Chicago is

my kind of town, Chicago is

my kind of people too...

This weekend in Chicago was pretty relaxing. Unlike my other weekenders, I didn't run about the city in search of the best dessert, deep dish pie, etc. I was kickin' it at the W Hotel mostly taking goofy photos and such. 

AVP Men's final with John Hyden talking to Sean Scott.

Heather Cox interviews Todd Rogers on Universal Sports.

View of AVP Chicago event from The Drake.

View of clouds from the W Hotel.

Punchlines

Geez, do I have to repeat everything to you?

(signing) Yes please. As you know, I am deaf. But if you want to keep pointing out my disabilities, then that's obviously just fine, you heartless bastard.

The Bah-studs

So, last weekend along with about 3.5 million other people, I watched Inglourious Basterds. No doubt QT is butchering the English language in yet another way with the alternative spelling of "inglorious", let alone "bastards". I thought I'd add my own plumy version since we're at it.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, which featured riveting protracted scenes which amped up the tension throughout. Even after the cathartic denouement in Act 3, the movie still stayed with me. It took me a good half hour or so for the adrenaline rush to abate. 

Col. Hans Landa was a delicious character to play, I'm sure, by the uber-talented, multi-lingual Austrian actor, Christoph Waltz. 

For a war movie, Basterds had me in stitches as well. Here's an example of Brad Pitt's pragmatic character, Lt. Aldo Raine: You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, Business is a-boomin'.

Even the anachronistic references worked. Here's Lt. Aldo Raine recruiting Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz: I think you show great talent. And I pride myself on having an eye for that kind of talent. Your status as a Nazi killer is... still amateur. We all come here to see if you wanna go pro...

And if that isn't enough to whet your appetite, check out these other memorable quotes, which will become an entrenched part of pop culture in years to come. 

Punchlines

I liked everything about her except for her...

...mind, her presence and her tin foot.

thirtysomething

So this week, and in fact today, Season 1 of thirtysomething has been released finally! This may be one of the longest DVD release window for a television series which first aired in 1987. Apparently clearing all the music rights was the hold up all these years. The good news is that I will finally be able to get rid of all of the VHS recordings, well at least a quarter of them anyway.

This is such a big deal that the LA Times covered the story in a variety of articles this week. I'm just happy that a new generation will be introduced to Michael and Hope, Elliot and Nancy, Melissa, Gary, Ellyn, and Miles. 

Now that I'm thirtysomething, I'm sure the show will resonate in ways it could not when I was twentysomething, so this will be a treat to experience again, especially some of my favorite episodes. Until this point, I've had the published teleplays from Season 1 and the soundtrack to tie me over. Not the same. Fortunately, someone who used to work for me lived near Olin and Wettig and I put him through an especially humiliating torture to retrieve autographs from both. If only he had pulled up into their driveway blasting the soundtrack from his car... Oh well, he was a good sport, and so were Ken and Nancy. Thanks!

 

By the way, I nearly fell off my seat when I discovered that Paul Haggis (Crash) wrote a few episodes during that first season (Nice Work If You Can Get It, South by Southeast, Business As Usual).  All the more reason to go out and buy Season 1 and check out his earlier work.

LA Times articles:

'thirtysomething' twentysomething years later

'thirtysomething's' office romance

Melanie Mayron identifies with Melissa, her 'thirtysomething' role

Punchlines

I always thought karate was only for self-defense. But it turns out that at the office, it's surprisingly effective for...

...dealing with lazy employees who couldn't be bothered to make fresh coffee.

Green thumb

One month later, I thought I'd give you an update on what's the haps. Yo check this out.

 

In all due seriousness, I think I'll get in touch with my green side and will return later today with earthy tales of my day and maybe some snaps as well.

Post script.

Okay, here's the real deal. Photos from Huntington Library and Garden in Pasadena, which features fourteen themed gardens.

Punchlines

Love is such a beautiful thing...

I heard it was many-splendored, too. And a Battlefield also? F*ck me... it just goes to show how damn versatile it actually is. Color me impressed.

Idle chatter

 “Hey Georgie, what's the deal with Benny?” asked Steve.

“Well, you had him last. What did you do to him? Last I saw him he was walkin' just fine,” replied George.

