QUESTION: ARCTIC OR ANTARCTIC?

I ask, not only because of the inclement weather in the Pacific Northwest today, but because I have been listening to a great deal of Polar Bear and GoGo Penguins; two fabulous (instrumental) ensembles melding together flavors of sound and genres together in interesting ways dipping into jazz, classical, and electronic.

And, of course, ne'er shall polar bears and penguins ever meet outside of a zoo, as they represent their respective Poles. So, are you a North Poler or a South Poler?

Stay warm, friends and others

[might I suggest sampling GGP's Kamaloka or One Percent and PB's Be Free or Lost in Death, Pt. 2?]

QUESTION: John Denver or James Taylor?

Raleigh Clough JT every time!
October 24 at 6:03pm · Unlike · 2

Matt Nutter Jim Croce
October 24 at 6:08pm · Unlike · 1

Joseph Long There are two options. Talking to you, Matt. 
Neither would be in my top listening choices, but I do have a strong preference for one over the other 
October 24 at 6:09pm · Like

Joseph Long ...and Matt, feel free to go with Jim when it's him or Yusuf Islam.
October 24 at 6:10pm · Like · 1

J Matthew McKern James Taylor. No contest.
October 24 at 7:15pm · Unlike · 2

Holly Irland Dovich James Taylor.
October 24 at 7:20pm · Unlike · 1

Jaimy Oettel Hill I've always been a jOhn Denver fan!
October 24 at 7:23pm · Unlike · 1

Troy Scholz That's s a tough one! I love the Scotsman song that John Denver did, but I also love me some Steamroller Blues by James Taylor 
October 24 at 7:31pm · Unlike · 1

John Jutzy JT!
October 24 at 9:38pm · Unlike · 1

Joseph Long I want to like James Taylor, but honestly, he's one of those musical sacred cows that I'm still not a big fan of - my experience with both fellows is mainly through their 'big hits,' as opposed to digging deep into their catalogs, but if I was to listen to JT's classics (not Timberlake) versus JD's...I'd go Rocky Mountain Montana Skies for sure.

James definitely takes the cool cat credentials though. And if anybody can give a couple track recommendations beyond his hits that might evolve my thoughts of him...let me know. Glad to have my opinion changed 
October 24 at 10:51pm · Like

Holly Irland Dovich I love Frozen Man by JT.
October 24 at 10:52pm · Unlike · 1

J Matthew McKern You may be right, Joseph, but in this case he benefits from the competition.
October 24 at 10:52pm · Unlike · 1

Joseph Long Thanks Holly - I will take a listen or two 
October 24 at 10:52pm · Like

Holly Irland Dovich Let me know what you think...
October 24 at 10:53pm · Unlike · 1

Joseph Long J Matthew McKern C'mon, that's mean!  JD may have had a quadruple dose of over-sincere earnestness and I probably wouldn't ever have him in my Top Dinner Guest picks, but the guy had his musical moments! 

But yeah, I'm not gonna defend either one too vociferously. I'll save my aggressive defenses for anyone speaking ill of Neil Diamond...
October 24 at 10:57pm · Like · 1

J Matthew McKern Ba Ba Ba
October 24 at 11:05pm · Unlike · 1

Raleigh Clough This is a more obscure track JT did a few years back that I really like for quiet times. 

http://youtu.be/BytiU_2MU-A

The Prayer Cycle: Movement V - Grace
Father won't you carry me For the oceans wide Father won't you carry me For my boat is so small. Father on a moonless...
YOUTUBE.COM
October 24 at 11:19pm · Unlike · 2 · Remove Preview

Jeffrey Townsend I can't believe this is even a discussion! JT is a gifted artist with SO much to say! "Never Die Young!" I'll have to try to find an interview with him that was shot for a laserdisc (!) of him and his band prepping an album and tour in a barn on Martha's Vineyard...
October 25 at 6:16am · Unlike · 3

