Thanksgiving cocktail

1.5 oz Bushmills
1 oz Canton ginger liquer
splash of St. Elizabeth allspice dram
fill with Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider
served in an old fashion glass over rocks

I’ve always wondered what to do with all that extra Martinelli’s. Not sure what to garnish with, perhaps a twist of lemon.

NB Be careful with the allspice dram, it’s mighty potent

The French are soooo coool

That even Americans are seemingly cooler there. From La Blogotheque:

top 10 albums for the first half of 2009

So far 2009 is looking like a really solid year. I didn’t struggle a bit to come up with names. Can’t wait to hear what else will be coming out (Wilco!)

1. Japanadroids – Post-Nothing
2. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – It’s Blitz
3. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
4. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Self-titled
6. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
7. Matt and Kim – Grand
8. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There are Mountains
9. Dinosaur Jr. – Farm
10. Toss up between whatever album I just haven’t gotten to so far, Animal Collective et al.

Breakdown of Giants offensive woes

It’s well documented how anemic the offense is this year. But I was startled to see that the Giants are 22 and 5 when they score 5 or more runs.

Giants (38 – 32)
runs scored
5+   4-
w  22  16
l    5     27

Dodgers (47 – 24)
5+  4-
w  32  15
l     5    19

I stated tracking this 2 weeks ago, and since the Giants have had 2 losses in which they scored 5 or more runs. Perhaps the bats are heating up as the pitching has been feeling the stress?

Inclusionary Commercial?

As Inclusionary housing has been making in-roads on the affordability of housing in cities across the country, it seems to follow that the same could be done with commercial properties as well. What I’m thinking is a similar structure of 10 – 15% of lease-able space is designated at median rent rates for a city. It could be a great economic boom to entrepreneurs who are looking to enter new markets. Why settle for Panda Express, when you can have a more authentic experience at your local strip mall?

How would you select seems to be the next question. Perhaps it would only be available to first time business owners, or the would be tenant lives in the city. Just a thought.

Bandol

I just popped open a nice bottle of Domaine Tempier Bandol. I’ve never had Bandol before but after reading about it in A Hedonist in the Cellar and have been tempted ever since.

I was able to find one the other day and have been itching to open it since. Chez Panisse has had one on their wines by the glass list since they’ve opened, so I figured it’s a natural for food. I had some braised pork belly done with some soy sauce, shaoxing wine, 5 spice, and lemongrass in the fridge. The two seemed like a fit, for some unknown reason. As it turns out, my hunch served me well.

Pairing asian food with wine has been an ongoing area of study. Seems like old world is the only way to go.

Katrina Disaster is the Pitts

Brad Pitt graces the cover of Architectural Digest 

http://www.makeitrightnola.org/

Top 20 albums of 2008

1. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
2. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
3. TV on the Radio – Dear Science
4. Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It
5. Deerhunter – Microcastle
6. Kanye West – 808s and Heartbreak
7. Portishead – Third
8. Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
9. M83 – Saturdays = Youth
10. Los Campesinos! – Hold on Now, Youngster
11. Fucked Up – The Chemistry of Common Life
12. The Dodos – Visiter
13. Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances
14. Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III
15. Shearwater – Rook
16. Hot Chip – Made in the Dark
17. The Mae Shi – HLLLYH
18. The Knux – Remind Me in 3 Days…
19. The Walkmen – You & Me
20. Bonnie Prince Billy – Lie Down in the Light

Top 10 songs of 2008

I had a hard time coming up with even 10. Here’s to hoping 2009 will be better (so far most of my anticipated albums have been so-so).

01. Okkervil River – Lost Coastlines
02. TV on the Radio – Family Tree
03. Vampire Weekend – Walcott / Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
04. Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal / Oliver James
05. Kanye West – Street Lights / Love Lockdown
06. The Dodos – Fools
07. MGMT – Kids
08. M83 – Kim & Jessie
09. Raphael Saadiq – Just One Kiss
10. The Walkmen – In The New Year

play time

http://www.wired.com/culture/design/magazine/17-03/pl_design

How’s that for a job? A year’s worth of work, this will be my new hobby.