a minor detail

Crosspost: Not-Quite Engagement Chicken via hungryfriend.com

2011-04-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

Do you read Glamour magazine? If so, you’ve surely seen this recipe before. Supposedly possessing some magic that makes even the most stubborn boyfriend propose soon after being served, “Engagement Chicken” is something of a girl-world phenomenon. All I know is, I suddenly found myself with some citrus fruit and a raw chicken after a random trip to the supermarket, and this recipe popped into my head. Unfortunately I have no special someone to woo with poultry at the moment, so instead I will test this recipe on my unsuspecting gay friend/neighbor, Gus. I have no desire to marry him, so I’m aiming for the next best thing: allowing me to watch one whole episode of “Say Yes To The Dress” in his presence without protest. I figure that is the gay equivalent of a marriage proposal.

This recipe is super simple—just lemons, salt, pepper, chicken and “herbs for garnish”. However, in keeping with my “not-quite” theme, I’m using limes and one lemon (all I had in the house), and adding a bit of dried rosemary (from my aunt’s garden) and garlic powder (from Costco) to the outside of the chicken before putting it into the oven. Also, I poured on a few glugs of olive oil over the top of the chicken after the initial 15 minutes of cooking upside down. Because who doesn’t love moist breasts?

Dressed, with ass lemon.

Keep reading...

Introducing...Hungryfriend.com

2011-04-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I spend quite a bit of my time thinking about, shopping for, preparing and eating food. You know that cartoon from The Oatmeal, the one with the pig having an orgasm?

On a side note, did you know that pig orgasms last for 30 minutes?!?
Anyway, this photo nicely sums up how I feel when I find a new, amazing flavor or ingredient or restaurant. Or when I'm invited on a trip somewhere I've never been to but always wanted to visit because they have a unique food culture or history that I can't wait to experience for myself.

Sadly, most of my "foodie" friends live in other parts of the country. So to bridge the gap between us a bit, my NYC-dwelling BFF Myke and I decided to start our own food blog, hungryfriend.com. Its basically an excuse for us to play with our food, reveal inconsistencies in ingredient quality in different parts of the country (I think he has it WAY better out there in NYC than I do in LA), review recipes and taste test new and exotic flavors. Check us out soon for our review of British junk food, and sign up for our upcoming International Junk Food Swap!

Operation: Gyoza

2011-04-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Hilarious and informative...this is my new favorite cooking channel on youtube.

Stunning.

2011-04-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

from Beep Show on Vimeo.

Pretty Pictures: April

2011-04-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

Beautiful.

2011-04-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

This made my eyes water a little bit this morning. Why can't the world always be like this...laughing and goofy and dancing with a huge grin on your face?

Pretty Pictures: March

2011-03-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

The world's finest movie.

2011-03-21T02:18:00.001-07:00

Of course you've seen it, RIGHT?

Amelie is my absolute favorite film on earth.

Its whimsical, and quirky, and romantic, and clever.

But my favorite part is the sweet and a bit weird romance between Amelie and her beshert, Nino Quincampoix (best name ever).

So delicious.

Pretty Pictures: February

2011-02-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

Pretty Pictures: January

2011-01-25T08:02:00.000-08:00

Magic Photobooth

2011-01-01T02:52:00.000-08:00

Got silly while getting ready for our New Years' Eve party, which was supposed to be just a tiny get-together of 5. Naturally, we wound up hosting around 20 people and going through enough vodka and champagne to keep the Russian navy drunk for a week.

Probably one of my best New Years ever. Surrounded by good friends, good music, and good booze while wearing a cute outfit and having a generally fantastic time. Plus, I live right next door, so I didn't have to worry about how/when to get home or monitoring my vodka intake!

Oh, and aren't these photos fun?!? Its amazing how flattering a smooshy lens can be. This site, Photocabine, recreates an old-timey photobooth and takes 4 pictures of you with your camera's lens that you can immediately download. Love it!

Happy 2011 everyone. May you love every minute of it.

