Yum!
Good day. I hope that 2007 is rocking your ass. I need to ask your advice on some things.
+My New Year's resolution is to find one interesting recipe each month this year and learn to prepare it well. By the end of the year, I hope to have a dozen different dishes under my ever-expanding belt, as well as a kitchen better stocked with devices for future food preparation. To do this, I figure I need to make each item at least twice, so it should be something that I enjoy, can afford and can locate ingredients for without ordering them from Stuttgart. I don't care much for olives, capers, hard-boiled eggs, veal or any type of gland or organ.
So, what should I try cooking this month? Has anyone recently come across a crazy-sounding recipe that turned out surprisingly well (something like, say, the delicious smoked salmon cheesecake I just made for the holidays)? Or maybe just an old favorite that you can never convince anyone to try with a mere description, but once you successfully cajole them, can't get them to stop eating? I'm even open to conventional dishes if there's something personal and unique about them. Health benefits are not a major concern. I'm looking for flavor here.
+The cable bill is going up, and I'm seriously considering switching cable providers. I'm currently with Comcast, and their digital cable has the big plus of the OnDemand channel, which I have extolled in the past for its plethora of entertainment choices. But when I reflect upon the past year, I realize that I watched a lot of lousy shit I probably would not have if it wasn't sitting right there on my cable box. OnDemand is like a video store you don't have to drive to, except your choices are extremely limited. I mean, I got to watch that crazy movie "The Hole," where Thora Birch runs around looking hot with a fake British accent, and it was nice to see a Jess Franco movie that didn't bore me. But I avoided "Robocop 3" for many years because it looked like crap, and now I can tell you that it is, in fact, crap. A few weeks ago, I was watching "One Missed Call" because it was a Takashi Miike movie I hadn't seen, and found myself writhing at the horrible English dubbing, the pan-and-scan transfer and the obnoxious ad graphics that kept exploding all over the bottom of the screen - all the while thinking that there are other Miike movies I hadn't seen that I would have preferred to have been watching anyway.
I long for a nearby video store that carries the DVDs I want to rent: all those deluxe reissues of old European exploitation movies, weird art movies, stimulating documentaries, independent animation, metal concerts, backyard wrestling accidents, etc. You know, shit I can't rent around here. Unless... I switch to cheaper cable and use the money I save to get NetFlix. Anyone have a convincing reason I shouldn't move my TV and Internet to Wow! and make more proactive choices when I sit down to a flick?
+I've lived on my own for more than a year and haven't gone on a single date in that period. That's the sort of true statement that at one point in my life would have made me seriously depressed, but which today is merely a true statement. I enjoy my free time, and I absolutely love living alone. The idea of trying to initiate something in the romance department has crossed my mind a few times, but I think my intuition is better these days, and I haven't acted on any caprices which might have caused grief to all involved. I'll joke about mail order brides or stalking in a public setting, but that's just your average frustration. Compared to about five or six years ago, most of the time I'm relatively chill about this eternal bachelorhood business.
But then, there's this annoying loneliness that creeps up on me at inopportune times, and it's been getting a bit loud lately. So, in desperation, I am considering checking out one of those creepy services that feeds survey answers into a machine before recommending that two strangers attempt to "meet cute." Of course, it's against everything I believe to turn over something as personal and elusive as establishing genuine interpersonal affection to a fucking robot. And then there was that one time I met that "goth" girl online who called me collect from New Jersey, and upon meeting me proceeded to show me her suicide attempt scars and tell me that both she and her trailer park boyfriend thought I was cute - was I up for a threesome? Do I really want to pay some business to have another experience like that? Or can I expect something more like real dating - comraderie, hope, pleasure, activity and, ultimately, crushing disappointment? Does anyone know of any such service that isn't crazy expensive and won't hook me up with a manipulative lunatic? Should I just troll the neighborhood bars? Take a class? Keep pushing it out of my mind?
I appreciate your feedback, pals. Coming up next, I am getting ready for the second installment of the Heathen Crusade, and to celebrate, I'll have a new mp3 playlist of "ethnic metal" tunes reflecting a number of cultural heritages. From Scandinavia to Singapore, from the Emerald Isle to the Faroe Islands, you won't believe some of the intriguing stuff that's out there right now. In the meantime, enjoy the Xmas music while it's still there. What, did those stop being good songs on Dec. 26?
Oh, definitely watch this video for Bloc Party's new single, "The Prayer." Their upcoming A Weekend in the City is the best record I've heard so far this year.
+My New Year's resolution is to find one interesting recipe each month this year and learn to prepare it well. By the end of the year, I hope to have a dozen different dishes under my ever-expanding belt, as well as a kitchen better stocked with devices for future food preparation. To do this, I figure I need to make each item at least twice, so it should be something that I enjoy, can afford and can locate ingredients for without ordering them from Stuttgart. I don't care much for olives, capers, hard-boiled eggs, veal or any type of gland or organ.
So, what should I try cooking this month? Has anyone recently come across a crazy-sounding recipe that turned out surprisingly well (something like, say, the delicious smoked salmon cheesecake I just made for the holidays)? Or maybe just an old favorite that you can never convince anyone to try with a mere description, but once you successfully cajole them, can't get them to stop eating? I'm even open to conventional dishes if there's something personal and unique about them. Health benefits are not a major concern. I'm looking for flavor here.
