Erythronium umbilicatum
Trout Lily
Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 6-9, at least 4" tall Origin: USA
(2nd photo is Spring Beauty which was everywhere, as well)
"This Southeast US (WV south to FL) native spring ephemeral is a prized woodland wildflower. The 2" long ground-hugging, light green, freeze-resistant leaves are heavily covered with chocolate blotching. In early March, the clumps are topped with 4" stalks, each ending with large downward facing bright yellow flowers with a chocolate back. Although they go dormant by late spring, trout lilies continue to grow underground, and in a few years you should expect a 10" wide patch. Evenly moist woodland soils are best, although some drought in the dormant season isn't deleterious."
It may have been a misprint, but we have a 10 FOOT wide patch! I can't tell you how excited this makes me to learn more about the flora flourishing at the new house!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Trout Lily! Everywhere!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
New Food Pyramid
My Pyramid.gov
gives you a personalized breakdown of your weekly allotment of each food category
Global Seed Vault: Fort Knox of Food
At the end of February, The Global Seed Vault received its first seeds, millions of them. It is housed in a silo bored into the side of a mountain the The Artic. The vault’s goal is to store and protect samples of every type of seed from every seed collection in the world. Are they hedging their bets on global disaster?
Seed Vault Silo Near Artic
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
"Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia.."
I can't find this video separate that I can post but i wanted to share how the Dalai Lama is with his followers - and an update on what's going on:
Dalai Lama calls for free hand for journalists in Tibet
This is an LA Times article from Beijing correspondent with good links alongside
Protesting monks embarrass China during press tour
Quote of the Day
Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient.
There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.
~Bill Gates
Beef Recall Proves System Is Broken
It proves not only system is broken, but society's desire and ability to affect change has taken a backseat to apathy. It doesn't help that Big Interest is in charge of the hen house.
"...USDA is supposed to be ensuring the safety of our food, it is also charged with promoting the interests of agriculture.
The final link in this broken chain: The USDA also runs the nation's nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program.
From the feedlot to the lunch tray, it's a system designed more to serve the interests of an industry than the interests of the public.
One lawmaker, Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut who chairs the House Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Subcommittee, has called for an investigation into the USDA's ability to properly ensure the safety of food served in schools.
But don't expect any real change any time soon. The public isn't clamoring for a fix.
Michael Swanson, an agricultural economist, pinned the problem in an interview with Reuters: "It has to be in the first five minutes of a newscast and they have to have a picture of somebody suffering for it to register. Until that happens, it is a nonevent."
Monday, March 24, 2008
Triangle Modernist Houses
"It's all computers. No one can draw anymore." ~ Brian Shawcroft
My dear friend Brian seems to have gotten his designs compiled onto a site that tracks the architectural style of him and his colleagues. I remember how he showed me page after page of his designs, often commenting "and that one's been torn down" or "and now that's a McMansion".
John Holloway, another modernist architect, even has his personal residence torn down for a rebuild (see the bottom of his link).
I also love the design work of Frank Harmon who focuses on function as well as form. You can see by his design in the Bahamas and Laurel Ridge Dr. design that works with the slope above Crabtree Valley in Raleigh.
Papa Spuds Delivers Produce To Your Door
Papa Spuds brings rural food to your urban door.
Organic produce orders placed today delivered to you tomorrow afternoon!
“Our mission is simple: offer the highest quality produce, make fresh food shopping fun, and promote sustainable agriculture in the area.”
Triangle Lunch
A review of places to lunch in the Triangle
"..In the deep South, old timers still call the midday meal “dinner,” and it remains the most important meal of the day. As in many European countries, it is followed by the most civilized of customs, a nap. It’s a proven fact that people from cultures that support an extended lunch are happier and live longer than stressed-out American workaholics.
We have something to learn from the places that still enjoy a guiltless comida, dejeuner or pranzo. We, too, can choose to abandon a compulsive work ethic, look past the perfectly good jar of peanut butter, round up a friend and savor a leisurely midday meal at our favorite restaurant … before that restaurant abandons us."
Lunch with Ambiance
Feeding the eye and the palate.