“Well that's a relief...I heard he was auditioning for the part of the donkey down in Tijuana! Maybe we should throw him a little party? I could hire a....”

“...sexy little burro and maybe a goat just for fun. See if that'll cheer him up! It'll be just like the old days, when...”

“…we would all go down to the "petting" zoo... Is he still there?”

“He said something about wanting to get paid today. Money's running low so I think he's actually putting work *ahead* of Punchlines. Da noive! Hey, maybe this will work...”  George paused and then called out, “Benny, youhoo, Benny? I'm feeling kinda randy...”

“He needs to renegotiate with his pimp. Maybe he is the subject of a new probe?” speculated Steve.

“It was rumored an alien probe, but I tend not to believe in such things. I do worry about him though.”

“Oh me too. That time he was running around with that steel worker guy? Those chaps were a bit much. You think we need to have an intervention?” suggested Steve.

“It didn't seem to work last time, but hell I'm game. I love him, man. But if it's all the same to you, would you mind setting it up?” asked George.

“No problem,” Steve thinks for a second, “You think I oughtta bring the goat just to show him everything's cool? Let's get him a gift too. Any ideas?”

George nodded in agreement. “Well, I know he likes gouda and I can whip up a recipe for a veggie lasagna that will leave him drooling. But why not, I think the goat's a stellar idea. Perhaps a year's supply of batteries wouldn't hurt, either. You know to go with the...”

“…six foot neon green necklace and matching fur boots? Good thinking! Should we sign him up for the parade?”

“To be in the parade? Nah. Like I said he was walking fine, but his arms have withered down to little stubs. I'm afraid he can't wave his hands or at least no one will be able to tell when he does. Maybe we can get him a prosthetic kinda like the one in the Fugitive!”

Steve jumped up and down with excitement. “I've got it! I have an old cardboard life size Michael Jordan cut out! We'll just paste those arms on old Benny and when he waves they'll go nuts! I can hardly wait to strap him atop some big float with those big black muscular arms. He'll be the hit of WeHo!!! You think he'll be off the drugs by then?”

“Oh god I hope not. I think he wouldn't be able to get through the parade without being high as a kite. Seriously the damn thing is like 17 hours long! By the third hour, I'm sure he's gonna start to get the shakes and...”

“…that's when we slip him a downer in some ginger ale. He'll be the star of the show and he won't even know his own name. Seriously, should we get your friend Raul to dress him up?”

George considered the idea briefly and then suggested, “In brilliant shades of rhubarb and guava? I'm not sure if the whole "fruit bowl" palette works on him. Perhaps you oughtta give it a shot, Steve. I'm thinking maybe a western theme would suit. What say you?”

“Hmmm…” Steve rubbed his chin, “I like it. Yep, we'll dress him up like Howdy Doody with the hair slicked back and the freckles! And I bet he'd feel like a real cowboy with a shiny little six shooter and some spurs! I'm feeling better about this thing all the time. You think this will raise his self esteem?”

“Perhaps, but I think we can do even better than a parade and a party with a goat and gouda…” George trailed off while continuing to walk down the hallway with Steve.

Punchlines

You know, a high-powered scope rifle is all well and good in Africa, but we are in...

...kindergarten and playing in a bouncy house. Do you really think that's necessary? 

 

Let them eat cake

Turtle Tower Restaurant is a small mom 'n pop place near Golden Gate park. Located on Geary Street amongst many other Asian restaurants, the building is not a particular stand out, but the taste certainly is. The types of restaurants in this section of Geary are purists when it comes to the type of food they serve. For example, a Japanese restaurant explicitly wrote on a sign: NO SUSHI. NO TERIYAKI. This was to keep out the riffraff i.e., those who are accustomed to Westernized restaurant offerings. 

The place we visited made the distinction of serving only Northern Vietnamese style food which means you are served your pho without mint, bean sprouts, or hoisin. My friend recommended that I try #6 the pan fried noodle soup with fresh rice noodles, beef, leeks and carrots. It was a combination of smokey, tender flavorful goodness in a bowl. Definitely worth having seconds and thirds, I should think.

One drawback is that the restaurant closes super early in the evenings. We were the last customers to order food and were rushed out of the restaurant at 8:30 pm. Still it gave us an opportunity to head to Hayes Valley for dessert.

