whiskeyslowdown.com

give praise where praise is due

Sean — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:06:59 -0700

Ok Both Shows were OK.

Neither band is worthy of any hyperbole, except to say that Cymbasl reminds me more Stephen Malkmous than anybody reminds me of anybody. Holy smokes.

Go listen to MeWithOutYou, then right before you call me to tell how much they sound like Neutral Milk, think to yourself, "Cymbals eat guitars sounds more like Pavement".

Do it.

no, do it.

Natural American Spirit Doctorate

Sean — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:34:36 -0800

RIP Corey Haim.

I am Going to See Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Bear in Heaven tomorrow. Reviews will follow.

Wow! Pelosi actually said "We need to pass this bill so you can find out what's in it!" This fire-able offense ranks up there with Clinton's "We could give you your money back, but how do we know you will spend it correctly" in the realm of random outbursts of Socialist honesty.

I have always avoided lazily buying into whatever meme drudge is pushing, but there have been too many signs of insanity lately to not to at least buy in a little to the idea that this crop of liberals is actually as bad as the caricature we'd warned against for decades.

His breach of decorum in the last state of the union, when he called out the judges, was one of the bigger mistakes he has made. Who is this Chicago hack to criticism the Supreme Court, after 40some better men refrained?

I always felt strongly that Obama was a non-entity who didn't contain the experience of backbone to be anything but a Tool in office. I was so appalled by his lack of credentials, and accumulation of anti-credentials, that I couldn't actually fathom him getting elected, but after the election I hoped that he might do some good by virtue of his skin color and speaking ability. That was all the credit I gave him. Sometime early in his first term I started recognizing his style of governance as naive, wishful and completely unsophisticated. How would I know? Because he is making mistakes I could see myself making. He is trying to explain his moves to the crowd instead of playing his opponents.

If that worked, everyone else would do it. Shut up and govern, dumb ass.

His Presidency, most notable for its constant, unrelenting, and filthy demonization of his opponents, remains a shining continuation of the Clinton legacy and a rubuke of W's too: The worst thing the W did was associate, in the minds of America, all his positive traits with failure. In short, W, showed that bi-partisanship and a respect for the office don't pay, and he successor has taken that lesson to heart.

I will say this though: To press ahead on health care.. that's a Balsy move.

Let the hand move its people, and draw us lines from our fiery designs.

Sean — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:01:09 -0800

ok, so I just spent the night at the bar at Woodfire Grill. Of top chef fame. (Before I continue I should admit that I have noticed that I am especially typo prone these days, and the bar and my state ensures that this post is going to be rather fantastic, but here goes). I got home and decided to play some Constantines, since their song Draw us Lines has been in my head all day. And it WAS in my head all day but when I listened to it a few minutes ago I realized I had no fucking idea what the hell it was about. I assumed it was something rock and roll sexy. Ha. I googled it and found this review at pitchfork. Say what you want about pitchfork, it's probably fair, but the interviewer and I share the exact same sentimen:

the Constantines have become an underground rock staple, with guitars that steal the best parts of classic rock, angular indie, and heart-on-sleeve punk coupled with hoarse fire-breathing vocals. Given the tenacity of their music, both live and on record, I figured this band worked menial labor jobs from ages five to 22, stole their instruments, ate glass, and shit earnestness.

The article goes on to express surprise that Draw us lines, and other aspects of the band aren't as Constantinian as we had been led to believe. Now, I don't necessarily feel eco-whateverthissongisabout its anathama to whatever it is these guys represent, but I do feel that they represent something foundational and simple, and now that the explanation of their brilliance, which had already eluded me, is even more complex makes me even more anxious now that I know they aren't as one-note as I previously thought. and loved. (That a rough sentence.. sorry.)

Speaking of redundancy, and eco-spiritualism, I was at Wildfire (not the same place) having happy hour with Yogi Gina, and the waitress kept saying "can I get you anything at the current moment". And I kept shooting myself in the head with an unloaded finger pistol. If that fucking phrase catches on.......

So anyhow. Woodfire grill is exceptionally good. Nothing was challenging though, and that disappointed me. It was like he turned everything into comfort food. That a remarkable feat, but if the restaurant isn't walking distance from me, I don't want it to be JUST comforting. Just one dish that confused me and I would be singing their praises. As it stands, I will sing their praises, but only when asked: Nothing they did turned me into an evangelist.

I howl and I whine I'm after you

Sean — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:38:16 -0800

The invaluable Robb Wolf, whose podcasts a listen to religiously, whose lectures are empowering, and whose website I constantly refer to, and refer other to (one of those uses has to be incorrect), is starting to get annoying with his lazy dismissal of CrossFit. Every compliment is strained and framed, and the digs and dismissals lost their novelty a long time ago. Staring every positive comment with "one of the good things about" or "that's actually one thing that" just doesn't sit well with me. For one, his programming and mainpage programming rarely have the same goal. I think its lazy for him to sneer at the programming without mentioning the goal. Robb is clearly not a lazy dude, which leads me to the second reason it's annoying me: Glassman was supposed to be the petty one with an axe to grind

Robb, if you want to lay out your issues, DO IT. Whatever you are doing now, sucks.

To make up for not providing more examples and possibly misquoting him in the ones I did provide, I am going to go buy some of his paleo meals. I'd pre-order a book if he's let me. Which reminds me, paleokits are available again at www.paleokits.org. Yum.

Your subtle acclamation's true! Best to give praise where praise is due. Every rook and jay in the Corvidae's been raving about me too

Sean — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:25:15 -0800

CFATL's Brandan Mahoney went to San Francisco, started teaching crossfit, and Along with the incomparable k-star, got a bunch on non-runners with little or no long-distance experience to compete in and finish the QuadDipsea ultra-marathon.   Many of them were 200+ pound monsters, who are much stronger than I.

This is awesome. Out of 20 runners, only one didn't finish.   The post run interviews were like "Fun... a bit sore.. only going to do a light workout tomorrow".

What does this say about fetishists who equate fitness with running? Exactly how much are they missing out on? I mean, these Crossfitters went in for a recovery workout the next day that featured lifts and loads well beyond most marathoners..... awesomeness.

Meanwhile, It looks like CFATL secured 5 out of the 6 medals at the sectionals this weekend.   What's impressive to me lately about CFATL is that guys whom I was 'natually' stronger and faster than, all smoke me now. And my times are as good as they ever were. Hard work and smart programming tells.

Also, in the realm of fitness and nutrition awesomeness: Spend an hour listening to the much discusses and never derided (successfully), Gary Taubes, as he destroys all your feeble notions of why people are fat, here: http://www.dhslides.org/mgr/mgr060509f/f.htm

I will add that the paleo Diet is catching on at the office like wildfire. I went up to three different people this weekend and commented on how much weight they had lost, and they cited Diet, not workout. In fact, the only two people I saw who appeared to have gained some fat, had increased their exercise. (and did NOT follow a paleo or otherwise low-carb diet)

And condescend to the earth below and take whichever treat I'd like

Sean — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:41:10 -0800

Thought I might come here and defend hippos, but the irony of heckling them over the internet whilst under the pen name 'anonymous' was surely intentional. Poster might have well added, "Hold me back!" and feigned trying to break free from his friends restraints.

