Screature

First things first, Screature were RAD!!! This is the second time I've seem them and I'm kind of a superfan.  Their record is out but I don't know where you can buy it.  Thanks LD for hosting the party. Speaking of records:

 Matt Shrug put out a 3 song flexi of Bananas covers, which he turned into rockin' garage versions.  He plays every single fucking instrument by himself.

Nacho Business' single is out and is great.  These are both on Sacramento Records and again, I don't know how you get them besides asking Charles.

 This was my breakfast on Sunday. A meatloaf sandwich on a Corti Roll (perfect size!) and a weird Merengue soda from the Dominican Republic, a country I've been thinking about after reading the Junot Diaz book.

This is for the neighbor: I assume you have seen this in front of Lucky Cafe, or possibly you did it.  Thanks again for the eggs! I ate two this morning and they were soooo good.

This article got me curious about Lil B. I downloaded his mixtape "God's Father" (hilarious name) and it is ENDLESS and pretty monotonous, but the lack of variation makes it pleasant background music and occasionally a song stands out.  I think this song is pretty brilliant, mostly because I love how he never gets to the payoff of the song.

my regular schtick

I finally logged in to statcounter for the first time in a long time and heckasac is at a low that it hasn't been at since the beginning. That's ok, I understand people get sick of my schtick.  I really like that some out of towners still check, like Chapstick in NY.  So thanks for those of you that aren't sick of me. I always think it's funny that there will be newbies that are super involved and then drop off. 

What else? DJ Smiller is going to be DJing with Roger every couple of weeks, which is awesome! And he didn't play much reggae because it doesn't fit with Roger's style, (not that there's anythign wrong with that- Seinfeld). He did point out that the clash is the perfect segue into reggae.

The new George Saunders short story collection is blowing me away. I am such a fan.  The first short story made me cry! I don't think a short story has ever done that to me.  There are a couple of good scifi stories in there too.  They are so touching.  The struggle of people to be better than they are is a big theme.  Most people want to be good but their self absorption and selfishness and pettiness and greed get in the way.  So true. 

The Junot Diaz new book is about 50% good.  And super hot.  He is such a dog!

DJ SMILLER TONIGHT

TONIGHT: a last minute addition to DJ Roger's afternoon set at Lowbrau: DJ SCOTT MILLER will be spinning reggae and possibly R.E.M. starting at 5:30.  Stop on by after work and bob your noggin to Smiller's mellow sounds.  Try the beer below which is photographed in extrememly dim light and you will not be sorry.  It is a sour saison from that trendiest of breweries: Prairie. It is fucking delicious.  Clay was poppin' bottles at Lowbrau last night and it was really fun.  I asked the server for a Gose and she gave me a Geuze. What a wacky mixup!

I met a delightful young lady named Whitney yesterday and she gave me these earrings that she made! I love them.  She sells her stuff at Bows. Check it out!

Kels

Do you know how many times I've said "purview" lately? At the new job people be askin' me to do hella shit that's not in my purview.

Saw Oblivion at IMAX yesterday.  It is a mishmash of a bunch of other movies, including Blade Runner and Star Wars.  Even his space plane looks like whatever those X things are that Luke Skywalker flies.  Oh yeah, and The Matrix, BIG TIME.  It was OK, though.  Two strong female leads, which is unusual.

I really wish I could go see R. Kelly next month in Las Vegas. It's an arena show, though, which I hate.  Also it's 130 bucks plus getting to Las Vegas, staying in a hotel, etc.  Pretty much an unatainable dream.  The dude is 46 and I'm worried he will retire or that his preacher won't be enough to keep him from committing some pervy crime.  The latter is probably much more likely.  He's just playing a bunch of stupid festivals like Bonnaroo after that.  Do any actual music lovers go to those things? It seems like pretty much the worst way to see bands.

Speaking of music lovers, the music "scene" around here is moribund right now as far as I'm concerned. I know there are local bands that have good shows, but not really the ones I like.  Not to mention out of town bands.  There should have been way more people for that Peach Kelli Pop/ Fine Steps show.  Fine Steps tore it up.  It's too bad.

Terence Malick

This is gonna be controversial, but I'm going to say it: Terence Malick is probably the most overrated director out there.  OK, sure, Badlands is fucking bad ass, no one can contradict that.  But that was made in 1973, which is so old it was even before I was born.  How much of how amazing it is is Sissy Spacek?  A LOT.  I think Malick discovered her at some party in Texas if I remember correctly.

Anyway, since then we've got Days of Heaven, which was dreamy and pastoral and all that but pretty much ruined by casting Richard Gere as the protagonist.  He's too much of a light weight.

Then 20 years and out comes The Thin Red Line.  I was excited and liked it at the time but that movie was a mess.  So many pointless cameos: Nolte, Cusack, Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson (who is not pointless I guess because I am sure he was great), Jared Leto??, Travolta (that one was super pointless) and Clooney. And cut out Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Sheen, Gary Oldman, Bill Pullman, Lukaas Haas, Vigoo Mortenson and Micky Rourke!!  He recut it to make the movie about non-charismatic Jim Caveziel, who later went on to star in that non-classic The Passion and then do nothing ever.

OK, next we have the Pocahontas movie.  I like Colin Farrell as much as the next lady but also a mess. I barely remember it.

Tree Of Life: pretty good but not as deep as it wanted to be.  And now we have To The Wonder starring Affleck and it's getting terrible reviews.  I guess the lady lead just twirls a lot.  That's enough strikeouts that I'm declaring him a hack.  He's like a band with one great album, which I respect but that's not much of a band.

There's another new post below if you're interested.

preserved for all eternity

 We're trying to clean some crap out of our house, which is such a lame task, but anyways these framed pics have been sitting around forever and they're not exactly aesthetically pleasing enough that I want to hang them up.  So I had the idea that I'd just preserve them in posts on the blog.  That way they'll be here for all eternity way after I'm dead when Sacramento scholars are poring over it, writing dissertations on the early internet era, etc.  So here's the "best local blog readers' choice from 06" and...

And writers' choice from 05.  That was really cool.  I don't know if I won other years? I know I came in second or third to some fly-by-nights that aren't around.  Like those sexy twins. Done! Preserved!

I was just looking at some early posts to remind myself how long ago I started heckasac (coming up on 9 years) and I just found two funny things: apparently I spotted Vincent Gallo on a trip to NY (how the fuck would I forget this?!) and when Scott used to post for me (before we were even going out!) he wrote that Brew It Up by far had the best beers in Sac!!

