Red Elephant

Chocolate Biscuits

It all started with a throwaway comment on the daily notes for Questionable Content, one of my favorite webcomics. Jeph was talking about Tim Tams, which just floored me. I hadn't thought about them in years. You see, Tim Tams are these excellent Australian biscuits [cookies to us Yanks], dipped in chocolate.

When I was studying abroad in Oz, Tim Tams were like little chocolate gold. They were a bit expensive, but we all thought they were worth it. We could buy them from the little shop in the residence hall, but they had to jack up the price further to make money.

I guess is that what I am getting at is that even then, when they were freely available, they were kind of precious. And man, were they good. Perfect thing to dunk into your coffee or tea. Or, if you were feeling adventurous, you could go for a Tim Tam Slam.

They're made by Arnott's, which is roughly the Australian equivalent of Pepperidge Farm. That is to say, higher-end brand-name baked goods & treats that you can still find in most supermarkets. The appearance of luxury, but still affordable to most folks. Well, and they were pretty luxurious. Or at least, hella-good.

I suppose the appeal like Walker's Shortbread. You've got a tasty cookie [biscuit, whatever] that they don't make around here. I've always been drawn to new tastes, new flavors, especially if they evoke faraway places. And especially if I've been there.

Erin, friend & former roommate, developed a taste for McVitie's, which are an English "digestive biscuit" [read as:  cookie] widely available in Britain & Scotland. When I emailed her for the name of said treats, she said she'd now have to run out at and get some. She also said she'd have to get some Irn Bru , a Scottish soda, available only at a local import shop.

I've always had a penchant for groceries from other countries. La Buvette, besides being one of my favorite places to get a bite to eat, or a glass of wine, has a pretty extensive import grocery. When I was younger, I used to go in there and check out the [then] strange foods from other places. I pictured myself older, more worldly, drinking wine and knowing what I was talking about when I ordered it.

Likewise, when I lived in Lincoln, I made an occasional point of visiting Ideal Grocery, which was a cross between a local market & import grocery, and King Tut's, which was run by an older Egyptian man. It was my source for feta, frozen falafel mix, and cheap spices. Plus, they make a mean Baklava.

I suppose these things are a little less exotic as the world gets more connected. I've found Milo in Asian markets, and Vegemite at the local Cost Plus World Market. Pocky is available at both. Hell, if I want some Tim Tams, I can order them from an American company that specializes in Australian imports. Hell, they even sell Australian boots -- Rossi's to be specific -- with American sizes.

So, if you've ever envied my R.M.Williams boots, you can get some that are almost as good -- I'm being a boot snob here -- but that are considerably cheaper. Come to think of it, Blundstones sell their boots domestically, now. While I'm all for them expanding their market, it kind makes one more thing less exotic, makes the world just a little smaller. One more thing that was one foreign and strange that is now commonplace, or at least more common.

It's a bit inevitable, I suppose, what with globalization. Still, there's plenty of things that people here in Middle America have never been exposed to. I occasionally meet people who've never had Thai food, or Dim Sum. But, I do my best to introduce them, open their eyes, give them some new flavor.

Holtmann/Norris Wedding Photos

Finally, after much ado [& organizing & minor editing], I give you the photos from Mike & Abby's Wedding [Flickr Album]. It was one hell of a time, and I documented quite a bit of it. I've never been much of a photo-guy, but maybe that's just because I've never had a camera that I really loved. I inherited some lenses & flashes from my dad, which I use with an old Canon AE-1, but even that hasn't gotten the use that my new little digital camera has. I do like the way it shoots black & white, tho.

But back to the wedding week & weekend...

It was really about hanging out with the people. Obviously, getting to see Mike & Abby is a treat. Like a lot of my out-of-town friends, I'm lucky to see them once a year. We had some good drinking time the first night I got there, and throughout the trip. Belgian Ales were the preferred beverage, and I can't think of the Belgian White Ale that Brandon loved so much. Anyone else remember?

Ahh, Brandon. One of Mike's cronies from high school after he transferred from North to Bryan. I've met Brandon a few times, and we crossed paths a couple of years ago when he was selling advertising for a local television station, and I was the one who got to listen to sales pitches for the office. Lucky me. Brandon was also in Boy Scouts with Mike.

There's also Eric, who went to school with both Brandon & Mike. All three of them were in Boy Scouts together. Staying with me so far? Good. Now's the part where it gets inbred. Eric and I were good friends in Jr. High. We were both soccer players & on Math Team, in computer programming together, and running in the honors clique.

That's right, we were nerds together.