Bad Lieutenant is Awesome. A masterpiece. Wow. What fun.

Also, Archer, that adult Swim Spy Cartoon is freaking hysterical. The first 5 minutes of the the premier was stop-and-replay-each-scene-funny, and the drop off in the next 5 episodes was minimal.

Check it out here: http://www.hulu.com/watch/127971/archer-mole-hunt-aka-pilot

Austin was a blast. I introduces Peche to The Penicillin Cocktail, and the first one, made by Rob was exceptional. Later in the week I ordered two more, made by the line, and i they were not nearly smokey or gingery enough. "More ginger, and in a Collins or Rocks glass" would be my suggestion. I don't know the history of the drink, but I'll give credit to Erik at Drink shop for introducing it to me (if not actually inventing it).

Tried to go out each night, but on the fifth night I failed. I did, on that final night, go to Fino's sister restaurant, Asti, with the boss and was very impressed with the ambiance and pleased with the food, though I didn't experience enough of it to be certain.

On of my trainees tells me the Management at Fino turned their noses at him and his under-dressed college friends, and so he threw a fit last week. I am not sure if I need to write off both restaurants, or just fino, or if I can continue to frequent fino's bar. They have always been nice to me. They should email me here to apologize to Eddie.

Thanks to Matt for introducing me (us) to the following brilliance:

Florida, theres no more perfect place to retire from life

Sean — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:15:13 -0800

There is this guy who runs a blog called the BS Detective. He’s studied nutrition (at Florida) and knows a good bit. Still, he picks easy targets most of time, but brings a lot of science into his posts. it’s nice to know WHY there is no scientific backing to say, a colon cleanse, even though it’s not entirely necessary.   Anyhow, a few weeks ago the guy calls Gary Taubes as an Uber Bullshitter. Taubes is a scientific journalist whose book Good Calories Bad Calories, meticulously outlines how bad science and politics have ‘informed’ everything we ‘know’ about nutrition, and there is nothing in his persona that merits that bit of name calling. That the book ultimately only suggests four hypothesis’s that Taubes feels should be scientifically pursued, should spare it from some wanker’s Photo-shopped name calling.

But whatever, the BS Detective quickly retreated to the narrowest, and strictest reading of his original post, and still manages an epic-fail, coming off shrill (think cartoon version of StarScream) and desperate (think William H Macy in Fargo ).   It’s all unremarkable and I only bring it up now, because he recently went after Dr. Eades on the good Doctor’s own blog. And Dr. Eades, in the comments, has put on a case study on how to treat sophists like the BS Detective.   I encourage you all to go buy Eades' Protein Power Life Plan. It is easily the most recommendable book on Nutrition and its DIRT CHEAP.

While I am here.. hmm… not much new .. I had Veal Hearts and Holeman and it was INCREDIBLE.   Wow. Veal Hearts. My poor over-leveraged soul……

First Ski trip was a success except that no one has paid me for it. Second ski trip is in the works. Email me if you want to come.

Started book 1011 of the Wheel of Time Series.   Whatever the number is, the one after RJ died. It’s good.   As was the previous, if I recall.

I also started StarShip Troupers (Heinlen), after enjoying his “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”.

Kay’s latest comes out in April. It's his celestial novel, as Al would have said.

Finally: BookHouse on Ponce is worth a visit.   Maybe a bookhouse/MJQ night soon. That would be something.    "Get the Pot Pie and bring a cozy group of friends", about sums it up.They have a great beer selection, and a tiki room out back.

While you wait for the others to make it all worthwhile

Sean — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:02:43 -0800

Kia Sorento Vegas daydream, #1
Google's French vacation #2

Saints #1
Colts #2

Cakes and ale... I give a 3. The food was good but the service, everywhere except the bar, was disorganized. If I had to describe the place based on its what little I knew about it before Saturday-- which was what it looked like, and what I has heard from Atlanta Fooduminaries (one of which was at the bar, incognitolike on Saturday)-- I would have said, "bustling hardworking servers, slinging original , forward comfort food, off a small menu, in the kind of place you love to go to before you go somewhere else". So the fact that a full meal at table missed some marks shouldn't concern you too much. That the 'bustling' staff was still chronically late, should.

But on a positive note, Alon's the deli/bakery, out here in Sandy Springs , which I have since learned is an outpost of the original somewhere in the highlands, serves the best soups I have ever had. Yeah, that's saying something. I MAY have had better soups, as one offs from fancy restaurants (Tomato at Jeanty, Carrot Ginger and Scott Howard, and Chestnut and Joel), but Alon's Celery Root, and Alon's Pumpkin-kale were in the same category, and both in one place.. Every few years I look for a good soup kitchen in Atlanta , and wind up and Souper Jenny. No more. Alon's is the place.

--

On a side note, and in one sentence, and one pass: Part of my response to certain people who have called my music collection forced, that that the lack of popular music was somewhat explainable by my reluctance to buy something I was going to hear so muchanyway, was validated yesterday, when I heard that darn Arcade Fire where-the-wild-things-are song 8 million times, which is a lot more times that I have played it myself , since buying it a few weeks ago.

I mold through for all of the element

Sean — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:32:08 -0800

So let’s see, I finally had a solid meal through-and-through at Rathbun’s. Oh, the food, and Service, and Ambiance is always great, but by the time I get through the yaya fries and muscles I’ve usually put the entrée in a compromised position. This time, though, armed with hungry colleagues, I managed to reserve enough appetite such that the Veal Chop and Spaghetti Squash carbonara hit the spot. The meal was still absent anything green or fibrous, but it sure went down well. Oh, and it was on the company.

Also, I went on a 5 day ski vacation to Avon Colorado. We lodged aside arrowhead mountain, skied, played poker , Ra, and Puerto Rico, got massages, hot tubbed, smoked cigars and drank. Same old script, actually.   It was basically spring skiing conditions: Warm and patchy snow coverage.

I think this was the first trip ever where I didn’t end up a better Skier than I was the last trip, but there was a three year gap, and , um, I think my skies were amateurish.   I hesitate to call them that because I am probably not good enough to be better than these ‘performance’ skies, but after skiing the last three trips on long volkl 6-stars, these average size k2 Rangers seemed too… ambivalent. Certainly was harder to maintain Edge Lock on steeps, but one weakness of the mountain is that there really weren’t a lot of long steep groomers to bomb.      I can't blame the music, "Quiet Dog Bite Hard" was in fact the killer ski track I expected it to be.

B-rad, however, was killing it. He doesn’t have Dave’s recklessness and his mere 3 months of crossfit didn’t build enough leg for him to enjoy the moguls, but he was scary adept at getting down the bumps he accidentally found himself on. I mean, anyone can learn to slide down a mountain, be b-rad managed to navigate some gnarly bumps. He’s a natural athlete, and only looked awkward when he was thinking too much.