Joy Muth Fackenthall That's an impossible choice!
October 25 at 6:45am · Unlike · 1

Joseph Long Jeffrey, I would like to see the interview...but I already think he's a cool cat with a good vibe. The lore and legend surrounding him is inescapable evidence of his genuine hipness and likeability. He's an icon, a sacred cow! He's been on The Simpsons...See More
October 25 at 6:50am · Like · 1

Joseph Long *Beatles
October 25 at 6:51am · Like

Lee Long
October 25 at 12:25pm · Unlike · 1

Lee Long John Denver: I like playing some of his stuff in head sometimes. I don't dislike JR, maybe it's just that I heard him swear on a movie once. I'm pretty sensitive to that kind of thing.
October 25 at 12:25pm · Unlike · 1

PARTY CENTRAL, VEEP.

When I was a kid, I was at a friend's house and, being the curious and snoopy person I (still) am, asked what a particular room was with the door just cracked open.

"Oh, we can't go in there," he said. "That's my parent's bedroom. We don't ever go in there."

Which I was thinking about this morning as I was snuggling with my wife for a few extra minutes and was brought to reality by the repetition of a homemade Thor's hammer (1x3 wood, shoe box, colored duck tape) being brought down mercilessly over and over by a vicious grinning child. On my body. Again and again. The worst shrilling of an actual alarm clock seems almost peaceful in comparison. But it did make me curious about the family policies of parents-in-general and the allowing or disallowing of children within this space. I think I accidentally heard, long ago, that one radio woman who knows everything about relationships and men and women and children refer to parents' bedrooms as a 'sacred place,' or something of the sort, and loud as I laughed then, it pales to the humor I feel now in imagining our bedroom to be more sanctuary and less...circus.

But seriously, I'm so curious about different parental policies concerning kids in the bedroom, at any point. Just curious.

And a happy Labor Day, especially to those who are spending it in labor or Labor.

VEEP.

Our daughter just referred to me as "the Vice President of our family."

I'm collecting my thoughts on this. It's not so much that it was said as an insult or as a compliment; it's that it was simply stated as...reality. Oh well. At least I'm married to the Commander-in-Chief.

HANDWASHING AND THE IMMENSE WILDERNESS OF THE LIMITED WEEKEND.

Have a restful weekend.

But don't rest too easy.

There's still 10,000 mountains to climb,

and the hills are alive with the sound.

REGARDING HANDWASHING.
This is the 21st century. Which seems obvious. Another thing that seems obvious is that in societies with running water, a person ought to wash hands after exiting a bathroom stall. Yet the frequency I see people NOT doing this is rather astounding. To me, the specifics of what happened inside that stall are irrelevant: if you were in there, and you come out, then, provided there is some sort of running water and ideally some kind of soap...you ought to wash your hands.

Are there regional or cultural explanations on any level?

I don't get it. What is there not to get? Is there some sort of public education breakdown? I'm not in favor of bathroom police checkpoints ensuring everyone exits with clean hands, so on the one level, sure, it's a personal preference...but a personal preference along the lines of those states who have laws where 14-year old girls can get married with parental consent: it may technically be within the bounds of the law, but it's still wrong.*

Not to get overly...smug here, but I rarely ever get sick. For three main reasons. One of those reasons being that I wash my hands when needed. I'm not a germophobe; I just like to have some level of independence and control over what germs are hanging out on me.

Anyway. Enlighten me. Happy Friday

(Do not sidetrack this into a tangent about the overuse of hand sanitizer and our diluted immune systems. That is a different conversation.)

*This may not be technically accurate, but the analogy fit my purposes for the moment. I think the age might be 16 now.

QUESTION: LAKE, RIVER, OR OCEAN?

Post by Joseph Long.

QUESTION: SONGS, ZERO TO ONE HUNDRED?

