coming soon, a tale of two chilis... 12.21.06
okay, maybe it was because ourowndamnedself was a little bored, maybe missing some of those west texass flavours yourstruly reacquainted himself with over the last two years, but ourself had a mighty hankerin' for some green and red chili, so that's what we cooked up over the last couple of days. Our potful of red chili was the less labor intensive, as we utilized a canned red chile sauce. The green, jp be proud to say, has some home roasted green chiles as a major contributor to the flavor, and there are plans hereabouts to go into some detail in the making of these. Both turned out quite yummy, delicous, flavourful, sabrosa como toda la fregada, 
and maybe inspire some of ye to spend some of that time you're stuck indoors due to some untimely inclement weather to try your hand at making one or the other your own snowbound self (whether or not ye want to roast any peppers, there will be some manner of alternative suggested). Hey, doesn't Everybody want a White Christmas? (i know the d'monkey do, but we talking 'bout another complexion of "white" altogether, sniff sniff sniff...) You know what tonight is, doncha? Winter solstice arrives around 7:22 EST, so make the requisite adjustments and get yourself a nice glassful of your favorite winter beverage, (l'Marquis be hopeful it be alcoholic in nature) and raise a toast to the shortest day of the year, Binky. Yea, verily, it be winter (and in some places, seemingly winter with a vengence) but the days will become incrementally LONGER from here on and if we all stay busy enough, it'll be spring before ye know it. Mo' from yourstruly a little later on...
entering the home stretch now... 12.19.06
with less than a week to go until xmasday, most folks wrapping things up on the
j-o-b as they plan for a holiday that will (for many) likely begin on Weds or Thurs, those unfortunates still working on Fri will be hoping to be included with the group that gets to go home early, miscreats & newbies will have to wait till an hour or so before the typical end of the workday (whereever it be, whatever they do) and then the power that be (or substitutes for same as the real powers will have been on holiday already, eh?) will shut things down until Tuesday. Speaking for ourowndamnedself, always happy when the 25th of December is well past and as far as New Year's goes, just keep l'Marquis some safe distance from the amateurs and he can enjoy himself as much as anybody; Out with the olde, in with the newe and how many days is it until springtime arrives, Binky?
Some folks make way too much money, and yourstruly is not saying that 'cause we be jealous (we could use a little more financial breathing room but be long past regarding wealth & material gain as laudable life goals...) it just be stone cold fact. Here is a recent example of the kind of thing I am talking about. Perhaps this dumbmonkey wouldn't be so troubled by this if he knew that these folks had earned these sizeable bonuses by doing good things in the world, maybe contributing mightily to a cessation of suffering in the Sudan (or some other 3rd world modern horror story locale), perhaps having invented the miracle machine that takes filthy, contaminated water and treats & purifies it, providing a much needed source of potable water where great need for it exists. Can't just pick on those folks tho', over on the CNN/SI site one caught sight of item re the 10 most overpaid NBA players (wondered for a moment or two if they were all NY Knicks...) -- HellzBellz, Binky, they are ALL fuckin' overpaid. Curiousity regarding opinions on other entirely too generously compensated folk had us googling for some clues (l'Marquis will let you compose your own search parameters). You can come up with plenty of folks who, conversely, are incredibly poorly compensated for their efforts & labours. Wethinks what really bothers us has to do with the glamourization of "Bling" that's occured over the last several decades. Over a half century of experiencing this mortal coil now and it appears there's been some demonstrably measureable change in our culture at large since the decade I was a mere twenty-something year old. Certainly, as has been true forever, the Rich get Richer, the Poor, Poorer (and more numerous) and those of us who used to reside somewhere in that middle ground are finding those demarcation lines shrinking, and unfortunately forcing most of us into the group that stars with the letter P than the letter R.
Not so much relevant to what yourstruly was just spouting off about, but an ugly fact that you might consider related to the "glamourization of Bling" issue (and caught on the fly whilst visiting wood s lot), The Cash Cows of Personal Debt , and if this don't apply to ye, Binky, consider yourself fortunate because this apefellah will bet large you know folks who've gotten in way over their heads courtesy Visa, M-card, Amex & the rest. Want to mention here that there are some other items of interest there at the aforementioned wood s lot, para exemplo
check out Foundations, Nonprofits and the Second Looting of New Orleans, and here's a genuine dash of reality for ye Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose -
The Grand Illusion of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Ourowndamnedself is not entirely grinchified, there is much enjoyment in getting together with family and friends for celebration whatever time of year it is. Maybe after 5 decades one gets weary of the bullshite and false bonhomie every year around this time alongside that not terribly well disguised impetus driving us into a shopping induced coma. What a marvelous (in the truest sense of the word) thing it would be to see an entire population of working folk say "No Mas!" and put away those credit cards, avoid those shopping centers and instead say "Fuck You, ye Lords of Commerce, I will no longer be victim to your coercion, no matter how clever and well-disguised it is." Christmas cheer? ahhhh, let's refer ye again to that aforenoted link re the profits credit card companies are reaping. Bah, scumbags!
