Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
...i'm at least pretty sure kevin jonas is wearing my sunglasses.
if i hadn't bought them at forever 21 for like, $4, i'd be absolutely positive.
:::edit::: the best part is, when i first wore these out, my friend chris asked me why i was wearing them and if i thought i was one of the jonas brothers. now i sort of regret scoffing and calling him an idiot...
DUDE.
WANT.
I wish I had known about these BEFORE tonight--I'm making tacos for a big group of people for the Fianz's birthday! Sigh.
Read about them here.
WANT.
I wish I had known about these BEFORE tonight--I'm making tacos for a big group of people for the Fianz's birthday! Sigh.
Read about them here.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
for mothers day i don't really subscribe to the gift-giving thing; sure, i've given my mom presents for the day in the past, but usually tradition in our family sticks to cooking breakfast and picking flowers.
this mothers day is the first one i've lived in my own place without roommates (not counting the fianz), so i had the opportunity to have my mom and her partner over for breakfast! i wanted to try something new, but didn't want to do anything too crazy--i toyed with the idea of omlettes, latkes, and baked tomatoes before settling on a pretty basic meal: scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon and pancakes. but not just any pancakes: lemon blueberry pancakes, made from scratch.
i know what you're thinking. how good can a pancake really be? isn't it easier to just buy bisquik? well, friend, perhaps. but this was really fun to do, and they really were emotional. here's how i did it:
dust off and crack open your copy of The Joy of Cooking, and find their recipe for basic pancakes. the ingredients are as follows:
ingredients
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 1-1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 or 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
directions
combine the dry ingredients in a bowl (i actually do this in a large measuring cup, a rule my friend dillon taught me after years of making the best pancakes, ever). when it comes to adding the "wet" ingredients, here's how i did it: i grated the rind of one lemon, then juiced that lemon into a measuring cup. i added the milk to the lemon juice--i didn't want my pancake batter to be too watery! i think i probably ended up with more like one and a half cups of milk/juice, but my advice would be to start off with just one cup, total, and add more as you see fit. i also decided to go with two eggs. just 'cause.
i like to whisk my pancake batter together, but mix it however you like--just until everything is combined. lumps are ok! then--this is something new--cover it with plastic wrap (or whatever) and put it in the fridge. The Joy of Cooking recommends 3-6 hours or more; i only had about 3 hours, and i'm not sure what difference it made, but it was no extra effort, so, i'd go for it again. in the last twenty minutes or so of this cycle, you can get to work on your home fries! here's my recipe:
ingredients
about 2 tablespoons olive oil
about 2 tablespoons butter
1 large-ish yukon gold potato per couple eating them
a few stems of fresh thyme (use your judgement)
garlic powder
paprika
salt & pepper to taste
one yellow onion
directions
peel and quarter the potato(es). heat olive oil and butter on the stove in a good sized frying pan--i like to go with no-stick pans in general, and would recommend on here. add potatoes to the oil and butter mixture, along with however many thyme leaves you want to add--i usually add a lot. you can use dried thyme, also, but fresh is so much better! sprinkle over a healthy amount of garlic powder and paprika, and add a smidge of salt and pepper, cover, and fry on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
once these 10 minutes are up, take the top off, mix the potatoes around a little (try to get them completely covered in the oil in the pan!), chop up the onion and throw it in. cook uncovered for another 10 minutes. if the rest of your breakfast isn't ready when your home fries are, put them in an oven-proof pan and into the oven--i put them in with the bacon this weekend and then ended up turning the oven down to "warm" for the rest of the time it took breakfast to be ready.
with the pancakes, take the batter out of the fridge, mix it around again (add more milk if necessary), and heat the frying pan on the stove, until water dropped on it sizzles. depending on the quality of your frying pan, either spray pam on, coat with butter, or simply drop pancake mix into whatever size you want onto the pan. add as many blueberries to the side facing up as you'd like--i usually like to load them on. fry the first side until done, flip, fry the second side, and voila! these pancakes are delicious, don't have any crazy preservatives in them, are totally natural, and if i'm not mistaken, aren't as unhealthy as pancakes can tend to be.
enjoy!