Citizen Cake has been around for years and I came across Elizabeth Falkner on a Food Network challenge a few years ago. Most recently she was on Top Chef Masters competing against others such as Rick Bayless, Ludo Lefebvre, Hubert Keller, Michael Cimarusti, Roy Yamaguchi, et al.  She's the author of Demolition Desserts and I have looked forward to a visit to her shop each time I am in San Francisco. On this visit we sampled the following:

• Retro Tropical Shag - Genoise cake splashed with rum and an exotic passion fruit mousse, covered in vanilla buttercream and carpeted with un-sweetened coconut.
• Mocha Mi Su - Layers of cocoa genoise cake, mocha mousse and crème fraiche mousse. Finished with chocolate ganache and coffee buttercream. 
• Pineapple Upside-down Cupcake - A tropical treat: lots o’ pineapple chunks underneath moist buttermilk cake topped with a passion fruit frosting & coconut
• Carrot Cupcake - Our delicious carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and a marzipan carrot.
  

Oh my!

Punchlines

I am so sick and tired of everybody complaining about hangnails today.
Well, excuuuuuuuuse me. Listen sister, that's a lot better than having a bunch of co-workers sing barber-shop quartet about whitlows.

Ferry Building

San Francisco is a wonderful place for gourmands. The inhabitants take their food very seriously as evidenced by the small places that crop up around the city that are small and artisanal in their approach toward food. Small batches. High quality. These are places which specialize in one thing. For example, olive oil. Just that and no other item. Or salted pork products. That's all that's available. One such place that houses these shops under one roof is the Ferry Building Market Place where I find myself each time I visit San Francisco. 

Some great shops to check out would include:

Acme Bread

Blue Bottle Coffee

Cowgirl Creamery

Boccalone

Recchiuti Confections

I can't say enough nice things about this place. It really is a gem. Couple the experience with a farmers market each saturday morning and I am quite tempted to take up permanent residence within the building itself!

Punchlines

We seek him here, we seek him there. Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven? Is he in hell? That damned, elusive...

...Scarlet Pimpernel.

Tangled Web

I'm not a fan of spiders. That's an understatement. I'm squeamish about spiders. Can't stand them. So when I found out about this pandemic, I was pretty freaked out. 

Twenty years ago, portions of the movie Arachnophobia was filmed on the Warner Bros. lot. During the filming, truckloads of spiders were brought in because regular Angelino spiders looked a bit boring, I suppose. Well when production concluded, they did not ship the spiders back from whence they came. Quite possibly they tried to, but I suspect they did not manage to recapture all of the spiders. As a result, these little critters dispersed across the Warner Bros. lot and its surrounding environs. 

Let me clarify one point. These spiders are not indigenous to this region. They do not fall prey to the typical cycle of population control by predators in Los Angeles. As a result, these spiders are able to live quite happily and tend to make their presence known in the summer months. 

And so it was that as I was walking from my car to the office this morning, I noticed at the end of the parking structure a beautiful, silk gauzy web which glistened in the morning sunlight. I stepped back and then noticed that, in fact, there were about a dozen webs spun by a dozen spiders... 

...which reminds me. I should probably close my sunroof today.

Punchlines

Have you seen the cash for clunkers new slogan? Show us your Junk!
What a coincidence! I wear the same sign when I go out on first dates. 

Wednesday

Is it hump day already? Why yes, it is. Thank goodness for urbandictionary.com. I am not a hip person, maybe hep, but not hip. So like other mere mortals, I resort to learning about life through urbandictionary.com. What is hump day for those less hep than even moi? Well, the traditional definition of "hump day" is as follows:

1.	hump day
	The middle of a work week (Wednesday); used in the context of climbing a proverbial hill to get through a tough week.

But I prefer the alternative definition.

6. hump day wednesday, being at the center of the work week. makes an ideal day for humping to break up the tedium of the week. people love to hump, and hump day is the second best part of the week for humping, the best part being the weekend.

