Perfect Strangers?

Taaaaaaaaaake oooooooon meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

nobody@vox.com(Larry Appleton) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:39:19 -0700

That video was probably one of the first music videos I remember from when I was a wee laddie. And of course, the song is like one of the hugest hits of the '80s.

On the upside, it says they might be pursuing politics..... >_>

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Le sigh...

nobody@vox.com(Larry Appleton) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:40:22 -0700

Why?!?!

I am totally behind in blogging. I got lots of pics to sort out from my trip to California.

But for some reason, whenever I sit down to blog, I decide I'd rather just do something else.... What is it about this place that just kind of demotivates me? It's like I just don't feel like putting in the effort these days. I guess I'm becoming more Canadian than American... har har har!

Well, maybe this weekend, I will get on it....

But I do have some pics from hiking in my Vibrams that I want to post about.... So it's coming.... Just be patient....

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I'm addicted...

nobody@vox.com(Larry Appleton) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:46:43 -0700

I broke down and bought another pair of Vibram's... These were actually the color that I wanted originally, but my desire to own a pair of this amazing footwear over-rode my sense of fashion...

Blue-camo

What can I say? I am a self-professed Vibraholic... Blue camo here we go!

I'll be going hiking in my other pair, the first hiking experience. So I'll probably have something to report tomorrow or something.

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Charlie's is the best!

nobody@vox.com(Larry Appleton) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:09:07 -0700

Just got back from Charlie's Taqueria (again) and I think I'm about to explode, I ate so much.

The carnitas is crispy on the outside, and soft and juicy on the inside. Mmmmmm...

Tacos

Plus all the delicious salsas....

Salsa

Oh man... I wish I would never get full so I could eat more food from there.

Also, I got something new! Caldo de Camaron! I've never had that before, but felt inspired after watching cooking shows about Mexico. I must tell you, it is one of the most interesting soups that I've had in a while. The broth was flavorful, and there were plenty of ingredients already in it. But they give you some fresh cilantro, onions, and jalapeños on the side. Oh! And when you squeeze some fresh limon into it, it just perks up the flavor in some very interesting ways. I know most people go to taquerias to eat burritos and more burritos, but try this soup. It's really good.

Caldo

Now I need to take a siesta...

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Pomodoro!

nobody@vox.com(Larry Appleton) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:08:31 -0700

Just got back from the farmer's market... I picked up some really really nice tomatoes. Look!

Cut tomatoes

I don't know what it is, but my camera has a really hard time capturing the real color of the tomatoes. They're a lot more intense, deep, dark red than what you see in the picture...

Now, most people would probably cringe when they pick these up in their hand. They're a lot more soft than what you're probably used to, from the grocery stores, etc. I'm sure many people would consider these as "spoiled" or "over-ripened". Not me. This is how tomatoes should be. They're super heavy with juice, and soft. But they're still firm inside, and they're definitely ripe. After all, tomatoes are actually considered to be a berry, not a vegetable. So I tend to pick tomatoes based on how I pick fruit. Sometimes, I'll even eat a tomato just like eating an apple.

But in this case, since they were so soft, I wanted to actually prepare them a little bit.

When I cut them open I could feel, through the knife, how firm they were and that they didn't really need much in terms of flavoring. If anything, the least you can do, the better. I arranged them (sort of) on a plate, and then sprinkled some nice big chunky grains of sea salt on them. Then cracked a generous dosage of black pepper over them. Finally, I drizzled some extra virgin olive oil over every piece. Here's what it looks like:

Yum!

Good lord! If you could get produce this good everywhere, I have no doubt in my mind that more people would eat their vegetables and probably lick their plates clean. The sweetness of the tomatoes, mixed with the salt and pepper, and delicate olive flavor, was just such an amazing combination. I simply cannot get experiences like this in Canada. It's just too bad you also cannot be here to try this. To be perfectly honest, I cannot accurately describe for you, the pleasure of eating these. It is something you truly have to experience to understand, and is one of the simple pleasures of life in California.

FYI - these are "Shady Lady" tomatoes.

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Sweet chil(i)' o' miiiiiine.....

nobody@vox.com(Larry Appleton) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:27:48 -0700

I haven't done one of these posts in a while, mainly because nothing new has come out in the greasy snack food category. I have had some chips and stuff, but it's more along the lines of your run-of-the-mill sour cream n' onion variety. A few weeks ago, I happened to pass by the chip aisle and saw these:

Sweet Chili chips

I like to challenge whether commercial food actually makes things "hot" when they say they make things spicy or add chili, etc. Flamin' hot Cheetos for example, are not really that hot, nor do they taste good... So they're pretty gross all around. Same with these. Will they be hot? Will they taste good? What?

