Raised by Wolves

conceivable distance

2012-02-05T20:35:00.001-08:00

I now know my limit is a 20 unit dwelling. Anymore than that and you run into people either too many times or at inappropriate times when you don't want people to see you.

flunk twofer

2012-02-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

This last should be a James Bond song.

emily jane white - two shots to the head

2012-02-05T17:48:00.001-08:00

monster teahupo waves

2012-01-15T11:55:00.001-08:00

elis regina - waters of march

2012-01-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

christmas dinner

2011-12-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

Last minute bone in prime rib beef roast.Cooked with just salt, pepper and olive oil.Wine reduction sauce as well as a creamy horseradish sauce.Side of pasta with egg sauce made of basil, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese.

downhill racer

2011-12-23T15:15:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite movies.

up in smoke cheese

2011-12-14T18:59:00.000-08:00

Get it here.
To say Nick liked this cheese is an understatement. It opened a whole cheese world for him.

annie philippe j'ai tant de peine

2011-12-13T10:11:00.001-08:00

victoire scott

2011-12-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

jacqueline taieb

2011-12-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

janet snakehole

2011-12-05T16:38:00.001-08:00

laurenne ross

2011-12-05T05:39:00.001-08:00

One of my new favorite Alpine skiers. Her blog is pretty amazing with beautiful photographs.Laurenne had a bad crash Saturday in the downhill at Lake Louise. Hope she gets better soon.Watch this incredible video she made when the US team trained in Chile last month.

ANOTHER SILLY SKI FILM from Laurenne Ross on Vimeo.

holland and holland

2011-12-03T14:10:00.001-08:00

Holland & Holland from Holland & Holland on Vimeo.

There is something insane about this video.

diane arbus

2011-12-03T09:37:00.001-08:00

Age 26.

turkey day

2011-11-24T16:49:00.001-08:00

2 Cornish game hens cooked Grande-Mere style.
Twice baked garlic and parmesan potatoes.
Butternut squash curry soup.
Stuffing w/ apricot and sausage.
Apple salad (home made mayo dressing).

Nick said I may be a chef (may be).

scratch sheet

2011-11-24T16:32:00.001-08:00

Arancini are rice balls.
Agnolotti is roast beef ravioli.

inspections

2011-11-23T15:46:00.001-08:00

Food Inspections

amiina - thoka

2011-11-21T18:36:00.001-08:00

monday tune dump

2011-11-21T17:31:00.001-08:00

murmuration

2011-11-15T16:14:00.001-08:00

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Glum chaser. Thanks Lissa. I needed.

man soul child - dear

2011-11-14T19:10:00.001-08:00

existential horrors

2011-11-11T10:32:00.001-08:00

"It's one way of coping with existential terror, maybe, is to take refuge in the adorable, in safe, silly things, and creature comforts"
Maria Bustillos

pharmacy rage

2011-11-02T17:20:00.001-07:00

Me: pharmacies can be some pretty inefficient places
Joe: yes
Me: she had me wait while she tuned up her stapler
Joe: that's so weird
Me: almost jumped a counter

awww...

2011-11-01T14:14:00.001-07:00

via

things I've been doing wrong

2011-10-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

taxi driver redux

2011-10-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

wild rice is code for...

2011-10-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

M: grocery store 9:38 PM
M: I think a gay guy was hitting on me 9:39 PM
M: in the dried spuds section 9:39 PM

J: damn 10:02 PM
J: did you flirt back 10:03 PM
M: I was confused 10:03 PM

M: "why is he buying dried spuds..." 10:04 PM
M: I was more focused on the difference between scalloped and au gratin 10:04 PM

J: haha 10:04 PM
M: and I asked what he was looking for and he said wild rice 10:05 PM
M:I said it was down there (points to right) 10:05 PM

J: is "wild rice" a code 10:06 PM
M: not when it's one section over I guess 10:06 PM
M: it's hard to meet someone over dried spuds I'm thinking 10:07 PM

