in the mood for love...and noodles.

oddFellows and non-resolutions

1. The adorable ice cream girl at OddFellows. She was patient with us. I liked her. 

2. Roasted apple and Tahitian Vanilla/Brown Butter. 

3. There were two girls in an SUV watching me when I walked out of OddFellows to take this photo from the street. Whatever, haters, I got my photo AND a self-portrait out of standing in the cold for a few minutes. 

I harbored the silly notion that I would post all of the photos I've wanted to upload for the past few months before the new year. Yeah, that's not going to happen. 

Christmas just flew by, didn't it? I never posted my family's holiday photos and this year's Christmas song playlist. Oh well, no one said Lemonade Lists was chronological. You'll still listen to Christmas music during the first week of January, oui? That being said, even though I dislike the connotation of short-lived New Year's resolutions, I've a few for the year to come. One of them, perhaps the main one, is to redo my book. I was only about 60%, maybe less, happy with the finished project. A good amount of the chapters were written hastily and I'd like to go back and tighten up the writing. I have also decided to break my book into a non-linear trilogy. Food, thoughts, photos. It's an exciting project and I hope very much that I accomplish it. Others include art collaborations with my friends, de-cluttering my closet (cough-my life-cough), and running again. I used to be active, now I just sit between bakery and butchery at Society Fair. It's a win/lose situation. 

Tomorrow, technically now, is New Year's Eve. I'm not going to get all mushy on you (maybe later) but 2013 was a damn good year. 

Here's to 2014. 

Geek moment of the day: when I discovered that you can set your closed captions to any font on your computer on the CBS website. Merry Christmas to me! 

cannibals for cheeks

Strangers: stop saying you want to "eat my cheeks." Keep those cannibal thoughts to yourself.
— Honest Toddler (@HonestToddler) December 19, 2013

<3

Cut them oats like blue steel.

Steel cut oats.
Kimchi.
Scallions.
and I put an egg on it.

Serifs and dashes, but definitely not squirts.

This description, “To fully give the authentic feel of worn pages of dusty of books, Appareo has 5 character variations assigned through Contextual Alternatives using Opentype features. This allows no two same letters to ever be found near each other.” gave me design shivers. The banners and borders alone are going to halve my Society Fair design time. Bah-ring it. 

Shout out to the one who taught me that a squirt is an improper term of measurement for a dash. I dislike the word “squirt” as much as I dislike “squat.”

No. Squat is worse, but not as much as...(whisper) moist. Try describing cakes when you hate the word moist.

It ain't easy, folks.

Appareo/Tom Collins recipe via Swash and Fold

I'll hold you like a gun.

I'm adding this to my list of bad-ass walk-in songs. 

Brooklyn today.
More ice cream, maybe some lengua tacos, and a very long drive home to Virginia.
I hope it won't be icy.

Welcome to Jersey.

There's always an impending snow storm whenever I come to Jersey. Last time we got in two car accidents and saw Christo & Jean-Claude's The Gates in Central Park. This time I'm eating ice cream (ice cream portrait in a snowstorm in Chinatown? CAN'T WAIT), seeing the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, and reconnecting, albeit briefly, with the Chelsea art scene. 

heart it races

Snow Day, Work at Home Day Playlist

Architecture in Helsinki | Heart It Races

The Clash | Brand New Cadillac

Lorde | Glory and Gore

The Mannish Boys | As the Years Go Passing By

Nico Vega | Beast

Rooney | When Did Your Heart Go Missing? 

Spirit Animal | Radio Brain

Beck | Think I'm in Love

Cults | Never Heal Myself

The Black Keys feat. Mos Def and Jim Jones | Ain't Nothing Like You (Hootchie Coo)

Though working from home has its advantages (all-day pajamas and not having to white-knuckle through heavy snowfall), I don't particularly enjoy it. I feel disconnected from the restaurants. No cakes and kitchen antics to show the world. I don't get imperative answers as quickly as I like. No one around to feed me, that's a big one. I do, however, like listening to what I want to listen to, not poppy Christmas music, which is what I've been subjected to since Black Friday. Above are the highlights of today's playlist, meaning the songs that I stopped to notice and replay, not background “whistle while we work” music. (Haha, that's a lie. I can't whistle.) 

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas music. It took me a full week into December to realize I didn't have to turn down Christmas songs out of embarrassment when they came on during my commute. I don't always forward to the next song when Mele Kalikimaka comes on, gnomesayin'. Neighboring drivers don't need to know this. 

I might venture out for bagels, lox, and Despicable Me 2. Oh, and toothpaste. Need toothpaste. 

To my NoVa comrades, please drive safely out there. Being low to the ground, Boris tends to swerve at the tiniest hint of slush and ice. You know those drivers about whom everyone else complains during East Coast winters? I'm one of them. Sorry not sorry I'm driving slowly in a snowstorm. 

snowy day of rest

All of today's appointments were canceled due to the ice/snow storm so I:

- made a chowder in less than fifteen minutes. I work faster when I'm hungry.

- spent more hours in bed than I did out of it.

- planned where & what I want to eat for next week's New York trip. Thought about writing a list of photos I want to take, but J told me to live in the moment. Shoot, live in the moment with a mental plan so I don't forget anything, else you'll hear “Nooooooo, I forgot to take a photo of that place on Mott that I like!!”

- folded tshirts and ironed my pillowcases to the delightfully bad Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia. Um, why you gon' call it Haunting in Connecticut 2 if it takes place entirely in Georgia? Hey, hey, have you seen that movie - Gangs of New York 2? I hear it takes place in Los Angeles.

- read Yeats. Going from Yeats to horror b-movies is...interesting.

It was a good day.

Jules Winnfield, Robbie Ordell, and Dr. King Schultz.

Fantastic infographic short by Timor Barshtman depicting some of Tarantino's favorite and familiar actors through his different films. 

Orange you glad we ate noodles?

1. Chef Dan making Pigs in a Blanket at Society Fair. 

2. Burnt oranges for Burnt Orange Bitters, probably for PX. 

3. Noodles, I like them. 

4. Piggie blankets and the irresistible urge to write my name in flour. 

Jamaican me crazy!

Craig: Will you have dinner with us at Los Tios?

then

Craig: Will you come to Jamaica and shoot our wedding?

Eeeeeeee, I'm going to Jamaica in April!! 

then

me: I'm going to Jamaica!
Justin: I'm really happy for you and imma let you finish, but...I kinda hate you. In the most loving way, of course.

me: I guess I should renew my passport.
Collins: Haha, lasagna...Lasagna = maaaybe.

me: Chef, may I have two days off in April so I can attend Craig's wedding?
Chef Armstrong: No, because you have to expedite at Eve for me.

Mark: I wanted to send you a video of Oprah giving away trips like a madwoman, but I found this. It is way better.

Miemo: I love jakprints.com. They are great printers and all their techs sound cute.

“Stephen Dorff has become one of the most respected young actors in Hollywood.”

*scoffs. Calm down, Deacon Frost.

Damn. We are fabulous.

Photo from Laura & Keith's wedding back in September, via Towner Jones Photography. 

Think Faest!

Tonight's delayed Thanksgiving menu

- Roast Turkey
- Sautéed shaved Brussels sprouts with dried cranberries, whole grain mustard, and bacon
- Mashed Potatoes (Yukon golds, potato ricer, duck fat)
- Roast French green beans with shiitake sage cream sauce
- Stuffing (cubed ciabatta rolls, celery, spicy pork sausage, and apple)
- Gravy. Duh.
- Baked apple dumplings with bourbon caramel sauce.

Prepping vegetables and watching some horror b-movie on Netflix. This is a good Sunday.