Nov 26 2008

Sketch 47

The biggest thing I did this past weekend was my trip to Phoenix.  Besides dinner at Pizzeria Bianco, it was a pretty low key visit.  I did go to church with my friend and her family on Sunday morning.  It was a non-denominational style church (though technically they have a denomination of some sort apparently).  The guy giving the sermon referenced the fast spreading coffee chain “Dutch Brothers” from Oregon.  He had gone there while in Oregon for a funeral.  He used the enthusiasm of the employees he encountered at Dutch Brothers as a good example of how we could be a “REP” for Jesus.  I found it a little amusing, because a bunch of my friends referred to the Dutch Brothers employees as “coffee tweakers” because they always seemed to be way hopped up on caffeine.  Other than that, I found the service mainly fluff, with little substance.  Basically, Jesus is cool and we are cool cuz we love Jesus.

Last night, a friend and I went and saw Spring Awakening at the Ahmanson Theatre here in LA.  It was the big musical winner at the 2007 Tony awards.  From wikipedia: “The musical is based on the controversial 1891 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. Set in late-nineteenth century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of sexuality. The original play was banned in Germany due to its portrayal of masturbation, abortion, rape and suicide.”  I thought the musical was enjoyable, and it was nice to dress up and see a show.

I’m still not really sure what I’ll be doing for Thanksgiving.  Perhaps a smallish dinner at home with a friend or two.  Perhaps nothing.  Who knows.

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Nov 24 2008

Pizzeria Bianco

There are a few places that everyone talks about, when talking about the best pizza in America. Apizza Scholls in Portland, Pizzeria Mozza in LA and Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix.  (I know I’m leaving Chicago out…but its a different style of pizza.  I’m also leaving NY out, because I’m not really sure what is NY-Style pizza of the big places or something that would fit in with the three above.)

A friend of mine works for an airline and is from Phoenix, so we were able to take a quick overnight trip this past weekend.  My first thought was, “Can we go to Pizzeria Bianco?”  We hopped on a flight to Phoenix a little before noon on Saturday and were on our way.  After dropping off our stuff at her parents house, we headed downtown to get on the list for dinner.  The blogs all talked about the 2 hour average wait, so we were prepared for a little wait (or at least I was).  We arrived at the restaurant around 5.30pm, where there was a line just to put your name on the list.  Once we got up to the front of the line, we were informed that we were looking at a three and a half hour wait (though depending on turnover could be sooner).  So we walked around downtown Phoenix some, had a couple beers at Bar Bianco next door and waited.  Shortly before 8pm we were seated (a little over an hour earlier than estimated).

We started our meal with a salad and appetizer.
Farmers Market Salad
The Farmers Market Salad of the day was Arugula (tossed in a
Vinaigrette), Apples, Pomegranate, and (Fontina?) Cheese.  The salad
was quite tasty.  Pomegranate makes a great salad ingrediant and the
cheese gave the salad a little “meat” to its bones.

Spiedini
The Spiedini, was a skewer of Italian Fontina wrapped in Prosciutto di Parma.  I was looking forward to this after reading a blog entry from a friend of one of my housemates.  It did not disappoint.  Wow, just yum!

For pizzas we got the Rosa and the Sonny Boy.
ROSA
The Rosa is Red Onion, Parmigiano Reggiano, Rosemary, AZ Pistachios.  I
surprisingly liked this pizza despite the presence of Pistachios (I’m
not a big nut person).  The crust was well cooked, the slice held up to
the center, and the flavors of the toppings complimented each other. 
This was a sauceless pizza, which probably helped the slice’s stiffness.
 
SONNY BOY
The Sonny Boy is Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, Salami, Gaeta Olives.  I liked this pizza quite a bit.  The ingredients were top notch (as expected).  The only negative was I thought there was perhaps a little too much Salami on the pizza.  Because of that, there was enough excess moisture that the center of the slices were a little flimsy (and that first bite needed the aid of a fork).