An (Cary)
The Blue Ridge at the North Carolina Art Museum (Raleigh)
Fins (Raleigh)
Herons at the Umstead (Cary)
Midtown (North Hills)
The Nasher Café at the Nasher Art Museum (Durham)
Parizade (Durham)
Spice Street (Chapel Hill)
Top of the Hill (Chapel Hill)
Vivace (Raleigh)
Business Lunch
The best way to seal a deal.
Bentley’s (Cary)
Caffé Luna (Raleigh)
Carolina CrossRoads (Chapel Hill)
Duck and Dumpling (Raleigh)
Glenwood Grill (Raleigh)
The Mecca (Raleigh)
18 Seaboard (Raleigh)
Tupelo’s (Hillsborough)
The Fairview at the Washington Duke Hotel (Durham)
Winston’s Grille (Raleigh)
Lunch and Shop
These eateries either have a store attached or are within a short walking distance of retail stores.
Azitra (Raleigh)
blu seafood and bar (Durham)
Bella Monica (Raleigh)
Nordstrom Café Bistro (Durham)
Neo-China (Durham, Raleigh, Cary)
Gianni & Gaitano’s (Raleigh)
Midtown (Raleigh)
Nofo (Raleigh)
Weathervane (Chapel Hill)
Zest (Raleigh)
Lunch Escape
For a leisurely European-style meal.
Il Palio (Chapel Hill)
Rue Cler (Durham)
Saint-Jacques (North Raleigh)
Bistro 76 (Raleigh)
Nikos Taverna (Morrisville)
Papa’s Grille (Durham)
Piedmont (Durham)
Xios Authentic Greek Cuisine (Apex)
411 West Italian Café (Chapel Hill)
518 West Italian Café (Raleigh)
Exotic Lunch
Curry, tamales, pad Thai and sushi
Akai Hana (Chapel Hill)
Azitra (Raleigh)
Chosun OK (RTP)
Jibarra (Raleigh)
Jujube (Chapel Hill)
Mura (North Raleigh)
Red Palace (Raleigh)
Sitar India Palace (Durham)
Sono (Fayetteville St., Raleigh)
Thai Café (Durham)
Twisted Noodles (Durham)
Fast Lunch
Immediate gratification via buffet, counter service or drive-up window
Char-Grill (Raleigh)
The Roast Grill (Raleigh)
Saffron (Morrisville)
Sara’s Empanada’s (RTP)
Serena American Restaurant (RTP)
George’s Garage (Durham)
Mad Hatter (Durham)
Dalat Oriental Café and Deli (Raleigh)
Neomonde Bakery and Deli (Raleigh and Morrisville)
Whole Foods Market buffet (Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham)
Comfort Lunch
’Cue and Fried Chicken
Allen & Son Barbecue (Chapel Hill)
Big Ed’s (Raleigh)
Bon’s (Chapel Hill)
Bullock’s Barbecue (Durham)
The Barbecue Joint (Chapel Hill)
Hawg Wild Smoke House & Grill (Cary)
Mama Dip’s Traditional Country Cooking (Chapel Hill)
Q Shack (Durham, Raleigh)
The Pit (Raleigh)
Rub’s Smokehouse (RTP)
SPECIAL EVENTS FOR FOODIES
Spring is busting out all over with food and wine events benefiting good causes. Make plans now for:
A Taste of the Triangle, March 8 — “The ultimate food and wine extravaganza” benefits the Tammy Lynn Foundation. Call 919-832-3909 for information.
Taste of the Beach, March 6-9 — A weekend of events, cooking classes and incredible meals on the Outer Banks. For information, link to www.obxtasteofthebeach.com.
Blue Ridge Food & Wine Festival, April 10-13 — Wine tasting, vintners’ dinners, cooking classes and a chefs’ cooking challenge in Blowing Rock. For more information, go to www.blueridgewinefestival.com or call 877-295-7965.
Beaufort Wine & Food Weekend, April 23 -27 — Celebrity chefs, dinners, wine tastings and dancing. Call 252-728-5225 or go to www.beaufortwineandfood.com.
R.I.P. - FRESH GRAVES IN THE CULINARY CEMETERY
Several Triangle dining establishments shut their doors by the end of 2007. They will be missed.
