a lame

I am kind of a lame because I didn't go see see Scouse Gits at the Press or a really big trap DJ at Assembly  I had a grueling chop-bustin 90 minute meeting yesterday. My chops were the ones getting busted.  It probably would have been good for me to go out and blow off some steam. 

How do rappers have so much money considering the state of the modern music biz? Or are they all lying? How can Gucci Mane have like 5 Bentleys or whatever when he has a million mixtapes and probably hardly anyone buys his real albums.  It's not like rappers are known for making money on touring or anything.  Even underground rappers with only mixtapes out are claiming to be super rich so that can't be true.  I don't expect them to rap about being broke or anything but maybe just don't mention it.

Katie got bandz

Scouse Gits tonight at Mike C.'s birthday at Press.  I kept forgetting what band it was and thought it was some band I had never heard of.  By the way, I learned some rap sland "bandz" it's like rubber bands around money.  Like "Bandz a maker her dance" the Juicy J song and "Katie got bandz" a mediocre Chicago rapper.

I love this song! The first time I listened I thought it was boring but it's so stoney

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-tQrZ6ZAIU

I saw Before Midnight last night. Mixed feelings.  I loved the other ones because they were so romantic and here the romance is gone.  But it's real-feeling.  But Julie Delpy does come off as crazy and unreasonable.  But she is one of the most natural actresses I've ever seen, and so  luminous.  And lots of food for thought after.  Tantalizing hints of their life in the last ten years.  Hmmm....

need a suggestion

I'm not exactly on the cutting edge with this, but man that Kendrick Lamar album is genius.  When was the last time someone released a rap album that was great all the way through? 10 years?

We ate at OneSpeed last night for the first time in at least a year.  It's such a neighborhood type place and it's not our hood, but I wish it was near us.  They have an app that's a take on the classic vitelo tonnato: crostini topped with roasted pork loin, tuna mayo and chopped egg. Awesome.  Then I had a white bean and shrimp salad with a lot of thyme and it was just OK because the beans were too firm and the shrimp wasn't really that sweet or flavorful.  Scott got a pizza special with I think soppresata and piquillo peppers and sheep's milk cheese and maybe some other stuff.  The blend of toppings was superb even though the crust can't touch Masullo's.  It was well-salted though.  Much heavier pizza than Masullo's of course, which are pretty much the lightest possible.  And they have Berryess IPA on draught, which is consistently tasty.

What restaurant should I review next? This upcoming one is South Indian.

I'm hosting a movie night at Bows on July 9th.  Meatballs at 6 pm and Wet Hot American Summer at 8.  Gabe is supposed to make a meatball special and I'm hoping there will be a special on Sac Treats, like 2 for 4 or something.  It's really casual and I'm sure a lot of people will want to hang on the patio or just watch parts or whatever. This clip is one of the funniest things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TogGxzlfhM

doves: round 2

We have our second round of doves nesting outside our back door.  Poor mom and pop are taking turns keeping the eggs warm in the rain.  It's hard out there for a dove.

Overall this is a fair review of LowBrau and I know the owners agree and are going to use the criticism constructively HOWEVER, the passage sort of dinging them that Green Flash Rayon Verte and Duchess de Bourgogne don't GO TOGETHER is effing ridic.  Who ever said that two beers you order at the same time are obligated to go together? That's kind of not a thing any more than you would open two bottles of wine and expect them to go together.  His point is that the servers aren't that helpful, but I don't know what I would say about beers that go together and I can't believe that even without guidance that he would try to pair a sausage with a really sweet beer like the Duchess.  So gross!  Sours maybe pair with cheese or something and that's about it. The dude writes a beer column.

wedding!

I officated AM and KC's wedding on Saturday and the whole thing was a blast.  I managed to work Star Trek and Channing Tatum references into the ceremony and to do a dramatic reading from my review of the defunct restaurant Chicken and Pizza Love Letter. I was happy to make them happy and add some laughter to the ceremony.  It was awesome and no hangover! Yay for me.  I stuck to Coors Light most of the night.

sunglasses on a hotdog? now I've seen everything!