J: yes 10:07 PM
M: the odds are against meaningful dialogue 10:07 PM
M: I was trying to read the boxes 10:07 PM

J: what was the difference? 10:09 PM
M: I couldn't get past all the mumbo 10:09 PM

J: thats a funny mental image 10:10 PM
M: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080105165635AAkCOOw 10:10 PM
"au gratin" is French for "with cheese." Scalloped potatoes do not have cheese. If they do, they are misnamed and should be called Au Gratin. You can mix them, no problem. 10:11 PM

J: mystery solved 10:12 PM
M: this is funny- I bought "Cheesy Scalloped" 10:12 PM
M: so- more mystery 10:12 PM
M: So, this guy goes- "there sure are a lot of potato varieties" 10:14 PM

J: haha 10:14 PM
J: that is funny 10:14 PM
M: especially when you need rice 10:14 PM

M: I didn't mention- I was wearing jean on jeans 10:27 PM
M: jean jacket with jean pants 10:27 PM
M: that was just inviting it 10:27 PM

J: inviting trouble yes 10:41 PM
M: Nick disapproves 10:41 PM
M: But, see proof here- http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/10/05/ryan-gosling-carey-mulligan-go-for-a-rainy-drive/ 10:43 PM
M: it's not insane 10:43 PM
M: Not Tom Selleck territory. 10:45 PM
M: 1-- Dork Dad --6--Tom Selleck --7-- Sort of gay --9 -- Steve McQueen --10 10:50 PM
M: That's the jean on jean scale

submarine

2011-10-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

"Her mouth tasted like milk, Polo mints and Dunhill International."

apple salad

2011-10-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

My mom's apple salad. Just mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, lemon, nuts and milk.I have no idea why anyone would want to crap this out with grapes and celery.In this one above I made the mayonnaise myself so, extra tart and lemony.

toros - juan pelegrín

2011-10-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

Amazing photos here.

lana del ray - video games

2011-10-08T06:37:00.001-07:00

cabo polonio, uruguay

2011-10-04T04:58:00.001-07:00

nytimes

limelight

2011-09-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

My first job in Chicago was at the Limelight when it just opened in 1985. I had just started attending the Art Institute and I wasn't even 21 yet.Peter Gatien was there to hire people and there was this long line down the block. Everyone else in line looked pretty normal and I felt a bit out of place with what I was wearing.I had these blue and green plaid pants rolled up with boots and suspenders and my shirt was an old French paratrooper snow shirt (?) that had an 8" collar. I had the collar tucked down and pinned together with a seahorse. I wish I had a picture of that. Peter Gatien took one look at me and said I was hired.

you are my alligator

2011-09-25T00:12:00.001-07:00

fire island beach house

2011-09-24T20:41:00.001-07:00

This was my favorite house on the stretch of beach we where near. You could look right through it.

Also, this boat was anchored offshore during the stay and I was fascinated by the compact functionality of it.The surf board rack alone kills. It had this perfect metal cabin with removable chairs.I'm not in the market for a clamming boat but if I was...

things I want to build

2011-09-24T18:57:00.001-07:00

I really want one of these but $2K is steep.

earth

2011-09-21T13:35:00.001-07:00

felt tk4130 2011

2011-09-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

I would need to see these faux wood tires in person but otherwise this is a very nice track bike.

prison tat

2011-09-03T14:28:00.001-07:00

Dish

2011-08-29T05:18:00.001-07:00

How I spent my vacation.
I built that wine shelving with some really basic tools. The color is 'Lady Bug Red' which was insanely perfect.
The wall colors I picked were: French blue, black chalk board paint, dirty soft umber and a creamy grey.
I had the best time with Eileen and George and their kids and friends and co-workers.
http://www.dishmahopac.com/home.php

new diet

2011-08-13T20:03:00.001-07:00

This a flank steak char broiled and served over a sunny side up egg on a tortilla.
The potatoes are lemon, olive oil and oregano.
Black beans with sweet onion and banana pepper.
Sour cream and salsa condiments.