The Rathskeller
The last remnant of the Danziger era bit the dust after 60 years in downtown Chapel Hill. Its closing came as a shock, yet not really a surprise, for diners who had noticed a decline in quality over the past few years. On what turned out to my last visit a few months ago, the famous Gambler hanger steak was tough, the peas overcooked and the expected generous pile of sautéed onions had dwindled down to a spoonful. But the sweet tomato salad dressing on iceberg lettuce tasted exactly the same as it did 30 years ago — as did the frosty mug of Bud, and the funky atmosphere had blessedly never been face-lifted.
Underground, not the most auspicious of names, is now six feet under. Low visibility and a small plate concept just didn’t attract enough of Charlie Goodnight’s patrons in spite of gifted Chef Daniel Taylor’s impressive tapas. Goodnight owners Brad and Shannon Reeder will transform the space into The Old Bar Restaurant.
Starlu’s closing is another instance where the talent and amiability of Chef Sam Poley and an attractive setting couldn’t overcome an awkward Durham location.
JK’s, North Hills’ second restaurant to close (after Savannah) makes way for another steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris, which will open its second Raleigh eatery this spring.
Nana’s Chophouse closed in November, now replaced by The Pit, the new ‘it’ hangout in downtown Raleigh.
Taverna Nikos, longtime anchor of Durham’s Brightleaf Square, shut its doors last year. But there’s good news … it will be revived next month under the direction of a new chef, Giorgios Kastanias.
Flying Burrito, a 20-year-old Chapel Hill favorite, has been deserted for months but will undergo reincarnation under new management by this summer.
Verde, one of George Bakatsias’ Durham establishments hasn’t exactly died, just morphed into a different concept and renamed Vita. Pizzas, pasta and other classic Italian dishes have replaced Verde’s American contemporary menu.
The much-anticipated Revolution Restaurant should open by mid-May 2008 in the old Baldwin Building in downtown Durham. Meanwhile, chef/owner Jim Anile (formerly of Il Palio) and partner Teresa Anile are available to cater private events. To contact the Aniles, visit www.revolutionrestaurant.com/community.
NIBBLES
Nancy McDermott, author of Southern Cakes, appeared recently at Quail Ridge Books for a book signing and a cake baking contest. It was my honor to join prolific cookbook writers Jean Anderson, Debbie Moose and Fred Thompson in judging the cakes. Between bites, I got the skinny on their latest projects. Debbie is putting the last touches on Wings; Fred, the poor thing, is working hard tasting for his latest book, Bourbon; and Jean’s article on Vietri founders, Susan and Frances Gravely, (both from Chapel Hill), will be out in More magazine this spring.
• • • •
Jean was raving about a new restaurant in Clayton, Festejos Mexican Bar & Grill, owned and operated by the Flores family from San Diego. “A different kind of Mexican restaurant, well worth driving all the way from Chapel Hill for a meal there,” Jean promised.
• • • •
Kim Sunée, co-editor of Cottage Living’s food section, along with Durham’s Sara Foster, will be at Quail Ridge for a reading of her new book, Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home on Tuesday, March 11. Kim is a regular visitor to our area and has featured many local chefs and cookbook writers — among them, Bill Smith, Marcie Cohen Ferris and Karen Barker — in the magazine.
• • • •
For authentic crawfish étouffée, gumbo and cochon de lait, head straight to the brand new Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse at Greenwood Commons near RTP. Newly arrived from Lafayette, LA, “the zydeco chef,” Mel Melton, brings authentic South Louisiana cuisine and his own harmonica music to the Triangle. Link to www.papamojosroadhouse.com for information. Be warned — you may need earplugs when opening this Web site.
• • • •
Pie lovers will appreciate Scratch Seasonal Artisan Baking (www.piefantasy.com). For $60 a month, you get one large or three small pies each week for four weeks. Made by Phoebe Lawless, Karen Barker’s right hand at Magnolia Grill, Scratch’s pies, cakes and custom desserts are made from the best local ingredients available. Moore Square Farmers Market regulars will be familiar with Lawless’ desserts, sold there throughout the market season.
• • • •
In Cameron Village, Nelsons, renovated in 2006, is now open only Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings for the late-night crowd. Owners plan to re-open for lunch and dinner in early March under its former name, Foster’s.
• • • •
Mobil Travel Guide, originator of the prestigious Mobil Star ratings and certifications, has bestowed its prestigious four-star rating to three Triangle restaurants: Carolina CrossRoads at The Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill; Herons at the Umstead in Cary; and Fearrington House in Pittsboro.