40 water

OMG it was just announced that Canned Heat will be playing at the UCD staff picnic this year?!?! This is bizarre.  And funny.  I have always kind of hated them.  And they serve us the grossest grade Z Hannibal's catering.  I asked for a vegetarian meal.

Remember Canned Heat?

uh, how did I get the date for e-40 off by like a month? So weird.  Oh well, at least I will catch the Screature set.  It's on May 18th.  What do you think Sprinkle Me is about? Is it a drug thing? Golden Shower? Just nonsense? I'm sure it's the latter.

There is a really good James Salter article in the New Yorker.  Underappreciated writer.  Writer's writer.  Interesting to discover that he's a secret Jew.  He changed his name from David Horowitz! I recommend Light Years.

thinkin' about bread

I got a deep tissue massage yesterday and I feel like I paid someone to kick my ass.  Deep tissue is insane, but I do believe it can have health benefits although I'm not sure what. Maybe raising my pain tolerance?  I know what childbirth feels like now (JK ladies!). Anyway, Shannon at Harmony is great, and she'll do swedish too. and maybe shiatsu. I don't know what that is.

I am shocked to report that Sophia's in Davis has a decent pork laap. It is probably their only item that isn't syrupy sweet.  My coworkers keep picking places to go.  I have not had the opportunity to pick a single place. The words "chinese buffet" are bandied about frequently.  Do you know how hard it is for me to keep my trap shut?  It's so hard that I could see myself bursting a blood vessel in my eye.

I've been thinking about bread, since I just wrote a review that has a lot in it about bread.  Will Sac ever have a really good bread bakery? I've gotten to eat Tartine bread twice in the last couple of weeks and I really hope we someday get a good bakery.  OK, it can't be as good as Tartine, the most  famous bread bakery in the world, but as good as Semifreddos would be nice.

Indulge me one more time in moaning about Morrissey shirts I have lost:

Dame Edith Sitwell

Harvey Kietel

Motorcycle Au Pair Boy

that  last one is the most painful of all and I think I might buy this one.  Too bad it's XL and the one I had was probably a small.  This is a smart business decision and will  only appreciate in value. 

who ever thought?

We had an Edible Mag meeting about a summer event we're planning.  It's going to be realllllyyyyy good, and we are making it pretty cheap so everyone will be able to come that is interested.  We are lucky enough to have SB bringing in a professional PR perspective.  We hashed everything out at LowBrau and at first she was like, "what the heck is the focus of this event?" but by the end we had pared it down to a pretty manageable scope.  And we agreed to not take the easy way out: food trucks.

Can we talk about food trucks? Have I already written about this? Can't remember.  I feel like everyone's supposed to just support their existence because of the stupid law against them and because they got trendy, etc. But are there any good ones?  I mean, the Gameday truck seemed to be a lifesaver for everybody at the Halloween show (not me since I thought it would be a good idea to eat one million beers for dinner and then choke down a five pound burrito made of grey steak at 3 in the morning), but they all seem to be lowest common denominator.

Anyway, we are gonna class up the vibe of this party since Edible is nothing if not classy, and because I am a classy broad.  It will be fun and mingly with good food.  More details to come.

Going to see Danny Brown tomorrow! Excited! Have you seen this video? It is the best. I can't believe I bought a scalped ticket on stubhub a month ago for 20 more bucks than they are going for now.  I didn't know how stubhub worked

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHfWY0is3rE

Speaking of stubhub, I decided I don't care that that Tyler The Creator show sold out.  I don't like his record. The lyrics are stupid  masquerading as clever.

Dirty South: some thoughts

This post will be long, but I hope you can hang

OK, so this is why I say it all comes down to Juvenile: not only was he a very popular artist in his own right (400 Degreez certified 4X platinum), BUT he may arguably have invented the New Orlean's dance music style "bounce" with the song "bounce for the Juvenile", which came out way before he was famous, when he was like 16. 

Now, bounce is a whole other thing, that never really translated out of New Orleans I don't think, but it's pretty interesting.  Big Freedia and other "sissy rap" acts are a part of it, and you may have seen her on Jimmy Kimmel? It was rad.  Here's a good example of classic bounce. I like it even though it's really abrasive, and you can see that it's strictly for dancing, not listening to at home,.

According to wiki, the phrase shake it like a salt shaker and the slang "twerk" are both from bounce, too.  Its influence has trickled down into rap since the mid/late 90s.

I would also argue that Juvenile was a projenitor of trap, which is all the rage right now.  Maybe this one is a little bit of a stretch.  I guess Three 6 Mafia was more involved with both.  T.I.'s "Trap Musik" album (which is really good) is considered one of the first in the genre.  I wish I could link to more of this stuff but I keep being paranoid that my  new IT department are sitting in their office keeping notes on what I'm doing or something.

I would also like to say that Pastor Troy sucks.  And Lil Jon does not hold up at all. Super obnoxious.  Maybe a "yeahhh" here and there but not his actual songs which feature mostly aggressive chanting.

It's fun to listen to this stuff again and realize I know a lot about it.  And it was so influential that it sounds pretty current.  I love how Drake gives props to Juvenile, like by sampling Back That Ass Up.

I went to SF and in the hotel room got to watch some busted-ass semi amateur UFC, which was still awesome.  I learned that elbow drops and heel hooks are only legal once you turn pro, although if I got that wrong I'm sure DN will correct me.  Also that Muay Thai training seems to have taken the place of Brazilian grappling as the preferred training.  There was an ad for a soap called "defense" which they said is a guard against "grappling related skin infections" yeesh.

We stayed at the Sir Francis Drake and went to the Starlight Room 22 stories above the city.  MS and I had both envisioned it as a piano bar filled with courtly old men and maybe a lady who had been a Ziegfield Follies girl (never mind that that would make her about 120 years old).  Instead it was THE MOST AWKWARD CLUB IN THE WORLD.  Weird men leaned against the windows on all sides.  It was the most random assortment of people ever.  Pretty funny.

We also went to Bar Tartine and I highly recommend it.  The food was bomb.  It's expensive but the portions are really big so two people could easily split three dishes.  The wine and beer list is so good.  And you get baskets of the best bread in the world.  My favorite dish was smallish purple potatoes that had been smoked for three hours served with ramp mayo and chopped dill and flat leaf parsley.

I watched a documentary about the photgrapher Francesca Woodman, who mostly photographed herself nude in gauzy black and white. She threw herself out a window in 1980, when she was 21.  I like her work but she seems like she was the big pain in the ass.  She reminds me of Cal Arts students I've met (not WB!), and she went to RISD of course.  Anyway it's good.

