we're not in Kansas anymore

From one of my favorite blogs, FourFour a more-amusing-than-it-should-be supercut of "we're not in Kansas anymore" featuring Garcia from Crims and Cheadle.

slooowwwww

Hi guys
This is always the time of year when things get slooowwwww on the blog. I'm not at work all week. Here's my Zelda's post on Slice. I struggled with this one and got my first version rejected! But the editor was right. I am just not used to writing reviews where I have to focus so intensively on one thing, and I keep trying to sneak in other stuff and the editor keeps taking it out. She didn't use a picture of the spinnocoli I took that I really like, so I will post it when I am in office.

did not tweet the rage

So I didn't end up tweeting the rage. I was busy raging the rage. I think the last tweet was that we were listening to "My Humps" at Henry's. Other lady-related songs we listened to: Feels like a woman, Not a girl, not yet a woman. and probably many I've forgotten. Here's we are raging at The Chambers Room. Some dude photobombed

Final tally ladyrage:

Henry's: one corned beer hash breakfast, one bloody beer, two regular beers

Chamber's Room: one shot butterscotch schnapps, one shot "Jekyll and Hyde" liquor (tasted like potpourri), six dollars won from one Raider's scratcher

Preflyte Lounge:one tiny, foamy glass of Pabst (we killed the keg), one Coor's Light. I like this picture of the Preflyte tree because it captures my state of mind

Bulls: one bull ride (I killed it), as far as drinks things start to get fuzzy. Beer? Whiskey? I know I had Jim Beam on the rocks and played Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk. This was my only good picture from Bulls.
Zebra Club: can't remember. Some guy bought us a round and I got tequila.

Old Tavern: can't remember. Dave and Skipper joined the ladyrage at this point. Burned my tongue on a jalapeno popper.

Final tally: duderage

De Vere's

Mix

Ma Jongs

Sapporo

Petra

they had more like a swank rage. I think they smoked cigars and wore pinstriped suits and fedoras.

LOL tastic

Even though i'll always be sad they didn't go with "Frisky Rhythms", I can't believe that Sacramento is actually going to have an over-30 nightclub called District 30. Here are some good parts of the SacPress article:

"The sign is very subtle. It's not as much attitude or in your face as Pizza Rock," Boskovich said.

But what if I want the sign up in my face?

Pizza Rock, with its red neon sign and laser-cut metal flames, seems to burst from between its two sister venues. Filigreed flowers, hearts, stars and butterflies – designed to look like tattoo art – soften the sign, inspired by tattoos worn by Pizza Rock co-owner Tony Gemignani's wife. LED backlights will be added to give the flame a shadow.

Lopez also painted Pizza Rock's ceiling mural resembling Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" – with the hand of God holding out an electric guitar.

This is making me LOL from the comments, too

open till 3 am? AWESOME FINALLY

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REPLY

William Burg

December 16, 2010 | 11:40 PM

"Finally" what?

dueling shows

Yay, I can finally post about something else besides MidMoMoNi! I'll just say the screening was a resounding success. Thanks to everyone who came. Next month we're going to show a couple of short films about Christo and Jean Claude. We are thinking of doing short films until the weather is warmer, so if anybody has suggestions...

Holy crap 11th annual Four Eyes Christmas show tonight at The Verge. It starts at 7 and I hear their first song is a doozy. Last year it was "Celebrate".

Then tomorrow there are dueling shows. Knock Knock is playing with the Four Eyes and Baby Grand at Old I. At The Hub, English Singles are back from their hiatus with Midnite Snaxx with Tina from The Trashwomen. I'm not endorsing one show over the other BUT Knock Knock just played and I personally am getting my fill of the Four Eyes tonight. But that's just me. Oh yeah, and Angora Debs at the Hub, which Patrone and Marie are in. Here's what DJ Rick wrote about the show:

Angora Debs is fronted by Jason Patrone, singer of THEE BEST band in Sacramento in the early 2000s...the FM Knives. Also played in Los Huevos and Pretty Girls here in Sacto, and more recently Photobooth. Angora Debs is a Laverne & Shirley reference!