Little Will found his own legs late the second day and Alex bottomed out on day three due to foot issues. He redeemed himself by winning the last three board games.
I’m thinking about getting a single speed mountain bike.   I asked a colleague and he said no. He said that you have to be a monster to ride one, and that it helps too to be unemployed, since such monstership precludes a job.    This warning, of course, only further set my direction.

they're second cousins to me

Sean — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:50:02 -0800

saw “Up in the Air” last night. I like George Clooney. He does this thing where he makes his romantic leads ‘Simple’. They aren’t all fast talkers, many of them take a few beats to get the jokes, aren’t too cool to laugh when they get it, and are likely to explain it back to prove that they got it. They get momentarily confused not just as a way to make an endearing facial expression (see Hugh Grant) but because they were in fact momentarily confused. Yes, this is an acting decision designed to ultimately make them appealing, same as grant, but it’s an effect that is affected through the character, not the actor (hugh again). Anyhow, I saw the movie and was planning on writing a bit about it this morning, and maybe what I just wrote about George, but then I had a dream last night brought on in part by the movie so I have decided to write about that.

So, last night before I went to sleep I got an email from the company’s heads inviting everyone who was ever a part of the company to come to party, where entertainment would be provided by a musician I recently wrote about. The president of the company, I may have already noted, is pals (and was pals) with many of the singers I idolize. I think that email, combined with the movie, which features a man who travels a lot, led me to this dream. I write this seems less of clear of a proposition.

Maybe if I describe the dream, it will make more sense to you and me. Basically I was invited to a ‘jam session’ in a cozy warehouse (the build oxymorons) filled with old curios and ephemera. As the Musician/friends sat around a table they would write songs on a list, and then take turns playing/singing the songs that they wrote. I am a compulsive doodler during meetings, a fact I had recently made light of at work, and one that explains why while everyone was writing songs they were going to perform, I, who was only there to observe, was caught scribbling the line “Living on the road my friend”. (It’s funny thing how writing never actually is legible in a dream, but my doodle almost was. It wasn’t, but almost). They guy sitting next to me read my line out loud, finishing it, and then wrote the song on the list , for me to sing. Of course when it got to me, I was nervous and though I got to the cusp of actually singing, which felt quite like getting ready to jump out of an airplane, I ultimately did not sing, instead explaining the people at the table that it my shame that I never have learned to sing or play, especially since the songs I would love to play are all so simple, and easily sung. I cited Townes and John Prine. For some reason this admission was very emotional, and the people at the table were emotional too, treating it as if I had shared some deep and personal secret to a support group.

Ok, so that’s the dream. Writing about it, I think revealed that it has very little to do with the movie, except perhaps the line I scribbled down, though I may have scribbled it anyway, since it’s one of my favorites. No, I think the dream was probably brought on by the email, which reminded me that Office in Austin was a tight community of like minded individuals, that I hate to see dissolved. No one at the table was familiar though, which was interesting.

But the movie was good, and relevant in some other ways . It was overloaded with short meaningful moments, but saves itself from heavy handedness somehow. The ‘twist’ was very real. At least in my experience. Though to be clear here, I have never experienced anything similar to that myself, since Orlando circa 1999, a fact that only occurred to me a split second before I wrote it, three seconds ago.

we know it's just a lie, scare your son, scare your daughter

Sean — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:35:10 -0800

Alex got me to pay an iota attending to this Massachusetts race, and I found myself clicking on sites I haven't visited in years: Drudge, National Review, and Lileks. The last was, of course, the most fun. What a stud

Friday night I watched “GI Joe: Rise of the Franchise,” because I’d put it in my Netflix Q one day after I had been huffing a sack of Testor’s glue. It’s hard to criticize a movie for being silly and unrealistic when the phrase “In Association with Hasbro” appears in the opening credits; it’s like being disappointed by the intercessional depth of “Hula: Hoop Force Nine” when the credits state it’s produced by Wham-O. I’ll say this: better than Transformers. If movies like this had been around when I was 14 I don’t think I would have left the theater without seeing it four times.

He seems to be back in bleating form.

The Brown race has breathed life into my political heart, much like the Knowshon draft lured me into watching this Season's Broncos' collapse. Lets hope this story breaks better.

I was thinking today that I should mention that Lucky was put down last year. That dog was amazing. Super obedient without any training. Loved attention but would not press this issue past one brushoff. Would, if allowed, start with her chin, then a paw, then three more, and before you knew it she was curled up in your lap and happy as a clam. She was athletic too: It was only the older Coco's superior route running that ever netted her a catch over the upstart Lucky.

Well, not that I bring up Coco, I should mention that Coco was a better pure frisbee dog. You could trick her and she had great ups. Ok, so they were both great dogs.

What else... I had something else.... Something runs through the music of The Arcade Fire such that only their undeniably great songs really do it for me, the rest is too.... something. Like an exotic sportscar that is too exotic.   I am tempted to say that they are too themed, but that would make me inconsistant. Can't have that.

And as I found myself nitpicking yet another obviously talented band, I realized I need to reaffirm that all this music is great.   I think a very mild ear issue has left me irritable these last two months. I'm gonna get it checked out.

Who was that guy who had a railroad nail through his head and it changed his personality. Gage, I think it was. I think I have a mild case of that. 'Cept it's probably ear wax, not a railroad pin.....

Yum.

We love to talk on things we don’t know about

Sean — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:35:14 -0800

The Avett Brothers are the Norah Jones of No Depression. And although that surely isn't a pure compliment, I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Norah and quite a lot of good things to say. I have only listened to the Brothers' CD twice, so I am going to withhold any specific comments. I do think its safe to say that there are some very good songs on the album.

CNN guy speaking of Bush said , "Until now Bush has been laying low..." Isn't that what ex-presidents are supposed to do? nevermind tht Obama names checks Bush whenever things don't go his way.     Clinton is completely responsible for this sullying of the presidency. He was a whore in so so many ways. Do I obsess? Well, no, I don't think of that man much at all, but is it wrong to be upset about stuff like this? I'll point out one more time, Bush never blames anybody, never called out the other side of the isle, nothing. I love him for it.

Saw Asylum Street Spankers again last night. The first was at Galaxy something something in the mission many years ago. They left me cold then and now. Talented but clever. Like watching an improv comedy troup repeating their best scenes. Actually, that's my problem with clever music in general. Rare are the acts who are so gifted at storytelling that you wnt to hear the same joke over and over.. I could listen to John Prine for days.. Ok, but I am confusing jokes and stories with something else.      the latter being the problem.

Two examples: James McMurty works Churchill's famous quip about being sober in the morning, whilst you'll still be ugly, into a song and I am sick of the joke before he finishes the first line. Old Joke, and he takes to long to tell it. Especially since James spends way to print setting up one line with the other.    Later though, in the standout track, one of his characters speaks of his second cousins .. oh well. I can't actually write about it on a blog, but it's brilliantly done.

Prine telling the story about a Happy enchilada is an object lesson in story telling.

I really have no point this morning.

Bar is well stocked again; I bought some more Applejack, bluecoat Gin, Creme de violette, lemon and orange bitters, and some rye whiskey. Oh, and some very expensive sheets and a Display Model Iron for 75% off. That last one was a great deal. It's exactly like the regular model except it doesn't heat up.

WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING.......still...   a great deal.

be my sweet potato

Sean — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:04:38 -0800

I discovered a few new places this week.

Petite Maison is a little french restaurant just south of Abernathy on roswell Road. The staff is all French, the menu is diverse, the salad was terriffic.. Small little bar... what can I say?

Also, and more typical for me, is the great little TopFlr, just off Ponce. This place's drink menu features a ton of house cocktails all named after classic country music stars and songs. They have a drink called Poncho and Lefty, for instance. Don't get confused by the Countryfried drink names though, the place is very modern inside, and perhaps a little...i don't know.. DIY?
Ironically I didn't check upstairs (not checking uostairs at a place called topFlr is irony in my book), so maybe there is something country up there.     Moreover the bartender lady seemed very knowledgeable.   Great liquor selection, lots of fresh ingredients. I'm stoked that there is something in my neighborhood I can get behind.

The owner and the Host were both fun to talk to.Maybe because they are hi-falutn bigots.   I thought the host's had a professional demeanor was a bit on airs, but I dug it. I thought he was very effective and personable. If you like your service cloying, then don't go there. Don't go to Petite Maison either, actually: There is no pretension THERE, but they aren't going to baby you either.

Speaking of cloying, it turns out TopFlr is following Ecco's lead , making house shots of Strega instead of GrandMa or Fernet.   Ffile that under usless knowledge about small trend in subculture.

It's hard to break new ground on comfort food but their Sweet Potato Sucatash pretty much rules.      Cubed Sweet Potato, Pancetta, and some sort of corn based cream sauce..... wow. Bravo guys.


Oh. hey. Last night I think I invented my first Cocktail. I'm either calling it "Let the right one in", "Write One In", or "Right One In".   I need to tidy up one or two things about it, but I am very pleased with it.    Its a cold weather drink, of course. I'll post it here soon, and be famous shortly after.

Just finished watching MOON, staring Sam Rockwell. Sam Rockwell is awesome.   I want him to star in a movie where he and Ed Norton out connive each other.

Also, and finally, the Pisco Sour at Pura vida is the best I have ever had. Their house made bitter really tie the drink together.

Shit, one more thing. Lebowski as a shakespearian Play.. JUST WHEN I THOUGHT THE INTERNET WAS FINALLY LOSING STEAM, IT TURNS AROUND AND COMPLETELY REDEEMS ITSELF.

the money quote:

This befalleth when thou firk’st a stranger ‘twixt the buttocks, Laurence! Understand’st thou? Dost thou attend me? Seest thou what happens, Laurence? Seest thou what happens, Laurence? Seest thou what happens, Laurence, when thou firk’st a stranger ‘twixt the buttocks?!
[Enter CLOWN]

This be what befalleth, Laurence! This be what befalleth, Laurence!

What the World needs now is a new kind of tension, because the old one just bores me to death

Sean — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:48:04 -0800

I have resumed BattleStar Galactica, after two false starts on the fourth Season. Given that I had no such problems reading the stillborn Sword OF Truth Series which required a great deal more investment, that I was having such a hard time resuming the FINAL SEASON of a tv show seems damning, but it's something less, I assure you.

Yes, I have little good to say about the show, and feel that people who do are studiously obtuse: They are suffering the same problem as a geek who occasionally receives the attention of the cute girl who is really using him for answers to the math homework.

The attention is nice, but the relationship is pretty one sided.

It's the same kind of tension over and over again. Are you A cylon or arn't you. Should I obey the law or my conscious. If it isn't one it's the other. If it isn't Tango, its Cash. Oh, there is the meta conflict, about finding earth or surviving the cyclons, or whatever, but without any longstanding character development arch I really don't care.

So yeah, it has its weaknesses but....

I don't know what the "but" is. At least its Sci-fi?

Compared to New York Sweeden is a Scary place

Sean — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:23:36 -0800

And while I am 'catching up' I should also add that in addition to people listining to my dietary advice,
everyone is reading SOIAF now. Weird.

I watched two good movies this weekend. In Bruges, and Let the Right one in.

"Let the right one in" is an afterschool special on Lonliness, abuse and eating disorders.
"In Bruges" is hard to describe so snarkily, and I am not up for a serious description.
Think Snatch (Violence) and Lost in Translation (travelogue) plus a healthy dose of
that one movie where an elder hitman saves the soul of the younger one.

Well , that's not exactly right, but I didn't know anything about either of them before I watched them and you shouldn't either. They are both good but not for the squeemish.

I flew around the little room once

Sean — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:50:26 -0800

and don't even try to act like Dogs Eye View isn't a number band.

So I figure I missed some stuff on my recap for the last four months:

I so saw the broncos collapse coming.

For some reason people started listening to me about nutrition, and having great results. Don't know what changed.     Basically, we arn't supposed to eat Grains. Our bodies are not designed to eat them. Are bodies are designed to get fat when we eat sugar, so don't eat any carbs except the low sugar low starch ones and you will not gain weight. The whole notion that Dietary Fat causes Body Fat is on par with "Sleeping through my alarm" (Scroll down a few posts for that reference). Every time you say something like "at least the dressinig is low fat" imagine yourself saying "I don't eat white things because I am trying to tan" or "At least it carcinogenic" or "At least the the game was in jacksonville".

And finally, exercise has so very little to do with it. I'm talking 5% . Maybe. And it's maybe 5% in the direction you don't want to go (Clinicians back before the low-fat hypothesis started killing people recorded this fact time and time again. Ever heard the expression "Working up an appetite"?).   Exercise to get fit. Eat right to control your weight.

That's it folks.

Lets see, I am sitting in "yoga chair" (google: rocking balans kneeling chair), eating filet mignon roast, with a small walnut spinach cranbeery asparagus salad and a sweet potato (trying to gain weight over here). When I am done I will probably drink some coconut milk for some extra fat and have some fish oil to balance out the o6 in the roast. Fairly typical meal.

OH so, I was going to have to forfeit 500 dollars that I too well squirreled away in an FSA account, so instead I wen to a general practitioner for a checkup, and hopefully a note telling the FSA bean counters that I needed the fish oil for medical reasons. . He turned out to be out, and so became a She. An attractive She. Still, I declined the prostate exam, but insisted on the cough test. As I remembered it (paraclete 1989) an older guy sticks his hand down your pants (Catholic School). Now days, SHE sits in a low stool right in front of youand you drop your pants and underwear off. Fondling ensues.

Anyhow, all the tests came back very negative except high albumin <sp?> which I am attributing to the 3 eggs I was averaging per day in the preceding weeks (I have since reduced to 1 on average, in anticipation of a retest.   High Albumin, due to Eggs, isn't bad if your sure its from the diet and not the liver failure. Well, that's me talking, not the Doc). I also had high bilurubin <sp?> which is common amongst crossfitters.    Both levels were exactly on the cusp, so I don't think I am being obtuse here.. I'll get tested again early summer once my diet cleans up (no more sweet potatoes and slightly less booze)

ok , that's it.

Taking a little Anusara Yoga now an then. Learning a lot there.