This is all you get all day. It is enough.

eileen and I circa 1989

2011-08-10T21:43:00.001-07:00

mireille mathieu

2011-08-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I like songs that remind me of grocery stores in the 70's but I do.

pizza

2011-08-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Still practicing.
With a home oven you need to cook the dough a bit first and then add the Mozzarella.
I was a tad early here.

soup

2011-08-07T16:46:00.001-07:00

I've been making this same dish over and over. Small tweaks.
I broil back ribs with just salt and pepper.
Then I make a BBQ sauce from soy, brown sugar, apricot, pickled hot peppers and black bean concentrate.
I put this on the cooked pork and it goes back under the broiler for a few minutes. It burns quickly!.
The remaining sauce is tossed into some pork broth with some chili pepper and fish sauce. Onions and mushrooms are sauteed separate and added to the broth.
I buy fresh noodles from China Town.

garfield park

2011-08-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone else shoots plants.

chicago slo mo

2011-08-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

Summer Sped Up (A Chicago Timelapse) from Josh Kalven on Vimeo.

candy bars in descending order

2011-08-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

Charleston Chew
York Peppermint Patty
Chunky
Toblerone
Mr Goodbar
Whatchamacallit
Heath
Zagnut
5th Avenue
Skor
Nestle Crunch
Krackel
Milky Way
Mars
3 Musketeers
Oh Henry
Baby Ruth
Reeses Nutrageous
Clark Bar
Mounds
Payday
1000 Grand
Butterfinger
Twix
KitCat
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Almond Joy
Hershey's with Almonds
Snickers

amy winehouse

2011-07-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

i did this

2011-07-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

hard...

A few dozen people asked if I offered this service. No, I am not a boat name painter and I would never do this again.

ladies

2011-07-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

wine shelves

2011-07-07T15:26:00.001-07:00

kitchen wall options

2011-07-04T14:08:00.001-07:00

the man from nowhere

2011-07-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

I have a weakness for Korean revenge flicks.

robyn - call your girlfriend

2011-06-24T05:12:00.000-07:00

mood elevator

cassini spacecraft images of saturn

2011-06-19T16:31:00.001-07:00

domencia sport

2011-06-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Francesco Bertelli

livestrong park

2011-06-11T05:14:00.001-07:00

be good tanyas - hello love

2011-06-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

karen elson - milk & honey and thief at my door

2011-06-10T17:15:00.000-07:00

califone - our kitten sees ghosts

2011-06-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

These guys are playing next week.

this

2011-06-05T00:26:00.000-07:00

I think the girls show him up here.

this is the pure shit

2011-06-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

compare

2011-06-04T23:17:00.000-07:00

Oh! My wife is going to sing with me...

What kind of genius makes both work.

mozzarella

2011-05-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

I've been watching these all afternoon. It's looks very complicated and I do not have the hands of a cheese maker.

for my fridge

2011-05-18T08:18:00.001-07:00

Pink Himalayan Salt Blocks

Of all the places to buy this I got it at The Field Museum Store online.

Update: Nothing in my fridge goes bad anymore and there are no smells. Buy one of these yesterday.

join the club

2011-05-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

pork carnitas baguette

2011-04-22T16:02:00.001-07:00

Inspiration from Xoco (Rick Bayless's new takeout Mexican place with wood fired oven):

Ahogada: Golden pork carnitas, black beans, tomato broth, spicy arbol chile sauce, pickled onions. (Dine-in Only) 9.50

My version (horrifying photo):

The name 'ahogada' refers to a really crusty bread served in a spicy vinegar broth. My version is a sweeter/soggier americanized take that is more closer to a Chicago style Italian beef with Mexican flavors and pork. The ahogada bread is traditionally a hard sour dough torta which is great, but I couldn't even find torta's local (well I could but, lazy) and went French bread.

Maybe this is more Asian? I wanted the correct sweet pork/sour vinegar to be more balanced. I took a pork shoulder from the butcher and parboiled it with chicken stock, garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, sea salt, bay leaves, paprika, dry tamarind, black pepper and a red pepper vinegar slosh I keep around.