You know what is not good?  A Place Beyond The Pines.  I went to see it by myself on opening day, since it has Ryan Gosling in it (I am a middle aged lady after all) and it's 2 hours and 20 minutes long and I walked out after about 2 hours and 5 minutes because I didn't give a shit.  Terrible.  It's from the guy who directed Blue Valentine, a movie I found to be emotionally devastating.  Ha that sounds so pretentious.

I'm already excited about the next Halloween show

This is very exciting! I had to ask Dave Ninja's help because I don't have photoshop, so we now have created a store at Cafe Press for "I'm already excited about the next Halloween show" merchandise!!  Place your orders now! I just ordered two bumper stickers and they came in at under ten bucks.  This is Official Halloween Show (TM) merchandise, don't confuse it with other shoddy knockoffs.

By the way, I've been remiss in not saying (did I say that right?) that Morrissey was my favorite of the night, on an emotional level.  I've probably blahblahed about this to some of you before, but in 92 I walked off my job at a gas station (with no notice, what a little dick) to drive around California and Arizona, following Morrissey.

I fell into this little crew of zinesters and Morrissey obsessives and we all drove together and crashed at people's houses. The first guy I kissed (TMI!) was one of the dudes I was traveling around with.  It was a heady time. 

I never got onstage even though I tried, and I once got a little scrap of his shirt and lost it, so getting to hug  Morrissey at the Halloween show really completed the circle for me, and I felt like it was really happening.  Cody was SO AMAZING!!!!!

And that's why: I'm already excited about the next Halloween show! (TM)

bin laden weed

I started a spotify playlist on late 90s/early 2000s dirty south for my future Leap In The Dark DJing so I wouldn't forget any songs.  T.I. has been around longer than I thought.  Remember these two songs that refer to 9/11? Scandalous at the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RItnwC4cO9I

maybe T.I. will play it at Discovery Park.

I had completely forgotten about this one.  It's hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycysvjeAChI

here it is chopped and screwed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_0kC1joRZQ

I am trying to get into chopped and screwed a little more.  It seems like one would have to be on some type of downers to appreciate it.  I guess that's why most of the people  making it overdosed on sizzurp

There was a ton of  good stuff coming out of Houston at that time that didn't really get big.  Lil Flip was huge (according to Riff Raff in his Nardwuare interview)

Anyhoo, probably no one is excited about this post as I am

too old for this shit

I encourage you all to follow the link to the Halloween show blog and then that link to tumblr and please upload any pictures, even if they are on fb already. hell, upload any old ones too and maybe at some point we can organize them.

I am excited about DJ Missy at Music Box night at Ironsides. This excitement is based on her DJ set and LM's Halloween party. I bought a witchy dress specifically for this night. I always say I'm going to get more witchy and I never do, although maybe summer could be the season of the witch.  I certainly wear more black than I used to. Blah blah like you all care.

I went to see The House I Live in at a free screening at the Crest last night.  It was pretty meh. Not a lot of surprises, but I think it's along the line of An Inconvenient Truth, which lots of people who weren't paying attention tripped over. Not like I'm some expert on the drug war, but I've watched The Wire. JK, I haven't.  Davis Simon, the creator is featured prominently.  But I have read a book on the narco trade in Mexico and stuff about the CIA and crack, etc.  I did not stay for Danny Glover so I couldn't ask him if he's too old for this shit and what was up with that weird scene where his entire family sings happy birthday to him while he's in the bathtub.

ho hum

Hey guys-

Wow, what a dud of a weekend.  Oh well, at least I'm well rested, and I had time to clean the house and put up those shelves I've been meaning to get to, etc.  Scott and I barely left the house except for a trip to Costco.  Our biggest excitement was catching  up on Season 2 of Homeland.   No spoilers, but did that end with a cliffhanger or what?

What did you guys do?

Like a baus or like a bitch?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXL2RQLP-0k
Getting business cards today, like a boss, like a boss.

Went to see Mantles/Swiftumz last night at the Eagle, which is a cool place.  The show was crowded but a lot of people just jammed the patio and maybe didn't watch more than a minute of one band.  Someone has got to book Swiftumz in Sac!!! Mike C., are you reading? Perfect for leap in the dark!  Mantles are insanely good.  I have to hook up a Stingrayz show this summer if it kills me.  There is a tentative Stingrayz trip on Sunday planned.  Michael from Mantles always wears a sick Stingrayz hoodie.

At the show, I heard from a knowledgeable source that 4/17/72 is one of the best Grateful Dead live shows.  Cannot wait to hear it.

never tell a lie about wokstar's dad

ESS is playing at Barfly tonight. I wonder what that stands for?  Barfly is kinda on my radar lately.  It seems like maybe a good place to have shows, despite its listless, cavernous vibe.  Hey, there aren't a lotta venues so might as well give it a try. Mike C. was expressing some interest. I've gone to Shaun Slaughter's house music night (there were a crew of break dancers that would take turns going and it was just like being in an 80s movie) a reggae/dancehall night (totally dead but good music, who knew that Soriano's brother is a reggae dj?) and now, ESS.

A funny thing about the reggae night, if you know what DJ Wokstar looks like, is that he showed up with his wizard-ish dad who looks EXACTLY like him.  Wokstar must have been raised a Rastafarian.  Smiller, can you remind me of my rastafarian/tour de france joke?

Tuff Turf indeed.

Wowza. Tuff Turf the movie.  That is teen Robert Downy Jr. on the right, Jim Carroll in the middle, and hot Spader on the right.  Spader in my opinion is miscast as a protagonist rather than a villian, and basically plays the good guy as if he were a bad guy.  Scott thought he was a badass, I thought he brought all his misfortunes on himself with his unwarranted cockiness.  He gets beaten up so many times in this movie and he lets a thug run over his bike rather than just riding it away. 

New Halloween blog post, check it out

pretty much for the neighbor only

. 

Dear Neighbor-
Thanks for the invite to your fun party.  Sux that it got majorly rained out after we left. Guphy and I sat and watched it through my front window and listened to Ladies of the Canyon.  You should give Joni Mitchell a chance.  Speaking of that, it is very important to me and smiller that you come around to the Grateful Dead. Let me make my case:

1) One reason people hate the Dead is that they associate it with the bullshit it became in the 80s and 90s (and maybe late 70s).  That is not fair! Would you go see the Rolling Stones now and say that they suck and you could never get into them?  OF COURSE NOT

2) Due to your love of traditional country you have judged them harshly on covers they have done that you didn't like.  You can't judge any band on covers.  They in general do really bad covers, and Weir especially picks totally cheesy ones.