• • • •
The Chapel Hill Restaurant Group (who brought us 518 West, Squid’s, Spanky’s, and 411West) will open a new gourmet eatery on Page Road just off Interstate 40 called Mez Contemporary Mexican Restaurant. The first Triangle “Certified Green Restaurant,” Mez will offer south of the border specialties made from fresh local ingredients and will feature outdoor dining. It should be open for lunch and dinner by mid-spring.
• • • •
In downtown Chapel Hill this season, restaurants are popping up like daffodils. Scheduled to open this month: Baba Ghannouj Mediterranean Bistro, Buns (gourmet burgers), The Crunkleton Bar (which will showcase and sell the artwork and furniture inside the business), and Cluck University Chicken.
• • • •
Wake Tech’s culinary school will send six students to France in March for a life-changing experience. The students will work in a restaurant, spend a day with a starred chef, tour a cheese-making facility and enjoy a weekend in Paris. The trip is subsidized in part by participants in a five-course “American Classics” dinner held at Enoteca Vin, which raised nearly $3000 for the project. While Lycée d’Etat Hôtelier du Touquet, a culinary school in Le Touquet, France sends 10 students to work in the Raleigh area each year, this is the first time in five years that a group from Wake Tech will travel to France.
The Department of Homeland Decency
I think this is the department that interviewed Horsley for 8 hours...
Join us as we march proudly backwards to the future.
THE DEPARTMENT'S MOTTO
"You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide. You have nothing to hide if you have nothing to fear. So fear nothing and you need not hide. Hide nothing and you need not fear."
Tintin
What a great comic book cover!
Tintin will become a live-action movie from Spielberg next year.
Herge', the artist, unfortunately died before he was able to complete his little redhead's adventures. I'm looking forward to see how the movie interprets the series.
I think they should have cast Sean in the role....
Is The Drought Centered Around I-85?
Is it me or does it look like this drought is centered on I-85?
Using the Drought Monitor's statistics, the graph shows while the percent area in the Southeast that is in an exceptional drought has dropped in recent months, the % area in the Southeast with some level of drought is relatively constant.
Have we experienced such an explosion of growth that we're literally sucking the land dry? Or have we created an incredible greenhouse with the amount of travel and pollution emitted?
Current Drought Links
Drought Mitigation Center
Other Sites
Drought Impact Report
>click on NC!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Sebastian Horsley - Update To 11Mar Post
I'm SHOCKED! Entry to the US can be denied for "moral turpitude"???!!
"The real problem, though, was not one of moral turpitude but shamelessness. In this hypocritical age, it is those who refuse to play the game of the moment – sin, grovel and repent – who are most suspect."
Oscar Wilde said it best...
'America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between'Sebastian couldn't have thought of better publicity himself...
"God bless America, land of the free, but sadly not the home of the depraved," the writer said after being sent back to London.
NYT article
NPR article
LAT article
THEY had the party anyway :D
Independent opinion piece
"...America has a President who has taken drugs. Many of its most elevated public figures will think nothing of availing themselves of the services of prostitutes. As a nation, it ranks high among the superpowers when it comes to drug use, violence and every type of sexual peculiarity.
In America, as in this country, all that is just fine, so long as it is accompanied by an appropriate degree of secrecy and guilt. It is honesty that is alarming and should be suppressed, particularly among those who are rebelliously dysfunctional in print as well as deed. Banning an inappropriate writer from speaking in a country is but a small step from banning inappropriate books."
British writer denied entry to US
By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 24 minutes ago
LONDON - British writer and self-styled dandy Sebastian Horsley was denied entry to the United States after arriving to promote his memoir of sex, drugs and flamboyant fashion.
Horsley said he was questioned for eight hours Tuesday by border officials at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey before being denied entry on grounds of "moral turpitude."
The 45-year-old author was traveling to New York for the U.S. launch of "Dandy in the Underworld," his account of a life dedicated to sex, drugs and finely tailored clothes.
"I was dressed flamboyantly — top hat, long velvet coat, gloves," Horsley said. "My one concession to American sensibilities was to remove my nail polish. I thought that would get me through."
