Thursday, October 31, 2013

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Halloween '13


 Did an extra crappy job taking pictures tonight, I am going to go with something wrong with my phone....
 Pumpkins, Pals, Pizza and more.... a large time was had by all




 getting ready for tomorrow night!


My People - with a dash of off year Nate Silver !

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Daily Koda

TRIPLICATE




FREEZE !


No longer playing around, got killing cold last night.


Art + Beat ( Halloween Edition )


Last minute ( ??!?? ) Halloween Ideas from PBS

BANKSY
yes - I am obsessed

Lichenstein
SUCH a cute idea !!

Rene Magritte
Pretty darn easy....

T.P.I.D.;I.I.E.P.



This old ghost:


All sorts of internet : this week as - right here in ROCHESTER - the stars and bars raised their ugly had once again.
From our local Democrat and Chronicle : A University of Rochester student says college officials violated his right to free expression by forcing him to take down a Confederate flag that he had put in the window of his room on campus. Matthew Papay also said that the email that two UR deans — Richard Feldman and Matthew Burns — sent to students last Friday misconstrued what happened."The deans lied in the email about why I took it down — saying I did so by choice after discussion with fellow students — when in reality the school told me to take it down," said Papay.
and then that age old canard:


"I am from North Carolina and the school is blatantly ignoring my rights to express the cultural identity I choose to identify with, even though the school prides itself on how 'culturally diverse' it is.
Story got picked up by all kinds of various folks:
and naturally FOX NEWS , where Mr. Papay got loads of support from the almost 1300 commenters! 

Are we really here in 2013 - still dealing with this bullshit of my childhood and in way way upstate New York ? 
After chatting with a pal of mine that works at the University of Rochester, I dug a little deeper into this guy. Exactly what you would expect, all Fratty, Glenn Becky, Ronald Reaganie - GO AMERICA. I almost think he really , at what ever age he is - had NO IDEA of the history of this flag that he wraps his southern pride in - just blows me away.

and in a related story :


 TEXAS SENATOR TED CRUZ SAYS :
STAND YOUR GROUND GOOD FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS

R.E.M. - The Great Beyond (Video)

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Hazy Shade of ( early ) Winter


That Indian Summer came to an end fast, as the leaves all blew away and a raw cold Sunday came down on us. A sign of things to come....

RIP LOU REED

From the NYT : Lou Reed, the singer, songwriter and guitarist whose work with the Velvet Underground in the 1960s had a major influence on generations of rock musicians, and who remained a powerful if polarizing force for the rest of his life, died on Sunday at his home in Amagansett, N.Y., on Long Island. He was 71.  ( the rest )


WILD SIDE




For those that did not know, he was married to LAURIE ANDERSON


Halloween Bloody Poison Punch⎢Bette Midler⎢Martha Stewart

Thursday, October 24, 2013

dinner


First really chilly day of the season
Sausage and Kale Soup 
w/ red potatoes


I sort of felt the first twinges of a possible cold today - could have just been allergies, so hot soup was called for. I've sort of posted this before, there is not even a real recipe.

  • 3 medium onions
  • 3-4 stalks of celery - use the leafy part too, loads of flavor
  • 1 BIG carrot, or a few small.
Mostly onion, then celery, then carrot - all chopped close to the same size. All in your large heavy bottomed pot with a little oil. Let it go, nice and slow,really - there are not many ingredients in this soup, so you need to build the flavor that comes with letting your vegetables cook a good long time. A few minutes in add a big teaspoon full of 
  • Whole Grain Mustard
Cook everything down, then add
  • 5-6 Italian Sausage Links  - out of the casings. I use hot - either is fine
Squish them out of the little tubes into the veggies, break apart with a spoon and again, just let it go - before its all the way cooked / browned add
  • A lot of chopped garlic - how much, I used 4 BIG  cloves - as much as you think you like, but more than you would use in almost anything else, but I really like garlic.
Finish cooking all this - season, I only used 
  • salt and pepper
While all that is going on de-rib, wash and chop 
  • 2 bunches of Kale. I used the plain old curly kind today, but what ever you can find. 
Add to the meat and veggies 
  • 2 boxes plus one large can of chicken stock. Tonight I used two boxes of organic, free range blah blah, cause it was on sale. It did have a really good flavor. Then the large can just to round it all out....You could use veggie stock - mixture. With the flavor from the rendered sausage, I bet you could get away with water in a pinch.
  • ADD THE CLEANED CHOPPED KALE
It will look like way to much, like you have made a pot of greens, and as a matter of fact I did hold a little bit back, maybe a 1/4 head - but it could have taken it all. Like all greens they really reduce.
After things have cooked for a few min, add your washed and chopped
  • 4-5 medium red potatoes - you just don't want to cook these to much.
Cook just until the potatoes are done - and they are large diced , so really does not take all that long. Much better if they do not cook to mush.

Wegmans, this afternoon

Tis the Season

World Series Fever: BSO VS. SLSO!

