Talking Sweet About Nothing

Planning and Planting

2011-08-13T12:07:00.014-04:00

After all of our hard work last year recovering and preparing our backyard, we finally got to dive in to planting. We planned our space using Google Sketchup, a drawing and modeling application, that allowed us to visualize the space and our ideas more effectively. We went through a few different versions and it is still evolving as we go.

We planned our plantings to supplement our CSA produce. While it would fun to attempt all sort of fruits and vegetables, it doesn't make sense to double up on items that we would be receiving through the season from our CSA. Instead, we wanted to plant things that we purchase in addition to our weekly share. For instance, we could never have enough onions or garlic and we constantly buy tomatoes when they are in season. In addition, we also wanted a large portion of the yard to be dedicated to perennial kitchen herbs. Not only would we have them in abundance for cooking, but we wouldn't have to re-plant every year.

The first things we planted were 40 garlic cloves back in November '10. These were provided to us by Jason from Breezy Willow. You simply break bulb into individual cloves and plant them in the fall. By late winter we already had signs of life.

From Garden '11

In early spring my parents came to town for a visit. We spent the morning doing some general spring yard cleanup like re-defining the edges on the beds in the front yard, but the biggest project was planting onions. I bought three pounds of onion sets (basically teeeny, baby onions) which to our best guess is somewhere around 300-350 onions. We only used about 2/3 of them and it didn't take long before they started sprouting.

From Garden '11

I saved the remaining 1/3 of sets to plant a couple of months later for a second harvest.

From Garden '11

For the rest of our planting, we waited until after Katie's semester ended so we could dedicate some time. We got all of our plugs from Sharp's Farm in Howard county. Sharps's starts all of their seeds in their own blend of compost, entirely organic start to finish.

Here's our tomatoes and peppers at the beginning.

From Garden '11

Here they are later in the summer.

From Garden '11

And our first few basil varieties.

From Garden '11

And after.

From Garden '11

Over time, we filled holes in the garden with cuttings from the basil plants. Between pizza and pesto, we can never have enough basil!

We also planted a large variety of common kitchen herbs.

From Garden '11

(ignore the soaker. I left it in the sun for a few days to lose the curls and kinks from storage)

In mid-July we harvested the garlic. In its place we planted approximately 120 Hungarian hot wax pepper plants.

From Garden '11

Here are the peppers after only a few weeks. You can also see how much the herbs in the background.

From Garden '11

Bay-Wise Certification

2011-07-31T15:29:00.008-04:00

We recently had our yard certified Bay Wise by the University of Maryland Extension Service. The Bay-Wise program is designed to inform and encourage landscape practices that promote the health of local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.

I initially contacted the AA County Master Gardeners regarding some run-off affecting a side area of our lawn. In addition to scheduling a consultation for this, they directed me towards the Bay-Wise literature including the "yard-stick" used to measure our current landscape practices. The general ideas on this yard-stick encourage one to:

Fertilize Wisely
Water Efficiently
Mow Properly
Control Storm Water Runoff
Mulch Appropriately
Recycle Yard Waste
Manage Yard Pests with Integrated Pest Management
Plant Wisely
Encourage Wildlife

I knew this was a goal Katie and I would aspire towards, but I had my big backyard project to focus on. I went through the Yard Stick to estimate our progress, but had planned on saving the certification goal for next year. The Yard Stick asks a series of questions related to the above topics assigning points/inches towards a goal of 36. In my rough estimation, I gave us a 25-28 on the scale. Not bad, but not quite there yet.

On the day of my meeting with the AAC Master Gardeners we discussed my runoff problem and they offered amazing advice on how we might control this better (more on this in a future post). While they were here, we took a leisurely tour around the entire yard and they offered comments and advice on everything I could think of to ask. These three ladies were an incredible source of experience and information. We took about 30-45 minutes just looking at everything in the front and back yards. They loved the idea of no-grass backyard garden. They praised the reuse of the compost bin and the Cedar mulch as pathways and ground cover. I had just installed my first rain barrel along with the soaker hose system for part of the garden, too.

From Garden '11

After the outside tour, we came inside to go over some literature, discuss some specific plans for the runoff problem on the side of the house, and to talk more about the Bay Wise program. I told them I had already estimated my progress and that I wouldn't meet the requirements just yet, but they wanted to go through all of the questions with me just for fun. We went through the entire questionnaire and they were able to award points/inches that I hadn't originally given myself based on their tour of the yard. In the end we actually had 54 inches when we only needed 36 for the certification. It turns out I had been way too conservative on some accounts and had completely missed some others. So we are officially "Bay-Wise" and now have an awesome sign in our front yard for bragging rights ;)

From Garden '11

Here's a short list of some of the practices that we use around our yard that helped us in achieving this. The list is far from complete and some of these topics actually encompass several more narrow topics:

use of native plants
removal and/or control of non-native plants (I'm looking at you English Ivy...grrr)
no lawn in backyard (no mowing!)
mowing with highest setting in front yard
no irrigation for lawn
no pesticides
organic fertilizer on backyard garden
mulch on all beds, around trees, and on garden
rain barrel/soaker hose system
composting
encourage wildlife through native plants and shelters

Backyard Overhaul Pt. 2

2011-07-30T16:07:00.008-04:00

In between backyard tillings, we had another high priority yard project on the side of our house. There were two Cedar trees that had become severely overgrown, to the point where they could reach the siding on the house. These Cedars were also choking out two other nearby trees.

We had these two Cedars removed and asked that their chips be left behind. Take that Cedar trees.

In addition to recycling, we wanted the Cedar chips to help ward off pests such as moths and mosquitoes. We had plans to use them for pathways and borders in our backyard. We also mulched our front yard beds. In fact, we had so much we shared it with our neighbors. This Cedar chip pile could swallow my car.

The ornamental Maple and the Cherry tree in the backyard are much happier without those Cedars getting in the way.

Backyard Overhaul Pt. 1

2011-05-31T19:45:00.010-04:00

Most of you who know me, know that I spent most of last summer clearing out our backyard. Our house had been vacant for three years before we moved in and the backyard was visual proof. The neighbors had kept up the front lawn, but the backyard had been overtaken by English Ivy, rocks, and nearly every variety of weed. It was beyond saving. Our only option was to start from scratch. I tilled the entire backyard and hauled away the top layer.

Ivy had overtaken much of the yard and fence-line. Taming that was an early priority.

We discovered that our soil was not that great. It's thick clay and full of rocks. I was constantly inventing ways to use the ridiculous amount of rocks we were pulling out of the ground.

To amend the soil, we decided we needed to start composting ASAP. Our first compost pile was made with cinder blocks that I uncovered in the backyard.

Meanwhile, I got some used pallets and built a more permanent compost bin.

After tilling and removing the top layer plus all visible rocks, I smoothed the dirt and tamped it to compact the soil and reduce any erosion while it sat dormant. We let it sit for a couple of months in order to let all weeds that had gone to seed re-sprout. By October, the backyard was full of weeds again. Our neighbors thought we were crazy, but we did this on purpose. I tilled again, removed all weeds and their roots, smoothed and tamped. Yes, I basically did the same thing twice, but I wanted to be thorough with killing off as much of the weeds and grass as possible. By November I had finished round two and we were covering the backyard with a deep layer of dead leaves courtesy of all of our neighbors (many of them, unknowingly). We let this sit over the winter to prevent any new growth and to decompose and improve our soil.

Pizza Day Weekend

2010-09-06T20:29:00.007-04:00

This past weekend I labored over some pizza using ingredients from our CSA. I made four margherita pizzas, and one using sauteed onions and swiss chard with fresh mozz.

Your Honor, A Rebuttal

2010-01-08T23:38:00.009-05:00

Dear friends and the internet at large,

We've seen your year-in-review posts. We've listened to your best-of lists, and we have to respectfully disagree. We offer this rebuttal as evidence to music from 2009 that you may have overlooked or under-appreciated. The following file is a compilation of 5 songs that we think represents the best music released last year. We present to you, Exhibit Awesome:

Laroux - Bulletproof
Faunts - Feel.Love.Thinking.Of.
Tegan & Sara - Hell
Bat For Lashes - Daniel
They Might Be Giants - Roy G. Biv

Click here to download the file.

I think one thing that speaks to the excellence of these choices is that they all appear on solid albums. Each artist took care to craft a full length collection. Each album a sum greater than individual parts, an art form that has sadly taken the back seat to single-song listens. Even the "funny" album (Here Comes Science) is brilliant on so many levels, not only is it fun to listen to, it's inspiring, making it so much more than just a novelty record for kids.

For your convenience:

A Pilgrimage

2009-11-14T11:35:00.012-05:00

My great friend, Chelsea, over at 'brarian du monde! posted a blog detailing her journey to Dublin, TX, home of the world's oldest Dr. Pepper bottling plant. Her post reminded me that I hadn't posted anything about my visit there last summer. Chelsea and I share a reverence for the holy trinity (salsa, chips, and Dr P), and a lifelong love of Dr Pepper. While I don't think I can possibly add anything more to Chelsea's hilarious narrative, I do have some photos to share. Make no mistake, this was a special day for me.

33 1/3!

2009-11-11T21:24:00.010-05:00

Last week we celebrated my 33 1/3 birthday. I spent the day playing records (33 1/3 only, of course) and making pizza.

The Menu

The Prep

The Results

There were many more pizzas made, but as the evening progressed, the camera became less of a priority.

Biking from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C.

2009-08-23T11:55:00.004-04:00

Day 1
McKeesport, PA to Ohiopyle, PA
Distance: 60.08 miles
Average Speed: 11.1 mph
Riding Time: 5hr 21m

From Bike Trip

Day 2
Ohiopyle, PA to Cumberland, MD
Distance: 73.82 miles
Average Speed: 10.8 mph
Riding Time: 6hr 42m

From Bike Trip

Day 3
Cumberland, MD to Hancock, MD
Distance: 60.37 miles
Average Speed: 10.8 mph
Riding Time: 5hr 31m

From Bike Trip

Day 4
Hancock, MD to Brunswick, MD
Distance: 73.88 miles
Average Speed: 11.5 mph
Riding Time: 6hr 27m

From Bike Trip

Day 5
Brunswick, MD to Washington D.C.
Distance: 56.21 miles
Average Speed: 10.8 mph
Riding Time: 5hr 10m

From Bike Trip

Totals
Distance: 324.36 miles
Average Speed: 11mph
Riding Time: 29hr 11m

Click here for our complete photo album.