I must have done some really good dreaming, because I woke up with a medley of the Beatles' Two of Us and Johnny Cash's Five Feet High and Rising running through my head, which made me think: how many other great songs are out there with numbers in the title?

Is every number from zero to 100 represented? (I have no interest in going to Google for this; I am simply interested in what songs pop into your head immediately that fit this criteria )

Post by Joseph Long.

TWO-PART QUESTION?

Post by Joseph Long.

CALLING ALL MUSIC ROYALTY.

Post by Joseph Long.

QUESTION: 80s power ballad of the day?

Post by Joseph Long.

QUESTION: Favourite rainy afternoon tunes?

Post by Joseph Long.

____

Are you married to someone who brings home hot chocolate & whipped cream, speaks Pirate prolifically, and casually references Iron Maiden in conversation?

I am. Happy weekend, all. Already is for me.

____

IS THIS LOVE?

QUESTION: What is your soundtrack for this lovely Saturday / Shabbat morning?

Post by Joseph Long.

BOY WITH GIRL ON FLINTSTONE BICYCLE.

QUESTION: Do you prefer to say: FOREST or WOODS?

Post by Joseph Long.

FIVE REALIZATIONS: DEUS EX MACHINA EDITION, PLUS A DISCUSSION OF CURSIVE.

Boy eating ice cream before father swoops in to assist.

1a.
This has gone on long enough. Someday, I will remember to bring my own (sharp) knives to Spaghetti Factory.

2.
Which reminds me: I have a suspicion that Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events just might be the best series of books ever written, and believe me, I have read at least a billion books in my life so far. 

I am fighting, strongly, the urge to cheat on my children and read on ahead. Book 8, The Vile Village, is one of the best yet - what other pseudo-children's series can you think of where the protagonists engage in ongoing dialogue about the meaning of deus ex machina?

(Which is: a classic storytelling device in which a seemingly impossible situation is abruptly solved by the sudden appearance of a contrived plot device. Oh, our heroine is about to fall off a cliff. Oh no! But fortunately...that helicopter randomly flying by is able to rescue her. Catastrophe averted. Or: oh no! The hero's sword just broke and the evil ninjas are about to defeat him...but look! Someone left a flamethrower laying around, so looks like he's gonna make it agree all. Deus ex machina: "god in the machine." No matter how horrible the situation, you can always pull the puppet strings and write your way out of it.)

Brilliant, absolutely top-notch storytelling that is frequently so maddeningly hilarious that I start laughing and getting angry I didn't write it first. So, so good. For children, for adults, for everyone who appreciates adventure, witty humor, and sad endings.

2, ii.
Inexplicably, I love - LOVE - "The Ballad of Michael Valentino" by the Killers, off 2011's Sawdust.

3a.
I will love you no matter how old I am, even when I'm a hundred and three.
I told my son.

Well Daddy,
he said.
When you're a hundred and three then you might not look like my Daddy anymore.

Well,
I said.
When I'm a hundred and three, then you might be bald, and that would be funny.

Oh.
He said. 
How does Hulk go to the bathroom? His bottom is too big to fit on the toilet.

Truthfully,
I replied (an unnecessary preface),
That is probably the best question I've been asked all week.
And honestly, I do not know, but I want to know.

Oh.
He said.
Me too.

4. 
We spent too much time discussing the Winter Olympics last month, as evidenced by the UNO game we played this week. First off, I am disgruntled because it was supposed to be a quick match; an obligatory game before launching into the cinematic delight of Scorcese's Hugo. Rather, this match reminded me of why I refuse to play Monopoly: this UNO game lasted hours.* At the end, there was a medal count, which I attempted to disrupt. My wife took the Gold, my son accidentally got Silver, and my daughter and I duked it out for Bronze. I refuse to disclose the final results, but let's just say if there were podiums, I would have been standing on the floor.

Total failure was averted by the killer playlist I soundtracked the match with, which I began before we begun:

Lana Del Rey
Eleanor Friedberger
Ennio Morricone
the Killers
Alt-j

I don't mind losing, I just don't like other people winning.