I sauteed the onions and banana peppers in the pork fat broth from the parboil with extra butter (this is the sweet). I also cooked some black beans in the same.
The final sandwich is French baguette with a smear of black beans topped with sour cream and onion/pepper mix on top. Add the chopped up pork shoulder after you cook off extra fat on a baking sheet. This is pretty caramel like on it's own with the pork fat. I took the stock from cooking the pork shoulder and skimmed the oil off and then added tomato paste, oregano, lime squeeze and cayenne pepper to create the broth. Add some fresh cilantro.

I worried mine would be too hot and was conservative on the heat but I think it makes more sense to create a 'hot' cooked down version of the tomato broth on the side to drizzle on your bites.

Conclusion: Nick loved it. This is a hard meal to fuckup.

ai weiwei

2011-04-21T06:10:00.000-07:00

Recent China detainee Artist Ai Weiwei.
Sign the petition for his release here.

neapolitan oven step by step

2011-04-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

This is Donatella's in NY. The final result got kinda crapped out in my opinion.

From the oven master via nyt:

Her mentor will be Enzo Coccia, 48, a third-generation pizzaiolo who began working with his father at age 8 and now runs Pizzeria La Notizia on Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio in Naples. Mr. Coccia will soon travel to Manhattan to build the oven.

“Now, only a few families know artisanal oven-making,” Mr. Coccia said in a telephone interview, “brick by brick.” Pizza has been made this way, Mr. Coccia said, “for more than 250 years in Naples, in a way that is very specific to us. Everyone asks about the secret formula, but it’s mostly not about the ingredients. It is the construction of the oven, and a sensibility — a feeling, from years and years of making the dough and understanding the process.”

This will be buffalo-milk-mozzarella pizza, San-Marzano-tomatoes-grown-in-volcanic-soil pizza, pricey-high-protein-Italian-wheat-flour (grade 000) pizza. There is also water, yeast and sea salt: the dough is (lovingly!) hand-slapped, cut, pulled. Verboten: the churn-and-burn pizza — where the yeast rises quickly. The dough requires small amounts of yeast and a long fermentation time — some 10 hours — “which prevents bloating,” he said. “That is why we run out of dough. We can only prepare so much.”

Pizza must cook from 60 to 90 seconds only — “to achieve the proper softness and lighteness,” Mr. Coccia said. The center of the oven must be 869 Fahrenheit (465 centigrade) — “no higher, or it burns,” he said. But the oven must accommodate a different temperature for the center interior, “where the tomatoes are,” a feat that he said required indigenous volcanic-mud bricks.

He declined to answer most questions about how he will build the dome — the right thickness and the correct mixture of “sand from the beach that absorbs the heat,” he said. And he forbids photography of that part of the construction.

He did allow that the oven “coupola” — the dome — will be more compact than most, “since the heat needs to be concentrated,” Mr. Coccia said. There is the relatively small mouth of the oven — a third the diameter of a garden-variety oven — to keep the heat from dissipating. Only the most skilled pizza-makers can push pies (no more than four at a time) in and out of the constricted space.

ovens i like

2011-04-18T17:10:00.001-07:00

I like the design of this. More like a bread oven than traditional pizza oven.

Lucali's in NY.

chicken curry soup

2011-04-18T10:01:00.001-07:00

I think my version of this can compete.

zucchini bread

2011-04-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

My version of Zucchini bread, which is not that different than anyone else's except
the top is a kind of road gravel I make from mixing together and then chopping up pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and lemon peel.

The bottom pic is a 6" loaf and the top is a 3" square (Nick lunch bag size).

l'atelier des chefs

2011-04-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

I've become hooked on these. I did not know what chefs did with a pairing knife until watching these. I also may be slightly taken by the studious French girl in the video.

party downer

2011-04-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

Nothing kills the mood like quite like pneumonia inducing bacteria.

