holiday holiday holiday holiday holiday

Today kicks off kt's

SOuThWestErN TOuR

Tour Dates
Friday, September 1st: Bluewater, New Mexico
Monday, September 4th: Mesa, Arizona
Thursday, September 7th: Provo, Utah
Saturday, September 9th: Rexburg, Idaho Cancelled
Sunday, September 10th: NOR*CAL - tour ends!!

My quest for cultural literacy #1

My favorite pasttime is to seek out books, music, and knowledge that give me cultural literacy.
Cultural literacy is what I call building and recognizing reference points in social culture. This means being able to talk about music, literature, history, art, and movies with others as a point of reference (but also as a main topic of conversation).

While my efforts are broad and ongoing, I'm thinking generally today about my quest in regards to music.

Music

This is generally grouped into three separate efforts. I love to meet people with a strong suit in one of these areas, so that I can learn from them. I would consider #2 my strongest area and #1 my weakest.

1. Classical - I have not studied classical music nor music theory. My efforts thus far have been to try to learn and appreciate classical music. Pieces I enjoy so far are Massenet's Méditation from Thaïs, Fauré's Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A, Op. 13: IV Allegro quasi presto, and Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op. 18: II Adagio sostenuto. But I admit I still fall asleep at the symphony.
2. Popular - Popular music as began in the 20th century. Rock and Roll, Punk, and Rhythm and Blues. I grew up with the Beatles, Buddy Holly, James Taylor, Carol King, et al., but my efforts here have been more in regards to Punk (The Pixies, The Clash, et al.) and some of the music I did not grow up with (Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, et al.) I also just like to be familiar with commonly known artists such as U2, Neil Diamond, Queen, and The Cure.
3. Current - I like to know what music is new and to be familiar with the genre, etc. even if I do not like it. I won't list any examples here because music can quickly transfer out of this section to #2 ... I can't claim to be a leader in this movement or even to be a hipster, but I like to have them as my friends :)

Currently Listening to

Classical --> Romantic Period (Rachmaninov, Liszt, Chopin)

Popular --> The Pixies, Johnny Cash, The Ramones

Current --> Wolfmother, Snow Patrol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Note: A huge part of this effort is even just learning about what's OUT there. Another reason why I love to meet people with a strong knowledge base. They can direct me to areas I am weak in so at the very least I know what seek out.

blogs blogs blogs blogs blogs

These are the blogs I have bookmarked and read as often as they are updated...
By people I know:

NieNie Dialogues
My cousin's wife blogs with incredible style. It helps me keep on her delectable children.

FOMO: Fear of Missing Out
One of my good friends who recently moved to LA. Reading her blog is liking having a great discussion with a girlfriend.

The Milestones
My cousin (recently engaged!) who is a chef and a romantic.

Whit's Wit
My Boston BFF.

By people I DO NOT know:

Oh Happy Day
Seriously the greatest discovery for me. I found Jordan's blog off of the New Awesome and she posts daily on pretty things she finds. I love to explore the archives for ideas. She lives in San Francisco, so it sometimes includes local things.

The New Awesome
Friends of friends. Mostly silly, but entirely awesome.

Design Mom
Found this one through Oh Happy Day - has a very similar style.

Urbanista
NYC guide to living by urban fashionistas. I found this one in a random news article and rumor has it it was founded by John Kerry's daughter and her friend who works for Vanity Fair. It's pretty thorough.

People I wish would write MORE OFTEN:

Blogs written by anyone in my immediate family. You know who you are.

The Life Aquatic

My immediate family and I recently bought almost the entire inventory from Cleanflicks' liquidation sale and so my brother Gordon and I watched The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou on Saturday.

I love Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic retains the same terse colors and dry dialogue. It is raw and roughly poignant, and it had some interesting cultural tributes that I particularly appreciated.

My brother pointed out the Moby Dick / Captain Ahab references, but the one that kept coming to mind was the truly great Jacques Cousteau.

I have vivid memories of the oceanography unit we did in my ELP class in elementary school. (I wrote a report on starfish. One of our projects entailed landscaping an ocean in a shoe box and then mapping its depths. We rode a bus to San Diego to go to Sea World.)

While the movie doesn't directly remind me of these events, it's still a compelling sketch - told with all of the odd quirks of personality that make the viewer connect to the characters.