Midnite Snaxxx features Tina "Boom Boom" Lucchesi, chiefly of The Trashwomen and Bobbyteens fame, but was also in a ton of other rad bands. Most recently, she was in Top Ten and C'mon Everybody (you might remember them from their pulse-pounding, fun-packed set at the Delta of Venus in Davis during KDVS "Treehouse" host DJ Emily's birthday party); and she's the proprietor of Down at Lulu's, an East Bay epicenter of fabulous hairstyles, clothes, and records (many fans of Hunx know something about this). The Snaxxx also feature Dulcinea, who totally slayed in The Loudmouths back in the 90s, of whom I was quite the fanboy. Their merger with a reformed The Lewd was The Lewdmouths, and their show at Club Cocodrie in SF was one of the very best blasts from the original punk heyday I've ever seen.

English Singles descend from Sacto rulers of years past, too: Bananas, Nar, FM Knives, Yahmos, Pretty Girls.

I don't know if the Wrong Words dudes 'n lady were in other bands before, but when you hear them, the only thing that will matter will be the Wrong Words. Their 7" on Trouble in Mind is a cracker, and charming, too. Some people around here have whispered to me that the Bare Wires sound really good, but seem kinda like a big put-on. Okay, trashtalkers...maybe you's just bummin' 'cos you don't like to hitch up to bandwagons when too many others are already on. Well, go ahead and get in the front of the bus for Wrong Words 'cos you're gonna love this band. I defy you to resist this, huh...

Wrong Words "What Went Wrong" music video from Chris Anderson on Vimeo.

this again?

Tomorrow I will post something new, but tonight I have to remind you that Liv and I are hosting our screening at the Verge tonight, 7:30. There is a heater but it will be kinda cold, so wear socks. I know, I hate socks, too. We'll have refreshments for purchase. We'll be telling you some stuff about the movies, I'll let you taste a crazy beer, etc., etc.

And like, I said before, the 5 bucks instead of 3 this time is because we are sending all the money from the door to Les Blank, the director of garlic is as good as ten mothers.

yay Joey!

I was looking up something on Molinari sausage for a review I'm writing, and this is on the home page of their website. Pretty badass thing for that kid to do.

important legal questions

My letter got printed in SacPress!

Possum Living

Sorry to just self-promote here, but I'm really hoping that people will come to our movie screening this Thursday at The Verge. I watched Possum Living and the episode of The Beer Hunter last night and they are SO GOOD. And all three things we're showing are not available on Netflix. And we're going to tell you extra stuff about them. And I'm going to bring a very special brew for you to taste after the Beer Hunter episode. And I'll have the Possum Living book for sale at a special price of ten bucks. And foot rubs! J.K. I was going to say blow jobs but this is a family blog.

Speaking of Verge, they are so close to the donations they need for their kickstarter campaign. Put them over the top so they can continue to host events like this! Even 5 bucks would be great.

Pauline Kael Friday

My new post is up on Slice!

I am declaring this Pauline Kael Friday, but first here are some snaps of some of the funniest things that smiller has ever bought, and that's saying a lot. Speaking of buying funny things, please click on this link and consider it if you haven't bought me a Hannukah present yet.

The Beach Boys one is my favorite

and here are couple of our classic ornaments. Kliban cat!
This one is so ugly but I love to think of someone manufacturing it during the first internet bubble. It always makes me laugh. If you actually type in this web address you get a lame ad site, as if no one has bought the domain name. Sad.
OK, onto Pauline Kael.

If we're talking about movies, I have to say I protest that DB is talking movies on facebook, because then I can't access it. What's wrong with blogging?

The first two sentences of her review of the notorious, studio-busting mess Heaven's Gate are typically witty and sharp.

"While watching the three-hour-and-thirty-nine-minute Heaven's Gate, I thought it was easy to see what to cut. But when I tried afterward to think of what to keep, my mind went blank."

She's got a million of 'em like that!

Now read this about when Wes Anderson met her and took her to a private screening of Rushmore. This piece caused some controversy, notably with David Edelstein, the critic for New York magazine, who was a friend of hers. Anyway, I think it's interesting.

Brazilian blowout!

Don't laugh at my flier! I am no graphic designer. And I had a lot of information to convey. I hope you all will come to our screening at the Verge (NEXT Thursday, not today). This one is going to be really fun. Liv is in touch with Les Blank (he's the documentarian who made the movie about the making of Fitzcarraldo! He seems like he's a FOH-friend of Herzog) and he is letting us send him 100% of door as payment to show his doc. in public, so that's why we need to charge five bucks.

