Yesterday I spent the majority of my non-work day watching video, whether it was a video podcast, television, or television shows on my computer.
The Curious Case Of Jason Lytle
Recently I was listening to a NPR podcast which contained music from artists who will be participating in this weekend’s ginormous SxSW music conference. During the podcast I had a good laugh when one of the presenters mentioned that he always seemed to get into bands just as they are about to break up (hmm, that sounds familiar). The presenter went on to talk about getting into Grandaddy just before they broke up in 2006 (as did I) and the continued with “Let’s start with Led Zeppelin” which really had me going. While I had heard of, and liked Led Zeppelin it wasn’t until 1979’s “In Through The Out Door” that I “got” Led Zeppelin. Shortly thereafter Zeppelin’s drummer John (Bonzo) Bonham died thus making “In Through The Out Door” Zeppelin’s last album.
But back to Jason Lytle. I was just getting into Grandaddy with their “Just Like The Fambly Cat” release, which turned out to be their last. The NPR presenter mentioned that since he was late to the Grandaddy party he had never seen Jason Lytle in concert and was really looking forward to seeing him at SxSW. I too had never seen Grandaddy or Jason Lytle in concert.
In 2006 Lytle decided to tour solo to promote “Just Like The Fambly Cat” and was playing at Chicago’s Shubas while I was visiting the city. I was thrilled — until all efforts to locate Shubas failed that night and I wound up missing the show. So it goes. I’ve still yet to see Lytle perform. I can only hope that he decides to tour for the new CD he will be putting out in May.
Hell’s Kitchen: Again, And Again, And Again
To call Hell’s Kitchen repetitive is unfair, but accurate. Week after week cooks compete, Ramsay yells, cooks fail, Ramsay yells.
On thing changed last night however. By the end of the night’s meal service all patrons had been served. However, it was fairly clear which team had won, and which team had lost. It was also pretty evident who would be leaving the show last night, at least to me. I correctly predicted the men’s victory and that Coi would be the one kicked off. What I got wrong was that I thought that Carol was going to be the other person nominated by Andrea because she was the one who caused them to lose the reward challenge and had been constantly bickering with Andrea.
ITP Flickr Pic
Last night was the first of my “Open That Bottle” Nights. It seemed somewhat fitting that I’d open a bottle of wine from the same year in which I purchased the house in which it has been stored since then.
I took the bottle over to ITP-Reader Betsy’s house where she, Reese, our friend Nancy, and I sat and watched Hell’s Kitchen while devouring chicken wings we had delivered by East Atlanta’s Burger Win (no, I don’t understand the name either). I was thrilled to open the bottle, get confirmation that it had not corked, and share a delicious wine with friends. I’m going to enjoy “Open That Bottle” nights.
If You Like Gordon Ramsay, May I Suggest Marco Pierre White?
Betsy has informed me of a new reality restaurant show called The Chopping Block, which is different than Chopped (can anyone around here be creative?).
The Chopping Block is a restaurant versus restaurant show in which each restaurant is run by a group of cheftestant pairs. The show is hosted by renown chef Marco Pierre White, who is given credit for training Mario Batali as well as Gordon Ramsay, and is the host of the UK’s version of Hell’s Kitchen.
I fell asleep watching The Chopping Block using Hulu, which is more of an indication of my long day and wine drinking than of my interest in the show. From what I remember I think I’ll enjoy the show.
Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay, but busy and still worried about Life
Current Music – listening to C|Net’s “Indecent Exposure” podcast (it’s about photography, get your mind out of the gutter)
Website Of The Day – More eBook love, this time thanks to Smashwords
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Monthly
Foot Mileage – 2.5 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 10 (10)
Vegetarian Days – 8, Carnivorous Days – 5
Marta Rides – 0
March Goals
– Complete all necessary work on my kitchen
– Lose no fewer than one pound
– Run no fewer than 30 miles
– Completely read Softbox Lighting Techniques for Professional Photographers, and Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide to Better Ideas
2009 Goals
– Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
– Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
РEarn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalape̱o Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop
The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
We drank a La Crema Pinot Noir last night (while eating some very tasty seared tuna, not sure what year it was, but it was quite tasty. It wasn’t cheap either, I think my friend said somewhere between $20-$30.
And, we got a bike ride in, so it was a very successful evening.
Paulie – if you ever feel like bringing your bike to work, we (Allan, Bob, myself and maybe some others) are going to ride down by the river in Roswell, at least one night a week. Next week will be on Tuesday or Wed. Mileage will range from 15-25 miles. Come join us.
Thanks Barb, I’ll keep that in mind.
>To call Hell’s Kitchen repetitive is unfair, but accurate
I guess that is one of the reasons I just can’t get into the show, it seems like the same thing, over and over…plus, the yelling, I just can’t take it.
Barb, I ended up making scallops last night at home, along with some polenta and sautéed spinach. No wine for me but good stuff anyway!
Martha – I didn’t make your tuna recipe, didn’t have all the ingredients, but will try it the next time.
No wine Martha? Well what beer went best with your scallops/polenta/spinach then? Seriously, dinner without alcohol is barely a dinner. 😉
No beer either, just call me Denise 😉 . I try to save my booze calories for when I need to be social. I’m not a big fan of drinking alone.
Jerry really liked the tuna (for a ‘not so big’ guy, man can he put away the food!) I’m sure you guys will also, at first I thought the ponzu was too spicy (make it the day before if you can) but once it was drizzled over everything it was just right.
Much like putting on weight in order to help balance the Universe for your weight loss Martha, I guess I’ll be selfless and up my alcohol intake in order to balance out your lack of consumption.
Great, just what i need, to be blamed for more problems….don’t get too carried away, weight loss has been stalled since the end of Jan and once ING is behind me, I’m sure I’ll be drinking a bit more.
We watched The Chopping Block on Hulu last night too. Much better than Raymond Blanc’s Last Restaurant Standing which I also avidly watched despite it boring me to tears.
“Blame” is the wrong way to look at it Martha. I’m merely trying to make sure that the Universe stays in balance. It’s a whole “conservation of matter” thing.
Ha, that’s funny Kay. Did you like the first episode of “The Chopping Block?” What did you think about the team quitting?
What I want to know is how restaurants are supposed to run better as the number of workers gets reduced. I’ve heard of the “too many cooks in the kitchen” theory, but six people to run an entire restaurant? Jeez!
I liked the fact that the bottle of wine cost 19.99.