I would need to be extremely loaded and wearing a full wet suit with mask to get in any warm water at that filthy place. Can you imagine if you accidentally swallowed some water? I would have my fingers down my throat so fucking fast and then I would start slamming shots of Everclear.

sophie

2011-04-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

I stumbled on this old NY Time's article 'We Were Kittens Once, and Young' this morning and got all weepy. It reminded of my old cat Sophie.

I remembered I had written to someone about Sophie and went through my email and dug this up which I'm posting with edits.

We had a cat named Sophie- who was white with a few black spots and had a puckered jowly mouth like Sylvester and hind legs just like pantaloons. She was also sweet and pure like snow.

It was Renee's cat. We went to this woman's house who did rescues and she had rooms of cat's and Renee picked Sophie out because she was the most beautiful. I thought she was indifferent and didn't seem to like humans or being touched. She did have this wonderful grace and beauty and a pride that grave her a princess like quality.
I think that's why Renee gave her such a princess sounding name.

It wasn't long though before Sophie became my cat. Everywhere I've been where other people had cats, the cats eventually gravitate and come to depend on me. It's a Virgo thing. They know we are dependable.

We lived in a duplex and it wasn't until we started letting her out on the second floor screened porch that we discovered what a nature lover she was. The porch was literally in the tree tops and she would mimic the birds that flew around- stealth like. This cat talked!
She had this beautiful bird call she would do with this dead serious look on her face. It always cracked me up. I would be like, Sophie, you aren't fooling any birds with that fake bird call. She did it for hours though. Sophie had a PHD in Ornithology.

Eventually we moved to this ranch house we bought that had this amazing garden in the back and Sophie finally had some ground floor outdoor access. Sophie was never happier. We were initially kind of freaked to be letting this svelte feminine cat out in the big bad wild. We were very close to a river and woods and there was pretty much every kind of animal out there. She immediately took to the garden patio making the patio her new place and keeping it bird free and the garage clear of raccoons.

Then we got Zoe, our Wire Fox Terrier, so our son could have a dog. Zoe was too much for Sophie so, she just hung out in the basement or outside in the garden.
People that came by never knew we had a cat and thought we were making her up because they never saw Sophie. She never had much need for people and hated to be petted. Ironically- when we moved, we discovered her birth records and noticed she had the exact same birthday as me. Sophie was a Virgo.
Which explained a lot...

There was one time when I started a dryer- and like five minutes later I began wondering about the thumping sound the dryer was making. I was positive there were no gym shoes in there or anything else that could make that sound.
I ran downstairs and opened it and a totally freaked out that Sophie was in there. She was dazed and hot and maybe had minutes to live if I hadn't got there. I was devastated but Sophie was tough and a survivor, and after a few hours she came around.
She was sore and bruised for days but, she never blamed me and she never went near a dryer again.

I remember this one time I was sweeping the patio and near the basement window there when I look over and saw Sophie there with her eyes all big. This was one of her hiding places on top of a shelf with a view of the patio and when she saw me she just started yabbering really animated- like hey... how weird is this? She really was frustrated she couldn't talk cause she knew she had a lot to say sometimes.

When our rocky marriage was hitting the end I was working full-time at a shit job I hated and Renee was in her own world.
I would commute downtown and then come home and rehab the house at night so we could sell it on deadline so, my days were a blur of stress.
When Renee said Sophie was sick I really didn't pay any attention and thought she was handling it. Sophie could eat some weird things being outside and it wasn't that unusual for her to have some eating issues. It just happened really fast were she stopped eating and the next thing you know a day later I'm watching her die at 3AM.
I felt so guilty.

She used to wake me up every morning at 7AM by rubbing against my head and making her purring sounds. We had this unspeakable bond. She used to barge in the bathroom whenever you were in there and give you a big 'what's up' yap.
Whenever we sat on the garden- she would forget all her aversion to people and really chat up how happy she was and rub against anyone who was sitting out there. I mean she would really talk it up like she just couldn't express how great this was.
I loved how she talked to you when she was happy and I always respected her indifference at other times. She was sooo like me.