So I brought them home and pulled apart the top of the bag which revealed these:

The Chips

These actually looked pretty good. I'm still a little disturbed by the ketchup chips' dusting of hot pink powder... These actually look like potatoes which have been doused with hot sauce. I'm not exactly sure what the little flecks are supposed to be, or where they came from, but I assume they're just some herbs or something.

So how did they taste?

Well, they were actually really good! They didn't offer the level of hotness that I wanted, but I certainly felt a hint of burning in my mouth from them. Furthermore, if you look closely at the bag, in the bottom corner, near the chili, are a few basil leaves. I was surprised that they have a slight hit of basil flavor after the chili taste. It's not strong, but it's just enough to help these chips have some other kind of taste.

Final score: 8/10

I really liked these. I think they're the best non-American flavor of chips which I don't think you can get in the States. And if you can find them here in the U.S., go out and give them a try. I liked the subtle hit of basil, combined with the slight heat from the chili. Combine that with the fried potato flavor, these things are just bomb. You probably could just fry up some hash browns with basil and dump some hot sauce on them and get the same kind of taste, but these come in a big plastic bag and require no effort from you. So it's well worth it. Go get some right now!!

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Back... for now...

nobody@vox.com(Larry Appleton) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:41:01 -0700

Leaving Marin

So yes... I have arrived safely in California, and as you can see, have already begun traveling around a bit. I find exploring the Bay Area is still an interesting experience, despite having trodden these pathways many many times in the past. Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge peek out from behind some hills, emerging from the fog, still makes me smile. If you could pan the camera left in the above image, you'll see San Francisco's sprawling metropolis.

I still really love quite a number of different things about the Bay Area. In my last post, I briefly talked about the "sense of place" and despite the things that I dislike about California (and the Bay Area), I still feel like I fit in here much better than I do Canada. Someone, a Vancouverite, told me that Vancouver is to Canada as San Francisco is for the United States. But to be perfectly honest, they're not comparable. Vancouver might have some things akin to the City By The Bay, but there are things about this place which are truly found nowhere else.

Chuck

One of the things unique about this place is wine! Sure, there are wines produced in the Okanagan in British Columbia, but when you go to the government liquor stores to try and get a bottle, you're looking at $12-$15 capital outlay for what could be just some nice table wine. But down here, we have the venerable "2 Buck Chuck", some really great wine for $1.99. I mean, it's probably not gonna win any major awards for taste or quality, but it's $1.99!!! What the hell do you want?! And even if you don't feel like finishing the bottle, you can always use the leftover wine to make some really nice tomato sauce... But who doesn't finish their wine?

Anyway, one of the other things I love about the Bay Area are all the farmer's markets! The produce here is seriously some of the best! I have yet to find the same quality of vegetables that you can get here in California, in Canada. BC is supposed to be one of the more bountiful places in Canada, but it doesn't compare at all with the quality and breadth of options you can get down here. Fruits are sweet and juicy! Vegetables are a deep green and have taste! It is just amazing what you can get here, and it makes me sad that you just can't get this kind of food anywhere else. I think if people could get vegetables of this quality elsewhere in the world, more people would eat vegetables.

And then, of course, there is the Mexican food! Oh. My. God. When you get tacos in Canada, the first thing they ask you is not what kind of meat would you like, but whether you want hard or soft taco shells. WHAT. THE. FUCK. And no, I did not go to Taco Bell. After having to ask for soft taco shells, and having to specify a corn tortilla, they don't even bother to heat up the tortillas, a travesty! Thank god for places like Charlie's! I went there almost immediately and got the usual 2 taco combination platter... Carnitas, of course... Having rice and beans, after almost a year without, almost brought tears to my eyes. I actually stopped myself, before I ate my first forkful, just admiring the food in front of me, and appreciating it for what it was.

And of course, it was delicious.

A while back, I had a post about the demolition of historic Bay Meadows race track. Back then, they were knocking holes in the walls, and tearing the building apart. The horses were gone. The fountain, turned off. I never actually went to Bay Meadows, and never really had any interest in betting on the horses. But it's been in the Bay Area ever since I first moved out here. It's always been there. It's a landmark, or well... It was...