XOXOXOX

Teh Maru

2010-12-26T00:38:00.000-08:00

Maru is my new kitty crush (don't tell Ophelia). The perfect thing to watch when your heart needs some warming up. There's tons of videos on his Youtube site and photos on his blog, but here are my top 3 favorites:

Wisdom

2010-12-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

Today’s Mix: Food for the Soul

2010-12-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

I can’t get over how good this is:

1. Gila / Beach House
2. Heard It All Before / Emiliana Torrini
3. How to Be Invisible / Kate Bush
4. Howl / Florence + The Machine
5. Ta douleur / Camille
6. I Don’t Know (Live from the Artists Den) / Lisa Hannigan
7. Jungle Drum / Emiliana Torrini
8. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) / Florence + The Machine
9. Rolling In the Deep / ADELE
10. Stay the Same (feat. Andreya Triana) / Bonobo
11. I’m Not Calling You a Liar / Florence + The Machine
12. Warwick Avenue / Duffy
13. What Else Is There? / Röyksopp
14. I’m Good, I’m Gone / Lykke Li

A Strange New World

2010-12-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

This game is so intricate and amusing—it has me spending YEARS in front of my laptop. Seriously you guys, I'm obsessed.

Nowhere Near Here

2010-12-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

Reminders of Home

2010-12-15T23:18:00.000-08:00

With inspiration from BRILLIANT blog of my favorite Swedish person (besides The Chef), Sandra Beijer, aka my current blogger lady-crush. I made these happy little balls of fragrance tonight with a good friend, and now the spicy smell of orange and cloves is filling my apartment. I looove the holidays!

When my dad saw this photo he said, "Aww, we used to make those at Christmas when I was a kid in Wisconsin!" Sometimes the simplest things can be the most amazing.

Pretty Pictures: December

2010-12-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas Cookie Extravaganza

2010-12-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

Its finally here: Christmas Cookie Day! I’m. So. Excited.

I mean, like, a serious baking extravaganza is about to commence. In previous years, I’ve tasked myself with 1 or 2 types of holiday cookie, but this year (yes, I have too much time on my hands but I just finished (and aced) finals) I am making EIGHT varieties! I’ve briefly mulled over the thought of making some available for sale, but I just don’t know if I would have enough buyers to make it worthwhile.* Especially because most of my friends are the types who like to claim they don’t want any Christmas cookies, but will be more than happy to eat an entire box in one afternoon if given the opportunity.

Anyway, here is the menu thus far:

Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

Sparkly Butter Sables

Southern Chocolate Bourbon Balls

Raspberry Linzer Sables

World Peace Cookies

Sugar Snowflakes

Almond Powder Puffs

Boozy Cranberry Tartlets

The menu is subject to change, of course, but you get the gist. Let's see how far along I get before I a)lose interest or b)my backside gets too large to fit through the kitchen door.

Words

2010-12-13T14:28:00.000-08:00

"What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us."
— Julia Cameron

Snowy Lane

2010-12-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

80 degrees today. Meanwhile, somewhere in Scotland…

Amazing.

2010-12-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

All that is worth anything.

2010-12-02T02:19:00.000-08:00

No title needed, really.

2008-10-01T13:30:00.001-07:00

Aftermath

2008-02-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

This was officially the oddest weekend ever. Spent Friday night on the couch in mismatched pjs, Saturday morning discussing holocaust memories with my grandparents, Saturday night in a tight shirt, drunkenly arguing Barack vs. Hillary in a gay bar, and Sunday morning paying the price for it all, waking up with a searing hangover and the fuzzy memory of a nightmare involving dead hobos and a house encircled by a chain-link fence. When the pains of the night before finally ceased (thanks to about half a bottle of aleve and several glugs of water directly from a giant bottle in my fridge), I decided to whip up a mini Superbowl party for myself. Ran out to the store and brought back some potato salad, a bag of chips, hot dogs and a pack of buns. Ate a bit of all of it, then gave in to residual sleepyness from last night's festivities. Woke up after my nap on the couch to the following bizarre display on my coffee table, which I think sums up the weekend I've detailed here with perfect symbolism (click on the photo for more detail):

The culprit.

2008-01-16T15:28:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I decided to whip up a batch of my latest baking invention, Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, for my friend Xtina's annual post-holiday dinner party extravaganza. Her absolute devotion to the barely-drinkable Irish Car Bomb (and the many nights I've been forced to knock several of them back in a row with her chanting in the background) was my inspiration for attempting to turn the admittedly yummy flavor of the shots into a baked good. These...uhh...frothy drinks consist of a shot glass filled with half Bailey's and half Jameson's, dropped into a pint glass half-filled with Guinness and then chugged as quickly as possible before the ingredients have time to coagulate... Buuh. As I'm typing this, I realize this doesn't sound very delicious. But you'll just have to trust me--the belchy aftermath of the drink has nothing to do with the taste.