I preferred the old Morant's cards, but this "cool guy" hotdog makes me laugh every time I see it.  That's why it's on my work bulletin board to remind me to "hang in there".  They also have magnets!

The wedding approacheth.  Working on writing the ceremony. Almost done. Not nervous yet but I know I will be.  I like public speaking but there is always that first few minutes of nerves and then I'm like "this is awesome, everyone is listening to me!"

LowBrau changed the DJ setup to by the front doors, which is just back to how they used to have it and it sounds wayyyyy better.  Scott and Roger's set last night was the most enjoyable yet, and unless they are hosting an event there, Tuesdays at that time are not crowded.

Mantles Pitchfork review out today!  I recomment you listen to "Hello"

juice! juice! juice!

Curse you, Rick Ele! You got me thinking about Apatzingan enchiladas, with their delicious tartness and light amount of cheese (cotija?) inside.  We went out there and turns out on Tuesday it randomly closes at 3?@ WTF? It doesn't do this any other day.  We had enchiladas on the brain, not tacos, so we dithered about where to eat.  I had been to Caballo Blanco once over ten years ago, and I thought, why not?  They had flour tortilla chips, just like I remembered which are meh. Ketchup-y salsa just like its sister restaurant, the terrible El Novillero.  I saw the prices and then remembered Bugambilias exists, but we had already eaten a couple of chips and it was too late. If I'm going to pay 13 bucks for a big plate of Mexican-American style food, I would just get the chile verde at Tres Hermanas which I think is the bomb.  I got a chile relleno and chicken enchilada.  The enchilada was ok, but the chili relleno was giant and puffy with too much tasteless breading.  At least I have lunch leftover.

Has anyone ever had a fresh chile relleno in Sac? Like one that's fresh-fried and puffy? I don't understand why every single restaurant obviously nukes them.  I've made them and you steam and stuff the chiles first so all you have to do is dip them and fry them.  It's no more trouble than any other dish.  My mom once made shrimp-stuffed ones during shrimp season in Mazatlan and they were fucking delicious.

I juiced kale for the first time, due to a podcast I listened to about L.A.'s juicing obsession.  A few drips of juice came out from a bundle of dino cale and then I threw in some parsley we had sitting around, too and then a bunch of carrots, beets, cucumber and apple. It was good, but I kind of don't get the juicing thing because aren't you just discarding every bit of fiber? Seems wasteful.  It's a vitamin thing, right?

9 years

This is not trolling for comments at all, but it may be time to shut this thing down on the 9th anniversary.  Facebook supplanted it for everyone which makes total sense.  Lately I've been saving ideas to post on facebook or duplicating things.  All the holdouts have been joining and smiller has to be next.  Hits have gone down and my ideas have run pretty dry.  Looks like we are about to start another cycle of luxury lofts and condo dreams and it's just depressing and my ranting does nothing whatsoever.  It feels like it's just limping along and I don't get a lot of enjoyment out of it.  So, maybe there's about a month left. I want to have a farewell party kinda.

nam kaotod

 I always seem to eat at the same few places lately, but Asian Cafe is just sooo good. On the left is chicken laap with gizzards, on the right is papaya salad made with cucumbers. I have just never been able to get into the green papaya texture.

This is one of my favorite dishes in the world, which I already raved about in a review, nam kaotod.  It's the crispy rice dish with fermented pork sausage.

Have you guys ever had the chili cheese tamales at La Esperanze?  They are kind of the best kind. They cost a little more.  They must be harder to make and they sell out by like 9:30.