You can listen to a clip of my favorite song from the movie here and you can check out the full recording sessions of the David Bowie tributes here.

books books books books books

When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.
Desiderius Erasmus

Current Reads:

Life of Pi
Confederacy of Dunces
Preach My Gospel
The Mayor of Casterbridge

When I read a book I to read it with my eyes only, but now and then I come across a passage, perhaps only a phrase, which has a meaning for me, and it becomes part of me.
W. Somerset Maugham

The Melville House

Here in California, There are many things I love about my house.

First of all, it's a hundred years old and it's full of crown moulding, hardwood floors, white walls, and sunlight. It's shaded and surrounded by trees and all other sorts of greenery. There are lovely doors, diamond-paned windows, and little details I find charming.

In the Living Room, we have a living work of art. We could (and often do) sit here all day simply looking outside.

Even before you step into the Dining Room, you can see our china cupboard:

Throughout the room there is simple wainscoting and beautiful garden wallpaper.

We have a moderately sized solid wood round table right by the window. My next project is recovering them in a delightful stripe. The table and chairs are a highly prized find from craigslist. Black finish with wide North Carolina chairs. I love sitting there in the morning.

The Mud Room exits out the back but also gives access to the laundry and powder rooms as well as a half sink.

The kitchen is perhaps my favorite room in that we have bright red dishtowels, light blue tiled counters, colorful bowls, and spices shelved throughout. I have some great tin canisters in bright colors (orange/yellow and green/blue) as well as my beloved toaster and food scale.

Also making the kitchen a colorful and cheerful place is my magnet collection.

But perhap my most favorite thing about the kitchen are the lizards that greet me as I come through the doorway.

Quiet Night Thoughts

Before my bed
There is bright-lit moonlight
So that it seems
Like frost upon the ground;

Lifting my head
I gaze at the bright moon
Lowering my head
I dream of home

-Li Bai

Tonight is the last night I will have my corporate apartment in Chicago. Above is the view of the sunset from my floor-to-ceiling windows on the 42nd floor.

It is lovely, but all I can think about is ...

...California!

Chicago is a Horn of Plenty of GOOD FOOD

Let me tell you. This last weekend was all about the eats. And so is this post.

For those of you who don't know, a Horn of Plenty is more properly known as a Cornucopia. And what I'm here to tell you is that, as far as plenty of food goes, Chicago definitely brings it to the table.

THURSDAY

The Wheels rolled in around 5:30pm and we all got settled in my apartment for a few hours before heading to Rush Street - a few blocks north of my apartment and full of chic stores & restaurants - for dinner.

We ended up at The Tavern on Rush. We were immediately seated and immediately, Whitney and I noticed the Crab and Artichoke dip on the appetizer menu. That's an immediate immediate. I simply pointed at the menu and we both got a little giddy.

The Appetizers

It did take some hemming and hawing, as we were all a little shy - but we were excited to discover that we all wanted appetizers. And more than one dish of them. We got soy-ginger potstickers and the highly desirable crab and artichoke dip. When our waiters announced the specials, we recklessly ordered a third: oysters.

In summary:
- POT STICKERS A Half Dozen Crispy Pork Filled Dumplings with Soy-Ginger and Hot Chili Oil Dipping Sauces
- HOT ARTICHOKE AND CRAB DIP Hot, Creamy Crab, Artichoke and Dill, Served with Rustic Toast
- OYSTERS

Now, it should here be stated that while the rest of the meal was also good, the appetizers were exceptional. Okay, now that I've set your expectations, we'll move on....

The Entrees

Whitney
SHELLFISH LOUIE SALAD
Lobster, Crab and Shrimp Louie, Chopped Egg, Tomato, Avocado and Classic Louie Dressing

Karren (<--- not pictured)
SEAFOOD JAMBALAYA
Zesty Creole Tomato Rice, with Shrimp, Mussels, Scallops and Andouille Sausage

Cam
BABY BACK RIBS
Char-Grilled Tender Full Slab in Our Own Tavern Barbecue Sauce

Whitney's was compact, beautiful, and tasty. Mine was spicy and had absolutely delicious scallops. Cam's inspired us all with significant awe. I stole these pictures from Whitney's blog (thanks, Whit!) Cam's ribs were reminiscent of the opening sequence for The Flintstones, and Fred has his meat delivered to him at the Drive In. Literally like this. But with a more elegant presentation.

