Have you ever looked at the book stand at your local FedexKinkosOffice? It's one of those creep-up-on-you depressing things. 
Really, You're Broke Because You Buy This Book.
Bonus! Old picture of Pedro dying as a kitten.
I promise that I will have pictures of the Bronco one day. Either that or the dude at the shop stole it.
Sometimes (all the time) you just wanna get some pho, and the idea makes you really excited.
Especially when you get there and realize that it's the best phomaker in the world. Seriously, all you people who are opening pho places in the city need to steal this dude. He's about yay high, Vietnamese, and remembers us every time we come. 
Here's a spiral pain d'epis from yesterday.
I can't believe that I was so busy making fun of Goldie Hawn last night that I missed the 2nd Anniversary of keeping an web diary (this). Oh wait, of course I can believe it! Nice pecs, GH!
Of course, two years ago I envisioned a Jackie Harvey-esque version of things, which quickly devolved into mostly putting up pictures of myself and cats. And now I'm a millionaire!
Picked up Bronco successfully yesterday, which was followed by a ride to Fall's Church to get everything checked out. This is what is called a "tease." Perhaps will have more pictures, like ones with me standing next to it giving a thumbs-up, on Tuesday.
Senior points out that I should start stockpiling Bronco-related clothing items, at least a hat, to start wearing all the time. I choose these.
One of the more rare notes left on credit card slips is the unsolicited and unnecessary apology, like this one, from a person who had done nothing:
Maybe it was a general apology, like to the world, for existing. Although the 50% tip seems to say that something happened that I just didn't know about. Like, say, this.
Finally, cats have cage match
PS If you're on Twitter, please add to my growing list of #peoplewhoshouldtwitter.
PPS Also you can give me ideas for vanity plates (so far, ideas include "VANITY" "KTHXBAI" "BRO-CO" "PHO") here, or here.
Hey, M---- oh, God. This isn't happening. I though you said the dress code was "gym casual"! What? I never saw the invitation, girl. Come on. You know I would've remembered that. Ugh. Do I have time to change? God, sometimes I feel like you do this on purpose.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It's just a miscommunication. Come here and give me a hug.
Three straight posts with no pictures? QUE HAPPEN?
"What must be NY's first artisanal bacon bar." (via Fimoculous)
Paste, Pitchfork, Pop Matters review Benjy's new album. (C'mon, Pitchfork! Do you really need to universalize a concept album about Bobby Driscoll? Seems to me that it universalizes itself)
Old Jews Telling Jokes (via BaconJew)
Also, someone needs to start a campaign to eradicate the use of "snark" as the only possible modifier for internet humor. I'll do it if nobody else does.
Update: Forgot to link to this sad news a couple days ago. Salih's book Season of Migration to the North is one of my favorites, ever.
1. El Farolito
2. Toronado
3. Magnolia
4. Zuni
5. Zeitgeist
6. Gestalt
7. Rosamunde Sausage Grill
Feel free to add non-food or -beer related ideas. But they will probs be ignored.
1) Pho
2) Cruise local college campuses for ladies
3) Pho
4) Beach
5) Pho
Yesterday lasted a long time. First, we test drove this, loved it, put down a deposit, will pick it up on Friday. Be prepared for pictures of driving it to Ocean City on whims in the coming months.
Next we went by to visit Teenerz, who is painting the soon-to-be-open H St. Country Club, where I took some unsolicited pictures.
This is the main floor bar:
Which includes the "locker room":
Upstairs is the putt-putt, with this gem of a loopty-loop which will likely result in multiple broken windows:
Get out of town with this rat tidal wave
and my personal favorite, the booted stretch limo horse
Lee Wheeler is responsible for all this, and he is slowly losing his mind but in the most entertaining manner. 
Then we went to the Pug and hung out with two old dudes, drank whiskey and quality American beer.
Finally, Black Cat, where Tariq got all creepy-like.
Test drove the '74 Camaro today, which was located somewhere outside Quantico, which is like a thousand miles away. Car was beautiful, and I was all excited when he cranked it up, since it sounds like a Camaro should sound, which is like a lion.
Then he mentioned in passing that he has no trunk key, or door keys (!), and that he doesn't have possession of the title, since there's a lien on it, oh and the brakes don't work per se, but look at the engine!
So I reluctantly have to say no. Then I see this Ford Falcon Futura parked next to it, and he says that it's for sale too
And it looks great until I sit in the driver's seat and realize that the floorboards are basically nonexistent. STUPID OLD CARS STOP DETERIORATING
Now my fixation has shifted gears (automotive jargon!) and tomorrow I am looking at this
It's a Valentine's Day miracle! Returned home from (unsuccessful) test drive to this package from Hurrrrllllpppp, LLC, the CEO of which is TEEBZ
Inside of which was none other than a big poster of a picture he took of me that he took over the holidays.