3) You like country rock so it makes no sense to reject the Dead entirely.

4) You like New Rider with Jerry. Boom!

5) When I have time, I will make you a comp that will knock your socks off.  No Pigpen, no Donna Godchaux screeching, no Weir when his voice is at it's worst.  Kreutzmann is such a badass drummer and when Jerry is in the zone there is nothing like it.  Not to mention when  Phil drops a major Phil bomb.

6) once you are into that, you can start delving into the very best of the live shows. The vibes still emanate from these recordings.  Once you hear a crowd that are probably all peaking on acid get psyched at the first few notes of a favorite song you can't resist.

I think I covered it, although Scott may have a few more points. I expect to hear the sounds of the Dead emanating from your side of the building by this summer (the Dead sound best in the summer played outside, or preferably played while you are driving on hiway 1)

fuck it to the max

Someone told me last night that Timberlake sang with the Flaming Lips at SXSW, but how can this be true when the internet doesn't know about it? He said he sang "do you realize".  But this guy wasn't there because he left during the show?!?  Glad to see Master P played at the Red Bull stage.

Can't believe my last post was Tuesday.  Work is intense and getting intenser. Did my first safety walk through with my fly down.

Four Eyes/Troublemakers 20th anniversary shows tomorrow at old i!! Insane.  I thought the Troublemakers started playing in the early 60s? Which would mean they are having their 50th anniversary but maybe they are being vain about their ages.  We all know Stan doesn't age and just goes into a cryogenic chamber every night.

Was honored to be invited to the opening of Pangaea's sour bar last night. They have turned the bottle shop room into a lovely bar with all sours! I can't even believe this is happening in Sacramento. We have come a long way. I don't even know of any other sour bars anywhere?  This man has a vision and is pretty much the coolest, warmest guy in the world, Rob that is.  There was talk of the need to move Sac beer week so it is not a week after SF beer week.  If we do that, people will travel from the Bay to come. And that would actually be an organic thing that makes Sac look good rather than the golden "four billionaires" that Steve Hansen is so hot on.  Fuck that quote to the max.  Who gives a shit if four billionaires see Sac as a cash cowtown that they can milk before we catch on.

blah blah

Everybody left me hanging with my dorking out below, but that's ok, I can take it. 

Turns out that God unleashed the ten plagues on the Pharoah and peeps to punish him for messing with the Chosen People. Boom!  I didn't remember that.  Out of the plague finger puppets I got cattle plague, scott got locusts. I personally think rain of blood is the most badass plague.  Imagine the cleanup! It would be clotting everywhere, and get like, under your fingernails and stuff.  Would it be human blood or animal? Or maybe all the blood combined.  God can pretty much do whatever he wants, which is why I wonder why he wouldn't do a rain of poo. I guess it's not as frightening.

Passover dinner takes forever! All the bible readings and the singing and the raising the wine, etc.  At least there was a lot of joke cracking.  Scott had an elegant blue satin yarmulke.

So there I was, fretting I'd be late to see Tender Cinders. And I got fooled for the 1568th time.  The band didn't start until at least 10:30! A least lil H was fooled with me so I had someone to talk to.  They were really good, as always. Brian played a bass and two keyboards pretty much simultaneously, and sang, and made all of that look super easy.

There's a Dead Western/Christine Shields show Wednesday at Bows. Should be good.

I just watched a documentary on Leigh Bowery. I recommend it.  He was sort of a New Romantic/proto raver fashion designer with the most outlandish designs probably in human history. This is a very tame one above.

dorkin out

Whenever I go see Tatiana (of Daisy Spot) and her husband Brian play in whatever musical venture they currently have going, I feel like I am privileged enough to see something magical that for some reason most people can't feel.  Does that make sense? Scott and I both feel this way.  I have memories of the first time I saw Daisy Spot, at the Guild, maybe 17 years ago.  I still remember songs from that show that I probably have never heard them sing again.  I remember seeing Scott drumming in their kid band, Friendly Creatures, which had hilarious songs about the ice cream man.  I remember a show at Bows that I wished would go on forever, instead of feeling impatient for the set to end like I usually do.  A few  months back, Scott and I got word of a party they were playing at, some project that didn't even have a name maybe, with their friends and a huge assortment of drums and keyboards and lot of noisemakers.  We just watched them play in a garage, to less than ten people and I really could not believe my ears.  I felt like I couldn't stop smiling.  I don't know, magical is the only word.

I wo n't even go into how ridiculously beautiful those two are (the two on the right here), or how Bryan looks like the coolest dude on the block from 1972 and Tatiana just keep getting more lovely every year.  Oh my god, I am dorking out real bad.  I grabbed this pic from the web and it turned out to be an old MidMo picture.  It's from an article Gballz wrote about, hey here's a coincidence, Magic Moments from shows over the years!



Which is all to say that their current project, Tender Cinders, is playing at The Press tonight around 9.  It's also some Northern Soul night and they're the only band playing.

Passover y'all

Passover y'all!  I'm going to a seder Monday night.  It's fun because it's all non-religious Jews just cracking jokes. The hand puppets representing the 7 plagues are my favorite part.  Or wait, is it ten? I don't remember.  There are little hand puppets that represent lice, boils, etc.  Plus, Scott has to wear a yarmulke! That's something I wait all year to see.

Spring Break y'all! I rolled up to see Spring Breakers in a White Cadillac with JC, which is pretty much the best way to go see it.  I think it does capture the early 20s Zeitgeist (for the little I know about that), at least the really empty parts of it.  It just occurred to me that there's not really any texting, etc., which is not realistic.  It's typical Harmony Korine, for good and bad.  Franco is awesome and the girls are not given a lot to do except walk around in bikinis. Gucci Mane turns in a very lackluster performance.  The ATL twins however, will probably be the first twins to win a single Oscar, since they do everything together.

I guess one of the women is Korine's wife. She looks like a teenager but she's 26.  I also found out he was born in Bolinas, which explains a lot.  

Franco's character is supposedly based on Riff Raff, this rapper that Harmony Korine hangs out with.  I don't know this guys deal (besides the fact that he often hangs out with a boa constrictor), but he seems pretty rad in this Nardwuar interview.

Were you guys out in Midtown this weekend? I've always thought the people bitching about too many bars, etc., were alarmists but do you think we are in danger of Midtown truly starting to suck?  It's so overrun. smiller had a weird confrontation with a bro fucking with him out of nowhere because he didn't know where "club 21" was.  Is that even a thing?

casual friday

OMG you guys, I finally saw Screature and they are so fucking good!! I loved it! I didn't even know it had three beautiful ladies in it.

