whiskeyslowdown.com

how can you know when you're aiming low

Sean — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:50:00 -0700

wow. I usually find the O'rielly is a bit of a bully.
But this Lawrence O'Donnell MSNB interview of Herman Cain is the most hostile interview I have even seen.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/10/lawrence-odonnells-offensive-interview-with-herman-cain/246328/

Many interviews that were designed to be this hostile end abruptly when the target fails to engage or just refuses to answer the b.s. questions. What's amazing to me is the Herman sits and calmly endures tall of this and ends by saying 'lets chat again soon'. Hah.

Though I was sometimes disagreed with the workmanlike manner in which he countered Larry, he gets crazy points for class. The most presedential thing about it was that he has a long enough view to sit and smile through this whole interview speaking to the MSNBC voters who he hopes to govern. Nicely done Mr. Cain.

I'm still going to hold O'Rielly to a higher bar that MSNBC, but I am likely to cut him more slack in the future.

sonic soul with a cold clean tote is a mother!

Sean — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 13:26:00 -0700

Ok, This Wilco Album is at least the best since Foxtrot.

Sean — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 06:50:00 -0700

Alex brags on foreign spas filled with mineral pools where all the molecules are massaged so they flow in unison, and the hands of the masseuses are encased in casts of paleolithic mud twixt sessions. I don't know where the Grove Park Inn ranks in his world, but in mind it was the best spa experience I have ever had. But maybe that's just cause Karen was with me.

I do know that wilco sounds really good and the first song of this steaming concert bodes well for the new album.
http://www.cbs.com/late_night/liveonletterman/wilco/video/

don't expect it cause the end is a disaster

Sean — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:28:00 -0700

sometimes i get into trouble sending a link before i actually check the link out. I hope this isn't one of those times.

I like the intro, and I like how J's age is c atchin up with his hair. It suits him well.

halfway to Chattanooga On the Atlanta connector That's when I started flashing

Sean — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:04:00 -0700

I don't know what people mean when they say Atlanta is 'Racially Divided', so I don't know if this nytimes article about how Black people are moving to the south in record numbers, supports their position or debunks it.

What's interesting to me is that this "reverse-migration" is happening within what Wikipedia says is a greater trend of "unique and drastic demographic increase in its white population" happening "at a pace that outstrips the rest of the nation."

So , if your definition of "racially divisive" is that is that jim crow is still in affect, the new your times is calling you wrong. And if your definition of "racially divisive" is that Atlanta is that its become blacker and everyone else is fleeing it, well, math disagrees.

Anyhow, we spent the day at the Rivermeade pool. I made Burgers , floated, and listened to Stevie Wonder, Buddy Holly, and Pitchfork's top tracks of 2010, all thanks to Rhapsody Music. I have the world at my ear-tips and am still struggling to find new music. However, Laura Marling has a new album, and I discovered a Tallest Man on Earth EP, so I ain't feeling no pain. Later this year there is wilco, yuck, fiest, and iron and wine.

Met the neighbors, and also, a bit later the neighbors' dogs came over on their own to check up on us, and pee on things. One of the most endearing things about our neighborhood is how beautiful large dogs have free range. It's anachronistic, I think, which I love, but it also makes me fear some kindly guy is going to open up a carnival glass shop down the street and everything is going to get weird.

A mulatto, an albino. A mosquito

Sean — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:49:00 -0700

At the Gorgia Tech career fair on Monday I ran into ex-colleague and Austonian Stormin' Norman. He had with him a colleague who prefaced what I imagine was going to be some anti-Atlanta comment with with the question:"Neither of you are from Atlanta, Right?". When I disrupted her flow, saying that I was, she didn't hide her shock and distaste, pausing for a second to reformulate/choke down her intended statement, and responded, "Well, I could never imagine living here".     All of this without any sort of baiting by me. In fact we hadn't really said a word to each other.

"Why is that" I asked.

She said that she felt it was too "racially divided'.   She is a women with clear latino heritage. (Reads: she looked mexican). I asked her what that means, and she didn't have an answer. I asked her where in Austin she had even seen a black person, and she didn't have an answer.   Austin has a huge mexican population judging by the quality of the Mexican food and the proximity to the border, but I don't come accross it in the course of my day, and half the taco stands I visit are owned by rich white entrepreneurs. What does "racially divided" mean?   I don't know. Housing patterns?Atlanta beats out LA and new York, and I bet if Austin was big enough Atlanta would beat it too.
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/03/29/most_segregated_cities

I showed some mercy and asked her to give me another reason she couldnt' live in atlanta. She said the weather.   We are three weeks into some of the best fall weather I have ever lived in. Spring and Fall in Atlanta are long and magnificant. Fall in Austin is ...summer. If it were a poker hand we would say that Austin is dominated.

