities have banned them from building in this area.
There is a tremendous economic and personal cost that is paid by American communities and those around the world for every bargain-basement item we buy from Wal-Mart, and I strongly suggest you purchase, rent, or Netflix this film so that you too can hear the shocking truth. It’s almost unbelievable at first. But in the end, it all makes sense: $$$. See the movie, support mom & pop businesses, and avoid evil yellow smiley faces.
Feb 12 2007
The first time I ever traveled to Europe was with my then girlfriend, now wife, Tina, and her parents, Manfred and Marion. It was 1999. One night in the lake region of Northern Italy, I ate my first bowl of fresh gnocchi with pesto sauce and fell in love — with the pasta. I was already in love with Tina. Years later, this past Christmas in fact, Tina’s parents gave me a little gnocchi roller and a few good recipes to try.
An occasion arose for my first pasta-making effort in the form of our friend Jan’s yearly birthday tapas party. I was warned by several considerate folks to practice making the dish on my own before attempting to serve it to ten people for such an auspicious event — but did I listen? Of course not. And my gnocchi promptly disintegrated in the pot as we put it to a boil in the midst of a lovely dinner party. Fortunately for me, there was lots of scotch on hand, and Marion and Manfred had also given me a beautiful bag of colored pasta for Christmas, which I brought as a backup.
Last night we gave it another try at our place, and this time — with Jan’s expert dough-making advice — the gnocchi was a huge success, served with fresh pesto made in part from basil grown on our porch. Photos below of me and my Billy-Sonoma potato ricer, and Jan with his belated birthday gnocchi.
Feb 11 2007
According to the Coin Star machine at our friendly neighborhood Albertsons, the Change Jar contained:
Out of 16 total players, the winner of the L.A. Dime’s “Make a Dime” contest is….Laurie Perdue, a work friend of Tina’s. Her guess was $167 making her $34.18 under.
In second place was Mandee Riddell, who was $41.36 over, and in third was Rick Riddell, who was $63.22 under. Laurie will receive her fabulous prize in the very near future.
Thanks to all who played, and please remember, it’s not too late to donate to my Dash For Dimes Marathon run for the March of Dimes. Each dollar I raise will be triple-matched, so even 50 cents per mile ($13) becomes $39 instantly!
The Racin’ Eights finished our final long run of the training cycle yesterday — 22 miles! Now we taper down to race day on March 4th. If you’re in town, I hope to see you along the course!
Feb 08 2007
My Tour-De-Bluegrass ended Tuesday as I left for the airport in -1 degree temperatures and reached cruising altitude just an hour or so before six inches of snow blanketed my old Kentucky home.
My last few nights included the annual meeting of the Royal Order of Ground Hogs, where seventy odd people (both in the strange and numerical sense) gathered to celebrate this under-appreciated holiday. New members joined, adding “Hog” to the end of their first names, and an amusing program of ground hog related news and performances was given by members of the borough. George Washington made an appearance in advance of President’s Day, as did his wife, Martha. It would seem Martha has been involved with the San Fran-based drug company BALCO, as she appeared to be about 6′6″ and 350 pounds with a full beard.
The Superbowl was spent with Chad and Mandee. The best pizza on the planet was eaten — LaRosa’s — and the game ended satisfactorily with a Colts win. Congrats Peyton. Everyone can now find someone else to pick on, and his name is Rex. I hear there’s gonna be a new arena team in Cincy playing this year. So if Rex is looking for a job, and he soon will be, he should take a look at the Natti.
In general, I thought the commercials were sub par. And Coke was the worst. I love their animated ads, but when I’ve already seen them before on TV and in movie theaters, it makes me feel like they’re too cheap to make new ones. This is the SUPER BOWL people! You’re COCA-COLA! Spend some cash on a new ad for carbonation’s sake!
So, I landed in L.A. four hours later, got home, and went for a run. It was 70 degrees warmer, and oh so nice. I think I actually got a sunburn.
Feb 02 2007
Everyone keeps asking this “California Boy” how he likes the cold that has beseiged the Bluegrass state, and to be honest, I’m fine with it. It’s a nice change of pace. Crisp, invigorating air, a thin powder on the ground, and bare trees framing dull, steel skies. Winter is quaint and cozy…if you’re just visiting.
My one-week guest lecture spot at the Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s Filmmaking Certificate Program was outstanding and inspiring. 21 people are enrolled in this 12 week survey course, and they are so eager to learn all they can about filmmaking, that many are making tremendous sacrifices to attend. It couldn’t be clearer that Kentucky and the Southeast region as a whole are starving for film education, and I returned to Cincy further emboldened that the work we’re doing at the Kentucky Film Lab www.kyfilmlab.com is both important and powerful.
While in Lextown, I stayed with my good friends Scott and Elizabeth, and their son, Evan. We went to Yamamoto Restaurant (Japanese hot table) Monday night, which was a big hit with two-year-old Evan, who was enthralled with the chef. It’s a great environment for kids, as there are entertaining sights and sounds, plus the food is prepared in stages which allows them to continue eating little bits throughout the meal. Scott and Elizabeth have a lovely home, are amazing hosts, and my stay was 5 star all the way.
I was able to enjoy coffee (and hot chocolate) with the best photographer in the world, Melanie Mauer www.melaniemauer.com, and her gorgeous daughter Audrey (6 months), at my favorite Lexington shoppe, Common Grounds www.commongroundsoflexington.com. That night, I ran 5 miles in 13 degree weather, then had dinner with Vice Mayor Gray www.jimgray.org at A La Lucie, my favorite fine dining spot downtown.
Wednesday night, I went for drinks at Bellini’s www.bellinis.us with my former boss turned partner in education, Arthur Rouse, then had dinner with Jack, Adrienne, and their beautiful two-year-old daughter, Amelia, at Rincon.
I was a wee bit hungry after turning in a treadmill run at the Y Thursday morning, so I was ready to chow. What’s a stop in Lexington without a visit to Ramsey’s for lunch? Chicken and dumplings, fried okra, green beans, mashed potatoes, fresh corn bread, and cold iced tea. Arthur and I plotted-out how the KY Film Lab will take over the world.
After chatting with the BCTC students Thursday night at Coffee Times, it was back to Northern KY for fondue with Chad, Mandee (baby Sawyer), and their ‘rents. Their fondue set is amazing: www.thetabletop.com.
Today was brunch with Mom and Rocko-Rock at First Watch www.firstwatch.com and a bit of snow shovelling. Tonight brings the annual Ground Hog’s Day celebration in Florence. I haven’t been in years and hear it’s gotten insane. We’ll see. Check back.