Tara is engaged.

i'm out of stuff to talk about

no, it wern't supernatural

Sean — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:09:47 -0800

Well, he was damn near supernatural.   Vic Chesnutt passed away. I've had it up to pretty high with musicians killing themselves, but with Vic at least you got the sense he was doing his best. This was no cry for help. Dude was sad, and in debt.

Thing is, he was friggen incredible. I was hard on myself for nit picking Mcmurty, but there are numerous guys who put a higher bar on the quality of their work, and Vic's was the highest. Even the drunken "DRUNK!"s on Drunk were   purposeful. I suspect. Damn his songs were so good every one who covered one of his songs sounded great (See sweet relief II). Even my boy townes can't claim that. Vic had number-bands sounding insightful.

Here is a dashed off playlist you have to listen to. It is no way definitive. In fact, it draws from far less than half of his catalog.

Supernatural
When I Ran Off And Left Her
Dodge
Naughty Fatalist
Kick My Ass
Onion Soup
Guilty by Association
Bug
Florida    (And he hates florida too!)
Stupid Preoccupations
Panic Pure
West Of Rome
Flirted With You All My Life
Giant Sands
See You Around

So yeah. Go buy those tracks online somewhere and feast.

If I don't recieve emails about his awesome enunciation, I know you haven't obeyed me. And I'll jsut say, as 'onion soup' just started plkaying over here, that a lot of his songs are uplifing in their own way, and I am not just talking about the turnyourself inside out and so low that everything else is an improvement... no, sometimes he just nails quiet optimism. Well, I won't call it optimism....

See you around Vic.

nothng but levelland

Sean — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:28:22 -0800

I spent Saturday and Sunday driving across the country in my new 08 mercury Mariner. In anticipation of the drive I bought 10 new Cds, 9 of which belonged to bands I had never heard. I listened to Each CD exactly twice. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I picked 7 of these CD's by reading Piutchfork's top 50 for 2009. This year I had only discovered 1 of the 50 on 'my own', I preserving my indy credentials by a thread.

TV on the Radio. Dear Science.
This is the one CD by an artist I was familiar with, and it is clearly their best work. A perfect synthesis of the immediacy of Desperate Youth and the challenge of Cookie Mountain. This is the must have CD of the three for anyone with a modicum of patience (It won't take much, but some people with short attention spans may need a heady dose of Staring at the Sun, off their First CD before plunging into this)

the XX, eponymous
Not having the perfect sound system, and also due to the call and response duet format in a lot of the songs I questioned this bands depths after the first listen. Oh, I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed it even more the second time around, but I was feeling a little guilty.    It's something like that Jesus and Mary Chain song that featuring Mazzy Star. Rememebr that song? Come on, I think it was called. It was good right? This is like that but with sultry beats throughout. I listen to this last night on my stereo and I can't imagine someone not liking this. Compared to almost everything else I bought for the trip its very simple and light, but that's everyone else's problem, not theirs.

Animal Collective. Merriweather Post Pavillion.
If it weren't pitchfork's album of the year I'd call it Shins on Avery Island and move on. Oh, I'd keep listening to it, when noone was looking, in hopes all the flourish and layers might crystallize into something more triumphant, because as it stands now, it's giving me very little to get behind. (And you thought Shins + Nuetral milk = good review?   I should clarify that I was referring to the bad parts of that band and that album). We'll see, it's probably a great album and this time next year I'll proclaim it the new OK Computer.

Grizzly Bear. Veckatimest.
Like Animal Collective, this guys are a bit too precious. They are slightly more linear, especially when they get all pastoral, like on the opening track Southern Point. And were my last four years only ventures into indy music not Fleet Foxes, Midlake, and Tallest Man on Earth, I'd be more impressed with that song. Still, I'm looking at Grizzly Bear as the gateway band for Animal Collective, although I am convinced yet by neither.    Somewhere between Nashville and Chattanooga I worked on an analogy of using one beer bottle to open another but I couldn't make it work... you try

Mos Def. ecstatic.
His Quiet Dog bite Hard is my official theme song for this ski season. It was the song of the drive. I don't listen to a lot of rap, so I can't relate this album to much... Slick Rick makes an appearance, which was cool. Most rap albums seem uneven to me, and this is no exception, but I find Mighty Mos compelling.

Pains of Being Pure of Heart. Eponymous
You can taste the early nineties pop wafting off of the New Yorkers.... Once I tuned the stereo to balance out the washed out tinny production on my CD (It could be my ipod connection) I started to appreciate that these guys sounded like bands I knew, but whose names I probably never learned. It's melodic pop...circa My Bloody valentine? Yeah, you knew of them, but who can say what they sang? Given the only vague familiarity I have with the source material (Ride?), these guys are are going to have lots of aural room to manuever. I need to listen to it with headphones though.

Anthony and the Johnsons. The Crying Light.
The perfect album for environmentalists who like Buckley's Lilac Wine and his Edith Piaf impressions. That's not fair though, because as quick as I am to flush an artist for purveying cheap environmental sentiment, these guys arn't cheap in any way. (The score now is 2.5 to 345,342 with bright eyes and cowboy junkies providing the other 1.5 points)). So yeah, it's chamber pop. A guy in a gayed out falsetto singing over a spare orchestra about the enviroment. And you like it. I did, anyhow, by the second listen. Well, it's good, else can I say. I wish it wern't?

James Mcmutry. Life at the Aught/
I spent the 8 hours between listens coming up with a bunch of mean things to say about this album. And then I realized I was doing what Rich always does with bands not Named Dave Mathews: making stoopid comparrisons against my idol. So yeah, lyrically, he's not townes. He's not John Prine or Guy Clark, or Mike West either. That second list makes for better comparisons anyway since they all rely heavily on humor, as does James. But James actually sounds more like Alejandro Escavedo, in that the music is at least as important as the lyrics as the mood, and it's made for the bar crowd. And I'll go ahead and say that musically, this guy is more consistent than all those others. The band kicks ass, and I wish I was at the show.    but yeah, he gets too complacent with the lyrics on some songs.... I had to say it.

Phoenix. WolfGang Amadeus Phoenix
Easily the most accessible of the bunch,save maybe The xx. I found myself clapping along, or thumping parts of the car on even the first listen. They're French, but what are you going to do. It's pop, it's catchy, its got a lot going on. If the drive were a contest, these guys won it.

Yo-Yo Mah; Unaccompanied Bach Concertos
I dont' think I am in love with unaccompanied cello concertos, period.   The guys is good, and I listened to his christmas album, and that little bit of familiarity was all it took to make me enjoy that album. But this album, in my situation, was suboptimal. I'll need to listen to it a few more times, in the background hopefully, befoe I can find something to latch on to.

Hey! Yeah! Everybody wakeup come and dance with me!

Sean — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:44:10 -0800

Not only hav e i not been writing here much, I haven't been writing at all.. Except for the odd email to some of my company's new hires:

You are not the first bootcamper to cite alarm clock issues since arriving on their projects.

There was absolutely no harm done by you coming in forty-five minutes later than usual this morning since you still beat the client in,   so dont take any of the following personally, but just for the record (and to be perfectly clear) The "Alarm Clock malfunction" excuse, and all of it's permutations ( "Wake up call didn't come", "Slept through my alarm") carry absolutely no weight in the real world.