So my question is, where do people get this shit? I mean really. Atlanta needs some better PR. Gonna start an ATLAttackWatch.com

Wait a minute honey I'm gonna add it up

Sean — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:53:00 -0700

I woke up today thinking that one of the reasons Austin seems great to so many people has to do with the dining culture. They must eat out more frequently, I thought, perhaps because the city offers so many low-cost eateries.

This report gives credence to my theory that it all comes down to dining, but beyond that, it confounds me. It says Atlantan's spend the highest PERCENTAGE of the food budget on Dining out, but that Austins have the highest total food budget.

I understand that Austin buys its groceries at expensive outlets like WholeFoods and Central Market, but that still doesn't seem to add up to me.

I wonder if the report takes into consideration that in Austin people are buying Booze as a "Grocery" at the supermarket? Or, for that matter, bars and happyhours are inflating both sides of the Austin metric.

I wonder if , and this is touchy ground here, Atlanta Poor eat out more than Austin Poor, or if that could even explain something like this.

http://money.bundle.com/article/food-spending-in-the-biggest-US-cities-11040

Polo down to my socks Im posted in the A

Sean — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:56:00 -0700

In one glorious west-side block, Atlanta shows how to throw it big city cultural and gastronomical weight around. Smaller, 'it' cities like Austin may be more compact and uniformly hip, but they can't keep up with the pearl of the South.

The West Side Provisions District (one corner of one intersection in Atlanta ) boasts Bacchanalia, one of the world's premier restaurants, its southern sister Quinones, the romantic Float Away cafe, and Star Provisions, a foodie general store slash deli which makes the best roast beef sandwich I have ever had, and the best looking sausage biscuit I have ever seen and am going to eat next week. Or maybe tomorrow.

Abattoir, which is as comprehensive and detailed a meat-lover’s shrine as any in this county, sits just across a small footbridge. On the other end of the building JCT Kitchen has taken over One Midtown’s claim as the perfect mid-price date restaurant. And if you are thinking, ‘Yeah but in my city you can get great food for far cheaper”, this same city corner in Atlanta gives you ‘Yeah! Burger”, a burger bar whose only equal in Austin is Frank, a hotdog bar. Hidden underneath it all is Ormsbys’ a fun-pub extravaganza with indoor bocce ball, shuffleboard, billiards and a top notch bar-menu that, were it opened in Austin, would be heralded as evidence of that city’s vibrant youthful culture.

The corner also has wine and clothes boutiques, and the James-Beard nominated Taqueria del sol, which has had a queue out front for 12 years straight minus Sundays. I've never loved this taco stand, and while I ultimately give the Mexican food nod to Austin, Taqueria del Sol is better than Austin's much loved equivalent, Taco Deli. Yeah, I said it. (Sushi nod goes to Austin too, thanks to Uchi, and Soto's betrayal of Atlanta. Yes, I’m still bitter).

A small block south lies the West Egg, which in another city would be the standout breakfast star. It runs rings around Austin favorite Kerby Lane, but in Atlanta, it’s throwing elbows with a slew of restaurants that compete for breakfast dominance (Flying Biscuit, NH Bakery, Murphy's, Rita's Blue Bird). The Northside Lounge has been offering live blues every night in its charmingly uncondemned hotbox just across the street, . They may fight to keep Austin Weird, but the Northside Lounge is effortlessly unaffected as can be, and unlike all of Austin, has never felt it needed a 'weirdness' movement to protect its unmolested existence.

A mile north gets you to Richard Blaise’s famed burger-bar Flip. Turn left and make the mile long trek to the interior-Mexican favorite Nuevo Laredo Cantina. NLC's mole rivals any I had in Austin, but sits in a roadhouse, that would be heralded as a shining example of austin-roots-chic were it there. Here, is quietly serves hard hats and truckers mid-day and overflows with swarms of professionals each night.

All of this is mere Minutes away are miles of picturesque neighborhoods hidden behind rolling hills and under white oak canopies and intertwined with beautiful golf courses and three of the top private schools in the state. Thanks to the Atlanta Real estate Market’s crash, prices in these neighborhoods, which to blanket the northern half if the inside-the-perimeter area, are an unbelievable value. They are not all cheap, but Atlanta's hard-hit real-estate market allows for prices that beat rival suburban townhouse prices years ago. But these houses are mere minutes away the West Side Provisions district, and more importantly, Midtown Proper, proudly and unabashedly the heart of the South’s greatest city.