this mothers day is the first one i've lived in my own place without roommates (not counting the fianz), so i had the opportunity to have my mom and her partner over for breakfast! i wanted to try something new, but didn't want to do anything too crazy--i toyed with the idea of omlettes, latkes, and baked tomatoes before settling on a pretty basic meal: scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon and pancakes. but not just any pancakes: lemon blueberry pancakes, made from scratch.
i know what you're thinking. how good can a pancake really be? isn't it easier to just buy bisquik? well, friend, perhaps. but this was really fun to do, and they really were emotional. here's how i did it:
dust off and crack open your copy of The Joy of Cooking, and find their recipe for basic pancakes. the ingredients are as follows:
ingredients
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 1-1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 or 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
directions
combine the dry ingredients in a bowl (i actually do this in a large measuring cup, a rule my friend dillon taught me after years of making the best pancakes, ever). when it comes to adding the "wet" ingredients, here's how i did it: i grated the rind of one lemon, then juiced that lemon into a measuring cup. i added the milk to the lemon juice--i didn't want my pancake batter to be too watery! i think i probably ended up with more like one and a half cups of milk/juice, but my advice would be to start off with just one cup, total, and add more as you see fit. i also decided to go with two eggs. just 'cause.
i like to whisk my pancake batter together, but mix it however you like--just until everything is combined. lumps are ok! then--this is something new--cover it with plastic wrap (or whatever) and put it in the fridge. The Joy of Cooking recommends 3-6 hours or more; i only had about 3 hours, and i'm not sure what difference it made, but it was no extra effort, so, i'd go for it again. in the last twenty minutes or so of this cycle, you can get to work on your home fries! here's my recipe:
ingredients
about 2 tablespoons olive oil
about 2 tablespoons butter
1 large-ish yukon gold potato per couple eating them
a few stems of fresh thyme (use your judgement)
garlic powder
paprika
salt & pepper to taste
one yellow onion
directions
peel and quarter the potato(es). heat olive oil and butter on the stove in a good sized frying pan--i like to go with no-stick pans in general, and would recommend on here. add potatoes to the oil and butter mixture, along with however many thyme leaves you want to add--i usually add a lot. you can use dried thyme, also, but fresh is so much better! sprinkle over a healthy amount of garlic powder and paprika, and add a smidge of salt and pepper, cover, and fry on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
once these 10 minutes are up, take the top off, mix the potatoes around a little (try to get them completely covered in the oil in the pan!), chop up the onion and throw it in. cook uncovered for another 10 minutes. if the rest of your breakfast isn't ready when your home fries are, put them in an oven-proof pan and into the oven--i put them in with the bacon this weekend and then ended up turning the oven down to "warm" for the rest of the time it took breakfast to be ready.
with the pancakes, take the batter out of the fridge, mix it around again (add more milk if necessary), and heat the frying pan on the stove, until water dropped on it sizzles. depending on the quality of your frying pan, either spray pam on, coat with butter, or simply drop pancake mix into whatever size you want onto the pan. add as many blueberries to the side facing up as you'd like--i usually like to load them on. fry the first side until done, flip, fry the second side, and voila! these pancakes are delicious, don't have any crazy preservatives in them, are totally natural, and if i'm not mistaken, aren't as unhealthy as pancakes can tend to be.
enjoy!
this is so cool.
not to mention the same blog over and over again, but the kitchn posted this a few days ago and, as i never have time to read my google reader on the weekends, i'm just seeing it now.
this website is in beta mode, so it's not all up-and-running yet, but it's called Neighborhood Fruit and what it does is list places in your community where there are fruit trees (or plants, or bushes, or whatever) growing in public areas--which means, free stuff! as i said, it's in the beginning stages, but here's a screencap of the record in san fransisco:
(oh, the 101. how i miss you.)
there's nothing listed in providence, yet--of course i checked--but what you do is, click on the link on the main page--the one furthest to the right--that says "public trees." a new page will load asking "where would you like to find trees?" enter your zip code, and the number of miles (or kilometers) you'd be willing to travel to find this, hit "apply," and if anybody has entered anything in your surrounding area, it'll pop up on the map below. you can also register local fruit trees on the same page!
neat, huh? i really hope this takes off. i don't know how often i'll find myself trekking to local parks to pick fruit, but it just sounds like such a great idea!
not to mention the same blog over and over again, but the kitchn posted this a few days ago and, as i never have time to read my google reader on the weekends, i'm just seeing it now.
