Eye of the Tiger

was the number one song on the day I was born. What song was number one on your birthday?

T.V. tastes and likely voting

What I gleaned from this tv blog post: Americans have terrible taste in television no matter to which party they are linked. Look, I watch shows from both the lists, but top 10! Seriously?!?! I know most people have cable and young people who can't afford cable illegally download, so where the fuck are the shows from FX and HBO and Showtime. BSG, Damages, Mad Men, Flight of the Conchords, Dexter, The Tudors, Saving Grace? I know, I know, I am a picky S.O.B when it comes to my television habits. But there isn't even Lost or Pushing Daisies, or The Daily Show? Americans are lazy bastards who can't be bothered to search for something good to watch on T.V. when all it requires is a twitch of a thumb muscle, so how can we ever expect to get more out of our politics. I'm just sayin'.

J.P. Morgan Chase buys WaMu

Whew. Well, the stock I bought in the company is long gone, but more importantly the money I have deposited in the bank is safe. Now the question is whether to stay with the bank. I assume the acquisition by Morgan Chase means the bank is now a much better bet, but can that get rid of the bitter taste in my, and many others, mouth. I am leaning towards shifting all my money into my BofA account and leaving Washington Mutual all together. Not just because of their mortgage lending stupidity, but because they froze my debit card quickly after I arrived in the UK. Why? Because I deposited money into my account from a computer in Scotland. They were worried about all those evil debit card theives who deposit money into peoples accounts.

My BofA stock is doing just fine, in case you were wondering. If I had available funds I would invest more money in them now, as well as the whole market. I think the market is still heading down, however if you buy now and don't sell for a decade or longer, even if it goes down in the next few years, you will make money in the long run. Think, think, think, about it.

Bay area cheap eats

Every year The SF Chronicle puts out two lists: the top 100 restaurants and the top 100 cheap eats. Guess which one I like better??? Yeah, one is useful and practical and the other is for people who make lots of money or have parents who have lots of money, neither of which describes me. It will be at least a year before I can take advantage of this list, but for all my bay area homies--eat, drink, and be merry.

The A's suck and there may be no end in sight

Major sigh.

I miss Rescue Me

The last season of Rescue Me was absolutely atrocious. I am hoping it will rebound because the first three seasons were so stellar. Here is a classic Rescue Me clip to get me (and maybe you) to next year. Not for pc police or prudes.

Scotch pancakes

I had these lovely treats at the Farmer's market two weeks ago and I will be having two more on Saturday. Turns out they are quite easy to make. So if you feel like tasting a bit of what I am tasting make some scotch pancakes, slather with some fresh butter, and enjoy!

Amazing pics of the giant squid

It has three hearts. How cool is that? And its eyeballs are huge. Take a look for yourself.

Food you want when you're sick

but can't find the energy to get the ingredients and make, nor do you think you have a pot that you can make it in. Right now this recipe from Simply Recipes is top on my list. Unfortunately, I've had to settle for Heinz Chicken Noodle, which my sister had Tesco deliver last night. She also sent plain crackers and a ton of Sports drinks. Best. Sister. Ever.

New Flight of the Conchords

This video made my day. Perhaps not a cure all, but close. Now here is hoping they change their minds about only doing two seasons. The world needs more Bret and Jemaine.

Music Post: Fleet Foxes

If you haven't heard or checked out Fleet Foxes you should. They are definitely folksy and for some reason they remind me a little of the late 60's. I don't tend to put them on when I am in the mood to really listen, you know, REALLY listen to music, because all their songs sound quite similar. However, they are great when doing something else. Very soothing and beautiful.
With that said, here are two young girls doing a cover of a Fleet Foxes' song . I think I may like this better than the original. I lean minimalist like that. And here is a video of Fleet Foxes current single.

World of Warcraft...and Terror?

Creepy thought. I knew this game was evil, but...

I miss you Mission!

The New York Times did their 36 hours column this week on the Mission! Hells yeah, cuz it is the best part of the city. They didn't mention Delirium's 80's dance, instead they mentioned Baobab. I would have done the reverse--whatever. Nor did they talk about the coolness that is Therapy, nor anything ice cream, say Mitchell's or Bi-rite. Overall not bad, though. If anyone feels like shipping an al pastor super burrito my way...?

A car post

A "mini" cooper that should suit some Americans' tastes. Shit, look at me all linking to a car story. Damn you, Jonathan and Nik.

Tubular site!