Was it worth the long wait?  Definitely.  I already want to go back, so I can try some of the other pizzas.  As compared to the other two, its actually pretty difficult to compare.  Mozza’s pizza are a little more untraditional in topping choice, but the same size as Bianco’s.  In terms of standard toppings, Apizza Scholls and Bianco are most alike.  But Apizza Scholls serves pies that are about twice the size of the pizzas at Bianco and Mozza.  In the end, I don’t think its that important to pick one as “the best,” because each Pizzeria has such good pizza it really doesn’t matter.

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Nov 24 2008

Cormac McCarthy novels in film development

Cormac McCarthy is one of the best authors of fiction about the American Southwest.  Film adaptations have already been made of All The Pretty Horses and No Country For Old Men, with No Country winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards for 2007.

repost from the powells.com blog:

Ridley Scott recently spoke with Empire Online about his adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel Blood Meridian.

“It’s written. I think it’s a really tricky one, and maybe it’s something that should be left as a novel. If you’re going to do Blood Meridian you’ve got to go the whole nine yards into the blood bath, and there’s no answer to the blood bath, that’s part of the story, just the way it is and the way it was.

“[C]learly the major esthetic achievement of any living American writer,” declares Harold Bloom in the New York Observer

With the adaptation of The Road due out next year, are there any McCarthy novels left that you’d like to see on the big screen?

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Nov 21 2008

A letter to the Obama’s, from Garrison Keillor

Appears originally at A Prairie Home Companion

The Old Scout

A Few Words for the Happy Couple

November 4, 2008

A golden November day under a blue sky and an air of sweet amiability at the polls and at the end of the day, we elected the right guy, no doubt about it. Yes, we can and we did. A nation spread its wings and achieved altitude.

Bravo, Barack, Mr. Steady, who cheerfully did the rope lines, made the phone calls, answered the same questions fifteen thousand times, bounded up the stairs, delivered his lines with warmth and wit, ran a tight disciplined army, and that, plus $700 million and an 80 mph wind at your back, is all you need to win the prize.

One is electrified by the historic moment, of course, but I will let Great Minds chew on that, and simply wish him and his marvelous lady all the best as they bear up under the tsunami of adoration from Democrats whom he has led out of Egypt. His picture goes up in the kitchen shrine alongside FDR and JFK — BHO elevated to sainthood and now expected to walk on water and turn it into wine. Meanwhile, everything he said about the national mess is utterly true and a lot more. And now it is Barack’s mess. Yikes.

A good shingle for the new administration to hang out, rather than The New Covenant or A Fair Exchange or English Spoken Here, would
be Keep Seat Belt Buckled. Happy days are not here and the sky above is not clear. One bright light in the marquee is Michelle Obama, that witty, jumpy woman with the quicksilver smile who said, “How does Barack prepare for a debate? He just talks to me and he’s ready.” The good mother who said, “People ask me how I am, and I say, I’m only as good as my most sad child.” Come January, we will have a president whose wife calls him Baby. Good for you, Mama. And now she becomes America’s No. 2 celebrity, the object of giddy curiosity.

Enjoy the people’s house, Michelle, and cruise along gently and do not read anything written about you, and don’t watch the news. Enjoy the pageantry (you look good, Baby), bring up the family, and don’t take the show too seriously. Don’t do too many interviews. Think Laura Bush, a cool First Lady. People like Laura Bush a lot, a Texas Democrat who married a Republican and stuck with him through thin and thinner. She’s smart and we know that because she never tried to show how smart she is. Do not let the mister put you in charge of health care legislation. Your great challenge is to make a genuine life in the midst of the heavy surf of publicity. God willing, be happy and live your life. When life gets too unreal, sit down with a good book.

As for President-elect Obama, he can now stop dancing, which he’s been doing for twenty months — in a democracy we want candidates to really, really, really want to be president — and get down to the business of patient, focused, rational deliberation and calculation, starting with the formulation of a Cabinet and a White House staff. Have them write up a presidential order for January 20 saying that America will not employ torture, and maybe issue a blanket presidential pardon for your predecessor and his vice, and then set about the business of disappointing your followers and astonishing your enemies and doing what is right for our country.

