where kristina, a dog person, finds she wouldn't mind having a cat

I've never owned a pet, and at this point in my life, I think I'm too selfish to be the guardian of one. It's like having a child, but less demanding I suppose. Still, the YouTube video above made me want a little companion at home. The box sliding at around 4:30 is too cute.

where youtube comes through again

where i watch animals kill and mate and try to survive on the screen

It cost $10.75 to see "Earth" at the movies. As a kid, in Hawaii, it only cost $5 to go to the theatre. This makes me feel old. Following the movie, I think that maybe I will be a vegetarian again, but recalling how I was tired all the time as a vegetarian, I decide I'll commit to trying to eat free range, 'humanely' treated animals.

According to an article in the New Yorker, Isabella Rossellini wanted to be a veterinarian when she was a kid. Now, she makes educational YouTube videos like this:

where i almost get hit on my bike

So I am biking to mark's apartment a few blocks from my house on a chilly but nice night in Chicago. I am nearly there and stopped at a light behind two cars. The first is trying to make a left, waiting for his/her turn to go, the second is stuck behind it. Impatient, the second jets right, where I am, and she nearly hits me. I am reminded of why I was terrified to ride my bike in Chicago a year ago, and also reminded why I need to get health insurance. But, I remain steadfast in my right to be on the road just as much as drivers, especially when I'm on my sweet, newly overhauled ride. (Photo to come soon.)

where david lynch directs an animated video for moby

Shot In The Back Of The Head from Moby on Vimeo.

where the best chocolate chip cookies make an appearance

The only cookies I remember eating as a kid are Chips Ahoy, animal crackers, and those really bad ones that come in the blue, round tin. As an adult, I rarely eat store-bought cookies and instead opt for homemade ones. These are my favorite. I make them with either walnuts or macadamia nuts (I once had an abundance of macadamias, having brought them back from a trip home). The cookies are chewy when you first bake them, then get crispy after a few days. That is how I like them. I suspect you will like them too.

Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies

(from 101 cookbooks, which got it from David Lebovitz)

ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, macadamia nuts, or pecans, toasted and chopped

Adjust the oven rack to the top 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 300F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts. (I do this all in my handy KitchenAid.)

Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place 8 balls, spaced 4 inches apart, on each of the baking sheets. (I just scoop them into the size I want them to be.)

Bake for 18 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Makes about 20 cookies.

where the hits of today fill my ears

I am babysitting Claire's car while she's in Mexico. I don't drive much and have never owned a car, so I don't often get the opportunity to catch up on the hits of today. But these past few days, I've boned up on my Power 92 and B96.

Surprisingly, I've heard this song four times in as many days. I've known almost every single word since I was in the ninth grade, which doesn't mean I agree with the representation of women in the song.


I first encountered Lady GaGa while watching The View a few weeks ago. She was dressed like a Jetson. She usually doesn't wear any pants. I don't quite understand the appeal, though I will admit that I would dance hard to this song at a dance party.


This is the second appearance of this song on my blog. Scene: driving up Western, B96 playing, Lady GaGa, Usher. Imagine my surprise -- and glee -- at finding this video on YouTube.

There's absolutely no attempt at live singing. As an aside, I interviewed one of the dudes who worked on this summer jam last year for the RedEye.

I've also been hearing a song about hustling almost every time I get in the car. I can't figure out who it is. Akon maybe? Give me a few more drives...

where urban family members celebrate the resurrection of christ by eating really good potatoes

Noyns and I don't celebrate Easter in any religious way. We both didn't really know Easter was approaching until we realized a lot of people were going out of town. But the Easter holiday is a chance to cook a yummy dinner, so we celebrate in our own way. The morning of, we decide to invite urban family members over to my place for a dinner of ham (which is surprisingly expensive and a little hard to find on the actual Easter holiday), potatoes (Noyns' family recipe), deviled eggs (I've never had them but Noyns said he had a hankering), salad (made by Lindsay and Nick), cinnamon rolls (made by Jenny), and, of course, wine.

The dinner is all I expect it to be -- warm with friendship and exploding with love. The potatoes are the particular stars of the night and, thanks to Noyns, the recipe follows. In lieu of food pictures (unfortunate since the dinner was totes fabulous but I forgot), here are pictures of urban family members who could attend on such short notice.

I hate using flash and I don't own a SLR, hence the blurry photo.

There always comes a point in the night when people look up music videos.
Thankfully, Easter video watching lasts a mere 10 minutes.

Nick is wearing a blazer that once belonged to Jenny's grandma.

Roasted new potatoes and herbs

ingredients

4 tablespoons melted butter (veganize by using Earth Balance)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
minced fresh basil, about a tablespoon or so (if not fresh, use 1 - 2 teaspoons of dried)
minced fresh oregano, about a tablespoon or so (if not fresh, use 1 - 2 teaspoons of dried)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons freshly Romano cheese (veganize by omitting, duh)
about 10 - 12 red skinned potatoes, cut in 1/2 or 1/4 (best to use small ones cut in 1/2)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow baking pan (like the big ones you would bake brownies in), combine butter, oil, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, paprika, garlic, and cheese. Mix well and spread out all over the pan. Place potatoes cut side down in pan. Brush tops with a little olive oil.

Bake uncovered for at least an hour. Don't turn over at all. By the end, they'll be crispy and amazing.

cta: "have a good day"

On my way home from the Loop today, on the Blue Line near the Damen stop, a CTA conductor went on the PA system to announce the weather (49 degrees and cloudy, though it was clearly sunny outside) and to wish us a good day. Once, when I was on the Brown Line, a conductor told passengers that he knew we all couldn't wait to get home to drink a glass of wine. It was cute.

Last year, it took me three hours to get to work after a train broke down under the Chicago River and passengers decided to get out and walk along the tracks.


My former colleague is in the beginning of this video, which is otherwise boring.

snow day activities

it's snowing in april in chicago; it's all slushy and dirty outside.

i'm overhauling my '70s schwinn cruiser, which i bought at working bikes more than five years ago, with my friend neuner in anticipation of the springtime and sunshine that's sure to come. i don't know too much about bikes, but neuner is a bike afficianado, so as we go about our business, i'm learning the names and functions of parts. we spent four hours yesterday cleaning the chain ring, deraulleur, etc. so satisfying, yet there's so much more to do.

i felt like i was a seventh grader again tonight, back to a time when i played super mario world 3 on nintendo. i spent two hours at a friend's house smashing koopas and collecting coins. the mind is mysterious: you can recall video game secrets and strategy even after all these years. i don't think video games are all that bad. they keep you on your toes, force you to think quickly. when you've got a koopa coming at you and a ghost closing in and the roof is coming down and there's some fireball heading straight for you, what do you do? what do you do? why do they even bother making games aside from mario kart and super mario?

here some dude/tte finishes super mario 3 in 11 minutes. i watched this entire video. there are some things in this world that are just plain amazing.

love in this club and "white people" problems

claire is right. this is the best of the robotic rock-afire videos.


race and class conflation.