Midtown’s Fabulous Fox theater and the sprawling Piedmont Park are triumphant centerpieces of big-city Southern Living. Though not offering the variety of activities of Austin’s Zilker park, like spring fed pools and disc-golf, Piedmont is better located, more picturesque, offers on-site dining, open air theater, and botanical gardens. The Fox is a world class theater that wows you on movie night and blows you away during a Broadway show. Get dressed up and eat at Master Chef Kevin Smith's Empire State South then walk to the Fox to see a play, then finish with a drink and Ecco and you will have experiences as elegant of a night as this country offers. A dozen other magnificent nights in a dozen other distinctive neighborhoods spring to mind.

If the Fox isn't ‘weird’ enough, or 'real' enough, or edgy enough, try underground dance at MJQ, urban speakeasy at the Sound Table, award world class new rock at the Earle, drive-in theater at the Star-light, Drink-in-movies and independent-films at midtown arts cinema, or the myriad of quirky parks dotting the east side. Not athletic enough? Try biking the epic length, family safe, silver comet trail, or try your hand at the world class in-town mountain biking trails. Not expensive enough? Try the high-end amenities of Lenox and bottomless dining and shopping in Bulkhead. Austin tried to emulate the luxury of the Lenox/Phipps corridor with “the Domain”, and succeeded in imbuing this desolate project with all charm and convenience of an outlet mall. Austin's beautiful South congress district boasts the San Jose Hotel , The Mighty Cone, and Continental club, out-doing Atlanta's Little Five points, with its Star Bar , Variety Playhouse, and Vortex,. But the difference is only a flock of food cars, currently heard rumbling south. Plus, clothing shopping is at least twice as fun in Atlanta, a city that has four magnificent seasons.

On the opposite side of Atlanta the neighborhood of Decatur has a dynamic walking district, complete with amazing restaurants, record stores, coffee shops, a world class singer-songwriter music venue, and a world class farmers market. And all of this is on the public transportation line that gets you to the most effective airport in the country in 30 minutes for around 2 dollars. Contrast that with Austin's airport, where half the flights are to Dallas.

Austin in great. I love it. It is perhaps the best city in the county for a large segment of the population: The young, music-philes, and those without family roots elsewhere, might pick Austin. If you want the best BBQ brisket in the world, or to be surrounded by world class musicians, or to be compelled by peer pressure to live a 'more fit' lifestyle then Austin is for you. Or you could just drive to the much prettier Athens for the weekend. Atlanta is better for all of the most important reasons: It is closer to your friends and family, it has better weather, the cost of living is better, it’s prettier, there is greater diversity, and it is easier to travel to and from. The beaches in Florida are closer, the river and mountain playgrounds of the Blue-ridge mountains are closer, the golfing is better, the restaurants are better, the pizza is better, the schools are better, the seasons are better. Zoos, Museums, Aquariums, SEC football, pulled pork, sec football, SEC FOOTBALL....

The difference is that Austin is almost as good as they think it is, and Atlanta is so much better than we think it is. We should open our eyes, before blindly migrating.

*off the top of my head
Abbaattoir-Northside (blues)-Orsbys (late night bite) - Shower (West Side)
Bookhouse- MJQ(Late Night Dancing) - Majestic (Poncy)
One Midtown-Midtown arts (Art house cinema)- gelato in hightlands (Highland-Midtown)
Cakes and Ale-Eddies Attic (music listening room)-Leon's Full Service (Decatur)
Holman- Fork and Screen- Craft (Buckhead)
Woodfire-Gold Room (night club)- Insurrection- Home (Cheshire Bridge)
Parish - Dad's Garage (improv) - P'cheen/Alberts (late night bar/ ping pong)
Rita's - Baseball game - One Eared Stag (Inman/Southside)
Flying Biscuit - Kickball at piedmont- Pizza Antica (Requires short intermediate car ride but is BYOB!)
picnic - Silver Comet Trail - Canoe (Vinings)
Stats - Football Game - Glen Hotel rooftop bar (Downtown)

not even the pain kicks in, tell me when the pain kicks in

Sean — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:06:00 -0700

How great was Bill Mahar's timing when he asked "weren't we such a better country in the 60's when the rich has a smaller percentage of the wealth", and then ended the show before anyone could collect themselves long enough to respond. I have some questions:

How many seconds after a conservative had asked that question would Bill manage to call him a racist, misogynist reactionary?

I'd have love to played the role of name caller, "So Bill, you think there are now too many women in the workforce taking men's jobs?", but if I had to take the high road I would argue that his statistic is simply irrelevant: There is no pile of wealth that can be distributed, or even considered in such terms.