Be good to yourself. Hire smart, stable people who can tell you things you need to know and not copy Bob Woodward. Keep some Republicans around. You’re the man. You make us proud. You let us get to know you. You have the gift of speaking clearly and forcefully, whole sentences and paragraphs, while thinking at the same time, a good gift. You don’t need a staff of writers to create a persona for you. You need engineers.  Problem solvers. You’re inheriting a raft of them.

Get on that treadmill every morning. Keep a daily journal. Let us see those darling girls once in awhile. Please don’t play golf. Don’t get a dog. Enjoy Camp David. Be happy. Don’t hire people to tell you how to dress or who to be; you’re a grown-up. Don’t do crap that someday you’d have to go on TV and make cheesy apologies for. This job is one you were cut out to do and a big part of the job is to keep up the national morale and you are already doing that big-time. And thank you, sir. All those cheap motels, all those flights, all of that chip dip. We are deeply grateful.

© 2008 by Garrison Keillor. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, INC.

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Nov 21 2008

today i can believe

my friend tamie writes at the owls & the angels

she often brightens my day with her posts

and gives me hope when my faith is weak

from her post this morning…

So, hello again, people. I hope you’ve been encouraging each other. I
hope you all know you’re loved, from the tips of your beautiful toes to
your shining hearts. Even if they feel veiled or sad or numb, they’re
still shining deep down inside there somewhere. If you find it hard to
believe today, I understand. I find it hard to believe often. But today
I will believe for you.

thank you tamie…for helping me believe today.

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Nov 21 2008

Whiskey at Night


photo from eater la

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Nov 19 2008

Sketch 46

Friday was the big opening of the new Bond movie.  I went with a group of about ten folks to the 8:30 showing at the Cinerama Dome at the ArcLight.  The movie was full of action, but in the end a little disappointing.  Unlike pretty much every other Bond movie, this movie was a sequel of the previous movie (Casino Royale).  The movie doesn’t really stand up on its own, unless you’ve seen Casino Royale, and that is a problem in my opinion.  A big let down after the promise of the direction of the franchise given by Casino Royale.

With the fires in the surrounding areas of LA, the air quality was pretty poor over the weekend.  I ended up staying inside watching football all day on Saturday.  The Ducks held on in their game, the Beavers rolled over Cal, and the Trojans pulled away in the second half against Stanford.  So good results all around for my friends and I.

I’ve got all the ingredients to make my first batch of beer in LA, but haven’t gotten around to brewing yet.  I do need to figure out where I’m going to put the carboy while it is fermenting though.  I’ll prolly move some stuff out of my tiny closet as my room is generally pretty cool.  I’m going to try and motivate myself to brew tonight.

I also need to figure out what, if anything, I’m doing for Thanksgiving since I am not going home.

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Nov 14 2008

A huge loss from the Montecito Fires

One of my friends was just here last weekend…this is a huge loss for the Episcopal community.

A news release from the Diocese of LA:

Mount Calvary
Historic Mount Calvary Retreat House, shown here in a file photo, was destroyed by a wildfire that started on November 13.

Bulletin: Montecito fire destroys

Mount Calvary Retreat House

(Episcopal
News, Los Angeles) — The raging Montecito wildfire has destroyed historic Mount Calvary Retreat House, staff and Santa Barbara County officials have confirmed.

The resident brothers, members of the Order of the Holy Cross, and staff are safe following evacuation, said Nancy Bullock, program director for Mount Calvary, speaking by phone from All Saints by-the-Sea Church in Montecito.

Bullock said that All Saints is currently working to determine if any parishioners have lost homes in the blaze, which has claimed more than 100 residences across 2,500 acres. Bullock’s husband, Jeff, is rector of the parish.

