I heard this story the last time they broadcast it, but Chris Ware’s animation makes it even more vivid. I found this really funny because if David and I had something like this happen, he would be the credible witness, and I would be the one who appropriated the story.
August 21, 2008
Sometimes books need to be pulped
Yesterday I stopped by a used book store that I’d never visited. They were obviously doing a roaring online trade in first editions and rare historical books. They had some great stuff upstairs, including heaps of old children’s literature – Nancy Drew, etc.
And then, there was the basement. I love books, but who in the world needs a 40+ year old book on nursing, or on first aid, or pathology? Or the 1997 Program & Membership Directory of the Society for Surgery on the Alimentary Tract? Hmmmm…..
50 Year Old Humor Books? If you like Art Buchwald, this is your store.
This seems like it should be ironic, but it’s not.
How to catalog this one? DIY Hallucinogens?
It was sitting on a random stack on the basement stairs. I can see why.
Couldn’t they just have a section called “Conspiracies”?
This little paperback caught my eye, even though it’s really old. I love the font, and it has some nice illustrations in its yellowed pages. It was only $3, so reader, I bought it.
August 21, 2008
Alan Ball at screening of Towelhead
We went to a preview screening on “Towelhead” on Monday night. I loved this film – but I can imagine that it’s a hard sell, which is why Alan Ball is touring the country promoting it, on a tour he’s calling The Bataan Death March.
This film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Alicia Erian. It’s a coming-of-age story about a 13-year old girl who’s half-Lebanese. It’s set in 1991, during the first Gulf War. Jasirah, the main character, has matured rather early and her mother gets upset with the way that the mom’s boyfriend acts with her. So, the mom sends her to Houston to live with her father, who has some really benighted views of he role of women and how a proper young girl should behave.
The story tackles the uncomfortable subjects of teen sexuality, pedophilia, racism, class, war, politics, the role of parents, and what it really means to be a neighbor, but it never tells you what to think. There are many, many shades of gray here.
Aaron Eckhart is the 40-ish next door neighbor who becomes a little too interested in Jasirah.
Toni Collette is featured as a very pregnant, but cool, neighbor whose husband was in the Peace Corps.
I thought the writing was great and the acting really strong. And – oh yeah – it was really funny.
August 21, 2008
Random August – Anti Monkey Butt powder
While looking for something to help Jeff (the cocker spaniel)’s itchy behind over the weekend, I came across this product and it made me laugh.
August 21, 2008
Random August Doings – Figs in Lemon Syrup
August 3 – I made these today and they’re so good! Perfect tiny bite-sized (locally grown) whole figs floating in tangy lemon syrup, with candied lemon zest. Wonderful on a hot biscuit!
August 21, 2008
Random Stuff We did in July – Vegetarian/Vegan Meetup Brunch Potluck
July 13 – We drove down to the southwest side of Atlanta to our first meeting with the Atlanta Vegetarian and Vegan Meetup Group.
It rained really hard while we were on the way, and I think the rain probably cut down on the number of folks who came. There were roughly a dozen of us, and the good was great (but I forgot to take pictures until my plate was empty!) I made homemade seitan sausages, whole wheat biscuits, and yeast gravy. We also had tofu scramble, home fries, 2 or 3 kinds of hummus, a couple of salads, and muffins, and some pineapple danish. I’m sure there was other food I’m forgetting, but I got distracted by the miniature goats, who came out of their house as soon as the rain stopped. Then Piedmont, the social Yorkie, came out to play.
Our Hostess and (part of) her family – Alicia, Drew, and Piedmont
Curry & Queso
Piedmont – “I’m ready for my closeup now.”
En Garde!
Why I Oughta…!
Oh, yeah – there were other people there, too.
Johnny and Sherris, our fearless leader
Vidya, Tracy, and Anne
And a few other folks I didn’t get decent pix of. Next time maybe I won’t be distracted by “teh kyute.”
August 21, 2008
Random Stuff We did in July – Contra Dance
I’ve let the blog get really behind, so here’s a bunch of random stuff we did in July that I never got around to blogging.
We occasionally make it out to the Friday night contra dance hosted by the Chattahoochee Country Dancers here in Atlanta. This was very early in the evening. The gym fills up later. For more info on contra dancing and the local dances, go to www.contradance.org/html/details.php
Contra dancers are very nice folks – usually a bit on the nerdy side, but very kind and community-minded. The dances are called like a square dance, but are performed in lines. For each dance you have a partner –usually opposite gender, but not always. Either way, each couple consists of a gent and a lady.
For each dance, you almost always start with your partner, then change to your opposite gender neighbor, then the lines move opposite each other, and you dance with your partner again, then with your new neighbor, and so on, until you’ve danced with everyone in your line.