For instance, Google is relatively new 100 billion dollar company, from which poor was that money taken? Did Google cause all this pverty, or perhaps, is it possible that wealth doesn't conform to Bill's covetous zero-sum world view?

Secondly, the world is a completely different place: For instance, how did the poor in Bill's asinine little pie game stack up to today's poor?

Amenities in the Median Poor Household. We then examined poor households, meaning households with a reported income below the official government poverty income thresholds in 2005. Analysis revealed that poor households had a median household amenity score of 14. This means that half of all poor households had a score at or below 14 and half of households had score at or above 14.

Having determined that the amenity score of the median poor household was 14, we then examined all poor households with that score to determine which amenities appeared most frequently within the median poor group.

The analysis showed that median poor households most frequently had the following 14 items: air conditioning, a clothes washer, a clothes dryer, ceiling fans, and a cordless phone.
For entertainment, these households had two color televisions, cable or satellite TV, a DVD player, and a VCR.
In the kitchen, these poor households had a refrigerator, an oven and stove, a microwave, and a coffee maker.

Now, despite the fact that in general our poor are better off than pretty much any poor ever, anywhere, I'm not disagreeing with Bill. In fact the reason I jumped all over Bill is because I used to ask a similar question in mixed company: "If you were going to be born a black child tomorrow morning, what decade would you want to be born in".   Everyone wanted to tell me that the answer was a no-brainer "Today". Fine, I am not a student of history or civil rights, but I reserve the right, guaranteed by Bill Mahar now standing to my right, to be skeptical without being called a racist.

I will go out of my way to say that the oft repeated republican talking point that 50% of Americans pay no taxes in most likely incorrect: That only refers to Federal Income tax. It doesn't factor in the more regressive Sales tax, or State taxes, or Payrol deductions, which by any fair standard, is just another tax. (If I am wrong, I suspect Ed can tell me how). It seems to me that more defensible point is just how much of this nation's tax revenue is paid by those rich folk (top 1% pay around 40%) . And then ask, how much higher it needs to be, before it's 'fair'.

Now, have I bought enough credibility throwing conservative pundits under the bus, to say that Obama pushing the meme that the S&P downgrade is the fault of the tea-party is is perhaps the biggest whopper ever told in politics? I've always admired how he sticks to his guns, but that's some serious bunk.   The only plan he ever put forward was to increase the debt ceiling and to increase spending by 10 trillion. Exactly opposite of what the S&P wanted, and eighty-some of his own democrats voted against it.   After that he hid far and well behind a nebulous and undocumented 'balanced approach" suggestion, and now groans that he only got to increase spending by 7 trillion.

I was thinking about his use of the term 'Balance'. I hate that word. People used to say 'a balanced diet' as a way to save space on their plate from things that are entirely unhelpful: A scoop of ice-cream and two slices of bread , per meal.   At somepoint, when you are laid up in the hospital on a ventilator, you have to accept that despite what is written on the box, Cocoa-Crispies are not part of a balanced diet.   I am not prepared to say Taxes are the Cocoa- Crispies of solution, they are, more likely, more like candied yams.

In the end I bet no one learns a lesson

Sean — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 09:45:00 -0700

Craig Finn is learning from Townes. This is not remarkable, since , Separation Sunday is pretty much Mr Mudd and Mr Gold, just subbing Sex and Drugs and Religion, for aces and spades.

http://pitchfork.com/news/43421-the-hold-steadys-craig-finn-talks-solo-project/

You'll be tied to the back of a cow But the bones in the ground Well they never make a sound

Sean — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:11:00 -0800

Huddleston and I saw this kid beat a panamanian tank one handed. Check out what he did to this unbeated mexican this weekend.

Did I mention that "Lovely Bones" is the worst movie I have ever seen? Lovely Bones is the worst movie I have ever seen. And frankly, I didn't think the LOR Trilogy was THAT good either. I mean, we're talking about a set of books that made girls like fantasy, the movies wern't gonna suck. But don't let me stray from the point: Jackson found that mythical dimension where he could continue towards perfect failure without edging any closer to 'so bad its good'. Time definitely slowed down on this end.Ugh.

I've got one hand in my pocket

Sean — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 07:52:00 -0800

Once, while I was teaching bootcamp, my colleague whispered to me that the Recruit presenting looked like he had a bunch of Gadgets in his pockets. I whispered back, 'those aren't gadgets', and my Colleague had to leave the room twice before he could keep a straight face.

Reminded me of the time Alex and I got into a pen-cap flipping contest in accounting. He won 62 to 1, and that didn't seem as humorous to the teacher as it did to us.

