Friday, December 21, 2007

Mmmmm... Steak...


I've been remiss in posting lately mainly because I've been having entirely too much fun. While stories will wait for photos, I will say that it's been great to cook for my friends again. Tuesday night Chad, Court & I ("The Third Wemyss") had a fabulous meal of stuffed & bacon-wrapped anaheim peppers, garlic & cheese baked mashed potatoes, steaks with blue cheese butter (recipe below, make it NOW!), a nice Burgandy wine (mmmm... Pinot Noir) and Key Lime Pie for dessert. Normally I wouldn't recommend a meal this fabulous on a school night, but one has to make exceptions for the holidays!

Blue Cheese Butter (from "Grilling" by Eric Treuille, blatantly reprinted without permission:
1/2 lb butter (1 cup), softened
1/2 cup blue cheese (get the good stuff!)
2 tsp pepper

mix all this in a bowl or a blender (lazy bastards!), then plop it on a sheet of aluminum foil. Roll it up & toss in the freezer for 30 min or so to harden. The keep in freezer or move it to the fridge. Cut off slices as necessary. Will keep until it goes bad!
Not a Half-Bad Evening



Start with some good friends, add a generous helping of great food, a dash of good wine and it makes for a great meal. While Clay Pit has changed ownership, the food is still great. Having said that, one would think that 630pm on a Wednesday wouldn't be too late for a "signature" dish. Even without curried mussels, the korma, mirgh masala, tikka masala, tamarind shrimp and vindaloo still made for a great meal.



Next go for a hilarious one-man show of David Sedaris's tale of being an elf in Macy's Santaland, and the only problem is that laughing for an hour+ on a full stomach isn't the most comfortable experience. Finish the night with some good conversation over a beer and life is great!

Monday, December 10, 2007

You Make The Call



We were split down geographic lines on this one. The 3 continental voters said the drawing wasn't racist. The other two of us thought it wasn't exactly filled with Christmas spirit. Then again, maybe one of the Magi was named "Sambo".

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Not That There's Anything Wrong With That...


In my continued, though unintentional, quest to display most of the attributes stereotypically accorded to homosexual men (don't hold your breath on me being neat or having sex with men), I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" last night. It was very funny, filled with lots of very attractive women (which soothed my homoegophobia), and Meryl Streep did a great job.

This brings me to an interesting issue. Several years back, Tommy Lee Jones won an Oscar for "The Fugitive" and I think 95% of that win was the screenwriting. This happens a lot, ESPECIALLY with supporting actors. They have a few great lines (delivered well), and the accolades follow. On the bright side, I think it's great that a comedic role (though one played as straight as humanly possible) got a nomination. Too often comedies get screwed over. Borat? NO. Eddie Murphy? No. It's a damn shame.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Clean As A Whistle


When I first arrived in Germany, this was on the inside of every Citibank toilet stall (at least the men's):




Which is fine. It's a fun rhyme, not too preachy, but then a few months back, THIS was put up:



Ok, no german version? So you somehow know those are all expatriate shit stains that have caused you so much emotional pain that you felt the need to get stickers printed with your strident message? This is the kind of pent-up frustration you get here when there's been no invasion of Poland OR France in 60+ years. I'm telling you, it's a powder keg waiting to blow...
If Not Now, Then When?


I have an EXTREMELY secure job and possibilities elsewhere. The company Christmas party was tonight and 99% of attendees will be wearing black, straight from work in professional attire. What does this combination of events require?


A costume, complete with bell-laden bracelets and anklets


Funky, elf-ish shoes from Morocco


A man for whom dignity is not an issue and whose boss is extremely cool with his insane American employee.

I was asked "did you quit your job?" by at least 10 different people tonight. What a great feeling! There's really nothing to compare with the feeling you get when people think you're so crazy you must've pulled a Costanza. Unbelievable.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

More Photos


Over at jtingermany.shutterfly.com, I've added photos of the 'dorf, trips to Amsterdam and Brussels with Julie, and photos from Budapest with the fam (pretty much all of them from 2006). Enjoy!