I had ridden past there a few months back, while on my bike, but didn't have a camera with me. So I went back there yesterday specifically just to snap some pics.

Bay Meadows Rubble Pile

As you can see, aside from the historic Bay Meadows Rubble Pile near the left side of the frame, it's just a big open, empty lot now. There's a dirty pond where there used to be a sort of fountain in the middle of the racetrack. And the racetrack itself is just a busted concrete strip. I guess they're going to put in some mixed-use residential/retail spaces in here, at least that's what I thought was the plan. But maybe it'd be nice to keep it as an open space. I know they won't, but I think it would be nice. Maybe turn it into a big park or something.

But something about it makes me sad. I mean, I never went there, so I don't really have any fond memories of experiences I had at the track. But I always just passed by it on my bike or on CalTrain. But like I said, it's been a fixture of the Peninsula for so many years. It's hard to see it gone. I keep expecting to see a huge concrete building here, and there's literally nothing here but a dirty pond, and some dry brown grass and shrubs... Well, there's the rubble pile too... But that rubble pile is all that's left of the huge building which sat here for many many years, chronicling the triumph and tragedy of the winners and losers of countless races.

Well, there's still a lot of adventure ahead of me over the next few weeks. I'm on a much needed respite from my current digs in Canada. I've only been here a few days and I'm already dreading the trip back. It's sunny and warm here, and I know it will be dismal, cold and rainy when I get back. But, at least for now, it's time to live it up and have some fun.

Chuck cork

Now where did I leave my wine glass.....

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Odds n' ends...

nobody@vox.com(Larry Appleton) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:51:14 -0700

A mixture of random stuff today...

* * *

So, I think in one of my early posts I addressed this topic. But it's this idea of "place" and belonging somewhere, and having this sense of place... Where does it come from? I'm back down in the States for a little while, specifically in the Bay Area again. It definitely feels familiar, and not just because I've lived here for a number of years. But things make sense in a way that they really don't, living up in Canada. I even get some of it when I drive down to Seattle, but it's little things, like road signs being in MPH. There are lots of little experiences here in California which just make sense to me. It could be that people are way more independent here, which you really don't see in Canada.

In a way, it is probably tied very closely to psychology. It's the same thing as feeling "at home" or "connected" to something. You probably don't have any physical connections to where you live, no chains or ropes to hold you back. So it's all mostly mental... It's also probably a huge reason why some people never leave where they live.

I've never been someone who felt such a strong tie to where they're from, but yet coming back here, even after over a year of living abroad, I find that I identify even more strongly with this place than I originally thought I would. It never really came up until I left California for the northern climes and I think it's plain, as the clear blue California sky, that I don't belong anywhere else but here.

* * *

Somewhat in the same vein as the last topic, we saw District 9 yesterday. It's a really really good movie. It was way more intense than I thought it would be, with all the people exploding and stuff... I'm really glad they didn't turn it into a political discussion of alien rights and crap like that, cuz that would've just ruined the whole movie.

The only thing I thought was a little hokey was how they left it open for sequels. Why do they do that? I mean, I know why they do that, but why do it? I mean, why not just tie up the movie in the way that it should without leaving stupid hints that additional possible things could happen if only they could secure more funding for more filming.

Anyway, go watch it if you haven't seen it yet. I found it thoroughly entertaining, and while it's probably not an Oscar-worthy flick (at least not the kind of movies that win Oscars these days), it's certainly one of the best movies of this year.

* * *

DTV is great!

* * *

Free healthcare has been in the news a lot lately. It is one of the worst ideas ever. It's the kind of thing only a naive college student wants, without considering how damaging it would be to the economy and more importantly, the QUALITY OF MEDICAL CARE! Do those people even realize why Canada can provide free medical care? Most Canadians who actually want quality care can just pay a bit more money, drive across the border, and get real treatment from a doctor in the United States. The free healthcare you get in Canada is basically on the level of the free clinics you get in college, i.e. it sucks balls. I have a personal anecdote of a Canadian doctor prescribing green tea for treating cancer, only after telling an elderly person that they are supposed to get cancer, due to their age. What the fuck kind of medical care is that?!?! I'll tell you what kind, the free kind.