Now I have Gadget Fever. I want the new iPad, I want the BlackBerry Playbook. The former for the easy home-automation apps, the latter for the possibility of using if instead of my laptop, on the road. My new job allows me to make day-trips, and I am enamored with with the idea of skipping through the airport holding nothing other than my man-purse.

The Blackberry Playbook may also run Android apps, so it should have most of the app bases covered too. But realistically, I expect I will get the iPad first, for home use, and then see if I can get someone with gadget-pants to confirm the the Playbook will run lotus apps. That is perhaps the most horrible ending to a sentence ever, on so, so many levels, but it is none-the-less true.

The City's been dead since you've been gone!!!!

Sean — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:15:00 -0800

I get to witness this awesomeness in 3 nights!

More clips here .

Love that drummer.

The Dog Days are over.

Sean — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:08:00 -0800

Is "please put your smaller carry-on under the seat in front of you" the most ignored statement in the world?

No one offers any 'free if you eat the whole thing' promotions on starchy food" because we are designed to get fat when we eat Carbs, and one way our body accomplishes that is by depressing the hormone that makes us feel satiated.

I'm pretty sure Tallest Man on Earth put out the album of the year. And the Coens put out the best movie.

Did any of you get Rolled by me this week? I know I'm lame for doing it, but it was the perfect trap.

How is that Florence + The Machine album? I was going to buy it, and then started hearing it everywhere... I even heard Dog Days on Glee.

Yeah yeah, I watch glee.

I am engaged.. To Karen.

Saw the Skinny President pics a month ago .... remember what i said about him golfing so much? I hear he gave a good speech at the Safeway service. I feel the whole post-shooting brouhaha was pretty manipulative. Not by him, per se, but definately for him and for that speech.

I think the present owner fixed it up

Sean — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 11:55:00 -0800

Dave just sent me a link the best thing on the internet at the present moment.

I've seen those english dramas too

Sean — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:47:00 -0800

Lileks, Goldberg, Steyn... and Sajak!

That's good radio.

They poke fun at the New york times for their unintentionally hilarious editorial full of stuff like this:

"it is a presumptuous and self-righteous act, suggesting that they alone understand the true meaning of a text that the founders wisely left open to generations of reinterpretation"

Mark Steyn just responded, sarcastically:

"I think in a multicultural society it is offensive that people of many different cultures to read to them the constitution of the country they are living in". He continues brilliantly: "I hope in that spirit the democrats read the European Union Constitution on the floor so then we'll go home till Jan 2013 because they won't have wrapped it up by then"

Heh. There is some funny stuff.

these parties they start lovely but they get druggy and they get ugly

Sean — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 07:38:00 -0800

Park tavern's flirtation with supra-mediocrity has died, not by fire, but by ice. There hjust wasn't enough ice to chill the Sashimi AND the ice rink, but the Crab stick was pretty frozen.   Yes, normal programming has resumed.

Titus Andronicus on the other hand, is good.   (Its got two movements, so stick with it).

And here (UPDATED LINK) is a video of a whole mini-set. Enjoy.   And check out the solo-humor at 4:40.

Would you help me, I'm hungry, I suffer and I starve

Sean — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 06:57:00 -0800

I wrote to a friend who wanted to know what dietary studies had been done in the last 10 years. After I sent it, I wondered if Taubes had his blog up, since he would be able to tackle this better than I. Turns out he just started his blog and his first entry was on the exact same two studies I dug up. His remarks were substantively identical. This is less extraordinary, and incriminating, when you accept just how far up his ass I have crawled. I am quite comfortable here.

Mine:

Here is one such study, done in 2007 at Stanford, comparing Atkins, Ornish, zone, and Traditional

http://nutrition.stanford.edu/documents/AZ_abstract.pdf

this one, funded by the NIH compares low-fat to low-carb.. and the conclusions are similar.

http://www.annals.org/content/153/3/147.abstract?aimhp

This second one frustrates me... Its fine that they controled for behavior -meaning the made people exercise- but they don't measure or mention the effects of that control: Numerous studies have shown that low-fat calorie restricted diets make its adherents miserable, irritable, hungry, and unhealthy. This study demonstrates the unhealthiness of that approach when compared to the low card diet as it pertains to heart health, but ignores the other stuff. The low-fat diet appears to be simply a less effective alternative, but in reality it's not an alternative at all. If they measured well being, muscle loss during the study or the likeliness to adhere to diet after the study, you would see that that any benefits of low-fat approach are illusory.....

Kudos to the NIH for grudgingly admitting that low-card diets are better.... but shame on them for hidingl the bankruptcy of the low-fat diet they themselves have advocated for decades.