Of course, I've been trying to spread the label "shag day" as in ... woohoo! Wednesday! Guess what day it is?!? Shag day!!! But I wasn't the originator of that idea, really. I got it from the 1998 movie Sliding Doors. When Helen (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) arrives home to find her boyfriend Gerry just getting out of bed, he calls out to find out who it is. She replies, "No, it's your bit of stuff. Wednesday, Shag Day, remember?" It's odd what random bits of dialog or thoughts stick with you. It's a lovely movie overall really. In one split second, the life of the main character takes two completely different directions. If she makes the train, a series of events unfold that leads to self-awareness, breaking up with Gerry, meeting a new man, and opening herself up to possibilities and change. If she doesn't make the train, a different series of events unfold which shows Helen stays in a relationship with a cheating Gerry, takes on menial jobs to support the two of them, while wanking Gerry knocks up another girl. Makes you wonder about the choices you make throughout the course of each day.  

Well, anyhoo... It's Wednesday. Enjoy today!

Punchlines

I haven't seen such camaraderie since I was in the Foreign Legion. Unless of course you include...
...the other night with Georgie. (sigh) 

Malibu

So tonight I will be attending a charity event with Malibu Rum and Reef Check to raise awareness for Reef Check’s mission of protecting coral reef’s worldwide. Anna Faris is also behind this somehow and I plan to get to the bottom of this... or at least the bottom of a glass of mojitos.

Post script:

So that was fun. Dr. Hodgson spoke a little bit about Reef Check and the new internship program that is being offered to 10 eligible students to study and monitor coral reef health in Thailand, the Maldives or the Philippines. Anna Faris then thanked everyone for coming and then said, "Let's do shots." Other celebrity notables included Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes), Scott Krinsky (Chuck) as well as AVP athletes Todd Rogers, Phil Dalhausser, April Ross, Jen Kessy, Sean Scott and John Hyden.

Punchlines

I swear my six year old thinks he's Gilbert Gottfried.

The voice. The annoying attitude. I think you should take him out back and put him out of your misery.

Shaq Vs.

After a nailbiting match-up with Phil/Todd vs. Sean/John in the finals of AVP Hermosa, the court in the stadium underwent a transformation for the filming of the new reality TV show Shaq Vs. Episode 2 this season which will air August 25th on ABC at 9 p.m. ET will feature Shaq Vs. Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh in beach volleyball. Shaq paired up with Todd Rogers in the back court and it was pretty hysterical to see someone that big move that quickly in the sand. If Shaq lost, he would wear pink speedos up and down the beach! Other match-ups include Shaq Vs. Michael Phelps, Shaq Vs. Oscar De La Hoya, and Shaq Vs. Serena Williams.

It was a sight to behold, so tune-in on August 25th.  

Punchlines

I enjoy wine, I'll have to admit, but I am not in love with the stuff. I'll usually enjoy a few glasses...

...of hotdog juice straight up.

Comeback moms

Time to get charged up, people! It's the AVP Hermosa Beach Open this weekend with the women's final on Saturday and the men's final on Sunday. Woohoo! Also if you come down on Sunday, Shaquille O'Neal will be filming an episode for his new reality TV show where he will compete against two-time Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings.

For those who don't follow the sport of beach volleyball, Kerri just had a baby 2 months ago and this weekend marks the first time she has been back since last season. She plays with another new mom on the tour, Rachel Scott (nee Wacholder). The moms did well but fell to the contenders bracket yesterday and must compete early this morning to make it back into the final four. They'll take stadium court at 8:45 a.m. 

Stay tuned for updates via @AVPHermosa or @AVPbeach on Twitter. Since those guys do such an amazing job, I will probably just send behind-the-scenes photos from time to time on @TGeorgeSand.

Punchlines

OK... cut the hole, measure the new drywall board, cut it to fit and apply the pasty pink stuff, get the blow dryer... Have lots of hope ... Sand it in... feather the texture to match... Wait 24 hours... UH OH! Where's the cat??? And what is that smell?

Oh... sorry. That was me. I just got back from George's.

Mise en place

It may be uncouth to be excited for today, but I don't care. I'm pretty psyched to spend my first day in a professional kitchen and helping to prepare for the dinner service tonight at Ludo Bites, which is referred to as mise en place. 

Mise en place is a French phrase defined by the Culinary Institute of America as "everything in place", as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to the ingredients, such as cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components that a cook requires for the menu items that they expect to prepare during their shift. Preparing the mise en place ahead of time allows the chef to cook without having to stop and assemble items, which is desirable in recipes with time constraints.

