Saturday, May 31, 2008
BEAT LA!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The butter roll, yay or nay?
Cookout season has begun, and nothing goes better with a hamburger or some grilled chicken than some fresh corn on the cob. My question is this- how do you butter your corn? The pat (as pictured) or the roll (taking the corn and rolling it directly onto a stick of butter, creating a permanent groove in the butter)? This was a subject of much controversy in my family, because my mother's family does the roll, but it drives my father crazy, so it was forbidden in our household. However, whenever we ate corn on the cob at my grandparents' house, we would roll that corn all up in that butter with glee, while my father glared and muttered under his breath about the "McHugh butter thing." Ah, good times. Nowadays, I do the pat. The roll is tempting, mostly because being a Rule Breaker sure is fun, plus it really does get the best butter distribution, but it still strikes me as so uncouth.
So let's hear it folks- the butter roll, or the pat? Leave your preference in the comments.
If I had a time machine right now...
That being said, great game, Celtics! I'm not going to sit here and pick apart all of the little mistakes they made, so I'll focus on the positive: Ray's jumper has returned, and I'll never complain about Perk being too slow again- he was a monster last night.
You know how KG claps his hands in the chalk, spraying it everywhere, before the game starts? Cedric Maxwell was decked out in scrubs and a surgical mask last night to prevent the chalk dust from getting all over him. It was pretty funny, but I haven't been able to find a picture.
One more win, Celtics. You can do it!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Weekend Report
I somehow managed not to get a single decent shot of the bride and groom. Good thing they have professionals to do that sort of thing.
Sunday- I attended the post-wedding breakfast, where we rehashed the hilarity of the previous evening, then traveled back to Boston.
Monday- I normally work on holidays but I opted to use this one as a personal day. I slept in, went for a long run on the beach, cleaned my apartment, met friends for lunch at Spice & Rice in Inman Square, visited my grandparents, bought some plants for my deck, and then arrived home for an impromptu cookout Ern and Pat had organized. A perfect day, aside from the fact that the Celtics couldn't steal a second game in Detroit.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Those Texas polygamysts should be arrested...
...by the fashion police!
ZING!
I'm headed to Chicago today for a black tie optional wedding. Maybe one of these broads can lend me an outfit.
From what I've read, I'm on the side of the state of Texas on this case:
"The state made its case in an earlier court hearing. “There is a culture of young girls being pregnant by old men,” said Angie Voss, an investigator with Child Protective Services, who participated in the raid and interviewed girls at the ranch. Ms. Voss testified that she had found evidence that “more than 20 girls, some of whom are now adults, have conceived or given birth under the age of 16 or 17.”
Institutionalized abuse and coercion shouldn't be allowed to hide under the guise of religious freedom. Something tells me that these girls who grow up in a crazy cult compound aren't really exercising their own free will when they get and knocked up by old dudes.
Well, on that note, have a happy holiday weekend, everyone!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Happiness is a new phone
From: Kevin Garnett
To: Dan Shaughnessy
Cc: Bill Simmons
Hi guys,
Suck it.
KG
Senator Ted Kennedy diagnosed with a brain tumor
Despite the criticism of his personal life, Ted Kennedy is one of my all-time favorite politicians and someone I admire and respect as a true liberal. Best wishes to him for a complete and rapid recovery.
Eat Your Vegetables
A healthy meal that's tasty, filling, and easy to make, except for the part when you have to cut the squash in half. I don't know if I just don't have the proper knife, or if I lack Italian housewife strength, but after ten minutes of struggling with that squash, I was ready to grab a sledgehammer and go Gallagher on it. The recipe actually comes from Weight Watchers, so if you're a point counter, it's worth 4. Of course, I added some garlic bread and white wine, so that certainly bumped it up a bit.
Monday, May 19, 2008
OMG.
TIME FOR SOME STORIES.
So bizzare. So funny. So addictive. I think the one about the Cub Scout Float was my favorite.
