22 january 2000
a new something


february 5
we're playing at luna park
please come to the gig


(so there's one of the infamous pics from monday's photo shot. I emailed a copy to Lunesse and she said it was good blackmail material (to use on the females, I would imagine). If ya wanna see a larger version, click here. (opens in new window))


~~~

Now, from the "everyone else is doing it, so I should as well" department, I've added one of those journal links pages, accessible from the "reads" button in the top frame.

And, I had the rather unfortunate experience of viewing this site on WebTV this afternoon. It made me so dizzy, I nearly threw up. If you're reading this on WebTV now, I congratulate you for actually being able to navigate to this page. My advice to you: use your tv for tv, and use your computer for surfing the web. Everyone keeps talking about how all media is converging. Well, it ain't happened yet.



~~~

That last song I wrote has been going through my head all day. I've never had this happen with one of my own songs ... usually I have to struggle to remember the melody. I think I've written one of those songs that people consistently curse for getting stuck in their heads and not leaving. Do I really want to unleash this on the world? Maybe IceDog was right when he told me we weren't ready to play it. Maybe what he really meant was that the world wasn't ready to suffer it.


~~~

Slept late this morning ... when I finally dragged myself to consciousness I drove to Creative Computers for an AirPort card and base station, and then to Bristol Farms for chili ingredients.

The AirPort refuses to work with my MediaOne cable modem. I called Apple and they told me to call MediaOne. Got hold of MediaOne and they told me to call Apple.

Maybe I'll just call my friends and see if anyone wants a fairly attractive $300 paperweight with an Apple logo on it.

So I'm back online now, with the cable modem plugged directly into my computer. How old fashioned ...

Oops, Kim's Food Corner is closing soon and I wanted a six-pack of beer. Be right back ...



~~~

Mr. Kim was in a good mood tonight, enjoying the basketball game and his last thirty minutes of work for the night. It's strange, I've known him for over six years, ever since I moved into the apartment across Venice Boulevard from his little corner market. He knows my preferred beer (Bud in cans), my preferred cigarettes (Parliament), and yet I know nothing about him, except that he's been faithfully running his little store for longer than I've lived here. I wonder what he does at night, after he locks up the store. Does he live in the semi-attached house next door? Does he go out to the movies with Mrs. Kim (who also works there)? Or does he go off alone to the JetStream nudie bar down by LAX and get a lap dance to relieve some tension? Does he have kids? Where does he get those cool Korean newspapers that I always see him reading? What do they say?

Enough rhetorical questions about Mr. Kim.

Yum. Good beer. I may be the only person in the country who actually enjoys drinking Budweiser. Of course, I'm very particular about it. It has to be very cold and in a can. Something about the aluminum adds to the experience, I guess.

Brewed by our original and natural process using the Choicest Hops, Rice, and Best Barley Malt

How can I not like a lager into which so much care goes in producing?

It's even got the little "Born On..." date on the bottom of the can. The beer I'm drinking now was born on December 11th of last year.

Unfortunately, my tastes run a bit more expensive when it comes to other forms of alcohol. My favorite wine is the Bryant Family Cab Sav (96) from Northern California, but a lot of Santa Barbara Cabs, Merlots, and Syrahs follow closely. My vodka of choice is Chopin, but I'll drink Belvedere or Pearl on occasion. Scotch ... Lagavulin, from Islay. If it's from the Highlands, let it be Cardhu or Macallan 18. Sake... Sho Chiku Bai gets me by if it's heated. Cold ... I can't even pronounce the name of my favorite, so I carry the label around in my wallet to help me order it. Something shitafuru, or thereabouts. Someday I'll be able to recite it.



~~~

Stirred my pot of chili on the way in -- it'll be ready in about an hour. My roommates and friends keep asking me for my chili recipe, and I keep telling them that I don't have a recipe -- it comes out different every time. I could write down what I did today, but it wouldn't work next time ...

What did I do with the chili today? Hmm, lets see if I can remember ... chopped three onions, three green bell peppers, three jalapeno peppers (with seeds), a bunch of green onions, 4 celery stalks, and six cloves of garlic into my big white pot. Drizzled a little canola oil over them, a quarter can of beer, and sprinkled some nutmeg and ground cumin on the top. Stirred it up and sauteed over low heat. Meanwhile, fried up three pounds of ground beef with three shakes of Marie Sharp's Key Lime Habanero sauce in my wok, drained the fat, and added the beef to the now carmelized veggies. Dumped a big more ground cumin into the mix, and a couple of teaspoons of ground cayenne pepper. Another splash of beer for good measure. Made a couple of phone calls while the flavors blended. Then I added a few cans of crushed tomatoes and a few cans of dark red kidney beans. Stirred it all together and simmered to a boil. Tasted it. Added a spritz of rice vinegar, a couple of shakes more of cayenne, and that's about it. It's been simmering for about two hours now. Usually I like to let it cook all day, but I slept too late this morning. Lazy me.



~~~

Don't know has this entry turned so gastronomical. No big deal ... I forgot what I originally wanted to write about anyway. I think I'll go be social now.


~~~

two years ago: On PCH, I witness the unabashed cruelty of the los angeles county sheriff's department.

one year ago: i didn't write

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