notes from new orleans

- never drink sippin' syrup
- i saw steve zahn
- chivalry is not dead (and it makes me feel weird)
- larry flint is a racist

also, pan-african food is delicious. here is a recipe for something called jama jama. the restaurant i had it at, benachin, served it with fried plantains and coconut rice on the side. delishhhh.

What you need:

a few tablespoons of oil
two or three cloves of garlic, minced
one onion, finely chopped
one-half teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper (more or less to taste)
two or more pounds of greens (collards, kale, mustard greens, swiss chard, or similar); stems removed, cleaned, torn or shredded, drained
one cup water, or chicken broth or chicken stock
salt to taste

What you do:

Heat oil in a large skillet or pot. Over high heat, sauté onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add cayenne pepper and stir for a minute. Reduce heat.
Add greens to pot. Cook over medium heat for several minutes. Stir greens often, but otherwise keep the pot covered.
Add water or broth. Cover. Cook over low heat until greens are tender -- ten to twenty minutes or longer. Add salt if necessary. Serve hot.

recipe courtesy of congocookbook.com

i get around

i am going to new orleans in 2 weeks!!!!!! i can't wait. i'm gonna eat like a cajun queen and listen to some bounce. it will be nice to hang in a warmer clime.

so far this year, i've gone to israel (tel aviv, jerusalem, tiberius, haifa, golan heights, negev, more i am probably forgetting), philly, and boston. i hope to go to many more places in the 2010. i guess i'll have to wait and see what the future holds.

x-mas

the life aquatic is my favorite x-mas movie and shake the sheets by ted leo/pharmacists is my favorite x-mas album.

blogging about blogging

i've come to realize that the only time i blog (or remember that i have a blog) is when i am putting something off. if this were the case all of the time, i would have a lot more entries. but for some reason, a unique blend of boredom and procrastination only inspires me to blog a few times a year. today is (obviously) one of these times. i'm at school and thought it would be a great idea to stay here all day before the pixies even though i only have one class because i have a frightening amount of work due in the next two weeks. i did not factor in the restlessness that i may feel before a holiday weekend/seeing one of the best bands/ hanging out later with my palz. so here i am.

the end of the summer always comes so quickly but this time i don't mind it 'cause i'm ready for a change.

strawberry jamz

sooooo yesterday some friends and i went strawberry picking and it was kind of lovely. deanna, nick, rachel and christopher accompanied me and we enjoyed hand selecting individual harvests of the fresh/locally grown produce. i ate one in the field immediately after i picked it because i knew it would taste better there than at home and it did.

summer summer summertime...

at long last, there are only 3 hours between me and summer. the beginning of the summer is usually the best part for me because i dream of the boundless potential for all of the great summery activities that i could do if i feel like it, but usually don't. i fall into a cycle of wake up at 2, go to work, go out, and repeat. don't get me wrong; this formula can be great in its own right, but in order to save myself from its monotonous grip, i compiled a list (with the help of thomas john craig) of things i've always wanted to do in summer's past but have never gotten around to (and some old favorites worth revisiting):

1) GO ON A BOAT. does anyone have a boat? my friend jason used to have one but he sank it.

2) go to the zoo (bronx, of course.)

3) the aquarium

4) central park for a picnic with some wine and a stocked picnic basket

5) summer shows outdoors

6) the beach a lot
- OK i say this every year... but this year i cared enough to include it in a list on the interweb, so obvs i am 4 rl about it this time.

7) fire island

8) bluepoint brewery

9) montauk point to search for montauk monsters

10) parties

11) bbqs

12) festivals (all kinds)

13) jordan's lobster pound (their bisque is to die for!)

14) the nautical mile (ottos rulz)

15) strawberry picking (they are ripe in june)

summer resolutions:
- buy lemonade from every lemonade stand i see
- read 10 books

everyone is invited to everything.