Feed Me

2009-07-19T20:07:00.006-04:00

You know what I never imagined would be so difficult? Finding live baker's yeast. At my pizza class in Philly the chef, Jeff Michaud, used live yeast in his dough. He purchased his at the local Whole Foods. 'That's cool,' I thought. 'I shouldn't have any problems finding it in Baltimore.' Wrong. I tried both Whole Foods locations, Trader Joe's, and finally asked the bakery departments at a couple of area grocery stores, all of which only carried dry yeast. This sort of bummed me out. Dry yeast is perfectly acceptable, but I was eager to try out my new skills learned in Philly. I remember my mom buying the stuff in the dairy department of any grocery store when I was a kid. Fliechman's sold it wrapped in tiny tin foil cubes. Now nobody has it.

Instead of giving up, I decided to reach out for help. I wrote the Pizzablogger. Pizzablogger is from Baltimore, and for the last few months has been keeping up with the local pizza scene at www.pizzablogger.org. He has an excellent site sharing tons of information on all things pizza related. It's definitely worth adding to your feed reader.

PB quickly wrote back suggesting that I try Graul's Market in Towson. I had been salivating for pizza for days, so I immediately jumped in the car to buy some yeast. Sure enough, Graul's was happy to sell me a small portion from behind the bakery counter. When I arrived at home I immediately got together the ingredients for dough and made a batch. I knew I'd have to wait at least 24 hours to eat, so I wanted to get started as soon as possible.

My first pizza out of the oven proved to be a huge payoff for the extra effort.

This pizza is doomed.

My dough stretching technique is getting better thanks to the tips learned from Jeff Michaud. All in all, everything is getting much more consistent with each pie. In fact, the pizzas that followed (from the same batch of dough) tasted even better as they had more time to stew in the fridge.

Pizza Class!

2009-07-17T14:46:00.018-04:00

A few weeks ago as a birthday gift to myself, I took a pizza vacation up to the City of Brotherly Love. The impetus for this trip was a pizza making class with Jeff Michaud, the executive chef and co-owner of Osteria. Jeff is an acclaimed chef, making renowned pizzas, and even garnering a spot on Alan Richman's recent piece in GQ

Richman's piece covers American's love of pizza and outlines his list of the top 25 pizzas in America. It is definitely worth reading.

The class was smaller than I expected. I think there were about 12 people there, and only about 6 of us really participating. Jeff covered the basics of making the dough and forming it. We made two different base sauces; a traditional tomato sauce and a white, ricotta-based sauce. Anyone who wanted had the chance to form dough balls for proofing, stretch the dough (from dough made the day before), and top a pizza.

Here's Jeff, his apprentice, and a view of the mirror above the prep area.

We spent a good amount of time practicing stretching the dough. Jeff was right there the entire time to offer help and answer questions.

The two ladies work at Foster's, the home goods store sponsoring the demo. Jeff's apprentice is slicing two pies for tasting. These two pizzas are "pizza capra e zucchini" (white pizza with zucchini, ricotta cheese, and pesto).

This demo was such an amazing experience. Jeff Michaud was exceptionally friendly and eager to share his knowledge and passion for pizza. I learned so much and can't wait to practice making more pizzas.

Even though we got to eat everything we made (and all of it was delicious, of course), I still had another stop before heading back to Baltimore. My good friend Keith is from Philadelphia, and has always told me that if I ever had the chance, I had to try Tacconelli's Pizza. Tacconelli's is a legendary Philly pizzeria that's been operating in some form or another since 1918. It also came in at number 9 on that top 25 list I mentioned earlier.

Besides excellent pizza, Tacconelli's is known for a couple of other things. The family began the business as a full-scale bakery. In order to accommodate full production, the founder, Giovanni Tacconelli, and a few friends, built a 20'X20' brick oven. Think about that. That's seriously bigger than most people's bedrooms. Also, it is highly recommended that one call ahead to reserve their dough. Apparently they make a limited amount of dough each day, and where they're out...they're out. Luckily, Keith gave me the heads up and I called a day in advance to make sure I had a dough ball waiting for me.

From the outside it is very unassuming. It's located on a quiet neighborhood side street. Inside is no different. The basic menu in a plastic sleeve offers only pizzas and drinks (BYOB, btw). The decor looks like my grandma's house (not that there's anything wrong with that) and you're given paper plates and napkins as you are seated. No frill, and I love it.

Guess what. The pizza is amazing. The cracker thin crust is charred and delicious.

No droopy crust here!

Unfortunately, the kitchen is separate from the two main dining areas. I was curious to see the giant brick oven, so I asked the server if it was possible to stick my head in to see. She was nice enough to escort me back and let me stay for a minute or two to watch a couple of pizzas being made.

It's a little difficult to tell, but you can see back into the oven. The scale is weird in the picture, but it's awesome how far back it goes. There were about 2 other pizzas in there, too.

Funny side note, check out that long pizza peel handle. It extends back another few feet and is propped up on a makeshift table.

After all of the pizza from our trials in class, and the excellent pie from Tacconelli's, I had to take a few slices home in a box. It's only about an hour and half from Philly back to Baltimore, but I couldn't handle the smell in the car and ended up eating two of them. I had planned on saving at least one for Katie. I failed. The last piece was gone the next morning.

D.I.Y. Pizza

2009-05-28T18:10:00.010-04:00

After a decades long love affair, and after the past year's serious courtship, I've decided to try my hand at making my own pizzas. Real pizza with homemade dough and sauce. Not that I haven't eaten and loved countless Digiorno build-your-owns, Chef Boyardee pizza kits, and frozen pizzas (Stouffer's French Bread pizza, I'm looking at you), but this is entirely different.

Here are some "proud papa" moments.

They're (obviously) not perfect, but they're good. And they're only going to get better.

Our Hearts Were Filled With Gladness

2009-05-27T19:58:00.021-04:00

Last weekend Katie and I celebrated our one-year anniversary. Luckily, because we were married on May 24, our anniversary will almost always fall on or near a three-day weekend (yay Memorial Day). We spent a couple of days doing totally touristy things around Baltimore. Seeing as how our wedding was all local and independent vendors, it seemed like fun to keep the party in our hometown.

We left our car in Linthicum and took the light rail downtown. A) We didn't want to have to think about parking all weekend, and B) we had the foresight to know that we might spend a good amount of time intoxicated, so we planned on just using public transportation and/or a cab to get around. We arrived at Camden Yards right around lunch time, so we walked over to Little Italy to have lunch at Isabella's.

What a perfect start to our weekend!

Katie finally got to see what all of the fuss was about, and couldn't help but agree that this pizza is tops. I think we'd both agree that we prefer Matthew's, but Matthew's really is it's own unique meal, and as far as an authentic artisan pizza, Isabella's is a standout in an otherwise mediocre pizza town.

After lunch, we walked back to the Inner Harbor to take a harbor cruise. This is that big boat that you see docked right in front of you when your at the stop light at Conway and Light St. as you're coming into downtown. The one that boards right next to the visitor's center building. Anyway, this cruise was totally awesome. Despite the obnoxiously loud speaker with pre-recorded narration, it was really fun to float around the harbor for an hour and a half and see the city from a new perspective.

After the cruise we railed (yes, it's a verb) uptown to our B&B to check in. We stayed at this totally cute rowhome B&B called Abacrombie in Mt. Vernon.

*photo courtesy of Abacrombie

We had an amazing dinner at their restaurant on the ground floor. In addition to a good number of vegetarian options (rare at most fine dining restaurants) all of the meat and produce are sourced from local, organic farms.

On Sunday we slept late, had a relaxing breakfast, and then took off for the zoo. Sunday was the annual Brew at the Zoo, featuring regional beer and wine vendors. Ticket price includes zoo admission, plus a free tasting glass for unlimited sampling of beer and wine.

Before entering the zoo, we spent some time walking around Druid Hill Park. While there we saw this totally awesome bird called a Red Winged Blackbird. We saw tons of them. Katie got this great picture.

After our day at the zoo, we made our way home, where we had wedding cake (Sweet recreated our wedding cake top as an anniversary gift). It was just as delicious as we remembered. Yay!

With Silver Bells, and Cockle Shells

2009-05-27T19:24:00.010-04:00

The garden is looking quite healthy these days. You'll notice I moved the perennial herbs in order to maximize space for our tomatoes and peppers. And as you can see everything is coming along nicely. On the left are all of the herbs. Oregano is has quickly gown out-of-control. I need to trim those afros. And you'd never know I pruned those sage bushes down to stumps only a couple of months ago. On the right hand side are a mix of various tomatoes and peppers. In addition to jalapenos, we have Mr. Stripey, Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, Juliet, and San Marzano tomatoes.

San Marzanos, notably, have been designated as the only tomatoes that can be used for a true Neapolitan pizza. Of course, even then, to be "official" they must have been grown in the volcanic soils surrounding Mt. Vesuvius. Believe it or not, there are actually very specific guidelines, and an extensive certification process if a pizzeria wants to be designated a member of Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. Me, I'm not that picky. I'm just happy to have home grown tomatoes, even if they are grown in my own, inferior Maryland soil.

Along the back wall, you can see some small sprouts. Those are sunflowers that have just begun to shoot up. We're hoping these will create some shade and absorb some of the heat that bounces off of that white wall.

This window box currently has one small batch of basil and some salad greens. We'll be adding more basil cuttings in the next few days. They're still sprouting roots in our kitchen window. You can also see that we have a few containers for the smaller peppers and tomato plants.

This little patch is at the bottom of our back stairs. You can see the mint is very healthy. It smells awesome. I wish I had gotten a picture a couple of weeks ago. The plant next to mint was in full bloom with dozens of purple flowers. It's called Firewitch (awesome!) The ground cover is called Creeping Jenny, making this part of our backyard totally scary.