There is no excuse for over-sleeping during the work week. What I mean by 'No Excuse' is that not only shouldn't it happen, the whole idea of it should be scratched from existence. Serengeti plainsmen have no word for Snow, and adults should have no word for 'overslept'. I am not being fanciful here, I submit that our parent's never never considered Getting Out of Bed On Time a herculean task, much less considered proffering it as an excuse.   No,   sleeping too late shouldn't even be an option. I repeat, so that it sinks in, SLEEPING TOO LATE SHOULDN'T BE AN OPTION.   I am tempted to suggest that you make it a point of pride that no matter how drunk, or how little sleep you got, you are going to wake up and get to work on time and in the right frame of mind, but I am reluctant to encourage pride in something YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.

I don't know what went wrong in the last thirty-some years where even the PHRASE 'sleeping through an alarm' has entered the lexicon, much less the act itself, but my hope here to impress upon you that the phrase should be rendered NONSENSE on par with "French Resistance" and "Honey, it's alright if we miss kick-off lets pull over and help those fat chick's fix their flat tire".

I do recognize that the phenomena, however alien to me, does exists, and I can appreciate the difficulty in putting the cat back in the bag, but I encourage you to do so.

Here are some tips that might help.

1. Redundant Alarms DO NOT WORK. I believe they cause more harm than good because they introduce the idea that the Alarm might be optional.

2. Get more Sleep. Seriously, the 6 or 7 hour of sleep standard that has become the norm is a travesty. Get your 8 hours (or more!). The theoretical-goal is that you should wake up naturally without an alarm, and amongst people who consider health and performance sacrosant, this goal is practical and pragmatic.*

3. In general its better to start your work day before the client so if something happens, like traffic, or car issues, or whatever, you have time to recover.

4. If you wake and realize that you are going to be late for something, immediately call or email ahead so your lameness doesn't affect others.

5. If you do "oversleep"   you are better off just offering a brief and sincere "Sorry I am late" and withholding your excuse until you you have a private moment where you can own up to your shameful wussiness.   I mean c'mon, you wouldn't apologize for missing a conference call with "I was about to break the high-score on Ms. Pacman so I decided to finish the game instead" , so don't try "I didn't hear my alarm". You're a grown man. Grown men have been getting to work on time since there was work to get to.

It's what we do.

*Having won the debate about carbohydrates, and currently winning the debate about the relative innefectiveness of exercise as a way of managing body composition, I have turned to my eye towards sleep, and a major pilar of health , longevity, and fitness. More to come on this in later posts I am sure.

White sheets blowing in the wind

Sean — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:39:43 -0800

There is no way to recap the last 4 months without spending all day writing, so this has to done dirty…

Not Drinking that much, last post aside, but the following drinks sit atop the stack: The Sazerac, Old Fashioned, Aviation, Last Word, A Perfect martini with Bluecoat gin and orange and grapefruit bitters.

The Camaro was stolen. Its ok though because two guys in my building watched it happened, even exchanged pleasantries with the thieves. They told me as much. I told them they were heroes for doing that much. Someone else called security, be security can’t be bothered to check all 3 floors of the parking deck.   We caught the thieves own license plate number on camera, but even that doesn’t constitute an actionable lead to the Atlanta Police Department.   I mean, even if there was some way to magically track down the address of a car (hah, the thought makes me laugh it’s so absurd) what’s to keep the guy from saying, “ I didn’t do It” and foiling the prosecution. Did I mention we caught the thieves on video too?   The Sergeant who called me a couple of weeks after the event was clearly just shuffling papers: When I asked him about these leads he got very defensive, asked me how I knew about them, and then accused me of trying to tell him how to do his job. He clearly had not read anything about my case, had no idea that the car was a classic (for instance).

I spent the summer in Austin teaching 10 New Hires how to be consultants. It was tough but I learned a lot and decided I would do it one more time, next summer. In fact I was thinking about moving to Austin. Have been, this whole time, though the cost of selling my condo scared me off somewhat. This week Big Blue bought my company so I don’t know what the future holds now.

Oh well, I have my insurance check. I come out about seven grand light in the whole affair.

The Cabin is done, and is awesome. I haven’t been in months though. My Client is in town, and that, paradoxically makes it harder for me to get up north (I have to work Fridays).

About not driking too much: I did Gluten Free, high omega three paleo-diet for two weeks, but just sacrificed on the alter of holiday convenience.   I will get back on it as soon as I get back from Kansas next week. Can’t say I noticed any benefit:    Less acne I think. Maybe less knee pain, but I that was about to go away anyway. The downside is I cut myself shaving yesterday and nearly bled out.

Oh, I am hovering around 200 pounds, which was damn hard to accomplish while eating strict paleo. Milk is the key there though it is a violation of the theme.

The only new drinking spot on my list is Leon’s Full Service in Decatur. It’s pretty sweet. They serve “bacon in a glass”. Drove the other guy out of business. There is a ‘speakeasy’ style place called Prohibition over by Easy Andrews, that just didn’t do it for me. Too well lit and trying too hard. And I usually am very forgiving about trying too hard… I had to listen to two spiels about classic cocktails and how what I want might not be on the menu, for instance. I should have been afforded a chance to bypass that cocktail safety lecture.

I am most looking forward to Cakes and Ale, which is also in Decatur.

I should mention Drink Shop too, which is my local dive. Eric, the head bartender, is good barman.

I haven’t had a car for a while, but have made due with Marta. If I can get to Trader Joes with 300 dollars I can last 3 to 4 weeks. The freezer stores more than Ice and Ice cream it turns out.

No new music. Lots of recommendations… hmm, I am going to download something right now…. I know I missed some stuff, so I will be back soon to revise and extend.

Oh yeah, everyone had a kid or got pregnant: Alex, Rich, Trent, Andy, Dave.    A big collective congratulations!     NExt post I'll reveal whose child is the best looking.

Poison deadly moving it slow

Sean — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 07:23:43 -0800

From: AndyG
To: Sean
Sent: Sun, December 20, 2009 9:25:14 AMI
Subject: scorpion sting

I found this drink on the internet and made it last night. Thought you might enjoy it.

Scorpion Sting
1/3 oz Whiskey
1/3 oz Pernod
1 oz Maraschino Liqueur
Stir all ingredients with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

I ended up throwing in a couple dashes of ango, I used herbsaint even though I have pernod, and I went a little heavier on the whiskey (old overholt). Turned out nice.

Andy

I've played with variants of this.. or rather, I think I have tried the drinks that this is a variant of: The Diamondback and the Brooklyn. and the fancy free.. off the top of my head... let me go check.

Diamondback

1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey (Rittenhouse bonded strongly recommended)
3/4 ounce applejack (Laird’s bonded apple brandy strongly recommended)
3/4 ounce Chartreuse (yellow works, but green works better)*

Nope, I was wrong about the diamond back, its way different.