His

This is a war we can't win After 10,000 years, it's still us against them

Sean — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 06:51:00 -0800

Second Ten Shots at 30ft.

The moon along the gunnison don't shine

Sean — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 06:55:00 -0800

Ok, so Taubes released a short version of the poorly named Good Calories / Bad Calories. This version, called 'Why we get fat", is great. It even has a chapter devoted to the same topic of my recent screed: How the logical conclusion of the incorrect Calorie Hypothesis is to blame the victim and then smugly pat yourself on the back for not being sick.

You can read on in two hours, and probably should.

I need to go see social Network, now the True Grit is out. From what I hear , Social Network is flawless. From what I saw, True Grit is flawless.

you can sail the seven seas in the Navy

Sean — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 06:56:00 -0800

No more Don't Ask Don't tell. This is a good thing. All the science fiction I have been reading, especially the Malazan Books, have integrated Marine Forces that Kick ass.

I realize, left alone, this post so-far is awesome in it's back handedness, but that's isn't at all what I intend. I am truly pleased with the the repeal, and saddened that the Republicans didn't steal this issue long ago.

My concerns on the issue have always ran towards military effectiveness, and I guess I just don't think that's that big of a concern right now (yet another awesomely dry critique, were that what I intended). I think the 'old-guard' military will remain crusty enough to make sure the 'integration' takes places wisely, and I am sure many leftists whose policy decisions are guided by Fantasy Books and wishful thinking will be suitably tweaked in the coming months and years and the implementation of the policy take place. So all remains good in the world. Assuming the GOP doesn't get the bright idea to make 'repeal the repeal' a mantra. ugh.

Good work Obama.

Anyone looking for a fun read can read the Lies of Locke Lamora. Swashbuckling long-con high-fantasy. go get it.

longest bridge

Sean — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 13:44:00 -0800

Things that were awesome about New Orleans: (in no particular order)
1. Besh;s August Restaurant
2. The Roosevelt Loby
3. Besh's Luke Restaurant (Had a drink with Jordan Prentice at their bar)
4. The Oyster po'boy at Fitsgeralds??(Is that right Karen?)
5. The feel of Arnaud's French 75 bar
6. The bedding at the Roosevelt
7. The Staff at the Roosevelt.
8. Beignets at Cafe du Monde..
9. Bayona restaurant.

Things that sucked
1. Losing my Book Reader (Since e-placed with superior Kindle)
2. The Aviation at the Sazerac bar at the Roosevelt. The bar at Besh's Dominica, also in the hotel, was soooo much better.

But the real reason I am posting is to say that the Brussel Sprouts at Fourth and Swift are a destination item. Damn!

Hmmm some miscellanea:
The food at Blueridge grill ain't too shabby either.

I am still coming to grips with Shaun being out of business.

No meaningful budget cuts yet

Jamaica with Karen next week.

Christmas in Cali. No Kansas this year. Shucks.

Was watching the Movie "Straight Story".. or maybe it's "The Strait Story" or somethings.. anyhow, Grandma would have loved it. Now whenever I watch 'grandma' movies I am gonna feel closer to her.. like when I watch Denver Games, and feel close to Grandpa. I don't know what to do now that I can't netflix it to her.

Dismemberment in Philly. So excited. 'Geeked' I think the expression is. youtube "ice of boston' for a sample.

Is the red or blue INOV shoe crazy a crossfit phenom? They were all over KStar's cert. My aversion to Sneaks+Jeans is stronger than my aversion to jeans+blazer -Chuck Taylor's remain the only exception- but the Inov's are clawing at my imagination.

BTW, Which is more "disorganized". KStar's cert structure, or my shoulder setup? Somebody sort him out.

look where all this talking got us baby!

Sean — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:43:00 -0800

This just in, SotoSoto is really good (especially the Veal Chop)

and

Charles Rangel is a criminal (beyond just being a race baiting charlatan)

Listening to the Black Keys' Brothers. Wanting them to turn it up a notch. Does anyone know if they turn it up a notch in later albums?

Going to New Orleans for thanksgiving. Carousel bar, Iris, Bayona and Cafe du Monde are on the agenda. Anyone have any Recommendations?

Ski Trip has gone nowhere since my last post. Mostly because I have done nothing.

you shock me. that eucharistic beatbox can take some shots

Sean — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 05:44:00 -0800

I, like any fiscal conservative, can quibble with the bipartisan deficit committees findings.. but hot damn is this good news none the less. Across the board cuts... Flattened Income tax rates, less deductions.... wow

This commission has instantly changed the game. All the political trenches regarding third rail politics could be upended. There is an opportunity for positive compromise. (Most compromise is just ensuring that each team gets the same amount of swag at the tax payer funded party.. this COULD be the rare example of both parties ensuring that each team sacrifices fairly).