My sis, who works at Canvas Salon on J st., is offering 50% off Brazilian blowouts and she wanted me to put the word out. She gave me one and I love it! I get a lot of compliments on my hair lately. Let me know if you want me to put you in touch.

My interview with Alice Waters is in this weeks SNR. I think it came out well. She is Alice waters every minute the day! It must be tiring. The Sac 100 thing is interesting. I'm just glad the sexy twins are in there.

You know, in a world where things are constantly in flux (mayors come and go, mermaid bars open, mermaid bars close) it's nice to know that one thing never changes: the food at Tower Cafe is fucking terrible. It's sub-airport level food, and at the same inflated prices! That, and the combo of watching James Franco saw off his arm with a Gerber tool made for a very unappetizing evening. Franco is fine and everything, but that movie made me realize that "outdoorsy guy" is my least favorite look. Well, up there with "yoga guy" but there is some overlap. Put a guy in hiking boots and I become 40% less attracted. Top it off with a shirt with a yin yang on it or some design that has to do with mountain biking and I'm out. Sorry outdoorsy male readers, I know you're crushed now.

dribs and drabs

First a word about the new header. I know it's gross! I tried to do a Christmas one but the sizing was wrong. I will change it soon.

Next, a little reportage on the mayor's Greenwise meeting. I wasn't going to take notes but then UC Davis Chancellor Katehi was there unexpectedly (to me) and she made me barf by talking about the UC allying with business. A quote is something something "bring manufacturing to this region because that's where the jobs are". Excuse me, is that a really important part of the UC mission? I thought the primary UC mission was to provide affordable education to the top graduating seniors in California.

The Greenwise meeting was wayyy more business-y than I expected and corporate culture always freaks me out because I'm never exposed to it. Everyone sucked up to the mayor like crazy (pretty much the whole meeting was about everyone congratulating everyone else), and he got called "hip" AT LEAST ten times. The mayor of Portland got up and said a lot of vague things. Then KJ got up and patted himself on the back and told a pretty funny story (I have to admit) about being taken to Chez Panisse when he was a basketball player at Berkeley and had no idea what any of the food on the menu was. I know I probably sound naive about how these things go, which is true. I am. I try to avoid things like this because they make me feel really powerless, even in my own rather small city.

Alice Waters seemed to be the only speaker with a pulse. Some of her talk was rote, but she got looser during questions and even got in a line about how terrible things are with the UC system these days and how she paid 95 dollars a semester to attend UC Berkeley. That may have made Katehi squirm a bit. Steve Cohn asked a question about chickens, because apparently he is pro-chicken but others on the city council are not. Right then I wanted to jump in and ask a question about the food cart ban because it seemed like a good opportunity to bust his chops for voting for it but then questions were over.

Anyway, yeah I watched Star 80, the movie directed by Bob Fosse about Dorothy Stratten, the playmate who was killed at age 20 by her boyfriend.

It looks really cool but it's sooo grim!
I was reading about in Fosse's (excellent) bio last night and I guess no one could understand why he wanted to film such a sordid story and critics loathed it in general. Pauline Kael hated it. I think Siskel and Ebert liked it, especially Siskel.




Yay Christmas

glass ceiling

What is up with that band Squidz and their underaged posse? Or The squids or whatever? What high school do they go to? They are kind of brats. One of them (a giant one) stood in front of me during the Mantles and then started IMing on his iphone like right in front of my face. And other annoying things. Mantles were good, though. If you don't have their Pink Information EP then you are missin' out. Here's a good quote from an article about them, about Mike's lyric-writing process:

For the band's upcoming EP, Olivares wrote lyrics by filling his notebooks with phrases from the Whole Earth catalog.

"It's just a huge catalog, from the '70s, '80s and early '90s, and they have everything, A through Z, about where to order books on how to build your own geodesic dome or how to survive in the wild or how to have sex or grow 'shrooms."

Olivares says he fits phrases pried from the WE catalog, like "glass ceiling," with others until it "sounds like a cool song."

The MidMo party was sooooo fun that I didn't take pictures (or text anyone) because I was enjoying myself. Here's a picture of the dessert table. I love the cover picture this month! Good job Scott and Tim and HeyLove and Karlos and Jessica.