Bishop J. Jon Bruno, who is in close telephone contact with clergy leaders in the Santa Barbara area, asks the prayers of the diocesan community for all those affected by the fire. The bishop and staff of the Diocese of Los Angeles have pledged their support in assisting the coordination of fire recovery efforts. Checks, payable to the Treasurer of the Diocese and earmarked “Montecito Fire Recovery” may be sent to the Bishop’s Office, 840 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026.

Mount Calvary’s prior, the Rev. Nicholas Radelmiller OHC, is leading the brothers and staff in assessing next steps of response to the fire damage. Bullock said the brothers and staff at Mt. Calvary, were able to leave with some of the hilltop retreat house’s valuable art treasures, as well as  computer records, “but so much is lost.”

Mount Calvary staff will assist groups and individuals in seeking alternate locations for upcoming retreats, all of which are now cancelled owing to the fire, Bullock said. The Cathedral Center retreat center in Los Angeles is available to assist this process.

At Santa Barbara’s Trinity Church, rector and deanery co-dean Mark Asman is meeting with staff and volunteers to assess the situation and crisis response. Further information will be reported through the Episcopal News email list as soon as it becomes available, Asman said.

Asman said Trinity Church’s rectory and parish house were able to accommodate the brothers overnight November 13. St. Mary’s Retreat House, an Episcopal Church site near the Santa Barbara Mission, has also extended hospitality, although it was subject to a temporary evacuation November 13.

Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared the fire zone a disaster area as fire fighters continue to work to contain the blaze.

Mount Calvary Retreat House, with its panoramic ocean views, was founded in 1947 by the Order of the Holy Cross, based in West Park, N.Y.

–Report filed by Bob Williams, canon for community relations, Diocese of Los Angeles.

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Nov 13 2008

Red Car Brewery

Last night after work, I had to meet a friend that I’m consulting on some website work with.  While looking for a nearby place for lunch earlier in the day, I stumbled across the Red Car Brewery, so I suggested we meet up there.  I hadn’t even heard of this brewery…despite looking for local breweries a few times in the course of living in LA.

I arrived a few minutes before my friend and went ahead and ordered their sampler of the 5 beers currently on tap.  I’ll go over my brief notes on each of them below.

Electra Lite: 4.42%.  Very light, very lightly hopped.  Very clean tasting.  Good for a warm summer day.

Winsome Wheat: 5.74%.  Nice light bodied wheat beer.  Lightly hopped.

South Bay IPA:  9.04%.  Nicely hopped.  High alcohol level is largely hidden.  Probably the best LA-area IPA I’ve had.

Big Red Ale: 5.74%.  Nice malt forward beer.  Very clean tasting (only slight aftertaste…which is largely pleasant).

Pumpkinhead Ale:  4.42%.  Sweet, malt forward ale.  Pumpkin flavor hidden by the maltiness.  Doesn’t taste artificial, like many of the Pumpkin ales on the market.  They didn’t have a description of the ingredients, but my guess is it includes real pumpkin and very little “pumpkin pie” spices if any.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the beers.  It would be a trek from LA proper…but since I work nearby, it could end up being a nice happy hour location.

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Nov 12 2008

Sketch 45

It’s been a full week since last week’s sketch (at least its felt that way).  Thursday night, I went to a screening of the movie Slumdog Millionaire (Trailer) with a friend.  It is the story of a guy from the slums of Mumbai who has made it to the final question of the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.  I thought the movie was great.  Plus the screening was at the Fox Studios lot, which was kind of cool to see.

Saturday night, I went to a LA Kings game at the Staples Center.  The game was fun, and I got to watch it from my companies luxury suite.  It was my first time seeing an NHL game live and seeing anything at the Staples Center.  Though the evening wasn’t without problems…I just didn’t know about them until Sunday. (see my post about it)

Other good notes from the weekend:

  • I think the AT&T U-Verse technicians have finally fixed my connectivity issues on my TV and Internet services.
  • The Ducks managed to pull off a last minute drive to beat Stanford.

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