Now to get a fireplace so this baby can get framed and hung over it.
Tomorrow: '74. Yarf
Pork tenderloin is my favorite meat.
(Add greens, grilled apples and bread. Frozen dough works well as a dinner roll.)
I got up today and for some reason decided that I want an old Camaro. Not the kind that are all shiny and restored--no, I want the kind that I can afford. Which is beat up. And AWESOME
Actually, $5k is not my price range at all. Discussion with TBs:
TBs: Get the 74 Camaro just for the redone upholstery and the motor has less than 200 miles...no brainer
Me: I so want it
TBs: BURNOUT CITY!!! I know of some great parking lots for donuts
Me: If I had 5k cash I'd buy it today and we'd go donutting
TBs: We could throw a "Scott needs a rad donut car" fund raising party at bourbon
Me: Ur the problem solver
TBs: I'm breaking out my OP shorts and my Krokus muscle tee
Me: Thing is this will prob happen this summer
TBs: Summer time donut time!!! Tall boy buds! What pool r we picking up chicks at
Me: ALL OF THEM
M! Long time no see, girl. Where you been at? What's that? You been hugging kids? Shoot girl, why does that not surprise me. It's like you were made for hugging.
Come on, Value Village! You have this kitteh wall hanging for $3.87 and expect us to walk past it? Huh? I don't know where you were brought up, Value Village, but this is not how it worked in my family.
I have had a dream, possibly from watching North by Northwest too often as a child, or possibly Frasier, of having decanters. Dream fulfilled.
Finally, making ciabatta is on the time-intensive side of things. But it is important for the realization of a sandwich vision I had a few days ago, and will reveal in due time.
Trying out first batch of dough from book Eric loaned me, I didn't have any instant yeast, so I substituted active dry yeast. Result? Did not rise. Still baked, though, and resulted in two sandwich loaves which are delicious but ridiculously heavy.
Next up: jalapeno cheddar biscuits. Perfect, right! Yes. But no. Did not add salt, so savoriness not as overwhelming as it should be. Luckily there is still peppery cheese goodness to replace it.
Finally: mourning end of last bottle of 1989 R. Lopez de Heredia Blanco Rioja. Must order more. (Thank you to Andy Myers at CityZen for introducing this wine which rulz.)
Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, jalapenos, cheese, and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and apple butter into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir until the dough comes together and is sticky.
Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 6 or 8 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting.
Bake until biscuits slightly browned on top, 10 to 15 minutes.
So I just got this ticket for running a red light, a violation which I'm sure I probably did. But when looking a little closer, I noticed that the ticket says I was traveling 92mph in a 25.
The citation does not include speeding, however. Which makes sense, since there is no possible way I was going 92mph.
I would challenge the ticket except I'm sure DC would find a way to charge me retroactively with reckless driving, suspend my license, get me fired from my job, and confiscate my personal possessions.
This poker night was based largely around tacos, in that they were made for us, as well as the fact that we polished off the bottle of Black Bush (real product) only halfway through the game. But everybody came in their best disguises. Like Chad, who is a member of either a Latino biker gang or a longshoreman or both:
And Cat, who just acted like she wasn't there and hoped to win anyway
And Joe, who was the big winner early on but graciously gave most of it back to the rest of us
and me, who just kept my eyes closed
and hoped that the one card I needed came out. Look! It did!
Sorry, MattBrown. You needed a costume to get into this post.
+++Nush points to this, which aside from the name (it really should be "Wickedify") is amazing.
Considering how much I love biscuits, it's weird that I haven't made them before (aside from my three-year stint as Saturday morning biscuit-maker at Chick-fil-A Lilburn). Here is my first batch, using Alton Brown's recipe:
His recipe, like most things related to the South, uses Crisco, which has all sorts of oils in various states of hydrogenation. Which people say is not healthy, etc. So I tried another batch replacing the Crisco with unsweetened apple butter (1/1),
being pretty certain that it would not be nearly as delicious. I was wrong. They are better.
Next up: jalapeno cheddar sausage biscuits.
Punk and I took a portrait.
Boss broke out the 20-year old Dell QuietKey keyboard (which is in fact the opposite of quiet, interestingly) a few weeks ago because he's too cheap to buy a new one. After I mocked (" bossman the 80s called they want their keyboard back etc"), he added the "ERGONOMICALLY PERFECT SINCE 1984."
Who knew that nerds still like the big keyboards, and that the office at work is now with the times?
Very excited about this album. Tracks 2 and 6 in particular.
Remember my mom's horribly disfigured spine? Take a gander:
+++In the NYT Proof blog (when it's not about being a recovering alcoholic, it's pretty good), a great post about downpouring/blended drinks/top shelf v. rail.