The concept of having everything in its place as applied to the work in a kitchen is likely to have become a staple around the time of Auguste Escoffier, who is well known for his development of the brigade system of running a kitchen. 

Post script: 

So newbie that I am, I forgot to bring my knives to the kitchen today but I did show up on time. I borrowed Eliot's exceptionally sharp knife and as I was preparing the mirepoix for the oxtail (to go in the creamy polenta with oxtail, black truffle and cantal cheese dish), I sliced the palm of my hand. But not to worry, because the next recipe I was prepping for was the boudin noir (a.k.a. blood sausage), chopping up pork back fat, onions, apples, and garlic. Talk about putting in your blood, sweat and tears into your work! Haha. Rest assured. None of mine made it into the recipe.

We had a mid-afternoon break when the Breadbar staff needed to wash the kitchen floors and settled in the front-of-house where I met with the rest of the kitchen crew working that night, a young efficient bunch who were passionate about food. So much so, that one remarked that all they seem to talk about is food when they get together. What they've eaten recently... What kitchen utensil they've purchased... What restaurants they've been to... and so on.

The hum of activity continued soon thereafter, with each person assigned to parts of the menu to tackle from cleaning chanterelle mushrooms, whipping up frosting, assembling the lobster tarte, cleaning and grating celery root, or in my case, plucking leaves off a dozen stems of hyssop (at least I think that was the herb) and scraping clean six dozen organic baby carrots, which appeared to have stained my hands. 

All in all, working in a professional kitchen is a wonderful experience. Without a doubt, it is back-breaking work. So, anyone considering a culinary profession better have passion for it, and if you get a chance to train under a creative genius like Ludo, jump on the chance because it is well worth it.

 

Punchlines

So what's with the provocative song titles these days? You Put Something Inside Me. I hate Christian Rock. WTF is next...?
Jesus Fills Me Up? I mean come on already! 


So Tuesday night at George's, huh? 

Fade out

Tragic news emerged once again this week. This time from New York with the reported death of writer/director John Hughes. Gen-X'ers grew up with Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Some Kind of Wonderful, National Lampoon's Vacation, and many others. I'll look back now and again on Ferris Bueller's Day Off and remark on Ferris and Cameron's adventure which illustrated that with the right amount of self-confidence and bullshit, you can accomplish anything. But because I can offer no better words than those penned by him, I'll leave you with memorable quotes from his movies. Rest in peace, John.

Sixteen Candles

Samantha: Donger's here for five hours, and he's got somebody. I live here my whole life, and I'm like a disease. 

Jim Baker: That's why they call them crushes. If they were easy, they'd call them something else. 

The Geek: You know, I'm getting input here that I'm reading as relatively hostile. 
Samantha: Go to hell. 
The Geek: VERY hostile. 

Breakfast Club

Andrew: We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all. 

Andrew: What do you need a fake I.D. for? 
Brian: So I can vote. 

Richard Vernon: You think about this: when you get old, these kids - when *I* get old - they're going to be running the country. 
Carl: Yeah. 
Richard Vernon: Now this is the thought that wakes me up in the middle of the night. That when I get older, these kids are going to take care of me. 
Carl: I wouldn't count on it. 

Brian Johnson: Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain... 
Andrew Clark: ...and an athlete... 
Allison Reynolds: ...and a basket case... 
Claire Standish: ...a princess... 
John Bender: ...and a criminal... 
Brian Johnson: Does that answer your question?... Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club. 

Pretty in Pink

Iona: Does he have... strong lips? 
Andie: How can you tell? 
Iona: Did you feel it in your knees? 
Andie: I felt it everywhere. 
Iona: Strong lips. 
[laughs] 
Iona: I know I'm old enough to be his mother, but when the Duck laid that kiss on me last night, I swear my thighs just went up in flames! He must practice on melons or something. 

Iona: Andie, hon. Listen, it's after 7:00. Don't waste good lip gloss. 

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Sloane: What are we going to do? 
Ferris: The question isn't "what are we going to do," the question is "what aren't we going to do?" 
Cameron: Please don't say were not going to take the car home. Please don't say were not going to take the car home. Please don't say were not going to take the car home. 
Ferris: [to the camera] If you had access to a car like this, would you take it back right away? 
[beat] 
Ferris: Neither would I. 