*seemed like hours

Happy weekend, all 

THE GLEANER (HOMAGE TO Agnès Varda).

CURSIVE.

Post by Joseph Long.

QUICKLY, SERGEI!

Got new headphones. I take first experiences seriously. So. Initial listen commences in one hour. Options:

A. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) / Arcade Fire & The Rat / The Walkmen

C. Metamorphosis Two / Philip Glass & Big My Love / Michael Nyman

D. Unchained Melody / the Righteous Brothers & My Way / Frank Sinatra

E. Rachmaninov's Trio élégiaque No. 1

B. Paths of Victory / Cat Power & In Dreams / Roy Orbison

I know. Little connection amidst them, save that they are five of my very favourite musical pieces ever, and I could feel happy listening to any of them tonight. I test drive in an hour. Thanks for your vote

____

Meilani. 
A.

Mom.
D. Happy listening! Xoxo

Jonny.
A-Team.

Jonny.
Thoughts?

Chad V. 
What headphones did you get? I say D.

Janetta B. 
D

Joseph Long.
Went with The Walkmen's The Rat and then made my way through the others. Thanks for the votes  And Chad, I got Sol Republic Master Tracks. Very pleased.

Chad V. 
Nice, I would like to get a nice set of headphones sometime. If any one is looking for cheap ear buds that work really well look at the mono price 108320s. Surprisingly good sound.

Bypassing Kickstarter

I have been re-reading a bit of Mark Twain lately, and suddenly realised that the only thing preventing me from completing the short story collection I've been working on is a suitable venue to write. 

With that in mind, I would be greatly obliged if someone would mind booking me and my family a small suite for the month of March 2014 on the French Riviera. 

The only other things I would need are plane tickets, a new hat, and small retainer for food and entertainment. My grateful appreciation will be included in the preface. Merci. You can contact me here, or by post.

Haystacks: Crowdsourcing Deconstruction

MULTI-PART QUESTION.

Regarding haystacks (a staple dish of a distinct cultural community :) )
Feel free to respond to any or all of the following.

1. What is the shortest and most succinct definition of what they are?
2. What is the most underrated ingredient?
3. Most overrated ingredient?
4. Optimal order for creating one?

Thanks, and a jolly night to all of you.

****

Patrick P.

1. Taco Salad
2. Lettuce
3. Salsa
4. Chips, rice (if used), corn (if used), beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, olive, cilantro, sour cream, salsa/ketchup

Kimberly N. W.
Ya taco salad is a good description or glorified nachos. 
Order: chips, beans, cheese (so it melts a bit from the heat) lettuce,tomato, onion, olive, then sauces . I personally like a little sour cream and ketchup . A sauce to try on haystacks, and it's good, is a sweet chili sauce . It adds a spicy sweet to it and is delicious

And I think salsa is overrated.

Rob C.

1. Taco Salad

2. Avocado.

3. Onion

4. Tostitos chip, beans/chili, cheese (cheese melts the beans to the chips providing a proper base for your produce), lettuce, olives, tomatoes, avocado, condiments.

Julie A.

Taco salad is usually in a fried flour tortilla and has ground beef. Haystack is vegetarian and is on chips (preferably fritos)

Underrated ingredient is using the proper chips and then maybe olives as they add a nice pizzazz to the top. Overrated ingredient would have to be salsa as it can overpower everything. 

Optimal order:
Frito chips
Well seasoned pinto beans
Cheese (that melts slightly on hot beans)
A few drops of Tabasco sauce (secret ingredient instead of salsa)
Lettuce
Tomato
Avocado
Olives
Sour cream (full fat for flavor and creaminess)

Kathie H.
LOVE the definition of haystacks being "a staple dish of a distinct cultural community" Keeps me from having to Google the definition.

Cameron G.
Yes. Fritos are the major distinction of this delicacy!!