If the U.S. proceeds with the whole free healthcare thing, get ready for even longer lines at hospitals, and the worst part, get worse quality of care. Doctors who want to actually make a living, will just leave the U.S. and go to other job markets where they can get paid for their time. The hardcore leftists expect people to provide free services out of the goodness of their hearts. It's a very noble thing, no question. If people really worked that way, then the whole free healthcare thing would've already happened. But the reality is that people don't operate like that, and I think we're seeing the natural progression of the medical healthcare industry.

How about, instead of funding free healthcare, most Americans should get off their fat asses and stop eating fast food and start exercising? How about that? Prevent the major health problems on your own, instead of always depending on the government to fix things.

The elderly person from my anecdote is doing fine today, after receiving treatment which they paid for, from an American doctor.

* * *

Well... At any rate, it's good to be back in the States.

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Yes!!!

nobody@vox.com(Larry Appleton) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:22:46 -0700

U of M

They fucking pulled it off at the end of the 4th quarter!!!!!!!!!! Great game!!!

This is why college football owns the pros!!

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Movie Review Time!

nobody@vox.com(Larry Appleton) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:31:59 -0700

I recently got this habanero hot sauce (the green stuff) which really hits the spot in terms of heat/intensity. Gawd, even just thinking about it stirs up the salivary glands... Anywho, after cruising around on their site, it looks like they got a hot sauce which is 11,600 scoville's, as compared to this green stuff's 9,000 scoville rating. First of all, where can I get some of that? Second, if I get some of that, why would I eat it? I guess it's part of the adventurous side to be tempting fate with that kind of stuff. A buddy of mine tried to eat a habanero burger at the now-defunct Prince of Wales Pub, but ultimately didn't after we ate one of their "Firecrackers" (the habanero sauce on a saltine). But what I found that happened after that whole incident, my tolerance for spiciness reached a whole new threshold. Even today, most regular hot sauces (looking in your direction Tabasco) do very little but give a little tickle. I know it's probably not good for my stomach, but gah... Sometimes, you just need that hit of spice to get going, you know?

Here's the movies from last week:

Cube - This is some kind of Canadian sci-fi film about people trapped in what is essentially a giant Rubik's cube (I'm not joking). Basically this movie sucked. But mainly, the acting was so bad that it basically made the movie bad. That much ham is really only good between 2 slices of bread. The idea for the story wasn't bad, but damn, they shoulda got better actors.
The Virgin Suicides - Someone I knew from way back when, read the book way before it was super popular or famous or whatever. I never bothered to read it, but when I first heard that the movie was coming out, I thought I should actually try and go see it. But I never did.... Until now... I liked the movie in general, but I think it's pretty clear that the book is far superior to the movie version. But what is it about acting where, like in the Cube, you can just tell that actors suck, whereas good actors can take an ok script and make it kinda good?
A Nightmare on Elm Street - Man... When did i first see this? I don't even remember... But man, this is so '80s horror.... I love it. Freddy Krueger.... Blah blah blah.... Go watch it.
The Dark Knight - So, I wanted to watch this again because I wanted to see if my first review from watching it in the theater still holds up. You know what? It doesn't. The only good thing about this movie was Heath Ledger's (R.I.P.) performance as the Joker. Well, Two-Face was ok too. But seriously, this Batman dude is terrible. He really needs to stop talking like he has strepped throat. Why did he do that? It's so ridiculous. I almost laugh everytime he has dialog as the Batman. Plus that new Batmobile is stupid. They really ought to make a cool sports car Batmobile. Not a fucking armored tank. If you're making a tank, put a really fucking huge gun on it. But they didn't. Because they're stupid. Batman drives a tank that has no tank gun. All the fucking money in the world to make a tank that has no huge cannon on it. Lame.
Sling Blade - I never watched this, mainly because I thought Billy Bob Thornton (BBT) was really creepy. I mean, the dude had Angelina Jolie's blood in a vial that he wore as a necklace. WTF?! Anyway, he was creepy enough to me to tell me that I shouldn't watch some creepy dude's movies. But then I watched it and I thought it was really quite good. I think this was the "Director's Cut" or something, so I guess it was different from the theatrical version. BBT is still creepy. I doubt his creepiness will drive me to go see any other movies he's been in. But I liked this one, and he wrote/directed/starred in it... So maybe I should give Creepy BBT a second chance....

Anyway, one of these days, I will get that super hot, hot sauce and probably do a post about my experience whenever I get around to finding a bottle. But for now, you get my movie reviews.... :D

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