While We're On This Subject...

My favorite places to eat breakfast are...

1. Aldo's - A Jamestown greasy spoon. It is what it is. Some of the best diner food I've ever had.
2. Stringtown - A Florence, Kentucky greasy spoon. Best biscuits and gravy!
3. Denny's - If you can't eat at a local place, find one of these chains.
4. Tom Sawyer's - A Boca Raton joint that serves breakfast in a pot. Literally. Three biscuits on the bottom, covered with gravy, topped with scrambled eggs with whatever you like and sprinkled with cheese.
5. Bagel City South - Cram a bunch of tables and chairs into a small Jewish deli and this is what you get. If you can't make it to a New York City diner, this is the Boca Raton version.
6. Bob Evans - 2nd best biscuits and gravy ever.
7. Original Pancake House - IHOP? I don't think so.

Honorable Mentions -

1. Cracker Barrel - Pretty good southern food, yes. But I hate, hate, hate, waiting forty five minutes to get a table. The gift shop can only hold my attention for so long.
2. Coffee Cup - This Jamestown restaurant has the best monthly breakfast specials of any breakfast joint I've been to. The waitresses are really nice, but...for a place with this name, they should really try to give you a refill more than they do.

Glorious Food

Ingloriously Ripped From Jenny at Mama Drama

1- Can you cook? If yes, do you like to cook?
I can cook and I love it. I'm getting better at cleaning as I go.

2 - When does your whole family come together to eat?
Usually everyone is at the table 4-5 times a week.

3 - What do you have for breakfast?
Breakfast bar or bowl of cereal most of the week. Sometimes a bagel with salmon, cream cheese and capers from Timothy's. Big breakfast (bacon, eggs, etc.) once a week.

4 - How often do you eat out?
Once a week.

5 - How often do you order-in or take-away?
Once a week (alternates with #4).

6 - Re: 5 & 6 - If money was no question, would you like to do it more often?
Not necessarily. If money wasn't a question, I'd probably cook more.

7- Are there any quarrels because of food?
PGirl Jr. is notoriously picky. I have a thin skin sometimes when cooking breakfast.

8 - Are you vegetarian or can you imagine living vegetarian?
I could be a vegetarian. Just a matter of finding what you like.

9 - What would you like to try out that you haven't dared yet?
Beef Tartar.

10 - Would you rather cook or bake?
Cook. I'll bake once we get a stand mixer.

11 - What do your kids like to eat best? What would your kids never eat?
They like mac and cheese, pizza, some pasta. They don't like certain vegetables.

12 - What do you dislike most?
Processed American cheese slices.

13-what are you hungry for right now? Sushi.

Monday, Monday

While driving today - a lot of miles - I remembered on book trilogy that should have been on the list. The Barrytown Trilogy by Roddy Doyle. These books follow the Rabbit family of Northern Ireland. The first book, "The Commitments", was made into a film in the early '90's. "The Snapper" and "The Van" were also made into films. Though I love "The Commitments", "The Snapper" is my absolute favorite. Trivia: Colm Meaney of "Star Trek Deep Space Nine", played the patriarch in each film, though the names of the family changed after the 1st film.

I drove 3 hours to Rochester this morning for a two hour regional meeting of my peers. I decided to take an alternate route home that would have gotten me back in the same amount of time. When looking at the map, I realized if I drove an hour out of my route, I could surprise my old college professor and mentor, John Kelly. We met in college in Missouri. He's since taught in Louisiana and got his current job in Elmira, New York last year. With the help of PGirl on Mapquest (like Chloe Sullivan from "24") I managed to walk into a production meeting John was having for his spring musical. He smiled and was otherwise unfazed, saying something like, "You made it."

Elmira is a lovely little town. We talked about doing a two man show this summer for charity. Should be fun.

PGirl Jr. has the chicken pox. Check out my wife's blog for details.

I sewed a button on my favorite work pants this weekend. When I showed it off to PGirl and Galoot Jr. (who were sitting down at the time), my crotch was level with the boy's face. I tugged on the button, an action which my son mistook for my making water. Quote Jr., "Don't pee on me! I'm not a toilet."

The local news - a Time Warner cable station - revisited my improv troupe last month for a VIP Chautauqua piece. They aired interviews and performance footage of us for three consecutive segments over the last few weeks. As soon as it is up on Mr. Social's YouTube page, I'll post a link. If you don't want to place my voice with my mug, don't watch it!