According to Lucille Cirillo, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Horsley was traveling under the CBP's visa waiver program, which entitles citizens of some countries — mostly in the European Union — to enter the United States for business or leisure without applying for a visa. Travelers can be refused entry if they admit on a customs form to being convicted of a crime or to being addicted to narcotics, Cirillo said.
She declined to specify what responses Horsley listed on the form.
"We interviewed the individual extensively and the CBP officers decided he was not admissible under the visa waiver program," she said.
Horsley can still apply for a visa to return to the United States, Cirillo said.
"They knew more about me than I did," Horsley said Thursday in an interview from his London home. "They said, 'We know you're a heroin addict, we know you're a crack addict, we know you're involved in prostitution.'"
Horsley's book — billed as an "unauthorized autobiography" — vividly recounts years of heavy drug use and frequent visits to prostitutes. He says he has been drug-free for three years.
He said his only conviction stemmed from an arrest 25 years ago for possession of amphetamine sulfate, for which he was given a conditional discharge. He said he has visited the United States seven or eight times without incident.
"Dandy in the Underworld" was released in Britain last year to good reviews. Carrie Kania, of the book's U.S. publisher Harper Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollins, said the book was "a cautionary tale of a life lived vividly."
"It is unfortunate that his voice, in person, is being stifled. But the book will live on," Kania said.
Horsley achieved his greatest notoriety in 2000 when he had himself crucified in the Philippines as part of an art project.
***
Much like one of his heros, Baudelaire, his publisher, and the printer were successfully prosecuted for creating an offense against public morals.
In the poem "Au lecteur" ("To the Reader") that prefaces Les fleurs du mal, Baudelaire accuses his readers of hypocrisy and of being as guilty of sins and lies as the poet:
- ... If rape or arson, poison, or the knife
- Has wove no pleasing patterns in the stuff
- Of this drab canvas we accept as life—
- It is because we are not bold enough!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Happy Eostre!
This year, Easter falls on the earliest weekend it can - the Sunday, two days, after the vernal equinox.
"The word "Easter" is derived from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, to whom Eostur-monath, corresponding to our month of April, was dedicated. The modern English term Easter developed from the Old English word Eastre. The Old English term Eastre ultimately derives from ēast - meaning the direction of east. This suggests it originally referred to a goddess associated with dawn. Corresponding traditions occur with the Roman goddess Aurora and the Greek goddess Eos.
In olden time the English people..calculated their months according to the course of the moon. Hence after the manner of the Hebrews and the Greeks, [the months] take their name from the moon, for the moon is called mona and the month monath. April, Eostur-monath has a name which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month. As a goddess of spring, she presides over the realm of the conception and birth of babies, both animal and human, and of the pollination, flowering and ripening of fruits in the plant kingdom. The Anglo-Saxon month name equates to an Old High German equivalent, Ostara. Ostara is also one of the names of the mother-archetype noted in the psychology of Carl Jung and a neo-pagan ritual in celebration of the vernal equinox.
Many ancient cultures have a strong association with animals. The forming of candy into the shape of rabbits or chicks is a way to acknowledge them as symbols; by eating them, we take on their characteristics, and enhance our own fertility, growth and vitality. The dyeing of eggs is from a Greek tradition where they were painted red and given as gifts. And in the Celtic traditions of giving gifts to faeries the night before, this equinox is honored with sweets and honey. The only Easter custom mentioned from ancient Germanic traditions are Easter Bonfires (Osterfeuer).
"This Ostarâ, like the AS [Anglo-Saxon], Eástre, must in the heathen religion have denoted a higher being, whose worship was so firmly rooted, that the Christian teachers tolerated the name, and applied it to one of their own grandest anniversaries."
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Cooperative Extension's March Gardening Guides
Gardening Tips for March
Average Last Frost Date
* We have had plenty of warm weather lately but don’t let it fool you into thinking it is spring. Unless you are on the outer coastal plains, the average last frost date hasn’t arrived yet. For much of the state the average last frost date is April 11. That means that 1 out of 2 years there will be a frost later than April 11. Most gardeners don’t plant tomatoes or other tender annuals until after the 90 percent frost-free date. That gives them odds of 9 out of 10 that a late frost won’t kill the plants. For the piedmont, the 90 percent frost-free date is April 15. In the mountains it may be as late as mid-May.