Yeah yeah, I am way to optimistic. I have no reason to believe this report will change anything and many democrats are already saying things like "WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN!".....

Just let me dream

I think it would be a shame if such big tax reform didn't decimate the IRS (Not literally, that wouldn't nearly be enough), and reduce my tax forms to one page.... I would gladly trade my two mortgage deductions for those two things.

sun comes up it's tuesday morning

Sean — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:54:00 -0800

The New york times reprinted my post about Obama not asking Boehner to Golf.

They also reported this:

Their relationship took root in the early days of the Obama presidency. Mr. Obama agreed to speak to the House Republican caucus a week after taking office, but he bristled when he learned on the way to the Capitol that Mr. Boehner had just came out against his economic stimulus package. “He went up to consult, and arrived and the jury had voted and the verdict had been delivered,” said David Axelrod, the president’s senior adviser.

but not THIS: [courtesy of the weekly standard]

What really happened is this: Obama spoke to the House Republican conference on the morning of January 27, 2009. The night before, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had already introduced the stimulus bill that she and David Obey drafted with no input from Republicans at all. It was a totally partisan bill. Boehner didn’t put out a statement, but what he told Republicans leaked. What he said was that Republicans would oppose this bill, and he said Obama should override it and work with Republicans on a bipartisan stimulus. Republicans weren’t opposing an Obama bill. They were opposing a partisan bill drafted by House Democrats (which Obama embraced soon afterwards).

When Obama spoke to the Republican conference he was given a list of Republican ideas for the stimulus. After that meeting, Eric Cantor put out a statement saying this:

This is the third time we have met with President Obama and we appreciate his openness to Republican solutions. Unfortunately, congressional Democrats have not shown the same willingness for bipartisan compromise—and that is reflected in their bill, which they will force a vote on tomorrow.

Indeed, the House voted the next day—January 28—for a stimulus bill that Republicans had played no part in drafting. All House Republicans voted no.

no more about cadejo now

Sean — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 22:02:00 -0700

January Ski Trip This year? Magic Eight Ball says All signs point to yes.

B-Rad, Patty, Matty and Caroline..... Who else is in?

Email me.

I am somewhat overdosed on Tallest Man On Earth, but I can't not listen to it.

Wild Hunt, Your Going Back and Love is All are just superb. And just when I think that I am projecting my midwestern flatland aspect onto the music, I notice the album cover.... How is he not from Kansas?

I am something like 7000 pages into The Malazan book of the Fallen. Yeah, its a thick book, and very imaginative. I really can't think of any of my friends I could recommend it too.. but I thought I would mention it , to justify the cadejo reference (There are hounds of darkness, Hounds of Shadow, and bear-hounds throughout).

Hmm. This is the first time I have written to back up the song lyric. It always the other way around. I don't feel bad about this.

Been drinking the Laphroid Project, which I first had while playing footsy with Bozman At Bourban and Branch. Yet another chapter in our torid romance. KIM WAS SITTING RIGHT THERE.

I've been making mine with Peat Monster. It's yummy. And today I had a taste of Tequilla Ocho. I'm thinking that an agave sour would be a terriffic waste of this tequilla, but I can't wait to do it. Wow was it good.

If I had to choose a moment in time

Sean — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:41:00 -0700

Well, there 61+ swing and still a vague sense of underperformance by the Republicans.

I know I have been monothematic these days, but I have to continue...

A few moments ago saw the old clip of Bush heralding the first Woman Speaker of the House and you could see that he was glowing. He was genuinely giddy that the country had done what it had done.

Then I saw Diane Sawyer ask that Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, if She 'likes the new speaker', to which she replied: "yes.. I am always respectful"

Bah! I you asked Reagan about Tip Oniel he would tell you a story. You knew they laughed together. You knew the respected each other. You knew they had class.

[That may be a bad example. and I suffer no illusions about politics every being civilized.. but there are plenty of examples of class]

Nowadays you get "We're Cordial".

NRO makes the point the Boehner and Obama are both avid golfers, yet Obama has never invited Boehner to a round*. He should play on Sunday... cause there's no class on Sunday. Heh. I just came up with that.

How is that not the definition of the Presidency? How do you call yourself bipartisan and not make that call? How do you not Congratulate them.