this website is in beta mode, so it's not all up-and-running yet, but it's called Neighborhood Fruit and what it does is list places in your community where there are fruit trees (or plants, or bushes, or whatever) growing in public areas--which means, free stuff! as i said, it's in the beginning stages, but here's a screencap of the record in san fransisco:
(oh, the 101. how i miss you.)
there's nothing listed in providence, yet--of course i checked--but what you do is, click on the link on the main page--the one furthest to the right--that says "public trees." a new page will load asking "where would you like to find trees?" enter your zip code, and the number of miles (or kilometers) you'd be willing to travel to find this, hit "apply," and if anybody has entered anything in your surrounding area, it'll pop up on the map below. you can also register local fruit trees on the same page!
neat, huh? i really hope this takes off. i don't know how often i'll find myself trekking to local parks to pick fruit, but it just sounds like such a great idea!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
my good friend frank went to work on a special assignment in washington d.c. this winter and, to let him know just how bleak life can be in RI without him around (haha), i fedexed him a box of allie's donuts--the best donuts in the entire world, ask anybody. overwhelmed with happiness over them, he asked what he could do to pay me back, and i requested the weirdest obama souviner he could find.
tuesday night, i saw frank for the first time since he left for washington in january. "i have a present for you," he said, and presented me with this:
(i post this version of it, with the price on it--sorry--because the sides of it might be the best part)
the best is, i told one of my coworkers about it and she commented on how scary she thinks jack-in-the-boxes can be. "is it scary?" she asked me.
"no way!" i replied. "you turn a little knob and hear a little song, and then the president pops out ready to give you a hug!"
tuesday night, i saw frank for the first time since he left for washington in january. "i have a present for you," he said, and presented me with this:
(i post this version of it, with the price on it--sorry--because the sides of it might be the best part)
the best is, i told one of my coworkers about it and she commented on how scary she thinks jack-in-the-boxes can be. "is it scary?" she asked me.
"no way!" i replied. "you turn a little knob and hear a little song, and then the president pops out ready to give you a hug!"
sean: god damnit
sean: i don't want to be here
me: me either
me: let's leave in protest
sean: love it
me: good.
me: we need a rally cry, though
sean: Hell No, this shit sucks
sean: I am bored and hate working
me: hahahahahaha
sean: it doesn't rhyme but it gets the point across pretty effectively
me: that's all that's important
sean: i don't want to be here
me: me either
me: let's leave in protest
sean: love it
me: good.
me: we need a rally cry, though
sean: Hell No, this shit sucks
sean: I am bored and hate working
me: hahahahahaha
sean: it doesn't rhyme but it gets the point across pretty effectively
me: that's all that's important
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
one of my favorite musicians-turned-good-friend*, gavin castleton, has a blog that he updates semi-regularly, something i really look forward to. he has different categories of updates which include micropoems (Bangor, Maine: Is there a punchline to this town?) or "I SAW U," as follows:
I SAW U: Express Lane Checkout Check Out
You: voice of lion, gut of elephant, obnoxious Boost phone
Me: straining to hear the cashier explain how to swipe my credit card
I'm sorry my transaction disrupted your life story.
Let's reenact it, but this time, you with more discretion and I with cash.
When: Monday, September 22, 2008
Where: Albertsons in Gresham
today, i received an email update from gavin's blog with advice on how to thrive in the music industry in a post titled "the keys to failure" (encouraging.). i won't post it all here because it's quite long, but here are some of the highlights:
under "touring":
Don’t tour until you have a CD to sell.
The objective in touring is to secure listeners every night so that when you return, they return. Aside from having a really good live show, the album sale/giveaway is the only way to do this. Your footprint will be twice as heavy if you have some product to leave behind.
When a club demands a percentage of your merch, do not play at that club.
Do you get a percentage of their liquor sales for the night? Did they contribute to the manufacturing cost of the merch? The idea that a venue deserves a portion of your merchandise income when you are providing them the majority of their patrons is offensive and ludicrous. No.
under "labels":
PAY THOSE WORKING FOR YOU.
