Tis the Season

The temperature is dropping but the spirits are rising! Get in the mood and start listening to Christmas songs (don't say you hate them either). Every Christmas I load some seasonal tunes on to my iPod and play them until I inadvertently start speaking in melody with a crooner voice. Give Fiest and Fleet Foxes a rest already and put on some festive tracks for chrissakes... literally.

This is Coldplay with a warm rendition of a holiday classic that always makes me think of friends I won't be seeing around the holidays. I've been lucky enough to meet and have some great times with kind friends from various places. With so much going on it's unlikely that I'll get a chance to spend time with you all this holiday season. So here's one for all of you who won't be in or around LA or NYC this holiday season.

The Return of the TOP 10 LIST!

I'm back. After taking a 4 month hiatus to hit the books for the LSAT and settle into my new digs in the nation's capital I have officially got my groove back. The new posts I've got coming up are sure to be plump and delicious (like Angela Basset's lips).

In the past few months I've been making weekly trips to the supermarket. While trying to cook at home more I've come to the realization that you need some pretty *obscure ingredients to put together good food at home. I'll usually find myself one teaspoon short of cumin, or a sprig of rosemary short once dinner time rolls around. Ever since I had to leave the kitchen and run down the street for some dried onion flakes while my ground beef was browning, I have made it a habit of collecting different spices whenever I make trips to the market, even if I don't need them for anything in particular in the foreseeable future.

Here is my list of top ten condiments/spices/sauces to have in your pantry. I've selected them for there versatility and overall flavor they add to a meal.

In no particular order:

1. Kikoman Soy Sauce - Forget the "Reduced Sodium/Light" kind. Go with the original recipe. They didn't achieve "300 Years of Excellence" by going easy on the salt.

2. Frank's Red Hot Sauce - It's like the White Out of cooking. When all else fails.. cover it in Frank's Red Hot Sauce

3. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes - They aren't just good for pizzas. Try them in pastas or on broccoli

4. Dried Rosemary - It doesn't go bad in a week like fresh rosemary and seems twice as potent

5. Balsamic Vinegar - If you can afford to dish out the cash for the real stuff (thicker like a syrup and aged 25 years) then the possibilities are endless. I'm not talking about the stuff they give you at Soup Plantation either.

6. Oregano - I couldn't really tell you what this does to food in general. I've used it two or three times to make some lemon chicken. I think it's the stuff they sprinkle over home fries. (?)

7. Ground Mustard - One of the secrets to my sloppy joes

8. Lea Perrins' Worchestershire Sauce - a few dashes for your burger patties or whenever you use ground beef

9. Liquid Smoke - This is like magic. It makes everything taste like it's been licked by flames on the grill. I wonder what would happen if you put it in a dessert?

10. Tarragon - Still haven't used it. I bought it because it sounds like a planet from Star Wars.

*Note: I am a novice in the kitchen when it comes to preparing anything that requires more technical knowledge than grilled cheese or sunny-side up eggs. I acknowledge that ingredients that I consider "obscure" might be commonplace in your kitchen.... So cut me some slack.

Office Jams - vol. 1

Office Jams

Enjoy this, the first installment of Office Jams I will feature starting today. Bump these embarrassingly addicting tracks in the office-- where you are protected from ridicule by over-courteous coworkers.

Beat LA?

I consider myself a sports fan. I casually watch sports without religiously following any one team or sport except for the Lakers. But admittedly, on average I only watch about 70% of regular season Laker games, allowing myself to miss weekend night games and some of the unexciting match-ups (e.g., Pacers, Grizzlies, Bobcats). Sure, come late-May every Laker fan is "die hard", but that's expected. But I digress...

I believe it was during the 2008 NBA Finals when I first heard the chant. Or it might have started earlier. A part of me wants to say it started during the Finals Series against the Pistons a few years back, but I may be mistaken for the equally irritating "DE-TROIT BASKETBALLL!"chant. Most recently this infamous chant has been adopted by Phillies fans against the Dodgers in the NLCS. Regardless of its origin, it always seems to get under my skin. In unison, a steady roar fills the arena and shakes the very foundation of the playing field or the basketball court. "Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!"

Every time I think of fans cheering this I envision a shabbily dressed "bro", with his backwards cap, gripping his Bud Light and pumping his fist into the air. He's fueled by the sexual frustration that he has built up all year long dividing his time between Sports Center and Facebook stalking his no-longer-attainable random hook-ups from high school. He grew up in a sleepy northeast or midwest town half an hour outside of Philly, Boston, Chicago or Detroit and used to dream about moving to sunny LA. He won't admit it, but he shed a tear on the last episode of the OC. and never misses an episode of Entourage. He secretly still hopes that one day he'll actually be able to make the big move West he has always dreamed about. But for now, he'll have to make due as he climbs the corporate ladder at Bank of America (which oddly enough he treats like the Boiler Room and where he works as a teller Monday through Friday, sporting a gelled up fauxhawk and obnoxiously bright shirt and tie combinations).

It's in the mid 80s in LA in mid October and he's in a winter coat, walking to the bar to watch his team play the Dodgers or the Lakers. Now his buzz from Happy Hour is wearing off and the only emotion that pierces through the insecurity that plauges his everyday life is pure rage. It's so unfair. His team is losing, despite being heavily favored in this match-up, it's so sunny in LA it could be noon in July and the dude who his girlfriend left him for last month bares a striking resemblance to Luke Walton. It's hard to believe the game is being aired live when he peers out the window to see street lights glistening off the wet asphalt.