Spring Breakers opens today.  Anyone excited? I am somewhat excited.  No, which is a different movie, opens at Tower.  It looks really, really good.  It's filmed in a really authentic looking 80s TV style, and since it's a true story from the Pinochet era in Chile (hope I'm not getting this wrong) they can seamlessly blend in lots of TV clips from that era.  What a great idea!  Stoker opens at the Tower, too. That movie looks hella dumb.  Boy, Nicole Kidman has been in some terrible movies lately, although I am definitely renting the one where she pees on Zac Efron.

If you can read this story without tearing up...you might just be a redneck. Oops, I mean robot.  There was a teen nerd robotics conference at UCD yesterday, which is pretty fucking cute.  The teams had team tshirts on and stuff.

You know what the best thing about the Halloween Show is? It gives our whole social group something to talk about and debate.  Now that Lost is over and the vast majority of us are not into sports, it's great to have something super fun to talk about.

I am so caffeinated right now.  I thought I might puke for a minute.  And I'm about to go pick up Marie's donuts to celebrate Casual Friday, which I do not participate in.  I'm wearing cashmere. Since I have been usurped as work team suckup I now default to work team snob.  But I'm trying to control my impulses in that area.  Nobody likes the team snob.

right?

Waaaaiiittt a hot minute.  I took an unscientific poll of two Tower employees in their late twenties (which isn't even young, sorry guys) and they had never heard of Peaches.  The two things I heard were, "Isn't she a drag queen" and "she's from the Bay Area, right" Augh! (as Charlie Brown would say) and Ack! (as Cathy would say).  I guess they won't know whether I'm good or bad (I will be good). Of course, they were both from Yuba City, so you gotta take that into consideration.  It didn't even have the internet until last year.  (actually is CG from Yuba?)

Screature! I will be there at 8 which will mark the 586th time I have been fooled by a start time.  Good thing I'm married to someone who is also always fooled.  And who will never let me forget the fact that I made him miss the Art Museums in Big Sur and then they broke up not long after that. Right, honey?

ultimate fighting

Crap! I missed that ultimate fighting match, I forgot! Davey, what's the next big one? And can you send me an email reminder every day until it happens and then every hour on the day of? Thanks.

Yay! Screature tomorrow at Poleline house.  Not sure why they always play first but they are playing first at 8.  Davis Beer Shoppe had an off the chain tap list yesterday for their birthday, so maybe they will have some of the kegs left tomorrow, although smiller said he waited 30 minutes to get in the door so maybe not.

Anybody ever seen Day of the Jackal? It's rad but so long that I am now on my second night of falling asleep and having to stop it.  That makes it feel like a dream.

8th day of work and I am starting to like it. It makes me feel smart and competent rather than like kind of a slacker, which despite the fact that I am Gen X is a demoralizing feeling.

rhetorical question?

There's a new post below, but I have a question: what's a good two-day weekend getaway that's not the Cali coast?  We've mostly gone to Stinson Beach for so long that I don't know. Don't say Stockton.  And what's the deal with driving to Reno this time of year? Now that I think of it, Reno sounds awesome.  I've been wanting to double my money lately.  Yes, I'm just sitting here talking to myself at 6:30. I work hard for my money, so hard for my money.

whatever dude

Here's a picture post, if you wanna check it out:

toddler wall

Okkkaaayyyy...I'll post again to alleviate the embarrassment of the post below.  Not a lot of Elliot Gould aficionados out there, I get it.  Perhaps his appearances in Ocean 11 and Friends have muddied the waters.  He did lose his looks pretty fast.

Vegan tofu banh mi from the Star Ginger truck on campus. Not bad.  At least it was spicy. The taste was really overwhelmed by the too-soft bread.  Hopefully I can figure out some way to leave a bike around here so that I can bike to Huong Lan really quickly.

Bok Kai parade in Marysville tomorrow! I'm super excited.  Mark my words, someone is eventually going to be a hit by a careening Shriner in a tiny car and it ain't gonna be me.  I usually position myself behind a wall of toddlers.

it's time

 What, can't a girl just post a picture of Elliot Gould once in a while without it being a federal incident?  It's been a while so it's time.  What nice thing do you think he's saying to me in this picture?  Maybe it's, "I brought you a bagel, from Canter's, with lox, just like you like it." Or maybe, "you have a little chopped liver on your chin, here let me get that."  Or, "you're right, people who don't like Philip Roth are anti-Semitic". The possibilities are really endless

I miss Freak Folk.  Fake luxury hippies are so much better than real hippies. It started in like the mid-2000s so the kids will revive it soon, right? They probably already did and I blinked and missed it. Is that what Mumford and Sons is? Feathers was one of my faves, and look at baby King Tuff up there in the top row, second from right.  He was probably like 15? 16? Sigh, I loved pretending I was a hippie and hanging out in Big Sur. Wait, I guess I still do that.

quick post

The English Singles Disaster single got reviewed in Still Single.  Wow, what a great review! It does make it sound like a Scott Miller solo record, though.  Their new, new single is out on Slumberland.  You can obtain one by....stopping by our house. Seriously, though smiller has about 50 copies.

Ugh, my new job is going to make me so boring for a while (as opposed to how exciting I've always been?) I think I will mostly be tweeting about office supplies and my office.

Are you ready for some horrible food photos? Don't hate, I had to take them with my phone.  I reviewed Gold Town Chinese and I'm telling you it's worth a visit.  I can't say whether it's worth a trip to Davis.  Ugly pictures after the jump

Haneke

Saw Amour.  While it is masterful, I hope this swerve towards hyper-realism isn't Haneke's new thing.   Don't get me wrong, I love slow realism (I once enjoyed a three 1/2 hour movie of a middle-aged Belgian woman puttering around her apartment.), but I look to Haneke for a mindfuck. Cache and The Piano Teacher are still two of my favorites, and I will even forgive him for the remake of Funny Games (I like the original).  Anyway, it is the most intriguing thing out by far so go check it out before it's gone.  It was an intense experience to be crying and hearing people weeping along with me in the theater.  Aren't movies amazing?

Speaking of gone, what the heck is going on with the Crest? I am having a hard time figuring it out.  I know theaters 2 and 3 are not going to be showing new movies but what's going on with theater 1? This is the worst news!

Finally there was a good show in Sac! Fine Steps were really fun.  Matt R. is a great addition on bass and I could watch Kyle play the guitar forever. I would love to have him jamming inside my house all the time. Like, come downstairs for coffee, and there's Kyle playing guitar.