Rounding out the male end of the wedding party was Benjy Kahn. I've met Benjy before, too, but it's been years. And there's been plenty of changes in all our lives in the meantime. Great to swap stories with a fellow wit, and a fellow Benjamin. As if that wasn't enough, there was Ben Williams from South Africa [and his wife Jhoti], who win the furthest travel award, I think.

Met lots of other people, but these were my boys, the ones with whom I spent the most time. And an excellent time was had by all. But I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

...

Tech Stuff for anyone who cares, as in not many of you:  There's a great iPhoto Export to Flickr Plug-in that made this whole process easier. Seems there's also a Standalone Upload Utility for OSX [10.3] For you PC Users out there, there is also a Flickr Uploader for Windows XP [download link here], as well as one for Windows 2000, ME and 98 [download link here], or you can just check them all out at the Flickr Upload Tools Page.

I'll probably put the photos up here on the old Typepad site in a bit, as I've got a bit more versatility in displaying photos here. Flickr's just so damn easy to upload, though! The site also lets you blog photos, so we'll see whether I can turn that into an easy way to create an album here. We'll see...

Mini Me & Mama Mia

It's been one hell of a long time since I used a Macintosh at work. Like maybe five years. It's been tough, die-hard Apple-fan that I am. Well that all changed last week as the new server arrived at work. And by server, I mean Mac Mini & Macintosh Panther Server Software, all of which cost me slightly less than the Microsoft server software alone. Needless to say, I'm pretty freaking stoked.

Look, it's so pretty. That is to say, pretty freaking small. It's as powerful as my desktop, if not moreso, and it's like 1/16 of the size. Granted, there's a lot of air inside my PC, not to mention dust, and that's the main difference. I'm not going to rave too much, because there's not too much difference in the applications I use at work, especially since I've been pushing Firefox, Thunderbird, and OpenOffice at work. But there are some subtle differences, like iPhoto, that I'm really enjoying.

Not to mention that I own a much newer legit version of Photoshop than the one that I have on my PC [try Photoshop 5 LE, that came with a scanner], so I can do some pretty powerful stuff. Just moving from the scanner edition to a full version is big, not to mention jumping a couple of generations. Woot. I'll be posting on b3ta in no time!

I mean, not at work. Of course not.

It seems like it's been forever since I've posted. Been to a couple of weddings in the meantime. Mike & Abby's and Ian & Sarah's. Photos will be forthcoming, both in album form here & on my Flickr account. Mike & Abby's wedding was quite the event -- not only because I was in the wedding, but because I spent a week [and around a thousand dollars] whooping it up in the windy city. Gawddamn that was a good time. Put my shiny new digital camera to work.

I also ate ridiculously good food -- large amounts of it -- and returned with lots of new things to cook, some of which I et, and some of which I done just thought up. Yessum I did. Spicy Falafel after having it at Sultan's. Flaming cheese after having it at The Parthenon. And of course, deep dish pizza from Giordano's. Although, Max just told me that you can get UNO pizza at Hy-Vee.

Dat's what I'm talkin' about.

Road Trip/Concert/Album Review - Spoon

So much for my timely write-up of last Monday's Spoon show in Kansas. It involved staying up until 2am [thank you Lawrence], getting up at six am so that we could make it back by nine so that my brother could take our grandparents to see the doctor. We made it by nine-thirty. Even though I was my usual bright-eyed and bushy-tailed self at six, I was ready for a nap by ten. Then I spent the whole the day recovering, if not the whole week. And by recovering, I mean sitting on my porch, sipping mojitos.

But enough of the debauchery report, back to the band... Simply put, Spoon's latest album, Gimmie Fiction, is a behemoth of musical styles, smart songwriting, and skillful arrangement.

The first track, The Beast and Dragon, Adored opens with some decending bass notes on guitar & piano, and slips into a jazzy drum beat that had me instantly hooked. Then again, I'm a sucker for piano introductions.From the first few notes, you can tell that Spoon is a tight band. A very tight band. And they've been tightening and improving their sound over the past five albums. While the song has it's merits, I consider it a prologue.

The first act really begins with The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine. Britt Daniel hits me with the hope I've been needing in my life right now: "Every morning, I've got a new chance..." The song follows the speaker's fascination with a part in the play. And here's where it gets interesting, the song is really about double lives, the two sides to the character, the actor and the character

Rebirth is a constant theme through the album. Britt breaks the recurring line in My Mathematical Mind in really interesting ways. He begins "I wanna change..." [dragging the "I" out longer than the rest of the line] and follows it with "...your mind" and "...your ways." Switching the focus from wanting to just change yourself, to wanting to change others. All this from a simple pause, in the break of a line.