The house show above the noodle factory had some really bad sound problems on Saturday. The speakers were kinda busted and crackly.  The movie starring Aaron Zeff was really funny and I hope that team makes more movies.  It was cool to see the apartment on top of the noodle factory.  I have been walking by and wondering about that green room and old hanging light since I lived above Old I, like 16, 17 years ago.

dick jokes

Ugh graduation day at Davis. So much traffic.  It's pretty cute how excited everyone is.  Before they find out that they probably can't do shit with a BA in their chosen field.  I know from working with volunteers in my old lab that many many of them think they will go on to be doctors and I think we had 1 in ten years, and he went to med school in the Carribean.  Which reminds me of this movie I loved as a kid and had forgotten about until 25 seconds ago. I had a crush on Steve Guttenberg.

Went to a comedy competition at Laughs Unlimited in Old Sac last night.  Very interesting.  Way fewer dick jokes than you usually get at Bows open mic, maybe because these pros don't necessarily have to go for the cheap laughs. Not a single woman in a 20 dude lineup.  Anyhoo, Ray Molina won and he deserved it.  My favorite local, Stephen Ferris did OK, but I learned that he is way better in a small room.  His overall funny demeanor did not come through.  He got big laughs from the comedians in the back, though.  Comedian's comedian.

Freigeist brewer and brews at Pangaea tonight.  Typically for Pangaea they have not posted the start time, so I guess just go at brew thirty. 

This show tomorrow! Insane lineup! Insane fun! Love that there is a schedule

Saturday

8:00pm until 11:00pm

above the noodle factory, 10th street between R and Q, Sacramento, Ca.

with DJ Mike C House show bands will play as scheduled: MWHWW 8:45 Vasas 9:30 English Singles 10:15 plus an advanced screening of Kenneth Vaughn's new film "As long as there is plenty" right before English Singles

Freigeist guy

Hedda Gabbler at CapStage = great set design, some stellar performances, some problems.  It's interesting to have seen certain stage actors enough to know about the little bits of business they return to. Like Jonathan Rhys Williams does a weird thing with his tongue and Stephanie Gularte curls her lip when she's being evil or manipulative.  Can't wait to see "How We Got On' at B st.  Gotta squeeze it in because the run is ending next Sunday.  I learned that Hedda Gabbler is pronounced "Hedda Gobbler". Surely someone must have made a highminded porn based on this play.

Screature in Davis tonight!  At the Bike Collective just like the show earlier this week.  I am going to get fooled into being on time again even though it won't start till 9 from my fear of missing Screature.

Freigeist event tomorrow at Pangaea! Very exciting! Special Fregeist brews! The brewer will be there which might be cool but brewers are often boring because they mostly just brew beer all the time. 

Did you know a Mikkeller bar is opening in SF? So the two in the world will be in Copenhagen and SF.  It's goi ng to be off the chain and have a million Mikkeller beers and other super special stuff.  I predict mayhem. 

nervous

yeezus, I'm about to take a test for the first time in 10 years. on CAL/OSHA regulations no  less.  Nervous.  Let you know how it goes.

testify

This is cool...NM and OMF brought it to my attention.  I'm guessing Koonie at Asian Cafe wrote it.  You have to read the yelp and then click on the follow up and the response.  "We are all food critics" LOL.  I know what she means in that we all eat food and have thoughts about it, but.....hell naw!!

Tonight! Show at Davis Bike Collective (fun place to see a show except it's in Davis): Parquet Court, G.Green and best of all....Fine Steps! 

And then wait, what's this?!?!? Mike C.'s dancehall night? I love dancehall but yipes Monday night starting at midnight? I will try. Mike C.

oops I did it again

Soooo...I got my purse stolen last night like a dumbass.  I was at Badlands and left it in this prominent  place and went outside for a while.  WHY WHY WHY? did I do that.  And the funny thing is, after getting mugged I'm all paranoid and split up my keys and leave one card home, etc.  So THANK JAH I have my car keys and key to my club and to my office. So my boss doesn't have to it to find out.  It wouldn't look good to be like "my purse got stolen at da club".  Anyway, I don't have a phone for now.  It might be kind of fun to not have one.  I can't try to get one until maybe Tuesday?