Anyway, when Xtina's dinner party rolled around, I decided this was the perfect time for me to test out my recipes. Since I got the idea, I had started accumulating recipes for both Guinness cake and Bailey's frosting from several sources, settling on this recipe from Nigella (which I've written about before, but never made) and this one from one klassy lady (and she is one "Helluvawoman"). After visiting the supermarket and two different liquor stores (to find both Bailey's and Guinness), I came home and whipped up a batch of what I expected to be delightful little cakes of boozy goodness. BUT THEN...BAKING DISASTER STRUCK!

Never before had my glorious Nigella steered me wrong! The frosting was delicious and creamy and sweet, but the cakes were bitter! And not in a good way. Not at all like the not-too-sweet, slightly-spicy cake I expected. Those flavors were there too, of course, but at the back of each bite was a chemical-y taste that would not be ignored. I kept eating until I had "tasted" two whole cupcakes. Nope, the bitterness was still there. They cupcakes were edible (even almost delicious with extra frosting slathered on), but not at all up to par. Figuring that all of my friends would be hammered way before dessert time ever came, I brought the cupcakes to the party anyway. Met with rave reviews from all except the sober. Dang.

So this major cupcake mishap had been bothering me, but I tried to put it out of my mind and vowed to keep searching for the perfect Guinness cake to take its rightful place of honor alongside Helluvawoman's addictive Bailey's frosting. Then today, as I "took a break" from a very difficult morning at work, I stumbled upon this article on Apartment Therapy--The Kitchen...

"Baking soda is also known by its chemist term: sodium bicarbonate. When heated, this chemical compound forms carbon dioxide gas - making your breads and cookies rise. That's not all it produces, though, which can be a problem...

When heated, sodium bicarbonate also produces sodium carbonate, which doesn't taste so great. It leaves an unpleasant, alkaline flavor behind. But if you mix baking soda with an acid (like lemon juice or another citric acid carrier) then the sodium carbonate is partially neutralized and leaves behind less aftertaste. This acid also helps the carbon dioxide gas release more quickly."

WHAAAA??? You mean to tell me my raven-haired British-Jewish princess gave me a recipe for DESTINED-TO-BE-BITTER CUPCAKES?

bitter betty

From now on, I will just say NO to solo baking soda in sweet baked goods. And you should too. Stay tuned for the tweaked version of Nigella's recipe, where I rectify this situation. Oh, and I have a request for Black & White cookies too (hold tight, Sara!)... Peace out.

A Tale of Two Macarons...Part Deux

2007-12-30T23:47:00.000-08:00

Progress! After some research yesterday afternoon, it soon became apparent that every road paved with sucessful macarons lead to this recipe, from The Traveler's Lunchbox. Not only did his macaron photo look gorgeous, his recipe was tweaked slightly and I thought perhaps therein might lie the secret that had eluded me the night before. Also, since David had mentioned that for some reason, chocolate macarons were considered the trickiest of all flavors, I decided to this time make a vanilla macaron, using some lovely Tahitian vanilla.

I once again pummeled my almond flour mixture in the Cuisinart, and this time used a smaller bowl to whip the egg whites and adding a touch of red food coloring to make it light pink, when lo and behold...

Pink and stiff...ahem.

Success! This time, the egg whites rose to soft, fluffy peaks in no time at all! 5 minutes, tops. I don't know what the hell was wrong with those bitches yesterday. I was overjoyed and this time decided to only add enough of the almond flour mixture to make the batter "flow like magma" as many of my fellow macaron-makers had advised. Doing that, I have to say that about 1/2 cup of the dry mixture was left out completely, which was the right choice because look what came out of my 325 degree oven 15 minutes later:

Not burnt!