The songs themselves are fairly straightforward on the surface. The demo versions of Sister Jack and I Summon You hold their own fairly well. You get the sense that all you need is a man & his guitar to make these songs work. If the demos are a tasty snack, then the full album versions are a four-course meal.

This is immediately apparent when you see them live. The way you get so tight is practice, practice, practice. And why not practice in front of a bunch of the most appreciate fans I've ever seen. My friend Erin, who had never seen them, who went to the show without ever hearing them, said: It's hard not to get caught up in the energy when the audience is yelling so hard after every song.

To be sure, there was plenty of hootin' and hollerin' for these Austin boys, even all the way up here in the Midwest. Plenty of singing along. As I'm sitting here typing this, I'm noticing how many of the lyrics are about music:  Sister Jack: "I was on the outside, I was looking in. I was in a Drop-D metal band called Requiem" -- I Summon You: "Remember the weight of the world. It's a sound that we used to buy, on cassette and 45."

The boys aren't just songwriters & performers, they're in love with music. With the feel of an album, with the ridiculous bands you start when you're young, with how music forms the content & the background of our lives. And for the better part of two hours we were right there with them-- it could have been more, I felt like the price of admission was paid in full by the first few songs.

I was happiest to hear songs from Girls Can Tell, the first album I heard by them. I leaned over to my brother during Fitted Shirt and said, "This song is about Dad and about us." Working for my father the attorney -- who, incidentally, has his shirts made -- I appreciate the need to look good in a suit & tie, even if my style is a bit more casual. Similar in title, but different in content was Lines in the Suit, which touches on the haggard lives of those of us working for the man. "How come I feel so washed out, at such a tender age?"

As an antidote, the band offered the simple pleasure of Take the Fifth, and Take a Walk. Likewise, Car Radio, from Series of Sneaks. And as one of the closers [Was it the show closer or one of the two encores? Hmm...], they played Chicago at Night, which I think is just an excellent song. I always enjoy the rockin' falsetto, like in I Turn My Camera On, but my favorites of the night were Me and the Bean, and Anything You Want -- two songs I just needed to hear.

So, if you're looking for a musical buffet, step up, grab a Spoon album, and dig in. Grab yourself a drink and enjoy some Chips & Dip. Better yet, see them live. They're halfway through their tour right now. Meanwhile, I'll be in the back room drinking my half of the beer.

Oh, and listening to some good music.

Door Number Two

Well, Christian and I are off to Kansas to see our friend and mentor Micah speak tonight at KU, his [and Christian's] alma mater. It will be a short trip, but I am looking forward to it. Should be an excellent drive down the middle of Nebraska & Kansas. My preferred route is through Topeka. Haven't been down there since the man's wedding. It's no Interpol show, but will be nice to get out of town. Esp. during the week.

Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago

Debauchery Report. Dateline: Windy City.

Friday. Easy flight into O'Hare, then take the Blue Line to Wicker Park. Get out, start walking up Damen. I get up to Armitage, and i realize: that I am tired, that my trip is long, that I am wasting valuable time. I needed the constitutional, but I call my friend/host Kelly to pick me up. Can't flag a cab for the life of me.

Off to Corcoran's for some catching up with the couple and my friends in town for the weekend. Kumars present: Anchal & Sonali. Rileys: Andrea & Bronson. Various Browns & Jonses -- bride's & bridegroom's families, respectively. At eleven, we had a junior high moment as we debated what to do next. "Well, Bar Louie is packed." "A table just opened up inside." "We could always go back to the hotel."

We opted for Bar Louie, split a chicken quesadilla. Call it a night.

Saturday. Wake up with the sun, do some journal writing, enjoy the early morning light. Enjoy the morning air, take a couple of pics with the new camera phone. Try to figure out a way to get them off the phone & post them here. Chuck [my other host, Kelly's fiancé] is off for a firefighter exam. Kelly and I take Sam [Siberian Husky] to the dog park & drink Starbucks. We talk about writing until it is time for her to run errands and for me to meet the Kumars for Brunch.

Go to the Bongo Room, check that our name is in, and head off to the Renegade Craft Fair for some pre-brunch browsing. Many, many cool items for sale. Handmade cards, screen printed posters, t-shirts that are embroidered, lots of jewelry for the ladies. Kickass apron with a skull & crossbones for $25 -- just outside my budget, I'll steal the idea and file it for later. Eggs florentine for me, pancakes for the Rupi & the Anch, lots of coffee and catching up.