At this point he doesn't even care who wins. The only thing he wants to see is LA lose. "Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!"

As much as it irks me to hear fans screaming this with conviction, a part of me loves it.

Rule #45

No matter how you try to deny you believe it. . . YOU ARE NOT A CYCLIST FROM THE 80s!

Life is Better

Kids Love Marshmallows

Ukraine's Got Talent....

Kseniya Simonova has taken the internet by storm with her moving performance on Ukraine's Got Talent. In this video her art speaks for itself as she gracefully strokes and guides sand to project powerful images set in Kiev during World War II.

My rambling voice messages usually include incoherent mumbling and end with passive aggressive cursing. I really need to work on that.

Meanwhile, here's a refreshing reminder that with honesty (and without the Maker's Mark) a sincere voice message doesn't necessarily make you a creep.

Take a listen to ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt tell the truth.

Rule #44

When you have to ask "Listen to this and tell me if you think it's creepy", 90% it usually is. Trust me.

Blue Print 3

Just when you thought he was fading to black the unoffical "Mayor of New York" has done it again. The album lives up to its name-- worthy of bearing the name of its two predecessors, proving once more that Brookln's Bad Boy is the only hip hop artist out there talented enough to outdo himself.

Take a listen.

Phoenix - On Fire

Ahhh yea-- Here's another hit from Phoenix off their debut album "United" (2000). If you're going to be in LA you still might be able to catch some tickets to their show at the Greek Theatre in September. It's sure to be a great way to cap off a great summer.

Recession-Proof Shades

Stop crying about the fourth pair of tortoise shell wayfarers you lost and check these cheap alternatives out. These classic 80s shades were made popular by machine-gun-toting thugs on Magnum PI and/or that creepy neighbor you had with the NRA bumper sticker and inconspicuous mustache.

Face it. You don't need polarized sunglasses (unless you moonlight as a pro bass fisherman) and besides... It's about time we all start buying sunglasses we can afford to lose. At $20 a pair, these are hard to beat. Check em' out!

BLUEBLOCKERS

Office Video Viral of the Week

Within the first two minutes of this video, your initial thoughts might be "Why?... Why would they ever choose to do this at their wedding? Chris Brown... Really?" But in deciding whether you like it or not, you hopefully (like me), are able to discern something much more admirable in this than what initially may strike you as cheesy or unoriginal. Yes, there is in fact something strangely romantic about this video. Not because it's cheesy or in some ways a rip-off of something we've seen before in "Love Actually", but because you realize what good friends it must take to agree to fully commit to this. While the choreography progressively gets worse you begin to notice that what these people lack in rhythm and grace is compensated by the genuine kindness in their effort.

After all is said and done, only true love can change your mind about Chris Brown.

Back in Business: Staying Hungry in the District

For the past four years I've been blogging from LA and then from New York City. Since my recent move to the nation's capitol, I've continued to pursue my passion for food, drink and most importantly the overall dining experience. This insatiable hunger and curiosity has already lead me to some of DC's unique culinary trademarks (i.e. jumbo slices).

Although the lulls of a post-graduate/9-to-5 lifestyle will surely take away from the adventures I once could afford, I am certain that this city, so steeped in history and culture will keep me hungry for more.

As I gradually discover the delectable gems that DC has to offer I fully intend on keeping the Big Apple in my rearview, following along with the raucous and dynamic restaurant scene to which I owe my sincere appreciation for food.

DC posts soon to follow.

Lucy Pearl Video

Here is a rare video off one of the best R&B collaborations of all time. Enjoy this track.

Mercadito

I make it a habit to read the daily specials written on the chalkboards in front of restaurants. On several occasions I've come across some of the best deals in the city (i.e. unlimited Coors Light and Bon Chon chicken wings during Happy Hour). However, this last week on Ave B I stumbled upon what might have been the five most glorious words to grace the front of any restaurant...

"ALL YOU CAN EAT TACOS"

For $21 you can get any of the 8 different tacos at Mercadito Cantina. Located on Ave B between 11th and 12th St the cantina has a modern and minimalist interior mostly consisting of varnished wood paneling. Tacos here are of a different world. As a native Angelino, I hold my tacos to the standard of those street tacos on which I grew up, but these are simply put, something else. Other than the standard double corn tortilla foundation the filling of Mercadito tacos are of the highest quality and sauces/salsa.

For your convenience, and since no reasonable person would pass up this opportunity. I've ranked my favorite tacos

1. Pescado - topped with pickled onions and fried to perfection

2. Carnitas - Smokey chipotle sauce

3. Shrimp - battered and served with a cool jalepeno slaw

Mac Essentials

If you're like me, then you hate not being able to get music from your iPod back onto your computer (a.k.a. not being able to rip Steely Dan's Greatest Hits off your friends 80 GB iPod Classic).

Here's your answer. Senuti 1.1 if you're internet savvy then you won't have a problem finding a free download somewhere online. Otherwise the program will run you about 18 bucks. But with that cash you could have bought the Steely Dan CD 9 times.

Summer Jams: 2000

When you think of Ginuwine you immediately think of songs like "Pony", "So Anxious" or possibly "In Those Jeans". Only a real fan could recall this catchy track straight off the Romeo Must Die OST! Here's one that's sure to bring you back to the Y2K.

Enjoy