Saturday, February 28, 2009

Today!!1

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.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wednesday!!1

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.

Monday, February 23, 2009

I'm the Worst

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!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Saturday Grab Bag

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.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

What if Michelle Obama Was My Girlfriend (Underdressed Edition)

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.

Link Dump

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.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Agenda: SF 3/09

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.

Things I Will Be Doing in New Bronco

1) Pho
2) Cruise local college campuses for ladies
3) Pho
4) Beach
5) Pho

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Almost A Car Owner + Bar Preview + Pictures

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.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Entropy is Stupid

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


Saturday, February 14, 2009

Finally, Murph Blogs About You People


Feel free to send in your own examples.

Teebz Fueling Fire of My Own Ego + CamaroTimesUSA

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

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Dinner

Pork tenderloin is my favorite meat.


(Add greens, grilled apples and bread. Frozen dough works well as a dinner roll.)

Early Midlife Crisis

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

What if Michelle Obama Was My Girlfriend (Hugging Edition)


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.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Value Village Finds + (shocker) Bread

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.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

KEEP D.C. BORING (THIS TIME WITH LINK)

Sorry, forgot to link to the actual shirt.



Friday, February 6, 2009

Next Baking Idea: Follow Recipe

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

  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple butter
  • 2 large jalapenos, minced
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 cup buttermilk, chilled

Directions

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.

The Triumphant Return of LOLPunk

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Big Brother! (Not so good at math)

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.

PokerNight 2.0: This Time it's Something or Other

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.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Welcome to BiscuitTown USA

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.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Miscellania

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.