I wonder what happened to this guy, because he just may be our generation's J.D. Salinger.
via Metafilter
Weekend Report
Friday, May 16, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
I Love You But I Have Grown Weary of Your Incessant Events
Those of you who regularly check in on DCoE may have noticed that my posting of late has become rather uninspired. Why? I'm exhausted. Why? Two reasons. One: I've been working a lot. Two: The Events. Weddings, birthday parties, housewarmings, bridal showers, baby showers, goodbye parties, bachelorette parties, graduation parties, engagement parties, and so on. They're taking over my life. Don't get me wrong. I love my friends. My kooky family and my friendships are by far the best aspect of my life and, to be honest, all that I have. Well, them and booze. But I've been so busy attending the aforementioned events that I haven't spent any waking time at home in weeks. The Netflix movies that came in January? Still sitting on top of the television, unwatched. The fridge? Populated by half empty containers of salsa and mustard. Nary a vegetable in sight. The laundry situation? Dire. And sometimes I like to lie on the couch and watch Lost, or cook a nice meal for myself and record it in my cooking scrapbook (Yes, it's nerdy. Shut up.) or sleep in then go for a long run on Sunday morning, but it seems like I'm always scurrying off to some sort of daytime party. Maybe it's part of getting older- everyone has such busy schedules that socializing is confined to planned events. An overabundance of planned events.
So, I've made a decision. I'm going to start declining some of these Evites and invitations. Even if I don't have a specific conflict.
But maybe in a couple of weeks, let's go grab a drink after work, or catch a movie. Or just stay in and hang out and order a pizza. No need to pick out an outfit, or buy a gift. No RSVP required.
This Just In: Manny Still Manny
Update: The Joy of Sox has published an interview with the high fivee. It's a cute story- he's a Red Sox fan from Oklahoma who was attending his first-ever MLB game.
Pirate Radio in Boston
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Apparently it costs more for Anthony Kiedis
Flea to London and Paris for less
On a related subject, does VH1 still make Behind the Music? The Red Hot Chili Peppers episode was one of my favorites. The Rise and Fall of MC Hammer still takes the cake, though.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Book Review: Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Movie Review: Iron Man
We saw Kate Hudson, who is currently filming a movie in Boston, at the theater with her kid. I didn't even recognize her until Maria pointed her out- she looked just like a regular girl, in jeans and a pony tail, and much shorter than I imagined (aren't they all? Holllywood....Land of the Lilliputians). I felt sorry for her- she can't even go to the movies without everyone noticing and gawking at her. But that didn't stop me from staring.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Best Commercial I've Seen in a Long, Long Time
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Random (but not Deep) Thoughs
First off, last night's Celtics win sure was ugly, but a win nonetheless. Posey's clutch free throws really sealed the deal. I was glad to see that KG had a great game, especially after all the "KG never comes up big in the playoffs" criticisms started cropping up in the media last week. One of my least favorite sports writers, Dan Shaughnessy, even compared him to A-Rod, a lame and blatant ploy for attention (although I guess it's working because here I am commenting about it, but whatever, I'll hold my moral ground by not linking to the article). First off, this is the NBA. Not everything has to be wedged into a Red Sox vs. Yankees framework to make it interesting to Boston sports fans. If you're going to make a comparison, there are plenty of ringless NBA veterans from whom to choose. Before Peyton Manning won a Superbowl, he was compared to Dan Marino, not a player from an entirely different sport.
If you were to order a custom made beer themed coffin, which brew would you choose? Well, Illinois man Bill Bramanti surely loves Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Holy crap, it must suck to live in Myanmar. Brutal military government, half the world still thinks your country is named Burma, and now a devastating cyclone.
And in case you wondered, like I did, what is the difference between a hurricane and a cyclone, here's your answer:
A tropical cyclone is the generic term for a non-frontal synoptic scale low-pressure system over tropical or sub-tropical waters with organized convection (i.e. thunderstorm activity) and definite cyclonic surface wind circulation. If winds reach 33 m/s (64 kt, 74 mph)), then they are called:
"hurricane" (the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E)
"typhoon" (the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline)
"severe tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E)
"severe cyclonic storm" (the North Indian Ocean)
"tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Indian Ocean)
Now, don't say you never learned anything on DCoE.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From the Bridesmaid Files
My sister Kerry and I are trying on bridesmaid dresses for our sister Eri's wedding. I pull on one of the dresses.