+The cable bill is going up, and I'm seriously considering switching cable providers. I'm currently with Comcast, and their digital cable has the big plus of the OnDemand channel, which I have extolled in the past for its plethora of entertainment choices. But when I reflect upon the past year, I realize that I watched a lot of lousy shit I probably would not have if it wasn't sitting right there on my cable box. OnDemand is like a video store you don't have to drive to, except your choices are extremely limited. I mean, I got to watch that crazy movie "The Hole," where Thora Birch runs around looking hot with a fake British accent, and it was nice to see a Jess Franco movie that didn't bore me. But I avoided "Robocop 3" for many years because it looked like crap, and now I can tell you that it is, in fact, crap. A few weeks ago, I was watching "One Missed Call" because it was a Takashi Miike movie I hadn't seen, and found myself writhing at the horrible English dubbing, the pan-and-scan transfer and the obnoxious ad graphics that kept exploding all over the bottom of the screen - all the while thinking that there are other Miike movies I hadn't seen that I would have preferred to have been watching anyway.
I long for a nearby video store that carries the DVDs I want to rent: all those deluxe reissues of old European exploitation movies, weird art movies, stimulating documentaries, independent animation, metal concerts, backyard wrestling accidents, etc. You know, shit I can't rent around here. Unless... I switch to cheaper cable and use the money I save to get NetFlix. Anyone have a convincing reason I shouldn't move my TV and Internet to Wow! and make more proactive choices when I sit down to a flick?
+I've lived on my own for more than a year and haven't gone on a single date in that period. That's the sort of true statement that at one point in my life would have made me seriously depressed, but which today is merely a true statement. I enjoy my free time, and I absolutely love living alone. The idea of trying to initiate something in the romance department has crossed my mind a few times, but I think my intuition is better these days, and I haven't acted on any caprices which might have caused grief to all involved. I'll joke about mail order brides or stalking in a public setting, but that's just your average frustration. Compared to about five or six years ago, most of the time I'm relatively chill about this eternal bachelorhood business.
But then, there's this annoying loneliness that creeps up on me at inopportune times, and it's been getting a bit loud lately. So, in desperation, I am considering checking out one of those creepy services that feeds survey answers into a machine before recommending that two strangers attempt to "meet cute." Of course, it's against everything I believe to turn over something as personal and elusive as establishing genuine interpersonal affection to a fucking robot. And then there was that one time I met that "goth" girl online who called me collect from New Jersey, and upon meeting me proceeded to show me her suicide attempt scars and tell me that both she and her trailer park boyfriend thought I was cute - was I up for a threesome? Do I really want to pay some business to have another experience like that? Or can I expect something more like real dating - comraderie, hope, pleasure, activity and, ultimately, crushing disappointment? Does anyone know of any such service that isn't crazy expensive and won't hook me up with a manipulative lunatic? Should I just troll the neighborhood bars? Take a class? Keep pushing it out of my mind?
I appreciate your feedback, pals. Coming up next, I am getting ready for the second installment of the Heathen Crusade, and to celebrate, I'll have a new mp3 playlist of "ethnic metal" tunes reflecting a number of cultural heritages. From Scandinavia to Singapore, from the Emerald Isle to the Faroe Islands, you won't believe some of the intriguing stuff that's out there right now. In the meantime, enjoy the Xmas music while it's still there. What, did those stop being good songs on Dec. 26?
Oh, definitely watch this video for Bloc Party's new single, "The Prayer." Their upcoming A Weekend in the City is the best record I've heard so far this year.
posted by SoulReaper at 11:42 AM
4 Comments:
+ Puerco Pibil. You know it's good, and aside from a blender and a baking pan, it only requires an additional coffee grinder for spices. Downside: takes five hours to make.
+ I don't have cable. I don't even have a broadcast signal coming into my apartment. I can provide little advice on the subject other than to inform you that yes, even I may soon succumb to the intoxicating allure of Netflix.
+ I personally know two women who want to have sex with you. Aside from that, I imagine it's hard to meet ladies when all you do is hang out in Schaumburg watching OnDemand. Conversely, here in the city, I usually end up invited to and attending at least one party a month. It's a 40 minute drive, I know, but you're welcome to join any time.
Furthermore: Return my calls asshole.
If you wish to learn to cook and justify a Netflix subscription at the same time, see if they have "Good Eats". Witht he exception of actual restaurant work, there is not a better way to learn to cook than from Alton Brown.
Kyle, will you handle my pimp-related needs, too?
Re: Cooking
Once I unload my storage locker, you are more than welcome to come on over and help me experiment with all the gadgets, so's you can figure out what you want to get yourself. It would go a long way into making sure I actually use them.
Re: Dating
I've been picked up by married men both online and in bars. I've been picked up by actual honest-to-god mental patients both online and in bars. It is a crapshoot no matter what you do. My completely unsolicited advice: go to every party and event you're invited to. Get on out there.
Re: Lonliness
1) See above.
2) I miss you, too. Let's set something up. For the time being, it's actually a helluva lot easier for me to get up to your place. Email me.
K-Dogg: I don't have the "Once Upon a Time In Mexico" disc, but I do have "Sin City"... so I've decided I will try Mr. Rodriguez's Breakfast Tacos next week. And those women have obviously never met me in person. But thank you!
A-Dogg: I watch Alton whenever possible, but I never thought to combine those endeavors. I think I might just do that. Thank you!
J-Dogg: My place is still sorta trashed from NYE, but I will get at you ASAP. Thank you!
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