Ferris: If you're not over here in fifteen minutes, you can find a new best friend. 
Cameron: You've been saying that since the fifth grade. 

Cameron: [Whispering to himself after hanging up from a phone call with Ferris] I'm dying. 
[Phone rings, and Cameron answers] 
Ferris: (over the phone) You're not dying, you just can't think of anything good to do. 

OMG OMG OMG

Photo by Wesley Wong of TwoHungryPandas.com

Stop what you're doing. If you're mid-sentence trying to capture your life's moments in a 140-character status update on Twitter, put the crackberry down and run... don't walk... to Breadbar on 3rd Street in Los Angeles. 

If you've been following along, you'll know that my friends and I were eagerly anticipating our dinner at Ludo Bites which has been featured since mid-May through mid-August at Breadbar. It exceeded our expectations and so I strongly urge you to try it while you can. 

While we pretty much ordered one of each item on the Ludo Bites menu, I can really only take you through a sampling. Here are some highlights of my taste experience:

• A warm bowl of chorizo, cantalope and cornichon soup...deliciously creamy but light and smokey with a hint of sweetness when you bite into the glassy cubes of cantalope... 

• Then, there was the bowl of creamy polenta with earthy black truffle shavings, slowly braised oxtail and a hint of nuttiness from cantal cheese...

• Finally, there was the exquisite vanilla panna cotta bathing in a luxurious caramel sauce and topped with salty black caviar.
  

My mouth was very happy with me last night. Shouldn't yours be happy, too?

Until then follow @chefludo on Twitter or check out his website. 

Punchlines

The last party was a complete snore, I tell ya. I think next time I'm gonna line up shots of tequila in the entry way and...

...nobody will be the least bit surprised. At George's house, this is called Tuesday. 

Ludo Bites

One of my favorite things to do is eat. No kidding. And one of my favorite foods to eat is basically anything Ludo prepares. Ludo Lefebvre started cooking at the age of 13 and trained under some fairly impressive chefs in some prestigious three-star Michelin restaurants in France, including Marc Meneau at L'Esperance, Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Passard at L'Arpege, Guy Martin at Le Grand Vefour who then recommended him to the owners of L'Orangerie in Los Angeles, where he was executive chef in the late '90s. Yeah, he's pretty awesome as far as chefs go, but for me, he has a knack for combining unusual flavors and spices together that your palette experiences so many sensations while you taste his food. 

Tonight, some friends and I will be gathering at BREADBAR which features Ludo Bites. Just as last time, I'm pretty much going to defer all menu decisions to Krissy, who happens to be pretty fabulous in her own right (attorney, model, celebrity TV star). I'm beside myself this morning, just anticipating what tastes are to come this evening. Here's just a sampling from a recent menu:

Chorizo with Cantalope and Cornichon

Green Beans Salad with Peach, Coconut, Apple Horseradish and Lemongrass 

Bacon Tart with  Almonds, Petite Basque Brown Butter, Coffee Chantilly

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Red Onions, Feta Mousse and Olive Powder

Baked Snails with Herb Butter, Spinach Curry Yogurt

Lobster Medallions with Honey Sherry Vinaigrette Rosemary

Creamy Polenta with Cantal Cheese, Oxtail Beef and Black Truffle

Foie Gras Terrine with Black Croque Monsieur with Cherry

Cod Onion Soubise with Grilled Chanterelles, and Balsamic Kumquats

Pork Belly with Potato Vadouvan and Mustard Ice Cream

Spaghetti Carbonara with Santa Barbara Prawn Sage

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Smoked Eggplant, Goat Cheese, Shallots and Chives

Cheese Board with housemade Condiments

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Caramel and Caviar

Chocolate Cup Cake with Foie Gras Chantilly, Candied Bacon, Almonds and Maple

Organic Strawberry, Wasabi Mascarpone and Pistachio Parfait

If anyone is in Los Angeles, stop by Breadbar on 3rd Street before August 22nd which is the last day of Ludo Bites.

Punchlines

I need a second job just to help make ends meet. Unfortunately, I have no salable skills whatsoever, which means I will have to resort to...

...elective office in Washington DC.