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

dinner

Mid Week Splurge w/ time travel


Since 1808 - YES 1808! Folks have been eating here  - different names but it has been the Holloway House since the 1950's It is in the next little town down, Bloomfield NY. Neil thinks he last ate here in 1965

We had a group-on, but with every time I have ever tried to use one of those, it did not apply. Wednesday Night is Classic Turkey Dinner night! 


 It is an old 1800's house, different rooms with different looks. I loved it - very old fashion.
A Happy Bill

A Happy Neil

 
 And seriously it was the gayest place in the Finger Lakes tonight! We had never been there before, and yet, ran into pals!  It was John of John and John's Birthday , and he was there with a group of guys, most of whom we knew!
 Turkey Dinner

 Was supposed to feed 4-6

  • Bill : Espresso Cake
  • Kyle : Apple Crumb Pie
  • Neil : Creme Brulee




Frost Warning



We man be a little bit outside of the freeze area, but Neil didn't want to take any chances- there are still so many out in the yard....

Daily Koda n Friends



Playdate!
For the first time: 
ALL FOUR IN ONE PIC 
( Toebie in the bush )

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Tech High Smithies vs. the Boys' High Purple Hurricanes


I went down a total internet rabbit hole today reading about the history of the City of Atlanta High Schools. Yeah, a tad niche - but I just found it fascinating!
This was my favorite story.

From a July 2006 story from Georgia Trend.

Boys High and Tech High were both Atlanta high schools and both inside the same building, that is now Grady High.

THE ULTIMATE RIVALRY
Boys High and Tech High delighted football fans around the state


Ever heard of a high school football game drawing 20,000 fans or out-drawing University of Georgia games? That's what happened in the 1940s when, next to the Georgia Tech-Georgia game, the old Tech High/Boys' High game was the biggest sports attraction - not only in Atlanta but in the entire state of Georgia.Even

 Georgia's 1942 Rose Bowl team out-drew the Tech High Smithies vs. the Boys' High Purple Hurricanes only when it played the Yellow Jackets in Sanford Stadium and 
Alabama's Crimson Tide in Grant Field.

The Smithies and the Purple Hurricanes usually met the last game of the season and to the victor usually went the Georgia Interscholastic Athletic Association state championship. Most of the games were played on Friday nights at Ponce de Leon Park, home of the Atlanta Crackers baseball team. Fans sat anywhere they could find space - in the grandstand, bleachers, the centerfield bank and on top of the freight trains parked on the railroad tracks behind the right centerfield fence. You think a Masters ticket was tough? It was a breeze compared to a THS-BHS football ticket.

dinner



Italian Style Slow Roasted Pork /
oranges and onions
Swiss Chard
Curried Cauliflower

Daily Koda



tree



Sunday, October 20, 2013

BEATING ON

One hour and the national map of Marriage Equality will look like this:


Welcome Garden Staters !

Inching closer, closer to game over. I don't really know what the striped ones mean, but I am guessing its better than the dark rust color. Pennsylvania an Illinois are in play right now - those two , you would think , would just tip it all right over - see ya, Nom....

But for tonight as those lovely folks in love gather there , off exit 3 - we will just celebrate NEW JERSEY!

The Last First BCS

- ever.




Yeah, I know, I've copped out on you.
Listen, about once a decade, Vandy beats us - We don't always look that bad when it happens,but it is just the way of the world. Now the deeper UGA problems are out there dripping from every poison key board in ever chat room in the Bulldawg Nation , but I have just wrapped my brain around not going there. Is it more fun to win and be a contender? Ask anything you see wearing Clemson orange tomorrow - but we have not been there for a long ,long time , and I guess the powers that be in Athens are fine with that. The money rolls in, TV loves the Dawgs - and for at least half the season every year we are happy. 

But on to bigger and brighter things!

  1. ALABAMA
  2. Florida State
  3. Oregon
  4. Ohio State
  5. MISSOURI
  6. Stanford
  7. Miami
  8. Baylor
  9. Clemson
  10. Texas Tech
  11. AUBURN
  12. UCLA
  13. LSU
  14. Virginia Tech
  15. Oklahoma
  16. TEXAS A&M
  17. Fresno State
  18. Northern Illinois
  19. Oklahoma State
  20. Louisville
  21. SOUTH CAROLINA
  22. Michigan
  23. UCF
  24. Nebraska
  25. Oregon State.
Read it and weep - and just think about two UNRANKED teams meeting down on the mighty St Johns in two weeks. Sad. Or that the Texas A&M / MIssouri game, Thanksgiving weekend ( I think ) will have real bearing on the SEC. I hate change.

Karen gets a new patio.

Reason enough for a few drinks!

daily Koda

That patch of bright green is our back yard!

Everything is food, food, food .

 Spent the weekend cooking for the masses.

 Saturday

40 or so for a lunch - They inhaled all of this

 Sunday
A little St John's Brunch
 Cut in full half by some exploding pyrex!
Pulled this hot from the oven, put it on a board I had been
cutting fruit on and BAM! We are down to a single strata.
Most strange part of this was the # of people who told me we could still eat it!




 again , everyone seemed to enjoy it. Sometimes I wonder if these local folks ever  make just plain old real food...