Random sack 'o' things

1. Following Keith Martin:

Name	Artist	Album
Conveyor - Corporal Blossom	Subharmonic Compilations	Valis I - Destruction of Syntax
Fuck A War	The Geto Boys	We Can't Be Stopped
Hard To Impress (Live)	Catch 22	Washed Up And Through The Ring
I've Got the World On a String	Louis Prima	Viva Las Vegas
Jaded	The Crystal Method	Vegas
Just I'll say	Dragon Ash	Viva la Revolution
Maria Virgin	In Extremo	Weckt Die Totem!
One Of These Things First	Nick Drake	Way To Blue (An Introduction To Nick Drake)
Soulless	Blood For Blood	Wasted Youth Brew
Statecontrol	The Hives	Veni, Vidi, Vicious

2.Best spam subject line ever received by me: "Why so Dumb? Nangle"

Perfect moment #001

Walking across an almost empty quad, fall air slightly crisp against my freshly shorn head, wrapped up in a fuzzy sweatshirt, listening to "The Shy Retirer" by Arab Strap.

I just sent the following email message out - if I should've sent it to you and didn't, sorry....

Sorry for the impersonality of this, but I'm trying to reach a
relatively large number of people.

As the winter holidays draw closer, I've been asked what I want for
Christmas. The short answer is "nothing." I've got a good life, a good
family, a good job, and a roof over my head. If you would like to purchase
a gift to celebrate the season for me, I request a charitable donation,
either to a local foodbank or to one or more of the following organizations:
War Child
Carolina for Kibera
Heifer International
Film Aid
CARE USA

-Shea

Dinner

Baby spinach and mixed greens salad with Salame Toscano, gypsy pepper, poached duck egg, dressed with reduced balsamic vinegar and 1972 Pedro Ximenez. Wine was 2001 Artazurri Navarra. Dessert was Garrotxa cheese with fireweed honey.

Script work

Got a good deal done on the script revisions, hope to have a good draft done by the end of the week, will then start looking at storyboarding.

Turkey extravaganza

Dinner tonight:
Roast turkey, basted with Saffron and Garlic-infused White Truffle Oil
Turkey Cracklings
Hasselback Potatoes (an oldie, but a goodie in my house - recipe taken from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer), finished with fleur de sel that Kathleen's boss brought back from France for us
Smoked salmon and Umeboshi mousse
Mixed Grain Salad (red rice, brown rice, split peas, amaranth from Trout 45) with a Curry Vinagrette

Served with 2003 Ironstone Obsession

Dessert was crepes with cheese, mixed nuts (walnuts, pistachios, and almonds), and chesnut honey

Fun with seafood

Stopped at Trout 45 on Friday for dinner fixings, ended up making the following surf 'n' surf:

Coquilles D'Angulo (infused butter and soy milk with garlic, tarragon, white pepper, and capers, brightened the sauce with a tiny bit of citric acid. Sauteed the scallops in butter, removed, and deglazed the pan with Chateau Chantal Celebrate, then addded the butter/soy milk sauce and reduced to a thin glaze. Plated the scallops with the sauce and served accompanied with the remaining Celebrate)

Sesame-Crusted Yellowtail (rubbed the yellowtail with a mixture of roquefort mustard and green peppercorns, let it marinate for about 30 minutes, then covered the outside in white pepper and black sesame seeds and pan-grilled it)

Both turned out very well, although the yellowtail was a little more done than I would have liked (was still very good, although I was hoping for something more seared than medium-rare).

Had the left-over tuna this morning as in impromptu Salade Nicoise.

wow

After watching this, the decision has been made for me. I've got a script for an animated film that I've been working on on and off (unfortunately, mostly off) for the past 10 years or so. Starting now, I'm getting off my ass and making the damn thing.

Listening: Faithless - God Is a DJ

Have now voted, and been to physical therapy. My physical therapist is a sadist, although that's what I expected. PT twice a week for the next 3 weeks, plus exercises 2Xday for a while. Discovered this morning at PT that while I was laid up, I lost about an inch and a half of circumference around my right calf.

Breakfast today was 1 piece of whole grain bread with light cream cheese and habanero peppers.

I'm going stir-crazy not being able to run or bike...I want to wake up before it's light, tie my shoes down tight and run alone in the dark. I want to feel the sun warming my neck as I pedal. I want to dismount my bike at the top of my driveway, legs rubbery and quivering after biking for hours. Hell, I'd settle for biking in a cold rain right now.

I'm back, and I'm staying

After one of the worst month ever (a good friend lost his battle with cancer and I severely ruptured my plantaris tendon), I'm back. I start physical therapy tomorrow, I'm back to normal days at work, and my doctor cleared me today to plan on doing RAGBRAI next summer.

Dinner tonight is warm beet salad with French vinagrette and steamed broccoli