Yes, I'm posting on Sunday because I still don't know how this is gonna work with my new job as a professional Chop Buster in a lab coat with a clip board.  Starts tomorrow.

tonight!

Leap in the dark! Tonight! Croissants! Fine Steps! Peach Kelli Pop! Did you know she is married to No Bunny?  Maybe he will be there in his normal guy clothes. Does he still live here?

nostalgia

 Cleaning out my desk after ten years and coming across all these discs of photos.  I am trying to not drown in nostalgia.  Remember these little guys?  This was '08.  I'm still stoked I was the first person who ever wrote about them.  They really were something special.  I'm getting all choked up.

 Oh man, and this show? What was the name of this house? Fuck, why don't I ever go see the Oh Sees? I wish they would play in Sac.

I have been looking for more old Halloween show photos and realized that I have lost some photo files over time.  Oh well. I have more than I could ever organize in a lifetime, anyway.  However, here's a post I did in 2008, the year of Yacht Rock.  Already five years ago, can you believe it?  There was a post I did a few weeks before about SM listening to the Dead all the time and how weak it is and how terrible the voices are.  What a difference five years makes!  I of course disgraced myself as usual. But hopefully in a funny way. 26 comments! Remember the days before facebook? My glory days.

I'll miss you, pizza rolls

I want to do a post that will just stir up shit about local breweries but I guess I should be diplomatic.  BAR wrote a piece on New Helvetia Brewing that doesn't  mention how the beer actually tastes. I haven't really heard anything either way, but they're not exactly lighting the world on fire by brewing a lager, a stout, and an IPA.  And the brewer is from River City Brewing? Not a good sign.

The piece on Pyramid closing had a rad quote from Steve Hansen which acknowledges their foul beer instead of just being diplomatic,

"(Pyramid) couldn't compete," said Councilman Steve Hansen, who represents downtown. "They weren't offering as good a product as their neighbors, and they fell out of favor. This isn't a body blow, this is a good opportunity."

Good for you, Steve.  I was perusing the comments below the Pyramid piece and amidst the anti state worker ranting was one that made me LOL "I'll miss you, pizza rolls"

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/05/5236376/pyramid-alehouse-closes-it-doors.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

not better

 Dang, I thought these photos were better. They are not better.  I got a little snack at Kru before I went to an exciting place for an Edible assignment (hint: this place has dhosas that are at least three feet long).   I asked if the uni was good, no, like, really good and the chef let me inspect it.  Not a runny spot to be seen.  This was the best uni I've had, probably ever.  That stuff on the top is kombu jerky with a little sweetness to it.

Who needs foie gras when you can have monkfish liver? Not me?  I think foie is gross anyways.

I guess the fine steps/peach kelli pop/croissants show on Thursday is at the Press.  I thought Bows.  Fine Steps now features the lovely Matt Roberts on, I think, bass. And Kyle's still in it? Who's the drummer? DJs Mike C and Mantranga. Can I request that MC Ham might tell Matranga to reign in the treble a wee bit? Some of those oldies can really get shrill played really loud.

Yo Gotti - 5 Star (Remix) ft. Gucci Mane, Trina, Nicki Minaj

I'm glad to see Trina's still around but the chorus on this song is hella boring

NSFW

Wow, I don't think I've ever heard the uncut version of this song before. Trina is so nasty

watch for the surprise

I would like to urge you to watch this at least until you see the giant couch.  Also, there's a special surprise at 3:11

Lesh is more

Yesterday I hung with an ex-Sacramentan who lives in Mill Valley and I asked him if he ever sees Phil Lesh. He replied, "yeah, I saw him last night".   Who do I have to blow to see Phil Lesh walking around? That is one of my ultimate celebrity sightings besides the cast of Criminal Minds or the ghost of Jerry.

too good

Also, this, if you need more info
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tAi46bv1Z4

STD

Wow, the Berryessa event was off the fucking chain! The brewer said it was his favorite event.  I was also very gratified to hear that he loved the article and the pics.  I am on a roll with that and the Stegall article as far as lots of good vibes flowing to me, which is really why I do it.

Bows dealt with the lines and I was worried about the time it would take to get my food but it was fine.  My first IPA went straight to the dome, I guess cuz it was like 740 and I hadn't eaten much.

Good times!

naked mole rat fiesta

ha! here's another invitation I made, just a few years ago.  that's pretty awesome. I'm going to make one of these for my next birthday. the food at this thing was really good

Berryessa!

My piece on Berryessa Brewing is in the SNR. I love the pictures! His wife is so cool, I'm glad she's in the pictures. You can tell she's a big part of the business.  Come meet Chris (and maybe Lori) tonight at Bows!

new job, new me?

 I am cleaning out my desk cuz...I got a new job! Big news in my world. I wont say where, cuz, ya know.  Anyway, this is the invitation I made for my 30th birthday. It's a snapshot of my mind at that time.

 Asian Cafe! Look at this shit! This is the most underrated restaurant in Sacramento!

Berryessa Brewing night tomorrow at Bows with the Alkali Flats

IMHO

Hellsa beer events (that's more than hella) this weekend.  Hot City is having a shit ton of sours, starting tonight. That's a big one.  And the bows berryessa night is: Jesus Christ, does anyone know? That events calendar is not user friendly.  Don't wanna miss it. aha, feb 26th, oh yea, and alkali flats!  the sac beer week website also sux. it takes days to page through it.

oh wait, does hot city start tomorrow?

If I have time today I will list IMHO the best and lamest beer week events (Hoppy Brewing will factor heavily in one of these)

Victoria Dalkey finally mentioned Bows cuz of the Stegall show.  She gave it a really backhanded compliment as a gallery. I think it's weird that her first review there had to be for a guy that's been around the local scene for so damn long.  Surely the Elizabeth Higging O'Connor/Liv Moe show warranted some attention.

resolution failed

 I have been failing miserably in my New Year's resolution to cook more from cookbooks.  In fact, I've hardly been cooking at all! I'll keep trying.  This is just my regular roast chicken that I always tell you about but oh my god the skin is the best! You might spot that the tops of the legs are dry, but it doesn't matter to me because the rest is juicy.

 This was evidence of me eating my half of the skin in about 30 seconds and washing it down with...

 this beautiful Chablis

White beans with a herbs de provence/dijon/chive dressing.  It wasn't that great cuz I underdressed it, as usual.

ultimate props

Awesome! Marie's Donuts got a shoutout from Jan and Michael Stern in the new Saveur.  That is the ultimate compliment for an American homestyle spot as far as I'm concern.  I have to respectfully point to that as another reason why I disagree with BAR about his donut article from a while back.  I know his main point was that donut shops in town (including Marie's) all use the same mix, but they must be using some magic than because I'm sure J and M sampled more than just Marie's.