Miles and miles of cute little cookies (well, more like 30, with some gimps in the bunch)! Now, they are not perfect by any means. Very few were at all uniform, only about half of them have the required little "foot" of bubbly ridge underneath the smooth dome, the almond flour is STILL not ground fine enough and I believe these should be made with the flour of almonds that have their brown jackets removed so you don't get speckles like I did, but...there were a few gorgeous girls that emerged from my oven, which were made even more sweet and delicious with a generous lashing of the chocolate ganache I had prepared earlier:

hot bitches

I'm well aware that these will not be selling in the Laduree window any time soon, but they're close enough for me. I think the problem of uniformity could perhaps be solved by drawing little 1 inch circles on the parchment paper, turning it over, then piping within the borders, but I am a baking renegade, with no time for such trifles (mmm, trifle). But next time I think I will try that trick, because there were some especially ugly ones in this batch:

the macaron short bus

Oh well. Mostly, I'm just proud because each and every cookie has the perfect little crust, which gives way to a soft, delicate inside. Using bittersweet chocolate with a vanilla cookie might be considered cliche, but I figure I still have a bit more practice to get in before I can come up with the perfect flavor combo. For now, these babies are good enough for me.

The most popular girl in school

Stay tuned for more tries (although it may be a while, I'm still in search of the perfect almond flour) and more baking adventures!

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR, kids! Wishing you all love, happiness, health & tons of cold, hard cash!

A Tale of Two Macarons...Part Une

2007-12-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

So, I consider myself somewhat of an awesome baker. Armed with some great cookbooks, I've been known to create masterpieces good enough to make people exclaim, "OH. MY. GOD. This is the best _____ I've ever tasted." Okay, so that only happened once, but still. I love baking, and considering I make the best damn pie crust ever created (no, seriously.), I recently found myself itching to conquer yet another insanely-difficult baking holy grail...behold, the French Macaron:

(image from Laduree.com)

French-style macarons are very different from the American-style cookie of the same name (but spelled "macaroon"). American macaroons are lovely little piles of coconutty goodness, traditionally eaten by Jews on Passover because they are not leavened and contain no flour. French macarons are a sort of baking pinnacle--super difficult to make, requiring intense attention to detail to get the technique right and, well...kind of snobby, just like the...I mean...um. Just snobby.

Made correctly, French macarons consist of two delicate little almond meringue cookies, smooth domes sandwiching a thin layer of a flavored buttercream, ganache, or jelly. I decided to tackle these cookies as soon as I could, and yesterday evening I set to work.

Using this recipe from one of my favorite food bloggers, David Lebovitz, I ground the dry ingredients smooth in my food processor, and set about trying to get the egg whites to form stiff glossy peaks. Using a hand mixer in a big bowl, I beat the eggs until frothy, gradually adding 5 tsp. of granulated sugar, and waited for my peaks to form. Instead, after about 15 minutes of beating, this was staring up at me from my bowl:

Glossy? Yes. Stiff? No.

My egg whites would NOT get fluffy or stiff! Unfamiliar with how the egg whites should have looked by now, I soldiered on, beating them for about 10 more minutes, until they were as stiff as they were going to get (insert Viagra joke here). I folded in the dry ingredients, making a hideous brown paste that really should have gone in the trash, but I had just beat these little fuckers for almost half an hour. There was no turning back now.

I piped out the batter just as specified, making what looked like little poos all up and down my baking sheet. I banged them on the counter a few times, hoping they would settle into a more macaron-like shape (they didn't), put them in the oven at 375, and set the timer for 15 minutes. About 10 minutes later, I smelled burning. About 2 minutes later, every last one of the burnt little poos were in the trash, except for these misshapen survivors:

Gimps.

At best, they looked like they had contracted some sort of macaron skin disease, with lumpy exteriors and dry, hollow insides. No delicate crust, no soft crumb. I morosely spread them with the bittersweet chocolate ganache I had prepared and laid them out on a plate. Nope, still gross (but wow they were delicious after a night out with some friends and a vodka soda...ok, 3 vodka sodas).

Conclusion: it was the recipe's fault.*

Stay tuned for the next installment, where I try a new recipe and a new flavor--wish me luck!

*Sorry David, if you're out there. I know it wasn't your recipe's fault. You are fabulous and amazing and one of my personal heroes. I am a macaron fuckup. Le sigh.

Kung Foo Baby vs. Dramatic Chipmunk...the Saga Continues

2007-12-16T13:12:00.001-08:00

Japanese TV rules.

But wait, there's more...2 posts in 1 night!