You've always wanted a link to an 80's site, for sure, because the 80's were so rad.

A Geek's Guide to Colleges

Cal gets a mention, as does Wisconsin.

Glasgow Farmer's Market

Lots of meat. Lots of fish. Baked goods. Cheeses. And lastly a few veg and fruit stands. And that is the local farmer's market. It was adorable and the people were very friendly. I was tempted by the stands that specialized in lamb, the ones with just venison, and the fresh scallops that looked gorgeous. There was a stand specializing in Greek foods and one that had Indian. There was a woman selling jams and honeys that looked spectacular. I ended up buying some good sliced white bread, a fudgy cherry brownie, pork and leek sausages, parsnips, kale, hot smoked salmon spread, a sultana scone and a pancake with fresh butter for snacking. I am going to dream of those pancakes for two weeks because unfortunately the market is every 2nd and 4th Saturday.

Veggie Vodka

One of the best cocktails I've ever had was from A Cote in Oakland and it included gin with muddled cucumber. Super good. I wouldn't pay extra for vegetable flavored vodkas. I would just infuse my own instead. But for those who don't want to wait a couple of weeks for check this out.

Fringe ratings so-so

Here is my theory as to why Fringe didn't do so well in the ratings: it is unabashedly a sci-fi show. When Lost first premiered it fooled people a little with it's Gilligan Island like setup. Of course Lost substituted a boat landing softly on island with a plane breaking into pieces and falling from the sky. But really, Lost had, and still has, an air of reality to it that people like. Hence, people forgive a polar bear here and a smoke monster there. Fringe, on the other hand, started off with people's jaws disintegrating and a man turning translucent. So along with sci-fi, there was some horror flick drama going on.
I'm not sure one should get too attached to this show. A little over 9million viewers is not what the network wants. My slow downloading indicates a lot of people are watching illegally online. Too bad those numbers mean jack shit.
As for me, I'm not sure about the show for all the reasons that I mentioned above. A love sci-fi and Fringe does have some X-Files qualities and that is a good thing. But until the characters are as cool as Mulder and Scully, I just don't know that I'm that impressed.

Local football news

Scotland's young team failed to make it into the playoffs for the European Championships. All they needed was a draw. Sad. However, the Rangers beat Iceland 2-1. Booyah.

Closet Hipster

Help, I'm a musical hipster. Damn it! In my defense, my music is better than yours.
~Katie "Indier Than Thou" Schwarz

Slowly stocking the kitchen

Give me a year and I will convince my flatmates of the glory that is a nicely stocked kitchen. :) Today it began with a box grater, tongs, wooden spoons, and an oval gratin dish. At some point a peppermill is in order and perhaps a chef's knife. They'll appreciate it when Thanksgiving dinner comes around and a feast magically appears. Tonight I made penne alla vodka, tomorrow is meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and sometime next week I am gonna make mac'n'cheese. American comfort foods are apparently in vogue in my life at present. Saturday is the local farmer's market, to which I am looking forward. I want to buy something to go with the leeks I bought, which are SO much cheaper here than in the states, something I cannot say of most everything else.

Until they invent teleportation...

this might do. However, it wouldn't be so great on a cold, wet, or windy, day. I change my mind. I'll hold out for teleportation.

Oh. Thank. God.

The tree sitters are now part of Berkeley's wacky history.

Mmmm, television.

The new T.V. season is kickin' up. Need some help finding things? Check this out.

Band: Wild Beasts

Not sure how I feel about them yet, actually. But they are interesting. There was a comparison online to Queen. Hmm, maybe in the lead singer's voice just a bit.
http://www.myspace.com/wildbeasts

Similarities and Differences

I am gonna have to make a serious effort to start looking right, left, right. Most things here are very similar to home. Friendly people, Costco, a strange dislike of Mayonnaise (what is wrong with you people!!!) and a youth unhappy with the government. Some things are different, though. The buildings have an age and stone elegance that I've never once encountered in the US. It feels homey in a way and that is accentuated by the mist and rain which makes one want to curl up with a cup of tea and a great movie or book. There is a heavy amount of electronic dance music which I am going to have to learn to enjoy a bit more as I am going to hear it every day. It also looks like I will come away from here with a greater understanding of cars. Top Gear, anyone?

Here Goes.

Kind of my motto at the moment. Don't really know what I want out of this silly blogamajig. Music, food, photos, television, pop culture, and politics, random stories and anecdotes. Is that biting off too much to chew? Om nom nom.