Always pay those working for you. That way you can fire them. Do not let them subscribe to the same “lottery” mentality that you do. Part of being an artist is being an idealist, but when it comes to your money, you want it in the hands of a realist. Do not let your employees “invest” in you – it only leads to grief. When they start feeling like payday is never coming, they will slack. Chances are they will not be up front enough to call off the relationship, and it will be very awkward for you to fire them if you haven’t been paying them for the hard work they’ve done in the past. If you can’t pay them their percentage or their flat fee (even if only in trade), then don’t work with them until you can.
Understand that no matter how artist-friendly they may appear, ultimately the label sees you as an investment.
Understand this fact and accept it, or do not work with a label. Try to be objective. Would you invest a huge chunk of money in yourself? Don't waste their money.
No matter how small you are, remember this: The industry wouldn't exist without you. You would still exist without the industry.
This oft forgotten truth is the sole reason artists are unable to own the industry that so easily exploits them.
under "marketing":
People enjoy your music more if they can see that you enjoy it.
Listeners’ first impression of your band is mainly intuition. Your stage presence is infectious. If you’re angry, they’re angry. If you’re antagonizing, they are. If you want them to feel good about the show they saw, make sure you do.
under "why bands break up":
Romance (i.e. The Yoko Ono syndrome)
People who are attracted to musicians often underestimate the time dedication, emotional investment, poverty, and poor hygiene that accompany a career in music. Unfortunately, most musicians have such fragile egos that they cannot contend with the idea of dating their equal. And so it is fairly standard for musicians to be attracted to someone who will fawn over them, dote on them, and remain available at ungodly hours, re-enforcing their self-centeredness and providing the stability that many musicians are unable to provide for themselves. This is a volatile combination, and usually results in an ultimatum (either from the band or the significant other). The solution? Make sure the both of you are truly happy not because of the relationship, but in addition to it. Find someone who can match your ambitiousness.
Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Not much to say about this one. Pretty trite at this point, but still happens regularly.
the last section is "the only thing i did right," which i almost didn't post here (i was going to just say "read the damn blog") but i really like what he said so i figured i'd throw you a bone:
Protect your creative process and the evolution of it at all costs.
1. Be aware of your creative needs and make sure they are being met. If you are a healthy open-minded artist, chances are that you won't be able to find total fulfillment in one project. If someone in the band is unhappy about your desire to do additional things, then chances are they themselves are not being fulfilled and/or are feeling inadequate. Discuss this insecurity and squash it. Remember that bands are like marriages, but with three to ten people. So if you want to have an "open" relationship, the trick is to encourage them to have lots of extramarital sex as well. Ultimately your band will benefit as you bring the things you’ve learned from outside back to the band, and are able to abandon some interests that defocus your band's music in favor of exploring them elsewhere.
2. Don't play music with someone that doesn't love playing music as much as you do.
3. Listen to everyone when they’re making their music, listen to no one when they’re telling you how to make yours.
4. Always try to play with people who are better than you.
5. Remember that good song writing is the foundation for everything. When your focus drifts from that, you’re making every other step harder for yourself.
gavin has been playing music for just about his entire life and is, in my opinion, a creative genius with a great story and incredible drive. he believes in what he does more than anybody i've ever met or heard of, which is the best way i can think to compliment him. it's possible you've never heard of him, but that doesn't mean that his advice, if you are a musician, is anything but invaluable. in short, this kid knows his stuff and everybody should listen to him. some of the lessons discussed in this particular post are just good things to keep in mind to make your life successful, whichever career path you should choose, and he's a great writer, so give his blog a look-see if you get a chance. also his music is great, just check out his myspace page.
anyway, sorry this was such a long post. i just like to support my friends.
*by which i mean, he's been one of my favorite musicians for a long time, and turned into a good friend in recent years. not trying to brag about having a lot of musicians turned friends or something.
anyway.
I SAW U: Express Lane Checkout Check Out
You: voice of lion, gut of elephant, obnoxious Boost phone
Me: straining to hear the cashier explain how to swipe my credit card
I'm sorry my transaction disrupted your life story.
Let's reenact it, but this time, you with more discretion and I with cash.
When: Monday, September 22, 2008
Where: Albertsons in Gresham
today, i received an email update from gavin's blog with advice on how to thrive in the music industry in a post titled "the keys to failure" (encouraging.). i won't post it all here because it's quite long, but here are some of the highlights:
under "touring":
Don’t tour until you have a CD to sell.