Coal Fire Pizza - Ellicott City

2009-05-16T14:31:00.014-04:00

Over the last few weeks the online pizza community (you heard me) has been buzzing about the latest addition to our area, Coal Fire Pizza in Ellicott City. I ate there last week and I was so excited to tell you about it. But now I'm bummed. I spent a good amount of time on Saturday typing up my post for Coal Fire, only to have it all disappear without having saved. I'm especially bummed because that post was so good. One of my better entries. Pure pizza poetry. So rather than try to remember what I wrote and re-create it, I'm trying something new. Actual pizza poetry. Here is a series of haiku relating my Coal Fire experience.

Classic or spicy
Tomato sauce made from scratch
Give us one of each

Two pizzas arrive
Anticipation fills me
The first taste is best

Spicy much too hot
Overpowers all toppings
Even black olives

Classic much better
Traditional homemade sauce
My kind of flavor

Simplicity wins
Margherita pizza pie
Eight perfect slices

Coal burning oven
Thin and chewey, nicely charred
Check the crust upskirt

Coal oven goodness
Blackened crust, tomatoes, cheese
Delicious pizza

Friends sharing a pie
The best way to eat a slice
Can't wait to go back

Where My Rosemary Goes

2009-04-10T11:45:00.007-04:00

Today I spent the morning cleaning up the garden. We're still almost two months away from growing season in MD, but I am on break and I'm eager to get started. I cleaned out all of the leaves that gathered in the garden and underneath the porch. I dumped all of the old soil from the planter boxes and pots. I pulled weeds and cut back the perennials. And I laid down a thick layer of compost. Needless to say, I smelled fantastic and my work gloves will forever reek of poo. (Karmella loved it. According to our vet, she "loves the stink.") The next two months will let the manure and humus nutrients seep into the soil so that by the time planting happens, our soil will be nice and refreshed.

You can tell our rosemary plants are very healthy. I might have to trim them down a little. The nubs up front are two sage plants that I trimmed down. The patches on the sides are oregano. We used to grow chives, but I pulled them up when we discovered that the ones that grow naturally in our yard and everywhere else you look are 1) free, and 2) much more flavorful. No use wasting garden space on them.

Since most of our weekly produce comes from our CSA (and also 'case we're poor), we're going to scale back on the variety in our garden this year. We're going to focus on tomatoes and hot peppers, as we eat more of them than anything else.

Joe Squared Pizza - Baltimore

2009-03-21T20:52:00.006-04:00

I've eaten at Joe Squared many times before tonight. Its proximity to the Ottobar, CCAS, and Metro Gallery has made it a frequent post-load-in dinner spot for Avec. I was especially excited to try Joe Squared tonight, however, as I haven't been back since they installed a coal-fired oven (Maryland's only one, apparently).

Unfortunately for Joe, I have a new pizza barometer. Isabella's has become my new yardstick by which all other Baltimore pizzas are measured, and that's a tough challenge for anyone. But maybe that's unfair. Joe Squared is a very unique pizza and should be judged on its own. I'll try my best to be objective.

**Side note: I have to give Joe Squared credit for their inventive combinations on their signature pizzas. And the fact that most of their meat is local and organic, their produce comes from local growers, and all of their herbs are grown on the roof. The commitment to quality and freshness is obvious.**

I ordered two 10" pizzas; a Margherita and The Flag, a pizza "split in thirds with a variety of sauces: Red sauce with mozzarella, provolone, romano, parmigiano and asiago; Garlic sauce with mozzarella, cheddar and ricotta; Pesto sauce with fresh mozzarella."

The bottoms showed a nice, spotty charring all around and everything looked great from the top view. But as soon as I pulled off a piece of the Marg, I could tell I was in for a soggy mess. Most mozzarella cheese comes packaged in water. Unfortunately, that means it soaks up a lot of water that is then released when the pizza is baked. Fresh mozz needs to be drained before it is cooked in order to avoid the soaking mix of toppings. To be fair, I ate the hell out of it, but the watered-down crust was bland, and it was difficult to discern the taste of the toppings. The crust on The Flag seemed to hold up much better. Although with this pizza, the amount of cheese overshadowed the special sauces on each third. The pesto sauce was the only one that shone through. That third only had mozz (unleaky, thank you) so the basil/garlic flavor really came out. I was disappointed that I couldn't really taste the garlic sauce underneath the mozz, cheddar, and ricotta. Same with the tomato. The cheese blends had a great flavor combo, but there was just too much of it.

A final note about the coal fired oven. I've only eaten a coal fired pizza once before, so I am no expert. The idea behind the concept (same as a wood oven) is that you can get the temps so extremely hot that your pizza can cook in three to four minutes (900 degrees on the floor of the oven). The crust can get nicely charred and crisp on the outside, yet stay puffy on the inside, all before your toppings have a chance to get burned. (With the lower heat of a gas oven, you have to cook the crust longer to get it crisp and often, by the time you do get the crispness you want, the toppings are ruined). My previous coal-fired pizza experience was pretty great. The crust was amazing. The coal flavor was very subtle, almost more of an aroma. The coal flavor at Joe Squared was almost overpowering, unfortunately. When I have eaten Joe's pizzas pre-coal oven, the crusts were much crispier, and actually had a sourdough flavor. That flavor is now lost with the intensity of the coal taking over, and the crispiness was gone due to soggy cheese. I'm hoping this is still just a matter of them working out the kinks of a new oven (although it has been several months now). I really liked the pizzas in the past and I'm hoping things get better.

Isabella's - Little Italy

2009-02-28T18:11:00.012-05:00

"Echo Base,this is Rogue 2. I've found them... repeat, I've found them."

Rouge 2 calling into base after picking up two delicious pizzas at Isabella's Hoth location.

That's right, friends. I'm trying very hard to not get too far ahead of myself, or get too excited, but I think I may have found the pizza I've been looking for. I'll revist (soon, I hope) just to check for consistency. And I'll admit, it may all be a product of me being completely starving at the time, but this pizza was exactly right.

I met Jim and Paul Miller at Isabella's for an impromptu Pizza Club meeting. The place is extremely small, probably as big as my living room (no exaggeration)...a third of which is behind the deli counter w/ fresh meats, cheeses, and the brick oven (natch...I really love typing "natch"). We shared two pizzas, a margherita (the baseline) and a pizza bianca. Let's go to the clip...

Just judging by these pictures you can tell this is, by far, as close as we've gotten to an authentic Neapolitan pizza here in Baltimore. Check out those crusts. Believe me, they tasted even better...just the right amount of char, sturdy enough to support the toppings, thin enough to not outshine the flavor of the toppings. Tasting the crust by itself was awesome. No sugar (a pet peeve), and if there was salt in it or not (I couldn't tell) it definitely wasn't overpowering (another pet peeve). On to the toppings, let's start w/ the Margherita. Fresh house-made mozarella, layered with tomatoes and delicious basil. Now usually I really can't get behind fresh tomatoes on a pizza, and if you want to get nit-picky, it's not truly authentic. In this case, and on some past pizza outings, when the fresh tomatoes are in place of (as opposed to in addition to) tomato sauce, it can be quite nice. Next the Bianca. Fresh mozz, feta, and ricotta, with a dash of Italian spices. Before my pizza quest began, I don't remember ever having ricotta on a pizza, but I really love it. I like how Fortunato's spreads it out with larger "globs" better, but in the case of Isabella's Bianca, the small crumbles are still nice. On both pizzas the balance of toppings was even and the crust was sturdy enough to support them.

As far as Baltimore pizza goes, this place is fantastic. Definitely a new fave. I can't wait to go back.

p.s. The new U2 album comes out on Tuesday. You'll be hearing from me.

p.p.s. I want to talk about an Italian deli downtown called Trinacria. You'll be hearing from me about that, too.

Wiki-tastic

2009-01-31T12:00:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week I was reading through the Wikipedia entry for The Doors (it's better not to ask why, lest ye submit yourself to a rant against rock and roll idolatry and the taste of popular culture).

Meanwhile, imagine my amusement as I read this entry for The Doors second album, Waiting For the Sun.

(For the record, the second #1 single for The Doors was "Hello, I Love You").

Really? Had they released "Suck Kunal's Balls Like A donkey On Friday" as a single, I might actually start to like this band. Needless to say, this is a prime example demonstrating the vulnerability of a wiki, especially the extremely popular, and often cited-amongst-students, Wikipedia.

I took the screen-cap immediately because I knew there was no way it would last too long and I needed to have proof. It had been changed less than 3 hours later. However, the editor had changed it to "The Unknown Soldier," again, an incorrect wiki-fact. For a while, I considered just watching this event transpire to see how long it actually took before the information was completely correct again. Well, I made it about 3 more hours before my librarian senses got the best of me and my responsibility to the Internet took over. I logged in and corrected the entry myself.

The one thing I hate more than The Doors is mis-information posing itself as fact on Wikipedia.

Jealous?

2008-12-22T19:47:00.002-05:00

An early birthday gift for Katie.

Eggs!

2008-12-15T19:22:00.006-05:00

The egg on the right is a cage-free, store-bought, egg. The egg on the left is a locally grown, naturally raised, cage-free, no hormones, antibiotics, etc. The difference is obvious in the picture and even more so in-person. It says a lot about how farming habits affect our food, and consequently affect our health. Not only does it taste better, but it's far more nutritious and has far fewer harmful synthetics to further poison our bodies.

Katie and I were kind of going crazy not having fresh, local produce since our CSA program ended in November. Luckily, we found a winter food co-op (basically operating like a CSA) that will supply us with a weekly supply of produce until our regular CSA starts up again in the spring.

Mill Valley General Store - our new winter-buyer's co-op

Breezy Willow Farm - our summer CSA

Epic!

2008-12-05T16:38:00.001-05:00

B.O.P. - Fells Point

2008-11-15T09:48:00.004-05:00

B.O.P. what is wrong with you? You've got everything going for you. When I look at you I see the perfect set up. I see a cute, independent pizza parlor with a wood-fired oven. I see you making my pizza right in front of me and then gingerly sliding it into the brick oven. I see a great menu with a few decent specialty pizzas, and a build-your-own option with just about any topping one might want. I see Dr Pepper on tap. Holy crap! I mean, look at all of the Best Of Baltimore awards on their walls. Look at all of the autographed celebrity photos. Surely this is supposed to be pretty great pizza, right?