* In the mountains, mid-March is a good time to start tomato transplants indoors for planting in early May.
* Piedmont gardeners can plant potatoes, onion sets, beets and radishes now. You should be able to transplant cabbage, broccoli and similar members of the cabbage family but a temperature below 20 can still hurt them.
* Fertilize berry plants and fruit trees.
* Check the asparagus bed and pull weeds if necessary. Asparagus spears should start coming up in a couple of weeks.
Inviting Bees to Your Landscape
* Don’t spray any flowering plant with insecticides when pollinating insects are present.
* Consider placing a block for orchard mason bees in your landscape. The orchard mason bee pollinates spring fruit trees, flowers and vegetables. They are nonagressive and one may observe them at close range without fear of being stung. Directions for making a block from scrap lumber are on the NC State Web site .
* Ground-dwelling bees are showing up in the coastal plains and most likely will show up in the piedmont and foothills in a week or so. They may scare people but are nonaggressive and beneficial for pollination.
Lawn Care
* Cool-season lawns should have been fertilized by now. They will not need additional fertilizer until September.
* Do not fertilize warm-season grasses at this time.
* When mowing fescue lawns, don’t remove more than one-third of the blade at any one mowing (when it’s 4 ½ inches high, mow to 3 inches).
* Grass clippings should be small enough to fall between the grass blades. Don’t collect clippings unless they are heavy enough to smother the grass.
Mulch
* When using mulch near your house foundation, use mulch that doesn’t contain cellulose, such as pine needles and pine bark. The less the cellulose in the mulch, the less termites are attracted to it. Never spread mulch so that it touches the foundation or lowest course of siding on your home. While it may have a nicer appearance this way, it can allow termites to use the cover of mulch to invade your house undetected.
* Fresh wood chips along with the sawdust can be used as mulch, but do not mix into soil. It ties up nitrogen and isn’t good for plants. Also, wood chips contain cellulose so it’s preferable to use them away from house foundations.
What to Prune Now
* Prune roses. Remove all except 4 to 6 canes for big blooms. Make your pruning cut above an outward facing bud.
* Remove any old camellia blooms to prevent the spread of petal blight. Clean any dead blooms off the ground around the camellias.
* Prune butterfly bushes or buddleias, rose of Sharon and crape myrtles.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Sebastian Horsley
Self-Proclaimed Dandy, Sebastian Horsley will be in NYC next Wednesday. For a glimpse at his form of Dandyism, check out his take on different subjects:
Where and what would you eat?
I cannot tell you how disinterested I am in food. The only thing I know about it is that, generally, the better food tastes, the worse it is for you. I personally stay away from natural foods. At my age, I need all the preservatives I can get. Health nuts are going to feel pretty stupid someday, lying in hospital, dying of nothing. And of course the trouble with eating food is that it doesn't work. Five or six days later, you're hungry again. The only case for eating is that the impact of the drugs is substantially enhanced.
What would you do for fun?
Most of the time I don't have much fun. The rest of the time I don't have any fun at all. It is ghastly. Middle age is the time of life when the most fun you have is talking about the most fun you used to have. When your medicine chest is better stocked than your drinks cabinet. What can you do? I don't know. If you can't laugh at yourself, make fun of cripples. I guess I would go off to the brothel to get a good housemaids wank. And then lose my penis to a whore with disease.
What kinds of shops are worth going to?
None of them. A shop is a place where people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't need, to impress people they don't like. I always enjoy strolling down Bond Street. I like being reminded of all the things that I don't want. Shops seem to me rather like charities (and, as you know I hate charities). They help the super rich (and the vulgar) to unburden themselves of their cash. They don't actually sell objects - lizard-skin cufflink boxes, gold plated noughts-and-crosses sets -- they sell more exclusive commodities: Aspiration, Smugness, Eternal Life. And you can take all that and shove it all the way up. I am sure there is ample room.
Boyle's Boy, earlier article on his love affair with Scotland's most violent criminal
Horton Hears A Who
Plan to see The Horton Movie this weekend w/O
Check out the trailers and games - even adopt a Speck!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Cochon Restaurant, New Orleans
Just voted in the Top Ten restaurants outside NYC by the NYT, I look forward to trying Cochon if we make it down to New Orleans for a dear couple's wedding next month.
