The Great Flydini

There's nothing I admire and respect more than a comedian who is able to make me laugh without relying heavily on jokes about race differences or excessively cursing or acting outrageously angry (okay, Lewis Black doesn't count.) And if there's one comedian who can pull this off like no other, it's Steve Martin. Check out this hilarious clip from the 80s of Steve as the "Great Flydini:"

Hurrahs and such

Last night my friend Laura brought up the absence of my annual Christmas Office Party this year. Even though I had been planning on making it the biggest and baddest thing my Elm Street treehouse has ever seen, I did far too much traveling this winter to make it a reality. To make up for it, she and I are planning some sort of Valentine's get-together at my place this February...something big and perverted and pot-lucky. Last year, Digs attended a V-day party where everyone brought in an anonymous erotic story that they'd written and then everyone had to pick one and read it out loud to the rest. I think we're going to shoot for something like this and see how it goes in Kansas.

While I was thinking about that office party from last year, I remembered the video my friend Bob made from it and thought I'd post it here. It gets a little long (and trashy) at the end, but if you skip through you can witness me and my friend Melissa wrasslin' on the floor of my apartment, big butts and flying skirts included.

hand eye thing

Please tell me someone remembers this movie?

A Possible Expatriate in the Making

I went to Europe.




(photo credit for this particular photo goes to the person directly above it)

Flickr.com/dbasci

Gridskipper!

If you find yourself in a popular metropolis, whether visiting or daily-grinding, there's a website that might be good for clicky finger days: gridskipper.com

Dubbed the "Ubran Travel Guide," Gridskipper is a great blog for those looking to find a good bite to eat, get the lowdown on must-sees in the city you're in, or read about the latest town gossip. They're also creative with ways to explore your city with such entries as The Ugliest Memorials in DC, The Coolest Places to Smoke in Paris After the Ban, and Chicago's Best Pierogis.

Mmm, pierogis...

Meeee-rooowwww

December has been the month of travel and family, and not so much for blogging although there have been many cools things I wanted to blog about--I just haven't found the time. Leaving for London (and Paris!) in 3 days!! Speaking of London, here's an article from the BBC that my friend Kelly e-mailed to me last night:

Japan Invents "Cat-Chat" Device

Apparently this Japanese company called Takara has found a way to translate meows into human language with their device called the Meowlingual. They first invented the Bowlingual for dogs; I found a YouTube video of a newscaster testing it out here.

I read on Wikipedia that the Prime Minister of Japan presented Vladimir Putin with Bowlinguals for his two dogs, a poodle and a golden retriever, during a ceremony for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. It's kinda silly, but I can see it being fun to play around with, especially if you have a talkative pet like I do. The Moewlingual runs for about 8,800 Yen (or $74 US), however it's not available in English due to the limited success of the Bowlingual in the United States.


Miro says, "Buy one, Mom! I gotta tell you some sh*t!"

Best Playlist Ever

It hit me out of left field the other day: nostalgia for a few of my favorite songs growing up. Then I thought, I should just make a whole playlist of all my old favorites...so I did! The following are a few of my memories from 1986-1992 (ages 3-9)

"Land of Confusion" by Genesis (1986)
"Take My Breath Away" by Berlin (1986)
"Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel (1986)
"Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora (1987)
"Walk the Dinosaur" by Was (Not Was) (1987)
"Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry (1988)
"Straight Up" by Paula Abdul (1988)
"Cold Hearted" by Paula Abdul (1988)
"Lullaby" by The Cure (1989)
"She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals (1989)
"Like a Prayer" by Madonna (1989)
"Love Will Never Do (Without You)" by Janet Jackson (1989)
"Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode (1990)
"King of Wishful Thinking" by Go West (1990)
"Send Adrift of Memory Bliss" by PM Dawn (1991)
"I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd (1991)
"I Love Your Smile" by Shanice (1991)
"Chorus" by Erasure (1991)
"Weak" by SWV (1992)
"Letter to Elise" by The Cure (1992)
"Just Another Day" by Jon Secada (1992)

Of these, my all-time favorite forever and ever and ever is Go West's "King of Wishful Thinking." To a 7-year-old in the early 90s, music just doesn't get better than this. In fact, I still get all inspired listening to it! Watch the hilarious music video:



Another great video: "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry. When I used to hear this song as a kid it made me want to be 16 and at the mall with cool big-haired friends:



Oh jeez, I think eventually post the video to all of these songs...well, I'll stop with the next best video of the 80s besides Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer," the utter creepiness that is Genesis, "Land of Confusion."

More Comics: Sick Animation!

Food and web comics seem to be summing up the theme of this blog lately, but that's okay! Both keep me happy while I'm at work, so more reason to post about it.

SickAnimation.com has been entertaining me and my pal Melissa for almost 2 years now. It's really known more for its hilarious cartoons, but I recently discovered the comics section in which the creator, Mark M., retains the same ultra sick and sardonic tone as the toons. Here's a few that tickle the dark side of my humor bone:

The Woody Allen Experience

Up until about a year ago, I had never seen a Woody Allen movie. Around that time, it was in my best interests to enroll in a Woody Allen 101 class. I really wanted to do well this semester so I thought I'd impress my professor, Prof. Cotton, with a surprise class field trip to see Woody Allen and his Dixieland Jazz Band perform at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City.





To really secure my spot on the Honor Roll, I got us seats at one of the three VIP tables. The trumpet and trombone players were putting their drinks and instrument doodads on our table. At some points, I thought the trombone player was going to hit me in the head because he was so close:



Here's my professor cheering on his subject:



Tips for those of you who also want to take this field trip:

• Check the performance calendar at the Carlyle Hotel's website to make sure he's in town. They generally only play on Monday nights. The current season runs til Dec 10th of this year.
• You have to make dinner reservations to guarantee getting to see the band. Tickets usually sell out 3-4 weeks in advanced. The Carlyle is teeny-tiny, so you've got a good view from almost anywhere you sit.
• The show starts at 8:45pm, the last dinner reservation you can make is at 7:30pm. Eat before hand as the Carlyle is ridiculously expensive. As soon as you sit down they give you a glass bottle of Evian drinking or sparkling water and charge you $10 for it whether you want it or not. A vodka collins will cost you $20.
  
• Don't be sad if Woody doesn't look up at all the entire time he's playing. He is the king of all introverts and seeing him live proves it.
  

It was totally worth it and highly recommended! So, what became of me and my Woody Allen 101 class? Unfortunately, the dean discovered this photo and Prof. Cotton was fired for sexual harassment:

Thought for Food

So a while back, my boyfriend and I got into the habit of taking pictures of our dinner and sending it to each other:


Dave's Green Curry Tofu and White Rice


My Red Curry with Shrimp and Jasmine Rice


Dave's Asian Fish with Couscous


My (Grandmother's) Patlican (Turkish fried eggplant dish) on French Bread with Garlic Yogurt Sauce and Rice Pilaf.

While skimming for these pictures on my Flickr account, I also noticed I've captured memories of other eats:


Birthday Desserts from Brooklyn restaurant RELISH in NYC two weeks ago.


French Toast with Bananas and Pecans at Clinton St. Baking Company in NYC (what I couldn't finish.)


My attempt at Caramel Popcorn with Almonds and Walnuts for Halloween (it was a little...stiff...)


Dave's mother's Chocolate Sheet Cake with Walnuts (the best!)


Pancakes at Wheatfields in Omaha, NE.

Turns out lots of folks do this and there are even lots of Flickr groups dedicated to capturing din-din and other treat times. Don't click on an empty stomach:

I Ate This

Pictures of Our Dinners

Food Porn