The show last night was awesome. Thanks NM for getting me in!  A$AP Ferg was not as good as I expected.  Maybe his Monster Energy jersey was bumming me out a little too much.  He had a little hype man, mini A$AP Rocky on stage who started shooting a super soaker into the crowd, which I was not happy about.  I don't care if it's a punk show or what, I have always hated the throwing the water into the crowd move  The DJ in between sets also sucked, which is too bad cuz it could have gotten the crowd hyped up. 

Juicy J was really good and people really, really love him.  It was almost sold out.  He said he's sold 30 million records, on his own and as part of the three six mafia, so pretty much a kinda underground, not-on-the-radio superstar.  He did some old school scratching and then held his giant gold chains over the crowd and acted like he was gonna throw them out in the audience.

Here's a pretty funny interview with A$AP Ferg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CroTkCR50Jk

I'm not even gonna get into the girls pulled on the stage situation.  I can't believe how much secondhand embarrassment I get.

show in Davis

Reading an article in the Atlantic on the Mexican drug war I learned that in 2011 Michoacan, the state I visited and traveled all around, had about 2600 murders. There was a nightclub incident in a small-ish city I went to in which the attackers rolled 5 heads across the floor. Ha ha!

Fun fact: a raid on Narcos in Mexico City took place at a mansion with artifical stalagtites and real lions, tigers and jaguars.  Then the federal police who arrested them proceeded to party it up with prostitues and cocaine. You can't make this stuff up.  This is absurd but I am not laughing at the larger situation. If the Sinaloa cartel fighting ever spread from Culiacan to Mazatlan (it has flared up there in the past) my mom is screwed.

Wow, there are a lot of Davis shows coming up, specifically Fine Steps and G. Green on Monday and Trashies/Screature on Thursday.  The Singles are also playing the Eagle that same night.  Decisions, decisions.

A$AP Ferg

A$AP Ferg and Juicy J tomorrow at Ace of Spades! Juicy J used to be in three six mafia.  And then a trap night for Olivia's birthday at Badlands. Should be a fun Wednesday night.  Which is everyone's favorite night to party right all my friends with M-F 9-5 jobs?

Uh oh, blogger just said I logged out from another location.  I see two of my friends emails were hacked today so I hope this doesn't mean I was too, since blogger is part of google

after the party it's the afterparty

Everyone who was at the !!! show on Friday knows that it was good, from the smallest baby to the gnarliest tweaker.  Amber and the dancers were awesome, and so were the McClatchy marching band dudes. I really felt like they were giving our city a gift.  The gift of Nic Offer in tiny shorts printed with a Rolling Stones album cover.  They are on a roll because of the new album and they deserve it. 

The impromptu pre-parties and afterparties were the funniest.  Flashmobbed Ella with probably the most scruffy crowd that's ever been there (stoked, not dissing), and then after somehow someone discovered that the upstairs back room at Grange was open but completely empty, a bunch of people took it over.  I overindulged mightily and didn't get to the after-after-party (which was at U street, not the hotel lobby), unfortunately.

Rick Kushman did a good cover story in SNR on Enotria. I have never eaten there because the prices are so steep.  I don't do a lot of fine dining, but I do a lot of mid level expensiveness dining that adds up to the same price in two or three meals, probably.  It's the same way that I'll buy a bunch of cheap crap but won't make the big purchases of stuff I need, like a vacuum that actually works, or a mink coat, or some really top-quality cocaine.  Oh hi, are you still reading?

My review is in there this week.  Doesn't matter how long I've been writing I still get a sinking feeling seeing my stuff in print.  Which is different from not thinking it's not good, cuz I do think it's not not good.  I gave it 3 1/2 stars again! I have to stop.  At least I gave Zia's four.

My Tyler the Creator thing was in there last week.  I got one piece of feedback that it seemed like I didn't like it, but I totally did and I hope that it was clear.