Thursday, November 12, 2009
Another World
HanGawi, the Korean gourmet vegetarian restaurant where I took JP for his birthday, really takes you out of New York. It's very Asian, wooden, old-fashioned, dimly lit, and, best of all, spacious...
You really have your own large space to dine in, and since their tasting menus typically last over 2 hours, you feel like you've reserved that space for the evening. You sit on cushions on the floor... And, oh yeah, the food is quite tasty...
A flash would've helped this picture. I wish I'd taken my camera and not just my iPhone... Oh well, next time....
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
You Read/Hear It Here First!
Hey all, I'm enjoying this mid-week holiday after a grueling first week on the new job! It's rare these days that a newsstand makes me smile, but it happened this morning. New York Magazine's cover story is 'Brooklyn's Sonic Boom: How New York became America's music capital again.' Lo and behold, three bands I love on the cover, of which two were featured in Song of the Week! Grizzly Bear (bottom, left) back in June, MGMT (bottom, right) in April 2008. The third, Dirty Projectors, is their #1 choice, and is an acquired taste (a musical anchovy?) but is under consideration..
It includes a Brooklyn music map of 16 venues, with my beloved Music Hall of Williamburg firmly at #1! It also includes a Top 40 songs that define the sound of right now, of which 8 of the top 11 are Song of the Week providers - this playlist is downloadable on ITunes. Besides avant-garde gay quartet Grizzly Bear at #2 and indie power-poppers MGMT at #3, honors go to TV On the Radio, Gang Gang Dance, Vivian Girls, Vampire Weekend, Animal Collective, and Hercules & Love Affair... In addition, I've posted concerts by Grizzly Bear and Vivian Girls, oddly not in Brooklyn
The conclusion: my blog, and Song of the Week, will keep you plugged-in and hip! :-)
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Halloween Cake Also-Rans
From Dean & DeLuca... The ones that got away... One day I'll try them all.. but not in the same day... : - ) It's Native American summer here in NYC... Howdy!
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Monday, November 09, 2009
Super-Premium Gourmet Bubble Gum...
Mika (pronounced MEE-KAH), who supplies today's Song of the Week is all of the following: a) a prodigious singer-songwriter-producer with the vocal talent of a Freddie Mercury or a George Michael;
b) a 'post-gay' poster boy who acts very gay and camp, embraces all sexuality, and rejects definitions;
c) a Lebanese-American-British 26-year-old teen idol;
d) a brilliant musical dessert chef who may yet give bubble gum a good name; and
e) yet another UK musical phenomenal as-yet unappreciated in the USA...
First of all, the music really is wonderful. Treat yourself to a listen and you may well be humming it all the live-long day... Here's Mika's wonderful live performance of 'We Are Golden' at the Sweden's Malmöfestivalen in, where else, Malmö, the country's third-largest city, just a stone's throw from Copenhagen across a very, very long bridge.. My thoughts on Mika's sexuality at the very end of this posting...
Here's 'Grace Kelly,' the irresistible song that put Mika on the map to begin with! Every part of this song dazzles the ear! It's also laced with dialogue from 'The Country Girl,' the movie that won Kelly her one Oscar.
Here's another great Mika song from his first album, 'Relax, Take It Easy...'
And here we have Mika living it large in his 'We Are Golden...' video
Finally....Swhile I'd clearly prefer it if Mika just said he was gay, since every 'coming out' boosts gay morale, he seems like a lovely, sunny, and welcoming person. Almost nobody who's straight has any problem 'defining' that immediately! Yes, I suppose we're all bisexual, very technically, to some degree, we're also all potential skydivers.. :-) In my view it's not very relevant if you're 90% gay or 90% straight, as most people are I believe...
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Sunday, November 08, 2009
Thomas' New Old Camera
Something old, something new... My friend Thomas is an avid - and talented - photographer, and when he visits from Argentina, he usually orders photographic equipment to be delivered to my care so he can carry it back. When he stayed here in September, the new prize was a 19th century camera made lightweight with 21st century materials..
Some independent company in the Midwest makes these things... I'd love to explain how they work, but I know less abut classic (and current) film technology than I do about beekeeping : - )
I was delighted to be the 'test dummy' for Thomas' first shots with this contraption!
And here's Thomas, photographed by Thomas.... You can follow his photography blogs, www.buenosairesphotographer.com and www.thomaslockehobbs.com, which you can also link to on the left side of this here blog...
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Saturday, November 07, 2009
You May Now Eat The Food...
"By the power vested in me by the State of New York..." The food at Bevan & Cheryl's wedding, back in late August, was delightful, delicious, and just enough to leave one thoroughly satisfied and not horribly stuffed. I went with the Glazed Tilapia with asapargus, a rice timbale, and two miniature orange peppers...
JP informs me that this is called "a composed salad" as opposed to "a tossed salad." It reminds me of Aunt Eleanor, as the Israeli chop their salads into very, very small pieces... Note the progression from tomato through heart of palm, string bean, pepper, cabbage, and raisins...
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Friday, November 06, 2009
Yes We Can Can
Day Two left me perkier than Day One.. It's kind of fun to be 'back in the action.' And, however you cut it, this has been a banner year for yours truly... This piece of pop art on Columbus Square stuck me as 'Obama-esque'... It's at the Museum of Arts and Design, aka Mad Museum, which I must check out sometime soon...
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Thursday, November 05, 2009
Day One Arrives
My brain feels like oatmeal! I woke up at 4am (I'm writing this Wednesday night) and couldn't get back to bed. I arrived at work 7:30am, worked until 5:30pm, and had drinks with my co-workers. All day technical obstacles loomed large - missing programs, destructive firewalls, hamstrung data, incomprehensible phones... I guess that's a Day One classic in this day and age...
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