THE BROOKLYN

1 1/2 oz rye or bourbon (4.5 cl, 3/8 gills)

1/2 oz dry vermouth (1.5 cl, 1/8 gills)

1/4 oz Amer Picon (6 dashes, 1/16 gills)

1/4 oz maraschino liqueur (6 dashes, 1/16 gills)

yeah.. I was closer on this one

the Fancy Free

2 ounces Bourbon whisky (I prefer Maker's Mark)

1/2 ounce Maraschino liqueur (I use Luxardo)

1 - 2 dashes Angostura bitters

1 - 2 dashes orange bitters

Ok I was pretty close here... too.

I give myself a B.

hmmm. this smells like a whiskeytown post

the sun also sets

Sean — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:00:18 -0700

Broke up with Corrie, and spent the last 6 weeks or so in Austin. I probably will be back in Atlanta in 6 weeks, working local company for 6 months, maybe with a new-hire in tow. There are some other, terrorizing possibilities out there. Things have calmed down, but I put in ~80 a week for 4 weeks.

And all I want for breakfast is my good cocaine

Sean — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:02:56 -0700

I ended up getting a half-caf cappuccino shorty after posting yesterday and my headache went away in 3o minutes.

I know I have always been caffeine sensitive, but only in that it would push my usual sleep time back an hour if I drank it in the afternoon. However, these withdrawal headaches probably came to be because not only had I been drinking two strong cups every day for the last couple of weeks, but also there were a couple of days where I had three. On those days I knew I had drank too much.   I think I'll probably revert back to 'only on the weekends' for a while, and then gently up the dose to a 8 ounces a day once I hit Austin. I ought to find a good decaf, since most of the time its the delicious bitterness I want, not the pep.But i have been chasing drip perfection for so long, I can't stand compromise. Then again, I am half set on using Austin to get into the mythical BSOML (Best Shape of oh nevermind), so maybe I will ditch the caffeine and go full-on zone. Who knows.

Congratulations are in order to Trent and Patsy, for having a beautiful baby Girl. I need to heed my own admonishments, and spend more time with friends like these.
Speaking of Trent and Being busy:   Work has me teaching a Bookcamp, and as I was preparing I got to thinking about great consultants. And though I suspect he has weaknesses, I have never found Trent's.

Also, congratulations to Mike G for qualifying for the crossfit games after all (insert Backdoor joke here, or the go-to "sliding into cougar's spot" quote).
The combination of events looked particularly grueling.

My own training is dogedly surviving new york: Last week I Pulled 475lbs 5 times and could have done more, except I was playing around with this new concept called responsibility. Today I pulled 450 once, quite easily, and 475 once uglywise, because I responsibility is for grumps (If you can't lift the horsepower of your muscle-car, you have too much car, trent).   The Cabin has a Medicine ball, jump rope and Olympic rings, so last weekend I did 5 rounds of 20 doublunders, wallballs, ring-pullups, and pushups (19:55).

Of course, after deadlifts I can never fall asleep, so I am dog food today (That's right, I blamed the Deadlifts, not the Sazerac (did I mention that) or the Cappuchino. Internal consistancy is for poofs)

o.v.e.r.d.o.s.e.

Sean — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:35:29 -0700

New York Part two:

At the Macao Trading Company, after having just sat down and ordered a drink I checked the bartender as he turned to make my negroni, and began explaining the modifications needed to make a “Charlotte’s Negroni”. Mid instruction he started to get distracted by happenings to my right. I turned to see what could be so important, and saw that the woman next to me was oscillating between speechless and gesticulation. Though improbable, I quickly guessed that she must be Charlotte (or at least a close friend).   Eventually she overcame her fear of sounding pompous and confirmed that she was the inventor of the drink I had just ordered.

That’s a fairly remarkable coincidence.

Shortly after this, another Brand Ambassador, this one from the competing Pernod and Rickard line, sent over a Plymouth and Tonic.
Apparently there were many Cocktail related events in town that week and the party was moving on to Milk and Honey. But before they left we spoke briefly about some of my favorite barmen: Rob, Borys, Big Bearded Dude at Berretta, Greg and Nick in Atlanta.

The Food at Macao is Adventurous and tasty. The Bartenders are very friendly. Definitely my go-to bar this trip.

That was the end of that week. The next week began with a ran up the west side of the island, a long walk back, which included some street basketball (spectator) and more Grey’s papaya. I had a late sandwich one night , and Bar Artisinal at the hotel another, and Macao Trading on the last.

This week I have eaten at Les Halles, which is fine I guess, and probably more than that for locals.   Not what I was in the mood for, but I didn’t know what else I would find in the area, and wasn’t in to mood to roam on a long Monday.

My hotel is on Wall Street, which (I think) is going to make exploring harder. I doubt I have the will for it.   I have had a very minor headache since Sunday.

All weekend Corrie and I were up at the cabin gardening or otherwise outfitting the place. Somehow along the way we went through a fifth of Bonded Rittenhouse.   Her’s with Ginger ale, mine with Cinzano Sweet Vermouth and Angostura orange bitters(Also there were 3 60minute Ales, and a glass of muscadine wine).    Of course, I am both fortunate enough to never get hangovers (and stupid enough to brag about it), but I have had a headache since Sunday.   I also had the slight bit of a chill that evening, so this could be some sort of virus, but I suspect it is Caffeine Withdrawals. Cool.

I have been drinking more coffee more consistently since I got to New York, and Sunday was my first day without it. I am currently deliberating between having a cup now just to see if the headache goes away (and if so getting a workout in) or riding it out the rest of the way (which may result it aggravating it further this evening if I try to train).

I do feel that this, my first case of withdrawal, makes me more legit (keeping it real yo), but having finished season two of Breaking bad, I shouldn’t make light of stuff like that.

Breaking Bad, Season 2 was harsh and excellent. Corrie and I also watched Doubt and Seven Pounds. Both movies were better than the swill we normally watch. Doubt was near perfect, but I have such a short fuse when it comes to Catholicism as it is portrayed in movies that I could hardly relax. Seven Pounds was thinky, and antiusual. Will Smith was perfect in it, but I think he was a miscast none the less: It was way too distracting watching him play that character. I felt that the musical score was heavy handed too. I actually have a lot of quibbles with the artsy-fartsy direction but ultimately the story, as it was written, was always going to be difficult to make a movie out of.   I did enjoy it and I enjoy it more the more I think about it.

calm as a fruit stand in new york

Sean — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:31:06 -0700

No time to write, none to proofread. Good luck

New York First Week:

Got off the plane in New York at 8:00 AM, with eyes cringed by sleep and dry contacts. The cabbie drove like he was trying to be the quintessential NY Cabbie, but lacked the skill and even the common low courtesy of NY Finest, so instead came off like a drunk slow-witted Floridian. Asshole. It’s hard for me to not give a tip, but I didn’t.

Checked in and had lunch at the very southern Kitchenette who served me a comforting bowl of chili and a decent but obviously bulk-prepared sandwich. Both items together comprised the well priced bleu plate special so the uninspiring sandwich was forgivable.