making music and managing the munchies... 12.18.06
was what Sunday was all about at chez d'Monquis. The baking thing went off fairly smoothly and t'was nice to have the oven on as it kept the kitchen comfortable in the chill of the last few days. Pals Janey & Philippe oncet again made the journey to la casa del chango tonto and the cool thing was P. brought over a mess of equipment and we turned the dining salon into a wee recording studio. Feckin' amazing the kind of gear that's available these days in marvelously compact editions and eminently transportable. Next time, perhaps earphones all around enabling us to add some additional harmonies (to those soaring vocals we're so well known for) as a group rather than one person at a time. Fun, yea verily, fun was had indeed. Some mashed taters & broccoli matched up with baked turkey thighs (mmmmmmm, love dem turkeythighs....) and a lovely green salad was the evening's menu once we'd had some tracks down, Ms J provided delish homemade dessert, sort of a tart/pie kinda thingy, with chocolate & apples and a bit of vanilla creme alongside for those of us requiring MORE SUGAR. Ahhh, and indeed, we did take the opportunity (several of them in fact) to indulge in the pause that refresheth. Good fellowship, good food, pretty good music, ahhh, it was lovelylovelylovely,
we all wished you'd been here, Binky...
maybe tomorrow yourstruly will get around to some linky goodness. Damned kitchen sink wouldn't drain last night (the only damper to a fine day, mind ye) and there was something 'bout this instance that had us call in professional help this morning. Better now, but might be something to remedy in a major fashion somewhere down the line. Hmmmm, how 'bout this handful of linkyness, jessferdahalibut: Seasonal Chef; Sepia Mutiny; artbomb.net;
On My Plate; Modern Guitars mag; Maud Newton; Computerlove; Cloud King;
alright, datz enuf, only wishing I could give you some cookies as easily...
contemplating makin' a mess o'cookies... 12.15.06
probably a few dozen oatmeal, a few dozen chocolate chip, and maybe a few dozen choco-choco chip (they had mini chips on sale nearby recently), but may instead stick with
some several dozen cookies and a carrot cake, quien sabe, eh. Some sunshine coming in the windows outdoors so first we gonna head out for a long stroll as it has been rather wet hereabouts of late and one could use the exercise (yah, okay, we could use a lot more, but fuggyou, l'Marquis is gonna do what he wants). L.A. Times provides us some interesting cookie recipes to consider but looking some of them over, man, they are kinda complicated, and you know el chango tonto likes to keep it simple. Then, out of the NYT, there be an interesting story about the yummy goodness of cane syrup and maybe (if not on this baking expedition) we be trying some recipes utilizing that ingredient sometime soon. Allow us to say here and now this urge to bake up some yummy goodness has naught to do with any holiday approaching the horizon, ourowndamnedself is given to such efforts thruout the year. Might have some company this weekend and it'll be nice to put out a large plate of delicious homebaked goodies, alongside some hot coffee or chocolate (or just a glass of cold milk if ye want, Binky...).
recipes linked to above are Very Similiar to those used by el chango tonto
best thing in Young Frankenstein... 12.13.06
(well, one of them at least)
Peter Boyle as the monster. adios, Mr. Boyle, and R.I.P.
Perhaps something in the co-inky-dinky category?
from the NYT, Lou Reed does Berlin in Brooklyn;
and from the travel page, 36 Hours in Berlin.
(well, that last was from Sunday, was it not?)
and then, jessferdahalibut, here's Podbop for your listening pleasure...
something simply impossible to comprehend that doesn’t last... 12.7.06
and muchisimas gracias to the Wonder that is Riley Dog
for providing the mental fodder accompanying mein kaffee this morning.
All of Marlys West's The World Is But A Place of Language here.
A minor apology here, for what I am about to subject ye to. There's a tragic story in the news that a good many of ye might have heard or read about, young family by the last name of Kim and the discovery of husband and father James body yesterday afternoon. One supposes the good news that Kati and their two children were rescued (and are healthy & well, the psychological trauma of the loss of James notwithstanding) might provide some measure of balance to our feelings. I was thinking, when I watched some of the press briefings given by the folks involved in the S & R efforts, these are some wonderful men and women out there, working hard on behalf of people they don't know, aren't related to. It occured to me that many of those people in the ranks of our
public service departments, like sheriffs and search and resuce teams and police/state troopers, well, seems to me a good many of them happen to be military reservists as well. Just how many of them have had their ass shipped to Iraq and then sent back in a body bag is anyone's guess, but I'll wager there's been a few of them.