Here are the toys we collected for the kids. So many great toys. And Niki was right about R/C country being cool. That place is so fun. I spent twice as much as I planned.

partake of the party steak

MidMo party tomorrow starting at 6. Bands. Masullo Pizza. Other stuff. Bring a toy for a girl or boy.

Hub tonight, Mantles. Wet Illustrated. Squidz.

I loved that movie at the Crocker last night. I never thought that a 2 and a half hour reading of an essay by Marsden Hartley about a family he was in love with could have been so engrossing. He lived with a family in Nova Scotia for a time near the end of his life, a simple fishing family as he probably says a few too many times because he totally idealized them, and he loved them all, and obviously lusted after the sons. And then during a storm the two sons drowned. Hartley pretty much fled because he couldn't deal and then for the rest of his life obsessively painted the family and wrote this long essay about the experience. That's a painting of his favorite son, above. The coolest thing was that on the 3rd floor of The Crocker there's a Hartley painting of the whole family!! What a thrill.

Olivia and I joked we'd have dueling posts about this today because the over-the-top theatricality of the director's portrayal of Hartley drove her fucking insane. I can see her point, but it didn't bother me. We definitely had very different experiences during this movie. Don't ever rent it, that's for sure. I would recommend reading the essay if you're interested.

The screening room at the new Crocker is ridiculously swank. Not as nice as our setup at The Verge, but pretty nice.

always tops

I'm stoked about this film screening tonight although I'm slightly concerned about where I will fit in some time to eat dinner. It's the most important meal of the day.

A question for you folks with kids: where should I spend the 20 bucks burning a hole in my pocket for a toy for the MidMo holiday FUNraiser? It would feel better to shop somewhere local (or in Davis) than at Target. What kinds of things do kids like? Fireworks? Artisanal jam?

This is a better clip of the Mantles at the Woodsist fest than I shot, that's for sure. Mattyrob looks cool but unfortunately Virginia is obscured by a cymbal. Catch them at The Hub tomorrow. The Mantles are always tops. I wonder if Matt will drive them all up to The Hub in his white mustang convertible.

what is this deal?

Two thumbs up for Burlesque. Don't watch it high though or Cher's face might send you to a dark place.

So this is a deal, where people add songs to existing scenes? It's kind of weird but someone did it for the Mantles. The Mantles are playing at The Hub on Friday. Yay!

a child is born, without a toy

Yes, it's true, Raffles will be making a surprise appearance at the MidMo party. Well, surprise to her. AND, I just found out that there will be Masullo pizza, if you get there sorta early. Bring a toy to donate to the Mustard Seed school for disadvantaged kids. What is sadder than a child without a toy? Maybe me not having a laptop, but besides that, almost nothing.

Watch this video. You either know someone who stars in it or you don't.

overly epic post

Holy crap. Step away from the internet for 6 days and all hell breaks loose. I think I missed a chance to interview Alice Waters. I want to punch myself in the face right now for that. I know everything about her, from numerous books. I admire her. I cook from her goddamn cookbook. Fuck!!!!!!!!

On a more positive note, my first post went up on the blog Slice. I am now their Sac correspondent. This is very exciting! I worked very hard on this post, but then blew it a little by closing with a total cliche that the editor then had to (very nicely) rewrite herself before she could post it. Smooth move. That's why I need to get a laptop. That, and because my therapist told me I should get one.

Wow, the Crocker is having a bananas screening on Thursday that I am totally going to. What makes it bananas? It's a two hour and 45 minute film about Marsden Hartley! I say bring it on.

Speaking of movies, the next MidMoMoNi is scheduled for December 16th and it's our most exciting one yet. We are screening food-related shorts, and because they are shorts, we'll have some extra time for discussion, chatting, bathroom breaks, beverage and snack consumption, etc. We'll be showing Les Blank's film "Garlic is as good as 10 mothers", from 1980, which is about what else, garlic, and includes such luminaries as motherfucking Alice Waters. Also, we'll be showing an episode of Michael Jackson's "Beer Hunter" cult TV show. The one on lambics and gueuzes. Who knows, maybe I'll get a wild hair and arrange a tasting. Anything is possible. And there's more! But I'll post about it later so you won't get post fatigue. It's probably too late.

Speaking of the Verge, have you donated to their Kickstarter campaign yet? Even ten bucks can make a difference.