Anyhow.... I was again reminded about how Obama behaves a lot like I think I would. Most recently , his manerisms during his shellacking response. I think "I wish I could have learned the lesson without losing the seats" response, is on the surface self-effacing and respectful of the voice of the people, but really it isn't at all. The passive voice absolves him of responsibilty. By not defining the 'lesson' specifically, he admits nothing. "People think I overreached" is just self promotion disquised as criticism.. why not say "sometimes I try too hard". And damn those repoublicans who give him the Earmarks red herring.

* I think Obama's rabid golfing bespeaks a medical condition. The doctors imposed it. Mark my words. I am not WISHING it, mind you, I just suspect.

I come from downtown Born ready for you Armed with will and determination And grace too

Sean — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:26:00 -0700

Bush's book reportedly takes no Shots at Obama. So his run at history continues unabated: Obama has made more comments about Bush, and other Political Opponents (Republicans, Boehner, Supreme court justices!) and has appealed to specific demographics by name (Latinos, Blacks) more in 2 years than his predecessor did in 10. How then does he make any claim to be bipartisan? ( Granted, Bill's self-promotion cut into his undermine-the-dignity-of-the-office time.)

Unless someone slaps Obama squarely across the face and says 'get a hold of yourself man' he'll break some record for sure. He'll surely outpace Clinton.

Will the impending bloodbath learn him some grace, of will he devolve into Clintonian revisionism? Hmmm.

Why would you lie about something dumb like that

Sean — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:11:00 -0700

Firehouse Lounge has a great little cocktail bar, and in a easy to get to and easy to park in part of Pittsburgh, though maybe ts easy to park everywhere up here. I had some custom cocktails and they were good. The Owner came down and harassed the Bartender for using too good a Gin. I harassed her too until I realized that the owner was serious. Hendricks in a singapore sling? Am I the only one who doesn't care?

Took her recommendation and went to Salt of the Earth this week. Salt is about as ambitious a concept I have seen outside of WhiskeyTown.... Common seating downstairs and reservation only upstairs is a great idea. I hope they are wicked strict about the reservations.

They keep just enough booze to service their custom daily drink menu, unless there are bottles hidden beneath the bar, and I think that's a fine approach... Kitchens don't keep one of everything in reserve, nor should the bar.

They keep adding to dishes, well past what is necessary and what is expected, but don't, in my experience, fall over the edge. They are definitely showing off, but , well, good for them.

For example: the Apple Salad house special: Apples and Roasted Chestnuts and goat cheese , on some oil. But wait: They infuse the oil with horseradish and add micro greens...and there is a cranberry jam on the apples that makes the whole thing remind you of candied apples..... bravo.

Or take their Beef Tartar: Its served with Pumpernickel Crisps and radish......and brie.

Pudding? Sure. After they press it into Now-or-later size squares and serve it with Ice Cream on a cookie 'crumble' that is literally crumbled to dust. You could snort that cookie.   Oh, and there is a citrus foam on top. And the sea salt on the pudding squares was infused with something. And there were cacao nibs on the plate.     Where they showing off?    Let me answer that question with another question: If they were showing off, would the drizzle that they added around the plate have been clear?

(the answer two both is 'probably')

Its was great, and like the apple salad you couldn't really eat it incorrectly, but it was almost a chore getting all the elements into one bite. It all worked great, and I appreciate the complexity. Full stop.

On the downside, one waiter got a bit snippy after I cut him off. I can handle that. I was being presumptuous.

In other news: Karen too me to the Ballet. It was awesome. I love the Ballet. I think I would get bored seeing the same Troupe though. I think I keep translating the Ballet to Science Fiction and that, as you can imagine, causes some confusion. Heh.... I'm just going to leave that thought hanging. I could try to explain but I would spill crazy all over the place.

Been listening to Vampire Weekend.   If I were half the snob some people believe me to be, I would hate these guys. I am still considering hating them, just because it would be more fun. Until then, I have all the catchy songs caught in my head.

just a mortal to the shoutin' cavalcade

Sean — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 08:14:00 -0700

I tore through San Francisco a couple of weeks ago and had a blast. Bourbon and Branch and Rick Shop were the only two new places I visited. Beretta was the most memorable, since their Anejo Sour was so good Rich stopped , at least for a minute, insisting that everything was a put-on.

Hey, look, Mark Steyn is still completely awesome. What an article.

Also, James Lileks has returned to his Joe Ohio Series. This is good for everyone.

The Latest from Tallest Man on earth is very good. Especially when kicking up dust driving around the old farmland in western Kansas. Watch that video and marvel that his is from Denmark, not the midwest.

Other than that I have been listening to Blind Pilot, Scissor Sisters, and Passion Pit.