OK, so obviously I was disappointed, but before I tell you why, let me fill you in with some background. When I've eaten at B.O.P. in the past, I've always just ordered a slice or two. Here's the catch...like I said, they have a killer topping menu, but when you order a single slice, they just pull a slice off of a pre-cooked plain cheese pie, drop the toppings on and then reheat it in the oven. This just doesn't work that well. Nothing is baked-in, the toppings get warm, but immediately fall off when you eat it because the cheese was pre-cooked and doesn't hold anything together. And it tastes like an over-done cheese pizza, with some toppings thrown on as an afterthought. As a comparison, Fortunato's and Pasta Mista have all of their available by-the-slice pies on the counter, and yes, they reheat them, but what you see is what you get. It sounds nit-picky, but you can taste the difference.

So going in I had a little baggage, but I was determined to set it aside. I knew I could get over this by ordering a whole pie, made fresh. Better yet, I'd order two. I got the Margherita Lisa and the Greek Pizza, both from their specialty menu. "Specialty" in my mind means they must make these better than anything else, right? So I took my Dr Pepper and I sat down right in front of the counter to wait. I love being able to watch your pizza being made. It's just fun. Especially when they put it in the oven. Man, I was getting excited.

By the time the pizzas arrived, I was running short on time. I had to make it back to Fletchers to see Karmella's Game, but I didn't want to just box it up and leave. If I were to truly give B.O.P. a fair chance at redemption, I would have to eat a few slices hot out of the oven. Sorry friends. So I popped the first box; the Greek Pizza. Let me tell you, the toppings were pretty great. You can't go wrong with olives, onions, fresh tomatoes (only b/c there's no sauce, natch) bell peppers, and crumbled feta. But the crust was sorely lacking. Even though I had ordered a 10" pie, the crust was so flimsy that it couldn't support itself. It's not that the toppings were overloaded. Visually, this was a well-balanced pie and should have been near perfection. The crust just wasn't a team player. As I got to the end-crust I savored a few bites with no toppings, just to get a taste for the bread itself. I couldn't taste anything. The texture and consistency, like the toppings, were fantastic, light and puffy, but there was no flavor at all.

Next up, the Margherita. As I opened the box I was shocked to see a small puddles of water near the mozz. This was unmistakable and definitely not olive oil. So you can probably guess the state of this crust. Soggy, limp, whatever you want to call it, eating this was a mess. The toppings on my second slice slid off completely as I was pulling it out of the box, leaving me holding a sagging, tasteless piece of bread. As I ate my toppings with a fork I realized the cheese was pretty good, and the sauce was pretty good, but without a decent crust, there's nothing to support this pizza, literally or figuratively.

B.O.P., we need to talk. I think we should see other people. I've opened my eyes, and I've moved on. You see, I met this really great pizza in Fells Point. Her name is Little Italy Pizzeria. I wish you nothing but the best, and perhaps we'll see each other around. Maybe things will change and...who knows?

I'm Living In A Hell Hole

2008-11-13T18:20:00.006-05:00

A friend of mine at work informed me that my blog is blocked by our network filter. Check out the reason for restriction:

I Like Food, Food Tastes Good

2008-11-12T20:54:00.002-05:00

One thing that Katie and I have become more aware of this year is eating locally. For a while we've been concerned about what is in our food (pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, etc.) but we've recently become aware of where food is grown and how much it costs (the cost of travel and the loss of local, independent farmers) to get food to the grocery store.

One of my favorite things we've done is to join a CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and is basically a group of people who buy into a local farm, or in our case, a group of farms. We commit to a subscription fee and every week we get to go to the farm and pick up a supply of fruits, vegetables, and occasionally dairy products. All of it is grown locally without the use of chemical fertilizers. A lot of it is grown on this one particular farm, but they have also joined with other local farmers to add variety to our pick up.

The season began in May with asparagus, strawberries, and other early harvest vegetables and ended this week with squash, apples, pears, etc. We've had 26 weeks of local, organic produce filling our kitchen and it's awesome. It's basically a surprise each week when we go to the farm and an unexpected benefit is that it is forcing us to cook many things we may never have bought on our own. This year saw the first time that I have ever eaten beets, turnips, parsnips, and a few others that I can't remember.

Here's a picture of this week's pick-up:

From left to right: fresh milled bread, tomatoes, beets, brussels sprouts, broccoli, pears, red apples, green apples, Romanesco broccoli, carrots, turnips, and red cabbage. (the onions and butternut squash are left over from last week)

This is pretty typical of the amount of food we get each week, and we're pretty good about using it all just in time for the next weeks' pick-up. I'm going to miss it for the next few months. I'll miss going to the farm every Wednesday and I'll definitely miss the fresh produce. I'm very excited to be a part of this CSA, though. I'm proud to support local, independent farmers and I love eating healthy foods grown in a responsible, sustainable way. I can't wait for next spring.

Pasta Mista - Towson

2008-11-04T08:22:00.008-05:00

The acronym found on the backs of the shirts of employees at Pasta Mista says it all: V.I.P., Very Italian Pizza. They have a counter displaying over a dozen specialty pizzas for sale by the slice and some of these look mind-blowingly delicious. They didn't have a Margherita on the menu, but I could see they offered all of the toppings and they were happy to make one up for me. I ordered a 14", but I swear to god it was at least 16" across. Holy schnikees, it was great pizza. The crust was perfectly thin, sturdy, and delicious. It had a perfect amount of sauce and delicious, fresh mozzarella. I overhead somebody comment about the "grease" on top...that's olive oil bitch! A true Neapolitan pizza has a swirl of olive oil on the top. And in my experience, only the take outs seem to have a problem with grease, and that's usually because they're using too much sub-par cheese.

p.s. They also have a full Italian menu (including gnocchi!) Katie got an excellent tortellini. Not too shabby!

"Wasting" My Vote

2008-10-30T20:17:00.002-04:00

I’ve been told too many times that voting for anyone other than a Republican or Democrat is a “wasted vote." I’ve heard all the reasons; a third-party candidate can’t win so why vote for them, or if you don’t vote the lesser of two evils, the greater evil might win. Seriously people? Is this what it’s come to? To quote one of my favorite movies, Beautiful Girls, "one comes to a decision based on what one wants, not based on what one doesn't want." Well, here's what I want:

I want real change, not just change of hands. And real change will never come by supporting that which we do not agree with out of fear of who might win if we don’t. I think we’re on a slippery slope to fascism and both parties are to blame. Supporting the status-quo with a vote sends the message that one will tolerate what they are doing and I refuse to have any part of that.

So, friends, I challenge you to NOT waste your vote by supporting the status-quo...because the status is NOT quo.

Bertucci's - Columbia

2008-10-23T16:43:00.006-04:00

I must admit, Bertucci's was never even on my pizza radar, as it is a chain. And I'll admit, I was off in my pre-judgement. I had assumed that because it was a chain that they didn't use fresh ingredients or make a quality pie. I was talking pizza at work with my friend Keith. We were chatting about the lack of serious pizza in Baltimore and sharing our local faves. Teaching is a second career for Keith as he spent many years as a chef in Little Italy, so I tend to really listen to and respect what he has to say about food (especially Italian). Keith told me that Bertucci's has a wood-fired brick oven and I couldn't believe it. A chain restaurant not built upon standardization and cutting costs? I had to see it to believe it.

Jim and I had tickets to see the Capitals vs. NJ Devils last weekend, so I figured it was a good opportunity to convene an emergency meeting of the Pizza Club. We shared a large Margherita and you know what? The thin crust was pretty darn good. It held up nicely and had a decent char. I ripped off an edge of the crust to taste it by itself. It wasn't a world-class pizza crust, but it was certainly way better than any chain pizza I had ever tasted. The dots of white cheese on the pizza were obviously fresh mozzarella, another pleasant surprise. The sauce was a deep red and a little chunky. The menu said "crushed roma tomatoes," could it possibly be true? I gotta give 'em credit, this was a pretty great pizza, and the only other place besides Iggie's making an authentic Neapolitan pie. Their pizza tasted better than Iggie's, cost the same, but was a few inches larger in diameter, so definitely a better deal. I'm still pretty sour on most restaurant chains, but Bertucci's gets a pass.

Pizza John's - Essex

2008-10-04T21:10:00.003-04:00

Wow, what a disappointment. Pizza John's gets consistently great reviews and has a rabid following among Baltimore Pizza-Hounds. Naturally, it was on my list of places to try and I finally scheduled a pizza club meeting this weekend. Judging by the packed parking lot and ABBA on the soundtrack, I started to get my hopes up.

I should have realized they weren't making serious pizza when I noticed their menu only offered cheese pizza plus toppings. They didn't even offer a Margherita (the original!) Now there's something to be said for simplicity. One of my biggest pizza-pet-peeves is too many toppings. But to only offer a basic choice of toppings with no thought or effort put into creating a specialty or even a classic just shows a lack of originality or caring.

Tipoff number two would have to have been the small pools of grease on the cheese pizza. If you really want to separate yourself from the average pizza makers, you can't overload your pie with tons of questionable quality cheese. If the crust can't support the weight of your cheese and toppings, you're doing it wrong.

Speaking of the crust, there wasn't much to distinguish Pizza John's crust from the Pillsbury tube of pizza crust you can get at the grocery store. It's made in-house and is hand-stretched with an even, thin cornichone, but there was little to no flavor. It was under-cooked and chewy, and drooped from the weight of the cheese. It's a bad sign when half of your pizza slides off of the crust and onto your plate, leaving you with a limp slice of soggy, mediocre crust.

One positive thing I can say about Pizza John's is that they make a really great sauce. It's just too bad that it's buried under an avalanche of cheese. And unfortunately, it's just not enough to save this pie.

You Want the Truth?

2008-10-02T20:15:00.004-04:00

Boy everybody sure is excited about the debate tonight. I think everyone is excited because there's a chance somebody is going to screw up. Joe Biden may say something potentially offensive or Sarah Palin won't know what to say at all. If Americans really wanted to see an exciting debate, however, they would demand that the debates be open to voices other than the two corporate parties. As it is, the debates are a joke. They are just another carefully scripted campaign event.