Shocked no one has mentioned veggie burger.

Rosa C.

Love Haystacks brings back memories of Sabbath afternoons with friends and Pathfinder outings... okay this is how my Haystack goes chips (the red white and blue) homemade pinto beans,cheese,lettuce,tomatoes,chives,sour cream and homemade salsa and a bit more cheese.

Jennifer L.

Chips, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, ranch dressing, a small bit of mild salsa, and ketchup. I can also be convinced to eat cottage cheese on the side.

Underrated: sour cream, ranch. Otherwise the haystack is dry.

For me the difference between haystacks and taco salad is taco salad is cold and mixed and has veggie burger, giving that classic taco flavor. Haystacks are warm and cold and have more crunch.

Janetta B.
Haystacks are chips and beans with a salad on !. Best way to be eaten: smashed fritos, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, cheese and sour cream.

Dawn C.

Taco salad is already assembled, but Haystacks are assembled by each person on their own plate, which means each person can include the things they like. I have lived in places where chopped pickles are included in haystacks. Other people use Thousand Island dressing. And then there is Mazidra, made just like haystacks but with brown rice & lentils in place of chips & beans. The best part of Haystacks is the ability to tweak them to your own personal taste!

Jonathan N.

As someone who has much invested in maintaining the popularity of the haystack... I have two points to make:
1. Cheese UNDER the beans, people! Melt that stuff!
2. Another plate of the same size makes a perfect chip-crunching tool. This leaves a nice flat area upon which to add your ingredients in whatever fashion you see fit (but heeding #1 above). This also leaves your hands not smelling like Fritos.

Walter C.
Use good olives! Not the little salt flavored black ones everyone buys...

Joseph L (me).

Cheese UNDER the beans...been waiting for that one. Thoughts?

My sure-to-be-controversial query: is cheese really vital? I love cheese, but the thought has occurred to that I haven't really had it much the last couple years on haystacks...and I've been okay with it. Is it more the IDEA of including cheese, amidst a plethora of other ingredients? 

If cheese is a must: what cheese?

Vicki N.
Have used cashew pimento cheese on the beans. Not the same as cheese but I like it.


Joseph L (me).

...and for those of you who might not be aware, Jonathan (see above comments) is one of the creative forces behind the wildly-popular 1844 line of t-shirts.

Including the iconic "Haystacks"one.

Check 'em out. Very cool.


That is also very good, Vicki.


Cherilyn C.
Feel free to nicely ask my madre-in-law (yes, the Vicki above) for her cashew cheese recipe. Very good. And while you're at it, ask how she does her beans. She makes extremely tasty ones. Probably the best in the world, now that I think about it.

Sometimes we put homemade chili in place of pinto beans. Cheese is not entirely necessary if you have something else that has a healthier fat like avocado or cashew cheese and olives. I am sure your MIL is among the best cooks! Go Aunt Vicki!

Steve C.
Make your own taco salad.

William W.
Kimchi on top adds a unique twist to the same old same old. No ketchup tho!

Manlio C.
I usually go with a bit of salsa for foundation spiciness, black beans (a household staple), white cheddar cheese (for melting), spinach, tomatoes, mexican style sour cream (when available). I keep the avocado and fritos on a side bowl. This keeps the fresh avocado flavor as I eat along, and the fritos are filled one at a time to keep them from getting soggy.

Sara W.
1. Deconstructed taco salad or layered taco salad (to explain to non-Adventists)

David T.
A scrambled tostada.

Sharon R.
I didn't have chips once, and used cornbread under the haystack instead. It was delicious! Add extra bean juice on this type of haystack. I agree with the cheese UNDER the beans. I also agree with a little veggie burger mixed in. I prefer NOT to use salsa as it overwhelms the good flavors...and avocado is under rated. It adds a wonderful flavor. Lots of crisp lettuce, tomoato, and olives. This dish should be served once a week at least!