We had a funeral with candles and I buried her in her favorite garden wrapped with an old black silk shirt and some toys and catnip inside a cardboard box. We placed a Buddha statue on top to mark the spot.
Renee and Nick stayed around for the half hour ceremony and then went inside.
I stayed outside for hours and was devastated. It haunted me for weeks. This was my cat and I had let her down and I was crushed.

metropolis

2011-04-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

pasta porn

2011-04-14T09:16:00.001-07:00

SPAGHETTI NERI
I would need to skip the cuttlefish part.

via

cloning redwoods

2011-04-10T05:48:00.000-07:00

Come back in 2000 years.
via nytimes.

class of 82

2011-04-06T01:18:00.000-07:00

little dragons

2011-04-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

ncqueen

2011-03-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

us mens national soccer team

2011-03-28T07:42:00.001-07:00

(photo by Bill Menzel)

You can see the huge size difference between Argentina and the US soccer team. The Argentine goalie (Mariano Gonzalo Andújar) is 6' 4" and Tim Howard is 6' 5". No one on that Argentina team is close to the goalies size. They maybe average 5' 8".

I wonder if the other team ever thinks, "Man, those dudes are huge".
You always see this when the US and any other team (besides mabye Ghana) are side by side in the tunnel before they walk out to the pitch. The US team looks gigantor and you see the other team steal glances over like "WTF". They don't talk about this much but at some point a big team that's constantly knocking into you or running you over all first half will get some vanilla in the second half. Sure, your game for the first couple bruises but, after that you loose a step. No one wants to get run over by a horse twice. Soccer is mostly grace and skill but at some point power and will trump that.

more ponytail

2011-03-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

I LOVE how this starts out.

screaming females

2011-03-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

Marisa Paternoster all day.

always on my mind

2011-03-12T22:55:00.001-08:00

Maybe my favorite band.

reese's crispy crunch

2011-03-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

Nick said he was "optimistic about the future of candy" after eating a bite of my crispy crunch bar.

scattered trees - love and leave

2011-03-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

painting after dark

2011-03-03T03:43:00.000-08:00

Read Molly Lambert's post about painting studio.

I remember always heading to the Art Institute paint studios really late, like 11 or 12 with a pint of whiskey and some smokes and painting all night. I had regular paint studio in the daytime but, I rarely made it and would just show up with paintings to talk to the teacher (who I loved!). I didn't really like painting in groups or having other people talk to me about what I was doing. My painting subjects were also sometimes odd choices and not really up for discussion.

I only showed up to meet with my teacher and because this girl I liked, who somehow I started saying hi to in the hallways for like two years without ever having a real conversation, was in the class. I just knew I would be with her at some point the first time I saw her and eventually I was. We got married (still kinda married). I wouldn't ever talk to her in class though because she was friends with someone I didn't approve of and that made me question her judgement (ha). I only talked to her for the first time at the last school party I would ever attend (as school was over). I cornered her and she was slightly drunk and had one eye that was half red from being burnt by a curling iron.
I couldn't believe my luck. We hung out till 4 in the morning with some other friends. I have no idea what we talked about and it was never really settled that I was super interested. I had to ask for a number at the end of the night (I still have it 20 years later). The next day I called her from a pay phone and told her that an Italian beef with hot peppers would cure a hangover and a few weeks (like 1?) later she left her ex fiance and moved in with me permanently. I remember it felt very weird helping her move out of her boyfriend's apartment and we hadn't even been together that long. I was like, "what must that guy be thinking?".

One thing I miss from my school days is my paint box. I had this large black wooden box that I put my paints in that was absurdly chunky and impractical but I loved it.
It was like some strange alchemist's kit that had magic things inside it. Little bottles of varnish and wax and heavy lead tubes of paint. It weighed as much as a car battery and had smudges of paint and dings that gave it a the appearance of being heavily used. I took it from a gallery I worked at (Rhona Hoffman). Some piece of Art shipped in it. It looked years older than it was and was not fun to have bouncing off your back as you rode your bike around. I used it for some 15 years.
There's also something beautiful about having this odd collection of materials and assorted brushes and how you organize them and the space you use. I would include a pic of my current space (which is feet from my bed) but, the subject matter is awkward and I'm not quite sure about it yet.