It hasn't always been this way, either. Up until 1988 the League of Women Voters sponsored the debates. The League had a history of offering fair, unbiased debates that were open to third party candidates. That was until the League withdrew their sponsorship, declaring, "The League of Women Voters is withdrawing sponsorship of the presidential debates ... because the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter. It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and answers to tough questions. The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public." (click here for the full statement)

More reading!
The Nader Campaign's Stance on the Presidential Debates

What you can do!
Open the Debates

Today's Pizza - Catonsville

2008-09-28T09:35:00.008-04:00

I'm not a pizza snob. I will eat a $1 slice, frozen grocery store pizza, school cafeteria pizza, you name it. I love pizza. But I had to draw the line somewhere as to which pizza places I would write about. I mean, Google Maps claims 56 pizza places within 1 mile of my house (they include Shoppers, which is kind funny). So I decided that the division would be dough. If a pizza parlor made their own dough, then I would write about it. That doesn't mean that I won't eat other pizzas. I frequently do, in fact. I'm just not going to put the effort into critiquing and writing about them. How much could I actually say about frozen dough from Sysco or Nino's? Canned sauce and processed cheese taste pretty much the same no matter who's name is on the awning.

Well here's the exception to prove the rule. I had to break my own guidelines for Today's Pizza (pronounced Toe-day's). This place is less than 200 yards from my house and they're open until 2am, so I can walk/stumble there anytime I want. There's also a little bit of sentimentality in that it was the first pizza I had when I first moved here and lived two blocks over on North Bend (the same street as Today's! man, I lucked out). Many awesome evenings of hanging out with friends have been accompanied by a Today's pizza.

Everyone I know agrees that there's something special about Today's. They're right. The crust is unassuming. It's typical carry-out crust; not as crispy as I usually like it, but you can fold it so it doesn't droop. The cheese does not dominate and they do not overload the toppings. Today's Pizza's ace in the hole, however, is their sauce. I don't know where they get it, but it's unlike any other sauce I've ever tasted. I know it's canned, I've watched them open it. But why no other carry-out has ever ordered this sauce amazes me. How is it unique to Today's? How did I get so lucky? This sauce is spicy. Not hot and not overwhelming, but there's a hint of smokey spice. Everyone comments on the sauce, but no one has been able to pin down the blend of spices in this sauce.

While I love going out and eating "serious" ** pizza, I also realize that I'm very lucky to have a really great, really cheap carry-out pie within walking distance from my house. Thank you Today's.

** Serious pizza in my book means sauce and dough made from scratch from high-quality ingredients and especially fresh mozzarella. A serious pizza oven would be nice, but that's a rare find in Baltimore.

What Debate?

2008-09-24T17:13:00.008-04:00

I woke up this morning and the headline on CNN.com said, "Candidates differ on Russia." Really? An hour and half of debate and the biggest disagreement worth reporting is their stance on Russia? The debates have become a joke. It's a photo-op where candidates can recite the best quips from their stump speeches to a nation-wide audience. There is no debate.

The citizens of our country deserve more. Unfortunately, as long as the Commission on Presidential Debates is running the show, that won't happen. The Commission on Presidential Debates is nothing more than an extension of the two major political parties, designed specifically (I'm not exaggerating) to exclude third party and independent candidates from having a voice in the presidential election process.

The Commission on Presidential Debates is more concerned with maintaining the two party duopoly than it is with actually letting candidates debate, or letting Americans hear alternative choices. Write your candidate, ask them what they're afraid of? Tell them you're intelligent enough to hear opposing and alternative viewpoints and judge for yourself. Until then, I say, "what debate?"

For more information about the corporate-sponsored, two-party Commission on Presidential Debates, click here.

Fortunato's - Towson

2008-09-23T19:13:00.007-04:00

Fortunato's specializes in a crispy, thin crust with dough made in-house. Seriously, the crusts are wonderful and they avoid over-salting, a common fault at many pizza places I've visited. Although this was some really good pizza, I'm afraid the praise stops there.

I can't give it a "great" because the Margherita had too little sauce and was buried in mozz. I'm a fan of cheese, don't get me wrong, but it's all about balance. And if you're going to offer a Margherita, a classic pizza, at least try to be authentic about it. Let me taste the sauce and the basil, not imagine that it might be hidden in there somewhere.

I can't say it was "amazing" because a simple green peppers and onions pie was overloaded with everything. There was just too much piled onto this pie. While I finally got to taste some sauce, and it was pretty damn great, the ratio of everything (sauce, cheese, and toppings) should have been cut in half. It shouldn't require both hands to support a single slice. (the sauce was great, btw)

One pizza does deserve some recognition, however. The White pizza is a Fortunato's specialty, and with good reason. This pizza had me at "hello." It wasn't overloaded with anything and that delicious crust could really shine through. The crust had a light layer of mozz with dabs of ricotta. It was topped with broccoli and fresh tomatoes, usually a pizza no-no, but in lieu of sauce, this really worked well. It's a very unusual, or unexpected flavor combination for a pizza, but they nailed it.

I don't mean to be such a downer on Fortunato's. It is really good. I'd eat there again tonight if it weren't so far away. I guess I'm just thinking about the potential. They've got a really good thing going. The crust is fantastic, the sauce is almost ideal, and they've got a knockout specialty pizza. If they could work out the consistency and balance of ingredients, I think things could be pretty damn solid. I guess I'll have to keep checking back. Pizza club!

We Interrput This Slice...

2008-08-25T20:22:00.003-04:00

It entirely frustrating that most Americans put more thought into buying a car than they do in choosing a president. Can you imagine anyone settling for two choices of transportation? Would anyone be satisfied with only two designers of clothing?

How is it possible that Americans are content with two (increasingly similar) political voices? Does our country fall so neatly into two homogeneous categories?

Answer: no.

Sadly, most are unaware of third parties. Challenge yourself, friends. Investigate your options and don't settle for the "least worst" candidate.

Matthew's Pizza - Highlandtown

2008-08-20T19:52:00.008-04:00

What could I possibly say about Matthew's Pizza that hasn't been said been said already? (just look at the back of their menu) It's not an exaggeration to say that Matthew's tops most people's "Top Baltimore Pizza" list. It's that good.

However, I do know some who are less-than-impressed by Matthew's (gasp!) I guess what one thinks about their pizzas probably comes down to their stance in the thick-versus-thin crust debate. Matthew's is definitely not a typical Chicago-style deep dish, but there is certainly a resemblance. The thick, buttery crust glistens with oil but doesn't lose the crispy. Many amateur deep-dishers (Pizza Hut, I'm looking in your direction) come out greasy. Not Matthew's. It's surprisingly light and fluffy. And I love it when you can actually taste a little bit of yeast in fresh, homemade dough. Most generic take out pizza places use frozen dough balls shipped in from Sysco, and they suffer for it. The crust is half of the pizza experience! Anyway, many others can speak more intelligently about dough/crust so let's not lose our focus: Matthew's crust is awesome.

And it doesn't end there. On top (and baked in) are homemade tomato sauce and fresh cheeses in addition to your toppings. My friend Jim and I (pizza club!) ordered two small pizzas; the Margherita and the "both kinds of cheese" pie. First, let's get this straight...size DOES NOT matter at Matthew's. They offer 8" or 10" pies. At most pizza places, that's pretty dang small. But at Matthew's, two smalls is plenty for two grown men. Katie and I usually split a large and we're stuffed. Believe me, what they lack in size is made up for in texture and flavor.

Obviously, a Matthew's Margherita is not a typical Margherita, but the tomato, mozz, basil combination is difficult to top, no matter what kind of crust you have. Matthew's version = heavenly. "Both kinds of cheese" includes fresh mozz and an imported hard cheese whose name escapes me right now. Regardless, I've never tasted a cheese combination like this before and it was excellent.

In addition to their specialty pies, they offer the option of creating your own from an assortment of toppings. One bonus that Matthew's has above many other pizzerias is that they offer green olives as a topping. Most offer black, but few have green, and that's another point for Matthew's. And the coup de grace at Matthew's??? Dr Pepper on tap! Does it get any better? No.

Chef Paolino's - Catonsville

2008-08-17T14:53:00.004-04:00

Chef Paolino's makes a tasty New York style pie. I ordered an 18” with peppers and onions. It was giant. Seriously huge. I ate three meals off of this pie. It was a little more authentic in that I had to fold the slice. The crust was pleasantly doughy; cheese was generous, but not offensive, and added more than just texture; and the sauce was surprising, tasting like tomatoes, not paste, though I'm sure it's canned. Hot out of the box, I couldn’t get enough – the bottom of the crust crisp, the cheese ever so slightly browned. I was hungry and now I am not. Overall good pizza, good price. CP’s also serves Sicilian style, have to try that soon.

Iggies - Mt. Vernon

2008-08-13T11:18:00.001-04:00

Iggies serves gourmet, Neapolitan style pizzas. I ordered the 14” large Margherita. It was a little too small to feed two adults, and definitely a little on the expensive side. The tomato sauce is bland, but it was topped with some great, fresh mozzarella. The crust is tough and chewy and without much flavor. It’s flat with few air pockets and may be rolled out with a pin (just a guess). Iggies is self-serve with no wait staff or bus staff. There’s no tipping but optional tips go to a different charity each month. It’s also BYOB. All of that's pretty cool, but the pizza is just so-so.

Little Italy Pizzeria - Fells Point

2008-08-11T15:58:00.002-04:00

New York style pizza is surprisingly difficult to find in Baltimore. Little Italy Pizzeria was a last-minute, unplanned lunch that kinda started this whole idea. I was selling/shopping at Sound Garden in Fells Point and decided to walk around to find some pizza (not B.O.P., more on that later). I’ll get it out of the way first, this place is a dive. It’s extremely small with very little character, and just barely “clean.” However, this is one of the best pizzas I’ve had in Baltimore. I ordered a 10” with peppers and onions and it was the perfect size for one adult (I had one slice left for a late-afternoon snack). They definitely make their own crust in-house and it’s worth it. You can taste a slight hint of yeast and there are some very nice air pockets (hand tossed!) There’s a slight char on the bottom and the sauce has a real tomato flavor. It actually tastes like tomatoes! Next time you eat a pizza, pay attention to the sauce. What does it taste like? More often than not it's either over-seasoned or it has no taste at all. I usually try to limit my toppings just because they tend to overshadow or hide the flavor of the sauce, and doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose?