Goddamn useless piece of shite "war". Sorry, about to digress-- anyway, also ssems to me this is a guy (James Kim) who was doing everything the way we are "supposed" to do it. I am sure he went to college and got his degree, probably a pretty good high school student, bright & inquisitive. Found himself a niche and began a career he seemed to enjoy himself in and was good at. I think it likely that he and Kati were probably sweethearts for a long time (btw, I don't know the Kims, much of this is simply conjecture, looking in from the outside and letting my imagination run with stories made up from the family pictures I've seen broadcast), and really good for each other, you know, like maybe some folks in a couple you might know. There have been a lot of pictures shown during the news stories of the Kims together with their daughters, you know that those girls were going go grow up with parents who loved and nurtured them, ah hell, he was doing everything right. C. Nevius takes that idea a little further this morning in his weblogthingy, and yourstruly has to agree with him, that James did exactly what a father would do. I am moved by their tragedy and again staggered by the objectivity of the universe I live in. This loving family, husband and wife creating a wonderful life together with their children, enjoying a holiday road trip and looking forward to getting to that hotel on the coast, relaxing after those long hours on the road, but delivering themselves instead to the precipice of disaster and heartache.
Enough, basta. SF Gate/S.F. Chronicle covering the story pretty well, hie thyself there if you feel you want to know more. There's a link available on the Gate where you can leave a message of condolence if you're so inclined.
Alright now, let's wrench ourself out of that canyon of despair. Learned that two of my favorite folk in the whole wide fucking world were born on this date (courtesy wood s lot). Both Tom Waits and Noam Chomsky have birthdays today, and you might enjoy seeing what other memorable event might have occured on this day (or any other particular day) by visiting the Daily Bleed. Wouldn't it be great to see Tom W. interview N. Chomsky? Oh, I'd pay money for that, Binky.
Something else notable happened yesterday, and there certainly wasn't much coverage about it. The history of the Owens River and Valley is some significant shite, in terms of the history of the Western U.S. and California, and over the past decades some folks have been investing a great deal of their selves in the effort to restore the watershed, so personally I was heartened to see the news that High Sierra water rushes into Lower Owens River oncet again. James Kim would have been heartened by this news, too.
letting the juggernaut roll over me... 12.5.06
it'll all be over in a matter of weeks, righty-oh?
*** LATE ARRIVING NOTICE! news from othercoaster Dante Oblimov:
if ye be in NYC environs come Dec. 7, hie thyself to the Monkey Town's Holiday Party.
(ha! betcha thought we wuz all Grinch-ey & shite, no?
Monkies should be part of EVERY holiday, far's we be concerned...) ***
watching some idiot box here lately and have viewed a commercial for BMW just a couple of times, wherein this little troll boy-child gets SO EXCITED about xmas gift he's unwrapped, oh man, he's shouting, no, he's screaming with delight and his robotic lil' sister's there alongside him apeing his excitement (there's a sibling relationship just fraught with awfulness...), I mean, please, somebody put a muzzle on that little shitfer, lock him in a closet or something, until he gains a bit of perspective. Good to know yourstruly's not the only one who wants to throttle the little bastard: linky bit #1 ; linky bit #2
Ye can tell l'Marquis' just overflowin' wid da holiday spirit, can't ye, Binky?
This ought to be news only to those incredibly moronic folk who (no doubt) exist out there yet, those that voted for the Moron-In-Chief TWICE and still support him. K.M. points out recent declaration of el residente's being judged worst president ever. Oh Yea, Verily! 'tis something ourowndamnedself has declared within these cyberpages on many occasions and googling those three words makes it obvious that a good many folk have noticed the shortcomings of that fool. It's a fucking goddamned shame that he won't be held liable for his stupidities, as it's likely he won't even get censured. There goes me blood pressure...
Consider this next an FYI, there be a new URL to use when seeking out donkey o.d.
ahhhh, let's see, what else was it we wanted to mention? Oh yah, in the NYT today (remember to use BugMeNot to avoid any pesky registration issues), a review of Roz Chast's recently published cartoon collection (mind ye, we provided link to interview with Ms Chast a couple of weeks ago). Here, perhaps, an example of how living in the GWB years have changed us: Back in November of 2003, our unnamed friend at pssst.pitas.com shared this snowflake link with us. l'Marquis dropped in at pssst recently and this is what we found. There's been a dearth of activity over at his ManOverboard as well, here's hoping he's alright and just weary of doing the webloggy-thing.
Maybe clear some stuff off the desktop while we're at it. This item included simply because the start of this thread cracked yourstruly up: Does playing in a minor key for more than two months have any damaging side affects?.
Ahhh, that'e enough of el chango tonto, get out there and blog some stuff o'your own...
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