Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Grabbing and Thanking: Getting the List of Awesome Down before it becomes irrelevant
Some writings can stand a bit of aging - they don’t need to be thrust down your eyeballs right away. The Geary Blvd Stories turn out to be in that category; I’ll finish that series soon enough. However, things like “why my thanksgiving weekend rocked” are really best enjoyed before the leftovers have been consigned to the dustbin of my enormously expanded gut. Given this reality, I’m going to lay things out - not for your sake, in case you feel like being AS COOL AS ME and need a game plan to follow; but for my own sake, in case I ever forget what a great time life can be. So without further ado, here are THE TEN FESTIVE FEATHERS OF MY DOUBLE DOSE OF HAND TURKEYS:
ITEM: awesome new thanksgiving music mix, combining stuff I’ve been listening to a lot lately, things I listened to a lot about a year ago, and some stuff I never really uncorked properly for no good reason - plus a few items bought specially for this very occasion. I’ll update with a song list soon enough but for now it’s worth it to say, Feast of the Elastic Waistband is one of my favorite mixes in a long time. And I have a long memory for these things.
ITEM: awesome new kugel recipe. Kel volunteered us to make sweet potato kugel and I will fill you in soon enough on the details of our particular offering soon, recipe-wise. For now, suffice it to say that this was the one recipe I found that contained no other primary starch or root besides sweet potatoes, plus it was creamy, puffed up like a souffle, and was particularly delicious even in the context of many other very delicious dishes. The only thing about it was, it turned out a little barfi. (Barfi is an indian dessert that really does not stand out visually when we visit the dessert bar of our favorite indian-food warehouse refectory. When we first went there we ordered a bunch of colorful little doodads and amusing sweetmeats, but when we opened our box of desserts we discovered a few squares of the most boringest beige cubes ever to call themselves dessert. Hilariously, they were named “barfi.” In disdain I tried one and it turned out to be my favorite. Sort of like our sweet potato kugel - delicious but kind of visually underimpressive. You know - barfi.)
ITEM: Thanksgiving in pajamas. Many of us arrived in sleepwear, and several others changed during the course of the evening. I now question why this is not actually required.
ITEM: during thanksgiving, we were fortunate enough to imbibe most of a case of Golden Star sparkling jasmine tea, which our dear friend Charles is now in charge of researching and developing. It is more like a champagne than anything else, light and bright and refreshing, and equally complex on the tongue. A really great product. If you’re in California, get some. If you see it on a menu, order it. THE POWER OF BLOG COMPELS YOU. So shall it be done.
ITEM: SUPERBRUISE! At some critical juncture of the TG evening I made a mad dash out of the dining room for some probably-not-very-compelling reason. My aim was off, though, and I wound up charging, not through the dining room, but into the dining table, driving the corner of the sleek Scandinavian dining table deeply - oh yes, very deeply indeed - into the tenderest flesh of my left thigh. I bounced off and wound up not even blacking out from the pain, but I knew that over time that one would leave a mark. And now I’m proud to report that every day the bruise on my thigh is getting darker and deeper. It’s not slowing me down but I keep on whacking it on things as a reminder of what a great time I had eating myself into such a stupor that I could injure myself so intimately.
ITEM: great trip to Cornerstone Gardens, the funky outdoor playspaces up in Sonoma where landscape architects built a whole series of eclectic little gardens to freak you out. I know I’m not doing it justice but I’ll post photos soon. I’m just having trouble cutting down the stack - there are like 80 from that day that are great. So you seen, Cornerstone Gardens was a good thing about the TG weekend and for now my word will have to be good enough.
ITEM: Significant work was done pulling Jesse’s room together a little more. Large items were re-placed and, in some cases, disposed of; the basic crib-dresser-changing area-play area configuration was confirmed; and overall the place was turned significantly further away from being a clinical hoarder’s private shame, and more toward being a young child’s sundrenched bedroom. It’s fun now just to peek in and see the future on my doorjamb.
ITEM: Kung Fu Panda! We got the disk in the mail and watched it on Saturday. It was lots of fun, even for our sensitive boychik, up to the last ten minutes - the climactic confrontation. That turned out to be a little intense and Z made us turn it off. So, my review of the movie is, very entertaining up to the last ten minutes and then it really slows down. It hasn’t yet finished, actually. However, I think it’s worth noting that “Fu” is the new black. Any new kind of thing is a Fu. Kelly is now working (at work) with shepherd’s crooks, which the trainers can use for additional control over the dogs. I asked her if she got any Crook Fu training and she gave me NINJA GRIN. I am clearly in Crook Fu trouble. And loving it!
ITEM: excellent run in the park on sunday, trotting around my bloated turkeygorge amid the quiet wooded paths. By the end of the run, with the new TG mix in my ears, I was going full bore and feeling stronger than circumstances justified. It was the kind of run that gives me momentum up into the new week. If I’m going to be picking highlights of the weekend, I’m afraid that exercise-induced serotonin rush has got to qualify.
ITEM: Sunday night, after four days with my family and my unleashed appetites for good food, beautiful places, and sitting on my ass, I crawled into a freshly made bed. That’s right, one of the best things in the world, as objectively established by “World’s Best Things, Ranked, ‘n’ Stuff,” is a freshly made bed. And that’s what I had greeting me when I slithered under the covers like the coldblooded reptile I sometimes am. It was comforting and comfortable. It was a great way to end a really great weekend.
There you go, ten ITEMS. The weekend was much fuller than that, and once again, photos are forthcoming to prove some of that to ya. In the meantime, I’ll put the TG mix song list and the new kugel recipe in the extended text. I just like extensions. So sue me. And if you need legal help in doing so, I’m reasonable.
Song List: “Feast of the Elastic Waistband/TG 08” Mix
David Bowie, In the Heat of the Morning
Imogen Heap, Daylight Robbery
Quarteto em Cy, Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser
TMBG, Someone Keeps Moving My Chair
Toni Price, Am I Groovin’ U?
Tony Joe White, Not One Bad Thought
The Knitters, Burning House of Love
Kane Welch Kaplin, Dark Boogie #7
Duffy, Mercy
Amon Duul II, Cerberus
Shi-Tones, Jet Black
Golden Smog, Another Fine Day
Widespread Panic, I’m not Alone
The Mermen, Ocean Beach
The New Mastersounds, Thermal Bad
Son Volt, L Train
Keller Williams, Cadillac
moe., Captain America
The Milwaukees, Highway to the Sun
Barenaked Ladies, Here Come the Geese
It all flows well and turns out to be pretty cathartic. For me, anyway. You may remain responsible for your own catharsis.
Also:
RFCJ Chronicles “Sweet Potato Kugel” - per the poster, “this has been in my files for decades without attribution” and therefore is probably elfin or from that pleasure-loving planet from original Star Trek:
Melt: 1/4 CUP BUTTER.
Then stir in 4 CUPS PEELED AND GRATED SWEET POTATO, 1-1/2 CUP MILK, 2/3 CUP HONEY, 2/3 CUP RAISINS OR CURRANTS, 1/2 CUP FINELY CHOPPED PECANS, 1 TEASPOON CINNAMON, 1/2 TEASPOON GROUND GINGER, 1/2 TEASPOON GRATED NUTMEG, 1/4 TEASPOON GROUND CLOVES.
Heat thoroughly over moderate heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and mix in, one at a time, THREE BEATEN EGGS.
Pour it all into a greased baking dish and bake in a preheated over at 350 for 40 minutes or till puffy and firm. Not unlike myself. Enjoy!