I Loves Me Some Pizza

2008-08-11T15:56:00.001-04:00

Now I’m no food critic, so I can’t really speak intelligently about eating and cooking. I’m not even a pizza expert, so don’t expect anything profound, but I really like pizza. Baltimore is not really known for pizza and there aren’t too many pizza mainstays. I’d eaten at the “famous” pizza places, but there’s like two of them. I wanted to know more about pizza in my town so I started looking on the internet. Obviously, Matthew’s gets a lot of recommendations, but after that, there was no real consensus. A lot of places got mentioned, and I had eaten at a few of them, but no one could come to some general agreement about something as simple as “Top 5 pizzas in Baltimore.” My goal is not to discover and rank the best pizza places in Baltimore. I just want to try some new places and see how they compare.

The Doctor is In...Sort of

2006-06-25T12:19:00.000-04:00

This is not an online diary. I don't crave the attention and I don't have the self-important gene. When I'm bored, I think, and when I think, sometimes I want to put those thoughts out there for my friends.

So why the severe lack up posts lately? Short answer: I'm no longer bored. I still think a lot, but less about the ridiculous minutae of my obsessive nature. I still love Dr Pepper and Bruce Springsteen, but they've taken the back seat to Katie. I never wanted this blog to be an intimate look at my innermost thoughts and emotions so I've just let this rest.

I'm not abandoning the blog, but the updates, as you've noticed, might be more infrequent.

Licking My Lips While We Freak In Stereo

2006-04-06T19:03:00.000-04:00

I just posted a new Radio.Blog. Click that link under the picture on the right. It's only four songs, but it clocks in near the half-hour mark. Good stuff.

Brainwashed? Nah

2006-03-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

Does anybody remember Dr Pepper Gum? It was one of those liquid-filled gums in the '80s. It was purple with Dr. Pepper syrup in the center. Man, that stuff was good.

Speaking of the Doc, the battle is back on over at Dr Pepper I Love You. Chelsea won't even know what hit her.

Amen Brother

2006-03-17T13:38:00.000-05:00

This is a fascinating 15 minute video that traces the history of break beats, particularly the "Amen Break," a six-second drum sample from the b-side of a 1969 single by The Winstons. It looks at its use in early hip hop and as the foundation for several dance/techno subcultures, also touching upon the current attitude towards the ownership of culture and art.

Can I Get An Amen? (Click to open in a new window)

It's really quite brilliant, and I highly recommend you taking a look at it when you have the time and bandwidth to spare.

R.I.P. Hell House

2006-03-16T11:49:00.000-05:00

You can't being to imagine my sadness. I couldn't tell you how many times I've gone there, and each time I discovered new details that made it that much more amazing. One of my favorite things to do was to take new friends there. I loved to talk about the history, the urban legends; sorting out fact from fiction.

Yesterday I spent the day with Katie. We parked by the river. She knew where we were going, but not what to look for or expect. Walking up the staircase, I got the same mix of chills and adrenaline that I had each time before. Now try to imagine what was going on in my mind as we walked up the hill and couldn't see anything through the trees except for blue sky. "It's not there." That's all I could say. Where does a massive red brick building disappear to? Before we went any further, I already knew what had happened. We continued up the final staircase, where one would previously emerge right below the main entrance to the building. At this point, we still couldn't see anything. The entire hill top was empty. As we walked the small paved road around to the right and came up to the top of the hill we could see the bricks. A footprint of the entire building made of red brick and concrete rubble. The main structure, the garage, the greenhouse; all of it now leveled.

As An Added Bonus

2006-03-08T15:00:00.000-05:00

Legends of Springsteen

2006-03-04T13:36:00.000-05:00

I knew it would happen someday. I knew that eventually, somehow, I would meet Bruce Springsteen. Well, it finally happened last night. Who cares that it was only in a dream? It sure felt real, and it affected me nonetheless.

Unfortunately, I don't remember quite as many details of the dream as I usually do (or at least ones that I'd share in this public forum). I'm not exactly sure where we were. I know we met outside and then went over to his house. We never talked about his songs, or music in general. We talked about life and girls. It was actually more like hanging out with a character from a Springsteen song than with the man himself...a character from The River or Born to Run. One of those idealized, romantic, rock and roll characters that's caught up in love or struggling to find his way.

It reminded me of that scene in High Fidelity (the film) when Rob is deciding to seek out the rest of his Big Top 5 List..."Just see 'em and talk to 'em. You know, like a Bruce Springsteen song." I love that he uses an imagined Bruce to justify his thoughts and his actions. "Good luck, Goodbye. Thanks, Boss."

Post Script
So my interpretation of this is that I've adopted Bruce as my conscience...my own Jiminy Cricket speaking to me what I already know to be true, but need to hear from another perspective.

Post Post Script
I talked to my mom, the psychologist, about this and she seems to think that it's not a conscience, it's my "higher self." Yeah, she said that. Her differentiation is that a conscience only talks to you as you as you're making choices or afterwards. Your higher self helps to raise awareness of things to come. It's a more forward-thinking facet of your mind. I kind of like the idea that Springsteen embodies my higher self.

Going Off The Rails

2006-02-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

Please direct your attention to Chelsea over at 'brarian du monde. She has put together a great post about the High Roller....I get chills just typing the name.

A Bittersweet Symphony

2006-02-06T20:51:00.001-05:00

A certain friend of mine has been blessed with the gift of hyperbole. Not in the occasional sense like you or I may use it. He has taken things to a new level. He's a master craftsman perfecting his art.

The latest example came recently when he proclaimed The Verve as one of the "top 50 greatest rock and roll bands of all time." Yup. Even when given an opportunity to recant, he stood his ground. Those not familiar with The Verve might know them from thier biggest hit in the United States, Bittersweet Symphony. Now I think The Verve are a very good band, don't get me wrong, but I think it says something about them that their breakthrough hit is built entirely around an unapproved sample from The Last Time by the Rolling Stones (Mick and Keith successfully sued for 100% of the royalties, songwriting credits, and publishing rights).

All of that aside, this sparked a disussion between us about the top 50 rock and roll acts of all time. Our main sticking point was his refusal to acknowledge the difference between "greatest" and "favorite". I maintain that there are many acts that would easily qualify for a spot on the "greatest" list, and still come nowhere close to my "favorites" list, and vice versa. I challenged him to put together a list of the Top 50 Greatest Rock and Roll Acts of All Time for comparisson to a list that I would make.

My list is far from comprehensive, and it is in absolutely no order whatsoever. For your consideration, your enlightenment, and your comments, here is my list of the Top 50 Greatest Rock and Roll Acts of All Time:

Beatles
Led Zeppelin
Rolling Stones
Who
Bob Dylan
Elvis Presley
Beach Boys
U2
Clash
Michael Jackson/Jackson Five
Aerosmith
Talking Heads
Police
Kinks
Jimi Hendrix
James Brown
Ramones
David Bowie
Pink Floyd
Fleetwood Mac
Buddy Holly
Velvet Underground
Doors
Chuck Berry
Little Richard
Jerry Lee Lewis
Johnny Cash
Nirvana
Sex Pistols
AC/DC
Black Sabbath
Iggy Pop/Stooges
Metallica
Van Halen
Cure
Bruce Springsteen/E Street Band
Queen
ABBA
Roy Orbison
Elton John
Simon and Garfunkel
Elvis Costello
Ray Charles
Stevie Wonder
Sly and the Family Stone
Kraftwerk
Marvin Gaye
Aretha Franklin
Pixies
Prince

These artists were bumped from the list, but still deserve mentioning:

R.E.M.
Madonna
B-52s
INXS
Al Green
CCR
Temptations
Supremes
Earth Wind and Fire
Replacements
Roxy Music
Joy Division
B.B. King
T. Rex

I Plan My Future Like I Plan My Death

2006-01-09T16:25:00.000-05:00

I put up a new Radio.Blog before I went to Texas for the holidays, but I didn't get around to announcing it or saying anything about the tracks, so here goes:

Helen Stellar - The Opening Credits - What I love about this track is that it takes its time. It never feels rushed to build up or move on to the next part. It's not even an epic song, falling just short of four and a half minutes. Each part flows nicely to the next, giving it a natural shape that many modern indie bands never realize.

Levy - Rotten Love - Judging by the play count on my iTunes, you'd think that Rotten Love was an unreleased Pixies song or something. I love when the bass guitar takes a spin with a lead line after the second chorus (2:00).

Weevil - Half Smile - Great juxtaposition of happy, electronic pop with a melancholy vocal part.

Faunts - Memories of Places We've Never Been - I can't put my finger on it, but this song instantly makes me think of The Smiths. It's not the voice, the song, or the sound. I think it's the keyboard melody that runs through the second verse.

Data Panik - Sense not Sense - This band consists of the three members of Bis, the drummer from Kenickie and another guy on bass. Good stuff.

Paul Hogan - It - No, this is not a song by Crocodile Dundee. In fact, I have since learned that the album is released under the name, "Frances." Although Frances consists of one dude named Paul Hogan. I can't blame him for using a psudonym, though. I love the "Star Spangled Banner" intro and the "This is it. Is this it?" ending.

*The Radio.Blog link is on the right side under the pictures of the sad, old man.

Man, People Eat the F##k Out of Some Food *

2006-01-08T12:48:00.000-05:00

My friend, Scott, and I have been talking about a trip that we'd like to take this year. It's a Food Vacation...a weekend dedicated to revisiting some of the finest restaurants we've ever experienced. We don't have to go trans-Atlantic to find said restaurants. We won't even have to visit multiple states. No, the underappreciated west Texas town of Lubbock is unparalleled when it comes to hidden culinary treasure, and it is our destination. As Mark Twain once said, "[Lubbock] food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin." He was actually talking about New Orleans, but I'm sure if he had ever visited Lubbock, he would have agreed.