Me: Wow, this one's really comfortable! The fabric is so soft and stretchy.
Kerry: I liked that one, too. How much does it cost?
Me: Checks tag. Um....., Kerry? It's a maternity dress.
Kerry: We are NOT getting that one.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Weekend Report- NYC edition
Buddah is currently sporting some wacky sideburns that make him resemble a cross between Wolverine and Martin Van Buren.
"Hard Hats Required" might have been a more straightforward way to deliver the message, but if you prefer to use a guilt tinged, passive aggressive wording that conjures up images of child labor, well, I guess that works, too.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Excuse me, ma'am, your meme is showing.
1. The rules of the game get posted on the beginning.
2. Each player answers the rules about him or herself.
3. At the end of the post, the player tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read his [or her] blog.
What I was doing ten years ago:
I was 20. Wow, that was ten years ago? I was in school and roommates with my friend Ern.
Sound familiar? Maybe because IT’S THE EXACT SAME THING I’M DOING NOW.
Five things on my To-Do list today:
1. Order 15% gels
2. Cut spots out of gels for mass spectrometry.
3. Measure A260 of ribosome samples.
4. Perform isoelectric focusing on new ribosome samples.
5. Titrate DNA template into an in vitro translation assay.
6. This is why I never blog about work.
7. I only accomplished two things on the list at I’m still at the lab and it’s 10:40PM.
8. That is why grad school takes so darn long.
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Pay off my debts. Give money and/or extravagant gifts to friends and family. Send money to the family I lived with in Nicaragua. Trade in the used minivan for a new mini cooper. Travel the world. Buy a nice apartment in Boston. Buy a vacation house somewhere cool. Invest. Donate. Throw fabulous parties. Buy equipment and uniforms for all of the soccer teams in the women’s league that I played with in Nicaragua. Fund a school/orphanage for street kids in Managua. If the orphanage thing goes well, use the rest of the money to set up similar schools/orphanages in impoverished cities worldwide.
Three of my bad habits:
1. Procrastination!
2. Spending money I don’t have, and never will, unless that whole billionaire thing pans out.
3. Lugging all of my gym clothes and sneakers to work and then not going to the gym.
Five places I’ve lived:
1. Long Beach, CA. Just like Snoop Dogg, I was born there. But I was two when we moved so I don't remember anything about it.
2. Framingham, MA. The largest town in America!
3. South Bend, IN.
4. El RegadÃo, Nicaragua.
5. South Boston, MA.
I have lived in exactly five places, total.
Five jobs I’ve had:
1. Discovery Zone. I don’t know what my job title was, but I usually hid out in the back room making pizza and washing dishes and eating leftover birthday cake with my friend Nikki.
2. Waitress.
3. Dining hall worker.
4. Laboratory technician.
5. Peace Corps Volunteer.
Five books I’ve recently read:
1. Saturday, by Ian McEwan
2. Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie.
3. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
4. Can I Keep My Jersey?, by Paul Shirley
5. A Model World and Other Stories, by Michael Chabon
Good thing I have a blog where I keep track of that sort of thing.
Five people or communities I’m going to tag:
I dislike tagging people, but I’m going to do it anyways. Feel free to ignore, and if I haven’t tagged you, feel free to participate.
1. Meg
2. Lisa
3. Jason
4. Rob
5. Maria (maybe it will inspire you to start posting again.)
Sports Links!
- Jackie MacMullan wrote a fascinating article on the different styles of the Celtics' big 3, focusing on Ray Allen and the fact that he's completely OCD: Routine excellence is Allen's secret.
- The two most famous and successful baseball players from Colombia (former Red Sox Edgar Renteria and Orlando Cabrera) don't exactly get along. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. wrote an article about their feud.
- On Boston.com, you can track Manny Ramirez's home runs. All 496 of them.
- And lastly, there's a blog all about the History of Sports Streaking. Complete with pictures. Highly NSFW. Not Safe For Anywhere, really. But pretty entertaining.
Enjoy!
That's more like it!
Now, they just have to win in Atlanta and put this strange series to bed.