The objective in touring is to secure listeners every night so that when you return, they return. Aside from having a really good live show, the album sale/giveaway is the only way to do this. Your footprint will be twice as heavy if you have some product to leave behind.
When a club demands a percentage of your merch, do not play at that club.
Do you get a percentage of their liquor sales for the night? Did they contribute to the manufacturing cost of the merch? The idea that a venue deserves a portion of your merchandise income when you are providing them the majority of their patrons is offensive and ludicrous. No.
under "labels":
PAY THOSE WORKING FOR YOU.
Always pay those working for you. That way you can fire them. Do not let them subscribe to the same “lottery” mentality that you do. Part of being an artist is being an idealist, but when it comes to your money, you want it in the hands of a realist. Do not let your employees “invest” in you – it only leads to grief. When they start feeling like payday is never coming, they will slack. Chances are they will not be up front enough to call off the relationship, and it will be very awkward for you to fire them if you haven’t been paying them for the hard work they’ve done in the past. If you can’t pay them their percentage or their flat fee (even if only in trade), then don’t work with them until you can.
Understand that no matter how artist-friendly they may appear, ultimately the label sees you as an investment.
Understand this fact and accept it, or do not work with a label. Try to be objective. Would you invest a huge chunk of money in yourself? Don't waste their money.
No matter how small you are, remember this: The industry wouldn't exist without you. You would still exist without the industry.
This oft forgotten truth is the sole reason artists are unable to own the industry that so easily exploits them.
under "marketing":
People enjoy your music more if they can see that you enjoy it.
Listeners’ first impression of your band is mainly intuition. Your stage presence is infectious. If you’re angry, they’re angry. If you’re antagonizing, they are. If you want them to feel good about the show they saw, make sure you do.
under "why bands break up":
Romance (i.e. The Yoko Ono syndrome)
People who are attracted to musicians often underestimate the time dedication, emotional investment, poverty, and poor hygiene that accompany a career in music. Unfortunately, most musicians have such fragile egos that they cannot contend with the idea of dating their equal. And so it is fairly standard for musicians to be attracted to someone who will fawn over them, dote on them, and remain available at ungodly hours, re-enforcing their self-centeredness and providing the stability that many musicians are unable to provide for themselves. This is a volatile combination, and usually results in an ultimatum (either from the band or the significant other). The solution? Make sure the both of you are truly happy not because of the relationship, but in addition to it. Find someone who can match your ambitiousness.
Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Not much to say about this one. Pretty trite at this point, but still happens regularly.
the last section is "the only thing i did right," which i almost didn't post here (i was going to just say "read the damn blog") but i really like what he said so i figured i'd throw you a bone:
Protect your creative process and the evolution of it at all costs.
1. Be aware of your creative needs and make sure they are being met. If you are a healthy open-minded artist, chances are that you won't be able to find total fulfillment in one project. If someone in the band is unhappy about your desire to do additional things, then chances are they themselves are not being fulfilled and/or are feeling inadequate. Discuss this insecurity and squash it. Remember that bands are like marriages, but with three to ten people. So if you want to have an "open" relationship, the trick is to encourage them to have lots of extramarital sex as well. Ultimately your band will benefit as you bring the things you’ve learned from outside back to the band, and are able to abandon some interests that defocus your band's music in favor of exploring them elsewhere.
2. Don't play music with someone that doesn't love playing music as much as you do.
3. Listen to everyone when they’re making their music, listen to no one when they’re telling you how to make yours.
4. Always try to play with people who are better than you.
5. Remember that good song writing is the foundation for everything. When your focus drifts from that, you’re making every other step harder for yourself.
gavin has been playing music for just about his entire life and is, in my opinion, a creative genius with a great story and incredible drive. he believes in what he does more than anybody i've ever met or heard of, which is the best way i can think to compliment him. it's possible you've never heard of him, but that doesn't mean that his advice, if you are a musician, is anything but invaluable. in short, this kid knows his stuff and everybody should listen to him. some of the lessons discussed in this particular post are just good things to keep in mind to make your life successful, whichever career path you should choose, and he's a great writer, so give his blog a look-see if you get a chance. also his music is great, just check out his myspace page.
anyway, sorry this was such a long post. i just like to support my friends.
*by which i mean, he's been one of my favorite musicians for a long time, and turned into a good friend in recent years. not trying to brag about having a lot of musicians turned friends or something.
anyway.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
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