That night, for dinner, I had good food and friendly service at Blue Ribbon, which was recommended to me the bartender at Pegu club. Pegu club had served me a Kill Devil, which I think is made with Rum, Chatruese and demara syrup, though none of those ingredients explain why the drink reminded me of terra pan atomic fireballs. Frankly I don't see how that drink doesn't immediately evaporate at room temperature, or explode when agitated. It was too strong for me, and too string to follow with any more alcohol. Blue ribbon served up some sardines and steak tartar. Neither was exceptional but the bartenders and bar conversation was friendly.

In the morning, after walker across Tribeca I stopped in to Kaffee 1668 for coffee, which was excellent. I go there about twice a day now. They do the cup-o-drip to order, and though a machine helps, they care enough to agitate the grounds once or twice themselves. Or maybe they only did that because I was looking. Either way, the nice, expensive, and addictive cup of coffee, found on my first try, after a tired slow, and forgettable night, revived me and my sense of epicure destiny.

The night I got served a shaken, bitterless Sazerac at Bar Artisinal, which lies beneath my hotel. Thank got there were no bitters: Their absence allowed me to refuse the frothy abomination. It was the bartender’s first night so I will withhold judgment on their bar. The food was good: Lamb Neck Bolognese was everything you would think and the Sea Urchin Custard was well done.

The next night I took a walk to Sotto that night and tried to cash in my ‘I ate here when here was Atlanta” chips, but the currency has expired. The Sea Urchin wrapped in Sword Fish was good enough to make me cry. The Soup was nowhere near as good as I remember it: I think it was slightly burned. Still, that Urchin may have been the best bit of ‘sushi’ I have ever had.

I couldn’t afford to eat a full meal there so I walked across town to Lombardi’s and order a small pizza which I ate out of the box on the long walk back to the hotel. My shirt changed from white to red somewhere along the way and I nearly foundered on the pie, which was very good by not great, and not as good as C&B’s was at its best, but I really can’t complain.

The next night I took a nauseous cab back to LGA for an Angry Whopper and flight home.

Week Two (till date):

Had some good empanadas during the lunch hour at a NYC chain. Raul's, I think it was called. If not for the Gluten binge that this trip is turning into I would go back for more.

For dinner I stumbled into Ivo & Lulu: Which is well priced French-Caribbean with a neighborhood vibe that feels but looks nothing like Orlando’s Bravisimmo. Ivo is small, red, and did I say small? It’s BYOB, which explains why the locals love it.

Tuesday night I walked tow miles up to Crossfit NYC, where they treated me like an Engine in a motor oil commercial. ( 400 feet of weighted lunges carrying 75 lbs, 80 pull-ups wearing a 30lb vest, and 120 24’’ box jumps). I slogged back to TriBeCa, fighting viscosity breakdown and my pouting right leg, stopping into Grey’s Papaya for the recession special. Those dogs, all the way, and that juice, papaya, probably saved my life.

That night I went to bed early, fearing a midnight raid of calf and foot arch cramps, but Corrie woke me up and afterwards I couldn’t get back to sleep. So I walked back to Pegu, thanked the bartender for the blue ribbon recommendation, had some excellent Chicken Lolipops (jumped up honey bbq buffalo wings), downed a well formed Sazerac, and then went back to sleep.

Tonight it is Macao Trading Co. It’s close to the hotel and I need to get to sleep early.

got hit by a man in a lite blue sedan

Sean — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:45:04 -0700

The fight that I mentioned Between Atlanta's Kevin "The Kingpin" Johnson and Monte "two guns" Barrett has been seriously upgraded. Barrett has been replaced by Devin Varagas, who like Johnson is undefeated and a legitimate prospect.. Fights like this just don't happen under normal circumstances in boxing, because boxing sucks. Not between undefeated prospects, not on regular tv. This only happened because Barrett pulled out of the fight, and Vargas , who was supposed to fight some tomatocan agreed to fill the void before his manager could intercede. I assume.

So this is fight , free on espn2 this Friday, between two guys with a combined record of forty-something and zero. Both with skills. In truth I know little about Vargas, he is white, 17-0 and was the captian of the 04 olympic team.

You're all invited over to watch. Seriously, expect a phone call soon, telling you what to bring.

So Manny Pacqi really is incredibly. I think hatton froze up realizing that he had no business trying-out new skills in the ring with Manny, and consequently got beat worse that he would have not preparing at all. Had he come in as himself he would have got beat badly too, but not that bad. Manny is really good. The fight went as I saw it going actually, which is why I was silent on the matter. (Don't believe me if you don't want to).

a shining speck of hope hanging over the horizon

Sean — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:28:07 -0700

Kevin the Kingpin Johnson, Atlanta's best Heavyweight is fighting his first big-name opponent on May 15h, the oft beaten Monte Barret. Still if Kevin wins, big fights are around the corner. The hype around Kevin is that he is big, in shape, and in possesion of the pretiest jab in the game. Unfortunately, he only has a handful of knockouts.

David Haye is fighting Klitchko soon too. The heavyweights are starting to look interesting for the first time in ages, but the fight everyone is looking forward to is between junior welterweights Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd. Ricky is the underdog again, but maybe a good bet given his comfort in that weight class.

Speaking of weight, Fructose sweetening of beverages might be worse than glucose sweetening.

The Cabin is Built.

The working title is "A River Repose" , though I know my Dad hates it. His is "A river retreat" and I think the names work well. But what do I know.

Corrie will be doing the landscaping whilst going to Georgia Tech in the fall.

Got shot up something fierce in paintball a few weeks ago. Anyone wants to play, let me know.

Arm Wrestling is on a brief Hiatus due to the eminent crossfit games. Southern Regionals are this weekend. Good luck CFATL! I did a workout with Ken and Mike last week and they looked great. Beating my new PR in Helen (8:30) by at least a minute each.
(3 rounds of 400 meter run, 21 55lb kettlebell swings, 12 pullups)

still, I think I can take them in rope climbing and jump rope, which are the only two true measures of fitness.

if you don't know me by now

Sean — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:21:11 -0700

This may be the last post ever on the slowdown, cause dumbass let the domain expire. I repurchased it (No bar conglomerate picked it up) but will probably have to redo everything. Oh well, it was past time.

Meet me halfway

Sean — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:03:23 -0700

After reading about it here the Last Word became an Instant Favorite. In fact, it, Charlotte's Negroni, and the trusty Sazerac (No link needed) have achieved some separation from the field.

Kingsley Amis's "Everyday Drinking" is superb English writing, and on the subject of Drink. Amen.

My Armwrestling forays continue apace.

The Cruise was great.

Brian Regan Saturday!

working full time

Sean — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:59:11 -0800

busy.

Crazy busy. And amidst this business I am starting an arm wrestling club, building a cabin
(Dad's doing most of that) going on a cruise (all me and corrie), watching unbelievably good boxing matches (Marquez v diaz)

I've got stuff to say about it all, but cant.

I watched Son of Rambow last night while nursing corrie back to health. I really liked it and though its not perfect I have trouble following the criticisms of it. Lots of heart.
I also like the old spice "that's two-thingsism" comercial, so be warned.

Tallest Man on earth and Fleet foxes are all the new music I have listened to lately, though I did listen to the entire Vic Chesnut Catalog the other day while working. That was cool.

Anyhow, work is taking all my time.

later