Also, do you know about the MidMo holiday party? I hope you do. It's this Saturday, December 4th, starting around 6 at Phono Select. Knock Knock is playing around 8. Smiller will be djing. I will make some snacks! Maybe spice cake, maybe with homemade ice cream?

Stay with me, we're to the photos now. Me and Skipper and Liv did an Alsatian-themed dinner. We started with this sparkling wine

and then moved to Skipper's pickled beets and eggs
lovely
and then to a vat of sauerkraut that Skipper made. Isn't it great that you can buy pristine duck and goose fat at Taylor's?
Here's the bacon and onion tart/quiche that Liv made
Here's the final platter, complete with Morant's sausages and smoked pork loin, that you guessed it, Skipper smoked himself. BTW did you know that Dirk at Morant's had a baby with the German lady whose name escapes me right now? Isn't that the best?!? Her name is Jenny and she's about 9 weeks old and she was sleeping in the back when I was there.
And here's a dry, dry kugelhopf that I made. It's a yeasted raisin bread.
Everyone loves crossed paws
even I am getting bored with the length of this post. Hmong New Year! I barely took any photos because I wanted to now stand out like a sore thumb. Which still did not work. A nice lady approached me and Jed and quizzed us about what we were doing there. We dubbed her a Hmong cultural ambassador.
Parade preceding the appearance of General Vang Pao, who we missed because he spoke inside and we didn't know.
I hear this was the papaya center. I did not eat the papaya salad this year.

I did have some luscious beef meatballs
and some tripe-heavy larb
these aluminum hats seemed to be big this year. I went twice to Hmong New Year this year. It was nice to just have a little meal each time and not go crazy and stuff myself.
then it was off to Stinson Beach for a few days. Sweet! I ate at this new-ish place in Pt. Reyes Station, called Osteria Stellina. I recommend it. I'm going to write up their oyster pizza for slice.
a signature of theirs is grilled cheese sandwiches, cuz the chef started out with a grilled cheese stand somewhere in Pt. Reyes. I never saw it. This sandwich had grilled cheese and BRAISED GOAT SHOULDER
this dessert could not have been any more perfect for my particular tastes. It was persimmon custard with housemade cardamom ice cream and cookie crumbs!!
phew! that's all for now

calf garters?

Hmoob New Year! Can't wait! Scenes such as this are all over the place, not to mention bomb ass food. I forgot about those calf doily things until just now. They are crazy.

What is up with the Appetite Enhancement ride this year? The bike ride is before the drinking? That is crazy talk.

public service announcement

Pangaea got the St Louis gueuze on draft. It's around nine bucks. It's a good kind of everyday gueuze, nothing phenomenal. Gueuze is always pretty pricy, so this isn't that shocking. BTW, I was not able to get any details, even after really trying, but Pangaea is now serving Temple coffee (isn't that cool?!) and they are having some event to launch it on the 27th. Good luck figuring out when the event is or what's happening!

I ventured into DeVere's for the first time and was really pleasantly surprised. The brunch there was very tasty, as was the Firestone Walker porter I had with my breakfast. I got the farmer's breakfast, which was two nicely fried over medium eggs resting on a pillow of mashed potatoes, with a delicate sprinkling (ha) of house made bacon and bangers. Boing! Note to peeps with kids: there were a ton of kids there, including a newborn. I think it's the lack of crowds and lots of space that makes it kid friendly? And the beer.
I am going to help you out here by cluing you in on something you may not know. These knobby things pictured below are sunchokes, or Jerusalem artichokes. Stay with me, you're probably like, "duh, I know!"
I've used them sliced raw in salads before. I got these at the farmer's market and they were a bit overgrown. Raw, they tasted a lot like dirt and lacked the nuttiness that they usually had. So, I consulted a cookbook and decided to fry 'em up in olive oil with a little onion. I sliced them thin and sauteed for about 15 minutes, then added onion and went for five minutes more.
They were quite delicious, almost like a perfect cross between a fried potato and an artichoke stem. So where does the warning come in?
Let's just say that our sheets were sailing last night, which, coming from a feminine flower like myself, is highly unusual. The room resounded with barking frogs and stepped-on ducks. In the morning we consulted the internet to see if this was normal, and smiller found this local post from Hank Shaw's blog, and more like them.

Was it worth it? I'm not sure.