2007-11-19T23:19:00.000-08:00

To add insult to injury, a few hours ago I went to the kitchen to make some dinner, bringing my cell phone with me. Unfortunately, I decided to put my phone on top of the toaster oven. I deliberated over what to have for dinner for a while, decided on a bagel, and put one in the toaster oven FORGETTING I LEFT MY PHONE ON TOP OF THE METAL PART OF THE TOASTER. Then I noticed that my phone was flashing on and off, picked it up and it was ROASTING HOT (or should I say, TOASTING HOT) and flashing a message that said "Excessive Heat Warning". So in my eternal wisdom, I then decided to stick it in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it down quickly. Oh yes, I think we can all guess what happened next. That's right kids, I forgot it in the freezer. About 45 minutes later, I finally realized what happened and ran over to thaw my sad little phonesicle (which, thankfully, still works).

Obviously, I am unfit to toast. Or freeze. Or own any sort of electronic equipment. I'm going to go hide under the covers now.

Ode to soup.

2007-11-19T22:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, so you know how sometimes you space out in front of the tv after a Trader Joe's run and suddenly realize you've eaten a few (dozen) too many of those delicious little chocolate chip cookies they sell by the tub? Or you ordered takeout chinese food and ate the leftovers the next day and now your face looks like a giant swollen pie? Or you just plain feel like a giant fat ass who can't seem to get off her couch and get to the gym, like...ever? Or perhaps some hideous combination of all three? That's when its time for The Soup.

Now, tread wisely, my child, for The Soup should be one of those things to fall back on, not used at all times because you will most likely get sick of it if you eat it too often. But it has almost no calories or fat, contains lots of fiber and vitamins and all that other crap that's good for you, on top of being delicious and warm and filling. After my 48-hour Starbucks and Taco Bell binge this weekend (my entire food intake for 2 days consisting of 2, count 'em 2 giant gingerbread lattes, one piece of gingerbread cake, a piece of chicken and some soup at grandma's, 2 Taco Bell soft tacos, 1 mexican pizza, and a bagel), I took one look at my giant pie face in the mirror and decided it was time to break out the big guns. Mmmm, soup:

Recipe for The Soup*

3 cubes chicken boullion
6 cups water
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 onion, diced
1 bag mustard greens, pre washed and chopped
2 fat zucchinis, chopped
1 bag pre-cut carrot "coins"
1 bunch scallions, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. basil
salt and pepper to taste (I like to use red pepper flakes, to kick up the heat a bit)
1 glass of wine

You also need a giant pot with a lid, and a food processor if you like your Soup to be blended. If you don't have a giant pot, or you just want to make less Soup, cut out one of the boullion cubes and 2 cups of water.

Instructions:
Throw the garlic and onion into the warm pot with the olive oil. Saute on medium-low heat until the garlic becomes fragrant and the onions color a bit. Take the boullion cubes from the package and crumble into the pot. Mix up with the onions and garlic and cook for about a minute. Then add the water. Turn up the heat to high, and add the carrots, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, cilantro and scallions. Mix, cover and allow to cook for about 3 minutes. Add the mustard greens and zucchini, recover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour yourself the glass of wine, and sip as you wait for The Soup to cook. After the 10 minutes is up, taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. If you have a food processor, blend until you like the consistency and serve. If not, The Soup is still delicious. Try it with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top, or maybe a little goat cheese mixed in. Oh, and watch the bloat and/or fat literally fall off if you continue to eat The Soup over the next few days. Delicious.

*This recipe will yield about 6 giant steaming bowls of lovely hearty Soup, so be prepared to freeze some if you think it will last you more than 3 days.

You WILL make this cake, and you will like it.

2007-10-23T13:07:00.001-07:00

There's something about this new breed of women chefs...Nigella Lawson, Shauna Ahern, even big-head. It seems like health is becoming a priority to more people, but not in a creepy, you-must-be-skinny sort of way—more that people are increasingly aware of the effect that quality ingredients paired with home cooking have on food and health. And these lady chefs are advocating a way of eating for health, happiness, and simply for the joy that yummy, whole, nutritious food provides. That's hot...

Excerpt from Nigella Lawson's book, Feast:

Chocolate Guinness Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This cake is magnificent in its damp blackness. I can't say that you can absolutely taste the stout in it but there is certainly a resonant, ferrous tang which I happen to love. The best way of describing it is to say that it’s like gingerbread without the spices. There is enough sugar—a certain understatement here—to counter any potential bitterness of the Guinness, and although I've eaten versions of this made up like a chocolate layer cake, stuffed and slathered in a rich chocolate frosting, I think that can take away from its dark majesty. Besides, I wanted to make a cream cheese frosting to echo the pale head that sits on the top of a glass of stout. It's unconventional to add cream but it makes it lighter and frothier which I regard as aesthetically and gastronomically desirable. But it is perfectly acceptable to leave the cake un-iced; in fact, it tastes gorgeous plain.