There’s a live band (fiddle, guitar, banjo, that sort of thing). It’s fun and it’s not only good physical exercise, but learning the dances is good mental exercise, too! It’s considered polite to look everyone you dance with in the eye (which also keeps you from getting dizzy while doing the only kind of “swinging” that goes on at these dances. Yes, I know – it’s all very wholesome and oh-so-American.
We don’t do it here in Atlanta, but at a lot of dances around the country they have potlucks before the dance.
August 21, 2008
Later that Night – Peking Restaurant, Athens, GA
Later that night, we went to the Peking Restaurant on the east side of Athens (1935 Barnett Shoals Rd
Athens, GA 30605 (706) 549-0274).
This place has (thankfully) not been redecorated since probably the early 1980s. It’s fabulously over the top, and the food was really great, too.
At first, the menu looked not-so-promising for vegans- just the usual tofu with vegetables, but they had this Black Mushroom Tofu, which was really delicious. We asked before we ordered to make sure that the tofu would be fried. We’ve been disappointed with jiggly white tofu blobs before.
We were not disappointed by these crispy, chewy, flavorful squares, or their chewy black mushroom companions.
Then we saw the House Specials at the front of the menu and saw Yue-Shin Eggplant. We asked our waiter what it was like, and he said “It’s eggplant, in, uhm….yue-shin sauce.” We asked if that was spicy or sweet or savory, and he said he thought it was more savory, so we took a chance and ordered it, asking that the eggplant be thoroughly cooked. “Melted” is the word I usually use. (Al dente eggplant can be so bitter and really hard to digest.)
Well, I am here to tell you that this eggplant is fabulous! Really outstanding. I told our waiter that next time someone asks, he needs to say that Yue-shin is very garlickly and heavy on the hot chili sesame oil. Yowza. It was a tiny bit sweet, and a little salty, and spicy, quite oily, with a whole lot of umami (savory/rich flavor) thrown in as well. One of the best eggplant dishes I’ve ever had, and that’s saying something.
August 20, 2008
Trip to Athens
Bench – near Lake Herrick, originally uploaded by teeveeolantern.
David and I try to get over to Athens as often as possible, but at least every summer, around our anniversary.
This year, we finally took some of Theo’s ashes with us and scattered them in the off-leash area where Theo used to swim. When he was young, it was one of his favorite places
The pond has shrunk a lot because of the drought, but I hurled a tennis ball out into the water for him
We scattered some of Blakes ashes at the same spot. He never liked swimming, but he and Theo were buddies as well as rivals. At least in this small way, the two of them can be together, not just in neighboring urns in our living room.
Then we went for a walk around the nearby lake. A small lab puppy who looked like Theo came running out of the lake and jumped on us, getting us wet and muddy. His people were embarrased, but I didn’t mind. He was so cute and friendly! Then a little further on, we crossed the footbridge across the lake and saw these turtles out sunning themselves on this hot and sultry day. It was 95 degrees F and about 95% humidity.
August 3, 2008
Taj of India & GOOG411
Taj of India, originally uploaded by teeveeolantern.
On our way home from Lake Murray, we were traveling through Augusta GA around dinner time. We don’t know much about Augusta, and my iPhone hadn’t arrived yet, so we decided to try a new free information service provided by Google.
It’s 1-800-GOOG-411. It’s free *and* you don’t have to listen to any stupid ads. In addition, you don’t even need the name of the business you’re looking for – you can look under “classes” of businesses. When I called, I gave them the name of the city and state and the type of business I wanted (“Indian Restaurant”). They had three to choose from. I got contact info for all three, and Taj of India was the only one open.
We stopped by a truck stop to look up the address on a street map (remember, the iPhone hadn’t arrived and we don’t have GPS in the car). The only hitch was that the address has a hyphen in it that GOOG411 didn’t recognize. It’s 502-7 Fury’s Ferry Road, Augusta GA 30907, but we were looking for 5027 (an address that doesn’t exist). A quick call to the restaurant set us straight. In case you are trying to find it, it looks like the picture above, and it’s in this BiLo Shopping Center.
The food was incredible. They brought us pappadums to snack on while we perused the menu.
We ordered Vegetable Samosas (delicious, with very light pastry), Bhindi Masala (okra with tomatoes and onions), and Aloo Methi (potatoes cooked with fresh fenugreek leaves – a really delicious dish which I had never had outside my own kitchen!). They usually add cream to their Aloo Methi, so the chef made a special batch for us without. It was still on the table in short order. I was hungry and forgot to take a picture of the dishes when we got them. You can tell from this photo that we enjoyed our food.
