I didn't mean to take up all your sweet time. I'll give it right back to you one of these days.

Usually a summer driving song, but shuffle has been good to me lately. 

Unless you count last night's Emmure fiasco, then no. Fail on you, shuffle. 

meanwhile at the Fair

Jet burner looks like it's sipping grease from the can. 

hi. 

:o

Tapatío down!

Oh, fuck!

*sigh.

Goddamnit.

Where’s the mop?

it's only just Monday morning, but we all know it's still Sunday evening.

sounds like: the Long Time, Wrong Time with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (soon at 9:30 Club!), Jimmy Edgar turning me inside and out, and Battle Tapes' Sweatshop Boys making me want to fight crime or dance against walls (hell, maybe both) and, if y'all haven't realized this by now - baby, I'm Good For You. Mr. Hudson, you can be good for me anytime.

tastes like: Pink cupcakes and Prosecco at Vivi's birthday, an abundance of green tea amid a sea of sick and surly chefs, and comfort food duck wonton soup in frigid-ass January. I slept in full long johns and a hoodie last night. That's how cold it is. I constantly crave soup. 

feels like: Accomplishment of today's list, though mundane and tedious, I really do like doing the everyday type things. Tonight I sleep on freshly-laundered sheets and watch the new episode of The Following. It's probably sad over how happy that just made me. Side note, iTunes is on shuffle and Emmure's death metal guttoral screaming just scared the hell out of me. That's what you get when you get a Henna Tattoo That Says Forever. 

smells like: Jasmine perfume. I haven't worn it in awhile for various reasons, mainly because it was in a tote bag I stopped using, partly because the olfaction keeps triggering memories that cause me to want things I can't have. 

Photo from last Thursday at Izakaya Seki/Daikaya for a ramen date with Monica & Russell to celebrate his new position at Jack Rose. So so so happy for him. 

Supermaaaaannnnnnn!

Phil Jones. Too good. 

Peter Lee: I can't believe you said floozy in 2014.
me: What? I like the word floozy.
Peter Lee: I love it. Sometimes I pretend Jane Austen is speaking to me in our chat window. It's amazing how much funnier and sharper you become when you're mad.

Forget rose petals, I’m going to hire someone to throw ice melt when I walk, King Jaffe Joffer style.

I chuckled about that caption for a good five minutes after I posted it. If you ever see me chuckling at my phone, 98% of the time it's not because someone has said something funny to me, it's me laughing at my own wit. 

Hey, at least I amuse myself. 

I played my cards and I didn't fold.

Benavidez: If I was to need a logo designed..
me: Go on.
Benavidez: Would I be a stupid-ass mofo to go to anyone else but you?
me: Yes, especially now that you've told me about it.

oh snow.

Not pictured: black trumpet mushrooms at Restaurant Eve and me white knuckling it the entire way home. I'm so over this winter nonsense. Thank goodness for flannel shirts and homemade kimchi ramen.

in the meantime,

Google in the Mist

Today's Google Doodle of Dian Fossey

Mark Levy: I just found a hard candy and $10 in my jacket pocket! What a day!
me: What kind?
Mark Levy: Watermelon.
me: Jolly Rancher?
Mark Levy: No, the one that looks like a watermelon.
me: Time out, there's a candy that looks like watermelon?
Mark Levy: Uh, yeah, duh, it's available in grandparent's house.
me: These? I always thought they were strawberries. Clearly they look like strawberries.
Mark Levy: ...holy shit. Everything I know is a lie.

heart of gold

Throwin' some Neil at you Youngins.

All day: “What is that, a jelly bean?”

*sigh. 

ah caught you smiling at me. that's the way it should be.

late Wednesday evening, technically early Thursday morning

sounds like: Going on Space Oddities with Kristen Wiig and David Bowie, being a Victim of Love with Charles Bradley, forgetting the time with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, fantasies with Ludacris, and knowing better and learning faster with Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. 

tastes like: Vanilla and almond in my coffee. I didn't even mind the surprise almond flavor, I was just grateful for the warmth of the coffee mug. Old Bay seasoning in my Chesapeake sauce at the chipper. Mulled wine. I am all about the mulled wine during the winter months. Of course, I would much rather be about the iced tea and cold lemonade of the summer months. Roasted, almost burnt, garlicky Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are my jam. (ten second pause while I contemplate going out into the polar vortex, 'round midnight no less, so that I can buy Brussels for lunch. Nah, boo. You don't like the cold, remember?)

feels like: In about fifteen minutes, I am going to climb into bed and read the Cooks & Chefs #2 issue of Lucky Peach. It's amazing what eight hours of sleep will do for one's disposition. Remind me, if I ever have my own design/lifestyle/food empire, to feature a quarterly. I should just design a quarterly for the hell of it. I'll commission all my awesome & talented friends for content. Pay them in food and smiles. At least until the empire gets going. 

smells like: paperwhite flowers = my favorite part of winter. 

Photo of the apathetic thermostat polar bear at Society Fair. That rhymes.

Legit email exchange between Dad the the aunts

Aunt #1: Try this combination of salad, which is what I'm having now for lunch: arugula, sliced or halved marinated kumquats, (marinate them in a bit of EVOO for couple hours), sprinkles of blue cheese + a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. Very refreshing.

Aunt #2: What's EVOO?

me: Extra virgin olive oil.

Aunt #3: C'est quoi, EVOO?

Aunt #1: vina vient de dire: extra virgin olive oil

Dad: Extra virgin olive oil! Don't you watch cooking shows?!

Aunt #1: Only Rachel Ray calls it EVOO. The others, Bobby Flay, the fat Italian guy, and the Barefoot Contessa, they talk normally and don't abbreviate.

Aunt #2: I don't watch cooking shows. I watch Breaking Bad - they cook meth.

vinstagram: people n things

Too good. 

I spent New Year's Eve in my jammies. Pajamas might have to be mandatory in all future NYE shindigs. 

You know you've made it when they just hand you your own personalized cookies. 

You know. Winter warmth. 

My sister and my brother from another mother. 

Sandy claps when she's mad. 

vortex schmortex

Of course I say this now, but put me outside for more than two minutes and it's:

Justin: Tumblr suggested I follow “Adventures in Food.” Wtf I'm not vina, Tumblr!

when something is wrong with my baby

I fell asleep for six hours on a school night because I'm sick and my body clock is all kinds of confused. Hashtag Adult Life Choices. Of course, it is now three in the morning and I'm still awake so, hey, I got was coming to me. At least I got a spot of work done. I'm now counting on Sam & Dave to lull me back to sleep. This song is lovely, doubly so with Al Pacino.

Side note, during the previews for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (excellent film, by the way. You should go see it. You want to go see it? I'll go with you.), I saw a trailer for a movie about Noah, a movie about Jesus and, in between the two, the trailer for Rio 2.

a. That is just poor progression, movie people.
b. Do we need more reasons to upset Mel Gibson? Je pense que non. 

snOMG

I'm not usually one for snow, but tonight was much too pretty to hate.