Some of you may laugh this off as a joke, but we are completely serious. Scott and I have travelled the country with Sand Which Is and Avec for about seven years now, and while we have had more than our share of Taco Bell, Subway, and diner food, we have also had the opportunity to eat at some amazing restaurants. The kind of places that you only learn about when you've been to a city five times. The little-known places only locals patronize and we are fortunate enough to be friends with those locals. Some of my most cherished memories from touring involving sharing a meal with three of my best friends; partly for the fellowship, and especially for the chow. I love/live to eat, and I can't wait for our Food Vacation. We have started a list of restaurants to visit when we get to Lubbock. As the list continues to grow, so does the length of our stay. So far, it looks like this:

Mama Josie's (University Ave. location is a priority, but we'll try to visit others)
Abuelo's (the original is in Lubbock and it's fantastic)
One Guy From Italy
Choo Chai
Mamarita's (for late night chips & salsa and margaritas)
Thai Thai
Stein's (Ensteins revisited)
Saigon Cafe
Taqueria Jalisco
Spanky's (I might be alone on this one...it'll be a secret side-trip)

* quote courtesy of Shawna Potter

Goodnight, Sky Harbor

2005-12-02T23:38:00.000-05:00

Have you ever gotten delirious from a phone call? A long night on the phone where you totally feel someone else out? The joy of discovering another person, that spark of chemistry. Not knowing if the girl you're talking to is going to be your best friend or something more, but nevertheless knowing that they're digging your company just as much as you're digging theirs. This was one of those calls.

Now Without Annoying Snaps & Crackles

2005-11-30T14:37:00.000-05:00

Grape Nuts is the best cereal ever. What I like about Grape Nuts is that there are no gimmicks. There's no cartoon bunny dancing around on the box cover, there's no commercial with a lame jingle that gets stuck in your head for years (Honeycomb, I'm looking in your direction). You get a box full of cereal and that's it. No prizes, no celebrity endorsements. It's just a pound of wheat and barley with a picture on the front.

Yesterday I bought a massive box of Grape Nuts, twice as big as the box I normally purchase. This box must have weighed close to five pounds. Any other box of cereal this size would weigh half as much, which makes them half as good. You've got to respect a cereal with the same density as gravel.

When I was going to school in Lubbock and would drive home to Dallas I drove through a small west Texas town called Post. This town was founded by the inventor of Grape Nuts, Charles William Post. The story is that he dreamed of creating a utopian city, and this is one of the earliest examples of a planned community. Unfortunately, it would eventually lead to the final breakdown in his health. A much more comprehensive telling can be found here.

Lately, I've been eating my Grape Nuts with yogurt instead of soy milk. Talk about a little slice of heaven. I highly reccommend raspberry yogurt for any Grape Nuts enthusiasts out there. Novices, however, be advised. Without proper conditioning, teeth can be chipped. This is not a cereal for lightweights.

In Your Face....swissshhh!

2005-11-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

The Radio.Blog has been updated. I actually made this playlist months ago, but I never got around to converting the files, etc. That part of the process is a pain in the ass. Ask Al if you don't believe me.

Some quick remarks:

Tracks 1 & 2 are proof that Puff Daddy (yes, I still call him that) is an excellent producer. Just keep him away from the mic.

Track 4 is probably the first rap song I ever heard. When I was growing up in Ft. Worth, my brother and I used to listen to the radio together at night. Once, we were scanning through the dial and we came across a local college station that was playing rap music. We put a tape in the little jam box we had and taped the songs off of the radio and listened to it for weeks. Basketball was one of the songs on there. I also remember some Run DMC and Sugarhill Gang. There was also an awesome song that we think was called Einstein. I would love to find a copy of that song. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the artist and Einstein was really the only decipherable lyric (the rest was just random onomatopoeia).

Track 7 would be easy to skip as long as you don't make it to the chorus. Once you hear that you're hooked and the payoff is huge if you can make it to the two minute mark.

Track 8 was on the last radio.blog playlist, too, but I thought it fit well with the rest of this list. It's kind of like a leftover Color Me Badd track, or any other early 90s r&b crap. This is actually a pretty fun song, though. The half-time beat at the second verse (around 1:10) is totally hot.

In the City of Blinding Lights

2005-10-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

General admission floor tickets standing about 10 feet back from the edge of the ellipse...

Main Set: City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Elevation, The Electric Co., The Ocean, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - In a Little While, Beautiful Day, Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet the Blue Sky, Miss Sarajevo, Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name, One - Ol' Man River

Encore(s): The First Time (acoustic), Stuck In a Moment, Angel of Harlem, With or Without You, All Because of You, Yahweh, 40

*photos by Debi Adams - click for more photos from the Dallas show.

Where The Incredible Is Only a Montage Away

2005-10-21T09:27:00.000-04:00

OK, so Elizabethtown is clearly Crowe’s weakest effort. But the man has, in many ways, set the bar for putting love stories on film and backing them with exceptional soundtracks. He’s done other types of films, but this genre is where he’s made his mark on mainstream audiences.

Yes, I walked away from Elizabethtown slightly puzzled. I like the movie, but it seems the most unfinished and uneven of any of Crowe films. What works works great, and what doesn't work doesn't make me go crazy with how bad it is or anything, but it just feels flat.

I think a lot of my friends expect me to adamantly defend it. I've been known to argue and there are hundreds of films that I will champion until I’m blue in the face, but this isn’t one of them. It’s not a matter of whether you “get” the film – after all, it’s fairly transparent. It’s a matter of whether you’ve “felt” the film. The weight of this film rests entirely on what you bring in with you, not what Crowe gives you to take away.

This is an appropriate quote about Cameron Crowe:

"He is the Jack Kerouac of contemporary American cinema, tempered with a healthy dose of Norman Rockwell, offering up sentimental snapshots culled from his life and the lives of those around him, treating us to raw, distilled emotion that roots itself in the universal experiences we all share. Crowe doesn’t create something new and different for us to revel in, rather, he wins us over with familiarity, with his ability to tell stories we can relate to on a very human level."

But not everyone wants that, not everyone can relate to the stories he tells. And that’s the biggest problem with Cameron Crowe’s films, especially Elizabethtown. You cannot simply love his films for the way he tells his stories. You cannot love them for any sort of unique visual style, for any sort of subtlety. The heart and soul of Crowe’s work relies entirely on being able to relate to the story he’s telling. It relies entirely upon being able to say “Man, I know exactly what you’re saying. I’ve totally been there.” And if you can’t relate, if you haven’t been there, well, it’s just another story that’s occasionally funny, somewhat hokey and chock full of music you may or may not like.

The International House of Hell Cakes

2005-10-19T23:22:00.000-04:00

Remember when I said that I was obsessed with Hell House?

Here Is A House

2005-09-29T16:38:00.000-04:00

One project that has been in the back of my mind for a while is to create a small website dedicated to Hell House. Over the last couple of years I have pieced together bits of information and pictures and I thought it would be cool to share it. Well, I can scratch that one off the list because someone has beaten me to it, and has done a much better job.

www.acurse.com offers a pretty great "tour" that covers the entire grounds at Hell House.

stubbornlights.org has a more historical/myth debunking approach and collects several links to new articles and interviews.

Most of you who know me have heard me talk about these ruins near Ellicott City. A few summers ago I was mildly obsessed with exploring all of the creepy places near Catonsville and Hell House was like the holy grail. I found several awesome cemeteries, jumped the fence at the Patapsco Female Institute (which has since been cleaned up and is open to the public), taken most of the local ghost tours, read tons of material, and trolled message boards dedicated to such topics. Hell House was one place that was consistently mentioned, but very little was known about its history, it had several conflicting rumors surrounding it, and directions were vague at best. I had gone out a few weekends in a row, driving around the general area where I believed it was located, but came up empty every time. It turns out that I had been within sight of it a couple of times and had completely missed it.

I was living with my friend Scott at the time and he knew what I was up to and was kind of getting into it, as well. He asked a co-worker who had grown up in the area what he knew and came back with some directions, still very obscure, but worth trying. "Drive to the end of Seven Hills Road." Here we encountered the first problem, Seven Hills Road is no longer called Seven Hills Road. Luckily, Scott had a general idea of where it was and after a quick internet search we locked in the exact road. So I drove Seven Hills Road until it ends and I realized that I didn't know what to do next. I could turn left or right, a 50/50 chance of finding or missing this place. I turned right and after about a half mile I'm out of the Patapsco River valley and in the middle of pastures and corn fields. I had read that Hell House was perched over the river and I realized that I needed to go the other way. So I turned around and after about a mile, the road ended at another cross-street that ran parallel to the river. I had driven past here before and so I knew I had to be close. I parked along the river, and got out to walk. I scanned the surrounding hill tops but couldn't see anything. It was the middle of summer and everything was lush green. In the river there were some sweet ruins from a bridge that no longer existed and up ahead I could see a pretty awesome railroad bridge and tunnel that led away from the paper mill. I decided that since I hadn't found Hell House, I could at least go walk over a rail road bride and check out a cool tunnel. I walked down the road and up to the railroad bridge. I walked across the bridge, checked out the river below me and went to the edge of the tunnel. It's long, dark, and creepy, just like you'd expect it to be, but it's only about 200 yards long, so you can totally see the exit. There were some high school aged kids hanging out on the hill above the tunnel and I could tell that I was interrupting them, so I decided to leave. As I exited the railroad bridge and turned to walk back to the road I was absolutely floored to see the huge concrete stair case that leads up the side of the hill. It's overgrown with vines and moss, and it's not suprising that I missed it on my way in. My heart immediately started beating very fast and I could hear blood rushing in my ears. The stair case was very tall, and there were no signs of Hell House, but come on...big stone staircases in the forest HAVE to lead to places called Hell House. Back then I had a cell phone and I considered calling Scott to tell him I found it, but also mostly to tell him where I was in case I never came back. Unfortunately, I didn't have service. I was at the bottom of a river valley in the middle of a state park, so it's understandable. I slowly started up the stairs and carefully ignored the 'No Trespassing" signs. I was more excited than scared, but I was being very cautious, as I was by myself there. When I got to the top I was disappointed to find only a thick forest. I follow a dirt path to some smaller staircases and finally after twisting up two smaller hills I emerge right next to Hell House. I mean, it's less than 15 feet away and I couldn't see it until I was directly upon it. It's totally massive and I was kind of pissed at the graffiti and litter, but it's pretty amazing nonetheless. I follow a path that circles around the building constantly checking over my shoulder. Keep in mind, at this point in time, I had heard all of the rumors of a caretaker with dogs who would shoot rock salt or rubber bullets (depending on which legend you heard). I was more scared of this guy than any potential hauntings. Luckily, I was completely alone and after my initial anxiety and excitement wore down, it was really not a scary place at all. I lived with a ghost in Lubbock and I've been in many places that have that bad energy, and while I felt a general uneasiness in being there, I never felt any bad vibes at Hell House, at least around the main building. I found the garage and the greenhouse. I have never seen the pool, the graveyard or the well that this site mentions, though. To be honest, as you go further up the hill past the greenhouse, where those are located, I have felt a little bad mojo and decided that I probably shouldn't go any further.