RIP Blake

News spread quickly among the writing community of the sudden death by cardiac arrest of Blake Snyder this morning. The impact that he has made for budding and seasoned screenwriters is absolutely staggering. His book Save the Cat! became nothing less than a movement, changing the ways scribes approached the process of creating. He helped me break-through in a couple of stories as well as help me do coverage on other scripts. Several others have elaborated about his life and contributions, particularly in the Examiner as well as on Tracey Jackson's website. Rest in peace, Blake. You will be missed. 

Limericks

Here's just some random Limericks...a throwback to those rhyming exercises in grade school.

There once was a Maennchen named Lenchen,
who won awards though failed to mention
his family and friends.
So, he made amends
and took them all out to a luncheon.

There once was a girl named Sabine,
who hadn’t a bone that was mean.
‘Til her evil doppelganger
stole her script with a hanger.
What’s next? No one knows. The hit job was clean.

There once was a writer named Mickey.
who found screenwriting to be tricky.
So he enlisted some aid.
No one helped. So he prayed.
Tried again after he had a quickie.

There once was a Doctor named Strange
Had a mind some say was deranged.
When the boards got too heated,
he’d stand his ground and then treated
the assholes to a vicious exchange.

There once was a girl named Palace
who on a visit to Dallas
She declared, “I hate carrots!”
to all the vegan zealots,
and they glared at her with malice.

There once was a boy named kepow.
For breakfast he milked a cow. 
The cereal was still dry.
He sulked and did cry
when he found he'd eaten puppy chow.

There once was a boy named Ben Hausler
who had difficulty finding his trouser.
Then, Gabe with resolution
found the perfect solution:
A pant-seeking trained miniature schnauzer. 

Punchlines

What's the deal with bottled water these days? The fact that they put vitamins in them is really a sign of laziness. I mean really... Is it that hard to pop a multivitamin and gulp it down with regular water?

Hey, those pills are big! You ever try to lift one? It's darned near impossible unless you're Charles Atlas or something.

Luscious Dumplings

I am beside myself with anticipation for today's culinary adventure. You see, I am finally going to to pay a visit to Luscious Dumplings in San Gabriel. For those who are not aware, I have written a short story about Luscious Dumplings, but the story has nothing to do with the restaurant at all. 

The idea came when I was having dumplings with a group of friends at Din Tai Fung, the dumpling house in Arcadia. Bryan happened to mention that he preferred Luscious Dumplings and while we all filed that recommendation away in our memories, we dwelled instead on how hysterical was the modifier "luscious" to refer to "dumplings." In fact, we thought it bordered on something salacious. I think Iris in fact suggested to me that I ought to write a story about Luscious Dumplings, and I agreed. 

I wanted to try my hand at writing a comedy piece and given my limited training on the craft (read zero), I tried to think of opposites and juxtaposing diametrically different ideas and situations together. I searched my memory for amazing moments in cinema history to glean what were the most riveting and dramatic scenes. The first one that came to mind was the final court room scene in A Few Good Men in which Kaffee thunders away at Jessep on the witness stand. I thought to myself how ironic it would be to hear someone argue vehemently about something as trivial as "luscious dumplings" and thus the idea was born. Check out Luscious Dumplings, my first attempt at parody. Then check out Luscious Dumplings, the restaurant. 

Luscious Dumplings

704 W. Las Tunas Blvd.

San Gabriel, CA 91776

+1-626-282-8695

Punchlines

I took an inventory this morning and have come to conclusion that my most cherished possession is...

...a lock of my first love's hair. Well, not exactly a lock actually. More what you'd call a scalp.  

PAGE semis

A quick congratulations to the semi-finalists for the 2009 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards which was announced today and in particular the Trigger Street writers represented, including:

"The Axeman of Old New Orleans" by Sotiris Tsacpounidis

"The Raven Society" by Lizz-Ayn Shaarawi 

"The Junior Detectives and the Cities of Gold" by Irin Evers

"Wedding Knight" and "Horror Comic" by Stephen Hoover

"Dead Stop" by John Stancari 

"Shotgun Cinderella" by Alex Hollister

"Alien Boss" by Tim McSmythurs 
"Good People" by Nicholas Horwood

Punchlines

What Bernie Madoff hates most about his new apartment...

...the toilet paper is much too abrasive.