And then ...

The Dessert

Never fear; regardless of our ability (or inability) to finish our entrees, we made it a priority to order dessert. In this instance, we agreed to share a single order. It was a difficult decision, but we finally settled on the Mocha Mud Pie (Mocha Ice Cream with Oreos and Pecans,Topped with Chocolate and Caramel Sauces on an Oreo Cookie Crust). I should probably add here that the piece of pie was about the size of my head. No joke. It was substantially larger than a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Fab.

FRIDAY

Yes, that is a giant Hershey's Peanut Butter Cup.

Yes, I hugged him upon sight.

We (Bruce and I) were at the Hershey's Flagship Store in Chicago where you can buy coconut hershey's kisses, reese's pieces chocolate cookies, and chocolate dipped almond joys. We bought none of these things, because we were saving ourselves for the Chocolate Buffet at the Peninsula Hotel on Saturday night. (This was merely Friday afternoon).

They call it CHOCOLATE AT THE PEN

Which brings me to...

SATURDAY

So, Saturday was key because we started out the day with Lou Mitchell's. Lou Mitchell's is just the best place for breakfast in Chicago. If you end up in Chicago, be sure to hit up 565 West Jackson (the line goes fast) to get your french toast, malted waffle, or the apple & cheddar omelette.

Regardless of what you order, they will give the ladies some milk duds, they'll give everyone an orange & a prune, and after your breakfast, you get a little dessert :)

This was the first meal we were all united, and as usual, our meals were eaten United Order style:

Bruce --> Apple & Cheddar Omelette
Whitney --> Malted Waffle with blueberries & whipped cream
Cam --> Denver Omelette
Karren --> French Toast

I'm sorry to say I don't have pictures for you - you'll just have to go experience it for yourself :D

Now, to get back to the Chocolate...

We all went back to the apartment and got all dolled up for the Chocolate Buffet.

We then all walked over to "Chocolate at the Pen" (Pen is short for the Peninsula Hotel). In case you're not familiar with it, it's a pretty posh place. The Chocolate Buffet is in their Lobby. They dim the lights, they bring out live jazz, and basically, it's an evening of indulgence. Superb.

My friend Brian joined us, even though he had just gotten back from London (by way of Indiana). He couldn't resist the lure of chocolate.

So, we all loaded up our plates with small chocolates, mousses, cookies, cakes, chocolate dipped strawberries - you name it. You can order Godiva chocolate martinis, but we opted for the White Hot Chocolate instead. Lucky for you, we documented our exquisite satisfaction so that you will realize how key this experience is for any Chicago visit:

Here is Bruce indulging in a chocolate-dipped Strawberry.

Here is Karren anticipating another fantastic sip of WHITE HOT CHOCOLATE.

And here is Brian stuffing his face with a petite chocolate mousse & pastry cake.

Here we see Cam intently drinking his chocolate mousse. (He ultimately ate it with a spoon)

And, of course, Whitney - who enjoyed her strawberry to such a degree that it was impossible to capture it

Where's my Babel Fish?

Huzzah for cultural literacy!

I just finished reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and now feel incredibly enlightened as to the origins of the babel fish. Although learning about them does give more context to this site that I have been using for the last 8 years, I've decided that it's more entertaining when aliens don't have them ... as in this classic:

"We are shaped and fashioned..."

"... by what we love." - Goethe

What do we spend our time thinking about, dreaming about, and planning? The things that we love do indeed shape us. They drive our thoughts and our actions. They are our highest priorities. We sacrifice for them.

There are many beautiful things to love. The world around us, the work that we do, culture and art, nature, friends and family. It is important to recognize that the things that occupy our energies and our happiness - even the smallest pleasures - influence us and change us. Do we consider this when we make choices about our friendships, our daily tasks, as well as the media that we consume? Do we strive to learn to love good and edifying things?

We do not only give our heart to the things that we love - we give our entire lives and our eternal progression. Consider now what you are literally devoted to. These are our idols and our gods. If we love the Lord, we will be fashioned like Him. It may not come easily to love things that are good, but the greatest gift we have is our moral choice - we can change our tastes and preferences. We can change our hearts. We can change what we love if we ask the Lord to help us. He will "give [us] another heart" (1 Samuel 10:9).

"If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." - 13th Article of Faith