That first day that I visited I kind of freaked myself out when I was thinking about going further up the hill past the greenhouse. I quickly left, half walking/half running down the hill and back to my car. On my way back home I was driving out on Seven Hill Road and I passed Scott and his friend Angela, who were apparently out on the same quest. We pulled over and talked for a while, I told them where they could park and where the staircase is located. Scott and I have been back several times and have explored a lot of the grounds. I still haven't gone any further up the hill, though. Maybe next time.

Here are some pictures:

*All photographs by Mark Robinson

After All That We've Been Through

2005-09-27T23:31:00.000-04:00

Gwen Stefani - Cool (Photek Remix) - (link removed) - Yes, Gwen Stefani is annoying and Hollaback Girl is easily the Worst Song Of The Year. That said, I feel a little bit guilty telling you that I've been enjoying this Photek remix of her song Cool.

Greg's A Male Nurse

2005-09-27T10:31:00.000-04:00

I bought some new shoes the other day...actually my mom bought them for me. Thanks mom! Anyway, I bought these sweet New Balance shoes and a certain friend of mine has been giving me shit, claiming that New Balance only makes nurse shoes. Well, let me tell you why I decided to buy these.

New Balance shoes are sweatshop free! They have five factories in New England producing the bulk of their shoes.

New Balance has many models that are vegetarian-friendly and they are clearly labeled as such!

New Balance products are "Endorsed By No One."

Instead of paying celebrities to tell you how great our products are, we invest in research, design, and domestic manufacturing and let our products speak for themselves. By adhering to this philosophy, we are able to celebrate the true stars: every day athletes who choose New Balance footwear and apparel because they fit and because they perform.

Most importantly, these shoes fit well and look bad ass. If that makes me a male nurse, so be it.

*all information can be found at www.newbalance.com

School Of Thought Bubble

2005-09-22T09:50:00.000-04:00

An interesting website that I've been enjoying lately is Ji Lee's Bubble Project. Lee printed 50,000 "thought bubble" stickers and plastered them over advertisements of all sorts across New York City. He then waited for the troops to uncap their pens, and went back to photograph what people wrote. The results are divided into different sections such as Social Commentary, Politics and Religion, and Humor . My personal favorites include the one to your left, a Starbucks logo, and a laptop confession.

Can We Talk About Dr. Pepper Again?

2005-09-19T09:42:00.000-04:00

I'm now contributing over at Dr. Pepper, I Love You. Chelsea and I have beef like 50 Cent and Ja Rule.

There's Nothing To See Here

2005-09-12T19:49:00.000-04:00

Here are a few quick comments about some of the songs currently on the radio blog.

She Wants Revenge - One could easily write them off as a late comer to the 80s revival, but whereas all of them are heavily indebted to New Order and Depeche Mode, SWR is the first that I've heard that captures the sadness of their predecessors and can still keep it danceable.

For Against - We had a copy of their album, December, at the KTXT studios, where I worked during college. I should have stolen it because it took me years to find a used copy. Apparently, it had gone out of print. Even after listening to this album for a few years I am still suprised that this band came out of Lincoln, Nebraska. I would have sworn they were British. Bloc Party fans, take note!

This Blog Is Not A Rebel Blog

2005-09-10T23:41:00.000-04:00

I've spent a good number of hours this weekend setting up a radio blog. If you look to the right, underneath the sad old man is a link that says, "Radio Blog." Click it and a small window opens that will stream music that I have programmed. I will update the playlist occasionally and I'll try to say a few things about some of the tracks while they are posted. This first batch was really just an experiment, so the sequencing might seem a bit schizophrenic. It's mostly just some new music that I've been listening to and I'm excited to share it. Next time you're spending a while on the internet, keep it open in the background and let me know what you think. Also, if a song suddenly stops and skips to the next track without finishing, please send me a comment or an e-mail. I might still need to tweak the buffer time a little.

Till The End I'm A DP Fan

2005-09-04T14:32:00.000-04:00

For those of you who refuse to acknowledge Dr Pepper as the reigning leader of the world's soft drinks, let me suggest that you please take a minute and read this. Her rhymes flow effortlessly and the message is consistent throughout; Dr Pepper, I Love You.

Now, let me educate you as to how to fully appreciate the Doctor. Many people might not recognize the subtle differences between a fountain drink, a 2 liter bottle, or any other form of delivery. Luckily for you, I've put a lot of thought and effort into this, and I am going to let you know how to get the most out of your Dr Pepper experience.

First of all, it is easy to think that a fountain drink would win hands down, and believe me, I've had some amazing fountain DPs. The problem we face here is irregularity. The slightest shift in the amount of syrup and carbonation can ruin a great soda. There is something to be said, though, of restaurants who serve DP. A small variance in soda consistency can sometimes be overlooked by combining it with certain foods (chips and salsa, I'm looking in your direction).

As one travels further away from Texas, the chances of finding restaurants that offer Doctor Pepper become smaller and smaller. So, friends, let me tell you how you can fully experience the heavenly flavor in your own home. Here is what you'll need:

Dr Pepper in an aluminium can

A glass (not a plastic cup, people. I'm talking glass here)

Ice, preferably Sonic ice, but if unavailable, any ice will do

I highly recommend that you chill the Dr Pepper cans in the refrigerator before pouring it over ice, but I would understand if your desperate craving prevented you from waiting.

Another way to truly enjoy the Doctor is straight from a chilled glass bottle. Unfortunately, DP in a bottle is hard to come by, especially if you're not in Texas. A glass vessel, as you might guess, is the key here.

Drinking straight from a can (chilled, of course) ranks second in my book. The mix is consistent, and the serving size is small enough that it does not lose carbonation (a shortcoming of the 20oz and 2 liter bottles).

Once you have mastered the "DP From A Can In A Glass Over Ice" technique and you feel you are ready to take it to the next level, may I introduce to you The Trifecta! (warning, this site is for mature audiences only) While this combination has long been a dietary staple for me and many of my friends, I want to thank my friend, Chelsea, for giving it a name and documenting it on her blog. I partook in this holy trinity last night and my taste buds are still intoxicated!

This Ain't No Holiday

2005-08-30T21:07:00.000-04:00

Classes start tomorrow and I arbitrarily set that date as the offical end of my craptastic summer, and as if simply to spite me, the gods of summer today decided to deal me a death blow. Today I learned that Pixies are playing a club show in Baltimore on the same night that Avec is scheduled to play a local show. So, not only will I miss my favorite band on the planet playing an intimate club show, but Avec is pretty much guaranteed an empty house at The Ottobar, as anyone with remotely good taste in music will be at said Pixies show. DAMMOUGH!

In other news, this has been making me laugh for the last few days. The group is called The North American Halloween Prevention Initiative and their charity-benefit single is "Do They Know It's Halloween?" (click here for the full lyrics and a who's who of participants). David Cross during the interlude is my personal favorite.

Everything Dies, Baby, That's a Fact

2005-08-24T18:31:00.000-04:00

Atlantic City by Bruce Springsteen is a song that I know pretty well. I have listened to Nebraska more than any other Springsteen album and I've relentlessly scrutinized those songs for years now. The album is chilling with its bare production and themes of lonliness and desperation. But this morning on my drive to work I heard something that I have never heard before. The song Atlantic City, for years to me, has been a portrait of how far any person would go to outrun their demons. This man comprimising his own morals/ethics in order to get himself and his wife out of a dying town and rationalizing his decision so that he can live with it. There is an overwhelming sense of failure in his past--the choices he made that got him into his debt-ridden and unemployed situation; and in his present--the choices he is willing make in order to escape this life, no matter how dishonest (is it a hit? a drug deal? a robbery?)

What I never got until this morning is the sense of hope in this song. I mean, it's barely there. It's really just one word, "maybe."

But maybe everything that dies someday comes back

That "maybe" is as good as it gets here, but it's inspiring nevertheless. When he asks his girl to "Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty, and meet me tonight in Atlantic City" he's asking her to give him another chance, to start a new chapter in their life together.

It kind of seems obvious to me now. I guess I had always gotten caught up in the album as a whole. In the context of the rest of the songs, it's easy to become engrossed in the dark, haunting side of these down-on-their-luck stories. But today, for whatever reason, this popped out at me. It was one of those amazing feelings that you get when a work of art truly touches you. What made it even more special was that this was a song that I had loved for years and today one more layer was revealed to me. I got shivers up my spine, goose bumps, and even a small tear in the corner of my eye. I'm not ashamed to admit it either. You should be lucky enough to experience something like this.

Destroy me this way

2005-08-20T12:33:00.000-04:00

Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch (link removed) - How did I miss out on Ladytron for so long? This song has been on permenant repeat in my apartment and I don't think it's going away anytime soon.

The Next Thing To Go

2005-08-18T20:29:00.000-04:00

Without a doubt, this has been the worst summer of the 29 that I've experienced. I've had some pretty great summers, though, so I guess my time was up. I was talking to my dad the other day and he asked me if I've been having a rough time. This was out of the blue, and I hadn't mentioned my craptastic summer to him at all. He asked because he has had a craptasitic summer, as well, and wanted to know if I shared his pain. We are both Cancers, and while neither of us have ever put any faith in astrology, he told me that my mom had read his horoscope to him earlier in the year and it warned of a difficult summer. We decided that it could easily be a self-fulfilling prophecy type of thing, and regardless of its validity, summer was wrapping up, and it can only get better. Then he stubbed his pinky toe and broke it. My condolences, Dad.