DangerChicks (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} dangerchicks) wrote,@ 2004-10-27 14:18:00 |
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| Current mood: | busy |
| Current music: | Song:I Have No Indian Name - Artist:Walela - Album:Unbearable Love |
Marcy: Dood, you've had wireless in your house before....
...I know, cuz I've used it in your living room. Haven't I?
Anyway, here in a probably-blue-but-maybe-not state, things are heating up in the electoral process. I realized I am tensed for an October Surprise, and seriously considering moving to Canada if one happens. Which seems like a way of letting the Bad Guys Get Away With It, but is still tempting. Especially when you consider the many ways in which I am on their radar...
Anyway, I got my ballot last night, and will be voting this evening. Locally, our Senate race really matters. I've developed a special loathing for the Republican challenger who has resorted to ads suggesting that Senator Murray is a fan of Osama bin Laden. I sent an email to his campaign saying that this particular ad had sealed my vote against him, and I got a response that basically said, "Hey, the ad is working with more people than it's alienating, so we are going to keep on keeping on." We also got to see the Bush/Cheney ad against Kerry using the wolves. Have they even bothered to show that one in Texas? (If not, you can see a funny response and get a pointer to the actual ad here.)
At the same time, the Republican running for the Congressional seat I get to vote for is a total fascist. I use that word advisedly. He's got an enormous amount of pull on the public, since he is the sheriff who actually caught the Green River Killer, but he's the kind of reactionary that us left-coasters like to pretend only exist in benighted parts of the Deep, Deep South. (Well, I never believed that, but it does seem to be a common misconception here in these parts.) Every time this guy appears in public, he makes a fool of himself, and so he's pretty much decided that he will be the invisible man in this campaign. Lots of ads, but he doesn't do interviews or debates or stump speeches. For some reason, he thinks it's better to import freaking Tom DeLay to give speeches on his behalf than to speak himself.
I found an interesting new Chinese restaurant. Remember that great place we went to in Vancouver? This place has some dishes that rival that place. Alas, it also has some mediocre and puzzling dishes. However, if you can content yourself with a meal of handmade noodles, mongolian beef, steamed bok choy with garlic, and dry blasted green beans, it's a terrific place to eat. Now if I could only figure out how to get back to the freeway without getting lost....
Questions, you had questions....
1. What are you doing for Halloween? I might go to the work party, or I might sleep. It depends on how well I sleep the next couple nights. Lately, the leg cramps have been awful, and I haven't wanted to take narcotics because of the next-day hangover. But I really need to sleep. So if I haven't had a good night's sleep until then, I'll be sleeping most of the weekend, in an opium-induced haze.
2. Did you see Jon Stewart call Tucker Carleson a dick on TV? I watched it more than once, in fact. I confess it was seeing him on Crossfire that made me decide to buy his book.
3. What do you do with the marinated mozzarella? Antipasto tray. Smoked beef, grilled marinated vegetables (see recipe below), some mozzarella balls, and sugarsnap peas in walnut oil, and you have yourself one heck of a great platter to impress people with.
4. What TV theme song would you consider using for your cellphone ring tone? I never heard that Dick Van Dyke joke before. I had an MP3 of the Amazing Race theme for awhile, but I prefer a MIDI ring tone. If one shows up of TAR, you can bet I'll switch back.
Grilled Marinated Vegetables
Well, this is not much of a recipe. It's more of a template. Take some vegetables, such as zucchini, yellow summer squash, red onion, eggplant, and tomatoes. Slice them about 1/4" thick and brush with olive oil. Grill briefly over warm-but-not-hot coals until the vegetables are al dente and marked with grill marks. While they are grilling, make a light vinaigrette out of olive oil, champagne vinegar, salt and black pepper. (You can add garlic if you want.) While the vegetables are still hot, toss them with the dressing and let them sit until room temperature. Yummm.
Sugarsnap Peas in Walnut OIl
1 lb fresh sugarsnap peas
1/4 c walnut oil
whole pink peppercorns
Clean the peas and then blanch them until they just turn color. Shock them in ice water to hold the color. Toss them with the oil and the peppercorns. Chill overnight.
My Turn!!!!
1. Have you seen the new Tomato Nation contest? It's pretty cool. And if you play, you get a very nice personal note from Sars. You can see it here.
2. Read any good fiction lately? I recently read The Time-traveler's Wife, and I haven't yet decided if it is good or not. But other than that, I've been mostly wallowing in social science monographs and business philosophy and stuff. Not a lot of time for fiction. I've promised myself that when the work for this quarter is done, I will read Mr. Norrell and Jonathan Strange. I hope it's good.
3. If you had carpet on your stairs that had been worn through by a decade of children running up and down, and totally destroyed by a cat in the grasp of a psychotic episode, what would you do? I was originally thinking of painting the risers in random bright colors and staining the treads, but it turns out the treads are made of Very Soft Pine, so I don't think that would be terribly durable. My new idea is to paint the risers and the treads and the hallway above in some nice intense color (probably a deep slate blue) and then put a runner of durable light grey up the steps and down the hall.
4. Are you in the mood for a new disk of songs? I was thinking the other day about you, and your house project, and your new daughter, and I found myself inventing a playlist of randomly, vaguely relevant songs. If you want, I'll burn you a disk and send it to you.
Here's hoping for a new day in America....