For the cake:
1 cup Guinness
1 stick plus 2 two tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp. baking soda

For the topping:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter and line a 9-inch springform pan. Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter—in spoons or slices—and heat until the butter is melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and baking soda.

Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake. When the cake's cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and get on with the frosting. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sift over the confectioner's sugar and then beat them both together. Or do this in a processor, putting the unsifted confectioner's sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese. Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Makes about 12 slices.

Life and Death of Jesse James

2007-10-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

REALLY interesting article from the LA Weekly, and quite possibly the main reason I'll never consider internet dating...

"We spend much of our lives alone. Some cope with it better than others. The ones who don’t are primed and ready for victimhood. You have to learn to be with yourself, because if you don’t, there’s a whole world of drugs, booze and rotten people who will be your friend until you’ve been sucked dry. Beware of what loneliness makes you do..."

Read the full article HERE. Trust me, it's fascinating.

Today is National Fluffernutter Sandwich Day!

2007-10-08T22:29:00.001-07:00

I swear! In honor of this fine holiday, Sara and I ate fluffernutter (aka high fructose corn syrup) sandwiches for lunch today. Tasted a little bit like sugary shaving cream. Delicious.

It's Stacy, Bitch...

2007-10-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry this posting is so effing tardy! I know all 3 of my faithful readers (love you, Suzy Riot, Ashley and Sara!!!) have been eagerly awaiting my return to the land of blogger. And today I do so not only to reacquaint myself with actually writing for fun, which I haven't done in a while, but to brag. Yes folks, I am now famous on the internets...

That lovely photo you see before you is of me with none other than Trent of Pinkisthenewblog.com, one of my favoritist gossip blogs in the whole wide web. Out at a friend's birthday party Saturday night, I came across Mr. Trent tearing it up with a friend on the dance floor at Here in WeHo. Being the naturally outgoing and personable sort (i.e. drunk as hell), I approached with a restrained tap on the shoulder. According to my hazy memory of that evening's festivities, this is when the shit hit the fan. I vaguely remember babbling in the poor man's ear (i.e. literally screaming over the music) about how much my friends and I LOVE his blog, and how he makes our workdays bearable, and how I want to have like 10,000 of his babies, etc etc. This was not my finest hour, folks. But just then my dear friend Dan swooped in, took the fabulous photo above and whisked me away before I could embarrass myself further, but not before my new gay bff (just kidding Mykey!) gave me his email address (which I of course did not remember the next day and had to look up on his site) and promised to post the photo if I'd send it to him. Which he did! With my name! That he spelled correctly (which one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world, Ashley, so hilariously pointed out in her blog post today)!

As my homie Trent would say...WOOT WOOT!!!

Word.

2007-04-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

"Whether it's fame or ruin, or hardship or good times, or happy or sad, or profitable or destitute... whatever the deal is...you go down your own road. And maybe the rewards are today, or maybe your rewards will be tomorrow, or maybe your rewards will be in another life but...you're going your own way."

--Quentin Tarantino

Book Review: The Girls' Global Guide to Guys by Theresa Alan

2007-04-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

Shocking--a late twenty-something in a soul-sucking job travels the world with her best friend, finds romance (if short-lived), finds inspiration, returns home to quit soul-sucking job with a few choice words for her overbearing manager, and as the book ends, has her next trip planned and a new love on the horizon. And yes--I just summed up the entire book for you in one sentence. Feel free to thank me for saving you the few hours or days wasted on actually reading the thing.

As much as I wanted to like this book (as a fellow-late twenty-something with aspirations for a writing career), I just didn't. It was slow moving and uninteresting, formulaic and trite. The scenes between these tepid Thelma and Louise wannabes left me wondering why they were even friends, and the premise--traveling to Europe to interview women there on dating and romance in their respective homelands--felt superficial.

Don't get me wrong--I myself harbor secret fantasies of chucking it all, running away to Europe to explore, romance and make a million of the subsequent novel and screenplay rights. But this poorly paced, lame excuse for chick-lit will give a girl like me nothing more than an example of what not to do. But hey, in a way it was inspiring--if Theresa Alan got a book deal, they must be practically handing them out at the luggage return.

Word.

2007-04-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

"What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us."

- Julia Cameron