Photo is of the Art Institute's paint studios and doesn't nearly capture their mystery and allure and nothing could describe them empty at night when you are the only one there and sipping off your Jack and Cokes.

adele - set fire to the rain

2011-02-27T08:41:00.001-08:00

rage

2011-02-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

fulton market

2011-02-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

glass candy - warm in the winter

2011-02-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

chromatics - in the city

2011-02-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

ema- kind hearted woman

2011-02-01T23:50:00.001-08:00

EMA - 'Kind Heart' by theQuietus

sangin afghanistan - cpl. derek wyatt

2011-01-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

One morning last month, the knock came at the Wyatt home.

"I automatically knew," Kait said. "But then I had a split second where I thought: 'Maybe he's at Landstuhl, maybe he's just injured, still alive.' But when they asked to come in, I knew."

Wyatt was killed Dec. 6 by a sniper while on patrol. Kait is convinced that he was targeted by the Taliban. It provides her with a measure of comfort that he died as a leader.

"Luckily, none of his Marines were hurt," she said.

The night after she learned of her husband's death, Kait gave birth to Michael Everett Wyatt,

7 pounds, 11 ounces, named after the patron saint of the military.

The pregnancy had been planned in case Wyatt didn't return from Afghanistan.

"We wanted to have something tangible, a physical expression of our love," she said, "just in case there wasn't another opportunity."

Wyatt had recorded passages of the Dr. Seuss book "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" During her pregnancy, Kait aimed her iPod speaker at her stomach; when she brought the baby home from the hospital, she played the recording softly to help him sleep.

Before Kait left the hospital with her baby, a casualty assistance officer decorated her home, including placing an "It's a Boy" sign on the front lawn.

"He made sure that Michael got the kind of homecoming that his father would have wanted," Kait said, her voice trembling. She paused, unable to speak.

Waiting at home was a receiving blanket for the baby, in Marine colors and with the Three-Five logo.

Under a bitterly cold sky, Cpl. Wyatt was buried Jan. 7 at Arlington National Cemetery in a section reserved for the fallen from Iraq and Afghanistan.

At the funeral service, Kait told of a conversation she and her husband had before he deployed about what she should do if he was killed in Afghanistan.

Kait said she told Derek that she would never remarry. He pulled the car to the side of the road, she said, looked directly at her and made her promise that she would again find love in her life.

"He told me the only thing he wanted in life was for me to be happy," Kait said.

As she spoke, there were tears in the eyes of the mourners, including Marines with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, which is still fighting for a faraway place known as Sangin.

Form the LA Times

hahnenkamm race in kitzbühel

2011-01-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

Alpine Ski

2011-01-19T08:07:00.000-08:00

My winter obsession is watching Alpine Skiing on universalsports.com.
It used to be free but $4 is not too bad for a weekend of viewing.

I mostly watch Womens and I only like Downhill or the Super G.

My favorite skier is Anna Fenninger. She is this powerful little dynamo.
It's great when she is on the podium next to giants like Lindsey Vonn or Maria Riesch.
Maria Riesch is a James Bond villainess sized beast.

Adorable Anna.

If you watch right about the 38 second mark the interviewer mentions Anna going down
on her last run and she has an odd 'competitive' tic that is interesting.

how to be an artist

2011-01-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

“Each and every month commit to identifying a minimum of fifty potential collectors and make at least one sale,” writes Katharine T. Carter in her new book, “Accelerating on the Curves: The Artist’s Roadmap to Success.” Her other advice for an artist to maintain good collector relations is to host an annual holiday cocktail party at your studio, send a glass of champagne to a collector’s table if you spot them at a restaurant, always thank them for a sale with a handwritten note, and update them with news about your current exhibitions.

This whole things seems ridiculous but this part, send a glass of champagne to a collector’s table really cracks me up. "Garcon!" (snap snap).