Read All About It

Ten Book Series I Have Enjoyed Throughout The Years:

1. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman - A young girl bridges several alternate earths (including ours) and combats a bureaucratic government with the help of a Texas hot air ballon pilot, a talking polar bear, gypsies, witches and a boy from America. Sounds hokey, but it isn't. In Lyra's world, the soul manifests itself as an animal which is always by your side. Unless someone tries to seperate them....
2. Harry Potter - The first book was a joy to read, as a young orphan finally found a home at a school of magic. The fourth book was a classic middle of the journey story (think "Empire Strikes Back"). As the books have become longer, the story has become darker, richer and more involved.
3. The Great Brain - Fun vignettes about a boy in turn of the century Utah who schemes his way through life. Ferris Bueller as a Mormon.
4. Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - If Monty Python had written books about science fiction/fantasy...
5. Ramona/Henry Huggins - Sister Juanita would read these to us in the fourth grade. Beverly Cleary rocked.
6. Macdonald Hall - Two Ferris Bueller-y types play pranks in a Canadian boarding school. Written by a then-juvenile Gordon Korman.
7. The Three Investigators - Three Hardy Boy-esque archetypes (fat kid, jock kid, non-descript kid) solve local mysteries. Bonus points for having a secret, airstream trailer base in a junk yard.
8. Lonesome Dove - The original is a classic, the sequel - a dark, dark wrap-up and the prequels were fair to middling. Catch the miniseries, all of which are pretty decent. The last book released (number 2 in chronological order) is supposed to be televised this year on CBS. With Val Kilmer no less!
9. Xanth - Piers Anthony's characters were based on mythological creatures and magicians who live in a land not unlike Florida. Several generations of characters are covered in these books. A lot of winking references to modern conveyances.
10. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader - Perfect for long or short hauls on the porcelain throne.

Three series I should read:

1. The Lord of The Rings - I still haven't made it through "The Two Towers" yet. I think I was spoiled by the movies.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia - Sounds cool enough.
3. The Dark Tower - I have a copy of the first trade paperback of the first book on my night stand. Trying hard to get through it. I need to just plow through the damn thing until I'm hooked.
   

Boob Tube

Quick and Cheap today....

Thirteen Television Shows You Should Be Watching:

1. The Office - Since beginning as a virtual copy of the British version with the pilot, this one has come into its own. The Jim and Pam story arc is painfully realistic and it looks like they'll wait until the season finale to come to a resolution (if any). Steve Carell's character tries so hard to please everyone and usually fails. Best pushing the envelope lines since "Arrested Development".
   
2. 30 Rock - I didn't start watching this until mid-season, but I love it. If you enjoy Alec Baldwin's commitment to absurd characters on "Saturday Night Live", then you should like this show. Eccentric characters abound. This show is like "My Name Is Earl", but without the heart.
   
3. Mythbusters - Fun for the whole family! If you've ever wanted to see old proverbs, urban legends and myths tested scientifically, this show is for you. Things often explode on this program.
   
4. Friday Night Lights - Imagine the best parts of "My So Called Life" and "Once and Again" mashed up with a season of rural Texas high school football and you get this gem. Like a lot of NBC shows, you can catch up with repeats on Bravo. Hopefully they'll do a marathon soon!
   
5. Battlestar Galactica - The producers took the premise of the original ABC series and infused it with dramatic story arcs. Not just a sci-fi show. There are robots, robots who look like humans, and the humans they may or may not want to kill off. Some former "Deep Space Nine" people work on this show.
   
6. Pardon The Interruption - A daily dose of sporting news, delivered and debated by two balding sports writers from D.C. Fun, informative and bombastic.
   
7. The Daily Show - The first 10 minutes of this show are some of the funniest comedy you'll see in a given week, month or year.
   
8. Conan O'Brien - Still rocking late night after several years on the air. The comedy bits before and after the 1st interview are worth recording the show.
   
9. Saturday Night Live - Some folks still think the first season was the best. I say you can't compare them that way. The topical humor of the mid 70's only flies on cable stations now. Love it or hate it, the show still manages to knock you on your ass, laughing at least once each episode. Best line of the season, "Bobby McFerrin raped my grandmother." And for those MadTV folks out there who like to bash SNL regularly, you are invited to the grown up table to feast on some adult comedy any time.
   
10. The Venture Brothers - A scientist, his idiot-teenaged sleuth sons and their homicidal bodyguard try to get by in life while being targeted by a butterfly themed villain named The Monarch. You really have to see this cartoon to believe it. By far, the best use of Patrick Warburton's voice in an animated series, ever.
    
11. 24 - This season has sucked and blowed like never before, but I'm hanging with it to see how they'll wrap it up. Ricky "The Ricker" Schroeder showed up a few episodes ago as a Jack Bauer type without all the family baggage. Greatest line of the season - when Ricky's character enters a warehouse where Bauer has recently dispatched ten terrorists with bullets and then hanged their leader on a chain in order to secure two nuclear bombs. Ricky's line, "Damn Jack!"
12. Austin City Limits - Unshackle yourself from terrestrial radio, "American Idol", MTV and anything run by Clear Channel to see some truly diverse musical acts in a live setting. Check local listings as it airs on PBS.
    