When Rose M. was in town recently to play she named Marie's as one of the top spots she wanted to take her friend to.

I am taking a dozen to work ASAP.  I still have heard nothing good about Doughbot except that there bacon bread pudding for bacon fest was really good.  I want to try it again soon, though.

Did I imagine this article? I remember we got into a discussion about it in person.

Rip Taylor was here

 Just got back from Palm Springs.  The trip was really, really fun.  And you know, people may lob the word "hipsters" at people who stay at the Ace Hotels, but there was a ton of really awesome fashion and when you see old pictures all the way up to the 80s, what do you notice? The fashion, right?  Well it was nice to see some decked out people.

Joshua Tree was really pretty. I love the desert.

Scott scored a new reggae record.  They have the most amazing covers, bar none.  I guess if you get stoned enough your eyes turn red gold and green.

OMG

How is it fucking possible that I did not know about this?!?!?!?!?  This is my favorite song off the album and I just looked for the video.

pliny, brah

Louis CK was good last night.  He went almost an hour and a half and it flew by.  He didn't lay on the contempt for Sacramento very thick compared to other comics I've seen but I really do get sick of that.  It's dispiriting to pay a bunch of money to see a comic and just have him bag on us for all being tweakers or whatever.  But I guess nobody ever said comedians were nice.  Pretty much what he said was he only came to Sac to practice in a round theater since he's shooting his next special in Phoenix in a round theater.  Phoenix is the real piece of shit city, not us!

BAR did a nice piece on Pliny The Younger insanity in the Bee today.  Sometimes I feel like Pliny (mostly the Elder) is the only beer in the world.  It's insane.  There are plenty of really good IPAs and double IPAs out there.  The people behind me at Louis CK were talking about it.  I cannot believe that so far the few comments on the Bee are totally reasonable! I figured they would all be about people being alcoholics.

can't take the grind!

soo...some of you may have noticed that there was a new food reviewer in the SNR this week: Garrett McCord.  I could not take the grind of the deadlines and using ALL my meals out for reviews.  Scott was about to kill me.  I lasted 6 months.  I will now go to once a month and focus on cheap eats, which I enjoy a million times more than any type of fine dining or "new American" cuisine.

I feel proud that I lasted so long and would like to point out (not that I'm defensive) that the reviewers for at least the last 7 years before me were both full-time freelancers.  As you know I have a full time and somewhat demanding job.

I look forward to my once a month gig and turning people on to new spots.

The English Singles were way intense at the house show yesterday.  They are in cracking good form because they've been practicing a lot for their upcoming UK gigs.  Nacho Business and Rose were really good, too.

yo bro, got any mice?

Tonight! Rose Melberg, English Singles, Nacho Bisness at 723 M st., Davis at 7:30.  It will really start somewhat on time since it's a house show.  You can have an economical meal at Huong Lan first.  Does the new downown Davis Huong Lan escape the Davis restaurant curse? Yes and no.  The grilled pork banh mi is tasty, but the grilled pork is gray and does not even remotely resemble the delicious grilled pork at the one in South Sac.  A TV plays pictures of the sandwiches and in the pictures they have shredded lettuce and tomatoes (?).  I was all like hell naw, but then our sandwiches didn't contain that. 

I have always thought that I will have arrived when I get interviewed.  I've interviewed I don't know how many people, but I do know that my tape recorder has almost 100 files on it right now and that I started out with one with actual mini cassette tapes.  I was interviewed last night with two others for a round table discussion and now I am even more sympathetic to the fact that people often trip out and worry they said something dumb.  Also, every time I interview someone in the food community (or beer) they usually want to talk some crap off the record (as we did), but they often don't really say off the record, it's understood, and I of course always leave it OTR.  However, if you were looking for some dirt you wouldn't have to cut it out and there's not a lot they could do.  And then add a drink or two, which is par for the course and before you know it John Mayer is saying that his dick is like David Duke.  Last night I compared my (metaphorical) dick to Guy Fieri (fat and ringed with bleached blond hair?), no wait Anthony Bourdain (leathery ex-junkie), no wait Paula Deen (chubby and oozing butter), oh god, sorry everyone.

I wanted to ride to Berryessa Brewing AGAIN this weekend, so we did.  From the beginning of the bike trail  on Russell.  The weather was pretty but there was a pretty intense and cold wind at time, which sucked.

speaking of dicks, check out the shadow that my boner is casting!

You ride over this graffitied bridge on the way and this hawk was chilling really close to us.

It's all like "yo bro, see any mice?" Don't you hate it when people pretend that animals are saying dumb things?

Double Tap IPA

cacti on the way

Keith Cary and Co.  This was some very relaxing and pleasant music.  The banjo case has some banjo related humor on it which I don't grok.

ride home! It was 16 miles each way which pretty much killed my soul and it was dark when we got back to the car.  I preferred riding from the beginning of Putah Creek Road, which is a few miles less.

Still, the ride is awesome!

year of the snake

Anybody know what's up in South Sac for Chinese New Year? I can't find any info online.

bao lowdown

Got bao for everyone at work at Lam Kwong.  They have a special with a dozen in a pink box for 11 bucks!  The lady was showing a regular customer CM's article.  I asked about Cheung Hing and she said they were retiring.  The customer said she remembered going there as a kid when it was called I think she said Fu Lan?

Not impressed with the har gao or sui mai.  The har gao wrapper was not cooked enough or something.  Bao is really good. Very fresh and doughy.

Lam Kwong is certainly a lot cleaner than Cheung Hing but I think at Cheung the flavor was leaking out of the walls onto the food.

UK new one

CM has a piece on bao today in the Bee.  I keep hearing about these Lam Kwong bao.  I'm going to pick up some on my way to work tomorrow.  Way better than bringing doughnuts (especially Doughbot donuts!).

To my surprise I found out that there is a Rose Melberg band (Imaginary Pants) show with English Singles and Nacho Business at a house in Davis on Monday. 723 M street, Davis at 730.  It should be over fairly early.  The Singles are in top shape from preparing for their upcoming London PopFest show, so come see them before they tear the UK a new one.

It's not till March but I'm excited about the Peach Kelli Pop/Fine Steps/Croissants show.

grab bag

Well... a police captain called me about my email and apologized so profusely that it was embarrassing.  I definitely accepted it.  She said she doesn't know how it's possible that I was not notified of the video  release and that the responding officer did note the camera in his report but that the detective somehow failed to see it in his supplemental materials.  She said the detective is beating himself up about it.  I know they are trying hard but at this point they seem to  have nothing to go on.