Rupi's friend Molly shows up, as do Sonali & Andrea. Back to the craft fair. Lots of little purchases for friends back home who couldn't make it. Trying to take pictures w/ my phone & send them to Lindsy. Sprint tells me that I can't do it with my plan, so I call them up and upgrade. After much ado, they say I can switch my plan and do that in four hours. It still doesn't work a day later. Get some new fresh kicks at the shoe store where Rupi used to work. Lunch at a little Falafel joint that Sonali loves.

Almost go to a Sox game, but we can't get enough tickets. More errands. Trader Joe's. Back to Anchals for munchies, drinks and planning for the night ahead. Charge my phone on Rupi's charger b/c I forgot mine. [D'oh!] Figure out our next move. Dinner at the noodle bar & drinks at the Holiday bar. Several hours later, I'm taking a cab back to my place. Cabbie and I talk politics, the failure of the current administration, "He is such a liar! The rest of the world hates us. When i came to this country..." Call it a night.

Sunday. Check my mail on Chuck's sexy TiBook, then off to the store. Whip up a little breakfast for my hosts: fresh pineapple and eggs benedict -- smoked salmon instead of canadian bacon & capers to garnish. Whip up some hollandaise sauce for the fourth time in my life and it doesn't curdle this time. Thank god. Nice breakfast w/ Kell & Chuck. Anchal picks me up and we're off to Filter in Wicker Park for some coffee, finally. Pick up one more t-shirt at the Reneg Craft Fair, and call it good.

Anch and I tool around a bit, take some pictures of cool signs. Go for a drive on the lake instead. It's beautiful out again. Get ready for the wedding, then pick up Sonali and Anch gives us a ride to A New Leaf, where the wedding & reception will be. Flower shop & event space, it's beautiful. All finished concrete, bricks, floating candles & greenery. The couple scripted the whole wedding, wrote their own vows, and it's lovely. Will, the bridegroom, is a lot more emotional than Val, at least visibly. All the girls are drooling over the spanish-speaking guitarist & the waiters -- the Hearty boys.

What is up with the Brown girls marrying emo boys? Yes, Bronson, this means you, too.

Okay, sensitive new-age guys -- SNAGs.

Reception is a blast. Dinner is lovely and we get to know a few of their friends. Back downstairs for the cake cutting ceremony, which is civil. No cake smashing in the face. Then there is drinks & dancing. Will has his mp3 player set up with his own playlist. Let's hear it for technology. We end up hauling many heavy gifts & bottles of booze back to the couple's apartment, two blocks down. Catch a cab and call it a night. Cabbie tells me dirty jokes, including: Take the 'L' off 'Louisiana" and put it at the end of the word. What do you get?

Eww.

Monday. Up a little later, maybe eight am, and Kelly's off to work by nine. Notice this sign on the back door. Tool around w/ Chuck a bit and head downtown to check out Millenium Park. Stop at Demon's grill. Get some writing done in the meantime. Decide to paint my kitchen blue while reading the latest Dwell. Catch some sun in the park, and it's about naptime.

Take the Red Line up to Belmont and walk back to the apartment. Stop off to get some Arizona green tea to be kind to my body for a change. Stop in at Paper Boy, a wonderful little paper shop. I make it out of there only spending $42. Trinkets for the kids back home. Never sure what to get my dad. Pack up back at the apartment, watch my phone slowly die, and catch a ride from Chuck back to the Blue Line station in Wicker. Full circle. Good trip.

Flight home sucked. Tired. Middle seat [never again] and much turbulence. And, they're out of ginger ale. Apple juice instead and try and do a little pranayama to keep myself sane, and make it home. Phone officially dies as I try to get my messages to know who is picking me up. Nikki from the office owes my dad an airport ride, so she obliges me instead, and I pick up my car. Call it a night.

Call it a trip.

Tha Ticket Masta

So, I nailed down the first of my three tickets, namely a flight for the trip to Chicago, 17-20 Septembre. Mais oui, I am going to a wedding and currently looking for a couch on which to crash. Will repay your hospitality in the form of beverages of your choice and scintillating conversation. C'mon folks, hook me up.

Next up, two concerts, Pixies in Lincoln [Oct 2] and Faint in Omaha [Oct 4]. There are other bands I'd like to see in the meantime [the Black Keys, Radio 4 and Rilo Kiley, just to name three], those are the two must see concerts in the next month, and they'll probably sell out if I wait until the last minute. Anyone interested in going, let me know & I'll get you a ticket. Yes, you'll pay me for it, but you won't have to deal w/ all the work. I'm going to see if I can get Pixies tickets at the box office, hopefully bypassing the ticketmaster rape charge.