13. Project Runway - And I though "Top Chef" was great. This competition for clothing designers provided the template for all the other Bravo knockoffs.
    

Seven Songs

I didn't get tagged for this one, but I liked it so much, that I had to share. Basically you pick seven songs that you've been listening to and tag seven friends to share. Here are my picks:

1. “Listening Man” by The Bees (U.K.) - This one has been playing on Sirius a lot lately. I sounds like Bob Marley by a bunch of white dudes. Like UB40 without the crap remake baggage. I don't think the album is out yet. These guys are real throwbacks.
2. “Jacksonville” by Sufjan Stevens - I posted a link to a live video version of this tune a few months ago. The recorded version is good, but the live version is better. The only song about Helen Keller that I know about.
3. “Rise Up With Fists” by Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Lewis reminds me of Neko Case with a better singing voice. A lot of her songs are alt-country, but (as my friend Conroe put it) there's some blue-eyed soul in their as well.
4. “Company In My Back” by Wilco - This one's gotta be a few years old now, but I still love it. I have no idea what it is about, but it is a beautiful track.
5. “He War” by Cat Power - Another song from the recent past. I like the overdubs of Chan Marhsall with her own lead vocal.
6. “A Method” – by TV On The Radio - Last summer I heard this song over and over on WOXY.com. Nice studio song, but I wonder what the live version is like.
7. Unknown - by Half Japanese – Jad and David Fair are a couple of brothers who taught themselves how to play instruments and recorded a lot of music. Think Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes fronting The Minutemen. I don’t know the title of the song, but I heard it in a documentary about the band a couple of weeks ago. I wrote an email to Jad Fair, asking him for the title. We’ll see if he gets back to me!

Tag: Brother Mick, Preppygirl, PSlea, Mr. Social, Julia, TCrowe and Momma Hen

Guilty Pleasure of the Week: The Bridge - A soft rock channel on Sirius. I almost stayed in the car last week to finish hearing "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt.

Keeping It Real

Movie boyfriends? Movie girlfriends? Have all of you blogesses gone insane? If you're going to crush on a media personality, at least choose real people and not characters on the silver screen. I present to you:

Eight Of My Television News Girlfriends

1. Ann Curry - She's exotic and reads the news really well. Plus, she's vulnerable from losing the "Today" anchor job to Meredith. I'm here for you Ann.
2. Robin Meade - Finally, CNN has put her name on the morning show she does. You rock my world Robin.
3. Chris Jansing - She kind of looks like a manga character, but since her hair has grown out, it kind of balance out her features. MSNBC stands for My Super Nubile Broadcasting Crush.
4. Campbell Brown - She must be like, 6 feet 2 inches or something. Sort of tomboyish. Lenny likes!
5. Jodi Applegate - Whatever ever became of...? Jodi was like a shorter, more wholesome version of Campbell. She rocked my weekend "Today" visits.
6. Natalie Morales - Muy caliente!
7. Maryalice Demler - Our Buffalo NBC co-anchor. Former beauty queen, though she doesn't flaunt it. The only brunette with frosted tips that keeps the crunch in my cereal.
8. Hannah Storm - Emigrated from the sporting news world into that crapfest at CBS. Hannah, you can join my morning news team any day!

And Five Who Missed The Cut:

1. Katie Couric - You used to be cute, but the blond dye has affected your look for the worse. You should really consult someone in wardrobe.
2. Jodi Johnston- Another morning person from Buffalo. The clothes she chooses have done her in.
3. Meredith Viera - I lusted after you on "West 57th" years ago. But "The View" showed some sides of you I'm just not crazy for. Sorry.
4. Connie Chung - You chose Maury over me. Whatev.
5. Soledad O'Brien - We could have had something.
   

Who Are You?

Another acquaintance from my college days has been in the blogosphere for several months now. Unlike my other chums from Fayette, Missouri in the nineties, I do not know the identity of this person. She is being coy and dropping hints here and there, but she hasn't cracked yet. Looks like we'll have to use the process of elimination here:

1. She isn't Tony Vrooman, Dino English or Tony Primeau because those guys are dudes.
2. She isn't Flybunny because Flybunny is Flybunny.
3. She isn't Gwen Stefani, because Gwen Stefani sucks.
4. She isn't old girlfriend, Doctor SLK, because I don't think my old flame would want to reveal much in a blog.
5. She isn't Doctor SLK's old roommate Doctor H, because she is even less likely to blog.
6. She isn't the always entertaining MelMcD. because she said so.
7. She isn't TCrowe, because Skippy has TCrowe to himself in a cool house in Rocheport.

I'm not going to give out other names I'm thinking here, because I'm not feeling like it. But this is kind of fun.

P.S. Tracy, she might be one of your music sorority sisters or a theatre sorority sister...