Deadheads, I have one date for you: 11/17/73.  Go to deadnet and get stoked.  It was a Dave's pick, but sold out quickly, unfortunately.  Bill  Walton was there and wrote the liner notes.

 Speaking of the Dead, we went to Berryessa Brewing yesterday and got a little tour of the back and OF COURSE there was a Steelie on the door. The Dead/brewing connection is a given.  I have to tell you, this guy is a fucking GENIUS.  Run, don't walk to this brewery.  Hopefully he is gonna do big things.  He is ambitious and a workaholic so chances are good.  A few spots around town have their beer, notably Bows and Red Rabbit.  He can do almost any style and do it well.  He has a killer IPA and seems to be able to nail Belgian styles so that they taste Belgian.  Genius brewers are few and far between.  Many think they can brew but so few actually can.  I am giving you a sneak peek of my SNR piece on his right now.

 We were walking to Magpie on Saturday and took a route that took us past the new Zia's, which does have some limited weekend hours.  It's right next to Yellowbill.  The Yellowbill concept still confuses me, but I guess if it works for them...As I said, their sandwiches are really good, and they are cheap, around 6 bucks if you can believe it.  They are total old-fashioned deli style, but with a quality twist, like Molinari salame and stuff.

 This one has salame and mortadella and I added pepperoncini.  It's no mayo, just oil and vinegar.  I got wheat sliced to reduce the carbs, obviously!

 It's also like a cute little market with good pasta and canned tomatoes and stuff.  It's actually the closest market for us with stuff like that.

The guy in the green is the son of one of the owners.  It's a proud family business since the 70s, I think, and they are Italians.

I have to say that the Pete Stegall piece was the most gratifying I have ever written.  He was so stoked.

In other  local art news "agitated rocker" Jose di Gregorio has a solo show at the Indianapolis Museum of Contempory Art.  Here's a review.

RIP Cheung HIng?

SAY WHAT?!?!? Scott was just by Cheung Hing and said it's closing! He said the market is 90% empty of stuff.

This is exactly the part of modern food that I hate.  I saw a thing about this chef in Rolling Stone (my inexplicable free subscription is now almost a year in)  Just even watch the first 30 seconds of this to see what I mean.  He makes David Chang look like, uh, I don't know, fill in the blank with some cultured intellectual.  People pretending they're badass for eating three giant burritos.  Did you ever have that trend in elementary school (if you are late 30s) where the cool thing were the Jimmy Zs short sets that had the same print for the shirt and the shorts? He is dressed like that.  He looks like a giant baby.

I tried to not make my challenging foods article like that.  I hope that came through.  Yes, I ate cow dick, but
for one thing, I don't think it's very commonly eaten by Vietnamese people, and for the other, it really wasn't that gross.  Stuff that smells kinda pooey like some tripe is way more challenging.

duh, cops

some of you non fb-ers may not have seen this

I was super pissed the cops released this without telling us! A secretary at my work asked me if that was us.  I wrote a letter of complaint to the captain and he apologized. So between the responding cop not noting we were on surveillance video in his report and releasing this without telling us they've been pretty Barney Fife overall.  The idea that anyone could glean anything from this video is pretty sad.  I know they don't have shit to go on but I don't think it was worth releasing this at all.  And now the guy on the video (who has our address) might have the thought that we could identify him.   You might think that is paranoid but remember the fact that he almost killed someone for her purse, if it's the same guy, which I think is likely.

On the more cheerful topics.I am SUPER STOKED on Peter Stegall's show opening tomorrow at Bows.  Here's my piece for the SNR.  My only info on him from seeing him at Flats shows was that he was an old-timey guy so I was blown away by the modernity and sophistication of his art.  This guy is the real deal and he has the experience of a lifetime behind his color work.  He is going to be djing from his collection of 78s, as well.  Come out!!

And in other Bows news: the Four Eyes and Scouse Gits are playing Bows on Saturday.  What a show!

I ate dinner at Magpie last night for the first time in forever.  Fuck, it was so good.  It is pricey for a casual night o ut, though.  We had a 50 dollar gift certificate so that eliminated the pain.  We each had two drinks, one salad between us, and two entrees and with tip it was closer to 100 than 50.  Without the gift certificate I would have gotten a cheaper entree.  Let me tell you that the Firestone Union Jack they have on right now is the  most incredibly good beer I have tasted in a while.  Scott was tripping because Union Jack never tastes like that, so check it out, it might just be a fluke.  He though the hops were like lemon verbena, I thought a little closer to elderflower.

baconfest

Judging the baconfest bacon contest was very fun.  In addition to Chris Macias we had Darrell Corti this year, as well as a woman from the pork board and a woman who went to every event this year.  She was quite slim, since you asked.

There was an onslaught of food, and I requested a tumbler of bourbon as a palate cleanser.  Crap, I don;'t have time to post, I'll sum it up: Magpie swept with the audience award, best dish, and best bacon. They were pretty much the only ones truly thinking outside the box and cutting all the fat and sweet flavors with brightness and acidity in the form of kumquat, kimchee and making lean-ish pastrami bacon and lean miso bacon. 

Darrell was great to work with and very gracious about just contributing to the votes. I still felt like we should defer to him, but he didn't expect it.

crap

I was going to post about a fb thing going on about one of my reviews, and then I realized that if I and everyone else starts shit talking on here, it would lead to someone linking to this post on fb.  So never mind.  It's for Broderick if you want to look, but please don't comment about it here.

WiSpa

Can you believe we're going to have to suffer through this King's shit until April at least?  I am so sick of hearing about it that I hope we keep them and they build a goddamn arena where the mall is. It won't even effect me and I don't care anymore. 

In L.A. we also went to a Korean bathhouse called WiSpa.  It has a downstairs women's area, a middle co-ed, clothed, area, and a top men's area.  It is pretty crazy.  You get a yellow shorts/tshirt uniform for the middle area and there are tons of families and kids chilling there.  There's a heated floor and pads on the floor for lounging.  There's a little cafe.  There are multiple saunas on that floor, including one with small terra cotta balls and a tv  playing korean shows.  Other ones are pink salt, or plain and tiled with geode, or super super hot.  There is a cold room but it's really j ust a big freezer and smells like one. 

The women's area is mostly naked and there are tons of showers, a wet sauna (which I love!) and dry.  And hot pools and cold pools. You can also get massages or oil rubs.  There are moms with their little girls.  Some of them are sleeping on couches.  You can also rent sleep rooms and stay all night.  You could basically live there if youw anted.